Liam is a Year and a Half!

Sweet Bubby Boy! You are halfway to two!! That is so hard to wrap my mind around! My baby boy is quickly becoming a toddler!

At 18 months old, you weigh in at 20 pounds 9 ounces and 30 and a half inches tall. You are tiny, but healthy and growing. We just saw a new doctor for your 18 month appointment today, and you were such a good boy while she gave you your check up. Mama was nervous since this was our first experience outside of our beloved Dr. Schlachter who moved to Florida a few months back, but Dr. Coy eased every fear I had about a new pediatrician! I am so thankful to have found someone who is on board with our natural approach to health care.

You are finally wearing clothes that correspond with your age! I'm buying all 18 month outfits now! I'm still dressing you in sweet longalls and jon jons and you still wear newsboy hats and classic white shoes. I intend on keeping you dressed as a sweet baby boy for as long as Daddy will allow it!

Your vocabulary is growing every day. You say around 35 words.

Mama
Dada
Sissy
Londyn
Bubba
Pop pop
Mimi 
Mom Mom
Baby

Hi
Bye bye
Stuck

Ball

Cracker
Cookie     (clearly you have a thing for foods beginning with the letter C)
Chicken
Candy

Please
Gotcha
Thank you

Papa    (Papa bear on Berenstain Bears)
Doctor  (from Doc McStuffins)

PeePee  (total boy words! lol)
PooPoo

Quack
Moo
Neigh
Duck
Tweet tweet

Snow

Cheese

Uh oh

Amen   (after praying)
Bible    (when you see a Bible or we sing The B-I-B-L-E)

Purple
Green
Blue

You recognize our family members and call us by name. You say both Sissy and Londyn. You say Londyn just like she did when she learned to say her name and it sounds like "Nunnyn!" You love to call for her if she's upstairs or napping longer than you. When you look in the mirror and see your reflection or are asked what your name is you answer, "Bubba!" You love to Facetime with everyone back in Maryland and Pennsylvania. You absolutely adore your Pop Pop and often pick up the phone wanting to facetime him! You've stolen a huge piece of Mom Mom's heart and it just thrills mine! Since she's the only great grandparent that hasn't gone to Heaven on Mama's side and we've always been extra close, I love the love she has for "her baby!"

You are a pretty good eater. Your only aversion is meat, but every once in awhile you will eat chicken. You love yogurt, pancakes, cereal or scrambled eggs for breakfast. You usually eat whatever we are eating for lunch and dinner. Whenever I'm eating a salad, you like to steal my croutons! You certainly have a sweet tooth and get really excited about cookies and sweets.

Out of a closet full of toys, you are happiest with a "ball ball!" The basketball hoop we got you for Christmas is still your favorite toy! You love going to Upward every Thursday and Saturday, but have a hard time staying off of the court! You now think that you need to go the gym every time we go to church!

Sleeping is going pretty well. You usually sleep from 9:30-10:00 at night until around 2:00 in the morning in your crib. When you wake up, Mama brings you into bed and you nurse back to sleep until around 8:30 in the morning. Most days you can go until after lunch and then take a 1.5 to 2 hour nap in your crib in the afternoon, but some days you still take a short morning nap.

Mama still loves nursing you and cherishes the times you want "BB" which you've affectionately named it. You nurse to sleep at nap and bedtime and lately are pretty attached to it through the day as well.

You are very adamant about things being in their places. If I leave the cap off of my bottle of water, you have to put it back on immediately. You have a favorite book which of course is about balls and you love to sit on Sissy's bed and "read" it. While I make dinner, you enjoy emptying the cabinets and playing with whatever suits your fancy that day!

You are not super into Mama's picture taking, and I have a hard time keeping you in one place for photographs, but when I don't have my camera you tease me by posing and saying "Cheese!" You are such a stinker!

In the mornings, we snuggle and you nurse for a few minutes before you think you are big enough to get down off of our bed by yourself. It's pretty high off of the ground so you still need a little help! Then you make your way into the nursery to find Sissy. If she's not awake yet, you make sure that happens pretty quickly and you sweetly give her hugs and kisses before we head downstairs for breakfast. You enjoy watching The Berenstain Bears. Papa Bear is your favorite bear!

You love to go to church and are so friendly with every one. You enjoy saying hello, shaking hands and blowing kisses. Mama started teaching Sunday School again which means you spend that time in the nursery, but you love Ms. Marilyn, Ms. Kathlyn, Ms. Kathy, Ms. Katie, Ms. Venus, and Ms. Leni. Ms. Marilyn has a special song she sings just for you and you get the biggest smile on your face and clap your hands when she does. The last few times Daddy has preached at the nursing home, you have loved entertaining the residents.

I am so grateful for you, my son!

I'll close with the words to Ms. Marilyn's song and one of my favorite images from your 18 month portraits (I'm definitely framing this one!),

Liam, Liam, we've been thinking,

what a great world this would be if they boys were all like Liam!!

 Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah!

But they aren't! You are one of a kind! And you are ours! Our precious gift from God! We can't wait to see what you learn and how much you grow as we approach your second birthday. We love you, Bubba, WAY MORE THAN YOU KNOW!!!

Londyn Grace at 3 years old ...

{I typed this post months ago and it has been sitting in notepad in my phone! We are creeping up on three and half so I needed to get this posted! All information and the pictures are from October when she turned three!}

Three. You turned three on October third, your golden birthday!

I am delayed partly because of the fact that I broke my ankle the day you turned three and partly because I do not feel like I have the right words when it comes to describing you, my sweet girl!

You are simply amazing. So grown up for someone so young. Sometimes I feel like maybe you had to grow up quickly when Liam was born, but really I think it is just who you are.

At three years old, you weigh in at thirty pounds and measure 37 inches tall. You are now wearing size 3T clothes and a size 7 shoe. Mama still dresses you in smocked dresses and big bows. I'm hoping you'll allow that for at least a few more years!

Your hair is still as curly as ever and getting so long. It looks so cute in a ponytail! You had your first trim back in August. A small section of hair had grown longer than the rest so we just had it evened up.

This year wasn't a year of big milestones since you were already potty trained and had already moved to a big girl bed last year, but each day you learned new things and grew into more of a girl than a toddler.

You've known and recognized the alphabet since before you were two, but now you know nearly all of the letter sounds. You constantly ask what letter words start with.  I simply give you the first sound and then you tell me which letter it begins with. Your vocabulary is amazing and you hold full conversations like a little adult!

You are very interested in telling time and always ask what time it is.

Your heart is so tender toward the things of God. You love to pray and will stop what you're doing to pray for someone who is sick. We saw someone in a wheelchair while visiting the Statue of Liberty and you started praying for them on the spot! I never want to forget how you begin each prayer with "Thank You, Dear Father..." You challenge me daily to have a closer walk with the Lord. Sunday School and Primary Church are your favorite. You especially love Miss Rosie's teaching and being in class with Duke and Kian. I love talking with you about what you learned each week. Your memory and grasp of the lessons always amazes me.

Speaking of church, you love your friends, both young and old, there. You look forward to Sundays and Wednesdays. Leilani, Kimberly and Samaya are several years older than you, but they love to play with you. On Sunday evenings, we chat with Mr. and Mrs. Burns, Ms. Ruth and Ms. Marilyn. The Guans babysit for us occasionally and you love being with Brother Mel, Ms. Barbara, Faith and Ethan.  Brother Wayne is your favorite and you give him the biggest hugs!

You have a constant song in your heart. You sing pretty much nonstop.
From Bible songs to songs you make up about anything and everything, you are ALWAYS singing! I pray you never lose that.

Your baby brother is your biggest fan and you adore him as well. You are SO good with him and have been an especially great helper since mama fell. From bringing me his diaper when he needs changed to sharing your food and toys with him, you are the best big sister, ever! He looks for you as soon as he wakes each morning and loves to give you kisses, and you happily receive them!

You are my right hand. You still sit on the counter and help me cook each night asking, "What do we need next?" and happily helping with dinner preparations! You now set the table for our evening meal as well. You love to help me wash dishes and vacuum.

You don't watch much tv, but when we do your favorites are The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune (the letter game as you call it), The Berenstain Bears and Doc McStuffins. You still like to watch old Barney episodes on YouTube.

This year, you learned how to ride your tricycle, visited Daddy's home state of Michigan and became a big cousin again when Bayleigh was born. You love to hold her!

I wish I could bottle up who you are at three and keep you my sweet girl forever! You love to hold my hand and to "snuggle buggle" as we read books in mama's bed each night.

You are a great sleeper and still take a two hour nap in the afternoon.

You love to paint, do puzzles and play with your kitchen. I just recently introduced you to the game Hi Ho Cherry O and you love to play it with me! Your favorite colors are yellow and pink. 

You soaked up every second of your birthday this year. You had a family party in Maryland which was Lyle the Crocodile themed since you love that book series and had a friend party in New Jersey which was art themed! On your actual birthday, we had Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, went shopping at Toys R Us with your birthday money, went to Jumpnasium (where mama broke her ankle) and then to Cracker Barrel (your favorite restaurant) for dinner! It was a wonderful week celebrating you, Goosey!

We are blessed beyond measure you call you our girl! We can't wait to see what the next year holds!