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!!!