Beautiful lyrics

I heard a song today that made me think of you, Liam. The song is "Safe and Sound," by Matthew West. I have no idea who he is... I've never heard of him before. But, I thought the lyrics were beautiful:

Can't believe you're here now
Tiny dream come true
The answer to a prayer now
I'm so in love with you
Couldn't wait to meet you
Hope you like your name
I get the funny feeling
Life will never be the same

Safe and sound
You're here with me now
Like I hoped you'd be
Safe and sound
You're here with me now
And that's all I'll ever need

The world's a scary place here
But baby it's alright
I'll make sure the coast is clear
So you can just sleep tight
But if you're afraid of monsters
Like everybody is
I'll be right beside you
Closer than a kiss

Safe and sound
I'm here with you now
And you will always be
Safe and sound
I'm here with you now
And that's all you'll ever need

Someday I'm gonna teach you
The reason why we pray
So that heaven's love may reach you
Every single day
So, baby close your eyes now
And say a prayer with me
Lord, I lay me down to sleep now
But I know I will be

Safe and sound
You're here with us now
And we will always be
Safe and sound
You're here with us now
And that's all we'll ever need
You're all we'll ever need

Walking!!!

For the last few weeks you've been walking. You'd take 3 or 4 steps, and then fall down. Suddenly, in the last two days, you've become an expert walker! You can walk across the living room now! You put your arms out, and literally take baby steps. It's absolutely amazing. Even if you fall down, you immediately start clapping your hands. I'm so proud of you. You're becoming such a big boy.

Christmas is coming soon, so I need to put up the Christmas tree... but I'm kind of dreading it. You get into everything, and I'm sure the tree will be no exception. I'm scared you'll pull it over on yourself, or get poked in the eye by a branch. We'll see what happens...

Your birthday is only 24 days away. The last year has been truly amazing. It's flown by much too quickly. I've loved every second of it. You are the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me.

Love,
Mommy

10 months old

I can hardly believe that you are more than 10 months old now! Before I know it, you'll be a year old. This makes me excited and sad at the same time. I'm excited to see you continue to change and grow, and to see you walk soon. But I'm very sad that your time as my little baby is coming to an end. You'll always be my baby, of course, but you're really a little boy now, not a baby.

Since my last post, you got to experience your first Halloween. You dressed up as a lion. You were the cutest lion I've ever seen! You only wore the costume for about 15 minutes, for a brief photo shoot, but it was definitely worth the $9.62 that the costume cost. Grandma Hoffmann was here, and I know that she enjoyed seeing you in your costume. No candy for you this year... maybe next year! You were already long asleep by the time our two only trick-or-treaters showed up.

You fell and hit your head on the door hinges this weekend, while playing in the living room with Daddy. You have a cut right by your eyebrow and nose. A half inch to the side, and you would have hit your eye. The cut didn't end up being that bad, and you didn't bruise. I really thought it was going to be so much worse. You cried so hard, and I cried too. The day continued to be bad for you. You later fell and hit your head on the tile, and then in the evening I think you either had water go in your nose, or you swallowed water when I was rinsing your hair in the bathtub. You really freaked out. You poor thing. I wish I could protect you from getting hurt. I do my best, but I know that you'll have plenty of scrapes and bumps over the years. I don't like you to cry in pain- it makes me cry too!

Last night you were up three times. Ugh. And, you didn't go to bed easily to begin with either. I don't know what's up with you lately. I sure hope that it's just a growth spurt or something.

We're going to Wisconsin to see Auntie Cari and everyone for an early Thanksgiving feast this weekend. Hopefully, we'll have an uneventful flight!

I love you, Liam.
Mommy

Where has the time gone

Liam,
I can't believe that I haven't updated this blog in almost a month. I've been so busy at work, and when I'm home with you in the evenings and on the weekend, I just want to spend my time with you, rather than on the computer. You're really not a baby anymore. You're becoming more of a little boy every day.

You can stand up for 5-10 seconds now, if I prop you up just right. It's so exciting! I'm sure you'll be walking before long. You don't seem to be too interested in walking yet, but I think that once you set your mind to it, you're going to learn very quickly! You like to push your cart across the floor. You love to climb the stairs. I should probably buy a gate for the bottom. I swear that if I turn around for just a second, you're halfway up the stairs before I know it!

You LOVE books lately. You like to take them all out of the basket, and spread them out around you on the floor. You can sit with me or Daddy and read one after another until they've all been read. You especially like the books with flaps- you like to discover what's under the flap! You also really like your Thomas the Tank Engine book, which has wheels, and your farm animals book, and your Corduroy the Bear book. I hope this is the beginning of a lifelong love of reading.

You aren't nursing very much/very often anymore. You nurse best during the middle of the night, when you aren't even really awake. It used to be easy to get you to nurse before bedtime, but now that you're eating bigger "meals," you don't really want to nurse then anymore. So, you're drinking some of my milk in a sippy cup with your supper, so that I know you're still getting enough. I still want you to have my milk until you're a year old, when you can start drinking cow's milk. We only have about two months to go... I know we'll make it! Some days I may end up needing to pump six times (like yesterday), but it's all worth it for you.

I love you, Liam. You're my sweetheart!
Mommy

Such a big boy

Liam,

You are turning into such a big boy! You're eating quite a few big boy foods now. Yogurt, cottage cheese, crackers, graham crackers, cheese, Cheerios, puffs, yogurt melts, chunks of cooked veggies (so far- peas and carrots). I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting. You still eat babyfood too. You have a tendency to shove as much as possible into your mouth, which scares me! I don't want you to choke. You're also starting to get better at drinking from a sippy cup.

I had looked at some different daycares recently, because I don't really like where you go currently. But, in the end, we decided to just keep you where you are. The pros outweigh the cons, I guess. I just want the best for you. I have this picture in my mind of a perfect daycare for you, but the place just doesn't exist! The main pro with your current daycare is the fact that it's so close to home. This allows me to have more time with you, and less time driving. I think that's an important selling point. I also think it's important for you to be interacting daily with other babies your age, which is definitely the case at your current daycare.

You slept through the night last night, which was really nice! I'd really appreciate it if you would start doing that every night, okay? :)

Tomorrow you and I will be flying to Minnesota again. My grandpa died this weekend, so we're going to his funeral. You met him twice- once at his house back in May, and once when he was in the hospital in August. I know that he loved you and was so excited to see you both times. We will get to see lots of my family members, and we'll get to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a couple days. I know that they're looking forward to seeing you. They were supposed to have come to see us this last weekend, but they decided to stay in Minnesota since my grandpa was so near the end of his life. Since he passed away during the weekend, I know that your grandma was very glad she stayed there. I'm sure she'll come to see us sometime soon.

I love you very much, my sweet boy.

Mommy

My poor sick boy

Liam,
You poor little thing. You've been sick with a bad cold this week. Your nose is disgusting- running constantly, and drying all around your little nostrils. Your eyes are watering non-stop, and are red. You're coughing a lot, sometimes so hard that you end up puking. Poor Li Li Monster. You act like you're being totured when we try to wipe your nose or suck the snot out with the bulb syringe. I just hate seeing you sick.

You slept from 6:30 until 5 last night. Obviously, you're sick, because that is NOT normal for you! You've been getting up 2-3 times a night for the last month or two. I really enjoyed my sleep, but I'm not delusional enough to think that it'll happen again. :)

I've been so busy at work the last few weeks. I'm really looking forward to spending this three day holiday weekend with you. Maybe we'll make it to the pool again!

I love you so much. I hope you get better soon.

Love, Mommy

Doing better!

I bought a cheap fan to put in your room a couple days ago, with the hope that the white noise would help you sleep. It's definitely helping! You're back to just one or two wake-ups a night, and you're falling back asleep much more quickly each time. Yeah!

One other thing- you LOVE squash. It's definitely your favorite food so far. You've been eating it the last few nights (Gerber, in a jar). You kick your legs between bites, waiting for the next bite, and you lean forward and make this really funny mmmm noise each time the spoon comes towards you. You're such a funny boy!

Love you Babycakes,
Mommy

Busy busy busy

Liam,
The last month has been busy, busy, busy, both for you and for me. I've been busy at a new job. You've been busy learning and doing new things. Yesterday, you and I went to the pool for the first time. You were cautious at first- you spent the first half hour or so sitting between my legs, sucking your thumb, looking around. But, then you became much braver! You began to splash, and then you started wanting to crawl away from me. You kept trying to lick the water- gross! You were very intrigued by the grate along the edge of the pool. You are one funny little guy.

We flew to Minnesota again to visit Grandma and Grandpa, and to attend my cousin Jenny's wedding. You slept the whole flight there, and the whole flight back! What a good little boy! You spent some time sitting in the grass at Grandma and Grandpa's house- you really loved ripping it up and throwing it. You hadn't sat in the grass yet, because most of it is too prickly here near our house.

A few weeks ago, G came and stayed with you for a week. That was not a good week... for sleeping. She wanted to hold you all day long, so you napped too much and then didn't want to sleep at night. To tell the truth, your sleep schedule has been pretty crappy ever since then.

You've been waking up numerous times each night, and it's very hard to get you to go back to sleep again. I've been dangerously tired the last few weeks. You have been awake during the night for extended periods of time, and often I'll lay you down asleep only for you to pop back awake just minutes later. Plus, you seem to think that 5:30 or so is a good time to wake up every morning! You often will wake up hysterically crying. I really don't know what's wrong, but I'm guessing that your top teeth are starting to bother you. There's no sign of them yet, but I'm thinking that they're making their presence known lately.

So, you're kind of driving Daddy and I crazy at night lately, but I love you more every day anyway. I miss you right now, while I'm sitting here at work. I wish I could be with you. I wish I could take you to the pool every day! I love you.

Mommy

P.S. Don't tell Daddy, but I know that you're really Mama's Boy. :)

Constant movement

Constant movement- that's what you are lately. It's pretty unbelievable when I think about the changes in you in the last month or two. Going from sitting, to pulling up, to crawling... wow. You're so strong- it's becoming hard to hold you if you don't want to be held. And changing your diaper or clothes?! Such a struggle! If you're laid on your back, you immediately want to flip over into crawling position. You're just not content to sit still anymore. You always want to be on the move.

You've been sleeping like crap lately. I'm going to say that it's connected to teething, but of course I don't know if that's really true. The last few nights you've been wide awake for extended periods of time during the middle of the night. I feel dangerously tired today. Makes me wish I still drank caffeinated beverages, but I gave them up for you (as long as I'm breastfeeding). This morning, after attempting to feed you (and being bitten by you numerous times), I had to hand you to Daddy so I could walk away and cry. The mixture of being over-tired, and bitten over and over, was just too much. This was the first time that I've ever been driven to tears since you were born. It seems like most other new mothers say that they cried all the time in the early months, but I truly didn't.

Both of your bottom middle teeth are totally through now, and you want to use them all the time. Nursing you has become scary for me, quite frankly. You seem to end every feeding by biting me, really hard, and then pulling. I swear your teeth feel like miniature serrated knives on my nipples. It makes my cry, and you just laugh and laugh. I know you're not trying to hurt me, but the pain is indescribable. I really hope I can get you to stop biting soon... or I don't know how much longer I'll be able to breastfeed you. This makes me sad, and I really don't like to think about it too much. Please stop biting soon, Li Li Monster!

Love you,
Mommy

Crawling

Liam,
You started trying to crawl a couple of weeks ago, but you REALLY got the hang of it a few days ago. You were in the living room, and you saw Chloe (the cat) run into the kitchen. All of a sudden, you bolted after her! It was like you suddenly knew exactly how to crawl at that second, and you crawled all the way across the living room and kitchen clear to the back of the house. You looked like you were so proud of yourself. You're definitely crawling earlier than is "normal."

Also, your first tooth popped through a few days ago. It is on the bottom left, and it is SHARP! I hope to continue to nurse you until you're a year old... so I hope you don't bite me or we'll have to call it quits sooner rather than later. I can tell that your teeth are hurting you- you're back to waking up at least once, if not two or three times, a night. I hope this ends soon. :)

You're amazing, Liam. Seriously, you amaze me everyday. Watching you master your new skills brings me to tears way too often. I love you more than I ever could have imagined.

Mommy

Standing up!

Liam,
You started pulling yourself up about a week ago. I really can't believe it. It's like you turned six months old and then decided that you're a big boy now! I caught you pulled up along the side of your crib. Later in the week you pulled up along the coffee table, and due to me videotaping it rather than making sure you didn't fall... you fell and bumped your chin on the table. You cried for a few seconds and then were ready to go again! You're also trying really hard to crawl. You can move all over the floor, even if the movement isn't all true crawling. Your growth amazes me everyday. I swear that you look different every time I look at you.

Last week, I took Thursday and Friday off from work (between the end of one job and the start of a new one). On Thursday, I picked up your six month pictures. They were fabulous. You're so smiley and happy. People always remark about how happy you look in pictures. You really are the happiest baby ever. On Friday, you and I spent the day together. It was like old times. How I miss those 12 weeks of maternity leave... I wish I could be home with you everyday, but I know that you're having fun at "school" (daycare).

I love you, lil' peanut.
Mommy

Teething

Well, I think you're teething, Liam. You've been kind of fussy the last few days. "Fussy" for you is like normal behavior for other babies. You're normally a very happy baby, so when you're fussy at all, I know there must be something wrong. You're chewing on everything, including your fingers and my nipples while breastfeeding. (I'm not looking forward to your teeth coming in!) I really can't imagine what your smile will look like with teeth in it!

We bought your high chair this weekend. You look like such a big boy sitting in it. I think we'll start rice cereal this weekend, on your sixth "monthday." Should be interesting...

You're changing so much right now. I just looked at some pictures from earlier in the month, and you look completely different now. It's amazing. Your hair is mostly falling out, and the new growth is very blond. Your face has thinned out, making you look much older.

I love you, Liam.

Dear Liam...

I've started this blog so I will have a place to save all the things I so want you to know. I love you so much. I never could have dreamed how much I would love being your Mommy. I love watching you grow. It blows my mind that you will be six months old next week. You're sitting up now, and you so badly want to crawl- you're getting close! These last six months have been the best of my life. You've been such an easy baby. I feel so lucky. I hear other new mothers say that things were so tough when their babies were little... but I truly never felt that way. I have enjoyed every moment with you, and I know that Daddy has too. Now that you're sleeping through the night most of the time, I actually miss when you used to wake up to nurse during the night. I can't believe that I miss being woke up numerous times every night! I loved those quiet, calm moments together, just you and me in the rocking chair. You're the sweetest, happiest boy. I love you.

Love,
Mommy