A Great Summer

This summer Joey and I have both been very busy at work and little Liam has been very busy at school. We made it to the beach twice and enjoyed a few weekends away as well. Liam moved up to the 1 year old class in mid-August and is enjoying some really cool new classroom toys with his friends. I am amazed that last year this time I couldn't wait to see what Liam looked like as I waddled around feeling whalish. Now I've memorized every sweet crease of him and I'm planning his first birthday party. Liam is taking a few steps, eating anything we give him (including guacamole and hummus), pointing, drinking from a sippy cup, tickling Mommy's toes, and flashing a giant smile wherever he goes. We love this kid! God has blessed us in every way!

Finally...a new post

I don't think very many people read our blog, however I still feel bad for not updating. Since my last post, our Liam has grown into a handsome, busy 6 months old who is working on sitting up on his own and figuring out his voice. He is a wonderful son, and he brings smiles to people's faces wherever we go. 615 Summit is looking good these days! Joey worked very hard over Christmas break to install a new walkway from the driveway to the front porch. We had a new roof put on in late January and we're (mostly Joey) working on some new landscaping, hopefully a victory garden will be going in before summer.

In my last post I wrote about losing my job. I was blessed to find a new job rather quickly and started as the Regional Volunteer Cooridinator for Hospice Care of South Carolina on January 4. I really enjoy my new position and the company I work for is very well organized with well thought out goals and a mission. Coming from Girl Scouts with the ubiquitous after-merger growing pains, it is so refreshing to be where I am. Also, I am free on weekends with the exception of an occassional training, so I am able to spend valuable time with Joey and Liam. When one door closes, God always opens another with new opportunity for the better.

I will post pictures in the next couple of days to appease all of my loyal readers :).

An Eventful 2 Months

Liam turned 2 months old yesterday. He's growing so fast and learning new things all the time. He sleeps very well at night, although not so good during the day...he doesn't want to miss anything and fights taking naps. He smiles at us a lot now, and with each one he wraps us a little bit tighter around his finger. We thank God for him every day and look forward to the months and years ahead.

In an unfortunate sign of the economy, I found out last week that my position at the Girl Scout office was eliminated. I thought that I was protected by the Family Medical Leave Act because I'm out on maternity leave. But because my position was eliminated due to budgetary concerns, it is allowed. I worked there for 5 years and gave my all to the positions I held, so it has been very hard to understand. I am looking at this unexpected turn of events as a opportunity for needed change and I am trying to be optimistic about finding something else. Please say a prayer for me and for Joey as I look for another position, as this is a hard time for us both.

First 2 weeks at home

Sleepy 2 week old baby pictures.

The first two weeks at home have been great with Baby Liam. Joey was off for the first full week and was scheduled to be off this week too, but because the baby came early, we both felt like it was ok for him to go back half days this week. We have had lots of visitors. It's been fun to introduce Liam to so many friends and family already.

Liam and I are adjusting to being at home during the day. I think we're doing well. 2 week olds can be pretty unpredictable. Sometimes he sleeps for hours at a time, sometimes he's awake for an hour and sleeps for 10-20 minutes. I like it when he's awake except when he's still crying after being fed and changed and seems to be fighting sleep. Luckily, so far (crosses fingers that it will continue) at night he's sleeping consistently for 4-5 hours at a time. We start putting him in his crib when he goes to sleep between 9 - 10, and wakes up to eat around 1 and around 4:30. And, he doesn't wake up until after 7:30. Awesome!

We took him for a recheck at the pediatrician earlier this week and he was almost back up to his birthweight, which they like to see at 2 weeks. He's not going to be so little for long! I am excited to see him grow and want to enjoy every minute of it.

Baby Liam has arrived!!

Baby Liam arrived on Saturday, September 19 at 11:37 PM. He weighed 6lbs 8 oz and was 19 inches long. He is such a blessing to our family. We love him more than words can describe!

I was scheduled to be induced on September 21, but I woke up on Saturday morning with the unmistakeable symptoms of broken water. We headed to the hospital and they admitted me. They hooked me up to "go juice" (Pitocin) at about 10:30 AM. I stayed at 1 cm for a really long time so they gave me medicine to help my body relax. It made me very sleepy and I slept through most of labor. I progressed to 3 and was stuck again for about 6 hours. The doctor came in at around 9:00 PM and said that he'd give me 2 more hours to progress or we'd be looking at a c-section. I had a new nurse who suggested I turn on my left side to see if it would help. I prayed that my cervix would open and I wouldn't have to go the c-section route. The nurse checked me about an hour later and I was at 6 cm, then soon after that they checked me again and I was at 9cm. I was ready to push about 11:15 and started with the nurse, she watched his heartrate and I'd push on one contraction and sit out the next to let Liam recover. She called in the doctor and Liam was out in 3 pushes. Even though I was in labor for 13 hours, it seemed to go by really fast and I could not have asked for better medical care. I stayed at the hospital until Monday and because we were both doing so well, we got to come home.

Here are pictures of Liam from his first couple of days...After his first bath at home, his hearing test at the hospital, and just before we left the hospital. Isn't he so cute!!

Baby Watch

We're on baby watch here at 615 Summit. Our doctors have decided to put me in the hospital on Sunday evening and begin the induction process - so it looks like sometime on Monday our Baby Liam will be here....in 4 days! Joey and I are both preparing for work absences, so this week is crazy. My office is moving, so I'm having to pack up everything and hope that it makes it where it's supposed to go and Joey is preparing his team for Code Blue while he's out. We are so excited to meet our son!!!

Liam's Room

This is Liam's room in it's almost complete form. The only thing thats missing is him! Hopefully, he'll be here in just a couple of weeks.