Liam at 5 months.....

Punkin-
You are now 5 months old…..I know I say it all the time but words just can’t express how fast this time is passing. One day you’re so dependent on me for everything and the next you’re holding your own bottle and finding your own way to entertain yourself in the mornings as mommy gets ready for work. This really is a special time my little man…The fall is coming….I can feel it….I wish you realized just what this means but one day it will all make sense. Just know that mommy and daddy are super excited to share this time of year with you. Fall means change… Fall means color….crunchy leaves underfoot….warm cozies to bed…..slippers on your feet…..hot cocoa around a fire with friends….Football……warm chili on a cool day…..snuggling under a blanket…crisp nights and cool mornings…..lightweight coats…..trips to the mountains… pumpkin patch…pumpkin bread….sweaters….scarves….static in your hair….pumpkin spice anything…smell of homemade goodies throughout the house…football……..wait did I already say that? Football? Oh yeah that is the most important!! We are a football family son….Daddy is a Raiders fan and one day that will become all very clear to you and it’s meaning and Mommy is a Panthers fan……Some of our best memories revolve around football, around fall weather, around lazy Sundays on the couch snuggled up together under a blanket….and now, for the first time, you get to experience it all with us. We can’t wait to watch you in this season…..I have a feeling you’re going to be a fall loving baby…..you’re such a big snuggle bug already…..Plus, we’ve recently learned you just love squash-actually your new favorite food….so you’re speaking right to mommy’s heart….I see lots of yummy squash casserole being shared between us….daddy doesn’t like it so much but we’ll eat it a lot! You’re doing great in daycare….sleeping well, playing well and just an overall happy kid. You love green beans, peas, squash, pears, banana and peaches. You are eating oatmeal twice a day and you still love showers before bed. Your favorite toy right now is anything that is soft-because EVERYTHING is going into your mouth-so you like to chew on it or throw it and pick it back up. You think daddy is so funny. Your laugh is infectious and beautiful. You’ve started scooting like crazy and your butt shoots up in the air like you want to push off to crawl and then it falls back down….You’re so close….we’re gonna have a mover on our hands in no time! You’re growing like a weed…I can barely keep you in 6 months clothes right now.
And years from now when you read this and understand it…. Daddy and I just want you to know that we love you…..you’ll always be loved….you are amazing…you are funny…you are the sunshine in our days….and you have changed our lives for the better. We love you little man!

Liam at 4 months

Baby boy....
you're changing every day right in front of our face.....you're getting so big and starting to grow further and further from our little newborn. I think this is our favorite time with you so far....you are funny, you have a personality, you are all smiles, a happy child to say the least, you love your daddy with all of your heart and think he is the funniest thing you've ever seen and you like to cuddle with mommy and bury your face on my shoulder when you first meet someone because you're bashful. At your four month appointment, you weighed 16 lbs 10.5 ounces and were 25.75 inches long. You're in the 75th-90th percentile for height, weight and head size. Dr. McDowell gave us the "ok" to start you on solids and you are taking to them wonderfully. Rice cereal is not your favorite but you love oatmeal. So far we've also introduced green peas, squash and green beans and you've liked all of them! Mommy is determined you will be a fruit and veggie eater so as you get older we can go to the farmers market on the weekends and pick out yummy foods to share. You love tummy time and are scooting your way across the floor....you'll be crawling in no time! You've also started daycare at Presbyterian CDC! You are in the Bears class and your teachers are Mrs. Tina and Mrs. Star.....So far you like playing bubbles and reading books there and are starting to learn to finally sleep in a crib.

You've also discovered Buster and Maggie recently....You think it's so funny when Maggie comes to give you kisses and you watch them play for long periods at a time. You've started reaching for them to touch their faces and you laugh at them when they are near you. Your favorite toy is a red square teething ring....you are grasping it with both hands and you love to just hold it while you sit in your bumbo seat and look around.
You are growing so fast punkin.....Daddy and Mommy are amazed at how fast you've changed and how much you've grown. We can't wait to watch you learn to sit up soon and start crawling.

We love you baby boy! You are a true gift from God.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

It has been a whirlwind few weeks at the Phillips house and I have a ton to blog about but I want to take a second today to focus on my husband.
Last year, Adam decided he'd been in engineering long enough and wanted to follow his passion.....he became a teacher and busted his butt to get it done! I've never seen someone so determined.....I have never been more proud of him.

Today, he left for Duke University for 2 full weeks.....the longest we've ever been apart in our 7 years together.....the hardest thing I've ever had to do....watch him say goodbye to not only me but to Liam knowing he wouldn't see his baby boy for 2 full weeks at such a young age. He is there for training for the upcoming school year-2 intense weeks-full 8 hour days of non stop classes and labs just to learn what he'll teach his kids this year. I am so very proud of him.....sad for me because he's my best friend and I never want to leave his side but so proud of all he's doing and his hard work.
I am of course teary eyed as I write this.....I will miss his laugh and his smiles when I get home after a long day at work....I will miss watching him with Liam and how wonderful he is.
I want to take this chance to thank him.....for the sacrifices he made while I was pregnant, on bed rest and as  as he stayed home this summer on his "vacation" and played not only daddy but house husband as well. He has stepped up to the plate while I had to return to work and I have never seen someone give so sacrificially of his time and energy. Adam, you are a blessing to us...Liam and I will be okay here without you but we don't want you to think for a second that we don't miss you. Thank you for leading this family, thank you for working so hard to provide....we can't wait for you to return so we can spend the 2nd half of this year together....just the 3 of us.....for the next phase....a new school year and a baby boy watching his daddy lead others....a wonderful example you set for our son....He is lucky to have you as a daddy and I am blessed to call you husband and best friend.

 Rock your training honey.....you were meant to do this! God gave you an amazing gift....run with those talents and don't look back!
I love you so very much and I'm counting down the days!

where has the time gone.....

baby boy you are 12 weeks old this week.....the last time I was able to write you were half this age and my how you have changed. You are curious of your surroundings, you are smiling now and it's gorgeous in every way, you are funny and you laugh at things and you think mommy and daddy are the greatest things since sliced bread. We are so in love with you little monkey....each day with you is a new adventure and we still pinch ourselves to realize that you are ours. At your last doctors appointment you were almost 16 pounds and had grown almost 2 1/2 inches. You are no longer in your newborn sized clothes and starting at 2 months you were already wearing things labeled 3-6 months. Your favorite toy is your pal, Mort the Monkey and your jungle gym play mat. You are starting to roll over and have definitely started the teething process. You are eating both formula and breast milk and still get up once a night for a few minutes of some quality quiet time with mommy. Daddy is home taking care of you this summer while mommy is back at work and he is doing such a good job. You love your bath time but even more so you love taking a shower....you get so excited when the water rushes over your head and you coo the whole time. Your little buddha belly, strong hands and deep blue eyes are breathtaking. Your favorite "tv show" is the ceiling fan and you could look up and around for hours if we'd let you. (mommy is secretly concerned you're doing damage to your neck...haa)
We are so blessed by you Liam! God truly knew what he was doing when he gave us you as a son....you are perfect in every way and we couldn't ask for a better baby. We can't wait to see where you take us next !
We love you punkin!

6 weeks old....

You are six weeks old monkey! My have you changed in such a short amount of time. At your one month appointment we found out you had grown so much! You were 11 pounds and 22 inches long and Dr. McDowell says you are right on schedule and eating well. You even had your first shot....I think mommy was more scared than you but we all made it through okay! You have definitely started showing your personality as well. You are funny....you love ceiling fans, your monkey on your jungle gym and playing with mommy and daddy. Your newest trick is standing...we hold your arms but you are so strong that you push right up and get the most excited, accomplished look on your face when you reach the top of your stance. You sleep less during the day and are so active and holding your head up so well. You love the outdoors....as soon as we sit on our front porch at night you "coo" at everything and look mesmerized at your surroundings. Daddy and I sit and dream about all the things you could be when you grow up....you love thunderstorms...maybe a meteorologist? You love music....maybe a guitar player? who knows?
Over Memorial Day weekend, you and Mommy went on a road trip to Grammie and Grandpa's house in Cary. You did so well in the car and slept the whole drive there and the entire drive back. We had so much fun playing with Grandpa, Grammie and Uncle Pat and you even met some of your great aunts and uncles.
We are so blessed by you little man....you make us proud to be your mommy and daddy. We can't wait to watch you grow over this next month and we are anticipating smiling and laughing soon!

We love you Liam!

3 weeks....

Today Liam is 3 weeks old...sometimes I still stare at him in awe that he's even here....I can't believe we've been blessed with this angel. I even have thoughts sometimes like "how did one little fertilized egg the size of a pin head turn into these sweet little ears, this perfect little nose,etc." I can't wrap my head around his creation and I can't stop my heart from swelling beyond its borders with love for him. Sometimes it feels like he's always been with us and then I write he's only 3 weeks old today and it blows me away.
At three weeks, he's starting to finally get on a good schedule. He sleeps at 3-5 hour stretches just depending on his mood that day and he's eating like a champ. Breastfeeding is going incredibly well and I'm starting to get a little nervous about when I return to work that somehow it will mess that process up. Hopefully I can start to establish a schedule with that as well so when I do go back we have a smooth transition. He's also a very strong little boy already. Constantly gripping our fingers, kicking his legs and holding his head up a lot!
He makes the funniest faces and I keep thinking I see a smile creeping in when we "talk" to each other. I also love his songs...he sings....honestly he does....his cooing sounds like a song....the boy is starting his music career already! Makes a mama proud!

This weekend is Mother's Day.....I can't believe I can celebrate this holiday....I'm a mother...holy cow that sounds weird. I am so blessed to mother this child....I heard a great quote the other day.....That "children are not ours...they belong to God but that God chooses earthly guardians to watch over and teach his angels until He can care for them." I am so honored to be Liam's guardian, his mother, his cheerleader.....He is certainly my perfect angel, my monkey, my sweet baby, my son.

Liam's arrival....

We're a little over a week into this new life with Liam and I haven't until now figured out when I can put him down long enough to get on the computer. We're working out the details everyday and are so in awe of this miracle that has been placed before us.
On Friday, April 16th, I woke with stabbing back pains at about 6:30am....I tried to ride them out for awhile but realized a shower sounded great. Adam had already headed out to work that morning so I was alone to figure this out for a bit. Was it the real thing? After weeks of being on bedrest and false contractions, I knew this was different when I was nearly brought to my knees in the shower from the pain. I called Katie, my sister-in-law/doula, and she was on her way to help. I remember calling Adam and saying "honey, I think this is the real thing....we're going to meet our baby boy today." I could sense both the excitement and fear in his voice and he was working on making his way back home. For the next hour, I sat downstairs alone on my yoga ball....it was the only thing that I could sit on for any relief and I breathed through every contraction and wave that followed. They seemed pretty easy at the time but I was definitely concerned that I felt nothing in my belly-just all in my back. By the time Katie and Adam arrived I was having them every 5 minutes for an hour so we decided it was time to call the doc.
When I arrived to the doctors office, I was in so much pain I had to stop along the way to breathe through some contractions before we could even get on the elevator. This little man was determined to get out quick!
I was still only 3cm and 90% effaced at the doctors office but Dr. Rogers decided to admit us anyway to the hospital and was fairly certain we'd have a baby by the end of the day at the rate I was progressing.
Within 2 hours, we were settled into our room in Labor and Delivery and I had already progressed to 4 1/2 centimeters. The pain was unbearable.....I finally had to ask for an epidural....I think if I'd had a "normal" labor with no back pain it might have been a bit different but I was down for the count and feeling like I had a stabbing knife in my back with every contraction. Within minutes, I was being prepped for my epi and as soon as it took effect I was a new woman. I was even able to catch a quick nap as we waited. Within 2 hours, I had progressed to 6 centimeters and again 2 hours later, the nurses were telling us "You're at 10!!! It's time to prep you to push!" We couldn't believe it-I clearly remember the look on Adam's face-one of sheer disbelief and excitement all at once....it all had happened so fast and we were about to see our Liam face to face finally.
By this point, I couldn't feel a thing.....I do remember after pushing that I said out loud..."why was that so easy?"
Dr. Rogers arrived.....they told me to push and even at one point to slow down because he was making his debut so fast! Within 30 minutes, I was holding Liam in my arms....We had specifically asked for nothing to be done to him for a long time....we wanted to savor the moment so he was placed on my bare skin right out of the womb. I remember looking to my left and seeing Adam weeping....tears of happiness and joy and I clearly remember Liam laying down on my chest, and gripping my fingers with his little hands while looking up at me with his big blue eyes. I was enamored, infatuated and so in love all at once. The feelings are hard to describe....had I really just done that? How was that just inside of me and now 2 seconds later I'm holding his hands? The next hour was a bit of a blur....Adam cut the cord and was able to give Liam his first bath. We have it all on tape and it was the sweetest of sweet moments. We then took time, just the 3 of us, as a family before any other family or friends were allowed in the room. We played Dave Matthews Band on repeat in the background and just stared in awe of our little miracle.
Liam's birth was incredible....couldn't have asked for a better experience....all the docs and nurses were amazing and now we have this little boy to care and love on. I'm still in awe....I'm still trying to pinch myself to make sure it's real everyday. We are so very blessed as a family of three!