6 month portraits

After Liam's 6 month checkup this morning, we went to get his picture taken to mark his "half" birthday. I wasn't expecting too much, given he had just received 4 shots, but I think he did very well! He checked out OK at his appointment...18 lbs 11 oz, (70th percentile...the kid likes to eat!) and he was in the 43rd percentile for his height (sorry...no tall genes from mom or dad) and 69th for head circumference (big brain!!!).
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He did, however, have a slight "click" in his hips. His pediatrician said that nine times out of ten it's nothing, but just to be sure, she scheduled some x-rays of his hips at Egleston. Even if there is something wrong, the treatment is apparently not that bad...basically a really tight diaper for 4 weeks to tighten things up. We'll go in on Monday for the x-rays...we'll see how he does!
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So anyway, here are the portraits. He was a dream, you'd never know his chubby little thighs were covered in band-aids! Oh! And he finally rolled from his back to his belly this morning! Yay! He's been rolling from belly to back for a few weeks now, but he was lying on the bed next to me this morning and was trying his hardest to reach for me and *poof* it just happened! James was on the phone, so he got to share the excitement...but I'm so glad I got to share that little victory with him.

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6 months old today

Today my baby turned 6 months old.

Where did my tiny little newborn go? The sweet little miracle I prayed so hard for and waited my whole life to meet who came screaming into this world just 26 1/2 weeks ago...how did he turn into this chubby little creature who smiles and chatters and laughs at my silly faces? Will I ever get used to how fast he's growing?

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Every sleepless night spent helplessly trying to soothe him, every moment of exhaustion spent holding him close and trying to make him feel safe, every dirty diaper changed, every bottle warmed and fed, every minute spent playing and teaching him to become independent...where did it all go?

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And it's only been six months. A blink of an eye. Another six months and he'll be calling me by name. Crawling...maybe walking...feeding himself. Soon he'll be running and testing his boundaries, becoming a little person with his own dreams and abilities. I want to give him so much, every opportunity, every happiness, to teach him to be good and kind and strong...

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Will he ever know how much I love him? Probably not until he has a child of his own. I had no idea, and still probably have no idea, how much my parents love me until I became a parent myself. How my every thought revolves around him and how all of my decisions will impact him and his life. I am so humbled to be entrusted with this precious little life. I am so unequipped, so flawed and fallen that it scares me silly that I am responsible for raising him and teaching him how to live.

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Yet I have been redeemed, bought at a price. And because of this, I have hope that I can raise this child, along with my husband and our families. Raise him to be a good, kind and strong man who knows and loves Jesus and will teach his children to do the same. Will I ever know how much God loves me? Probably not, but now that I have a child of my own, it gives His sacrifice such new meaning. Before we were blessed with Liam, I gave him to God in my heart. It is a struggle every day to stay true to this promise. My flesh wants to claim him as my own. But I know that he was a gift, and entrusted to my care for only a little while.

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So I solicit your prayers, that I may be a good mother to this little miracle. That I will put my own wants and desires for his life aside and be open to what God has planned for him. I know it will be far greater than anything I could ever give him. I thank everyone who has already invested in his life, and for those who read this from afar that pray for our little blessing. Thank you.

Who knew...

...that opening mail could be so much fun! I was tearing open an envelope this morning when he just randomly started laughing like it was the funniest thing ever! I ran to get the camera...thus began our new little game! I absolutely love being able to share these precious little moments with him. He's such a funny little guy!

Burpcloths

I recently made some burpcloths for some friends who were having babies. They're made from cloth diapers with some ribbon sewn on and their initials monogrammed...easy to make and fun to give! These will eventually go on the La Belle Fete Enfents site...whenever that gets up & running! :)

Labor Day Weekend

For Labor Day weekend, my parents, my sisters & I all squeezed in one more trip to Hilton Head Island...leaving James and Nick at home to catch the first Georgia game of the season. Liam was an angel the whole trip...he's getting to be so much fun! Here are some pics we took this morning before we left:

We almost always go crabbing at a small tidal creek not far from where we stay...but this time, we were brave enough to actually get IN the creek and let the outgoing tide's current pull us along...quite fun! I love my sisters so much - we had a wonderful time bonding and getting to spend quality time together sans boys!

Here's some video of the first part of the creek (the scary, deep part). It continues about 200 more yards around a curve and finally dumps out into the ocean just to the right of where we're standing in the pictures above. It will be fun to see if Liam is big enough to enjoy it with us next summer.

The little monkey is also chatting up a storm these days...here he is talking it up to the camera:

He was such a good baby and took all of his naps right on schedule down on the beach with us. Grandpa had bought him a little tent this spring and he was happy as a clam to just lay inside and listen to the wind until he fell asleep.

Here he is for another swimming experience. The tidal pools were perfect for him this time...nice and warm and shallow enough for him to sit in. He's still not splashing quite yet, but he's getting more and more deliberate in his actions and he amazes me daily with how much he's able to do. (Warning,this video is a couple minutes long...)

After swimming...he's definitely going to be a little water baby!

Future Bulldog!

And here's a very sleepy kid up waaay past his bedtime last night for a nice dinner out. A perfect ending to a wonderful weekend at the beach!