Giveaway!!!

My good friend, Renee, is getting a cute new puppy and needs help coming up with a name. If you have any great name ideas for an adorable Shorkie (Shih Tzu and Yorkie), go to her blog and share your idea.

My glimpse of life: Name My Puppy Giveaway

Good luck and have a great weekend!!!

Wow...

I have been a very bad blogger, but I haven't had a lot to blog about, since we are still under "house arrest". Hopefully, Liam will be allowed into public very soon. I am SO, SO, SO ready to show him off to the world! I am amazed at how fast he is growing! Today we took him to his two month check-up and he weighed 9 pounds 3 ounces and was 21 inches long. He was in the tenth percentile in weight and third percentile in length. The doctor said that she is definitely not worried about his weight anymore. That's a first!!! Since the day he was born, we have had to worry about whether or not he was eating enough and whether or not he would be able to finish his meal. It's great to be able to relax a little during feedings now. 

Liam has had a rash since he was about three weeks old that we can NOT get rid of! We have tried everything...changing detergents, changing our lotions, changing his lotions, changing diapers, ointments, etc. Nothing has seemed to work. So the doctor finally tried antibiotics, because she finally decided the simple rash had turned into a Staph Infection. Fortunately, the antibiotics worked and the infection never got too serious. Unfortunately, the antibiotics made Liam sick, and he threw up every day he was on them. Now we are left with a much less severe looking rash, which the doctor thinks is sensitive, dry skin mixed with a contact allergy. Hopefully the dermatologist we are going to in March will figure out what is causing the rash and we can finally get rid of it. You can see the rash on his belly in some of the pics below. 

Liam has discovered his tongue! He is constantly sticking it in and out of his mouth. Sometimes he just sits around with it sticking out of his mouth. Kind of reminds me of my brother...

This picture cracks me up! It totally looks like Liam is trying to dance. I guess he may have been, because he absolutely loves music! I think he got used to hearing it when I was driving to and from work while he was in my belly. Yep, I sing in the car...at the top of my lungs! I have to find a way to make my 30 minute commute entertaining! : )  

This is a picture of Liam's wonderful nurse cuddling him right after his shots. He was such a champ! He let out one big yelp, fussed for a little bit and that was it. I guess he figures these vaccinations are nothing compared to all of the sticks and IV's he got while he was in the NICU.
And to wrap this post up, here's a pic of Liam's battle wounds. Notice the stripe on the front of the diaper is blue, which means the diaper is wet. This pic was taken AFTER Liam had been weighed without a diaper and had peed ALL over the wall, scale and nurse! That's my boy!!!!!

I've Been Tagged!!!

I've been tagged by my awesome friend, Renee!!! She's a fellow blogger, so go check her out at My Glimpse of Life. 

Here's the Rules...type the things you've done in bold and post on your blog!!!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band (Rock Band counts, right?!?!)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you could afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying manits

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child (Someday I will be able to put this one in bold!!!)

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondala in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a homerun

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagra Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo's David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies (I'm eating some right now!!!)

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had the chickenpox

89. Saved someone's life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Now...tag 3 different bloggers to post this.

I tag...

1. Casey @ All About the Abshure's

2. Deidra @ Inspired. Ingenious. Informed.

3. Amy @ Braggin' about the Bryan's

Happy Due Date, Liam!!!

We have finally reached Liam's actual due date. We scheduled to have our home health nurse come today, so that we could find out how much he weighed on his due date. Drum roll please.........Liam weighed in at 6 pounds 9 ounces! That's right! He gained 5 ounces since we went to the pediatrician two days ago! Wow!!! This kiddo is an eater!!! 

Speaking of eating......When Liam was born 6 weeks early, I felt kind of cheated. I lost 6 weeks of being pregnant, meaning I also lost 6 weeks of being able to eat whatever I wanted without feeling guilty. So, I decided that I deserved those 6 weeks and continued eating like I was pregnant. Now that the due date is upon us, I guess it is time to get a grip and start making healthier choices. No more McDonalds, no more Vitamin D milk, no more Eggo's and no more Caffeine Free Dr. Peppers for me!!! It's time to return to salads, sandwiches and Diet soda. Who knows...maybe I'll even start training for that half marathon I've always wanted to run. Hmmm...we'll see about that one!!!

Bubbles...help!!!

Has anyone else ever had a problem with a thick layer of bubbles forming on top of the formula after it has been shaken up in the bottle??? We had to switch to formula two days ago and every bottle we have made has about a one inch layer of bubbles on top of the formula. I'm not sure if it is the formula we are using (Neosure) or something we are doing wrong. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!!

One Month Check-up

We went to the pediatrician yesterday for Liam's one month check-up. Other than a pesky rash ALL over his face, he is doing great! He now weighs 6 pounds 4 ounces and is 19 inches long. We are so excited that he is finally over the six pound mark! He is still only in the third percentile on the growth charts, but the doctor seems to think that he will be caught up by the time he's six months. 

After the appointment, my wonderful husband stayed home with Liam so that I could have some time out of the house. My friend, Casey, her sweet little boy, Owen, and I spent some time hanging out, trying on clothes and eating some pizza. Although I had a blast with Casey and Owen, I missed my boys and was ready to get back home at the end of the day.

Thank you Owen and Casey for a fun day of shopping and thank you David for taking care of our little man while I was away!!! 

My baby is one month old!!!

I can't believe Liam is a month old already! Where does the time go!?!?! We have been so busy enjoying our time with Liam that time has absolutely flown by! 

I have decided that although having a preemie has its negatives (hospital stay, health scares, can't go around people for months, etc.), it also has some positives. One major positive is that even though he is a month old, Liam is still like a newborn. He is still super cuddly. He still makes those sweet newborn noises. He still makes those adorable newborn faces. This phase is such a precious one, and we get an extra month of it!!! 

Liam is eating well and growing fast. Our once 3 pound 13 ounce baby is now 5 pounds 13 ounces! One of my friends affectionately nicknamed him "Fatty McButter Pants" because he is gaining weight so fast...I love it!  

Thank you, Aunt Casey, for letting us borrow the swing! Mommy finally got to cook dinner again!!!

Man, I love that precious, little face!!!
Ross is so great with Liam, and I am SO thankful for that! I was really worried that Ross would not react well to not being the baby anymore, but he has been a real trooper. Other than getting in the trash a few times to get attention, he's been great! ; )


Liam loves to hold on to his binkie! 

He loves his Boppy!!!
Sometimes he "helps" Daddy hold the bottle!
He is not so happy about bath time, but look at that belly!!!

Liam's Corner

I had all intentions of finishing Liam's nursery and getting pics posted before his big arrival. However, he had other plans! Since David and I will be moving in less than six months, we decided to use the corner of our extra large bedroom for Liam's temporary nursery. This saved us from changing the guest room into the nursery, and having to find a place to store the extra furniture. So far it has been extremely convenient. I love having him in our room, so that I am aware of every noise he makes. And let me tell ya...he makes a lot of noises!!! The theme in his room is sports, with the focus being on baseball. David was very excited about the opportunity to display autographs of our favorite players. I'm extremely proud to display the Josh Hamilton autograph that I got this summer after a Ranger's game. I worked hard for that one!!! 

Autos of Ryne Sandberg, Josh Hamilton and Chipper Jones
Papa made the red stand especially for Liam
We couldn't find bedding that was just baseball, so we compromised.

We are happy, healthy, and HOME!!!.

After spending 16 days in the NICU, we finally got to come home on New Year's Day. Talk about a great way to start out 2009! It feels so good to be in a familiar environment, sleeping in my own bed, and most of all spending time as a family. Liam is doing great. He's eating well (at least for his daddy and nana) and growing fast. Hopefully by the time we go to the pediatrician on Tuesday, we'll have a 5 pound baby!!! ; )

My parents came down to help us adjust to our new life style. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all of your help, including doing dishes, taking care of food, and especially for taking care of Ross. I'm not sure what we would have done without your help!

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks...Enjoy!!!

Finally home!!!

Liam and I watching OSU get Ducked 
Liam's first bath in the NICU

Daddy is absolutely smitten!

Nana and Liam
Papa and Liam
Under the jaundice lights...gotta love the shades!

Liam update

First​ of all, thank​ you all for your thoughts and prayers over the last week.​ It has been a crazy​ one! I haven't had a chance yet to blog about what happened last Tuesday and how we're doing now, so here goes...

Last Tuesd​ay,​ we went in for my weekl​y check​-​up.​ The docto​r had order​ed a test on the baby,​ and durin​g the test we disco​vered​ that Liam had falle​n behin​d on the growt​h chart​s,​ and was not movin​g very much.​ The docto​r then hooke​d him up to a heart​ monit​or,​ and perfo​rmed anoth​er test to 

disco​ver wheth​er or not Liam was movin​g.​ Once again​,​ he did not move.​ While​ I was hooke​d up to the heart​ monit​or,​ Liam'​s heart​ rate dropp​ed,​ so the docto​r immed​iatel​y trans​ferre​d me to OU 

Medic​al for furth​er testi​ng.​ Upon check​ing in at the hospi​tal,​ two more of the same tests​ were ran on Liam,​ and again​ he was not movin​g.​ The docto​rs notic​ed that his heart​ rate was unsta​ble and 

order​ed anoth​er test to check​ the blood​ and oxyge​n flow throu​gh the cord.​ The resul​ts were that there​ was not enoug​h blood, nutri​ents,​ or oxyge​n getti​ng to the baby,​ so we were told that Liam needed​ to be deliv​ered via C-​Secti​on in "​about​ an hour to an hour and a half.​"​ About​ 5 minut​es later​,​ Liam'​s heart​ rate dropp​ed again​ and my nurse​ along​ with about​ 10 other​ peopl​e rushe​d into the room and said,​ "​We'​re going​ now!​"​ About​ 20 minut​es later​,​ Liam enter​ed the world​,​ weigh​ing a huge 4 lbs. and measu​ring 17 inche​s.​ 

We were warne​d befor​e the C-​Secti​on that Liam would​ possi​bly not be able to breat​h on his own, since​ he was being​ deliv​ered at 34 weeks​.​ Thank​fully​,​ his lungs​ were devel​oped and he was able to take his first​ breat​h on his own. He was immed​iatel​y taken​ to the NICU,​ which​ is where​ he is today​.​ He is doing​ very well,​ consi​derin​g he was 6 weeks​ prema​ture.​ He has a littl​e jaund​ice and does not like to eat from a bottl​e yet. Poor guy.​.​.​he is suppo​sed to be feedi​ng throu​gh the cord right​ now!​!​!​ As soon as he figur​es out how to eat, we'​ll get to go home!​ I can't wait for that day!!!

Altho​ugh last Tuesd​ay was by far the most chall​engin​g and scari​est day of my life,​ it was the best day of my life,​ as well.​ Heari​ng Liam'​s first​ cry, seein​g my best frien​d hold his son, and givin​g Liam that first​ kiss is somet​hing I have looke​d forwa​rd to for years​ and somet​hing I will never​ forge​t!​ I am bless​ed beyon​d words​!​!​!​!​!​!​!