3 months...

i'm a little late with liza's three month post (that seems to be a trend these days...) but lo and behold, even though i didn't post about it, it still happened! ;)

liza june, you are three months old! you are growing so much every single day. you are still just the happiest, most content, easy-going baby. and believe me, we KNOW what a blessing that is! there are many days that i feel like i'm just waiting for the bottom to fall out, because i'm convinced you just can't possibly keep up this "good baby" act for long. but so far, you've proved me wrong. you go anywhere, do anything, all without making a peep. you nap in the car, in your swing, in your stroller - wherever we may be! i'm so thankful that you're so flexible. (and i'm sure your sisters are, too!)

we laugh thinking about you being a "preemie" because you surely don't look like a teeny tiny baby. you're tipping the scales at almost 16 pounds! go, girl! you've started cooing and "talking" and it is the sweetest sound. you talk to libbi more than anyone else. and you smile the most for her, too. she has a way of talking to you (it sounds like nails on a chalkboard....sorry, libs) but you apparently love it, because you coo and coo and smile like it's your job. 

you're a very serious baby. you make us work for those smiles, but the payoff is definitely worth it. :)

you like to sit up and just take everything in. your little head is always on a swivel, watching everything around you.  i still think you look so much like libbi. even your little hair line is the same (your "mohawk" down the middle that won't LIE DOWN!!) but every now and then, i see a bit of laney in you, too. 

you don't mind tummy time, although it's not always successful....for whatever reason. ;-)

admittedly, you don't get much "alone time"...there's always someone (or two someone's) hovering nearby. but they seriously just love you so much. they would do anything for you and just want to be near you all the time. 

and you've got it rough, because not only do you have to deal with me taking your picture all the time, you have two big sisters snapping away, too. you're a lucky girl liza june to have big sisters who love you so much. 

we're so thankful for your little life and for all the ways you're growing and changing each day. we love you so much! happy three months!! 

two months...

liza june, you are 2 months old!!! you were officially two months old on september 18th. and you spent your 2 month birthday at the beach - such fun! but don't get used to it, as much as we'd love to, we won't be able to celebrate every birthday at the beach. ;)

it seems like you have grown leaps and bounds within the past month. in fact, you grew so much that the nurse had to check your weight twice at your well visit. her comment was, "wow...that's quite a weight jump. just wanted to make sure i was reading it correctly" ha! enjoy it girl, because this is one of the few times in your little life that you get to celebrate packing on the pounds each month. ;-)

you're starting to be more aware of your surroundings (when your big sisters aren't pressing their faces into yours). you love ceiling fans and save most of your smiles for them. libbi and laney love it when you smile at them and they fight over who you actually smiled at. ("She smiled at ME! ...no! she smiled at ME!!!") fun times. 

so far you are an easy going baby. you go with the flow and put up with a lot. your sisters love you SO much, but they sometimes forget that you are still a tiny, fragile, little baby. they just really want to play with you. i have to constantly keep an eye on you, because your sisters will swoop in and have you "playing" in no time. i swear it's like a moth to a flame. they just can't resist. and i'm going to apologize now, because there have been a few occasions that i've returned from the bathroom to find you in precarious situations. 

just remember, it's all out of love. ;) 

we love you so much little liza june and are so thankful you are ours! :) 

5 months...

Precious Lay Lay Girl, you are 5 months old today!!!

(and I'll go ahead and put it out there that you were having a rough hair day today.  You seemed to have gotten into a wrestling match with your headwrap last night. I think it's pretty obvious who won... ;-))

I canNOT believe you are already 5 months old - you need to slow down this whole getting older thing - STAT!

There are times I look at you and you seem so big, but then other times you still seem like my little tiny (kind of) baby that I just brought home from the hospital.

This has been a busy, busy month for you!  You seem to have hit a bit of a growth spurt and have gained almost 3 pounds since your 4month check-up!  We just love all of your rolls and squishiness!

Speaking of rolls, you still do not roll over, but you are close! You are just way too busy trying to sit up and conning people into picking up your cute little self.

I was SO ready for your sister to become mobile when she was your age, but I've grown wiser in my almost three years as a mother, and I am in NO hurry for you to go anywhere! You stay in one place for as long as you want baby girl!

You wear mostly size 9 month clothes and a few 6-12 month. You are in a size 3 diaper (confession: we had to use some of Libbi's 5's because you outgrew your size 2's so fast that we didn't even have time for your 3's to ship!) You have AT LEAST one diaper blowout a day, which has left me considering buying stock in oxyclean.

You LOVE: being tickled, raspberries being blown anywhere on you, your sister, the exersaucer, the bumbo, the swing, being held JUST the right way (and you'll let us know if it's not), anyone that will talk to you or smile at you, white noise (thank you Jesus for the white noise app!) and your toes.

You are not a fan of: your carseat, diaper/clothing changes, bottles (aaah!), the pacifier (please explain this to your sister!), the hairdryer (when i use it and you're in the room - we don't blow dry your hair...yet), missing a meal, being cold after bathtime, the nasal aspirator (but who is?), having your fingernails clipped, socks, and teething (for the record, neither are we!)

You are such a sweet baby and you seem to just go with the flow, which is great, because right now you have a sister that wants to run the show - ha!  Although you look sweet as pie, we can already tell that you are going to be a fiesty little thing.  I'm sure one of these days you'll give your sister a run for her money!

You had your first (and hopefully only!) surgery this month. You had a small cyst removed from your head and you took it like a champ!!!! you had so many people praying for you, and it was evident in the way that you took all the changes and new situations in stride.

You reach for everything....and then it goes straight into your mouth. I have to keep a close eye on you and your sister, because she can be a bit of an enabler to your teething addiction. She has a tendency to "share" all kinds of goodies with you - the majority which are NOT edible (i.e. kazoos, papers, etc) and even the ones that are edible you should NOT be having (i.e. a spoonful of icing, juice, etc) ;-) You don't seem to mind... but I do! :)

Laney James, you are such a sweet addition to our family. What in the world would we do without you?! You make every day more joyful than the one before. We never take for granted what an amazing blessing you are in our lives and we thank God every day for choosing us to take care of you here on this earth.

We love everything about you, Lay-Lay and we can't wait to watch you grow even more this coming month.

Happy 5 Months Laney Girl :)

"For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation."

Psalm 100:5

4 months!!

Laney James, you are now 4 months old!  You officially turned four months old on Sunday, September 11th.  I decided to wait to do your four month post until today since we were going to the doctor for your well visit and I would have all of your "stats" :)

Here is a little bit about you on your fourth month of life....

You weigh almost 17 pounds (16 pounds 15.6 ounces to be precise) and are 25.5 inches tall!  You are in the 95% for your height and weight. You are definitely a HEALTHY girl!!  We just love all of your squishy rolls and spend lots of time lovin' you up!

You still nurse every three hours, but you usually go a good 7-8 hour stretch at night, sometimes more....sometimes less :)

Lately, you've been waking a little more often, but I think it's because of the other big change for you this month....TEETH!!  Two of them, to be exact!  Libbi was an early teether, too and it looks like you have followed in her footsteps.  You cut your two bottom teeth this month.  I still can't believe my tiny little baby is big enough to have teeth!

You LOVE to sit up.  you prefer your bumbo seat because you can watch everything that's going on. This month you've also started spending some time in your exersaucer.  You and the frog have had some serious conversations.  I don't know what you're saying to him, but it sure sounds serious. :)

You talk all the time.  You wake up babbling and jabbering away and it is THE CUTEST sound ever!  It's funny to me how you sound so different than Libbi did.  I just kind of assumed all babies sounded the same when they were cooing and babbling, but now that you've started, I realize my assumption was not entirely correct.  Libbi always did a lot (I mean A LOT) of grunting and she squealed all the time.  We used to call her "mariah carey" because she had the highest pitched squeal ever.  You, on the other hand, have a very sweet, almost hoarse, little voice.  You coo much more than Libbi ever did.  It is such a sweet sound to our ears.

You have started to reach for things and of course, the first place they go is straight into your mouth.  You still do not take a paci and I'm starting to think you may just be a thumb/finger sucker instead.

You smile all the time.  Seriously!  You will smile at any one and every one.  People always comment on how sweet your smile is and you have a way of making others (even strangers) feel special because your little face lights up when they look at you. I don't mention the fact that you'd probably smile at the wall if it made eye contact with you. ;-)

Libbi started school this month, and I am excited to be able to have some one on one time with you.  I think we will enjoy our mornings together two days a week.

Laney James, you are just the sweetest, most content little baby and we are more than blessed to have you as a part of our family!  You have brought us so much joy in these past four months and we are just thankful to God for blessing us with the privilege of being your parents. You fill our hearts with love and we are so proud of you!

Happy four months, LayLay Girl!