4-week-old Liam

Liam is 4 weeks old and still cute as a button. He's actually outgrown the preemie clothes now and is into newborn size. :) This "snuggly bear" outfit is our favorite. I got it in my third trimester one day when I was feeling really blue and really anxious about the upcoming delivery. Trent sent me out to shop for baby clothes, which did the trick! (That's saying a lot considering that usually I hate to shop. Truly.) As I was picking this one out, I thought it would look really cute on a dark-haired baby. And surprise! We got our dark-haired baby alright. We just love him.

Hanging out in the bouncer while
Mommy makes dinner, just watching the world go by!

If I could freeze time ...

My little Liam's tiny toes.

Having a small baby seems to make me hyper-sensitive to the passage of time. It happened before with Camden and now again with my little Liam. They change so fast, right before your eyes. It really is a miracle. And I love that I'm a part of it.

As I've sat during many hours of nursing and waiting in doctors' offices these past weeks, I've had time to ponder this phenomenon. And it's led me to wonder ... If I could freeze time, would I? I've decided that the answer is "no." If a little elf appeared on my doorstep and offered me this magical power, I do believe I would decline. Here's why:

Many things in life, including parenthood, are such a mix. You get the good with the bad, the easy and the tough. And I think the Lord did that on purpose. For instance, each phase of a child's life (at least that I've encountered so far as a parent) is abundant with fun things as well as hard things. The cuddling and cooing of a newborn are close companions with poopy diapers and sleepless nights. The newfound independence and self-reliance of a toddler are often coupled with major attitude and temper tantrums. I'm convinced if it were one way or the other, it just wouldn't work. If having children were all hard, no one would want to do it. If it were all grins and giggles, I'd never want my kids to grow up. Instead, childhood is sprinkled with a good deal of both: enough fun things to keep me sane and enough hard things for me to be okay with a baby passing to the next phase.

I've heard it said, that
Living in the future begets anxiety,
Living in the past begets depression, but
Living in the present begets true joy and peace of mind.

As I've sat gazing at tiny newborn Liam, I've been trying to apply this philosophy. I seize the moment and live in it and relish it. But I'm okay with it not being that way forever. I know that soon enough, he'll be wiggling off my lap and sassing me. But I'm okay with that. In fact, I take joy in the thought of my boys progressing to the next phases of life. That's my job as a parent, isn't it? To prepare my boys for the world, to nurture them so that they will become well-adjusted adults who contribute to society.

So, to those who say, "They grow up too fast," I heartily disagree. I say they grow up just right: slow enough for me to enjoy each day, but fast enough that we're not standing still. I choose to view time with my children not as a handful of sand slipping through my fingers, but as a stone that I can grasp and hold each moment of the day. I hope that someday I'll smile as I watch it skip across the water.

Liam's First Bath

So little! 3 weeks old today.

We love this kid's facial expressions.

Big brother helping scrub the tiny toes.

He loved the bath. But getting out? Not so much.

Momma and baby.

Daddy on hair-washing duty.

Daddy and baby.

Clean baby! Such a cutie.

My silly boys.

Liam's 2-week stats

Our baby boy is two whole weeks old and doing great. We went to the doc for his well visit, and he's gained 14 oz. and grown 3/4 of an inch since we left the hospital! He such a cute little man, and we all adore him.

Here are the 2-week stats:

Weight: 6 lbs. 14 oz. (9%)

Length: 19 3/4 inches (20%)

Head Circumference: 14 1/2 inches (45%) 

Hands Up!

Mr. Liam has discovered his hands and is pretty obsessed with them. He's been trying to suck on them, poking himself in the eyes, and he even holds in his pacifier! Smart kid. Part of this new discovery has made swaddling difficult. He really freaks out if we cover or trap his hands, so we've had to start wrapping him with his hands out. If we don't, he protests and grunts and complains about it all night long.

Cam & Liam

What a fun, special time it is having a new baby in the house. The boys are so funny together. I can't help but reflect on the first weeks I spent with Camden and think about how my boys are so similar in some ways but so different in others. One thing is for sure: They are definitely brothers!

Camden, Liam and "Hearts," Liam's first stuffed animal, which Daddy and Cam picked out for him in the hospital gift shop.

It's a funny little thing, but both of them love to have their hair washed! So relaxed.

Camden

Liam

Trent and I were surprised at how much more pink Liam was when he was born. We still have a hunch that they miscalculated Liam's due date (Feb. 9), and that we were closer (Jan. 21), which means he was at least a couple weeks older than Cam when he was born. Not sure if that's what made the difference.

Camden

Liam

Both boys love their Soothie, especially for the first couple weeks. It always makes me laugh how big the pacifier looks in comparison to the little newborn face. 

Camden

Liam

And then there's me. I'm different for sure. 2 frank breech boys and 2 c-sections four years apart, with a major abdominal surgery in the mean time. I have to say, though, the surgery and taking care of a newborn have both felt much easier this time around. (It's the firstborn who's giving me a run for my money this time!) I'm not sure if that's because I've known kind of what to expect, because I've come so far as a mother in the past four years, or because Liam is such an easy baby! Maybe a combination of the three. 

 

Camden

Liam

I love my boys. They are so ... much work, but they warm my heart.

Cute brothers!

Liam's Homecoming

Friday morning, we started getting ready to go home from the hospital.

Camden, a little excited to bring Baby Brother home!
Liam's expression makes me laugh, too.

Mommy and the boys

Family Photo

First car ride for the family of four!

Special delivery!

It's still a little hard for me to fathom that I'm now a mommy of two.

Daddy rocking out with Liam our first day home from the hospital.

He's so teeny that we had to put preemie clothes on him for the first week -- up to 6 lbs when we brought him home, but he even dipped below that for a while during our four-day hospital stay.

Feist Family Visitors

Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Trevor came to visit us at the hospital the day after Liam was born. The three of them have really pitched in to help during this time of transition, and we are so grateful for their efforts.  

Liam meets Uncle Beebo

Beebo was the first one on the scene the night we left the house to go to the hospital, and he hung out with Cam and fed him dinner while they waited for Grandma and Grandpa to come pick him up. Trev was rooting for Liam to share his birthday, Feb. 4, but our little turkey decided he was cooked enough in time to be a January baby instead (just barely, though!). Trevor has definitely relaxed into his role as an uncle over the past 4 years. Cam adores him, and I'm sure Liam will too. :)

Grandma, Grandpa, Trevor, Camden, and Liam

Grandpa and Liam

Both boys loved being rocked by their Grandpa in the hospital. Cam used to give him the "one-eye" if he'd stop to let him know, "Hey, I like that. Keep going please!"

Trent with his parents and his two sons!

Liam with his proud Grandma

Camden spent the week at Camp Grandma, which was a huge help for us. Plus, Camden had a blast, which makes it all the better. We even got a bonus night, the evening we got home from the hospital, to allow the three of us to settle in at home before the little tornado came to join us! Thanks, Feists, for taking such good care of our little growing family. We love you.