. . . Liam lately (18 months)

Well here we are . . . Liam is officially a year and a half old. It is so bizarre how quickly time flies -- he is no longer a baby but a toddler, slowly but surely turning into a little boy. As usual, these are some of my favorite pictures of Liam this month.

We had snow for about two weeks in January -- Liam loved it!

Liam in his new snow pants

Unfortunately still no official stats on Liam's growth, though I may try to go to the consultatiebureau this week during their open hours to have Liam weighed and measured. He has the same eating habits, though there was a week this month that he must have been sick because he was hardly eating at all. There were several days that he pretty much just had milk and a few bites of food here and there. He was also taking 3 hour naps, plus his normal 12-13 hours at night. That all lasted about a week total, and then he was back to normal.

Some of Liam's new favorite foods are beets (just like his Dad!), macaroni and cheese, all kinds of pizza, and applesauce. He is doing a much better job of eating "runny" food like applesauce and oatmeal. I wouldn't give him soup just yet, but other than that he is doing pretty good!

Liam covered up Murphy with his blanket

Liam loves Apple just like his parents

wearing Mom's galoshes

Liam's talking . . . HOLY MOLY! Last month, the number of words Liam was saying was around 35. In just one month we are up to almost 70! I won't write all the new words he knows, but it is just amazing how quickly he will learn something new and try to say it. Some words are not perfectly clear and can sound pretty similar to other words, but other words come out clear as a bell! Just spending time in Barcelona Liam immediately began saying "church," "beach," and "bus" every time he saw one of these! He will attempt to say anything we ask him -- sometimes it sounds nothing like the real word, and other times it's perfect! Just the other day he was eating strawberries, and I said, "Can you say strawberry?" Liam responded with "strawberry" clear as day! All of our mouths dropped open because he said it so perfectly! He couldn't repeat it as well afterwards, but I was still impressed. : )

Liam is even beginning to put two words together, which is so fun! He will say things like "Mo ease" (more please), "shoe Dada" (Dad's shoes), "Mama Dada" (when he saw us in a picture together), "yes ease" (yes, please). I can only imagine what the upcoming months will bring! It is so awesome that he can communicate more and more with us. One morning I asked if he wanted eggs for breakfast and he said "Yes . . . toast?" Bahahaha! He knew I would give him a piece of toast with his eggs, but hadn't asked him if he wanted it. Smart little boy, I tell ya!

Happy Birthday Bailey!

Bath time! His hair is getting so long and thick!

Liam helping Dad build his new car garage

Liam builds a tower for the first time

Liam is one sweet-hearted little boy. He is constantly blowing us kisses and calling for us so he can show his love. He will call one of us and then blow us kisses . . . "Mamaaa?" "Yes, Liam?" "Muah!" He especially loves to do this in the car. And now he is also giving kisses as his way of saying thank you when you make him especially happy. For example when I give him a snack he loves he will give me a kiss as if to say "You're the best, Mom." Lately when he wakes up in the morning or from nap he will call for me until I get to his room and the second I open the door he will say "Mama! Hi! Muah!" Just today Keith got him up from his nap and was carrying him around when Liam looked at him and said "Dada?" and Keith said "Liam?" Liam gently put his hands on the sides of Keith's face and then laid his face against his Dad's for a good five seconds . . . just showing him some love. Melt. my. heart.

Liam and the Bubble Man at La Sagrada Familia

Liam at the playground with the Sagrada Familia behind him

We had a pretty busy month around here . . . first there was the snow which lasted about two weeks! It snowed one last time on Valentine's Day, but that only lasted a day. Liam absolutely loves the snow and would beg to put on his snow boots so he could go outside! Liam also had lots of special Daddy-Son time because I had several weekend plans with friends like a girls shopping trip and fun baby shower to go to. For the month of January and part of February Liam and I have also been going to a Toddler Massage class, which started out rough but has ended on a high note! More about that in another post. We also took a family trip to Barcelona for five days that was so much fun! The weather was great and we got to explore a lot of the city. Liam is a great traveling baby and LOVES to ride in airplanes! Sadly, this month we said our goodbyes to several good friends . . . including Liam's first best friend, Jackson. We were lucky enough to have our friends spend their last weekend with us, so we got in lots of good quality time before their trip home -- saying goodbye is never fun, but I know we will see them again someday!

My sweet Valentine in the snow

snack time with his best bud, Jackson the day before Jackson moved back to the States

So we are now closer to 2 than 1 . . . it's all downhill from here! I'm excited to watch Liam continue to grow and learn and develop into the little boy he is. Feeling so blessed every day to be his Mama. I love my sweet boy!

~Mama