Liam turned 1 month old on March 26th (and he’s already 5 weeks old as I write this).  He had his check up on Monday – 11 lbs, 3 oz and 23 1/4 inches already.  The boy is huge, but that’s not surprising given how often he eats – we’re lucky if we get to two hours between feedings.

We had a few concerns we discussed at his appointment, the first being the diaper rash we can’t get to clear up, even with the prescription cream he was given for his butt burn.  The NP said the rash looks fungal and said to use Lotrimin AF, which we did, and though it cleared up most of the little red bumps, it has not helped the most severe part of the rash.  I may bring him back this week if it doesn’t get any better.  The next thing we asked about was Liam’s continued struggle with congestion, especially at night.  We had brought him in the week before as well because he’d had some small amount of blood coming from his nose and in his spit up.  His lungs are clear; it seems he just gets a ton of post-nasal congestion.  I figured out a way to prop up his mattress a little (not that it matters too much since he ends up sleeping in my arms for much of the night anyway), and we purchased a cool mist humidifier.  We’re hoping these things will help; as the night wears on, it becomes increasingly difficult for him to be comfortable on his back, and he can’t sleep on my shoulder forever.  The third thing we discussed was the frequency and quantity of Liam’s spitting up.  Since he’s gaining weight very well, it’s not a big health concern, but it’s kind of gross, and  if there’s anything we can do to reduce it, I’m in.  We go through our entire enormous stash of burp cloths here every week.  After doing my own research and talking to someone from La Leche League a few weeks ago, I think one of the main causes is my oversupply of milk and forceful letdown, so now for most feedings I only feed him on one side, and that has helped somewhat.  Another possibility is that he has a sensitivity to something I eat – which could actually explain the spit up, the diaper rash, the congestion, how gassy he is, and his tendency to be cranky – so I’m doing a dairy elimination trial to see if it has any impact.  In some ways, I hope that’s it, because it’s an easy thing to fix, but then again, I really love cheese…

I feel that Liam is a bit of a cranky, borderline colicky baby, at least compared to how I remember Anya and Sierra being at the same age (and certainly according to what I wrote about them in their 1 month updates).  His first two weeks he was pretty content, but then it seemed like he was crying more often than not when he was awake.  He really hates being put down anywhere, even in a swing, and screams when he’s being buckled into the car seat.  In the past few days he’s been able to handle a few minutes on the playmat here and there, which has been nice.  However, Liam spends a good portion of his day being worn in a carrier.  He naps in one pretty much exclusively.

I love babywearing – I’d wear him even if he was the most content baby in the world – and definitely wouldn’t be able to get anything done without it, but it would be nice if he could handle a little more down time, too.  There are some things that would just be faster (like changing the sheets on the girls’ beds) if I didn’t have 11 lbs of baby strapped to my chest.  It’s almost like I’m still pregnant!  One thing that has improved is his tolerance for having his diaper changed – like his sisters, he would cry as soon as the diaper came off at first, but now he’ll usually like there, content to admire the lights or the rail of his changing table.

Cranky or not, I love him to bits.  I can say with certainty that Liam is by far my favorite son.

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I was worried about how Sierra would do at school. She is very attached to me and, before school, had never been left with anyone other than a relative. For many weeks leading up to school, we talked about how she doesn’t have to cry because Mommy always comes back, and that some of her friends might cry, but that was okay. As we got closer to her start date, I began to feel more confident that she would be okay, but I was still worried about leaving her. Then the big day came, and when I walked her into that room of screaming 2-year-olds, the look on her face was priceless. She looked confused, almost bewildered, as if to say, “What in the world is everyone carrying on about?!?” My (little) big girl has not shed one tear in her classroom since school began, loves her teachers, and gets so excited about working on projects and going to the gym at school. I’m so proud of her!

Ready for her first day:

“Check out my awesome backpack”:

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Christmas Eve:

The blizzard of December 2010:

Some of my friends from high school brought their children over for a playdate:

Playing in the snow on December 31st:

New Year’s Eve with the Wahl family:

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(This was toward the end of December)

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Eating some latkes:

“Lighting” Anya’s menorah:

Lighting the real menorah:

What Anya made for us in school:

The girls in their new jackets:

Sierra opening a present:

Apparently Anya thought she needed some help:

Little People Hannukah set:

Anya at her Hannukah party at school:

Sisterly hugs:

Our menorahs lit on the last night:

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The rainbow that wished us “bon voyage” as we left the port of Miami:

Checking out one of the towel animals that appeared nightly in our room:

The girls dressed up for the first formal night:

Anya at Royal Palms beach in Grand Cayman:

Sierra, exhausted from a day at the beach:

Lex and I were picked to participate in the Marriage Game one night:

Our boat, the Carnival Valor:

Anya and Great-Grandma Shirley, waiting for our excursion to start in Isla Roatan:

Lex and Sierra at the beach on Maya Key, Isla Roatan:

Dressed up on the second formal night:

The girls loved the glass elevators:

Cozumel, Mexico – we spent the day at Playa Mia:

Having a relaxing morning in our room:

If there was a stage and music to go with it, the girls were ready to dance:

What’s the best kind of buffet?  A CHOCOLATE buffet:

No child left behind:

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Pumpkin picking with Anya’s class:

Family pumpkin picking:

Trick-or-treating at the Municipal Center with a friend:

Pumpkin carving and Halloween baking:

The princess and the poodle:

Trick-or-treating:

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~From yesterday morning:  ”Daddy! We’re BOTH bunnies! Take our picture, and put it on Facebook.”

~From a few weeks ago:  ”This is my baby brother standing on one leg.”

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