Okay, here are the rest of the birthday portraits! Thanks again to my friend Brekke for the great pictures! Grandmas, let me know which ones you’d like printed.

My little cowboy.

There’s a smile.

Definitely a Calder look.

So handsome.

What a stud.

So sweet.

Love this girl.

Cheese!

Pretty with flowers.

These two–they are actually really great friends. When they’re not driving each other nuts.

Silly kids.

My two little loves.

Brekke is going to be doing our family portraits next week, so stay tuned!

So, you might remember that I’ve been a bit worried about Liam’s growth. He was born at an average weight an length and at two weeks, he was still going great. At 2 months, he was down to about the 20th percentile in weight, but still average length. Nothing to worry about. At 4 months, however, he dropped to the 2nd percentile in weight (he was 12.13 pounds) and 8th percentile in length (24 inches). So, I tried everything I could think of. I nursed him as often as he would let me, tried to make sure I was drinking plenty of fluids and getting enough calories, tried to get enough rest, and we even tried introducing some solids (that didn’t last very long–he just wasn’t ready for it). I was so consumed by it–by trying to get this little man to grow. I took him in at 5 months for a weight check and he was 12.85 pounds (basically 1st percentile). I have to admit, I felt so defeated. It was my birthday, but I just sat down and cried because I couldn’t get my sweet little Liam to grow. Being small isn’t a concern. What’s concerning is when the baby continues to go down percentile-wise.

I decided that day that we were going to switch to formula. I nursed the other children for at least a year each and loved it, but I knew something wasn’t working and that formula might be a good option. Up until this point, Liam really hadn’t liked bottles and always refused them from me. But that day, a little miracle happened and he took a bottle. And he hasn’t stopped. Bottle feeding has actually been great for us. I know exactly how much he’s getting and it’s a really sweet time for us to gaze into each other’s eyes, share some songs, and just relax together. And it’s working! Today I took him in for his 6-month check-up and he is up to 14.22 pounds (past the 3rd percentile) and 25.75 inches long (16th percentile). He’s still not huge, but he is growing and that is what is most important. I’m very very grateful and very very happy.

So, yay for Liam!

Last week, Bryce and I had our 4-way walk through of the new house with the build superintendent (which is a super hard word to type, by the way) and our sales consultant. Everything looked great! There were a couple minor things that needed to be fixed (just some outlets). I dropped by the house yesterday since Bryce is away in China this week and everything had been fixed. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

They’ve insulated the walls. This is the kitchen area.

The master bedroom. After insulation comes drywall.

The basement.

Everything seems to be coming along well. At this point, we think we’ll be moving over Thanksgiving.

I can’t believe this baby will be 6 months old on Thursday! Man, I love him. Such a cute little monkey. To celebrate, here are some pictures that Cortney took while she and Brock were babysitting for us the other night. Thank you, Cortney!

Awww…

Hello!

Happy as a clam. Whatever that means. Are clams happy animals?

Happy half birthday, my love!

This post is extremely belated, but, yes, Amelie and Calder had birthdays last month. A wonderful photographer friend of mine took their pictures and we got our favorites printed up for the birthday party, but I’m still waiting for her to get me the CD of images so I can post them on here. We decided to do a little Western theme. I do have a couple from the shoot that I can post, but they aren’t my very favorites. I’ll post those as soon as I have them. In the meantime, here are a couple to enjoy.

My favorite 7 year-old.

How does it feel to be 7?

I don’t know.

What’s your favorite color?

All of them.

What’s you favorite thing to do?

Go swimming. Actually, go to Disney Land.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re on your own?

Watch movies.

What’s your favorite food?

Pizza.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Ice cream and doughnuts and cake. Well, actually I just like ice cream and doughnuts.

Who’s your favorite princess?

It is Mulan.

What’s your favorite book that we’ve read?

James and the Giant Peach, that we’re reading right now.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An artist. Because I’m trying to get better at drawing.

And my favorite 5 year old.

What’s your favorite color?

Blue!

What’s your favorite food?

Uh…cake. Carrot cake.

Have you ever had carrot cake?

Yeah, it’s yummy.

What’s your favorite animal?

Cheetah. Because it’s fast and it’s cool.

What’s your favorite movie?

Hotel Transylvania.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Someone that makes stuff? Toys.

Where’s your favorite place to go?

Disney Land.

Happy Birthday, my loves! You are growing up way too fast.