About the Babies

It is fun to see the difference between our two kids, who are minutes apart in age.  Both Kate and Liam's personalities have pieces that remind us of both Jacob and Claire.  They have entered into the stage (which will last for the next 5 years, apparently) where it is virtually impossible to get a picture of them with both of them looking at the camera at the same time!

KATE
Kate is a bit of a spitfire these days.  She has a funny sense of humor, is very attentive to what is going on around her, and she just seems to figure out what is going on.  She also loves to accessorize ("pretties" - necklaces and bracelets, and hats and Elmo slippers), as evidenced by the picture.

She loves to play with her babies and can often be found carrying the around with their bottles.  Her other favorite toys are the Little People "People."  She has a running commentary about everything - and though she says lots of words, we understand about 1/3 of it.

She pays a lot of attention to Liam.  She gets next to him, and yells "AYE-EE-AHM!" (Hi Liam) with a big smile.   At nursery recently, the nursery leader noticed that she was calling to him "ee-ahm; Ee-Ahm; EE-AHM!!!" to make sure he was next to her at snack time (our nursery leader is a saint, letting them join at 16 months!).  She will sometimes bring him a toy when he's sad, or get close to him and call his name.  She seems to gravitate toward other kids in bigger settings.

Kate's fuse is quite short sometimes.  She finds the closest object to hit her head against (the floor, a chair, the island, someone else) to display her displeasure.  She often has bruises on her head.

Kate is pretty average sized, which, compared to Liam, feels quite small.  She has a big pot belly and an upper thigh that looks like it has had a rubber band on it, but is smaller everywhere else and has petite features on her face.  Her face is full of expression.  We hope she grows some more hair soon!

Kate LOVES beans ("Mink"), raisins, and milk.  She likes fruit and other foods, but eventually tires of them and starts tossing them off her tray.  She's been a little bit pickier of an eater than Jacob and Claire were.

Kate communicates quite well.  She has a lot of words that she uses (especially when demanding milk).  Kate has turned into a little parrot.  She repeats words throughout the day ("backpack" and "zebra" were recent ones).  Lots of Kate's words begin with the letter "M" such as pumpkin (mah-kee), bean, blanket (mang-kee), and she's been adding "ee" to the end of lots of words (book-ee, milk-ee).

LIAM

Liam has grown into quite an enthusiastic child.  He seems to do just about everything with vigor.

He's quite happy to help, whether it's 'setting the table' or putting something away, he helps with a big smile.  He plays well by himself and loves exploring (and emptying) cupboards.  We often find him with all the tupperware spread around him.  He plays with spatulas as if he's stirring and eating.  What can we say, he's a food lover.  He also loves to discover shapes and how things like lids fit.

While in his crib, Liam likes to pound on the wall - hard.  We will put him in his bed around 8, and he will cry for a few minutes.  After a little bit, we'll hear pounding on the wall and laughing, and it will often continue for an hour or more.  He'll also pound on the wall after he wakes up.

Liam's favorite toys are often whatever Kate is playing with.  This often doesn't go over well, but Liam doesn't seem to notice.

Liam LOVES milk, fruit, cheese, raisins and things on Kate's tray.  He likes to eat with his fork.  For a boy who eats like he does, he's a little bit picky.  He also likes to play around with Kate's high chair, and it drives Kate crazy.

He is a redhead has 2 dimples and a round face, and his entire face lights up when people play with him.  Since the time he left the hospital, he's been growing.  His growth was amazing for the first few months, and he's continued on the high end of the chart.  I call Liam a 'momentum' runner.  He leans his head and belly forward, and in order to avoid falling on his face, his legs have to start moving.  He hasn't been able to do much climbing (fortunately) because of his belly!