The Last White Onesie

In his first year of life J accomplished everything one could hope to accomplish.  He grew a couple of teeth, learned a few words ("Mama", "Dada", "Yes", "No", "Done"), he claps, points, runs, climbs, and grabs everything within forty inches of the floor. He is an amazing, beautiful, seventeen pound fifteen ounce, little man with predilections for chewing shoes and paper.
       

If you are feeling nostalgic, click the baby by month label and take a trip down memory lane.

11 Months, Four Teeth

During his tenth months of life J expanded his hobbies to include pulling things out of the recycling bin, pressing his face against glass, and running with choking hazards in his mouth.

He’s a feathery 18.8 pounds and a long way from receiving a MacArthur Genius Award.

The 10 Month Wanderlust

Since Jackson refused to sit down long enough to take a proper portrait, this is how we shall remember him: an upstanding young man perfectly satisfied with the taste of his index finger.

This post would have been up a few days ago but Rachel and I left both children with her parents and traveled off to Jekyll Island, Georgia for the wonderful wedding of Tommy and Stephanie. The three day excursion was the longest I’ve gone without watching an episode of Bubble Guppies in more than two years and it felt really good. 

9 Month Old Lives Simple, Happy Life

At nine months old, the toothless young man pictured below spends the majority of his day hiding in tents and getting tackled by his brother. 

The following video captures a heated game of arm flapping and peek-a-boo that ends with his brother declaring an immediate intention to poop.

Unrelated to anything above, this next one is all about Liam landing a child-sized catfish on his new Ironman rod and reel.
 

If you have 43 seconds and a desire to watch the world's greatest, standard definition, vertically filmed fishing video, turn up the volume, press play and enjoy the ride.

8 Month Flyweight Champ

Despite being in the 85th percentile for height and sufficiently aged to eat vegetables, J has only managed to attain a total weight of 16 pounds. His physique is not unlike that of a pixie stick.

And since people love videos of children, here he is pushing a cart while dressed like a football.

7 Month Man About Town

Jackson is now 7 months old. Put him on the ground and he scoots around with purpose and determination. He’s like a young, wild-haired, soldier on a mission to lick shoes. Here he is in picture form. Happy, content, and all around nice guy.

His older brother is now just shy of two and half and does things that qualify him as an actual person. He makes interesting conversation, sing songs, tells jokes, takes swimming lessons, does gymnastics, and uses a toilet with regularity. When I get home from work he tells me he loves me and often makes a point of complimenting my glasses. I feel special until I hear him tell a stick or a receipt that it too is beautiful.

 As shown above, Liam is also a caring brother and a practicing physician. 

6 Months of Blue-Steel

As a fair-skinned boy of six months and 14 pounds, Jackson spends his day rolling on the floor, sitting up, and cruising around the kitchen in a cart.

When not drooling, sleeping, or yelling for attention, he is taking selfies and putting dangerous objects in his mouth.  

His go-to pose reminds me of a confused old man on a windy day.  

5 Months: Happy as a Rolling Clam

Jackson's fifth month of life was similar to his fourth with slightly more athletic tumbling routines.  Notable events included moving into his own room and eating assorted purees.  

When not getting photographed by himself, Jackson drools on his mother's face and hangs out with his brother.

The kid is living the dream. 

4 Months: The Moon is Awake, So I'm Awake

One month ago I wrote about Jackson giving up on sleep.  Other than developing the ability to rollover, not much has changed since then.  The kid celebrates each evening with dramatic calls for attention disguised as cries for help and quickly shifts between emotions without pause or reason.

To give some visual perspective, the three pictures below were taken a few seconds before and after the first.

He is a complicated young man filled with love, piss and vinegar. 

3 Months: No Sleep Till Brooklyn

Jackson is in the 25th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. A mere 12 pounds of human with blonde hair, blue eyes and long phalanges that make his feet look like fists.

Three evenings ago he became nocturnal so if you want to Skype with us, 2am will probably work best.    

Two Months: Vying For Favoritism

Jackson smiles, sleeps, and remains quiet for extended stretches of time.  He is a kind, happy young man of few words and minimal action.

His passions include staring at his brother from the comfort of a swing and lightly touching objects that dangle.    

One Month Onesie Wearer

To celebrate Jackson's first month of life, Rachel and I strapped him into a gently used one-piece, laid him on a blanket and waited for him to smile.  Below is the result.

To date the child has proven himself to be mild mannered, quiet and generally well liked. 

The Big One

At the end of every month Rachel and I have strapped Liam into a white onesie, taken a few pictures, Photoshoped on the appropriate number and posted it to this blog under the label, "baby by month." This picture is the final installment.  This is his last white onesie.

Click here and see the consolidated view of his transformation from an immobile infant into a large, running, wildly destructive toddler.

11 Months Old, 18 Month Clothes

This image is a little past due but here he is in all of his androgynous, long-haired glory.

For those interested in milestones, Liam has spent the last month stumbling around like a drunk, pointing at objects of his desire, and discovering the the word "No."  When not gravitating towards danger, he enjoys watching Elmo and eating blueberries.

10 Months, Two Teeth

This post is about 15 days late but here he is.  A fluffy young man with lots of hair and a bucktooth grin.

Hobbies this month included waving, eating, and making bubbly fart noises with his mouth.  

Hairy, Toothless & 9 Months Old

These photo shoots have gotten progressively more difficult.  Liam hates sitting still and is unimpressed with my formal attempts at parenting. 

The images above were taken during the brief, beautiful  moment when our child wasn't crawling towards a power cord or forcing a kitchen utensil down his throat.

8 Months of Energy

Liam is now 8 months old.  He crawls, stands, breaks things, and opens drawers.  He eats everything, yells indiscriminately and refuses to say anything but "mama."  

Since a still photo can't capture his passions for movement, impatience and interpretive dance, below is a two-image .gif featuring one of his many subtle twerkings. 

7 Months and Counting

Since Liam now refuses to lie on his back for any amount of time, here he is sitting up.  Now 7 months old, he is thickly haired and mobile with a fine eye for destruction.  This video serves to prove that last point.   

Turn up your volume and let the next 12 seconds of your life get weird. 

6 Months of Growing

At his 6 month doctor visit Liam measured in at 28.25" and a feathery 18lbs 1oz.  His length lands him squarely in the 97th percentile for youth of equivalent age and sex while his weight represents a more pedestrian 62nd. 

 

A 20 year old of similar metrics would be 6 feet 2 inches tall, 165 pounds, and painfully aware that his parents were right not to let him play football. 

5 Months of Handsome

It used to bother me when people would mistake Liam for a girl.  "He has a dick," I'd want to say. "Circumcised by one of the best in the game!"

But I never did. 

To the average passerby Liam looks as much like Sinead O'Connor as he does Justin Timberlake.  Without the appropriate accessories he is simply a pearly hued, eighteen pound baby androgen.
    

 

So it is with sincerest apologies to my child that I keep posting pictures of him in a white onesie with a neutrally-colored timestamp.  It was his mom's idea.  My only contribution was to arrange the images as to make it look like the bottom half of the diptych is getting pooped on by the top.  For that I have no regrets. I nailed it.