Liam goes to Walden Farm

Yesterday we went to Walden Farm as a family. It...was...SO MUCH FUN! I know Liam won't remember it, but we sure will. It was such a joy getting to see him experience new things for the first time. His first time seeing a goat...his first time touching a pumpkin...his first time hearing chickens. He was wide eyed the entire time, and we were all smiles. I love the thought of building memories like this for years and years to come. I love being a family. I can't wait for many more days like this.

Liam Isaac: 3 Months!

Liam, I cannot believe that you're 3 months old already! Where has time gone to? You are growing in more ways than I know how to keep up with. Part of me wants you to slow down, so time doesn't go by too fast. But I can honestly say that I'm loving every moment and it's such a joy seeing you grow and develop in new ways.

You love to smile. Smiling's your favorite. And your smiles make me smile...and then my smiles make you smile...and that makes your Daddy smile...and then we're just one big smiling family.

You are getting stronger every day. You love sitting in our laps looking at the world around you. You hold your head up like a champ, and I think you're pretty proud of yourself. You love to explore the world around you...looking at different things, listening to different sounds. I love seeing your curiosity come out.

You are getting SO LONG, little dude! Your feet are starting to hang out of your car seat a little now. And you're growing out of my favorite footie pjs of yours. Your legs are getting chunky, which is completely adorable. Your face is changing, and you are starting to look more and more like a little boy and less like a newborn baby.

This month you have found your voice! You LOVE to talk and blow bubbles and squeal and laugh. We have little conversations with you, which is quite entertaining. I admit, I have spent up to an hour at a time just laying on the floor talking with you. My how time flies when we play together! There's nothing else I'd rather do than get to spend time together as a family.

I love seeing you with your Daddy. You watch him so intently. As he walks around the house, you follow him with your eyes and you smile real big when he kisses you on the forehead. I can tell you look up to him already, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I couldn't have picked a better role model for you. Your Daddy is awesome. He is very good to us! And he loves you so very much. So do I.

Thanks for bringing so much joy into our lives, little man! You are SO loved!

Liam Isaac: 2 (and a half) Months!

I realized that it's been a long time since I've updated the good ole blog, so I think it's about time for a new post! :) The main reason I blog is to document our lives. Now that we have Liam, I think this is more important than ever. I know I will love looking back on these posts for years to come and relive our story through these posts.

It seems as though time is flying by at warp speed these days. Our little man is growing more and more each day. I feel like if I blink, he'll be graduating from high school! Haha, I know that is a bit extreme...but I do want to make sure to cherish each and every moment with him, and not forget a thing. Because of this, I have been taking TONS of pictures of him. :) Most of the pictures are on my iPhone, and I share a few each day on instagram (username: tiffanyzajas) as well as Facebook and Twitter.

I do try and pull out the "big" camera and take some more professional photos of him at least once a month. I haven't really shared many of those on here, so I want to make sure to put them up before too much time passes.

Just like I documented the grown of Liam while he was in my belly, I want to make sure I do that now that he's here in person! Below are the three photos of him at 1 week, 1 month, and 2 months. My how he's changed already!

These are the images from his 2 month shoot. He's now 2.5 months, and I feel like he's already grown so much since these photos were taken just a couple weeks ago!

It really amazes me that Liam has blonde hair and blue eyes (for now, at least)! He takes after Jonathan's mom in this way. It's fun to see how he resembles both sides of the family in different ways. I think he's the perfect combination of us both. 

This month Liam found his hand...and he LOVES it! It's too funny to come into his room and hear him sucking on his hand rather loudly. He has also started drooling quite a bit!

The "muscle man" pose seems to be his favorite. Whenever he's not swaddled, this is his favorite way to sleep too. I love it. :)

This past month Liam has started smiling more and more...now he smiles almost all the time! Nothing brightens my day more than looking at this face.

At his 2 month check-up, he was weighing 13lbs 14oz and measured at 24.25 inches long! He's growing at lightning speed, and I don't know if I can keep up! Haha. This week he started fitting into 3-6 month clothing, and I can't believe it. I'm so thankful that our boy is so healthy and is growing well.

Hehe, I just couldn't resist posting this one... :)

In the past month, Liam's personality has really come out more. It's so fun to see him observe and experience the world around him. He holds his head up like a champ, loves to swat at and try to grab his toys, turns his head to look at sounds, and loves to be read and sung to.

I am whole heartedly enjoying motherhood. I never knew how much I would love it! Life can get overwhelming and stressful and confusing, but taking care of our baby calms me and helps me realize what the most important priorities in life are. I find such peace in caring for him, and for that I am so thankful. God is so faithful to give us what we need when we need it. And I couldn't have asked for a greater blessing at a more perfect time.

Liam, you are loved!

Liam's Birth Day!

I can hardly believe that our little man is going to be one month old on Sunday! Time is flying by, and we're loving and soaking in every moment. He has changed our world for the better in so many ways.

I've been wanting to share some from the day he was born, and am just now finding the time to sit down, sort through some pictures, and write out my thoughts from the day.

On Thursday, June 28th, Jonathan and I went in for our 39 week doctor's appointment. Since Liam had been measuring on the larger size, we had another ultrasound to check things and make sure everything was looking good. When we met with our doctor, she recommended that we induce a week early so that we could reduce the chances of having to have a c-section. She said that my body was already progressed to the point where most women come in to the hospital during active labor, so she was confident that I would react to the induction very well. Jonathan and I agreed that would be best, so we scheduled to go in to the hospital at 5:30am the next day.

As we left the doctor's office, the reality started to sink in...we were going to have our baby within the next day! My stomach was full of butterflies, and I couldn't stop smiling. This was so exciting!

We spent the rest of the afternoon running errands and making sure we had everything else we needed for the hospital and to bring Liam home. That evening, we drove to Nashville to pick my mom up from the airport. Her arrival from Maine couldn't have been at a more perfect time! 

When we got home that night, I couldn't stop for one moment. I was running around double checking our bags, straightening up the house, baking cookies for the hospital staff, showering, and making sure everything was as ready as it could be.

Sleep was futile. I think I slept off and on for one, maybe two, hours total. I felt like a little kid on Christmas Eve times 100. The excitement was so hard to contain! Our alarm went off at 4am the next morning, and I was out of bed faster than I ever have been before. :) We quickly got ready, packed up the car, and made it to the hospital to check in by 5:30am.

We got all settled into our hospital room, and the nurses came to hook me up to the monitors and IV. I had already been having contractions throughout the night and early morning, so they started me on a low level of pitocin to help things progress.

This was it...we were going to have our baby that day!!! :)

At 7:30am, Dr. Redden came to check on me and see how everything was going. I was progressing really well, so she went ahead and broke my water. Now it was just a matter of time.

Contractions started getting pretty crazy at that point. They were getting stronger and stronger and closer and closer together. I had been planning on having an epidural all along, but I wanted to wait a little while before getting it.

Honestly, those contractions were very painful...unlike anything I have ever felt before. But Jonathan was right there with me talking me through each one, massaging my shoulders, putting worship music on to help me relax, filling my cup with ice chips, and encouraging me all along the way. He was amazing. And all the pain was bearable because I knew that each wave meant that Liam was closer to being in our arms. It was all worth it.

When the anesthesiologist came in, it was like angels were singing the Hallelujah Chorus! I was relieved, to say the least. Kudos to moms who give birth with zero pain killers...phew! 

The epidural started to kick in, and I was finally able to relax. My doctor came in and encouraged me to try and rest. I really needed my strength for the "marathon" ahead. I took her advice and napped for a while. When I woke up, I felt so much better and refreshed. I was ready to do this!

Although the contractions had never really gone away, I started to feel them again. This time, since I had the epidural, they were more like pressure rather than pain.

All of a sudden, I felt like Liam was going to come right then! I had the sudden urge to push, and just knew that he was going to come soon. We quickly called my nurse and she came in to check everything...and sure enough, it was go time! My doctor came in with the other nurses and they started setting up for delivery. They were all surprised at how rapidly and easily things had progressed. 

Twenty minutes later (with only twelve minutes of active pushing), on June 29th 2012 at 2:32pm, Liam Isaac Zajas was born!

I cannot even begin to describe the joy that was felt in that moment. Holding my son for the first time was absolutely incredible. I couldn't believe that he was finally here!

In just a moment's time, we had gone from a family of two, to a family of three. Our lives were changed forever in the best way possible.

Liam was born weighing 8lbs 5oz and measuring 21 inches long.

Seeing Jonathan hold Liam for the first time is one of my most favorite memories ever. The love I've had for my husband has always been so great that it's hard to imagine loving him more than I already did...but seeing him as a father made that happen. My heart felt like it grew 10x it's normal size. I've always known that he was going to be an amazing dad, but seeing that become reality has been absolutely incredible.

Our entire experience that day was so wonderful. We really couldn't have asked for it to go any better than it did. I am so thankful for Dr. Redden. She is one of the nicest people I've ever met, and was exactly what I needed throughout this entire experience. All of the staff at Williamson Medical Center were amazing. I'm so thankful for each and every one of them who helped take care of us that weekend.

It was such a blessing getting to have my mom there with us. I'm so glad she could share in this experience! She was an incredible help to us the first few days during her stay (she even brought us Dunkin' Donuts every morning while we were in the hospital!) I love her.

As wonderful as our experience at the hospital was, by the time Sunday rolled around, we were ready to head home and start this new chapter in our lives together. It was surreal putting on his own clothes and placing him in his car seat for the first time. It was so cool that we actually got to keep him and bring him home with us! :)

The past few weeks since then have been a whirlwind. It seems like just yesterday that he was born, and here he is 3.5 weeks old already.

Thank you to all the friends and family who have celebrated with us during this time. The visits, cards, gifts, meals, and sweet words have all been such a blessing. We appreciate you all so much!

I hope to continue sharing bits and pieces of our journey with you all along the way. This is fun! :)

Love and blessings,

Tiffany, Jonathan, + Liam