5 months

Zaiden is getting big! He is now 5 months old and a generally happy little guy.  He loves to smile, coo and stick out his tongue. He is always interested in what is going on around him (and doesn't want to fall asleep to miss anything!). He is also very active and is already on the move. This past month he has mastered rolling over and rolls both ways and from his stomach to his back....and all over the place! He is also starting to sit up already and sat for at least 3 minutes while I took some pictures a few days ago! He likes to play with toys and put them in his mouth and throw them. He still loves to watch Zander and now tries to move towards him, reach for him or spin himself around so he can see him. It won't be long until he is trying to keep up with Zander.

this is how our photo shoot started, which may be why I did not get any smiles for the camera

Big boy 

He was smiling right before I took the picture, but the smile (and his cute dimple) goes away right as I take the picture!

Our little pumpkin

working on his sitting skills!

Summer Fun

This post is a bit late due to the craziness of going back to work and finding a new routine with our expanding family as well as some computer problems. We had a very busy and fun summer and Zaiden was quickly introduced to the busy lifestyle of the Gilliam family. I (Jazzie) had a ton of fun being home for most of summer break and had a chance to bond with Zaiden as well as had many fun days with both boys. I did not work at the school assessment teams and only filled in a few days at Shriners. Zeb also enjoyed the summer by taking a few days off, some work from home or early days as well as spent the last week at home with both boys before returning to our work schedule. Most summer days consisted of trips to the park, picnics, and spending time outside. We also had some fun summer days at the zoo or beach with family and friends. Our weekends remained busy as we traveled to visit family and friends as well as planned some other fun family events. We are sad to see the summer go, but are already beginning to enjoy the fall season and are looking forward to more adventures to come.

Our summer days were spent at the many parks in our area and adding a picnic to our day was one of our favorite ways to hang out

Beating the heat at the splash pad (We made sure Zander got some trips out with just mom or dad without little brother too)

Zeb is part of a group that has Cubs season tickets this year and he took big boy Zander to one of the games. Zander's favorite part was having a hot dog and eating ice cream

Zander loved taking care of our garden and eating the fresh vegetables all summer. Here he showed off his gardening skills to grandma and grandpa on one of our trips to Wisconsin

 Beach Day!!

 Hanging with his pals in Wisconsin (still working on his jumping skills!)

 We had 2 zoo days with Aunt Abbie this summer with one in Milwaukee and the other at Lincoln Park zoo. We had a lot of fun hanging out with her (and I liked having the extra help!)

The highlight of our summer was "Day Out With Thomas" at the Illinois Railway museum. Zander loves Thomas and the day was filled with Thomas themed activities, visiting all the old trains and even a ride on Thomas. It was a great day and Zander had a ton of fun....we plan to return again when Zaiden is old enough to enjoy it too!

 

Adoption Day

We are moving forward with our adoption of Zaiden.  August 20, 2015 was a big day for our family as we made the trip to the court house to petition for his full adoption. We went in front of the judge who asked us and even Zander a few questions (if he likes being a big brother, etc)! It was an exciting day and Zaiden was all dressed up for the occasion. We have a finalization date of December 17, 2015 and look forward to having Zaiden be a part of our forever family! After our day in court, we celebrated by visiting Zeb's office and going out for lunch.

Our family

Zaiden looked very handsome!

Visiting daddy's office

Zaiden 4 month

Time is flying by! Zaiden is 4 months old already! He is growing (despite some issues with reflux) and weighs 14# 8 oz and is 244 inches long! He is generally a happy boy and loves to smile and coo. He is able to hold onto some toys and loves to put them in his mouth. His other favorite activities are watching Zander (and now the other kids at daycare), rolling and reaching for toys on his play mat or his chair. He loves tummy time and is already on the move! He scoots himself around his play mat (usually to get a better view of Zander) or to try to move towards a toy. He also is often able to roll himself from his tummy to his back and rolls to both sides. Sleep is still not his favorite activity as he would rather be on the go than sleeping…….we’re still working on this one!

He loves tummy time and is already on the move!

This is the only way we could get a smile on camera

Hanging with his big brother....his favorite person to watch