Liam and Baby Liam

Shortly after I got pregnant with Liam, we decided to get Zachary a baby doll.  Not because I wanted him to be a girly-boy who plays with dolls, but because I thought it would be a good way for him to practice being a big brother.  The baby doll would be about the same size as a real baby, and he could practice holding the baby, feeding the baby, etc.  At the time I bought the doll, I already knew we were having a boy, and we had already decided to name him Liam, so I made sure to buy a boy baby doll (which, by the way, let me say that it is NOT easy to find a boy baby doll...apparently baby doll makers are under the impression that all babies are actually girls - but I did ultimately succeed).  So when it came time for Zachary to give his baby a name, what else could he name him but "Liam".  Baby Liam was good practice for him, but after the real Liam was born, doll Liam kind of got buried in the toy box.  Not too long ago, Liam found baby Liam in the toy box and has really taken to him.

Liam has slept with "his baby" every night, and insists on you tucking his baby in too.  He takes his baby in the car every morning to school (but baby stays in Daddy's car all day since babies are not allowed at school).  And apparently he even talked about his baby at school last week so much that it prompted an email from his teacher asking if I had any comments on the baby Liam kept talking about.  Needless to say, the next morning, baby did get out of the car long enough at school to meet Liam's teacher so she would know exactly who this baby was that Liam would go on & on about all day.  And I think he really loves the fact that he & his baby have the same name.

Baby Liam also loves going down the little slide in our back yard.  Here is Liam "helping" baby Liam go down the slide.