Into the Wild

Two weeks ago Samuel and I went to Minneapolis to spend time with my Dad, Samuels Papa. We decided to fly there, since the last long drive Sam and I took alone didn't turn out so good, and I am glad we did, it was a easy and quick Sam slept on both flights. We went a day early to spend some time with Samuels godparents. Sam showed Christy and Wade all of his tricks and even tried to show them a new trick - standing with no assistance. He can stand for about 5-10 seconds at most and then he realizes he is not holding onto anything and falls flat on his butt. It is really cute to watch and even funnier that he gets up and does it all over.

Sam got a fun new toy from Christy and Wade and I want to thank them, as it gave him hours of entertainment on our ride into the wild (Northern Minnesota.)

My Dad invited Sam and I to go to Northern Minnesota with him on an award trip he won with his work. Soon was unable to go, and we were excited to fill in for her. Because of their hotel my dad doesn't get a lot of time to come down and see Samuel so this was a great opportunity for them to get time together just the two of them. We went on a boat ride, golfed for the 1st time for Samuel and my father, and even got to see an Elvis show! It was great to see the two of them together and I think it was really hard for my dad to drop us at the airport.

Samuel so happy to be with his Papa.

Elvis!!

We have been really busy and while we were on our trip Samuel got very little sleep and we learned our little guy needs his sleep. Since Samuel was born he has been such a good little boy and rarely makes a peep and even when he does if you pick him up he has always stopped. So last week when Samuel cried 3 separate times and nothing soothed him I knew we had a problem. We learned that Samuel was experiencing night terrors. While these rarely occur in kids under a year all of the symptoms matched it perfectly. I feel awful that he has these and the doctor told us there is NOTHING I can do to help them, and I should only make sure he doesn't hurt himself. But as much as I can't help him, I have learned that sleep deprivation can cause these, so we are really focusing on Sam getting enough sleep. And sure enough once we got home and back on his schedule, no more night terrors YEAH!!

8 Months Old

This Saturday, Sammy turned 8 months old. I can't believe how time has flown by with our little man, and how blessed we feel each day to have him in our lives. Family and friends constantly tell us how happy we seem and that we have a glow about us since Sam came into our lives and while we don't see it we definitely feel it. This little guy brings a smile to my face just thinking of him! Samuel grows with each day both in his personality and his actions. He now distinctly says Ma-Ma and while I know he has NO clue what that means its very exciting for me ( and I think Ben is a little jealous that ma-ma came before da-da. Sam babbles a lot more and gets really proud when we talk back, its almost like he thinks he is making sense, its really cute.

This Saturday was also Ben and I's 6-year wedding anniversary. We had a great day and got Samuel a babysitter so we could share some adult time out. Milea is a great babysitter and Sam really seems to like her which makes it easier for us to leave. While the 1st 5 years and 4 months were great with Ben, the last 8 months have been even better. Ben has never been a guy for many words (unless he's heckeling someone about something he finds humorous in his little world) or emotions, until Sam. As the saying goes your spouse brings out the best in you and Ben does that for me and makes me a better person every day, but I think Sam has brought out the best in Ben, and it is awesome to see! I have always felt lucky to find someone like Ben (yes, its true!!) and as the saying goes it gets better every day!

Finally, Samuel had a great week. Only 1 accident at Daycare (climbing up on a table,) his Jiji and Papster came through town today on their way to Omaha and he loved showing off. This little man loves showing everyone what he can do. And when he does something he makes this silly face and breaths through his mouth really hard its halarious. Then while he was standing today Jiji asked him to dance to the music, and all of a sudden he started bending his knees and moving his head. He looked like he was trying to headbang, really funny. Today, we found out that even though Sam doesn't like a lot of food, he loves finger foods. Anything he can pick up and put in his mouth is fair game. We tried crackers, bread, avacado, meat (yes 1st time) and a banana and he ate them all no problem. Maybe he just isn't a fan of the puree!!

Sam's new best friend. Sam loves this pug, because he doesn't run away every time Sam pets him.

Sam likes to dig in the drawer and take everything out one by one. Guess he hasn't found the movie he is looking for.

First stairs, next Mt. Everest

Samuel loves to climb on everything and this week he mastered climbing stairs. So if you put him down and he can see stairs he is off. It is so funny to watch this little man that thinks he is invinsable. He just goes at the stairs with no fear, and it is really cute to watch his chubby legs bend and push up onto the next stair. Then when he gets to the top stair, he has nothing left to hold onto so he flops his belly and wiggles to the top. Ben and I have spent most of our weekend on the stairs or chasing him around the house. With this attitude we think Sam may take on Mt. Everest next. He seems to be fearless and I think that is pretty normal but it is great to watch, and love him trying new things. As a mother I love watching him explore new places, and seeing his eyes open wide and get very focused on learning everything about what he has found.

Sam excited about going up the stairs, AGAIN!

Sam almost to the top where Homer and Otis (Samuel's target) are waiting.

So, Monday came and Samuel started daycare. Ms. Carol was so great, she really made me feel at ease as much as that was possible. Sam went right to her and really hasn't looked back. Every day I went to get him he seemed really happy, playing with friends/toys or even sitting in Ms. Carol's lap having a bottle. I was worried he wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat and would be upset when I left, but none of these things happened. He takes his 2 naps every day, eats better at daycare than at home and seems comfortable when Ms. Carol comes to take him. We can also see the changes at home, he crawls better, talks more and seems really tired so starting to sleep even better. I am so glad things went so well, even though a lot of tears were shed by me this week it has been worth it.

While everything with daycare has been great there have been some firsts that were not so good as well. On Wednesday, Ben picked Sam up and just as he got there, they were calling us to let us know Sam had fallen off one of the mats and bumped his head on a toy and had a big egg size welt on his forehead. The ladies said he cried, but was just fine as soon as they picked him up. This is the first of many bumps Sam is going to get, but it was so sad to see our little man with a big bruise on his forehead. Then, on Thursday when I went to get Samuel they told me he had a temperature of 102!! WOW, Sam has never even had a cold and now 102, I was freaked. We got him right into our pediatrician and they confirmed he had a virus, but the bad news was that he just had to tough it out, no meds (how is that possible a drug pusher thought!) While, I never want Sam to be sick I loved how much he wanted to be near me. Ever since he became mobile he has pretty much been Mr. Independent but on Thursday and Friday it was a different story. Sam snuggled up to me all day and night, just like when he was a baby. I was in heaven. I am glad he is feeling better, but I have to admit I liked him having the virus so he would let me hold him for more than a few seconds before he was off to something else. Finally, the pediatrician did weigh Sam and he now weighs 21lbs! My mom had told me she thought he was thinning out, but by the signs of the scale Sam is still our little Chunky Monkey!!

Sam sad and not feeling well, snuggling with Dad!

The Boys are off to School

Today was the last horah for Ben and Sam. Ben starts full-time into his new job at Blue Valley High School and Samuel starts daycare/school. Ben and Sam had such a great time together this Summer, going to the pool, reading hundreds of books and of course playing Sam's favorite game peek-a-boo!

I am so sad it has to end, but the great thing is they get to do it again next summer! Samuel starting daycare is a day I have been trying to prepare myself for, for months. On one hand I am very excited for him to go to have the interaction with kids, which will challenge him and also expose him to some great new things but also sad that I can not walk out of my office during the day and see our little guys smiling face trying to crawl up the stairs or reading a book with dad. With everything, this will get easier with time. I went into his daycare on Friday to bring his things ahead of time and workout his schedule with his teachers and Sam loved being with the other kids. He jumped right in and I think may already be smitten with a little girl in his class. This gave me a good piece of mind that everything will turn out great.

This weekend my mom and Denny came to visit and as usual Sam had a great time with them. We are so glad that they made the trip down to see us, and my mom got to see Sam in the pool and she agrees he is a little fish. Denny and my mom also babysat for Ben and I so we could have a date night which was long over due. Usually, when my mom and Denny come down she spends a lot of time reading to him, and showing him different things, but this trip he was ready to show off all of his new tricks. Sam showed Grandpa and Grandma that he can stand on his own, pull himself up, feed himself and now is trying to get to the sitting up position from his stomach. We were sad when they left but already looking forward to their next trip.

This week I was able to meet Emily Ann, Angela and Clint's new baby girl and she is a sweetheart. We can't wait for her and Sam to get together. Sam also had another new friend born today, Josie Ann, congrats to Jamie and Joe.

Here is Sam's new smile, its like he is trying to smile soooo hard he begins to grind his jaw or something. So cute!

Mr. Adventure and the Imitator

Each day with Samuel is an adventure but over the past few weeks Samuel has turned into Mr. Adventure. Sam has to touch everything, crawl to anything that is in the room, pull himself up where possible and now he has begun trying to stand in his crib and in the bathtub. Sam has learned to stand up alone when he holds onto something and he thinks its the greatest thing. I love that he likes to try new things and it is so cute when he gets frustrated and knows its possible but can't seem to get it. At times I get nervous and try to help him or not let him fall, but I am trying to let him do it on his own so he can learn. I think this is just the start, boys love to try anything and everything. I can't imagine the things he will try when he can walk and run, but it is so much fun.

Samuel had a good week, but yet another week with a lot of time inside. The weather here has been so warm that we haven't been able to go to the park, pool or our daily walks which is a bummer because those are some of his favorite things. I hope it cools down soon so we can get back to our activities. But we have decided to make sure regardless of the weather, Sam is going to get to swim. We are signing him up for indoor swimming lessons, the class is called "Seahorses" that will be twice a week for 2 months. If what we have seen is any indication, we think he is going to love it.

Over the 4th of July one of my friends noticed that every time I fed Sam I would open my mouth to try and get him to imitate what I was doing. After she brought this to my attention I began to pay attention to it and now realize that I do it all the time. If I want Sam to smile, I smile big, if I want him to open his mouth I do it. Every time it happens now I start to laugh and then Sam starts to laugh, (is it possible he already knows how crazy his mother is?!) So, if you are lucky enough to see Sam while he is trying to eat, you will also get a free show to the imitator.

Sam tried fruit for the 1st time this week and we finally have a winner, he ate the entire bowl with no frowns or tears. I think he is a sugar fan just like his daddy!

I had to include more bath pictures because they are so cute, and really his favorite time of the day.

Sam loves trying to kick and being on his stomach in the tub

Here he is contemplating how to get out of the tub, what you don't see is that after the picture he tries to take his arm and grab the side of the tub, misses and then splashes into the water, and then repeats the entire process.

Sam has 2 new friends this week, Luke Paul Allen and Evelyn Beninato. Congratulations to both families such exciting news!