6 States in 6 Months

This past weekend we took a trip to Seattle, for a family wedding on Ben's side of the family. This made the 6th state Sam has visited in 6 months. This was also the 1st time Samuel got to meet a lot of his extended family, and he definitely turned up the charm. Sam was named best dressed of the weekend, kept everyone entertained and was a trooper even though we were on West Coast time. When I realized we were going to the west coast and Samuel's bedtime was now going to be 5:30, I wasn't sure if we were going to spend the majority of the time in the hotel or would he be okay, and he definitely exceeded our expectations. He would fall asleep wherever we were at 5:30pm each day for about 20 minutes and then he would be up for the evening. Here is a picture of Sam passed out on his dad's head as we were walking towards the Safeco field for the baseball game.

We had a great time in Seattle, it was the 1st time any of us had been out there. We went to the Space Needle, saw the fish market with them throwing the fish, went to the Aquarium, saw the Olympic sculpture tour, Sam had his 1st baseball game and a lot more. But we really enjoyed seeing the family. From talks with all Ben's Aunt's Sam really dose look like his dad and their side of the family. Sam was a happy camper the entire trip, and full of smiles and giggles for everyone. Everyone was telling us how glad they were we were able to make it out for the wedding and how great it was we were willing to travel with having a 6-month old, but we told them we were the lucky ones. He is such a great little guy and so easy going it makes traveling (which we love to do) possible.

Ben's cousin Sarah got married, and the wedding was beautiful, and they are such a happy couple. The wedding was outside on the bay an hour north of Seattle with the mountains in the background. The day was perfect, for them, and wish them all the happiness. On Sunday, the entire family got together and watched the World Cup Final together (its amazing to me, how many people cared about this match when people could care less about soccer the other 364 days of the year.)

We came home on Monday night, and this is officially our last trip until Labor day and that feels so good to say. We have been traveling so much that having some time at home will feel really great, and be good for Sam, he starts daycare in just 4 weeks. Tomorrow are Sam's 6-month photos, yes we know we are late but glad we are getting them done. I will post some once we get them back.

Sam is already 1/6th the length of a sixgill shark!

Sam with his Jiji and Papster

Sam with all of his Fasy Great Aunt's and Uncle's

Sam with all of the Fasy's that were able to come to Seattle

2 Is Better Than 1 for the Levys

For as long as I can remember I have been a pretty independent person (type A) that can handle most things thrown my way, but these past 2 weeks really put me to the test. As I wrote on an earlier post, Ben spent the last 2 weeks in Europe with some buddies. This was a great trip for Ben and I am so glad he had the opportunity to do this with his friends, and it made me see appreciate even more all he does for Sam and I. Sam and I had some great bonding time, did really fun things, and Sam slept through the night with no night wakings for half of the time Ben was gone. But, I also want to give a SHOUT OUT to all the single mothers out their raising a child or children, holding down a job and doing so much more everyday, YOU AMAZE ME! I don't think I ever appreciated enough what my mother did and so many other mothers do every day, I am in awe of how they do it all. So having the 2 of us is always better than us going it alone, and Sam's 2nd tooth was easier than the 1st! Here is a picture where you can see the two teeth peeking out.

The 4th of July 2010 was very different from years past at Okoboji for so many reasons. Last year I was dancing on a barge doing "La Bomb Shots" (mine was water!) and the year before dancing on what seemed like a Yacht with all my girlfriends to "Lollipop and I kissed a girl" over and over. For as long as I can remember I have been going to Okoboji for the 4th with friends and not having a care in the world, going anywhere, staying out all night and doing it again the next day, but this year I was in bed every night by midnight. How different life has changed in just one year with our little bambino, but I wouldn't change it for the world. It was just as great to have the kids over to our house and have a BBQ at home. Two of my friends that came are currently expecting and so it was a great night to sit outside have a good meal and spend time with catching up with everyone.

Sam tries to copy everything big kids do it is so cute!

Isaac is such a sweet boy, he gave Sam hugs and kisses all night.

While it was a great trip getting there was less than enjoyable. Sam no longer likes to be in his car seat, because I think he gets too hot and he can't see anything because he is leaning back so far. So needless to say the 5 1/2 hour trip took us 7 hours and Sam didn't sleep until the last hour. So I thought I would share, that while I was about to pull my hair out because I couldn't do anything to help Sam on the car ride, Ben was at the Clifts of Mohr overlooking one of the most beautiful places! (Where is the justice in that!)

The real reason I made the trip to Okoboji this year was for Papa and Nana to get to spend time with Sam. Soon (my step-mom) hadn't met Sam yet, and it had been 3 months since my dad had seen Sam. They had a really good time together and I think Sam did all he could to make them come visit more often. Sam loved the boat rides, getting the wind on his face and little splashes of water on his face too. I think he is a natural and going to be spending many future 4th's here in Okoboji!

My dad and Sam watching a soccer match, they were both glued to the screen.

Sam sitting on the boat ready for a ride.

Sam in 1 of his 2 life jackets that he hated, he used this one as a chew toy!

His other life jacket that tipped him over it was so heavy and went right up into his cheeks.

Papa with his co-captain!

3-generations of Frigo's

Nana playing with Sam

Sam with his Nana and Papa

Growing Up Fast

Being with Sam everyday sometimes makes me not notice the subtle changes occurring with our little man each day. When my mom got down here she couldn't believe how much he has changed just since she saw him last. But what she said hadn't changed was that he still looks like a minnie version of his father!

So when, we went to the doctor it was no surprise that she thought and so did the scale that he had grown. Sam weighs 18lbs 6oz (70th percentile) and 27inches long (75th percentile.) What is really funny is that his head is in the 90%, hope its not just filled with hot air!! The pediatrician told us Sam is right on track and progressing really well with his movements, he even took four or five steps towards her while we were there. Sam is a pretty serious little guy but he smiled and giggled with her the whole time. She told us that his verbal development is what we will notice more over the next 3 months and that he should be able to say ma-ma and da-da by then. While I had read that it was affirming to have her tell me that. That is so exciting, I think I will melt the day I hear Sam look at me and say ma-ma.

Don't those look like some healthy (i.e. Chubby) legs!!

My mom has been here for the week and they have been going non-stop. Swimming in his new pool, playing with his new toys, reading books, standing with adult support (only for a minute or two), and pulling himself up from sitting! He loves spending time with his grandma. We really appreciate her coming down for the week. Here are some pictures from their week. We are off to Okoboji tomorrow to see Papa (my dad) and some friends. We are really looking forward to it.

Grandma never comes without a new book for Sam (I think he is beginning to expect it)

Sam playing with his new animals - Its a Noah's ark 2 of everything!

Sam in his new baby pool, which is already to small. When my mom put him on his stomach he started kicking and he was pushing on the end of the pool.

(That's what I get for buying something at Target!! Why didn't I go to Walmart??)

Rock -n- Roll

Samuel turned 6-months old this week, which is just amazing to us. My cousin came to visit this weekend and I was showing her pictures of Sam and it is amazing how little he was back then. People have always told me to cherish every minute, and I feel I do, but when looking at pictures I can't believe some of it is already gone. I loved the days when he would just fall asleep on my chest, but it is just as great to watch his rock-n-roll (crawling attempts) now. Sam is a determined little fella and when he sets his mind on something he is going to get there one way or another. If he sees a toy, or one of the dogs on the ground in his eye sight his mind is made up he is going to get there. Unfortunately for him, it has been pretty challenging, when he tries to crawl he actually moves backwards. It's funny to go in his room after just a few minutes and he will be backed up almost against the wall. So, as I said he is determined so he has now begun the rock-n-roll where he gets up on his hands and toes rocks back and forth and then rolls over, and somehow he eventually gets to his toy.

Ben and Sam had their longest one-on-one time to date this week. I was gone from Monday to Thursday and they did fantastic, I on the other hand couldn't get home quick enough. Then Ben left for Europe so we needed to have a babysitter to cover while we were both gone. We found a new local babysitter and she is great. She watched Sam for the day we were both gone and he really seemed to like her. She goes to college on a singing scholarship and when I came home she was singing "Old McDonald had a Farm" and It sounded better than the CD. I told her she can't keep doing that or when I try to sing to him he will begin to cry!

My cousin Taylor came to KC this weekend to check out if she would be interested in moving here. Sam and I were prepared to show her the best this city has to offer. She hadn't met Sam yet either, so they were able to spend some quality time together. She has little animal voices she can do and Sam thought they were great, he would laugh out loud each time she did it. As she left today, she said she was surprised how great KC was and really may consider moving here. We would love to have family move to KC. Grandma is here now with us and maybe we can persuade her to move to KC too!!

Sam also graduated into a new food. We stuck with the carrots all week even though he protested through most of it. We tried sweet potatoes today and it was the complete opposite. He liked them so much he even sucked on his bib for about 10 minutes after we were finished just to get the last taste (or so I like to believe.)

A Day for the Memory Book

Last night in anticipation of Father's day Ben and I began talking about how different are lives are 1 year later. This time last year is when we began telling everyone we were expecting and also when we began this blog. We knew life would change but for me, seeing the changes in Ben has been one of the best parts. I have always felt lucky to have Ben as my husband but seeing him as a father brings it to a whole new level. Seeing him interact, play and just hang out with Samuel is so much fun for me.

Ben has been staying home with Samuel over the Summer with his time off and to be honest at the beginning I was nervous. I thought Sam was going to watch every Cubs game, nap on Dad's chest everyday versus his bed and never do tummy time again, but I was wrong. Recently, I have had to travel a lot for work and it is amazing to me the stories I here. Every day Ben sends me pictures of their daily activities or a new outfit Sam is wearing. I get stories on how Samuel crawled across the floor to reach Homer, he now only takes 2 naps and is sitting with no assistance. They are best buds and you can tell. Ben admitted that he wasn't sure how they would fill their days, and was nervous for their 1st overnight together, but now he considers himself an old pro. Seeing how he has jumped right in and taken this on makes me feel so lucky, but more importantly I feel lucky for Sam that he has such a great father that is so involved in his life.

So for all of that, today was Ben's day and we did exactly that. Everything we did today was Dad's decision. We got up with Sam went to breakfast, and came home and went for a nice walk before it got to0 hot. Then when we got home Sam took a nap and dad got his daily fix of MLB on playstation. Then we just chilled at the house (ben's favorite activity) and then the boys both took another nap. After that we went to the plaza walked around and had dinner. After putting Sam to sleep, Ben and I are able to spend some time together (today is our last day together until July 5th!!) Though we missed seeing our exteneded family and wish we could have all been together, having a relaxing day just the 3 of us couldn't have been better.

We want to wish all the dad's out there a very Happy Father's Day and say a special

THANK YOU

to our fathers for all they have done for us over the years. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives.

And an update for Sam, we have TEETH!! Over the past two days Samuel has started to get his 2 bottom teeth. He is taking it pretty well, but his gums are black and blue and he is not sleeping to much as I think the pain is waking him up. Also, we tried our first "real" food other than rice and oatmeal. Sam had carrots on Saturday and today, and wow does he HATE them. The 1st batch was worse than the 2nd and now he is taking them down a little better, but it was so funny to see the kid who will eat anything spit out carrots and start crying if you tried to give him more. We are hopeful it will be an acquired taste but for now, Cereal and Oatmeal are his favorites!

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Full of First's

When I look back at this week it didn't seem like a real crazy week, but as I begin to write I think of how many 1st's Samuel, Ben and I had this week. Ben had his 1st week off from school and began his summer as Daddy Daycare. Samuel seemed to really enjoy spending the extra time with his Dad and I think this is going to be a great summer for both of them.

Sam sitting on Dad's lap as he reads to him.

On Friday, we went up to Omaha to help celebrate a friends birthday and had a really good time. We also went to a wedding shower on Saturday morning and there were a lot of mothers there and they couldn't stop talking about how much he looks like his dad, and what a happy baby he is. When we got home we had some friends over for a BBQ and Samuel was able to play with some friends of his own. Samuel loves having people around his own size, and all three of them had a great time, smiling, squealing and babbling the entire night.

Some of the mothers helped me figure out how the Boppy can help support Samuel as he learns how to sit and it really works. On Sunday he sat up for 10-15 minutes on his own, another 1st (with support of the boppy) before he fell back and relaxed.

Then on Sunday we were full of firsts. Samuel got to sit in his new high-chair for the 1st time, and he really seemed to like it. We put some toys on it and he was as happy as can be, we think he likes being more at our eye level when we are sitting down, and that he gets to do it on his own. Next, was the big event FOOD, we have been delaying giving Samuel food because he has been growing so well without it, but also because we are trying to avoid allergies and asthma that I have and our pediatrician said waiting a little longer may help. Well, Samuel sure showed us, he LOVED IT!! I think he was trying to tell us....

"Finally, I didn't know if either of you bone heads were ever going to figure out the signals I was giving you telling you FEED ME, FEED ME!!"

Samuel, ate all of his rice cereal, or we think he did a lot of it ended up all over his face on his bib and down his legs. I think the people that tell you to feed your children naked in a diaper are genius, as Sam's outfit was done for the day once we finished.

Samuel with his monkey bib and his 1st box of rice cereal.

Sam diving in for more rice cereal. I think he would have eaten the entire box.

We think Sam has just as much rice cereal on his face as he ate on Sunday.

Samuel shining his pearly gums at us!

We were very glad that it turned out the night we first fed Sam was also bath night, because he needed it. Ben and I have debated on when to try and put him in the tub without his baby tub and so Ben put on swim trunks last night and took Sam's 1st big boy bath. Sam has always loved bath time, but seemed even more excited last night, when he could move around and dad had him swimming on his back and doing all kinds of activities. I think we will continue to do this when we are both home since he loved it so much, but may be a lot for one person to do alone.

Last, Samuel had his 1st night of sleep where he only woke up once!! He has never slept through the night or woke up only 1 time but last night was our 1st. I woke up this morning and thought I only fed him once last night, and then thought no I must just be delirious from lack of sleep, but it is true, our little guy is finally getting the hang of it. We put him in a lighter swaddle (as he was sweating a ton in the other swaddle) and he really enjoyed it and I think it allowed him to sleep a little easier. Every morning we go in to see him, he greets us with a big smile, and I can say with confidence he got the BIGGEST smile from me this morning.

Here is a picture of Samuel with Homer. Now that he can track with movement he is obsessed with our dogs, or any dogs. He tries to pet them or follow them all the time. Homer and Otis are in big trouble when this little guy starts crawling and walking.

Finally, we found out yesterday that Samuel has made his way into the printed world. Our friends called and told us that they picked up a local KC magazine and inside was Samuel's picture. He is now on the advertisement space for our photographer. Ben and I were smiling ear to ear, we had no idea she had done this but are very proud of our little cutie!!

House Guests

Over the past 3 weeks Jiji (Ben's mother) has been staying with us to take care of Samuel while I transitioned back into work and Ben closed out his school year. We were so lucky to have her come and help us out. This was a great bonding time for her and Samuel and gave her the opportunity to see him grow at an age when every day something new is happening. Samuel not only had his Jiji here his Aunt Jess and Great Aunt Bibi also came down for a visit. Each day they took Samuel for walks outside (when it wasn't raining), sang their favorite songs and even tried to get him to say his first words. The transition back into work has been harder than I thought, but each day I got multiple updates on how Samuel was doing and all of his activities. While Bibi and Jiji were here together it was non-stop laughter and smiles. Ben and I joked that it was two teenage girls with a crush on a boy. Samuel could do just about anything like wrinkle his nose or give a little smile and they would go nuts. It is so wonderful to know Samuel has such great people that love him unconditionally in his life. He was really sad to have them leave, but can't wait to go to Seattle in 6 weeks to see them again.

Samuel practicing his kicking with Jiji

Samuel working on standing and playing some music.

Samuel with Jiji and Bibi going on their daily walks.

Ever since Samuel figured out he had a tongue he has been trying to figure out things to do with it. Now for the past month or so he sticks it out at everyone and anything, and it couldn't be cutter. After he does it he smiles and then laughs. Its amazing on how the novelty of such a simple thing never wares off. Here he is in his favorite bouncer/play gym sticking it out for the camera.