Roly Poly Sam


He did it! He rolled over! Tummy to back. Gram was over, helping me watch Sam while I got started on a large Etsy order that came in last night. She took Sam in his room to put away some of his laundry for me. He was on his tummy and all of a sudden he just decided that, by golly, it was time to roll over.

Mommy was...well...in the kitchen. Fixing a sandwich. This will not come as a surprise to many people reading this blog - always hungry.

I rushed in to see the second roll and then grabbed the video camera for the third. I'd always wondered, once he rolled over, would he do it over and over again right away or would he wait a while before doing it again? Now I know.

Daddy's at work tonight, so we'll have this blog up and ready for him to view when he gets home. He asks me almost every night when he gets home, "Did he roll over tonight?". Now I can say YES!

Today You Are Five Months



Dear Samuel, Today you are five months. Like Daddy said, "you are a whole hand". This past month you:

found new kinds of SQUWAKS!
wowed your surgeon and nurses with how cooperative and sweet you were the day of your surgery - that was a tough day...thanks for making it easier on Mommy and Daddy by being so good
became more wiggly - half the pictures I took of you were blurry!
learned how to roll from your back onto your side and....
came sooooo close to rolling over all the way
got even better at tummy time especially when watching your new giraffe
laughed and laughed when Mommy found your tickle spots on the side of your ribs
were such a good baby when the air went out and the house was 87 degrees when we got home from your surgery. Amazing!
got your first baseball cap
started getting up more in the middle of the night to eat, instead of less...grrr....
tried rice cereal and spit most of it out
got the morning nap down pat!
laughed at everything Sophie did - she's hilarious isn't she?
got a couple of new chairs - a high chair and a Bumbo
met your Great Great Aunt Carol
did lots of shopping with Mom and Gram - Central Market, Watter's Creek, WillowBend
had your 4 month check up and passed with flying colors
started splashing in your bath while we sing the bubble song
became so much more alert
talked and talked and talked
drooled and drooled and drooled
put EVERYTHING you could get your hands on into your mouth
went to the pool once, but didn't go in the water because you're too little, so we just visited with friends
continued to love trees
started waking up and playing in your crib or talking to your fan before calling for Mommy to come get you
played with your toys more - you like your keys and your teething bracelet best
have become VERY easy to distract while eating, which makes feeding you quite difficult!
began laying on our bed each day to watch Mommy do her hair
started fake coughing - at least we think it's fake - you seem to just like making that noise!
took your clothes off a lot - we found socks off in your crib, pj pants off in your crib a couple of times, and you started taking your shirt off for your picture today
also started arching your back when we put you in your car seat - that's fun!
seemed to enjoy playing peek-a-boo and you even like being surprised a little bit - so brave!
started looking a little like Mommy...maybe? I hope...just a little?
are the perfect size - I love holding you on my hip, especially when you rest your head against me. You're strong enough to hold yourself upright while we walk around, and you aren't too heavy yet. It's the greatest thing ever!

I love you, Little Sam. What else can I say, you're just the best-est.

Love,
Mommy









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Makes My Head Spin

There's much too much information out there for parents these days, and it's ALL conflicting. Having access to all this info is helpful sometimes, but no one can agree on anything. Even our pediatrician seems to different stances on issues within the same visit. Right now our big question is "when and how should we start cereal?". This is what we're getting from books/doctors/people we know/strangers we don't:

"Never before 6 months - he'll get allergies and be obese! Eeek! "
"Sometime between 4 and 6 months when he's lost his tongue-thrust reflex."
"When he seems hungry after having just finished a feeding." (ok, that would have been a long time ago for Sam)
"Whenever you feel like he's ready."
"Two weeks before his 6-month check up, if you want, or do it earlier, or you can wait longer, whatever." (that was Dr.G)
"Hurry up and do it so he'll sleep through the night."
"Don't rush solids - it's a myth that babies sleep better after eating cereal."
"Put it in a bottle."
"Don't put it in a bottle."
"Warm it up."
"Don't warm it up."
"Buy it at the grocery store."
"Make your own."
And my favorite (from a former collegue): "Put it in a bottle at 9 weeks...that's what I did even though my doctor told me not to, and look at her, she turned out fine."

Now, I'm a big rule-follower, so this makes me crazy. I'm ready to do The Right Thing. Unfortunately, no one can agree what rule it is I'm supposed to follow. And the cereal issue is just one minor thing. All of this mommy-info has made my head spin from the moment I found out I was pregnant.

So...long story short, I decided to try it at 4 1/2 months (not in a bottle, not heated up), and was fully prepared to find that he's not quite ready. And that's exactly what happened.

Our high chair wasn't in yet, so we had to put him in his Bumbo on the table (no one panic, we never left his side) and then I ended up just holding him. He liked it - he didn't protest at all - it just seemed like he didn't quite know how to swallow it. Most of it ended up on his bib, his hands and his Mommy.

Brian recorded the event, so we're posting it for y'all to enjoy. Maybe all he needed was his snazzy new high chair to get here, so we'll try again in the next week or two, and let you know if it goes any better!

A New View


Sam's got a new view. And we have yet another piece of baby furniture in the house. Yay.

It's actually a pretty neat high chair. It has six chair heights (Sam seems to like the highest setting right now; he can watch Mommy work), three reclining positions and three, nesting trays. The thing Daddy and I like is it folds up super skinny and matches our kitchen and living room furniture, which is nice when you have a smaller kitchen area. A big ole' blue and white high chair would have stuck out quite a bit in our cozy little space.

Even though he's not eating solid baby food yet, and won't be for another month or so, it's nice for Sam to have a way to join us while we eat, get off the back of his head, and enjoy another view of his world!

Guy Time


Sam needed some "guy time". Last week Gram and I took Sam outlet shopping for a few fall baby items. Afterward we all went to see Miss Jean at her salon so I could get my haircut. That's a lot of girly stuff crammed into one day for a little dude. When we got back to the house, Gram and I were going to play with Sam, but he had other plans. He ended up sitting for a long time on Pops' lap, arm propped up, watching Army guys on the Military channel. That's okay, little man. You earned it.

Aunt Carol Is Great Great!

Sam met his Great Great Aunt Carol this week. We had lots of fun while she was here. We took Sam on his first visit to Central Market, our favorite grocery store in the whole-wide world. Gram carried Sam in the Baby Bjorn for the first time (very exciting). We thought Sam was most intrigued by the colorful produce department until we got to the beer aisle, where he was clearly mesmerized by the cool air and pretty-colored bottles and boxes. Takes after Daddy, I guess. We stopped shopping for a tasty lunch and a nice chat.
After Central Market, we did some shopping at Willow Bend and got Sam this super-cool baseball cap at Janie and Jack. All the shop-girls thought he was the cutest and they said "He looks soooo good in navy!" :)
Aunt Carol brought Sam lots of cute, big-boy clothes that he can wear later this year and next year. She also had a suitcase full of toys that Lydia, Paige and Claire are passing on to Samuel, including a wooden giraffe which proved to be a favorite, along with a pretty beaded "bracelet" teether that was nice to chew on.

She was very good at entertaining Samuel, with her "tan fingers" and her cool tweety-bird noises. As you can tell from the pictures, Sam found Aunt Carol to be one fascinating lady. And, of course, Sam was good at entertaining us as well. The video below is of Sam "talking" to us all after dinner last night.

Thanks for coming to visit, Carol. You sure are Great-Great! We can't wait to see you again!

Today You Are Four Months


Dear Samuel, Today you are four months. My, what changes we have seen in you! This month you:

laughed for the first time - at Mommy!
laughed at Daddy, too, and Gram and Pops and the list goes on and on...
found your feet - you occasionally grab them and pull on them
celebrated Father's Day with Daddy
grew some big-time sticky-up hair
did some more yard work with Mom and Dad
didn't need to go to the doctor for a sick or well-baby visit
made it through your first big scary storm
got better at tummy time, though you still don't like it
started grabbing for toys - you love to grab Monkey's hands, Whale's tail and Mommy's face when we snuggle (and Mommy's hair when I carry you and you're angry...)
possibly started teething, we're still not sure, but you're definitely a drool machine!
have been all over the map regarding your sleep - going anywhere from 4 hours a night to 11.
started watching Puppy a little more - she's always up to something isn't she?
have been learning to relax for a nap
continue to love taking walks in your carrier with Mommy and Daddy.
discovered a new sound you can make - it's in the back of your throat and we call it a SQUWAK...you love to make this sound in the morning and wake Daddy up.

Your next month will be eventful, I just know it. Can't wait stinkerpot!

Love,
Mommy

Happy Father's Day



"What Makes a Dad"
(unknown author)

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need.
Then God combined these qualities.
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

The Calm Before the Storm


Storms are much scarier when you have a baby with you. Here's how bad weather events usually play out in our family: I am busy and oblivious to the fact that a thunderstorm is coming. Brian calls from work to tell me to watch the weather because bad things are headed our way, then Gram calls to tell me the same thing. Then Brian and Pops remain calm while Gram and I freak out. Wednesday night was no different. This picture of Sam was taken on the patio at Mooyah - a new hamburger place near Gram and Pops' house - while we were waiting for our food to be ready. Not long after we had finished our tasty burgers, a whopper of a storm descended upon us. Texas weather can be sneaky and this storm got us good, despite Brian's warning-by-phone an hour earlier that we might "see some weather". We started to head inside Mooyah for shelter then realized, with it being almost all windows, it probably wasn't the best place to wait out a storm with a three month-old. So we quickly drove to the Babies-R-Us nearby.

We made it just in time. The lights quickly went out in the big scary warehouse and the rain started to slam against the not-so-sturdy-sounding skylights, while we wondered how long it would take for the roof to tear away and boxes of strollers and cribs to fall off the shelves onto our poor french fry-stuffed bodies. Gram showed off some smart thinking - we would go by the car seats and throw one on top of Samuel and pile our bodies on top of it if needed. But the fine employees of Babies-R-Us had a different plan. They wanted us all at the entrance to the store, waiting out the storm in front of all the giant windows...for loss prevention purposes, they informed us. Apparently they were afraid that we were going to sneak umbrella strollers and Diaper Genies down our shirts before being whisked away by the giant twister.

That's when all the momma-bears (and one Gram-bear) got a little protective of their baby bears. Everybody spouted off their variations of "I don't think so, Mister", with one mom even announcing they were welcome to strip-search her when the storm was over, because there was no way she was standing with her two young boys anywhere near those windows. As we ran with our young ones to try and find the restrooms, we discovered something better - the employee breakroom. Four concrete, cinder-block walls with no place for heavy boxes above. Funny thing, those same employees decided to join us soon after and we all waited on pins-and-needles for the storm to subside. Sam was a super-star. It was hot and cramped inside the tiny room but he just giggled, cooed, and charmed everyone with his flirtatious baby smiles. There were only three children who got a little teary - one little one and two big ones (I'm sure you can guess who the two big chickens were). It was over as quickly as it started and we headed home, a little shaken up but alive and well. Gram and Pops' house was still standing, with Sophie waiting inside for us, and the Straka house only had a small amount of damage to the fence and some flower pots, all of which were repaired by the next day. Needless to say, Samuel slept like a baby that night, having survived that whirlwind of an adventure, happy to know that Gram, Pops and Mommy were ready to do anything to protect our baby bird!

Working Mother


I've been a working mother this week. I've had to be up at school quite a bit, cleaning out my classroom and packing everything up. Most of my trips up there needed to be without Samuel, so Tuesday, Thursday and Friday he stayed home with his daddy. The first time I came home, this is what I was told when I asked for the full report: my men had spent all day watching the History Channel, "eating, burping and scratching". They were bonding in their own special way, I guess. Brian did a good job taking care of Little Bird. He dressed him that first day in, what I think, was a very appropriate t-shirt to wear while spending the day with Daddy, along with some not-really-matching pants. (*wink*) He fed Sam, played with him and read him stories. I think they had a pretty good time together!

Thanks, Daddy, for letting me be the Working Mother I needed to be this week. I'm now officially DONE!

Teachers 101


Sam learned Lesson No. 1 yesterday: Teachers love babies. Teachers squeal when they see babies. They get in close to babies and ooh and ahh and goo and coo, even if seven other teachers around them are doing the very same thing. They even get a little nasty and competitive if they think another teacher is getting more baby-time than they are.

Pops and I drove to Garland Friday to see Gram at her school and meet her teacher friends. Everyone was very excited to see us and thought Sam was the cutest. Sam was a trooper and didn't fuss at all while all the ladies passed him around and smooched on him. This was Sam's first day of school and I think he earned an A+.

Afterward, Pops and Gram took us to dinner at Firewheel, an outdoor mall in Garland. The square had a beautiful fountain and some other great scenery, the perfect place for an impromptu photo shoot!


Wrapped

I'm just going to admit it, right here, right now. When Sam makes this face he gets whatever he wants. Immediately. He sticks out that lip and I just fall to pieces.

What can I say? He's got me wrapped around his pudgy little finger.


We Heart McKinney

We'd like to live in McKinney someday. We love the house we live in now, but Brian and I have always wanted to buy a house close to downtown McKinney and fix it up. We love the older homes, the trees, the charm. We took Samuel there for the first time last weekend. We had lunch, walked around the square and stopped for a hot tea at the coffee house. A very sweet couple watched us taking pictures of Sam for a while and then offered to take this one of the three of us together. We think Sam likes McKinney, too.