What We've Been Up To

No, we didn't fall off the face of the earth. I haven't had time to write because I've been "hanging out" with a certain someone, dealing with this new move:



I hold Sam, he wants down. I set him down, he falls over on his tummy (even though he knows how to sit on his own), then his arms and legs shoot straight out and he grunts and fusses and most recently, screams. I pick him up and the cycle continues. Over and over, all day long. I can tell he wants to move but hasn't yet figured out that this isn't how it works.

I didn't know babies do this. Do other babies do this?

Oh yeah, and when he's not doing that, you can now find Sam and I hanging out much like this:

Baby Monkey Originally uploaded by jpetralia


And this:

And especially this:


Mother and baby monkey Originally uploaded by alec's

Look at the poor mama organutan. She's thinking, "I didn't know babies do this. Do all babies do this?"

Needless to say, I look like her on most days by 9 o'clock...in the morning. Sam's hanging on me like a little monkey. A lot. When he's not on his tummy that is, arms and legs out, hoping he'll get enough lift to take off through the living room...

Play That Funky Music White Boy


Sam really knows how to lay down that boogie. Actually, he just likes to bang on things. And the fact that this little piano makes noise back is simply a bonus. He sits up on his own during most of his playtime now. It's opened up a whole new world for him and enables him to play with different kinds of toys. I think this will be Daddy's favorite toy, and possibly his new alarm clock!

The title of this blog entry makes me smile because not only would it make a pretty cute caption for this photo, it was one year ago today that we found out we were having a boy. As I left school for the doctor's office that afternoon, I turned on the radio. The song that was playing was Pet Shop Boy's West End Girls. "Oh my," I thought. "It's a sign. We're having a girl". But because I don't really like that song, I changed the station. What was playing? You guessed it. Play That Funky Music White Boy. Needless to say at this point I was a little confused by the conflicting messages the universe was sending me, so I decided to change the station once last time and just wait for the sonogram to tell the story.

A short time later, we learned we were having a boy, which thrilled me to no end. And if I had known just how awesome that baby boy would turn out to be, I would have been dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin' all the way home...

15 Minutes



The creator of the design website Spearmint Baby contacted me the other day. She asked me if she could use the photos I posted on flickr of Sam's nursery on her website. "Of course!" I said.

Today was our day, our little 15 minutes of fame. Sam's cozy room is featured among some pretty great spaces. Kind of exciting!

Here's the link and a picture of Sam and I in his room doing one of our favorite nursery activities: reading a story. This is one of his favorites - a story called "Mommy Loves". I have it memorized - I'll recite it for you sometime if you'd like :)

http://www.spearmintbaby.com/2009/09/featured-nursery-baby-boy_23.html

Today You Are Seven Months


Dear Samuel, Little boy! You are so much fun! You have grown a lot over the past four weeks. While you were six months you...

had a great six months check up with Dr. Guetersloh - you started out the month at 18.6 pounds
hung out with Mommy in the kitchen while I made baby food
tried peas and green beans (yucky), squash, sweet potatoes and carrots (yum), apples, pears, bananas and prunes (YUM-YUM!)
started creeping all around the room
began to pivot on your tummy, round and round
propped up on your knees and forearms once for about 3 seconds
took Granny Nell to McKinney
rolled under your crib to play with your toys
chewed on "Hoot" - the first toy Mommy made for you
spent the day with Gram and Pops while Mommy took her sewing class
worked your first yard sale with Mommy and Daddy
were referred to as "she" by strangers in public on five seperate occasions - which is okay with me, it's just because your little face is so beautiful!
started hanging on to Mommy like a little baby monkey
watched your first cartoon - WonderPets on Noggin - you were mesmerized!
practiced sitting up on your own - you are almost there
started wearing your doggie jammies again...two sizes bigger this time!

Thanks for making each day so much fun for us, Sam. We love you!



Baby Update

Thought you might like to see some pictures of Sam. Life here is busy as usual. Sam's still trying new baby foods - thumbs up for apples, pears, bananas and prunes, thumbs down for peas and green beans. As for carrots, squash and sweet potatoes, it depends on his mood.

Sam's not crawling yet, but we think he's getting pretty close. He can creep all over the room (and under his crib), and pivots so fast on his little round belly we're always afraid he's going to get a rug burn on his tummy! He's also close to sitting up on his own, but right now he still needs the Boppy (when Sophie's not using it) to help keep him upright. He laughs more and more each day and loves to be silly with us. Poor kid's still trying so hard to get Sophie to pay attention him, but no luck yet.

Enjoy these photos of our cutie-pie!

He Looks-a Short of Sveedish

We made a trip to downtown McKinney last week. We took Granny Nell to lunch at a cafe on the square. Our server was part Iranian, part Swedish (wow!) and Samuel's fair skin and blonde hair really caught her eye. He did look particularly cute that day and boy oh boy was he good while we ate.

Tack så mycket, Sam!

That's "thank you very much" in Swedish.

(yeah, I Googled it...)


My Little Sous Chef

I've been cooking a lot lately. Sam's favorite place to be while I'm working in the kitchen is in his highchair, right in the middle of the action. Here he is today, helping me make crock-pot chili. He sat there for the longest time, just watching me, chatting with me. He was such a good boy.

Those cheeks of his can be a bit of distraction, though. They keep calling out, "Kiss me! Smooch me!" It makes it hard for a girl to keep her focus in the kitchen. Stinker.

Really, Mom?


Sam started real baby food yesterday. He's been trying different cereals for the past week or so - rice (which he'd been eating), and two new grains, oatmeal and barley. I think they may have been a little taxing on his tummy, so I checked on one of our trusty baby websites for some ideas to...get things moving, so to speak. Last Friday I held a one-woman baby-food-making marathon in our kitchen. Of the five veggies I pureed that day, peas were the only type mentioned as a possible solution to Sam's diaper difficulties.

Yes, peas.
Smooshy, mooshy peas were the poor kid's first taste of real food.
Sorry buddy.

I got my cameras ready and, to mark this momentous occasion, fastened a very special bib to Samuel. It's on loan from a friend. If I remember correctly it was the only bib of the many that her mother had sewn for her children that she was able to save before evacuating New Orleans four years ago. We'd been saving it for this special moment.

I think these pictures of our little guy say it all...



Oh! But look! There's that smile. He's forgiven me already.

Did the peas do the trick you ask? No. Since peas can't do much good when they're just smooshed up on your bib, Sam still had some tummy trouble this morning. I called the nurse and she suggested pureed prunes. We added some to his oatmeal at lunch today and his tummyache was gone by dinner.

And guess what?

He LOVED them!

The First Six Months


Grab some Kleenex. It's video montage time. I had this idea a couple of months ago and I've been anxiously waiting for it to be time to put it together. Yes, it's eight minutes and fifty-four seconds long. What can I say, I'm a proud mama.

You'll recognize some of the photos, but many are never-before seen and all of the videos are new - "lost footage" if you will. A shout-out to Uncle Randy for being my video-montage inspiration!

Enjoy our little Sam Movie.
Sara

Untitled from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Today You Are Six Months



Dear Samuel, I can't believe it. You are 6 months old today! How can this be? Your baby calendar was full of notes this month, you accomplished so much. This month you...

rolled over and over and over - yea!
began rolling in your crib, would get stuck and cry for help...at all hours of the night!
started babbling buh-buh and ma-ma; I know you're not saying "mama" yet, but I like to pretend you are!
practiced and perfected eating rice cereal
got a new high chair
were good for Gram and Pops while they babysat you on Mommy's birthday
grew out of this second round of clothes and hats and booties
started sitting up in your stroller on our walks
got your first set of dishes - a plate, a bowl and a cup
learned how to shake your rattle - you even shake your arm when you're not holding a rattle!
reached out to pet Sophie. I can tell you will be a "dog-person" like Mom and Dad.
visited Uncle Andrew at work and were a big hit with the ladies!
brought joy to your family each and every day!

Happy 6 months!
Love,
Mommy








Splish Splash - A Little Bird Bath

Bathtime is one of the best parts of the day. If Sam's sleepy or grumpy before his bath, he usually perks up once he hits the water. It's easy to get him to talk and laugh if he's soaking in the tub. As a newborn, he would scream after his bath while I was trying to get him dressed; it was so stressful. But now he loves after-bath time just as much as the bath itself. We do lotion, diaper and jammies and he really comes alive! He bangs his legs up and down on the changing table and squwaks and squeals.

I almost always do bath before bed because it's part of our nighttime routine. But on the day these photos were taken, I had given him a bath in the morning and the light in his room was so good, I decided to get some shots of him in his little-man bathrobe which is on loan from a friend. The video was shot a couple of nights before. Of course, he doesn't talk much in it - he sees that camera and clams up!

Enjoy little Samuel, squeaky clean!







An Evening Stroll


The temperature outside dropped from "blistering hot" to a mere "sizzling" this evening, so Sam and I took a walk after dinner. I was getting ready to lug his car seat out of the car (it connects to the top of the stroller for babies who aren't ready to sit up) when I thought about how well he has been sitting on the couch the last couple of days, supported by pillows, but without falling over too much. I decided to try him sitting up in just the stroller alone. Boy did he love it.



At first he kept looking back at me, I guess just to make sure I was still there. What a cutie.


Before long he got comfy and enjoyed the ride. He was looking all over; up at the trees, left at the houses, right at the lake. He can see so much more this way. I didn't like it as well, of course, because I couldn't stare at him the whole time we walked like I could when he sat in his car seat. But I was glad he liked this new view of his neighborhood. And it's one less piece of equipment for me to get in and out of the car whenever we go somewhere. :)

If this isn't a Brian look, I don't know what is (well...minus the drool).

This Time Last Year

This phrase has popped into my mind a lot lately - "This time last year...". It was about this time last year that our pregnancy got really exciting. We had made it through the first trimester and felt comfortable telling family, work collegues and friends that a baby was on the way. We started planning, shopping and going to doctor appointments. My clothes weren't fitting, and I had a good excuse for once.

Brian telling Papa Emil and Grandma Jan to check their email for a special message (sonogram picture)



Telling Gram and Pops the big news on my 31st birthday - it took Gram a little while to believe that she was looking at a sonogram






We don't have a photo of us telling Granny Nell and Vic because we were all up to our elbows in Cheesecake Factory pasta, but they were the first to hear the news and were in much the same disbelief as the grandparents above.

Sam and me on my birthday


Brian and I went on a date last night for my birthday while Gram and Pops babysat. Driving home, he and I talked about how it was "about this time last year" that we told everyone we were pregnant, and now here's little Sam, rolling all over the floor and buh-buh-buhing all day long. That's a lot packed into one little year!

How lucky we are!


B is for Baby Babble


Things are getting noisy around here. The fake coughing has been replaced by "buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh". It's just "buh-buh-buh" all day long, with the occasional "SQUAWK!" thrown in here and there, just to mix it up a little and make sure no one had dozed off. We laugh when he tucks his little lip under. Sam discovered this new way of entertaining us last Tuesday and hasn't stopped since. We don't mind - it really is the sweetest sound there is.



Rice Cereal Attempts 2 and 3


There's a lot going on at our house. Sam's accomplishing so many things. Brian fed him his rice cereal Monday night while I cooked dinner and Gram fed him Tuesday afternoon while she was over for a visit. Both times I made the cereal thicker and that seemed to do the trick. Little Bird gobbled it all up, no problems. We'll practice with this for a few weeks and then we'll try some fruits and veggies. Yum!

Roll Watch 2009


Sam rolled over yesterday afternoon the other way, the more difficult of the two ways - back to tummy. I didn't catch it on video. In fact, he was so sneaky about it, I didn't even really see him do the full roll.

I set him on his tummy and he fussed, so I helped him roll over onto his back. I watched him get close, as he has for the last week or so, then turned away for a second and when I looked back at him, he was on his tummy. My first thought was "I rolled him off his tummy, didn't I?" I put him on his back, sat down on the couch, watching him wriggle around out of the corner of my eye. This time when I turned toward him he was on his tummy, trying to get his arms out from under his chest. I thought, "Okay now I know I'm not crazy! This kid just rolled over!". It was more of a creep, though, or a scootch, not a fluid roll. He's got to get all his parts working together to accomplish that.

After calling Gram to brag on my baby, I moved the coffee table out of the way and plopped him in the middle of the living room, hoping it would just be Roll Fest all night long. But I got nothin'. So we're on Roll Watch 2009. I have the video camera nearby, all charged up and ready-to-roll. If Sam decides to, that is.