Smooth Cheeks

Oh! What have we started? About a month ago, Brian pretended to shave Sam's "whiskers" with the back of his electric razor. Sam loved it. Now when he hears Brian's razor, he speed-crawls to the bathroom to watch, waiting not-so-patiently for his turn. We started pretending to put aftershave on him, too, by shaking the closed bottle and then patting his cheeks. Now, every night after his bath, he points to the razor, whines, and then pats his face. Actually, he does that several times throughout the day, including every time we walk past the bathroom. What can I say? The kid loves to shave. His cheeks are as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Samuel's Five O'Clock Shadow from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Pearly Whites

We've added a new step to our nightly routine. At our last check up, Dr. G said it was time to start brushing those teeth.  He recommended the electric toothbrushes - said the kids love them and he was right. Sam's got three teeth on the bottom and almost four on the top and boy does he love to brush them! I couldn't get the toothbrush away from him tonight. He loves the buzz on his gums and the fruity baby toothpaste. "Mmmm!" he says!







First Tooth Brush from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

The Best Time


I thought the best time to take bluebonnet photos would be a little before sunset. I was right...and wrong.  The light was great.

Sam - not so much.

I forgot that Sam's not always at his best in the late afternoon. This was kind of a last-minute, impromptu photo shoot and I didn't factor in Sam's mood. So, we didn't get the big-grinned shots I was hoping for, and there was a lot of whining, but we did get a few shots that are pretty good. We might go back and try again, we might not. Depends on how our little Texan feels. If we do go again, it will be in the morning, right after breakfast, when he's rested and his tummy is full.



(see, he's frowning here, but we'll pretend he's just concentrating as he studies that flower)

A Birthday Dinner for Daddy


Happy Birthday Daddy! The day's celebration started off with a certain toddler jumping into bed with a balloon card, waking up a sleepy Daddy and a sleepy schnauzer.  Then I made us all a birthday brunch and we spent the rest of the day lounging around the house.



That evening, Jeff and Kathy took us all out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Mi Cocina, and we all ordered the same thing we always order - brisket tacos. So yummy!












Sam was a good boy for two reasons:  food and Danielle.  His dinner kept him happy for a while, and then when that ran out, Danielle and her pinwheel pencil kept him happy.  Thanks lady!



After dinner the Mi Cocina staff brought Brian a birthday flan, complete with a candle and a song.  What fun!

Family Dinner


Sam sat at the head of the table - a very loooong table. We all got together at a big pre-Easter dinner Saturday night at a barbeque restaurant in Duncanvillle.  Sam had lots of fun with his family - he met Danielle for the first time, fed him dinner and kept him entertained with multiple drinking straws.  Hollie rubbed his head (he likes that), he and Uncle Bill exchanged kisses, and then Sam and Aunt Bell fed each other Cheerios.  And, of course, both of his aunties gave him money for his piggy bank - lucky duck!

Cousins


How cute are these cousins? Sam met Dean and Danielle over Easter weekend. They came all the way from sunny California. They said they hadn't been around babies much, but you wouldn't know it. They were naturals. They fed him, played ball, peek-a-boo and even entertained him with tunes on the piano. Those are some pretty special cousins!

Brian and I couldn't believe how grown up the "kids" were.  We reminisced about the time he and I flew to California (seven years ago) so I could meet Dean and Danielle.  Look at how young we all were!


Thanks Dean and Danielle for coming to Texas to meet Sam.  Sam thought you guys were the best!
 













Early Easter

The Easter Bunny stopped by early with a basket for Sam. This basket had a theme: balls, balloons and bubbles. How did the Easter Bunny know these are Sam's favorite things?



Not only were there balls and bubbles and balloons, there were snacks.  Snacks of all kinds.  Snacks hidden inside plastic eggs, basketballs, and chicks.  There were yogurt drops, baby goldfish, cheerios and peach poofs.  Because of all the snacks, Sam spent a long time just eating his way through his basket. 







(Here he is...signing for "more")





Once we were able to pry the snacks out of his chubby little hands, we all took a walk to the park to play on the swings and look at the ducks. 





















We ended their visit with pizza and another bubble party in the backyard.  Then Sam had his first bubble bath with his new bubble soap. 

What a tasty, bubbly Easter celebration!

Easter Chick from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Sunny Spring Day




The kids had fun at the Arboretum. Sam felt green grass for the first time and it took him a while to feel comfortable sitting in it. He did everything in his power to keep his hands and feet from touching it. He also had his first popsicle - strawberry - a treat that Claire was nice enough to share with him. The kids played in the frog fountain, rolled down the big hill and roamed through "Texas Town". You would think that would wear us all out, but no, we still had enough energy for a bubble party in the backyard when we got home. I think we all slept well that night after all that fun in the sun!

































Arboretum Day from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Flowers

Spring is here. We all took a trip to the Arboretum when our special Kansas City visitors were here.  While most of the trees were still bare, there were lots of flowers in bloom.  Because I took sooo many pictures there, this post is just for all the pretty flowers, trees and other plants we saw there.  Next post - kids playing and enjoying the beautiful spring weather!

Today You Are 13 Months

Dear Samuel,This was your first month being "one" and you are learning so much each day. You are inquisitive, a fast learner, a good eater, and a hugger and a kisser. This month you:
*tried speaking several words - unfortunately all of them start with "b"; ball is a short "buh", balloon is a long
 "buuuuh", the sound a sheep makes is "baaaah", and book is just a quiet "b".
*started pointing to things and saying "uhh" when you want us to name something, take you to it, or fetch it
  for you; "you go get it" is usually our response.
*got your first top tooth
*continue to be impossible to grocery shop with, and now you think all the oranges in the produce section  
  are balls that YOU should get to hold and throw!
*went to the Chick-Fil-A playground
*had the same breakfast as Mama for the first time - apple muffins!
*had Goo for dinner; you're definitely our boy
*learned more body parts: hands (Mama kisses), hair, head, tummy and ear
*climbed the stairs at Gram and Pops' house - with Gram of course.
*began dancing, clapping and/or swaying when you hear music on the radio or coming from one of your
  many musical Fischer-Price friends...
*became obsessed with playing three things: ball, bubbles and Mama and Daddy's bed where you like to
  stand up, fall down and flop around. You ask for all three multiple times daily.
*clapped to the music during the closing song at storytime which the librarians found so cute
*learned how to get down from the couch on your own safely...now we need to teach you how to get on the
  couch by yourself
*continue to kiss and hug, but now do both on your own without us even asking you!
*learned some animal sounds - you say them if we ask or if you see them in a book: sheep (baaah), cow
  (mmmmm), and cat (high-pitched squeal)
*met your Kansas City family and loved loved loved your three new adoring fans
*had your one-year check-up and passed with flying colors!
*played hide-and-seek with Megan and now try to get Mama to play it all the time!
*played ball with Granny Nell and belly-laughed everytime she caught the ball or pretended to drop it.
*started riding in the car facing forward and you love it.
*waved to Beebo the signing bear during storytime.
*learned from Aunt Carol how to sign "more" - a much-used sign at mealtime
*planted flowers and seeds with Mama and Daddy.
*got some bumps and bruises as you are becoming even more active and taking more risks

Each month I sit down with your baby calendar and our family fridge calendar to write out your accomplishments and I always start out thinking, "what did he do this month that I could write about". I never expect to have the long, long lists I always end up with. You are so amazing!

Hugs and pats and kisses,
Mama

Mmmm!


Someday he's going to get mad at me for posting his. Sam loves to say "Mmmm!" when tasting something these days. New foods, favorite foods, left foot, right foot, it doesn't seem to matter.

Most recently I was planting in the backyard and watched him take his socks off and do this a couple of times before I snuck inside and grabbed the camera. If you listen carefully you can hear him say "Mmmm!".

Oh, my...

Mmmm! from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Check Up



Sam's a growing boy! He had his 12 month check-up last week and is doing great. He screamed, arched his back, kicked his feet and dug his fingers into my shoulders anytime the doctor or nurses so much as looked at him, but other than that everything is as it should be. He's in the 50th percentile for height and weight and the 90/95th for head (surprise, surprise).

Doc said he doesn't care that he's not walking yet - doesn't even care if he waits till he's 15, 16, 17, months, and really neither do we. There are times when I wish he could walk so we could do things like play at the park, but I know the other side of what walking will bring, so I can definitely wait. Dr. G. is more concerned with a baby's speech development at this age, which is funny because anytime we meet someone, their first question is, "Is he walking yet?".  Although he says a few words, Sam's not the chattiest person you'll ever meet, of course, neither are his mom and dad. He and I talk and read and sing from morning till night, so he's learning about language for sure.

I have to start brushing his teeth (we're at three teeth now, with three more poking through as we speak), so a baby toothbrush and special fluoride-less toothpaste (now called "cleanser") is on my list. Goodness!  I'm curious to see how that goes...

He can start drinking cow's milk now, which he's really starting to like.  At first the only way he'd drink it was if I added apple juice to it (I know, gross), but I just kept decreasing the juice until it was all milk and now he gulps it down with no problem.  Here he is drinking his first glass!

We also changed the car seat around so it's facing front. Sam had to be over 20 pounds and over 12 months and we're finally there! He LOVES facing forward and I'm glad he can see where we're going now. The only down-side is that the car seat is at a different angle now, so when he falls asleep his little head slumps forward. Here he is a few minutes after leaving the doctors office (don't worry, I was parked). All that screaming wore him out.  Look at those cheeks!

Playgroups


Sam's making friends....slowly but surely. He and I have joined a couple of playgroups to meet other mommies and their kids. We've been to a few events and they've been lots of fun. I've even been to a couple of Moms-Night-Out events including a wine tasting and a coupon class. Everything's organized online now, through site called Meetup. It's pretty neat!

Sam's always very quiet at first, and does his little scowl whenever a new person says hi or, for that matter, merely looks at him. But eventually he warms up and starts smiling and babbling and everyone ends up loving him. These pictures were taken at Chick-Fil-A in the play area. A first for us! This three-year-old boy loved Sam, and Sam was in awe of him, until a Chick-Fil-A employee gave him his very own balloon to take home. Then it was all about the balloon. Oh, Sam!



Our March calendar is full of playdates (except for next week when we have some very special visitors coming to Texas) and our April calendar is filling up quickly.  It's fun to get out together and I enjoy watching Sam interact with other kids.  He's something else!

Today You Are 12 Months

Dear Samuel, Today you are twelve months and that is ONE YEAR!  You grew so much!  This month you:

started to play pat-a-cake with Momma
got your first cold - you had a stuffy nose and a cough but you were such a trooper!
celebrated your first Valentine's Day
learned where your eyes are
learned where Momma's hair is (and Daddy's and Gram's...)
spent the day with Gram and Pops while Mommy ran errands
found a new way to laugh - a cackle - and practiced it for three days straight
celebrated Pops' 60th birthday
continue to shake your head back and forth when we tell you no-no, and then do whatever you want anyway
learned it's fun to dump Sophie's water dish over (fun for you, not Mommy)
started pointing to your feet when we asked you where your shoes go
had fun chasing Mommy and Daddy around the house
spent lots of time running party errands with Momma
finally added the "oh" to "uh-oh"
discovered how fun it is to hug and hug and hugh some more
showed your stubborn side with by kicking those tantrums up a notch
got even better at cruising around the house - I can't beleive how quickly you get from one place to another
wore your first tie
became almost impossble to grocery shop with
got a third tooth
saw a big snowstorm - over 6 inches - we enjoyed the view from inside our cozy house
discovered the musical doorstops at Gram and Pops
give kisses when we ask you to
became more difficult to watch; you're always on the move
celebrated your first birthday with a balloon party!
had a couple of close-calls with Sophie - you like her more than ever, but your feelings are unrequited
give hugs when we ask you to and you pat our arms as an added bonus!

You were such a good baby.  You were rarely fussy, almost always happy, a good eater and a quick learner.  Everyone loved little baby Sam.  But I'm glad you're getting bigger and learning to do more things because we are going to have so much fun together! 

I love you.
Mommy

Uncle Randy!

Sam had a special visitor at our house this Christmas.

Uncle Randy.


Sam and Randy quickly became friends.

 

We had so much fun.


And Randy took lots of pictures.  Sam's good at posing for pictures.


We played and played.


He brought cool toys, too.


He stayed at our house for lunch and dinner!


And then, lucky us, we visited Uncle Randy again two days later.



Granny Nell was there, too.



Sam liked Uncle Randy a lot - we think he reminded Sam of his Daddy.




We read stories, played and had a nice chili supper.




Then we had to go. 
It was hard saying goodbye. 
It made us all a little sad.
But we know we'll see Randy again soon.

Thanks for visiting, Uncle Randy.  You made our Christmas special!