Where are you going, Sam?




That seems to be the most common question anyone around Sam for any length of time is continually asking these days. Where are you going? For three weeks, Sam wants to get down...he can't walk, Sam wants to crawl...can't crawl either, Sam wants to roll himself to the other side of the room...now that he can do. Somehow, someway, Sam is going to get somewhere...and soon. I wonder what his mental list of things to do must look like. To Do: 1.) Learn to crawl, walk, run and drive 2.) take over the world. It sure does seem that getting from one place to another is not his end goal...merely an annoying step before he can do the real thing he has to do. What that is, I have no idea. I don't know why our little one was blessed with a ready made need to get the heck out of this place, but something tells me we have been given a glimpse of what our little Sam is going to be like as he grows up. My mom said that Sam might skip walking and go straight to running...makes me want to get back on the elliptical at the gym so I'll be in tip top shape to spend the next several years running after our precious angel.

See you guys...gotta go!
Rachel

Milestones...where did my baby go?

I guess i didn't expect to feel like we were out of the baby stage at 4.5 months. Sam just looks more and more like a little boy to me and is getting less and less tolerant of anything infant related. Forget trying to cradle him...he hated that at about 3 weeks old. These days, he's laughing and rolling over and trying to crawl. He has moments of wanting to snuggle with one person or another, but mostly he is just busy. He is in constant motion and I wonder what that will look like when he's mobile...which is getting frightfully closer every day.

We went for a four month appointment last week (we are about two weeks off for some reason). Sam is in the 90% for height and weight and is apparently off the charts on head size. I guess he comes by that honestly...he's got two big headed parents. I have to admit that everytime I go to the doctor, I expect to to get a handout or a schedule...something that says "Here's what you do for your baby at 4 months and 15 days". I go seeking solid, technical answers and what I usually get is "if you feel like he's ready for (fill in the blank), go ahead." Which, don't get me wrong, I totally adore about my pediatrician. I would loathe someone who gave me a lecture about starting my baby on foods before they say go ahead or someone that tied me down to a strict schedule that would make us all miserable. But maybe what she doesn't understand is that I will stand in aisle nine of Target for 2 hours obsessing over what to buy a one year old for their birthday. So telling me to "feel out" what my baby wants is a daunting task. But here I trudge...turning topics like applesauce and pears into something far greater than it is. Isn't it just a tiny jar of mashed up food? How can that cause so much stress? Well, somehow, it does.

Despite the uncertainty on what order and how much of the formula, cereal and fruits we should be getting (and I think it truly does depend on your child), we were given the official green light to formally introduce Sam into the world of fruits. How funny it is to watch your child as they try something new...surely they must have gotten bored of Formula for the last several months (heck, Andy won't eat the same thing two days in a row). It's fun to spoon feed and I have to admit a little funny to see how frustrated Sam gets because eating with a spoon has less instant gratification than sucking down a bottle with a stage 2 nipple. Oh how frustrated he got at first.

I have included a picture of Sam when he knows its time to eat, sees the bottle and there is a ten second delay as I try to shake it up and deliver it to him quickly...he tends to have a meltdown at that moment. You would think that someone sometime forgot to feed him...that, I can assure you has never happened. Also, enjoy the video of his new favorite toy, the bounce and swing.

Happy April!
Sam's Mom

He rolled over!

Yes, we're still here!

I know its been a while since I've posted. March felt like a whirlwind. There were birthdays, tornados, holidays, tennis matches and a brief jaunt up to a local winery for a much needed "night off" for Sam's parents. We talked about him constantly, but we managed to make it through 24 hours without our Little Binky.

Easter came and went and I can't tell you what a pure joy it was. I can honestly say it's the first holiday that I've enjoyed with Sam. No offense to Sam of course, but you have to realize that on Thanksgiving, Sam was five days old and suffering from colic and on Christmas, he was five weeks old and had bronchiolitis...that was a tough two months. Not to mention the fact that I was still suffering from insomnia and was incredibly exhausted. I look back now and realize what a walking zombie I was. A holiday baby sounds like a fantastic thing...but it's hard on the mommies. But fast forward to March, and Easter spent with a smiling, giggling baby and a wonderful family made for a great combination.

So our current milestone...Little Binky rolls over now. It started off as a semi-rollover with an irritating arm in the way and a lot of screaming and grunting. Now, he's a pro...moving easily from his back to his front effortlessly and even trying to scooch forward on his knees. Apparently Sam has somewhere he has to be. Its an exciting and frightening milestone. Having a baby that moves constantly is not a bad thing when they can't go anywhere...but once they get mobile...watch out world (or at least put on your running shoes) Sam is on his way!

He also tried some peaches tonight. Was I supposed to give him that at 4 and 1/2 months? I totally don't know. All I know is that he's been eating rice cereal since he was 10 weeks old and today, this little boy of ours could NOT get full. He downed six ounces with cereal...started crying, two more ounces with cereal...continued to cry. Finally, I pulled out a jar of stage one peaches that I just happened to have. Did he get confused with the spoon? Not once. Did he look up at his mom at the fact that some new strange taste was in his mouth? Not once. After spoonful one, he opened his mouth wide and reached out to help guide my hand to his mouth...as if I didn't know where that was. So Sam has had peaches now. I guess there's no going back at this point.

Finally, mommy had a milestone. She left Sam in the church nursery. That was hard. Sam has been staying with family members since he was born. There is always a grandmother available to watch him. This time was different and scary and unknown...I dropped him off with (gulp) strangers! Okay, technically my friend's mother who I've known since I was 3 and has 11 grandchildren of her own isn't a stranger...but it was hard none the less. I was given a laminated card with a number on it...the number that would flash up on the screen in church if Sam was inconsolable, hurt or I guess too demanding...I don't know. I'm sure the sermon was wonderful, I'm sure I would have been blessed beyond words had I listened to it. Instead, I stared at the dark screen over the entry doors where my baby's number would flash. I don't remember church ever being that long before :0) In the end, my precious angel who I thought would scream his head off the minute he realized strangers had him, fell sound asleep about ten minutes into his "play time" and I was handed a sleeping baby upon my return to the nursery. Apparently Sam was so devasted that I wasn't there and missed me so much that the pain of it all forced him into a sound sleep...sounds plausible.

Well, that's all for now. We had some professional pics done that turned out adorable. I'm getting a second job to afford to purchase them :0) Here are some recent pics. Happy April Fools day!