8 Months

Eight months finds Sam as an exceptionally happy baby. He laughs all the time! He's developed a good, deep belly laugh that can be brought about with simple peek-a-boo, funny sounds, or something falling off his head. It makes Mommy pretty happy to hear it, too.

It was a big month for our little man, what with it being his first Christmas and all. Meeting Santa, seeing family, LOTS of pictures, and new toys. I think he liked his first December.

Once again Sam has some new skills that he has learned over the past month. He is a much more stable stander, thanks mostly to his interest in the Leap Frog Activity Table. He'll stand in front of that thing banging on everything for 30 minutes! Sometimes he forgets that he still needs to hold on, but reminds me loudly that he doesn't like it when he falls down. He can pull up, but doesn't too often because he can't reach most furniture. I told him that he was crawling on his hands and knees it would be easier to reach, but he still isn't interested in that. I guess that's because he is so fast at crawling on his belly. You should have seen him chase after his grandmother's cat! I'm thinking he might just skip the traditionally crawling style, as he is now also making progress towards walking. He will take enough steps to get across the room if you are holding his hands and walking with him. His balance isn't great, but he's getting there!

Oh, and he learned to shake his head "no." I'm not sure he knows what it means, but he thinks its hilarious.

I think Sam is weighing in somewhere between 16 and 17 pounds this month. We haven't been around a scale that's accurate in smaller poundage in while, but I should have a more accurate update for next month after his 9-month check-up. My measurements put him at 27.5 inches long.

Likes:
Mommy to hold him after a nap
Eating
Throwing things
Assisted Walking

Dislikes:
Having his face wiped/cleaned
Cottage Cheese

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,
Chris, Lindsay and Sam

A Mother's Instinct?

Almost 3 years ago when I was moving into our new kitchen, long before we seriously or practically thought about having children, I dumped all of my tupperware into a bottom cabinet without thinking much of it. Deep down somewhere I must have known that I would want it there someday. The other day, when Sam was done with his exersaucer but I was not done in the kitchen, I was glad that I had. We have a brand new source of entertainment while Mommy cooks and cleans!

Unfortunately, the cabinet wasn't nearly as interesting once he had successfully emptied it. Guess I'm going to have to keep my floor extra clean so that I don't have to rewash all that stuff every day!

Finger Foods

I've been trying to get Sam to begin with finger foods for a few weeks now. For the most part, he hasn't been interested. But he's been going through a growth spurt this week, meaning he's extra hungry and will eat anything. So we've made some progress! He's not too coordinated with the Puffs or Cheerios, which I guess shouldn't surprise me - we never let him play with anything that small! But he is making an effort to get them in his mouth. However, he's very successful with a cracker - and he loves them! Too bad, the puffs are much cleaner...

Hello, Santa!

Who are you?

ITS SNOWING!

Right now, as I type this, its snowing outside my window. Not flurries, or "mixed precipitation," but actual, large, pretty, abundant snow flakes. And its sticking. My grass and roof are turning white. Its so pretty.

It makes me SO happy that my baby boy has seen snow during his very first Christmas season, even though we live in Houston. I'd like to take him out in it, but my mom (in Ohio) has the snow suit that would come closest to fitting him. We'll have to see what we can do...

Meanwhile, you'd think that another hurricane is headed for Houston. Sam and I went to the grocery store because we tend to do that on Fridays. The manager was working my checkout lane and said he had been slammed since 8am. He was running low on chili...ha ha ha. My party for this evening was canceled, and schools are letting out early. Do you think I should tell them that its too warm for the roads to accumulate snow, let alone ice over? Naw, I'll let them have their fun.

And I'll post pictures when it stops coming down. Because I may have seen a lot more snow than this, but its still special to see your Houston home covered in snow in December!

7 Months

Doesn't 7 months old sound like a bigger, more capable baby? I feel like when I picture a 7-month old my image is closer to toddler than newborn. Looking at Sam, I guess that's probably true - he's been up to a lot this past month!

After getting sick, the poor little man wasn't feeling himself for the better part of a week. Unfortunately, he also got BOTH mommy and daddy sick as well. Chris and I have never been sick at the same time before, and of course it had to happen when we had a sick, clingy infant. Chris got the sore throat worst of all three of us and didn't return to 100% for almost 10 days. We are all well now, thankfully!

Chris spent a week (Sunday night through Friday afternoon) out of town for work. Sam and I stayed busy with playdates, meetings, etc. I didn't realize just how much Sam and Mommy time we had, though, until Chris returned home. His clingy-ness to me had increased to the point that he whined if the three of us were in a room together and Chris was holding him instead of me. Not good! He seems to have rebounded well, and I think that our trip for Thanksgiving helped him to bond with Daddy again.

Sam has developed a dislike for diaper changes and getting into his PJs at night, but I am attributing both of those to being tired. But other than that he is a very happy baby. He laughs a lot, sometimes just at the air. He's experimenting with more sounds, blowing bubbles, and doing "motorboat" with his lips. He has become an unpredictable napper, but he's sleeping wonderfully at night.

For those keeping track, here are Sam's stats: 15 lbs 12 oz and 27 inches long.

Of course Sam's big accomplishment for the month is his new-found mobility. He loves to pull himself along on the floor to get to a toy, computer, or into mommy's lap. He now even tries to follow me when I leave the room - poor little guy starts to cry when he can't keep up.

And finally, this month's likes and dislikes...

Likes:
Computers
Cell Phones
Remote Controls
Crawling
Pears

Dislikes:
Pacific Time
Cold Water
Not being able to see (bad view in the stroller, etc.)
Wind

Places To Go!

Since he was just a few weeks old Sam has had the desire to be mobile. For a while this need was met by rolling over. Then sitting up provided a new view and the ability to reach, and he was content for a while longer. But now he's been sitting for a month and a half and I guess that was getting old too. So, last Wednesday (Nov. 18) Sam became mobile, and he couldn't be happier about it.

Right now its a true army crawl. He pulls his entire body weight with his arms, dragging his belly on the ground. He is experimenting with getting his knees up under him, and rocks a bit when I put him in that position, but for now the army crawl makes him pretty happy. This video is from his first day of mobility, and his speed and distance has already improved dramatically.

He is most motivated by "big boy toys." You put the laptop, cell phone, or remote on the floor and he'll scoot over to it in a matter of seconds. Gone are the days of leaving him to play on the blanket while I go grab a glass of water...at least until I get around to baby-proofing the house.

Sam's Thoughts on Motrin

Approximately 8 hours after the 103.8 fever and just after his first dose of Motrin, this was Sam's demeanor:

Not only does it work better than infant Tylenol, the infant Motrin is colorless, meaning it doesn't stain everything like the pink Tylenol.

Herpangina

I didn't know it existed until this morning, but Sam's got it. You can read all about it here. He wasn't very interested in his solids at breakfast and Dad noticed how hot he was, so we took his temperature. 102.6 seemed very high for a 6-month-old, so we called the doctor, who agreed and wanted to see Sam.

By the time we got to the doctor's office Sam's temperature was 103.8. After a few questions, to which all my answers were "no," Dr. Jung began a physical exam. One look down Sam's throat and we had a clear diagnosis. So my baby has a painful sore throat and high fever that will last for 3-4 days. He's very clingy, very fussy, and very hot. It makes Mommy sad, but Dr. Jung reassured me that it isn't serious and will clear up on its own.

And its highly contagious. So we're home-bound for the rest of the week. And I'm left wondering on this Monday...who else from Sam's class in the church nursery is waking up with Herpangina today?

My Happy Place

Y'all have seen plenty of pictures of Sam on his playmat. You've heard me talk in the past about his first "favorite toy" that hung above the mat. He used to spend a great deal of time there. But now he is bigger and more able. He loves to spend time in his exersaucer, sitting on a blanket playing with everything he can reach, etc. But I think that playmat still has a special place in his little heart.

Sam often gets fussy at the end of the day - he's just tired and ready for bed. In recent days I've realized that, even during this fussy time, he is calm and content when lying on his back looking up at that familiar, flashing/singing star. No energy required to sit up, he doesn't feel like he needs to reach for everything he can see, he can just relax in his happy place. I guess its his version of unwinding in front of the tv at the end of the day.

Food, Glorious Food!

As I mentioned, Sam has started to eat his veggies. High chair time has become a completely new experience now that we're offering something that actually has taste, as opposed to that nasty, cardboard-tasting baby cereal. He now actually opens his mouth in anticipation of the next bite, rather than having to be convinced and/or tricked into taking another bite. With his favorites, which is Butternut Squash so far, we sometimes can't feed him fast enough. He actually whines if we don't shovel some more into his mouth within what he considers to be a reasonable amount of time. Buddy, we have to get more on the spoon before we can get more into your mouth! Now we are mixing veggies with his cereal and it goes down much better as well :-)

Sam is a good eater! Right now he's eating 7oz of veggie puree and 5-6 tablespoons of cereal a day, on top of nursing 5 times per day. Maybe we'll add some of that weight back on soon. He's still a messy eater, though. The small drips onto the bib aren't bad, until he takes a break to try to eat his bib and ends up rubbing the drips all over his face. Or he decides to start sucking on his fingers before he swallows his bite of food. Oh, dear. Oh, and sneezing with a mouth full of peas creates a lovely green splatter pattern all over baby, mommy, and high chair. Its not that hard to clean up, but he doesn't like to have his face wiped off. Hopefully he'll get over that!

Because his skin is already so sensitive and I've read that skin problems can be connected with allergies, we are trying to take our time introducing new foods to make sure he isn't allergic to anything. So far we have squash, peas, avocado, sweet potatoes, and zucchini on the approved list. We're going to try out bananas tomorrow!

I'm trying to take the route of making all of Sam's baby food. I found a produce market where I can get farm-fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies just a few blocks from my house, and I have a food processor that was itching to be used more, so I figured why not? I'm actually really enjoying it, and find it to be really easy. I like that I know exactly what's in his food, and that I feel like I'm already "cooking" for him. And now Sam has his own shelf in our freezer for his food.

Oh, and the best part...he's sleeping better! I'm getting 2 two-hour naps per day and he's sleeping about 11 hours at night. Sometimes he still wakes up overnight, but usually a paci is all he needs. This is a major improvement over the 1-3 times/night he was waking up just a few weeks ago!

Six Months

Sam is half a year old! He's so grown up! I know I say this every month, but I can't believe its been this long. I realized that I don't have a hard to accepting that Sam is 6 months old, but it doesn't feel like its been half a year since my life changed so dramatically. Has it really been that long since I went to work? I guess so, because my life at home with Sam feels pretty normal these days.

Last month I mentioned that Sam could sit for short periods of time unassisted. Well, just a few days later he began sitting by himself for as long as we leave him in one place. He is officially a sitter. He's even getting more daring about how far he'll reach for a toy. So I guess the next step will be crawling. When place on his tummy, he'll reach for toys with one hand, and sometimes he'll scoot a bit, but I think we're still a couple months away from crawling. That's ok - I like that to know that he stays where I put him for now :-)

Our biggest development over the past month has been the introduction of solid food. I already posted about the cereal. About a week ago we started offering veggies and he LOVES them. More on the baby food to come later...We had our 6-month well visit yesterday and spent lots of time getting questions about eczema and feeding solids answered. The good news is, even on days when I think Sam's skin is REALLY bad, the doctor only considers it to be a 3 on a scale of 1-10. We did get a prescription topical steroid to use on flare ups, so hopefully we'll be able to continue to manage his symptoms. And of course Sam was weighed and measured - he's still long and lean. Very lean. He's 26 1/4 inches long (50%), but only 14 lbs 12 oz. That's the 5th percentile for weight. The doctor spent 5 minutes reassuring me that he is not in the least bit concerned about his slow weight gain, especially since he's doing so well on his milestones. He mentioned that size as a baby is largely genetic, and I have confirmation from both grandmas that Chris and I were both peanuts as babies. I can tell you though, if our appointment had been 15 minutes later (ie AFTER he finished his bottle) he would have weighed in at 15 lbs 1 oz (I know because I weighed him after the nurse left while we were waiting for the doctor!). I looked it up and that the 11th percentile. Either way, he's pretty cute! Oh, and he got 4 shots and 1 oral vaccine while we were there. Not happy about that! Luckily he forgets quickly.

So that brings us to our monthly lists of like and dislikes:
Likes:
-Pacifier
-Veggies
-Chewing on anything he can get in his mouth
-Tickling/Blowing on his belly
-Playing Independently

Dislikes:
-Baby Cereal
-Being dropped off at the Nursery

I Want My Mommy!

When I was pregnant, and for Sam's first few months of life, I longed to have a time where he WANTED me. I hoped that he would look to me for his comfort, support, encouragement and love, rather than just as a source of food ;-) I wanted my hugs to be different than everyone else's.

Well, we're getting there. It seems that Sam is developing some separation issues. Two weeks ago when we walked into the church nursery Sam was happy and content. I handed him to the care giver - who is there every week knows him - he gave his super pathetic face and began to cry. This week we walked in, he took a look around the room and started to cry before I even handed him off. Does he really know what that room means, that mommy is leaving? Apparently so, because all reports are that he was content after I left.

And this morning at bible study, he once again cried when I handed him to the nursery worker. Oh dear. So, should I be happy that Sam wants his mommy or disappointed that he had trouble settling in with others?

Monkey-ing Around

We had quite the festive fall Saturday! Daddy had a very busy week at work, so it was nice to be able to spend lots of family time together. The weather was PERFECT - highs in the lower 70's without a cloud in the sky. Finally!

Our first stop was Zoo Boo at the Houston Zoo. We were supposed to meet up with our playgroup, but we never found anyone. So we enjoyed the zoo as the three of us. It would have been hard to maneuver with the whole group anyhow. Zoo Boo happens on Saturdays in the fall - kids dress up and in addition to normal zoo activities, there is a place to paint baby pumpkins, trick-or-treat booths, coloring stations, "monster dancing" and a few other things. It was really fun to see all the kiddos in their costumes, but my little monkey took that cake for cuteness. I don't think I'm entirely biased either. We got a lot of comments on how adorable he was in his costume! We made sure to take him by the real monkeys, and learned that his hand is about the size of a Lemur. This was our first trip to the Houston zoo; its pretty, and well shaded (very important in the summer), but I've been spoiled by the Columbus zoo and it just doesn't compare. Its a wonderful place to walk around, and I'm sure someday Sam will actually be interested in all of the animals. This time he found the people as interesting as the animals, and even fell asleep in his stroller for a bit. We all had a really nice time!

In the late afternoon/early evening we attended a Pumpkin Carving Party. It was hosted by some friends of ours who have a 2.5-year-old and a 9-month-old, so we always enjoy spending time with them and seeking advice on what's around the corner for us in parenthood. It wasn't a costume party, but I dressed Sam up anyhow so that he could be sure to wear his costume more than once. We never got around to carving our pumpkin, but we had a great time chatting and eating fall-ish party foods. And since we didn't carve the pumpkin, this way it will actually last until Halloween this year!

And of course, it wouldn't have been a fall day without football, so there was some of that thrown in between activities as well!

Florida!

Last week all three of us set out on our next great adventure...a trip to Florida! Chris was scheduled to present a paper at a conference for work (in Orlando), so we've been planning this trip since well before Sam was born. Over time it turned into quite the extravaganza, with both sets of grandparents joining us in one big condo in Orlando for the first half of the week, and then the three of us and the Florida grandparents heading back to Sarasota for the last few days. Here's how it all went down...

We flew out to Tampa very early on Saturday morning and Sam was once again a trooper on the plane. I much prefer to fly with him and another adult! He didn't really sleep this time, as the world is just so interesting these days! We loaded up into Grandma Hunniford's car and drove to Orlando, where we met up with the Ohio Grandparents, Aunt Becky and Grandpa Hunniford at the Condo. Becky only stayed one night, but the rest of us settled in for some fun.

Well, kind of. Chris spent most of the time in Orlando at his conference, business dinners, etc. But the rest of us enjoyed some wonderful time at the pool, outlet shopping, dinners out and in, meeting some cousins, and lounging. Sam enjoyed the pool this time - he hadn't been in one since 4th of July. He kept trying to pick up the mesh in the bottom of his float, as well as the pretty blue tiles on the edge of the pool. Tricky how those things are all stuck in place! But splashing was working well. He even kept his sun glasses on the whole time - so cute!


On Wednesday we all (even Chris) went to Disney World! I have to brag that my baby was a ROCK STAR. We left the condo a little before 9am and didn't leave Disney until after 7pm. During that time Sam caught a few naps on people's shoulders, but nothing longer than 30 minutes. But with all the bright colors, fun songs, and new sights, who has time to get cranky? I think it also helped that I am still breastfeeding, so I had the option to feed him where ever and when ever he needed. The first ride of his life was his favorite: Its a Small World. He especially liked the Holland room with all the spinning windmills, and the last room with all the sparkling white lights. He also seemed to get a kick out of the Country Bear Jamboree - he kept squealing at those anamatronic bears! He did well on the other rides as well, but didn't really like it when the lights went all the way off on Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. He spent the entire Carousal ride trying to eat the shiny gold pole in front of him. We got his picture with Mickey, and pair of ears with his name sewn on the back, and stuffed Mickey, and a Disney World onesie. It was a great day!

Back in Sarasota most of our time was spent with Sam meeting new people. He met Great Grandma Nordin and cousins Andy and Krissy on Thursday, and then most of the remainder of the family at a big party on Friday night. That night he met his second cousin twice removed (yes that's the correct relation - we looked it up) who was born an hour after him. She now weighs about 5 pounds more than Sam, but Sam is still a bit longer. Crazy to see them next to each other! Everyone thought that she'd be able to take Sam, but he tried to eat her head. Oh well.

Saturday morning we took him to the beach, but he was cranky so we didn't last long there. He seemed to enjoy picking up the sand, but I spent the time trying to keep him from putting the sand into his mouth. I don't think you're supposed to eat sand before you start veggies, right? He was unfazed by the water lapping over his feet, but a little confused by the sand disappearing under his feet. I think he'll really enjoy it next summer.

It was a great week, but it really wore out my little man. We tried to get him his naps, but it didn't always work and he didn't share a room with mom and dad well. Someday we'll tell him that the solution to that problem was to move his pack n play to the large laundry room in the Orlando condo ;-) Plus all the long car rides, plane trips, etc. So now that we're back home its all about getting him back onto a regular eating and sleeping schedule.

I'll leave you with a picture from the week with each grandfather. Did I mention that Sam wants EVERYTHING in his mouth these days?

Cereal

*I'm behind with this post - Sorry!*

As Sam was about to turn 5 months old, he seemed to be hungry ALL the time. So we decided it was about time to introduce him to solids. On his 5-month birthday we gave him rice cereal for the first time. You could barely call it a solid, as our pediatrician told us to mix only 1/2 teaspoon of cereal with an ounce of milk. And Sam really didn't get the whole concept of a spoon that first day. So I pretty much poured the cereal from the spoon into his mouth. But slowly over the course of the next week or so he began to understand the spoon thing.

But understand the spoon doesn't mean he liked to eat his cereal. I believe it is safe to say that Sam greatly dislikes rice cereal. He makes the nastiest faces when we put it in his mouth, and sometimes tries to gag himself. Silly boy. But I really can't blame him - I tasted it and that stuff is really bad.

So we have switched him over to baby oatmeal, and we've worked our way up to a full tablespoon of cereal twice per day. He likes the oatmeal much better, and I can confirm that it has more taste. Still not exactly excited about the stuff, though.

It is exciting to see him eat "solids," but that's tempered by his lack of enjoyment. We use a lot of toys, songs, and stupid noises to distract and entertain him as he's eating. I think he is looking forward to the fruits and veggies we'll be introducing shortly!

Operation Re-Wash

Last weekend I was discussing Sam's continuing skin issues with my mother. "Is it mainly just on his arms?" she asked. "No, its everywhere, his whole body. Well, everywhere except his diaper area," I responded. LIGHT BULB!

Of course I'd realized this before, but for some reason saying it out loud really made it click. The redness and itchiness was worst on his chest, which was always covered by clothing even when in a short sleeve onesie. Obviously, something that was touching his skin was making it worse. Thus began Operation Re-Wash.

I went out a bought some Dreft. I did a load of Sam's laundry and since Sunday he was been wearing clothing exclusively from that one load. I'm happy to report that his skin looks much better. Cured? No. But definitely better. I had been using a hypoallergenic, free and clear detergent, but apparently he wants the good stuff.

So after 4+ days of consistently clearer skin, I am convinced enough to re-wash all of his stuff. I feel like I'm 36 weeks pregnant again, diligently cleaning everything my baby owns. Towels, washcloths, sheets, onesies, clothes, burp clothes, bibs...its all in the process of being washed. I've also switched the detergent I'm using on our adult laundry, and kicked our scented detergent to the curb.

So if anyone's keeping score, we now know two things that make Sam's skin worse:
1. Heat (lovely, since we still have highs in the 90's)
2. Tide Free and Clear Laundry Detergent

Five Months

My baby boy is getting so big! A couple of weeks ago we passed the one-year anniversary of my first OB appointment and our first little peak at a kidney bean-shaped "Poppy" - Boy has he grown in a year! Anyhow, I'm realizing that he really isn't a newborn anymore in any way. He's so alert and attentive, active, and capable!

Of course he is reverting to eating a bit like a newborn. For the past two days he's eaten almost every three hours, including overnight. His long stretch is more like 4-5 hours right now. Not good little man. He really is hungry when he wakes up - trust me he eats a lot. So I think its about time to get him started on some cereal...wish us luck!

Sam sleeps on his stomach a lot. I know, I know, SIDS. I sweat I put him to sleep on his back every single night and for every single nap. But 90% of the time he rolls himself over and sleeps on his tummy. He sleeps well on his stomach - he must get that from me. He gets some pretty awesome sleep marks on his face sometimes, too. Unfortunately that means he wakes up on his tummy, which makes it harder for him to fall back to sleep. Hopefully he'll get better about that, and maybe all the tummy time will help him develop the strength to crawl.

His major accomplishment this month is sitting. In the past week or two he has made huge strides on this milestone. If properly balanced, he can sit for up to a minute before tumbling over. He can't yet get himself into the position, but he does try to sit all the way up when he's in his car seat, stroller, and sometimes lying on the floor. He's got the whole "tripod sit" figured out. I give it a few more weeks before he is officially a "sitter" rather than a "supported sitter."

He's also getting very good with his fingers. He has great control when holding and grabbing his toys. Unfortunately, this also means he's getting better at scratching. He's no longer just rubbing his itchy spots, he's actually using individual fingers to relieve the itching. Side note on that topic: I think the scratching is becoming as much a habit as a relief mechanism. When you're holding him he often tries to scratch your arm, and it certainly is a sign that he's tired. Hmm, how are we going to nip this in the bud?

So at 5 months, here are Sam's likes and dislikes...
Likes:
-Watching Cars
-Being Outside/Stroller Walks
-Anything He Can Get Into His Mouth (his fingers, your fingers, remote, toy, burp cloth, etc)
-Scratching
-Blowing On His Tummy

Dislikes:
-Waking Up On His Tummy
-The Evening (still a very fussy time of day)

Tickle Tickle

Sam now loves it when you blow on his belly - its pretty much fool proof that you'll get a smile. A few days ago I was getting way more than a smile out of him, he was giving me all kinds of giggles! So here are some happy sounds for you today:

And a funny story to go with it: I recorded this right as Chris was getting home from work. I played back the recording to make sure that it captured the sound just as Chris was walking in the door. As soon as the giggles started, Sam BURST into tears. Of course he was all smiles again as soon as he saw Daddy. So I tried to play the recording for Chris and Sam BURST into tears again. I guess - even as a baby - no one likes the sound of his own voice on video!

Playgroup

Sam and I recently joined a wonderful, large, and well-organized family group in our neighborhood. It has playgroups for all ages, family events, online discussion boards, Moms Nights Out, etc. Honestly, I had no idea how many families with young children there were in our neighborhood until we joined. Sam falls into a Playgroup of babies born in March-August of this year.

The first "playgroup" we went to was at a neighborhood coffee shop. Yes, that makes it much more a playgroup for the moms than the babies, but isn't comparing parenting stories, tips, and ideas really for the babies in the end? This week we went to a playgroup at someone's home. How fun to see 9 babies all over the huge blanket on the floor, looking at each other, rolling onto each other, etc. One would cry and that would set off 3 others. Towards the end they were all falling asleep.

One of the slightly older babies decided to explore Sam's face by touch, as they often do. Usually the baby being explored gets quite annoyed by the intrusion of hands all over his face. Not Sam. He merely saw another new set of fingers to suck on, and that's exactly what he did. You should have seen the look on the other baby's face when Sam started munching on his fingers - so confused!

I think we are going to have a lot of fun with this group - we already have several more playdates scheduled. We can't wait to host everyone at our house soon!

Four Months

Sam turned 4 months old on Sunday (sorry I'm a few days late with the post). I was still thinking of him as a new baby until two things happened: First, I visited a friend's newborn 7lb baby. Second, Becky commented that he was 1/3 of a year. Holy cow, the first third of his first year is already over!

We went to the pediatrician for his "well baby" visit on Monday. Turns out my baby boy is long and lean. He's a respectable 25 1/2 inches long (75%), but only 13lb 7oz (25%). He'd been in the 50% for both height and weight, so we saw some big changes this month. I must have had a worried look, because the doctor asked if I was concerned about his weight. I responded with, "Are you?" (thinking, he you went to Med School!). He wasn't, so I'm not.

Sam did MUCH better with his shots this time. I was holding his hands, making stupid faces at him while the nurse was prepping his legs. All of the sudden she says, "Do you even know I gave you a shot?" Holy Cow! She'd given him one and he didn't make a peep! He did cry for the second shot, but stopped as soon as I picked him up. Yay!

As far as accomplishments in the last month, his biggest is standing. He much prefers to be in a standing position than a sitting position. He can bear all of his own weight (not that there's much of it!) and stand by just holding my hands - or by leaning against furniture. He is SUPER smiley, especially at girls and Daddy.

His cradle cap is looking better, but that's only because he gets some type of lotion all over his body 4+ times per day (and he now sleeps in mittens to keep from scratching his face). He'd still be a very itchy boy if it weren't for some serious persistence. I was given the OK to start solids, but I read somewhere that its better to wait till closer to 6 months in babies with skin problems. My baby definitely has skin problems. Plus, if I'm being honest, I'm not quite ready for him to not be 100% breastfed.

So at 4 months, here are Sam's Likes and Dislikes:
Likes:
-Exersaucer
-Standing
-Pacifier (this one comes and goes, and we now own one of every kind sold in Target)
-Lovies
-Flying Baby
-Inchworm

Dislikes:
-The evening period (he just gets fussy)
-Missing out on people interaction (if Chris and I are talking and he can't see us, he gets sad)

Visit From Becky

About 24 hours after we returned home from Ohio, we were lucky enough to welcome our next visitor in line to meet Sam. Becky, my college roommate, came to stay with us for a few days. After 3 years of law school and a horrific summer studying for the Bar Exam, she really earned her month of leisure. We're so thankful that she chose to spend some of it with us! It was a wonderful opportunity for Becky and I to talk endlessly for hours and for Sam to get some continued attention from new fans! You're welcome back any time!

Grandma and Grandpa's House

On August 17th Sam and I set out on his first adventure: a trip to Ohio to visit Grandma and Grandpa and anyone else willing to come meet us there. Chris has already taken a lot of time off this year, so he wasn't able to come with us. We missed him a lot, but had a great time on our own. Here's a recap:

I was really nervous about attempting Sam's first plane trip without backup, so Chris took us all the way to security (and watched us go through). Thankfully my mom was able to borrow and stroller and carseat, so I just had the diaper bag and Sam (in a sling/wrap thing) to worry about. He did very well in the airport until we boarded the plane. He was both tired and hungry when we got on board our completely full regional jet (read: tiny) and decided he didn't like sitting in a non-moving plane. Can you blame him? Well he began to cry - louder and louder as I feel all the people around us getting worried - and of course nothing would appease him. He wouldn't eat, sleep, take a paci, nothing. Finally I put him up on my shoulder and the man sitting behind me leaned over and started talking to him and making faces at him. Low and behold Sam began to calm down. The man continued to talk to him for several minutes until his eyes were almost all the way closed. He fell asleep when we started moving, and continued to sleep or eat the rest of the flight - not another peep. And the woman next to me let me put my food and drink on her tray table. So all in all we had a successful first flight!

Tuesday I actually woke up with a bit of a fever. It was my first illness since becoming a mom, so it was great to have my mom as back-up. She got plenty of Sam time while I took a nap on the couch. She did report at the end of the day that she was surprisingly tired - apparently playing on the floor with a baby is easier at 28 than at 54 ;-)

Sam had very many people to meet while we were up there. He met my dear friend from high school, Heather, and was shown off to my mom's co-workers. He also met his Great-Grandparents, who came into town just for him on Thursday. How fun to have pictures with 4 generations! Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Kate came into town for the weekend, so he met Kate for the first time. And some of the Ferguson Family came in on Saturday. I think that Hayden and Sam will make a very cute couple some day!

To say that Sam was spoiled with attention while we were there would be a massive understatement. Funny how Uncle Matt didn't mind getting up in the morning when Sam was doing the waking. I had family members fighting over who would get Sam up from his nap (seriously - there was once where my mom and brother literally raced up the stairs pushing each other out of the way!). Grandma enjoyed the job of giving baths in the sink, while Grandpa relished in reading Sam his bedtime stories, just like he did for me so many years ago. I don't think that Sam had a waking moment when someone wasn't actively engaging him. Luckily for Sam's audience, he has just entered the stage where he LOVES to smile. You've never seen so many adults making such fools out of themselves to be rewarded with a huge gummy grin!

While we were there Sam did have quite and achievement: he slept for 11.5 straight hours without making a peep! I don't know if it was the fan providing white noise, or that he was in a vibrating pack 'n play all night, but it was impressive. We're still waiting for him to repeat.

The flight home went really well. Sam was much more awake, but the seat next to us was open this time which made for two VERY happy travelers. We had a wonderful week at Grandma's and can't wait to go back for Thanksgiving! We'll post more pictures from the trip in Sam's Web Album.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good:
I can now independently confirm that Sam can roll from his back to his front. Yesterday I turned my back while he was on his play mat. When I turned back around, he had rolled over - and I missed it again! But this morning I witnessed it with my own eyes. He was hanging out on his side and wiggling around (made a 90 degree turn) and then flipped the rest of the way over. This is where he ended up:
The Bad:
Sam no longer likes to fall asleep. This is not because he isn't tired, or doesn't need the sleep. He is exhausted. But he has developed a "need" to be walked or nursed to sleep. This is not good - very bad sleep habits are formed this way, as the pediatrician confirmed. Staying asleep isn't much of a problem (although he is waking up around 5am again), but going down is hard. We're currently working on our strategy to fight this battle of wills.

The Ugly:
We have been fighting off cradle cap for almost two months now. He gets it bad - thick and yellow on his scalp and even down his forehead. Occasionally his cheeks get red and bumpy as well. We've been using baby oil and dandruff shampoo (as doctor recommended) to keep it under control. Well yesterday when I got him up from his nap his cheeks were bright red and bumpy. I was concerned that it was something more than cradle cap, so I called the pediatrician's office and the nurse said to bring him in. After seeing a picture, Dr. Grandpa (my dad) confirmed that it needed to be looked at. I still thought it was spreading cradle cap, and my mom thought I should put Hydrocortisone cream on it, but we went it for an appointment anyhow. Dr. Jung looked for 3 seconds before declaring it to be severe cradle cap and instructed me to treat it with baby oil, Aquaphor 4 times per day, and Hydrocortisone twice per day. Hmm...looks like mother's instinct was right for these two mothers :-) After 14 hours of this new treatment, its already looking less dry and less red. Hopefully it will stop itching him soon as well, and he'll have a clear, baby-soft face once again.

Three Months

Sam is now 3 months old. Babies don't get a three-month visit to the doctor, so Chris and I did our best to weigh and measure him ourselves this month. Our best estimate is 24 inches and 12lb 13 oz - don't ask about percentiles or anything because I have no idea. I'm beginning to think he is small for his age, but I'm not really sure.

This month Sam really seemed to solidify his transition away from "newborn." He can sleep through the night and spends so much of his time alert and awake, seeming to take in everything around him. Sometimes he has trouble falling asleep for his nap because he seems to think that he'll miss out on something. He loves to "talk" to us and it even seems like he understand that he can use these sounds instead of crying to communicate with us. He's figured out that he has two hands and is fascinated by holding them together in front of his face. And apparently he rolled over from his back to his tummy, but I wasn't home so I cannot independently confirm this report.

Likes:
Changing Table
Daddy's Funny Faces and Noises
Looking at New Things Outside
The Flashing Star (hangs above his playmat)
Being held while walking

Dislikes:
Tummy Time (he used to enjoy it)

Sam's Baptism

As members of a PCA church, we believe in baptising infants. We believe that infants are baptised as covenant children, as an outward symbol of God's blessings bestowed to them through the faith of their parents. This past Sunday was Sam's turn to be welcomed to the Covenant Family through baptism. Chris and I took vows recognizing Sam's need for God's grace, claiming God's promises on his behalf while looking to the Lord for his salvation, and that we will raise him according to God's Word. Sam was baptised by our good friend and neighbor, Rev. Eric Priest (yes, that makes him Pastor Priest!).

Both sets of grandparents were able to come into town for the big event, which made for quite a fun weekend! Sam performed wonderfully by cooing, laughing, and smiling at all of them practically on command to keep all entertained. I think he's probably bored today now that its just me and him around the house! The grandparents were also able to partake in the party we had at our house on Sunday afternoon. It was wonderful to celebrate Sam's baptism with family, friends, food, and cake!

The Baptism Gown that Sam wore is family gown that has passed through my mother's mother's family. It is 57 years old, originally purchased for my uncle, and has been worn by somewhere between 15-20 people (see below for list, still working on filling in the rest of the names). It is lovely, but beginning to show its age as the thin cotton has a few worn spots. My mom and I are going to look into what can be done to preserve the gown for as long as possible.

The blanket that you see in some of the pictures is a Christening Blanket hand-made specifically for Sam. My dear friend, Sophie (whom I met when studying abroad in Scotland), indicated that it is custom where she grew up (outside Munich, Germany) to send a Christening Blanket as a baby gift. Her mother made it - it is without question the most beautiful hand-made blanket that I've ever seen. It is yellow, because Mrs. Scheller began working on it long before we knew that "Poppy" would be Samuel.

The following family members have all worn the same Baptism Gown (All relations from Sam's perspective):

Michael Patrick Gaffney (Mother's Uncle)

Timothy Daniel Gaffney (Mother's Uncle)

Kathleen Marie Gaffney Sivard (Mother's Mother)

Kelly Anne Gaffney Whalen (Mother's Aunt)

Erin Nicole Gaffney (Mother's Cousin)

Kristen Leigh Sivard Stegmiller (Mother's Sister)

Lindsay Brooke Sivard Hunniford (Mother)

Matthew James Sivard (Mother's Brother)

Samuel James Hunniford

My First 4th of July

My Aunt Becky was supposed to come meet me with Grandma and Grandpa back in May, but she got mono. So, Aunt Becky came to visit all of us for a long 4th of July weekend.






The most exciting part of the weekend (other than meeting my aunt, of course), was the pool party we were all invited to! I was all set with my swim suit, t-shirt, and sandals from Mommy's college roommate (also named Becky), and matching hat from Grandma. One problem: I HATE having lotion put on me, and this means that I hate sunscreen too!

Fortunately, I enjoyed the pool much more than the preparations for the pool. Mommy, Daddy, and Becky were taking sooooo many pictures of my first swim! For awhile Mommy held me while I got used to the water, then I lounged in Dad's arms for a bit. And boy was it relaxing - so much so that I eventually fell asleep!

Once we were done swimming, I dried off on my towel and made my first attempt at sun bathing. Even though it was in the shade, I think I've got Mommy's enjoyment of lying around outside! Once I was dry and fed, I was a very happy baby and enjoyed some "dancing" and "singing" with my friend Jessica. And there was so much to look at - it was the most time I've ever spent outside! All in all, I had a great day!

Two Months

Sam turned 2 months old on Tuesday. I can't decide if it feels like its been 2 months or not. In a way, it seems like he's always been here. Yet at the same time, I feel like this is all still so new. Either way, he certainly has changed since he was born! He now likes to play and interact with people, has developed different types of cries depending on his needs/wants, is much more alert and aware, and of course, bigger! Not quite as big as I thought though - at 11 lbs 11 0z he is in the 50 percentile for weight, and at 23 inches he's in the 50 percentile for height as well.

I know this because we went to his doctor on Tuesday as well. Dr. Jung declared that he looks perfect from head to toe and is a textbook baby. Unfortunately, this doctor visit also brought his first round of vaccinations - 3 shots and one orally. I have never heard my little boy cry this way. It was truly a cry out of fear and pain, you know, the kind where he stops breathing, turns bright red, and screams at the top of his lungs. And oh that face! It was enough to bring Mommy to tears as well, and the nurse said she wanted someone else to do it next time because she didn't want to hurt him again. Fortunately, he seems to have a short memory because I was able to calm him down within 5 minutes and he was asleep before the car was even moving. And then he stayed asleep all afternoon and evening - even skipping a feeding! But he was fine again the next morning. All in all he did quite well!

At two months, here's a list of Sam's likes and dislikes:

Likes:

-Anything that vibrates (thankfully, this now includes the car seat, as long as its in a moving car or a moving stroller)

-Being Swaddled

-Batting at his hanging toys

-Bathtime

-Hanging out on his changing table

Dislikes:

-Shots

-Staying in a non-moving car seat

P.S. Sam slept from 10:15-6:00 last night!

Sleeping Success!

So there is some debate about what it means for a baby to "sleep through the night." Many child-rearing books will tell you that any 5-6 hour stretch is considered sleeping through the night, regardless of what time it starts, etc. I have a stricter definition. In my opinion, a baby sleeps through the night when Mommy is able to get a full-ish nights sleep as well.

Based on my definition, I am going to declare that last night SAM SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!. As always, I fed him at 10pm and put him in his crib at about 10:25. I heard no peep from baby boy until 5:45. He has been pushing his long sleep stretch further and further over the past week, and hardly eats at all overnight. So, when he wasn't giving his "hungry cry," I decided to try to push him. I gave him a paci once...twice...three times...and baby boy is back to sleep. He stayed asleep until 7:00, the normal time of his first morning feeding.

Obviously, it would be ideal for him to sleep straight to that 7:00am feeding, but I am confident that is not far away. Plus, my alarm for work used to go off at 5:58 (don't ask why it wasn't 6:00), so its really back to the old days. So mommy got over 7 continuous hours of sleep, plus another hour after the paci-fest. Good job Sam!

Two Years

Yesterday, Chris and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Sam had his first babysitter (thanks Betty!) so that we could go out for our first date since he was born. I still feel a bit like I'm abandoning my child when I leave the house without him (yes, even when I leave him with his daddy), but I'm told that will get better with time. He got a good behavior report from Betty, and it certainly helped me to know that I left him in such loving and caring hands.

If you'd had asked my on our wedding day, I never would have guessed that I'd be holding our child in the picture from our second anniversary. Crazy! As much fun as it is to be married to Chris, its that much better now that we have Sam. Its like we've transitioned from two people living their lives together into a real family. I can't wait to see what the next two years - and all those years after - will bring our way.

Mr. Sunshine

I have been holding off on this post for a few days now because I wanted to make sure I wasn't jumping the gun. But, I have been observing the phenomenon for enough consecutive days to declare that Sam does indeed have his first favorite toy. I know, how can a baby who can't grab anything have a favorite? I would have thought the same thing up until a week ago. But it seems that my little man has a particular preference for a certain one of the colorful, rattling items that hangs from the cross bars on his play mat. Whenever we lay him down, he swings his arms in an attempt to hit the smiling sun with a rattle attached to the bottom (a.k.a. Mr. Sunshine). Sometimes he is able to wrap his arm around it and pull it to his chest. Once or twice he's managed to get a bit of the fabric between his fingers and actually hold it. Every once in awhile he'll go for the dangling bird, and he is intrigued by the crunchy butterfly if you hold it right in front of him, but nothing seems to top Mr. Sunshine. He talks to Mr. Sunshine too - more than he talks to me. Should I be offended by that?

On the Move

Sam performed this early version of rolling over for the first time when he was 12 days old. The very first time I put him on his stomach, he pushed up and "rolled" over - twice. A week later he did it again. Then I had to wait another two weeks. Finally, on June 4 he rolled over about 5 times in a row, which allowed me time to grab the video camera to document proof. Until this video, I was still the only one who had seen him do it. Since then, Chris has seen him do it once.

My Favorite Times

Having reached the one-month mark, we've done enough things enough times for me to develop affinities towards a few of them. Some of my favorites moments with Sam are:

1. Bath Time. He's gotten over his fear of being cold and has learned to truly relax in his nice warm bath (sometime he relaxes a bit too much and we end up cleaning up a mess). Chris and I give him a bath together, and we have a good time playing with and talking to him while he tries to wiggle out of his little hammock. He's just always so content during his bath, how could you not enjoy it!

2. Right After He Finishes Nursing. Most of the time he has fallen half way asleep, but he makes the cutest faces and stretches his arms up waaaay above his head, then he sighs and totally relaxes. So cute! If its not 3am I love to hold him while he is still in his milk comma and he's just all warm and snugly.

3. Saturday Mornings. Chris doesn't have to get up and go to work, and he brings Sam to me in bed for his first feeding of the day. When he's done nursing we hang out with Sam in our bed for a little bit, or move to his playmat on the floor and play for a little while. Its a nice way to start the weekend.

4. Playmat Time. This one is really new in the past few days, because Sam is just starting to really see the things on the playmat. He smiles and coos a little at the different toys, and looks a lot at that face in the mirror. He really enjoys it, and I really enjoy playing with him!

One Month

I can't believe that our little man is already a month old! But then again, I still have absolutely no concept of time since he was born, so that really shouldn't be surprising. When I think about it, Sam really has changed a great deal already in just his short one month of life. Most noticeably is that he is so much more awake! He likes to look around and just hang out on your lap. I think that he's actually seeing our faces and some other things now, which means he also enjoys spending time on his playmat. No, he can't actually interact with anything yet, but he likes to look at all the brightly colored items. On his back he likes to either lie there and look or kick his legs a bit. He's pretty tolerant of tummy time (he'd love it if we'd let him sleep on his tummy all the time!), during which he squirms his little legs so much that he actually moves himself to the edge of the mat. He can push up on his arms if he's really motivated/mad, and holds his head up for many seconds at a time.

He's still trying to figure out those hands. As much as he loves having them up by his face, he still hasn't been able to separate any fingers to get into his mouth as he so greatly desires. He has, however, figured out how to hold onto Mommy's hair...and a burp cloth. He actually "carried" it with him from my shoulder to his changing table the other day. Now if we could just switch that out for a lovie...

And of course I think he's even cuter than the day he was born. And bigger, too! Everyone keeps telling me how tiny he is, but to me he just looks huge. I can't wait to find out at the doctor tomorrow just how big he really is!

Life With Sam

It feels oddly normal to have Sam around. I thought that it would be really weird to have a baby living with me, but it feels like he belongs. That being said, it doesn't feel like this is forever. I still can't picture him a few years down the road, let alone in high school or anything like that. I sometimes look in his face and try to imagine what his personality will be like when he gets a little older - I can't wait to find out!

Grandma Sivard (my mom) left after her week-long stay on May 9. That means that Sam and I have been on our own for 4.5 full weekdays (soon to be 5.5 at the end of today). Yes, there are periods that are overwhelming, like when he starts crying every time I put him down so I can't get a shower till 3:00. But there are really great times as well, like when he sleeps all warm and cozy on my chest for an hour. That feels good!

For the most part he is doing pretty well at nights. He usually goes back down after I feed him without any effort. His length of sleep is still unpredictable, but I think he actually gets that he belongs in his crib at night time if he's not eating. He's had one stretch of 5.5 hours of sleep, but its looking like that was a fluke.

Speaking of flukes, he did roll over! The very first time I ever put him on his tummy he pushed right up and rolled to his back. I put him back on his tummy and he did it again. It took a week, but he did it again right after lunch today. I mentioned it to the pediatrician at his two-week check up and she said it wasn't a fluke and looked impressed. We'll see if he keeps it up!

Likes and Dislikes

Sam's Likes:
-Pacifier
-Bouncy Seat
-Swing
-Being Swaddled
-Sleeping on Daddy's Chest
-Having his hands by his face


Sam's Dislikes:
-Sponge Baths
-Diaper Changes
-Car Seat (which translates to the stroller as well)
-Burping

Who Do I Look Like?

I look like Daddy. People continue to have a hard time picking which one of us they think he looks like, but when you see Chris's baby picture it becomes quite clear. The two boys look quite similar in their infant state. Here's Chris's baby picture as proof:

Not a whole lot of Mommy in him...except the finger nails. He was born with very long fingernails - they've already been trimmed/filed because he kept scratching his face - just like Mommy's.

Photos

We've added a web album (on the left) for Sam's Pictures. You can click on it to view full size or click here.

Sam's Birth Story

On the afternoon of April 29th I had my 39-week check up with the OB. I was 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. This was virtually no change from the week before, so I left a little disheartened that things might take a while to move along.

Later that night I woke up around 2am with a strange little pain. I thought nothing of it a fell back to sleep. A few minutes later, the same thing. Once this happened a few times, I realized that they might be early contractions, but really I had no idea. When they didn't stop I eventually decided to get out of bed. Chris woke up a little before 3, but I sent him back to bed because I wasn't sure that anything was really happening, and I wasn't really that uncomfortable. I woke him up again around 4:30 when I was sure that these were real contractions, coming at regular intervals, and were more painful than before - he began to time them.

My doctor had told us that for a first baby, she liked to see 2 hours of contractions that were 5 minutes apart or less before coming to the hospital. From the time we started timing them, my contractions were lasting a minute each and were between 2-4 minutes apart. So we let that go on for 2 hours, after which time we called the doctor and Chris started getting things ready to go. By that point in the game I wasn't much help in getting anything ready - the contractions had started to get pretty intense. It still hadn't been that long since my first one though - maybe 5 hours by the time we packed up the car - so I started to really judge myself for how badly I was handling them. I was sure that I'd get to the hospital and be about 3cm.

I was wrong. By the time we got to the hospital my contractions were VERY intense - not helped by the fact that once you're at the hospital they make you stay in that stupid bed. Not very comfortable! But the admitting nurse finally got around to checking me and declared that I was 8cm dilated and fully effaced. I was ecstatic, and Chris told me later that he was relieved that I wasn't going to have to endure it for that much longer.

From that point on it was a huge whirlwind. The labor and delivery unit was completely full when we arrived, so they put us in a c-section pre-op room. It was about the size of a prison cell, and they had to keep telling Chris to "go stand over there" while they tried to arrange things. There just wasn't room! When they realized how far along I was they began running around collecting things to turn it into a labor and delivery room - things like a baby warmer, stool for dr. to sit on, and stirrups. And they called the anesthesiologist :-) Because it was a full house he was already on the floor. If he hadn't been, I don't think I would have gotten my drugs. When he got to my room he said, "I saw you coming in and I knew we'd be meeting up soon!" He put in something that works faster than the normal epidural drug, but only lasts for 45 minutes. He promised to return with the normal drug before the first one wore off. My OB had arrived at that point and told him that we'd probably be done before this first drug wore off.

By the time I got the epidural I was 9cm and my doctor said we could go ahead and start pushing. After one of the contractions the doctor said, "well he's got some dark hair!" I think that's when my brain finally wrapped itself around the concept of what we were all doing there - waiting to meet a new person! It was all happening so quickly that I really didn't have time to stop and think about what was about to happen! I have no concept of time, but Chris guesses that I pushed for somewhere between 15-30 minutes before Sam was born at 9:47, only an hour and 45 minutes after we walked in the hospital doors.

I guess I'd had my eyes closed during most of the time I'd been pushing. I didn't look at anything until he was half way out. Looking down and seeing his head and shoulders coming up towards me was perhaps the most surreal moment of my life. I noticed that he had the cord wrapped around his neck, but apparently Chris noticed more and told me later that it scared him - it didn't seem to bother Sam. Chris surprised me but cutting the cord (I really thought that would make him faint!) and Sam began to display his strong set of lungs. They put him on my stomach to wipe him down, then put him skin to skin with me for a few minutes. He got 9's on both of his APGAR tests. After cleaning him up a bit better under the warmer, he successfully breastfed for a few minutes before leaving his footprints. Chris carried him down to the nursery, where he stayed for a few hours while they did a full evaluation of him.

The list of attendees of Sam's birth is proof that God does answer prayer. Long story short, there was much drama in my last trimester relating to which doctor would be able to attend my delivery given my own doctor's own maternity leave. I was quite upset about the way it was all playing out, which lead many friends to begin praying not only that a good doctor would show up, but that I would be provided with an excellent labor and delivery nurse to make the experience as positive as possible. Well, my doctor returned from maternity leave on April 27 and was able to be there for Sam's birth. And because the unit was completely full when we arrived, the only nurse available for me was the Charge Nurse, who is in charge of the entire unit, usually isn't assigned to a specific patient but oversees the care of all, and who has an incredible amount of experience. She was amazing. I would have taken either/or, but we got both!

The rest of the day flew by just as quickly. Part of that could have been because of the nice pain killers they gave me when my short-term epidural wore off, but I think most of it was because I was so content just to hold my little man. We had several visitors in the evening - it was fun to show him off, and Sam got to meet his first playmate. He's pretty good at breastfeeding, but finds it a little too comforting sometimes and needs to be reminded that this is an "awake" activity, not naptime. But he has been very well-behaved and we are loving every minute with him.

Samuel James