A little bit of everything

Well Samuel got his first tooth and is working on his second. I was able to get a picture of his tooth from him smiling big for the camera. Sam is also working on waving bye-bye and has started pulling himself up to certain objects in the apartment. He has taken two crawling steps, but has yet to do it again. I think he figures army crawling is a safer way to get around. He is now enjoying Gerber's Puff cereal where he can practice chewing like a big boy, which he loves doing! He looks so proud while he's chomping away. Yesterday I found the guts to go for a major hair change. I had not cut it short in almost 5 years and decided that it was time for a change. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but it is much too late to change my mind.
The weather up here is bitter cold, and while I'm at the computer typing I'm staring at a thick layer of frost around out bedroom window. It is a whopping -4 degrees right now and it is almost 11 o'clock in the morning. Geesh! Some pictures below are of Sam getting ready for a bath, acting silly, and showing off his preppy outfit. Damn cute, and there isn't another way to put it.

Good but not Great

It took Sam about one week to recoup from Croup, at least to the point where he would not be wheezing, and then it was back to day care for him since mommy and daddy could not keep taking off work if he wasn't really struggling. Unfortunately part of day care is getting sick and my child still is not well. See how disgusted he is! Sam had a fever 95% of the days that he was home sick and when he was a day care. When I noticed that his fever would spike, unless we gave him Tylenol or Motrin around the clock, I knew it was time to take the kid back into the doctor's office again. Sam and I spent 4 and a half hours at the hospital last Friday while I had to watch my son in misery through his chest x-rays, blood draw, and examination. He did not feel good and it was easy to tell. His eyes weren't filled with happiness, but a look of grogginess and sheer sickness. His eyes are red and watery, his nose a leaky faucet or stopped up to the point where he would be forced to breath out of his mouth, and a cough so bad it gags him from time to time. Being that Sam is my first child I am dealing quite well, but have times of feeling helpless to my son and having minor breakdowns because I would gladly go through the sickness for him if I could. Day care is not a place for the weak, and after this roller coaster of sickness Samuel will be strong. Building up immunities is something we all must go through, but it is much easier when your child can speak to you telling you what ales them. Sam is getting better but far from great.



On a much lighter note Samuel crawled his first two steps a couple of days ago, but has concluded for the time being that "army crawling" gets him around just fine. He is also pulling himself up to his knees from the ground, and will soon be trying to escape the confines of his crib when he isn't sleepy. Needless to say, tonight a disassembling of his crib will be taking place to lower his mattress so we don't find our son on the floor in the morning. As suggested by Baby Center (wonderful web site) once a baby starts to pull himself up bumpers must be removed to not aide in a boost over the crib side. With each passing day I can tell that he really knows who is mama and daddy are. This is a feeling that brings me much happiness to know that when Sam wants me, he will army crawl over to me, or he wants Joel the same. He is so ecstatic when I pick him up from day care he immediately starts to fuss and reach for me, and when he is in the comfort of Mommy's arms, all is well in the world again. I'm not sure of a more greater feeling in the world. It almost seems impossible that my time in the Navy is coming to a quick end and I will be able to have our baby all to myself all day, to learn and grow together. I look forward to what the future might bring, and hopefully we will be blessed with happier moments then sad; but when the difficult times arrive, at least we will have the company of our newly beginning family.

"Croup"ed Out

Yes it is true. Our little man has Croup for the past 4 days, and I would not wish that on any body's child! Samuel could barely breath and would panic many times throughout the day to send him sobbing for some sort of reassurance that he would be okay. I give all the credit to his Montessori school. Our pediatrician said that Croup is usually passed through other children and due to the lack of him being around other children until now, that is my hypothesis. Our bed has been the recliner in order to keep Sam in a reclined position to make breathing for him easier, giving him his medication around the clock, and closely listening for any change in his struggle for breaths. This all started out as an innocent cold just after his counterpart Norman had the sniffles; and concluded that it was mere coincidence that Sam was sick days after Normy was, considering he hadn't been around him for a week after I read the report on Becca's blog. Not much later I knew that he was much sicker than anticipated.

His poor little voice is barely noticeable with weak interrupted "crying" sounds, fever,
and labored breaths are all apart of this dreadful experience. Until now I have been blessed to not know the toll Sam being sick would take on me. Hours at a time in the wee hours of the night, I would watch him sleep and closely listen for any signs of respiratory distress, so I could react in a timely manner to get him to the emergency room. With the medications we have to give Sam it was also recommended to us that we let him breath in the cold air outside,
which is supposed to sooth his vocal cords; and then do a steam shower at night to help break up the gunk in his chest. With everything going on I am emotionally drained, although I have tried extremely hard to keep composure, and physically drained from my sleepless night and short sobbing moments of feeling absolutely helpless to my son. The important thing is my baby is taken care of. I took Tuesday and Wednesday off of work and Daddy assumed duty Thursday, and I will again assume duty for Friday. With any luck Samuel will be doing much better by the weekend and we can get some much needed R&R in! Although Sam is down for the count, he certainly isn't out! Here you might be able to see some of his discomfort and because he is such a good boy he even stopped to smile for me later that day.



I also will now put more emphasis on cleanliness with our son. Toys will be sprayed with Lysol on a nightly basis and there is no playing with noticeable soiled objects (which I tried very hard to avoid in the first place) but I will be even better than before. Shoes will be removed EVERY TIME we come in the house so that the chemicals from the road, and just the nasty stuff in general we walk on, will not be tracked onto the carpet our son loves rolling around on. Hopefully his immune system will be hard charging for the next time an invasive virus chooses to use our son as its host.

Many Firsts

I can't believe how big my little boy looks sitting up in Great Grandpa Ledom's barber chair! Didn't cry one drop, but loved Grandpa brushing off his neck, and giving his look of approval while Grandpa styles his hair just right. The most he tried to do was look and see what the heck that buzzing thing was, and why exactly Great Grandpa was bringing it closer to his head.

Today at the doctor's office I really found out what a big boy Samuel is becoming. He now weighs in at 18 lbs and 9 oz, and is 28 1/2" long. Whoo Weee. Some of his newest tricks are reaching for me, getting up on all fours and rocking (trying to get a taste of sweet carpet cruising victory), and when I fake cry giving his mommy love by laying his head down on mine. Daddy is a little heart broken that when he tries to do this trick Sam just stares then gives a great big smile. The saddest part of our break ending is having to put Sam in day care, and well I like to think that putting him into a Montessori school is a better choice. Sam is surely to only benefit from this experience and will make him a more well rounded infant (if that's possible for babies). With Sam becoming a big boy he has outgrown many outfits and many toys. The Bumbo chair only irritates him, his swing doesn't offer the thrill it once did, and here shortly I believe his coveted JumpeRoo will also be put away. He now loves his free sitting Independence from his new "low chair" yes "low chair" not "high chair." His new chair from Grandma keeps the one bedroom apartment less crowded and the chance to have Sam sit where ever we are sitting.
Here I tried to get a shot of Sam admiring himself in the new monkey mirror that his Auntie Jen gave him for Christmas, but this is the best that I could come up with. Sorry! It is amazing that once you are a parent the amount of different emotions you have to go through. I am thrilled that he is learning new tricks and is becoming independent, but also heart broken that a little bit each day he is preparing to leave me to find out who he really is, and what he is all about. I smile, yet tears well up in my eyes at the exact same time...who would of thunk? My days are all melded together and I try desperately to capture all the memories on my camera or camcorder, yet I know so many more are slipping right through my fingers. These pictures are my attempts to freeze time. Moments that I can always go back to, to remember his sweet little voice, his excitement in his JumpeRoo, and our relaxing bath times. I can't stop time, but I'll cling to these fond memories and close my eyes; then for maybe an instant I can hold my little boy once more.

New Year's Resolution

My goodness it really has been, what seems, decades since my last posting. I have been refreshed and am ready to keep up with this blogland more often. It is hard for me to recall what my last post was and I think I left off with Sam's first snow...we'll pick up from there. Joel and I were fortunate enough to be afforded an eleven day stay back in our hometown of Olathe, Kansas. That has been our longest gaunt back to the Midwest since I joined the Navy almost four and a half years ago; and although it was the longest, it seemed just like our shortest previous trips. When you don't live in the same state with most of your family it seems like everyday is filled with something to do, or people to see, which is fun and great company, but wouldn't it be great just to be able to sit and not worry about what you are going to be doing the following day? That is what inevitably makes the time go by so dang fast no matter how many days you visit. All and all we had a lovely time, and were spoiled to the point that there were only a few straggling items left on our Christmas wish lists. Samuel was bombarded with mounds of adorable new outfits, toys that light up, play music, talk to you, shoot balls in the air, and the all time classics of the plastic giant beads, and wooden blocks. Needless to say, we are going to be forced to be members of a Sam's club or a Cosco, just so we can buy batteries in bulk to keep up with the ever evolving electronic toys that has our son expressing his approval through a multitude of "oooo's." And I will have to leave you with that for tonight because there is so much more to write about but I will post the Christmas photos and will continue with the story tomorrow night.

First Snow

Mommy...it's way to cold out here, can we go inside now?

Blizzard

STAY TUNED FOR SAM'S FIRST SNOW PICTURES LATER THIS EVENING...

My Little Athlete

It never fails. I come home from work and swear that my little boy has grown so much in the 9 hours I was gone. He is becoming a little more independent with each passing day and I wish that I could slow down time so that I could watch him grow every inch of that 27" again. What a big boy he is sitting up all by himself, with the occasional tip to the left or right, and even to the back; and today he is really starting the "Army" crawl. I can see the determination in his eyes to get the object, what seems so far away, and low and behold there he is rocking from side to side on his belly to move himself forward. What an accomplishment! Soon Sam will be cruising our pad, and ruling every inch of the carpet. It pains me to have to leave him to go to work, and soon my commitment to the Navy will be over with, and once again I can be with our boy. I am so excited to play Santa in the next years! Christmas is always the one day that it seems we get more than we ask for on our lists, and to enjoy family, family games, and awesome food. I can't even think of a Christmas where I was disappointed or where I wasn't completely excited of a key gift. How lucky most of us are to enjoy the lavish amount of gifts, or even to just enjoy being with our family. This season, lets not forget our military men and women who don't have the luxury to be at home, or to take a moment and talk to our loved ones that passed, and to share our Christmas cheer with them. I want to take the time to tell all that read this blog that Joel, Samuel, and I are truly blessed that we have you in our lives for one reason or another. Each of you have made some impact on how we carry about with our lives, or have made us who we are today. I assure you that all of you cross our minds throughout the year!

And now for the star of the show, wearing his Daddy's number so proud!

Thanksgiving Feast

My goodness you never know how fast the time flies when you have company or when you go on vacation! So I have some updates. Sam is rolling all over the living room, and doing hundreds of crunches a day to keep his manly baby belly. He will lay on his back, then crunch himself up, trying so desperately to come into a full sitting position. Samuel is also very close to sitting up by himself without any padding to ease his fall; however Sam insists on arching his back. He is loving eating baby food, and gets very cranky when it is.....aaalll gone!
Today at his 6 month well baby visit he weighed in at a whopping 16.5 lbs, and is 27 inches long. His extra weight must be contributed by his upgrade to an 8 oz. bottle. When we came to the second part of the doctor's visit I knew Sam would not be a happy camper. The sweat started, followed by flushing of the cheeks, and tears being held back...then the nurse saw my distress and comforted me through it. :-) I handled his shots as best I could, and Samuel did just fine. Sam is my little trooper. We can now have conversations with our little man by grunting and cooing, waiting eagerly for his response. He has no troubles grabbing a hold of objects, including loose neck skin when a tantrum is about to start, and then bringing that object straight for his mouth. I have always called him my little birdy, and now I can see he is always ready for something new to please his soft gummies.

Grandma's Overalls

Samuel couldn't look cuter in his fine farmer man overalls. Yeehaw! Grandma K. great pick! I have loved Sam in all of his overall outfits that have been bought for him by the family and the long pant ones are just as cute as the short ones. I have enjoyed dressing my little man, as though he was my dolly to play with, oh...wait a minute he is mine to play with! I love this job. I am very excited to send out our Christmas cards this year so you all can see the most adorable outfit Sam will be wearing in our family portrait. I could buy him clothes every day, as the rest of you probably also feel, and would like nothing more for him to cooperate with me mix and matching his clothes to find new combos for him to wear. I'm sure that the little girl cousins will love carting our little one around at Grandma's house this year for Christmas. And I know that Sam will be best friends with Normy, and once they meet will be broken hearted to separate from their newly found play mate. Maybe one day they will be closer so that they can play together and go on adventures of their own. I was trying to get a good shot at the cute little tennies that Grandma L. had bought him but not so much luck. Doesn't daddy look proud?

The other day Sam was fast a sleep, when I heard him starting to fuss himself awake. I was going to go see if he needed his "Nuk-Nuk" to comfort him back to sleep, when I found him staring straight ahead at me, barely peering over his crib at me.
I was feeling very needy of my little one and wanted to snuggle so badly; Sam gave me the go ahead when he quickly laid his sweet little head down on my shoulder. Heart Melter! For the next hour my son and I bonded while I snuggled him safely in my arms, wondering what he was dreaming about, and hoping he would want to snuggle with me for many years to come. Stay tuned for a very mouth watering turkey picture!

Another Monday

Another Monday, and another wonderful day I get to squeeze my little man's sweet little thighs. Joel and I found a shirt that said, "I make chunky thighs look good!" Isn't that the truth? However it was a pink onesie and I thought that wouldn't do well for my son's handsome image, even though Max has a shirt that states "Only real men wear pink." I can hardly believe that Halloween and all its fury went out with a blow of a candle and we are now forced to think about Thanksgiving arrangements and what Christmas gifts to get who! Whoo. My mind has been filled with those notions and contemplations of what my fate will be with the military. My medical board package was FedEx out last Friday, and according to the Admin. Dept. I should have word back within a couple of weeks. In the mean time I filled a claim with the VA of all the medical inconveniences that I have had; all but not limited to: shoulder surgery, gallbladder surgery, the scars I've obtained, the drug allergies I have discovered, etc. Now I am obligated to go through a series of 7 appointments so the VA doctors can give me a once over and decide if they are service related. Today my appointment lasted three hours, which was three hours too long for me. I guess if it's what I have to do to get some extra cash I can suck it up. Coming home to my husband and this little guy will turn my frown upside down every time!It is so amazing what we all can go through. I was fresh out of high school, left everything that was mine in boxes, went into the military by myself, and had to shower with 70 other females (not my most enjoyable experience), and was completely depressed while going through Corps School. Luckily I had my family that gave me the courage and the strength to push forward. If it wasn't for my true love to drop everything to move to Chicago to be with me, I would have been in vast despair and making regular appointments with mental health for deep depression. We all do crazy things when we are in love, and I will try to remind myself of this when my own children leave the nest to find their own way too. But everything works out how it is supposed to; and now my high school sweetheart is my devoted husband and we have a beautiful baby boy who is embedded deep into my heart. Joel and I have done everything on our own, learning from mistakes, and picking ourselves back up laughing the whole way, and that's okay. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Now when I talking to a few friends back home I realize some of the silly things that worry them on a daily basis, and it reminds me to stay grounded and constantly reevaluate what is really important in the big scheme of things. This is not to take away from anything my friends back home are going through, it's just that once you have been out there on your own (especially more than a state away from family) you gain a whole new perspective, that I believe can only better yourself. Enough of my rambling on, I just wanted to share some of what I have learned through my 4 years in the military. I now give you the star of the show, with grins on his face!