Sam at 15 months

Sam turned 15 months this past Sunday. Hard to believe it but it is true. And he is every bit of a little toddler. He walks so good and Owen and I are amazed at that because he just starting walking a month ago. He is really starting to show us he understands his surroundings. Over the weekend we told Sam it was time for "nite nite". He took his medicine and gave Andrew a hug and a kiss. Then he walked straight to his room and tried to climb on his chair. It was so funny that Owen and I did the same the next night to see if he would do it again - and he did. He is starting to say more things. He looked at Ralphie this morning and said "Ralph". The end syllables are still hard to recognize but he is getting it. I thought I heard him say "block" while picking up a block.

I remember when Andrew was this age and Owen and I were impressed with every little detail he did. We would ask ourselves if we would still be amused with a 2nd child. We now the answer is YES! They are different which makes it fun. Sam is a little less shy and smiles and waves to everyone he sees. He really is the charmer.

This past Monday Sam had his Mommy and Me Easter Egg Hunt. Sam was the first one out the door holding onto his Easter basket. I had to run ahead to get a picture of him.

Leading the Group

He was a little confused at first, but after showing him to put the eggs in his basket...he got the hang of it and then when he realized there was candy in the eggs...well that added a whole new excitement for Sam.

Mommy and her 15 month old

"Ball" - that is what he called the eggs

Eating the candy out of the eggs

It was a great party! Here are some fun things Sam is doing right now.

* He still LOVES music and will kick his legs or sway when he hears music. He loves to get my old iphone out. I put itunes on for him and he walks around holding the phone to his ear like it is an old school boom box - it is hilarious.

* Still does not like fruit unless it comes in a pouch. He does try food and likes meat and potatoes.

* Goes to bed between 6:15 and 6:30 and wakes up early around 5:30 or 6:00 am

* He LOVES Ralphie and watches everything Andrew does.

* Starting to cry for mommy. He gets very upset when I leave a room and will come find me.

* He is starting to listen to a book when I read to him. Before he would try to get the book or bat away the pages. Now he appears he is listening.

* I still give him a cup of milk before bed. I am not sure how we will stop this b/c he loves it and I do too.

* I can't tell you (oh blog book of mine) how much Owen and I enjoy Sam. He brings a smile to our faces. Sam's expressions are priceless and even though his words are limited he can communicate very well.

We go for his 15 month check up next week. I always love these visits. This visit I am curious how his ears are doing. He constantly has a runny nose and little cough. I know the weather is not helping but it worries me.

This is Sam laying on the floor at Mommy and Me

Photo Book

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I made a book for Andrew's first year and when Shutterfly sent me a free book coupon I knew I needed to make Sam one too!

The Pirates

All of the soccer teams with Hattiesburg Youth are sponsored by companies. Andrew's team is sponsored by Flatteau's foods. They make cookies. BUT his team choose the Pirates as there team name. This past Saturday was the first game that Andrew showed any interest in. He chased the ball and kicked the ball. He played one entire half. Owen and I couldn't have been more excited for him.

This was half time - Andrew was waiting for everyone to get back on the field.

At one point I looked over to check on Sam and noticed two little girls playing with him. He was letting them touch his head and arms. And the boy was loving every minute of the attention.

Running after the ball - GO ANDREW

Andrews team: Andrew, Riley (coaches daughter), Anna Claire, Christopher (very good player), Elizabeth and David

Andrew has two more games of the season. We aren't going to sign up for Fall soccer b/c we still think he is too young. We will try again next spring :) But it has been fun to get up and go on Saturday mornings.

A little update

I don't think I have been blogging as much as I used to. Not sure why that is...but I do seem to be in a little funk lately so that could be the reason. I am declaring that my body needs a spring break and a Christmas break. Those are the two times a year where I feel completely drained and unmotivated. And the sad and very unfortunate reality is there is nothing I can do about that.

Andrew is hilarious. He is very smart (at least Owen and I think he is). The things he says and they way he thinks is impressive. He is still not completely potty trained. I am tying not to take this personally but it's hard not to think I am failing has a mother b/c my child refuses to potty train.

Sam is a character. He is the sweetest little boy and then he is throwing a fit. His tantrums are like nothing I have ever seen. It mainly happens when he is tired. They flare up when he wants to do something and you tell him no. Examples would be...it's time to come in from playing outside or no you can't play with the remote control. Or even as simple as time to sit and eat dinner. If he doesn't want to do it or doesn't want to stop something he will let you know he is not happy. I have to video this one day. I told him today that throwing fits does not get you what you want - Andrew pipes in with "yes, that never works for me" - I couldn't tell if he was serious or if was repeating a phrase he has heard us use - but it was still appropriate and funny :)

My favorite day/Special day was this past Sunday. I had a good day. We went to Jackson for Abby's wedding shower. It was nice and I am glad we were able to go. Here are my boys sporting their St. Patrick's Day green :)

This is the good picture of Sam

This is the good picture of Andrew

This picture makes me smile because Sam is always looking at Andrew and studying him. It is so very sweet to me.

Injury of 2013

Well, let's hope this is our only injury of 2013. I bruised my left knee two weeks ago when I fell on it carrying Sam and the diaper bags. It wasn't pretty but it didn't hurt until 2 days later. I was in alot of pain so I made an appointment to see someone about it. But couldn't get in for a week and half. Eventually it was feeling better and I was thinking about canceling the appointment. Until this past Monday. I was on the floor putting Sam's shoes on and when I got up I twisted my left knee all wrong. I heard it tear. It was painful. I was back to square one but this time couldn't wait for the appointment. I called and they were able to see me. The diagnosis is I sprained my MCL. Good news is I don't have to have surgery which is what I thought was going to happen. Bad news is it will take 4-6 weeks for it to really heal. The doctor gave me a brace to wear - which does help, but it is annoying.

Here I am with my brace. Luckily I wear scrubs to work and they are loose enough for the bulky brace to fit under my pants. I don't want to complain too much b/c the brace has helped alot. I can now put weight on that knee.

Weekend of Showers

Last weekend I had two showers to attend. The first one was for my cousin in Mobile who is having a baby boy. My mom, Andrew & Sam went for the day. It was fun, but it was a long day. The boys did great. I am constantly amazed at them. The main reason we went was that my mom could see you mom. We were able to visit for a little bit and took a picture to make sure my boys remember her.

On Sunday Abby was having a wedding shower in Hattiesburg. I was one of the hostesses and it went so well.
Abby got alot of great gifts - I sure do wish we could have anniversary showers. :)

Abby opening her gifts

It was a fun weekend - but exhausting :)

Sam is 14 months old

My little man is now a walking toddler...is 14 months a toddler? I don't know but I know he is a toddling around so well.

Sam at Mommy and Me - 14 months old

trying on clothes for Aunt Abby's wedding - 14 months old

Sam is a character. He makes the best facial expressions. He doesn't use alot of words but the boy can communicate. His non-verbals are amazing. Some things he is doing this month are:

* He can clap really good and claps when asked to
* He likes cheerios in the morning and milk all day long. I think he drinks 30 ounces of milk a day.
* He still does not like fruit unless it is in a squeeze pouch. I buy 15 or more of these a week. On weekends he will have 2 or 3 as a snack. I even bring them to school so they can give him an extra snack.
* He is only fussy when he is tired or hungry
* He eats well but is some what picky.
* He will push something out of the way when you give it to him if he doesn't want it. He does this with food too.
* Sam pouts, whines and points for things he wants. We are good with using the word to associate what he wants but he isn't copying us yet.
 * He is getting better at pointing. He can make the point with his finger but he is slow to point out objects when asked.
* He loves Ralphie and calls him RaRa or dog.
* Words he does use are: bird, ball, da (dad), RaRa or dog (ralphie), baby (for any stuffed animal) and I think he is saying ba for bottle (milk)
* He uses a transition cup that looks like a bottle so I think that is why he calls it bottle. I catch myself doing it too but it is a cup. I am trying different cups with him after school to see if he likes something different.
* I have started to bring Sam a cup of milk or juice like I do for Andrew after school. I try to give them same cup b/c Sam is starting to notice things more and likes to have what Andrew has.
* He is a good walker now. Once he took that first step the boy was off with no looking back. It is cute.
* Andrew and Sam are starting to interact more. This past weekend was the first time they "played" with each other. And by play I mean laugh and roll on the floor together. It warmed both mine and Owen's heart.
* He has so many teeth. In fact teething has been hard. He seems to be in a lot of pain and the teeth are coming in so slowly.
* He is wearing 18-24 month clothes
* He has been waking up at 4 am (yes that early) for the last 4 days. I am going to get a bigger overnight diaper to see if that will help. His diaper is overflowing and I know that wakes him up. Then he realizes he is hungry so he drinks a cup (or 2) of milk before I can get him to sleep again. This is a hard to time to wake up for me b/c it is close enough for me to really wake up but still too early to actually get up and get moving. So it's been hard this past week.
* He goes to sleep b/ 6 and 6:30 pm. Our night routine is put his music on, turn his sound machine on, I read a book and he drinks a cup of milk before bed time. I may need to cut some of the milk out too to help with the diaper situation. It's a constant trial and error and our house.
* He takes one nap at school but will still take 2 naps at home on the weekends.
* Sam is a people watcher. He loves to watch his brother. He smiles at strangers and flirts with everyone. He is a happy baby.

I am sure I have left some things out. He is the sweetest baby. He hates when I leave a room and will cry and walk or crawl to find me. It is makes me feel good.

Valentines Day - 13 1/2 months

Weekend in Starkville

Two weekends ago we packed up and headed north - to Starkville, MS. The bulldogs were playing and it is an excuse to visit my parents. Adam even came for a night and we captured the fun with photos.

Andrew had such a fun time. In fact he cried when we got home Sunday b/c he wanted to go back to Grandmom and Granddad's house.