Family Genes

When Andrew was born everyone who saw him said he looked like Owen. Andrew came out with an expression that did look just like his daddy. But as he has gotten older he has started to look more like me and my side of the family. I think it is funny how that happens and it is amazing to see Andrew evolve and grow.

Most people thought Sam looked like Andrew when he was born. Even though I think they have always looked different their new born pictures are very close - it is hard to tell them apart.

Yesterday my friend Amanda said she thought Sam looked like Owen. No one has really made that comment before. That made me look at Owen's baby pictures and you know what Sam does look like his daddy. And I do think Andrew is looking more like me.

Here are some pictures to compare - I just love seeing how the boys favor Owen and me. I know they really look just like them - but there are some family resemblances.



Owen as a baby



Sam at 6 months



Andrew at 7 months



Me as a baby

I tried to put pictures of all of us at the same age and making the same expression!

Here are some sibling pictures.



Adam and me



Andrew and Sam



Owen and Nathan

Sam and Andrew definitely share similar looks but they are also so different and it looks like they are perfect blend of Owen and me.

Anyways, I thought it would be neat to compare our baby pictures.

Sam is 6 months old

My baby is a half a year old! I will be planning that first birthday party before I know it. He is the sweetest baby. He gives great hugs and snuggles in to give a kiss or better yet for you to kiss him.

Here are some 6 month updates for Samuel.

* His stomach has not been doing well. He is spitting up at least once a day after he eats. It isn't violent and he seems happy afterwards. He hasn't had a fever and doesn't seem to be struggling with going to the bathroom. I have called the doctor's office twice and both times I have been told that as long as he doesn't have a fever and is going to the bathroom then he should be fine. That is nice to hear but when he does spit up I feel so sad and worried.

* Since he is spitting up we haven't been feeding him as much. And that means I have not been waking him up between 9 and 10 pm to eat one last time. So for the past two days he has woken up at 3 am for a little snack. But goes right back to sleep.

* He is trying to sit up on his own. He is sitting up better in the bath tub. He has is own tub and there is a middle part that helps him balance. He loves splashing the water with his hands and kick with his feet.

* He smiles all the time. And it is a big smile. It melts my heart.

* We have tried solid foods with him. He has eaten carrots, squash and sweet potatoes. He seems to understand the concept of the spoon but does not like the taste of these foods. I tried bananas to see if he would eat something with a better taste and of course he gobbled those up. Once I know for sure his tummy is ok I am going to try the green vegetables.

* He is a side sleeper now. It is so cute. When I lay him down he curls to the side. He looks so comfortable.



* Sam is wearing 6-12 month clothes - best fit is 9 months. And he is in size 3 diapers.

* We have his well baby check up next Tuesday so I am eager to see how much he has grown. And to talk to the doctor more about his spitting up.

* Sam has started babbling the b sound. Like bah bah and bye. Today he stuck his tongue out - he thought he was so funny.

* Andrew is really connected to Sam. He knows his tummy hurts and asks about him. He likes to go with me to wake Sam up. Today I got a hugging moment from the both of them.



I know all moms say this but seeing these two together makes me very happy. I pray that they have a lifetime friendship.

I am sure I have left something out. If I did I will write again when we have his 6 month check up.

"Hey" from Mommy and Me

Sam says "hey" from Mommy and Me.

Sam has not been feeling well but we took a chance and went to Mommy and Me yesterday. He had a great time. He watches and smiles and laughs. I LOVE this time and am so THRILLED I can take him to Mommy and Me. I need this one on one time with him. I crave it. He is the sweetest baby. He is my baby and I want to hold onto his baby time. He is now 6 months old - he is a half a year. I can't get over it.

I plan to take his 6 month picture today if he seems to be feeling better.

The Greatest Show on Earth

We took the boys to the "Greatest Show on Earth" this Saturday. We went to the Ringling Brother's Circus in New Orleans! It was one of the best experiences. Andrew sat motionless for one hour and Sam was motionless for 30 minutes. Andrew sat on Owen's lap and he had his fists balled up and Owen said he could feel his heart racing. By the 2nd half Andrew was sitting in his seat and clapping his hands when the clowns asked him too. It could not have gone better. I didn't know how Sam would do. I actually thought he would go to sleep but I could not have been more wrong. First I am not sure how he could have gone to sleep with the lights and the music - too much going on to sleep. Besides that Sam really got into it. His eyes followed the acts and I think he had a great time.

It lasted longer than we thought. We went to the 3:00 show and it was over at 5. After we went to dinner and stayed in traffic on the interstate due to road work, we didn't get home until 10 pm! But both boys went with the flow.

It was an absolutely perfect experience with the exception of Sam not feeling well. He had an upset tummy the whole weekend and spit up immediately after he ate. I am not sure if he had a virus (no fever and he didn't "act" sick) or if we were over feeding him (he eats ever 2-3 hours still, so maybe he needs to go 4 hours) or if he is having an intolerance to the formula. I am at a loss because he also spit up after I nursed him. Yesterday we only fed him pedilyte until he went to sleep. I nursed him then and he kept it down all night. We had mommy and me and he nursed this morning and before mommy and me and he kept that down. So hopefully he has bounced back. So other than Sam spitting up on me at lunch, Owen at the circus, and on himself in the car - all was well.

Here are some pictures of the circus!

Supported Sitter

Sam will turn 6 months this Sunday. Oh my word - we are half way to his one year birthday - time please slow down.

He is now sitting up on his own with the support of a boppy. I think he likes this new view.





Andrew wanted to get in a picture with Sam and this is Andrew saying "cheese". He is so funny.



Both of them are growing up way too quickly!

Father's Day 2012

Father's Day 2012 was MUCH better than Mother's Day 2012. Why is that? For mother's day I was at the pediatrician's office so worried that Sam was really sick. For Father's day we are laughing and enjoying both our dads and Owen. Don't get me wrong I am SO VERY HAPPY that the weekend was healthy and fun.

My parents came to town on Saturday. We had lunch and shopped a little with them. Then we came home and relaxed. They stayed with the boys that night while Owen and I went out to dinner for our 5th anniversary. We had a great time and went to our favorite special occasion restaurant.

Sunday we woke up lazy and had a relaxing breakfast and then went to church. We met up with Mick, Aha and Aunt Abby for lunch at the Country Club. It was so good. Both boys were so well behaved.

After our long leisurely lunch we went to Sam's and Target. Andrew has gone to the potty 5 times at school sohe was able to pick out a toy at Target. He picked out Mack the 18 wheeler truck from the Cars movie that had 4 small racing cars with it. Andrew played with that truck for 2 hours. He was so happy and content with it. Definitely a good prize for being such a big boy.

I think Owen had a good weekend. I had Andrew pick out his present for his daddy. I asked him all week what he wanted to get his daddy. He would say fire truck over and over. I was going to let this unfold because I thought it was funny and I really Andrew to be involved in picking something out for Owen. We went to target and looked at the cards. He picked out all the cards for his dad, granddad and Mick. Then we went to the toy section. Andrew could not find the fire truck he wanted so we had level 4 melt down. He did not pick out a truck. Then we went to the dog section to pick out a present for Ralphie to give to Owen - I was running with this theme of picking out something that the child would really like. Ralphie got Owen a squirrel with a squeaker - Ralphie thought it was the BEST gift ever and immediately wanted to play with it. Oh this is so funny in my head. After we get Ralphie's gift for Owen I needed some baby food for Sam. Sippy cups are also in this aisle. Andrew saw a cars cup that he HAD TO HAVE. I asked him if this is was what he wanted to get his daddy. Andrew's answer was YES! So that is what Owen got. The best part is when Owen opened his cars cups (there were 2 of them); Andrew asked me to wash them immediately and insisted that Owen drink out of one with him. It was so funny and made the whole plan work!

PS: Sam let me pick out Owen's gift so he also got a work shirt and a weekend shirt :)

It really was a great day and weekend.

Mornings

My sweet Sam wakes up with a smile every morning. He doesn't cry for you to get him (hope I am not jinxing this by admitting it). Instead he plays with his feet and waits for you to get him up for the morning. Then when he sees you he gives you the sweetest and biggest smile. I love it.

Andrew likes to wake up on his on terms. He is also usually very happy. Andrew wakes up and then plays in the his room. When hears activity he will open his door and look around to see if it is ok to come out. This is something new he has been doing.

Most mornings we go into Andrew's room first - b/c we know he is awake. Then the three of us (four if you count Ralphie) go into Sam's room to get him up. One morning this week Andrew wanted to get in Sam's bed. Here are some sweet morning pictures. I took the pictures because Andrew told me to - he is very good at giving out directions :)

Andrew's 1st Hair Cut

Andrew's hair has grown so much lately. The back was unruly and the front was starting to get in his eyes. Also his curls were straightening out. With all of those facts a hair cut appointment was made for Saturday June 9, 2012. I wanted this day to be all about Andrew. We first went to get him new shoes, then a hot dog lunch out, followed by the hair cut. My friend Molly who cuts my hair was where we went for Andrew's hair cut.

Shoe shopping took longer than I thought so we started running behind schedule. Luckily Owen got Andrew a Cars magazine to look at while we waited. Then lunch ran late - but Andrew enjoyed it b/c it was his favorite - HOT DOG :)

When we got to Molly's it was raining and Andrew's hair was really curly. He sat in the chair like such a big kid. He was nervous and wanted to hold my hand while in the chair. Then we gave him his magazine to look at while she cut his hair. He did not cry at all and did not mind her touching him. He even let her hold him for a picture. It was a happy moment. At first Owen did not think she cut much. I still wanted him to have curly hair so she just trimmed the long pieces. But the next day you could really tell he got a hair cut. It looks a lot better and the curls seem tighter.

Mix Match Day at School

Last Friday was Mix Match day at school. This was just something fun to end the week with. I thought it would be great because Andrew could pick out his own clothes and I wouldn't care if they did not match. But you know that sweet little boy picked out all clothes that matched! A miracle really. So instead of convincing him that he couldn't wear the outfit of his choice because it didn't match - I was convincing him it matched too much - what a turn of events.

Here he is in the final outfit.





And where did this boy come from? Isn't he supposed be a two year old baby??? Nope, 2 is a big boy these days.

Bath time

I have come to really like bath time. When I was pregnant with Sam bath and bed time thoughts overwhelmed me. When Sam was an infant the thought of doing both by myself made me anxious and scared. I would get so frustrated when Owen came home late (late is used loosely b/c he comes home the same time between 6 and 6:30, but in those early days that was LATE). But now, I have a system and Andrew knows the system so it makes it a little enjoyable. Even when they are both crying (usually one is crying b/c the other one is) I find it amusing yet chaotic. Yes, I am usually sweating and wondering what went wrong in the moment of the craziness and tears, but if I could have an out of body experience I know I would find it funny. I have a feeling I am going to miss these times with both of them needing me so much during bath and bed time.

After I get both of them out we lay on Sam's floor for our lotion applications and diaper coverage :) Then it is off to pjs and kisses. Here they are on the floor in the assembly line I created.



Then comes the pajamas and lovies



Owen is home by now and he takes Andrew off on night time adventures. They are usually playing Fireman Sam with Andrew in the lead of playtime. They run from the pole in our house (now the fire pole) and then they run to the fire to put it out with the "hoses" all while wearing their fire hats (ball caps). I have to get a picture of the two of them. Andrew is full speed ahead at night and then it takes him an hour in his room to calm down and wind down enough to go sleep.

Meanwhile, Sam and I are rocking and singing songs until he falls asleep. For the past two nights he has eaten one last time at 9 pm and then slept until 5 or 6 pm! I love this schedule!

After Sam goes to sleep - it is Andrew's turn. He is a mess and wants me to rock him but won't sit still long enough for me to actually rock. I do love this time with Andrew. We talk about his day and he tells me stories.

So the night time activity I dreaded is now becoming my favorite part of the day.

Another part of our night is Sam has started solids. I tired the rice cereal again last night and he didn't like it. I decided to give him carrots instead and he liked those much better.





I wish the pictures were better. I took them from my phone and they did not turn out so good.

Comparing Pictures

This is Andrew eating Rice Cereal for one of the first times...



And here is Samuel...

Sam tries rice cereal

This weekend we gave Sam rice cereal for the first time. His expression was priceless! I think he liked the idea of a spoon but the taste wasn't what he expected. Then I think he got irritated because I was spoon feeding him - what happened to alot of food coming at once in a bottle??









We will keep trying :)

These two make me smile

I love seeing them bond. I know they are little but I pray that they will always want to sit side by side. I love how Sam is holding onto Andrew. This was a fun memory this morning. Getting Sam in the box was Andrew's idea. Owen went with it and I took the pictures. My heart is full of love for these precious babies.