10 months old!

Our little man is already over 10 months old. I haven't been keeping up with the blog lately just because life has been so busy at work and at home we are trying to savor every moment with Sam. Time has never flewn by as quickly as the past 10 months. It already seems that Sam is no longer a "baby"...but really looks like a little boy already. He is changing so much every day and I'm going to do my best to catch up since I last updated the blog.

Probably the biggest news is that Sam is crawling and cruising furniture now. He has the cutest crawl that reminds me of a hobbling tripod--he keeps his left leg straight like he wants to walk with it and keeps his right leg bent---this results in quite a funny method of getting around. He's mastering his craft more and more each day, though. I'm trying to get some video of his crawl, but he is so camera-happy that every time I get the video camera out to tape it he stops and smiles for the camera. He knows just what to do when he sees a camera pointed at him--but that makes it difficult to get those adorable candid shots.

Sam actually started cruising the furniture before he crawled. I think he prefers walking around over crawling, but he still needs to hold on to something in order to walk around. He does laps around the coffee table in the family room each day. It's great to see him enjoying his exercise time! He loves going around and around over and over again. Of course he's had a few falls, but for the most part he gets right back up on his feet as soon as he can.

It amazes me how quickly he is learning new skills and developing. Last Saturday morning, Alan went to his crib and was surprised to see Sam sitting up in his crib! This was the first time he pulled himself up from a sleeping position to sitting on his own. If that skill impressed us like it did, you can imagine how surprised we were at the very next nap time that same day when we walked in his room to be greeted by Sam STANDING in his crib! Two milestones in 4 hours! :)

Sam has found a few ways to communicate with us already. He waves bye-bye, claps, says "woof", "momma", and "dada" (even if he doesn't actually know what those words mean yet). I actually think, "woof" was his first word :) He greets Buddy and Bailey with with a soft "woof" when they walk in the room. I think he is trying to get their attention when he says it. He loves those dogs.

At his 9 month appointment, he was 18.7 pounds and 28.5 inches tall. This placed him around the 60th% percentile for height and 5th percentile for weight, if I remember correctly. I'm surprised that his weight is so low on the growth charts because he has chubby cheeks, chunky thighs, and a big belly. He doesn't look like a skinny baby...but the numbers seemed small.

Two little teeth have poked their way through his lower gums. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly when they arrived...I hope that doesn't make me a bad mom. I know it was a very busy time when they appeared in his mouth. I just woke up one morning and looked at him and when he smiled there were two little white slivers on his lower gum! It was sometime right before his 9 month appointment. He didn't really act differently when they were coming in. I think he always acts like he is teething, though---drooling contstantly and chewing on things all the time. I've been expecting teeth to come in since January!

I'll close this post with a little video of Sam crawling. There is a cute close up at the end of the clip--hope you enjoy it :)

Playing at the Pool

Here are a few pictures of Sam at the swimming pool. He loves getting in the water and splashing around. He likes to walk around the edge of the baby pool and watch all the other children play. In the big pool, he kicks his feet up and likes to float while one of us holds him and moves him through the water. It is a refreshing way to spend the warm afternoons here in Augusta!

My First Mother's Day

You wouldn't guess it by the tardiness of my post, but this is now one of my favorite days of the year. I'm finally sitting down to reflect on my first Mother's Day and what it means to me and it is 3 weeks past due! I can't believe that I actually thought I was busy before having a child...what I wouldn't do for some of that spare time now! One thing that I do remember about my first Mother's Day (3 weeks ago) is that Alan made sure that I didn't have to lift a finger all day :) Thank you, Alan.

I feel so blessed to be the mother of such a wonderful little boy. Motherhood has changed my perspective on almost every aspect of my life. All of the sudden, I think about the things I do and the way I live my life through the eyes of this little child who can't even talk to me yet. I want to be the best parent, role model, and teacher I can be for him - in our family, my work, our home, and as we play. It has also made me appreciate my parent's love for me more than I ever did before. I didn't realize the depth and strength a parent's love for their child could be until we had a child of our own.

These are some of the things that make it so fun to be Sam's mom.

I love ...

...how Sam stops crying when I hold him (usually).

...watching his face light up when his Papa plays with him. Alan knows how to make him laugh.

...being able to nurse him...any time of day--even in the middle of the night.

...the way he smiles with his two little teeth showing on the bottom.

...the way he sticks his tongue out the side of his mouth when he is playing.

...the way he feels so soft and smells so good after his bath.

...watching him figure things out on his own.

...watching him learn new skills.

...how he watches people.

...how he starts clapping when I say "Good boy, Sam!" or when he hears a crowd errupt in applause --and it doesn't matter if the applause is on tv or at a live baseball game.

...the way he waves at himself with both hands when we say "bye-bye".

...the way he hugs and bumps his mouth on my shoulder...it probably just feels good on his teeth, but I like to pretend he is giving a hug and kiss.

...the sound of his voice when he says "momma".

...hearing him play with his voice and the vibrations of the stroller when we are on a bumpy path.

...the way he says "woof" when he is trying to get Buddy's attention.

There are so many things I love about Sam and being his mom...these are just a few ;) Thank you Alan and Sam for making my first Mother's Day so wonderful. I love you both!