Summertime Fun

It always takes me some time to get adjusted to summer. I know that my friends and family who have "real jobs" that don't get summers off are probably rolling their eyes right now. Seriously, as a teacher, you go-go-go all school year night and day with work. Then summer hits and all the school work suddenly comes to a hault. That is the point when I find myself not knowing what to do with all the spare time. I take some time to be lazy... but that really does get old quick. I like to have a purpose each day. Anyway, this is how summer has always been for me. The first week or two are a little akward as I figure out what to do to keep myself busy, and then I figure it out and before I know it summer is almost over.

This year has been a little different considering I now have a busy baby boy to take care of each day. When summer arrived, I started out not knowing what to do with him all day long. I felt frazzled at the end of the day, but I really didn't do any work other than take care of Sam. I was surprised how difficult it was to do simple chores--like laundry, cleaning, and cooking--while caring for an 11 month old little boy. I wondered how my friends and family who stay home with their children do it. I craved interaction with adults and even a little time to myself to read or exercise and I wasn't getting anything done around the house. If anything, we were making a bigger mess of the house being home all day!

We are now a good month into summer break, and I finally feel like I've got a good routine that works for Sam and me. It's taken some trial and error to figure out the best time to eat, sleep, and play. It's not the perfect schedule...I call it the flexible schedule (that's the media specialist coming out in me). Give or take 30 minutes, we get up around 7:00 am and get ready to exercise. I usually jog or walk with Sam in the stroller. We get home around 9:00 and eat breakfast and Sam takes his morning nap usually between 9:30 am - 10:30 am. When he wakes up, we play for a while and then eat lunch around noon. After lunch, we head out of the house for a while. Sometimes we go to the swimming pool, the grocery store, or run errands. After our outing, Sam is usually ready for his afternoon nap around 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm. When he wakes up from his afternoon nap, Sam plays inside and we get ready for dinner. Sam usually eats dinner around 6:00 pm and we start getting him ready for bedtime at 7:30 pm. None of these events on our schedule happen at the exact time I've described here, but this is a sketch of what our routine looks like for the most part. In fact, Sam has even skipped entire naps at times. This schedule gives me something to aim for each day. It feels good to have a semi-routine so I can attempt to plan around his naps and feedings.

On Friday mornings, I take Sam to a Kindermusik class downtown. We go at 11:00 am on Fridays, so it forces me to make sure we get an early start on the day so he will have time for a good nap before Kindermusik class. The class is called "Sign and Sing". I'd like to teach Sam some basic baby signs so that he can start communicating what he wants before he is able to talk. He has made some progress, but at this point, I think the classes were more for my benefit than his. It helps me to see the baby signs and learn ways to teach them to Sam. Who knows if we'll be successful, but I figure it can't hurt to try to learn the basics--such as eat, drink, more, all done, hello, bye, sleep, etc. So far, Sam can do the sign for "more" and wave hello and bye-bye, but he doesn't seem to understand the meaning yet. He will do the sign for "more" almost any time just to get a rise out of me (I get excited when he does it). He often waves hello or bye-bye...but sometimes when I ask him to wave bye-bye to someone who is leaving he just stares at us. He may even wave after the person is out of sight. Who knows what goes through that little head of his.

Kindermusik has also been a great opportunity for Sam to interact and see other children close to his age. He likes to watch the other children at first and then he will eventually warm up enough to crawl up to them--especially if they are playing with a certain toy or instrument that he wants. I quickly observed the huge differences between girls and boys in this class. We sit in a circle and all the little girls sat nicely in thier mommy's laps, while the boys could hardly wait to dig in to the toy boxes and were crawling and running around the room almost constantly during the class.

I'll try to post some pictures soon!

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!

Sam is Driving!

Look at this big boy! Things have been so busy the past few weeks (renting the house for Master's Week, flying to Wisconsin, taxes, busy time of year at work, etc...) and they continue to be for the next week, but I wanted to post this cute picture that mom took today. Sam is now 9 months old and much has happened since my last post. I'll write an update once life settles down a little.

Eight Months Old

Where has all the time gone? I can hardly believe Sam is 8 months old already. He's quickly stretching out his footed outfits and onesies, many of his pants look like long shorts, and his long-sleeved shirts only reach his forearm. So, it's time to bring out the next size already. I never imagined that a son of ours would be so long! Alan and I aren't exactly the tallest people in the world. Sam wears 12 - 18 month clothes already! Maybe the manufacturers of baby clothes exaggerate their sizes to make parents feel good? What do you think?

At this point, many of my friends who have babies that are about Sam's age are all buzzing about how their little ones are rolling over and crawling by now--not Sam, though. Honestly, I'm not trying to rush it because I love that I can put him down on the blanket and let him play without worrying that he is going to go anywhere. Sam's tolerance of tummy time is improving so I know he's making progress towards crawling, but he's just not that intersted in going anywhere. We haven't exactly baby-proofed our house yet :)

Sam loves to sit up, jump in his jumper (or in your lap!), stand up while holding on to something, and play with anything he can get his hands on. He loves to put things in his mouth, but we still don't see any signs of teeth yet. He likes to be heard at times. Sometimes he even gets so loud that we have to leave the room if we want to carry on a conversation on the telephone. Baby babble, spitting motor sounds, and loud high pitched squeals are some of the fun sounds that he makes.

"He's clapping! He's clapping!", were the words mom exclaimed into my phone yesterday as I was grocery shopping. She then sent the picture below; I love that you can send pictures via cell phones! It made me feel a little better about not being there the first time he clapped.



It may seem silly that we are making a big fuss about clapping--is it considered a milestone? Probably not, but we've been trying to teach him to clap for at least a month now. Here is some video of Sam's new skill. I took it last night right before bedtime.

Sam's First 5K

It was a cool morning with beautiful blue skies--the perfect morning for a run. Thankfully, I had pre-registered for the Heart and Sole 5K the night before the race because I was running late for the race (are you surprised?). I couldn't find my exercise partner at the beginning of the race so we just went straight to the back with all the other baby joggers and started out with a jog. About 5 minutes into the race, I hear someone call out my name---thinking it was my friend Michelle who I was supposed to meet at the start of the race---I turned to find Farrior, my dear Phi Mu little sister from Mercer. Donning a pretty pink hat, she was running in her first 5K race! Later during the race, Farrior and Tabitha (another sorority sister that I haven't seen in years) jogged past me and I didn't get to see them again until the finish line. They drove all the way from Macon to run in honor of their friend who put on the race to benefit the MCG's Children's Medical Center Heart Program in Augusta. What a fun surprise it was to bump into them!

I think Sam enjoyed watching all the people, but sometimes it's hard to tell when he's in the baby jogger. He gets an uninterested look on his face when I strap him in. He doesn't cry, though, so I guess he's okay with it. I was a little worried about taking him because the race fell right at his usual nap-time, but he was a trouper and stayed awake during the whole experience only to crash as soon as I put him in the car to go home. Doesn't he look tired? Do you see the look of boredom in his eyes?