Sam & Suzy This Week

I couldn't help it! hee hee

This week just flew by! It's actually nice having Christmas on a Wednesday, it helps break up the week.

Sam's been at Rob's parents for the week. It's so sweet to see them together. Sam does love his grandma and grandpa. ALWAYS smiles when grandpa walks by. Hopefully one day soon, Sam will get to spend more time with them. For now, this is great.


Sam:
Sam is beginning to be a bit clingingy and will cry if I leave the room. Secretly, I've been waiting for this moment...come on, it's sweet! He really does love me! Buuuut, at the same time, I do feel bad. I don't want him to cry. He doesn't cry when we leave in the morning, but if we come home and I say go to the restroom, he'll cry a little. He also likes sitting in my lap and doesn't want to be anywhere else sometimes. I think right now, a lot of it is him teething a bit and he's not feeling the greatest. He's like that as well when he's tired.

Suzy:
It's been a lovely week. With the excitement and joy of the holidays and the sunshine we've been getting, I've been feeling great. Working on Sam's cardboard house and the mat and pillow was a lot of fun. Reminds me that I truly enjoy making things. I also got to bake a pie! Apple pie with beer soaked apples.

AND!! I have gotten a lot of alone time this week with being sick one day and baking the pie another (2 hours to soak apples in beer!!). It's such a weird feeling and I get to the point where I start to get very lonely. But I got to watch a cheesy Christmas movie, catch up on Once Upon a Time, walk the dogs, and just sit. *dreamy sigh*

Sam & Suzy This Week

sam wearing a sweater rob's grandma made for when rob was a baby

Sam:
Sam moved into the Infant II class at daycare! I'm actually very excited for him. He gets to be with some of his older buddies that moved there a while back and he has a few of his other classmates that moved with him. He has a new room to explore, which has tunnels, little hills and other fun stuff.

His teachers say he's really enjoying it. I think a major reason for that is that it's a much calmer environment. The babies there are older and don't required so much one on one attention. Ya can't blame the little ones, it's what they do. But Sam and his classmates are now learning to be more independent and have fun exploring the world. They do a lot more activities like songs and books and working on skills like pushing a toy truck.

I'm curious to see how fast he develops now that most of his classmates either just started walking or are for reals crawling. Seriously, I predict this boy is going to walk at 10 months!

Suzy:
I will be positive in my little section here even though it's been a stressful week and I've been on the negative side lately.
Good things:
- I pulled out some old pants and while I can't really zip and button them up, throw on a belt and I can wear them. Yay for more stuff that fits.

- Me and the dogs took a much needed walk and the sun was shining. I think we all had a huge smile.

- I started doing my back/core exercises again. Thankfully with all the baby picking up, my back has been doing great!

- Starting reading the Golden Compass again for like the 4th time. It's interesting to read a book that I read over 15 years ago and notice and look at it in a different way with grown up eyes.

- I've been putting coconut oil in my coffee and I love it. It all started when I read about butter coffee and I saw that people put coconut oil as well in their coffee.

- I've been a good girl around the holiday treats! Usually just sticking to 1-2 cookies a day. It's going to be extra hard next week, but I know I can still be good!

Sam & Suzy This Week

It was so sweet putting up the Christmas decorations. We were all wearing Christmas hats and I had Christmas music playing and Sam was bobbing his head to the songs. I gave Sam some decorations to explore with, which he loved. He had fun holding a plastic snow globe. Sam was being extra silly and army crawling all over with such a happy face. He even went under the exersaucer and hung out there for a bit, hee hee. We decorated our tree, which Sam helped put the first ornament. Definitely a lovely memory I will keep forever.

I also did our mini photo shoot for our Christmas cards. I'm excited we get to do photo Christmas cards this year! The photos I took are just priceless and I can't wait to share them, but I will wait until we mailed out our cards because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. How about on Christmas I show you the photos?

Sam:
Sam is currently cutting a top tooth. We had a couple really bad nights this past week. What makes this a little bit tougher is that it's really swollen and I can tell he's rubbing his bottom tooth over it and irritating it more.

Suzy:
Do you know that since July I have yet to lose a pound?? That's 6 weeks of me running AND eating a salad for lunch every day and the green smoothies I had for breakfast for a few months. Wow...just wow. I was feeling so positive too! I was feeling good thinking that I was losing weight. Ok, I know, it's great to feel good...but you know I just wish I could see at least ONE pound go away, to let myself know that I'm on the right track.

I guess the reason why it bugs me so much is that I just want to wear nice clothes again! Right now I can't really wear my old pants and so I've been buying jeans at Good Will because I don't want to buy new pants if I'm going to lose weight. While I'm grateful I find jeans at Good Will that fit me, they are not the flatterning. So I just feel dumpy. All the girls at work look so cute and put together, doesn't make it easier sometimes.

Sorry for the venting! This is motherhood folks! Not some celebrity who is back in her prepregnancy clothes 3 months later!

Sam & Suzy This Week

hanging out at the car dealership

Oh our monthly cold! Thankfully it's not that bad as they have been in the past. I'm going to say we are getting stronger. RAWR! But we had a bad night on Tuesday and I just put Sam straight into bed with me because sleep was more important for everyone.

Other than that things are awesome. I swear I love this boy more and more with each day. I was having a rough moment at lunch time today and I almost started crying because I just wanted to be with Sam.

Sam:
Rob taught Sam how to clap over the weekend! Awww. But he only really claps for Rob. Rob's also been helping Sam with crawling. And since the weekend, he really moves around now! He's not crawling, but more of a zombie/army crawl. We now have to watch him all the time!

Oh and mommy and Sam have a thing, if I hold out my pointer finger and make this silly noise, he takes his pointer finger and touches it to mine. So cute!


Suzy:
We are at 5 days of no breastfeeding! It's going well I think. Sometimes I think Sam is crabby in the morning because I'm not breastfeeding him, but other than that...I don't think he really notices. My mood at been all right. I have been a bit crabby and tired, but I also have been sick. Today I was particularly moody and frazzled.

Running is going good though. Last Sunday I ran my furthest of 5 miles! I need to stop complaining so much before I run though, that's not good, too much negativity. You should've heard me on Sunday, it was pathetic....all these excuses. And you know what? I get to 5 miles and I'm in a great mood and I felt like I could keep going. Silly Suzy!

Sam & Suzy This Week

Rob and Sam went to an air show together

Nights and evenings have been a little rough around here this week. Sam's been getting up in the middle of the night and sometimes it's hard to get him back to sleep. Since Rob isn't training for any marathons, he's been helping out. I put him on late night diaper duty and then I put Sam back to sleep. If it's 4 am or later, Sam comes into bed with me since I can't try putting him back to sleep only to have to wake up like an hour later.

He's also been going to bed earlier too. He used to go to bed at 8, now it's more like 7:30. It's kind of throwing me off! Yesterday I felt like I barely got to spend any time with him because of me running and when we got to sit down and play, he cried because he was so tired. We spent the rest of the evening reading books.

Sam:

I love seeing his personality come through. He loves to eat, but always holds his hand up like he doesn't want to get messy and leans his head in with his mouth open. I love finding his tickle spots and I love how I can make him laugh by kissing his tummy. He laughs when we sing silly songs. Itsy Bitsy Spider is his favorite song. He cries and refuses his paci, but if you just hold it in there, he'll quickly stop and fall asleep. 

Suzy:

So, I got really bummed last Sunday. It looked like breastfeeding was over and done with. Sam had no patience with me anymore. I cried and needed a hug from Rob. Monday came along and I'm like, "No! I will not give up! I will pump again at work, take my herbs and feed Sam more!!" And I did, I even pumped at night because Sam got too frustrated. But alas...there was no increase. I have to put on my big girl undies and face the fact that we are done with breastfeeding. This weekend will be the last weekend of morning feedings. Again, I am extremely proud of myself for sticking out for so long despite the trouble and the stress of it all.

Sam & Suzy This Week

who is this boy??

Last weekend was a Mommy and Sam weekend. Rob was in New York getting ready and running the NYC Marathon, who did awesome btw!

I was hoping me and Sam could do something special together, but there's not much to do with a baby around here. I thought he was still a bit young for a return visit to the Childrens Museum, which I had originally wanted to do when thinking about this weekend months ago. Instead we ran some errands together, went shopping and had lunch. I also ran with the BOB stroller, which was nice (the stroller part, the run was awful) Nothing really special, but it was fun being out and about just us. He's such a good boy though! For the most part, it was pretty easy taking care of him all by myself for 4 days. You just gotta plan and stay ahead of things.

Oh yeah...I totally gave Sam a haircut!! His hair had been looking just dirty all the time and getting in his eyes and ears. He was sitting so nice in his bathtub, that I decided to give him a trim. I can't believe how different he looks! It actually makes me sad because he looks like a little boy and not a baby. Once all his hair starts growing at a normal pace and even all around I'm planning on leaving it a bit longer again. It just fits him.

Sam:
This week has been a bit rough at nights. Since Saturday, Sam's been waking up around 3ish just crying and crying. He had been grabbing at his ear so I took him to the doctors to see if he had an ear infection. Turns out he has swimmers ear and had to get drops. I think he's teething too (droooooooool) and which could be effecting his ears as well.

Other than that, he is amazing! He's talking more and more. He gets so happy when you mimic him too. Like, "Hey! That's what I'm saying!" Sam's starting to squeal when he sees something he likes too, like his stuffed animals and food.

Suzy:
I'm in my 2nd week into my half marathon training. It's been causing me more stress and anxiety than I ever imagined. Who knew?? I've been doing a great job, but the thought of having to run more and more miles in the evenings when it starts to get dark has got me in a tizzy. I tried running on the treadmill and I almost started crying because it was so grueling. They don't call it dreadmill for nothing. The next day I was just a ball of nerves and frustration that I ran my 2 miles very very fast.

But all this stress is good! I know it's more than just the running that's causing me to feel this way. Being a mom and being tied to a baby is stressful. I love it, but it's a hard thing to get used to. I feel that making myself go through this training will help me sort out the other stress and frustrations that I've been feeling. Rob always tells me that running helps him sort out his head.

Sam & Suzy This Week

spying on sam after his nap

How was everyone's Halloween?
Ours was great! We originally didn't want to take him trick or treating because any candy is for us and I've been trying not to eat too much processed stuff, but once he had his costume on I couldn't help it! We went to a few neighbor's houses who I thought would love to see Sam in his costume. It was so sweet and right there I realized how long we've been waiting to do these sorts of things with a kid. It was SUCH a great feeling.

Afterwards, we sat on the driveway a bit and gave out candy. Oh, and I totally ate any candy that Sam got. Soooo bad, but sooo good! No will power when it comes to sweets I tell ya!

Sam:
He's been so great! He's just talking up a storm this week. Always making us laugh. Oh and I can totally make him laugh just by giving him kisses on his belly. Love it!

He's been sleeping in his nursery with no problems. I'm so proud. He still wakes up around 5 - 5:30am, which makes the weekends hard. I bring him back to bed with me and we can sometimes get another hour of sleep. But with my breast milk supply dwindling, I hope I can still get him back to sleep on those mornings.

Naps on the other hand is something we struggle with. At day care he takes about three 20 - 40 minute naps. On the weekends, sometimes I can get a good hour long nap and sometimes a 20 minute one. A lot of times I hold him while he naps, for fear of waking him...and also because I just want to be close to him.


Suzy:
Look at me all training for a half marathon! My first run was so great! And then my body remembered it doesn't do this much and I've been so so sore! This weekend I have to run 4 miles, which I have bring Sam with me in the stroller. I have a pretty flat area to run it and I will take it easy, not forcing myself to run all of it. But I may surprise myself.

One thing that I struggle with, I'm actually pretty scared about running! I get nervous and anxious about it. I'm going to start running big miles here and that scares me. I know I can do it, I've had plenty of people tell me I'm a good runner...but I never ran more than 4 miles. I have to beat this fear! I was scared of child birth and I did it. I did it all natural because I trusted my body. Now I just have to trust my body again.

What we've been up to...

It's been a crazy couple of weeks here at our house! My parents and my brother and his family came to visit us last weekend for Sam's baptism. So we've been getting the house ready, then they were here, then they left and we've been recooping.

But it was very nice seeing my family! I wish they could've been here longer and I wish I could've shown them more of North Carolina. Do you know we actually took them to a mexican restaurant? Mexican! They are from Arizona!! What were we thinking? I mean it's in a cool area of Charlotte and we walked around and looked and art and shops, but still....mexican, tsk tsk.

Sam also got baptized this past Sunday. It was a lovely little ceremony that brought tears to my eyes. Nothing like seeing the beauty of life and God in your child.

my brother and sister-in-law are Sam's godparents.

We had fun times with my niece Lily. We went to the pumpkin patch together.

And since last Friday, Sam has been sleeping in his own room! That's so huge! It was the perfect time to move him into his room because while my family was here, Rob and I slept in Sam room. Then on Monday, he was all by himself. I think I had a harder time adjusting. Our room seems so big now. But Sam sleeps great it his room.

Sam & Suzy: This Week

This week was all about food!

Daycare told us that Sam was just fussy and hungry a lot. Most days he eats about every 2.5 -3 hours. Lately he's also been crying when he sees the other babies get solids. Which is funny because at home, Sam is happy eating about every 4 hours with veggies at dinner time. 

"Why don't you give him cereal? We have food here!" I didn't want to really start solid food with Sam so early...just ease him into it, but if he's crying at daycare for food, I don't want him hungry. My head was spinning. I think the main thing is that he sees the other kids and he's like, "Oh hey! I could go for some too."Thankfully, he had his 6 month check up coming up and we could talk to his doctor about the food situation.

Sam's doctor told us that it's ok to give him more food. We can work him up to 3 times a day. She said we don't need to give him cereal just yet, that the veggies we give him is fine. That made me feel better! So, right now Sam gets a veggie at daycare along with his bottles. We also are giving him a small bottle in the morning again. Already we see a big improvement! Sam doesn't need to eat right away at daycare and can wait about 3-4 hours between bottles. (although hello poops!)

And I know daycare provides baby food, but we'd like to make our own. I know Sam may not always be able to eat organic, but if it's easy for us to provide it, then why not? We enjoy making his baby food and I know that it'll help us eat more veggies. It's also much cheaper right now than buying jars and such. (again thank you Sendi for getting us the baby bullet!!)

Sam: 

Hello little tooth! Yep, one of Sam's bottom teeth finally broke through! I can't wait for it to be totally out and see it when he smiles. It's funny to see Sam play with his tooth. His little tongue rubbing against it, chewing on his lip and fingers.

Suzy:
Ok, I know I have a sensitive stomach. I watch what I eat, I stay away from certain foods and I eat smaller portions. Lately though, it's been so grumbly! I think it may be hormones if that makes sense. It's also my pants, because even though they fit, when I sit, it's presses tight right on my lower tummy. But what can I do? I'm tired of wearing maternity pants that I have hold up with the belly band because they are too big otherwise. Being in this inbetween is kind of annoying.

sam & suzy: 26 weeks

i can hold my bottle!

It's October! One of our favorite months of the year! Where it's ok to over indulge in anything pumpkin (beer, coffee, muffins...) and start wearing comfy long sleeves again.

We have Rob's birthday coming up, then my brother's, then my family is coming and we are baptizing Sam, then our anniversary and then Halloween. Throw in some crunchy leaves, pumpkin carving, candy and fun day trips and well...how can we not love this month?

Sam:
Man, babies sure do grow fast! (i know, duh) Seriously, Sam barely has anything to wear because he's practically outgrown all his current clothes. What makes it harder is that we're in between seasons, so mornings are cold and the afternoons are still hot. I'm hitting up Good Will and a consignment store this weekend for some clothes.

Mommy tip I wish I knew before: buy bigger and only buy what you need at the time. I have outfits that he never wore (which I took off tags and washed) because the weather was still too hot and he grew bigger than what these so called clothes says he should fit in. And get familiar with different brand sizes. Old Navy and Gymboree runs big. Carters true to size.

Suzy:
I don't know if it's the weather, or the month, or getting out more or whatever, but I've been feeling awesome. I'm also very used to our routine now. I still go to be around 9 each night. I'm scared to go any later in case we have a rough night. I'm feeling great about my body even though I have a long way to go. So yay!

sam & suzy: 25 weeks

I fell behind again on the week post!

sitting!

We are all pretty much over with the cold that's payed a visit to our home. Sam's sleeping was derailed for a few days from being sick. Little be little he slept more, but those were a couple rough nights. I also learned that I need to keep that humidifier going if I want Sam to sleep good. Actually, I sleep better too.


Sam:
He can finally sit up on his own! He's still a bit wobbly, but every day he gets better. When he first sat and stayed there, you could tell he was so proud of himself.

He's also starting to fine tune the use of his hands. Grabbing at things and trying to figure it out. Sometimes he'll just lay there staring up at his hand, turning them back and forth. Sam tries to hold his bottle all by himself too.

Seeing him do all that just makes me realize how much he's growing! It's pretty amazing to watch someone become a little human being.


Suzy:
Despite this cold kicking my butt, I refused to let it get me down! I've been working on staying positive and being happy. Not that I have much to get me down, but sometimes those little things add up. It's the middle of the night when Sam is crying that gets me the most. The Secret is now available on Hulu.com and I've been watching that for a couple weeks now. I love watching this. I am guaranteed to have an awesome day when I watch the Secret.

I should be back to my regular posting now. With the cold and work being busy, I haven't had much time to write.

sam & suzy: 23 weeks

Now that Sam's a bit older and the weather is a bit cooler, we've been going out as a family more often. I just love it! This is what we've been waiting for. And it's only going to get better!

My favorite thing to do is go up to Davidson, NC (a small college town like 15 minutes away). They have a great farmers market. We got Sam some veggies for him there and some cookies and a whoopie pie for us. They have an awesome coffee shop and a great diner for breakfast. After our activities, we go across the street and walk the college campus. This place so so beautiful with old buildings and trees everywhere. Definitely not like the college campus I'm familiar with from Arizona.

We go grocery shopping. We take lots of walks now. We even went to church last week, which he slept through the entire thing. We are going to the beach soon, Renaissance Festival, hopefully apple picking too. 

Sam:
Sam went for his other set of vaccines yesterday, which always includes a check up. I like taking him to the doctors, it's like a confirmation we are doing good. Yay, we still get to keep him! I can't believe Sam gained almost 3 pounds since last month. It's funny because he's still on the smaller size of most of his buddies.

His doctor also told us it was ok that Sam sleeps on his tummy. That's a relief because no matter how often I turn him over, he's back to sleeping on his tummy. But he's a champ at rolling over both ways and lifting his head, so it's ok for him sleep like that. Still doesn't stop us from constantly checking him.

Suzy:

I've been feeling great! It feels so good to have a pretty solid routine around the house now. I've been going zumba about twice a week. I'm also happy that we take evening walks with the dogs. Poor dogs haven't been getting as much attention as they deserve, so it's good that we walk them more now. It was really bothering me. Oh and sweet glorious sleep! I'm so much happier now that we all get more sleep. 

sam & suzy: 22 weeks

my little fox

It's finally Friday! It's been crazy at work this week, summer is over and everyone is back to business and ordering their business stuffs.

Anyways!
So remember when I mentioned Sam slept through the entire night? He did it again the next day! It was amazing! And then...the next two nights weren't so stellar. First night he woke up around 3 and kept waking up once I put him down. I don't even want to know when it was when we finally fell asleep. Needless to say, it was a rough day for me that not even Starbucks could help.Then the next night, we woke up around 2. This time due to a leaky diaper. And again, he had a hard time being put down.

Two things I noticed. One, leaky diapers are usually the culprit of him waking up. So much pee!! I love our Honest diapers, but I don't know if it's me or them at night. Second, Sam hates any pacifiers lately. Heaven forbid if I try to give him puppy! Wednesday night he acted like I was giving him hot coal to suck on. And what does that mean? That means my boob is the only thing he wants and at 3 am, it's so so hard and frustrating. So we went and got overnight diapers and a new paci.

And the result? He slept all night! He only leaked when he woke up at 5:30. How can he pee so much?? But yay! We figured it out!

Other than that! Things are great. Food is becoming a big hit. We've tried avocado, carrots, peas and sweet potato. Next I want to try zucchini. Sam loves to eat too and reaches for the spoon and shoves it in his mouth. And I'd like to mention how much I love the baby magic bullet. Seriously, it's so easy to make good and it does cost less. One sweet potato gave me like 10 jars of food.

Sam:
I think he's going through a growth spurt. Not too long ago we went up to 6oz for his bottles. Daycare calls me at work letting me know that Sam is NOT happy when he finishes his bottle. Next day we made all 7oz bottles and he drank all 4 that we brought, which on most days he'll go through 3 bottles. He'll also finish a container of food too.

He's also learned the "M" sound. Crying: Muh Muh Muh! Happy: Mwa mwa! This is the first time he started making a talking sound when he's upset and crying. It's so neat to see him develop his vocab.

Suzy:
I realized at Zumba the other day, I just don't have the confidence in my body like I used to. I know all moms tell you that you're body's not the same after a baby. It never really struck me until this week. It's one thing to feel all overweight and frumpy, but it's another to just not carry myself with the confidence I once had. Watching myself at Zumba, I was unsure, small movements and just stumbling through sometimes. This is the same girl who lost 90 lbs, was a yoga champ and ran a few 5ks. Oh totally carried a baby and gave birth all natural!

It's all mental of course. And I need to work on it. Remind myself! I'm glad I made this realization though! It's something that my take time to work on, but I know I can do it! I refuse to be one of those moms who do let themselves go, wearing them mom jeans, hee hee.

sam & suzy: 21 weeks

This week I came to the realization that we never upgraded Sam to a level 2 nipple for his bottles. Gosh, I remember it being such a big deal for me when he was a couple weeks old that "He MUST have the level 1, slow flow! Don't give him anything else!!" Funny how easily you forget things and how things don't seem as desperate or dire as in those first few weeks.

We finally started using our glass LifeFactory bottles. Prekid they seemed awesome. Screw plastic! Ha ha, what a newbie! Ok they are still cool...but a bit on the heavy side and it won't fit in our bottle steamer. But the great thing about them is you can change the tops as your baby grows. So when he gets older, he can use it as a sippy. I'm even using the small bottle for myself to bring liquids to work.

I also got a cabinet all set up for him in the kitchen. I have his Baby Bullet, containers, extra bottles and such all neatly organized in there. And I brought down sippy cups and other big boy food stuffs to put in there because I know I'm going to forget all that! I can't believe he's going to start using sippy cups soon!

Sam:
He sure is chatty lately! I think he likes to see how high pitched he can make his squeals. Ouch, my ears! It's funny because he was totally into blowing raspberries all the time a few weeks ago and I try to get him to do it now, but he's only into squealing.

I still can't tell if he's teething for not. We got an amber necklace, which I put on after daycare said he was fussy all day and not taking naps. Next day, with it on, they said we was much better. Was it related?


Suzy:
I think it's a common misconception is that postpartum hormonal issues last just a bit after giving birth. While I didn't get postpartum depression, I do have bouts of ups and downs even almost 5 months later. Like last night, I starting crying almost out of the blue over not being able to solely breast feed Sam. Um, I thought I came to terms with that and was in a happy place because I still could breast feed him! Fun times!

sam & suzy: 20 weeks

stop shoving food in my mouth!

Sleeping in the Pack and Play has been working really well! I couldn't be more happy and proud of Sam for sleeping so good in it. I started using the white noise machine our room and I think that helps tremendously! I checked out Harvey Karp's The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep and am loving it (just like his other books). I'll write a book review on it next week. But man, there are some useful stuff in there that I'm already starting to implement with Sam.

Oh that 1k that me, Rob, Sam and our friends were to race? Yeah, it was pouring rain and didn't run it! We quickly grabbed our shirts and went into the brewery for our beer, then we all went to another restaurant for some beers. What I bummer! I was really looking forward to it, but at least we had a good times with our friends.

This weekend I'm helping throw a joint baby shower for two of our neighbors. Fun times! And both are having girls, so lots of pink!

Sam:
Things seemed to have settled with Sam again. Last couples weeks were kind of crappy for him, from a cold to runny poos, bad diaper rashes and just general fussiness. He's sleeping good. His bum is all normal. He's my happy little man!

Suzy:
I've been feeling pretty good! This cold is finally leaving and I haven't had a pounding headache from it since Sat. With that I sleep better, I'm in a better mood and it felt good exercise. Although can I have a free day? We've been so busy lately! I don't know when's the last weekend that we had no plans. While, it's super fun (yay we have a social life) I'd like to just lay low one day.

Sam & Suzy: 19 weeks

why haven't i put him in overalls sooner? too cute!

Last night we had Sam sleep in the pack n play after a couple weeks of him sleeping in the sleeper. Rob's mom has been watching him and saying that Sam hasn't been napping good and she thinks he's just not comfortable in the sleeper anymore. I totally agree. So no more sleeper! And Sam actually did pretty well. He woke up twice, which is ok since he did go to bed without a bottle. I woke up to him sleeping on his side, no no stay on your back boy!

Also, lately he's been fussy when falling asleep and wants nothing but me to put him to sleep and will scream otherwise. That's why I think he's teething and loving to chew on things. I did order an amber teething necklace. Can't wait to get it!

Sam:
It finally happened!! Sam laughs now! I got him giggling the other day by going "Om nom nom" and kissing his neck*heartmelts*. Then the other day I was dancing silly for him while Rob had him standing up and dancing too. He loved it. It's the best thing ever when babies laugh! I love how happy this kid is.

Suzy:
Did you know that you can get a cold on top of another cold? I'm really trying to be healthy here I and keep getting beat down. Blarg! I took a sick day on Monday to get some much needed rest and try to get this cold under control. I watched Grey Gardens, omg these women are amazing in a sad way! I contemplated being Little Edie for Halloween, but no one will know who I am.

Regardless how I felt, I did go to another swim class and tomorrow I am going to do Zumba. Also, Rob and our friends have the OMB Copper Classic 1k race tomorrow!! I know, huge mileage there! But it's for charity and it's at a brewery and that's awesome! Hee hee, I am going to carry Sam in the Ergo, so it'll be his first race.

Sam & Suzy: 18 weeks

We went to a pool party last weekend, which was so much fun! Our first kid birthday party with Sam. Sam went into the pool for the first time too. He was totally chill and enjoying himself. Sam got to play with his buddy Levi too. Seriously, life is so much more fun with a kid and we've barely even begun!

Sam:
Remember a few weeks ago I said Sam was close to laughing? Yeah....still nothing!!
Ok, I will get an occasional giggle. I can tickle him and he'll squeal sometimes. He'll find things funny and get the biggest smile, but nothing comes out. Right now he thinks it's funny to put his hands in my mouth. I did get one giggle out of that.

Sam also loves looking at hands. He loves it when I sing him Itsy Bity Spider. I think I'm going to start using some sign language. I know it's still way too early, but it'll help me learn some sign language and by the time he's old enough to try using it, he'll already be familiar with some of the signs. I'm actually quite excited to teach Sam some sign language and help him be able to communicate with us when he can't quite say the words.

Suzy:
This week has been rockin'! I started going to the gym/aquatic center. I took a water class, which was great, but a bit too easy for me. But I my body felt so much more limber (limber up!). I'm going to try the deep water one next. I did Zumba too, which was totally fun and a great workout. Also, I've been making smoothies for breakfast (kale, almond milk, banana, frozen blueberries and pineapple). It saves me time, fills me up and is so healthy! Rob's parents are here again for a week. So let's see if I can be good and not gain weight. *fingers crossed*

I will admit, it's hard for me to leave to go to the gym. I feel guilty being away from Sam during weekday evenings. Will he have fun with just Rob, will he be awake when I get home? I think most of this is hormone related (isn't everything?) I just need to remind myself that it's ok. It's actually good for me. I will not give in to mom guilt!

Sam & Suzy: 17 weeks

woah!

Last Saturday we went out with our friends for some Post Ultramarathon celebration. Rob and the boys ran 31 miles!! Our friend's mom watched Sam and thier little boy, Levi, who is only 3 weeks older than Sam. It was the first time we left Sam with someone other than Rob's parents and during the evening. I was good, but I'll always miss Sam like crazy when I'm away from him. Also, I still have yet to have the energy to last the night hanging out with our friends. I felt so lame, but it was way past Suzy's bedtime!

We get to hang out again this weekend for a birthday party. We always make sure we get a picture of Sam and Levi side by side to show how much they've grown. Little buddies! I love it. I can't wait till they can start interacting and playing with each other.


Sam:
Sam got his exersauser, which we ordered online because the ones at the consignment sale were not much cheaper and dirty. Good lord this boy loves it! When we first put him in, he looked at the starfish above him and he had the biggest grin. Then he proceeded to touch and move all the over toys around him like a pro. It brought me such joy to see him so happy!

Ha ha, though because it was close to bed time and it's a very stimulating toy, Sam only lasted 15 minutes before he started getting over stimulated and cry. Which he then fought so hard to fall asleep. Like screaming hard. Man, over stimulation is a bitch!

Suzy:
I got to join the local Aquatic Center. I'm super pumped! I wanted to do the Pure Barre classes, but when you add it up, it's a lot of money. So for at least $50 less a month than Pure Barre, I can take swim exercise classes, yoga, zumba and so much more. I'm going to check out a swim class on Saturday morning to see how it is. Ha ha, I gotta check if I fit into any of my bathing suits! And with the monthly fee over my head, well that's great motivation to keep going, heh.

I am on my third cold (as is Sam) since May. I can't tell if this last one from daycare of the office since my boss is sick too. It's frustrating because I'm the person who never got sick! I'd maybe get a slight cold every year. But what can I do when Sam's exposed to all that at daycare and he's breathing and coughing on me while I feed him? On the plus side, it's another thing to really motivate me to really take care of my body. Exercising, eating good!

Sam & Suzy: 16 weeks

Me and Newton are trying to get Sam to roll over again.

It's been a week since I've been putting Sam to sleep in the infant sleeper. Glorious sleep! Sam sleeps so much sounder in there, giving us much needed sleep too. We usually put him to bed around 7:30-8pm and he won't wake up again till around 12 where he gets a bottle. After that, he won't wake up till around 5. That's awesome! I understand he can't always sleep in the sleeper, but for now I think it's better for everyone, including Sam, to get the best rest possible.

Last weekend we headed over to the Farmers Market. It was a lot of fun to just get out as a family. We had some awesome popsicles and I got this amazing breakfast oat cookie, which I now want to try making my own. Afterwards, we went and walked around Davidson College, which is right next to the market. It's such a nice campus with lots of trees. Sam was asleep, but me and Rob enjoyed the stroll. It was such a wonderful and simple outing.

Sam:
Sam rolled over! His first roll over was last Saturday! How exciting. Daycare says he's been now rolling over for them too. His crib paper now says, "I can roll over". I'm told he'll sometimes nap on his belly now. Funny because he doesn't do that at home.

Sam's also totally over just laying down all the time. He's always grunting trying to pull up his head. We try putting him in the bumbo, but he doesn't like it that much right now. I think because his core is still weak, so he's just hunched in it. Daycare put him in the exersauser and he loved it. He loves to be able to be upright and look around. I was really hoping I didn't have to get one of those since we're trying limit the amount of toys and clutter. But if he really enjoys being upright, it might be a good thing to get him. There's a consignment expo going on this weekend, I might head over there and check out to see if they have any.

Suzy:
I'm feeling great! I think it's mostly because I'm getting good sleep. I feel I'm eating better too.

I'm thinking about joining some sort of fitness class to jump start me getting back into shape. It'll also be good for me to get out and work out with a group. My co-worker totally recommends trying out Purre Barre . It sounds like a lot of fun and it's close by to home. Rob thinks it's a good idea too!

Sam & Suzy: 15 weeks

Oh sleep. Why is baby sleep the thing everyone talks about? Why are we so obsessed about it? Why do we work so hard to get that baby to sleep on our terms? 

This week it became clear to me that when Sam sleeps in the pack 'n play, he wakes about every 2 -3 hours throughout the night. Doesn't sound too bad right? Well, when he sleeps in his swing or the sleeper he'll sleep 4+ hours. Last night 7 hours straight! From 9pm-4am! That's also with no formula bottle and just breast milk in the evening (breast milk is easier to digest so babies tend to eat more often). 

When he sleeps in his pack 'n play, he's more fidgety. His little legs flail about. He's too big and strong for blanket swaddling and the Halo Sleep Sak doesn't really hold his legs tight. I know Sam can't sleep in the sleeper all the time. He's going to eventually have to get used to just sleeping in the crib...but it's so dang awesome when I can get that extra sleep. I told Rob that I'm going to start trying more to have him nap in his nursery in the crib. If he gets used to that, then he'll be used to the crib at night.

Sam: 

This boy is just on the verge of so much! Sam is soooo close to rolling over from his back to belly! Every day I think he's going to do it. Even at 2am when he's trying to fall asleep and I'm half awake myself, I wonder if I need to run and grab my phone to record him rolling over. Most likely though, he'll roll over at daycare first, heh.

Another thing (and my most favorite), Sam is so freaking close to laughing! He giggled so very briefly on Monday. It was amazing! But of course, he has yet to do it again and I try so hard to get him to laugh. Although, since he is so close, he has the biggest smiles when he thinks something is funny.

This week he added "B" sounds to his vocabulary. He's refining his G's too. He's so proud of it too! Sam's also starting to look at our faces more when we talk. He's trying to figure out how Mommy and Daddy makes those awesome sounds.

Suzy:

I'm doing pretty good! I feel balanced inside. I am struggling with losing weight, one reason I haven't written this month's Shaping Up post (but i should anyways). But I decided I'll still be easy on myself until Rob finishes training for and running his ultramarathon, I'll then start running myself on weekends mornings.