Happy New Year!

Tonight we are just staying home making fondue... how very 70's of us! A nice quiet night at home is just perfect and there is nowhere else I would rather be. I have my sparkling cider ready to go although I am not going to make it to midnight. As I was preparing some of our dinner I turned around and found Sam raiding the pantry. He pulled down the Cheez-its to have himself a little snack.



I hope everyone has a fun New Year's Eve and I am wishing everyone a great 2008.

Christmas

Someone is VERY excited!

Exhausted

We had a nice afternoon and dinner with my parents tonight but I am ready for bed. Having a toddler + being pregnant + standing on my feet too long cooking and cleaning = one exhausted momma! We usually head over to our friends' Christmas Eve party but I just couldn't find the energy to go this year. Oh well- maybe next year. Tomorrow we are having Christmas morning at home and heading to my parents in the afternoon. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays with their families:)

So Sweet!

Here is a video taken yesterday of Sam. The video quality is poor (not sure why- poor lighting?)but enjoy through the haze!

Nice To Finally See You...

Cleaning Up After Every Meal!

Some Random Recent Photos

Hello Little One

We are all finally feeling much better and I am over my constant nausea and overwhelming fatigue that plagued me from week 6 to 14 of my pregnancy. Poor Sam probably wondered what happened to his mama. Let's just say he became close friends with Barney during that time and I have gotten over the guilt of using the TV as his mom. I am in that stage of having a lot of energy and planning all of the projects in the house that need to be done before the baby comes. I am amazed how different this pregnancy has been for me with a toddler running around our house. I need to be careful not to let this time slip by me. I want to imprint all of it in my memory and take time to enjoy the wonder of this new life growing inside of me.
With life so busy with a toddler I was stopped dead in my tracks the other evening. I was carrying Sam down to bed and there you were. A kick so strong I was sure Sam felt it pressed so tightly against me. Now I am sure not to let this slip by me as I can feel you growing inside of me. Hello little one and I can't wait to meet you.

What I Am Thankful For

My silly monkey grown up boy!




And for our little one on the way!

Obviously Feeling Better

Still Here!

Sams' cold is lingering and now I have it. It has been a rough weekend with Sam glued to my side but me also needing some time to rest and feel better. No time for Momma to be sick! No fun pictures to post... they would be of me in my pj's or Sam crying :). I am going to call the doctor AGAIN and see if they will see him. He does not seem to have much of an appetite so that might get us in. I'll post some pictures soon!

Day with the Men

My mom and dad came over on Saturday and the girls went shopping and the boys stayed home. They decided to head down to the park for a bit because the weather has been so beautiful. Sam has been feeling under the weather this weekend but did really enjoy spending time there with "pa pa".

Happy Birthday To You!

We want to wish our good friend Amy a happy birthday! Have a great day and enjoy spending some time with your family:)

WOW!

So Sams' favorite word is WOW. Driving in the car all we hear from the backseat is WOW,WOW,WOW. We live near an executive airport and every plane that flies over gets a WOW and a point from our little guy. Russ had the idea to take him down to the airport to get close up to the airplane's. This was a huge hit and I have a feeling we will be spending quite a bit of time down there. Check out some pictures and the one with his mouth wide open is Sam in mid WOW.


Our little dancing man....

My Not So Itsy Bitsy Spider

Trick or treating started out rough as you can tell from the 1st photo. Sam was not too sure about the whole costume idea. He quickly recovered and did enjoy going door to door to see some of the neighbors. He looked so cute in his costume...

Sam Loves to Help me Clean

A couple of weeks ago we noticed Sam wiping up spills and cleaning the windows. Great... I knew someone would help me with housework one day (sorry Russ!). I bought him a toddler sized "housekeeping set" which he can't put down. He carries the broom around and sweeps all day. The other day he dropped some crackers and went straight for the broom to clean it up. This morning he wouldn't let go of the broom when he was eating breakfast. He held that broom for 25 minutes while he enjoyed his food.

Science Center

Russ and I took Sam to the science center this past weekend. Sam really enjoyed it and made it clear he did not want to leave. We bribed him out with an apple... it always does the trick! He kept calling the turtles "ugs"(bugs) and his favorite book is Ten Little Ladybugs so it made sense. Those turtles did look like the ladybugs in the book!

For Amy

My friend Amy requested that I post some pictures of Sam from last year at the pumpkin patch when he was only 3 months old. Look at my little baby... where did he go? Now he is such a big boy. Good thing we have another one on the way! Look at the change:

Picking Out a Pumpkin

12 weeks

I tend to be a little old fashioned and wait to tell everyone I am pregnant until 12 weeks. Well, I am pregnant... 12 weeks tomorrow! We are VERY excited. I had my check up today and everything looks good. They did an ultrasound and I was amazed at the baby's development. I could see arms, legs and tiny ears. No wonder I have been feeling so exhausted. Compared to my picture of our "jellybean" at 7 weeks there was so much growth. I am due May 17th.
In case anyone was wondering: it is possible to live on a row of crackers a day and Gatorade for 6 weeks straight.
I was explainig to a friend I am so much more emotional about everything this time. When we saw Sams' heartbeat on an ultrasound I was amazed and this time I cried instantly. I have the experience of mothering Sam to attach to this pregnancy. I know the love I have for our child. Before Sam I could not imagine it. Now I can and I can't wait to do it again.

Body Parts

I get those Babycenter e-mails once a week discussing your childs' development with a few milestones they should be hitting. Milestone #2: Your child should be able to identify one body part when asked.
Check.
Yesterday morning Sam was in the bath and I happened to mention the word "penis". Not sure why, but I did. Sam stopped what he was doing, took his finger and pointed right at his penis. That isn't even one of the body parts we have been teaching him yet!
This will be a great story to tell him later...
Russ is so proud.

MASH

Unfortunately for me our early evenings are filled with reruns of MASH that Russ insists on watching. It has something to do with watching it as a child with his father which of course I can not argue. Sam has recognized the theme song every since he was very young. Now that he is mobile and dancing he will stop what he is doing and dance to the theme song every night. Here is a clip:

Oh How We Will Bribe Sam and Jillian with this in Fifteen Years!

I Have Been Tagged

I have been tagged by my good friend Amy from Stella and Thomas to answer some questions!

Benard Pivot's questionnaire made famous by Inside the Actor's Studio's James Lipton...


What is your favorite word? Nurture

What is your least favorite word? Apathy

What turns you on [creatively, spiritually or emotionally]? determination and loyalty

What turns you off? arrogance and intolerance

What is your favorite curse word? damn

What sound or noise do you love? my sons' laughter

What sound or noise do you hate? people arguing

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Doula or midwife

What profession would you not like to do? any desk job

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? There are a lot of people and animals waiting to see you

When Did he Learn How To Do This?

Letting It Go

I am sometimes hard on myself, trying to do it all. Work, taking care of our 14 month old and trying to keep a really clean house. I have decided to let keeping my house really clean go. It is useless and has begun to drive me crazy. A wise friend of mine with a 7 and a 5 year old had a bit of advice for me today. She told me trying to keep your house clean with children is like shoveling snow while it is snowing. You know what...I agree. I will have many many years when the Sam is grown and out of the house to have it really clean. Right now I am going to get down on the floor with him and make it messy!

You Never Know

Gerry and I have been planning on taking Jillian and Sam to Sesame Street Live for 2 months. We got great seats and Russ and I even planned our mini vacation around it. I have been telling Sam about it for the past week. The show begins and Sam is clapping but looking a bit confused and overwhelmed. Ten seconds later he was crying and shaking in my arms. Ten minutes later we were walking back to the car to go home. Now we are sitting in our living room eating apples watching a Sesame Street DVD. Oh well... maybe next year!

An Apple a Day...

Some Man Time

Sunday mornings I go off to work for a bit and it gives Russ a chance to spend some time alone with Sam. Today they went down to the park not far from our house. They made friends with a dog which would not have happened had I been there. I am still trying to learn that "daddy's way" is not always wrong... just different. When pressed Russ promised me the owner said the dog lives with a 15 month old and was very friendly and that is why he was in the park around children. I tend to be much more cautious around strange dogs. I think in that first picture the dog is rearing his head back to take a big bite out of Sams' face. Oh, there I go with my irrational fears again!

Sidewalk chalking

Gerry brought over some sidewalk chalk and for the past two days Sam and Jillian have enjoyed drawing out front. Gerry said the first day they were out there Sam did not want to come in. He really just stays on the driveway and likes to scribble and carry the chalk around. He is at such a fun age :)