Well, another month has come and gone. April was full of many wonderful things from Samuel. Another tooth, saying "Mama", and the biggie: WALKING! Yes, my child is walking. He started taking steps right when he turned 10 months and he's built up every day since. He walks almost like a pro now. He can change direction without missing a beat. He's 11 months old (as of yesterday) and acting like he's 2!
He recognizes so many words, waves bye-bye and hi, and eats just about anything he wants now. He really likes Elmo these days - especially the "Hokey-Pokey Elmo". He's hilarious bouncing around to music. He pushes his high chair around the room and he loves to push doors back and forth - smart thing - he knows to watch out for his fingers!
My favorite thing of all I think is to see him smile... anytime but particularly in his sleep. It is such a blessing to know he is having sweet dreams. Right next to that would be when he reaches his little arms around my neck and puts his head on my shoulder. The world could stop and I wouldn't notice when he does that.
I wish we could freeze time more easily than taking video or a picture. It's so hard to remember what he was like at one month, two months, etc. I am enjoying every stage of his development, and I have to remind myself to cherish each moment. They all go by so quickly. Tomorrow, he will be doing something new. I often say I wish I had a camera mounted in my head so that I could easily record the funny times, the sweet times, the joyful times. By the time you grab a camera, he's moved on from the cute thing to something else. And tomorrow, that thing he laughed at hilariously today won't be nearly as funny.
BUT - I know that there will be MANY more hilarious moments to come. MANY more giggles and cackles and out-right belly laughs. MANY more smiles and grins. MANY more funny faces. MANY more puzzles to solve. MANY more gibberish-phrases to decipher. MANY, MANY, MANY more hugs and kisses... The LORD is good!
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
One year ago on this date ...
...my father had quadruple bypass surgery. It is so hard to believe so much time has passed. I was pregnant with Samuel then. This time of day we were waiting in the kitchenette area of the CCU waiting. It was really an emotional time for me... Thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. My dad really did extremely well, but it was tough to see him like that.
I remember later that day trying to lean over the rail on the side of his bed so he could kiss me but my belly was in the way. Daddy would not rest until he kissed me though, so a nurse was kind enough to lower the rail for me. I also remember almost passing out leaving his CCU room because I hadn't eaten very well.
What a miracle this life is. Thank You, Lord, for the breath You've given my family.
I remember later that day trying to lean over the rail on the side of his bed so he could kiss me but my belly was in the way. Daddy would not rest until he kissed me though, so a nurse was kind enough to lower the rail for me. I also remember almost passing out leaving his CCU room because I hadn't eaten very well.
What a miracle this life is. Thank You, Lord, for the breath You've given my family.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Catching up - Again
Well, here we go. It's next to impossible to try and catch up on 5 months... But, I'll try sincerely.
When we left off in October, Samuel was about to go for his 4-month well-baby visit. That appointment went well. Samuel was on track as far as growth, and we were given permission to dive into baby food. He took his shots pretty well, but he did cry a little. By the time we got home, he was asleep. When he awoke, he was in a better mood and didn't act a bit like his legs hurt. We took a trip to Tupelo to see Aunt Dalyne and the Cade crew. We borrowed our neighbor's walker to see if Samuel would like it. He didn't care for it too much, but it did seem to buy us a little time every now and then. He was still working on sitting up on his own. Drooling indicated a tooth was on its way. My little "chunky monkey" was so cute as he increased his fat rolls. You can view our October photos here.
November brought great fun as we anxiously awaited the first tooth. Papa found a job in Tennessee, so Granna began working on her house in West Point (getting it ready to sell). That said, Samuel had to find a new Nanny. We found someone to keep him for a few days (whose son scratched Samuel's face pretty severely)... and then our new Nanny came. It's been great having Samuel at home. Samuel got pretty good at sitting up on his own this month, so the high chair was assembled. His first tooth finally came through toward the end of the month. He also took his first "walking" adventure this month, enjoyed watching me put the Christmas tree together, and posed for his first Christmas card! You can view our November photos here.
December brought us another tooth and Samuel began to experiment getting on his hands and knees. He rocked back and forth this month, but no real crawling yet. He had his six-month well-baby visit and more shots. Thank goodness, that's it on the shots for 6 months. He did very well with these shots - didn't even cry. We had a lot of laughs and smiles this month, and of course, Christmas! He loved tearing paper off packages and out of bags. You can view our December photos here and our Christmas photos here.
January... more teeth, crawling and pulling up, first tent (under the dining table), and lots more fun. His appetite continued to increase and Samuel transitioned to 100% formula. I felt partly glad and partly guilty for stopping nursing, but I think 7 1/2 months is a long time for a working mother. Samuel just about completely lost interest in nursing. He found other things in the room to focus on, and nursing went by the wayside. I determined if he wasn't interested in nursing, that I wasn't interested in pumping at work! It's worked well for us both, and I do not regret it now. Samuel takes formula at room temperature (we mix with bottled water), so we do not have to warm it. I might've been more inclined to continue nursing if he wanted the milk warm. Anyway, he's still thriving and I'm thankful that nursing lasted as long as it did. I think he started saying "Dadadada" this month, as well as waving hi and bye... maybe beginning of February? You can view our January photos here.
And then there's February. More teeth (he now has five), stomach bug (yuck!), but still lots of fun! We had some portraits made. He really began exploring our house by crawling more independently. He pulls up on anything and everything and even stands on his own for a few seconds at a time. He really had a great time watching his Daddy play the accordian and trying to play it himself. His temper also began to flare a little bit. We are definitely watching out for that... We'll have no fits at the Hollis house! :) You can view our February photos here.
Just last week, Samuel began saying "Ba ba" which we interpret as "Bye bye" or "baby" or "bottle"??? And just Sunday, he started laughing with an audible "Ha ha". Nine months have really flown by. Before I know it, I'll be writing about his first birthday. I do hope to be more diligent with this blog though. Now that I've kind of caught up, perhaps I can keep it going.
When we left off in October, Samuel was about to go for his 4-month well-baby visit. That appointment went well. Samuel was on track as far as growth, and we were given permission to dive into baby food. He took his shots pretty well, but he did cry a little. By the time we got home, he was asleep. When he awoke, he was in a better mood and didn't act a bit like his legs hurt. We took a trip to Tupelo to see Aunt Dalyne and the Cade crew. We borrowed our neighbor's walker to see if Samuel would like it. He didn't care for it too much, but it did seem to buy us a little time every now and then. He was still working on sitting up on his own. Drooling indicated a tooth was on its way. My little "chunky monkey" was so cute as he increased his fat rolls. You can view our October photos here.
November brought great fun as we anxiously awaited the first tooth. Papa found a job in Tennessee, so Granna began working on her house in West Point (getting it ready to sell). That said, Samuel had to find a new Nanny. We found someone to keep him for a few days (whose son scratched Samuel's face pretty severely)... and then our new Nanny came. It's been great having Samuel at home. Samuel got pretty good at sitting up on his own this month, so the high chair was assembled. His first tooth finally came through toward the end of the month. He also took his first "walking" adventure this month, enjoyed watching me put the Christmas tree together, and posed for his first Christmas card! You can view our November photos here.
December brought us another tooth and Samuel began to experiment getting on his hands and knees. He rocked back and forth this month, but no real crawling yet. He had his six-month well-baby visit and more shots. Thank goodness, that's it on the shots for 6 months. He did very well with these shots - didn't even cry. We had a lot of laughs and smiles this month, and of course, Christmas! He loved tearing paper off packages and out of bags. You can view our December photos here and our Christmas photos here.
January... more teeth, crawling and pulling up, first tent (under the dining table), and lots more fun. His appetite continued to increase and Samuel transitioned to 100% formula. I felt partly glad and partly guilty for stopping nursing, but I think 7 1/2 months is a long time for a working mother. Samuel just about completely lost interest in nursing. He found other things in the room to focus on, and nursing went by the wayside. I determined if he wasn't interested in nursing, that I wasn't interested in pumping at work! It's worked well for us both, and I do not regret it now. Samuel takes formula at room temperature (we mix with bottled water), so we do not have to warm it. I might've been more inclined to continue nursing if he wanted the milk warm. Anyway, he's still thriving and I'm thankful that nursing lasted as long as it did. I think he started saying "Dadadada" this month, as well as waving hi and bye... maybe beginning of February? You can view our January photos here.
And then there's February. More teeth (he now has five), stomach bug (yuck!), but still lots of fun! We had some portraits made. He really began exploring our house by crawling more independently. He pulls up on anything and everything and even stands on his own for a few seconds at a time. He really had a great time watching his Daddy play the accordian and trying to play it himself. His temper also began to flare a little bit. We are definitely watching out for that... We'll have no fits at the Hollis house! :) You can view our February photos here.
Just last week, Samuel began saying "Ba ba" which we interpret as "Bye bye" or "baby" or "bottle"??? And just Sunday, he started laughing with an audible "Ha ha". Nine months have really flown by. Before I know it, I'll be writing about his first birthday. I do hope to be more diligent with this blog though. Now that I've kind of caught up, perhaps I can keep it going.