Some Recent Favorites!

Samantha's "official" two month picture--not too different from the 1 month one, though Scout wanted to be a part of this photo session. In coming posts, I'll put the pictures together for monthly comparisons as Sam gets bigger Hanging out on the monkey mat

One night, we even caught Sam holding her own bottle! I have a video--complete with Allen's commentary that I will be sure to include in a future post!

Looks like Samantha is throwing a punch!

More bathtime fun! Sam loves her baths and sometimes makes fish faces while she splashes around in the water

2 Months--Ouch!!!!

It was another fun and busy week for us--with the exception of Wednesday! On Wednesday, Sam had her 2 month appointment with the pediatrician and it is crazy to think that she is growing so quickly. The appointment was good and her doctor seems to think that she's on track with everything thus far. Sam was having a great time at the appointment until the very end--shot time :-( She had three shots and an oral vaccination and needless to say, she was NOT happy. I've never actually heard her scream like that before, and her little legs were sore for the remainder of the day. On the plus side, Samantha did get to leave the office with two bright silver disco ball bandaids. Though she has survived and recovered the ordeal, she does have another round of shots at her 4 month appointment in October, so hopefully she does a bit better next time!

Check out the groovy bandaids!

Early in the week, we met up with Shelley and Dominic and Carla and Kaylee for an afternoon lunch. All the babies had a great time and we even managed to get a picture of the group--I'm still trying to figure out how to place the camera and use the timer, so my apologies that it is a bit off-center!

We also had a fun night at Uncle Steve and AJ's house to celebrate Nana's 90th birthday. Dinner was delicious and we got a few great pictures of Samantha and Nana. We're really looking forward to the "official" celebration of Nana's birthday next weekend!



Sam and I also made it out to another mom's group/playdate on Friday afternoon. We had a lot of fun hanging out with some new friends and some of the ladies from my prenatal yoga class. The weather was great and we shared appetizers and wine in Shelley and Dominic's backyard. Though Sam was a bit fussy, I know she had a great time! :)

Samantha and I topped off our Friday afternoon by enjoying a shopping trip with Auntie Kim. In an attempt to start building Sam's library, we hit Hicklebee in Willow Glen to see if there was anything that we needed. I picked up a copy of "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears" and am looking forward to adding more classics to Samantha's collection. On that note, if any of our faithful readers have suggestions for "must have" children's books, please leave them as comments--it would be greatly appreciated!

Samantha's Two Month Stats:

Height: 23"

Weight: 11lbs

Head Circumference: 39.5

Have a great weekend!

8 Weeks

Sam is 8 weeks old today and we have been keeping busy and having a lot of fun! On Monday evening, we celebrated Uncle Steve's birthday and Sam was in rare form. She was not a happy camper and had no problem letting everyone know! We're pretty sure that she was just gassy, but on the flip side, her bad day led to a night with almost 10 hours of sleep. This is a first for Samantha, and as much as we would like to think that it will happen again soon, we are pretty sure that it is an anomaly (at least for now!). Samantha is doing much better with her sleep overall--she goes for about 5 to 6 hour stretches and usually goes back down after a late night/early early morning feeding.

On Tuesday, Sam and I walked up the hill and afterward we met with our friends Jen and Bradley for coffee. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the two of them, though Samantha slept through pretty much the entire visit. We spent Tuesday evening at Allen's softball game and Samantha managed to hang for the entire time. She was a bit fussy, but pulled it together toward the end--looks like she is turning into a sports fan!

We joined Shelley and Dom for lunch at Aqui in Campbell on Wednesday and once again, Sam slept through the visit. On our way back home, we stopped at AJ's house and spent a few minutes with the girls. AJ watched Sam for a bit so I could run an errand and from what I hear, Samantha was on her best behavior!

Today was Samantha's first official "playdate" at her friend Brody's house. Brody's mom, Tiffany worked with me at LLS and it was really great to catch up with them and meet some new moms and babies. Sam wasn't quite ready to take advantage of the splash table, swing, or any of the other fun toys that Brody was sharing, but I'm sure that by next summer she will love the summer playdates.

Samantha as a Team In Training mascot!

Hanging out on the floor--Sam loves to be on her back!

This picture doesn't show it, but Sam is all bundled up and hanging out at the softball game!

Having a lunch date with Dom!

Cursed!!!

Last week, Allen and I were super excited about getting another stroller for Sam. I should preface by saying that this isn't just any stroller, but it is (supposedly) a super-durable, extra rugged, all terrain-does the dishes/laundry/cleans the house/feeds the pets/pays the bills and helps it's owner get in shape stroller. Ok, well...maybe it doesn't do the household chores, but it is pretty cool. It is a jogging stroller that can be taken outside on the trails and Allen and I can even run with it while Sam is along for the ride. We have a fabulous everyday stroller that is lightweight, easy to maneuver and will grow with Samantha, but this one will also be good as the two of us try to get back into shape.

Rewind to last weekend...

On our second day with the stroller, we decided to walk up Thomas Grade, a pretty significant hill in our area. In an attempt to lose those lingering 15lbs of baby weight, I have decided that maybe it is time to ramp up my (nonexistent) workout routine. We strapped Sam in and started our uphill trek. Fortunately, Bre and her dogs joined us, so I didn't have to walk alone. Allen ran the hill while I huffed and puffed my way to the top. I felt a huge sense of accomplishment and was actually excited about the idea of tackling the hill the following day. On our way to coffee (I have to incentivize myself to do these things), we crossed the street and briefly crossed into a dirt path and the dogs all started limping because they caught thorns in their paws. I managed to catch thorns in all three tires of the stroller. Day 2 - the first official excursion with the new toy and I pop ALL three tires. It must be said that I didn't just pop the tires, but punctured all three tubes--HORRIBLY. Allen spent at least 2 hours on Sunday night patching all the tires.

Fast forward to Tuesday night. Since our stroller was all patched and ready to go, we decided to take Samantha and the dogs on a walk. Keeping in mind our recent tire debacle, we took special care to stay out of the dirt and on the sidewalk. By the time we got home, Sam was asleep in the stroller, so we decided to leave her in there until she woke up. All of a sudden, we heard a familiar hissing noise. Yup--two of the tubes popped--AGAIN!!! $%#@!!!!!

We are cursed!!!

So as I update the blog, Allen is outside in the garage--patching the tires...AGAIN. We've sinced learned that the cursed thorns are called "Goat's Horns" and I hate them.

Last week, I mentioned that we had a visit with some of my prenatal yoga friends and here are some pictures from that afternoon!

Samantha with her friend Dominic

Sam and I, Shelley and Dominic & Carla and Kaylee

Shopping with Sam

We've started a bit of a Saturday morning tradition by spending time at the Morgan Hill Farmer's Market followed by bagels and a short walk in the downtown area. This morning, we were especially excited, as Sam spent her first night in the crib last night and did really well with her sleep stretches. That being said, Allen and I woke up feeling pretty well rested (funny how our definition of "a good night's sleep" has changed!) and decided to chance a busy morning full of errands.

After hitting the farmer's market, we headed over to Costco for a few Samantha essentials. We even went to Trader Joe's and Safeway before Sam started to get fussy. We were shocked that she pretty much slept through the entire busy morning. It is fun to be out and about with her and she is a pretty big hit with the crowds!

This week was another fun one for us. Sam had her first afternoon trip to Santana Row and we also ventured out to Valley Fair (Sam wanted to check out the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale--just kidding!). On Friday evening, Aunt Julie and the girls watched Sam for a few hours and Allen and I had our first "date night". Just like everyone said, we pretty much talked about Sam the entire time!

We took Sam for a walk this evening and she stayed awake the entire time. It is really neat to see her growing and changing so much. At seven weeks old, she is smiling a lot more and is much more alert. She has been starting to grab at toys and particularly likes to grab my hair and necklace. Overall, she is sleeping better, though I hate to even talk about the sleep because I am afraid of jinxing everything!

Gearing up for the farmer's market

Exhausted at the end of a long day

Happy Birthday Scouty

Things have been a bit crazy for us over the past few weeks, and I feel very bad to report that we managed to overlook Scout's first birthday. Scout was about 10 weeks old when we got her, so we missed a fair portion of the puppy stage about which I am both happy and sad. :) We survived a year with the crazy beast and she is doing pretty well with Samantha in the house. She still doesn't seem to understand why Sam doesn't want to play with her, but in a couple of years I am sure that they will be very close.

A very rambunctious one year old, Scout loves her outings to the park and is happy to fetch tennis balls, bumpers, duck wings (she's a hunting dog--what can you expect?) etc... Scout can definitely be classified as a "power chewer" and I know that we will have to teach Sam to keep all her toys away from the dog. Scout also loves going to the pond and when at home can be found chewing on the carcasses of her stuffed animals or hunting for socks in the laundry hamper.

I was thinking that we should get a banana cake to celebrate Scout's special day (like I have mentioned--I'll use any excuse I can to get this amazing dessert), but that would definitely be a setback in my plan to lose the baby weight. We're having barbequed tri tip tonight and I think that Scout would appreciate a piece of meat much more than a slice of cake anyday!

Here are some pictures from Miss Scout's first year with us!

Happy Birthday Aunt Cari!

Today, July 29th is a very special day. It is Aunt Cari's 28th birthday! Sam had a very busy day, but she made a special point to celebrate the occasion in honor of Auntie Cari, who is currently living in France. After a trip to Stanford, we stopped at Sprinkles Cupcakes (don't worry Aunt Cari, we ate one for you!) and when we got home, Sam insisted on making a special present. Allen and I had to help a little bit, and I apologize for the poor camera work!

We love you and miss you very much and can't wait to see you again!!!!

XOXO

-Allen, Becky & Samantha

(Peter and Scout too)