..and he's off!

Samuel is getting brave! He's walking with one hand on the couch or the other day he was walking while holding on to my hand. Some people are encouraging Samuel to just get up and walk. These are not people who live in this house or would otherwise have to chase Samuel around the house/church/grocery store/neighborhood..whatever place would apply. But he has been standing up while leaning against the couch, face out, and it really won't be too much longer.


Last week I accidentally erased the video of him walking with his tractor. I was able to get new video of that yesterday and am posting it before I erase it this time! This is 2 minutes of him going back and forth with his tractor. He will do this for a lot longer than 2 minutes. He goes and when he can't go straight anymore, he walks to the other side and goes backward. Back and forth, back and forth.



Last time I wrote about when I dropped Samuel at Miss Amy's, I said he couldn't have cared less that I was leaving. This past Friday I dropped him off and he actually waved to me as I was walking out the door. Next week I am expecting him to get out of the car and carry his own stuff in and say, "Please mom, you don't have to come in." And then the week after that he will be driving himself there.

He's mad because I won't let him have the camera. I should just give it to him and let him finish destroying it. The buttons have somehow gotten sticky and now I have a rough time turning the silly thing on. Thankfully, Costco has some on sale now...

Still mad...If you read lips, you may be able to tell he is saying something like "nooooooo" or whining something similar.


We are getting ready to go to Maryland for Thanksgiving! Samuel and I are very excited to see all the family that will be there. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of Samuel bundled up for the cold. That will be fun!

I just realized that he's wearing the same thing in all these pictures. It's not because he doesn't have clothes to wear, but they were all taken Saturday morning, just before breakfast. We really do change his clothes.

Signing out...

Year in review-Thanksgiving

It's hard to believe it's been a year. For over a year now, Samuel has had enzymes with every meal. That's a lot of pills! He's had vitamins everyday. He's had breathing treatments most of those days. He's such a trooper, but to him, he doesn't know that other kids don't do that. He's been really getting into his breathing treatments. He knows he can't win the fight anymore so he enjoys the silly songs we sing for him. When he sees the mask, he actually puts it up to his face for a few seconds. How fabulous!

In the past year, Samuel has had it pretty easy, considering what we are up against. He's only struggled with pneumonia once and the constant battle hasn't been anything more than keeping his weight up. He hasn't had one hospital visit or long stay at the emergency room or clinic. All in all, we've been very blessed. He is a very happy boy who loves just that: being a boy. He likes to get dirty, be in control and not sleep. He really enjoys getting into news things (i.e. trouble) and climbing the stairs to go back down them. When I look at him sleeping in his bed, it's amazing how big he is getting! I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

So, what's Samuel been up to? Well, some people would like you to think he was the one who coordinated the jail break yesterday, but he told me he was trying to stop it. Miss Amy had the windows open and turned the corner to see one and a half kids out the window with Samuel holding on to the legs of the one who was on his way out. Like I said, he told me he was trying to pull him back in, but you can believe who you would like.

The high chair must be a comfortable place. When he can't even stay awake for some chicken nuggets then he must be extremely worn out.




The other day I had some great video of Samuel scooting around with his tractor. Then I went to a baby shower and was deleting old pictures and deleted the video without uploading it first! So, I have to record him doing that again soon and get it up. He looks like a little old man walking along. It's great!

We had Samuel's first year portraits taken. They turned out great! Here are just a few:



He likes high hair, just like his mommy! :)


The first pose in this collection (above)...can you see the mischief in his eyes?


We love Samuel!

A Year Ago, Today...

On this day, one year ago, Samuel had his sweat test. I was a nervous new mom and Samuel was a sweet little, itty-bitty, baby.

He's a little boy

Wow! It seems like since Samuel's birthday his personality is developing so fast! In addition to walking, with the help of his John Deere tractor, he is really starting to test the waters.

While I've been working with him to learn the sign for "finished", he will only sign that he is finished when I ask him. And I can usually tell when he is finished because he starts throwing his food in the floor. Cute at home because Lucy is eager to be on the clean-up crew, but obnoxious at a restaurant or friend's house. That being said, Sunday morning he was eating pancakes for breakfast. While he was eating, I was making a pot of coffee for myself. (Yes, a pot). I looked over to see him throw a piece of pancake overboard and then watch Lucy gobble it up. Just as he was reaching for another piece, I said to him, "Samuel, don't throw your food on the floor." He looked at me, and while making eye contact, dropped another piece over the other side. He is such a stinker!

This is his latest discovery:


He is also doing just great at Miss Amy's house. Kevin has been dropping him off more frequently that I have but I had a turn last Friday. He was so eager to play, he couldn't have cared less when it was time for me to leave. On my way to work, I called Kevin and said "He's supposed to cry when I leave! It's supposed to be harder than this!" We both knew he would adjust well, just not THIS well! :)

He has so much fun at Miss Amy's, playing and doing a daily project. I have Samuel's project on the wall in my kitchen. Soon, we won't need to paint or buy any expensive art to hang on the walls since they will be covered with Samuel's handprint turkeys, trees, pumpkins, or whatever else he is working on that day. He is so busy there, he only has time for 1 nap. Sometimes, it comes a little early. Poor guy... Kevin and I don't know whose kid this is as neither of us ever remember falling asleep while being served a meal. ;)

Kevin and I are bracing ourselves for a big growth spurt. Samuel has had a cold for the past few days and didn't sleep well Sunday night. THEN, he only had a short nap on Monday. Knowing this, we let him take a little nap that evening, starting around 6:30 or so. By 8:30 we were wondering if we should wake him up. We took our chances (after I said I would be the one to get up with him if he woke up fully rested at 2:00 am) and let him sleep on. He woke up at 3:00 am, looking for a binky. Once that was recovered, he went right back to sleep. At 7:45 Tuesday morning he finally was ready to get out of bed. Both Kevin and I were shocked that he slept that long but know when that happens, he's getting ready to grow.

Not sure if I mentioned it before, but Samuel is on a new milk now, Nutren Jr. An 8 oz. can is 250 calories. And he's supposed to have 3 cans a day. Is it any wonder he's starting to get that second chin back? It's great! Maybe we can get his weight up in the same percentile as his head (the 90th)!

Thanks for checking in. More updates soon, I promise.

Samuel is 1!

My little boy is growing up. Yesterday was his birthday and all day I kept remembering what I was doing at that moment a year ago. Samuel's grandparents (Erica's mom and dad) were able to come visit for his birthday so he got extra spoiled and didn't have to go to Miss Amy's house for a few days. For his birthday we had some friends and family over for some cake and ice cream. We watched him play in/eat his cake and attempt to play with the gifts he received. He was so sleepy by that time, there were about 2 that he was fascinated with. All in all, it was a great time. Thanks to all who could make it or otherwise shared in the celebration.


On his big day, Samuel figured out a new way to get to things he's not supposed to have. We have a lamp and some glass coasters on a table in the living room. He's not allowed to play with these things. Yesterday, Samuel figured out how to get to them in a new and exciting way: go the back way. This is him leaving the scene of the crime.


Today I saw the funniest thing. I saw a Hawaiian surfer on a John Deere tractor being attacked by a bear! Who would have ever thought?


I have finally uploaded some pictures from recent trips or local adventures. Tennessee was great and the photo ops were plenty. Some of my favorites: our golf trip.


There is a local farm, Schnepf Farms, where we took our youth group a few weeks ago. If you are looking for some great entertainment for your family or group, I highly recommend it. There are so many things to do there for all ages: rides, corn maze, train rides, hay rides, food, pig races, petting zoo...so much to do. We got started a little late but still enjoyed ourselves. Just get your tickets at Fry's Food first and save $2....always important.


Samuel has been doing great at Miss Amy's. No more tears all morning like the first few days. He's got some great friends over there in Delaney and Timmy. The other day Timmy even got up from Dora to welcome Samuel there for the day. I can already tell a difference in how he interacts with other kids, even though those 2 are older than he is. He's doing very good and I'm very proud of him.

It's Monday

My first day back to work. It was a good day for me. I started working again. I am officially a "working mother". Not to say I wasn't before...aren't ALL mothers working? At any rate, back to the office I go. Not such a great day for Samuel. He stayed with his friend Delaney and her mommy, Miss Amy. Poor Miss Amy. Samuel cried for most of the day, wouldn't eat, refused to sleep, and from what I understand, made the other kids cry too. Is it possible Samuel will be asked to not return? Never. Delaney loves "her Samuel" too much. :)

Just an update on Samuel's health:

Last week he had a fever (see previous post). He had a chest x-ray. On Saturday evening I got a phone call that I wasn't prepared for. The technician and doctor had found something in the upper right lobe of Samuel's lung and they couldn't explain what it was. Something was there, whether a mass of tissue, fluid, or pneumonia. After worrying a little and praying a lot, we met with his pediatrician today. Doctor says his chest sounds great! And he suspects, even though he hasn't seen the x-ray, that the mass/haziness in his lung is just pneumonia. He was treated for pneumonia last week so we are already half-way through that treatment and Samuel seems to be doing OK. He still has a cough, which I am expecting him to have that for a while. Thank you Jesus! Silly as it may sound, I'll take a diagnosis of pneumonia over a "mass of tissue" any day!

I realize I've not posted new pics lately. It's not that I don't have them...We got wonderful pictures in Tennessee! Just, the camera is downstairs and the computer is upstairs and, I think you can see where I'm going with this. Maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in and praying for Samuel!

Week in review

As I write this, I can hear Kevin saying "You need to go to bed!" but he isn't here tonight so I stay up and blog. :) I'll pay for this later...

I'll pay, mainly because sleep has been elusive this week. Monday and Tuesday mornings, Samuel woke up early and the only consoling he would accept was to lay in the family bed, between us. OK, fine. We just got back from a trip, I thought. He should be over this soon. Right.

Tuesday afternoon I was playing with him in the floor and when I picked him up, I immediately noticed his back felt very warm. I took his temperature and he had a low fever. I figured it was because he is getting a new tooth (#2). Being like most other moms, I gave him some Tylenol and took him to the grocery store. Later that evening, after the pediatricians office closed (it always happen like that!) his fever was higher, like in the 102's. He was really not himself and just miserable. Kevin and I struggled with the decision: do we wait until the morning and call his doctor or do we take him to urgent care? I waited until Kevin was in bed to decide that we needed to go to the clinic. Really, I didn't but it just worked out that way. Sorry, Kevin.

We got there around midnight and after 2 pukey shirts, 1 chest x-ray, 1 throat culture, 1 mid-night call to the PCH pulmonologist and a prescription for antibiotics, we got to go home. It was about 3 am. Wednesday was miserable as I struggled to give him enough fluids, clean up those fluids when they came back, then try to feed him and keep him comfortable. It's heartbreaking when he looks at me, crying and says, "ma-ma-ma-ma".

BUT, his fever broke last night, thanks to many prayers of our friends and family! And today, he's back to his old self: digging through the cabinets and climbing the stairs. In fact, today he made it all the way to the top and half-way to the office when I caught up with him. When he sees me coming, he crawls as fast as he can like he's running away. As funny as it is to watch, we are really trying to discourage that behavior for when he starts walking. I can hear you all saying "good luck" with a sly grin on your face. Thanks. Thanks a lot.