New tricks for mom... I figured out how to send and post pics from my iphone or from email to the blog... technology, I tell you..

Sam's new friend - Mr Monks!

Grandpa and Grandma VanderStelt bought Sam a big stuffed monkey from the Minnesoato Zoo when they were here for his birth in September.  Well, I finally introduced the two this last weekend and they are fast friends!  HA! 

Everytime Sam sees Mr. Monks, he squeals, lunges at him, and tries to put him in his mouth!  It's very cute - I think Sam likes that they are about the same size.

 

Finally, we had to separate the two!

But, the video is the cutest to see how Sam plays with Mr. Monks!

So sweet.....!  The only downside to Sam's new friend is tufts of monkey hair on the pacifier, on Sam, in his mouth, etc...! :)

 

Funny Dad!

(From Bradley yesterday)

Now I know his who is true "daddy" is!

Am I mean?

Muah!

B-

Ha - ha- funny one, dad!


Samantha????

When I picked up Sam today at daycare, it took me a moment to confirm it was my son as he was in pink - The ladies there said they decided he made a much cuter boy!  They had misplaced his extra clothes on the other side of the room and so used one of their outfits when he blew through his.  

I guess we got our Samantha for an evening!

a Fun and Challenging weekEnd

We LOVE Sam-Man!  He gives us a run for our money some days, but it's all worth it!

One of Sam's new tricks that he loves to show off is how nimble he is with his Pacifier!  He's always been really good at taking it out, and now he is good at putting it back in!  It's actually a huge bonus as it saves us from CONSTANTLY digging for it and putting it back in his mouth.  The cutest thing, though, is that although he can put it in, he's often a little off on the placement!  We got a kick out of him at dinner tonight watching his skills!

The challenging part of the week is that when I picked up Sam at daycare on Friday, his cheeks were bright red and developed into a rash.  Saturday morning it had spread to his body and by Sunday it was in full force all over his body.  We can't drop him off at daycare with an "unexplained rash" so this morning dad had to take Sam to the doctor to find out what was wrong.  

It actually stumped the doctors for awhile - Strep?  Fifth disease? and then finally Morbilliform rash on top of another / same ear infection.  The rash is either viral or a reaction to the Amoxicillin course he had just finished.  Unfortunately, no treatment at this time as he just finished antibiotics so we have to wait it out for a week at least.  To get to the diagnosis, though, Sam was pricked on the finger, had a throat culture taken, and a few other things.  Dad says he was happy and babbling the whole time!    Here is the champ on the way home with his little bandaid.

So, it's only Monday and hopefully we make it through the week with no more doctor visits.  Sam is in good spirits and it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

 

But, the good news is that we are ending the day on an exciting note!!!!!!!

We just got the news that Sam's new cousin is going to be a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can already see the three Amigos now - Braden, Samuel, and Baby VanderStelt!  With Braden leading the pack, we are sure to be in Big T-R-O-U-B-L-E!  We are so so excited!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY

SOLID FOODS?!?!?!?!?!?

Mom was so excited to start feeding Sam solids..... counting down until the 6 month mark - Unfortunately, Sam does not share that enthusiasm - yet - for solid foods.

ATTEMPT 1

Mom had dad's help - he was there supporting, watching, and videotaping.  Unfortunately, he videoed upside down and it will take a 30 dollar software upgrade to rotate the video.... so, we'll stick with the picture!  Sam was not a big fan and spit out anything we put in his mouth - his face says it all. 

Sam 1: Mom 0

ATTEMPT 2

We took a day break before trying it again - waiting for Sam to be somewhat hungry after daycare and mom to be home to do it.  Sam had refused formula at daycare so he was hungry - mom fed him a little and then gave two different gos at it - with less than stellar results.  The video below makes me laugh because it was literally turning into a standoff!

Sam 2 : Mom 0

We will just keep trying a little bit every night - looks like we may be a few weeks out from veggies!

Time with Dad

Bradley and Sam Twittering on Sunday night

SO CUTE ...... (Both of them!)

It's Sam's HALF Birthday - YAY to 6 months!

Sam has officially hit the 6 month mark and his 1/2 birthday!  He had his 6 month checkup today and here are the stats:

Weight:  19lb 2oz (75-90%tile)

Height:   26 3/4 (50-75%tile)

Head:     17 //4"  (75-90%tile)

He is "growing beautifully" as the doctor put it.  What a difference two months makes - at this appointment, it was a full time job containing Sam as he ripped through and shredded paper, pulled mom's glasses off twice, and jumped in mom's lap for a quarter of the time - he is so much more active - I guess just wait until he crawls and walks!   

We also found out that his ears were bright red inside and infected - this is likely the problem (or at least contributing) with the refusal of bottles at daycare as well as the sleep problems (wake up screaming).  So, we'll see how the antibiotics do - poor guy is such a trooper and has probably been in a little pain!

Sam now LOVES grabbing his feet and playing with them.

He also is starting to sit up.

He also loves to scoot in his walker on wheels - it keeps us busy turning him around as it doesn't take him long to get stuck!

He has mom wrapped around his little fingers... especially when he's in her favorite monkey outfit!

 

Sunday was truly a reminder of the simple things in life...... after church, Mom, Dad and Sam just hung out in bed playing, sleeping, and being goofy!  Hanging out with my two boys is simple pure joy!  I also appreciate Dad as he has the magic touch putting Sam to sleep on his chest with his patting and soothing - so cute and comes in handy to get him down!

I feel blessed!

Florida February 2011 - Let the Memories Begin!

We were SO LUCKY to get to go to Florida with the Backstrom family in February!  A whirlwind trip to see the NASA space shuttle launch, DisneyWorld, and Universal Studios.  We had a fabulous time and enjoyed the perfect weather in the 80s every day.  We have lots of memories and of course, lots of pictures!  Sam will not remember the trip, but he is just at that age where he is so mesmerized by lights, color, and activity, so he really enjoyed all the shows, the Disney characters, and the fireworks!  He also got to spend lots of time with Mema and Papa and his aunts, uncles, and cousins!

Day 1 -

Travel to Florida!

Day 2 - 

Space Shuttle Launch, Titusville, FL

Day 3 - 

DisneyWorld

 Day 4 - 

DisneyWorld 

 

Day 5 -

Universal Studios

 Day 6 - 

Animal Kingdom/DisneyWorld

 

 Day 7 - 

Back to Minneapolis (and the cold!)

And... besides all the parks, we had time to all just hang out together at the house.  The pool was a hit with the girls, while the adults all enjoyed a nice cocktail to wind down at the end of the day out on the patio or on the couch.  Sam got to spend quality time with everyone and Mema, Papa, and Bryan could get him laughing so hard - very cute!

Mornings with Papa

 

Hanging with Uncle Bryan

 

Mema-time

 

All in all, it was a wonderful trip!