7 Months Old

Sam, you are 7 months old today.

You still wear a size 3 diaper.

You are in mostly 9 month clothing, although some is 9-12 month.

You have your 2 front bottom teeth.
You usually take 2 naps a day (morning and afternoon). Occasionally a third one gets in there.
You nurse 5 times a day.
You have either rice cereal or oatmeal in the morning, usually with a spoonful of apples in it.
At dinner time you have baby food. You have had sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, peas, butternut squash, apples, bananas, spinach, broccoli, and corn. So far the only thing that you really did not like was banana…I have still been sneaking a tad in here and there to get you used to it!
You also love puffs. You can pick them up and get them close to your mouth, but you haven't gotten the "release" part down yet. 

You said your first word 2 days ago. It was "mama"!

You are truly the happiest baby I know. You are always smiling and laughing. When you do fuss it is very short lived.

You have gotten really good at sitting up by yourself.

Kirksey is always making sure you have lots of toys within reach.

There have been several times when I have had to rescue you from all the toys she stacks up around you when you are in the exersaucer.

You love each other so much. I pray you two will have a close relationship forever!

You love to be outside too!

You have not started crawling yet, but you roll around good.
You still like the johnny jump-up, and have gotten good at bouncing.

You have started to have separation anxiety. Anytime I leave the room or  go out of your view you will start to fuss.

You usually get a bath every other night. You love to get in the tub with Kirksey and splash around. You both end up laughing at each other.

You sleep with a sound machine for naps and bedtime. At bedtime I also play Lullaby Renditions of Classical Music one time through on the iPod while I nurse you and put you to bed.

You are so sweet and cuddly.

I have been really enjoying holding you just a little longer lately, especially at night.

"These days are long, but the years are short." I am becoming more aware of this saying everyday. After all, how can you already be 7 months old!

We love you with everything we have!

6 Months Old

Sam, you are 6 months old today!

I can't believe how fast the time is going by and how quickly you are growing up.
You weigh 19 lbs (95%).
You are 26 1/2 in long (90%).
Your head circumference is 44 cm.

You wear a size 3 diaper.

You are in some 6-9 month and 9 month clothes.

You typically nurse 5 times a day.

You eat oatmeal in the morning and rice cereal in the evening. We are going to start baby food this week.

You take 2-3 naps a day. It is either 2 longer ones or 1 longer and 2 shorter ones.

You have been sleeping through the night fairly consistently, until your teeth started to come in. Your first tooth poked through your gums last Monday. The second should poke through any day, I can see it and feel a hump now.

Even when you are cutting teeth and have a cold, you have a smile on your face! I love that you are so happy.

You are very active. You are getting good at grabbing and holding onto items.

You are still working on sitting up. You do good for a little bit, then you slowly start to topple over. If you can have your hand on something higher than the floor (like my leg or a toy) you can keep your balance well.

You really want to be able to crawl. You get frustrated when you push a toy away and then can't quite reach it again.

I love your big cheeks, round face, and double chin! Although that is not where it ends...you have chunky legs and arms too!

You really love Kirksey! She can always make you laugh. 

You adore her and she adores you. It is so sweet to see! 

One day I will have to remember these sweet moments.

You also always crane your neck around to find her anytime you hear her.

I can only imagine the trouble the two of you will get yourselves into.

You also love to read books with Kirksey. Especially when your daddy reads them to you.

You are such a sweet baby boy. Sometimes I wish time could stop so I could saver these moments forever.

3 Years Old

Kirksey, you are 3 years old!

You are such a beautiful, smart, and amazing little girl.
You now weigh 27.8 lbs (25%)
 And you are 35 1/4 in tall (25%)

You started potty training in August and have been doing so good with it. You only wear a pull-up for naps and bedtime.

You are just now wearing mostly 3T clothing.

You wear a size 6-7 shoe.

You love life! You get so excited about the smallest of things. You are such a joy to be around.

You an athletic little girl. You have good coordination and love to kick a ball.

You have really become a "Daddy's girl" over the last 6 months or so. But you still really love me too!

You have such a sweet heart. You helped me fill boxes for Operation Christmas Child and you were so excited to give the gifts.

We just converted your crib to a toddler bed. You have done so well with the transition! You really like that you can get in and out all by yourself.

You are starting to get such a good imagination. It is fun to watch you play.

You went to your first MSU home football game this season. It was an exciting game with lots of fireworks, cowbells ringing, and bands. You were in awe when we first got there.

You love anything girly...jewelry, shoes, purses, dresses (so you can twirl), etc.

You also love trains! You have even asked Santa for trains this year!

Doc McStuffins is your favorite show right now, with Dora as a second.

At your 3 year check-up you even asked your pediatrician to do another check-up on you! I have no doubt this was a result of all the check-ups you give because of watching Doc McStuffins.

You are the best big sister! You sometimes even act like you are Sam's second mom!

You have filled the last 3 years with joy and so many smiles, laughs, kisses, and hugs. You are such a wonderful little girl. Your daddy and I love you more than you know! 

5 Months Old

Sam, you are 5 months old! You are so fun! You are also very busy so taking your picture can be tricky!

You wear size 3 diapers.

You wear mostly 6 month and some 6-9 month clothing.

You take anywhere from 2-4 naps a day ranging from 30 min-3 hours. (The 3 hours is very rare!)

You have been sleeping pretty well at night lately (from around 8pm-6am). Most of the time if you wake up in the night, Daddy will move you from your crib to your swing and you will fall back asleep. However, occasionally I have to feed you again to get you back to sleep.

You are getting to be inquisitive about things/objects and really wanting to manipulate them with your hands. They more than likely end up in your mouth.

Last night you discovered sleeping on your stomach, and you liked it!

You are such a happy baby. You give tons of smiles and have started belly laughing. You are ticklish too!

You can fall asleep anywhere! Having a loud big sister helps with that, I think.

You love to be standing up.

You like the Johnny Jump-up much better than Kirksey did!

You make me smile so much everyday!

We started feeding you rice cereal every night a few days after you turned 4 months old. It took about a week for you to get the hang of it, but you are doing pretty well now.

I couldn't resist taking this picture. You are even so cute when you have your lip turned out.

This is the proof that you can blow a diaper out better than most babies I know!

Over this last month we also closed on the house that we will live in when Daddy finishes Fellowship. I know you will love getting to move/crawl/walk around the new house!

We dressed you up as a giraffe for Halloween. You liked sitting on the horse.

Sam, you have a wonderful big sister. She loves you so much. I can tell you are very fond of her too by the way you look, "talk",  and smile at her.

She may be like another mother to you some over the years, but she really does already look out for you and stand up for you!

I can't wait to see how your friendship grows over the years!

Your daddy and I love you "soooooooooooooooo much"!

4 Months Old

Sam, you are four months old today!

You are such a big boy. We went for your appointment about a week and a half ago and you weighed 16.5 lbs (99%) and were 24 in long (just over 75%).

You have the chunkiest thighs. There are lots of rolls on your arms too. I just have so much of you to love on!

You wear a size 2 diaper. 

You are mostly in 3-6 month clothing.

We plan on starting rice cereal within the next week or so, but for now you have still only had breast milk.

You nurse every 3-4 hours during the day. At night you have gotten to where you will have a stretch that can go anywhere from 7-12 hours. I am so grateful for the longer nights of sleep! Occasionally we will still have some rough nights where you either take a long time to go to sleep or you wake up frequently; but those are getting fewer and farther between.

You smile and "talk" all the time.

Kirksey likes when you direct your attention to her.

You have a good big sister. She loves you so much. She likes to hold you as long as you aren't fussing. Once you start fussing she tells me to hold you.

You are pretty consistent on rolling from you tummy to your back.

You have such strong legs and love to stand, with our assistance of course.

You aren't quite to where you can sit by yourself but I don't think it will be too long until you can.

You are able to fall asleep almost anywhere. I hope this will continue.

We dedicated you our Lord and Savior this past Sunday. We had lots of family who all love you so much come to celebrate with us.

We love you so much and can't wait to see what God has in store for you!