Sam: Months 3--5

Wow! Time sure has flown by!!! We REALLY mean to do a better job of updating the blog more frequently, and I am hopeful we can actually put that into practice by posting brief notes to share about our life. Here are some of Sam's "recent" life highlights:

--He flew on a plane to Jacksonville, Florida.
--He survived an epic car trip to Minnesota.
--He stayed and traveled in an RV.
--He rode on a pontoon boat.
--He swam in a baby pool and a real pool.
--He dipped his toes in the Atlantic Ocean.
--He attended his first wedding.
--He attended a local blueberry festival.
--He loves giggling and smiling.
--He loves mirrors, fans, and our cat Stella.
--He's extremely interested in food and drinks.
--He watched his first Michigan football game (and sang the whole fight song--what a natural!)
--He's doing a great job of sitting with little assistance.
--He loves eating his toes.
--He wants to put everything in his mouth.
--He still loves doing baby yoga with friends, and is enjoying going on creative expeditions with his pal Avery :)
--He's wearing size 3 diapers.
--He weighs approximately 17 pounds, and is about 27 inches tall.
--He's wearing mostly 6-9 month and 9 month clothes.
--We learned that our poor sweet guy has eczema, and he does NOT love getting lotioned up twice a day!
--He said his first consonant sound--"ba-ba".
--He likes to play peek-a-boo and remove a blanket from his own face.
--He likes others' fingers and toes.
--His eyes roll back while he's eating, and it's the sweetest face in the world!
--He can roll from his back to his stomach, but is still working on stomach to back.
--He likes to rock himself back and forth.
--He likes to move his body all the time.
--He likes sitting in his high chair.
--He likes playing with and mouthing an empty sippy cup.
--He tried rice cereal and really likes eating with a spoon!

Sam at 3 months old!

Sweet baby on vacation in GA at 4 months old!

Sam and Dad reading some Dr. Seuss!

Sam really relaxing on vacation!

Sleepy Sam loved cousin Elizabeth. :)

Having fun with Grandma in Minnesota!

Admiring Great-Grandma :)

Trying out a very chilly baby pool in the front yard.

Delicious tootsies...

Sam earned his wings!

Sam LOVED chilling out in the pool. It made him immediately relaxed every time!

Sam was a champ during our marathon day at the airport!

Professional flyer :)

Dad's handiwork...

Tummy time!

Happy little angel!

Go Blue!

Big boy in his high chair!

Loving Uncle Aaron :)

5 months old!!!

Sam's First 2 Months!

Wow, we certainly have fallen behind in our posts! I think that's just a sign that life has gotten busy and abundantly full of joy as we're getting to know our sweet boy!!!!! Back when Sam turned 2 months old, Alex and I jotted down some highlights that we intended to share on the blog. Here we are 3 weeks later…finally sharing those thoughts. :)

Sam's First 2 months:

• Sam is wearing size 2 diapers.
• He is wearing 0-3 month and 3-month clothes.
• He is sleeping for approximately 3 hours at a time at night.
• He eats every 2-3 hours.
• He's in the 90th percentile for height and in the 75th percentile for weight.
• He spent his first overnight away from home as we visited Ann Arbor over Memorial Day.
• Thanks to tummy time with dad, Sam has gotten very good at holding his head up.
• His favorite store is Target, and we visit it several times a week. :)
• He realllllllly likes drying off after bath time! He gets very chatty with lots of cooing and sound effects, and he gives tons of smiles during that part every single time!
• He enjoys going for walks, and we walk our neighborhood loop (about 2.5 miles) as much as we can.
• Sam visited Lafayette for the first time to spend time with his great-grandpa!
• We all survived Sam's 2-month shots! Mom and Dad are not looking forward to the next round of shots at 4-months!
• Sam got dedicated at Grace Church on Mother's Day--May 11th, 2014! 
• Sam has had a blast spending time with all of the many visitors who have come to see him! 
• He shares smiles ALL the time!!!!!
• Sam seems to enjoy varied activities throughout the day, and gets bored when doing any one activity for too long.
• Sam started a Baby Yoga class, and has really enjoyed making new friends and learning new things. One of his favorite poses is Dinosaur!

Sam at 1 month old!

Tiny monkey baby!

Happy Dedication Day!

Look at that big guy!

Sleeping beauties!

LOVE those fat rolls on the back of the leg!

Hanging out with dad after he ran his half marathon!

the. sweetest.

Wandering around Ann Arbor!

Sam loved meeting his new best friend and 'Aunt' Jenn!

And he also loved meeting 'Aunt' Cortney!

this kills me every time!

Sam was so glad 'Aunt' Meg & 'Aunt' Laura came to visit him!!

Loving snuggles with 'Auntie' Laura :)

Mr. Big Stuff!

Weeks 2-4

So I'm starting to realize that keeping up the 'ol blog may be a little more challenging now that our time looks very different. :) I'll do my best to keep the updates coming semi-regularly, and thank you in advance for your patience. :)

So our sweet tiny guy is already almost a whole month old!!!!! I really can't wrap my head around that. The past month has been brimming with joy, delight, surprises, challenges, and plenty of learning opportunities. We are beyond in love with our sweet Sam, and we are overflowing with gratitude for this beautiful gift we've been given. Here are some highlights from weeks 2-4:

Sam loved meeting Grandma and Grandpa Kotula! He enjoyed lots of snuggles, books, and walks, and he can't wait to see them both again soon!

Our first lunch out at a restaurant!

Sam had a great time meeting Grandpa Bloodgood and Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Bloodgood, too! We were so thankful they came to visit!!

To celebrate Dad's birthday, we went to a nearby state park called Potato Creek. Sam enjoyed his first hike and a picnic lunch (that may or may not have been consumed in the car due to wind!)

Our chunky muffin outgrew the sink for his baths and graduated to his big boy bath tub. He is just. so. cute!

Sam also loved getting to meet Grandpa Immel, Aunt Rachel, and his cousin Ben! We had a blast celebrating Easter with everyone, and Sam adored getting snuggled up by all of them (including Grandma Denese!)

These past few weeks have also included several walks, and we're so thankful to have great friends to enjoy our walks with. 

Here are Sam and two of his sweet friends, Harper and Avery. 

We also visited the doctor for Sam's 3-week check-up. He left with a clean bill of health, and we were so glad to hear that he's gaining weight like a champ. In about two weeks' time, Sam put on 1 lb & 9 oz, and grew 2 inches! We've certainly had our challenges navigating his feeding, but everything seems worth it knowing he's thriving! We don't have another appointment scheduled until he's 2 months old, and I'm sure he'll be a MOOSE by then! 

Some fun facts:

• Sam started giving his first real smiles at 3 weeks!!! He really thought Grandma Denese was hilarious, and has since shared those stunning smiles of his with mama, dad, and aunt Rachel, too!
• He has started sleeping for about 4 hours during his first stretch of sleep each night, which has been such a blessing! After that, he gets back on his 1.5-2 hour cycle, but that first longer stretch really helps mom and dad!
• Stella is still a bit jealous of the attention Sam gets, and she likes to get REALLY vocal about it at night just when he's drifting off to sleep. Ay yi yi!
• Sam's really exploring his neck strength lately, and likes doing tummy time with dad at night. 
• We can't wait to keep getting to know our love bug. :)