Dinosoar Train...

I love putting Samantha's sunglasses on her. I am really trying to get her use to them so she doesn't always pull them off. So when we went to First Watch today I had her glasses on and then I just slid them up on her head...just like I do mine. She is keeping them on for longer and longer periods before she pulls them off. I swear she is the cutest baby I know. No offense to all the other babies I know out there...I just happen to be a little partial.

Here is Samantha this morning watching t.v. / eating our new t.v. stand! We were watching Dinosaur Train and she would go over to the t.v. every once in awhile and stand up to get a better view. We really do not watch t.v. a lot so when I put something on for her specifically she will actually watch it. But her attention span is short and she usually only watches for a few minutes then goes right back to playing!

Just a fun Saturday

This morning has been just a fun day with Samantha and I hanging out. She is so playful and happy in the mornings. Enjoy the pictures below...

(This is the first picture I took this morning as I was getting Samantha dressed for the day. This was the "Good Morning Mommy" picture I sent Lauren.)

(This picture was taken while Samantha was loving watching me talk to Lauren on the phone while she was on her way home from work.)

(Samantha is having a great time playing with her toys.)

Nice shades...

I know your wondering how I got her to keep those sun glasses on...but really I am just a fast picture taker and got in one good shot before they came right back off. Although, I did keep encouraging her to keep them on! She hates the sun in her eyes so I thought she would just love the glasses, but they must be more fun to hold than wear.

Since I was off work today I had the chance to send Jeff a "Good Morning Daddy" picture (above). Which just made him want to come right back home and hang out with us all day. But a picture like this one would make anyone want to come home and kiss those cheeks!

Bath toys galore!

Samantha and I took a bath tonight in our new house. I was so excited for the whole experience and am so happy that Samantha had fun too! She especially loved watching her toys bob up and down in the water! The washcloth is draped on her back to keep her warm and she thought it was funny when I splashed water on her back. Now I really need to get a bath seat for her so I do not have to get in with her every time.

Weekend trip at MawMaw's

This weekend we moved back into our old house. The one we first lived in when we got married. It took us 4 months to sell and close on our other house so we have had time to get a lot of renovating done at our new / old house. We had bead board put up in Samantha's new room, got new appliances, got new living room furniture, had the upstairs painted, painted the basement walls AND floor, and most impressively we had the hardwood floors refinished. But this weekend was all about moving. Jeff and I had a lot of stuff already moved over; like the kitchen. And yesterday my brother came over to help take over a couple loads. So today was mostly about the really big stuff and the little random things. My dad came over at 8 and we had the first load moved over by 9. It only took 2 loads today and one load in Jeff's truck. We even managed to to get our old house cleaned out and ready for the new owners! Over all it has been an especially productive day...but let me tell you...my back is paying for it.

Because Jeff and I needed to get our whole move done in one weekend. We decided it was the perfect time for Samantha to have a sleep over with her Mawmaw and Pawpaw. They have been begging us to have her spend the night and there could not have been a better time. I packed up EVERYTHING Samantha could need for the weekend and Libby came over to pick her up around 5. You would think that I would be the one that called ever few hours to check up on her, but no, that would be Jeff. He loves calling to check and see what she is doing, how she is feeling, did she get a good nap, has she been playing a lot, how many bottles has she eaten...etc. It is actually really endearing. Oh, and since Jimbo just had knee surgery, Libby wanted to have an extra set of hands on deck so Jessica and Katie (I think) are also staying the weekend. The picture above was taken by Jessica (I think). It sounds like Samantha is having a great time getting to stay up late and always being entertained by people she loves! And I know this because of the many Jeff updates. A huge THANK YOU goes out to Jim and Libby for allowing Jeff and I to have a painless...virtually painless moving experience!!!!

St. Patrick's Day!!

Here is Samantha all dressed up in her St. Patricks day gear! I did not get to spend much time with her today because I spend the whole day moving stuff over to our old/new house. But I did manage to get her all dolled up in her pretty little dress.

Yes, that is a big bruise on her forehead. The funny thing about that is; just yesterday at Samantha's check up the Doctor was telling me that she is going to start trying to pull herself up on things and falling. He said that if 30 seconds worth of comforting doesn't stop the crying, well then I might have something to worry about. So yesterday, after her doctors appointment, we were playing on the floor and she puller herself up on the ottoman...and crashed down on the corner. She cried, A LOT, but not more than 30 seconds so she was back on the move. Then, less than 10 minutes later she pulled herself up on her walker...and crashed down again but this time there were no tears. But within a few hours a nasty bruise showed up. Thus her tainted St. Patrick's Day photo.

Samantha's 9 month check up!

This afternoon we had Samantha's 9 month check up. These check ups are both good and bad. It is always nice to see your child's progress and find out what to expect in the near future. But it is also sad that she always has to get at least 1 shot. This time she only got one, and it was a pretty mild shot, and hardly cried at all. She is a lot more busy now and had to keep moving around to keep herself entertained. Although she loved checking herself out in the mirror!

She is 22 pounds (90th percentile), 28 inches (75th percentile) and her head is 18 inches around (90th percentile). So we still have a big girl on our hands but the doctor was really pleased and said she will start slimming down as she gets more and more mobile. Her next check up is in 3 months and apparently she will have to have 2 shots that are really painful which I am not looking forward to at all. But I will be excited to see how much she has grown and what we have to look forward to in the future.

Good Morning Tradition

On the weekends, I am at work when Samantha gets up for the day. So it has become a tradition for Jeff to take a "Good Morning" picture. He texts me a really cute picture of Samantha in the morning with the caption, "Good Morning Mommy." I love these morning updates and look forward to them every weekend! The above picture was from this morning. Cute, I know!

Every Sunday night we go to small group at Bill and Kim Johnson's. They live really close to us so it is really nice! Bill and Kim are really great people and we have really enjoyed this experience and the time we get to spend with them. Above is a picture of Kim holding / playing with Samantha and Rebbecca, her daughter, looking on. Despite Samantha not getting an afternoon nap she loved playing with all the toys that Kim got out for occasions such at this! We are blessed to have people like this in our life. Everyone in our small group has become such a great blessing in our lives. I hope that these relationships will just keep on growing.

Miss Hello Kitty ... for Renee Lewis!

Stylin' Little Girl

Samantha is 9 Months old today!

As expected, here is the monthly picture of Samantha! The above picture was the first one this morning and turned out the best.

I can hear her thinking..."How much longer is this going to take? / How many more pictures are you intending on taking mom?"

"Wait a minute, I think if I just roll over I could probably eat that paper next to me!"

"I did it, I did it! Now, all I have to do is pick it up and then it is ALL MINE!"

(PS: All that stuff in the background is our basement all packed up and ready to move! If everything goes as planned, and Jeff and I LOVE plans, we close on our house on the 19th...just a week from tomorrow!)

Father and Daughter Bonding

Most weekends I have the luxury of spending a lot of quality time with my daughter. We just discussed tonight in small group that while Lauren and I do our fair share of complaining about her work schedule and it's side effects; it has given me the opportunity to learn how to completely care and take care of Samantha alone. The picture below is a random picture Lauren took tonight at small group of Samantha and I just playing...

I mean seriously, how freakin' cute is this kid???

Daddy's Favorite Outfit (Before and After)

The above picture is Samantha circa June 2009 (8 1/2 months ago). As you can imagine, once we found out that we would be having a girl it seemed every article of baby paraphernalia that entered our home was pink. Lauren bought this green outfit for Samantha before she was born and the moment I saw it, I loved it and it was immediately my favorite. This is the outfit that I would put Samantha in each time I was responsible for getting her dressed. Sadly though the time came that our baby outgrew this outfit and Daddy's favorite outfit was no more.

Then, a few months later Lauren came home and pulled out a 9 month version of the above. I was really excited but quickly forgot about it as it would be a few more months until it would fit her. Tuesday night Lauren brought my beautiful baby down and TA-DA...Daddy's Favorite outfit is back baby!!! The picture below is the "after" section of this post. Believe it or not, this IS the same baby. What a difference 8 1/2 months make...

Rock on Samantha...Love your Daddy...

Random pictures from the past week.

Here is Samantha in her new walker, looking super cute I might add!

Samantha in her walker again! She can get across the room in no time.

Here is Samantha from last weekend. She fell asleep on the way home from Plain City. We went to the Dutch Kitchen with Jeff's family and she could not stay awake on the ride home.

Another really cute sleeping picture.