One year

My sweet baby boy, Samuel James, is one year old. When I found out I was having a boy I thought, "What am I going to do with a boy?" LOL I didn't have any brothers so I felt like I wouldn't know how to be a mom to a boy. I have to say that the times that he reaches for me and I know I am the only one he wants at that moment...it melts my heart! Those moments don't come as often as I would like because this kid stays on the move from sun up to sun down! I try to keep him busy and plan things for him during the week. He absolutely loves his "Birds" class at The Little Gym! He runs and climbs and even screams with delight! He has a music class and a storytime that he doesn't enjoy as much. Playdates are always fun! He would play with his cousins all day if they could. He has the best time with the four of them.

A few days before his party he got the stomach flu. He threw up all day. It was so heartbreaking to see my normally happy and super active boy just look up at me while I was holding him. It was the first time he has ever been sick. Sam and I shed more than a few tears to be honest. It was so sad. His party had to be cancelled but we are going to try to reschedule it. We did give him some presents on his actual birthday and Erica got him a mini cake to play in.



I can't believe he is not a baby anymore. We threw away all his bottles so he is only drinking from sippy cups. We are going to start weening him off of the pacifiers for bedtime. I have thrown all his pacifiers away but one. The doctor gave us a good strategy so we are going to start that today.

His doctor appointment went really well. His new doctor seemed cool with his Spiderman scrubs. He is from California and moved to Utah about ten years ago. He said Sammy is looking good. His stats are weight 20.3lbs (15%) and height 30.2in (65%). He started Sammy on a Multivitamin and suggested we switch him to whole milk. He had to have four shots and he was screaming so loud. Bless his heart it was so sad. I really like this Pediatrics office. They have over ten doctors at this office and have four offices total. They have a 24 hour number where you can speak to a nurse and there is always a doctor on call until 10pm. So I am very happy with his new doctor and their office. Here is the poor guy getting his shots.




He loves his Giraffe, his cars, his ball pit, eating cheerios, and baths! He hates getting dressed and diaper changes. I feel so blessed to have had a whole year with him. I am so lucky to be his mom and I can't wait to see what he learns this year.

Gross!

Since getting the baby gates Sam and I feel pretty comfortable letting Sammy explore the apartment. He usually sings or talks constantly so even if he plays in the hall we know he is ok. We close all the doors and just let him cruise up and down the empty hallway. Sam and I were in the living room and all of a sudden...silence. So we both shoot up off the couch to see what Sammy was into. Someone, I won't mention any names *Cough* It was Sam *Cough* left the bathroom door open. We never use this bathroom other than when I toss the dryer lint in the trash can. Well lately Sam has been in the back room working on his resume and today he was back their going through his important doctor papers so that is why I am assuming he used the bathroom. Oh and the fact that the seat was up.

FYI He maintains that he is innocent.

So we run back there to find Sammy in the bathroom dipping one of his super hero action figures in the toilet. There was this blue fuss every where and it looked like some was in the toilet. It turns out Sammy decided to give his action figure a swirly after pulling out all the dryer lint out of the trash and throwing it in the toilet. Wet dyer lint was all over the place including his hands and a big wad in his mouth. I am hoping that Sammy did not dunk that particular wad of dryer lint into the toilet before he put it into his mouth.

We snatch him up and took him to our bathroom the clean his hands and wash out his mouth. He thinks it is play time and even tries to slurp the water I am using to clean his mouth. So as my friend Meghan would say, "There goes my Mother of the Year award."

"He's perfect!" (9 Months)

Today we took Sammy for his nine month check up. He weighs 19.2 lbs which is exactly average and he is 28 inches which is slightly above average. Dr. Ambrose said, "He's perfect!" That doctor sure knows how to make a mom feel great! He asked us if Sammy was trying to pull himself up yet and was quite surprised when we said he was already walking. When we let Sammy go Dr. Ambrose called him a "Showoff" and said he must really be a year and a half old midget. He got two shots including his first flu vaccine and a prick on his heel to test his iron. He cried less than 30 seconds but it was long enough to break Sam's heart.




Sammy took his first steps in July and we have been chasing him ever since. I always knew that the day would come when I'd be chasing him up the aisles at church but I had no idea it would come so soon. When he wiggles off my lap at church he takes off like he's been called to "COME ON DOWN" on the Price is Right! He is laughing and smiling at everyone he passes. He cheeses it up for all the ladies who reach out for him. Sam and I seriously can't wait for him to be able to go to nursery! I literally can't keep this kid still. He is all over the place and has also started climbing.



Life is pretty exciting these days. Sam and I fought a crowd of way more experienced moms to get him into a story time. It is only 6 weeks so I will have to go through this again in a month and a half. I got in line at 9 am for registration starting at 10. I got the 8th spot. So even though I think 9am is a safe bet I am going to go even earlier next time because I won't have Sam to help me. I am still waiting to see if the other classes I signed Sammy up for will have enough people to not be cancelled. I want Sam to love books and reading. I want him to love to learn so I am going to try to get him into every thing I can. I have tried reading to him but he usually won't sit still. Of course his doctor and Erica both have told me how important it is so I am going to keep at it. Other than that Sammy went to the fair for the first time but he was totally not interested in most of what he saw. When we were in a big barn Sammy was more amazed by the ceiling fan and the fences than the animals.



Other news...Sammy has started taking to his sippy cup and we are thrilled! He always wants us to give him some of our bottle water. I was actually worried about why he drinks so much water but won't sit still long enough for a full bottle. The doctor told me it was fine so I feel better. He still yells "momma" and "da-da-da." Now he has started saying "Aah-wa" for agua (Water in Spanish)...we think. I never updated on this but his finger sucking habit didn't last very long and he started using pacifiers. Now that he is nine months he only gets them for nap and bed time.

I've started thinking about his birthday party. This year has gone faster than any other year of my life! :)

Six Flags

Six Flags Magic Mountain had a Mormon Family Fun day this past Saturday. It was announced at church and since the tickets were over half off we decided to go. Sam's sister and her husband went with us. We should have known that on a discount day that was also a Saturday that it would be packed. We were there from 10am to 8pm and rode a total of seven rides! Each ride had about an hour wait. We rode five roller coasters and two water rides.

X2 was five dimensional so we were spinning every directions and at one point went through two huge flames! It was pretty awesome and the scariest coaster I've ever been on!

Then Tatsu...the whole ride was upside down and backwards. Everything was strapped down all the way to our ankles! It was the closest to death I have ever come! In the beginning some thing was wrong so we kept getting lifted upside down then right side up again. Being upside down for that long made me really sick! When we were done everyone was chanting, "One more time" to which I screamed, "Let me off!" I thought I was going to puke!

Terminator Salvation was an old school coaster that didn't have a loop. It was scary because it was made of wood and rickety. Plus, we saw a live mouse in the scenery during the wait so I was concerned about the upkeep.

Riddler's Revenge was one that you are standing. It was ok but it really tossed your head back and forth which made me have a head ache.

Goliath has the biggest hill I have ever seen! It was fast and my favorite! I love a roller coaster that is fast and doesn't make me sick!

Roarin Rapids is one of my fav water rides. I usually don't get too wet and it is totally unpredictable. Some seats get soaked and some only splashed. I picked the wrong seat. Sam and I got so soaked that everyone else was laughing at us. The water in inside the boat was almost up to our knees! My brother in law was laughing so hard that it made me laugh so hard I may have peed a little! :)

Tidal Wave was the big boat that just goes down a big drop. You really don't get wet unless you stand on the bridge after...which I did because I was already wet so why not.

I didn't get many chances to take pictures since we were in line most of the day. I would have bought one of the shots from the rides but I seriously looked like I was in pain for each one of them. Sam and I decided we absolutely have to go on diets before we ever go back. The two of us riding together was so funny. Amusment parks are a great place to people watch. Wow, I felt like I was in the world's largest trailor park! Some of the gems I saw made me laugh and other's embarrassed me. I always get slightly emabarrassed when I see other chumby people wearing stuff they should not. I did laugh at a fat guy wearing a shirt that said "Gordos do it better." The muffin tops were in abundance! I saw a chick in heels that I wanted to punch! I saw pretty feet, ugly feet, and gross feet! I had a lot of fun and it was really nice to spend the day with Sam. If I am being honest though I just wanted the day to be over because I missed Sammy so much it was ridiculous!