12 Months

Sam got a good report at the doctor today. He is still a little peanut at 18 lbs 11 oz and 28 in. long...his head is still big at 47.2 cm! Sam is learning new things everyday and he is keeping me busy. I am constantly chasing after him as he is always getting into something he isn't supposed to (touching pictures, pulling books of the bookcase, throwing food on the floor!). The toddler years have begun. I am trying really hard to be consistent with him and sometimes it pays off. There are days when he will actually stand at the end table and look at the picture without touching it! That means he is actually obeying me when I say "no touch, just look" a million times a day! Then there are other days when he touches them over and over. It is a lot of work, but I love my little boy and every time he smiles at me and gives me lots of kisses I know that I have the best job in the world.

On a sad note, Sam's great-grandpa Stafford (my mother-in-law's father) passed away this morning and our hearts are heavy. Please keep the family in your prayers.

More Party Pictures

It turns out that Sam has croup (as we found out last night from his barking cough). Thankfully we were able to control it with a steamy shower and the cold air from the freezer (figures that the one night we need it to be freezing outside it is mild). We would appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery...croup is always the worst at night and if we can't keep it under control we will have to pay a visit to the ER for steroids and breathing treatments! On a lighter note...here are some more pictures from the party. After looking through my pictures I realized that I didn't take hardly any of Sam with his guests...we don't even have a picture of the birthday boy with his parents! Not to mention that because he wasn't feeling well, my usually camera-loving boy was not cooperating...we could barely get him to look at the camera and smiling was out of the question!

Pap Pap Galand

Grandma Galand

Grandma Good

Great-Grandma Stafford

It's My Party...

On Saturday we celebrated Sam's birthday with a party at our church. Unfortunately, the night before the party he woke up coughing and just not feeling well. Thankfully he seemed better the next morning and although he was just not completely himself, it was a great party. Like most moms I have been so excited about the moment when Sam can make a complete mess eating his first birthday cake. I had visions of him smashing the cake with his hands and smearing it all over the place while laughing with delight. Well, that was not quite what happened...almost the exact opposite happened actually. Sam was pretty scared of his "smash" cake and wanted nothing to do with it. Now, to give Sam some credit...the cake did have a face on it that could resemble a scary clown, not to mention that thirty people were staring at him, encouraging him to have a taste. We removed the clown face and he still didn't want anything to do with the cake...he would touch it with the tip of his finger and then quickly turn away. Finally, we just gave him a piece of the cake and that seemed to do the trick. So much for that moment that I was anxiously awaiting but Sam still was able to enjoy his cake...and really, isn't that what that moment is all about anyway?!

Looks pretty harmless huh?! Well not to a 1 year old I guess.

Not sure about the cake...it got worse once we made him touch it.

The crying starts and I had to pick him up out of the highchair.

Much happier, eating his slice of cake...with no evidence of the scary face

Walk then Crawl?

So Sam is clearly not doing things in the order that most kids do them... This week he has decided that he wants to learn to crawl after mastering the art of 'cruising' and pulling himself up. He has not crawled more than a few feet or so, but he is getting there. Because he never crawled, he also never figured out how to get from laying down to a sitting position. This resulted in a lot of moments where he would lay on the floor and cry until I picked him up. Well, those days are gone because he has finally learned how to sit up all on his own. It is so funny how he has learned to do things in his own time, not mine...a lesson that I know God will continue to teach me throughout Sam's life.

Fun to be ONE

12 months

Today my beautiful baby boy turns one! I have been looking forward to this day for a long time and can't believe it is finally here...it does go by quickly! Sam is such a wonderful baby...so happy and funny and super affectionate. From the moment we laid eyes on him, life has been an amazing journey filled with more love than I could have ever imagined.

It all started on a cold night in February (the 5th to be exact) in West Penn Hospital. Ten hours (2.5 of which were spent pushing) later Samuel James arrived on February 6, 2008 at 6:22 am weighing 6lbs and 3oz and measuring 20 inches. We praised God then and we praise Him now for the blessing of Samuel James. You are an amazing boy Sam and I am so blessed to be your mama. Happy Birthday my lovey loo!

34 weeks

2.6.08 - a few hours old

2 months

6 months

10 months

Playing Ball

Sam loves to play with his ball in our dining room because he can slide around really well on the hardwood floor. He usually makes a few laps (rolling of course) around the table but the other day he decided to crawl under the table and over and around the chairs. He is an adventurous little boy all right!

Super Bowl Champs

Sam wearing the jersey my Dad made for Luke

The boys enjoying some snacks

Wearing his Steeler sleeper from the previous Super Bowl win

Rose and I celebrating after a nail-biting finish