Hospital Gala and hospital bills

We haven't been up to very much lately, sticking pretty close to home. The bills for Sam the man rolled in this past month and totaled out at a little over $2000. Holy Crap!! Between the c-section and all the additional care both Sammy and I needed, we racked up quite the bill. Funnily enough, we also attended the hospital's annual gala...basically a hoitey-toitey event for the hospital donors to get a slide show and speeches commending all there generosity. I have to admit though, it felt darn good to do my hair, slap on some make-up, and hand that kid over to a babysitter for the night. It was a nice evening out, and Cody looked fantastic in a tux (see below). Sam is changing daily, he is starting to really talk up a storm and reach out for things. Here he is in his bouncy chair playing with the singing toucan and monkey. The boy loves this thing!
Check out my monkey!
Hilarious, isn't he?

2 months old...a little late

Here he is! Two months old... I can't believe how time has flown. He has changed alot over the last month. At his doctor's appointment on Wednesday, he has gained nearly 2 pounds, weighing in at a total 8 lbs. 13 oz.! And, he has grown in length too, at 21 in. Needless to say, the pediatrician was speechless...it felt darn good to say "See, I told you so!" regarding his weight gain and growth. He got his vaccines this month too, it was heartbreaking to watch. He did that silent cry followed by ear piercing screeches. Thankfully, he was soothed once I started to nurse him. He was a bit off for the rest of the week, but seems to back to his old self as of yesterday.
He is doing most of the things he ought to be doing, smiling and cooing, as well as following objects with his eyes. He still hates to play on his tummy, and is not yet lifting his body but it will come sooner or later. We try and play on our tummy at least once a day for a few minutes. We started using the cloth diapers finally. It took awhile for them to fit properly, although they just aren't as sturdy as disposable diapers, they leak, not fun for a girl with texture issues. I am also trying to tackle the riding in the car problem, he HATES it!!! It doesn't make for much fun when running errands. Any ideas veteran mommies?? Cody and Sam at the pool.
See. Protesting the car seat, urg.
Passed out from all the protesting.

Congrats Mike and Christy

There's gonna be a wedding...there's gonna be a wedding!!! Mike popped the question this past week, and Christy said "Of course!!" He planned a romantic dinner a Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe and totally surprised her. We are so stoked to have a new member of the family. Christy is now sporting a gorgeous pear shaped rock on her left hand and the word is next October they are planning on tying the knot in San Diego. Yee-HaW! I love a wedding!

Grandma comes to town!

Grandma came to visit and meet little Sammy!! We had lots of great fun all week, we started off the visit with a trip to the mountains of Asheville, NC to check out the Biltmore Estate. It was impressive as always and I think Mom really enjoyed seeing it. Sammy was also a good little boy, we flipped him around in his carrier and he chilled the whole time. Mom and Cody tasting the wine at Biltmore Winery, they both bought a few bottles of champagne to bring home.
Grandma made Sammy the most adourable sock monkey, we were cracking up because the sock monkey is as big as he is!
Grandma was reading Martha to Sammy...
Working up a smile!
We spent most of the week just hanging out at home, Sam had a few cranky moments since he got his immunizations this week. We did make a few runs out to Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge. And, we crafted a scarecrow to decorate for Halloween. I will post pictures of that when I finish him up.

summer's done and so is the patio

So this is my patio project. This is the best before pic I have. I already dug up the area and cut back the hill on the left.




















Another before pic. Here I built a little brick wall.
























To accomplish this project I first dug out and leveled the 450 sq ft area. I also dug back a hill to put in a retaining wall. Then I used 4 tons of #57 rock for a base and backing in the reataing wall. Below is a picture of about 2 tons.
Then 8 tons of crush and run. Followed by 6 tons of stone dust (kinda like sand).
About 105 mason blocks where used for the retaining wall (each weighs 80 lbs.).
4 pallets of pavers.



















What does 18 tons of rock, 10 tons of pavers, and 8000 lbs of masonry block add up to?
When moved by a wheelbarrel; a sore back and a beautiful patio that I am damn proud of!


There is a 40' retaining wall on the left, but blogger would only allow 5 pics.

Happy 3rd Anniversary to You and Me

Here's looking back... A happily ever after, if there ever was one.
We celebrated last night with a romantic candlelit dinner of boneless rib-eye roast, caprese salad, sweet potatoes, and a delicious Zinfadel. Sammy supervised from his swing for awhile and then moved to his Bumbo Chair (which he loves!).
Having such a good time with ourselves that...
Sammy was feeling a little neglected and left out, here's his sad face.

I can't believe it has been 3 whole years! We have done alot together in that time, moved across country, paid off all our credit cards, bought a house, started an IRA, went to Europe for the first time, and had a beautiful baby. I am a happy and lucky woman, here's hoping the next 30 are as wonderful.

A time to play...

A few more pictures of what we are learning while we play... Sammy discovered his tongue this week!
Don't let the smile fool you, he is about to let out an ear piercing scream.
Flower likes to supervise, she is not really sure we know what we are doing with her baby.

The Dog Days of Summer

I wish I could say that we have been up to lots of exciting new adventures as a family, but with this blasted heat wave that has lasted all stinking August... we have been house bound. Since infants have no way to regulate their body temperatures, extreme temperatures are dangerous for them. BOO! HISS! I never thought I would say this (or type it), but I can't wait for the summer to be over! I can't even take the little guy to the mall and walk around, since the car sits out in 100 degree heat making the inside of my black SUV and inferno of hell. So, there it is housebound...not good for the post pardum woman.

All kidding aside, look at this little cutie. Resting happily on Daddy's knee, he stayed there for about a half an hour cuddling his dino and sucking his paci! He is so alert for an infant his age, most of my friends who have similar aged babes can't keep them awake, not our Sammy he doesn't want to miss a beat. I am currently working on getting him to nap on a schedule, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. He isn't much of a napper, but we are working on it. On the up side, he is pretty good at night. Most of the time he sleeps from 10-4 ish... so we'll see if that lasts. A rare moment, sleeping mid day. We still swaddle him at night and he sleeps in his crib great, but during the day he wants nothing to do with sleeping in there, he prefers his swing or my arms.
Lately, he has gotten really interested in his mobile. This is pretty cool, he gets very still and transfixed on the moving shapes and will follow them with his eyes for about 15 minutes at a shot. It plays a mixture of kiddie classical music, it is very soothing for me too.
I am trying to get him to enjoy tummy play more but he hates it for the most part. He sticks his face into the carpet and screams. Then it takes like 10 minutes to calm down. He is still doesn't pick his head up and move it side to side with ease on his tummy, this of course makes me panic that he'll start being delayed... and maybe something is wrong with his neurological development... and then there is more panic. Luckily, I have a friend here in HP that is an OT and she reminds me how small he is for his age and this may be the reason physically, not any neurological problems. Phew! Ok, I can deal with that... I swear ignorance is bliss.

We are nearly at 8 pounds of solid Sammyness, I can't wait until he is caught up so that pediatrician can back off the supplementing issue. I had a friend tell me that the formula companies are like the mob to the pediatricians, they have to push the stuff or someones going to lose there knee caps and sleep with the fishes or something to that effect. Anyway, he is eating great, about 9 times a day. So what more could they want?

This past week, we went down to Charlotte for Holly's shower. They held it in the park, it was really hot. Holly got a few nice new things for the new baby, and some necessities like diaper, bottles and other stuff. I got her a few things for herself, like comfy sweats and nursing tank tops. I live in mine, so I knew she like them too. She is an avid nursing mother too.

Labor day is approaching, and we haven't got any major plans. Most of our HP friends are heading out of town, to the beach or mountains...

Cody is going to finish up the patio project this weekend I think, so soon we can post pictures of all his hard work. I can't believe it took him all summer to get it done, poor guy, he was really busting his tail out there in this heat. I think I may need to burn his work T-shirts. wink**wink**

Dennis &Holly's new home

It was hard to get a really good shot of the new place, because it is set up high on a steep hill. You get the idea right?
A few shots of the boys playing on the floor together! Sam got a bit frustrated after a few minutes. Dennis was really good with him, lots of good practice for the upcoming new brother or sister.
Dennis was showing off his open cup skills!
I like this shot of Jack and Dennis, it shows was a sweet gentle pup Jack a roo is.

Tag, I'm it...

One of my best girlies in the whole wide world, and avid mommy blogger tagged me on her oh-so-fab blog (seriously, if you ever want a good laugh you must check her out sometime) to name 8 random facts about myself as a new momma. So here goes Lora...

The Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

The Facts:

1. Never in my wildest dreams, and I have dreamed about becoming a mommy since I was a little girl (my favorite game was "playing house") did I think that being a mommy would be soooo hard. I am not even talking about the getting up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, or the endless needs that have to be met on demand from my little one... I'm talking about the things I wasn't prepared for, for example, sitting on the couch for 45 minutes nursing all the while needing to pee so bad you have tears in your eyes. This has forced me into a 'nursing routine', one thing I have learned is that parenting is all about ROUTINE.

2. For a girl that has bordered on an eating disorder/body complex her whole life, it is strange to be obsessed with how many calories I am eating and always striving for a few more. Nursing a baby is difficult, and making lots of milk required lots of extra calories. I know my love for Sam truly is greater than myself when I am constantly praying for time to eat a little more even though I am at the highest weight I have ever been at. Bring on the milkshake!! And, I don't mean that in an indulgent, pleasurable dessert way, I need all the fat and calories to get my skinny baby to where he needs to be which takes all the fun out of drinking a milkshake.

3. Driving to the store by myself with Flower hanging her head out the window is unbelievably liberating.

4. My brain is like soup. Not even good soup like homemade chicken noodle, it is generic store brand chicken broth. The fact that I am able to even write this extensively is amazing.

5. My poor, dear husband... I have always looked forward to seeing him at the end of the day, but now 5:00 has become the countdown of all countdowns. Forget the days he goes to the gym, they are like endless abysses that seem to have no end. All kidding aside, since becoming a mommy I depend on him for everything at the moment-he feeds me, comforts me, listens to me, help me remember "to do's", and most of all loves me. Very important since right now I am as exciting as watching paint dry-seriously my personality is pretty deflated at the moment.

6. The best part of my day is when Sammy wakes up in the morning and I can pull him into bed with us. There just isn't any better feeling than being all snugly-buggly with my little family. I use to scoff at people who thought sleeping with there children was a good idea, I get it now. There I said it. This doesn't mean I won't be putting him in his crib every night, because for one I do need "alone time" with poor hubby and two I am terrified of SIDS.

7. I miss reading books that don't discuss breastfeeding, poops, sleep schedules, and other such babyness. I started War and Peace back in January and it still remains unfinished. At this rate I should finish it by my next year.

8. I realize now how deep love can go. There is a whole new meaning to my life now, I will forever be concerned about this little guys safety and well being above all else. He has made me love Cody more than I knew possible. Ever since I saw that little blue plus sign on the pee stick, our little one has been a constant thought in my mind, never able to completely let my guard down, forever connected to me.

Those who are tagged!

Sarah-- Cause like, Hello! you really need some inspiration to get bloggy with it.

Aunt Sue-- It's always nice to learn a little more about family

Holly-- Something fun for all these hot days we are dealing with inside

Luisa-- Like Lora said, blogger down in Ireland or what??


This is kind of where I am at post-pardom, adjusting to our life as a three-some instead of a two-some. It is a wild ride!

One month old, and playing a little blog catch up!

Phew! It is a lot harder to blog now that I have a baby. So here we are at one month, he is still a bit of a peanut, but we are working really hard on that. At one month, our little Sammy has gained a total of 15 ounces. He is at 7 pounds as of yesterday, the doctors and nurses are not all that stoked about his apparent lack of weight gain. It has been our mission to feed, feed, feed, our little guy so that he gains about a half an ounce a day. Our goal is to get him to 7 and a half by next week. I started to drink some special herbal tea containing some magic herbs to help me produce more milk... they all suspect that my milk production has something to do with it and the fact that he is an excellent sleeper at night (sleeps 10-4 or 5). I know that everyone says not to worry, and don't get crazy about it...but it is a little hard to do when it is your baby everyone thinks is starving. Sammy has also grown a whole inch, now up to 20 inches. He is started to fill a few more things out in the clothes department. Although, he still isn't into the 0-3 months clothes yet. Sammy is practicing holding a rattle! He hasn't quite got the hang of it yet, but we just started it.
I just love this picture, this is what I do every morning to wake him up to eat. I have to unwrap him from his cozy swaddle and let him wake up on his own.
We also went on our first road trip up to Philly this weekend for my 10 year reunion. The drive went really good. Sam was so good in the car, it took us a little over 8 hours to get up there with stopping to feed and change him. We started the system of me pumping my milk, and Cody feeding him by bottle. Sammy is much more efficient with the bottle than the boob, so it saved us lots of time. It was interesting pumping while in the car, with a sheet draped over me. I kept holding my breath every time a trucker would drive by convinced they could see me and all my Dairy Cow Old Bessie milking style.
Cody came up with the brilliant idea of warming the bottle on the engine, see below. It worked beautifully.

Time is flying, 3 weeks old.

We have reached the week 3, and all by ourselves now, looks like we can do this whole mommy and daddy thing without to many mistakes. My mom left last Sunday, we were sad to see her go...but it has given me the chance to try and start Sam on a routine. When I say routine, we haven't got one yet, the important thing is I am trying, right?
This week Cody and I worked on Sammy taking a bottle. It went really great! He seemed a tiny bit confused at first, but took it with no problem once he realized there was milk coming out of that bottle. We are only giving him breast milk, so pumping has been a bit of a challenge for me. I only get about 2 ounces out, and it leaves me wondering if it enough... although, everyone says that it is for his age.
Flower and Jack are coping really well to the new addition. Flower is very curious, and always wants to be a part of the action.
Early morning sleepy time, Sammy rarely sleeps in bed with us... Cody must have caught us after his morning shower before work.
Sammy's belly button finally fell off, and we were able to give him real baths. He loves them! He gets really still and serious looking, he is so sweet.

Meeting some of the family

At two weeks of life, Samuel has had lots of company come to meet him. Lil' Dennis was very excited the second time around and wanted to hold him. He was so sweet with Sammy, very gentle and curious with him. When his turn to hold the baby was all done, he kept walking around behind Holly saying "Mine!" because he wanted to have Sammy back. It was to funny! I think he is going to be a great big brother. Dad arrived on Sunday, and spent a few days getting to know Sam too. He couldn't get over what a peanut Sammy is... even though he was the exact same size Tristan was at birth. Dad even did a little babysitting while treating Mom and I to a pedicure. Sammy was very well behaved and spent the majority of the time in his swing.
Tristan and Sammy chilling out before dinner.
Our two week family photo, yes we survived it. In fact, I think we are really getting into the swing of things.
All pooped out after a long day! He is so precious when he sleeps. We found Cody's baby book, with his hospital photo, and there is no contest, Sammy looks just like Cody except a little bit smaller and not quite as full in the face. It is uncanning!