Better

We have finally gotten back to normal at Casa de Fielden. Sam and I are feeling much better, however all three of us were left with a nasty cough that we can't seem to kick. The doctors informed us that there is significant bronchial irritation leftover from this flu that may take a few weeks to heal.
Thank you so much for all the well wishes!

Fielden Flu Report

Our wee man started running a fever yesterday afternoon at a consistent 101.5 and topped out this morning at 103.1 on a steady dose of alternating Motrin and Tylenol. Once, I realized he was getting worse instead of better we made the move to call our doctor. They took us first thing this morning and swabbed his nose for the flu, and yep you guessed he has the flu... and so do I.

He has been a trooper, in spite of not being able to really rest comfortable unless he is in his swing. He hasn't slept in his swing in several weeks until now. He is just pathetic, the doctor said that since it is his first time with a flu virus he will more than likely run a fever for a few days and then start a gradual decrease in temperature after that. Hopefully, he will be on the mend by Monday since this all started on last Wednesday. We are supposed to drive up to Philly on Thursday for Karen's baby shower with Holly and the boys. I will be so disappointed if we can not go.

Not Again!!!!

Yes again! We are all suffering from another round of sickness. Cody has had the cough and cold for about 2 weeks now. Sam and I have breezed through with no symptoms until Tuesday night we both started at the same time.

I have a cough...a really irratating cough, aches and pains. But, I'm a mom now and there is no time for sickness. I have thrown my repulsion to the side and have been downing Delsym ever 12 hours with 3-4 Advil. If you know me at all, I usually gag at the mention of cough syrup. Now, I gag at the thought of a night with bad sleep and an infant to take care of the next day.

Little man is suffering from his second ear infection, upset tummy (from the antibiotics), runny nose, terrible cough and a yeast infection in his diaper area! The diaper thing has been going on for several months with little success in the suggested treatments. Now, finally, one of the peditricians prescribed this super-dooper-antifungal cream that is clearing it up. The prescription cost $190!!!! Lucky for us, the peditrician gave me this special card so that we only paid $10 for it since Cody is her dentist. Phew! Unfortunately, Sam is in a foul mood. Wish me luck.

HE ROLLED!!!!

Spotting the target... Reaching for target...
And, he's over!!!!!

At, seven and a half months I thought this boy would never roll. Out of the blue today, he just did it. It was amazing! Sam has been rolling from his belly to back since Christmas time, but now he is a pro and can roll from back to belly as well. Now, if we can just get him crawling...

Baby's First Snow!

Last night we got a little snow and we took Sammy out to play this morning in it. He didn't know quite what to think.

7 Months Old!

Where has the time gone? The month of January slipped by and Sam the man has gotten bigger! We struggled with a few weeks of sickness but, now we are all finally feeling better. He is changing so much!
He has started sleeping through the night regularly now, he goes to bed around 7:30pm and wakes around 6:00am. Naptime has also become regular, with both a morning and a afternoon. This is so wonderful because now I can better plan my day. He is finally over being swaddled, and is sleeping in a cozy 'Halo' sleep sack. He even recognizes when his sleeping time routine starts and he gets so happy and excited to get down to sleep. I thought the day would never come.
Sam loves to eat! He is definately our son. He has tried all kinds of fruits, veggies, and (LOVES) crackers. His favorites of the moment are: avocado, sweet potato, pears, applesauce, and squash. He kind of fights us on the green stuff...but he will still eat it. I am waiting another month to introduce yogurts and cheese...give that gut some more time to develope. He is really into feeding himself crackers and I have started letting him pick up Cheerios and Puffs to eat too.
He is chatting up a storm. He mostly says "ba-ba" and "ma-ma"...we have been working extra hard on "da-da" but he hasn't said it yet. Sam has also been introduced to a few signs and the other day he imitatied the sign for "more" when I was singing the "Itsy-Bitsy Spider"! I was super excited, I texted all my friends. I am also working on "eat" , "milk" and "all done".
Unfortunately for me, he has also starting to get a bit of separation anxiety. He cries whenever I leave the room, or if I am out of sight. It is exhausting. He will be happily playing independently, and if he spots me walk in and out of a room he completely melts down. This is real typical for the age...which is good...but still annoying.
He is sitting up really great, he hardly ever falls over. He still isn't making the move to roll from back to belly, but he might not do it since he hates his stomach anyway. We have been working on lots and lots of play on the stomach which he complains about, but how will he ever learn to crawl if he doesn't play on his tummy? A lot of babies don't ever crawl, they scoot on their bottoms... and that would be okay too. The only problem is he is so frustrated he can't reach things all the time to play with.
Overall, he is the happiest baby ever! I can take him anywhere and he is such an angel. People are always coming up to me in stores, the gym, and elsewhere and commenting on how good and happy he is. It is true! The kid loves an outing!


The Fielden house has been kind of low key lately, with getting over sickness and focusing on saving money. We have some big financial goals this year! Cody is really ampted to purchase a practice and start the road to ownership.
I have been working on getting back to my normal shape, I am back with my trainer 4 times a week. I even enlisted my friend, Meg, to do it with me. I am super motivated and I can see a difference in my waistline already. I also have been working hard on getting all our digital images organized onto Kodak gallery...I am almost completed the year 2006. It has been a major undertaking, but I will feel much better with my pictures backed up someplace other than my computer.

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, mirror on the wall... who's the cutest baby of all...
Me, of course!

Sam was just having a little fun with the mirrors while I was on the computer checking email. It was so cute, I couldn't resist snapping a ton of pictures!

Vroom! Vroom!

We took Sammy to his first 'car show' this weekend. A friend of mine had a booth for her boyfriend's busin ess and invited us to check it out. The show was in Greensboro and all the proceeds benefited a the local children's hospital. The boy's really enjoyed it!

We saw a chopped school bus (Sammy's favorite!). There were a ton of muscle cars, but not a single Vega...sorry Pop-Pop.
A few cutey nakey pictures!

Not very many plans for the weekend. We are going to spend Superbowl with some friends from our gym. It is a family party, so it will be nice to not have to get a sitter for our little bear.

Help Fight Autism

Just cause I stay at home, doesn't mean I don't think about all the families out there still fighting to save their children. Please watch this short video and help fight autism...it takes 3 minutes. It is legit, I checked it out on Snopes.

The band, Five for Fighting, is generously donating $0.40 to Autism Speaks for *each time* this video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal. If link does not work, copy and paste.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/408214

Thank you!!!

Bubbles bubbles everywhere!

We introduced the oh-so-nice calming effect of bubbles a few days ago. Sammy was amazed! I have done the bubbles several times in the tub, and sometimes when he is cranky in the afternoons, I lay him in the bed with me and blow them. He gets super calm and happy. I love the bubbles...greatest invention...EVER! We just got in the tub and were playing, so don't mind the sweet potatoes and carrots all over the face and up the nose.

I have all started to "sign" with him. We are working on the signs for "more" and "all done". He stares at my hands each time I do it, very intent. I can't wait till he starts to talk back to me! Right now, he kind of imitates different noises I make, which is hilarious. And, he has discovered his tongue. He is constantly sticking it in and out, I haven't gotten a picture of it just yet.

Ahh-Sneeze-Ahchooo!

We are doing much better with all the yuckness that has infected the house. Sam is still coughing a lot, but his spirits are definately up and he seems to be returning to his usual self. He has suffered a loss of appetite, I think it is all the antibiotics. He either doesn't trust we aren't going to stick something totally gross in his mouth or his tummy is upset by them.
Cody and I have just been keeping him busy with play time. I woke up on Saturday morning and found Sam in his room like this...oh silly Daddy. If ever he is fussy, the animals are his new favorite past time. He delights in everything they do! He smiles and talks to them...it is so cute. They still haven't figured out his merit yet, although I keep promising Jack that he will be an endless treat giver in another couple months.
Playing with Tillie.
Tillie being ever so patient.
Poor kitty.

An update on my update

We talked to the doctor today, and the test they ran on Sam for RSV came back negative. This was great news, hopefully he will run the cold and cough a typical amount of time and be back to his normal happy self soon.
Yeah!

Sick baby update

Just wanted to let everyone who was concerned for out little man, he went to the doctor today. He has an ear infection, and possibly RSV... a respitory virus. He is on some medication for his ears and the RSV he will have to fight off on his own over the next few weeks. A milestone. Our first sickness.

Slow week

Things have been quiet here at Casa de Fielden. The weather has been nasty, ice, rain, sleet and snow, as well as freezing. Sam has come down with another cold, this time it is in his sinus and chest. He is doing ok, really in a fair mood considering the fever, cough and inability to breath. He is such a little trooper.

We did have a friend over to "play" on Wednesday afternoon. This is Thomas (and Claire)... we delievered 10 days apart. It has been nice to have a friend who is almost always going through the exact same things we are at relatively the exact same time. And, she is just as paranoid as me...so it works out nice. Thomas loves all Sam's toys. Claire has very few cause-effect toys for Thomas, she can't handle the noise. So, whenever Thomas comes over he is so enthralled.
Happy, sick baby.

Six months old!

We made it a half a year! I can not believe how the time has flown! It truly feels like yesterday I was pregnant...We kicked off this past weekend with the six month visit to the pediatrician. Sam has gained a few more pounds, he weighed in at a solid 15 pounds even. This pushed him up into the 10th% for weight. However, he only gained an inch, since his last check up at a whopping 24inches he was pushed below the 5th% for height. Not to big of a concern however, his parents aren't exactly line backers. Sam also got a last round of vaccines for awhile, he did much better this time around. There wasn't the usual upheaval in sleeping, eating and overall attitude. He cried a little and was comforted quite easily by Cody. That was that!
Sam has started to eat solids, he loves food! We have given him a variety of vegetables and fruits. He really loves sweet potatoes and bananas best...he has also tried green beans, peas, peaches and apples. He has also graduated from the bouncy seat for meals to his high chair...he also enjoys sitting in there to play while we eat our dinner. This is a great change from having to either listen to him squeal through meals or holding him on our lap.
Sam has also mastered sitting up, he does great on softer surfaces like his crib or our bed. He tumbles over a bit faster on the floor. He has really been enjoying his different toys, he especially loves the soft books, and a starfish lovee thing that our neighbor gave him for Christmas. He has also discovered the dogs and loves to watch them when they come up to him or hang out near him... he just smiles and coos at them.
Sleep is better in some ways and harder in others. His naps haven't been good over the past several days, but he is sleeping longer into the night. He sometime doesn't wake until 5:30 or 6...but most often at 4:30 to eat. It is hit or miss if he will go back to sleep in his crib after he wakes, sometimes I just put him in his swing where he dozes until Cody gets up for work. I am hoping the nap strikes are temporary... and he is just being difficult due to the little cold he has been fighting for the past week.
Unfortunately, we have outgrown our 'Mommy and Me' class at the hospital, I am going to attend for the rest of the month and then it is on to bigger things for us. I started library story/circle time this week. He loved it! He was the youngest baby there, and he really got a excited watching all the other babies crawl and walk around. I think he might learn alot from watching them. I am also going to look into a swim class for mommies and babies at the YMCA or the big sports center on the outside of town.

Oh Boy more Christmas!

After we got home, we were lucky to celebrate Christmas with my whole side of the family also.

North vs. South Two little buddies
Sam is very interested in how to play like a big boy!
Dennis is very interested in showing him.
Pictures of lil'Dennis are always hard to come by...what are ya gonna do, he's 2!

Little Joe, so beautiful!
Dennis pushing Sam around the house in his car.
Swinging!
The Godfather

The trip was to short for us! We aren't gonna be seeing much family for a few months now. So sad.

Joey's Baptism

Old Joe was christened on December 30th...he was dressed in his grandmother's gown, which was also worn by Holly. He was very well behaved thoroughout the whole service, which was shared by the whole family.

Dennis, Holly and Joe together before the service...we tried to get one with lil' D but he is two and way to busy for pictures these days. Dennis helping out Pop-pop with taping the service
Joey at the end of his rope, wet, tired, hungry and wearing a dress to boot!
Looking quite sweet in all his purity!
Joey with mom and dad, as well as godparents, Chad and Karen

Christmas Day

We had a wonderful day all together! There were lots of presents, eating, drinking and being merry! The only thing missing for me was making it to church. I always go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, but this year it just didn't happen.
A little Christmas Elf Getting ready for Santa!
Opening stocking for the first time, there was a teether, rattle, a train book, and some wooden toy cars.
Holy Stockings Santa!
Grandma and the girls

I think Lyns liked her gift from us!
A very sleepy Daddy

Saying goodbye to Uncle Scott
Our flight left out of San Diego at 10:30pm--it was great to be able to spend the entire day with everyone. The flight home was long! I didn't feel that good and it was difficult to move while holding Sammy. He was a perfect angel the whole time, with the exception of the five minutes I went potty. Cody reports that he screamed as if someone were stabbing him in the eye, and woke up three other babies on the flight around 3:00 am--Oops! You can only hold it for so long.