Dental Report at 15 Mos: The Molar Has Erupted

Snowman

This afternoon in Park City...

You got that right, Daddy

"There are two kinds of things in Samson's world: things that are scattered on the floor and things that will soon be scattered on the floor."

Cheese!

Cheese!, originally uploaded by LeftyMama.

Samson has been spending a lot of time outside lately while we're enjoying gorgeous, sunny, cool days in Central Texas. This shot was taken during a playdate with our good buddy, Hayden.

Mama has fallen behind again on blogging duties and there's a lot to report.

Thanksgiving was a great adventure as the three of us made the trek out to East Texas for visits with Mama's and Daddy's kinfolk. More on that when we get the photos posted.... That trip was a perfect test-run for the big cross-country journey Samson will be taking for his first white Christmas. We get on a plane in sixteen days!

Toddler Crack

Every time Samson sees one of these wrappers, he goes berzerk. We can't leave them on the table during his meal (for dessert), or he will scream bloody murder and refuse to eat his "real" food. His first actual tantrum (and several subsequent ones) were caused by this item.

Mr. Sandman

Mr. Sandman, originally uploaded by LeftyMama.

Mmm. Crunchy.

Samson had a big day of firsts on Sunday:

• first meal from the kid's menu
• first grilled cheese sandwich (thumbs up, he said)
• first taste of chocolate
• first taste of ice cream (it was the aforementioned chocolate; thumbs down, said he)
• first trips down the big kids' slide
  

And then there's the subject of this video. After the slide, Mama thought it might be okay to let him get onto the ground and check out some of the toys at his eye level. As usual when Samson hits the ground, he immediately had get his hands on it. This was a new sensation, the sand flowing between his fingers. But the inevitable end to any object in Samson's hand is....

Dad, did you say Cat 5 or Cat 6?

Dad, did you say Cat 5 or Cat 6?, originally uploaded by LeftyMama.

On a recent excursion to Fry's. Like father, like son.

Little Tike at Play

No more pictures, please, Mother

Our little crawfish after an arduous day in front of the camera

Lots of news, but no time to post

Dear readers, it has been a very busy week in Samson's world. We have new teeth, new skills in cruising and climbing, new almost-words, new foods eaten, new adventures outdoors, and so much more. We didn't capture it all on film (or JPG), but you can catch a glimpse by checking out our latest pics on Flickr. Just click this link to go there.

More coming soon....

I like to cruise

Up, down, up, down....

Autumn Tradition

We knew this would happen sooner or later....

Since Samson discovered his crawl a few weeks ago, he has become increasingly difficult to contain and now pretty much has the run of the front part of the house. We invested in a thick area rug for the den to give his knees a break from the hard, cold stone, tile, and concrete floors, and we set up a couple of safe and stimulating play areas in two different corners. Of course, Samson usually prefers to go directly to the places which are not in the least prepared for his presence.

And so, today as Mama stood at the microwave stirring up some soup for lunch, she heard a sudden rise in the pacing of Samson's stride coming from the den to the dining room (which is open to the kitchen). She figured he was hurrying around the corner to make sure he could see her, or perhaps he was engaged in his favorite pastime of herding the cats. Just then came the tell-tale sound of tiny fingernails scraping the bottom of a ceramic dish and the scatter of kibble on across the tiles. Around the corner of the bar, there the boy sat, contentedly chomping a mouthful of Iams Indoor Weight and Hairball Care. Let's just say, he was not eager to give up his salty treasures, and it took several passes before all were removed, a few already crushed and soggy. Blecch!

Cake

So much fun at the party! Thanks to everyone for showing up and sharing Samson's special milestone. More pics to come....

On Your First Birthday

Dear Samson,

This is a picture of the time that we first met, face to face:
















The occasion was much more dramatic than we had expected, and the next few weeks and months were very difficult for us all, but at this moment, your dad and I were bursting with joy and relief that you were with us, kicking and screaming with your tiny body that was not yet really ready to join the world.

It's been 365 days since this photo was taken and boy, have you grown! You're now over 21 pounds and 29 inches tall. You crawl like a commando, you swig from a sippy cup, and your current mission in life (besides consuming all bite-sized objects) is to stalk kitties. You sleep all night (usually) from 7:30p to 6:00a like a big boy in your own room. It's almost impossible to tell that you were ever anything but perfectly healthy; only the little IV scars on your ankles and arms give a hint as to how you lived your first few weeks.

Everywhere you go, people notice you and comment on how big you've become and how very handsome you are. They say you look just like your mama or just like your daddy, depending on which one of us they know the best. They also say that you're an old soul with very observant and curious eyes that seem wise beyond their age. Recently, a burly punk-rock chick behind us in line for a half-hour said about you, "I don't even like kids, but this one's pretty cool."

You adore:

• feet, especially toes
  
• dogs, and you giggle whenever you see a real one
  
• cats, which you will tackle if they allow you to get close enough
  
• tickles, especially under the arms
  
• Mama, pretty much 24/7
  
• Daddy, especially when he arrives home from work
  
• PawPaw in his red shirts
  
• whiffle balls to chase and crash together
  
• swinging in bucket swings
  
• drinking Mama's milk
• eating anything that you can feed yourself
• brushing your teeth
• smiling for people and cameras
  
• songs with hand motions and sound effects, especially Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, and Sammy-Pie (sung to the tune of "Lollipop, Lollipop")
• Moose A. Moose and Zee, the hosts from Noggin
• reading Goodnight Moon and Where's Spot?
• playing with things you aren't supposed to have, like the TV remote control, the phone, and the weekend newspaper
  

You detest:

• discovering that you've reached the end of a bowl of food
  
• getting your face washed
• having your nose picked or your nails clipped
  
• pulling a shirt over your head
• knowing that Mama is nearby but not in the same room with you

You are very sociable in most settings, but you're just now learning how to wave good-bye and hello, to give high-fives & pounds, and to kiss. Your most frequent companions of a similar age are Hayden and Samantha. You hang out with Ava, Weston, Kelly, and Owen pretty regularly, too.

Already we can tell that you have a mischievous streak that's likely to cause Mama and Daddy a few gray hairs (or more in Daddy's case). Your response to Mama's recent first attempt at discipline (saying "No!" in a stern voice with a serious face) was to laugh hysterically and immediately continue the behavior that produced the first rebuke. You also find it comical when Mama uses that same tone with misbehaving pets.

We couldn't be any more proud of you, darling son. Your existence has made us a family in ways that we didn't understand we were missing before. As each month passes, we are delighted to learn more and more about the unique person you are, finding the little bits that remind us of ourselves but being most impressed with the things that are singularly yours. Live well, Samson.

Love always,
Mama and Daddy

Outta my way, Lady!

Young Love

Baby's First Rock Show

Samson braved the Austin City Limits Music Festival for a half-day at the beginning of the 3-day affair. It was hot, hot, hot, but the ACL people did a great job of creating a kid-friendly area complete with shade and a special stage with music just for tots. Luckily for Mama, Daddy and cousin Emilie helped wrangle Samson at home for most of the rest of the weekend so that Mama could keep her annual ACL attendance streak intact.

Busy Bee

Given that his birthday is just three weeks away and his genes include a double shot of procrastinator, Samson has decided that now would be a great time to start doing lots of behaviors and skills that we've been waiting a few months to see. In the past week, he's begun to

• crawl and pull up,
  
• use a sippy cup to drink a substantial amount of fluid,
  
• insist on feeding himself at all meals,
  
• babble all sorts of new syllables, and
• snuggle when being held or holding a furry object (alive or stuffed).

While we're elated to see so much progress, there is a down side. Samson's knees are raw with rug burn from the new wool area rug in the den and his newfound fearlessness at diving to reach for something has resulted in several near collisions between his head and the concrete floor. He has also become much more whiny than ever before, with severe separation anxiety and more difficulty with going to sleep. He pretty much shrieks whenever Mama leaves his field of view, although he usually recovers quickly once his attention is diverted to something awesome, like Rice Chex or kitties. We know that this is all normal, but we'll be glad when the drama subsides a bit.

Mealtimes are a whole new level of procedure with the additional work of cleaning up a sticky boy and everything in the general highchair vicinity at least 3-5 times a day, plus the buying and preparing of something fresh, nutritious, safe, soft, and cut into tiny cubes for ease of pincer grasp. The jars were so much more convenient! On the fun side, we've been able to try a lot of new "real" foods lately, even having Samson's first Luby's meal entirely from items off the steam table (cornbread - the winner by far, green beans, mashed potatoes, peaches, and bananas; he vetoed the halibut). Current faves at home include sweet potato cubes and bits of watermelon.

Last weekend, Samson attended two birthday parties and got to hang out with lots of new friends. Here he is showing off his army crawl to Julia and company:





















We've also continued to enjoy our twice-weekly "Mamas & Boys" strolls with the Zavalas. Here's a great shot of Hayden and Samson plotting their escape:





















This coming weekend we'll be heading to Austin Kiddie Limits (and ACL Fest for the grown-ups), and thank goodness, the forecast is for cooler, possibly wet weather. Mama is so excited to take Samson to his first concert! We may have given him the procrastination genes, but we've also passed on our love of music, too, and we're gonna make sure he's exposed to every genre.

Eleven Months Already?

Aghhhh!, originally uploaded by LeftyMama.

Lashes

IMG_2004-1, originally uploaded by LeftyMama.

He's got Daddy's eyes.

Slobber Talk

A New Friend

Today Samson met a new friend for the first time, one of the babies who were in utero at the post-c-section baby shower. Rowan was born on January 1st (almost 9 months ago) and he is already a pudgy little dynamo! Mama was fascinated see him zoom around the room, crawling and cruising -- we're not yet accustomed to speedy babes at our house. Both boys played with the basket of whiffle balls and then we all moved over to Rowan's toy chest for more fun with exciting new objects.



Though the boys seemed to have fun, their interactions were few and brief; that makes sense, as babies this age don't really know yet how to play with other babies. They enjoyed each other's company for almost two hours before it was time to head home for the afternoon nap.

Good to see you, Haney Family!

Blog facelift

Here's our second new look to the blog. We've modified the color scheme and background, plus re-arranged and added some content to the right margin. Upon request of the grandparents, we've included links to some of Samson's online wishlists, so feel free to keep us in mind should that scratch-off ticket result in a windfall ;o)

And once again, we make our plea for comments. Lots of folks will tell us, "Oh, yeah, I keep up with Samson all the time on his website," but we have no idea that they're stopping by. We'd love to get your reactions in the comments section so that we can save those tidbits for Samson. This is the only "baby book" he's gonna get to document his formative years and we'd like him to know you were here. Thanks, pals!

Check out my guns!

So, after picking up some essentials (42 jars of Earth's Best baby food), we were strolling through Babies R Us and this young woman came up and asked if we'd help her out. She was a photographer in training at the Kiddie Kandids booth and she offered us a free 8x10 to serve as practice customers. Samson was in a good mood and we were in no hurry, so why not?

And then there were five

Teeth, that is. Here's a chart showing Samson's progress so far:

Happenings of late

Last weekend, PawPaw came to town to help Daddy clear limbs and brush from the yard and later babysit with Samson so Mama and Daddy could go out on a DATE. This was only the 2nd time Mama and Daddy had been out without Samson since he came home from the hospital. Now that Samson has become such a great sleeper, it was an easy gig for PawPaw, who snoozed on the recliner watching The Godfather for the n-th time while Samson was dreaming in his crib.

Samson and Mama got to spend some time with the rest of the Central Texas Waltons on Sunday. Uncle Loyd, "Aunt Jane, and cousins Janice (pictured) and Amanda were great hosts and Samson put each of them to work as his personal bounce machines. He especially liked rolling around on the Pergo floor, which allowed much more safe freedom of movement than he gets at home on our concrete and stone floors.

Monday evening, Samson started showing signs of a cold, including a terrible runny nose which he refused to let be cleaned. Mama had to accept that all her shirts will now have a snot trail in addition to the regurgitated milk and food puree already in effect.

As his did with his first cold back in December, Samson recovered rather quickly, getting just about back to normal within 3 days. Unfortunately, the virus hit Daddy like a Mack truck, and he (who never gets sick) was out of commission for 24 hours, even missing work (which he never does, at least not for illness). Somehow, Mama has managed to dodge this bullet so far....

Hey, Baby. Come 'ere and let me show you my four teeth!"
Tomorrow is Friday, and if it's like most Fridays, that means Tex-Mex with the Turners! Daddy and Mama get to enjoy ritas with Samantha's parents while the babies enjoy neon lights and hustling action at the chip station.

Bird Bath

Samson says....

A Dingo Almost Ate My Baby!

Saturday morning, we were feeling chipper after all three having such a delicious, uninterrupted night's rest (thank you, Kim West and Dr. Ferber!). The air outside was not too muggy and we were catching a break in the endless rain that has poured this whole month. Plus, we were out of coffee. All combined to a perfect excuse for going out to try a new coffee shop that has opened up in a nearby strip center.

We arrived to find just a few customers hanging out and plenty of open tables. As is our routine, Mama chose a spot and began to set-up Samson's special chair, while Daddy and The Boy went to the counter to order.

The choice of a table at any restaurant we frequent is based upon 4 factors, in this order of priority:

1. Will the table be safe & stable with Samson's chair attached?
2. Is there enough space so that parents' stuff will be accessible to them but not to baby?
3. Are we positioned to be least annoying to everyone else if baby should have a meltdown and/or begin flinging slobbery objects or wet food?
4. Are interesting faces, lights, fans, traffic, or other baby entertainments within view?

All the conditions seemed fulfilled by a big metal table on the covered porch just outside the doorway of the shop, so that's where we parked. Samson scarfed down handfuls of Sweet Potato Puff snacks while Mama and Daddy sipped fancy coffee and read the paper. When the puffs ran out, Samson was enthralled by the passing cars and the smiles of customers coming and going. It was pretty much bliss for all.

Eventually, a young (25ish) hipster guy sat down at the next table with his leashed, boxer buddy. We struck up a chat and learned that he had recently moved down from Cape Cod to join the Austin music scene. The dog was a well-mannered adoptee acquired from a policeman who was leaving town for extended training.

From out of no where, this other humongous dog bounded up to the boxer's table. This was an 90+ lb chocolate lab, not on a leash and still in possession of two giant testicles. Though labs are known to be friendly, this one quickly took the opportunity to challenge the boxer (who was neutered). The boxer was patient at first, but when the lab became more assertive and tried to get into first the face of the musician and then our faces, the boxer started to bark & lunge, and the musician was struggling to keep control of him to prevent a fang-filled brawl. Of course, no one was there to control the other dog... where in the heck was the owner of this dog?!

Finally, we see this 60ish looking, well-dressed man (he's wearing slacks, a button down, and dress shoes at 9am on Saturday morning) come waltzing across the parking lot from the bank 50 yards away. He doesn't seem in any sort of hurry, not the least bit worried about the fact that his large dog is off leash, snarling & barking, and about to attack the public. I shout, "Sir, is this your dog? Please come get your dog and put him on a leash!" The man keeps strolling toward the dog and the lab decides to lope off in the opposite direction.

At that point, we think, "Whew! That was weird!" and relax a bit. We start talking with the boxer guy again and before we know it, rabid brown dog is back! Here comes upper-crust- CEO-dude, again in no hurry, and I'm shouting, "Sir, please control your animal! He should be on a leash!" to which he replies, "I'm trying!"

Well, it didn't look like he was trying very hard.... Maybe he had some sort of physical ailment that prevented him from running, or something, but there is really no excuse for not having that dog on a leash!

Interestingly, Samson was completely calm during the whole scene; I guess he figured if we weren't worried, he shouldn't be, either.

When the incident began, Brian grabbed Samson and held him high between us, away from where the dogs were. Afterward, it occurred to us that the smartest thing to have done would have probably been to immediately go inside the coffee shop, but in the moment, we were sort of stunned, like "Where in the world did this other dog come from? If we try to leave our table, will he get more aggressive?" Of all the things we had prepared and educated ourselves about in order to protect Samson from harm, attacks by wild dogs in a suburban strip mall was not one.

Needless to say, the musician decided to take his dog, get in the car, and get out of there. We soon packed up, too.

Now we're wondering about whether to invest in some sort of canine repellent. Suggestions, anyone?

And I guess we need to add #5 to the restaurant table requirements list: shielded from vicious animal assaults.

Maximum Security Samson

Naptime with Fuzzy Bear

Sweet Dreams & Finger Foods at Last

It's official. Samson finally sleeps through the night! We're on Day 13 of sleep coaching (you can read the gory details from the beginning here) and for the past 5 nights, he has made it from bedtime to morning (around 5:30 or 6a) without a peep. Best of all, Mama and Daddy are now getting 6 or 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, with 2 0r 3 hours of grown-up time in the evening after Samson hits the crib. On the horizon, we can see a date night out while Samson hangs with a sitter or Grandma & PawPaw....

This morning, we felt so chipper and well-rested that Daddy suggested we go out for breakfast. The family made a quick trip over to the Original Pancake House for a very tasty meal. After his usual cereal and pureed fruit, Samson got to try his first finger food that is also eaten by non-babies: fluffy, yeasty buttermilk pancake - yum! Watching Samson work so hard to get the few floppy morsels from the table to his mouth was more entertainment than any variety show. After he had his fill of pancake, Samson enjoyed 10 minutes of quietly playing with his chewy green spoon while Mama and Daddy read the paper. We hate to brag, but Samson was clearly the most well-behaved baby in the joint!

Now that he's on the verge of mobility, it's time to purge the house of Samson's outgrown baby gear. Mama has become a Craiglist selling demon, already pulling in $200 for things we can't use anymore. The things we can't sell will go to charity and the kids resale shops.

One more thing.... The new bathroom in the finished attic above the garage is almost complete! Soon we'll have space & privacy for our overnight guests. Samson says he can't wait for Grandma and PawPaw to come stay for the weekend and spoil him rotten.

Action Samson

Last weekend, PawPaw helped us hang Samson's first swing. Thanks, PawPaw!















And this week, Samson had his first trip on Daddy's shoulders. He's growing so fast.

Goodnight

For all the well-meaning people (and you know who you are) who persist at inquiring about Samson's sleep habits, we finally have something to celebrate. On Tuesday, July 10th, Samson slept for 9 hours straight! That's a record for the baby who had never slept more than 3 hours without waking. We're not out of the woods yet (see daily 4:30am wakeup scream), but our big boy is well on his way to sleeping through the night.

Mama and Daddy had decided that after Samson's 9 month check-up, if he were given a clean bill of health, we would be ready to start sleep coaching in order to move him out of the family bed and into his own crib, as well as to put an end to the all night Dairy Queen. Though we loved having him so close at night, we were just exhausted (especially Mama, the human pacifier) and we needed to have more uninterrupted sleep. Plus, we wanted Samson to get more sleep and to have the skills he'd need to be able to go to sleep when Mama and Daddy are out during naptime or for the evening and need to use a sitter.

To prepare, we read every sleep expert book we could get our hands on and talked to everyone we know with young children about how their kids sleep and what they did/do to help everyone in the family get enough rest. We decided to implement a modified version of the Sleep Lady Shuffle to teach Samson to fall asleep on his own, without nursing or being walked.

Samson has been sleeping in his crib for 6 nights now. Way to go, Samsonite!

As I type, Daddy and I are in our room on our computers, keeping an eye on Samson snoozing on our TV. That's right, we have a night-vision camera on the crib which can be quickly connected to any TV in the house. Thanks for the tip on a supercool baby product, Turners!

Family Self-Portrait

Samson has become so accustomed to the camera, he knows to smile as soon as the red light shines. What a ham!

Can you see all four teeth?

Sorry about the lack of recent posts, dear readers. We've been super busy at the Hobbit Hole this summer and Mama hasn't had much time to write. We promise to get back on track this month....

Young Hacker at Work

New Portraits

We just received the proofs for Samson's first photo session (June 10th @ about 8 mos) with a pro photographer. Beware -- the level of sweetness in these pics may cause tooth decay! Here's a small taste:


















To see other pics, go to http://www.alisoneden.com/, click on the word "clients" in the left margin, and then enter our password "samson" to access the proofs.

Mama's Horns

Samson sports his first UT t-shirt, a gift from the Engineering School. No pressure, son!

Note the appearance of a third tooth on the top of Samson's mouth. He actually has four now and the emergence of these latest two incisors has given him a bit of grief. We've had to stock up on baby tylenol and Mama has had to learn the art of avoiding the chompers during nursing. Ouch!

Look at my new teeth!

Pawpaw and his Mini-me

Thanks, Grandma

Taking the RaZbaby teether from Grandma after napping on Pawpaw's shoulder. Samson LOVES this thing.

Nap after lunch

Houston, we have a tooth!

Samson traveled to H-town this weekend to visit with friends and family and attend his first wedding reception.

The trip got off to a fine start with a peaceful (no kidding) 3 hour car ride in which Samson remained in the carseat the entire time (a first). The family checked into the swanky hotel at the Galleria and Samson was instantly mesmermized by the birds' eye view from our 14th floor windowseat.


This doubled as our changing table for the weekend, and Samson took advantage of the great natural lighting to pose for the camera as he attempted to set the world record for number of one's own digits to be put into one's own mouth.


Friday afternoon, we tried out the rooftop swimming pool. Samson enjoyed the water, but it was still a little too chilly to stay for long; there will be plenty of time for splashing at home this summer. Later that evening, we had dinner with Uncle Kevin, Aunt Kiki, and Cousin Bridget.


On Saturday, the family had a fancy room service breakfast and then got gussied up for the afternoon wedding. Though the wedding coordinator at the event hall was obviously nervous about a baby being present (attempting to steer us to the free childcare room - umm, no thanks), Samson was a perfect gentleman and never made a peep. Daddy's old buddies from high school were impressed by the quality of his reproductive output and everyone wanted to make Samson giggle.


Later, Daddy went to have some guy time while Mama and Samson retired to the hotel. When Samson began gnawing on Mama's finger as he is often fond of doing, Mama noticed something new. Ouch! Something sharp... a fang! After the past 4 months of gumming everything he can fit into his gob, Samson's efforts have paid off and a tooth has finally emerged. It won't be long before he'll be eating enchiladas with Daddy.

Sunday morning was for packing up for the ride home and meeting Grandma and PawPaw for breakfast. A fitting end to the adventure, Samson went down for his morning nap as we left Houston and happily slept all the way back to Austin in his carseat. Our baby is growing up!