Forgive me faithful followers

I have not had a computer for several days now, so I have been unable to update the blog. However, that has not kept us from taking some seriously cute photos.

Nana and Poppie visit!

Being a baby is exhausting!

Nana took this picture while babysitting Sambo. It's a good one!

Spend the night party at the Zarates!

Last Saturday we spent the night with the Zarates. We had a blast, and Sam was so good. It's nice to be able to take him places. I have no frame of reference. I do not know how most babies act, but he is SO easy. Everyone tells me that our second will probably be a handful since Sam is so well behaved.

Sweet Zoe is already a little mommy. She always wanted to 'help' me with Sam. Here she is giving him his bottle.

Spencer said that Zoe looks more like I do than Sam does. :( He was kidding I know...I think a person or two has said that Sam and I favor!

Here is a side-by-side picture...I swear I see a flash of resemblance...maybe. At least I know he has my big head! There is a BIG brain in there, I just know it.

Morning Smiles!

This picture is not very sharp, I know, but I snapped it quickly the other morning. Sam is SO cheerful when he wakes. It's one of my favorite times with sweet Sambo. When I walk over to his bed and begin talking, he grins from ear to ear. But he freezes when he sees the camera! It's been really hard to capture that gummy grin.

Visit with the Patient

My dad had knee replacement surgery and Sam, Dax, Samantha and I made a trip to visit him.

Luckily the two car seats fit in the back of my car. Sam looks like he is up to something.

Cooing with Mommy

Sam and I spend a lot of time cooing together. He will mimic the noises that I make. Spencer says it reminds him of a baby whale and mama whale squeaking at each other...it's so sweet. Sometimes Sam gets carried away and gives himself the hiccups. I try to reign him in when he gets too excited. He does not like the hiccups.

Torture.

Placing Sam on his stomach is torture for him and me. Millions of babies have learned to crawl without 30 minutes of "tummy time" that everyone talks about now, and I know Sam will too. I just don't think his muscles are developed yet to support his XXL head yet. I am going to be patient with him.

He starts off with a good attitude...

But he slowly starts sinking down the pillow. I have to hoist him up over and over so that he will have some support.

This is the look he gives me before he starts to meltdown...

Meltdown has begun.

Even after he is flipped, he's not happy for a while.

And yes, he and panda are still having issues.

Panda Showdown

"Hi Daddy. I like you..."

"Hi Caterpillar. I like you..."

I hate you Panda.

Busy bee.

Sam's been very busy lately. He had his first deck party and has been spending a lot of time in his bouncy chair and boppy pillow. He's growing like a weed and is already in 6 month clothes. His two favorite pastimes are eating and cuddling.

Flirt.

Sam's first deck party! My how our deck parties have changed. He loves Mallory.

Just smiling in his chair. He's been really happy lately. He smiles all of the time. I cannot wait until he laughs!

Entranced by panda.

Love those EYES!

Milk-drunk.

Posing.

Chillaxing.

Who is that stud in the mirror?

Susu is a genius. She suggested using a pillow to help Sam get some time on his stomach. It definitely helped!

Give Him an 'E' for Effort

The doctor said that we need to put Sam on his stomach so he can build his muscles to crawl. We are pretty sure that Sam is the most buff baby ever, but we still try to give him some time on his stomach. My neighbor is a nurse and said that all babies liked to be placed on their bellies. Well not Sam!

*Caveat: After receiving an email from my mother, I think it is necessary to note that Sam is not lying on hard tile. Instead we have his quilt on a soft and cushioned ottoman...which is on hard tile. Obviously my mother thinks I am an idiot. :)

He loves his colorful blanket that Nana made him.

He gave it a shot.

Daddy offers words of encouragement...

But Sam has had it.

He finds relief in Daddy's lap.

And happiness in his bouncy chair.

And now he's pooped.

Poor Sambo

His world was flipped upside down by those mean nurses last Friday. He slept more and ate less and was completely derailed from his schedule for a few days. Last night was the first time he slept through the night since his shots. I think he was just happy about his visit from CC yesterday.

His appetite has definitely returned. He is loving the rice cereal. He ate 42.5 ounces yesterday...even with several servings of cereal. No wonder he slept until 8:30 this morning!

Mommy and Daddy have been doing some extra cuddling these last few days. We hate seeing our boy sad!

Is there anything sweeter?

On Sunday we took Sam to Buddy and Susu's for lunch again. We will try to do this regularly so we can get sweet pictures of the cousins together. Yes, all of the adults were whistling and shouting in an attempt to keep their attention. It was like herding cats. In response to our attempts, Randall sweetly turned to Sam and gave him a kiss on his forehead. Precious.

Sam meets Bryant!

These pictures are almost 2 weeks old now, but I had to include them on the blog. Sam has already changed so much since then. This day was very special because Sam met Bryant for the first time. This was the day after he visited Mississippi State with Lisa. We hope that Bryant will receive a scholarship to attend MSU next fall. He has straight A's right now at Arkansas State. Hopefully Sam will be as smart as Bryant one day.

Birthday Shmirthday

Happy 2 month birthday Sambo!! He was so happy! Little did he know what was in store for him later in the day at the doctor's office.

Happy day! About to get his birthday breakfast.

Happy to be headed out of the house...if only he knew where we were going.

Those mean nurses!!

This is the face of a little boy who got 4 shots on his 2 month birthday.

Shots make him very sad...and kinda mad (note the fist).

But he was brave and fought through...He is tough and strong.

Growing baby boy!

We were happy with Sam's stats. The doctor said that he was a little piggy. He is already eating almost 40 ounces a day, so the doc gave us the green light on giving him a little rice cereal. He said that his weight was trying to keep up with his growth, which explains his insane appetite. He asked if we had any tall people in our family...which we do. It will be exciting to chart Sam's development.

I guess I can't say that Sam does not have anything from my side of the family. It looks like he inherited my jug head...large heads are good! :)

To make up for his morning torture session, I took him to Tessa's for some major R and R with Dax.

Sam looks like a nosy neighbor here...he was checking Dax out. They sounded like two old men. The sounds in that room were hilarious. They both squeaked and grunted and pooted. They kept Tessa entertained all day long while Samantha and I got our hair cut.

This is how we found Tessa after our day of beauty...surrounded by babies.

Addiction.

I think I am slightly addicted to Instagram. I love the way it allows you to edit the photos and add special effects. I am also addicted to Sam. And to taking pictures of Sam. Before he was born our camera never saw the light of day. We were not people who documented their lives with pictures. We had pictures taken at our wedding of course and a few other random shots here and there. We have no framed photographs in our home. No picture albums. Now, Spencer and I have become 'those people.' The primary purpose of our iPhones is not to communicate with people. They are now used almost exclusively to photograph and video Sam.

At this stage in Sam's life he is usually in one of four places: his bed, chair, car seat or in someone's lap. Be warned that you will probably be seeing very similar photos in the weeks and possibly months to come.

Kissable.

His toes are already longer than Spencer's.