Everyone was Kung Foo Fighting

During Nicholas' visit we put the boys on the living room sofa for a little photo opp - and they showed off their ninja skills ;)

A Visit from Cousin Nicholas

On Saturday afternoon Nicholas came to hang out with Sam for a little bit in the afternoon - here are a few photos - it was really fun to have them both.  Geoff had Sam as his charge and I got to have Nicholas :)  Nicholas was definitely interested in Sam - they will be playing together and causing trouble in no time ;)

15 Weeks and 13 pounds of baby

Here are some updated photos of Sam - he is about 15 and a half weeks old now.  He weighs 13 pounds and 10 ounces as of a few days ago.  He is too big for 3 month clothes, but still fits in most of the 3-6 month stuff.  He can fit into some 6-9 items, but the majority is still too big for him.  We are also dressing him in more 2 piece outfits.  It makes him look more like a little boy, but I am still  partial to the one-piece outfits bcs they do not ride up on him and are easier when changing his diaper.

Of note: the second photo I took this morning - he was happily playing on his play mat in his play crib in the living room when I heard him go quiet.  I walked over to check on him and saw that he had fallen asleep.  I guess all that playing tuckered him out ;)

The Winkle is No More

So Sam has gotten very good at grabbing things and then bringing them to his mouth.  A very good trick and all that landed us at Children's Hospital on Sunday night.  Here is a summary of our evening - Geoff went to pick up his Dad and brother at the airport and Lauren was coming home from Maine, so it was just me and Sam at home.  He was happy as (he ;) can be and was kicking away on his "play" changing pad (like in the photos above) and playing with his toy Winkle.  Yes, it is a funny name, but there it is ;)  So around 7pm I noticed that he was making very funny faces and that his tongue was looking like it didn't fit into his mouth properly.  So being a very over cautious Mom I started to think that he could be having an allergic reaction to something.  I was very concerned only bcs it was his mouth - it he had a rash on the rest of his body I would not care so much, but the mouth was pretty concerning to me bcs that can lead to his throat.  So I called Geoff (who was at the airport and dealing with a dead car battery) and then called 911.  I explained that my baby may be having an allergic reaction and within a few minutes we had a firetruck, ambulance and about 8 people looking at him.  I know it was not a crisis or emergency really, but I did not want to chance it with him.  So he and I ended up taking an ambulance ride to Children's for him to get checked out.  Lauren had arrived home just before the emergency personal came, so Jon and here drove in to meet us so we would have a car there.  Geoff met us there with Chris, as his Dad waited in the parking lot so the battery would not go dead on them again. 

After spending a few hours at the hospital is was basically decided that he had an allergic reaction to something and that we would probably never figure out what it was.  His lips also became swollen as well, but besides that he was in very good shape.  So basically a lot of hub bub for nothing, but I am happy that I played it safe and got him checked out. 

Bath time!

Sam generally enjoys his bath time - here is pretty much a real-time photo of Lauren about to give him his bath and then him in his little tub

Just your average (mini) Joe

Sam had a pediatrician appt. this morning and he is at the 50th percentile mark for his weight.  He started off in the 25th percentile and then was at the 50th for his 2 month appt. and is still there at the three month mark.  Here are some recent photos that we took at the lake this weekend - he has the outfit on that Christina's mom gave to him - it is my favorite outfit for him now :)

He slept through the night!

So Sam had a weekend of firsts - first time crossing state lines, first time visiting his grandparent's new lake house, and his first time sleeping through the night! It was really wonderful and it felt so amazing to get a good nights rest.  Kind of funny though, bcs he was so quiet, Geoff, his Mum and then I checked on him throughout the night.  I know we will get to the point that we don't wonder if he is okay - it was just really abnormal for him so we checked ;)

We had a really relaxing weekend at the lake.  We went up with Geoff's Mum on Friday afternoon, and Geoff joined after work.  We also had lunch with Geoff at work on Friday which was fun, mostly bcs we forgot to put the stroller in his car the night before, but it was a good excuse for us all to hang out.

Saturday we were kind of lazy and just relaxed at the lake.  We took a trip over to the new house and Geoff's Mum gave us the tour.  The house is really coming along - it is so much fun to imagine Sam and Nicholas running around the house and enjoying the lake :)  Saturday night Geoff's Mum watched Sam so Geoff and I could sneak in a mini-date as we went to get take-out from our favorite Mexican place.  Sunday it was raining so we came home in the afternoon (Sam slept the entire way).  Lauren had phoned to say that there was water in our basement from all the rain so we knew that we may have some clean up work to greet us.  Thankfully everything in the basement was already elevated, except Geoff's orange/fire colored shag carpet.  So sad - I hope he can salvage it - if not we may need to add that onto the "house wish list".

Today it is raining some more - Lauren and I are going to run some errands and maybe see a movie.  I really need to work on some laundry and ironing so Geoff has clothes for work this week.  I am working remotely tomorrow and Lauren is planning on taking Sam to his Pediatrician appt. tomorrow to check on his weight.  He is up to 12 pounds 9 ounces now - I don't know where that puts him in terms of percentiles but it is worth keeping an eye on bcs of his eating and stomach issues.  The Dr. does not seem concerned about his weight - she said it was normal last time we were in (about 10 days ago) but I have a (rented) scale at home that I check him on.

3 Months :)

So Sam turned 3 months on Tuesday - it was actually my first full day back in the office so I kind of forgot about it ;)  Thankfully his most wonderful and amazing nanny  Lauren was minding him and took these really adorable photos of him.  The one of him smiling is my new favorite - it replaced the photo on my phone screen saver that was taken when he was two days old.  I think now we are at the point I can say how many months he is and not weeks :)

As a general Sam update he is doing better everyday, but he is far from being a low maintenance baby.  He still gets his acid reflux medicine 3 times a day, is still on the special (no milk or soy protein) formula, we still add rice cereal to the formula to help weight it down, and we still need to be diligent about keeping him upright after feedings and really as much as possible.  But he is crying less and smiling more and more so life is better :)  Actually when Geoff and Jon went to the Celtics game on Sunday night I actually had an enjoyable night with him.  He was so good - not really fussy at all - it was so fun just to "hang out" with him and relax.  I sort of think that is how most babies act normally so those parents should be very thankful.  Sam is really a delight but it takes a lot of work and a lot of energy to keep him comfortable right now.  He wailed during my new moms class yesterday - I almost left bcs it was one of "those cries" but I just stuck it out - maybe it made the other moms happier about their kids ;)  We should just be happy that he will grow out of all of this eventually :)

12 Weeks!

Here are some recent photos of Sam - he is 12 weeks today - pretty amazing stuff. He is getting over some of his stomach issues and is generally happier now.  He still like to fuss between 6 and 9pm but I think that is pretty normal for babies (or so I hear ;) 

 

This is Sam sleeping through our first "New Moms" class - he has pretty much slept through them all - such a shame because he misses his little baby massages - and I sit there with nothing to massage singing these baby songs to myself ;)

 

From our trip to IKEA this week - hot nanny found the plant section :)

 

Sam sleeping through our trip to IKEA - his carriage kind of looks like a jungle

 

 One of Geoff's tricks to settle Sam down at night it to put him on a couch cushion - this is Geoff about to put Sam in his crib for the night.  I just ordered another changing pad for him bcs he loves his upstairs changing pad so much we will now have one we can leave downstairs which he can kick on.  His changing table upstairs is he favorite place in the world.

 

Sam modeling the play mat.  We have a crib now in the living room for him to play in during the day - it keeps him off the ground and away from the cats.  We put his play mat in the crib he digs it.

 

A photo of Sam and I that I am okay with - every photo to date I have seen of the 2 of us I have pretty much abhorred -  his face looks kind of funny in this (the eyebrows kill me ;) but I am okay with my representation - one day we will get a photo that I actually like :)

So all in all things  are going very well - it has been so incredibly wonderful to have Lauren here.  She is so great with Sam - he really loves his hot nanny and it is so great to have one of my closest friends in the world to talk to all day - it is really a sanity saver and a once in a lifetime opportunity :)  I have also been enjoying our New Moms class at Isis - everyone is super nice and it is really refreshing to hear their take on motherhood.

I worked remotely for the first time this week on Tuesday - I am planning on working every Tuesday for the month of March.  It is so nice to be able to use that part of my brain again.  I really do miss work and am so lucky that they have given me the flexibility to work from home and ease back into things.  I plan on going to the office next Tuesday and Lauren will watch Sam for the day.

We also had date night last night - Lauren watched Sam as Geoff and I went to the Cheesecake Factory at the Burlington Mall - so not the most romantic place in the world, but we were really just happy to get out of the house and spend some time together.  Tomorrow our new stove is being delivered (we have been without a working over for weeks) and then this weekend we have Erin's 1st B-day party in Saugus on Sunday.