Out at the ballgame

Bare with me as I try to learn how to edit photos.  I'm struggling to get the colors right but I'll get there eventually.  And when I say edit, I mean autofix and stuff like that.  Nothing professional at all.

Here are some pics from today at Logan's baseball game.  We didn't last long b/c SOMEONE (not naming names) had a complete meltdown that did not end for 3 hours.  Ugh!



The beginning of meltdown mode.



Last day of Swim

I just got a call from my mom asking for more pics of Sam so here are some from Saturday's swim class.  Sam has so much fun that I'm definitely signing him up for the next outdoor class.

Thanks, Grammy Shap for coming to watch Sam swim!

Silly Sam

I laid Sam on his mat after his morning nap.  I looked over a couple of minutes later and found him like this:

 I know what you're thinking.  Why on earth would Sam pull off his own pants?  Perhaps they were too tight?  Maybe they were smelly?  Not his favorite color?

Nope.  Apparently my kid was curious about how his pjs taste:

And do you think that he cared that he got caught?
Nope.  He kept right on noming.

So you know I had to get it on video, right?

Make sure you TURN YOUR VOLUME DOWN.  Sam is doing this new screech as loud as he can thing All.The.Time.  You've been warned.

Now that we've pretty much mastered sitting...

We're moving on to crawling.  Sam's not as accepting of the practice needed as we would like.

Here's some video:

Out for a walk

We went out for a quick walk before the storm yesterday.  The flowers around the neighborhood are in full bloom and so beautiful.  So, of course  we had to take some pics.  :)

First time sitting in the grass:

What is this green stuff?

Such a big boy!

Pretty flowers:

Let's talk sippy cups.

Now that Sam is 6 months old (big boy), we are introducing the sippy cup.  Can you guess how this is going over with my son?  I mean, he is a Shap which means he does what he wants, when he wants, in his own unique way.  Not a dig on the Shaps.  I am one now too.  I'm just sayin'...genetically, Sam's predisposed.  :-)

Here is the introduction:

Hmmm...not a bottle like he thought it was:

What the heck is this?

Maybe this is another teething toy?

I'll just nom on the bottom of it.

Maybe if he ignores it it will go away?

I can't see you.  You're not there.  I can't see you.  You're not there.

 Let's try it one more time:

Maybe we should just give up.

I'm done, Mom.

I keep trying though.  I give it to him after every feeding.  We'll try a little juice today to see if we can entice him.  Please ignore the mismatched outfit.  I've given up on putting matching pajamas on him since you can see by the front of his shirt that they never last long anyway.  My little drooly monster.

Now this kid has skillz!

J and I try to teach Sam that if at first you don't succeed, to try, try again.  Persistance is key, right?

Sam has been trying very hard to get his toes in his mouth.  I mean, this baby wants to taste them so bad.  He lays under his activity mat and grasps his toes and pulls and pulls toward his mouth. 

There was just one problem.  Sam has quite the belly and it was the one obstacle in his quest towards a snack of toes.

But my little soldier soldiered on...

And then...

Success!

Oh but wait...when my baby completes a task, he gives it 150%.



Two at the same time?  Now that kid's got skillz!

Sam is 6 months old!

Where has the time gone?  We had Sam's well-baby appointment and the doctor was pleased with Sam's development so far.  He thought Sam was very "solid".

I copied the following template from another blog that I follow.

Age:  6 months

Weight: 20lbs 7oz (91st percentile)

Length: 28.5in (97th percentile)

Head:  46.5 (99th percentile!!!!!) - Sam can thank his dad's genes for his head size.

Size:  12 month clothes

Teeth:  None yet!

Sleeping:  Sleeps like crap.  :(

Eating:  So far we've tried bananas, squash, sweet potatoes, apples and peas. 

Movement:  He's scooting on his back but refuses to move when on his tummy.  Who knows if this kid will ever crawl.

Milestones:  Sitting on his own now.

Favorite Toys:  Still loves his activity mat and any teething toys.  Also in love with his fingers now.

Dislikes:  Um, apparently sleeping.  He also hates peas.

Reading time.

Splish Splash Pt 2

We went to Sam's 2nd swim class and Sam did great again.  I mean, he splashes A LOT and hit me in the face quite a few times but it was still fun.  Definitely a workout for me and Sam takes a very long nap after class which is nice.

Hangin' with Daddy at the beginning of class.

Showing Sam how to blow bubbles.

Trying to practice kicking except Sam only wanted to eat the paddle thing.

Riding the "horse-y" on the "merry-go-round".

Here's a little video of Sam and his swimming.  (Aren't I brave showing video of me in my horrid bathing suit?)

Sam's new seat

Thanks to the generosity of my besties from Iowa, we bought Sam's convertible carseat over the weekend.  He seems to like it so far.  It is different not having the infant seat which was so convenient.

Here he is chillin'.  J refuses to get those shades to put on the window to block the sun and says he'd rather tint the windows of the car.  He put sunglasses on Sam in the meantime.

Grandpa Fred

"The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children's children.  It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone.  It is in us that their history becomes a future."

  ~Charles and Ann Morse

J's grandfather passed away late Monday night after 90+ years.  He was an amazing man who worked hard his whole life.  I feel so blessed to have met him and am grateful b/c without him, there would have been no J or any of the other Shaps that have found a special place in my heart.

I am sad that Sam never got to meet his great-grandpa but we'll continue to share the memories we had of him.  I know that Grandpa Fred will be watching over Sam and dribbling chocolate chip cookie crumbs on my little boy's head.  

We love you Grandpa Fred!  You will be truly missed.  <3

Can I vent really quick?

Well, it's my blog so I don't suppose anyone can actually prevent me from venting.

Anway...last week was rain, rain, rain.  When it finally stopped, I was so excited b/c Sam and I were going to be able to go on a nice, long walk.  I got ready.  I got Sam ready and when I went to grab my keys, I couldn't find them anywhere.  Ugh!!!  Turns out they were in the car which J had driven to work so no walk for us.

This morning I get a text from J.  It says:  "Hi Babe.  Its an awesome morning for a walk.  He'll need long sleeves/pants/maybe hat but it's so beautiful out."

So, I get Sam fed, get myself dressed, Sam dressed, pack up all the stuff I'll need for Sam for the walk and get ready to head out the door.  ______________  Fill that blank in with a lot of curse words b/c I could NOT find my keys again!  I have no idea where they are and now our apartment is a disaster b/c I have ripped through it like a tornado looking for those damn keys.  All 650 square feet of our apartment.  Yeah...lots of places for the stupid keys to hide.  ::sarcasm::

The point to this story is that apparently I had to trade in my brain for a beautiful son.  Since I became a mother, I lose everything.  I'm surprised I knew where my phone was this morning.  If you are a mother and you know where I should go to collect my brain, please share this information.  You know, like if it is sitting in some type of pawn shop somewhere.  I wouldn't trade Sam for it but I have some nice costume jewelry that I'd be willing to give up for even just a part of my brain.

Thanks for letting me vent, friends.

Here's a pic of Sam and I by the door ready to leave.  Notice the wall right next to the door where my keys should be hanging?  If only I used that thing.  I can't tell you how many times I've looked everywhere for an umbrella.  (that's the pink thing on top)  :(

My first Mother's Day

 

We had such a wonderful day today that included lots of napping.  :)  LOVE my guys!  I found this online and it pretty much sums up how I feel.

Before I was a Mom -
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -
I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life
so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!

Tomorrow I'm celebrating my mom!  She means everything to me and if you haven't met her then you are definitely missing something in your life.

Thanks, Mom, for being the most gorgeous, giving, kindest, funniest person I know.  I hope I am just like you when I grow up.  Love you so much!

In honor of Mother's Day, I'm sharing pictures of my hottie of a mom.

Splish! Splash!

Today was Sam's first swim class and I was very nervous about how he would do.  He did awesome!  He loved the water and wouldn't stop splashing. 

I'm going to post pics DESPITE the fact that I am in them in a bathing suit.  I'm not too proud to post them.  I own what I look like in a bathing suit.  (well, I'm only posting the ones where most of my body is covered by water.)

Showing the instructor how he can splash with his hands.

Practicing kicking.

Sam's friend, Maverick, took the class too.  Sam wouldn't stop splashing long enough to hang out with Maverick in the pool.  I tried to explain that we do not splash our friends in the face but Sam didn't care.  :-)