9 Months *

Dear Sammy

You have turned 9 months old this past weekend and I can hardly wrap my mind around it. From 8 to 9 months there are so many new things you have learned and accomplished like: crawling, trying to share your sippy cup with me, pulling up onto your knees, opening dresser drawers, trying to use a spoon with help, brushing your teeth (with help) , sprouting two more teeth (for a total of 6), and trying to pick up and eat the tiniest of crumbs and scraps off the floor. Your dad and I talk about you after you have gone to sleep at night about how much we "like" you. You are such a fun kid already! You dad jokes that he is going to go wake you up because he misses you and wants to play with you.

How do you have this effect on us? It is a combination of the following I think:

your captivating smile, the adorable giggle when I make your stuffed animals talk to you, it is the dimples on your hands where eventually knuckles will be, it is the smell of your sweet head, it is the look of wonder on your face when you see something new, and it is the warmth of your little 20 lb 8oz body I feel while rocking you at night.

I love you Sammy :) God has surely blessed us more than we deserve.

Love Mom

8 months

Dear Sammy

You turned 8 months old on the 15th and you are even more amazing than ever! You have 3 teeth and one more about to break through. They all came in at the same time a few weeks ago. This has made for some trying nights, but with a little tylenol and orajel you seem to be coping well. You can also army crawl. The very first thing you "crawled" after was a yellow ball. You love balls, remotes, cat tails, stuffed animals, putting things in your mouth, being tickled, being tossed in the air, and watching jeopardy. You are also getting a mind of your own and never want to take naps! You are very "attached" to me, and reach for me when you are upset. You love playing with your daddy, especially when he gets home from work. You love to touch his whiskers and teeth. You are such a fun and happy baby and we couldn't be more in love. Here's to 8 months!

Love Mom

Samuel

It has been a while but I finally have some time and would like to share my birth story with you. My sweet baby boy was born April 15 at 9:56 AM. He is now nearly five weeks old!

At 41 weeks pregnant it was recommended that I be induced. I was apprehensive to do this as I had been planning for a natural unmedicated birth and I really wanted to experience labor starting on its own. After talking to my doula, my best friend, and my husband I decided I was ready to meet little Samuel. So Wednesday evening at around 7:30 pm my husband and I checked into the hospital. By 9:30 they inserted cervidal a cervical softener to help with dilation. The plan was to start pitocin 12 hours later to start contractions. By 3 am my water broke! By 4 am I was in active labor. The nurse removed the cervidal and my body progressed on its own. I was so happy that I didn't need the pitocin.

When active labor kicked in, it felt as if my contractions were getting stronger and closer together. Thoughts of the epidural ran through my mind as I knew I was on some kind of ride that I couldn't get off. It's amazing how fast those fears and thoughts can creep in. That's why it is so important to have people at your birth to support you. I mean truly support you. People who know your birth wishes before you go into labor, who can remind you that you CAN do it! My husband told me to hold off on the epidural because my doula was on her way. As soon as my doula arrived she got me out of the hospital bed. This was the key to me being able to cope with the contractions. She was an awesome coach! With each contraction I would squat or sit on the birthing ball to bring the baby down. This was doable. I was able to relax and breath and think about how each contraction was bringing me closer to my baby. It is amazing what your body can do if you just surrender to it. I truly believe that all women can have natural births if that is what they wish for. I do think having a doula made the difference. If she had not been there I would have had the epidural.

I was dilating quickly and by 9 amit was time to push! This was the toughest and most amazing part I think. Your cannot not push, if that makes sense? Your whole body is this powerful machine (this is the best way I can describe it) that is working toward pushing this baby out whether your mind agrees to it or not! My mind could not comprehend how a baby was going to come out of me! But I knew that letting go of those doubts and believing in my body as well as those trying to help me was the key to bringing little Samuel into this world.

After about 40 minutes of pushing he arrived. Tears of amazement, joy, and relief came over me as they laid him on my chest. He had a head of curly hair and was perfectly perfect in every way. He weighed 7 lbs 6 oz. and was 21 inches long :)

Life and birth....what a miraculous process. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Here he is at 1 month old. So precious! He looks like his daddy.

I am thinking about starting a new blog. A family blog mixed in with my artwork. I need a good name for it. Any suggestions are welcome!