the day my baby said his first word

yesterday i was the proudest i have ever been. 

and maybe the the most bittersweet i have felt as well. 

sam has been saying "mama" and "dada" for a while now and blurts out an occasional word that sort of sounds like something in english but not enough to truly count as his first word. 

until last night. 

ben and i were sitting on the couch looking something up when sam crawled over to bens foot and started stroking his toes while saying "tiddle tiddle". 

it took us a second to realize what he was doing. 

he kept doing it and soon his little voice became clearer as he said "tickle tickle tickle" while tickling bens foot. 

WE DIED! 

i don't know what is more exciting to me. the fact that he said tickle or the fact that he actually associated it with the correct action. 

it blows my mind what this little guy is able to pick up on. 

also, "tickle"?

not "ball". not "hi". but "tickle". 

i guess we do tickle him a lot and always say "tickle tickle" while doing it but i just didn't realize that he was old enough to pick up on that. 

once he started saying it over and over again i whipped out my phone as fast as i could and started recording. you have to be sly with sam because wants he see's that there is phone within his reach everything goes out the window. 

the video is way too long so i cut it down to the very end where he says it again.

other new milestones:

- will lift up his shirt and point to his tummy when we ask him "where's your belly?"
- claps for everyone and everything
- will reach his hands up towards the when we tell him to "reach" or "touch the sky"
- is officially all done with baby food as of yesterday. only wants to feed himself. 

10 months

ten months. TEN MONTHS! 

i can't believe it. 

the months are just flying by. i am currently planning your first birthday party but can only do it in small increments because i start to get so incredibly sad that you are almost not a baby anymore. 

where has the time gone?

you are so full of personality and charm right now. 

our favorite part about this age is literally watching your thought process play out on your face. 

it is the cutest thing in the world, watching your wheels turn. 

and you are one smart little man. you have figured OUT so many things this past month. 

i really do have to stay on my toes and make sure that our house is always spotless because you will put anything into your mouth these days. 

you catch on to everything ben and i do. we love being able to teach you new things. 

we just adore you, bubba. 

sam at 10 months:

- has three teeth with one ready to break the skin any day now. has the bottom two and the top left canine (random). ben and i get a kick out of his grin with that random tooth on top. leave to to sam to go about teething the non-traditional route. 

- says dada A LOT and will throw in a mama every once in a while (usually when hungry/fussy/tired). 

- scared of loud noises. 

- is clapping, waving "hello", blowing kisses and melting my heart all at the same time. at one point we were working on clapping so much that i found him clapping in his sleep. it the funniest thing i have ever witnessed. he will now clap anything he hears someone say "good job" or "yay".

- still loves to read books and has started to turn the pages for me. (stop it, sam. just stop growing up.)

- chewing on everything in sight. and in the past week has started to bite a little bit. we're working on it. obviously, he doesn't realize it hurt ben and i when he does it. i think her poor little teeth are just causing him so much pain. but we"re trying to teach him not to. 

- is a charmer. loves to find someone in church, at the store, etc. that he can make smile and then will zero in on the person and ham it up. 

- is using anything he can get his hands on to try to walk. i'm actually excited for him to start walking so his poor little knees won't always be red. 

- diaper changes are a struggle. end of story. 

- has been extra cuddly the past couple weeks. i'm gonna chalk that one up to teething but we are loving it. 

- still taking two naps a day and sleeps 8:30 to 7:30. 

- wearing 6-12 and 12-18 month clothing. 

- eating three meals a day and transitioning into more finger foods and away from baby food. loves feeding himself and LOVES pretend feeding mom. he will always offer me his food. current favorite foods are blueberries, avacado, grilled cheese bites, string cheese, mini pancakes, and sliced bananas. 

- talks and talks and talks. all day long. he will chat with anyone and has discovered that he can fluctuate the tone of his voice. which i love. i listen to him "sing" to me all day long.

nine months

my sweet sam, 

i can't even handle how much personality you have at this stage of your life. 

let's just say we always know EXACTLY how you are feeling. 

you are a little ball of energy. and i love that about you. 

crawling is in full swing and i really don't think it will be long before you take those first steps. you bring so much joy to our lives. you teach us something new every day. we have become more patient, selfless, and humble with you in our lives. as our love for you grows each day we understand a little better the love our heavenly father has for his children. 

i love that everyday is a new adventure with you and i love watching you grow and learn new tricks. 

you are our perfect little boy and we will love you forever. 

sam at 9 months:

- you weighed in at a whopping 17.75 lbs (14th%) at your nine month appt. just a little guy! the doctor is not concerned at all though. he says you are growing at healthy rate. 27 3/4 inches tall. 

- you are loving this new found freedom that crawling has given you. you follow me around all day like a puppy dog and it's hilarious. you still love to be held and carried but also loooove getting around on your own. 

- at your nine month appt. our ped gave us the go ahead to start testing out different table foods. so far you have tried grapes, scrambled eggs, watermelon, and i gave you a few little pieces of my chicken last night (which you LOVED).

- you have mastered the stink eye. this is a recent thing and everyone thinks its hilarious. i don't know where or how you learned it but you started doing it to strangers and a few of your uncles. once you realized that people laughed when you did it then you started doing it non-stop. i laugh every time you do it. 

- we're experiencing a bit of separation anxiety. when we are at home you want me by your side at all times. which makes getting things done a bit challenging but i don't mind. luckily you take great naps so i can get anything i need to done during those. 

- you have become a diaper changing ninja! it is seriously next to impossible to change your diaper sometimes. you can roll over and crawl away so fast it's not even funny. we're working on it:)

- a couple weeks ago i started working with you on clapping. you picked it up after a couple days and now all you do is clap. whenever anyone says "yay" you immediately start clapping. 

- the vacuum has started to totally freak you out. your dad holds you while i vacuum and you whip your head around constantly so you always have your eye on that thing. 

- LOVES the swings. 

- can pull himself up into standing position and inch his way around the ottoman. 

- takes two 2-hour naps (morning and afternoon). 

-waking up between 7:30-8 each day.

- graduated from you infant car seat to a convertible car seat. still rear-facing for now but you are loving being able to see a little bit better. 

- chatting with yourself 24/7. you especially love crawling up to your reflection in the refrigerator and talking to yourself. or when you hear another baby squealing while we are in the store you immediately start squealing too. 

a few milestones on video

because we have hundreds (literally, HUNDREDS) of videos of sam, i thought we would share a few on the blog. 

it's like my baby has turned into a "big boy" in the last two weeks. 

i can't even describe the joy that it brings me to watch my little man reach all these new milestones (but it's also breaking my heart one day at a time). 

MAY 13, 2013: started army crawling

MAY 20, 2013: started crawling with belly off the floor

MAY 21, 2013: cut first tooth 

MAY 29, 2013: pulled himself up onto his feet on the ottoman (what!?)

people always say boys are soo curious and soo busy and SO fun...and they are right! sam is keeping me on my toes these days. but i wouldn't have it any other way. he is a curious guy. he loves opening drawers and exploring the house down at his own level now that he is mobile. i told ben it is like we are making the adjustment when he was born all over again. it's like a whole new world. i have to have my eye on his at all times. the house is now baby proofed but i am still terrified of something happening. 

but he and i are getting to bond in a whole new way. i love exploring with him and witnessing the small things that make him happy and make him laugh. it's so refreshing. this boy is teaching me new things each and every day.      

Sam Laughing from Alex Webb on Vimeo.

Sam Crawling from Alex Webb on Vimeo.

Army Crawling from Alex Webb on Vimeo.

At The Park from Alex Webb on Vimeo.

eight months

eight months!

sam, i can't believe you how quickly you are growing right before my eyes. 

you become more and more independent every single day!

it's nuts. 

yes this week you started army crawling...scooting your little body all the way across the room to get the toy you had been eyeing. 

i have never been so excited as i was watching you hit this new milestone. 

although it is sometimes bittersweet to watch, you dad and i are also over the moon watching you learn new things and seeing the look of accomplishment on your face is priceless. 

i have to say, eight months is looking good on you sweet boy. your dad jokes that i say this about every stage...but i think this age might actually be my favorite so far. 

you have such personality (and sometimes a little bit of attitude) and you love getting people to smile or laugh. such a flirt. 

you are happy as a little clam each morning when i go in to get you from your crib or your nap and i can't get enough. 

your dad is a little upset because in the past month you have become bit of a mama's boy (no complaints here:). you have started reaching for mom when other people are holding you. but you still love your daddy. 

as soon as 6 o'clock rolls around and he walks through the door you cannot get into his arms fast enough.

your new favorite toy is your stacking rings. 

whenever we want to get you to army crawl all we have to do is put those in front of you and off you go. 

you are such a snuggle bug in the morning right when you wake up and in the evening right before you go to bed. we love that!

 

sam at eight months:

- still sleeping through the nights. 8 pm - 7 am

- starting to wean himself from his binkie. rarely takes it anymore. 

- loves falling asleep in mom or dads arms. (i know, i know. technically you're not supposed to rock your baby to sleep blah blah blah. but i love doing it and he loves it. we're all happy)

- favorite toys are stacking rings and blocks. i stack the blocks for him, he knocks them over. repeated 679483 times. he loves it!

- loves playing peek a boo and has gotten so good!

- is now army crawling! go sammy boy. although when i let him do his thing i usually watch as he gets himself wedged into a corner. (see last picture) we're working on that. 

- can reach octaves only dogs can hear when he squeals. i don't understand how his voice can go that high. it's hilarious. 

- LOVES going on walks. we usually go for a walk in the morning and then again at night when dad comes home. 

- wearing 6-12 month clothes. 
-developed some acid reflux but was put on medicine and it seems to be doing much better. 
-still has the most sensitive skin of all time. but now that the weather is warming up and isn't so dry it is getting much better. 

- has mastered the wet, slobbery baby kiss. and it melts my heart every single time. 

we love you, sam. stay this sweet forever, ok?

the adventures of solid foods

we started experimenting with solids when sam was around 5 months. 

we got the go ahead from his pediatrician and i was actually really excited to introduce different flavors to sam to see how he reacted. 

i honestly thought i would have to work with him for a while until he got the hang of spoon feeding but boy was i wrong!

we started with baby oatmeal and as soon as i placed that spoon full of oatmeal in front of him he practically nose dived for the spoon and soon i couldn't feed him fast enough. 

we did oatmeal for about a month, starting with once a day and gradually increasing to three times a day. 

once sam hit six months we introduced him to vegetables. 

he was in heaven!

we probably have 30+ videos of him eating. 

his facial expressions were priceless. 

but he loved every single one. soon after that we introduced fruits and ever since then meal time has been his favorite time of the day. 

and i actually really enjoy sitting down to feed him and watch him babble and smile in between bites. 

we also recently got him a high chair because he's outgrowing his bumbo and he loves that thing!

i pull his high chair up close to me while i'm cooking dinner in the kitchen and he loves having his own space to sit and play while being able to keep a close eye on me.