Sam's South Carolina Adventure!

Sam and I had the joy of a visit to Lexington, South Carolina to stay at my sister & her husband's home.  It was a rare treat to all be together! Sam loved seeing his grandma JoJo, Aunt Mindy, Uncle David, and his sweet cousins Luke (age 5) and Evie Joy (age 2 1/2). Some pictures from our adventure:

Sam and I ready for his second airplane adventure - this time without help!
Sam continues to prove himself to be an awesome traveler. 

Enjoying the outdoors. I think Sam gave Aunt Mindy baby fever . . . 

JoJo with Luke & Evie on the carousel at the Columbia Zoo.

Sweet sibling love.

Too much fun with JoJo!

A real giraffe . . . "Can I chew her face?"

Zoo train fun!

Sam's turn on the carousel!

Clap, clap, clap your hands, Clap your hands together!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

7 Months

On the day Sam turned 7 months, it was just one of those rough ones. Teething, cold, extra spit up, exhaustion, etc. And when I realized I wanted to take his 7 month pics, I was going to clean him up and put on a cute outfit. And then I thought, no. This is real life. Mismatched socks and spit up is where we're at. And I'm too tired to wrestle him down for a clothes change right now. Let's capture it. :)

The month for Sam started off with a trip to the North Shore for the Superior Sawtooth 100 Trail Race.

Crewing for Pops in his big race.

The urge to crawl seemed to vanish with the 'happily sitting up and playing' phase. And we're ok with that for now. 

Still BFF.

The best toys are household objects!
This face is reserved for only the most serious of play.

We've been relishing this amazing fall weather before the 6 months of captivity begin.

Water break during a run with Dad while Mom does some substitute teaching.

Enjoying the fall leaves!

Visit to an apple orchard on a chilly fall day.

I think we were confused why people were shooting apples out of a canon. Still, I kinda like this picture.

 Honey crisp.

Sam liked the apples at the apple orchard so much that I give him apple slices at home now,  too!

Sam continues to be a joy and so, so much fun! In the past month he's weathered his first cold and his first tooth. There have been some tough days and nights. Chris and I have definitely felt wearied by lack of sleep. We are working on some new sleep training methods to try to help this little dear sleep at night and nap better. I feel like Sam is my little guinea pig; all this trial and error with the first baby - poor baby! We're making it, though. Day by day. Moment by moment. Leaning on grace. And I'm amazed how my heart continues to grow for this little guy.

What a day! Bedtime, . . .

Trip to the South!

One of the hard things about living in Minnesota is being away from family. (Winter might be another.)

Kennesaw, Georgia—where my family lives—is about 1,100 driving miles from our doorstep here in Minneapolis. Dothan, Alabama—where much of Ashley's family calls home—is even further at 1,250 miles away. Both are technically drivable, but that's a long way—too far for a long weekend. Flying shortens the miles, but finding those longer open windows in the schedule still makes frequent trips difficult.

A few weeks ago, we finally found that open window . . .

Meeting Grandmother!



Story time with Mema Lois!



Playing @Water World!



Other Snapshots . . .

Sam found a friend at the Georgia Aquarium.

Fun with Auntie LaLa!

Givin' Rosemary some cuddles.

With Aunt Celeste and Uncle Steve

With Aunt Glenda

Four generations!

With Ms. Patti and Mr. Tony

"Papa Bear", Sam, and Daddy! The blue polos were just a coincidence. Seriously.

"Hi, JoJo!"

Happy morning with Beth at the mountain house!

Meeting sweet Adelaide and Katie for the first time.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

6 Months!

It's been a busy summer full of travel, camping, & races. On September 5, Sam turned 6 months old!!!

At his 6 month check up he weighed 16.7 lbs. and measured 25.5 inches - 20th % in height and weight. The pediatrician noted that he was very 'proportionate'. We are so thankful for this healthy little guy!

All milestones call for a cookie cake!

A friend told me the 6 - 9 month age was her favorite baby phase, and I can totally see why! Sam is just so much fun these days. Being able to sit up and play independently while not yet mobile makes for a happy boy and mama! He is napping very well these days, but still not sleeping through the night. Working on that one!

Experimenting with solids now. Lots of good faces!  It is so funny to try to watch him figure out what to do with food. He's just starting to get the hang of rice cereal. We've also tried a little banana, avocado, and sweet potato, too.

Preparing for a mobile baby any day now! 

Sam & Mona from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Sam and Mona decided to become friends.

MVI 1790 from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Just starting to get the hang of cereal.

Belly Laugh! from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Belly laugh!

Contentment

I met up with a dear friend yesterday and we were both expressing our struggle to be content in this season of life. (Isn't it there in every season in some way or another?) We are both new moms, love our babies dearly, and couldn't be more joyful or fulfilled to be a wife and mother who works mainly in the  home. But that doesn't mean the days are easy. Especially the days at home with that sweet little bundle who won't nap. And we struggle to find time or have the discipline to get into the Word every day. We both find ourselves looking forward to the next 'big' thing - whether it's a vacation or an outing to Target. :) It's often easier to get out just to stay busy than be at home and be content.

When Sam finally did decide to take a nap this morning, I was able to spend some time looking up some scripture and thinking of things to help combat discontentment:

• "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days." Psalm 90: 12, 14
• "Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment." I Tim 6:6
• "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

One of my favorite 'routines' I've established with Sam are our early mornings. (Emphasis on early). When he wakes up for good, I walk into his room and sing the song "This Is the Day" while opening the curtains, turning on the lamp, picking him up and snuggling, etc. My hope is this will be one of his earliest memories. This simple song often preaches to my heart on days I'm grumbling about how early he's up or if we don't have anything 'exciting' going on that day. It is the day that God has made. (Psalm 118:24) He has prepared good works in advance for me today (Ephesians 2:10). 

More thoughts to come on this topic, I hope. But I hear my babe waking up! "This is the day . . . This is the day . . ."

What thoughts or verses would you add to the list?

4 months!

 

The past month has flown by! Sam is doing new things every day to make us smile. Today at his 4 month check up he weighed in at 14.6 lbs. - (26th %) and measured 25 inches (60th %) - long and lean like his daddy! We are continually praising the God of mercy for this precious gift.

Sam is regularly rolling over now.
Especially if playing in the grass is the reward!

One afternoon Sam and I hung out in the church
nursery while we waited for Chris to finish working.
He loved all the new toys, especially the ones
with sound! He's also pretty good at standing if
he has something to hold onto.
(I was, of course, super close by.)

Sam likes reaching for, holding,
and tasting his toys.
It's amazing how those tiny milestones
bring me so much joy!

He's not asleep here; he's just turned his tummy time into
crawl-over-the-Boppy time. He squirms and wiggles his
way over; it cracks me up

On days we are home we probably swing at least
three times a day. He loves it!

At the cathedral, Sam sleepin' away.

In June Beth came to visit us. We had fun showing her the Cathedral in St. Paul, Lake Nokomis, and downtown Minneapolis. Sam loved playing with Beth!

Lake Nokomis was too cold for a baby
- or anybody! - to swim.

Peek-a-boo!

 With Chris' schedule calming down a bit, we are enjoying these warm Minnesota summer days!

Sam started riding up front in the jogging stroller!
Ready for a run!

I love these feet.