Sams Est. 2008

Slacker part 2

2011-03-17T21:15:00.003-07:00

I'm WAY late getting this up! So sorry. And for some reason I can't get the pictures in the order I want. Oh well!

Noah is 1! Holy happiness I can't believe it's been that long! Sometimes it seems like I'm still pregnant. But alas, he's here and happy, healthy and ACTIVE! Man can that boy MOVE! He runs around me all day long laughing and playing. He's taken to screaming lately. It's a manly scream mind you, very guttural and grunt like, but a scream nonetheless. He thinks SO many things are funny. Like ripping paper towels apart (while grunting of course), human bowling, chasing Rhys, the dogs chasing the ball, and various other random things. He is like his mommy, when he gets tired things become HYSTERICAL! He will laugh at something for two or three minutes, getting louder and breathing less in between each time. It's really funny to watch.

He practically runs everywhere now. He says more and more words (read sounds) every day. Nuh-Nuh is no no and that's his favorite at the moment. He's a master at giving kisses, high fives and we're even learning to shake hands. Noah LOVES to read books. He will get up from nap, I'll put him down to play and he proceeds to take every book off the shelf and look through them all. He reads one, puts it down and takes another off the shelf until he's read them all. It makes for a messy afternoon but I don't mind.

He loves to eat peanut butter. In any form, on anything, he can't get enough of it. He loves vegetables and fruits. Doesn't care too much for meat right now. Certain noodles, cheese, crackers, yogurt, and of course anything we're eating he loves. He also loves milk. He would drink it all day if I let him. If I get a cup down from the cupboard he starts yelling and grunting at me until he gets it full of milk. Then he drinks, with it running down his chin, and walks around the house clutching his cup, looking like he's been drinking something much stronger. He's very prone to milk drunkenness. :) He also gets quite a shock and gives me a dirty look if I put water in his cup instead. He still drinks it and enjoys it, but he would rather have milk. Crazy little boy.

We celebrated his birthday with two parties. One with family and the other with friends. I'll add some pictures from both. It was a learning experience. While I'm very happy with the way they both turned out and I loved sharing his day with everyone, I will not be doing a party that size again. What a crazy idea I had!

I'm sure there are things I wanted to say that I'm forgetting but they will have to wait until next time. We miss you and love you all! Can't wait to see the Provenzano side in three weeks!

Slacker!

2011-03-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Cake number 2

Cake number 1

Dr Seuss cake with red fish on the side

Dr. Seuss party theme

New year, new skills, new experiences!

2011-01-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! Where do I even begin?! I feel like Noah is a completely different baby from the last time I posted. He's learning SO MUCH! He recognizes words, says a couple, attempts to say even more, walks all over the place, crawls faster than you would believe, and still is the sweetest happiest little boy around!

Words he recognizes: He knows what bite and bath are, he knows Tubie, dog, cat, outside, daddy, mommy, we're working on bed, Maggie, and inside.

He tries to say: Cat (CA), outside (IDA), did it (ADAT), moo (which comes out mmmmm), dog (GOG or sometimes just GA), and more (MA).

He says: A-DA (for daddy) and ma-ma (this he only ever says when he wants mommy so I know he knows what it means) A-DA is how he distinguishes ADAT (did it) from Daddy.

He also does the usual baby babble which consists of DA DA DA DA and a bunch of other ones I can't think of right now.

I've started watching Rhys now and it's going pretty well so far. Except for the biting incident they have been getting along great. I still have Lillie Bell as well and she's doing pretty good too.

We're pretty stinkin' excited for Noah's birthday which is right around the corner! I've picked a theme so now it's just getting things together and planning activities. We're having so much fun with it!

Well, I've got two little boys who just woke up so I better go play. Until next month!

Three months in a row!

2010-12-14T21:31:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy I'm being consistent! Let's see, what should you know this time?

Noah is walking! He's been taking steps since November 20th but on Dec 1st he started taking 8-10 at a time and staying up afterward. Right now he kind of picks and chooses when to walk since crawling is still faster for him but he can cover pretty good distances on his feet! It's awesome.

Noah doesn't really dig the Christmas tree. He keeps walking over to it, then falling face first into the branches and he ends up with a face full of pine needles. So at least it's keeping him away from it for the most part. I can't complain, but I feel so bad for him.

He loves his stocking. It's a penguin and it has a little bell on it and he goes over to it and rings it every day. It's super cute.

Noah says Dada but not Mama. If you ask where Dada is, he looks for Ryan until he finds him. This is super sad if you ask while Ry isn't home. Noah keeps looking for quite a while with no luck. If you ask where Mama is, he purposely looks everywhere but at me. It's like he thinks it a game. I don't like it very much...

He has realized that chasing is a game and he loves to be chased around the house. He's QUICK too!

Noah will pretty much only eat something if he can do it himself now. This is VERY annoying but what am I supposed to do? When I try just putting a bite in his mouth, I'm not even kidding, he takes it out with his hands and puts it back in himself. He's such an independent little boy. It's a good thing I love him so much. :)

He loves to be naked. He hates getting his diaper changed. He loves bath time and bed time. He loves his Mommy and especially his Daddy. I thought that would make me unhappy but it doesn't. It warms my heart when he reaches for Ry even if I'm holding him.

I'm the luckiest wife and Mommy in the whole world.

P.S. In January I'll be watching another little boy three days a week. He's a month older than Noah and his name is Rhys (pronounced Reece). It should be fun! Hopefully...

Three things you should know about Noah and a few more just for fun

2010-11-10T10:07:00.000-08:00

1. While he grabs food with both hands he only puts it in his mouth with his left. If he has food in his right, he transfers it to the left before eating it.
2. He now crawls with his belly off the floor almost exclusively. He surprised us with this new feat on Sunday.
3. He will only sleep in his bed or if he's really desperate, someone's arms. This makes it difficult to travel and plan activities in any given day. We have to get creative sometimes.

When he's really tired, he lays his head on the floor and whimpers a little. If you call him, he sits up and smiles.

He will only sleep with his pacifier and calfie.

He loves to feed himself and gets SO excited when you put cheerios or puffs on his high chair tray.

He can get his toes off the ground while pulling himself up on something, leaving him hanging for a few seconds.

He does NOT like plain baby food chicken. He does ok with chicken, rice and veggies.

He loves to eat what we're eating and gets upset if he can't have it.

The same goes for drinks.

He can now wave "Hi".

We're working on "Bye" but he's a little confused by it.

He guards his kisses like treasure unless they're meant for the wall or a mirror. (Mommy rarely gets them)

He's getting quicker at attacking the dogs. They're getting more wary of him.

He's still the happiest baby you will ever have the joy of knowing. Hands down.
My little glowworm! He put the flashlight in his mouth with it on
Swings!
Mmmm broccoli!
My angel

Crawling!

Round and round we go

2010-10-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

I hope this is an indication that I'm getting better about posting...maybe not. Only time will tell. Where to begin...

Noah army crawls all through the house now. He pulls himself up on people and objects at every opportunity. He'd rather be standing than anything else. Noah loves being startled, he thinks it's hilarious! If you unexpectedly make a loud noise in his face, he can't stop laughing. This is also true for fake dropping him. A regular thrill seeker. His hair is getting so long that Ryan and I are arguing about cutting it. He wants to, I tell him not on his life. So far I'm still winning this one...One of these days he's going to surprise me and go from laying flat to sitting up all on his own. He hasn't quite managed it yet but he's SO close. He'll get about three quarters of the way up and then start reaching for something to pull him up the rest of the way.

I had to switch over to formula feeding about a week ago. Noah was getting frustrated with nursing and not getting enough and I was so stressed with knowing he wasn't getting enough and not being able to do anything else about it. I tried everything with no success so we started formula instead. It's made a huge difference for both of us. I couldn't give up nursing completely with flu season just around the corner so we settled for once a day. We're doing awesome now! It was awful for a while there and I felt like a complete failure but I've come to terms with it and I know it's best for Noah.

Noah is now sleeping amazingly well! Naps are a breeze, he takes one at 10am and one between 130 and 2pm. At night we established a routine that makes bedtime SO much easier as well. About 530pm he gets solids and then a bath. After bath, jammies, and "teeth brushing" he gets a bottle and then goes to bed anytime between 6 and 730 depending on how long his afternoon nap was. He sleeps until 8am! He wakes up 1-2 times to eat but then it's right back to sleep for my little champ. That too has made a HUGE difference in our daily life. It took about a week of tough love and consistency but it's been very worth it!

As we were going through the bedtime routine tonight I happened to notice a tooth coming through! I don't know if it'll play peek-a-boo for a while or just come up and stay but it's there now! I never thought teething would be so exciting! So far he hasn't been much crankier than normal but I was prepared for worse. We'll see how it goes from here...

Tube is walking again! He doesn't have all his strength/function back quite yet but we were told he could come off crate rest! I don't know if he's not doing so well because they weren't used for so long or if there is still some paralysis and he'll never regain full use, we'll have to wait and see. It's just so nice to see him up and about again even if it is abnormal movements. Maggie loves having him back but she doesn't understand why she keeps getting yelled at when she tries to wrestle with him. Hopefully she'll learn to be less aggressive with play...

Halloween is just around the corner and I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun to dress Noah up! I still don't know what we're doing or where we're going but he'll be in costume regardless.

Now let's see if I can include some pictures this time...

Always a happy little man

The first time he pulled himself up on something!

I know it's a little out of focus but I love it!

Our little family. With the sun glaring off my white leg...

6 months!? You've got to be kidding!

2010-09-05T16:01:00.001-07:00

Nope, he is indeed 6 months old. It feels like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. Man how things change. Here are all of the things Noah is doing now.

Sitting up completely unsupported. Catching himself when he starts to fall sideways while sitting. Rolling from front to back and back to front. Eating solids three times a day and LOVING them. Laughing out loud. Smiling constantly, even at strangers. Singing along with music. Singing to himself without music. Squealing. Licking his lips. Spitting (this comes in the form of attempting to blow bubbles but there is too much drool so he sprays spit everywhere). Passing toys back and forth between his hands and marveling at this skill. Laughing hysterically at the dogs when they bark or play. Smiling specifically for the camera (I think this is just because he likes that it's shiny so he smiles when I pull it out...Oh well). Watching cartoons. Flirting with himself in the mirror. Making mommy and daddy EXTREMELY happy!

Our little man is such a joy and we love watching him grow. He's learning something new everyday it seems. When he watches us doing something that he wants to do, you can see him concentrating so hard on it. He can't wait to figure it out and practice a new skill. He's VERY smart and VERY social. I can no longer put him down and come back to find him in the same spot. He moves himself across the room by scooting rolling and sometimes even pulling himself forward by grabbing onto other stable objects.

We still occasionally struggle with naps and bed time. He would rather be awake and learning than sleeping but we make it work. He still wakes up during the night, more for comfort than needing to eat. Most days I don't mind. I stay up long after he's gone back to sleep rocking him and staring at my beautiful boy.

I have already started thinking about his birthday party because I know this time is flying by and I don't want it to sneak up on me the way the 6 month mark did. I am by no means trying to rush this, I just don't want to be unprepared. We're planning for the 26th of February for those interested in attending.

Noah is such a blessing in our lives and we have no idea what we did before this angel came to us. We're glad to have all of you amazing people to share him with as well. We love you all.

~The Sams

It's about time!

2010-07-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

Alright, let's see if I can get an update in before the house goes completely crazy!

I'm staying at home with my little man. I have been since the beginning of May and I LOVE it! I watch a little three year old girl 5 days a week to make up for me not working. Her name is Lillie Bell and she does so great with Noah! He just smiles every time he sees her and she's so gentle with him. It's a glimpse into what the future would be like with two kids. I honestly don't know how you guys do it. I'm always so grateful for the end of the day when she goes home. She's a great kid but I can't handle two right now for any longer than I have to. It's such a juggling act. I also watch Casey, a little boy a couple months older than Noah, occasionally. That is enough to make me realize I DO NOT want twins. But enough about me, we all know you guys only want updates on Noah. Unfortunately I don't have time to add pictures but I promise to do so soon.

Noah is a little over four months old now and he's so much fun! He smiles, giggles, coos and sings to us all the time. His most vocal times are in the morning and at night. He just lays in his crib and "talks" to the walls and his toys. It's so darn cute! We went through a difficult phase right around three months when he didn't want anything to do with sleep. It was rough but luckily we're past that now. He rolls from tummy to back every time we put him on his tummy. He will roll from his back to his side but he hasn't quite made it all the way over yet. He tries so hard to sit up by himself. He'll pull his head forward and strain his other muscles just trying to get into an upright position. Anytime now I think he'll be up on his own.

We recently introduced solid food and he is SUCH a fan! He knows exactly when it's time to eat and if I miss it by five minutes he's having a cow! Right now he does oatmeal and green beans. He loves them both! I'm hoping he takes after his mommy as far as vegetables go. So far so good. Next we're on to rice, peas and broccoli. Wish us luck!

Noah has grown so much especially in the last month or so. It's so sad and exciting all at the same time! I can't wait to see what he'll do next but that means he isn't going to be my baby forever. :( He's such a sweet happy boy. He loves people and smiles at everyone. He's such a little charmer. He is starting to show his sense of humor. Not too long ago I had his pacifier in my mouth because I didn't have enough hands and he looked up and just started giggling at me. It's moments like that that make me want to freeze time.

I love being Noah's mommy! It is absolutely the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life.

Noah has started to notice the dogs and tries to interact with them. Maggie is really great about letting him "pet" her. It usually ends up as Noah grabbing a fistful of hair and Maggie whines quietly. Tube won't let him get even remotely close when he's alert. I have found Tube sleeping under the crib though while Noah was napping. So it gives me hope. :) We're re-painting Noah's room. We are doing green on bottom and yellow on top. We're still keeping the Noah's Ark border and theme. We decided it would be easier to switch to the John Deere theme we've chosen when he's older if we only have to change the border and not the paint colors. It looks really good so far, I'll post pictures when it's complete. (Hopefully)

Ryan is doing great. He's the 2nd Assistant Manager at Big 5 so he's almost always working. It's rough but it also means I get to stay home so I'm not complaining. He's been doing a lot of fishing this year and has caught quite a few fish. The other day he came home with a pretty big Walleye. It's a cozy little life we lead and I for one love it. As I'm sure my husband does as well.

We are very much looking forward to getting together with the Provenzano family early next year! Congratulations to Jen and RJ and thanks for giving us the excuse we need to see everyone again.

I think I've taken about all the time I dare to take and I can't promise it won't be just as long before I update again but hopefully I gradually start to get more free time. Or at least better at utilizing the time I do get to update you all.

We love and miss you! ~The Sams

Noah Ryan has arrived!

2010-03-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

Noah arrived Sunday afternoon at 1:16pm! He's absolutely perfect and the most adorable little boy! He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 and a half inches long. We were both in great condition and we were able to go home after 24 hours in the hospital. It was nice to come home and be able to get more rest. It was just too busy in the hospital. Now for the part I'm sure you're all waiting for.

I woke up at 4am Sunday morning with the most intense pain I had ever felt in my life! I had no idea what was going on. It took me until about 4:30 to realize it wasn't constant pain but coming and going. I started timing and realized the pain was coming about every five minutes. That's about the time I started thinking, maybe these are contractions...I had never felt them before so I wasn't positive but I went with it anyway. By 5am the contractions were already at 2 to 3 minutes apart but I had to wait for them to hit my hour mark and I didn't start timing until 4:30 so I still had a while. I decided to try showering to help relieve the pain. It helped somewhat but not as much as I had hoped.

At 6am we were finally on our way to the hospital, I was still not 100% sure it was really labor but I was giving it a shot anyway. Once I got into the exam room the nurse checked me and said I was 3.5cm and she'd move me to a room. I was so relieved it really was labor and they didn't just send me home. I was in my room by 6:45 and the nurse anesthetist was in almost immediately to start the epidural. At 7:30 I was pain free and relaxing in my bed. I had also progressed to 4cm. They started the antibiotics (I was GBS+) and I began my waiting time. At 8:45 my water broke on it's own and we found out Noah had passed meconium in the womb and would need to be suctioned after birth. 11am found me dilated to 9cm and 100% effaced. The Dr finally came in about 12:30 so I could start pushing and Noah was born at 1:16pm. Overall a very quick and easy labor and delivery. After suctioning Noah was given to me and has had a clear bill of health. While I am somewhat sore from everything I feel great overall.

We are about to give Noah his first bath at home so pictures will have to wait.

Dad is absolutely loving having his little boy to hold and is definitely making up for me carrying him for the last 9 months. :-) We are so happy to have him here and all of us healthy!

The final week!

2010-02-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow I will be 39 weeks pregnant and I will turn 24. I have somewhat forgotten about my own birthday in all the excitement about when Noah will come. I don't know if that's good or bad but I'm betting it's pretty typical for a parent to do. At this point I don't know if it would be easier to just wait the 8 days until my scheduled induction or keep trying and hoping to get him here earlier. I mean it's already been 39 weeks, what's one more you know? It would definitely be more convenient to just wait until I go in to the hospital. No second guessing myself about contractions, no wondering if my water broke or I just peed my pants. I just go in and they hook me up to some drugs and 6-36 hours later, Noah is born. All my family would have plenty of warning and ample time to get here. I would be able to know for certain what my last day at work will be. It would all just be easier. However it's still eight days away and until then, nothing is certain. I will still be constantly second guessing myself about contractions, wondering if my water will break while I am in the middle of something, I will not know if my mom will have time to drive over from Idaho before he's born should I go into labor on my own.

Good grief, it's almost enough for me to say: "No more! I won't have any more kids if this is what it's like every time." People keep telling me however that I only get to that point because I have never experienced what comes next. The love of a child and the amazing joy they bring into your life. It must be worth it or everyone would be an only child right?

So I am no closer to deciding what I would rather have happen. Not that it really matters what I want anyway so what's the point...?

37 Weeks today!

2010-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

Only three more weeks left until Noah's estimated date of arrival! I am SO excited. I'm also finding it very hard to wait for labor to just happen on it's own. How will I know when it's the real deal? Will my water break or will I just have contractions for hours until they become regular? Will it be the middle of the night, the afternoon or maybe first thing in the morning? Will he be early or late? Or right on time? These are only some of the questions that plague me right now, as I'm sure any expectant mother will tell you. I hate the not knowing of it all. I'm trying to convince myself that he won't come until after his due date so then if that's the case, I'm not highly disappointed when March 3rd comes and goes with no signs of baby. It's not easy to convince myself of this however and I'm constantly talking to Noah telling him now would be a good time for me.

It's a relief now that we're in the safe zone and so it's even harder to not want him to come early since I know he'd probably be perfectly healthy if he were born now. We went this morning to the state patrol office to have the car seat installation inspection. We passed with flying colors! The gal said in four years of doing that she had only ever had two people before me install the car seat perfectly on their own the first time. I was very proud of myself. So now it's just killing time with doctor appointments and water aerobics. At least I'm now on the weekly cycle for visits to the Dr so I get an update every week until he comes.

Speaking of updates, I went yesterday to my appointment and we also got an ultra sound. We got to see a picture of him in 3d but they didn't print it out. She showed us his face but only his eye and cheek were visible, he had both hands up in front of his face in fists so it blocked the rest. Noah is head down, weighing in at an estimated 6 pounds 15 ounces. I am 1-2 cm dilated and 50% plus effaced. So we're getting closer!! At this point there is no talk of inducing me early or otherwise, I think they just want to see what happens as it gets closer to D Day.

My mom is coming up this Sunday to spend some time with us and stay until Noah comes and I'm looking forward to getting to see her again so soon. I'm glad she'll be able to be here for the birth. If he comes before then, she'll drive over when we know he's coming and we'll just hope she makes it in time.

I'm still working and plan to up until I go into labor. I'm only going to be able to take six weeks off when he's born and I don't want to waste them sitting at home with nothing to do and no baby. So that's the plan for now. If I make it to the next appointment I'll probably post another update but we'll see. You might just be hearing from me after he's born!

AHHHH!

2010-01-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

33 weeks and 1 day! We start our prepared childbirth classes tonight, we had the baby shower on Saturday. I have appointments scheduled to check car seat installation and meet a potential pediatrician for Noah...I can't believe we've gotten this far! I'm both 100% ready for him and 100% not ready to take on this responsibility. How can I feel both ways? Deep breath!

So the baby shower was fabulous! Thanks to all who had a role in it. We got just about everything we needed and have started buying what's left a little at a time. I think most of it is stuff we could probably manage without for at least a few days after he's born and I could send Ryan to the store if needed. We have the car seats installed in the cars, crib and cradle set up with at least sheets on them. Diapers coming out our ears, bottles and formula just in case. A few outfits ;-)! Blankets galore and even a few toys for him to stare at...We should be fine.

I had my 32 week appointment on Tuesday. Noah's heart rate was 146 and he's doing great. Moving around like crazy all the time now. I don't even have to sit down and focus to count my 10 kicks. He gets them in as soon as I even think about doing it. I can't wait to meet him! I'm just so excited to see his cute little face and be able to hug and kiss him all the time. I was telling Ryan the other day, the one thing he can do that I can't and it makes me slightly jealous is kiss him. Maybe not technically so to speak but I guarantee I can't get my head down close enough to my belly to give it a kiss. A small price to pay I suppose for all the other wonderful things I get to experience.

The Dr was concerned that I'm measuring a little big and with my glucose level being so close to the cut off, he ordered an ultrasound in 4 weeks to check his size. He doesn't want me delivering a 10 or 11 pound baby thankfully and neither do I. So on February 9th we'll do an ultrasound and if he's measuring 7 or 8 at that time, we'll talk about early induction. If he's still little, 5-6, they'll let me go to term, unless he comes early on his own of course.

My next appointment is January 26 and hopefully by then we should know for sure if the stupid insurance will cover the 20 week US once and for all. I'm so tired of dealing with all of this! I called them after the other US was ordered to make sure ahead of time it would be covered and they said yes so here's hoping. I also found out they will cover the circumcision which is so nice to hear. Now for the fun pictures! I'll post more later, I've got to get ready for work. I'm working early so I can be off in time for the class!

Abra hand made the cake and it tasted delicious too

Amanda made this super cute blanket!

My mom made this adorable blanket to match his room!

The board had pictures of Ryan and I as babies and comp gen pictures of what Noah will look like. We'll see!

With Maria and the board she made

Nicole, me, Michelle and Megan

Tia, Mom and me

With my mom

Holding the cake Abra made

It was heavy and I needed help holding it ;-)

29 weeks! (almost)

2009-12-15T19:35:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I will be 29 weeks! That means only 11 more to go before my little boy makes his debut in this world! I can't wait! I had my appointment today and am VERY happy to report I passed my gestational diabetes screening test! The cut off for blood/glucose levels is 140, I barely slid in there with a 137. He said since I'm young and healthy, he'll give me a pass and just watch my growth very closely. If I were older or had a history, he would have made me do the 3 hour test anyway. Woo Hoo!

Noah's heartbeat was strong and right where it should be. He was very cooperative and came to the Dr when he put the Doppler on my belly so the Dr didn't have to go looking for him. I also found out today I have to start doing kick counts. Every day, twice a day for one hour I have to count his movements. If I get 10 in one hour, we're doing great! I think we won't have any problems, I get 10 in 5 min some days.

I was commended for doing my prenatal water aerobics and told that it is probably 6 times better for me than anything else I could possibly be doing.

I noticed about a week ago that I've got a varicose vein popping up in my right leg and I was very unhappy about it. Luckily they tend to go away after delivery and I was told to always put my feet up when I sit down (like I needed another excuse for that!) and eat LOTS of protein. I'm doing my best to at least minimize it's appearance anyway.

I'm still feeling great, however the little bit of extra energy I felt in the second trimester is slowly dying away now that I'm in the third. I'm back to going to bed by 9 or 10, only now it's impossible to get comfortable while I sleep so I'm not even getting out of bed early. I feel exhausted when I wake up from all the tossing and turning I'm doing. Sigh. Pregnant life is much harder than I imagined. People tried to warn me but I didn't listen. Of course I would do it all over again but I no longer think it's a cake walk. :-)

Abra is throwing me a baby shower and it's just around the corner (Jan 9th)! I can hardly wait for that! We have a tour of the birth center coming up on Jan 5th and we start our childbirth education class on Jan 14th! So much to look forward to. My next appointment is Jan 12th and after that I start going every two weeks. It's coming so fast I feel like I hardly have time to breathe anymore. We also have all our appointments scheduled through the end of February. I was going to go ahead and do the last one on March 2nd but she didn't have March open for scheduling yet so I'll have to wait. As it stands I have the "last one" on February 23! 8 days before he's due. Anyway, I'm going to go put my feet up as the Dr ordered! ;-)

~T

Just pictures

2009-12-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Some have called for more pictures so here they are. Anything recent and not so recent that I think you might enjoy. A side note, I should be posting an update tomorrow after my Dr appointment. I took the gestational diabetes screening test on Friday so the results should be in when I go tomorrow. Wish me luck, I'll keep you posted.

I was about 12 weeks with Tasha at 38 weeks?I don't remember exactly

Cowgirl for Halloween 22 weeks 3 days

24 weeks 5 days

27 weeks 6days

19 weeks 6 days

Most recent additions to Noah's room

Sign I made when I knew it was a boy

Some cute new things I received in an online gift exchange.

Pregnancy Update

2009-11-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

I thought since I'm about 25 and a half weeks along now, it was time to update again. I was at the Dr this past Tuesday and so far everything is great! Noah's heart beat was good and strong and I'm nice and healthy as well. My uterus was measuring at 26in but he didn't seem too concerned about that so I guess it's no big deal. I have been having some problems lately with my wrists and he told me I have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome and gave me a prescription for wrist braces to wear at night. They aren't the most comfortable but they do help with the pain. I'll put up with them for now :)

With Thanksgiving just a few short days away I'm very excited to be cooking my very first turkey dinner. Sarah will be coming so it'll be a small group but a group nonetheless. My next appointment is Dec 15 and I have to take the dreaded gestational diabetes screening test. Ugh! I don't look forward to that. I am looking forward to Christmas just two weeks after my appointment though!

Noah is a VERY active little boy. He hasn't kept me up at night yet but I'm sure it's not too far off. He loves to kick and punch all the time. I'm able to see his movements now as well as feel them. A few lucky family members have been able to feel him as well! It's very exciting. Ryan loves to feel him moving and sometimes gets impatient if Noah's not moving when Ryan wants to feel him. It's cute. He'll start poking and talking to Noah trying to get him going.

It really is just the most amazing and magical thing to be able to feel this little boy growing inside of me. I cannot wait to meet him!

Happy Holidays! We love you all.

T

20 Weeks!

2009-10-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Noah's foot, his toes are pointing to the left.
Noah's profile, you can see his little nose and lips and chin! So cute!
Another of his profile, I just can't get enough!
So we got our 20 week ultra sound on Wednesday! As you can tell, it's a boy! We are sooo excited! His name is Noah Ryan Sams. It was the most wonderful thing to see him again in the ultra sound. He was just moving around like crazy in there. I've been able to feel him moving since about 18 weeks but I can't feel all his movements so to see just how active he really is was amazing. The tech was taking measurements of his heart and other organs and he just kept flipping around showing off his little bottom. It was very cute. He weighs 12 ounces right now and is about 10 inches long from head to toe.

It's so great to finally know and I am still in awe of the fact that we have a son! I can't believe how much I love him already. I hear it only gets worse after he's born, lol. Anyway, I just wanted to update everyone on that.

I had to go back to working full time for now. We had a staff member leave so while she's looking for someone to hire, I get to work all day. Yay me...I also had to change my hours so now I work 10-7.

It's crazy to think I'm halfway to the birth of little Noah, it feels like it's gone by really fast in some ways and really slowly in others. I know some people will be curious so just to let you all know, Ryan and I just really love the name Noah. It's not a family name or anything. Obviously Ryan is after his daddy, I wanted to make it meaningful but also give him his own identity. So there you have it, Noah Ryan.

We are choosing to decorate the nursery in a Noah's ark theme. Fitting, right? The walls, as you've seen are yellow and I think we're going to add another color but it's a surprise what it will be right now. (meaning we haven't picked it yet) It's hard to find a really cute Noah's ark crib set so I think we're just going with an animal themed one and we'll add in the other elements to tie it all in. I am so excited to see it all put together!

I'm still feeling great although I think I might be getting something from one of the kids at work. I just feel blah. It is flu season and I'm doing everything I can to avoid it but we'll see. I hope everyone is doing great and can also avoid getting sick this year. We hope to see you all soon!

T

16 weeks on the 16th!

2009-09-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm 16 weeks today! I've had quite an unnerving experience these last few days. My Dr appt was supposed to be next week but they called me in early because they didn't like the symptoms I was having. He says nothing to worry about so I guess I'll trust him, in a few days I should get the results back from the test and know for sure what it was. We shall see...I won't get into too much detail, I'm sure it's nothing you want to read about anyway.

So after that whole shebang we were able to nail down an appt time for our big ultra sound! We will hopefully be finding out the gender of Baby Sams on Wednesday, October 14Th at 8 am!!!! We cannot wait! It's driving me crazy just knowing I still have four weeks. Luckily for me time seems to be flying lately. It seems like yesterday I was in awe that I was 12 weeks along and now it's already been 4!

On another note, I've talked to my boss about the possibility of me working part time through March! She seems to be OK with it for now, our numbers are down quite a bit so she's overpaying for staff right now anyway. I'm just so worn out by the end of the day that I don't have the energy to do anything at home. The house doesn't get clean, meals don't get cooked, it's not pretty. Ryan does do A LOT to help out mind you but then I feel guilty that he's always doing everything. So I'm hoping this would solve much of our problem! I should find out here pretty soon if it'll work for sure. She also said it might only be temporary until enrollment goes up again. I told her I'd be willing to talk about it more at that time. I'm hoping it'll stay slow until spring. I need my rest and I would love the extra time to get EVERYTHING ready for Baby Sams! Here are some recent and not so recent pictures that I've failed to put up before now...slacking again I know.

T

Temple trip
15w 6d preggers!
Our growing collection of Willow Tree
We put up a shelf!

12 weeks 6 days!

2009-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will be 13 weeks! I'm so excited for the second trimester. Yay! We had another ultrasound today. We opted for the nuchal translucency so we got another picture! We still don't know the gender but hopefully soon! My next appointment is in 4 weeks and I'll be 17 weeks. Then I should get another one three weeks later at 20 weeks where we can presumably find out boy or girl! Ryan changed his guess today to girl. I think because someone told him the dad is always wrong lol. He really wants a boy! I personally don't care, I'll be happy no matter what I just want to know. I feel like I'm repeating myself, sorry if I am. The nursery is all set up and ready for decorations! I plan on taking the whole day off when we find out so we can go register and all that. I can't wait to put the room together.

Pictures pictures pictures!

2009-08-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

So we're pregnant! 9 weeks and 6 days, we're due March 3! We're pretty excited about becoming parents. We had our first appointment and ultra sound today. The baby is measuring at 10 weeks so only a tiny bit bigger than it "should be". It's been hard to keep our little secret but I'm sure you can all understand why. We don't have a preference as far as gender is concerned, we're just happy to be having a baby.

I've been lucky so far and haven't gotten sick really. I get occasional nausea when I brush my teeth or go longer than a few hours without food, but I feel great! I'm tired ALL the time but that's about it as far as unpleasantness goes. Here's hoping I don't suddenly become ill tomorrow. =)

Ryan has been reading parenting books all over the place, it's really cute. I can't wait to see what a wonderful dad he'll be. It's such an exciting time! Hooray! I'll update often I promise!

A week already!?

2009-07-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already been a week since we went to the Temple! I feel like it was just yesterday. I'm still waiting on pictures to put up but it was a wonderful, beautiful day for us. Thanks to all of you who were able to be there with us! I also want to say a special thank you to those that helped out with preparations and food and what not. You are amazing and I love you!

The last week has been pretty crazy around here! We have family and friends coming and going so often I sometimes feel like I should be working in a hotel. It's awesome to see everyone though and I love every minute of it. I'm taking two days off this week to spend some time with family and hopefully rest/relax from the constant activity that is my life.

Ryan is still working at Big 5 and mostly loving it, lol. Some days are better than others. I think the worst part for both of us is I'm home on the weekends and he ALWAYS works! Sometimes I think people think I made him up because he's never with me when I go to things. Oh well, maybe someday...

That's all for now folks! Thanks again and we love you!

Nonstop!

2009-07-13T19:26:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have been running nonstop for the last month or so. I can't seem to get caught up on anything! We have so much going on right now and so little time it feels like. I can't imagine what this feels like when you have kids! Insane I'm guessing.

It's only a few more days until we go to the temple! We are sooooo excited! Can't wait for this weekend. My mom will be coming into town on Friday and I can't wait to see her! I feel like it's been forever even though it's really only been a few months.

Ryan and I finally got the second bedroom completely cleaned out, closet and all! It's been a long time coming. I think we are now absolutley, officially unpacked! And it only took a year lol.

I'm starting to get frustrated with my work situation though. I love the kids (most of them anyway) but the adults are starting to get on my nerves! Some days I just want to quit! Too bad I can't but who knows, pretty soon I may be looking for a new job. If you know of anything in the area...

I'll be on more often hopefully as things wind down and summer comes to an end. Not that I want that to happen, it will just be less busy I think.

We set the date!!!!!

2009-06-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

It's official! Ryan and I just had our final interview with the Stake President today and we've called the Temple and set a date! We are going to be sealed on Saturday July 18, 2009 at 9:30am! Well, that's when our session starts, the sealing won't actually be until around 11 or 12 I guess. It's such an amazing feeling knowing we're doing all the right things and we're on the right path. Both of us feel like we're in the best place right now and that life is fabulous! I know some of you might think I'm speaking only for myself but I assure you, Ryan feels exactly the same as I do. We wouldn't be here if he didn't. I would love to extend an invitation to those family members who are able to attend. The space is limited though so don't feel bad or break your neck trying to be here. You'll be with us in spirit and we know that. We will be sealed at the Columbia River Temple in Richland. Guests are asked to arrive at 9am. Please send an email or comment if you think you'll be able to come, I need to call the Temple a week ahead to give names of those going. Thank you so much to all of you who have been so supportive and excited for us. It's been a long journey but we're finally here. We love you all!!

A note to Ryan's family: Although you would not be able to witness the actual ceremony you are invited and more than welcome to come and celebrate with us if you would like. We'd love to have you there.

Yay me!!!

2009-06-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I got to eat my very first home grown salad today! I was so proud of myself I had to share. Here's a picture of it. So it's about 90% peas and 10% lettuce but hey, I did it all on my own. It was delicious by the way.

On another note, Ryan is getting the M. priesthood tonight!!!! I can't wait. It's so fabulous. Now as it stands, we're tentatively planning on July 11th for our temple day but I still have to do a LOT of stuff to get completely ready for that. So I'll keep you updated but that's when I would like it to be. I should be able to schedule it this week sometime after I schedule our interview appts. I'm avoiding the 4th of July week for those that are planning on being out of town, etc. Talk to you soon!

We're getting closer!

2009-05-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've done a status update on when we're going to the temple. Ryan interviewed with the bishop last week and he has an interview with our stake president tomorrow evening for the Melchizedek priesthood. He will be able to receive that on June 14th. Once he gets the priesthood, we'll set up interviews for our temple recommends. It should be within two or three weeks after he gets the Melchizedek priesthood! So we're looking at the end of June, beginning of July for us to get sealed! We are so excited!!!! It's going to be such an amazing day. We hope all who are able will come and celebrate with us when we go. I'll let you know exact dates when I can. We want to thank all of you who have given your love and support to us, we appreciate it so much. We love you all!

Tiphanie and Ryan

We finally finished

2009-05-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

First things first, a couple of weeks ago I told you about Ryan's car and people wanted to see the damage so here it is. Beautiful huh?

These next pictures are of the house after we finished painting the living room! I'm so excited, it turned out awesome! I love it. The stars say, "Faith, Hope and Love" in case you can't tell. I'm super happy with it, now we just need some new curtains. The blue ones no longer match. Oh well.

All in all, it's been a strange two weeks or so. We've had some bad news but we're still pushing on. I'm sorry to say my grandma died Tuesday night in her sleep. The funeral will be Friday the 15th so I'm heading over to the west side for that.

I was diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome on Tuesday as well. Weird day. The medication to treat PCOS makes me horribly sick and I'm miserable all day. I constantly feel on the verge of throwing up and often find no motivation to even get out of bed. I hate it but with any luck, it won't be long before my dose is reduced and I can have a normal life again. This condition will also make it almost impossible to get pregnant when the time comes without the help of fertility treatment. Score one for me. I'm finding a lot of help in the few friends that I have that also have this syndrome and for that I am grateful. It's more common than I thought and so there is plenty of information out there.

Luckily today I was able to soldier on through the "morning sickness" as I affectionately call it and finish the wallpaper border. Ryan painted and I did the border, hooray for team effort! Let me know what you think of it.

Update yet again

2009-04-19T19:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it ends up being so long between postings these days but it happened yet again. So in the last month and a half, we've put in a garden, created our picnic area and pretty much finished creating our backyard oasis! It's been fun, busy but fun. We still have a few finishing touches left to put on and we need to get the stinking rose bush out but all in all, I'm very happy with it. Our front flower bed is also complete now with daffodils and hyacinth and the house looks great. If only we were as excited about getting everything inside looking great... It's definitely not as fun to do that but we'll get there. We are planning on painting the living room and putting up a border but it might be a while before I have pictures of that to put up.

On another note, Ryan's car was graffitied last night while it was parked in his mom's driveway next door. That was awesome. I think there were at least five or six cars on our street that were also hit so it's not like we were targeted or anything which is good. Some gang sign or something.

Ryan and I have ended our two and a half month no mammals diet so we'll be eating those again...that sounds awful doesn't it? It was way too inconvenient, when we went somewhere to visit or certain places out to eat, it's not easy only eating chicken, turkey and fish.

That's about it for now, hopefully I'll have good news next time! Until then.

The eye sore that is our rose bush

Our front flower bed

My garden!! My peas are coming up already

After all our hard work!

New Toys! Great Deal!!!!!

2009-03-03T00:11:00.000-08:00

So I got a new Cricut this weekend and I've had a lot of fun playing around with it and making some pretty neat stuff. I made a couple of cards with it and then two page accents (among other things). I love how they turned out and I can't wait to make more. I'm most excited about the card idea, I've wanted to make my own for a while but never had everything I needed and didn't really want it enough to go buy everything. Now all I need is a piece of paper and my Cricut! I love it. Everything you see started out as just an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. I used several pieces of different colored paper to create the layers. Don't be surprised if you start getting home made cards for all the holiday's from now on! At the bottom there are also a couple of cute ones of the dogs. They were being so good while I was playing with my toy and I thought it was sweet how they were all on the couch together like that. I hope you are all doing well.

P.S. I feel it is my duty to mention that I found the Cricut on sale at Jo-Ann's for $99. As of today, they're still on sale for that price so if ever you were in the market for one that would be the price to get it for! Reg. about $200 with tax. What a steal!

Birthday time!

2009-02-26T19:43:00.000-08:00

So I just celebrated my 23rd birthday last Tuesday and I wanted to put up some pictures! It was such a wonderful day. I worked which wasn't the best but what can you do? I came home to Ryan making dinner and a table full of presents. Every girls dream! He even baked me a cake although he wouldn't let me take a picture because he thought it looked bad (it didn't) but oh well. I was ridiculously happy with my day over all. So without further ado, here are the pictures of my presents. Hurray!

Time how it moves along

2009-02-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

It started snowing the morning we were leaving!

Enjoying our cake

On the balcony of our hotel room.

I've been feeling a little sick for the last couple weeks and blame that for the lack of updates. I'm doing a little better today so I've come armed with photos and updates!

Ryan and I celebrated our first anniversary by driving to Leavenworth for the weekend. We went Valentine's weekend so it was a little early but still wonderful. We drove up Saturday, walked around town for the day and then went to a hotel in Wenatchee for the night. It was awesome just getting away without the dogs and being able to enjoy each others company. Maria was in town so she took the dogs for us and I can't thank her enough.

The night of our official anniversary, we went to dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Casa Mia. I loved the atmosphere there, it was quiet and romantic but still a place you could take the kids. We had our cake after we got back and then spent a quiet night in. It was a wonderful celebration.

On Thursday Bella was spayed! She's still recovering so she's quite mellow and a little out of it but she's doing great. Maggie has been much better about playing with both Bella and Tube now and it makes me happy to see them all together.

Enjoy the photos!

Welcome little one

2009-02-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

This is Maggie. Maggie is a three year old Cocker Spaniel who came to us from a shelter. She's still trying to adjust to life with Bella in a new home but I think she'll fit in well. She's a very sweet little girl who loves to play ball. Maggie had some mats when we got her so we had to get her shaved pretty short to get rid of them. We don't plan on keeping the coat so short in the future. She's very mellow and loves to please. We just love her to death so far and hope she adjusts well. She's the perfect little addition to our family.

Ta Blut said his first words to me the other day. He came up to me and said, "Hey teacher"! He needed to use the bathroom but I was still proud. I was still hoping for truck but what can you do?

I'm so excited for this month! Valentine's Day, Tube's birthday, Amanda's birthday, our first anniversary, my birthday, my mom's anniversary, Ryan's mom's anniversary. The list is quite long! The most fun will be Valentine's day simply because I can celebrate it with the kids and they're so excited to give out valentines. It'll be a lot of fun. It's a good month. PLUS! We get to file our taxes which means money back! Hurray for that. I love this time of year. Spring is just around the corner which will have to be another topic for another day. Until next time...

Mystifying Day

2009-01-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to snow. Not too uncommon in the middle of winter but I was a little disappointed. By noon, the day had gotten above freezing so the snow was almost gone. Now, it's two-thirty in the afternoon and it's snowing again. What a mystifying day. I know, not what you all tune in for but that's what I think about in times like this. I'm bored, I have finished yet another good book, cleaned my house, watched my DVR shows that I missed during the week and still have a few hours of daylight left. I refuse to go outside in cold weather like this. I much prefer the heat and I'm looking forward to summer so much. So I'll sit here at my computer, waiting for Ryan to call or text trying to find something interesting to do online.

I do have a report on the work situations you were all kind enough to comment on. The five year old was suspended from daycare for three days so I won't have him Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of this coming week. Good news for now but doesn't help the situation in the long run. The boys mother has been offered numerous resources from the school district but refuses to accept them. It's really sad when you come across children like this because it becomes undeniably obvious it's not the child's fault. There should be a test you have to pass to bring children into this world. Oh, that I could make the rules...

The Vietnamese boy, Ta Blut, has made progress! One of the other teachers was working with him on Thursday and trying to get him to say the letters of his name. After about six or seven times of her saying the letters with no results, he began to repeat what she was saying. He made it all the way through his name with no problems! He said the letters very plainly and clearly. We were all very excited. It's so nice to see the positive result of all your efforts. Well, that's it for today. Hopefully tomorrow holds more excitement for the Sams family.

New hope

2009-01-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

So this last week was a little bit crazy. I encountered a most infuriating situation at work. I teach the little guys, two and a half through three (when they turn four they move up) but lately I've had to take on a five year old who can't control himself. Why he became my student I have no idea but I can't argue, I'm not the boss. He disrupts my class and picks on the smaller children constantly. Well on Thursday, I sat him in time out for running around the classroom, yelling and playing during the learning activity. I was instructed by my boss that I was to "let him play. You won't get anywhere by putting him in time out so you should just give him what he wants so you can go on with the rest of your class."! I was speechless! How can you reward this five year old child for bad behavior and expect him to learn anything?! You're teaching this poor kid that throwing a fit gets you what you want and you don't have to behave well to be rewarded. Is that really the message we want to teach? Not only this but now I have 9 other three and four year old's asking why they can't play too. How do I explain to them that he only gets to play because he was bad? I can't understand this logic at all and I don't agree with it either. It's ridiculous.

This week we also got a new student, he is 4 and Vietnamese and VERY cute. He's not in my class but has bonded well with me so I get to spend a lot of time with him. He speaks no English so we communicate through pointing, gesturing and nodding or shaking of the head. He is learning to recognize words and gets excited when he does. He loves to learn and does a victory lap around the room when he finally understands something. He is learning so quickly and it's so amazing to watch him. I cannot wait to hear his first English word. I have a hunch it will be "truck"! He loves to play with trucks. He gives me new hope for the year.

New Year!

2009-01-11T14:15:00.000-08:00

This has been a great year so far for Ryan and I. We celebrated Bella's 1st birthday on January 10, her actual birthday was the 7th but she didn't mind. We're slowly but surely getting the second bedroom organized and empty. We have plenty of room in the shed for everything but we can't bring ourselves to put away boxes that we don't even remember what's in them. So the process has taken longer than we thought. Oh well. I got my hair cut yesterday! It's really short but I really like it. So far I'm hearing that other people seem to like it too. They could be lying though, you never know. We are going to go to the temple at the beginning of March!!! I cannot wait for that. I'm so excited. Our anniversary is coming up, February 17! Hurray for February. We are also going on a baptism trip on January 24. It will be Ryan's first and he's very excited, as am I. We are planning one sometime soon where we can go and do the names we've found from his side of the family too. We've got like six generations of Sams or something and that will be awesome. I have a great feeling that this will be the best year ever for us! We have so many plans and hopes and I have no doubt they will all be reality very soon. I've included some pictures of the last couple weeks. We hope all of you are having as wonderful of a year so far as we are! Much love and blessings to you all.

Sarah and I

Ryan and I in front of the tree

Ryan with his mom and Nicole

At a friend's going away party

Bella's Birthday

My short hair!

Christmas Cheer!

2008-12-25T18:46:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas as much as I did! Ryan and I had a lot of fun making breakfast together and playing outside with the dogs. It was quite different than what we're used to but in a good way. We were able to just relax and do things in our own time, we didn't have to wait for anyone or feel rushed, probably the most laid back Christmas I've had since I was a kid. I've decided it's much easier to get cute pictures when you have a third party who can take them. We only have two of us together and they're not that great. Oh well, next time. We'll also be putting more up after we do Christmas with the Callaway's. Hooray.

Life as of late

2008-12-23T22:18:00.000-08:00

Playing in the snow

Our little Christmas tree!

How does something so beautiful cause so much grief?

Throwing a snowball at Bella. She never saw it coming, poor thing!

The new house, lights and all.

Dreary Mood

2008-12-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

I've been in this funk all day long and I hate it. It started when I realized tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I wouldn't be leaving for my mom's as planned. This weather really sucks! I love the snow to look at and play in but when it ruins my Christmas, I want it to go away. I'm super bummed that I won't be seeing my mom until next year and even more unhappy that I've missed my chance to spend Christmas with her for another two years. It will be 2010 before I go home for Christmas again and who knows what complications will arise then. It's just lame. Oh well, positive thoughts right?

Ryan was sustained in sacrament meeting last Sunday to receive the aronic priesthood! If he hadn't had to leave for work right after sacrament he would have actually received it. They're doing it this coming Sunday instead. One more step closer to going to the temple. Which by the way is closed for cleaning during the time we wanted to go! We can't go until after March 10. Total bummer.

I am excited for the new year. It will bring so many amazing changes to our lives and we'll be better people because of them. I look forward to celebrating our first year of marriage! I can't believe it's already been this long. It seems like a couple weeks ago I was bawling as I walked down the aisle and now it's already almost February again. So much has changed and yet, so much is still the same. Crazy how life does that to you.

I'll get some pictures up of life as of late.