Samson : 1 year

Age : 1 year ... the fastest 12 months of my life, which is why I always have had trouble getting to these monthly updates in time. I'm not kidding guys, I'm pretty sure I've got gray hairs now. #motherhood

Height : 32" ... maybe? Samson hasn't his 13 month appointment yet, so this isn't official by any means. 

Weight : 24 lbs. Future football player, for sure. 

Clothes : 12-18 months, size 5 shoes

Diapers : Charlie Banana Cloth (Size M), Honest Diapers Size 4.

Eating : Table food and whole milk. No more bottles for this guy. We started dropping bottles as soon as he turned one and transitioned off of them pretty quickly. The last (and hardest) bottle to eliminate was the mid-afternoon one, but Samson must have decided one day that milk from a straw cup was good enough & that was that.

Sleeping : Not the greatest. We got used to Samson putting himself to sleep and soothing himself back to sleep if he woke in the middle of the night. Everything changed when tooth #1 arrived. We worked really hard to get Samson back to sleeping through the night, then tooth #2 came and messed things up again. But, he slept 7p-7a last night, so I can't seem to find any reason to complain today ;)

Pacifiers/Soothies : Still relying on MAM pacifiers and I'm not sure that any of us are willing to give those up anytime soon. He loves his mint blankie, but has recently started preferring the throw blanket we keep on the glider in his nursery, which is way too big for him to sleep through the night with. 

Milestones : 1st tooth and 2nd tooth came about 1 month apart. Tooth #1 came the same day Samson started walking (just after 11 months) and the 2nd came about a week after his birthday. Walking and/or running. Baby headstands. Can "play" the kazoo and recorder (thanks Grandma & Grandpa West). First Christmas and first birthday just weeks apart meant lots of opening presents. 

Likes : Chasing Cash, playing fetch with Cash, snuggling in between momma & daddy, watching music videos (specifically Maroon 5-Sugar and Bruno Mars-Uptown Funk), helping daddy play guitar, clapping, making noise with the kazoo and recorder, walking everywhere, hugs (the BEST hugger), applesauce, black beans and most importantly crackers.

Dislikes : Diaper changes. Getting HANGRY. Skipping nap time.

Disclaimer : Getting this one done with just days to spare before Samson is 13 months. It is next to impossible to get pictures of Samson (sitting still, without a pacifier) now that he is walking, so I've had to give up on that cute monthly montage, but I'll fill the void with a few action shots!

Last picture before his birthday!

First picture as a one year old!

Samson : 11 months

Age : 11 months ... I have to back track a bit, because we've had a pretty busy month!

Height : 31" (ish)

Weight : 22 lbs (ish) ... He feels likes a bag of bricks!

Clothes : 12-18 months

Diapers : Charlie Banana Cloth (Size M), Honest Diapers Size 3, although the next bundle will have size 4 diapers because we're having trouble with night time diapers holding enough.

Eating : So much! He still loves bottles, but we are down to 6 oz/3x a day. Loves all food.

Sleeping : Samson had a bit of sleep regression with his first cold (and his first tooth, but that's for next month's post) so he sleeps 7:30-6:00 right now, but wakes up a a few times a night. It's rough for every one involved. Thankfully, he goes back to sleep easily and naps really well during the day. (And FYI, as of right now, more than halfway to 12 months he's getting back to the awesome sleep that we we're used to).

Pacifiers/Soothies : Loves his MAM pacifiers and we always panic when they all seem to get lost at the same time. He sleeps with his mint blankie at nap time and night time. Thankfully travels pretty well at night now as long as we pack his beloved blankie.

Milestones : Walking around furniture, chatting up a storm even if nobody, including Samson, knows what he is saying (distinguishable words: papa, mama, baba, papa), clapping.

Likes : Playing with other kids, sharing, tickles, playing with Cash, long walks in the stroller, books, all sorts of noisy toys, drinking from straws and cups.

Dislikes : Diaper changes, I'm telling you... it's the end of the world!

Samson : 10 months

Age : 10 months

Height : 30" (ish)

Weight : 20 lbs (ish)

Clothes : 12-18 months. We recently went on a shopping spree to replace some of his smaller clothes and I went with the next size up, so they are a bit big on him.

Diapers : Charlie Banana, 1st medium setting. Size 3 Honest diapers.

Eating : 6 oz/4x a day. He loves to have breakfast, lunch, dinner and occasionally snacks with Aaron and I.

Sleeping : 7p-6a. Nap time has been shifting a little bit lately. Some days its a 2 hour nap before lunch time, some days it's an hour nap before lunch and dinner.

Pacifiers/Soothies : MAM pacifiers (down to 1, we keep losing them!) and green blankie at nap time and night time.

Milestones : Crawling, super fast, with his belly off the ground, says "ma-ma" and "pa-pa" now (pretty sure he means puppy), first night being put to sleep by grandma and grandpa when Aaron & I were out of town for my best friend's wedding, started throwing with pretty awesome accuracy, dressed up like a lumbar jack for his first Halloween, and got to eat lasagna for the first time.

Likes : Trying new foods, sharing his toys with Cash, sharing his pacifier with Aaron & I, being outside, throwing, peek-a-boo, shoe strings, tags, furry stuffed animals (or Cash), bath time, Sesame Street.

Dislikes : Playtime interrupted by diaper changes, when the remote gets taken from him, the stairs being barricaded with a baby gate, being prevented from doing anything detrimental to his well-being (Boys!)

Samson : 9 months

Age : 9 months

Height  : 30"

Weight : 20 lbs of love

Clothes : 9 months - 12 months

Diapers : Charlie Banana medium setting, Size 3 Honest diapers

Eating : 6 oz/4x a day, 3 little meals. Favorite foods: peas, black beans, apples, chicken, cheese and pretty much anything we let him feed himself.

Sleeping : 7p-6a, and usually 2 naps in between.

Pacifiers/Soothies : MAM pacis, green blanket when he sleeps.

Milestones : Crawling all over the place, pulling himself up everywhere, taking little steps holding on to furniture, climbing up the stairs, lots of chatter: the only distinguishable things we hear are "dada" and "baba," his first boo-boo (fell and hit his noggin on the sliding glass door), and transitioned into his big boy car seat.

Likes : Feeding himself and concurrently flinging food from his highchair, strings and tags, shutting all the doors, playing with the doorstops, leaves, pulling himself up to look out the window with Cash, and gleefully shouting as Cash barks at the end of the day when dad comes home.

Dislikes : Being still... we've taken a break from weekly pictures for the time being, being protected from major catastrophe like crawling up the stairs, crawling off the couch, etc., and being stuck in his jumper, pack & play or car seat when he'd rather be exploring.

Samson : 8 months

Age : 8 months

Height : 28 1/2" (totally guessing)

Weight : 18 lbs (ish)

Clothes : 6-9 months

Diapers : Charlie Banana & Size 3 Honest diapers

Eating : 6.5 oz/5x a day, 2-3 "meals" a day. Loves: puffs, yogurt, apples, bananas, and pumpkin. Hates: spinach.

Sleeping : Goes to sleep at 7:30 p, wakes up at 7:00 a. Some nights he wakes up several times, but on good nights he wakes up once & goes back to sleep easily. Takes a 90 minute nap in the morning and one to two shorter naps in the afternoon. He's getting better about napping in his crib now that we have given him a blanket to snuggle.

Pacifiers/Soothies : MAM pacifiers and a mint green knit blanket at nap time & bed time.

Milestones : Crawling better every day, standing, saying "da-da," "ba-ba," and lots of babble (no ma-ma yet!), pulling himself up to stand from a seated position, napping more often in his crib. Can I get an Amen!?

Likes : Being on the move. Rubbing soft blankets against his face. Snuggling just about anyone, favorites are always mommy & daddy. Playing with Cash and his toys. Trying to chew on everyone's shoes (and feet). Eating food of almost any variety, but finger foods are his favorite... and the messiest. Playing outside in the grass and going on adventures in the stroller.

Dislikes :  Spinach, sometimes I can sneak a tiny bit in to a big bowl of fruit puree. Laying still for diaper changes. Being told "no-no," he obviously just ignores us. Hanging out for long periods on his own when it's obvious that someone should be holding him ;)

31 weeks

32 weeks

33 weeks

34 weeks

Samson : 7 months

As of last week, Samson is actually 8 months old. In true procrastinator style, I wrote this update a little more than a month ago & then took the next 6 weeks to add the pictures. Hopefully, I won't wait another month to get caught up on things, because Samson is doing some pretty amazing things that need to be documented!

Age : 7 months

Height : 28" (this is a guess!)

Weight : 17 1/2 lbs (ish)

Clothes : 3-6 months & 6-9 months 

Diapers : Charlie Banana cloth diapers and Honest Co. disposable diapers in size 3.

Eating : 6.5 oz/5x a day… and anything he can get in his mouth. Usually has 2 “meals” of about 2.5 oz of homemade fruit/veggie purees a day and some puffs to snack on.

Sleeping : Not nearly as awesome as before. Still goes down at 7:30, but wakes up a few times before Aaron & I go to bed and then usually once more before we wake up. A nice long nap in the morning is followed by a shorter one in the early afternoon. Periodically, he takes a mini-nap about the time Aaron gets home from work. It is next to impossible to get him to nap in his crib though... so he usually ends up relaxing in our bed while I read or check on some blogs. 

Pacifiers : Back to the MAM pacifiers because he loves holding on to the little button on the front. Side note: if you are the parent of an infant who likes to chuck their pacifier out the side of the crib in the middle of the night, get some glow in the dark pacifiers, they are life savers!

Likes : Snuggling mommy and daddy. Eating in any capacity. Long walks in the stroller. A breeze in his hair. Taking toys out of his toy basket and putting them back in (he does this all.day.long). Playing with Cash. Playing with Cash's toys. Crawling every where, specifically under things like his crib and the coffee table. Cords and outlets (scary). Playing with mommy's hair and daddy's beard. Bath time in the big boy tub. 

Dislikes : Other babies, birds, tasting Cash's dog toys (so gross), when momma can't keep it together & make his bottles right this second, being dressed and being changed because he's being held back from crawling all over the place, loud noises when he's tired (this includes laughing), and ever since he started taking baths in the big bath tub, the first 2 minutes of bath time typically elicit some big cries.

26 weeks

27 weeks

28 weeks

29 weeks

Samson : 6 Months

Age : 6 months

Height : 27 ½”, 85^th percentile

Weight : 16 lbs 8 oz, 45^th percentile

Clothes : 3-6 months, some 6-9 months

Diapers : We use cloth diapers almost full-time. However, for night time (because no matter how much I stuff them, I can’t keep him dry for 12 hours) and longer trips away from home (a diaper bag full of dirty cloth diapers isn’t my favorite thing) we use size 3 up&up. I just bought some Honest diapers to try out, I’ll let you know how I like them.

Eating : 6.5 oz/5 x a day, and an assortment of homemade fruit and vegetable purees. Usually 2 oz/2 x a day.

Sleeping : 7:30pm-7:30 am, and usually two 1½ hour naps.

Pacifiers : We switched from 0-6 month mam pacifiers to 6+ month Latch pacifiers (what we had on hand) and so far so good. They seem a little easier to keep clean, with fewer crevices for things to get trapped. The clear middle of the Latch pacis are weird, but strangely endearing. 

Likes : Snuggling things right next to his face while sleeping, which terrifies me & I do everything I can to prevent him from accidentally suffocating, but the boy loves to snuggle. Which is directly related to another item on this list: Nap time with mommy is a favorite activity for the both of us. Sweet Potatoes are hands down his favorite food, but he still will turn down food in favor of his bottle. He is absolutely fascinated with the silkie tags on all of his toys. Chewing on 2 fingers at a time is at a dead even tie for chewing on his feet.  Being outdoors is one of his favorite things & he is his most content going for walks in the stroller or sitting in the yard with Cash. He loves laughing with daddy.. Who can make him giggle & scream better than anyone. And finally, pulling mommy's hair and spitting up all over daddy.

Dislikes : 6 month shots probably top his list of least favorite things this month. Followed closely by eating vegetables that aren't mixed with apples or sweet potatoes (butternut squash, green beans... the horror!) Being tucked into the mamaroo, the highchair or even the jumperoo instead of being held by mommy all.day.long. Sippy cups. Anything he can't chew on. Water on his face (not to be confused with rain or a shower because he loves those). Getting an arm or a leg stuck out of his crib. And finally, the blender a.k.a. Samson's arch nemesis.

22 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

25 weeks

Samson : 3 months

My brown eyed boy is three months old! The past month has been full of new experiences and new adventures. Samson gets more and more handsome every day! He's getting so much stronger and I'm always amazed at what he can do. He loves hanging out on his tummy and rolling over to his back. Last week week he started rolling from his back to his sides, which is pretty impressive to watch, but he can't quite get himself all the way over yet. When he hangs out in his Bumbo or in his high-chair he looks like such a big boy. 

His favorite thing to do is stand up on his own feet. He is so proud of himself every time he pops up! I adore his smile and his laugh, he must like it too, because I'm always catching him making eyes at himself in the mirror. Sweet little narcissist. When he's not smiling, he's putting things in his mouth. Usually he's gumming on his own hands and toys... however, today I watched him kick off his sock, grab it with his hand and in his mouth it went... quite the feat.

Age : 3 months

Height : 24" ? - No doctor's appointment this month.. so no idea!

Weight : A little less than 14 lbs (very precise, I know)

Clothes : 0-3 months.

Diapers : Size 2 disposable diapers, approximately same size settings on the cloth diapers.

Eating : Formula. 7 oz/5x a day. He looooooves to eat. Since he has such big bottles though, he is constantly decorating all our clothes with spit up, I like to think of it as mommy perfume... yum.

Sleeping : 9p-7a. That's right. 10 hours. It's heavenly. He wakes up in the morning, hangs out for a while and snuggles/sleeps a little longer. He usually takes a 2 1/2 hour nap late in the morning, then cat naps in the afternoon while momma catches up on reading or re-watching Game of Thrones before the new season starts, or while we're out doing some shopping.

Pacifiers : MAM pacis have risen to the top as the favorites. We had to stock up to replace all the other pacifiers he refuses now.

Likes : Big bottles, the kitchen sprayer at bath time, big brother Cash, his little lamb lovie blanket, snuggling, reading, napping in the mamaRoo, checking himself out in the mirror and watching March Madness with daddy.

Dislikes : The suction bulb... we had the pleasure of catching some pretty yucky germs recently and he's turned into a snot machine, coughing that wakes him up in the middle of the night, milk coming out of his nose, and sitting in the carseat without

his lamb blanket.

9 weeks

10 weeks

11 weeks

12 weeks

Samson : 2 months

I'm not sure where time is going, but our baby is two months already! I swear Samson grows noticeably every day. A few weeks ago he started rolling over from his tummy to his back. He recently found his hands and now they are constantly in his mouth. Last week he has started pulling his toys towards his face. He is almost always smiling and chatting away with us. He is SO close to giggling, listening to him say "HA!" with his big gummy smile makes my heart flutter. His world is growing a little more each day and it is so fun to watch!

Age : 2 months

Height : 23 1/2'' (75th percentile)

Weight : 12 lbs 1 oz (50th percentile)

Clothes : 0-3 months. Pants are still huge on his chicken legs, but the cloth diapers help fill them out a little bit. A few of the bigger newborn onesies and t-shirts still fit.

Diapers : Size 1 disposable diapers. Started using cloth diapers at 8 weeks. We're at the 1st S on the leg hole adjustment strap and 2nd snap from smallest on the waistband buttons. Since I get so many questions about it, I'm working a initial impressions post for the cloth diapers for you interested folks. For the record, it's going SO well and we are really happy with our choice :)

Eating : Formula. 6 oz/6x a day. I know it's a HUGE bottle for a little baby, but he's happy, so we just roll with it. We've been on 100% formula for almost 2 weeks now. He seems to be adjusting really well and I'm almost over feeling sad/guilty about it.

Sleeping : 7 hours at night! He usually sleeps 10p-5a, drinks a bottle and goes back to bed until 9:00a. There have been a few nights that he's slept 8 hours and I wake up feeling like I'm laying on a beach, drinking a margarita and petting a unicorn. It's amazing!  The catch : he almost exclusively naps in my arms. The dude loves to snuggle. I've got nothing but time, so I don't mind... this dishes can wait.

Pacifiers : Loves his MAM pacis and the Avent soothies. He's started to hold on to them while they are in his mouth, which is adorable.

Likes : Eating, snuggling, naps, baths, reading, blowing spit bubbles and chatting it up with momma and daddy.

Dislikes : Napping in his bouncer, mamaRoo, Rock & Play or anything that isn't momma or daddy's arms, having his feet tickled and waiting for his bottles being made.

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

8 weeks

Samson: 1 Month

Time flies when you're having fun. Or haven't slept for a month. Whatever.

 I can't believe my baby is a month old already (plus a few days)! Looking at his weekly pictures makes me want to cry. He has changed so much in the past 4 weeks and I'm pretty sure he gets more cute every day! The first two weeks were so challenging, I often caught myself looking ahead to when I would feel better. I feel like I sort of wished away those precious first days, but once I recovered from the post-partum pain and we got used to the lack of sleep, we really started to come into our own as a family. However, Cash still isn't quite sure what to think when we get up in the middle of the night and don't feed him breakfast. 

Samson's personality is starting to really shine and it is SO fun getting to know this little man. Every day comes with more facial expressions, more awareness of the world around him, more noises, more coordinated movements, more spunk and more sweetness. It is a true joy to watch him change every day, I never knew my heart could be so full.

At 1 month, Samson's likes include: eating, sleeping, smiling, making loud noises in his sleep, hanging out in the Happy Baby Wrap, snuggling, listening to mom and dad imitate his every sound, country music Blake Shelton, and staring at lamps (we have a Ron Burgundy on our hands here guys). Dislikes include: dirty diapers, empty bottles, bath time, having his arms tucked in the swaddle and the attempts of big brother Cash to sit on him... the struggle is real.

Here are the stats:

Age : 1 month

Height : 21 3/4" (90th percentile)

Weight : 9 lbs 7 oz (45th percentile)

Clothes : Mostly newborn sizes still, some 0-3 month... if the above numbers tell you anything, it appears we're growing a string bean baby, tall & lean!

Diapers : Ran out of newborn diapers, so we went up to size 1 and they seem to be doing the job. No cloth diapers yet (I'm not ready for the laundry yet!)

Eating : Exclusively pumped breast milk for 1 month, started introducing formula Monday. Hoping to be on formula 100% before I'm done with maternity leave, but that's a whole separate blog post for another day. Maybe.

Sleeping : One 5-6 hour stretch at night, followed by one 4 hour stretch. Unless of course we forget that it's actually night time instead of party time. It happens sometimes... nobody's happy when it does.

Pacifiers : Yes! Moms-to-be, don't let them scare you with talk of "nipple confusion" and their judgey eyes in the hospital.. sign yourself up for a pacifier as soon as possible. We waited until the second we got home, but we haven't looked back since. Samson's favorite are the Avent Soothies, total lifesaver.

I wish I could capture all this sweetness and come back and live it all over again. I don't want to forget a single thing about this first month: how it felt to see him for the first time, how it felt to bring him home, what the top of his head smells like, how soft and kissable he is, how tiny his toes are and the tremendous love I feel when he wraps his fingers around mine and snuggles on my chest. I am so grateful that God chose us to be Samson's parents. He is such a blessing and we are in awe of the wonderful work of our creator.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4