Big Brother

I am just so impressed with what a wonderful big brother Gary already is to Sammy! I really think that is one of the benefits to having such a large age span between them.  Gary is pretty independent (at times) and he loves babies.  He really enjoys Sammy 90% of the time.  The only time (so far) that he gets upset with him when he is crying (understandably!!).

Every morning when Gary first sees Sammy, his face lights up and he always says "Hiiiiiiiii Sammy!" He will rub his fuzzy head and just grin and grin at him!  Gary is quick to find toys if Sammy starts to fuss, or he will go over to him and start talking to him.  Recently he has picked up my phrase that I use when Sammy starts to cry.  "Awwww it's all riiiiiiiight".  He says it all the time to him in the sweetest way!

Whenever we go out to eat, he always wants to sit by Sammy.  He truly LOVES his baby brother.  I'm even amazed at how patient Gary has been.  One thing I thought about before Sammy arrived was how when Gary needs help with something (such as his game or DVD player), he wants help right NOW!!!!  I knew that when I was busy with a newborn, I wouldn't be able to jump up and tend to Gary's needs immediately.  I wondered how he would cope with that, so in the few months before Sammy was born, I started delaying how quickly I would respond to Gary.  That must have worked, because although sometimes he does flip out and get impatient, he almost NEVER gets upset when I can't help because I'm feeding the baby.  He is really good about waiting.

I am looking forward to watching their relationship develop as Sammy is able to interact more.  I'm sure there will be a little bumps in the road when Sammy starts crawling and getting into Gary's toys!

Here they are watching cartoons together!

Naptime!

If there is one thing that Sammy does not like, it is NAPTIME!!!  Actually, let me rephrase that....he does not like his CRIB for naptime!  He generally gets tired and needs a nap in the late morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon.  I take him to his room, sit in the glider and nurse him.  Usually he falls asleep quite easily after he's had his fill of milk.  He will sleep that way quite peacefully as long as he's cuddled up to me.  As soon as I lay him down in his crib, however.....wahhhhhh!

I guess the boy just loves his mama, which isn't really a bad thing! :)  However, it would be nice to be able to put him down for a nap when he needs it, instead of having to sit there holding him for his entire nap.  Although, I do have to admit....I love to do just that sometimes!  Yes, I'll admit it...I will nurse and rock him for an hour and think nothing of it.  Ok, yeah, it does help that I have my laptop nearby for entertainment...but I love to just sit and rock and nurse.  Love it.

Anyway, back to naptime....I am searching for a way to be able to lay him down for a nap.  When he was little, I could just put him in his swing.  That trick still works when I really need to get something done, but he's getting bigger and won't be able to use the swing too much longer!  I am thinking that maybe too much light in his room is affecting his naptime. 

I had a room darkening roll up shade when Gary was a baby, but he broke the bottom and ripped it when he was a toddler.  When I went shopping for blinds for Gary's room, I saw "room darkening" miniblinds and thought I would give them a try for Sammy's room.  I bought the regular miniblinds for Gary's room.

Room darkening, my foot!!!!!

After we put them up ("we", meaning Donnie put them up after I told him to) I noticed that his room was every bit as bright as Gary's, which has the regular miniblinds.I haven't replaced them, but I am thinking that the next time I go to Walmart (next time meaning...tomorrow) I will look for a shade.  I really need to get Sammy into a routine to take naps since I'll be headed back to work in 3 weeks (sob!) and I know Donnie will need Sammy to take a nap!  

Well, a little while ago I nursed Sammy to sleep (and he was GOOD and asleep, too!!).  I eased him in the crook of one arm and rocked him a bit more...then stood up and rocked him some more.  I carefully eased him over the side of the crib and.....of course his body curled up and those eyes popped open! BUSTED!!!

**Sigh** I smiled at him, patted him a little bit, and made a quick exit.  He was okay for a bit, but then he started crying when he realized he was being put down for a NAP!!! I went in every 5 min or so until he finally fell asleep.  It lasted about 15 minutes.  Oh well.  I'll get a room darkening shade and try again!

Sitting Up!

Sammy recently learned how to sit up on his own!

I have been making sure each day to give him some time to practice this new skill.  He really loves it because he can look all around and see what's going on...especially what big brother is up to!  Tonight he was having a blast because I put him in the middle of my bed for some practice while I was folding laundry (how entertaining).  It was great because he had a nice soft surface to tumble onto when he fell over!

Sammy sat up for quite awhile with his hands on his toes, although he hasn't quite "discovered" them just yet.  I got down to his eye level and talked to him, and he just stared at me with that adorable look of wonder!  What a sweetheart!  I put some toys in front of him and he was becoming quite proficient with sitting up and reaching for his toys.  I even noticed him straightening up his back a bit more (instead of slumping over so far he is practically kissing the ground!).

Gary came in and bounced his 9 year old self on the bed and started snuggling up to Sammy.  He just adores his baby brother!  Of course, that meant little Sammy lost his balance and tumbled right over!  Gary, however, quickly righted him again.  He's always looking out for Sammy :) I had to keep reminding Gary NOT to bounce around on the bed because he was causing Sammy to fall over, but he just couldn't contain himself.  Silly boy!

Sammy's other new skill is scooting.  When he lays on his back, he gets all excited sometimes and stretches out his legs, propelling himself to scoot backwards.  Sometimes it seriously looks like he's doing a backbend!!
He actually has been doing this for awhile, but has really ramped it up lately.  I can lay him down on his playmat and within a couple minutes he has scooted completely off the mat!!  He really GOES when he gets happy and excited.


I took a little video of him, but he was a little too interested in watching the camera!

Six Months

Happy 6 month Birthday Sammy!

I am amazed that my sweet little Sammy is six months old today. I have known from the beginning that time with a little one flies by, but still....every month that goes by takes me by surprise! It's been an awesome six months. I still sit rocking Sammy in my glider and look at him and look around his room and think....I can't believe how lucky I am!!!
I spent so much time in the last few years thinking and dreaming about having another baby, that sometimes it still doesn't quite seem real. Then I look down at my sweet little blessing, and know that it IS real! His little hands curl around my finger and I touch that rose petal soft skin. I breathe in his fresh-from-the-bath Baby Magic smell and know that he is here and he is ours.
What a sweetheart!

Here are Sammy's 6 month stats!

Weight: 17 1/2 lbs

Height: 25 1/2 inches

Diaper Size: 3

Clothing Size: 6-9 months

Favorite Foods: mommy milk, sweet potatoes, green beans, bananas, carrots, pears

Sleeping Patterns: Usually goes to bed between 10-11 and wakes around 9. Sometimes he wakes up within an hour of going to bed, but then after a little nursing he goes back to sleep for the night. Some nights are easier than others!!
Naps--not too much of a pattern, still very dependent on whether we are out and about or just staying at home. He LOVES to sleep in the car, so tends to get a good nap if we go somewhere!
Generally, though, I would say he tends to take a late morning nap, early afternoon nap, and another in the late afternoon/early evening.

Eating Patterns: Nurses on demand, but generally every 2 hours. If we are home, I just nurse him whenever he is interested, and that usually means less than 2 hours (Mommy is his favorite paci!). If we are out somewhere, it's more like 2-3 hours.
He's getting more into solids, so I've started to nurse him when we wakes up, and then give him a little breakfast. He gets some type of fruit with rice cereal mixed in. I found Banana Mango at Target this week and that was a big hit! I also bought some oatmeal, which we will probably try sometime this week. He likes to have his breakfast and play a little bit, and then he's ready to nurse and take a little nap. More often than not, he takes his nap snuggled up with Mommy.
The crib just doesn't cut it for naps too much!

Favorite Toys: Sammy LOVES his Jumperoo!! He gets in there and will jump and jump and jump! He also enjoys any type of toy that he can hold in his fist and shake. He still loves to reach up and bat at hanging toys, so he still enjoys his playmat.

New Accomplishments: He's a sitter! Sammy started sitting alone last week. He's a newbie, and needs Mommy right nearby for those TIMBER moments, but he's definitely working on it! Sometimes he can sit alone for a few minutes, and other times he starts to tumble pretty quickly. Sometimes he leans over further....and further...and further! Today he started feeling confident enough to start to reach for toys while sitting. He's so cute, you can just SEE the pride on his face! He loves to be able to sit up and look around and see what is going on!

Sammy loves to watch his big brother Gary! There is such an adoring look on his face sometimes as he gazes at him. I absolutely love it! The best thing, though, is those moments when Gary sees Sammy, and comes right over to him and speaks sweetly to him and gives him a kiss. They are such great brothers! I love it!

Watch Sammy Grow!!

Newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

Pool Party!

What a fun but HOT day today! We got together for a little pool party with a few of Gary's classmates and teachers and their families. (More about them in a bit)
The kids had a blast swimming in the pool, which included lots and lots and LOTS of splashing! Gary is my little waterbaby, he just loves to be in the water! He kept jumping in and just making plenty of splashes with his body. I could tell he was having so much fun!

Every now and then, he would take a break and go into the house where the XBox was in play. Gary was definitely impressed by the XBox Kinect!
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/kinect
He thought it was really neat that you could play without a controller and that it took pictures! I am thinking we better start saving for his Christmas......
I was really glad that Gary behaved himself and didn't have a fit over letting others have a turn (I didn't see any problems anyway...hope there weren't any that I didn't see!)

It was really (really) hot and humid outside, so it was hard to stay outside for very long. I had Sammy out there for a little while, but he was getting very sweaty and pink, so I brought him inside for awhile. I finally stripped him down to his diaper, and I think he rather liked that!! He was flirting with everyone, flashing his adorable Gerber baby smile :) I love that boy! By the end of the afternoon, he was so sleepy but just wanted to stay in mommy's arms. I would put him down in his PeaPod or carseat, and he would wake right back up. As soon as I picked him up, he would lay his head down on my shoulder and he right back to sleep. What a baby!

Here's a little more about the crew that was at the party...
The 3 boys (Gary, Daylin, and Damian) have autism and have been in the same self-contained classroom for the last 4 years. They have had the same teacher for the last 2 years, and the same TA for all 4 years. Suffice it to say, the families have gotten to know each other! The kids have a great time together.

I am so happy for Gary that he has friends, and they get along so well. It's difficult for him to connect with other kids his age because of his autism. His communication and speech skills have blossomed SO MUCH over the last few years, but it's still difficult to have a "normal" conversation with him. Other kids try to play with him, but don't really understand him. They will ask him a question and he will start excitedly telling them about his favorite scene in the new Cars movie, for example. Some kids just don't know how to take that!

He really is doing better about answering questions and talking "on topic", but when something is on his mind, THAT is what he wants to talk about! I like the fact that he and his friends can enjoy one another's company and interact with one another without letting communication issues slow them down. What a blessing for all of them!

Look Out VBS, Here Comes Gary!!!!

Gary loves going to VBS each summer! Well, I should say he loves it once he gets there and gets settled in! He has gone to VBS at 4 different churches over the past 4 years. This year, he is getting to attend for a second week.

Last week he went to VBS at the church we are currently attending. It was awesome because they have a special needs classroom that he attends on Sundays. His teacher on Sundays was his shadow at VBS. She met him each evening and took him in hand and made sure he had a great experience. Each time I picked him up he was bubbling with enthusiasm. I asked him if he wanted to go to a different VBS this week. He was all excited but then wavered. He has a really hard time with anything new or different.

Last night I took him for the first night of VBS. It was at a church that we attended a few years ago. We still go there every year around Halloween because they have a fun trunk or treat night. Anyway, he was NOT wanting to go when it came down to it. I was not sure if I should drag him there or not, since he already had one week of VBS. However, with Gary, sometimes we just HAVE to drag him to places despite his protests. 99% of the time he ends up having fun, so it's just getting through the initial process of him saying NO!

Well, we arrived and were directed to his "crew" table, where the leader was getting dinner plates ready for the kids. Gary was soooo grumpy. He was trying to tear up his nametag and pushed away his cup of lemonade and plate of spaghetti. I finally moved it away so he wouldn't end up spilling it on one of the other kids. I felt bad for him because I knew he was just uncertain, but at the same time knew he would have fun once he was settled down.

I made sure the leader knew that he had autism and would likely settle down. I just didn't want him thinking that Gary was being a bratty kid, because that's definitely the impression he probably makes on people when he's in a mood!! Gary started crying and holding on to me. "Don't lose me!!!" Poor baby! I assured him that I would not lose him, that I would come back for him. Then I made a quick exit, hoping he wouldn't throw a tantrum!

Well, I didn't receive any phone call that he needed to be picked up, so I figured he must have settled in okay. I went to pick him up at 9:00, and he was all smiles and happy! I knew it! He was telling me all about the games, crafts, and songs. He just LOVES VBS! Let's hope that he has an easier time going there today!

UPDATE...He went to VBS happily tonight! Let's hope it keeps up all week!

Here We Go...

This is my first blog! I have been keeping a journal about all the fun times in my family...yeah, it's called Facebook. I have realized that I have been posting cute things the boys have done or said on Facebook, which is great...but unfortunately FB is not formatted so that I can go back and look at things later on. At least, not unless I want to hit the "See More Posts" button a million times!!!

Hopefully I can keep up this blog!

Now...a little background on me!
My husband, Donnie, and I were married April 16, 2000 (eleven years and counting!!) We knew we wanted children right away, but unfortunately it took awhile. A year after we were married, I was diagnosed with PCOS and started Clomid. The second round of Clomid worked, and our precious Gary Donald arrived on May 8, 2002!



Gary has been such a blessing and so much fun! He has presented us with many parenting challenges along the way (doesn't every kiddo?). He was diagnosed with autism when he was 4. Gary has always continued to improve and progress in both behavior and academics, but he is usually behind his peers. We love him and just try to do what we can to support him. He is now 9 years old and doing great!

Anyway, when Gary was about 4, we decided that another child would be welcomed. I'll blog about that journey some other time...but it wasn't until 4 years later---January 24, 2011 that Samuel Aaron arrived!

Sammy is now 5 1/2 months old and we ALL adore him! He is such a little sunshine!!

Our Family!

Much, much more to come about my boys!!!