CRASH:THUMP:BANG:BOOM

We tried...no one warned me it would be this difficult. He fell asleep so nicely in a big boy bed at 8:00 p.m. after reading bedtime stories...but struggled throughout the night. The things we heard last night were priceless. Brad and I made numerous attempts to keep him in the bed, but he didn't stay there. Here it goes:

1. 10:05 p.m. CRASH...Sam had managed to unlock the siderail and slip between the siderail and the bed and got stuck. When Brad got there he was angry. Tears and tears of sadness and a little sore. However a little suck on his "Nene" (pacifier) Tucked him back in and the room was full of snores...

2. 11:30 p.m. THUMP! I ran in there to find Sam not only out of his bed....but clear across the room laying on the ground by the window???? How does this happen. And, the best part was...he was still sleeping???? So I gracefully attempted to tuck him back in bed.

3. 12:00 a.m. BANG!!!!!!! This time, Sam was STILL in his big boy bed, but standing up, blanket in hand, thrashing his head against the wall, STILL SLEEPING, but this time, Screaming. So, after some calm cuddle time, we both went back to sleep, and Sam was tucked back in his bead, sound asleep....

4. 3:00 a.m. BOOM!!! Not only was Sam out of his bed AGAIN, but he was out of his bed, laying in front of the door, so I could not get in.....thank heavens Gaga and Papa have 2 entrances into his bedroom....

5. 4:58 I'M UP!!!! Yes, that was the wake up time this morning. He had a very rough night. I think we may hold off on doing the bed thing again until we move....it was a disaster. Or better yet....how about 2 cribs?

I'll complete this post with a precious Samuel Lewis phrase:
"All Done"

Is it Summer YET???

Ever since we got home from Florida, Sam insists on playing outside, no matter what the temperature is. He constantly points to the door and insists on going out. So...we ventured to the park these past few days and he had a BLAST. He didn't know which slide to pick from. As you can see from some of the photos...it was cold. We had boogies dripping the entire afternoon. With all that said...he loved it, and I got a maternity work out as I chased him around the park! Sam went up the stairs to the slide and came crusing down with NO fear. A few times he landed on his head and had woodchips stuck to his hat, but then clapped and got up.

We just need the weather to warm up a little bit:) It's cold in Wisconsin.

Teplin Cousins!

My new green backpack!

Fun outside with Paige!

Fun at the Beach

Sick Eyes

At the pool!

Hanging out with the girls!

Paige and I

Hanging out with Paige! She was such a great friend to Sam.

At the Beach

Sam did great at the Beach. His new word of the trip is: "Beach"

We're Home!

Our plane arrived last night around 8:45 p.m. What a trip it's been. Needless to say, Florida was great, but it is really really nice to be home. The beginning of our trip we spent with the Jahners! We went to the pool, out for ice cream and paid a visit to the Venice Emergency Room! Sam had came down with another ear infection (#4) and he was miserable. He was running a temp for the first few days, but we kind of thought it was teething. So, after our 2.5 hours at the hospital, we were discharged with a script for the ears and a script for his eyes, which resulted in pink eye. After a day of antibiodics, he was feeling better, stealing all of Paige's toys and being himself. Thank you Jahners for your company. WI misses you :(

The second half of the trip we spent with Gaga Judi and Papa Stan. We enjoyed the pool everyday, took many many walks with Sassy the dog, and enjoyed spending time with Stephen and family! The weather was perfect. 70's everyday and beautiful. Our plane left last night and we were off. Stay tuned as I'll be uploading pictures very soon...

Betty Brinn Children's museum!

A day with my friends at the Betty Brinn! We had fun today with Helen, Whitney and Nico! Sam played so hard he fell asleep on the way home and missed lunch. We played on the slides, in the little kitchen, in the sand area and even played in the padded area! It was fun and we can't wait to go back sometime real soon!

Look at my new sandals!

We are getting ready to go to Florida!

16 Month picture!

Daycare and smiles!

Well, I have to say, that our daycare experiences are getting a little more positive. Today was pajama day at "school" for a Valentines party. They wanted to celebrate valentines day on the actual day, but only a few kids were scheduled, and they wanted to include everyone in the fun. So today was the party. When I picked him up, Miss Jessie and Miss Stacy said he had a WONDERFUL DAY and they were so proud of him. Miss Kim also told me that Sam was dancing and clapping in the muscle area of the school even though there was no music going! When they asked him how old he was he told them with one finger "1". They said he cried when they had to go and eat lunch because he was having so much fun.

They also played ring around the rosie today and Sam accidently slapped Mallory smack dab in the face and whoops, accidently made her cry. Oh well, that's what happens.

Anyways, just wanted to document our positive experiences today instead of always being so negative.

We've moved!

Well, we've officially moved out of our house. We're now living with Stan and Judi (Brad's parents). We've took over the entire upstairs! We weren't sure what type of reaction Sam would create, but he's adjusted so well we hardly know he's here. He's been a trooper through it all. He's given us so far 2 GREAT nights of sleeping, let's hope it continues.

It's moving time

Boxes Boxes Boxes EVERYWHERE! We have officially sold our home, and we are closing March 1st. Before the closing date had been decided, we had planned a trip to Florida during that time. So...because we haven't found a house we really like yet, we are moving in the Brad's parents for the interim time.

On the road to recovery...

The flu is coming to an end...THANK GOODNESS! After a long long day on Friday, we discovered that we didn't need to go and have a chest x-ray. We paged the doctor early Friday morning and she old us to meet her at her office before we head down to Children’s...Sure enough, Sams flu was trying to escape through his ears and that is what was causing his incredible irritability on Thursday night, Friday. She said that the ear infection set in over a really really short period of time, seeing as though she just checked them the day before. We got some antibiotics and we were off. Sam has been a trooper in taking all of him medicines recently. We still have to strap him down for him to swallow, but he doesn't gag it up anymore. We've also fell in love all over again with Benedryl. It just knocks him out and makes him sleep. He slept last night from 7:45 until 5:00 this morning! A FIRST in a long time for little Sambo. A well rested happy baby makes for some well rested relieved mommy and daddy. Let’s hope that we are now on the road to recovery.

coughs + fever + runny nose =

Influenza A...That's what Sam has caught this time. Even after we got the flu shot, he still managed to be a lucky one to receive this nasty bug.



Off to the doctor we went today. All the symptoms he had = influenza A. Dr Paley told us that if he keeps getting worse, she will order us a chest x-ray tomorrow at Children's Hospital. Let's PRAY that he sleeps better tonight, and gets his energy back. We don't want to have to go through all the testing. But we also don't want him to have any other infection. We need Sam to sleep today and tonight to get this bug GONE. Poor little guy can't even keep his eyes open during the day, but the minute he lays down, he starts coughing and screaming. Dr Paley told me that she was hoping to find an ear infection, and not influenza, but she says he will get better in about a week.



Sick Sam = one sleepy sad sad boy = No DAYCARE TOMORROW:)

Lettuce Lettuce everywhere!

He should have gotten a time out~ but it was kind of funny...

Spaghetti is SOOOO GOOD!

15 month check up today!

Can you believe Sam is already 15 months old? We sure can't. It's absoultly amazing the things he is doing now days:

Words: Ma, Daddy, Mi (milk), doggie, HOT, Ei-Ei-O, Joshie

Actions: Can point to his: Head, ears, nose, tounge, feet and toes

Favorite foods: Chicken, Pizza, Noodles, Cheerios w/ milk now, Cheese, pees, Animal Crackers

Sleeping: Oh the usual. Up every so often now and then. Naps: 2 a day still

Favorite toys: Anything that looks like a Dog.

Activities: Gymobree a few times a week, Daycare aka: School, Playing with friends & family, looking at houses with mom and dad!

Favorite Books: Chicca Chicca Boom Boom, So Big, Touch and feel Farm

Teeth: Sam has 10 teeth!

Naughty times: Climbing on top of the dinner table when mom and dad arn't looking.

Dr Paley told us today the results of being 15 months old:

Weight: 24.4 lbs
Height: 30.5"

She said that he is doing great, eating good and she was impressed with his advancement in vocabulary and association. She said he is healthy and she said that Sam will be a great big brother come this summer, even though Sam looked at her this morning and called her a "do-g"!

14 Months old!

Just isn't working yet...

We are despirately trying to get Sam to give up his morning nap. As you can see, we are struggling. He just can't do it. He has been falling asleep while eating lunch. Not just falling asleep, full fletch SNORING. So again, we are going to try this again another time. We will for now, still be on the 2 nap a day routine!

It's Computer time!

The little hands on the keyboard are just priceless! Sam loves the computer.

He has a few favorite games to play:
Sesame Street Elmo's World and Fisher-Price games for infants and toddlers.

I thought these games were just a temporary thing for him, but almost everyday this can capture his attention for 20+ minutes, that is until he starts turning the monitor off and pulling cords! Check them out. They can be fun, especially the inneractive ones for the little guys!

Happy Hannukah & Happy 2006

The last night of Hannukah we spent with Uncle David, Aunt Heather and my cousins Josh and Zach! The last night of Hannukah also ended up to be New Years Day. As a tradition, we spend the day with family and eat eat and eat! It was extra special this year because the 2 holidays were together. Aunt Heather and Uncle David made a great breakfast and a wonderful Turkey for dinner. Sam enjoyed playing with all his cousins and enjoyed going up and down the stairs.

New Years Eve

New Years Eve this year was celebrated with the Shamah family. Haley and Sam had a great time eating mac-n-cheese, milk and watching Elmo while their mom and dad's ate a WONDERFUL tenderloin steak dinner made by Corey and Shari. We all had a great time. Sam clonked out and was ready to go home by 8:00. Thank you Shamah's for clebrating the night with us. We all had a blast, and best of all, Sam slept well that night.
Haley and Sam found such fun in playing with our shoes! It was funny.

Merry Christmas!

What fun we all had at Christmas this year! Sam really enjoyed himself opening all the presents, hiding under the tree and even eating christmas dinnner! We had a blast. Christmas Eve we had the Bartosz's over for dinner. Uncle Darren, Great Grandma Trudy, and Mimi and Papa all came over to celebrate. We ate Chicken Marabella, potatoes, asparagus and red cabbage, opened gifts and then played with all the new exciting toys! It was a blast. Christmas Day we went to Mimi and Papa's house. All the Esch's were there to celebrate with. Cousin Riley and Sam had a GREAT time. We're sad that she doesn't live closer. She would be a PERFECT babysitter. For Christmas dinner we had beef, ham, potatoes, green beans and lots of other side dishes. It was all great! Grandma Mimi did a great job. It's hard to believe that Christmas 2005 has already happened. We look forward to next year to celebrate again.

New Chair!

Can I have one more present mom...

Presents Presents!!! So many presents!!!

Cousin Riley & Amber

My new tricycle!

The family!

Happy family!

Happy Holidays!

This holiday season we are happy to say...we have a new baby on the way!!!

Me and Uncle Darren

Good Spacing!

Bubbles!

Playing in the Kleenex box!

Playing in the Snow!

Our first Wisconsin snow fall that Sam got to enjoy! He helped his mom shovel the driveway last week Thursday and had a blast figuring out the white fluffy snow. At first he was a little cautious. The first big step he took with his boots on made him fall...face first and he was mad. But after the initial tumble, he was a pro, and continued to make himself fall so he would have a face full of snow. We had a blast and Sam let me know that he was really upset to have to come inside.