Samantha Fallyn

Tiny Dancer

2008-10-11T11:53:00.002-05:00

Sam has started dance class. It is so fun to watch. She is really shy during class but hopefully that will improve. She is the youngest one in the class. I can't wait until the recital, it will be so cute!

This week has been nuts, I will try to add a little more content next week.

Beautiful Girls

2008-10-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

Lately I often find myself looking at Samantha and thinking how beautiful she is. I'm not usually corny and flowery about anything at all, but I can't help thinking of this all the time. I think she is just the sweetest thing sometimes. She's also been very sweet to Ella lately. She was holding her hand on the way home from Lake George. Very cute. Then I can't help having a flash forward to when she's 15 and I'll still be looking at that beautiful face and she probably won't be so sweet all the time. Sometimes I wish I could stop time, just for a little while.

First Day of School

2008-09-06T11:03:00.002-05:00

Sam had her first day of school last Thursday. She did great. She didn't shed a single tear, and she didn't have any accidents while there. Ever since we've been playing school and I am her teacher. She learned what tall and short means. They read her a book about race cars. And they went for a walk while holding onto a rope. That is what we learned about her first day.

Ella Grace

2008-09-03T14:10:00.001-05:00

August 23rd, 2008

Come back?

2008-08-21T15:54:00.002-05:00

Well I'm contemplating coming back. I've been without high speed internet for the past several months (the horror, I know) and we recently got high speed internet at the restaurant. So I might be able to post from time to time. Let's see what have we been up to? Working at the restaurant, having fun with Samantha, and patiently awaiting the arrival of our new baby. Did I say patiently? I meant I'm trying to be patient considering the fact that I was told I would be induced last Monday and then that was changed to probably next Tuesday. So, patient, maybe not soo much. Hopefully the next time I post I will have a new little one to post about. Samantha wants to name the baby Sally.

Potty Training

2008-04-10T12:02:00.002-05:00

Even though I said no more blogging, a quick note about potty training. Samantha is on day 3 of wearing underwear and only wearing diapers to bed. So far she has had one accident, during naptime. Things are going pretty well. Last night at 10:30 Samantha called me into her room to say she had to go potty. I honestly didn't really think she had to go. But since I didn't want to tell her that I brought her into the bathroom anyway. Well she did have to go, she went and then told me she was done. I was very impressed with this. Hopefully things will continue to go well. We'll see. She doesn't have to go to the bathroom very often and most of the time when I ask if she has to go she'll say okay and sit there awhile. But when she initiates it, it happens a lot quicker.
Any potty training advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Break Time

2008-04-04T18:20:00.001-05:00

I tried to get back into blogging, but it just isn't working for me. I'm taking an indefinite break from blogging. Sorry.
Maybe I'll be back someday. I'm sure I will, just not sure when.

Easter Recap

2008-03-25T20:19:00.003-05:00

We had a very nice and low key Easter. Samantha got a little chocolate bunny when she woke up in the morning. She was very excited that the Easter Bunny must have been in her crib. Then we went downstairs and had breakfast. She got a Easter basket from Googie and Pop pop. Then my parents came by and she looked for eggs and got a basket from them and found a basket from the Easter Bunny. She was much more interested in the candy then all the gifts the Easter Bunny spoiled her with. She got her purple ballerina that she's been wanting, lots of Backyardigan books, and Tasha and Uniqua beanie babies. Along with a few other things, like candy of course. She actually took a 2 hour nap after eating all that candy. I guess it's tiring work looking for those eggs. She was really cute. She was so focused on picking up eggs that she stood right in front of her easter basket twice and didn't even notice it. Then we tried to go to the easter egg hunt but I had the info wrong. Oh well. My parents came back over about 5 and we had a really nice dinner. Tim spoiled us. We had spetzle, sheusheudo, and veggies and salad. It was a very nice quiet Easter with Samantha. She had so much fun. Here are some pics, the one of her and half of Tim is my only one with him in it. Oh well.

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T09:54:00.001-05:00

This is what we did Easter morning.

Toddler Music

2008-03-21T09:45:00.004-05:00

I was introduced to the They Might be Giants music for kids. It's great for kids and adults. I was actually getting kind of into it. The 123 CD is so much better than most kids music. Samantha was into it too for about a week. Now every time I turn it on she says, I want the Backyardigans CD on. Of course, I listen to her. They're her CD's to begin with any way. I must get away from the Backyardigans. I don't mind the show once every few days, or the toys. Or the fact that my child calls me Tasha 20 times a day. But I can't give up my car music too. I live in the country, nothing is less than a 20 min drive. I need to get better music on in the car.

By the way, look who I'm taking music advice from? This is the outfit she insisted on wearing yesterday.
I'm hoping if we let her get her creative outfits out of the way now by the time she goes to school she'll want to wear normal clothes.

My Little BumbleBee

2008-03-20T12:35:00.002-05:00

Here's Samantha in one of the three Halloween costumes she had last year. She refused to wear the first two. This is one of the ones she refused to wear. Now apparently she loves it. She found it because I was about to give it back to the person I borrowed it from. She was very cute "buzzing" around the house in it.

We've been busy, I've got a lot on my mind and having been finding it hard to get the everyday stuff done today and yesterday. Instead I am spending my time thinking and thinking. Fun, I know.

But I have to get in gear. This weekend is Easter and I'm really looking forward to seeing how Samantha reacts. We already did a trial easter egg coloring. We'll do some more tomorrow probably because I work on Saturday nights. I'm excited for Sunday morning when she "looks" for the Easter eggs and gets her easter basket. I'm hoping it will be warm because I want to hide some plastic eggs outside for her to find with little treats in them. I'm looking forward to it. She has been talking about the Easter bunny for awhile now. Tim will make the traditional Cocheo dish Shushedu (I'm not sure of the spelling on that). And I'm going to figure out something to make Easter morning, probably a frittata or something like that.

Have a fun holiday, if you celebrate it.

Randomness

2008-03-17T12:29:00.003-05:00

Wow, I've waited a little too long in between posts. Sorry. Let's see, what's been going on? Samantha loves her playgroup on Mondays where I drop her off and leave her for a few hours. She barely says goodbye to me. She does still yell Mommy and come running when I pick her up which I love, of course.

Here she is in one of her favorite outfits. The heart turtleneck is her favorite and I don't know what we'll do when it's too warm. Luckily it's only 34 degrees today so we're in luck. Spring is not here yet. I'm hoping for it to be warmer in the next few weeks. I hate cold Easters, I really want to be able to have a little outside Easter egg hunt. I'm hoping it will be warm this weekend.

Samantha is obsessed with picking her on clothes out. She is attached to only a handful of things and they must be worn ALL THE TIME. God forbid if they're dirty. No wonder I'm always doing laundry. I need to go get her some new pink shirts for the spring. If a shirt doesn't at least have some pink in it we're in big trouble. She also must always be wearing one of the necklaces that you see in the picture and I'm lucky on days I can get her out of the house without a tutu on.

Two random pieces of news, I just ate way more M&M's than I should have in one seating, so much for my lowish weight gain pregnancy. I don't want to get on the scale next time. And I completely forgot it was our 10 year (since starting dating) anniversary. It was about a month ago and we haven't even mentioned it. I think I'll bring it up when he gets home later. This summer we'll be married for 5 years.

I'm So Big

2008-03-11T11:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I was cleaning in the kitchen and Samantha was playing in the bathroom, which is right off the kitchen. For some strange reason she loves to play in the bathroom. Don't worry, the toilet is closed so it's not that bad. But there's a little window seat type thing that she can sit on and she brings her toys in there. Anyway, back to my story. She calls,"Mommy I'm so big". Never a good sign. I walk in and here she is, standing on the counter next to the sink. I had to laugh, and then tell her how dangerous it was. Then it was no more playing in the bathroom. This is what I saw when I peeked in the bathroom.

No before you go saying I'm a bad mom, I swear I was steps away from her. Sitting at the kitchen table going through things, for those of you who know our kitchen. These things can happen in seconds with a 2 year old. And it will not happen again, so be assured grandparents I won't let her play in the bathroom.

Big Girl

2008-03-10T16:00:00.002-05:00

Samantha is getting so big and so independent lately. Today she went off to the "Mommy's Morning Out" program with no problem. Some kids cry and want their moms, not my child. She marches right in, takes off her coat, and starts playing. She barely takes the time to say goodbye to me. She was very excited when I came to pick her up so that always makes me feel good. We went to the grocery store today and she insisted on walking the whole time, no shopping cart for her. Note to self: possibly go grocery shopping while she's at Mommy's Morning Out next time, my shopping might go a little quicker. Honestly though I don't mind her slowness. Although at times she is "as slow as molasses" as my mother would say. Most days of the week we are not in a rush to get anywhere, and we are lucky for that. It's these moments with her that I need to remember, because they will be gone all too quickly. I would love to see the world the way she does, so exciting at all times, and sometimes with her I do get a glimpse of it the way she does.

Here's a pic of my little ballerina. The tutu goes on as soon as she wakes up and often doesn't get taken off until bedtime.

Prenatal Update

2008-03-08T09:45:00.002-05:00

A doctors visit reveals:
- A lowish weight gain (Yipee b/c I've been heavy on the desserts lately) 5 pounds less at 16 weeks than my last pregnancy.

- Anemia - Not the end of the world, hoping to get my levels up.

- Weekly visit to the dr to get blood drawn until my levels are up. (Yuck).

- In 4 weeks I have to drive 1 hour to go for my level 2 ultrasound. (That's what you get for living in the country).

By the way, am I really getting one of these relatively soon?

First TV Appearance

2008-03-07T08:02:00.004-05:00

PBS Kids is filming a TV show today at our local bookstore. Sandra Boynton, who I didn't know is a local author, wrote the book and they will be singing songs, reading, and putting on TV someone reading to the kids. On the CD is Kevin Bacon and Laura Linney and other local actors. It's call the Blue Moo. They wanted 40 kids for the TV show and they were worried they couldn't get that many out here in the country. Well I ran into someone yesterday and they have 40 reserved already and who knows who else will show up without reserving. Thank goodness we reserved so we can get our free book and CD. So we're going to get there early since they'll be so many little people there. And I'm going to make an effort to pick out my daughters outfit myself, instead of arguing with her over it. Oh yeah, and I'm going to make an effort to brush her hair, all the way through. Sorry mom, but she really fights me over it. Don't worry she'll look cute.

Set your VCR's everyone.

Preschool Time Already?

2008-03-06T12:58:00.003-05:00

I was at story time yesterday when someone asked me if I would send Samantha to preschool in the fall. I replied I think so. If you want to send your child to preschool in this area, especially if they're not quite 3 yet there's only one school you can send them to (Sam doesn't turn 3 until Dec). You have to act fast. The woman told me well you better call now, there's a huge waiting list and if you wait until the summer to sign her up she'll never get in. I was in shock. I'm not even 100% sure yet about preschool or if it should wait until Jan, or wait until she's 4. When I see how social Samantha is, she loves story hour, and loves to yell out the answers of whats on the pages. She loves to learn and is struggling at times, but trying so very hard with her colors, shapes, ABC's, and 123's. Those things make me think it would be good for her. So I called feeling kind of stupid, are you really asking about September in the first week of March? Well the director of the program didn't seem to think it was stupid at all. She said, oh yes, come in within the next 2 weeks to fill out an application and she should be in. It's not set in stone, and I don't have to pay anything until she goes. So I'll sign her up and we'll see in August what we'll do. Right now I'm saying 2 morning a week. Oh, the one thing is, she has to be potty trained. No problem, right? Isn't that what people think unless they're actually on a deadline and then it becomes a problem. We'll see. That gives us 6 months. Surely she can be potty trained in 6 months (we say with our fingers crossed).

More Paci Talk

2008-03-05T08:46:00.002-05:00

Ways the Internet Says to Get Rid of the Pacifier:
- Have the Paci Fairy come and leave the child a gift the night they sleep without it.
- Give it to a baby. (Tried this, didn't work really.)
- Poke holes in it, or cut off a small amount each night.
- Go cold turkey.

Hmmm... do we try them all? Cold turkey, won't work, I'm sure of it. The baby thin didn't work, but it is a little less now. The Paci Fairy is kind of like the giving it to a baby, so I can't see that working. But there is a present involved, so maybe. Hmm.. this is on my mind way too much these days.

Oh, and an update from Night #2. Sam again went to sleep fine and then 20 minutes later woke up wanting me to hold her. I finally gave in, gave it to her, and she put her head down and went right to sleep. I went in 20 min later and took it from her. She slept until 8 this morning. No night wakings. She just needs help falling asleep obviously. I'm not sure how to get her to do this on her own.

Operation No More Paci - Night 1

2008-03-04T12:56:00.002-05:00

I have been saying since Samantha's 1st birthday that we need to get rid of the paci. It's not that bad, it stays in her crib and she only uses it for sleeping. However, it bothers me. Now, here we are past her second birthday and she still has 5 pacis in her crib at all times. So the other day when Samantha said she didn't need a paci and was a big girl, I jumped on the chance. We decided to give the pacis to Baby Marley, one if our friends. Samantha was a big girl, it didn't bother her at all when we handed them over to him. In fact she said, I'm a big girl. You're a baby. It was very cute and I was very hopeful of our first night without them. I pretended that I gave them all away, but I did save two and hid them away for safekeeping. Naptime when by great, she went to sleep without it and didn't ask for it. Then came bedtime...

Samantha laid down in her crib and didn't ask for it. Then in 20 minutes the crying began. "I want to hold you mommy". Over and over again. I went it, we talked, and she had to la back down. This went on for about 45 minutes until she actually asked for it. "Where's my paci?". I told her she gave it to Baby Marley because he needed it. She wasn't buying it. I wanted to stay strong and not give in. She's too old for it. Tim, however, had different ideas. As we stood in the hallway outside her room arguing quietly about what to do, she was still crying, although still not asking for it more than once or twice. Tim claims I'm mean, and like "torturing" our child. He actually used that word, obviously I disagree. But last night I gave in. When I finally gave it to her after an hour she took it, rolled over and went to sleep.

After she was asleep an hour I went back in and took it away. My doctor told me to do this, I don't know if it will help or not. Any thoughts, anyone going through this? Is Tim right, is it no big deal since it's only at night and in the crib? As a sidenote she also went down for her nap today without it. Progress? I'd like to think so, but really, who knows?

Mom's Morning Out

2008-03-03T12:52:00.002-05:00

We have something at the community center near us called Moms Morning Out. You drop off your toddlers at 9:30 and they stay until 12. They give them snack and play with them. Today I dropped off Samantha for the first time. I was a little nervous. She knows the building because we go every Wed. for playgroup. The people who watch them for this program are the same people who watch them at the Wed program. And she knew almost all the kids there. So I wasn't too worried. Samantha did great. She had fun, and fell asleep as soon as she left there. I think we might do it more often. Oh, and it's only $4. A pretty good deal, and a good way to get some errands done on your own.

Ballerinas

2008-02-27T16:20:00.004-05:00

We have a obsession with all things ballerina lately. Samantha wears a tutu daily. Today we went to playgroup with a tutu on (sorry mom). I think that's one of those things my mom wouldn't approve of. But I decided if she goes to school and wears something weird she'll get made fun of. Now, she's two, so I might as well let her do it. As long as its weather appropriate. Now, my point with this post is I want to get her something cute, ballerinaesque for her Easter basket. And I found these cute pettiskirts. I'm in love with them. However, they're $72. That sounds insane to me. How do people spend $72 on something for a 2 year old. Does anyone know where to find something similar? Or equally cute for a little ballerina?

Imagination

2008-02-26T10:18:00.002-05:00

It is so amazing to me that sometimes when I take out my camera Samantha will run and say no and I cannot get a picture. And sometimes she looks like this, so cute. I swear, she is 2 different people living in 1 body.

Sam is obsessed with the Backyardigans. She gave us all a Backyardigan name and uses our new names all the time. Tim is Tyrone and I am Tasha. As soon as she wakes up in the morning she starts calling me Tasha and it doesn't stop. At times she still does call me Mommy of course. But lately I'd say we are Tasha and Tyrone a little more often than Mommy and Daddy. She can sometimes take this new game a little too far. At a party my parents had she was giving almost everyone names. Of course there weren't enough Backyardigan names so she branched out to Dora and Diego names too. And she remembered about 20 peoples names and called them it all night. She's tough on this too. She doesn't let you be who you want to be. She has a name in mind for everyone and it is very hard to get her to change her mind. And no, I swear my kid doesn't watch a lot of TV. She's very lucky if it gets turned on for 1 30 min. show a day. I don't know how she got so obsessed with this, but she did. It's pretty funny. I should really videotape her doing this so we can laugh about it when she's older.

Oscars

2008-02-25T11:02:00.002-05:00

I thought the Oscars weren't so good this year. I was actually annoyed that I stayed up to watch them. I could have been reading my book or checking email or sleeping. I don't know why No Country for Old Men won everything. I didn't like it. I didn't watch it all because I thought it was just a guy basically killing everyone. Maybe I should give it another change since everyone else obviously liked it. John Stewart was funny at times, he's a pretty good host. I just wanted some feel good movies to win. I don't know why there were so many dark movies this year. I loved Juno, Michael Clayton, Gone Baby Gone, and The Bucket List. I still haven't seen Atonement. Any thoughts on the Oscars anyone? I did think Katherine Heigl looked great, although she strangely seemed very nervous. Who else? Nobody else really stood out to me. The lady who wrote Juno is a strange dresser. Oh and the Michael Clayton chick who won, she looked much better in the movie. That's it, all my thought, I wasn't impressed this year. Wondering what my mother thought, since she's a Oscar fanatic.

Busy

2008-02-24T09:12:00.003-05:00

I know, I've been a terrible blogger, I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure not many people are still reading, you've given up on me. We've been busy, Tim has taken a lot of time off this winter, he's gearing up for opening his restaurant in June and he's been working only 2 1/2 days a week since January. Once May comes (or probably earlier) he'll be working 6 or 7 days a week so it was nice for him to have some time off. However, it means I have been gallavanting around with him instead of doing my normal stuff. We've been to visit his parents, his friend, his brother, and then we got company here. I'm looking forward to doing nothing in the month on April. We're staying close to home for Easter which I'm very happy about. We also found out we're expecting a new arrival in August which we're very excited about. We'll find out if it's a girl or boy in early April so I'll need some help then with names. Here's some cute pictures and I promise to think of more things to say soon.

These pictures are from Prospect Park zoo we went last week when we visited Peter in Brooklyn. It was the perfect zoo for little kids, the Bronx Zoo is a little too big for 2 year olds.

Cousins

2008-02-23T10:39:00.001-05:00

2008-02-01T11:29:00.000-05:00

My First Meme

2008-01-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

I got this from another blog I read sometimes, try it, and pass on the answers.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? 
Wait tables - for Tim at his restaurant.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 
I don't remember my resolutions, probably eat better and exercise. I ate better at times, and I exercised at times.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
Yes, my best friend Danielle, my friend Kari, and a few other friends.
4. Did anyone close to you die? 
Umm.. I don't think so, not that I can remember.
5. What countries did you visit? 
Mexico.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? 
More patience, less stress, more money, more quality time with friends.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? 
Nothing too exciting, the normal dates. 7/12 our anniversary 12/18 Sam's bday and 9/22 Katie's wedding
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 
Bring a good mom to Samantha and a good wife to Tim
9. What was your biggest failure? 
I guess I could be a little more easy going, less controlling.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
No.
11. What was the best thing you bought? 
Hmm. I don't think I really bought anything too exciting. Tim's car, I guess, but that's not mine.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
Everyone in the families.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
None
14. Where did most of your money go? 
Bills, rent, Mexico trip.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Going to Mexico, Samantha's 1st Christmas that she's bigger and understands.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? 
Tomorrow, and Frosty the Snowman.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:  a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer? 
happier, about the same, and richer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? 
Being spontaneous.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
 Eating?
20. How did you spend Christmas? 
With everyone, as usual, running around to see everyone in the family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? 
I fell in love with my family (as always) Aww, how sweet, right?
22. What was your favorite TV program? 
CSI shows
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? 
No
24. What was the best book you read? 
Good question, but I'm not sure.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Music Together? Lame, I know, but it keeps our car rides quiet. 
26. What did you want and get?
 The bag I wanted, new boots.
27. What did you want and not get? 
A volvo, and a dyson.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? 
Don't remember the last time I went to the movies.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 
When on a date night to Great Barrington, 28.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 
Nothing.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? 
Comfort and fashion together.
32. What kept you sane? 
Samantha, and Tim. Hair cuts.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  not sure
34. What political issue stirred you the most?  environmental issues
35. Who did you miss?  old friends who I don't see often.
36. Who was the best new person you met?  Kari and Jenni, and most of my new mom friends.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. 
Live for the moment, don't take anything for granted.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Change by Blind Melon

Resolutions

2007-12-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

I resolve -
1 - Not to have temper tantrums.
2 - Always to listen to my mommy.
3 - Not to want something every time we go shoppping.
4 - To get rid of my pacifier REALLY soon.
5 - To go on the potty by my next birthday.

Love, Samantha

What are you resolutions?

2nd Birthday

2007-12-27T17:53:00.000-05:00

How did I not post about Samantha's 2nd birthday? I'm sorry. Here's some pics.

XMas Sidenote

2007-11-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

Where can I find some of these? Do they sell them anywhere besides Ebay? Samantha saw them on youtube and is obsessed with them. Especially La La (who she thinks is the red one).

Little Miss Perfect

2007-11-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

I read this blog sometimes: http://mooshinindy.com/
This post she just wrote make me think of Samantha so much, she says about her daughter:
"To the outside childless observer the moosh can make hearts palpitate and fallopian tubes to twitch. Especially when she’s in one of her “moods”. You know the mood, she dances, she sings, she even tells a few jokes. She uses her manners. She poses. She hugs liberally."

Go to her site and read her post, it's hilarious.

It's true, Samantha can be fantastic and so so cute... and then she can also be not so cute. The so cute times are much more than the not so cute times.

Which bring me to my point, last night Samantha woke up at 3 AM and asked, no insisted, that she go to her friend Will's house. And then that she read books, and then that she watch Dora on TV. She did not want to go back to sleep, and kept whining and saying, "No mommy, no sleep"

What do you do in these situations, when your child is practically 2 and you can't exactly leave them in their crib to cry (not that I ever did that).

We made a deal, 2 books, Samantha of course did not hold up her end of the bargain. More whining ensued. Oh, and did I mention she's calling me Taryn during all of this, I had to remind her to please call me Mommy.

We, of course, did not go to Will's house. Finally when we were really desperate, after I talked, told stories in bed, sang to her and nothing worked. We watched Barney (thank God for Sprout) and then she went to sleep.

Obviously I don't want my 2 year old to be in charge of the household, but in these situations, what do you do? Any ideas for next time (we're hoping they're won't be one but you never know.)? She's still a little young for me to really reason with her, but she does understand a lot. I'll tell her to hold off on doing this again until y'all get back to me.

Thanks. While you're thinking here she is in her ever so cute glory drawing a picture.

Cereal with Milk

2007-11-29T08:48:00.000-05:00

" Mommy, I need more cereal please"

"With milk"

"Yes, mommy I need some milk too"

This exchange took place this morning in my kitchen with my daughter. Who is this little girl? Certainly not my baby. She has been breaking out the sentences more and more and somehow it still amazes me.

Last night she was playing with her dolls and I heard her say -
"Do you want to go on the potty baby bear"
Then answering for him, "No, no yet".

Just now she walked into the other room saying, "I'll be right there mommy".

She is so into pretending lately, and she has these real conversations with her dolls. Right now she loves, drawing, playing "mommy" with her dolls/bears, playing in her kitchen and making us food, coffee, and apple juice. She is really turning into her own little person.

Just one more quote for the day, she is holding her bear saying, "Oh no, you're crying?" Then she pats his back and says, "don't worry bear, I got you."
I think that one is exactly what I do to her when she's upset.

Where's my baby?

2007-11-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

These aren't the best pictures, but doesn't she look like such a big girl!

Friends

2007-11-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

How cute is this?

Day Off

2007-11-05T11:10:00.000-05:00

Tim and I tend to overplan our days off. We are always so busy we never have time to rest. So Mondays are now our official day off where we try our hardest to not plan anything. Not leaving the house on Mondays if ideal. We were so hard over the weekend (we both do a 16 hour shift on Saturdays) and it takes days to recover. Tim now works 4 hours on Sundays and is then off on Mondays and Tuesdays. The weeks go by so quick with this schedule. On Wed/Th/and Fri Samantha and I have playgroups and music class, so I just feel like the week goes by so quick and then it is Saturday again when I work. Not that I'm complaining, I'm only working one day a week, and it is fun, but I just can't believe how quickly the week goes by. Hopefully this new day off plan will help. I never thought cutting down my work to one day a week would make me feel like I have less time to do things, but somehow it does. I still need to get a new camera, but here's a pic from Halloween that someone took for me.

Decisions...

2007-10-10T07:27:00.001-05:00

I got a phone call at 8 AM today, and I was still sleeping, which of course was a miracle in itself. I couldn't find the phone and didn't get to it i time. When I got downstairs an checked the caller ID it was the person I used to babysit for. I figured it was an emergency since she lives down the street, but then I checked my messages. She wants me to babysit today at 12 so she can go into the city. I have had 6 blissful weeks babysitting free. I quit babysitting back in May, but then they got me to babysit for the month of August because I always feel guilty and I could use the money so I said yes. Now let me just say that last week I called her to see if she'd be interested in having dinner at Tims restaurant and she never called back.

So I called Tim this morning and said what do I say. I know it's weird but I do need help with these things, I feel so guilty about saying no. Tim said, "you don't babysit anymore, why would you say yes?". I said to help out a friend. Tim said, "really, she's a friend, it seems like she's only a friend when she needs something". So I guess that's all I'll just say no. I really don't like babysitting, it's for 3 kids and it's just too much.

And now at 8:32 my baby is finally waking up so I have to go get her.

Does anyone else get themselves in situations like these?

Boring...

2007-10-05T20:09:00.000-05:00

I have to work like crazy this weekend. I'm going in at 7. Get a break from 2ish to 5ish. The go back from 5 to 11. The joys of sort of owning your own business. But seriously I don't mind. I'm looking forward to it. We are having dinners at the store every Saturday night. We close at 3, and then will have 2 seatings. It should really help us to get a lot of business next year for the restaurant. And Tim is a fantastic chef, once people eat his food I know they'll come back. And... I get tips! Yipee!

I still have not found my camera! How is this possible? I have no clue, it has to be somewhere. And I still have the pics from my sisters bachelorette party and a few other on there. It's been almost a month, and my house is really clean. So I'm thinking somehow it's gone. So sad... My baby is growing up before our eyes and we aren't even documenting it. Send good camera vibes my way.

Nothing else exciting to say, we went to music today, and had lunch with a friend, that's about it...

Oh shit!

2007-10-03T14:23:00.000-05:00

You're allowed to curse on the internet, right? Is it weird that I felt a little weird about titling this post a curse word, or even using one? Hey, I'm the person who still VERY rarely curses in front of my parents.

A few weeks ago my mom said, "hey Samantha said 'Oh shit". I said no way. She hasn't even said that in front of us and besides that doesn't happen to be a four letter word that I use frequently. Well, it happened. Apparently, even though mommy doesn't say "Oh Sh*t" on a regular basis, it seems to be Samantha's curse of choice.
So now the inevitable, how do we handle this? Tim thinks the way to handle it to laugh uncontrollably and call me in to witness the act.
I decided that we completely ignore it, and I decided to start saying "Oh no" in a funny voice whenever I drop something. So maybe it will be more fun to say that.

Oh, did I mention that she uses it in the right context? We can't really be mad at that can we, at least she's smart, my future English major...

Overtime

2007-10-02T13:37:00.000-05:00

I went over my email quote today, but that's because my sister emailed me the proofs from her wedding! All 500 hundred of them. So I had to analyze them and save them, I still have to order the ones I want. Her photographer was amazing, I'd highly recommend him but he doesn't come cheap, so now I have to carefully choose which pics I want. The ones I posted are some of my favorites. This is my favorite of Katie and Mike.

More Wedding

2007-10-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

The Wedding

2007-10-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

Update

2007-09-28T15:31:00.000-05:00

I did pretty well today with my internet problem. I had a little insurance problem to take care of so I actually needed the internet for something other than fun.

I found out that my friend is having a little BOY this February! We are so excited and can't wait to meet him. So send some name ideas my way. I like Ascher and Brayden.

Addiction Notice

2007-09-27T17:12:00.000-05:00

So, the first step to fixing a problem is to admit you have a problem, right? I am addicted to checking my email/blogs/general online stuff. I can't stop. My nice computer just sits here all day begging me to use it. When I started to think I might have a problem I thought maybe I would write down how many times in a day I used the computer. Then I thought that would be way too scary. So here is what I'm going to do. Starting tomorrow, I tried today but it didn't work, I will use the computer three times only. For no more than 15 minutes at a time. Don't people with addictions always say, I'll start tomorrow? Oh well. I'll start tonight, since I've definitely used up my quota for today after this post I will not check my email until...gasp... tomorrow. And it's only 6:16, and I'll be home for the rest of the night. Is it weird that that makes me a little nervous? Does anyone else have this addiction? I promise to use some of my first 15 minutes tomorrow updating you as to how I did (if anyone cares). I LOVE my computer, but I think I have to get my house is good working order before I can go back to my leisurely internet browsing days. Things to do before I get to spend more time on the internet: keep house really clean on a ongoing basis, get file cabinet organized. Everything else is okay, these are the two things that get forgotten due to my internet use. Oh, and I'll get to go to bed earlier, yipee! Okay, goodnight internet, until tomorrow. : (

Soul Searching

2007-09-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

I read this today at Velveteen Mind. I thought it was well written and I hope the same for Samantha, no matter what financial situation we are in when she is in school. With Christmas and birthdays coming up, it is so easy to get caught up in all that. My intention for this year is to now get caught up in that, and to teach Samantha that family and friends, not money are most important. I have to remind myself of this when I find myself coveting that Bugaboo stroller or Volvo.

Here are Velveteen Minds words:

"My response to speculations about our financial situation is always the same. I am not my money.

I don't define myself by how much money I have in the bank or how stylish my clothes are. I don't see myself in how impressive my house is or by the model of my car.

But these things are not me, they are just my circumstances. And my circumstances don't begin to scratch my surface.

Despite my circumstances that suggest that my life is a bit in shambles, I am confident. I am confident in who I am and in who I will be. I am confident in my past decisions and my future plans. I have faith and I have hope.

I am a have in this world, but I just so happen to have not.

More than anything else, I hope I am teaching this perspective to my family. We are not our money.

But then what happens when your circumstances change from mental fortitude toward financial strength? The temptations of the GAP mom will rear their ugly heads and what keeps you from folding? What keeps you from succumbing to the power of the Volvo wagon and the day spa?

The difference is that when I have money again, when my circumstances change and I can breathe again, I want and plan to remember one thing: I am not my money.

As much as I don't define myself by my circumstances now, I do not want to define myself by my circumstances later, no matter how glossy and glittery.

If I do anything right as a mother, I want to raise children who view the world from the same financial perspective. We are not what we have materially.

I would love nothing more than for them to be able to seamlessly blend into groups of both the privileged and the struggling."

Wedding Photos

2007-09-25T08:52:00.000-05:00

Here are a few from Katie's wedding this weekend. I lost my camera so have no pics, please send pics my way if you have some!

Dollhouse

2007-09-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

I want Samantha to get a dollhouse for her birthday that she ca play with now. She has a beautiful one from her Aunt Katie, but that is when she is older. Tim and I try to limit plastic toys when we can, so are opting for a wooden dollhouse. These are the contenders. Tell me what you think.

They are from Kidcraft, Ryan's Room, and the wierd looking one is from Djeco. I had my heart set on a Ryan's Room house (the plain wood ones). But I think the Djeco one is kind of cool.

Blogging Hiatus

2007-09-04T06:51:00.001-05:00

I've been on a blogging hiatus. I'm not sure when I'll return. My camera hasn't been charged in weeks, so I haven't taken any pics. I'll try to get better. Here are some Labor Day pics that someone else took and sent to me. (Thanks Heather!)

We had a busy weekend, but yesterday we did mostky nothing. It was a nice relaxing holiday.

Family Hiking Trip

2007-08-24T06:55:00.000-05:00

Here's us hiking the other day, although they say you can use the Ergo on a 5 year old, I don't think I'll be using it when Samantha is five. Hiking uphill with a almost 2 year old on your back was quite a work out, I can't see myself doing still in another 3 years. We got a good workout on this hike. We hiked up the falls at a state park close by with Peter.

Just Woke Up

2007-08-22T07:35:00.001-05:00

Pics from Lisa

2007-08-22T05:44:00.000-05:00

My friend Lisa took these shots for me.

Sam

2007-08-22T05:38:00.000-05:00

Never Trust a One Year Old

2007-08-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

I'm having some friends over this weekend. I have a lot to do to prepare. I have to cook dinner for 8 people. And I have to clean, clean, clean 3 floors and the yard. I was very upset with the fact that Samantha napped on the way home from the store this morning and woke up when we got home. I was planning on cooking some things when she was napping. But I was surprised that she was being very well behaved, while I cooked for two hours. She was happily playing. I was jus thinking wow I was totally underestimating her, she doesn't need to be entertained all the time. I could see her playing, in the doorway to the bathroom. The toilet was closed so I wasn't really worried. Then I looked over. She had gotten a box of spaghetti out of the cupboard had it all scattered on the bathroom floor, and was attempting to open the toilet and put it in. I must remember next time, a quiet one year old usually means a naughty one year old.
Lesson learned.

We're getting visits this weekend from our favorite Met fan (little Jim) and our favorite Yankee fans, David & Peter. Tim was very upset that a picture was even taken of Samantha in a Met hat. I promise, it won't happen again.

So cute

2007-08-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

I have nothing really to post about. We've been busy with summer stuff. But Sarah emailed me this and it is so cute I really want one for Samantha. She would look adorable. However they are ridiculously expensive. I can picture her in it, so cute...
You can find one of your own at oopsydaisybaby.com

Speaking of Sarah, she shared this news yesterday. Congratulations!

The Girls

2007-08-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

Here's Sam, Ava, and Courtney!
Thanks for pic Peter.

Please Touch

2007-08-03T05:48:00.000-05:00

These pictures are from the Please Touch museum in Philadelphia. It was so cute. A great museum for little ones. I think its up to age 6. Sam loved it. We are going to Long Island today for Emma Kate's and Sara's birthday parties. I am so tired of traveling. We just got back from a 4 hour trip Tues and now I'm leaving again.

oh, and Tim woke everyone up when he left today. 1 hour before I have to get up.

Pick My shoes

2007-08-03T05:39:00.000-05:00

Pick my shoes for my sisters wedding, and Samantha's. My dress is brown and Sams is white.

Article

2007-08-03T05:35:00.000-05:00

REad this article, those of you with babies. Many bottles are made with a chemical that isn't safe and that leaks into what your child is drinking. Here's a article about it and what bottles are safe and what aren't.

Many bottles are not safe. The bottles I used (Dr. Brown's and Avent) are not. they also tell you which ones you can buy.

http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/07/z-report-bisphenol-in-polycarbonate.html

Little Angel

2007-07-29T11:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my little angel (yeah, right).
She has been so sweet and so independent lately. She talks constantly and is very into Elmo, Sally (she named one of her dolls Sally) and her baby. She likes to say "uh, oh baby crying" of course this is after she throws her down the stairs, so I'm not sure how good this is. Oh well.

La La La La...

2007-07-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

La La La La... Elmo's World.

We went to Sesame Place last week. It was... interesting. Samantha is a HUGE Elmo fna, but I have to say she wasn't nearly as keen on Elmo in the flesh. We saw an Elmo live show and then met Elmo. Let's just saw she wasn't impressed, we'll stick to the DVD and doll.

Sesame Place really tired Samantha out. Have any of you braved a theme park with your little ones yet? I don't think we're quite ready for it all yet. But last week was nice, I was only there about 4 hours. I'm sure I'm not ready to go with older kids who want to go on everything and never want to leave. Sam and I had some nice mom/daughter time. Saw Elmo, and met up with her cousins for a few hours. It was a very nice relaxing way to ease into the "theme park vacations" that hopefully won't be in my future too much.

We're Back

2007-07-23T06:49:00.000-05:00

Back from a bust week away, I'm going to do pics in shifts since we did so much. Here's some from James Ryan's. Hey is the cutest little baby! Sam and James had a bit of a love/hate relationship. Well it was probably only on her part. One minute she loved him and would say baby cute. The next minute she was taking his toys and saying no mine. On James part, I think he was into the older woman.

Only Fair...

2007-07-15T12:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, well since you've all been so patient with my new diaper ramblings, I thought I should share some more pics of Samantha. She is doing great. She is a little chatterbox lately and will repeat everything you say. She surprises me on a daily basis with how much she knows. We have a big week coming up. We're going to Philly to visit Sally, New Jersey to visit James Ryan, and then to Sesame Place with Ava and Courtney. We leave Tues morning and come back Fri night. It's a lot of driving and a lot going on so hopefully it will all go smoothly. Sam was so great on our Cape Cod trip that I'm sure she'll be fine.

Here's pics of her laughing... so cute.

New Obsession

2007-07-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

I'm now obsessed with cloth diapers. They are so cute, and it's not gross at all. It's so easy to wash them. We even had some very messy diapers since using them and it was easy to clean up and came out of the wash completely white again. I'm only sad I didn't realize how great they were earlier. Check out thanksmama.com for more info on cloth diapers.
We're using a mix of flushables and cloth now.

Yipee!

2007-07-12T17:34:00.000-05:00

My gdiapers came yesterday! Yipee! Samantha looks so cute in them!

Summer Days

2007-07-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

Wow, it finally really feels like summer. It is so hot out. Unbearably so, if you ask me. Last Wed, on the 4th of July, Samantha was wearing jeans and a sweater. And now it is sweltering hot. How crazy is that? Our vacation was really fun, and Samantha was really well behaved, thank goodness. She loved playing with all the older kids, and has been saying their names and looking at pictures of them since we returned. She didn't say "No" or "mine" once on the vacation. And yet, as soon as we returned she started saying it again. I'm not sure why she's like this. Here's some pics of her eating her first popsicle.

Vacation

2007-07-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

We've been in the Cape since Thursday and I just got home. How cute are these girls? More about my vacation later... I'm tired and need to go to sleep.

I went to see my friend Melissa with my friend Danielle. We're friends from college and these are our daughters. From left, Emma Kate, Rhea, Samantha, Madelyn, and Peyton.

I'll leave you with this...

2007-07-04T09:41:00.001-05:00

I'll leave you with this pic of Sam to look at before you read the sad post that you'll see next:

So sad...

2007-07-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

I came across this story of a woman writing about her sons death, it is so sad. I don't know how she is able to write about it so eloquently. I promise to post something more uplifting later.

Here it is:

When it was all over, when he was gone, he said to me: Look, mama. Can you see? I’m better now. This sick little boy lying on your lap, this poor boy, he’s not me. Not anymore. Look, and see.

That’s when I knew he was finally safe, whole and calm. Resting.

Liam died this morning, our sweet and miraculous son. It was all just too much, the doctors tell us. Birth asphyxiation, the bleed, hydrocephalus, the shunt, a collapsed lung. During the operation they had a chance to look at his brain, and realized the damage was much worse than even the worst of ultrasounds. He was breaking down.

That’s the doctor’s story. Here’s mine.

He died in my belly six weeks ago. They brought him back when he was born, aggressively, ten minutes of frantic work to get him to register an apgar score of one. That’s when my old-soul son said to himself:

Well, this is strange. I was there, and now here. Why? I’ll stay then, for a little while. For my mama, my dada, my brother, my twin. To show them how strong I would have been, how inventive, how patient. To give them smiles, to help them to know me. Once I do all that, then I can go. Not in an operating room, cold and surrounded by strangers. On my mama’s heart, surrounded by peace and light and love.

And so it was.

Shhh, lili. You don’t need to try so hard anymore. Please rest, sweets. Go to sleep, go back to that place you already know, and wait for us. Be high in the sky, be the stars and the trees and the loons waking us in the morning, and watch over your brothers, and wait. When I am old and grey, fates willing, I’ll find you and come to you. I promise. Even if I’m a hundred-and-one I’ll use my mama magic to turn back into this Me, right now, and we’ll pick up where we left off and I’ll feed you and hold you and we’ll cuddle forever. I promise. So please lili, please go. Please, for mama and for dada.

We held him, all of us naked, for twelve hours through the night. As it was meant for him, if not in my belly, the way his soul wanted to go.

Now we need to take his last gift, I think: permission to feel relief. Liam gave us peace by finding his own.

This morning on the way home we looked in on Ben, suddenly robust in comparison. As he passed through Liam stopped at Ben’s bedside, curled up beside him and whispered to him of patience and promise and inherited hopes and dreams. Then he was gone, and Ben lies with rosy cheeks, belly full, nasal prongs wrestled free, chest rising and falling in deep contentment, blanket kicked off and toes twitching languorously, ready for life to begin.

Then we left the hospital to recharge, to find our way back to being parents of two, to give our sons everything we have left.

Later today I stood at the ocean wearing two-day-old clothes, clothes I’d put on when my son was still alive. And I felt Liam in the sky, brushing my cheeks with breeze and crashing spray. A sapphire sky peeking out through portholes in the fog. I put my right hand over my belly where his naked, warm rump lay throughout that endless night, and my left hand over my heart, where he let go.

And I stood with him, remembering, just being his mama.

Peace, light, love for Liam, our son.

From: http://ingliseast.typepad.com

New Gift from Gpa

2007-07-01T19:26:00.000-05:00

How cute is this?

And by the way, my daughter almost always goes to bed like a little angel. So why is she crying at 8:24? Send good sleep thoughts to my house please!

G Diapers

2007-07-01T10:01:00.001-05:00

I've been thinking of trying these flushable diapers. I wasn't sure and then I watched the video on them. You can watch it here. The put 3 diapers on a compost pile: flushables, chlorine free diapers (which we think would be better) and a regular diaper (Pampers, Huggies etc.) The flushables were reabsorbed back into the earth within 2 months. Both the other diapers weren't absorbed after a year. It takes diapers 500 years to absorb back into the earth because they are made of plastic. Americans throw away 20 billion diapers a year. That's a lot of diapers sitting around in the landfills. I think I'm going to order my flushables today. They aren't more expensive and look at the cute diaper covers you get let your little one wear.
Check out the website: gdiapers.com

Why are gDiapers good for the planet? It is simple. Our flushables are designed using the Cradle to Cradle design principles of Bill McDonough and his firm MBDC. That means everything that goes into one of our flushables gets re-absorbed back into the eco-system in a neutral or beneficial way. So you are turning waste into a resource. At the same time, you are putting poop in the toilet, where it belongs, and avoiding the landfill issue all together.

New Game

2007-07-01T09:47:00.000-05:00

Samantha has a new game where she is really into her babies. Elmo is one of the babies. She feeds them, puts them to bed, and her new thing is wrapping them up in blankets and taking them for a walk. She just walked into the other room and I peeked in. She was struggling with swaddling Elmo in the blanket the same way I do. She saw me and said, "Mama help Melmo". It is very cute. Unfortunately only one baby fits in her stroller and she can't decide between Melmo and Baby. I think she needs a double stroller...

We had a nice weekend. We went to help Tim last night with a catering job and then went to a party. Samantha was the hit of the party with her pigtails. I don't think anyone didn't comment on how cute she was. She also was saying "beer" when she saw one so people also thought that was pretty funny. We're working on wine, she's just in a beer phase right now. : )

I'm going with a "this time last year" pic today. My how's she's changed...

Going Green

2007-06-28T19:11:00.000-05:00

This blog is taking a short Samantha hiatus (I promise, really short) to devote a day to going green. We have been working really hard to do our part to help preserve the world around us. We're going green. I try to do my part to turn off the water when brushing my teeth. My now I'm making a bit more of an effort by buying products made from recycled bottles and trying to purchase natural products.Although I'm not quite ready to buy a hybrid or stop using the washing machine (sort of impossible with a 1 yr old). I am trying to not use disposable products and do my part to make this world a better place. Anyone else with me? If you're interested, saffronrouge.com has a lot of health and beauty products that are all natural and organic.

Weekend Fun

2007-06-24T09:03:00.000-05:00

We had a fun day yesterday with James Ryan, but we forgot out camera! Today we're going out with Mimi (Grandma). We have to go get ready. Here's a few cute pics of my girl. Hope everyone else is having a nice summer weekend.

2007-06-22T06:10:00.000-05:00

I know my blog posts have been fairly nonexistent, in terms of actually posting. This has mostly been a picture blog. But I figure, you guys don't care what I have to say, you just want to see pictures of my beautiful daughter. When I first starting blogging I tried to come up with cute, funny little stories of new parenthood. But now those are hard to come by. Of course, Samantha does many funny things, but we're in such a routine that it's really nothing to write a blog entry about. I read a lot of other blogs lately and they do a good job of telling little funny stories. I think I have to try a little harder. So I'll get on that.

I'll leave you with this. Lately Samantha has been saying beer and pointing to Tims glass with a big smile on her face. But she says it kind of like (be-eer) it's kind of with a funny Long Island accent. I admit, I try to get my kid to say beer in front of other people just because it's so funny, even though it is morally questionable.

Oh, and a question for moms, if I have any readers left. Samantha has always been a great eater. Lately she hasn't been eating too well. But she's been spitting her food out when she doesn't want it. How do I stop this?? Help!?! It's driving me crazy. Just so you don't think I have a demon child who wpits things out I'll leave you with this adorable picture.

Oh, and we're going to see this little guy over here this weekend. How cute is he? I can't wait. / Go visit his blog and tell him we said hi.

More Pictures

2007-06-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some more pictures. One is Samantha trying on the flower girl dress that she will wear in Aunt Katie's wedding this September. The others are some Fathers DAy pics. One is Samantha with her Gpa (what she finally settled on calling GRandpa) and the other is her playing on the deck, dancing on Sunday.

Today we are busy cleaning, we have to go do some errands, which around here means a half hour each way. Then we're going to a friends house for a playdate. We have to get a move on. Have a good day.

Happy Belated Fathers Day!

2007-06-19T07:09:00.000-05:00

Happy Fathers Day to everyone! Hope it was nice an relaxing. I think Tim had a decent one. He had to work till 3, but then he was home with Samantha. And he had Monday off. Here's some pics from a few weeks ago. Sam & Tim, and Samantha riding her bus and saying goodbye.

CATCHING UP

2007-06-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

I'm way behind on posts so I'll leave you with 2 pictures. The first is Samantha with her cousins, aren't they all so cute? There's sure to be problems when the 3 of them are teenagers and all going out together. We went there last weekend and had so much fun with them. Courtney and Ava are getting so big. We don't see them enough! Come visit us girls!

The second is of my daughter stuffing her face with pizza. I don't know anyone else who has a better apetite. This girl can seriously eat. If we're eating late and feed Sam early she will eat a full meal again later if she sees us eating later. Luckily she has fast metabolism and is so active, she's on the low end of weight for her age. Hopefully she'll either change her habits later or it won't change. And she LOVES pizza.

This past weekend we saw Emma Kate & Peyton and Sam's cousins Madison, Sara & family babysat her. Pics to come.. stay tuned.

Could she get any cuter?

2007-06-14T19:19:00.000-05:00

Harley Davidson shirt, a tutu, and Mardi Gras beads. I think a girl this cute deserves some extra comments today, people... We've been low on the comments lately, come on. If you do we have lots more cute pics like this one.

Hey Mom, at least she didn't wear the rain boots with it.

Sorry

2007-06-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

I know, it's been awhile. We've been busy, traveling and will be busy visiting friends for most weekends of the summer. But this time it was also that somehow I got signed out of my blogger account and could not get back in. I couldn't remember the username or password. Finally, it was figure out. I'm usually pretty good about the same password for most things. This also happened with my netflix account. I hate getting junk mail and I set up an email just for those types of things and I totally forgot about it. Pictures to come soon, I promise.

Driving Miss Sam

2007-06-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

Here's Samantha driving in her cousins Jeep. She was too cute, but she couldn't reach the gas pedal, her cousin had to help her. She loved it though, it was one of the few times, she wasn't running all over the place. She was quite content riding around in the Jeep for awhile.

Saturday Recap

2007-06-03T08:20:00.000-05:00

We had a very busy yesterday. I like to keep my weekends busy mostly. But today is a rainy day and I'm looking forward to just hanging out and playing inside. Cleaning up a little and finally putting up Samanthas curtains that just came a few days ago. Yesterday was fun. We went to swimming, which Samantha loved, as always. Then I got my hair cut, finally, it was the first time since the beginning of Feb. Then we went to my Grandfathers 70th birthday party. We had fun, Samantha basically had everyone wrapped around her finger, as always. She went in the pool, got to ride in a little car with her big cousins, played a lot, and went on her first trampoline. She loved the trampoline, she kept running around and falling and she just thought it was hysterical. We got home late last night, and got up early this morning (of course) so we're a little tired and in need of a lazy Sunday.

Here's Sam on her first trampoline. It was very safe, it had a net, she was the only one on, and there were about 20 people standing around it to make sure she was safe.

By the way, on a personal note, I'm having a little problem. The people I used to babysit for have hired a new babysitter, but they asked me to do an overnight this coming Wed. They have a new babysitter and the grandmother lives in the next town. So I said no. And I feel so guilty like I should have said yes. I should help them out. Blah blah blah. Anyone want to make me feel better? It shouldn't be my problem. I don't know why they ask me. I could go on and on about this but I won't. Oh well, if anyone wants to know more about the situtation feel free to ask, I guess I'm just going to go on feeling guilty. By the way this other babysitter is new for them but doesn't have her own baby, like I do who she'd have to bring along. And the grandmother is here too! (Oh wait, did I say I wouldn't go on??)

Weekend Fun

2007-06-02T06:33:00.000-05:00

Our new mattress came yesterday. It was coming from 4-8. I rushed home at 3:30, just in case. When did it come? 8:15. And guess what else? Our box spring did not fit up the stairs. So we have to get a new one, isn't that fun?

We have swimming today, I'm finally getting a haircut, doing errands and then off to a family party. I have to go decide what Samantha should wear. Note I don't care what I wear to parties anymore. I live vicariously through the compliments that Samantha gets.

By the way, Sam I'm sorry I'm posting this picture of you in the bathub on the INTERNET. Hopefully you will never see it, or not hate me for it when you're 15 and your first boyfriend finds it online. But it's cute. (Sorry Tim, did I say 15, I meant when she's 25)

Better Days

2007-05-31T06:05:00.000-05:00

The rest of our week is going much more smoothly. After Samantha's sleepless night she took a 3 hour nap that next day and then slept that night from 7:30 to 7:30. And this morning, Thursday it's 7:05 and she's still sleeping. It's a daycare day and we have to leave at 7:30 so I might have to wake her up soon if she doesn't on her own. We're having a nice shirt week. We got some very exciting news about some good friends having a baby, we're not telling who yet, but we just can't wait. Samantha will have a new friend. Today we have music class and tomorrow if Friday, yipee!
I also got some nice work related news. I have been babysitting sicnce the end of last summer. It has slowly gotten to be more and more hours and I have been saying I will stop for months. Well they finally found someone else! I'm so glad, she starts next week. Now I will work a few days a week in the mornings, and be done at 12:30 on the days I work. I think it will be much better for us, Samantha will get to spend more time with her grandma and have 2 days at daycare until 12:30, which she really seems to enjoy. I am really looking forward to having the afternoons to myself (and Samantha).

Amendment

2007-05-29T06:52:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. Let me just be a little more clear as to why Tim's bedtime routine annoyed me last night. Sam has a strict 8:00 bedtime. Definitely by 8:30. She is a little angel when she goes to bed on time. You say good night, plop her in her crib, and rarely hear from her until the morning. She's not so good when you mess up her routine. And last night she went to bed really late and ate cookies (i.e. sugar) after her regular bedtime, which can't be so good. I shouldn't really say went to bed at all, because she basically didn't. When Tim put her in at 9:30 she screamed for hours, when she woke up every few hours of the night. It was awful, she was just up and crying, wanting to get up and play. I'm not totally blaming Tim for this but I do believe that it was at least in part due to the lack of her bedtime routine last night, late bedtime, and late sugary baked goods. Let's all hope that tonights bedtime goes normally. I'm not sure how I can get to work today, I have a headache I'm so tired.

Weekend Review

2007-05-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

I love long weekends. Doesn't everybody, right? What did you all do this weekend? Saturday we went to swimming lessons, Sam had such a great time. She was going under and jumping in and just loving every second of it. We went to a few tag sales and I got her a little slide for $5. We went to visit Tim at the store, of course. We did a lot of gardening. Basically my whole yard is weeds amd I spent a lot of the weekend digging up the weeds, putting down new soil, planting some new flowers, and getting some areas ready to plant new grass. My mother in law is amazing at gardening, I'm hoping she can help me out because I've really never done this before. The weekend was spent digging, raking, planting, and watering so I'm hoping that it will turn out nicely. I still have a lot more work to do to get the yard in good condition. I'll leave our Monday Memorial Day adventures for another day this week.
Here's some pictures of my yard in progress, and my daughter who decided it would be fun to plant her own garden in the pool, she was so so dirty it was disgusting.

Disclaimer: If you're a Cocheo you may not want to continue. However, Tim has been working hard and not doing much around the house, which is completely fine with me. Tonight he said he wanted to give Sam a bath and put her to bed. It is now 8:44 and they are in our bed, eating cookies. I don't think this is the best way to put her to bed, and I'm not going up there until she is in her crib. And it better be soon...

Long Beautiful Hair

2007-05-25T21:04:00.000-05:00

Look at the hair Sams been sportin lately. Check out this pic from last May, she was a total baldy at 6 months old and a year later, she has so much hair! I love it, she wore a ponytail today! I'm still hoping that she gets wavy hair from Tim. It looks a little wavy sometimes. I don't want it to be so super straight like mine.

Any Lost Readers?

2007-05-25T19:27:00.001-05:00

Anyone want to tell me what they thought of Lost? I can't believe I have to wait until Feb. I like the flash forward, it was a great ending. But I hate that there's 3 more seasons, how long will this be dragged out for? Any guesses on who is in the coffin? Who are the people on Nadia's boat? What happenned with Jack and Kate?
How sad was the whole thing with Charlie? I was crying, and I don't usually cry.

Anyway, here's Sam making a funny face and telling me. "I don't know". She does a funny I don't know gesture with her hands. Sorry she's all dirty and gross, it was a long, hot day here.

Just Right

2007-05-25T05:46:00.000-05:00

Here's Sam making sure the boots are on just right.

What is everyone up to this weekend? We're hoping it's nice b/c I'd like to do lots of outside things with Sam. Maybe a hike at the state park? The park? We have swimming lessons. Sams daycare is all marching in the parade together on Monday. You don't have to march but if your child is under 3 the parent has to accompany them. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to march in the daycare section of the parade. Maybe Sam and I will just watch... that is if Mimi and Grandpa want to come. Tim, of course, will be working.

Have a good Memorial Day weekend!

Cookie

2007-05-23T19:40:00.000-05:00

Samantha thinks all treats are cookies. One of our favorite snacks are rice cakes. I remember when I was little thinking rice cakes were bland and gross. Samantha loves them, she calls them cookies. My brother in law Mike thinks this is wrong and that she should know what a cookie is. I assure you, she's had cookies, and loves them. But she also loves the rice cakes. What's wrong with that?

Tonight after dinner we had leftover cake. When Samantha tasted it she erupted into giggles and started kicking her highchair with a huge smile on her face. I said to Tim, wouldn't you just love to that kind of reaction to something, especially food again? It was like a gut reaction, she couldn't help herself, and it was just soo cute.

MY Daughter the Fashion Victim

2007-05-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

Samantha insisted that she wear these rain boots with this dress when we had company the other night. I know, as my mom pointed out, she's 17 months old and I'm her mother. But it was so cute and she wasn't hurting anyone so I let her. When I tried to put normal shoes on her she said, no shoes and kept grabbing the boots and giving them to me.

We've gone 2 full days without a pacifier outside of the crib!

Cheese

2007-05-22T07:03:00.000-05:00

What happens when I ask Sam to say cheese... she loves the camera... most of the time.

Not Fair

2007-05-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, and yesterday morning, and the morning before that. 5:30 is when Tim leaves for work. He slams the door shut every morning (not toally his fault, it's the door) and Sam wakes up. Some days I can get her back to sleep for a little, but most days I can't. I have repeatedly asked Tim to use the back door but he has been refusing, it's too far away or something. I know Tim has to be up at 5:30, but I don't, so it's not fair. Finally today he agreed to use the back door tomorrow. We'll see...

Also, one of my cats has been outside for 18 hours. That is the longest he's been out at this house. I just looked around for him when I got home and don't see him. I want him to stay outside and be a happy outside cat, so I'm glad he's out. Just a tiny part of me feels bad and worries that he'll get hit by a car or something. Lots of cats are outdoor cats, how do they know to stay away from cars? Instinct, I hope.

Boring Life

2007-05-19T20:15:00.000-05:00

Tim and I have been going to bed around 9 pm. Thank God we have Tivo to tape our favorite shows. We were actually just complaining that we should have the Tivo in our room instead of the living room b/c we're not watching it. Our routine for the last 2 weeks has been, dinner at 7, bath and Sam to bed at 8, then straighten up and in bed ourselves at 8:30. I was actually just in bed but I didn't like what Tim was watching so I came down to check my email. Right now it is 9:15. Pretty sad, huh? Oh well, it doesn't bother me. A few months ago Tim was getting home at 1 am and I was in the routine of waiting up for him. I was always tired when Sam woke up at 7. Now I am very rested and I don't mind too much when she wakes up early. So going to bed early has its perks. I need to clean up and make my house presentable b/c my sister is visiting on Monday. Mimi and Grandpa are taking Sam tomorrow so I can clean up. I might even have dinner here Monday night instead of at my sisters. That will be the first time we have had people over and don't forget I'm nto exactly a chef, just a chefs wife, so my cooking isn't always too great. On that note, since we moved here, May 1st, I have cooked dinner every single night and Tim has said its been good. Samantha has loved it. I look up my recipes and go shopping and I've made a real effort to cook dinner for my family. I like it, it's fun. I just don't like the cleaning up from cooking part. So tomorrow I'll figure out what I should make on Monday.

By the way, can anyone tell me how to get rid of this thing? The paci, or juju as Samantha calls it. I think she got this b/c it reminded her of how she would suck on the sippy cup of juice, juice became juju. Anyway, I desperately want her to get rid of it. We were on car and crib only, then we were on crib only, but car crept back in. Now we are car and crib and if she's really sad I will give it to her in the house. I can't help it. Any suggestions? She loves it and says juju juju over and over when she wants it. I just want to lose them all so I don't have choice. She's 17 months now. I want them gone by 18 months, or at least on a STRICT crib only policy.

Updates

2007-05-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Let's see, I did find my camera cord but have not taken any other pics, so I'll give you one from this time last year. Tim did find a dishwasher but he's still not getting home that much earlier, but at least I'm not washing dishes. Now we need a breakfast cook to do egg sandwiches and omelets. Right now Tim is going into work at 5:30 to do all that stuff. Things are so busy, it's going really well. They have about 10 events to cater so far. The first one is this Friday and is a kids birthday party. We finally put blinds up in our office, we have this room sort of figured out. We still need to put our pictures up on the wall. By the time Tim gets home and has dinner, he's practically ready for bed. We have a busy weekend. Sam and I are going to LI to have brunch with some friends and hopefully will see Samantha's new baby cousin.
This pic is from today last year. We had just moved out here from NYC.

Hard Times

2007-05-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

Sam looks like she has the hardest life, then wait, but I do have nice shoes on. Nice shoes can cheer any girl up...

Here's my messy girl

2007-05-15T19:31:00.000-05:00

More Mothers Day

2007-05-15T19:30:00.000-05:00

As promised...

2007-05-14T11:57:00.001-05:00

Happy Mothers Day!
How cute is she?

Sorry

2007-05-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

I know I have been a horrible blogger. I just can't seem to post lately. First we moved on May 1st in an unexpected rush. Then Tim opened his store on May 6th, and we catered an event on the 5th. Without being able to hire help just yet that meant I had to help and by help I mean mostly do dishes and it was not fun. I washed so many dishes I never want to look at another one. Anyone know a prep cook/dishwasher/stock person near Ancram NY??
And we're still trying to get the house in order/set up the office/get our satelitte guy to come. Every spare moment has been spent at the store and not at the house where I should be. Oh and Samantha started swimming lessons, which wasn't the greatest start but hopefully she'll have more fun tomorrow.
And, I can't find my camera charger. And I still have dial up.
My cable modem comes Monday so hopefully I will have found my charger by then and can take some beautiful pictures of my lovely daughter over the weekend.
If all goes well I will have pictures and a witty post for you by Monday, I'm sure I can think of something witty to say, I'll work on it...
Have a good weekend.

2007-04-24T07:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry no time to blog this week, we're moving this weekend and I have tons to do.
Updates next week.

What's Going On...

2007-04-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

Let's see, I've been lazy and just been posting pics lately. But hey, at least you're getting something. We've been busy, as always, Easter was crazy and flew by. This week we're working a lot, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Samantha and I went to music class today. It is a different place than her last Music class and we really liked it. It's called Music Together and we got CD's a a songbook so we can learn the songs. As soon as we got there Samantha was walking all over the room and checking it out. She seemed perfectly comfortable there. Sometimes I wonder where Samantha gets this socialness from. Tim and I are not the most outgoing people. While starting to sing Samantha was walking up to all the other kids. While playing the instruments she walked up to another mom and helped herself to the instrument the mom was using. She did share and give the mom her instrument. So at least she's being nice.
I was at a playgroup a few days ago and the facilitator asked everyone what the want there kids to learn and take with them throughout life. I was thinking that being happy is the most impt thing. Some other moms said being honest and polite. Which is also important, but today I was thinking that if she can keep being social like this that would be great. Some kids are so painfully shy and I'd much rather Samantha be outgoing, which I think will help her to be happier too.
She is just so happy, friendly, and full of life right now. It's pretty amazing to watch her interacting with other people.

By the way, here's Sam at the Easter Egg Hunt Saturday at the gun club. Did I mention this already? Is it just me, but is there something wierd about having a childrens Easter Egg Hunt at the gun club??? I guess that's how they do it in the country, we're still new to country life. Don't worry all guns were safely locked away. It was actually just big fields where they hid the eggs.