Samuel's 1st Christmas

Samuel LOVES the ABC Elmo he got from Uncle Greg, Aunt Shannon and cousins Kyra & Kami!

Samuel eating breakfast Christmas morning

Samuel's 1st Christmas

breakfast with mommy

stockings!

We stayed home this Christmas. We missed our families but enjoyed a very relaxing first Christmas as a family of three! Samuel and I had breakfast while we waited for Ben to wake up. Samuel was not very interested in opening any of his presents so Ben & I traded off. He really loved the yellow smiley face ball from Grandma Sola (he carried it the whole morning). He really loves the ABC Elmo he got from Aunt Shannon, Uncle Greg and cousins Kyra & Kami!

Samuel was pretty fussy off and on the entire day. He had a runny nose so we thought he was getting a cold. The day after Christmas, while I was feeding Samuel breakfast, I noticed his FIRST tooth! Now that explains the fussines...close enough to say he got his first tooth on Christmas! :)

I will try to post 2 videos later. For some reason it takes me about 10 tries to upload a single video...I don't know if it's blogger or me. Argh!

New Toy!

Samuel got a fun truck from Grandpa & Grandma Watts. He loves to pull, push & ride it.

Jibber Jabber

O Christmas Tree

Here are a few pictures of Samuel checking out the Christmas tree. He LOVES the lights!! He has kept his distance from it for the most part, but every so often wanders to the tree and tries to grab a few ornaments.

Update on Samuel

I finally have some time to sit down and write an update on Samuel. Here goes...

Samuel is constantly on the move. He enjoys climbing up the stairs, pulling himself up on anything imaginable. He loves any type of music! He claps his hands moves his upper body to any beat. He talks quite a bit these days. His favorite thing is to look at something and say "ooooooh". It is too cute! He absolutely loves lights. He will look up at the ceiling multiple times each day and say "oooooh". He is now standing by himself for up to 5 seconds at a time. It is only a matter of time before he takes that first step. We are anticipating that will be by Christmas. He sleeps so well. He goes to bed pretty early at 6pm and wakes up around 6am. No complaints here. He still has no teeth, though...I guess his wish this Christmas will be for his 2 front teeth. :)

Playing with Daddy

Our little Buckeye!

Sorry it's been awhile...November was a busy month. Samuel is doing so much these days! Here are a few videos of him movin' around and "dancing". I've had some problems uploading multiple videos so I'll try them in separate posts. Here's the first...

Climber

So, as of a few weeks ago Samuel has been climbing up our stairs. One day he just went over to the steps pulled himself up, and was off. It's getting hard to contain this little boy...

Halloween

We didn't do anything on Halloween but we did dress Samuel up in a penquin outfit. It was a little small but still cute! The years to come will be a little more exciting...

Happy 4th Anniversary

Today is our 4th anniversary! We celebrated a few weeks early with dinner at Maggiano's in Denver. I am so thankful for Ben - he is a great husband & father! A lot has changed in 4 yrs - a cat, new jobs, moved to Colorado, & a son to name a few. I look forward to what is in store for the next 4+ years!

Pumkpins

These pics are not in the order I uploaded them...

Anyways, we went to a pumpkin patch over the weekend. It was a beautiful day but the pumpkin patch wasn't all that impressive. It wasn't as big as I imagined. Samuel was out of his comfort zone so we could not get him to smile in any of the pictures until we finally arrived home. As you can see, he was more interested in the hay, the pumpkins and other people.

Mom & Dad Visit

My mom & dad visited last weekend. They picked the perfect weekend. It was sunny & in the 60s & 70s. My mom was able to go with me to Samuel's 9 month dr. appt. He was a more fussy this time so it was nice to have some extra help. We all watched the OSU football game on Saturday at Buffalo Wild Wings. My dad installed a custom closet in our spare bedroom - now I have no reason to not get organized!! On Sunday, we did the Skyride at the zoo. It was so beautiful with the leaves changing. We had a great time and we're looking forward to my mom visiting for 10 days over Thanksgiving to babysit Samuel while his sitter is in Hawaii.

Samuel's new slide from his cousin, Addyson

Cheering on the Buckeyes with PaPaw

9 Month Check-Up

Samuel had his 9 month appt on Friday. He is healthly and definitely getting the typical "stranger anxiety". He did not like the doctor making him lie down and be still! He weighs 20.75 lbs and is 28.5 inches. He is very average for height & weight.

Tagged

No pictures or videos of Samuel in this post (sorry) just some history of yours truly. I was tagged by my dear friend, Alison.

20 years ago...I was 11 years old in 6th grade at Muffley Elementary school in good ol' Decatur, IL. I was still wearing glasses with my initials on them! I played 4 square alot & walked to/from school. I played many sports: tennis, softball, & soccer. My friends were Brandi, Valerie, Tara, Heather, Christina, etc.

10 years ago...I was 21 & in my Senior Year at IU. I had just moved to Indianapolis to finish my Health Info. program. I lived with Kellie Jo & her 2 cats (so fun!). I spent a lot of time studying and a lot of time with my good friend, Amanda. Amanda and I most likely were found hanging out or driving to Bloomington to see our friends that we had to leave behind. I was pondering the thought of spending a year overseas in the Middle East with a Christian organization after graduation - thinking there was no way I'd probably end up going. God had a different plan! I ended up spending the next year of my life after graduation with my roommates Amanda & Alison half a world away. We had SO many experiences together that will remain with us forever. I cannot imagine that year without them!

5 years ago... I had just moved out from living with 2 great friends, Marcy & Susan & had purchased my own condo in St. Louis! Ben & I had just met & went on our first date in October. Can't believe it was 5 yrs ago this month that we met!

3 years ago...Ben & I had been married a year & were throwing out the idea of moving out west. I had just quit my job at Iron Mountain that was way too stressful & was back working at Healthsouth. I was in a small group with 4 amazing women who I miss dearly!!

So far this past year...I had Samuel in January & cut back to part-time with The Navigators. I'm pretty much tired all the time and have found myself more forgetful. I'm constantly busy at work & home. I celebrated my 31st birthday and will celebrate my 4th wedding anniversary the 30th of this month!

Yesterday...I took Samuel to his 9 month old appt (healthy as can be) and hung out with my parents who are in town visiting. Ben & I celebrated our 4th anniversary a few wks early at Maggianno's in Denver-YUM!

Tomorrow...I will probably go to church and hang out with my family OUTSIDE! It's supposed to be beautiful.

So, I tag: Amber H, Kelly F, Alisha, & Susan M.

9 months old!

Samuel is 9 months old today! He can pull himself up on furniture and stand for long periods of time. He blabs constantly, loves to play peek-a-boo, and rolls over the moment you set him down to change his diaper! He is such a joy to us! There are more pictures in our online photo album on the link to the right.

Play Ball!

Samuel loves to "throw"!

"Walking"

Samuel loves to scoot around in his walker & eat cheerios.

Pulling Up

Here is a video of Samuel pulling himself up...

Breckenridge

So we decided on whim yesterday to go on a road trip in the mountains. We have never been to Breckenridge & heard it is a cute little town. We had a great time! We enjoyed the fall-like scenery with the Aspen trees turning golden. Our first stop was The Donut Mill in Woodland Park. Then it was on to Breckenridge. When we arrived we had lunch at a burger place where we caught up on college football scores. After lunch we took a leisurely stroll around town stopping in a few shops, eating yummy cookies & talking to strangers. It is amazing how many people talk to you when you have a baby! Samuel loves the attention. He's our social butterfly.

Pool

I forgot to put this in my last post. Here is a short video of Samuel enjoying the pool at my parents.

Labor Day in St. Louis

We visited family & friends in St. Louis for Labor Day. Much to our dismay, it was hot and humid! Samuel instantly got a cold/allergies. He did fairly well with the busy schedule and feeling crummy, though.

Friday we hung out at my parents house. Samuel had fun splashing in the pool for the first time and didn't mind the water on his face. Later that evening, my brother and his family came to see Samuel (& us).
Saturday we all wore our OSU gear to cheer on the Buckeyes for the first game of the season!

My friend, Brandi (who I've known since 3rd grade) came to meet Samuel from Decatur, IL along with her mom & grandma.

Saturday night we headed to John & Susan's house for a BBQ with friends. Samuel wasn't feeling great so we had to leave earlier than we would have liked. We got to meet John & Susan's one month old daughter, Leah, too!

Sunday we drove to Vincennes, Indiana, to see my Grandma, Aunt, and cousins. Samuel with his Great Grandma Watts.

It was a great trip, but busy! We didn't get to see all the friends we wish we could've seen...maybe next time. Traveling with a baby changes so much! :-) Click here to see more photos from our trip.

The Park

Sunday afternoon was beautiful so we decided to go to a park nearby and see what Samuel thought of the baby swing. Of course he loved it! He is still a bit small so he just reclined and enjoyed the girl on the swing next to him.

Chasing after Beren

Here is Samuel chasing after Beren, our cat. It's amazing how quickly he can get from one side of the room to the other!

Samuel's 6 month portraits

If you'd like to see Samuel's 6 month pictures, please go to: www.jonathanbetz.com. Click on the CLIENTS link on the website. The password is: andress6mo

We happen to think he is quite CUTE! :)

Wild Man

Well, Samuel is VERY active. He is constantly on the move! He absolutely cannot stay still for 10 seconds. We are quickly learning to change a diaper when he is on all fours! This video will give you an idea of why he now sleeps 14 hrs/night!!

Rockies Game

Our treasurer at The Navigators had 2 extra Club tickets to the Colorado Rockie game Thursday afternoon. My friend, Jessi, was the first to respond that she was interested. However, she didn't pay attention to the date and time - that is was a 1pm game on Thursday. She still wanted to go so she convinced me to come (believe me -it didn't take much convincing)! We had a fun time! We rode the light rail in Denver and headed to our GREAT seats in the Wells Fargo Club. We had our own private concession area and really NICE bathrooms! Unfortunately the Rockies lost 6-2 to the Arizona Diamond Backs, but it was still entertaining. At least we got to see Matt Holliday hit a homerun!

All in all it was a nice break from work, especially after a very stressful and busy week!

Kickoff in 19 days!!

We are gearing up for OSU Football. Samuel has a Brutus the Buckeye which he loves! He smiles and laughs each time he sees him. We will have more videos & pictures of OSU gear and Samuel soon.

Beren is funny!

Samuel thinks Beren is so funny! He giggles everytime he sees him!

6 Month Check-Up

This post is about 2 wks overdue...

Samuel now weighs 17.5 oz & is 27.5 inches. He's in the 50th percentile for his weight and 80th percentile for height! He's right on target with everything. Not quite sure where he is getting the height from...(my assumption is the Tharp side of the family).

He is now sitting on his own as well! It is fun for him to sit in a highchair at restaurants (& at home). He seems quite determined to be on the move! He does a backwards crawl nowadays. We think it's just a matter of time before he is crawling and pulling himself up! Yikes, that means we need a gate, outlet covers, etc. Oh, and he talks a LOT! He's taking after his Uncle Brad when he's not even around him very often! Scary, eh? :)