End of March

It was a great, long weekend for the three of us! With Bryan being home Thursday and Friday due to weather, it really felt like we had a lot of time to relax and play together. Saturday was spent at the church basketball tournament until mid afternoon and then watching college basketball at Matt and Abbie's that evening. Today we went to church and then just hung around here and enjoyed the day together. We have such a happy little boy and really felt the need today to capture a few extra smiles of his on camera. When Bryan takes so many, it's hard for me to pick which ones to delete and which ones to keep so I give up and just save a million of basically the same pose!

Saturday lounging at Matt and Abbie's...


Super Strong...


Sweet Potatoes...


PS- The 10ish inches of snow that fell all day Thursday and into the morning on Friday are all but gone today!


Friday afternoon


Sunday afternoon


You can see a little left back here! Crazy Denver weather!

Cute Pictures

Here is a picture I took Thursday of Kate and Luke playing at our house. They are normal siblings who love each other most of the time but annoy the other every once in a while. Thursday they were busy playing in my room and this is how they walked into the living room to check on Abbie and I and the little boys. Pretty cute.


Here's a picture that I took this week too of Sam modeling some new shorts. Our happy little boy! : )


PS- Not the best quality and lighting on some of these pictures- they are from the camera on my phone.

Relaxing Friday

Today has been a great day. The sun came out midmorning and it's beautiful out there now! The snow has already melted from the roads so I'm sure it will all be gone in the next few days.

This morning we went to a nearby recreation center and walked around their track for a while. Sam loved his first real ride in his stroller and slept for a good hour while we walked. We then grabbed a bite to eat at an old favorite and are now just hanging out with Bryan's friend Evan. He and Bryan are good Catholic boys and they are both looking forward to some delicious tuna and noodles tonight prepared by me! Enjoy Sam today!

In the car all bundled up... he wasn't too thrilled...


During our walk in his stroller...




At lunch in his fun hat...

Still Snowing This Morning!

It's still snowing in Denver as of 8:30 this morning! It all started at our house 9ish yesterday so it's been coming down for pretty much 24 hours! And yes... Bryan gets to be home again today!!!!!! We'll post some more pictures later of our second snowday around the house!

March Blizzard in Denver!

It started snowing this morning about 9:00 at our house and it's still going out there 12 hours later! The news said between 8-10 inches fell down south where we are and it's fluffy and beautiful. Conditions were bad enough to send Bryan home at 10:30 this morning so Sam and I enjoyed some extra lazy time around the house with him. We'll see what happens overnight but cross your fingers that Bryan can enjoy a four day weekend!!! : )

Our little Sam continues to do well! We battled (if you can call it that) a strange bug for a little over a week that included only one almost projectile-like vomit a day, but he remained in great spirits other than that and seems to be just fine these past few days! Maybe some kind of a reflux thing but it seems to have passed so who knows. He is REALLY working on those teeth--- poor guy. He now rubs his tongue back and forth over his bottom gums whenever he isn't chomping on something else to make them feel better. He's been as happy as ever though so we are thankful. Hopefully something pops up soon. We finally got his next stroller delivered yesterday. It's a nice Maclaren fancy umbrella stroller and I love it. We've only strolled around our little apartment but it rides nice and Sam enjoys it! He also joins us at dinner now in his new highchair. It's funny. For some reason, grumpy or not, he sits and just watches us throughout dinner- always has- but now has a better view. He usually stares at Bryan the majority of the time-very sweet.

Today I met a lady that had a little boy younger and BIGGER than Sam--- which hasn't happened much--- at BabiesRus. Her son was 4 months old and weighed 17 pounds and was the exact same length. Once the sales-lady found out he was two months younger than Sam but the same size, she totally laid the "Oh my gosh... he's so HUGE... I can't believe how big he is..." talk on her. I felt bad because I get that sometimes and it's not meant to be mean, but stings a little. I loved them up and didn't use the word huge or big or anything of the sort so hopefully I made her feel a little better. Her little one is perfect no matter what size! : )

Other than the weather and Sam's teeth, we aren't too eventful around here. Bryan is playing in a coed basketball tourney Saturday morning. Sam and I will be there cheering him on for sure! It will be fun to watch. We plan to get to the mall to push our new ride around a bit if there's still snow on the ground outside but if Denver weather continues as it has this winter... it will be in the 60s Saturday and Sunday and the pretty snow will disappear as quickly as it came. Hope all is well with you. Thanks for reading about us and taking a look at our growing boy. I enjoy sharing him with you this way. Have a good weekend!

View from our patio at 4:00 this afternoon-


New stroller-



Highchair-

(Doing the tongue thing!)

Trying on his sunglasses for that bright snow-


Blurry... but cute of his concrete pjs this morning-

Sam and His Cousins

Abbie emailed me a few pictures from the last couple of weeks of Sam from their camera. He learns a lot from his older cousins and loves to spend time with them. We are very thankful they are 15 minutes away!

Daniel getting ready to get or push Sam in Kate's doll stroller- they are 4ish months apart...


Borrowing some cool shades to be like Luke and Kate...


Playing downstairs with his dad during a remodel break...

Smiley on Sunday

Dad and Sam


Sam up close


Sam during dinner

A Saturday at Home

Today Sam, Bryan and I have really enjoyed a day hanging around home. We have napped, walked to the park to shoot baskets and swing (for the first time and he loved it!), cleaned out a closet, downloaded some music, watched basketball, etc. Nothing wild but it's been a great day. I wanted to share a few pictures of Sam swinging at the park and napping. He fell asleep exactly the same way today for his morning and mid-day naps... playing in his ocean... then a little roll over... and sleep!! We thought it was cute. Hope you enjoyed your Saturday too!

Fell asleep on his own in his ocean




Swinging

Quick Trip to Iowa

Sam, Jamie and I spent the last few days in Iowa visiting family. It was great to get to spend some relaxing time at home and I loved getting to show Sam off! My parents picked the three of us up at the Omaha airport early Friday morning. We traveled back to Des Moines for some time at the mall first... not a surprise for the Sogards. It was a successful trip to good old Valley West and we all made out with some great new spring duds. We were able to relax that night at home in Newton before getting in the car again right away Saturday morning. We dropped my mom off at a bridal shower in Eldora and the four of us headed to Hampton to see my grandpa. He and Sam hadn't met yet so it was wonderful to get to introduce them. Sam loved to study his great grandpa and was full of smiles and we were able to get some priceless pictures. Grandpa is at a care center instead of his assisted living apartment for now and they are pretty sure he needs to stay there for the near future anyways. He was strong and with-it during most of our visit but by the end you could tell that the couple of hours with us had worn him out physically and mentally. We said our goodbyes for now and loaded poor Sam back into his carseat for the drive back to Eldora. We were able to see several family friends, had a great lunch with our favorites the Appels, and then stopped by the Stickrods to see Jill and Spencer and meet their new little Chloe. She and Sam are 4ish months apart and it was great to get to visit with them. It's amazing to remember how quickly they grow and to think back to the sweet days not too long ago when our little one was that small and had a tiny little newborn cry too. He looked pretty giant laying next to her! Spencer and Jill are great. Saturday night we did a little baking and enjoyed more time lounging around home. Sunday Bryan's mom and sister, dad and Peg came to Newton for some Sam time and lunch. We spent the morning and afternoon together loving Sam and catching up. He behaved and showed them a few of his tricks! It was great that they were willing to come to us so we could have a day out of the car. We ended the day with a walk outside and a few good games of pretty poor ping pong... I think my dad was pretty embarrassed that I couldn't keep track of the score to save my life and Jamie couldn't hit the ball on the table to save hers! We were quite the pair. : ) Today we made a quick stop at Jordan Creek and I was able to steal a few minutes with my good friend Jen and her little girl Anna. Miss Anna and Sam are 6 weeks apart and Jen and I have loved sharing the joys and trials of motherhood! We made the trip back to Omaha and arrived safely in Denver this afternoon. We crammed a lot into a few days but it was a really nice and relaxing trip. Sam did wonderfully in the car and on the plane. Mom and Dad spoil us with good food, good conversation, laughter and love--- it's a hard place to leave. Bryan did well here without Sam and I but was ready and waiting for our return! Sam loved rocking with his dad tonight and fell quickly to sleep back in those familiar strong arms. It felt great to put our little guy to bed tonight in his own crib and I am anxious to crawl into our bed too! We are very thankful for the past few days. It was wonderful to get home. Thanks for letting me share a few pictures...

Grandma and Sam playing-


Meeting Great Grandpa Jack-


Lunch in Eldora- Sam and Grandpa are buds!


Nana and Sam on Sunday-


Sarah and Sam-


Enjoying the beautiful weather in his favorite Cubs gear- Thanks Drew!


Bathtime in the kitchen Sunday night- he didn't know what to think!


The Slideshow-

6 Months Old

Our little guy turned six months old yesterday! It's hard to believe that I have kissed him that many days... that we have put him to bed that many times... that we have seen a half of a year of growing and changing go by already! When you say six months it seems like a long time ago, and yet all that really in just the blink of an eye?! He is rolling over, drooling like crazy waiting for those first teeth, eating green beans, sweet potatoes and other delicious baby food and talks to us nonstop! He reaches up for my face a lot and loves to hold my hand constantly... a boy after his mother's heart for sure!! Bath time and the first hour of a new day are his two best times. He is fighting another cold right now but is sitting beside me as I type just as happy as can be. I'm sure the next six months will got just as quickly and will be filled with many more exciting milestones!

Things went well at his six month checkup this morning. Sam weighs 16 pounds, 15 ounces (45th percentile) and is almost 27 inches long (55th%). He was poked four times and cried even less than the last time! He was able to get a flu shot since he is old enough now and because we are still in the middle of such a rough flu season in Denver so they say. His doctor said to really push the formula now that we are done nursing to fatten him up before he becomes even more mobile, keep going with baby food- even twice a day if I want, and continue working on those gross motor skills- sitting up with support and improving his upper trunk stability. We don't go back until he is 9 months and then the next well visit after that is at a year! Sheesh!! I have a feeling it's just going to fly by.

Wounds from shots today-




Sam, Jamie and I are headed back to Iowa for a quick weekend trip to see my Grandpa in Hampton on Friday. He has been out of his assisted living place and in a nursing home for the last month or so and we didn't get to see him at Christmas due to him being sick. I am anxious to give him a hug and introduce him officially to Sam. Bryan's parents and sister are kindly driving to Newton for the day on Sunday so it will be nice to see them also. Sam is pretty different since our last trip back at Christmas so it will be fun. It will be weird to be without Bryan but I think he will end up enjoying some down time in a quiet house.

A few pictures I particularly enjoy...
Sam and Dad snoozing-

Happy in his bouncy seat and PJs-

The rest-

Thursday

Here are a few pictures of Sam sporting an ISU shirt and snoozing on the couch- something he doesn't do very often anymore as naps are normally in his crib. Today he wore a fun back shirt that had the word Mom with a flaming heart around it... a hand-me-down from friends in FL! He has had some GREAT days this week... very happy, good naps, good meals, happy in the car, lots of talking to me and playing... lots of good stuff. He melts my heart for sure!

No big plans for this weekend. We will be around relaxing and spending time with Bryan before Jamie, Sam, and I head to IA next weekend for a quick trip to see my Grandpa. Have a great few days!