Just a regular day

I want to be sure to document normal, everyday life as our family grows; this video is part of that.  YouTube wouldn't let me post it all at once, so it's in two parts.  Probably no one but the grandmas will want to watch it all (and even they might get bored), but it's part of our life now that I'd like to remember.  Come join me for lunch with our cute boy!  (Click on the links below.)

Part 1

Part 2

8 Months!

Sam is 8 months old and a greater delight to his parents every day.  He celebrated this month by:

- going on his first flight to see family in Seattle.  He was a trooper through layovers and delays, and he loved meeting all his West Coast family!

- eating!  He consistently downs at least 1 jar of food for lunch and 2 jars at dinner.  Mom also has to be ready with some quick finger food in case she's slow getting the spoon to his mouth between bites!

- asserting his will.  This month, we've seen Sam cry when he doesn't get what he wants.  He's pretty quickly distracted, but he's starting to make his wishes known.

- beginning to crawl.  He's not quite there, but he's learning that he can be mobile.  Today was the first day that he began to get into things that he shouldn't get into; these things are also known as things that Mom should have put away earlier!

- babbling.  We're hearing much more "ma-ma-ma-ma" and "ba-ba-ba-ba" these days.  He doesn't use them to mean anything - or anyone - in particular, but he loves to hear himself.

- going to the nursery.  Sam went to the church nursery for the first time last week, but he's been going to the nursery during Mom's Bible study for awhile now.  The nursery ladies continue to comment on how easygoing and laid back he is.  Last week when I picked him up, 3 other babies were screaming while Sam happily played on the floor.  We're thankful for his sweet disposition!

- loving the bath.  All we have to do is show Sam his little blue bathtub, and he gets excited.  When he's in the bath, he loves to gather all his bath toys and hold them at once.  Heaven help the mama who tries to take a toy away!  He still likes splashing and complains loudly when bathtime is over.

- having fun!  Sam continues to love jumping in his jumper and going outside.  We left the stroller at Honey and Poppy's by mistake, so walks have been a little more challenging (using the ErgoBaby), but he still loves every minute of it!  (It's probably just more challenging for whoever has the 16 pound baby strapped to them in 80-degree weather!)

Happy 8 months, little buddy!  We love you!

    

    

Sam's First Trip to the Pacific Northwest (Part 2)

After spending a fun week with Grandma and Grandpa, we went back to the airport for a quick flight to Boise.  Joel's friend Jim lives just outside Boise with his wife Cheryl and their three boys.  They were so kind to host us for a few days, and Sam had lots of fun watching Bryce, Grant, and Cody.  He definitely learned that life is louder when you have siblings!  Here are a few photos of our time there.

These were the only pictures we took of all four of them.  Obviously, they're not the best, but at least everyone's in the picture.  Thanks for having us, Jim and Cheryl!

After our time in Boise, we flew back to Greensboro by way of Chicago again.  This time, our flights didn't go quite as well.  Sam still did okay on the planes, but we got stuck in Chicago for an extra 6-7 hours, which was exhausting.  Sam slept a bit in my arms, but not nearly as much as he needed to, so he was pretty fried by the time we got back to Greensboro.  Poor Honey and Poppy (my parents) had to endure almost nonstop screaming all the way home from the airport.

The next day, Sam took a 4 hour nap (!) at my parents' house, and then we headed home.  It was a wonderful trip, but we were grateful to be home.  Thanks for having us, everyone!

Sam's First Trip to the Pacific Northwest (Part 1)

Since a major political convention took over downtown Charlotte the first week of September, we decided it would be a great time to visit family in Seattle.  Joel was (amazingly) able to get 2 weeks of vacation, so off we went!  Our trip happened in several stages...

First - We went to Winston-Salem, where Sam and I stayed for a couple of days while Joel made a quick trip to DC and back.  My parents took great care of us and then took us to the airport on Saturday morning, when we flew from Greensboro to Chicago to Seattle.  Sam did great on the flights and charmed everyone we met.  Aside from a quick wardrobe change needed at the airport, everything went smoothly.

Second - We spent a week and a day with Joel's parents in Bellevue.  They were wonderful hosts, both to us and to the parade of family members who came to meet Sam.  He was quite the celebrity!

Great-Grandma Whalen 

Great-Grandpa Whalen 

 Grandma

Great Aunt Diana 

Great Uncle Keith 

Cousins Lauren and Christina 

Uncle Brian 

Daddy and Grandpa out to dinner 

Great-Grandma Hibbard 

Great-Grandpa Hibbard 

Aunt Melissa 

4 generations of Whalens 

We got to go hiking! 

Visiting Aunt Laura at her new house

It was a wonderful trip, and we're so thankful we got to see so many family members.  Sam did great at the grandparents' and adjusted to the time change pretty easily.  We're fortunate that he's so easy-going!  Next up, our trip to Boise...

And so it begins...

Since I last blogged, we've traveled across the country, and Sam has met numerous family members.  I have lots of good pictures to share, and that update is coming.  For today, though, just a quick video of our boy learning to crawl.  He turned 8 months old today, so this is a great way to celebrate.  We know he'll be into everything soon.  Happy 8 months, buddy!