A Full Week

Sam had a very full week. We snapped lots of pictures...as usual. :) He surprised us by saying a few new things. He said "Hi Granddad" to my dad one morning. That night he said "Hi Da-da" to Nick. It was SOOO sweet. We asked him a question one day this week and he responded..."Huh." He has also been saying "Nana" this week. Sam is getting closer and closer to walking. Yikes is all I have to say about that! His balance becomes better each day. This week he has been up on his knees walking. It looks so strange. We are getting ready for Sam's 2nd Easter...this will be his first at home. Last year he celebrated Easter in the NICU. Hard to believe that was a year ago.

Posing with Granddad on a cool bike.

Exploring his cabinet...full of his toys.

Into everything!

Exploring the flower beds at Grandmother's house.

Cool....mud!

Hi Mommy...I'm not getting too dirty. :)

Yum, peanut butter.

Sam's 1st time eating peanut butter.

He seemed to like it a lot. No allergies so far.

Sam got a boo-boo on his nose....rug burned it when he took a nose dive off the bed. Poor little guy. He is getting braver with each passing day. Yikes!

Going for a walk with Mommy and Daddy. Had to bundle up on this chilly night.

Enjoying my new big boy cups!

Look at all of those teeth! :)

Making a mess with Mommy...digging in the Cherrios.

Mommy, are you sure Daddy won't be mad about our mess? :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day Grandmother!

Sam took a fall this day and had to make a visit to the dentist. Poor little guy gave us all a scare, but he is just fine. He got a sticker and toothbrush out of the whole deal.

Daddy's big boy.

Aunt Melissa took Sam and Gabbie for a bike ride.

Gabbie is 5 months older than Sam but is so petite in size.

Pass the snacks Gabbie.

Thanks girl! :)

Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam turned 1 on Saturday. We had a very busy weekend....busy but fun. Sam woke up coughing in the middle of the night. I looked at the clock and it was 1:45am...the exact time of his birth. Crazy huh! He finished the night sleeping with Mommy and Daddy. The next morning, we started our day by taking Sam to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. We all ordered pancakes. :) After breakfast, we headed to the store so Sam could pick out a birthday treat. He chose a bat and ball set and some bubbles. Then we went to a lake in town and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The weather was just perfect. Sam had fun throwing pine cones into the water and feeding some Gerber puffs to the ducks...well, actually there was only one duck. :) After our fun morning, we went back to Nick's mom's house and took a nap. We woke up just in time for all of the guests coming to Sam's birthday party. We also celebrated a few other birthdays...it was a big day for celebrating. Sam had lunch and a birthday cupcake. Like his 1st cupcake, he knew just what to do. After cleaning Sam up, he opened lots of nice gifts. He even received some spending money. I think we will go shopping for shoes next weekend. Sam's foot is growing like crazy. He is wearing a size 4, but quickly approaching size 5. The shoes he wore to the wedding are size 5's, because I want him to wear them for Easter too. After all the birthday fun, Sam and Mommy took a nap. When we woke up, everyone was getting ready for the wedding. We too got ready and headed to the church. Sam looked so cute. He wore a white smocked outfit (a hand-me-down from Mrs. Rachel's boys), white knee socks, and white dress shoes. He did okay during the ceremony. When Nana and Pop got up to sing, he started singing too. :) We stepped out for a moment, but we were able to return to see the ceremony. Thank goodness for Gerber puffs...that's what kept him quiet during the wedding. :) It was dinner time, so I didn't feel bad. The reception was nice. Sam really liked the food. He fell asleep while dancing with Nana, so he missed getting a slice of wedding cake. We left shortly after he fell asleep and went back to Nana's to get some rest ourselves. What a memorable weekend! :) Can hardly believe our sweet baby boy is a year old.

Mommy and Sam about to walk into Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

Eating pancakes at Craker Barrel. Yummy! :)

Ready for more.

Daddy and Sam leaving Cracker Barrel.

Feeding a duck Gerber puffs. :)

Snuggling Daddy at the lake.

Throwing pine cones in the water with Mommy.

Sitting in Pop's little chair.

Granny, Papa, and Sam :)

Meeting Uncle Stanley for the 1st time.

Two handsome guys.

The Little Levin Guys...all dressed up.

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Took Sam to the doctor yesterday for his one year check-up and to see about his cough. He dropped a few ounces in weight over the weekend. He went from 25 pounds even to 24 pounds and 12 ounces. The doctor said that will happen with him becoming more and more active. He measures 32 inches long! He is in the 90th percentile for weight and above the 97th percentile for height. The doctor said he will probably be taller than Daddy. The doctor was very happy with Sam's physical development and hitting all his milestones. She spoke to me about continuing to baby proof and to watch for choking hazards. She cleared us for whole milk, peanut butter and eggs. Whoops....we have done everything except the peanut butter. We were going to try that yesterday but decided to wait until Sam feels better. They pricked his finger at the doctor and he just stared at the nurse. He was so brave...didn't cry or make a sound. Now when the shots came, that was a whole different story. He was admiring himself in the mirror when the nurse got him. He was very upset. We headed home and had a quick dinner and then it was time for a bath. We switched to Aveno products for bath time because Sam's skin is very dry. It's amazing how soft he is after one use. I wish I had thought to switch brands sooner. Sam woke up with a fever last night in reaction to his shots. I kept him in bed with me to monitor his temperature. He is doing much better this morning. Oh, and the biggest accomplishment of the year....WE FOUND A SIPPY CUP SAM WILL USE! :) We will work to wean him from the bottle this week. I think he will do great, but we will give him as much time as he needs. Sweet sweet Sam! :) I think I find reasons to love him more and more with each passing day.

Daddy's Little Helper

Sam helping Daddy unload the dishwasher. What a sweet boy! :)

A Year Ago....

Sam and Mommy.....March 2, 2009

With Sam's 1st birthday approaching, I find myself thinking back to what I was doing this time last year. A year ago today, Nick and I were playing in the snow. We had no idea that our sweet little boy would be born 5 days later. Wow! Praise God for all the miracles He blesses each of with each day.Nick and I look at Sam and have no doubt that God is real and present in our lives. (Not that we didn't know that before, but what a real life miracle our Sam is.)

Birthday Party!

Getting the food table ready before guests arrive.

Sam's 1st cupcake.

A sweet treat for all the guests.

The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Balloons and a banner for Sam.

Opening presents :)

Is that for me?

Why is this the 1st time I'm eating something so good?

Yummy!

Mommy, Daddy, and Sam

We had Sam's Birthday Party on Sunday. We celebrated a week early, because Nick's brother is getting married on Sam's birthday next Saturday. The party was so much fun! We kept things very simple and that worked out great. The theme was Sam's favorite show....Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Sam watches this each morning while Mommy and Daddy are getting ready for work. :) We kicked the party off with hot dogs....for Mickey Mouse's Hot Dog Dance. Sam ate a chicken stick on a hot dog bun along with some cheese. Then we moved onto opening presents. Sam received so many nice things. While opening presents he was quite antsy....ready to get down and move onto the next thing. After presents, Sam enjoyed his 1st cupcake. He started out slow and cautious...looking up at Mommy and Daddy for approval. Once he got the go ahead from us, he inhaled this sweet treat. He had both hands going at once, shoveled cupcake and icing into his mouth. Within 2 minutes of finishing his cupcake, Sam fell asleep in his highchair....even before we got him all cleaned up. Poor little guy....we had to wake him up and rinse him off in the tub. That must have given him a second wind, because he was ready to go after that. We ended the party by releasing balloons and saying happy birthday to Sam one last time. Nick and I are very pleased with how everything turned out.

Grandmother, Granddad, and Sleepy Sam

Poor baby just couldn't stay awake.

Sam and Aunt Kathy...after his bath.

Playing with Uncle Patrick and Josh.

Releasing balloons....Happy Birthday Sam!