The Cutest PJs ... Ever!

Grammy bought these pajamas for Samantha a long time ago (like, back in January). She brought them to my house and I have been saving them all these months until Sam would be big enough to wear them. Well, the time finally came and knowing that my mom was coming over last night, I laid the pajamas out on the bed before I went to work. That way, Grammy could give Samantha a bath and get her ready for bed in the very special jammies. And doesn't she look adorable??? I couldn't wait to come home and see her after work -- and the best part was that she was still awake in her bed and I got to give her hugs and kisses (and a little "Mama time") before laying her back down. A definite highlight every time for me!

And aren't these socks adorable too? They even have little "grippers" on the bottom and tails at the back!

10 Months Old!

Samantha turned 10 months old today! It's unbelievable to see how quickly she has grown and how much her personality has really developed. These days, her favorite thing to do is to reach for your hands and use them to pull herself up. This was something that I taught her a few weeks ago (never imagining that she would catch-on so quickly). Now, if your hands aren't right where she wants them/needs them to be, she will move them to the right position and "whip herself" up into a standing position. During the last week, she has further developed this movement and now uses the standing position to take steps to wherever she wants to go (while holding on to your hands). She is still unsteady and wobbles quite a bit, but she is determined and stubborn. She always wants to be on the move ...

Trying to be like Daddy with the backwards cap

Giving our best smiles for the camera

Another tooth!

Samantha is cutting a new tooth! This is her third one -- her top left central incisor (to be exact). This has been a long time coming; after all, she cut her two bottom teeth in the middle of June within 3 days of one another. And then ... a long standstill. This may help to explain her fussiness the last couple of weeks.

The tooth has just started to break through (I can feel it with my finger). Although, I have learned that she can bite REALLY hard with those bottom teeth (and leave marks), so I don't keep my finger in there for too long. It's interesting to me that she cut her bottom left tooth first and now she is cutting her top left tooth before the right one. I wonder if that is how it typically goes?

Samantha loves to take her dad's baseball cap off whenever she gets a chance. For something different, we put a baseball cap on HER -- her very own special pink one. I couldn't resist taking a couple of pictures of her posing so sweetly with it on. (She did manage to keep her own hat on for a little while).

Isn't she getting big?

Oh, and she is so adorable with her cap on backwards too!

Just Having Fun ...

Today, we took a trip out to the orchard to see my parents. We didn't tell them ahead of time that we were coming -- we wanted to surprise them ... and we did! We also surprised Aunt Minnie, who showed up there a little bit after we did. The weather was gorgeous, so I took the opportunity to snap a few random pictures of Samantha outside in the play area with Aunt Minnie and me.

Ready to go down the slide!

Trying really hard to balance (Mommy still needs to provide some support though)

Look at those smiles!


Swinging with Aunt Minnie

A Future Pool Player?

For those of you that don't know, both Steve and his dad play pool regularly on a pool league. Stan even has a pool table down in his basement and Steve never misses an opportunity to challenge his dad to a few games of pool whenever we are over at their house.

Yesterday, we celebrated Steve's mom's birthday by going out to a mid-afternoon dinner and then going over to their house for presents and apple pie with ice cream (one of Barb's favorites!). We took Sam down the basement and set her on the pool table (after the guys were done playing) and these were some of the photos that we were able to get of our "future pool player ..."

She immediately reached for the balls!

She managed to snag the "1 ball" and of course, it went directly to her mouth

Grandpa wanted to see which one she preferred, the black ball or the white ball ... but she was distracted by Mommy

Isn't this a fun game????

9 Month Doctor's Apporintment

Yesterday was Samantha's 9 month doctor's appointment. She is now 28 inches long and weighs 15 lbs. 10 oz. She continues to follow her same growth curve and the doctor feels that she looks really good!

Samantha only had to get one shot this time and she did really well with it. I have to say that Sam has never really cried too much after getting her shots (or getting her ears pierced). She typically screams for about 10 seconds and then it's all over with. Even so, I did something a little different yesterday and remembered to bring her "special blanket." This blanket has definitely become a favorite and she uses it whenever she nurses or sleeps. The blanket minimized her crying after the shot even more ... if that is possible. Here is a picture of her with the special blanket.

I am going to continue nursing Sam until she is a year old. At that time, she will be able to have cow's milk. I've been weaning her for a few months now ... since she started on solid foods. She still nurses about 3 times a day and the doctor said that that was perfect. I've started teaching again in the evenings (after only having less than 3 weeks off from the summer semester that I taught), so Steve gives her a partial bottle before bed. This seems to work out nicely. I always check on my sleeping beauty when I get home from work ... and last night, I even got to hold her for a few minutes before putting her back in the crib. I don't know if that was more for her benefit or mine, but it felt good nonetheless.

Sam can now have all kinds of meat (including red meat). Up until now, I have only been giving her organic chicken and turkey. It will be nice to start introducing more variety. I make all of my own organic baby food for her and this has proven to be very easy and convenient for me. I am also excited about all of the wonderful organic produce that I can find -- Sam LOVES avocados and kiwis (among other things) and these are never found in prepared baby food. She still is not a real fan of carrots, but everything else seems to be enjoyable for her. I just mix carrots in with some of the favorites and that way she is still enjoying all of their nutrients.

Samantha can now start having yogurt. The doctor warned me that this would probably spur on a small growth spurt for her (because of the calories), but she can afford to have one and the extra protein will be a bonus!

All in all, I am so excited to see all of the changes that are taking place in our little girl. She smiles so much these days (showing off her 2 pearly whites on the bottom) and even laughs out loud. Her dexterity with self-feeding is becoming more and more developed. This morning, I even watched her pick up a piece of her puffed cereal and put it in her mouth after she dropped it. Until today, she would drop her small pieces of food and not bother with them. Now, she roots around looking for them and then puts them in her mouth. It makes me smile.