Ireland or BUST!

Dolly and Leland just left with Brian to head to the airport for their big trip to Ireland! Since Dolly wasn't able to get a picture of them leaving, I picked up where she left off. They were SO excited for their big trip. Since mama is probably going to be hungry on the plane, I made her some shamrock cookies to munch on. Can't wait for them to return with pictures of Ireland and all their traveling stories. Luck of the Irish! Top of the mornin' to ya!

Food, Fun, Friends and Family

We had a busy, but fun weekend. First Samuel and I had a playdate with some friends (first picture). We all discovered we were pregnant and due within a week of each other. From the left to right the babies are Samuel, Winnie, Presley and Sam. Sam arrived first, 2 weeks later Samuel arrived, and the next week Winnie and Presley made their grand entrance. It's been fun watching our little ones grow up over the last 5 months and taking notes from one another. We decided to get together at Courtney's house (Sam's mom) on Saturday for lunch. We had fun letting the babies study each other. Next, Brian prepped for another yummy Italian meal. He made his famous Chicken Parm (my college friends can attest to how delicious it is) for our friends Merritt and Tom. We had a great time with them. Below is Brian testing his creation (or pretending to for the sake of the blog photo op:).
Here we are with Merritt and Winnie. Samuel is blowing bubbles and Winnie is checking out the TV. We always thought Merritt would have the active baby because she is so active and Winnie was so active in the womb while Samuel was calm in the womb. However, once they arrived we quickly figured out how different their personalities actually are! We call Winnie "Sleeping Beauty" and Samuel "The Young and the Restless"....although he is sleeping much better these days.
We had so much fun getting these pictures of the kiddos. They were holding hands the whole time. Look at them sporting the overalls.
Then on Sunday my dear ole Pop turned 51. We had him (and his wife, Denise) over for his birthday lunch and Brian made none other than Chicken Parm--yep, twice in a row, but I'm not complaining! Here is my dad blowing out his candle.
Here you see Grandpappy having some quality time with his grandson. Samuel is obviously pretty fond of him by the huge grin on his face!!

4th Month Pictures

We had such a fun time getting Samuel's 4 month pictures. He was quite a ham during the shoot and it was cracking us up. Some of the proofs were hilarious because he is moving like mad man and they are all action shots. She tried to get pictures of him spread out on a boppy type pillow, but he pulled himself up and off the pillow within 2 seconds and his chubby legs were dangling in the air. Normally I would not wear a hoodie for pictures, but I wasn't supposed to be in them. She just snapped a few in-action shots. Enjoy the pics!

Happy Easter!

Should I eat the bunny.... Hug the bunny....
Worry about the bunny...Look cute with the bunny...

Okay, really mom? Let's end this photo session.

Here is Samuel in his Easter outfit with his Easter bunny. He LOVES this bunny. Brian got it for him the day before he was born as a "welcome to the world" gift and he loves it. We keep it in his crib and when I put him down to sleep he always smiles at it first thing. And, when he gets up from sleep I see him in the monitor smiling at the bunny and trying to make his way to the top of the crib to get it.
We are going to the Good Friday service at our church tonight at 6pm, so we broke out the Easter outfit early. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend with loved ones while celebrating the death/resurrection of Christ!

Samuel's 4 Month Appt...

Sweet Samuel getting up from his nap just in time for his check-up. Little does he know that shots are in his near future....poor baby! Here he is with daddy right before his shots. He's sucking his fingers with that worried look like he knows something's up!
Here he is right after the shots. He cried, but not for long. I think it was harder on us!
Look at that sad little face!! We put him in his comfy PJ's for the rest of the day.
This picture has nothing to do w/ his check-up. We put together his Jumperoo and the first time we put him in it, he was backwards. Too funny to not grab the camera!




Today we had Samuel's 4 month check-up. I can't believe my little guy is already 4 months old! It's been so fun watching him grow and develop over the last few months and although we know there is much to look forward to, sometimes we want to slow the time down. Samuel's little personality is evolving more and more! He loves when we read, talk and sing to him and let's us know with his cute squeaks and coos. He has started mimicking things too. When you stick your tongue out at him he pokes his little tongue out right back at you. He LOVES this game now! Everytime I go to pick him up out of the crib from a nap he grins and sticks his tongue out--it melts me! He has started giggling too. Mostly when we tickle him and sometimes just when he thinks sometime is funny like when I kiss his hand over and over. He is hitting all his milestones well and even tries to sit up (although he can't quite yet). He sometimes grabs the toys dangling from his mobile gym and uses them as leverage to try pull himself up. It's hilarious to watch. He recently decided baths were not his favorite thing, so he tries sooo hard to pull up and out of it. He has rolled over a few times, but he then finds himself stuck on his back and is not happy. We have to intervene at that point! He weighed in today at 14.6 pounds. He is eating well and loves to play with my hand during feedings. Enjoy the pictures!

I did it!

Here we are--in and out of the store in record time with no meltdown! Mission accomplished!
Ah..the fruits of my labor--Groceries and Samuel, get it?!
Just a cute picture I had to throw in--His Auntie Lynnie got him this cute number.


First of all, we had a rough night last night. Samuel's sleep monitor that sets off an alarm if it senses no breathing in 20 seconds, went off at 12:30am because Samuel had worked his way to the bottom of the crib off the sensor. Well, he didn't go back to sleep until 3:30am! Brian in the meantime tells me, "you need to nap when he naps tomorrow instead of blogging:)"...well, easier said than done! I have a hard time napping during the day lately anyway.

Today was a BIG day....I know this is going to sound crazy to you veteran mom's, but one of my fears has been taking Samuel to the grocery store. I think it has to do with the fact that he hated his carseat for so long coupled with his acid reflux fussiness--grocery shopping just seemed like torture. However, a Harris Teeter just opened literally less than 1/2 mile from my house, so I decided it was time to tackle this little fear. I'm happy to say, all went SUPER! Granted, I was speeding through the grocery store with wreckless abandon, but he did great. He probably felt queasy from my lightning speed throughout the store, but he didn't show it! So, I decided to get a picture to mark the occasion and I have to say--it was embarrassing to ask the bagger take the picture. I told him it was our first trip just the two of us to the grocery store---I don't think he really cared! It's so nice having the store so close because within one hour I was able to feed/change Samuel, get groceries and put dinner in the crockpot before my little guy's nap.

Sleepy Baby, Happy Parents

Last night was a big night in the V household. Let me first explain that our little guy doesn't sleep on the go--not in his car seat on drives or in unfamiliar places. Therefore, when we go out he is bound to miss a nap (well, he'll take a catnap in mom's arms, but that's the extent of it). So, last night at church Samuel slept in my arms maybe 20 minutes which means he only had 20 min of sleep between 4:30 and when we put him to bed at 9:00. The above picture is Samuel SOOOOO tired (notice the sweet little tear in his eye). I love that he is a thumbsucker b/c I think it's so sweet that he loves that little thumb and goes for it when he's tired or upset. Anyway, all that to say---he slept from 9:00pm straight through until 6:35am!!!!!! We are soooo excited and I even made Brian go make sure he was breathing around 5:00am. We are so thankful to God that the acid reflux medicine he is now on is working. He still has some of the reflux, but the major pain he was in is mostly gone with an occasional flare up. Here's hoping this sleeping through the night gig lasts!