Cake Smash//Picture Overload!

Are you ready for a lot of pictures? Good. Here we go!

Here's the cake before the action:

Sam started out pretty timidly

But after I pinched off a piece of the cake for him to try he started to get a little more enthusiastic.

Pretty soon, he was going at it!

...and then he dumped the cake onto his lap, and later the floor!

Look, Mom, CAKE!

 Thanks for reading. Bye, bye!

If you want to see the healthy (ish) recipe I used for the cake, click here.

Soon, I'll be posting about Sam's first birthday party!

Just in case you were wondering, the backdrop is made from dollar store crepe paper streamers and ribbon from my craft box. I reused it at the birthday party.

Samuel's Favorite Things// First Birthday Update

Samuel is one year old! He is the cutest little thing you have ever seen and I am so grateful to be his mommy! This has been at the same time the hardest and most beautiful and rewarding year of my life. From 1am (and two, and three, and four am) feedings, to his first time laughing, to clapping for himself and playing hide and seek, it has been a growing year for all of us.

Sam now attempts to stand on his own (though it never lasts long) and absolutely loves walking while holding onto our hands. He tries very hard to climb up onto everything, and the things he can't get on top of by himself, he will try to get down from. My least favorite of these high places is the changing table. Though he usually tries to go down "feet first" like he's been taught, it's still too high, and usually at a very inconvenient time that he tries.

He loves eating! He's doing pretty well with trying new fruits but still doesn't like carrots. Go figure. He will eat his produce and oatmeal mixed together in his little squeezy bags, but his favorite food is probably cheddar cheese. He also loves the little muffins I made from the remnants of his smash cake batter. I may have to make another batch for him! He hasn't quite figured out how to used his teeth yet (of which there are now three!) but he does a pretty good job of mashing things with his tongue before he swallows them.

Samuel still loves to play peekaboo. Now, instead of just using a blanket, he will put his hands over his eyes to hide! He's so smart, and I am very proud. He also likes to play a hybrid between peekaboo and hide and seek. He will crawl away as quickly as he can and go into one of the bedroom where he will promptly shut the door and only open it when we wonder aloud, "where's Sam?" He then giggles mischievously and opens the door, but will shut it again if you get any closer. It's darling. He also likes it if we hide from him.

His favorite words to say are "dada" and "uh-huh," from which the rest of his vocabulary is made up, with different inflections. He understands quite a few words, though. He get's really excited when I say "all done!" after a meal and he get's to leave his high chair. He'll clasp his hands in the ASL sign for "amen" at the end of prayers, and he'll snuggle up or give great big slobbery kisses if I ask for hugs or kisses. He can also wave hello and goodbye, "tickle" (face plant) our tummies, and laughs at silly noises.

His favorite song right now is "the wise man and the foolish man" from our church. It's a kids song about a parable from the New Testament with great hand motions. This is how we keep him occupied during diaper changes and car seat buckling. His favorite book is still Moo, Baa, Lalala by Sandra Boynton, though he now appreciates almost any book. He loves turning the pages himself, and will sometimes sit by himself and babble as he "reads" books to himself. It is so darling!He likes to dance to music (and be applauded for it) and sometimes will try to sing along. I love that.

He is really good at going down for bed now. He has started wanting to go to sleep with a stuffed animal, which he will snuggle up with after we lay him down. He doesn't cry at bed time anymore and sleeps through the night most of the time. It's glorious! He has also gotten himself on a regular nap and sleep schedule. It's fantastic. He's always tired at the same time now, which makes planning my day so much easier!

My favorite thing is having him see me and have his face break into a grin and reach for me. This is even better when he rests his head on my shoulder and just snuggles for a brief moment. He often does this for his daddy, too, and it absolutely melts my heart.

I am so grateful for Samuel. He has taught me so much, and I am so glad that he came to our family. I love him, and I am grateful to my Father in Heaven for giving him to me!

These pictures were taken one year apart. Can you believe how much he's grown? 

Healthy Smash Cake Recipe

This week was Sam's first birthday! Ever since I heard about smash cakes I've been wanting to do one for him, but I didn't like the idea of feeding him tons of sugar and other things that I haven't really let him eat yet. I know, I'm a hypocrite. I love anything unhealthy (except for twinkies) but I don't want my baby to be the same, so I'm trying to help him eat well. I found this recipe over at Fit Mama Real Food and was so excited that it seemed so healthy. I also loved that I could substitute the baby food in my pantry (that Sam is starting to refuse to eat) for several of the ingredients!
Here's how you make it:

You will need:

1 jar of applesauce, 3-4 jars of bananas, 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 3/4 cup of baby oatmeal cereal, 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
*all of the jars of baby food that I used are 4 oz



Mix Bananas and applesauce,

coconut oil,

and vanilla extract in one bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and baking soda.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Grease your baking dishes. (I learned this greasing technique from my mother in law: put some coconut oil into the pan and wipe it around with a paper towel. You can also just use cooking spray.)

Then pour in your batter.

Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes and allow to cool before frosting. When I took mine out of the pans they started to lose their shape so I popped them back into their dishes and waited until they were room temperature to take them out again and they held up well after that.

For frosting I used plain greek yogurt (and then went a little crazy with the sprinkles!)

Sam loved it, and he really likes the non-frosted, non-sprinkled muffins a lot as well! For pictures of the smashing, go here, and here.

Here is a printer-friendly version of the recipe!



Ingredients
        1 Jar Applesauce
        3-4 Jars Banana
        3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)
        1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
        3/4 Cup Baby Oatmeal Cereal
        3/4 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour
        1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
        1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
                *all of the jars of baby food that I used are 4 oz

Directions

1. Mix Bananas, applesauce, coconut oil and vanilla extract in one bowl. (I used five jars of bananas and found it to be too much. I would suggest three or four.)
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, and baking soda.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour batter into greased baking dishes. I used two bowls that were four inches across and filled them two inches deep. I had enough batter left over to make 9 mini muffins for Sam to snack on. 
5. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Mine took about 35 minutes to cook. If you're using shallower pans, do less baking time. 
6. Allow to cool before frosting. I would suggest in the pan. When I took mine out they started to lose their shape so I popped them back into their dishes and waited until they were room temperature to take them out again and they held up well after that.

Happy Baking!

Family Portraits

We took some family portraits earlier this year. We were pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out because we just put our camera up on a tripod and used the timer and took 5 shots at a time. It worked really well, for the most part.

While we were getting the settings right on the camera Sam just wanted to eat the leaves. I had to rescue quite a few.

But once we started taking pictures he was a great sport!

During the pictures of just Cameron and I, Samuel sat in his stroller nearby so happily.

We took him to the playground afterwards and I rode down the slide with him and we continued to take some pictures while he played. He liked those a lot more than the posed ones.

Eleven Things About my Eleven-Month-Old!

It's been so long since I've posted. I tried to take a break from the computer over Christmas break and it was fabulous! And before that was final exams, plus a sick baby, plus getting ready to travel, so.... yeah.

Anyways, happy new year! My baby is eleven.months.old. As in, almost one year! How did this happen? So, to celebrate, here are 11 things about Samuel:

1. Sam loves his new high chair! It makes feeding him solids so much easier and a lot less stressful, so I've been doing better about making sure that he's getting the nutrients he needs. Yesterday he actually asked to get in it! (asked being a strong term. More like "avidly reached for it until I buckled him in and gave him some cheerios.") His favorite solid foods that he's tried are probably scrambled eggs and spaghetti. He likes the taste of bananas but struggles to pick them up on his own so they make him a little frustrated.
2. He is getting very good at stairs! We don't have any in our apartment, but he will crawl up any stairs he sees! This is a trick he learned over Christmas break and it's so cute to see how excited he gets about being able to navigate them himself.
3. He's responding more and more to what we say! It's so nice to know that he understands what we're saying. He can now give hugs and kisses (the wonderfully slobbery kind!), plays peekaboo, responds to "hands up," and knows if we say "feet first!" he needs to turn around and not try to dive headlong off of the couch or stairs.
4. Samuel loves positive reenforcement. If he's doing something that he thinks is difficult or cool, he'll look at other people for acknowledgment. Sometimes he'll even start clapping for himself if he wants applause. He does this most often when he is pushing his new walker or drinking from a straw. It is so sweet!
5. He dances! He never did it until I showed him a video of his sweet friend Lucy bobbing up and down to music. He looked at her like he was confused, but by the end of the video he had started swinging his arms from side to side. Now he'll often do that or sway side to side when we have music on, or kneel down and bounce.
6. He's a Tigger, like his daddy :) he always wants a horsey ride, or to jump on the couch, or in his bouncer, or in your arms, or anywhere really. He uses his carseat like a rocking horse when it's inside. He'll also sit up against a wall or the couch and bounce horizontally against it like I did when I was little. Isn't that funny? I don't think we purposefully taught him those things, or showed him how to do them. He just loves bouncing!
7. He says "Da!" a lot, followed by "na," "ha," and "ma." Because he says it infrequently, it makes it all the more special when he says "mama" and he usually does it in a somewhat appropriate context, which makes me so happy!
8. His silly teeth still won't come out! The two front ones on the bottom are so close that you can practically see them through his gums, and they're pushing up pretty far, but they just won't break through! I think it's getting pretty uncomfortable because Sam has been a lot more irritable and tired over the last few days than normal.
9. He loves climbing! He'll climb over or under the bars that attach the legs of our chairs together, tries to get up onto the couch, explores the underside of our coffee table, and even tries to find ways to use multiple objects as a staircase. A few days ago when I was doing some dishes I turned around and he had climbed from his carseat, to a chair, and was trying to get up onto the desk! That little guy is too smart for his own good, but I'm so proud!
10. One of his newest favorite "toys" are doors. He likes to go into my bedroom and push the door almost shut and then open it again over, and over, and over. He'll sometimes use the door to play peekaboo. He's so sweet! 
11. He also loves baths and showers. Both of his grandma's have very large sinks so he loved taking baths in them over the holidays. We're thinking of doing a bubble bath themed birthday party for him! :)

I am so grateful for my sweet little boy, and for the way that he brings so much joy to our lives! It is hard and tiring being a mom and doing school at the same time, but it is also so rewarding! I am also so grateful for Cameron who helps so much with Sam and the house as well as working and doing school full time. He is my hero, and I am so in love with him!

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts, encouragement, and help. We love and appreciate you so much!

Nine Months!

This month has had fewer milestones for Samuel, he's mostly just getting much better at the tricks he's learned previously. He continues to be as cute as ever and make us smile! It's crazy to think that he's been out of my belly as long as he was inside. It's definitely gone much faster than pregnancy did.

One exciting thing that he is on the verge of figuring out is kissing! I'll kiss him and say "kisses!" and then he will open his mouth wide and suck on my cheek or chin for a moment. It is so sweet. I can't wait until he learns how to blow kisses (he's almost there.)

He's teething (for real this time! I promise!) and we can start to see his bottom front teeth under his gums. The doctor says they should break through any day. Sam also caught Roseola (a baby virus) earlier this month, which was no fun for him, but we're so glad that he's feeling better now! Even while being sick and teething Sam is full of giggles and smiles and it helps us to get through the harder days.

He's very patient with my increased homework load recently and enjoys playing in his bouncer. He's also bonded a lot with his daddy and they are closer than ever! It could have something to do with the fact that Sam is less and less interested in nursing, so he takes more bottles, which Cameron can feed him. But whatever the reason, it is so great to see them smiling and playing together. I love my boys.

In this cold weather Sam has reiterated to us that he dislikes being bundled up, but he's just going to have to deal with it because it has been pretty chilly! Grandma Suzy sent him a very nice snow suit that keeps him nice and cozy when we have to walk around on campus, which unfortunately for Sam, is multiple times a week.

I am so grateful for my little angel boy and his beautiful smile. He is a constant reminder of the love our God has for us. I'm so grateful for that. I will post pictures soon!

Ramblings on Education and Motherhood.

Today I am grateful for my baby. I love him so much! Since he has started eating more solid food and sleeping better at night he seems happier and happier all the time. There are still rough moments, but his personality is blossoming and it is beautiful to see.

Recently Cameron and I have felt that we need to explore other options for grad school. It's exciting and terrifying at the same time because I will most likely have to do many years of taking classes through independent study to finish my degree if we leave. I started looking at options for graduating and for a brief moment I saw a glimpse of myself and my dear husband standing together in our graduation robes, holding our sweet little boy and walking across that stage together. It would be so wonderful, but unless they somehow decide that being a mom erases the need for completing a major, it's just not going to happen. It's hard to give up that dream. I may not ever dress in blue robes and a silly cap and shake the university presidents hand, because I will probably be graduating from somewhere far away, a long time down the road. It's really hard to just close that door but this is what I chose.

I felt strongly that having Sam when we did was what the Lord wanted for us. I still feel that way. I feel that taking a light load of classes so that most of my time can be spent in being a mother is the right thing for me. I have no regrets. I wish I could get a degree just for having a baby, but it doesn't work that way, and I know that I have chosen the best path for me. This is what the Lord has asked me to do and I will finish it.

My family comes first and foremost. I would not trade Samuel or my time with him for anything! I am so grateful for the joy and love that he brings to my life. Whenever I am tired or stressed his loving smiles and infectious giggles and his incessant babbling of "mamamamama" make everything wonderful! I love him so much and want to be my best for him. 

Random Update on Our Life

I haven't written in forever. School has been very busy, being a mom has been busy, realizing that plans for six months from now will probably change drastically (No, we're not pregnant)
so, blogging falls by the wayside.

But life has been full of so many blessings!

Samuel continues to grow. He hasn't gained much weight recently, my milk supply has probably gone down since he has to take a bottle most days that I'm at school, but we caught it early and the doctor is helping us get a routine set up to help him get the food he needs.

I got an A on my first ASL test! Which is awesome, 'cause last semester was not quite so good. I'm also loving my English class. I LOVE the way my teacher sets everything up and forces us to work on our essays slowly by having us turn them in piece by piece, focussing on different aspects every time! It's helping my writing so much.

I have also submitted a piece to a magazine! I think I'd like to do more of that! I don't know yet if it will be published or not, but I've decided that I'd like to try to write more, and if I can get published that would be fantastic! I'm also currently working on two children's books. An illustrating major just moved into our ward, so I may have to ask if she'd like to collaborate.

Cameron is thinking of other options for grad school (we were originally planning to stay here) so that potentially puts me in a tough spot for graduating. Still totally doable, I'd just have to do online classes if we left Provo. But we're praying and counseling together and I'm sure we'll find the best solution. (I just hope it's soon so we can plan for the future!)

General conference was AWESOME. My dad was able to come out early for a business trip and spend sunday conference with us, and Cameron's mom and little sister came up for Saturday conference. It was so wonderful to see them! I also made my mom's oh-so-delicious cinnamon rolls and they were awesome! (I'll probably share the recipe on here sometime because it is SO good!)
and, of course, I absolutely loved the messages that were shared! I especially loved all the messages about being kind and courteous to others, regardless of whether we have different beliefs. I know I struggled with that a little when I was younger, and it can still be hard to respond with kindness when people are cruel or hurtful to me or others, but I have a testimony that God wants us to love each other and treat each other well. I hope that I can continue to try to become more christ-like, especially as I go back and listen to the talks from conference over again.

Sam's sleep training is going really well! (Except last night he woke up several times, but I think that he is legitimately teething this time, so we'll let it slide and hope it doesn't become the norm.) He felt so bad for keeping me up all night last night that he let me take an almost-three-hour nap with him today! It was much needed.

Thanks for letting me just blurt out random pieces of news. I am loving life! I am loving a more structured schedule for Sam, and I love the Lord!
Happy October!

(here's a sneak peak of some pictures my dad took of us over the weekend!)

Seven Months Old

This month has gone by much too quickly. My sweet, sweet Samuel is growing too fast! I really can't stand it. He is now scooting all over the apartment at top speed, still mostly army crawling. The day he turned seven months he succeeded in pulling himself into a standing position without any help form Cameron or me! Now he can shuffle sideways in a standing position and gets super excited about it!

He loves to laugh. At least once a week he finds something new that makes him so happy that he has to giggle. Some new discoveries include turning a light switch on and off, the "rawr" sound mommy makes when we're playing with his lion rattle, burying his face in the soft back cushions of our new couches, flicking rain drops off of leaves.

He's done remarkably well dealing with coming to school twice a day with me, though I've discovered that I need to get a rainproof cover for the stroller. We're swapping babysitting with two other couples and Samuel loves his little friends (both just a few months older than him!) He's become much more vocal since meeting his friend K. and even though L. doesn't talk back to him much he loves to blabber to both of them. His favorite words these days are "blah" and "hi" (though I don't think he knows what they mean. He is starting to respond to his name though! That's super exciting :)

Today we started sleep training, and it is not going nearly as smoothly as all the other blogger mommies make it sound. I'm praying it starts going more smoothly soon. We're not even doing the cry-it-out method, but its still been a pretty teary experience for him, but he's asleep now! I think he's finally figuring out that I'll come back in when he's not crying and that its ok to fall asleep without eating at the same time. Here's hoping he magically sleeps through the night! And that he get's to nap tomorrow.

He is such a little angel and I am so grateful that he came to our home. I am so grateful to be his mommy, to see his sweet smiles every day, to be able to make him happy, and to be able to take care of him! It is such a blessing, and I am so grateful! 

Feeling Grateful Today

Being a mom is really time consuming, and mind consuming, and all consuming. I hardly think about anything else, ever (which is why I really ought to be reviewing ASL right now instead of writing this, but it's nice to do something just for fun.)

I love my life. Goodness, I get tired sometimes, like all-the-times, but it is so wonderful! I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven who strengthens me. There are many moments, like yesterday morning, when I am too tired to even think about moving but I say a little prayer and He helps me to keep pushing on without falling over or dropping my baby, and then blesses me with a nap!

I'm also so grateful for my husband who is so supportive and helpful. Even though he has a sprained ankle and a cold and is taking the GRE this weekend he still takes the time to help me and just sit and talk and make me feel loved!

I am also so grateful for my little angel baby. He is so wonderful. Yesterday was tough, I think he might be catching whatever I have, but his little smiles and giggles make me so happy. No matter what burdens I am carrying, his smile lightens them instantly. Motherhood is amazing. I can't even begin to describe how much I have grown, especially emotionally. I've always had a pretty low threshold for stress and sleep deprivation (anyone who knew me in high school can tell you I got sick all the time) but I have been strengthened in my mind and body. I've learned how to keep pushing, to just take one more step, and then another, and another, until I'm running full speed again. It truly is a miracle.

I'm so grateful for all my friends and family, for their love and support, and for the joy it gives me to know that I am not alone.

I'm grateful for baby bouncers and bagels with strawberry cream cheese.

I'm grateful for baby giggles and kind strangers and windows that open.

I'm grateful for sunshine, I'm grateful for rain, I'm grateful for this beautiful place I live in that I used to think was a barren desert. I'm grateful that my mind can change!

I'm grateful for my tiny apartment that has a full sized stove, oven, and refrigerator. I'm grateful for the concrete floors covered in cheap linoleum and million year old carpet that don't creak when I'm putting my baby down to sleep.

I'm grateful to be alive. I'm grateful for my family members that I have known who have passed away. I'm grateful for their examples, and for the love I still feel from them.

I'm grateful for my faith: for my knowledge of a life after this where we can have a second chance and can be with our families again. I'm grateful for a merciful God who loves me, and all of us, more than anything!

I am grateful that happiness is a choice!

Six Months!

Five days late, but here it goes! Sam is six months old! (And currently asleep, can I get a "hallelujah?" I'm sick and this is his second nap today which hasn't been happening lately so I'm super excited, since I slept during his first one.)

Sleeping in the Car

Major updates for this month: Sam is scooting! I wouldn't exactly call it crawling yet but he's on his way for sure! Which means I need to make sure nothing that isn't ok to go in his mouth is on the floor. Thankfully we cleaned well before we went on our big trip so we just have to not put anything new on the floor.

Sam scooting with Daddy

Speaking of our trip, Samuel went on his first (and second, third, fourth) plane ride(s)! We had a couple plane changes. But he did really well! On the first three flights he fell asleep as between when the engines turned on and when we reached cruising altitude, and on the first and third flight he didn't wake up until we landed! The last flight, which was only an hour, he was awake and happy the whole time. Everyone on the planes seemed really happy that he was such a good baby. We were so proud of our little guy!

Sam loved the curtains at my parents' home

He did great on our trip and loved meeting his uncle Cameron, aunt Lizzie (Stein) and Uncle Bryan, Aunt Felicia, and cousin Weston.  He also got to meet my high school choir teachers, a bunch of my favorite people who still live in our home ward, and my best friends from high school! He was fascinated by my sister's dog Franky, who was equally fascinated (and a little bit jealous) of Sam. Samuel had his first trip to Zingerman's Deli and a bunch of other neat places around Ann Arbor, met a cat for the first time (who thankfully didn't mind Sam constantly reaching for it's tail) and discovered that he loves soccer!

Playing with cousin "Fireman" Weston

He also tried his first taste of real food! He has only had avocado so far, but he really likes it. After two weeks of trying desperately to eat anything we were eating I finally just took some avocado that didn't make it into my sandwich and smooshed it up for him and fed him off my plate. He was a happy camper after that! Now he wants to try everything else on our plates... We're going to try peas and sweet potatoes next. Maybe it'll get me to eat more vegetables, too!

While we were in Vegas, Sam had his first experience with swimming where he didn't look miserable. I think he actually liked it! Unfortunately, he started getting cold and shivering so I really quick took him inside and dried him off, but he liked the water, especially the little fountain in the shallow end. He also made great friends with his cousin (once removed) Ellie, who is eight. They had a blast together. He also loved interacting with all of Ellie's older brothers, and my arms got a much appreciated break.

Sam has gotten much better at grabbing things and controlling his hands. He likes to put everything in his mouth. A few times he's managed to get his bottle into his mouth all on his own a few times, but has never tipped it high enough to get anything out of it on his own.

He laughs at a lot more things now as well, including clapping, sneezing, dancing, and continues to love tickling, raspberries, and kisses. He also is starting to recognize pictures of people. I've started putting my phone on speaker when people call so I can have my hands free and he can recognize his daddy's face and voice, and I think my mom's as well (they're the only ones I have really good pictures of in my contacts.)

He will have his six month check up on Monday, but from holding him on a scale and subtracting my weight he looks to be about 16 lbs! In the last couple of days he's sat up on his own and tried to pull himself up onto his daddy's stomach. He's growing up much too fast. I never understood when parents said that until now. I really wish he'd slow down! Especially since I'll be going back to school in a couple weeks I can't bear to think that he might change or do something new when I'm not there to see it! Being a mom is hard! I can handle the crying, the late nights, the poopy diapers, but I can't bear to see him grow so fast! Sigh.

can you believe how much he's grown?