Dear Samantha:
It's been a while since I've been able to write to you. I always have this blog in the back of my mind, chock full of stuff that i want to say, but it quickly becomes harder and harder to put into words how i feel about you! i want to desperately encompass every bit of our lives together and it becomes so overwhelming! Today is the 28th, and in TWO days you will be ELEVEN months old!!! you've been able to sit and crawl for a while now, i think it happened around 8 months old. You also got your first two teeth around the same time. Now you're a pro crawler and a couple of weeks ago you started walking! SOO cute! you can Frankenstein it all over the house, and you do. I've noticed that you generally like to be around us, in the same room as us and usually don't venture too far from where we are, which is pretty cute. You have two more teeth, totaling four; Two on top and two on the bottom. The two on top have a little gap in between both of them. You are starting to string together syllables and it sounds like sentences in another language when you talk. you are STILL sleeping with us at night, and i guess it will be like that for a while. Listen, i don't want you to think that i don't absolutely love snuggling with you each night because i absolutely do. i just feel like you would be better off in your own little room, having your own space. i have a feeling of guilt when i tell people that you're still in bed with us, which is hard to overcome, however it's becoming more clear that our bed is your nighttime place, and it's quickly becoming where you belong. you're still going to day care during the week, wed-fri. and your dad's parents take you mon.-tue. we're starting to really groove into a routine!
We still need to get you a Toddler car seat. as of yet your about 24-25 lbs, and your still using your baby one. They're kind of expensive, so we've had to wait a little while before we can get you an "upgrade". hopefully this weekend we'll get you one.
So we got a few seasons of "How i met your mother" and "The Big Bang Theory" and whenever the theme songs come on for those shows you always dance/bop up and down. I love it. i think you do it to "two and a half men", too. basically whenever you hear music that has a good beat, you'll bop up and down in time to it. we went to our first fiesta with you last month! we put you in a pink fiesta dress, and put a fiesta crown on you. you were the hit of the whole parade! Your dad's god parents Sonya and Andy work for the mayors office (Julian Castro) and we got VIP seating behind the regular lines, and it was catered by Mi Tierras! we shared the bench seats with a former SA Mayor! he was there with his grandkids. i snapped a picture of him when he wasn't looking.
So you're dad just texted me a little while ago, to see if i wanted to go down to the Valley to see his grandparents, and your aunt's and uncles', cousins, et.al. i said sure. It's memorial day weekend, so why not? he's at home now packing up everything he thinks we might need, so looks like we're heading down to Edinburgh! i'll let you know how it went, i know everyone is REALLY excited to see you!
a couple of weekends mom and i took you to the Zoo for the first time! it was beautiful. we had a good time, you behaved, and we got to see a lot of the animals. My favorite part was watching you watch the monkey's jump around, and the birds flying. it was so cute to see your little head follow those little animals around their cage. :) Then i think, last weekend, Dad and me and your dad took you to Kiddie Park, and the Witte Museum. your dad rode with you on the Carousel since it was one of the only things you could go on (you're still a little small) and by the second or third go around you were hanging onto your dad like crazy, slowly falling off the horse! it got hot, so we went over to the witte, and you did pretty good- you got to walk around, and look at the different little things in the kids tree house. :) I'm not sure what we'll do next weekend, maybe we'll blow up your swimming pool and get you a bathing suit so you can swim around the back yard!
i think that'll be fun.
Samantha, i love you so much!! you are my precious little baby girl, and i can't wait to see what's ahead for us. Your dad is simply over the moon for you, and we always miss you every day we're at work away from you. :)
I'll let you know how the Valley visit goes, and if there are any new memories for me to share with you!
Love,
Mom
Friday, May 28, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
February 2010
Dear Samantha:
Hello my pretty! Today is February 8th, 2010. You are about 7 1/2 months old. It just started pouring outside, and it's been raining on and off for a week now. Saturday was beautiful, however and we spent the day cleaning up the house. i strapped you to my back like a papoose, and you loved it! Every now and then you would put your little head down on my back, and it felt like you were saying "i love you" even though it probably just meant that you were tired. i would run around, sweep the house then run to the bedroom so we could see each other in the mirror, laugh, smile, then run around and mop the floors. This went on for HOURS! Of course we took a couple of breaks for your naps (2) and lunch/snack. To date you are eating cereal, green beans, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, squash and little puff banana/apple thingies. So far, I've eaten everything you have (with the exception of breast milk, because that's kind of groady) and you are growing like a weed! Monday and Tuesdays your grandma and grandpa Salazar takes you in the morning, and i meet them after work at the Taco Cabana on the Theo/Malone exit off of 35 to pick you up. Kid Swap! Wednesday thru Friday i take you to the Lincoln Heights Methodist church day care, and you love it. You always smile and laugh when you see the people there, and you love to watch the other babies crawl around.
The rodeo is in town! i wanted to take you there to your first Rodeo, but your grandparent think they are your parents and will probably take you instead. That's another story, of course. i love them very much, and they certainly do help us out in a lot of different ways, but there really is a high price tag sometimes, that has to be paid. When you were really little, after i had to go back to work, we had your dad's cousin Ellie take care of you. It was nice to have you so close, i was still breastfeeding you pretty regularly, and i would come home on my lunch break to feed you. It was one of the best parts of my day! there were some problems with that arrangement, unfortunately it's hard to have someone in your home, as i'm sure it's hard to be in someone else house taking care of their little girl. Often we would come home and find other people/family members in the house or had just been there, or our bed was slept in, or our shower was being used. It was kind of a relief when we put you in day care, as it was a far less complicated relationship. At your last appointment you weigh 20 lbs!! we had to take you to the doctor one morning a few weeks ago for an urgent check up. You had a major fever (at 104.5) and your cheeks were so red it was heartbreaking. You vomited on me and we gave you Tylenol until we could get you to the doctor's office. Turns out you had a pretty bad ear infection. The doctor took a look in your ear, and said it was as red as a fire truck! he prescribed antibiotics that we were to shoot into the back of your throat with a needless syringe, twice a day for 10 days. Poor thing. You did really well, however. You only cried a little bit, and it was clear you didn't feel good, but you didn't really have a "melt down" or anything like what you hear from other parents. You sure are a tough little girl! They told us that at the appointment, and whenever you have to get your shots, you never cry TOO much. You are so strong and healthy that it's incredible! We are so blessed!
As of today, you can definitely sit up by yourself, and scoot around on your butt to get to things. you don't really crawl yet, but you can lift up on all fours, and wiggle back and forth. One of my co-workers gave us a whole bunch of Disney Cartoons (VHS) and i used to be able to sit you on the bed, bolstered with pillows all around, with all of your toys laid out before you, and pop in one of those "princess movies' while i took a shower and got dressed in the morning. This would keep you occupied until i got out, and then i would dress you. The other morning, i got out of the shower and went to the bedroom and looked at the spot wher you had been. I saw all of your toys, but no baby!! i looked down next to the bed ON THE FLOOR, and THERE YOU WERE! Playing with my suitcase, just as happy as can be. i couldn't believe it. time slowed down while my eyes scanned the bed, then found you. I instantly picked you up and hugged you. I felt terrible and wondered if you had cried when i was in the shower. But i was also bemused, because you looked so happy down there! :( Oy Vey! looks like i can't do that anymore! Now we have your "fun chair" to stick you in if you wake up in the morning before i get in the shower. you are still sleeping with us in bed at night, even though you take your naps in your crib. I desperately want to get you in your own room at night, but your father is having a hard time with it, and sleeps better when your in my arms at night. You're just so little! my fear is that you will be 3 years old and still sleeping with mommy and daddy.
Samantha, i have to tell you how much i love you and how much my day lights up when you smile. I really thought that those stories people tell about how they sappily felt when their kids smiled at them was crap, but it really brighten the whole day. I can't wait to get you to smile, or laugh and it has turned into an addiction! You are such a good, happy baby! you rarely have fits, or cry too much, or have the dreaded melt downs. i can pretty much take you anywhere and if you are fed, clean and dry you are perfectly content to sit and watch people, or play happily with whatever is on the table in front of you. I am so proud to have you with me. I love you so much!
Right now you are with your grandparents, and your dad is sick at home. He works so hard for the both of us, he deserves a break every now and then. where would we be if we didn't have him! lonely and sad, that's where! He loves you so much that words can't describe it. He talks to you, and sings, and plays with you. He changes your diaper without complaint, and usually is the one that makes you a bottle. I simply cannot believe that you are almost eight months old! Your cousin Kyrsten is having her 1st birthday party in just a couple of weeks, and you are right behind her! where has the time gone?
It's almost 5 o'clock which means, it's almost time to go pick you up at the Taco Cabana and i'm having a hard time waiting! i always miss you most on Mondays, since i spend so much time with you on the weekends. Monday's are always hard.
I love you so much, and you are so beautiful, that i cannot wait to kiss your cheeks and have you home. See you soon, my little chickadee!
Love,
Mom.
Hello my pretty! Today is February 8th, 2010. You are about 7 1/2 months old. It just started pouring outside, and it's been raining on and off for a week now. Saturday was beautiful, however and we spent the day cleaning up the house. i strapped you to my back like a papoose, and you loved it! Every now and then you would put your little head down on my back, and it felt like you were saying "i love you" even though it probably just meant that you were tired. i would run around, sweep the house then run to the bedroom so we could see each other in the mirror, laugh, smile, then run around and mop the floors. This went on for HOURS! Of course we took a couple of breaks for your naps (2) and lunch/snack. To date you are eating cereal, green beans, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes, squash and little puff banana/apple thingies. So far, I've eaten everything you have (with the exception of breast milk, because that's kind of groady) and you are growing like a weed! Monday and Tuesdays your grandma and grandpa Salazar takes you in the morning, and i meet them after work at the Taco Cabana on the Theo/Malone exit off of 35 to pick you up. Kid Swap! Wednesday thru Friday i take you to the Lincoln Heights Methodist church day care, and you love it. You always smile and laugh when you see the people there, and you love to watch the other babies crawl around.
The rodeo is in town! i wanted to take you there to your first Rodeo, but your grandparent think they are your parents and will probably take you instead. That's another story, of course. i love them very much, and they certainly do help us out in a lot of different ways, but there really is a high price tag sometimes, that has to be paid. When you were really little, after i had to go back to work, we had your dad's cousin Ellie take care of you. It was nice to have you so close, i was still breastfeeding you pretty regularly, and i would come home on my lunch break to feed you. It was one of the best parts of my day! there were some problems with that arrangement, unfortunately it's hard to have someone in your home, as i'm sure it's hard to be in someone else house taking care of their little girl. Often we would come home and find other people/family members in the house or had just been there, or our bed was slept in, or our shower was being used. It was kind of a relief when we put you in day care, as it was a far less complicated relationship. At your last appointment you weigh 20 lbs!! we had to take you to the doctor one morning a few weeks ago for an urgent check up. You had a major fever (at 104.5) and your cheeks were so red it was heartbreaking. You vomited on me and we gave you Tylenol until we could get you to the doctor's office. Turns out you had a pretty bad ear infection. The doctor took a look in your ear, and said it was as red as a fire truck! he prescribed antibiotics that we were to shoot into the back of your throat with a needless syringe, twice a day for 10 days. Poor thing. You did really well, however. You only cried a little bit, and it was clear you didn't feel good, but you didn't really have a "melt down" or anything like what you hear from other parents. You sure are a tough little girl! They told us that at the appointment, and whenever you have to get your shots, you never cry TOO much. You are so strong and healthy that it's incredible! We are so blessed!
As of today, you can definitely sit up by yourself, and scoot around on your butt to get to things. you don't really crawl yet, but you can lift up on all fours, and wiggle back and forth. One of my co-workers gave us a whole bunch of Disney Cartoons (VHS) and i used to be able to sit you on the bed, bolstered with pillows all around, with all of your toys laid out before you, and pop in one of those "princess movies' while i took a shower and got dressed in the morning. This would keep you occupied until i got out, and then i would dress you. The other morning, i got out of the shower and went to the bedroom and looked at the spot wher you had been. I saw all of your toys, but no baby!! i looked down next to the bed ON THE FLOOR, and THERE YOU WERE! Playing with my suitcase, just as happy as can be. i couldn't believe it. time slowed down while my eyes scanned the bed, then found you. I instantly picked you up and hugged you. I felt terrible and wondered if you had cried when i was in the shower. But i was also bemused, because you looked so happy down there! :( Oy Vey! looks like i can't do that anymore! Now we have your "fun chair" to stick you in if you wake up in the morning before i get in the shower. you are still sleeping with us in bed at night, even though you take your naps in your crib. I desperately want to get you in your own room at night, but your father is having a hard time with it, and sleeps better when your in my arms at night. You're just so little! my fear is that you will be 3 years old and still sleeping with mommy and daddy.
Samantha, i have to tell you how much i love you and how much my day lights up when you smile. I really thought that those stories people tell about how they sappily felt when their kids smiled at them was crap, but it really brighten the whole day. I can't wait to get you to smile, or laugh and it has turned into an addiction! You are such a good, happy baby! you rarely have fits, or cry too much, or have the dreaded melt downs. i can pretty much take you anywhere and if you are fed, clean and dry you are perfectly content to sit and watch people, or play happily with whatever is on the table in front of you. I am so proud to have you with me. I love you so much!
Right now you are with your grandparents, and your dad is sick at home. He works so hard for the both of us, he deserves a break every now and then. where would we be if we didn't have him! lonely and sad, that's where! He loves you so much that words can't describe it. He talks to you, and sings, and plays with you. He changes your diaper without complaint, and usually is the one that makes you a bottle. I simply cannot believe that you are almost eight months old! Your cousin Kyrsten is having her 1st birthday party in just a couple of weeks, and you are right behind her! where has the time gone?
It's almost 5 o'clock which means, it's almost time to go pick you up at the Taco Cabana and i'm having a hard time waiting! i always miss you most on Mondays, since i spend so much time with you on the weekends. Monday's are always hard.
I love you so much, and you are so beautiful, that i cannot wait to kiss your cheeks and have you home. See you soon, my little chickadee!
Love,
Mom.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Thinking
About your tiny little feet. theya re so soft and cute!
Also, i gave you another haircut last night after your bath. It came out...Okay. not great. we're not done yet.
I love you,
Mom
Also, i gave you another haircut last night after your bath. It came out...Okay. not great. we're not done yet.
I love you,
Mom
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Cold January-6 months, week two.
Samantha:
Man it is really cold outside! it's 36 degrees and WINDY. i had to bundle you up this morning, and it only got colder!
There have been some changes in our lives! We had our first thanksgiving with you, as well as our first Christmas and New Years. Your dad got you your bouncy play chair as your big present this year, and you got a lot of wonderful, beautiful things from people. Grandpa Masterson got you some clothes and books, Grandma Masterson got you your own little baby head! this was subject to much discussion! she made them herself, and it was a very nice gesture, just...weird! :) we all had a good laugh over them. She made one for Kyrsten, too. Grandma & Grandpa Salazar gave you a little wooden bike from the pottery barn. It's so pretty! along with a tea set, and a pink and silver cup. (i know, it's weird, there's is only one and i don't know what you do with just that one). Uncle Chris and Aunt Erin got you your little duck/platypus pillow.
This year for Christmas, i think we're going to travel around on Christmas Eve, and then stay home, just the three of us, on Christmas day. you'll already be a year and half old then!
Yesterday we enrolled you in your first day of day care. We put you in the Los Angeles Heights Methodist day care, around the corner from the house on Lee Hall. The first day was pretty sad. I left and cried all the way to work, your dad thought about you all day and cried after he got you home. it's sad to leave your kids with strangers. you just looked so little sitting there on the carpet playing with toys. :( i just imagined you red faced and crying for me, and it breaks my heart that i can't be with you during the day. we have to be really tough! it's definitely not an easy choice, and it involves a lot of sacrifice, but it is what's best for right now.
you are growing so much! at your last doctor's appointment with Dr. Benbow, you weighed 19 1/2 lbs, and were about 27 inches tall! he said you looked better than great, and you're doing very well.
we started you on cereal and foods!!! i was so excited to give you your first taste of vegetables i could hardly contain my self! i started with Carrots, and then moved to peas. you pretty much love them both. I think you like the idea of eating. It's fun! i'm still breast feeding, and we're still giving you formula. no wonder your growing like a weed! you're my little fat baby and i love you so much! i can see changes in you, however. Your getting longer and leaner, and your able to sit up and play with your toys! your developing awesomely, and i'm so proud of you. You are also talking/babbling and screaming more. it's so cute! Last night i just laid in bed, and just watched you play until i fell asleep. Then you shouted at me to wake up! :) we're still sleeping together because it's been so cold outside, and we don't have central air and heat. All three of us in bed.
i'm starting to mourn the end of your infancy already, and it makes me sad. but it means that your growing and learning, and becoming a more active participant in life, and that exciting trade off is worth it. my favorite time is still in the morning when it's just the two of us snuggled in bed together. sometimes i'll wake up after you, and i'll look down to see if your awake and your already looking at me! it makes me laugh!
:)
You're such a beautiful girl. we'll get through this beginning states of day care, and it'll be a second home for you, and you will learn and flourish and grow even more there. i have a good feeling about it.
now if we can get your dad more on board, we'll be in business!
Till next time!
I love you!
Your mom.
Man it is really cold outside! it's 36 degrees and WINDY. i had to bundle you up this morning, and it only got colder!
There have been some changes in our lives! We had our first thanksgiving with you, as well as our first Christmas and New Years. Your dad got you your bouncy play chair as your big present this year, and you got a lot of wonderful, beautiful things from people. Grandpa Masterson got you some clothes and books, Grandma Masterson got you your own little baby head! this was subject to much discussion! she made them herself, and it was a very nice gesture, just...weird! :) we all had a good laugh over them. She made one for Kyrsten, too. Grandma & Grandpa Salazar gave you a little wooden bike from the pottery barn. It's so pretty! along with a tea set, and a pink and silver cup. (i know, it's weird, there's is only one and i don't know what you do with just that one). Uncle Chris and Aunt Erin got you your little duck/platypus pillow.
This year for Christmas, i think we're going to travel around on Christmas Eve, and then stay home, just the three of us, on Christmas day. you'll already be a year and half old then!
Yesterday we enrolled you in your first day of day care. We put you in the Los Angeles Heights Methodist day care, around the corner from the house on Lee Hall. The first day was pretty sad. I left and cried all the way to work, your dad thought about you all day and cried after he got you home. it's sad to leave your kids with strangers. you just looked so little sitting there on the carpet playing with toys. :( i just imagined you red faced and crying for me, and it breaks my heart that i can't be with you during the day. we have to be really tough! it's definitely not an easy choice, and it involves a lot of sacrifice, but it is what's best for right now.
you are growing so much! at your last doctor's appointment with Dr. Benbow, you weighed 19 1/2 lbs, and were about 27 inches tall! he said you looked better than great, and you're doing very well.
we started you on cereal and foods!!! i was so excited to give you your first taste of vegetables i could hardly contain my self! i started with Carrots, and then moved to peas. you pretty much love them both. I think you like the idea of eating. It's fun! i'm still breast feeding, and we're still giving you formula. no wonder your growing like a weed! you're my little fat baby and i love you so much! i can see changes in you, however. Your getting longer and leaner, and your able to sit up and play with your toys! your developing awesomely, and i'm so proud of you. You are also talking/babbling and screaming more. it's so cute! Last night i just laid in bed, and just watched you play until i fell asleep. Then you shouted at me to wake up! :) we're still sleeping together because it's been so cold outside, and we don't have central air and heat. All three of us in bed.
i'm starting to mourn the end of your infancy already, and it makes me sad. but it means that your growing and learning, and becoming a more active participant in life, and that exciting trade off is worth it. my favorite time is still in the morning when it's just the two of us snuggled in bed together. sometimes i'll wake up after you, and i'll look down to see if your awake and your already looking at me! it makes me laugh!
:)
You're such a beautiful girl. we'll get through this beginning states of day care, and it'll be a second home for you, and you will learn and flourish and grow even more there. i have a good feeling about it.
now if we can get your dad more on board, we'll be in business!
Till next time!
I love you!
Your mom.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
5 months already?!
Samantha:
We saw your 5 month mark come and go! You will be six months already in a few weeks! I can't express into words how much your dad and i absolutely adore you!
Before I forget: In october, mom and i took you to Medina, where we got your picture taken with a bunch of pumpkins, went to the "apple store", and then drove around (for a day trip). Mom wanted me to remember to put down somewhere this image; After we were done taking your pictures all over the place you clutched the little doll I got you fiercely, and wouldn't let it go with your pacifier stuck tightly in your mouth. She thought it was the cutest thing. You definitely signaled that you were done with everything we had put you through (long drive, pictures with every type of pumpkin imaginable, scarecrows, the apple store)! This trip is where i got that little towel that says 'home is where your mom is' (which i thought was HILARIOUS!). Anyway, i didn't want to forget that.
back to how much we love you!
I taught you how to blow raspberries the other day and you've been doing it ever since. I was so excited about it, i posted it on my Facebook status. already you are starting to sit up for longer periods by yourself without falling over! you probably weigh about 20 lbs (or more). you are just growing and growing! i'm still nursing (which is incredible i've been able to stick with it) and i'm proud that i have!
i always think back to when you were first born, because i never want to forget it! so much time has past since we were in the hospital together, that it seems like a lifetime ago. my thoughts always drift back to having you in your little plastic hospital bed, with me in my hospital bed and your dad in the sling-y chair next to us all sleeping together. i didn't want to hold you too much, because all my friends are nurses, and they all told me the one thing they hated was when new moms held their babies so much that they would cry when they weren't with them. We didn't want to "spoil" you! Geez Louise! i wish i had held you more, and never let go of you!
Then after TWO DAYS we brought you home!
The hospital stay was terrible, and we were going crazy being there. when i got home, your dad's mom had cleaned our entire house, gave us a new comforter for our bed, and there were a TON of people around for weeks afterwards. argh. i have mixed feelings about it, but suffice it to say, i was so grateful that we came home to an utterly clean home and we were shown so much love and given so much help, that the other stuff didn't matter. the latter stuff is what is important.
The other thing i need to get over is the feelings i have concerning your birth. the end result is that you are here, i am here, everyone is healthy and all are together and happy. nothing else should matter in light of these things.
last year (2008) the day after thanksgiving, we figured out i was pregnant. then this year (2009) we celebrated our first thanksgiving with our little 5 month old! What an incredible difference a year makes! you have enriched our lives, and filled it with so many giggles, laughs, cries, screams and smiles. I'm so glad you are here.
I'll have to admit the first few months were pretty hard on both your dad and I, (and i'm sure you too!) while we were trying to figure out what to do with you! i think it got easier for me when i went back to work. It gave me a better perspective on things, for some reason. i guess when your shut in with someone your world becomes very small and you start to feel like there is no beginning and no ending. that the hard times will last forever, and there is nothing you can do about it. Once i had to go back to work, it was very bitter sweet for me. Bitter because i had to leave you with other people and i couldn't be with you and sweet because i was able to collect my sanity again, step away and deal before coming home again. i hate having to leave you as it is, and if i could just work from home, i wish i could.
Your Dad. Let me tell you Samantha- if i were having to raise you and take care of you by myself, i don't really think i could. I think that God put your dad in our path just so that he would be the one i marry and be your dad. It seems like i couldn't have picked another better, option (if i had a choice!) than your dad as a husband or father of my kids! he is such a good man, it's unbelievable! i wish you could remember how well he takes care of you, or how hard he works for the both of us! he constantly has us on his mind and it shows in all of his actions. I'm sure you'll figure out how awesome he is when you get older, but suffice it to say we are really blessed to have him in our lives, you and me! (and blessed also with his unimaginable amount of patience!)
Once last thing, i want to share this with you before i forget. (The whole purpose of this blog is to catalog my thoughts, after all.) Sunday morning, we were all lying in bed together (it was too cold to let you sleep by yourself) and i had turned you around after you woke up to face away from me while i held you. You were talking to yourself (gibberish) softly and blowing raspberries Loudly and wetly, and i was tired of wiping my face! you got so loud that it woke up your dad, and he asked if i was the one making all that noise. LOL. What a sweet memory, i hope i never forget it! You are so little and so content sometimes to entertain yourself. I keep finding myself just watching or studying you. i love you SO much and hope that we are together for a very, very long time. here's to another month!
I'll probably write something else in a couple of weeks. I love you!
Your mom,
Sarah
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