Heat Wave

In case you haven't heard, this week has been the hottest on record for the state of Washington. Because its so rare to be in the 90's and 100's here, no one has air conditioning. So we had to take drastic measures to stay cool.

On Monday the Cox family met Sam and I at the beach where we spent lots of time in the water and under the umbrella. Sammy got to use his summer hat, and I was surprised to learn that he loved to be in the cool lake. Although he doesn't look to happy in this picture, I promise you he had a great time.

On Tuesday we spent a lot of our day at Target keeping cool in their air conditioning. The house was just too hot to handle.

The weatherman warned us that Wednesday was supposed to be the hottest day hitting the triple digits so Sarah, Eli, Sam and I met up with Samantha and Chip at the beach again. Here we are in our shades. Chip wore them too!It felt so good to be in the lake and out of the heat.

The nights were the worst. It is so hard to sleep when it doesn't get below 85, but we did our best with what we had. We have one fan that followed us from room to room, and a few ice packs that really came in handy for all of us. Sam fell asleep holding one (not straight out of the freezer, but still cool enough to feel good) and then I laid one on Princess, and she slept with it on her for a while. For the dogs, I would take them into the back and hose them off so that they could cool down a bit. It was pretty miserable for us Washingtonians who are not used to the heat and humidity.

Bring on the cooler weather!

Three

Sam is 3 months old today! He is the best baby, and is always willing to smile and laugh. We are having so much fun with him, and we love watching him grow and learn. He is sitting up very well, eating great, sleeping better and playing with toys constantly. He has recently learned that he likes the taste of his hands, and watching the dogs play. Although he can be very opinionated, it is very rare that he is not consolable. He hates having a wet diaper and an empty stomach (I don't blame him) but other than that he is happy as a clam most of the day. We are so in love with him, and we are so happy to be his parents. Isn't it obvious?

Pioneer Day

Last night I was the photographer for our church's Pioneer Day celebration. The pictures turned out great, and I had a really fun time until the thunder and rain storm hit. Then things got a little soggy.

Since I didnt get to take any of my own family, I am going to post other peoples family pictures. I hope they dont mind!

The Loftus Family

The Hansen Family

Aqua Fest

Sarah, Eli, Sam and I hauled ourselves north of the lake to check out Aqua Fest.

All that really needs to be said is, ELEPHANT EARS! Yum. We made the mistake of ordering two when 1 shared would have been sufficient but they were so worth the cash.

And a little side note, you cant tell in this picture, but Sam had the BIGGEST blow out just minutes before this shot was taken. We had to strip him down and do a thorough baby wipe wipe-down. I do think he enjoyed being naked the rest of the time though.

The Bite

This weekend was The Bite of Seattle, and we managed to make it down to the center after I got off of work with Courtney. My parents met up with us and we sat on the lawn and watched a few bands.We learned that Sam loves Reggae music, but he's not a big fan of the Doors. Here is Sam air drumming to the music.Events like this in Seattle are THE best times to people watch. There are some crazy people around the city and it made for a very entertaining time.

Matt sampled as much food as he could stomach, while the rest of us saved up some room for a good meal at McMenemans after the shows.

We had a great time and I am pretty sure that Sam enjoyed himself as well.Smiling at Grandma.How cute is this face and how lucky am I that I get to smooch it as much as I want!?

I am thankful for doctors, antibiotics, 60% cocoa dark chocolate and cute babies that love to cuddle.

Sam took a trip to the doctors office today to find out that he has conjunctivitis (aka: pink eye) and mild eczema. Neither of these things have seemed to be bothering him too much, but when he woke up at 4 this morning unable to open his goopy left eye, I knew I needed to take him in to be seen. He wouldn't get to sleep without me holding him, so he spent the rest of the night and morning cuddled up between Matt and I. He has been the same most of the day, so I have not really been able to get much done with a sleeping baby in my arms. The proof is in the picture. That is me right now as I blog. I do not mind it at all, I just feel bad for the neglect this has brought my dirty house and even dirtier pets. Things will get done soon, I hope.

Oh, and the chocolate was what I deserved after a week of long nights. So says I.

First Laughs

Grandpa Bailey came over last night and got Sam to laugh for the first time. Luckily the camcorder was rolling!

Kickin' it.

I am still kicking myself for not bringing my camera with me when we visited Chris's new Tai-Kwon-Do school last week where Sam decided to do some kicking of his own with the big boys.

Luckily Shauna had her Iphone with her to get proof of our little martial arts master in the making.

High kicks...

...and sit ups.He'll be a black belt in no time :)

2 months

Samuel had his 2 month doctors appointment last week. I DREAD these visits, even though I know they are so important. I just hate watching him get poked. This time he got 3 vaccines, one in each leg and then one orally. The nurse came in and explained that babies hated the taste and cold temperature of the oral vaccine almost as much as the intradermal ones. However, Sam found so much joy out of sucking down the liquid that the nurse and I could not stop laughing.But his happiness was soon interrupted by the sudden pokes in his thigh, followed by another blood draw, this time in his arm. Poor guy. Am I the only mother who cries just as much watching her baby get needles as I would if it was being done to me? I feel so bad for him. He has had way too many bad experiences for such a happy guy. I just can not handle this sad face! (I promise that I held and comforted him as soon as I was allowed.)Luckily, babies soon forget. Its too bad I don't.

Sam is now 12lbs, 22.5" long, with a head circ. in the 78th percentile. (No wonder it took me 2 hours to push him out!) He is growing very strong and healthy, and his platelets are now at 490k.

We are having the time of our lives raising Sammy. He is laughing and baby talking now, and can roll over onto his right side. He smiles at everyone, and is perfectly happy most of the day. We are so lucky that he is so good. He is nursing constantly now, and is starting to sleep better at night.

We are spending a lot of time with our family. Sam got to spend all of Friday with his Grandma Bailey, and Sunday afternoon with his Grandma and Grandpa Aprecio. Then we were surprised to hear that Grandpa Bailey was coming up Monday for a visit as well. Sam loves his Grandparents and I don't blame him. They all spoil him silly!

Nana Jan. Her dogs get so jealous of the attention that Sam gets from her when we are around.Sam's middle name is Benjamin, after his Grandpa Aprecio. Sam's receding hairline is obviously not from Ben.He gets that mane from his Grandpa Bailey. And, as you can see here, he also inherited his eyes.Our little Egghead.

Sam loves to smile at his Daddy.

The End!

4th of July weekend

To celebrate the holiday we headed down south to watch the fireworks show at Shannon and Tyler's. They always put on a great 4th of July party. There was a ton of great food, and lots of attention for Sam. He was the life of the party! He got passed around so much, and I was amazed at how well he took of the chaos. If he didn't know how cute he was before, he will now. He was informed about it quite a bit that day.Each year Tyler puts on a great show from his dock, and this year was even better than before. He had all the explosives hooked up to one fuse, so there was no time in between. This year he placed them on top of the boat house roof. Only once did he have to go up there to put a fire out :)The show was awesome. They also have a great view of all the other fireworks on Lake Washington including the Coulon Beach show. It was a lot of fun, and we are very excited to see what Tyler comes up with for next year!

Happy 4th!