2008 in Review

Wow, what a year! 2008 came in like a bang, or more like the bang, bang, clang from the workers in the basement, and is going out like a whoosh, or more like the whoosh of air as Sam walks/wobbles past you on his way to the living room from the kitchen.

From Sam's First Month

This was a year of big changes for Sam and the entire Jones family. And it was fun, exciting, wonderful and eventful throughout. The year started with a visit from Grandma Debby so she could meet her first grandchild. We all stayed at Grandma Pat and Grandpa Ron's because our basement was being redone. Sam was just a little nugget of guy back then, but he was aware of his surroundings and taking it all in.

February brought the smiles out of Sam as he began to let his personality out a little more. It was a special time for Mom and Dad as they go to know their little guy better with each day.

From Sam at 2 months

By March, Sam had become much more self aware and was interactive with Mom and Dad as well as Grandpa Jerry who was able to visit for a few days from California. He liked to stand up while holding on to Mom or Dad's hands and stomp his feet - foreshadowing his love of walking to come later in the year.

From Sam at 4 months

In April, Sam took his first road trip down to Kansas City to see Grandma Debby, Great Grandma Ann and Great Grandpa Dick and the whole Gray clan. He slept nearly the entire time in the car making the trip much easier on Mommy and Daddy.

From Memorial Day Weekend 2008

In May, Sam was really coming into his own. He liked to make faces and laugh and play with toys. We were fortunate to see our good friends Cory and Rachel as they celebrated Cory's premier movie, Graduation. Over Memorial Day, our great friend Jeana also came to stay for the long weekend. We had fun playing in the yard and enjoying the outdoors. It was this weekend that Sam really started pushing up with his arms and sitting.

From Sam at 6 months

In June, Sam got tired of laying on his back or sitting and was ready to move. By the end of the month, he was crawling up a storm. Just in time for our trip to the Rollins Farm with some good friends from Mnpls. Sam loved crawling in the yard, but was unsure about the lake. It proved to be good practice, though, as we traveled to Door County, WI for a Jones/Gray family reunion and there the lakes and beaches were much bigger (and more fun).

From Sam at 8-9 months

This was also about the time where Sam started eating solid foods. Starting with avocados and moving to bananas and sweet potatoes, Sam was in hog heaven. However, we quickly discovered that Sam had some skin sensitivities to citric acid and wheat so we had to watch his diet closely.

Over Labor Day weekend we took another trip to the Rollins Farm and took in the annual Steam Festival. Sam was excited about the tractors, however, was frightened silly when a steam engine blew a gasket and let out a deafening whistle that I think I can still hear. The rest of the trip was fun with the family.

From Sam at 8-9 months

In October, we took another trip to Kansas City unexpectedly as Grandma Debby had to undergo heart surgery. We stayed for about two weeks and Sam was an absolutely perfect little guy, even though he had to deal with a lot of new places. He was busy crawling and exploring and was curious in just about everything. It was during this trip that Sam weened himself off of breast milk and moved entirely to solid foods and formula.

From Sam at 1 year

In November, Sam started taking his first stand alone steps, 1 or 2 then a tumble into Dad or Mom's arms. He was also babbling and letting out the occasional "dada" or "mama". We returned to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. Grandma Debby was back home and we were joined by Uncle Grand and Aunt Shana (who same met the month before). We stayed with my Uncle Tom and the Gray family and had fun with Sam's 1st cousins once removed(?).

From Sam at 1 year

December was a busy month, as can be seen from the posts below. Sam got his first haircut, started to walk in earnest (he can now walk uninterrupted from one side of the house to the other), celebrated his first birthday and had his first real christmas with tons of family (entire Rollins clan plus Grandma Debby, Uncle Grant and Aunt Shana came up here).

From Sam at 1 year

All in all, 2008 has been a great year for all. Can't wait to see what's in store for 2009!

Christmas reflections

We all had a wonderful Christmas holiday this year. It started on a somber note, however, as Sam's great grandmother Grace passed away on the 21st. It was not unexpected, but sad none the less. She was 3 months shy of her 100th birthday. We all love her and miss her.

Sam was pretty excited about Christmas this year, granted last year he was barely a week old. He loved pointing to our christmas tree or to Santa on the mantle or to the ornaments on the shelf in the dining room. So many sights and sounds! He learned Santa says, "Ho ho ho" or "Ha ha ha" as Sam would repeat. He also liked to dance to christmas carols. Oh, and somewhere in all this excitement, Sam learned to walk.

Christmas really got going on Monday (the 22nd) when Grandma Debby, Uncle Grant and soon-to-be-Aunt Shana arrived. The house was suddenly full with hustle and bussle and presents and comotion. It fueled the holiday spirit in all of us as we get ready for the special day.

On Tuesday, we all made stockings with fun stickies and shapes. Uncle Grant's was pretty cool but I think mine was the best.

Christmas Eve was spent at Uncle Ben and Aunt Zaidee's house with family and friends (the Martin family - not related). We brought a big baked ham which Sam liked to munch on. We also opened one present that evening Sam got a super cute Christmas outfit from Grandma Debby (who he calls "Nanna").

Christmas morning did not disappoint. Santa had come to Jones household and left everyone lots of goodies including overstuffed stockings. Sam enjoyed opening his gifts, but he most enjoyed playing with his new toys including his matchbox cars, Tonka train pals, a talking puppy, some cool new clothes and a bunch more. Needless to say, the boy was a little spoiled, but hey, its Christmas.

We then all piled in the cars and drove over to Grandma Pat and Uncle Ron's for an extended Christmas morning with the whole family. It was chaotically wonderful and Sam had a blast. He got more presents which he loved and would walk from person to person showing off his brand new toy cell phone with pride.

Sam took a late morning nap while we all picked up a bit and around noon the Botkol's came by for a Christmas brunch. Well after that, we were ALL exhausted so we piled back in the cars and headed home with all our loot for more naps.

The next morning, Grandma Debby, Uncle Grant and Aunt Shana all headed home. The house got quiet and empty and somewhat smaller. I think even Sammy was feeling a bit of the post-holiday blues. But with all those new toys to play with, their is little time to dwell on sadness. Instead, its time to race cars!!!

And that wraps up Sam's Christmas 2008.

P.S. You can see pictures from the big day as well as Sam's birthday in the slideshow on the top right of this blog or by clicking here.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Love Sam (and Chris and Lucy)

Happy Birthday, Sammy!

Today is Sam's first birthday! It is incomprehensible how much he has grown in the last year. From a little bump of a guy to a walking (that's right, he's walking), talking (sort of), independent little man. He is the joy of Lucy's and my life and we are so happy to get to know Sam better with each day.

Sam had a birthday party this past Sunday with the whole Rollins clan. He played with his cousins, opened his presents and had banana cream pie for desert. I think it was a successful party as he took a nice long afternoon nap and had a lot of fun in the evening playing with his new toys.

Today, Sam woke up with a smile. Mommy and Daddy sang happy birthday to him and we had some fun before Daddy left for work. This afternoon, Sam and mom go to class and then Auntie Annie and boyfriend Jay are coming over for dinner and to decorate a gingerbread house. Sounds like a great first birthday to me.

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Postscript - This is the 100th post on this blog. Two milestones in a single day!

First Haircut

Sam got his first haircut yesterday. He was a very brave boy and was wonderful. Leslie, his stylist, said he was a perfect customer. We then celebrated the end of the mullet era with a trip to the Christmas tree lot where Sam picked out his first Christmas tree. What a day!

From Sam at 1 year

From Sam at 1 year

From Sam at 1 year

Thanksgiving

We all had a great Thanksgiving down in KC this year packed with Grandmas and Great Grandmas, Aunts and Uncles and Great Aunts and Great Uncles, and cousins galore. Sam ate turkey and green beans on the big day. He also got to play with Grant's dog, Kichou, and they became fast friends (though we discovered dog allergies in the process). All in all, one great holiday. Here are some pics.

From Sam at 1 year

From Sam at 1 year

From Sam at 1 year

Walkin' and Talkin'

Among the babble and string of "dadadadada" and "mamamamama", Sam also used his first sign language on Saturday. It was for "airplane" and he used it each time he heard an airplane overhead or when Mommy or Daddy said airplane throughout the weekend.

Additionally, on Sunday, Sam took his first steps. They were a little wobbly, and after 2 or 3 steps he fell into Daddy's arms, but they were clear steps and he knew it. He was so excited about walking that he yelled for 10 minutes straight, waking up Mommy, and then did it again for her.

Quite a big weekend for this little guy.

Girlfriend

Word on the street is that Sammy has a girlfriend. While I did not personally witness it, I have a reliable source that says Sammy and said girlfriend engaged in what could only be described as a romantic first kiss at a coffee shop this afternoon. The girlfriend is described as an older (~12 months old), Italian bombshell named Hannah.

-Sam's story: your source for all Sam-related gossip

11 months today

Sam is closing in on the big 1 year bash. It is amazing how fast these past 11 months have gone and how much Sam has grown (and Mom and Dad have grown too). Needless to say, they have been wonderful and we are so excited to continue this journey.

One thing that has changed over the last month or so has been the lack of pictures and/or videos of Sammy. I think part of the reason is because he is so busy and we are so busy keeping up with him that we don't find the time. I also think Mom and Dad are much more exhausted these days and don't have the energy or wherewithal to remember to take a picture now and again. We did break out the video camera briefly tonight, though, as Sammy was having fun running around the house. Now mind you, he was holding on to our hands, but he is almost ready to walk unaided.

Other changes in the past month with Sammy - he has a lopsided grin (2 teeth completely out on his right side on top, 2 teeth not quite out on the left), he has been weened from the breast and is drinking exclusively from a sippy cup, he is sleeping through the night (at least the last few nights), he is generally happy as a clam and is learning new things every day (like "throw" and "put in").

Mom and Dad can't wait for his first birthday and X-mas. This is a special year for all of us and we are going to enjoy it.

Sam is the best little guy ever

Sorry for the lack of posting over the last couple of weeks, but Sam, Lucy and I were attending to a family medical emergency. Grandma Debby needed sudden heart surgery so we all went down to KC to be with her. Sam was a dear the entire time over the last two weeks even though his schedule was thrown to the wind and he had to sleep in strange places (like under the desk in a hospital waiting room). Throughout the whole ordeal, and while sprouting 3 top teeth to boot, Sam was all smiles, flirts and cuddles. He lifted everyone's spirits and really was just amazing. What a wonderful little boy he is.

As for Grandma Debby, she is doing better every day and is well on her way to recovery. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. They were needed and appreciated.

Teeth and cookies

Sammy has sprouted teeth! Two chompers in the center on the bottom and two more incisors coming through on top. Check 'em out.

Hat - part 2

To truly get a sense of Sam's cuteness in his hat, here is a video (~4min). Enjoy.

Hat

Sam had a great evening last night. He was sporting a diaper and a hat and was having a crazy, exciting time. Hopefully we can post a video soon, but in the mean time enjoy these pics. More can be seen here.

From Sam and the hat

Finally - new pics!

There is a new set of pics in the slide show at the right, or simply click here.

A little busy...

Ok, there has been a drought of posting over the last two months. I realize the inconvenience this has caused to some of you and, well, too bad. If you had a little rambunctious 8 month old (now 9 months!) crawling every which way, you would understand. That said, sorry for the delay. Here is an update.

Sam turned 9 months on Wednesday and had his check up today. He is the picture of health weighing 19lbs 3 ozs and is 28+ inches long. The kid is crawling like a pro, pulling himself up on EVERYTHING, cruises a little and can climb stairs. He also sprouted two front, bottom teeth this week!

He is still nursing, but otherwise eats table foods with ease. He is very talkative and sometimes tries to sing along with his favorite music. Oh yeah, he likes music now. He also is beginning to understand books and turn pages. Sam loves to play with his toys and carries them around with him.

Last week, Sam and Lucy started school. Ok, it is really ECFE (early childhood family education?) or something and they both have tons of fun. Sam has already started making friends. He is also very proud of all the new things he can do, especially standing in his crib when he awakes.

Finally, Sam is really enjoying exploring new places. He loved Door County with his extended family in July and he crawled all over the yard up at the farm two weekends ago. He also loves visiting every nook and cranny of the house each day to make sure it is still there.

So now you are caught up. Hopefully we will not experience another drought for a while. Check back later this weekend for new pictures, but below are two from about a month ago to wet your appetite.

Pics from August

8 months

and counting!

Context

As you can see from the video in the previous post, we've got our hands full. Sam has been a complete joy these past few weeks, but has also required a lot more supervision as he explores every nook and cranny of the house (partial reason for lack of blog posts). He has begun to play interactively with Mommy and Daddy, and has also become a kissing machine, giving wet kisses to his stuffed animals and family. Sam has really mastered crawling these days, able to move quickly, get over objects, and go significant distances. He's also been pulling himself up on objects, sofas and the bottom of the stairs. Which brings us to yesterday.

Sam was chasing a ball across the living room floor when he turned, looked at the stairs, squeeled with excitement and raced over to them. He quickly pulled himself up into a standing position and took stock of the situation. "I think I can, I think I can" was chugging through is mind while a long string of babble came out of his mouth. And then he lifted his right leg and put it on the first step while holding on to the second step with his hands. And then he pulled with his arms and lifted his left leg.

He knew instantly what he had done and let out with a squeel of excitement and even more babble. Then he went for the next step with confidence. Success! On to step three, and this time he didn't reach for the fourth step, just pulled himself up, hands and legs on the third. "How exciting!" he thought, but then he realized that he was high up, and that was a little scary. So with a little whimper, he asked Daddy to pull him down.

Needless to say, Sam repeated this three more times yesterday, only needing a little motivation (toy) in his last attempt for the camera. Maybe today, he'll go for a Jones Olympic record, four steps!

Stairs

One day before he turns 8 months, and Sam decides to climb stairs.

July has been a big month

Well, July turned out to be quite the big month for Sammy. He learned to crawl and is now exploring beyond the living room carpet. He likes crawling to the dining room and under the chairs like a tunnel. He also has mastered sitting up from a crawl so that he can now move to a toy and then sit up and play with it. Also, while sitting, this week he has begun to dance to music. He really enjoys moving to the beat.

Did I mention that he now proactively kisses as well? Really, it is more of a head bump, but same thing. It is wonderful and he even has given a kiss to his friend, Panda. What else? Well, he eats finger foods with ease. He told his first joke last night while eating green beans, it went something like "Pfthpthpfpfppfffpthp!" Hilarious! At least Sam thought it was really funny. He likes baths, which he takes pretty much every day after he eats solid foods because he also like to make a mess. Now that he's crawling, he also loves to climb - over the toy, on the side of the sofa, up Mommy, etc.

And the month is not over! This weekend we head to Door County, WI for a family reunion. All sorts fun people to visit with, beaches and lakes to explore, parks and candy stores enjoy. Oh so much fun!

He's moving

This past weekend, Sam put his mind to reaching a toy. He stared at it. He reached for it. He belly flopped. He got up on his hands and knees. And he crawled the 9 inches between the toy and himself.

Now, the kid won't stop moving. HELP!

UPDATE: Here's a video.

On the verge

This week, Sam has decided he wants to move. And while he hasn't actually crawled yet, Lucy and I are preparing ourselves mentally for the chase because once Sam moves, he will not want to stop. Check it out...

Fun at the farm

We had a great 4th of July weekend at the farm with our friends. Great weather, not too many bugs, and enough chips (poker and Dorito) to keep us occupied for days. Here are some highlights.

The view

Playing in the yard

Diet Coke + Mentos = Extravaganza!

Mmm.... paper plate.

The gang

Koopa Troopa

Anyone see a resemblance?

<=?=>

Isn't he cute!

More pictures can be viewed in the Jones Family Photo Albums.

Blog Update

A couple changes to announce on the blog.

1. There is a new, bigger, better photo slide show to the right. Also, it is showing a new album which can be accessed by clicking on one of the pictures, clicking here, or clicking on Jones Family Photo Albums under "Cool Links" on the right (see below)
2. There is a new links section called "Cool Links" on the right where you can access the Jones Family Photo Albums and Sam's friends Joe and Matthew's blog called Our Kid Joe. More sites will be added to the "Cool Links" section over time.
3. I'm not sure if I explained this when I added it a few months ago, but there is a labels section to the right called, wait for it, "Labels" where you can access all of the posts with either photos or videos included.
   

That is all.

Rewind

This week I bought some new video editing software so that we can post videos from our new HD Camcorder. They are of much better quality than the previous videos that were posted on this site which were taken on my camera. I plan to post more videos from the last couple months over the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Anyway, here is a great video of Sam from exactly two months ago (25th of April). It was his first time in his saucer and he was pretty darn excited. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

Six Months!

Who coulda thunk it? Sam Jones is six months old. And what an incredible six months it has been! From just a little munchkin, new to the world, in December to an active, talkative, observant, little man in June.

Sammy is so happy these days and loves exploring the world with new sights, new textures, new tastes and smells each week. He also seems to be learning new skills all the time. This week, he has started to push up while on his tummy to get a better a look around. He's also added smooshed banana's to his menu. He likes to roll every which way, interactively play with Mommy and Daddy (grabbing our glasses is a favorite), and talks to himself when he has some alone time.

I can't believe how far he has come in so short a time. I'm just so excited to see what happens over the next six months!

Happy 1/2 birthday, Sam.

Then
and Now

Happy Father's Day!

To Sam's daddy: Thank you for being you! You surely were meant to be a father. All of the things that have made you a good friend, son, brother, husband all these years... well they are also exactly what is needed to make the best father in the world. When I was pregnant one of the many things I couldn't quite grasp yet was how life changing it would be for me to see how YOU would change with parenthood. The joy, pride, contentment, maturity and (most importantly) love with which you father is amazing to watch. I am so grateful to have this little joy of a son to share in with you. The journey thus far has been the most happy of my life because it is the three of us together. Me and my two most wonderful men. Sam and I are so very lucky to have you.

Happy Father's Day My Darling.

Love,
Lucy (author) & Sam (consultant)

Midday message from home

From: Lucy Jones
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 12:09 PM
To: Jones, Christopher (STP)
Subject: you ready for it?

Sammy pants ate his first solid meal!! The avocado was just perfectly ripe so I figured it was destiny. He MACKED on it. He liked playing with the spoon and getting a lot of the avocado all over his self. But he did eat a decent amount of it too. Here we goooooooooooooo!!!

New Tricks

Sam can:

• Roll from front to back and from back to front
• Sit up by himself for upwards of 20-30 seconds before tipping
• Make a ham sandwich
  
• Spin in the Jolly Jumper
• Nearly bounce in the Jolly Jumper
• Shave
• Giggle, squeal, laugh, grunt and coo
• Pick up and play with toys
• Put anything in his mouth
• Smell the flowers
• Ride on shoulders
• Climb trees

Don't believe me? Check out these pics from the last 3 days...

Memorial Day

We had a great long weekend for Memorial Day. I took Friday off for a nice 4 day break. Our great friend, bridesmaid and Lucy's former roommate Jeana was in town as well. On top of that, we threw a BBQ for friends, family and neighbors yesterday. It was a jam packed, exciting, busy, exhausting, fun weekend. But the best part of it all is the pictures courtesy of Jeana!!! Check out the new album at the right or by clicking here. Some sample pics are below.

Auntie Jeana and Sam

If looks could kill...

May lull

It has been a little dry spell here on the blog, mainly because I have been preoccupied and/or out of town (actually the real reason has more to do with Mario Kart Wii than anything else). But life goes on despite the lack of postings. Spring is finally here and we are looking forward to spending a lot more time outside.

At 5 months (as of yesterday), Sam is really beginning to learn new things quickly. He has been rolling over in his sleep this week. While I've still not seen it, Lucy sent a picture message on my phone on Tuesday when I was away at a conference. He also got a bunch of new toys this week including a jolly jumper and Elmo play station (from the Freedman's) that he stares at longingly from across the room. Sam loves to stand in his saucer and look at things around him. Also, he is now putting everything he can find into his mouth (including his toes!). That's right, he found his feet, and boy are they cute.

On the adult front, as I mentioned above, Lucy and I are hopelessly addicted to Mario Kart Wii. I come home from work and Lucy will be still steaming about not getting a gold in the Star Cup earlier in the day. I think pretty soon we'll need an intervention.

Finally, big congratulations to Aunt Zaidee! Today she graduates from law school and we've got a big celebration party to go to tonight. It should be a blast. Anyway, with Memorial day weekend coming up, I'm sure I'll have time to post some new pictures and video so check back soon.

Rolling

Word on the street is that Sam rolled over from tummy to back on Monday (twice). I have not witnessed this newfound capability, but the news comes from a good source. I'll update this post as more information becomes available.

Kansas City

As I mentioned in the previous two posts, we were in Kansas City last weekend visiting family. We had a wonderful time staying with Great Grandma Ann and Great Grandpa Dick. We saw Grandma Debbie, Great Uncle Tom and Great Aunts Pam and Martha as well, along with Cousins Carolyn and Andrew. Here's a question. My grandma Ann is Sam's great grandma Ann. My uncle Tom is Sam's great uncle Tom. So what is my Cousin Carolyn to Sam? Great cousin? 2nd cousin? Leave me a comment if you have an idea.

In the mean time, enjoy these pictures;

Sam and Great Grandma AnnSam and Grandma Debbie (good snuggle!)Sam and Great Grandpa Dick (another good snuggle!)