11 Months and Counting!

 

Well we have all heard me say that I am going to blog better blah blah but let's face it.. I have no time for anything.. but so goes life I suppose!

 

Samuel is officially 11 months today! I am not sure where the time has gone but it feels like a (almost) year has flown by before my eyes! My little man is now dare I say it.. WALKING! He does several feet at a time but still knows that crawling will get him around my quicker. He is also in the process of transitioning from the newborn side of the room to the one year old side (SUPER TEAR!) I am so happy and blessed that he is flourishing like he is but it just solidifies that my baby isn't a little baby anymore.

 

He is saying several words but mostly DA-DA and Bye Bye. He loves to wave bye bye to you if you leave a room and he also loves to give sweet kisses.

 

Over the past few months from my last blog (October I know!) we have had our first road trip to Indiana for our annual Thanksgiving trip and Samuel did really great considering how long the trip was and that we did it all in one day! We ended up leaving our house around 5 am- both mommy and daddy had a hard time getting moving in the morning since we were up late packing up the car. We even managed to take some pictures at our first rest stop in Arkansas.

Our Big Boy out on his First Road Trip

Akansas Pit Stop!

 Once we made it to Indiana it was a lot of relaxing and family time! As you can imagine everyone was excited to see Samuel for the first time and play and love on him!

The Family out to Dinner for Adam's Birthday

Spending some time with cousin Melanie

One tradition Brandon and I started while we have been going to Indiana these last few years was to go to Santa Claus, Indiana and get a new ornament for the tree or sno-globe or something but this year was extra special because Samuel is here!! One thing you may or may not know is that last year when we went and I was pregnant, Brandon, AJ and I all went to Santa Claus and we took a picture on Santa's lap so we thought it was be cool to go back and let Samuel get his picture taken and needless to say we were not impressed!

Family Picture by Santa's Tree

One of the Best Pictures of the Day

 We also went to the mall so Brandon could get a new pair of jean while we were there and we took Samuel on his first carousel ride which he also thought was super neat and of course mommy and daddy rode too.

 

Then it was finally turkey time! Samuel played pretty hard that morning and took a nice nap while we ate then woke up and had a little turkey of his own!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Hayfords!

After we got back from our trip, I started a new job with a Houston company Ref-Chem which has been such a blessing to our family and then we celebrated Samuel's First Christmas!

 Now all there is left is to snap our 11 month picture tonight and get ready for a first birthday party! I did get all the invitations addressed last night and in the mail today so be on the look out for yours!

Pumpkin Patch 2014

So although little man has been feeling a little under the weather, Brandon and I thought it might be nice to get Samuel outside for a little bit and what better way to go outside and run around then to go to the pumpkin patch!

Of course this time last year we were merely pregnant, so this year is Samuel's first year to go! As soon as we got there he was very interested in getting down and walking (with mommy and daddy's help of course) around the patch and see what every thing was!

Walking with Daddy's Help

And of course we had to stop and take pictures with the pumpkins!

And my mom even stopped by to take a picture with Samuel and help us take pictures of our little family as well :)

We even managed to find a nice little wagon to use for some pictures!

And what is a trip to the pumpkin patch without bringing home some pumpkins!? Samuel helped daddy pick out the little ones to match our wonderful pumpkin gift from our Aunt Katherine!

And of course we had to have a taste test!

I am so excited to get to take him back for more pictures with my niece and hopefully my nephew as well!

8 months old..

Well seeing as I average about 2 months a post... it looks like I'm right on time!! 

Samuel is now 8 months old... that's right 8 MONTHS! I can't lie either, I totally cried. It was pretty emotional for me because not only did he turn 8 months old, but he decided to say ma-ma for the first time!! Again tears!

He is such a little man now, it blows me away to look back at his newborn pictures and to see him now. He has a little spunky personality, he loves to play, crawl but mostly these days he wants to walk EVERYWHERE! He is constantly pulling himself up on the ottoman, this makes me so happy that we got a new ottoman before he got to this age. He also will walk around the ottoman to get to you. He is becoming a little daredevil in this same aspect because he now will let go for a few seconds at a time, which of course scares me to death but boys will be boys I hear and I suppose this is only the beginning.

I am still making all of Samuel's baby food and I will say that this little one LOVES to eat. He loves fruits from apples, pears, and strawberries and vegetables too; corn, sweet potato and squash. I sneak in a green vegetable every now and then but he is super smart and will look at the spoon to see just what you are about to give him before he eats it. 

I have still been able to give him breast milk, however no longer exclusively which is a slight bummer for me, but I figure that if I made it 8 months then I should be proud of that. I know that some moms can't go that long and I am blessed to be able to produce for him like I have. 

So many changes in such a short time but I know that this is only the beginning! We have a lot of first holidays coming up including his first trip to the pumpkin patch, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Shortly thereafter will be his FIRST BIRTHDAY which I know I will be an extreme mess for.

All Smiles for Mommy 

Look who is 6 Months

Well as I have clearly fallen behind again I must say that I will try to do better but let's face it its a bit harder now to blog.

With that being said we now have a 6 almost 7 month old! I honestly can not believe how fast Samuel has grown and he has developed such a little personality. He has two teeth with more on the way, he says da-da and is working on ma-ma and HE CRAWLS!

We also made our first road trip to San Antonio for Samuel to meet his great grandma and great grandpa for the first time, and we also got to meet our future girlfriend Ava Willingham!

We also got a chance to take Samuel down to the water for a little family dinner as well.

When they say they grow up fast they aren't kidding. Now we are starting to plan our next road trip to visit our Aunt Jennie and Uncle Drew and then we are off to Indiana in November and of course we are driving! Everyone say a prayer for us! 

But for now back to work for this momma until I can go and scoop up my little man!

Until next time!

Jennifer

Leading Up to 4 Months

Well I am a horrible blogger-- that being said here it what has been doing on in the Hayford household these days. 

Last time I posted Samuel was starting to sit up and he had just gotten baptized. Since then Samuel and I celebrated my first Mother's Day! It was so nice- Brandon let me sleep in and he then went got my breakfast. Then I got a very sweet card from both my boys and then I deep cleaned the house in attempt to clean up the dog hair and dander since it has been bothering Samuel a bit. I deep cleaned the carpet and after I was done with that we went to Sears to let Brandon use some of his gift cards that he has been keeping since last Christmas.

Mother's Day 2014

Samuel is now 4 months old and he LOVES to sit up. He honestly doesn't really like sitting back like a baby unless he is tired and getting a bottle. 

Enjoying his new chair from Mommy and Daddy

Samuel for his 4 month photo

At our 4 month check up Samuel weighted in at 17 pounds and measured at 24 inches long! I can't believe how fast he is growing. We also got the green light from his pediatrician to start giving him rice cereal 2-3 times a day! As soon as he has cereal 3 times a day and is still have good bowel movements we can start on vegetables-- I really can't believe my little baby is already big enough for that!

Samuel trying Rice Cereal for the first time

Other than preparing to make my own baby food, we have just been going to family birthday parties and get togethers. Samuel has also started teething so he is constantly chewing on everything and he has been talking up a storm! Its so cute to ask him questions and he responds (I think!) 

Hammock time with Daddy

Teething on Daddy's Hat

Smile!

We also had our first time in a Swing! 

All in all he is a very happy little man and he is just the sweetest. He loves to chew and play in his exersaucer and play with mommy and daddy. 

Until next time!

Just a Little Update

Holy blog fail! So I did not realize it has been MONTHS (geez!) since I made a post! BAD MOM! But now that I have a spare few moments I wanted to give you all an update on what has been going on with our little family since my last post. 

Samuel at One Month

Samuel is now 3 months old and is beginning to get a little personality on him :) its so cute to watch him smile and laugh when you pick him up and another blessing seems to be that he is always in a good mood! 

Always Smiling

He is now trying to sit up as best he can, and he definitely has more head control now so we have been trying out a few of our other toys and sitting apparatuses (ie.i bumbo and exersaucer) to see how he does with that as well.

Another milestone we have reached is Samuel's first Easter holiday! This year was a bit busier than other and since we have 3 sides of the family to see we tried to split it up during the week which made it less stressful for us. On Easter Sunday we spent the day at my moms with a lot of my family. Samuel was super well behaved and toward the end of our day we got a little fussy but we managed to get some cute bunny ears on him (Thanks Aunt Ashlee and Uncle TJ!)

Happy Easter 2014

Easter Sunday was also the first day we tried out our Bumbo

He seemed to like it quite a bit so he can sit up and look out at what mommy and daddy are looking at- he doesn't really think he's a baby most of the time. He is already trying to stand up when you hold him so I know it won't be long before he is all over the house.

Nap time with mommy

Mommy's Sweet Sweet Boy

Another big milestone is that on Sunday May 04, 2014 we had Samuel baptized at the First United Methodist Church of Pearland. This is extra special for me because this is the same church I was baptized in as a child, and of course I had a special outfit made for him.

Bowtie for the Ceremony

And removed for the party!

He was such a good boy! He didn't cry when they put the water on his head, he smiled the whole time and when the Reverend took him to show him to the congregation in the church he smiled and laughed! I was so proud! 

That is just a little update as to what has been going on with us in these last 2 months. Of course I am back at work and miss my little man every day and still call and check on him, however, it makes the time I get with him before and after day care that much more precious and the ladies at day care take really good care of him so I know he is in good hands.

I will do my best to try to post more frequently but until next time I hope you all have a wonderful day or days as it seems with me posting ;)

-Jenn

Life with a Newborn and Newborn Pictures

Well with it being my last week off before I head back to work and little man heads to daycare (TEAR!!) I have really be thinking about our last 6 weeks together. I never could have imagined that I could love someone like I do Samuel.

For the most part our days consist of eating, sleeping, diaper changes and playing- well I play with him and he mostly stares at me but I get a few laughs and smiles in there sometimes, but my favorite part of the whole day is when I get to feed him and he holds my hand and then I get to rock him to sleep and my son much like his mother is a snuggler. He like to get right up on the top of my shoulder and then snuggle into my neck and I swear to you there is nothing better than that feeling. 

Once Samuel was two weeks old we had two big milestones- first was our first real doctor appointment. Now that morning was a bit challenging because breast feeding wasn't going to well, Samuel is a bit of a biter and had literally destroyed my nipples. So every time he nursed I was in massive amounts of pain and of course he was feeling my frustration and I also hadn't started pumping yet and I really really didn't want to give him formula, but I actually had to break down and try to give him some so he wasn't starving and of course as luck would have it he wouldn't take a bottle either. Luckily my mom is on hand any time I have a question or need something so I called her and I was in tears and so was Samuel and being the awesome mom she is she turned around after she had just got to work, about 35 miles away, and came to my house to help me try to get him to take a bottle and also go with me to the doctor. 

The doctors appointment was ok for the most part, they had to prick Samuel's heel to get blood and he cried and so did I (thank you hormones!) and once that was done with the nurse the doctor came in and talked me off the breast feeding ledge and also helped me give baby man a few ounces of formula to get him satisfied and talked to me about breast feeding tips and gave me the nursery phone number for Clear Lake Regional to talk to the lactation specialists to get some help once my breasts healed and I could go back to nursing. Still so glad and thankful that we chose that pediatricians office! After the doctors appointment my mom took me to pick up some breakfast since little man was asleep then we went to buy buy baby to find some different bottles that hopefully Samuel would take, then it was back home for us and exclusively breast pumping until I was mended- I even squeezed in a doctors appointment for myself that day to get checked out thanks to my mom. I am honestly not sure what I would have done without her that day. 

Then we had newborn pictures the next day with the very talented Taryn Melgoza Photography. She was beyond amazing with our maternity pictures so naturally I wanted her to do Samuel's newborn photos. She took them in her home studio and wasn't afraid to get pooped and peed on, which was a good thing because it happened in the first 5 minutes once his diaper was off (Sorry Taryn!) but she was so great with him! She had tons of wraps, cute hats, and props for us to use and the proof is in the pictures!

Mommy and Samuel

Our First Family Portrait

Daddy and Samuel

Baby in a Box :)

One of my Favorite Pictures

I am trying to get better about posting more frequently- but I make no promises with a 6 week old :)

Have a blessed day!