great weekend

We didn't just sit around listening to all of Sam's jabber to see if other words were coming out, nor did we tease our daughter with toys all weekend to try and get her to walk.
We did other things too!

Chris and Sam put a wagon together that we got last year from Chris's Aunt Barb and Uncle Rich. She will be big enough to ride in it this year so we needed to get it ready (not that we don't still have like four more months of winter or anything!)!
Do you notice the "scruff" on Chris's face? He is growing a beard!!
They then did laps around the family room.
Sam practiced her funny faces.
Sam continued to follow Polly every where. We even had to close the door so Polly could eat by herself. Sam sat at the door and watched her eat!
Sam learned how to open one of the drawers in the kitchen and now has a whole NEW set of toys!
And (saved the best for last!) we practiced PEEKABOO!



Okay, that is a pretty good Sam fix for now.

a step!

What a week Sam is having!
Today she took her first steps all alone. She seemed so proud of herself.
No, they aren't big steps and only one or two at a time but they are definite steps!!
We forced her to show off her new talent later for the camera.
Take a look.

Okay, here is one of the first attempts (Chris developed quite the "teasing" system to get her to really want to move forward!).




Then here are the REAL steps.

HAT!

Yesterday was a big day. Sam said her first (other than dada) word!
We were getting ready to go to Target and I was putting her in her car seat. I had my Bears baseball hat on and she kept reaching for it. I was talking to her and saying things "you want mommie's hat" and "yes that's my hat". All of a sudden like it was nothing she said "at"; there was a very small "h" sound first but mostly the -at part came out! I couldnt' believe it! And then she wouldn't stop saying it, all day we practiced and practiced so that when dada got home she would still be able and willing to say it. And she did! Aunt Jojo even got to hear it over the phone.
She is growing up fast. It is funny because now I hold up pretty much everything and call it by it's name just to see what else she might be able to say!
Her current other tricks include waving (only when SHE really wants to however), kisses (again this is rare but she can do it), clapping (which she does all the time especially when holding food), standing on her own, climbing stairs and her favorite new trick is high fiving! It is really cute when you ask her for a high five because she does it so soft still. I just love it.
Okay, back to work.

HI PAWPAW!!

Today it was a bit cold in our house so I put Sam in one of her biggest, coziest sweatshirts and she looked so cute I had to get some pictures. Just so happens that the sweatshirt is one that Grandma and PawPaw had made for Sam and her cousins.
So, PawPaw these pictures are for you!!

She loves acting like Polly and carry things in her mouth. Yuck.

Sam wanted to get REALLY close to the camera!!
Oh Yeah...She's standing on her own!

Tickle Time!

We love you PawPaw (and Grandma!).

make it STOP!

No I am not talking about the cold, although it would be great if the warmer weather they spoke about would get here already. What I am talking about is the tear-out-my-ears, horrible noise that my daughter has discovered. She has all of three teeth (well, really two and a sliver of a third) and somehow she can GRIND THEM! Oh yes, my daughter grinds her teeth! I cannot stand that noise, Chris does it in his sleep, and now Sam does it at random times during the day.
So, someone PLEASE tell me how I get my daughter of ten months old to stop making a noise that makes me want to throw her across the room.
Don't worry, I won't really do that!!

my snot froze!

I don't think it has ever been this cold since I have moved to this state. Schools are closed today because the actual temperature this morning at 8:00am (even with bright beautiful blue skys) was -18 degrees!! With the wind chill the temperature is -42 degrees!! That is insane. The said on the radio that frost bite will begin on exposed skin within eight to ten minutes! 8 -10 minutes! That is how long it takes to let our dog out or go to the mailbox and get the mail!
Sorry dog, you will just have to hold it.
Sam and I actually left the house this morning because I still needed to go to work but I bundled her up in her full on snow suit and let the car warm up even though it was parked in our partially heated garage!
I parked illegally this morning because my normal street parking is THREE BLOCKS AWAY. Yeah right I am walking that far and crossing the busy street; I mean what if there were traffic and I had to stand there and wait to cross? 8-10 minutes and my nose could be gone!
This is just too damn cold. But they say that we only have about 24 more hours of this and then it will slowly start to warm up...we may even hit 30 by next week...a January thaw they are calling it! HA!

pointless videos

So grandma wanted pictures and while I was taking the pictures I shot some videos too. I didn't really capture much...I was trying to catch her standing on her own but of course that did not happen.
What I did catch is her acting like the dog and carrying a sock in her mouth, her love for her blanket, her fascination with the remote control, and a small tantrum from being told no ending in showing just how quickly she can forget about being mad at me!!

So, pretty silly videos but I thought I would share anyway.

grandma requested pictures

I will share those first and then I will tell you about our ALMOST trip to the emergency room.

But first some new pictures of our growing girl...


Isn't she adorable?

Okay, now the ridiculous story from tonight. Let me just preface this by saying that I openly admit that I am a "first time mom" with all the stereotypical insanity that comes with that title.

While Sam was taking her bath tonight (see the pictures above!) she slipped and bumped her forehead on the side of the tub. She didn't hit her head that hard and when she started crying I picked her up, told her she was fine and wrapped the towel around her. As I was walking to her room to get her dressed I saw the spot where she had hit her head and it was a purple bump the size of a marble. I starting freaking out (crying too!), yelled to Chris to call 911. After I filled him in on how our daughter's head was going to explode he said that it would be faster if we just went to the emergency room. By this point the marble had grown to have a golf ball size growth on the side of her head. I freaked out even more and ran with Sam still naked to the car. Somehow I grabbed a diaper, pjs and my shoes that I threw in the car. Chris met us in the car and sped out of the driveway. Sam was naked with me on the backseat, no she was not strapped in. The whole time she was smiling and laughing and I was crying hysterically. Chris convinced me that we should call someone so I called Aunt Jojo (she is my expert on all things baby). She talked me down a bit, said it was just a "goose egg" and that she would be okay. We needed more assurance so we called Nana (she has not only been a mom but is also a nurse). She said the same things that my sister said. So we turned the car around and went home. By this point I had gotten Sam dressed and put her in her carseat, she was still happy and acting fine.
So we didn't go to the emergency room, Sam never even acted like she had hurt herself and I completely lost my mind. What is worse is that I know exactly why I freaked out so bad. Well, Sam has never really hurt herself so that is part of it but mostly it is because of the stupid TV show ER. If you watch the show then you should remember the episode when Dr. Pratt dies. He had a bump on his neck that grew and grew and grew until it exploded and he died. From the time the bump started to grow he died about 10 minutes later. In my mind when I saw that bump on Sam's head I immediately saw that show and thought that I had 10 minutes before Sam was going to explode. Like I said, I completely lost my mind. But in the moment I was losing my baby girl and thought of nothing else. This happened almost three hours ago and I am still shaking a little. What is wrong with me? My mom called tonight and told me that in situations like this I need to try and stay calm.
I DO NOT THINK THAT WILL EVER BE POSSIBLE! Chris is going to have to learn to do that for me.

Good grief.

a letter to me

Dear mom,
I am sorry. I'm sorry that almost every time for the last few weeks that you pick me up from daycare I scream! I'm sorry that the second my teacher Andrea hands me over to you I start balling my eyes out. It is not that I don't love you, I just don't want to leave daycare! I don't want to leave my friends and all the great toys. Or maybe I am crying because leaving means I have to put on my stupid winter coat that is so thick I can't move my arms. I don't want to leave because then we have to go back out in the horrible cold, take the long drive home (all of maybe 10 minutes) and I have to listen to that stupid Disney music again. It is not that I don't like your singing but can we listen to something else PLEASE!
I think I scream when you pick me up because it is that time of day where I am in need of a nap but don't want to go to sleep and NOT because I would rather stay at daycare then go home with my mom. I promise on Wednesday when you come to pick me up I will try my hardest to hold back all of my immense sadness and not cry when Andrea hands me over.

Love,
Samantha Jane Enlund

dedication or insanity...you decide!

So last week I went "running" five times!! This is me all bundled up and ready to go.
Do you see all that snow? And would you believe that it never got over 30 degrees while I was running. Three days when I went it was in the teens and I have decided that I cannot go when it is any colder than that (single digits is just TOO cold!). But I really do enjoy running and I have not done it in SO LONG. I wanted to get out, get active and start feeling better about myself.
See, when I was pregnant with Sam I heard from a lot of women that I would never get my pre-baby body back. I was convinced that I would prove them all wrong; I would work really hard, being totally motivated and get my body to look even better than it did before I was pregnant. Well, the more ice cream I ate the harder that goal became!! hahaha And then I just got lazy. The pounds were not coming off as quickly as I had hoped, or at all, and I got frustrated. I threw out (or gave to friends!) all my pants and gave up. It is not that I became happy with the way I looked, just too lazy really to do anything about it.
So, now it is just over two months until Sam turns one and once again I am trying to get motivated. I figure if I can get out and run once or twice a week, even in the bitter cold, and take a few classes at the YMCA I can maybe get back to something close to what I was before by Sam's first birthday. It is a lofty goal (13 pounds to my pre-baby weight; I gained almost 40!) but I want to try. I am also hoping that by running just a little bit in the winter it will feel even more awesome to go running in a few months when I can actually breathe while I run!!!
Chances are this was just a fluke and my running shoes will stay retired until the streets are no longer white but I am going to try! I will keep you posted...

winter walk

The temperature yesterday reached a balmy 28 degrees so it was warm enough to be outside for longer than a few minutes. I took this opportunity to try out the new stroller that we were given for Christmas from Grandpa and Nana.
Remember this...
So Sam and I took the stroller out during the day for a run (okay really a quick walk!!). The stroller is AWESOME! I am not in good enough shape to really use it to it's fullest but even at a slow jog I can tell how much easier it is to push than the regular stroller and how much smoother it is for Sam. She loved it too.
I got her all bundled up, covered her cheeks with vaseline and even used a stroller blanket that we got from Aunt Jojo. She was nice and toasty. See how happy she looks!
When Chris got home we went out again for a family walk. It was so nice to get out and enjoy the "warm" temperatures for one day. It is suppose to get really cold this weekend and stay that way for a while so I am glad we got out while we could. Using it made me even more excited for spring to get here so we can be out everyday.



Any dog owners out there have tips on keeping kids safe around dogs? Polly growled at Sam twice again today and I am just not sure what to do. Keep them separated all the time? Let Sam torture Polly (with supervision) and correct Polly when she misbehaves? Correct Sam?
Any advice?

Sam's best friend

She follows her around the house. Wants to be everywhere that she is. Polly is Sam's new best friend. Most of the time Polly just ignores her, walks away or runs and hides. But a couple of times when Sam has been relentless Polly has growled at her. This scares me. Polly hes never been aggressive toward any child but we know that she does have a fighter in her and will stand up for herself. She has taken down other dogs that are twice her size when they piss her off. I don't want to be constantly worried about Sam around Polly and I don't want to keep them seperated all the time but if Polly growls at her again we may need to do something. Not knowing what is in Polly's head scares me a little.
But for now the way Sam follows her around is adorable.


When Polly needs time away she hides under the bed. Sam wanted to go under there too.
She is a sneaky little girl!

My resolution = BE CONTENT

I don't make New Year's resolutions every year but every time that I do they are about changing something about me, my attitude or my behavior. I have tried all the typical ones; eat less, run more, buy less, get organized, procrastinate less, save more, shower less (I went through a weird phase in college!), eat healthier, etc. They never seem to stick. This year I don't want to change anything; I just want to be content with what I have. I want to stop comparing myself to everyone around me. I want to stop thinking about what I don't have, what I want, what is missing, what isn't perfect, what I hope will happen and start feeling blessed for my life as it is, RIGHT NOW!
I have always been the jealous type and I think it is the thing that I hate the most about myself. But now I just want to be happy for other people when something great happens to them or when they acquire something nice in their life and not think "why not me?" This may be the hardest resolution I ever tackle. But I have to try. I don't want Sam to grow up envious of others; I want to teach her to appreciate what she says. I don't think I can teach her something that I don't know how to do myself (the best coaches were always the ones that coached by example!).
So this is my goal for 2009....JUST BE CONTENT!

she is LIVE

My sister is officially on the world wide web (outside of blog land)!! Her website www.jodified.com launched just two days ago and I am so excited for her. I really think this is going to help launch her career to the next level. She is truly an amazing artist and I would do anything to help her realize her dream. Congrats sis, even Sam is proud of you!



So today has not been the greatest day at the Enlund household. I woke up in a bad mood because Sam was up super early and this is MANY days in a row that I have been the one to wake up with her. So of course the second Chris appeared I took all of my frustration out on him and barely spoke to him when he very happily said "Good Morning!" I did not think it was so "good".

It was cold, cloudy and gross outside which meant we couldn't go sledding, go for a walk or do anything fun outside ( I keep thinking that maybe we will have a "warmer" day so that I can take Sam for a walk in the new stroller that I got but the weather is just not cooperating).

Sam has diarehea for the second day in a row which has caused horrible diaper rash and a fussy baby.

We ran one errand today and when we got home the garage door would not open all the way; something in the motor is broken, we have to have a repair guy come on Monday.

So my car is in the driveway and it is OF COURSE raining/sleeting/snowing tonight which means I will have to clean my car off before church in the morning (awesome!).

We had planned on grilling for dinner, which Chris did (and it was good!), but the horrible weather made it a little less than enjoyable for Chris.

While we were preparing dinner we noticed a large puddle on our counter top. We had roof problems last year which led to quite a bit of leaking and even with the roof/gutter heating system that we installed apparently we are going to have more leaking this year! A good portion of the water from the leaking roof somehow ends up right under Sam's bed!!! AWESOME!

And while trying to give Sam her medication we accidently spilled the bottle and about five days of antibiotics went down the drain (and all over the counter/floor/rug!) Do I call the doctor to get more or assume what she has had will cover the ear infections?

Have you read the children's book "Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day"?


I think I will move to AUSTRALIA!!!