Sleepy Head

This is where I will be sleeping within the next 2 or 3 weeks! I can look up and see my name on the wall when I am laying in bed, and I can listen to the classical music that mommy and daddy play in my cd player. Mommy chose all kinds of cool colors for my bedding and for my walls...I hope I can sleep with all of these bright colors! When I move into my own bedroom I will officially be a Big Boy!

Almost

My good friend Tamara Abell is almost there....just a few more weeks until she has her first little baby! Of course, none of us know what Tamara is having (a boy or a girl), so the anticipation is really building!! Mommy is throwing a shower for Tamara sometime soon here at our house, and I get to stay and hang out with all of the pretty women that mommy invited (YES!!). I'm sure we'll have a great time opening presents and eating cake. See you soon, Tamara!

Take Cover!!!!

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves during this severe weather! Mommy and daddy and me are all in the basement watching Kevin Harned on Channel 3. I'm taking cover in my swing (really I'm taking a nap in my swing). I know that mommy and daddy will take good care of me. I hope everyone is safe and sound!

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

I had a good second day at Mrs. Margies today. Everyone there slept until 10:30 this morning...I guess we were all tired, tired, tired. Mrs. Margie said that I had a really good day, since I was in a good mood and not as fussy, and I didn't throw up any of my food. Mommy came and checked on me this morning...she loves me so much!

I'm really looking forward to seeing Great Aunt Janet and Mary Lou on Thursday. I can't wait until I see Uncle JP this weekend. I love visiting with my family and friends! I hope we watch the UK basketball game and the Super Bowl this weekend....Go CATS! Go PATS!

Yoga Woman

This is my Great Aunt Ruthie...she is a yoga expert. Just like my daddy tells me, Great Aunt Ruthie means business, and if things aren't going right around the house then she is going to take action. Great Aunt Ruthie has nicknames for all of our relatives...I can't wait to hear what nickname she makes up for me! Like I said, Great Aunt Ruthie is really good at yoga...Namaste yoga I think. Maybe one day you can teach me some yoga so I'll be flexible and strong, Great Aunt Ruthie!

Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

Here I am wearing my alligator robe...it makes me look like Muhammad Ali. I went to church today for the first time since I've been sick. I ended up taking a 3 hour long nap...I slept through church, and I slept through lunch at Stone Hearth, too! I was really tired from all of the pictures yesterday. Mommy is taking me to Mrs. Margie's tomorrow morning...I get to visit and play with Macy and Dawson again...I can't wait! I hope everyone has a great week!!

Laid Back

Well, Sam had 2 hours worth of pictures made today, so we're sure that there will be at least a few good ones to choose from. We got pictures of Sam in his overalls, pictures sitting in chairs, pictures lying across a chair, pictures of Sam looking out the window, pictures in his ND jersey, pictures on the bed, pictures everywhere! We'll have to wait a while to get access, but when we do we'll make them available to view.

Also, we are working HARD to get some video of Sam on the blog, but for some reason we're having no luck thus far. We'll keep working until we can get it on the blog (hopefully).

Picture Day!!!

Sam is SO excited...he gets his 3 month pictures taken today!! Mommy has thought of a bunch of different outfits and poses that Sam can be in for the pictures, so I'm sure the photo session will be loads of fun. If we can download any of the pictures to the blog, we'll put them up as soon as we can.

Hopefully the weather does get a bit warmer this weekend. If it does, then Sam is going to get out of the house for the first time in a long time. Stay tuned...there are more posts to come!

Grace and Lilly (My favorite 2nd Cousins)

I had a blast when my favorite 2nd cousins, Grace and Lilly Vowels, came over to see me. They are both so smart and funny! I couldn't believe how many big words they both knew...and they both acted so happy to see me!! Hopefully I can go visit Grace and Lilly at their house sometime soon. I know that we would have fun, especially since Cindy and Jared would be there; I like librarians and Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

Uncle JP (Grandad too)

Uncle Jon Paul liked holding me during his Christmas vacation. When I get older I'm sure that we will play hard, just like Uncle JP plays with Frazier! Uncle Jon Paul, are you going to the ND Spring Game with me? It will be my first trip to South Bend, so it will be a bunch of fun. I hope you get to come. The game is on April 19...Go Irish!

Playing with Baby Tad

Baby Tad is one of my favorite toys in the whole world! She sings songs to me like Hickory Dickory Dock and The Itsy Bitsy Spider. She also has blinking, colorful lights all over her, and she tells me what shapes are on her stomach. She even plays nighttime and daytime songs! When somebody turns on Baby Tad and puts her in front of me, I pay close attention. Baby Tad is my friend.

Born to Be Wild with Terry

Born to Be Wild with Terry, originally uploaded by benbryan_ndirish82.

Where's my Harley? I'm ready to go for a ride!!!

Big City Woman

This is my Great Aunt Janet. She lives in the big city....Louisville! She came to see me at Christmas time and we had a blast together. I wish she would come back and see me soon, and she needs to bring Mary Lou with her. Great Aunt Janet, mommy and daddy have the new furniture in their basement now, so you'll have to come check it out. Maybe we can watch a UK basketball game together on our big screen TV, and you could sit on the nice new couch that we got. What do you say, Great Aunt Janet?

Snow Day.....Yaayy!!!

My mommy stayed home with me today because it snowed outside and the roads were dangerous. I was happy as a clown when mom didn't wake me up this morning....we slept until 9:00! I wish daddy got to stay home, too, but he had to go to work. Oh well, mommy and me still had a great time together.

When dad got home he read me 5 books, we played with Baby Tad, I sat in the Bumbo, and I played with my Baby Einstein mat...we had so much fun!

I get my pictures made this Saturday, since I'm almost 3 months old. I bet people will really be able to tell how much I've grown since Christmas when they see these pictures.

Grace Carson Preston Papa Rocky Sam and Me

I love my cousins...Grace, Carson and Preston Gadd! I love Papa Pat and Rocky and Sam (ruff ruff)! This picture was taken on Christmas day after we got done opening our presents. Grace is holding me; I'm wearing my Reindeer outfit. I can't wait to see my cousins again!

Sam's Buddy, the Bumbo

We also got Sam a Bumbo this past weekend. The Bumbo helps Sam sit up on his own without having to be held. We bought the tray as well so Sam can play with his toys while sitting in his Bumbo. For those of you that watch the news, don't worry, the Bumbo is completely safe when you don't put it up on the countertop or kitchen table; Sam only gets in his Bumbo when it is safely sitting on the floor. Since Sam is such a big boy, he loves sitting in his Bumbo and having a good time playing with his toys.

ExerSaucer Fun

We bought Sam this handy-dandy play thing, called an ExerSaucer, and he is loving it!! He can rotate 360 degrees around the ExerSaucer and grab on to all of the colorful contraptions that are hanging down. He also loves the cool songs and blinking lights that are on the ExerSaucer. When he gets a little bigger and a bit more coordinated, Sam will wear this thing out.

Also, Sam continues to feel better every day. He is still fussy, but the coughing and wheezing are almost completely gone. He will still get two breathing treatments a day this week, but other than that we think Sam is healthy again.

My Favorite Neighbor

This is Chelsi, my favorite neighbor! She comes over to my house and plays with me and holds me and loves on me all the time. Chelsi, maybe you can come over and watch the Super Bowl with me this year. I'm going to wear my Brady Quinn jersey because he's my favorite player in the world. Do you have a jersey that you could wear?

Monkeying Around

Sam continues to get better as the days go by, but we still have to give him breathing treatments and clean his nose out. It will probably be another full week before Sam is able to get out again.

Sam also got a visit from two of Ben's high school teachers, Betty and Jack Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell was my Art teacher (and my favorite teacher), so naturally she brought Sam a book that talks about famous artwork and art-related terminology that a small child can understand. We can't wait to read and show the book to Sam! Thanks for coming by, and thanks for the book, Betty and Jack!

Big Boy

Sam may be "out of the woods" with his illness. We've got our fingers crossed, since it seems like the wheezing, coughing and sneezing have subsided. We won't be getting Sam out in the bitter cold this weekend, but we'll definitely play hard in the basement.

For all who have been viewing the blog and posting comments, thanks! We will try our hardest to keep the blog up-to-date. Please keep posting; this is the intent of the site. If you're viewing but not posting, please take the time to sign in and post if you're willing and able. We're going to continue to try to make the blog more dynamic by including videos, and maybe some audio. We'll also try to get the slideshow of photos up and running, once we figure out how to make it work.

We look forward to posting more and hearing from each of you!

My Good Friend Reed

This is one of my good friends, Reed. We had a bunch of fun together on New Years Eve, and we even got to play some with Reed's big brother, Tate! Hopefully Reed and I will go to elementary school together in a couple of years. Can't wait to play with you again, Reed!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Chillin in Dad's Office

Although Sam is still not over his illness, he is still in good spirits. He's been smiling and "talking" and playing every single day. He's really been enjoying having books read to him, and he loves the new ExerSaucer that we bought for him. He'll be able to enjoy the new furniture that is being delivered to our basement today, too! I think the family is going to watch a movie and eat a Freschetta pizza tonight, while we enjoy our new basement furniture. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Nebulizer Nightmares!!

Sam does not like the nebulizer, the machine that helps him with his breathing. However, last night he seemed content with the nebulizer mask against his face. We took a picture because we couldn't believe how cooperative Sam was being. We thought maybe he had figured out that his breathing treatments really do help him, but we were wrong. This morning Sam showed us once again how much he dislikes the nebulizer....kicking, screaming, and crying throughout the treatment! Oh well...

Better, but still not well...

Sam is doing a bit better today, but he still has a ways to go until he is well. The funny thing is, when he is awake, Sam still wants to play and smile, even though he is coughing and sneezing and wheezing. At the same time, though, this is the fussiest Danielle and I have seen Sam. Get well soon, Sambo!

Sam is Sick

Unfortunately, Sam has come down with an illness called RSV. Other than being more fussy than normal, the most obvious symptom is the deep cough that he has. It is clear that Sam is full of congestion and doesn't feel well. Danielle took Sam to see Dr. Ball today to figure out what we should do to help him feel better. We have to give him at least three breathing treatments per day with a nebulizer... he hates it!! We hope that the weather predictions come true and Danielle is able to get Thursday and Friday off due to snow...we'll keep our fingers crossed.

GG 2008

Great Grandma had a big time with Sam on Christmas Eve this year! She loved the reindeer outfit that Sam was wearing, and made sure that she held him as much as she could.

Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!

Thanks for watching me this week, Grandma and Grandpa! I love it when you come to my house and take care of me. Will you come again next week?

From Papa Pat

Sam, this picture and message were sent from Papa Pat last night.

The message said, "The prettiest mommy and baby in the world!"

Roger, how many days till the season starts?

Roger, are you going to the Spring Game with me? I can't wait to see all the new players that Coach Weis recruited...Ethan Johnson, Braxton Cave, Michael Floyd and Deion Walker, and all those other guys that are going to win a National Championship for the Irish. I can't wait to make my first trip to South Bend!! Go Irish!

Mommy and Sam

Here is a nice picture that PaPa Pat took of Sam and Danielle during the Christmas festivities. PaPa was learning how to master his new high-tech digital camera. Sam loves his PaPa and Cilla too.

Danielle made Sam giggle

What started out as a simple cleaning of drool turned into one of many milestones that Sam will encounter throughout his formative years. Sam giggled, hard, straight from the gut laughs at his mommy 3 times tonight.





Sam (12/23/08) 2 1/2 months

Learning something new!

This first post is a learning experience. There will be more to come. I hope to hear from those that I send this link to.