Christmas Morning

We slept in until 6:00am this year! We decided not to wake Sampson while we scurried out to the tree to open presents. I called my family to say good morning and merry Christmas only to find they were still sleeping! My how times have changed... we used to be knocking on their door at 5am!

Jimmy got a new pair of slippers! (Note the flexibility due to yoga practice!) He also received a cashmere sweater, a Henley, and some new polo shirts. And some chocolate. SK got a new pair of ass-kickin' boots and a beautiful new jacket (compete with suede elbow pads!). It was a great Christmas! Sampson woke up around 7 and we all packed up and headed down to Smyrna where the festivities continued. Jimmy probably consumed an entire pound of monkey bread this year. If you do not know what monkey bread is, just imagine butter and brown sugar melted all over little biscuit bits. It's downright delish. And no one makes it like Mom Vee!

When we got down to Smyrna, the family came over to see Sampson experience his first Christmas. He was very excited to rip the paper and so grateful for all his gifts! He got lots of wonderful books and some fun new toys.

What do we have here?


This is so exciting!


Wait, which book is this?


Ah yes, History of the World Part I. I perused this one in the book store. I can't wait to read it later.

Sampson also received this really awesome hat which proved to be the perfect reading accessory. Unfortunately, he did not receive cheek warmers! Look at those things! They're perfect for kissing!
Thank you so much to all who gave Sampson gifts. This Christmas was a very special one for our family and Sampson is so blessed to have such generous friends and family.

Riiiice!

My goal was to exclusively breastfeed Sampson for his first six months of life. Research shows that this is hugely beneficial to his immune system. But Sampson is the size of an average 6 month old baby even though he is only 4 months old. Thus, I am having a hard time keeping the boy fed! He actually started waking up again in the middle of the night to eat. He's been showing other signs as well... like grabbing food off our plates and watching us eat very intently. So we made the decision to begin feeding him some solids (Not salads as Nouno thought we said). We gave him some rice cereal mixed with breast milk for a few days and then we tried bananas. So far, he has snubbed the cereal but will enjoy a nibble of banana here and there. Here are the pictures of his very first taste of cereal. Can you imagine eating only one food your entire life, and then suddenly having some foreign texture and taste shoved into your mouth?! Sampson couldn't...

Snow!

Hello from up north! Sampson and I ventured up to Averill Park on our own this weekend for a Christmas surprise. This surprise has been in the works for two weeks and I'm very pleased that the beans were not spilled! We surprised Nana Jo at work on Friday afternoon when she thought she would not see us until after Christmas. Santa called her in her office (as Papa told him to) and told her she had an early Christmas present in the main office. She headed down thinking that he would be there with flowers. But it was us! Boy was she surprised! Nice work to everyone who kept the secret! We were going to come up on Thursday but they were in the middle of a blizzard so we waited. This is the beautiful northeastern winter wonderland I grew up playing in... (and by "playing" I mean looking at from indoors with a book and some hot cocoa)...





This cold weather is something new for Sampson since it's actually been quite balmy down in Delaware so far this season. We bundled him all up and took extra care to warm up the car. "They" say not to use winter jackets on the little ones in car seats because the puffy jackets leave too much space between the straps and his little body. In an accident, the jacket compresses and his head can be jostled around too much or he could slip right out! So! Instead we have a Bundle Me so he stays nice and snuggly and safe. Here he is all ready to go out.




And today we went to visit a special certain jolly old elf. I think you know who I mean. Sampson was not screaming or upset (like I was for my first Santa photo), but he was not terribly impressed either. I think it will take a few years until he understands the magic that Santa brings this time of year! (PS: The only place we could find a Santa today was at a hardware store! Ha! It was rather strange walking into the store just to see Santa. And this Santa didn't even have a chair to sit in... he was just standing around next to the dogfood and lawn ornaments.)

Tree!

Last weekend we put up Sampson's first Christmas tree. We had the entire Vennard family over to help us decorate. Sammy loved his Pooh Bear Baby's First Christmas ornament from Nana Jo and Papa. We upsized this year! The tree was almost to our ceiling! We are so lucky that my mother was so diligent about saving our ornaments. I have a collection large enough to cover the entire tree.

The stocking on the mantle is the one Grammy made for Sampson. It's a big large for his foot, but it will be just perfect for presents!

Sampson was in high spirits for the decorating. He especially likes the lights! He is currently an EIT- Elf in Trainning.

Musical Interlude

Enjoy the holiday cheer!

Snow!

It's snowing! First real snow of the season! Sampson and I went outside to check it out. He was unsure at first. White stuff floating around him must have looked very strange. He took his time and looked around and eventually decided that he liked it!

So much news to share! Jimmy and I have both found new jobs! Jimmy started his new job at W.L. Gore & Associates working in their biotech department. He is working on hernia patches. He said that when he tells people this, everyone tells him a hernia story. Feel free to share yours here! So far he's moved into his office and started meeting his co-workers. We were sad to say good-bye to ACE but we will old friends often enough... like Thursday night at volleyball... and Friday night at the Holiday Party... and Saturday night at the Leftovers Party.

And I am teaching dance at Stage Lights Dance Studio in Newark! I am teaching two Kinderdance classes and six ballet classes to students ages 4-17. I am thrilled to be teaching again and I adore my new students. The studio is a very close-knit dance family and reminds me of my days at the Isabelle School of Dance. Thanks to my sister-in-law-to-be Danielle for taking my new headshot!

So our days are busier now that we are both working. Some days Jimmy gets home just in time for me to leave. Other nights, I bring Sampson to the studio and my co-workers watch him until Jimmy picks him up. It works out well because I'm right in the next room in case something goes wrong. So on these evenings, Sammy and his Dad spend the time reading George R. R. Martin books. Sampson is especially enjoying A Game of Thrones.

Chilly Weather

It's getting cold out here on the east coast! And apparently, it's the time of year when Sampson stores things in his cheeks! Observe:

I've been told that I had the squirrely cheeks too as a baby. Sorry kid!


Squirrely or not, who wouldn't want to be snuggly in fleece from hoodie to toe? Sammy certainly enjoyed the outfit when we ventured out into the cold this week. He is three months old now and really growing quickly! Over 15 lbs with some serious head control, he loves his jumperoo and the Beatles. He likes long walks and milkshakes. He is making lots of sounds and we have lengthy conversations. He sleeps from 9pm to 8am with one pit stop around 3. He loves books and is in the middle of an epic Eric Carle series. And can't wait to see what happens on Grey's Anatomy this week. He's really just an all-around great guy with dimples. What else can I say? I'm a proud Oma.

Twelve Weeks Old

Sampson is twelve weeks old! He is starting to grip objects and drool a lot. He is very close to getting his entire fist into his mouth. He loves to smiles and talk to the little man in the mirror. His favorite spot (when not eating) is in the pack n'play with his little bee mobile. He winds up his arm and smacks the bees so they all dance around. It's good times. And his face... well it's pretty much dimplicious...

New toy! Now that Sampson can hold his head up, we got out the Rainforest Jumperoo. Auntie Colleen mastered the assembly and Sampson was impressed! Even though his little feet barely touch the floor, he is quite amused by toys right at his fingertips. I bet he'll be a jumping bean by Christmas.

And we had a special request to see more father-son pictures. Do you see a resemblance?

Holiday Happiness

Like his Oma, Sampson is evidently thrilled that the holiday season is upon us! These photos were admittedly taken on November 1st! Jimmy-the-Grinch won't let us even say the word "Christmas" until after Halloween so we are always prepared for the strike of midnight on October 31st! I usually stay up especially late and hang up the snowflakes and wreath and other "winter" decorations. This year, we just slept in our holiday pajamas so we were ready when we woke up the next morning. We played Christmas music and watched "Elf" and drank hot chocolate. He loved it. I hope he learned to enjoy the season as much as I do! And for the record, Jimmy-the-Grinch turns quite jovial after Thanksgiving. The little antler hat has been provided by Great Mom-mom... I'm sure Sampson will thank her for this when he gets older.






These little pajamas were a gift from Aunt Laura. They are size 3-6months and being only 11 weeks, they should fit around the holidays. But they are very snug! So we were sure to get some photos while they still fit.

Photos

Bath Time
Sampson is just starting to show interest in mirrors. I don't think he knows that the image is himself, but he does smile when he sees the "other guy." He really enjoys bath time and loves to kick his legs and use his arms to splash Oma. The only part he doesn't like is getting out of the water and into the cold air! He requires lots of snuggles right after to warm up.

Special Onesie
This onesie was hand decorated by one Mr. Tommy Landers and as you can see,
Sampson loves it!

Suspenders
We have an adorable dress outfit consisting of dress pants and suspenders which Sampson was planning on wearing around the holidays (you know, office parties and family get-togethers) but I was worried he would out-grow them by then! So we took an afternoon to dress up and have a little photo shoot. He looks rather dapper if I do say so myself!

Sweet Pea
For Halloween, Sampson dressed up as the sweetest pea ever. I actually purchased the costume before he was even born... because I knew he'd have the cutest little face. I love vegetables!

Oma
I realized that since I am usually the one behind the camera, there are no photos of us together. Auntie Colleen was kind enough to take some pictures of the two of us before he got in the bathtub. Can you see a resemblance?