This week I took the girls for their check-ups. Together; at the same time. I thought it would be easier. It was not. It may have been except for the 50 minute wait to see the doctor, by which time both girls were in total melt down mode; but thankfully Grandma was with us to lend an extra set of hands!
This was Sammie’s four-year check-up, and the first where she got to answer all the questions. Of course, she came down with a terrible case of shyness and whispered all her answers to our doctor, but he did get his answers and determined that she is on track in most areas, and as always, ahead of the curve on vocabulary and pronunciation. The one area we need to work more on with Sammie, which we already knew was letter and number recognition. She is able to spell and write her first name, she has known all her colors since she was two, and can currently count to twenty in English and ten in Spanish. She weighed in at a whopping 29 pounds putting her in the sixth percentile, and measured 37 ½ inches putting her in the tenth percentile. So Sammie remains our petite little monkey as always!
For Brenna this was her fifteen month check-up, and she was happy as always to be in the doctor’s office; not so much. We were a little worried that we were not doing as good with Brenna on working with her on speech. Not that we are comparing, but Sammie has always been verbal and way ahead of the curve on vocabulary. While we understand that every child is different, I was worried that I wasn’t working with Brenna as well as we did with Sammie. So I was very happy to hear our doctor tell us that she’s actually ahead on speech (she says a lot of different words, just not consistently, and understands complex instructions), especially for a second child, and is WAY ahead on gross motor skills. When he asked if she climbs, I informed him that we find her on top of the kitchen table on a regular basis. Brenna weighed in at 23 ½ pounds putting her in the fifty sixth percentile and measured 31 ½ inches long putting her in the seventy fourth percentile.
Most importantly, both girls are HEALTHY and doing very well! Despite having to get two shots, Brenna was cheered up later in the day, and Sammie was thrilled that she escaped having any at this visit. (it has now become THE question when I tell her that we are going to see the doctor)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Happy 4th Birthday Sammie!!!
I can hardly believe that our little Sammie is four years old today! Mo-Mo, The Mo-ster, Sammie Bug, Mo-Mo-licious, Monkey, Pumpkin; all nicknames we have had for her over the last four years.
Sammie is an amazing little girl (I’m not biased at all, am I?). She’s incredibly attune to other’s feelings and expressions, and can’t stand to see anyone upset (except maybe her little sister sometimes…). She’s our little princess, with the vivid imagination. She likes to play rough and tumble, and then turn around and make beds for all her animals and read her “babies” bed time stories. She is extremely smart and can figure things out seemingly at the speed of light. (Read here, she had Daddy’s iPhone down before I even knew how to turn it on!) She is fiercely independent and wants to do just about everything herself, but on her own time, she’ll come over and ask for some snuggle time or to lay with you and watch a movie. She is extremely meticulous, although I have no idea where she gets it from ;-) She’s a complete daddy’s girl, but then also a mommy’s girl too. She loves her little sister, and although she is rougher with her than we would like at times, she’s intensely protective of her, and won’t even let her friends at school come by her.
We have watched you grow from a little baby…
To a toddler…
To a big sister…
To a pre-schooler…
Watching her grow from a baby to a little girl has been an incredible experience. I’ve had frustrations, particularly the age of three; however my joys over the past four years have been more than I could ever have imagined and so much more than I feel like I can describe. The best way to sum it up is what I have heard from others; it is like having your heart walk outside your body, all the time, every day. I have enjoyed each and every day of her life, and feel extremely blessed to be a part of it.
We are so very proud of our little Princess Sammie; of her heart, her mind, her love, her smiles, her sass, her giggles, her tender kisses for boo-boos, her hugs, her kisses, her snuggles, her humor, her expression, her dancing, her outgoing behavior; from the top her head, to the tips of her toes, we love her to pieces, always and forever. Happy Birthday Angel, we love you so very much!!!
And then...
…And then she was here!
Samantha Morrow Carr was born at 10:13 a.m., weighing in at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 19 ¼ inches long.
Proud Papa...
Proud Mommy...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
On This Day Four Years Ago...
Four years ago today, I was 39 weeks pregnant with Sammie. I went to my 39 week check up with my doctor who informed me that although I had been having sporadic contractions for a couple of days, nothing was going on. He said he’d see me the following week for my next appointment and we would discuss induction options at that time. I was ok with that. I really wanted to go into labor on my own with her, and had such a great pregnancy that I wasn’t in a big hurry.
I came home, shared the news with Nathan, we had dinner and sat out on the deck enjoying the extremely nice weather. We were talking about her coming soon and Nathan said “I feel like this is the calm before the storm”. After a while I was tired and headed up to bed. An hour later Nathan came up to join me and surprise! My water broke, at 10:30 that night.
After a quick shower and calls to our families, we headed to the hospital. In the car my contractions were about seven minutes apart and once they got me hooked up to the monitors, they were three minutes apart. They decided to give me Pitocin as things were not progressing as they would have liked. Pitocin is the devil, for anyone who doesn’t know. It took them seven horrible attempts to get my IV started, but finally, they did, around 3 a.m. Then the party really got started, or the pain, whichever way you want to look at it.
We waited patiently…
Our parents and sisters waited patiently…
Somewhere around 7:30, I FINALLY got my epidural, which was wonderful! Within ten seconds of them giving it to me, I could sit up and open my eyes again, and the first thing I saw was complete relief on Nathan’s face. We were settled down and I was MUCH more comfortable, so I told him to head down for some food, since the nurse told us it would be a while (I was at 3 ½ before the epidural). He left and our moms came in to keep me company.
At about 8:30 the shift change had occurred and the new nurse came in to check me and asked our moms to step out. Guess what? It was baby time!!! She immediately asked me where “Dad” was, and I said we just sent him down for breakfast! So she called our moms back in and had them get a hold of Nathan while she called my doctor. Nathan thought we were playing a joke on him! But he came up anyway, just to be sure!
I’ll spare you the details of course, but I will say it went way better than I had feared, and then…
I came home, shared the news with Nathan, we had dinner and sat out on the deck enjoying the extremely nice weather. We were talking about her coming soon and Nathan said “I feel like this is the calm before the storm”. After a while I was tired and headed up to bed. An hour later Nathan came up to join me and surprise! My water broke, at 10:30 that night.
After a quick shower and calls to our families, we headed to the hospital. In the car my contractions were about seven minutes apart and once they got me hooked up to the monitors, they were three minutes apart. They decided to give me Pitocin as things were not progressing as they would have liked. Pitocin is the devil, for anyone who doesn’t know. It took them seven horrible attempts to get my IV started, but finally, they did, around 3 a.m. Then the party really got started, or the pain, whichever way you want to look at it.
We waited patiently…
Somewhere around 7:30, I FINALLY got my epidural, which was wonderful! Within ten seconds of them giving it to me, I could sit up and open my eyes again, and the first thing I saw was complete relief on Nathan’s face. We were settled down and I was MUCH more comfortable, so I told him to head down for some food, since the nurse told us it would be a while (I was at 3 ½ before the epidural). He left and our moms came in to keep me company.
At about 8:30 the shift change had occurred and the new nurse came in to check me and asked our moms to step out. Guess what? It was baby time!!! She immediately asked me where “Dad” was, and I said we just sent him down for breakfast! So she called our moms back in and had them get a hold of Nathan while she called my doctor. Nathan thought we were playing a joke on him! But he came up anyway, just to be sure!
I’ll spare you the details of course, but I will say it went way better than I had feared, and then…
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Working Out
It had really been bothering me for a while that I have gotten so out of shape and for the longest time could not figure out how to fit working out in my schedule. So at the beginning of March (just so happened to coincide with my 33rd birthday), I decided to bite the bullet and join a 24 hour gym by our house. Our friends Mike and Rachel had joined and offered to be our work-out partners, so Nathan and I decided to get started. Our plan is to commit to three days a week. I will say that I am very happy I have lost three pounds so far! My goal is, well let’s just say a lot more! ;-)
Prior to joining the gym, in February, Rachel was telling Jenny and me that she really wished we would join with her so we could go to the classes. Especially this Zumba (mix of Latin dancing and aerobics) cause she thinks she wouldn’t feel so foolish if we were there. After determining that we weren’t sure that was a compliment, I informed Rachel that I would NEVER take the Zumba class with her.
I like to do the elliptical and weights for my work out; Rachel is a runner, and loves the classes. So she finally talked me into trying one out last night. It was the “Ultimate Fitness Mix”. We walk in as the class starts, get set up, and the instructor says “Welcome to Zumba ladies!”. My reaction? Rachel is in deep sh*t! :)
Turns out for ultimate fitness mix, they let the class choose what we will do, so it wasn’t her fault after all, but it gave me a good laugh!
It was actually a really good work out, minus the parts where I felt like the most uncoordinated person in the world! I’m feeling better, sleeping better, have been inspired by the calorie counter on the elliptical to eat better, and am so completely happy to be getting some exercise in again! Thank you Rachel, you have been a great work out partner!
Prior to joining the gym, in February, Rachel was telling Jenny and me that she really wished we would join with her so we could go to the classes. Especially this Zumba (mix of Latin dancing and aerobics) cause she thinks she wouldn’t feel so foolish if we were there. After determining that we weren’t sure that was a compliment, I informed Rachel that I would NEVER take the Zumba class with her.
I like to do the elliptical and weights for my work out; Rachel is a runner, and loves the classes. So she finally talked me into trying one out last night. It was the “Ultimate Fitness Mix”. We walk in as the class starts, get set up, and the instructor says “Welcome to Zumba ladies!”. My reaction? Rachel is in deep sh*t! :)
Turns out for ultimate fitness mix, they let the class choose what we will do, so it wasn’t her fault after all, but it gave me a good laugh!
It was actually a really good work out, minus the parts where I felt like the most uncoordinated person in the world! I’m feeling better, sleeping better, have been inspired by the calorie counter on the elliptical to eat better, and am so completely happy to be getting some exercise in again! Thank you Rachel, you have been a great work out partner!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Flower Girl Dress Shopping
Sadly, it has been almost two months since I did my last blog. I like blogging, I really do, however, it seems to fall short (or low) on my list of priorities, and every time that I think I have found a spot to squeeze it in, another priority gets plugged into that spot. In the grand scheme of things, it is not important as the other items on my list, but I do miss it when it is absent.
There’s a lot to catch up on, but I’ll just work slowly! For one, I haven’t posted any of our Christmas pictures yet. I’m working on it, still sorting through them from my camera! We’ve been busy with a lot of things in the past month especially, which I’ll elaborate on as we catch up, but more recently, one item I’ve been busy with is preparing for my sister-in-law, Jessica’s wedding.
Jessie is Nathan’s younger sister, and is getting married this summer. She has asked our entire family to be in her wedding; and we are all honored to be a part of her special day. The girls are both getting to be her flower girls (let’s hope they make it down the isle!) and so Jessie and I took them both dress shopping last week to get their sizes and decide on a style that she liked best.
I had feared that Brenna (who hates to have her clothes changed) would throw a monster tantrum, and that we would have a hard time getting Sammie out of the store without the “princess dresses” she’d tried on all day. Boy was I wrong…
Brenna tried on one dress, ran from mirror to mirror smiling at her reflection, swishing her dress from side to side and squealing with delight!
Sammie…well, Sammie screamed and cried the entire time. She didn’t want me to put the dress on, she didn’t want me to take it off, she didn’t want to come out of the dressing room, she was pretty well miserable the entire time. I think that David’s Bridal was VERY happy to see us go…
Friday, January 22, 2010
Mommy & Sammie Night
This past week, Sammie and I had a much needed date to ourselves. I've been wanting to take her to see "The Princess and the Frog" for a long time, however, illnesses and other obligations had kept us from going. We finally set the date to go last Saturday, however, Sammie was running a high fever and developed a bad cough, so we didn't get to go. I made sure she understood that we would still be going, but that we just couldn't go that day as we'd planned.
I figured this was ok, until we went to school on Monday. When we get there, all of her little friends start asking her how her movie with her mommy was on Saturday and with the saddest look on her face I think I've ever seen, she informed them that we did not go. I turned to her teacher and said "I guess she told everyone we were going?" to which Miss Amanda replied "umm...yeah, it was pretty much all she talked about all week last week." Ouch...
I'll admit it, I got really teary-eyed and felt horrible about it, especially since this week and weekend were not looking any better for us going. I sat there all day Monday feeling really bad. Then Nathan called me right as I was getting ready to leave and said, go get Mo-Mo (or knickname for her) and take her to the movie tonight, it will be a nice surprise for her and I know how bad you feel about this morning. Yay!
I don't think I can properly convey how excited I was to get the chance to make it up to her, that same day! So I left work, drove to get her at school and in spite of her disappointment in the morning, she was thrilled to see me and anxious to show me what she'd done that day as always. As we were putting on her coat I told her where we were going and she started to squeal and jump up and down. She gave me a big hug and said she couldn't wait.
We left there and headed to dinner, a place complete with a little house/tunnel/slide combo for her to run around in, then headed to the mall for a ride on the carousel and then finally to the movie. We had our obligatory popcorn and wild cherry icee, and the movie was wonderful. Disney has such a knack for putting these things out, it never fails to amaze me. She did pretty well sitting still, but 90 minutes is a long time for a three-year-old. Toward the second half of the movie, the music was even more upbeat and it had Sammie out of her seat and dancing in the isle. She was kicking her feet and shaking her toosh and having a wonderful time. When I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was she said "the music"; just a chip off the old daddy block there!
I think the evening quite possibly meant more to me than it did to her, but that's ok. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my mom used to take me to see Disney movies in the theater. She would get teary-eyed and when I would ask her why she would simply say "some day when you get older you will understand". I'm sure no mother ever gets tired of hearing these words so - MOM - you were right. I wish I could bottle it up and save it forever, I guess that is why we have our memories...and I look forward already to many, many more Mommy and Sammie days/nights, and to having them with Brenna as well!
I figured this was ok, until we went to school on Monday. When we get there, all of her little friends start asking her how her movie with her mommy was on Saturday and with the saddest look on her face I think I've ever seen, she informed them that we did not go. I turned to her teacher and said "I guess she told everyone we were going?" to which Miss Amanda replied "umm...yeah, it was pretty much all she talked about all week last week." Ouch...
I'll admit it, I got really teary-eyed and felt horrible about it, especially since this week and weekend were not looking any better for us going. I sat there all day Monday feeling really bad. Then Nathan called me right as I was getting ready to leave and said, go get Mo-Mo (or knickname for her) and take her to the movie tonight, it will be a nice surprise for her and I know how bad you feel about this morning. Yay!
I don't think I can properly convey how excited I was to get the chance to make it up to her, that same day! So I left work, drove to get her at school and in spite of her disappointment in the morning, she was thrilled to see me and anxious to show me what she'd done that day as always. As we were putting on her coat I told her where we were going and she started to squeal and jump up and down. She gave me a big hug and said she couldn't wait.
We left there and headed to dinner, a place complete with a little house/tunnel/slide combo for her to run around in, then headed to the mall for a ride on the carousel and then finally to the movie. We had our obligatory popcorn and wild cherry icee, and the movie was wonderful. Disney has such a knack for putting these things out, it never fails to amaze me. She did pretty well sitting still, but 90 minutes is a long time for a three-year-old. Toward the second half of the movie, the music was even more upbeat and it had Sammie out of her seat and dancing in the isle. She was kicking her feet and shaking her toosh and having a wonderful time. When I asked her what her favorite part of the movie was she said "the music"; just a chip off the old daddy block there!
I think the evening quite possibly meant more to me than it did to her, but that's ok. One of my favorite childhood memories is when my mom used to take me to see Disney movies in the theater. She would get teary-eyed and when I would ask her why she would simply say "some day when you get older you will understand". I'm sure no mother ever gets tired of hearing these words so - MOM - you were right. I wish I could bottle it up and save it forever, I guess that is why we have our memories...and I look forward already to many, many more Mommy and Sammie days/nights, and to having them with Brenna as well!
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