Portraits

Your are 1 year old!

Sammy, you are 1 year old! I know this is said by many but time really does fly when you have children! You are eating all big people food and you are drinking whole milk from a sippy cup most of the time (you still like your bottle in the morning). Most importantly, you are walking! On August 2nd I put you out in front of me and ran back to encourage you to walk towards me and I barely had time to back up; you were almost running. Maggie was there and she was just as excited as I was. She exclaimed "Sammy walking all by himself Mommy!". Then she decided that she wanted to be the one to call Daddy to give him the news. We then proceeded to call Nanny & Papa, Grammy and More Nanny (Great Grammy). It was so exciting!


Your birthday party was a great success! You were such a good boy and you remarkably took notice in each gift you were given. You had to take each one in your hand and look it all over. You seemed indifferent to your birthday cake appearing to be more interested in the texture of the icing than the taste. Your sister was the opposite. She couldn't have cared less about her presents and when given her birthday cake - she decided it was faster if she just put her whole face in it. The nice thing about your party, besides the lovely weather (it was sunny and 29 degrees), was that it was very easy going and everyone seemed to have a nice time. Maggie had fun playing with Hannah & Carlie Cole in her pool and the three of them took turns helping you open your gifts. I was so proud of Maggie as she was more than willing to let her friends take turns opening your gifts.


I went back to work on July 30th with little trouble from you. Of course you had been to Barbie's with Maggie a few time in July in order to prepare you for this transition but I couldn't have predicted it would go so well. You hestitantly went into Barb's arms that Monday morning but you didn't cry. On Tuesday, you reluctantly went to Barb and cried for 2 mins (so I'm told) and Wednesday you went to Barb with open arms and a big smile. Barb has been babysitting for 15 yrs and she said she had never seen a baby adapt so quickly! Now me, that's another story. Going back to work was hard since I would prefer to remain at home for another 2 years or so - at least until you enter kindergarten, but alas, it is a must for our current situation. I feel bad as well that you won't get another year off with me as did Maggie but a good friend pointed out that you have had other advantages such as having Maggie as a sibling and spending time with her this year.

With all that is good with you, we are experiencing a biting problem. You do it to everyone and for many reasons. You appear to bite me, on the face, as a way of kissing me, with a big smile and grunt. You bite Maggie out of anger and a way to say "go away"! The first time you bit her it was on the face and you left a bruise. I don't think I had ever heard her scream so loud! I've tried everything and you aren't getting the message. I'm hoping you will grow out of it soon.


You are such a handsome boy and your smile lights up a room. Some folks say you look like your Dad but they always tag on that you have my eyes (and I agree). Other folks say you look like a Williamson and those who know Papa, your namesake, say you look like him. I think they are all right since you have a bit of everyone in you (unlike your sister who is all Daddy - I was merely the incubator). Everyone agrees though that you are all boy! At your 1yr checkup you were 25 lbs. You are in the 90% for weight and height. You come by it naturally since your Dad is 6-1, Uncle Pete is 6'2, Uncle Mike is 6'3 and Uncle Robbie is and even 6.

We love you so much Sammy! We thank God everyday for blessing us with such a wonderful and playful little boy. I get choked up when I try to imagine you older, as a teenager in highschool, as a young adult moving out; as a young man getting married? Who will you choose to be and what will you do with your life? When I think about what I want for you I pray for faith in God, confidence and self-esteem, self-reliance and independence and coping skills because despite how much I might wish to the contrary, life is not always going to be easy. But most of all, I pray that you will be as happy as you are now and that this world will see how wonderful you are. I also hope you will grow to love someone 1/2 as much as I love you! I found this song while making a slideshow for your birthday and have recorded the words for safekeeping in your memory chest. This song (by christian artist Janelle) really says it all in terms of how your Dad and I feel about you:

~ Amazing ~

The morning cold and raining

Dark before the dawn could come

How long in twilight waiting

Longing for the rising sun

You came like crashing thunder

Breaking through these walls of stone
You came with wide eyed wonder

Into all this great unknown

Hush now don’t you be afraid

I promise you I’ll always stay

I’ll never be that far away

I’m right here with you

You’re so amazing

You shine like the stars

You’re so amazing

The beauty you are

You came blazing

Right into my heart

You’re so amazing

You are, You are

You came from Heaven shining

Breath of God still fresh on you

The beating heart inside me

Crumbled at this one so new

No matter where, how far you wander

For a thousand years or longer

I will always be there for you

Right here with you

I hope your tears are few and fast

I hope your dreams come true at last

I hope you find love that goes on and on and on and on and on

I hope you wish on every star

I hope you never fall too far

I hope this world can see how wonderful you are!

This is my official sign off on your blog. I promised myself that I would record your first year as I had with Maggie so this will be my last update. Perhaps now we'll create a Malloy Family blog and add your and Maggie's weblinks.

It's been one of the best years of my life Sam!

Love Mommy

10 mths old!

Playing in your tunnel... "I'm coming to get you Mommy!"

A picture of your hand knitted sweaters - a gift from Grammy.

Your first experience on a swing. "Faster Mommy, Faster!"

You are now famous for sticking out your tongue and we love it!!

You are 10 1/2 mths old today. We just returned from a week long vacation in Dallas, Texas. We went there to attend your Cousin Kate's wedding. It was wonderful! Maggie stayed with Nanny & Papa. Apparently she took a picture of you and another of your Daddy & I down from their fridge and walked around with them all week. Was this a sign that she missed us???

You were a great traveller! You were awesome on the flights (and there and back with connections there were 5 in total!) except for at one point when the air conditioning was not working. We stripped you down as they jump started the airplane (no word of a lie) but who could blame you - it got really hot!!. You also adjusted to the time difference of 2 hours with little effort and slept like your usual 10-12 hr self! You stole the show at every event.

Since my last post, your two top teeth came in, you learned to crawl and are currently pulling yourself up using the furniture and walking around holding onto it. You are also feeding yourself for the most part; tonight you ate small pieces of all the vegetables in our homeade chicken stew and then had peaches for dessert. It is such a pleasure to watch you grow and develop your individual personality. You laugh at absolutely everything!

Maggie is still Mom's little helper: "Sammy's too little for that Mom" or "Sammy has something in his mouth Mom" or my personal favorite "Sammy has my toy Mommy!!". She also asks every other day "Sammy sit on my lap Mommy?".

I can't describe how awesomely blessed I feel to be called your Mother. You and Maggie are the light of my life. I pray every night that God will keep you safe from harm and that he will mold me into the Mother He intends me to be; the kind of mother you both need.

Love, Mom

Easter 2007

The Easter Bunny found us! You got your first hockey stick and Maggie hasn't stopped playing with it yet. She surprised us all by volunteering to share all her eggs with you. We're sure this won't last... Daddy and I have been eating them for you. They were good...thanks!

It's been 3 mths since our last post so I'm not sure where to start. You've been crawling "combat style" for some time now and just today you took your first real "step" towards crawling up on all fours. As I write this on April 15th, you are two days away from being exactly 9mths old. You can say Dada and Nana and last week you said Mama for the first time, of course, not yet realizing the significance of these words. You are eating yogurt now and some well blended or soft grown up food like carrots and pears. You are also drinking out of a sippy cup, albeit, not very efficiently yet but it's certainly a step in the right direction. I say the "right direction" but I struggle with these little milestones since it means you soon won't be my baby boy anymore (well, in a sense you will always be my baby boy but I think you get the point). Oh, I almost forgot, the biggest news of all is that you are now sleeping 11-12 hours straight though the night. Mommy feels like a new woman! Nanny and Papa took your sister for a few nights when you were about 7 mths old and instead of rescuing you at your 5 am awakening, I went to your bed and merely rubbed your back until you settled down. I had to do this for 2 hrs the first night, 1 hr the second and you slept through on the third. Hooray to the "Baby Whisper", Mom's Baby Bible! I'm sure you would have slept through the night earlier if I had simply applied the Baby Whisper philosphy earlier in your short life as I had with your sister, but having another child in the house who would often wake up to you crying was difficult. Why is it that this is not written about in the baby books? Hmmm....a book idea for Mommy.

Maggie continues to adore you. Whenever she's been out without you and returns home, she always immediately asks to see you and hold you. Sometime she does this just in order to steal your soother but other times I think she's sincere it wanting to be with you. LOL :) She helps me with you more and more every day. She says "Mom, Sammy has stinky bum" and "Sammy crying Mom" and "Sammy stuck Mom" (when you are in your walker and can't get turned around). And at night when I say "Night Maggie, I love you sweetie" she ALWAYS replies, "I love you too Mama....and Sammy too." It warms my heart every single time.

I look at you now and can't help wondering what you'll say in two years time or even in one year that will melt my heart and make me smile. Today before you can speak, I simply have to look at your beautiful smile and your sparkling eyes. Your Daddy & I love you more with each passing day.

Love, Mom

Here I come 2007!!

"Quick Mommy, take a picture of your two babies!"

Hanging out in their hoodies.

"Yum, Num, Num, Num...this food feeder thing is great Mom!"

"Make it go fast again Daddy!"

On Christmas Day, you quietly sat in your vibrating chair and watched your sister patiently open all her Christmas gifts. It took us 3 hours to open all our gifts since Maggie wanted to play with each toy, yours included, after she opened them. You were very content to watch and listen.

You are now 23 lbs and wearing size 12 or even 18mths. While you are currently suffering from a cold, you are thriving in every way. You are moving around on the floor now. No, you are not yet crawling but you somehow manage to get to where you want to be by rolling over from side to side and stretching really, really far. You are also talking alot more and are even saying "dada" and other "ah" sounds. You love to eat fruit using your food feeder and I think you are already catching on to some of the baby sign language that I used when your sister was a baby. If I'm right; you are one smart baby!

Maggie has taken to tickling you now; particularly when you are in your jolly jumper. "Twickle, Twickle, Twickle" she laughs. And she sings 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to you and anyone who will listen.

Speaking of Maggie, she had a big week this last week. She is now potty trained, has no naps and sleeps without her soother. She has also learned her ABCs and can count to 10. It's like the week of all development! It made me think about all the changes you will see in your next 6 mths like crawling, walking, eating big people food etc... Time really does fly when you have kids....you are our little marker of time Sam!

That's all for now.
Love Mom

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

Our new Christmas stockings as a family of four!

Sam's Dedication ceremony.

Christmas portrait 2006

Our Christmas card photo....snapped on the one and only day we had snow! Maggie is saying "Cheese" and Sam is saying "Hurry and take the picture and then get me out of this sled!"

Only 3 more days until Christmas! You love to look at all the lights and thankfully you love to shop with Mom. You almost sleep better when we are out and about; I think it's the white noise.

You are 5 mths old now and you weigh 21 lbs! It's almost time to transfer you into the new car seat! Everytime we enter a new stage of your infancy I think "oh, that's the last time (for example, the last time I'll have to carry a baby in a car seat)." You are also eating veggies and fruit now which you love and you are sleeping 7 hrs at night; just in time for Christmas.

You watch your sister like a hawk. She loves to read you books. She makes up a story and points to all the pictures and attempts to explain them to you. Sometimes she will go through 5-10 books in one sitting - she's a speed reader! :) You just play along. It takes nothing to make you smile and laugh. Everyone says you're just like your father that way but I remember Maggie was like that too! We've certainly been blessed with two babies with good temperments.

Maggie is anxiously awaiting Christmas with only two more treats in her advent calendar to go. She says "Danta bring me toys and treats....and Nammy too". Obviously she's not mastered the S sound at the beginning of her words yet but it's so cute.

Oh, I almost forgot. You have a new baby cousin since our last update. Maxwell Michael Malloy arrived on December 2nd. Finally a cousin on the Malloy side!! He's a beautiful baby and we're sure the two of you will be good friends!

We can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas Sammy!
Love, Mom

Almost 4 mths old!

Hanging out while Maggie picks out her very own pumpkins at the Country Pumpkin.

Going to the gym on Halloween morning - "Mom, ya know I'm gonna kill you for this later."

Halloween evening as you tagged along behind your big sister.

You & Maggie with cousins Michaela and Braeden at the French Fort Cove in Miramichi.

It's been almost 6 weeks since my last entry....so sorry Sammy, October was a busy month. With Mommy's birthday and our wedding anniversary, a trip to Miramichi, the Irwin Family visiting from Florida and of course Halloween, Mommy didn't have much free time. Here's the details on you this past month:

You now weigh almost 18 lbs! Yes, you are a big boy but I just checked the statistics today and you are within normal range; albeit you are at the higher end of the range. I'm used to your sister who too was a fairly big baby but I had forgotten that there are two separate charts for boys and girls....now that I've re-learned this fact, there will be no more comparing you to your sister.

You are still up once during the night. Sometimes you sleep thru the night giving me 6-7 hrs of uninterrupted sleep but most times I just get 5 hrs. That's okay, I've adjusted. The good thing is that you are now on a schedule during the day with a nap in the morning and in the afternoon.

You are now playing in your exersaucer and jolly jumper and it didn't take you long to catch on to either one. You are now also very vocal. You have this high pitched scream of glee that others have interpreted as a sign of distress but once they look at your smiling face they can see it's just your way of experimenting and getting attention. You love the tv. No matter where you are in a room you will arrange yourself in whatever way necessary to see the tv and then you are mezmorized!

You continue to brighten our lives; including Maggie's who still loves to kiss and hug you. Since Halloween she likes to offer you suckers which Mommy obviously stops her from doing but yesterday I came out of the bathroom to find a sucker stuck to your head! LOL :)

Love, Mom

XOXO