Merry Christmas

Christmas was filled with so much fun, excitement, love, family, praise, toys, and more!

Nana, Papa, Mumzeh, Grandpa Rusty, Nanny Ann, Memaw, and Pepaw all came to visit us to celebrate Micah's first Christmas. Poor Uncle Sky was sick so he and Aunt Maegan were not able to make it.

On Christmas Eve, Nana and Mumzeh went with the three of us to Christmas Eve service where we celebrated the birth of our Savior. Celebrating our Lord's birth was very emotional and reminded us of what Christmas is truly all about. Now that I am a mother, I have a completely different view on Mary's experience in giving birth to her Savior and Lord. He deserves all of our praise! I give complete thanks to Him for the gift of eternal life, my family, my son, my friends, good health...the list can go on and on.

Micah had so much fun opening his gifts. He got lots of new clothes, pj's, socks, stuffed animals, and of course toys. Nana even had a star named after him! We had a great time visiting with family and are looking forward to seeing Aunt Shanna, Uncle Eric, cousin Molly, Stella, and Sam next week!

Ole St. Nick

Micah had his first rendezvous with the big guy. We had a Christmas block party and Santa dropped in to see what all the music was about. Micah did pretty well with him and was more confused than anything else. The block party went really well. We had a full band on the deck (and the deck didn't collapse!) with lots of food and even a warm fire in the yard. We all had a lot of fun... including the nightcap of pulling and pushing a van out of the mud!

Thanksgiving

Micah had his first Thanksgiving. He had a sample of most of the food that we ate and he loved it. But what's new... we haven't found much that he won't stuff into his mouth!

It was a great time as we had all the grandparents, a few of the great-grandparents, great-great-aunts, great-aunts & uncles and cousins...a motley crew to say the least. I fried my first turkey and it turned out well enough to eat, so that's good news since I had no back-up plan. All-in-all, it was a pretty good holiday!

As of today, Micah has his second tooth! He was very grumpy today and didn't take much of an afternoon nap, so we're thinking he worked it out over the last day or so.

Micah is 9 months old!!!

Well, Micah went in for his 9 month check-up today. He is 29.5 inches long, which puts him in the 88% for height. He is in the 30% for weight, weighing in at 19 pounds 2 ounces; and his head is 46 cm, which is in the 70%. So basically we have a tall skinny kid with a big head, just as he was destined to be. :)

So everything looks good on that end, but he does have his first ear infection as well as a sinus infection. :( However, he is handling it pretty well, except for the fact that he is even more attached to mama's hip.

Micah is still crawling everywhere and getting into everything. He hates having to lay down and get his diaper changed, and being strapped down in his carseat is the worst thing ever for him. He is such a boy!!! He is walking along the furniture and standing on his own. He LOVES pushing his little car around. We predict he will be walking by Christmas. Oh and he finally got his first tooth. It is his bottom left tooth, and he got it on the 21st, which is the day he turned 9 months old. Pretty cool right!?!?

Also, we had our Family Photos taken last weekend by a friend of ours in Creekside Park. Micah did so good and smiled for the camera every time. We did get rained on a little bit, but overall we are really happy with how they turned out. These are just a few of my favs. If you want to view more, you can go to http://www.rosebudreflections.com/. Select Client Proofs tab, then Client Proofs again. Then select the third one down titled Nail.

Muddy Buddy

A few weeks ago Shaun and I competed in the Muddy Buddy in Dallas. Shaun was partnered with his buddy from last year, Phillip. My buddy was Phillip's sister-in-law, Nicole, who thankfully jumped in at the last minute.

As you might remember from last year, the muddy buddy is a partner race where one team-member rides a mountain bike for the first leg while the other partner runs. At the first transition area, the biker leaves the bike, completes the obstical and then begins running the next leg. Once the runner gets to the same transition area, then they complete the obstacle, find the bike left by the partner, and then bike the next leg, leap-frogging along the way. This continues several times until the whole course is done. In the Dallas Muddy Buddy we had five legs, totalling 6.3 miles. At the very end of the race, the biker drops the bike and waits for the runner. Once they meet up, they complete the last obstical together, crawling through a mud pit!!!

Nicole and I made pretty good time completing the course in 56 minutes and 7 seconds, placing 11th in our age group of 53 partners. Shaun and Phillip completed the course in 47 minutes and 40 seconds, placing 12th out of 58 partners in their age group.

I think the best part was bathing in the freezing cold lake!

Silly Little Monkey

Man Halloween is so much more fun when you have a little one to dress up. Micah was a Silly Little Monkey for Halloween.

Friday night we went to Panther Creek Shopping Center where we met up with some friends of ours, Logan the Mouse, Parker the police officer, and ladybug ladies Ali and Avi. Micah loved seeing all of the costumes and he even let mommy and daddy sneak a few of his treats. Halloween night we just walked around the neighborhood with Nana the pirate, while daddy stayed home with a 103 fever. :( It is looking like he has the flu. Please say a prayer that he will recover soon and that Micah will not get it.

You can view more pics in the slideshow to the right.

Enjoy!!!

Our little man!

Hello all! We are so glad that Fall is here, but Micah and I (Samandra) could do without the cold and flu season that Fall brings along with it. We have been sick for almost a week now with a runny nose, sore throat, and cough. Micah has been smiling through it all. Every time I blow my nose he just laughs. I think he thinks an elephant is in the room.

Micah will be 8 months on the 21st. Can you believe it? As you will see from the random pics to the right, some of his favorite things to do right now are helping daddy change out the diaper genie, sorting the mail, pulling all of his books off of the shelf, eating his shoes, smiling for the camera, and attacking the camera.

This pic of him trying to get the camera is my favorite!

couple of things

OK, so it's been about a month since we've updated the blog. Here's a quick update:

Micah had his 6 month check up on the 22nd of August. He weighed in at 16 lbs, 11 ozs (45th percentile) and was 29 inches long (95th percentile). Everything is good with him. He has started crawling and is now beginning to take off and get anywhere he wants. He also pulls himself up to his feet. He began doing that in the crib so we had to lower it so he wouldn't pull himself over.

I've also started a small project at the house. We've been planning on adding a deck and, as it turns out, Micah loves being outdoors, so the planning was put into action. Sam has helped me a couple of weekends and Philip chipped in during the week. So far, it's coming along pretty good. There's still some joisting to do and then the decking can begin to be laid down.

There are more pics of all the latest happenings on our picasa page.

Micah's trip to the Island

Micah had his 2nd trip to the Island in New Braunfels this last weekend. He did much better this time near the water since we took hot water and mixed it with the cold Comal water in his little boat. He hung out in the river with everyone. It's quite funny to see how quickly Samandra got in the water up to her shoulders considering she's scared to get in the kiddie section that comes up to her ankles!

He did really well on the drives to and from New Braunfels. He was awake most of the time and only napped a few minutes during the ride.

4 Month Check-up

Micah had his 4 month check-up. All is well. He's sprouted big-time since going to formula. He's 14 lbs 4 ozs (40th percentile), 25.5 inches (75th percentile) with a 17 inch head (75th percentile). This weekend we are visiting Mumzeh in New Braunfels. Micah will experience his first trip to The Island and dip in the cool Comal. We'll have updates later this weekend.

Father's Day 2009

We celebrated our first Father's Day today. Micah had a busy weekend with visits from his Memaw and Pepaw, Mumzeh and a surprise visit from his great-grandparents, Yang Yang and Paul! There are more pictures in the gallery (click on the slideshow on the right) and at www.rosebudreflections.com

Summer Time

Micah is getting ready for "The Island."

Picasa Web Albums

If you ever want to check out more pics, simply click on the slideshow to the right and select the shaun's gallery tab located at the top.

Look What I Can Do...

Micah has been doing all kinds of new things these last few weeks.

He is sleeping 8-10 hours, holding his head up during his tummy time, walking in his exersaucer, lounging in his bumbo, and rolling over. Well, he has only rolled over once, but HE DID IT!!!

Mothers Day Weekend

We had a very eventful Mothers Day Weekend.

On Thursday, Grandpa Rusty came by to visit Micah, and he and Shaun got to hear his first laugh. Unfortunately Mommy was not there and Daddy just loved rubbing it in.

Friday night Mumzeh, Nana, and Papa all came in and took the night shift so we could get some sleep for the YMCA 5K Trail Run Saturday morning. Luckily Micah is down to just one early morning feeding now. We have been putting him down around 9 and he tends to wake up around 3 or 4 AM, but is right back to sleep and up around 6 or 7 AM. Not sleeping through the night yet, but we are working on it.

Early Saturday morning we all headed to Conroe for the YMCA Trail Run where we both placed 4th in our age groups, and yes there were more than 4 in our age groups. Shaun with a time of 23:41 and Samandra with a time of 28:28. Once we got home and cleaned up, the boys worked in the yard while Aunt Ashley and baby Cole ( who is turning one this weekend ) came for a visit. Also, Micah got me a heart necklace with his birthstone in the center for my Mothers Day gift. He is so sweet!

Sunday morning Micah was dedicated at church and yawned during his dedication. :) The pastor apologized for boring him. It was great to have the family there.

Micah's Check-up

Micah had his 2 month check up on Wednesday, the 22nd. Everything went well and he's in good health. He measured 23 1/8 inches long (55th percentile), 40 cm head circumference (50th percentile) and weighed 9 lbs, 12 ozs (10th percentile)! So, the Nail genes are really taking hold!!

He also received his first round of vaccines; 5 shots and an oral med. With the first prick, he immediately busted out in a pain cry. My distractions and pinches elsewhere did nothing to confuse him during the shots. But, after about 30 seconds after the last shot, he was back to his normal content self (with slightly red eyes). He didn't have any adverse reactions, so we're very happy!

Micah's First Easter

Micah's had his 1st Easter celebration this weekend. Nana and Papa (Samandra's parents) came to visit and spent the weekend with us . Micah really enjoyed the extra time being held and we really enjoyed them taking the night shift on Thursday & Friday night!!



On Saturday, we went to the Brown's house for an Easter Egg Hunt and some time visiting with friends. We all had a good time and wore Micah out.

Since Micah had worn Nana and Papa out on Thursday and Friday night, they were going to take the 1st feeding on Saturday night and we (Samandra, actually) would take the 2nd feeding. It would seem that we got the short end of the stick in that deal, but Micah turned the tables. He went down at 8:30 Saturday night and didn't wake for his next feeding until 4 AM! That is his longest sleep to date! Now, if we could only wear him out like that everyday! Problem is, the ratio isn't very good... it took 4 adults all day to wear out 1 nine pounder, and he wore us all out just the same!

5 weeks.... and counting

OK, so, Micah has kept us busy and tired so we haven't updated the blog or pics as often as we'd like. Quick update on the last 5 and a half weeks...

Micah had his 1 month follow up on March 24th (31 days old) and he was 22 inches long (70th percentile) and 8 lbs, 8 ozs (20th percentile)! So, he's definitely a Nail... long and skinny. His belly is growing, but other than that, he's still skinny! He doesn't have any rolls on his arms or legs. His head, though still oblong and a bit funny shaped, measured 38 cm and was in the 45th percentile.

He's been to a couple of softball games (with all spectators ready to jump on him if any foul balls came anywhere close), to several lunches/dinners with family and friends, to church and even shopping trips to the mall. He does really well as long as we plan out the feedings so he's full and content during the excitement. I've loaded more pics of him on picasa, so you can click on the slideshows on the right and see all my shared folders (click the 'my photos' tab at the top of the page to see all our albums).

This weekend will be our first trip away from home as we'll be traveling to Galveston for the Lone Star Tri on Saturday. I'll be participating and am looking to improve on my tri performance last August.

More Micah Pics

I've uploaded more pics of Micah to picasa. You can click on the slideshow on the right and view them all.

6:10 AM 2-21-09: 7 lbs 5 oz 20.5 inches long; born at 5 :47 am. Everyone well and happy and the most beautiful baby ever! His first word was "Papa"....Sam heard it.

5:48 AM, 2-21-09 He's here!!!! and what a set of lungs!

Micah's on his way - really, this time!

4:30 AM, 2/21/09 - We're here at the hospital, Nana, Papa, Shelle and me, Mumzeh.....Samandra looks good but exhausted, Shaun is nappy-haired, but had gotten some sleep....and Micah is looking for his way out. We all went into the birthing room and checked out the monitors depicting his heartbeat and the contraction waves...very cool.

4AM, 12/21: Samandra has begun to push. The doctor is on her way so it shouldn't be but a couple more hours before Micah is here.

10:30 PM, 12/20: After our false alert on Tuesday night, Samandra continued to have contractions. They were anywhere from an hour to 5 minutes apart. On Friday morning, we headed to the hospital at 3AM and were monitored for a while. Samandra was 2cm dilated and fully effaced, but after no further progress for 3 hours, they sent us home again. Samandra was pretty exhausted since she hadn't been able to sleep since Monday night, but was able to get a couple of hours after we got home. We spent today timing contractions and counting Micah's movements and at about 7PM, our doctor told us to head on in to the hospital. They checked Samandra again and she was then at 4cm so they moved us into a room. Samandra has now received an epidural and is at 6cm, so she's progressing smoothly. It won't be long before we'll have pics of Micah posted here! Keep checking back and we'll keep everyone updated.

Micah's on the way!!

OK, so, Micah faked us out. It's 8:15 and we're not going to the hospital after all. After contractions for about 5 hours (that I was awake for), Samandra stopped feeling them between 5 and 6 AM. We're not sure what that was all about last night, but whatever started seems to have been put on hold. We'll keep you posted!

Well, it's 3:22 AM and we've been tracking Samandra's contractions since just past midnight. They're under 5 minutes now and have been for a little over an hour but we're waiting them out a little longer before we head to the hospital. It doesn't look like it will be too much longer before we welcome Micah to the world! Stay tuned for more updates....

Micah's Nursery

We have added new photos of Micah's room. You can click on the slideshow on the right titled Micah's Nursery to view the photos.

We still cannot believe he will be here next week. The bags are packed and the car sear is latched in and ready to go. All we can do now is wait and see when God and Micah want the birthday to be. Thanks for all the prayers and we will keep you all posted these next few days!

Baby Showers

Well, all the showers are over, Micah's room is just about ready, and I do not think my belly can stretch anymore. All that is left is for Micah to get here.

If you click on the slideshow to the right, you will see photos of all the showers. The first set of photos are from Shower #3 hosted by my friends from Rangerettes and my cousin Sandy. I was 35 weeks pregnant at this shower. The hostesses are Sandy, Cassie, Laura, Ashley, and Courtney. The second shower, I was 30 weeks pregnant, and it was hosted by our small group from church. The hostesses are Melanie, Brooke, and Melissa. The last set of photos are from the first shower and I was 26 weeks pregnant. The shower was hosted by our Honeymooners group from our old church in Tomball. The hostesses are Rhonda, Beth, Suzanne, Jami, Jeanette, and Erin.

I am 36 weeks pregnant now, 4 more weeks to go, and everything looks great. We had a doctors appointment today and Micah is in position, head down, and ready to go.

Love you all.