Quick Update

Slept the entire night through and woke up promptly at 5:30am. Why, you ask? Because that's what time Daddy's alarm went off. Yep, my hearing is fine. My attitude, not so hot from being awoken by the endless beeping. Anywhoos, the day got brighter as soon as I got to school and got to get my play on.

The best news of the day? Mommy and Daddy closed on the sale of our old house. The house I spent the first year of my life. No more Lily Lane. Wow, I feel so old having found myself in my second home.

Daddy left home at 12pm to head to the airport for a 3pm flight. Well, at 7:15pm the flight was canceled for nasty weather. In Newark? Shocking, I know.

I went to bed grouchy and annoyed after several rounds in the pack n play prison for fiddling with the tv buttons. Hope tomorrow is even better!

Operation Boogie Patrol

Yep, it's gross to talk about but pretty much sums up my life this week. I sneeze and sneeze and sneeze-then the competition begins. Who gets to the boogies first- Mommy or me? The winner determines the boogie's fate.

I totally slept better last night. Went down about 8pm and sailed through the night until 2:30am when I sang for a sippy cup. Back to sleep 45 minutes later until 6:30am when Mommy still wasn't ready for a wake up call. She brought me to her bed and I fell right back to sleep for another whole hour. I suckered Mommy into staying home one more day so I could slumber in peace. Sucker!

Where is Daddy through this? Philly on a business trip. He comes back tomorrow and then scoots again on Friday to hit up the windy city for another business trip that carries into the weekend.

I'm feeling better, but those pesky boogies are hanging around longer than necessary, in my opinion.

Off to bed for another night of good sleeping!

Wish Me Luck

Went to bed in my own crib in my own room tonight. Last few nights have been in the pack n play on the main level because my fever was out of control and the bedrooms were way too hot for this dumpling.

Cross your fingers that I can make it a whole night. Last night I slept from 10:30pm to 11pm and then from 4am to 8am. I then spent the day with a seriously cranky Mommy!

Lots Of Baby Cursing Goin' On

I am here to tell you that raging ear infections suck big time. I made it through a plane ride, the BIG MOVE and porch fest on Friday night before bowing down to the God of Sick Kids. I'm a mess, plain and simple. Mommy has never seen me this bad in my short 13 months on this green planet.

We went to the doctors this afternoon and when Dr. D said it was an ear infection Mommy actually asked him if I could spend a few days at his house. Seriously! He politely declined, but offered to call our new Target pharmacy to place a script order for Amoxicillin.

Off to the races we went! By the time my sorry butt got to the Pharmacy my order was ready. Mommy asked the nice lady when I'd start feeling better and she said three to five DAYS. Mommy then asked her if I could stay with her until then. Seriously! Where is Daddy when you need him?

I'm hacking, snotting and crying all over the place. I also am constantly at odds with the tissue queen, known as Mommy, of course. I much prefer to sneeze and then wipe with my entire hand and arm to spread the mess over as much space as possible. I'm so pathetic we're banning the camera this week. Sorry, campers!

Saturday Smiles

Boy, what's one to do on their first official day in a new house? Unpack, of course. But, with a Samantha in the house it goes a bit slower than usual. I need lots of play time.

The significance of this picture is that my arms look totally ripped and it's my blog. Enough said.

Here's a beautiful moment caught on jpg.

And another one of Mommy playing with me.

Yep, that's me behind the entertainment center, right at home with all the wires and share tools. I find this taboo place totally fascinating and have decided that I'm willing to spend many minutes in pack n play prision for brief moments in my version of Toys R Us.

After getting out of pack n play prision (I do one minute stretches for violations made after the second warning) I crawled over to Mufasa's resting couch and hunkered down for some fun with the remote that I'm allowed to play with (the one with a battery missing).

Mommy made us our very first meal and I ate with the family, pasta. Yay for grownup meals! My mommy only buys whole wheat pasta, which is, how do you say, an adjustment from the normal Gerber Graduates pasta meals I've been having at school. Wonder why Mommy and Daddy were doing paper, rock, scissors to determine who changes my diaper tomorrow morning?

Seriously, does life get any better than a face full of pasta and a Nuk in hand to boot?

Moving Day and Porch Fest

Bright and early this morning I was brought to school, where I played and played and played. Mommy and Daddy were back at home where they welcomed the big muscle men to the townhouse and the big move took place. It was a long day all around.

Then we headed to our very first porch fest in Cranbury. You see, every Friday night during the summertime, a family invites the town to their house and they get to hang out. This week it was Bridget's family hosting the fun times. Though we were super tired, we made a very brief appearance and wowed all the families with my sparkling smile.

Here I am with Mommy on the blanket. She is taking her moving finger to tickle my neck, which always gets me to laugh. I'm such a happy girl!

Confirmation and The Great Winding Down Exercise

Yep, it's true. Time zones were invented by babies who are at odds with their parents. Flying west to east has always been my downfall and this week is proving to be no exception.

After a quick trip to the new house, it was time to head home to the townhouse, have some din-din, wash up and head off to sweet slumber.

Did that burp really come from me??


I'm sorta getting on Mommy's last nerve. For anyone who has spent any time with Mommy, you know all about her sleeping problems and dependency on the boob tube. I've managed to work my nimble fingers over the power strip and turn off all electronics on the entertainment center. All hail the powerful Samantha!


I am now officially taking steps (but not walking...yet) for everyone but Mommy. This is going over swimmingly well. Daddy loves it and Mommy is about to burst with jealousy. Life is good!


PS-I'm now the recipient of 'Mommy talk'. What's that you ask? Conversations that explain the ways of life, like the one I got tonight--- A parent's love for babies diminishes exponentially after the hours of 8pm and disappears by 10pm. Sleep, Samantha, now! Daddy at least pretends to love me and plays with me. That is until I give him the gift of two very stinky, very dirty diapers in two hours. Oops.

Yikes!

Here's a quick run down of my day.

Slept until 8am, when Mommy rudely plucked me out of my comfy crib like a bag of flour. Spent the car ride to school stewing in my own juices. Literally. Yep, it was quite the adventure. Mommy retrieved me from my car seat and got quite the present on her work shirt. Oops! Yep, you got that right. Mommy went to work with crap on her shirt and the sweet scent of Samantha poop wafted down every aisle she walked. It was a long day for all involved.

Slept and ate horribly at school. Was fussy to boot. I stuck my fingers in a kid's mouth so they could munch away. It didn't go according to plan and they chomped away. I ended up with yet another incident report. Mommy came to pick me up at 3pm so we could stop by Wendy's where I tried my very first chocolate frosty (super yummy!), Wendy's hamburger and my milk sippy cup. Then she took me home to play with Henry while I waited for my now routine doctor's appointment to get a note saying that I'm not contagious and can go back to school. Henry and I played while his folks got ready for their super special day. Congratulations to Henry's Mommy and Daddy!!!

At the doctor's office Dr. G poked and prodded me for what seemed like hours before he would give me a clean bill of health and blamed my sensitive stomach on nerves and stress related to traveling and sleeping in the same room as my folks for a whole week. He also confirmed my free flowing faucet of a nose is due to my endless teething. Go tooth and a half!

Slept on the car ride back home and then went NAKED on a parade around the ol' stomping ground. This is one of my last walks in this neighborhood as the movers come Friday and then we're in the new home for real.

Hung out with our buddy, Daniel and then I finally pooped out at 7pm. Any guesses on what time I'll wake up east coast time in the morning?

The Plane Ride Back To The Garden State

Sleep, sleep, Samantha. Sleep, sleep.

California, Day 6- Babies, Babies Everywhere!

Mommy had to work this morning so Daddy and I headed to Dave's parents house. They are so much fun! They were watching Dave's doggy, Chianti. She is so much fun and everyone got to bask in the glory of my endless belly laughs. Chianti would crouch down, wiggle her tushie and bait me into chasing her. Once I got within reach, Chianti would scoot just beyond my reach. I worked up such an appetite that Dave's Mommy introducted me to old-fashioned goodness of ginger snaps. They really should be marketed to the teething.

I'm not normally one to share my spotlight, but I'll make a special exception in the case of my very first cousin, Lauren.

Isn't she a cutie and just look at how natural my Daddy is with babies. I should know- he spent countless hours with me walking around the house explaining the function of everything we saw.

Lauren was super excited to see Mommy and agreed with my assessment that Mommy has the best hair for pulling. Look at her try to get a grasp of those dirty blond waves.

Aunt Katie took a breather from her Mommy duty while Lauren slept. She is super good at playing My Little Ponies. Lauren, you're so lucky!

Here is Bryce and his Daddy lacing up their sandals and getting ready to bid the OC adieu and head back to the great state of Washington. We already firmed up plans to get together next year. Will it be lounging my the pool or camping in our future? We won't tell you yet....

After company left, Daddy, Mommy and I headed to Fritz and Serena's house to visit with Brianna and feast on cornish game hen. My appetizer was Mr. Octopus. Yummy!

And here we have the spotlight right where it should be, on me!

Fritz made the most amazing meal and dessert. The grownups ate the dinner, while I had my fair share of the dessert. Boy, I wish we lived closer to these great friends who also happen to be amazing cooks.

Sadly our week of fun in the sun has come to an end and we need to head home to reality in the morning. Sure hope the plane isn't delayed and the silly Disney traffic doesn't clog up the security lines at the airport.

Toodles!

California, Day 5- Hot Cross Buns

Whew, after a super fun-filled day yesterday it was time to take a break and get my baby yoga on. Look how flexible I am.
Now it's time to incorporate some toy trains into my morning exercise routine.

Ever since I played the piano at baby Elizabeth and Vanessa's house, I've been itching to really practice my scales. Thank goodness Bryce has the patience of a saint. We're a good team, if I do say so myself.

We take our noise making very seriously!

Bryce is 20 months old and I'm 13 months, yet I'm half his size. Go figure.

Mommy found a very special onesie for this trip. It says 'Grandpa's sweetheart' and it couldn't be more accurate. I am the apple of his eye. And, in case you're wondering, the intense dislike of the camera comes straight down the Burt lineage.

"Grandpa, you ready for a lame photo session? Think we can take her?"

Mommy, if I hug you will you drop the camera like a hot potato?

Almost there. If only we caught Grandpa smiling we'd be through with this ordeal.

Closer. Hopefully the next one will be spot on.

Hooray!

After a great afternoon by the pool, the kiddos spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa Burt and Aunt Donna. We had a great time at home singing, dancing, playing and plowing through all the kiddie food in the fridge.

The rest of the grownups went to Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach for margaritas and great mexican food. That is the grownups minus Mommy who had a super lame cheese quesadilla. Her saving grace was suggesting an order of coconut shrimp for an appetizer.

Then they headed to Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, where Mommy and Daddy flashed their huge smiles at a baby-free outing. Deep down, way deep down they were distraught to be out without me!

California, Day 4- Here's To 40 More

Not that anyone else can tell, but I think long and hard on the right title to my posts. Most of the times they only mean something to me, but once in a blue moon I hit a homer. I struggled to title this one and had a few ideas that didn't beat out the winner you see above. I'll list them and ask you for your thoughts.

• Doctor in the house!


• The great backwash incident of 2009


• Me and my champagne- back off, buster!

Back to the adventures....

Four days into my trip I've managed to drain the batteries on the ATV. Thank goodness Grandpa Burt was on call and served as our resident physician to nurse my favorite toy back to health. Yay for grandpas!

Mommy made Daddy give me a bath and comb my hair. I think it was the first time since I was a newborn that Daddy has touched my comb. Seriously, can you tell Mommy that I look like I have helmet hair and my out of control curls are so much cuter?

Super late last night my second cousin, Bryce and his Mommy and Daddy came into town and came to stay with us. I say, 'the more the merrier'. Enough introduction- meet Bryce!

Quick backstory. Mommy and Daddy diligently sound out a food list for Bryce from his parents so we could go shopping for him and make sure his stay was as comfortable as possible . Grandma Burt did the same thing for me and it was super appreciated to have some good eats on hand when I arrived. Bryce's Daddy just asked for grapes and yogurt and then said he will eat anything. After meeting my super nice, funny cousin I can honestly confirm that he is in fact a 20-month-old human garbage disposal. He will eat everything and anything. He is my idol!

I'm not sure that it is appropriate to tell you what I was thinking at this very moment, but you can bet it was juicy and not repeatable in mixed company.

The cousins decided it was high time to see what this southern California beach thing was all about. So, off to Dana Point we went. It was so worth it to see the pretty sand, surf and sun.

Here is a token picture of Mommy and me at the beach.

And a close up of yours truly.

So much for the combing exercise in futility earlier this morning. My hair is more out of control than usual.

After a fun-filled eight minutes at the beach we headed down the shoreline for more adventures. We reached the end of the parking lot and decided we needed sustenance to make it through the rest of the day. Bryce's Daddy took one for the team and walked back to get the car while the rest of us munched on goldfish and water. I had my small water bottle and Bryce was sharing a big water bottle with his parents. Or, so they thought....

Bryce's Daddy gave him his water bottle, yelped and then dumped half the water out. Why, you ask? Well, it seems that Bryce's mouth was stuffed to the gills with goldfish yet he wanted water. What's one to do? Why, spit the goldfish out of his mouth and into the water bottle to make room for the water. Super gross if you need to complete the visual. Truthfully, despite all my laughing I had a little backwash in my bottle as well and when I was finished drinking the goldfish sediment settled to the bottom on the bottle and Mommy tossed it before anyone else could see it.

While Bryce stuffed his face, literally, I took the dainty approach of one goldfish at a time. Not saying that one way is better than another, but...

It does mean that I don't squash the hunger pains as quickly.

Back at the homestead we ran into more guests- boy, we're coming out of the woodwork! This round was Aunt Donna and cousin Sarah.

Here I am in my super cute bathing suit cover up hanging with Daddy and Sarah.

Here's a close up of my party outfit, complete with a matching Nuk.

Just in case you were wondering why we went to CA in the summer instead of the winter to escape the Jersey weather, we flew out to help throw a party for Grandma and Grandpa's 40th wedding anniversary. It was so neat to meet all of their friends and see so much love and happiness on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

By 3pm the party guests were beginning to arrive and I started checking out my competition that would be stealing my baby attention. Here is super cute Brianna and her Daddy, Fritz. I wasn't really sure what to think of this guy who was known to take duct tape and turn it upside down to catch Mufasa when she jumped on the television. I go lots of places I'm not supposed to go. This might not bode well for me!

Aunt Lissa kindly took time from the festivities to help me in my quest to walk.

Enough of that- Daddy time!

Since it was a family BBQ, we needed a family shot. Daddy had to direct us to smile at the camera.

Turns out my swim diaper wasn't meant to serve as a long-term land diaper, so I wet through my diaper, swimsuit, coverup and Mommy's dress. Fun times. I ended up with a new outfit-my party dress and Mommy took a hairdryer to her 'Samantha spot'.

Cute dress, huh? See, it's backless. This picture should be rated PG-2!

Yes, the sun hat is cute, but super annoying.

During toast time Daddy and I shared a special moment that Mommy caught on camera. Daddy puts my Nuk in his mouth and I grab it. I've said it before and it's true- Daddy is so much more fun than Mommy!

Here I am with Daddy and Aunt Lissa. What I wouldn't give for her champagne glass.

Score!

Forget toys, this is the best ever.

Seriously, I can't get enough of this 'glass'.

Here I am with the 'rents and Aunt Ginny.

Thank goodness I don't take myself too seriously because, with all these silly pictures, I think you might suspect I'm a baby with a champagne glass problem.

Silly Mommy, why do I need a hat all the time?

Okay, enough with all the nice people. I want my Momma, now!

But, I'll settle for upside down Samantha time.

I am so happy for Grandma and Grandpa Burt and wish them another 40 years of health and happiness.