Happy Independence Day!

In honor of America's 237th birthday, I am actually going to try to pick up blogging again. Poor Sam. His life is so undocumented. So starting today, I'm going to make a concerted effort to post each week. We'll see how this goes...

Check out this patriotic crew!

Anyway, the 4th of July! Who doesn't love this holiday? Well, probably the Brits. But I love it and here is why: a) it's America's birthday! No matter what issues are going on in the good ol' US of A, it's still a pretty great place to live. b) cookouts on the water. c) the beginning of summer! I don't care what the calender says, summer does not start until July 4.

Mommy & Sammy

Sam's 1st Independence Day was pretty eventful. As in years past, we spent the day on the lake, beginning with the boat parade. Both Jack and Sam decided that naps are for losers, so we joined Daddy, Grammy Judy, Grandpa Bob, Aunt Kate, Uncle Kris, Kody, and Kasey back on the boat for some swimming. Sam tried going into the lake for the first time, but although he loves bathtime and the pool, he was not remotely happy to be in 10 feet of warm lake water. His brother, however, loved it. Jack has really taken to swimming this year and was in the lake for a good two hours, just paddling and playing away (with his water wings on, of course).

Jack swimming, Sam sobbing

After a fun few hours on the lake, we came in for a delicious cookout followed by some beach time. Then before we knew it, it was time to hop back on the boat for the firework displays. There were some pretty impressive fireworks, but the kids wouldn't know it. Two of the four were sleeping practically before they began (including Jack) and the other two were disinterested as well. Guess that's what a long day in the sun will do!

Halloween on Sesame Street

Halloween! I love it. I started asking Jack what he wanted to be for Halloween months ahead of time, and right off the bat, Jack told me he wanted to be a cookie. "A cookie?", I asked, "Really?" Yes, a cookie. Each time I asked, the response was the same. I didn't want to crush his little dreams, but I really had no idea what to do for a cookie costume. I'd say things like, "A cookie is a great idea. I also like train engineers. Do you maybe want to be an engineer?" Nope, just a cookie. Then a couple weeks before Halloween I asked again...What do you want to be for Halloween? This time the answer was Cookie Monster, and for this I was grateful. (Also...very apropos. The kid eats a cookie first thing every morning. His dad's doing, NOT mine!)

Who doesn't love Cookie Monster and his friends on Sesame Street?! This was something I could get on board with. Apparently Marc felt the same because he informed me that if Jack was Cookie Monster, then he was going to be Ernie. Well if Marc was going to be Ernie, I was going to be Bert. And of course we couldn't leave Sam out of it, so thanks to etsy and with a little help from my countertop composter, Oscar the Grouch (not apropos!) joined the crew.

I loved dressing up as a family, and see more themed costumes in our future. Yes, we've turned into THOSE people, and I love it!

Sammy

 

2 weeks old - so tiny!



My poor sweet Sam. Try as I might, he just does not get the one-on-one attention that Jack got when he was a baby. I nearly had a heart attack when I realized how long it had been since I blogged about him, then I took a step back and remembered that when Jack was that age, I didn't find time to blog about him either. So here it is, the slightly delayed blog post where I talk about my sweet baby Sammy!

1 Month Old

When I say he's sweet, I really mean it. He rarely cries (unless he's hungry, that's another story) and he's content to hang with mama all day and best of all...he lets his big brother climb all over him and cover him with kisses ALL DAY LONG. Jack is constantly asking for me to "put him in my hands, mommy" or if Sam is laying down, "I lay next to Sam". I think Sam will have the patience of a saint one day.



"MOM! This kid is laying right next to me AGAIN!!"

 

Sammy started smiling when he was 7 weeks old, and it completely warmed my heart. He is like his older brother in that he likes to smile when he's laying on his changing table. Something about being in close proximity to my face without actually being in my arms must be very exciting. Sam loves it when he's laying there and I put lotion on his face, so needless to say, he gets a lot of calendula cream time!

Hard to capture the smile on film, but trust me that it's precious!

One thing Sam does not like is tummy time. I try really hard to do it every day, but it usually doesn't last very long. Sam either squirms around until he cries, or just falls asleep.

Don't let this fool you, he is not a fan of his surfboard.

I've had so much fun (and so little sleep...) watching Sam grow these past couple of months. And grow he does...12.5 lbs at his last appointment! Not bad for a guy who started out as a peanut. It is going to be so very hard to leave Sam (and his brother) when I return to work, but I plan to make the most of my time with them every other minute of the day! Thank you to my two boys for keeping me constantly entertained for these past several weeks. Sleep-deprived, yes, but it's been the time of my life!

 

 

Manfredi Farms 2012

Each fall, I drag my child(ren) to Manfredi Farms, a cute little place nearby with lots of fun animals, pumpkins, hay rides...all the fun autumn activities. Of course this year I had to bring Sam so that he could take some photos with his big brother. Jack wasn't very into the whole thing when he was an infant, and Sam was less so. You'd think these kids had something against being posed on a stack of scratchy hay. Sheesh.

Still, it was a gorgeous day today (yes, today! as behind as I am on blogging, I'm so on top of this one!) and we had a nice time. Jack was hilarious, per usual. When I was putting him in his Halloween shirt (because not only do I drag these kids there, I make them dress the part), he asked what was on his shirt. I told him there was a mummy on it and he said "nooo, my mommy's right HERE", pointed to me, then hugged me. I cracked up, then repeated the scenario about a hundred more times.

While checking out the animals, Marc was telling Jack that goats will eat anything, even Jack's shoe. Then he pretended to give Jack's shoe to a goat for a snack. Jack told the goat, "Don't eat my shoe, goat! It's gross!". Seriously, this kid kills me.

Sammy survived his first trip to Manfredi's just fine, and I'll bet he can't wait to go back next year. That's what I'll tell myself anyway, as I stick him in some goofy Halloween outfit and make him sit in a horribly uncomfortable place...my poor kids!



Do you see what I see flying high in the sky? No? Let me zoom in for you...



A Michigan State flag! In Rhode Island!



Which is perfect because if there's anything my kids love more than dressing up for Halloween, it's dressing up for Michigan State football! (Despite yesterday's loss to the Wolverines...)



8.9.12

On August 9, 2012, Marc and I, along with Jack, welcomed a precious little guy into our family and our hearts...Sam Walter Rapoza! Sam was born via a scheduled c-section so we knew when he'd be arriving, but it was no less exciting -- or nerve-wracking -- for us. Actually, because we knew exactly when he'd be here, there was more time to think about it, which probably made us even more nervous (and excited!).



My Sweet Sam Walter

Fortunately, all went well with little Sam's delivery. Marc and I got to the hospital at 6:30am to begin preparations for the surgery. Jack stayed home with his wonderful nanny, Alyssa, who helped make sure Jack had as normal a day as possible before his world was turned upside-down. The surgery itself went quickly, and before too long, we were able to meet our sweet little Sam. He was a precious little guy, weighing in at 6 lbs 10 oz and measuring 18 inches. I was able to spend my recovery time right in my hospital room this time, making the wait time to hold Sam less than it was with Jack, thank goodness. Marc was an amazing dad again, right from the beginning, stepping in to do skin-to-skin when I couldn't. After a couple hours of bonding time with Sam, Jack joined us at the hospital to meet his baby brother. Our little family of four, the loves of my life.




Jack was such a proud big brother!

 

Jack has been such a loving big brother to Sam, right from the beginning. He loves to give Sam kisses and hugs, and greets him with a "Hew-wo Baby!", then "He so cuuuute!" every time he sees him. Baby Sam (as Jack calls him) is such a sweet little guy, and I could not be a prouder mother to my two sons!




Oh boy...crazy cousins!

Our family, headed for home.

So tiny!

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is such a complicated phenomenon. Obviously it's wonderful and a true blessing, but it's also so HARD. Even though I'd consider both of my pregnancies as easy, they have still taken so much out of me, physically and emotionally. Now that I'm coming to the end of what will most likely be my last pregnancy, I'm having a tough time knowing that this is the last time I'll feel life growing inside of me. Don't get me wrong, I don't want more children. I will be as happy as a clam with the two that I've been given. But there is a part of me (that I'm shocked to find out exists) that apparently loves being pregnant and is mourning the loss of that experience. I realize that this may sound selfish and awful. So many people, including some very dear to me, have had continued struggles getting or staying pregnant. Yet here I am complaining about choosing not to do so again. But I can't help it. And ignoring these feelings won't make them go away.

So instead of ignoring my feelings regarding pregnancy, I have decided to embrace them. I am trying to enjoy each little kick, each punch to the ribs, each bout of in-utero hiccups. And instead of hiding my growing self away, I decided that I wanted to have some photos taken to capture this special time in my family's life. I was hesitant to do so, but now that I've done it, I'm so very glad that I did. I want this baby inside me to grow up and see how happy his family was in anticipation of his arrival, and for Jack to remember the time when there were just three of us and how he was so excited for his baby brother to join us.

 

Summer 2012

 

Making bubbles at the Hope Valley Memorial Day Parade.

What have we been doing this summer? Not blogging, clearly. But we have been having a lot of fun, and I have some photos to prove it. I hope to get some posts up here with funny Jack stories before I completely lose my mind to pregnancy brain, but for now, here are some pics of our summer so far. Enjoy!




Painting a Father's Day card for Daddy.

Huck Finn Day 2012

My handsome Hucks!

Jack LOVES these Eric Carle flashcards from Auntie Amy & Uncle Andy. He knows more random animals than his mommy by now (narwhal, anyone?)!

Jack helps Daddy paint his "new room".

Hello Peoples! 4th of July on the lake.

Playing in the pond with cousins.



Jack meets Lucia for the first time. "Hello Baby!"

Instant friends, just like their parents!



Cruisin'



 

All 3 looking at the camera at the same time?!

 

Spraying mommy with the hose - AGAIN!

Jack's 1st baseball game - Connecticut Tigers!

Jack was NOT a fan of the Tiger or Alligator.



Smokey the Bear Parade in Watch Hill

Finally, a character Jack likes..."Smokey Bear so nice!"