Favorite times with Sam!

Times in the yard, baths, mornings, naps, hiking in Telluride, Colorado, and Taylor Canyon in Ogden! These are are some of our favorite times this summer...

Smiling Samantha

Mornings with Sam are the best! She is alert and happy! We are waiting to hear her giggle!

Pictures de Nug

Hi. I really have little to talk about. The summer has been largely inactive, with furious activity within (where we usually travel as much as we can, this year was a home with baby year.) The Nugget has been in two additional states this summer; Wyoming (Fort Bridger) and Colorado (Telluride area). For hiking and just to hop away for a day. There may be one more for her before her 3rd month birthday.

Six Hours

She did it! The Nug, (aka, Nugget, lil Kelly, Shanequa, Boo2, etc...) slept for six hours last night without needing a refill. Both The Lester and I both woke in sheer terror that something might be wrong. It was fine. In fact, her sleeping six hours now means that I can finally shave. For those of you that do not know, I refused to shave until I got a full night's sleep. This was a sleep deprived way of behavioral training for lil Kelly - you see, she would get all scratched up by Daddy when we snuggled because she was not letting Daddy sleep (Behavioral traininng also tells you that the subject (The Nug) be aware of the expectations placed upon them - and she can't communicate too effectively yet.) Well in my Pre-Nug days, six hours was my standard, so goodbye beard, and good riddance!

The Developing Vocabulary

Sam, being most certainly gifted, is now speaking a few limited words. We would like her to increase her vocabulary so we have been waking every three hours and practicing a word each time. As you can see, she always end up exhausted after our practice. Sometimes she even practices on her own, all night long- she's so dedicated to bettering herself! Here's what she already knows:

• IEEEEEEEEE! ("I" but she is very excited and emphatically states it each time, usually with her face scrunced up in a sort of grimace for some reason.)
• NAH AAAH! (Occasionally talks back to mom when mom requests something of her. We think this is preparing her for her teenage years.)
• NAAAAAA! (Once again, very emotional word - clearly she is just plain happy she can communicate so eloquently with us.)

So as you can see, little nugget is off to a great start. Two weeks old with 3 vocabulary words...she's a genius!

Baby Missile & Decanter

Everyone poops. I knew that my newborn child would poop and I woud be responsible for said poop until she could be taught to take care of her own. I also knew that newborns had a strange beginning poop that resembles black roofing sealant called Meuconium (or spelled something like that). I was ready, and it came and went. Nonchalantly I went into babydom thinking that I had seen the worst as far as defecation is concerned.

Then the breastmilk came in...

As The Lester is sitting there nursing, little Nugget lets some gas fly. Only, it is so powerful to her 6 pound, 14 ounce body that her mouth becomes detached and she startles herself with her own internal jet pack. She jumps, with big eyes staring up at mom for some kind of explanation. This strikes us as funny, but later in the day, when I am changing her (mom feeds, I change. I chose to change rather than have the sore and chapped nipples that breastfeeding requires...), I lift her from mom to see yellow liquid matter pouring from the back of her diaper and over The Lester like some kind of demented and sick decanter from hell. Her diaper is filled with this horrible matter that is not poop but IS poop. It is the fecal matter that follows the roofing tar... an I have learned something once more.

The Nugget Arrives

Well, summer is approaching, and for those of you that do not see us regularly, you may take interest to know that the Lester and I are one more. Samantha Pearl Speer was born on May 25, 2009. She has become our world, so as a result, please expect that much of the blog will be about her and our new family...please help us welcome her to our world.

But do not despair, those of you that rely purely on me for their movie-watching advice, I still intend to put the 5 toes into action!