Samuel 15 months

A collage that Papa G made of Samuel's time in Illinois

I am way behind on writing these monthly update posts.  I am going to try to "catch up".  There are so many fun moments to remember. So I am writing this way after Samuel turned 15 months, but "better late than never"?

Height:32 inches
Weight: 23.6 lbs


We started month 15 in Illinois with Samuel's grandparents.  And by the end of the month Samuel could walk (glory, glory, hallelujah!) It is so great not to have him tearing up his pants or knees when we are outside and he decides to crawl on concrete.  And he is getting heavy to carry everywhere so it is convenient that he can walk.  Now we just need to work on holding Mom or Dad's hand when we are in the street etc. 

Dad took the day off on the 4th of July (!!!) and we went to
 Target in the afternoon.  Samuel insisted that we
share our Starbucks with him.

Samuel learned how to rub in lotion while we were in Illinois and he is obsessed (he is almost 19 months as I am writing this and he is still into putting lotion on and rubbing it in)  Samuel got to see Great Grandma Ferguson (and try to tear apart her room) while we were in Illinois. Samuel also met his cousin BB while we were in Illinois.  They are only a month apart in age and their grandmas are twin sisters.

Samuel celebrated his second Fourth of July.  Last year we were in Denver and celebrated with our friends Dan, Sara, and Kath.  This year we got to hang out with a family from church and Samuel had his first combine ride (thanks to wheat harvest).  He was okay with it as long as Dad was with him.  

Enjoying pancakes at John Paulding Days

Samuel loves to play at the park so I tried to get out early in the day and let him play.  I would run around town and stop by the park and then we would run home (and eat breakfast).  Besides learning to walk, Samuel also stopped nursing during month 15.  I have a lot of words that I could say about nursing but I will say this - I was so glad to be DONE.  

For the last few months he was only nursing 3 times a day (before naps and bed) but to feel completely independent and not have Samuel rely on me (and soley me) for something is so great.  There were a few times that he would fall or get really upset and I would think, "Shoot!  If we were still nursing, I could calm him down so quick" but we survived.  I am thankful for the nutrition and immune support that he received but as I often tell Ian, "I am too independent and too selfish to be a good parent." 

The kid thinks he is 16 (at the touch a truck event) 

Samuel experienced his first John Paulding Days (so did Mom and Dad).  He went to a touch a truck event with Dad and the Nices.  He was a big fan.  

He slept through the ice cream tent being outside his bedroom window and he slept through the fireworks (which were so loud).

One activity that Samuel has gotten more and more into is playing in the kitchen with milk caps.  I think I got the idea off of the internet.  I have been collecting the caps off of milk jugs or juice containers and storing them in "Samuel's cabinet" in the kitchen.  We have one cabinet that Samuel gets into every day and pulls everything out.  I refer to the milk caps as "predecessors of Legos"  They can get everywhere quite quickly and they do not feel good on the bottom of your foot if you step on one.

A boy and his milk caps

Sometimes Samuel likes to put the milk caps into an empty yogurt container (I cut slits in the lid).  Sometimes he likes to fill up a cup with caps and dump them out.  Sometimes he likes to put a lot in a bowl and stir them around.  I feel like it is instances 512 of how kids like non toys over "real" toys. He usually wants someone to "play" with him but every so often I will catch a break and he will play with them while I do dishes.  



We ended his 15 month of life with hosting some friends (from our Korea days!) who had 3 kids.  Samuel loved having a big kids around to keep up with.  

Playing with Rory at the park.  There are rarely any other kids at the park when
we are there so Samuel enjoyed taking our friends there.  

Thanks PapaG for the collage!

Samuel Cary - 14 months

Samuel's first haircut. I did not get many pictures as
I was trying to keep him in the chair.

I am way behind on writing these monthly update posts.  I am going to try to "catch up".  There are so many fun moments to remember. So I am writing this way after Samuel turned 14 months, but "better late than never"?

Samuel *still* wasn't walking but did take some steps on his own.  I was so eager for him to start walking (and since I am writing this a few months later I can say that life got so much easier/better once he started walking!).  In general the more independent Samuel gets, the more I enjoy motherhood.  Samuel is currently grunting quite a bit (eh, eh, eh for everything) and he enjoys his "bollywood dance" moves.

Samuel got his first haircut!  He did okay (I would give him a 7/10). He sat in the chair by himself.  He was not happy when the stylist tried to blow him off with a blow dryer.  He did not scream the whole time so I took it as a win.  Nothing ages a kid like a haircut!

Samuel is a big fan of big equipment

The house across the street got torn down which provided entertainment in the form of watching the big machines tear it down and then fill in the hole.  He really wanted to get himself across the street and on the equipment but we settled for watching it out the window or from the yard.


Paulding County had their (4-H) fair and Samuel enjoyed seeing the rabbits and chickens.  I think most of the animals were too big and intimidating to him.  Since the fair had free admission, we went almost everyday.  Samuel is a fan of fair food (much like his parents).

Enjoying a lemon shake up and the fair animals

We roadtripped to Illinois and spent time with both sets of grandparents.  Ian and his dad spent a week in Tennessee for General Assembly and during that time Samuel cut all four of his molars (I can remember this quite well as Samuel was adjusting to sleeping somewhere new and cutting teeth and he was so whiny and clingy).  I think the jury is still out on whether he likes pools or not.  The smaller the pool, the more he likes it.  He is not too fond of floating in a floating, but he does like to splash.  Samuel liked checking out the (new to him) parks around town.  He loved that MamaG and PapaG had a set of stairs that he could up and down (and up and down and up and down).  Once he got tired of going up and down the stairs, he got a big kick out of throwing a ball down the stairs (and having someone retrieve it for him).  In celebration of his first World Cup season, he liked walking around (while holding hands of someone else) and kicking a small soccer ball.  He still enjoys checking for squirrels, visiting St. Francis, and playing the wind chimes.

Samuel turned 14 months while we were in Illinois - so some of these are
14 months and some are 15 months.  Thanks Papa G for the collage.

Dear Paulding, Please Don't Apologize

Whenever you move, one of the common questions you get is, "Where did you move from?"  To keep things simple, Ian and I usually answer, "Denver".  Some times people will chuckle when they hear our answer and a lot of times people will ask, "Why would you move here!?!?"

And in some ways I get it.  As far as I know, Paulding, Ohio is not a vacation destination for the masses.  It is not know for its great weather or lack of insects.  No one has "Native" bumper stickers to claim their pride in being born here.

photo via Google Image Search

And yet Ian and I would pick Paulding over Denver.  I guess the biggest reason is we feel that God called us here and has a plan and a purpose for us here.  But there is something else - something that is hard to put into words.

When we go to Susie's Bakery, she knows my kid.  She will give him a donut hole or show him how her clock moves.  If she has time, she will come out from behind the counter and visit for a bit.

When you go to the grocery store, you may just bump into someone you know.  It is not a mass sea of strangers doing their own thing at their own pace.  The cashier will give the receipt to Samuel because she knows he likes to hold it (and then shred it in the backseat).

And then there is this:

There is something so beautiful and magnificent about fields of corn or wheat (or even soy beans).  To see the cycle each year of planting, growing, and harvesting is powerful to me.  Whenever we were in Korea or Denver I would always wonder, "How tall is the corn now?  Does it look good?"  I want my kid to know that food we eat started as seeds and had to be planted and cared for and prayed for and harvested.

It just doesn't magically appear in the grocery store.  Some years are good and some years are not.

The meat we eat comes from cows and chickens and pigs and turkeys.  Cows are big and they have a specific smell.  Chickens are little dinosaurs and pigs are mean.  It takes work to bring food to us.

So folks of Paulding, be proud and don't apologize.  Ian and I choose to live here.  We are excited for our child to grow up here.  It is something that we say to each other often.   

We don't have to live here, we get to.

Samuel Cary - 13 months

Well, I have decided to try to document the second year of Samuel's life.  I have no idea how this will go, but I at least have to give it a try (it is alarming to me how poor my memory has become)


Social: The kid thinks he is a 6 year old. We tagged along with Daddy to a hospital visit in Fort Wayne and checked out a new park.  He was content in the baby area of the park for about 20 seconds before he decided that he needed to be in the big kid area.  He thinks he can go do whatever he sees 9 year olds running around doing.  Once Samuel can walk, he is going to be unstoppable.







Diet: Anything he can get into his mouth. Samuel's favorite foods are yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and anything on Dad's plate.  I found some fruit and veggie melts at the store this past month and Samuel loves those too.  He is in a spherical and ellipsoid food stage.  I think it started with the hard boiled eggs.  If you ask him where the eggs are, he knows which shelf in the fridge. He will pick his own hard boiled egg out in the morning and crack it on the counter (he could probably half peel it too, but it makes too much of a mess and I don't have the patience). He likes cutie/mandarin oranges as well.  He has tried to crack them as well, but it does not work, so he usually gives up and just starts eating the whole thing (peel included - until I catch him and pick orange peel out of his mouth).

Clothes: In between 12 and 18 month clothes.  We got you a pair of Fergshark flip flops in 3T this month.  

Momma's Favorites: When we walk from the living room to Samuel's bedroom for nap time, he has started to pat my arm.  It is cute and I think he is imitating that I rub his back. It is also fun to plan something that Samuel will like to do (go to the park) and then see the happiness on his face when we arrive.

Crying: You cry (scream) when something does not go your way - so that would be 194 times a day.

Sleep: Oh sleep. Samuel will sleep through the night and take two naps a day. We'll just leave it at that.


Baby Likes: Eating, keys (and pressing the lock/unlock buttons to make the cars beep), the park, emptying the dishwasher, emptying the laundry basket, the tv remote (and all technology), Susie's Bakery, ROCKS, WATER, pushing things while walking behind them, GOING OUTSIDE (this may be Sam's most favorite thing in the world!) TAKING A BATH (this may be Samuel's second most favorite thing in the world).  Samuel is excellent at pointing out trucks, birds (specifically robins), squirrels, and anything he deems "tractor" (aka lawn mowers).  He can't talk so I just assume that he knows the difference between trucks and tractors.

Baby Dislikes: Coming inside, riding in the car for more than 5 minutes, the jogging stroller, diaper changes

Milestones: Technically, Samuel spent about 6 hours in Michigan when he was 3 months old, so I don't know if that counts or not.  This past weekend, we tagged along with Dad to Presbytery in Ann Arbor and got a full 24 hours in, so now it counts for sure!

Samuel is doing better at drinking out of a sippy cup. (And by that I mean, it takes him 3 days to drink one sippy)

I feel like Samuel has started to understand a lot more in the past month.  He understand sequences (put on shoes before going outside or he thinks if Dad is not home then he is at church... which is true most of the time).  He also understands commands ("put your shoes on"  "take this to the laundry room" "put your paci in your crib") now it is just a matter of him following the commands.

He can put the cap on his food pouches.  He knows how to put it on and he knows that it needs to be twisted to go on securely.  I love seeing his intense look of concentration when he is mastering a skill.

Two funny stories from this past month:

On a rainy day, we decided to visit the library.  The kids' section of the library is so fun!  Samuel crawled around and explored the duplos table, the hand puppets, and some big stuffed animals.  He, of course, had zero interest in the books.  At one point he crawled over to a table, pulled himself up, and started for the stuffed animal sitting on the other end.  The next thing I know, my kid is BITING the table.  I told him, "No".  He did it again.  I took him over to the diaper bag and gave him his paci (which he usually only gets at nap time and in the car).  He started to wiggle so I put him down. He crawled right back over to the table, pulled himself up, took his paci out, and started biting on the table again.  I was mortified but tried to keep it together (note: there were no other people in the library so I knew the librarians could hear everything I was saying).  I told him, "You can stop chewing on the table, or we can go home."  I will let you guess what choice he went with (we went home).



Samuel comes along with whatever I need to do each day. I needed to work on something for children's church at the church so Samuel came with me.  He likes to pull the books off the shelf of the library at church.  I told him, "No, we only pull books off the shelf at home." He did it a few more times (of course when I set him down next to his toys, he has zero interest and just crawls back to the book shelves). Finally I slapped his hand (not hard) and told him, "No" and gave up and went home.
The next day we went back and he headed right for the books. I said, "Samuel" and gave him the look.  He looked back at me, hit himself on the hand, and started pulling books off the shelf.  
The next week we were over at the church again and the same thing happened!  He now just hits himself on the hand and starts unloading the shelves.  

Eric's Ice Cream Factory {2018 Summer Blog Project}

I decided that I needed a summer project.  Being new to northwest Ohio, I am not familiar with the area ice cream venues.  So Ian and I are going to visit different ice cream sites and give a rating / review of each.

There was a car dealership across the road so Samuel thought our seats were the best ever - life does not get better than ice cream and watching cars

First up, Eric's Ice Cream Factory. There are several in the area - we visited one in Defiance.  I have to say that I was really impressed!  They had 24 (I think?) different flavors of homemade ice cream (they had soft serve, but who has soft serve when there is another option?)

Positives:

1. nice employees
2. reasonable price
3. generous serving
4. wide variety of flavors 
5. the location we went to had indoor and outdoor seating (and the outdoor seating area was clean)
6. they had highchairs
7. they had little tasting spoons (this is a big deal to me as it helps me eat my ice cream slower)
8. the are "real food" items available as well
9. they are open late if Ian and I want to go after we put Samuel to bed

Negatives:

1. distance - it would be nice if it was in Paulding (I have a feeling that this will be a negative for all places we try this summer - deep sadness)

Being a good Ohio citizen, I had tried the Buckeye Ice Cream.  Ian had "the bomb" which was vanilla ice cream with brownie batter and caramel.  Both were so good (I think the Buckeye was better).  Samuel was indecisive and wanted to eat all of both.

I am glad that we gave Eric's a try. I now have high expectations for the other ice places in the area.  I can see a lot of summer date nights involving Eric's Ice Cream Factory.

Samuel Cary - 12 months

Well, I have decided to try to document the second year of Samuel's life.  I have no idea how this will go, but I at least have to give it a try (it is alarming to me how poor my memory has become)


Weight: 21 lbs 4 oz
Height: 29.25 inches
Head: over 18 inches

Health: Overall, Samuel has been pretty healthy.  I did have a scare in early April when I discovered a rash all over his stomach, chest, and back.  It resolved.  I am not sure what brought it on. We tried to stick to 1-ingredient food for a few days.

Social: Samuel likes to watch big kids.  He does okay in the nursery at church, but is happiest when he can see Mom or Dad.

Diet: Anything he can get into his mouth. Samuel's favorite foods are yogurt, hard boiled eggs, and anything on Dad's plate.  

Clothes: Samuel is still wearing (and filling out) 12 month clothing. I think he has been wearing some 12 month onesies since he was 4 months old.  He will definitely be in 12 month pants for awhile yet (I am hoping it warms up enough that we do not have to worry about pants soon!)  12 month clothing is the first size Samuel has not grown through super fast and I am ready for some new clothes for him.


Momma's Favorites: There was one day when Samuel woke up super early and ended up nursing back to sleep after a bit.  I held him while he napped and really enjoyed it. Everyone told me when he was little to savor holding a napping baby.  I get it now. 

Crying: You cry when something does not go your way - so that would be 78 times a day.

Sleep: Oh sleep.  I could write a book on it. Samuel will sleep through the night and take two naps a day. A perfect day would be waking up around 6, napping from 8:30-10am and 1-2pm, and down for the night around 6:15ish.  Usually he wakes up early for the day or one of his naps.  But it is so much better than the first 9 months of his life that I try to be grateful.

Baby Likes: Food, emptying the dishwasher, pushing things while walking behind them, GOING OUTSIDE (this may be Sam's most favorite thing in the world!)

Milestones: We switched Samuel to a "big boy" carseat (thanks Papa G and Mama G!) It was great to be able to click you in and out when the weather was cold, but now that it is warming up (and you weigh a ton!) it is nice to just carry you.

The poem included in Samuel's one year birthday card from Great-Grandpa Schaudt:

"You're a very special little boy

who's loved in every way...

for bringing joy and laughter

to each and every day.

So happy and so full of fun

and such a good boy too

you make the world a nicer place

with everything you do.

So now that your 1st Birthday's here

may all your dreams come true...

for no-one else deserves them more 

than a special boy like you."

Favorite Things about Living in a Small Town {in the Midwest}

I have been listing off ideas in my brain for a few months of the positives of moving back to a small town.  All of my experiences with small towns are in the Midwest, so I don't know if small towns out of the Midwest are the same or not.  In no particular order:

Positives of Small Town Life

• I don't need my GPS to get many places.  I think I used my GPS to get to the grocery store for the first month we lived in Littleton.  And I used my GPS all the time to get anywhere out of the ordinary.  I think I used my GPS for half a day around Paulding and then maybe a week or two to get around Defiance and Van Wert.  There are still times I need to pull it out, but for the most part, I can think of a place and drive there and not need elaborate directions.
• The cost of living is lower.  I am a fairly frugal person so saving money is a big perk for me.  I LOVE that I can get a latte for less than four dollars and that it taste better than my more-than-five-dollar Starbucks.  THE MIDWEST HAS ALDI.  And now it is cool to go to Aldi (unlike when I was a kid and I was so embarrassed that my mom shopped at Aldi).  Our car insurance dropped over $125 per month.  Our rent for a two bedroom house is about half of what our one bedroom apartment was in Englewood.  
• People are friendly.  People acknowledge other people by smiling and saying, "Hi" even if they don't know each other. Strangers will stop and talk to Samuel in stores and try to coax a smile out of him. 
• Related: People are kind.  Receptionists are so much more helpful on the phone (in my opinion).  We are on our third doctor for Samuel (2 in Denver due to insurance changes) and then 1 here.  Instead of handing you a bunch of papers to try to fill out while entertaining an infant, the nurses here ask questions and fill out paperwork for you.  And offer Samuel flavored tongue depressors to play with while asking you questions.  Is it efficient? Probably not, but it is nice.
• People do not drive crazy.
• There are possibly six stoplights in our whole entire town.  I drove through 30 to get to work every day in Denver.
• Folks tend to be more conservative. I am conservative. It is draining to be around liberals who belittle conservatives.  You are welcomed to have an opinion as long as you are open minded to other people having different opinions and being respectful of their opinions.
• Specific to life in Ohio: You can always count on having something flavored "buckeye".  My new favorite latte is a buckeye latte.  My favorite cupcake is also a buckeye.  The rest of America needs to jump on the chocolate + peanut butter bandwagon.  I would suggest the rest of the world needs to jump on the bandwagon but the rest of the world views Americans to be cray-cray for our love of peanut butter, much less peanut butter + chocolate. 
• The Midwest understands how to plow roads AND embraces said understanding. I will take plowed roads with tax payer's salt on them and thus the ensuing potholes over driving in Denver's unplowed streets any day.

Samuel is thankful that we have our own yard with leaves that he can eat any time he wants.

One positive of moving out of Colorado - every time I have smelled skunk, I have seen a skunk (usually dead on the road).  After smelling a whole lotta weed over the last four or five years, I will take the skunks.