SamIsSoBig.com

Well as we close out 2004 we are amazed to look back and see how much Sam has changed!! She now has popped out another molar tooth on the other side of her mouth, but still no sign of her two front teeth. She has asked Santa for them, so we will have to wait and see what happens.

The other big event was Sam’s baptism on December 5th. Her godparents are her Uncle Dan and family friend Jill. She was terrific throughout the whole ceremony. We have also added some new pictures from Thanksgiving and her baptism, so be sure to check them out. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! Well Sam has officially celebrated her first year of life and what a year it has been!! She continues to walk/run wherever she goes. Sam has found that she can chase/tease the dog and she loves it. Her vocabulary has expanded to mama, dada, pucky (puppy) and a lot of language that Todd and I can’t figure out yet. She just popped out a top molar tooth, which we hope will be followed by two top front teeth soon.

Her appetite continues to amaze us, she pretty much eats whatever is placed in front of her, so watch your fingers. Sam now eats all table food and has began drinking whole milk. At her one year check up she tipped the scale at 23 pounds, which has officially placed her in the 90th percentile - back where she began. Her head continues to keep pace in the 95th percentile measuring in at a whopping 47.5cm. Finally her height also jumped into the 75th percentile measuring 30.25 inches - watch out Kevin Garnett!

Sam is walking! She’s been cruising around with her walker toy for over a month now, but finally took a few steps without it about a week ago. Every day she gets the courage to go a little farther. She still prefers using the walker to get where she needs to go fast, and loves chasing our cowardly dog around the house with it!

It’s been fun to see Sam get more interactive. She loves to clap, wave bye-bye, and do the “so big” gesture. Sam is looking forward to her first birthday, which is less than 3 weeks away!

Houston, we have a tooth!

(Two, actually.)

Yep, Sam’s bottom front chompers finally made their debut last week. They have been keeping her up at night a little bit, but otherwise haven’t seemed to bother her much. They certainly haven’t stopped her from wanting to try anything and everything from Mommy and Daddy’s dinner plates. (Rocky has taught her well!)

It’s been a busy summer. Several family reunions on both sides of the family, a trip to the beach, and a couple weddings. Sam tends to steal the spotlight at all these events; some days we wish we had her energy! Not much else is new, just looking forward to fall, football, and Sam’s first birthday, which is less than three months away.

Sam is now about 8-1/2 months old and enjoying her first summer (when it’s not raining, that is). So much has changed in the last couple months. Looking at her, you wouldn’t know that this is the same girl who once had trouble eating! She’s tipping the scale at around 20 lbs now, and it’s not unusual for her to put away 3 jars of food in a single sitting.

About 2 weeks ago Sam learned how to crawl. That’s been lots of fun! She can also pull herself from a crawling position to a sitting position and vice-versa, and she can pull herself to a standing position in her crib. Seems like every time she learns something new, that’s all she ever wants to do. She loves to stand and we’ve already started practicing walking. Time to finish kid-proofing the house!

I wish we could report about all the new teeth in her mouth, but those stubborn things still haven’t come in yet. She’s still drooling like a river, and at times they’re clearly bothering her. We’re sure it will be any day now!

Hope you’re all having a great summer!

Hello….we apologize that it has been over a month since our last update. We find that time keeps getting away from us in the evenings. Sam will turn 6 months old on the 26th of April. Todd and I are amazed at how quickly the time has gone by, even more amazed at how much she has grown.

She still has not gotten any teeth yet, but continues to chew and drool over everything that she can get her hands on. She rolled from her back to her stomach for the first time about two weeks ago. Sam is now eating solid food in addition to her formula. She has been eating rice cereal successfully now for about two weeks, we plan on introducing her to some veggies and fruits this week.

She had her very first cold the week prior to Easter. She came down with a 4 day stomach virus, which caused her to vomit and have diarrhea. She recovered in about a week’s time and is doing great now. She goes in for her 6 month check next week, so please check back for an update.

P.S. Check out new photos starting with week 21!

Sam went in for her four-month checkup and surprised everyone. She went from the 50th to 65th percentile for weight (14 lbs 6 oz), from 50th to 75th percentile for length (25 inches), and from 75th to 90th percentile for head diameter (a whopping 43 centimeters)! Sam’s parents and pediatrician, Dr. Jenkins, are all very proud of the progress she has made since her surgery.

Last Saturday Sam got a chance to have a play date with her friend Beck. The two spent the time staring at each other and taking naps.

Sam and dad went to see Dr. Sidman (ENT Specialist) last Tuesday and received an all clear checkup. Dr. Sidman said Sam is a happy, healthy, chubby baby and his only concern was that he would not get to see her again. So, we are very happy with the success of Sam’s surgery and are enjoying watching her eat with no complications. We had an exciting weekend with my dear friend Jill Seufert getting married, both Todd and I had the pleasure of being a part of Jill & Brian’s special day. We will be putting more pictures out on the website of the Menier family all dressed up.

Sam is doing great she is on the verge of laughing, she laughs a little, but has yet to get her deep belly laugh going. She is now rolling over to her side and has also started pulling herself up while sitting in her swing and on laps. She talks all the time and enjoys it the most while getting her diaper changed! (I have no idea where she learned to talk so much!!) She is still enjoying daycare and loves watching the other kids…who also love giving hugs and kisses to Sam all the time. She goes in for her 4 month wellness check up on Friday, so we will update the website with her big weigh-in numbers. We hope that you all are enjoying the warm weather the last couple of days and like us are looking forward to spring.

Welcome to the grand opening of SamIsSoBig.com! This site looks a lot like our old one, but we think you’ll find some improvements like easier-to-browse photo albums. Plus you can sign up to be emailed when new updates and pictures are available (which will be much more frequently - we made this site a lot easier to update than the old one). Oh yeah…and hopefully the site address is easier to remember!

Sam is continuing to change every day. She’s “talking” all the time now (gets that from Mom?), and is learning how to grab and hold onto things. She’s gaining weight at a healthy, steady pace; she was at 12 lbs 3 oz at her last weigh-in on Monday 1/26. We’re only taking her in to be weighed once a month now. We also have one more appointment with Dr. Sidman (the ENT specialist who operated on her) on 2/17 to see how she’s doing.

Sam started day care this week! We found a wonderful home day care provider named Terri who lives about a mile from our house. Sam is the only baby; there are three other kids: two 2-year-olds and a 4-year-old. Sam will be there Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays now that Mom has gone back to work part time. Terri says she’s doing great and has been a big hit with the other kids.

Happy holidays!

Sorry it’s been so long since the last update, but in this case no news is good news! Sam went in for another weigh-in on Wednesday 11/26 and was at an unimpressive 9 lbs 9 oz. The doctor said there was no need to panic because she was just getting back into her regular feeding schedule after the surgery, but set a goal for Sam to gain one ounce per day by Monday. Well, she met the goal Monday, tipping the scale at 9 lbs 14.5 oz! She’s still eating great.

Later in the week Sam and Mom visited Dad at work, as well as Mom’s coworkers. Needless to say, she was a big hit at both offices!

Sam is already six weeks old. I guess people aren’t kidding when they say time flies when you have a baby! We have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sidman tomorrow, but that should be pretty uneventful; I don’t think there’s any doubt that the surgery was a big success!