The Samuel Chronicles

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's been 4 weeks since I gave birth to our little Noah. He had his first smile one week in while I was burping him and he was in his "milk coma." Since then, I look forward to seeing his smiles after he has milk and is half asleep. I've even seen him chuckle a couple of times.

He still sleeps most of the day and I have been trying my best to keep him up more during the day. He is pretty stubborn though and even a wet washcloth won't sway him to stay awake.

I completely forgot how little sleep you get with a newborn. Every three hour feedings with burp time, change time, and holding time to prevent spit-up turns into around 2 hours of sleep at a time. Its amazing how God helps you forget all that as your kids get older.
He is still wearing Newborn diapers and is still in Newborn clothes, though today I put him in 3 month clothes and he somewhat fits in them. Its funny how you think you won't need that many of those tiny diapers but then Joshua and now Noah will need them for over a month.

I had my first outing with just Noah and I last Fri for the MOPS meeting. He did great - I was able to stay for the entire 3 hour meeting. I did cheat by giving him the pacifier when he started to cry. Funny how you say you won't use a pacifier on the 2nd child and how easily that goes out the window :)

Steve has already given our little Noah a "haircut" at 2 weeks old. He had so much hair that it started to cover his ears.

We took both Joshua and Noah to Sears to take pictures on Fri and that was a disaster. Joshua who was dressed so cute wouldn't take any pictures after he heard the pop noise of the flash. He would try to run out of the room each time we asked him to stand or sit next to Noah. At least we got some newborn pics of Noah.

For Valentine's Day, I received my customary chocolate covered strawberries (I've already finished half the box) and I had Joshua give Daddy a card from him and Noah and a box of chocolates. Joshua also "made" a card for Grandma and Grandpa.

3 days old

6 days old

11 days old

18 days old

LOVE my boys! (2/8/12)

2/12/12

Introducing Noah Jax Samuel!

2012-01-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

Please join us in welcoming our newest addition to the Samuel clan: Noah Jax Samuel - born on Jan. 15, 2012 at 12:04 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. and was 20 in. in length. He is such a beautiful baby and we are enjoying every second with him. Its been 11 days since we had him and he is slowly gaining his birth weight back and getting rid of his jaundice. He left the hosp. at 6 lbs 13 oz. and 9 days later is at 7 lbs 1 oz.

We had a crazy couple of days leading up to Noah's birth. I felt abdominal pain on Thu. Jan. 12 and decided to go into work, finish my paperwork, and make it my last day. Got everything done in 4 hours and decided to eat lunch with Steve at Cheesecake Factory since I got antsy that it would be the last time I get some good food for a while. Had our 38th week appt on Fri. in which we found out Noah had turned breech, hence the pain on Thu. We decided to do the manual version where we would check into the hosp. on Sat. Our Dr. explained that she would probably induce if she turned him. So we went home and got everything ready and explained to Joshua that he might be a big brother tomorrow.
Long story short, the Dr. turned Noah within 5 seconds but was not able to induce due to hosp. policy saying we had wait until 39 weeks unless it was a med. emerg. So that's the story of how Noah was born on Sun. Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King's B-day)

Joshua has been sick for 3 1/2 weeks with a heavy cough and congestion so we have to limit how close he can get to Noah. However, Joshua has been so sweet to him, kissing his feet and letting us know everytime he cries. He hasn't shown any jealousy signs most likely because his schedule has stayed the same. He still goes to Grandma and Grandpa's house during the week and so he gets lots of attention. We have noticed that he is acting out a little more, like going back to throwing food and talking and yelling to get our attention. Hopefully, that will pass soon.:)

Here are some pics:

One and a half weeks left! (At 38.5 weeks)

2012-01-11T21:08:00.000-08:00

It is getting harder and harder to work everyday. This was the time I had left when Joshua was induced so it feels unreal that I am still carrying this baby. And its so funny how we are so unprepared for this one but not in the least bit stressed out about it. And when I say unprepared, I mean we still need to wash bottles and get his changing pad out and swing from the attic. I guess the rest will just come back to us. Hopefully.

I meant to put some pictures up of the ultrasound we had at 36 weeks. He was very active that day and the US tech said he was already breathing so well. At that point he already weighed 6 lb. 9 oz. I think this one's going to be a big one :)

I am going through cedar fever right now since the count in Austin is sky high and of course Joshua has been sick for the past week and a half with a bad cough and congestion. His runny nose is slowly going away. We really hope he gets better before baby #2 arrives! Going to be hard to keep Joshua away from his brother!

Enjoy the pics!

Mad about something!

He's giving us a good smile!

The tech said he was blowing kisses at us!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas day here in Austin! We all woke up at 8:00 (and that means Joshua woke us up since he ends up in bed with us every night) and slowly started our morning routine. After breakfast together, Steve read the Christmas story to Joshua and we said a prayer. Then we let Joshua open presents. Except he still didn't really grasp the opening presents part so I helped a lot. He absolutely loved his recorder and school bus and stared in amazement at the tool bench box and race car apparatus that Uncle Scott and Aunty Betsy got him. He also loved the fast cars that Uncle Ben and Aunty Abby got him. He definitely liked playing with the wrapping paper and thought it was funny to watch Steve and I open our presents. Christmas is so different when you see it through a child's eyes. We had a great time throughout the season singing Christmas songs, turning on the lights every evening, and finally getting to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus on Christmas Day.

Mom, Dad, and Sunil came in from Dallas around noon and Joshua was entertained the rest of the day. He had a great time showing everyone his golf moves and playing with toys. Then we had Mom and Dad from Austin come over and we had a tasty Christmas dinner with a Smokey Mo's turkey. We were all full by the end of the night.

21 months today with 5 weeks left!

2011-12-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I've neglected this blog for almost 2 months!  Joshua turned 21 months today and he is just so active and verbal these days. He repeats a lot of what we say (sometimes we have to really watch it :) and he's connecting 2 words pretty easily now. For instance he'll say, "Mommy cooking," "Daddy vacuuming", "Grandpa putting" - meaning golf. He is obsessed and I mean obsessed with golf. We actually bought him real clubs and he will hit golf balls inside and outside the house. He's got a pretty good swing - much, much better than Steve's :)

We've done so much in the past month or so. We went to Dallas for Thanksgiving where we had a great meal and had lots of family over. Subin arrived from Afghanistan the week prior and we were able to spend Thu - Mon with him. We also hung out with Julie and met her parents for the first time. Julie and I got up for after Thanksgiving sales on Fri.

We also were able to catch up with Susan, Ash, Sheba, Johnsly and Shirley. They had a lot of family over Fri. night for dinner. Was nice to finally meet Aiden. He's a cutie.

We met up with our friends Jason, Shawn, Reena, and Anil on Sunday. Can't believe the Jacobs finally moved back to Texas.   Great seeing all the kids and also seeing Sigy and Jaya for the first time.

I personally feel like a penguin now - weighing in about 138 pounds. I didn't even weigh this much when I gave birth to Joshua. And I still have 5 weeks left! Looks like I'll be working out pretty hard - especially since my brother's wedding will be in Hawaii in June! This pregnancy is definitely harder than the first - can hardly bend down, lots of acid reflux, unable to sleep comfortably. It's also funny how little you prepare for the 2nd one.

Also hard to believe that we have 1 week before Christmas! And like always, I have procrastinated on gifts. I think I do it on purpose - just for the rush of trying to fit it all in.

I'll try and do better about updating the blog.
Enjoy the pics!

Halloween pics - 2011

2011-11-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

Weekend in Dallas!

2011-10-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

We just got back from spending a weekend in Dallas with Ammachi and Appachan. Joshua had lots of fun getting spoiled and receiving constant hugs and kisses. We took family pics at Central Park in Frisco and we are excited to see how they turned out. The cold front came through Texas on Thursday and it was in the 60s during the day and the 40s at night. We're finally getting into fall after having one of the worst summers in Texas history!

Joshua is in that stage where he repeats everything he hears so we have to really be careful what we say. :) The other day he was crying in his crib and when I went to get him I said, "It's OK" and he repeated "Sokay, sokay" while he was crying. I couldn't help laughing.

He loves to point out and say "school bus, po (police), ambus (ambulance), and so much more. His vocabulary is getting bigger by the day.

We took him to a pumpkin patch in Frisco on Sunday and he loved playing by the tractor and throwing hay around everywhere. He threw his mini fit when we had to leave :)

I also was able to spend some girl time with Reena on Sat. night. Was nice to relax and have my fav. apple caramel streusel cheesecake and hot chocolate. I have really neglected you Cheesecake Factory! Never again :)

2011-10-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

We went to Joshua's 18 month appt last week and found out he had not even gained a pound since his 15 month appt. So now he weighs 21 pounds and 8 oz. and is now 31 inches. One skinny little boy! He is so active at this time - running away from us every morning when its time to brush teeth or change his diaper. He thinks its so funny to have us chase him around. Still walking and running on his toes, which of course drives me crazy but I have put off calling a ped. PT :)

He is adding to his vocabulary everyday. New words include oopas (toothpaste), ope (soap), bapple (waffle), bacuum (vacuum), bocooli (brocolli), outside, booby (blueberry), dark, apple, juice, chicken, book. He constantly says Mommy and Daddy and is always asking for the one that's not present. He can even say Ammy (Ammachi) and Appacha.

I have been so late with this post that we've now come to his 19 mo. b-day! He is still adding to his vocabulary. Now he can say monkey, airplane, bapack (backpack), Grandpa, school bus. I still think he's one of the smartest kids around!

I keep thinking he's going to stop running and walking on his toes but I think I'm going to have to swallow my pride and schedule an appt. with a pediatric PT.

We still have problems with Joshua throwing his food at mealtime when he doesn't want it or gets bored with it. We have tried sternly scolding him, popping his hand, and now we are turning his chair to face the wall everytime he throws. We'll see if that works!

He still prefers his milk from a bottle though we tried many times to give it to him in a sippy cup. He just stops drinking milk if its not offered in a bottle. At least he drinks water and juice out of a sippy cup. Oh well, I just want him to get his calcium and Vit. D so I just gave up somewhat on that.

He's still a very loving and affectionate boy. He loves to get kisses and hugs from us and he likes it when Daddy wrestles with him. He likes to run back and forth on the couch and still loves us to read his Bible Book. We also read Goodnight Seattle every night before bed and he just recently started watching baby shows like Brainy Baby and Baby Einstein.

Joshua's little brother is getting bigger every day - I'm now 26 weeks pregnant and the baby should weigh about 2 pounds. I definitely feel heavier and I just started wearing the belly band to work. I have to eat small meals or I feel like I'm going to bust. I have gained 19 pounds now and have about 3 months left to go!!

Seattle in September

2011-09-17T22:43:00.000-07:00

Sept 11, 2011
It's hard to imagine that 10 years ago our nation faced such a tremendous tragedy. I was 23 years old and at the hospital in Pine Bluff doing one of my last physical therapy clinicals. I had just finished some wound treatments when the other therapists were saying we needed to watch TV to see what was happening. I remember that it was so confusing at the time - nobody understood why there were planes crashing into the towers. I was so worried about my mom who was supposed to be flying into New York sometime that day from India. I remember trying to get a hold of my dad who happened to be working at the same hospital and by the time I reached him I was hysterical. He assured me that Mom was OK and the plane had been grounded in Europe since planes were not getting into the US at the time. I was so relieved. We were all glued to the TV for the rest of the day. I remember this day and honor all those that lost their lives especially the brave firefighters of FDNY.

Last week we were able to travel to Seattle for Labor Day weekend. It was the perfect weekend to get away from the hot Texas weather. While temps here reached 104 the high in Seattle was 70 and the low was 52.
We left Joshua for only the 2nd time since he was born but we knew Grandma and Grandpa would take great care of him. I had a harder time leaving him this time around maybe because he's getting so vocal and expressive and we have such a great time playing with him.

We left Friday morning with a connection in KC and finally reached Seatlle around 4:00. After much convincing, we rode the Light Rail to downtown Seattle and walked the two blocks to our hotel. Our room at the Sheraton was on the 31st floor and the hotel is one of the largest in Seattle. There were many conventions going on that weekend along with Bumbershoot, their equivalent of ACL. We settled in and had appetizers in the lounge and rested before our dinner at Wild Ginger (Pan-Asian restaurant). Dave and Siji weren't flying in till later that evening so we ended up meeting up with them in the morning. We killed a couple of hours by walking through the Pike's Place Market and onto the waterfront where we caught another glimpse of Mt. Ranier. We walked around watching all the boats and cruiseships on the water. So beautiful and again the weather was perfect. Couldn't believe I was wearing a cardigan! Of course, we had to have a crazy, mentally ill man shouting at some woman to briefly ruin our picturesque evening. But we quickly got away from that scene :)

We met up with Dave and Siji at our hotel after breakfast and we all walked to the Pike's Market. Right as we entered, a large crowd had gathered in front of the fish throwing vendors. So whenever someone would buy fish, one guy would throw the fish to another guy standing on the opposite side of the counter. We were amazed at all the fresh flowers including dahlias, roses, daisies, and how many bouquets with the smaller ones being $5 and the larger ones $10. Couldn't believe how affordable they were and so sad that we had no reason to buy them. We tasted so much walking through the market; I was able to buy a bag of Rainier cherries - never had them before. Now I don't know if I can eat any other cherry. Steve bought some chocolate pasta which he plans to serve with ice cream one day :) We also tasted different dips, oils, nuts, and so much more.

We took pictures of the original Starbucks coffee shop in the market and ate "the best mac and cheese" at Beecher's Cheese Shop, which is actually true. I could only eat a quarter of it because it was so rich and creamy. We then had fresh juice at the Juice Emporium and Dave couldn't resist cheesecake at a specialty shop.

After our eating fest, we dropped our goodies off at the hotel and then walked to Westlake Center where we tried to purchase tickets for the Duck Tour. I had no idea how quickly they sell out so we had to push our tour to 3:00. We decided to go eat pizza before our tour at Serious Pie Co. which was good but overpriced. We thought Home Slice was better.

The Duck Tour was pretty fun and relaxing. Our tour guide was quite funny and he had lots of catchy music to go along with his interesting facts about the city. We were all instructed to say "lattes" every time we passed a Starbucks and there had to be at least 25 on the tour alone. The tour also included going into Lake Union, so it was nice to be on the water and looking at the Seattle skyline.

We rode the monorail back to Westlake Center and met back there again for the ride back to the Space Needle for our 7:15 dinner reservation. For me, definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip. We went to the Observation Deck and took pics before we settled in for dinner. Comfy seating and a slowly revolving view of the skyline made this night very memorable. We tried to go for dessert at Tango(which was a long walk) but I had to fake being sick because the menu was horrible. Then we ended up being at Cheesecake Factory - go figure.

On Sunday we went down to the waterfront and caught the ferry to Bainbridge Island. It was a nice, relaxing ride where we took lots of pics. The weather was beautiful - 70s and the wind was blowing and I just felt like there wasn't a care in the world. We got off the ferry at the island but never actually stepped onto the island since we loaded back on within 10 minutes. We sat inside the ferry on the return trip and mapped out what we would do for the rest of the day.
Dave and Siji had a friend recommend Six Seven Restaurant at the Edgewater Hotel which was a pretty long walk but I convinced my worrying husband that as long as we walked slowly I would be OK. We had a pretty decent brunch and then took pics in front of their outdoor fireplace.
We walked through Pike's Place Market again and sampled some things and I had some of the best mango juice - watched her make it with fresh mangos. Then we walked through H&M and rested at the hotel till dinner.
We had dinner at a "casual seafood restaurant" which would have been classified as upscale in Austin. It wasn't the best but we had a good time just talking and summarizing our trip. We ended up going to Fox Sports Bar afterwards which was kind of dead by the time we got there. We stayed till about 11:00 and then walked home.
Couldn't believe our trip had come to an end. We had a great time with our friends. We ended up seeing them at the airport and sitting with them for 15 minutes before our flight boarded.
Steve's 36th B-day was on Labor Day, the last day of our trip which we spent mostly on the plane. When we got to Mom and Dad's house, Joshua was waiting to wish Daddy a Happy B-day!

33 and counting!

2011-08-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had a great B-day today with my two men! I spent lunch with Steve at a Cajun place close to my work and then received cookies at work courtesy of Joshua! My coworkers and I also had chocolate cake! Then after work I found Omaha Steaks from Subin outside the house. Sunil and Julie also got me a spa certificate that I will be using this weekend :) Definitely felt the love from family and friends today!

The best part of the day was just relaxing after dinner with Steve and Joshua. I watched Joshua bounce up and down on Steve's back and stomach. They just wrestled and giggled for 20 minutes. Then we walked around outside in the driveway and backyard. Just a great, relaxing B-day!

Here's a video of Joshua and his new favorite outdoor activity:

Joshua had fun on Sat. watching the ducks at the park

Happy B-day Mommy!

The Annual Samuel Family Visit!

2011-08-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks have been filled with lots of fun, quality family time, and of course lots and lots of eating. Scott, Betsy, Ethan and Mia made their annual visit to the States and were able to spend almost 2 weeks in Austin. We were able to see them most every day and Joshua spent most all day playing with Ethan and Mia.
It was so much fun seeing them interact. Joshua was just 3 months old the last time they were here and really wasn't able to play. This time around, he was able to play and run with both Ethan and Mia. Ethan was so gentle and careful with him and Mia loved being a big sister to him. She had the biggest laugh and Joshua would laugh when she did.

Dave and Siji came for the weekend and we spent Sat. and Sun going to food trailers, sleeping, and eating some more. Sunday evening we went to Ben and Abby's house and of course ate more - this time barbeque.

We celebrated Ethan's 4th B-day a little early on Tue and we took lots of pics with him, the balloons (I still have anxiety when I see them being squeezed or pinched), and the cake.

We were so sad to say bye to them on Thursday evening. Joshua was very receptive to the kisses he received from Ethan and Mia and I think he could tell he was saying bye to them. We had such a great visit and next year will be even more fun :)

Here are some pics from the past two weeks:

Mighty Cone trailer park

What up Home Slice?

Bananas anyone?

Children's Museum

Happy 4th B-day Ethan!

I love Torchy's chips!

Last night of family, food, and fun!

Milestones

2011-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy month so far and Joshua has had lots of fun experiences. I'm posting some pics of Joshua's 1st carousel ride at the mall in late July and of Joshua listening to live music at the Domain. We are just enjoying spending time with him before our new addition arrives in January. Currently, I am 16 weeks pregnant and feeling great! Besides the normal fatigue at the end of the day (which could be attributed to 8 hour work days and running around with Joshua in the evening), I am not experiencing any other symptoms. We are so excited and a little nervous about caring for two little ones in the near future.

Joshua has been going to the church nursery the past month consistently and last Sunday was the 1st Sunday that he did not cry for long when we dropped him off. I think he may be adjusting somewhat.
He has also been cutting two additional teeth to the four he already has. We wish he would just get the whole mouthful pretty soon :) He likes to try to say words that start with "B" so he alway starts out saying "ba" for ball, book, bath. "Bye, no, up, Mommy, Doddy," are some other words that he is saying.
Foods that he has started: loves chicken, peas, corn, Cheerios, strawberries, and blueberries.

Sixteen Months!

2011-07-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned 16 months on Sunday! Every month I think to myself how fast time is passing. Joshua is now walking pretty fast - almost trying to run. He loves for us to chase him while he just giggles away. He goes so fast that often he falls so he's slowly learning to balance. We've gone through many bumps and bruises and his first scraped knee.
He babbles a lot and his new word is "up." Sometimes he responds to a question by saying "yeah." He recognizes and understands most of what we are saying. For instance, if we tell him to go get his puppy and put it on his car, he will do just that. If we tell him to bring us the green ball, he goes and gets it.
Joshua is amazing at playing ball. He can pick up a big beach ball, hold it in the air, and throw it back to us.
He also loves the pool. We've only taken him twice, since he got sick the first time.
I'll post some pics and finish writing his milestones soon.

One more month of activities!

2011-07-11T21:36:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned 15 months on June 17 and has been walking more than crawling now. He even tries to run when he gets excited. At his 15 mo. appt., we found out he has grown another inch and is now 30 in. while he's only gained an ounce since his 12 month appt. He is my little skinny boy, just like his Daddy!

Steve and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary on the 18th and we decided to have dinner at Kenichi downtown. Can't believe we've been married for 6 years! And now we have our little Jub-Jub walking around here!
The 19th was Father's Day and Joshua gave Steve a heartfelt card that made his Daddy tear up a little. Then we had a nice lunch with Mom and Dad and we all watched the golf tournament.

The June 24th weekend we left for Dallas to attend Makayla's 1st B-day party. Makayla looked too cute in her pink outfit and she seemed to be having fun with all her friends and family. They had lots of food, a margarita machine, bounce house, and a snow cone machine that Steve and Jason ended up running :) Unfortunately, Joshua was teething and had a rash and was just not himself. He still had fun once we went outside and he could walk around everywhere.

We met Jason and Shawn on Friday evening in midtown at Urban Taco. Weasel and some of his friends met us later and we hung around till 11:00. My poor parents had trouble putting Joshua to sleep that night because he kept looking for us and Joshua finally fell asleep at 9:45.

Joshua had lots of fun playing with Ammachi and Appachan. We also were able to meet Julie, Sunil's girlfriend. They came down to attend Troy's wedding reception. Joshua even let Julie hold him right before we left.

The following weekend was the July 4th weekend and Austin banned all fireworks due to the burn ban. This summer has been one of the hottest summers since I've been here. We decided to go up to Houston on Sat. and we had a relaxing weekend with Dave and Siji going to a few restaurants and church on Sun. We also got to visit with our dear friends Abby and Tim and meet their 10 month old George. Joshua loved playing with their dog and would giggle every time the dog would try to lick him. We left back on Mon. morning and spent our 4th of July inside since it was way too hot for anything else.

Dave and Siji came up to see us this past weekend since Siji was taking her oral exam so we got to see them back to back weekends. Fri night we went to Suzanne's 30 b-day party and Sat. I attended her shower. Dave and Siji left after watching a great game of women's World Cup soccer.

More Walking with Joshua

2011-06-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

Not only has Joshua started walking everywhere but he's also talking more; he said "bath" as we were getting him ready for his nightly ritual. And just yesterday he let me brush his teeth. What amazed me the most was that when I said "Is Joshua ready to brush his teeth?" he put his hand in his mouth. He understands so much of what we say.
I do love watching him walk because he hunches his shoulders and his arms are placed outward for balance; he looks like Frankenstein walking :)

Hope you like the video.

Too many steps to count!

2011-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Joshua is taking lots of steps now! He'll walk till he loses his balance and then fall to his knees. Its just funny to see him waddle along and mumble his baby talk. Along with truck, car, and bubble, he said 'book' today, though he was pointing at his puzzle :)
He has been sick this past week - only the 2nd time since he's been born and we think its a direct result from getting in the pool for the first time on Sunday. On a brighter note, he has slept in his crib for a whole week! I still wake up several times during the night but I feel like I'm getting more rest since he's not in the bed with us.

Here are some pics of the pool and a video of Joshua walking!

Slowly learning to walk

2011-05-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

This past week Joshua took 2 steps many times - the first time was when Steve was holding his baby Bible book and he just stood up and took 2 steps towards him.

Today, he took 5 steps in the kitchen and we can tell he's about to start walking soon! Hopefully, we won't have to worry about more knee holes in his pants!

Dave and Siji came to see us this past Memorial Day weekend and we had fun mostly hanging out and relaxing. There was some outlet shopping and golfing accomplished - (you can guess who did what :) We also went to Sam's Boat for dinner on Sat. where we sat on the patio. The breeze was perfect and Joshua seemed to enjoy eating gumbo and fries.

Joshua didn't do so well on his 2nd visit to the church nursery on Sun. When we came to pick him up, someone was holding him and he had his pacifier in his mouth. Apparently, he hung out by the door crying and waiting for us to come back. He doesn't realize that he'll have to do this every Sunday!

14 months and growing!

2011-05-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned 14 months old last week and he had a big milestone on that day: he took his first step. We were outside by the playscape encouraging him to come to us and he took that step. We were very excited and of course he thought it was funny that we were making such a big deal of it. Since then, he's repeated it a couple of times but now when I'm encouraging him to walk, he just laughs at me, drops to his knees, and starts crawling. My coworkers keep telling me to leave him alone and he'll start walking.   He' so close - he will stand from sitting without holding anything and just stand there for about 5 to 10 seconds. But as of now, just the one step.

Joshua also went to his first Round Rock Express baseball game on Friday. It was Family Day at Steve's work and his coworkers hadn't seen Joshua since October.   Joshua loved the playscape, though I had to pull him under the covered pavillion because it rained several times. Amanda, Steve's coworker, was able to hold and play with Joshua for a while as we ate our burgers and hotdogs. Joshua also enjoyed a little bit of hotdog. We later sat on the burn and watched the game until about 8:20 when our little one started rubbing his eyes.

On Saturday, Joshua got his 2nd professional haircut and I have to say he looks so cute. Of course, he fussed and cried throughout the whole cut.   I felt bad for the stylist though it was the same lady so she is now used to him.
Later that evening, we went to Torchy's Tacos. Can't believe it took us six years to make it to this place. Hands down the best tacos I've had in a long time. I think we'll be going every week till we finally get tired of it. It was a tight squeeze with Joshua so maybe we'll sit outside or do the drive-thru next time.

On Sunday, we dropped him off at the church nursery - another first. We haven't sat inside the sanctuary in a long time so it was nice to try to listen to the service. I'll admit that I had trouble concentrating because all I could think of was my baby Joshua with a bunch of strangers. I kept looking at my watch to see how much longer we had in the service.
When we went to pick him up, he was sitting in a chair at the table and apparently sat there most of the time. (I think because he didn't know how to get down from the chair.) They said he didn't cry, just sat and played with whatever toys they put in front of him.
Later that day, our friend Kavi and her fiance Subin came to see us from Dallas. Joshua had a great time playing with them and his new keyboard.

Florida without Joshua

2011-05-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

This post is a week late but we needed a week to recover from Florida :) We left Joshua with Grandma and Grandpa last weekend to fly to Florida to attend Madhu's wedding. Initially, I was sad to leave but I knew I had nothing to worry about.

After you've traveled with an infant, you really appreciate traveling without one. We had gone on so many trips before Joshua was born but this one I felt like we really appreciated. Every moment was relished from getting through security to attending the reception without having to worry about the next bottle or nap time.

We got to Florida around 3:00 on Friday and Jason and Shawn took us straight to Beach Place where I got an island mojito (not that great) and then went to Casablanca Cafe where we had a great dinner. We walked out on the beach afterwards and got some good pics. We then relaxed at the Jacobs where Vinod, Daison and Anita came later to hang out. I did not feel well that night from whatever we had to eat but I weathered through.
Though we went to bed around 1:00 - I let everyone know I just wanted 8 hours of sleep since Joshua hasn't been sleeping well lately.

The next morning, after a great night of sleep, we had chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and muffins. Shawn and I took forever to schedule our hair appt. We then went to eat these glorified hot dogs at a gas station that the Jacobs and Vinod swore by and yes they really were from a gas station. But the hot dogs had bacon bits, cheese, potato chips, jalapenos and some kind of chimichurri sauce. I had to admit they were pretty good.

We then got our hair done and then went to the Marriot hotel where we were checked in for the night. Steve and Jason had funny stories about dodging the wedding party. We then got ready for the reception which was in about 2 hours. We met everyone downstairs in the courtyard where the cocktail hour had begun. It was just a beautiful area with the beach closeby and the courtyard surrounded by palm trees. They had great appetizers and we had fun socializing. We met Hannah, Gavin, and Peyton for the first time and Hannah even let me hold her.
I was able to also meet Gibi, Madhu's wife and they were able to spend some time talking to us at the reception. Since I wore high heels, by midnight, I was ready to go upstairs to the room.
Shawn joined me 15 minutes later and the guys came up around 2:00. We all slept in the next day. We made our calls to our moms on Mothers Day and I could not wait for my baby to give me a kiss later that day.

We went to breakfast at a place that reminded me of Hula Hut in Austin and the Jacobs left to go pick up Lincoln and Austin. Steve and I relaxed on the beach under a cabana for an hour and then got ready to check out at 1:00. We finally saw Austin and took a stop for some gelatto before heading to the airport.
Had a great trip in Florida but I was so ready to see my Joshua. We got back and he crawled right to me which made me feel so much better. For Mother's Day I got what Joshua knew I wanted for a long time - Pajama Jeans!!! Thanks Joshua for the privilege of being your mother!

Fun with grandparents!

2011-04-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad come down this past Monday and spent a couple of days playing with Joshua. They had a great time interacting with him and he just loved having them at his beck and call. There's no telling how many times Ammachi pushed him around in his "coche" and how many times he got to go to the outdoor playscape. I know he was sad when they left.

He is definitely becoming more verbal these days. One of his favorite words is "uck" for truck. He loves to watch all kinds of vehicles drive past Grandma and Grandpa's house and is now able to identify "ucks." He's also beginning to say "ca" but I'm not sure if he understands the word car.

He still likes to clap your hands but not his own and he loves to high five your hand if you put it in front of him. He really is such a sweet boy; he never fusses or cries unless he accidentally hits his head :) We are so lucky to have such a laid back little boy. He is able to play around other kids and doesn't whine or take things from them. I'm sure it will change soon but we are enjoying having such a good boy. I really am going to miss him so much when we leave for Florida next weekend. Our first trip without him! Thank God its only just a weekend.

Easter weekend!

2011-04-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Houston for Easter weekend and had an enjoyable time with our friends and family. Joshua loved playing with Aunty Siji and Unca Dave. We arrived Friday night and Joshua had a little trouble falling asleep but not to worry since he ended up in bed with us by midnight :)

On Saturday Siji and I enjoyed our facials and then Steve, Joshua, and I visited Ashley, Susan, and Shirley in Pearland. Susan looked great at 5 months pregnant and she still managed to make us fabulous Thai food and a rich custard dessert. Aunty Shirley finally met Joshua and he just loved exploring around such a big house. Joshua did his best to help Uncle Ash who was clearly uncomfortable holding a baby. He'll get plenty of lessons soon!

We then went to Shormi's house and met her daughter Asiya. Joshua and Asiya tried to play together but Asiya was more interested in pinching and pulling hair so we had to separate them for most of the time. We did manage to get some cute pics. It was so nice to visit with a childhood friend that I hadn't seen in years.

On Easter, we started the day giving thanks for the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus so that we may have eternal life. Joshua tried to sit still as we prayed but he soon squirmed out of our arms.
We went to a beautiful Easter service at Dave and Siji's church and then went to brunch at America's. Of course, we ate too much and had to really resist taking a nap afterwards.
We had a wonderful weekend!

Joshua's 1st real haircut

2011-04-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Joshua had his 1st real haircut at the Pigtails and Crewcuts salon on Sat. Just as he didn't like when Daddy cut his hair, he didn't like the stranger lady using scissors on his hair. Though his pictures look otherwise, he was not happy. He kept trying to dodge her, so Steve and I spent most of the time trying to distract him by playing peek a boo and using toys to get his attention.
We also went to Hannah's B-day party in the park, which was great because it was outdoors. He loved watching everybody and walking around the park.
He also sprang his first tooth about a week ago, but it is now visible when he smiles. It seems like he'll be getting another one pretty soon. He finally got the first tooth - after his 1st b-day!!

Here are some before and after pics of his 1st cut :

The Jacobs visit Austin

2011-04-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Jacobs came to visit us this past weekend with Austin making his first trip to his namesake. Austin is now 17 months and had grown a lot since we last saw him at his one year B-day party. At that time he had just learned to pull up to stand and this weekend we saw him running around the house and climbing on top of toys. Joshua warmed up to Austin quickly which we knew he would. But what did surprise us was how quickly he became comfortable with Jason and Shawn. He usually cries for about 10 minutes when he encounters new people but he seemed to really enjoy being around them and playing with Austin.
Friday night we met up with Sunita and Anu at Daily Grill in the Domain. Joshua had a little trouble falling asleep especially since we brought the umbrella stroller. We had a great dinner and caught up with good friends.
On Saturday we went to Lady Bird Lake trail (Town Lake) after the kids had their nap. We took some nice pictures and walked the trail for a while since the weather was perfect. Afterwards we went to Mozart's where we switched seats several times due to furry caterpillars. Its also where Steve and Shawn had the best latte they ever had :)
That night we met Tony and Pressy at Roaring Fork and had a nice dinner on the patio. The guys fought over the last two short rib tacos with Jason and Tony winning out. Late night since we got home after 11:00. Joshua slept better in his infant stroller at the restaurant.
On Sunday we relaxed at the house and the Jacobs went to visit their friends in the afternoon. We stayed up that night talking like we had most nights mostly about the possibility of them relocating to Dallas by early next year. Exciting because we would definitely see more of each other and Joshua and Austin would get to play together more often.
Monday morning we made pancakes and hash browns and I dropped them off at the airport by 11:30. So glad they were able to visit and so blessed to have such good friends! What a great weekend!

Joshua's 1st Rodeo

2011-03-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

We went to the Austin Rodeo this past weekend and got some good pics of Joshua in the petting zoo. He seemed to enjoy the deer, goats, sheep, and the lamb. I was a little nervous that one of them would try to take a bite out of him especially after he would try to slap every animal that passed by us.
We also had fun eating all the fair food like corndogs, fried catfish and taters, fried Oreos, and frozen yogurt. And no we actually did not have stomach aches though I did feel like we should go the gym every day this week to work it all off. Joshua did get his first taste of vanilla and chocolate swirl frozen yogurt and he loved it!

Here are some pics of the rodeo:

Betsy - this one's for you:

Joshua's 1st B-day party

2011-03-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

We held Joshua's 1st B-day party at my parents house in Dallas on Sat. at 11:00. We left for Dallas on Friday and were able to relax and visit with my parents and Sunil who flew in that day from Chicago. We stayed up that evening and decorated for the party. The theme was St. Patrick's so we had green and white streamers, shamrocks, multicolored balloons (rainbow).

About 50 friends and family were able to attend the party and it was great to catch up with everyone. I was surprised how many people actually wore green. Joshua stayed close to me most of the party and wasn't too receptive of being held by other people. He did enjoy playing with the other kids in the game room.

The fajitas we catered were pretty good and so were all the sides - salad, enchiladas, rice and beans, chips and salsa. The dessert bars were to die for - so much so that not many people ate the cake :)
Joshua's cake was a rainbow with shamrocks around it. Loved how colorful it was. By the time we cut the cake, Joshua was getting a bit tired. He finally took a nap after everyone left around 4:00 pm. Pretty long day for my baby but well worth it.

Joshua is One!!

2011-03-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's unimaginable that one year ago we were introduced to our little baby. I can't believe he's gone from 6 pounds 13 oz to almost 21 pounds. His height is now 29 inches from 17 when he was born.
We started the day by singing "Happy B-day" which he seemed to enjoy. I was able to take the day off so after breakfast we headed to the library for his first time at "Toddler Storytime" Wow! A toddler!
He jumped up and down for most of the stories and watched all the other kids. Afterwards, he played with one of their big wooden puzzles.
Lena Auntie came to visit and brought him a Thomas the Train tricycle. He liked banging on the box more than anything.
Steve came home early and we took pictures and just had fun playing with his toys. I got him a little slice of cake and we tried to create the perfect cake on face picture. However, Joshua was not happy about frosting on his fingers which he tried to get rid of on his shirt and pants. He then took his anger out on the cake and swiped it off the tray onto the floor. We ran some last minute errands for his party (Party City) and went to the mall and bought his St. Patrick's day shirt and socks.
Since it doesn't get dark now till 8 he was able to go outside after dinner and play on the playground.
What a great B-day!!
The following pics are from his B-day party on Saturday in Dallas.

Fun times

2011-03-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been three weeks since I've written anything on the blog. Our lives are going way too fast :)
Joshua has had a lot of fun these past two weeks. Last weekend we took him to his first storytime at the library - he was more fascinated at all the kids than the actual books that were being read - Ms. Kit did a great job reading and playing the guitar. He also loved the bubbles she blew on him afterwards. He then played with some puzzles at the cute little kids table. If he could talk, he would have told us he didn't want to go home.

A couple of hours later, he was at his first Gymboree class. This is where we realized how old we were by having to help him across "bridges", "tunnels", and other things that make your back hurt. At the end of the class, we played parachute with all the kids underneath the parachute as we lifted it up and down. Ironic, because we play parachute with the old people at my work.

Joshua is still crawling everywhere and following us around everywhere. He loves to close doors and pull open and close drawers. He will pull himself to stand wherever he can, including using my legs, in the fridge, the coffee table. He's also been testing himself by letting go and trying to balance without holding on; that lasts about a second before he lands on his little bottom.

He's making lots more noises and understands certain words like "milk," "outside," and of course "Mommy and Daddy". I've transitioned him to drink half milk and half formula in his bottle. We're slowly working on sippy cups but aren't there yet. He still doesn't have any teeth but he does a good job of gumming foods like Nutrigrain bars, cheese cubes, cookies, baby "Cheetos", bananas, and strawberries.

This past weekend Dave and Siji visited us and we had a great time catching up. The last time they had seen Joshua was when he was three months old - last June. Siji, Joshua, and I went shopping at the outlets for a good hour before Joshua needed to take a nap and was promptly taken to Grandma's. Steve, Dave and Grandpa went golfing for 18 holes while we finished our shopping. We then had a fabulous dinner at Fonda San Miguel and returned to pick Joshua up around 9.

Sunday was filled with church, basketball, and wings. Joshua still has a little stranger anxiety that he better get over by his B-day party next weekend. Auntie Siji definitely got more love than Unca Dave!

11 months and growing

2011-02-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Joshua had a great 11 month birthday last week. He was able to spend four days with Ammachi and Appachan and he received lots of hugs and kisses the whole week. For Valentine's Day he got a stuffed animal and played with my box of chocolates. Next year he can help me eat my candy!!

On the 17th, the weather was perfect - 70s. So Joshua spent a lot of time outside on the swing and slide. Later we took him for a walk in the stroller.

This past Saturday, I met my friends for a playgroup and Joshua cried for the first five minutes and then seemed to enjoy watching the other kids. He even posed with some of his playmates.

Another beautiful day on Sunday so we took him to the Domain and met our friends. Joshua and Asher had a great time playing ball and getting into each other's toys.

This past week he has started to open and close drawers and some of our kitchen cabinets. We did our first babyproofing this weekend by inserting outlet covers. Looks like we'll definitely have to do more!!

Crawling, crawling, and more crawling

2011-02-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

Starting this past week, Joshua has taken off. No longer can we sit him on the blanket in the living room and expect him to stay there and play with his toys. He will crawl from the living room to wherever he thinks we are! It's a whole new ball game now!! Let's just say I'm going to have to clean house more frequently.

We went to Twin Lakes park and Joshua loved riding around in the jogging stroller today. The weather was perfect - 60s. Then we had a nice dinner - filet mignon, mashed potatoes and asparagus to celebrate Valentine's Day. However, Joshua kept ramming into the dining room table with his walker trying to get our attention.

Will post pics of Joshua crawling soon!

Joshua's First Snow

2011-02-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

On Fri., Feb. 4 Joshua was able to experience his first snow here in Austin. Steve bundled him up and sat him on a towel in our backyard. Much to our dismay, he was not pleased. He didn't like how cold it felt and he soon started to cry but not before Steve took some pictures. I missed all the action since I had to work but Steve captured it on video as well. The snow lasted till noon and the sun melted away most of it by the afternoon.
Subsequently, we weren't able to travel to Houston because they actually had more snow than we did. So we have postponed that trip till later.
Joshua started to crawl a little more this weekend and he recently stood up in his crib with the help of the rails. He likes to stand with our help by the coffee table and play with his toys and he loves to push his "coche" or car. His new foods are crunchies, bananas, and club crackers.
We had a great time playing and occassionally watching the Super Bowl yesterday. He especially loved the halftime show where he danced and bounced with Mommy. He watched us eat our burgers and ice cream cake. Can't imagine how active he'll be at next year's Super Bowl!!

Making milestones

2011-01-31T21:10:00.000-08:00

In the past week Joshua has started to get on all fours and has crawled backwards first and then forward two steps. Then he goes back to sitting or rolling. I thought he would actually skip the crawling stage altogether but looks like he's just starting.

He's also started saying "Gaga" adding to his current vocabulary of "Dada". He loves to repeat after you so its so much fun playing with him and listening to all his sounds.

We're slowly getting used to taking him to restaurants and sitting him in a high chair. We went to La Feria two weeks ago and this past weekend we went to Rosa's Cafe and the Domain (California Pizza Kitchen). As long as we bring his food and pacifier - he's entertained. He loved rolling around the Domain in his stroller. The weather was in the 70s and he had a good time playing with Asher on the playground area.

On Sunday, Joshua and I spent the day together while Steve completed the Tough Mudder event. Thankfully, he came home in one piece. Some of us were a little nervous about the race since a death waiver was signed!!

The cold weather starts tomorrow so Joshua and I got one more day on the swings with no jacket.

10 months old!!

2011-01-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

On this MLK day, Joshua turns 10 months old! Every month I say the same thing - I can't believe how fast he's growing up. It seems like the other day that we were bringing him home from the hospital!

Steve had the day off today so he worked on home projects while Joshua spent the day with grandparents as is his norm on weekdays. Steve was able to meet me for lunch at Dynasty (Chinese) and then we both had cupcakes next door. Very pleasant and relaxing lunch.

Since today was warmer than the past couple of weeks, Grandma took Joshua outside today. We also decided to bundle him up for his first ride in the jogging stroller. We went around 5:45 and got back around 6:30 as it was getting dark. I think he enjoyed the ride as we struggled to catch our breath. ( Let's just say it's been a loong time since we went for a jog)

Happy B-day to my baby Joshua!!

Starting the new year

2011-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to start this blog about our new family. It's been almost 10 months since God blessed us with our beautiful boy, Joshua Thomas Samuel. We've watched our little 6 lb. infant grow and develop into a playful 19 lb. "chubster." He's had so many milestones this past year and I'll mention a few:

1st smile - 3 weeks

1st food - rice cereal (4 months)

1st time to roll over - 4 months

1st time to sit up without support - 7 months

1st plane trip - 7 months ( To celebrate Austin's 1st B-day -BFF)

Picking up food on his own - almost 10 months old ( he just started doing this 2 days ago with his Puffs)

We had a great Thanksgiving with our family; ate the traditional fried turkey at our uncle and aunt's house with both sets of parents and brother, Sunil. Joshua was such a good boy while he waited patiently in his rocker while we ate our dinner. Then it was his turn to eat his pureed turkey and sweet potatoes.

On Christmas Day, we woke up and read the Christmas story from Luke. We took time to remember the true meaning of Christmas that God sent his son to be a sacrifice for our sins. As we prayed together, I couldn't help think of how happy I was to be right where I was with my two men. Joshua loved playing with all the wrapping paper and our living room looked like a disaster area with all the boxes and gifts. Joshua had a great time playing with all of his presents courtesy of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Later that day, we had Mom, Dad, Kunjomon Uncle, Lena Aunty, Ben and Abby over for Christmas lunch. Basically had a repeat of our Thanksgiving meal - delicious :) Great spending time with family on Joshua's 1st Christmas.

My brothers came up the next day to see us since Sunil would be leaving back to Chicago before we made it to Dallas. Joshua got more presents and had some bonding time with his uncles.

We went to Dallas the following weekend - New Years. Joshua is always excited to go on road trips and he loves visiting his Ammachi and Appachan. Steve, Subin and I went to our friends Anil and Reena's house in the evening to celebrate and we had fun eating and watching the ball drop :)
Lajipappan and family came to visit Joshua the next day. Shillu loved playing with Joshua and he loved all the attention.
Subin left the next day for Germany and we were grateful for all the time we were able to spend with him.
I'll post some pictures from the holidays.

Yesterday, Joshua clearly said "Dada" which was different from the past two weeks where he had been saying "thatha." Dada is all he says but he is saying it all the time. He's so playful now and will sit and look at his book and play with any of his toys that he can put in his mouth. He still doesn't have any teeth but that's coming soon too.

We had dinner with the Brunkes at Moonies in Cedar Park. First time we put Joshua in a high chair. He would have been fine but he cried every time baby Hannah playfullly screamed at him. Early dinner at 5 pm and home by 6:15. How life has changed!!