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Here are some pictures of 3-week-old Sam!  He had a bath and dressed up for the occasion. We’re still not great at smiling for the camera, but that’ll come in time!  He’s wearing his robe Aunt Nicole gave him and the outfit Daddy bought as a going home outfit from the hospital. (Little did we know it would be too big at the 3 day-old mark!)

Enjoy!

OK, so…so many of you asked us if we were glad we waited to find out if Samuel was a boy or girl…and the answer still remains the same, “Absolutely Yes!”  During my pregnancy, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could have been persuaded to find out, but Mike insisted we didn’t, so we kept it a secret. Looking back, I could never have been persuaded!  The minute Mike said (the doctors agreed ahead of time to let him make the big announcement), “It’s a BOY!” was the most incredible feeling ever!  It was worth the 10 months of waiting to find out if we were having a son or daughter.

Of course, there is still a little “planner” in me, so I did try to find out the sex the old fashioned way:

Chinese Lunar Calendar: Everyone said this one never fails!  No doubt about it!  Well, after looking at 5 different calendars on-line, I decided this one was a crock. The verdict was two boys and three girls. Hmmm….

Heartbeat: My sister-in-law said, “It’s a boy” from the first heartbeat rate I ever mentioned to her. Samuel’s heartbeat continued to be very low throughout the entire pregnancy - which some say is such a boy.

Draino Test:  After looking high and low, my dad found the crystal Draino at the local Ace Hardware. We used two Ball jars and Mike conducted the ever-so-smelly test outside on the porch. Hands down - Boy. 

Ring Test: We did this test several months before I was even preggo. It said 2 boys, then 1 girl - twice.

Other than the fun tests above, there were other little hints Samuel was a boy…hardly any morning sickness, carrying him “out in front,” craving salty foods, the fact that Mike is the last Barnett to carry on the name, instinctly buying dark wood nursery furniture - rather than white, etc.

Oh, by the way, I’m still not sure what the gallon-of-milk-a-day craving was all about!

We’re so happy that he is here!!

Samuel has experienced two of our favorite pastimes….watching IU basketball and testing pizza recipes for our annual Chiappetta Pizza Bake-off.  We thought Sam would bring IU good luck…but no such luck! As for the pizza, it’s a winner! 

Success!  Samuel gained 6 ounces in 4 days….to bring his weight to 7 pounds, 1 ounce - just where the doctor would like him to be!  We went to the pediatrician today (whom we love!) to learn he’s doing better - great, in fact. We were very pround parents.

Mike is able to still feed him with a bottle and he loves it. It’s quality bonding time for Sam and daddy.

Well…Mike went back to work on Monday, and I think I’m getting the hang of things with Samuel! It’s a little different when you’re by yourself - boy am I glad Mike was home the first week to show me the ropes!  I swear, Mike changed every single diaper for a week!! 

Samuel goes back to the doctor on Friday for a weight check…hopefully he’ll be back to his birth weight by then!  I’m excited to drive myself finally, and get a routine for Sam.

Of course, there are already millions of sweet moments as a new mom…from the delivery day, to the announcement “It’s a boy,” to the first little smile, to peeing on daddy, and to falling asleep in my arms night after night. But the sweetest yet has to be yesterday morning when I woke up (after sleeping an extra 3 hours - thanks Mike) to Mike sleeping on the couch with Samuel. They both looked so content and peaceful - like they have been buddies forever and ever. Not only was it “daddy time,” but it was “samuel time” too. I’m sure it won’t be the last time they’re vegging on the couch together, but the first time was the sweetest for me. It brought the biggest smile to my face.

It seems like it depends upon the lighting, but I’ve seen his hair go from light brown to red to well, now blonde.  Take a look at this photo below.  Also, I’ve posted some new pictures, click here to see the new pics.

Well, I’m not sure Oliver knew what he was in for.  He was really excited when we came home Monday night with Sam.  His little tail was wagging one hundred miles per hour, and he just wanted to sniff and lick Sam.  It took a lot to hold him back and keep him off of Sam.  We only let him sniff his clothes and feet, we didn’t want him licking Sam’s face just yet (although I think he’s snuck that in at some point this week.)

After that initial 10 minutes of excitement, Oliver has settled into normal life.  Well, as normal as can be when you’ve got someone else in the house getting all the attention, who is being called Buddy like I used to call Oliver when he was small, and when you have to be woken up all night long by someone crying for milk or a diaper change.  Besides that, I guess it’s all normal for Oliver.

Nonetheless Oliver is up to his old tricks.  He used to be a momma’s boy before the baby, always wanting to lie on Cindy’s lap and take a nap or maybe have his head rubbed.  If we were sitting on the sofa in the living room, you could count on it that Oliver would eventually wind up on Cindy’s lap at some point all curled up in a ball.  Well, sometimes there’s just no way to get the momma out of the boy… the pics below pretty much sum it all up.

Sam is one week old today!  We’ve been home for 3 1/2 days - but it seems like 2 weeks!  It’s really been a lot of fun and definately a lot of learning. Mike and I have had a lot of laughs…at the silly things we do because we don’t know what we’re doing and at Sam.  Sam is the sweetest little boy, even when he’s crying!  He seems to smile everyday - some say it’s gas, but I’m convinced he thinks his mommy and daddy are hysterical.  Sam loves to be held, rocked, and sang to. I think he already knows the words to daddy’s new song, “Rootin’ and a Tootin.’”

On my last post, I said “Until next time…” Well, it’s been a long time, but I promise we’ll keep updating more frequently.

So I was trying to rock Sam to sleep this morning at around 5am after another power hour of breastfeeding, and for some reason I couldn’t get him to calm down at all.  So I figured I’d check his diaper.  Well it was clean, but right as I opened it, he decided he had to pee.  He peed all over the place, and I just could not stop laughing.  Cindy happened to be in the room and got to see it too.  I had heard that happened, but haven’t ever seen it.  Definitely the funniest thing he’s done yet.

P.S. I know I’m behind on updating the site.  I have some good new pictures I’ll be posting soon.