the first few months . . .

Samantha is almost four months old! We've celebrated our first Thanksgiving together and we are looking forward to celebrating her first Christmas!

I find myself saying the the same thing over and over: "she is growing so fast."

Samantha was born 8 pounds, 12 oz and today she is almost 20 pounds! She is a vibrant, alert, talkative, energetic, and healthy baby. It's an amazing thing to watch a life take shape and explore the world around it. I am so thankful to be able to stay at home with her and capture all the moments I can.

Being a stay at home has been wonderful and I tell Brent how thankful I am that I/we can do this. I sympathize with moms who have to go back to a job outside of the home, and I pray that I can stay at home with my children as long as possible.

Samantha is a great sleeper, she was sleeping through the night before she was eight weeks. Now she has a solid routine of falling asleep around 10:30 and waking up at 7:00. I do not sleep as well as she does as I find myself waking up to check on her at least once during the night. I can remember the first few weeks of her life I was an anxious mess, my mind always racing. She was always fine, always. I never had a thing to worry about but that's what I did. I guess that's all first time mom stuff. I would call my mom to ask questions and her continuous response was "they do that." I've become more comfortable and confident in my role as mom and I find myself looking forward to doing more and more things with Samantha as she grows.

Our days our mostly spent at home, only taking the occasional outing for our raw milk/egg run or to go see Brent at work (especially when they have office parties).  She does great around people and you can see her just soaking up the attention.  I haven't had her throw any major fits in public but Brent did have to deal with a big one when I dropped her off at his office.  I had to run a couple errands so I brought Samantha to his office for about an hour.  She was clean, fed, rested and ready to go.  When I returned Brent looked like he had run a marathon. Apparently she cried really loud and nothing would console her.  She had worn herself out and was sleeping in his arms.  I felt awful for him but I guess that comes with the territory. 
Other than that she hasn't had any major "fits" in public, or at home for that matter.  She is really a happy baby.  She can entertain herself on the floor with a few toys or rest in her swing while the music plays.  I try not to hold her to much :) I can hear my mother, and grandmother, saying "leave her alone, she's fine".  My midwife tells me to "wear" her around the house.  I love to "wear" her when we go out but not when I am at home, plus she's heavy and it wears my back out.  My midwife is all about attachment parenting but I can't embrace ALL of those practices.  I believe in creating a sense of independence and security within oneself, even from this age.  Samantha slept in our bed for the first couple month of her life but quickly went to her own bed b/c I needed to sleep and so did she.  Now her and I both get rest at night and everyone is happier, especially my husband!    

Christmas is around the corner and what a wonderful time it will be.  Samantha is the only grandchild on Brent's side so I have a feeling she'll get lots of gifts from them.  I am looking forward to introducing her to her cousins and all the family members she hasn't met yet.  It's more difficult to be away from family once you have kids.  My youngest sister, Andree, has two young children and it would be wonderful to live closer so the kids could play together.  I think we have lots of traveling in the years to come! 

Of course we love living in North Carolina and are learning more about our new home everyday.  The people here are very nice and I have no doubt we will soon find a great church to call home.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!