New year and new things . . .

So I just published a post that I wrote back in November.  I haven't really done any work on this blog since then but I did want that post to publish last year, oops :) 
I feel like ALOT has happened since then and I am not sure where to start. 
Samantha is over 20 weeks now!  I'm not sure of her weight but she's a chunk and I love it.  She's strong and can hold her head up well, she has started rolling from tummy to back too.  She's maturing more every day and her personality is taking shape.
We have an improved sleeping schedule as well.  She is sleeping by 9-9:15 and up at 7AM.  We took out the 10PM feeding a couple weeks ago and she has done great.  During the day she naps about 3-4 hours total, two long naps and one short.  She is easy to put down at night. We rock for a few minutes and then it's lights out.  During the night she may wake up once or twice and I might go in to give her the pacifier but I try not to do that to often.  I feel so blessed to have a good sleeper.  Of course I still hold the title as "sleep nazi" b/c for so long I was determined to establish a good sleeping pattern.  I think it has paid off ;)   

She looks so much like her daddy!

Samantha's first Christmas was wonderful.  We did not travel anywhere so it was just us three on Christmas day.  A couple weeks before Christmas Brent's family came for a visit.  They did not want to miss Samantha's first Christmas so they came all the way from Mississippi and Tennessee.  It was fun to have them and they brought many gifts for Samantha.  She got some beautiful Christmas ornaments that will decorate next years tree.  She also got lots of clothes, a few stuffed animals, some books, some fuzzy Christmas shoes, and toys. 
Lately she is really becoming more aware of her surroundings, reaching for things and holding on to everything.  Of course she wants to put it all in her mouth too.  I had a couple gift cards left over from a baby shower and decided to buy a jumparoo, it's a chair that bounces with the baby's movements.  I bought it before she was four months and she has loved it since the first time she used it.  At first she wasn't sure what to do but when she figured out that she could move in it and not fall she hasn't stopped bouncing.  Now she's bigger and can really make the thing jump.  Sometimes she jumps so hard I think she's gonna break it!  I've taken many videos of her using it but I'm not able to upload them here.


In her crib,  waking up happy! 




Much activity in her jumparoo! 



Even since those pictures, taken just before Christmas, she has changed.  She is making more word like sounds, using inflection with her voice to make sounds.  I feel like she's gonna say "Momma" any minute!  I think we're a ways away from that happening but it's amazing to see her changing so fast.   I almost feel like she's not a baby anymore.  Yes she still needs me but she is maturing so quickly that it's hard to imagine when she couldn't even hold her head up. 

I took Samantha to a chiropractor for the first time last week. I'm a big believer in chiropractors and had one all throughout my pregnancy.  I wanted Sam to get seen for an initial evaluation just to make sure everything was developing properly.  This chiropractor specializes in children and she was great with Samantha.  She only needed a little adjustment in the C1/C2 area and everything else was fine.  I believe that chiropractic adjustments help the nervous system to develop properly and thus creating a better environment for overall health.  Of course I'm very into alternative health and am always looking for ways to maintain and improve health, and prevent sickness rather than just treat it.  Being a SAHM has given me more time to do those things. 

Being able to stay at home and take care of my entire family is a dream come true.  I now have more time to cook and learn new things.  I've taken a couple of online eCourses and am learning so much.  I've learned alot about cooking with sourdough and making more nutritious breads, muffins, cinnamon roles (my favorite), tortillas, crackers, pizza crust and so on.  I'm now constantly in the kitchen trying something new and brewing or soaking something.  My husband has fallen in love with the water kefir that I've been experimenting with and it saves us from buying sugary sweet drinks at the store.  My next eCourse will be about cultured dairy so I can make our own sour cream, butter, and cheeses.  That is very exciting to me ;) I want to learn alot more so that by the time Samantha is eating solid foods most of it will be homemade.  It's a challenge to try and change the way you prepare and eat food but it's well worth the effort b/c I know it will pay off in the long run.  Winter time is a great time to learn new things, I think, b/c your stuck inside.  I am looking forward to the spring and getting outside.  We are hoping to put in a nice garden also so I'll keep you updated on how that goes. 

I took a gardening class at the county extension office a couple months ago.  I have never done a big garden so I figured that class would be helpful.  Well, it turned out to be more than helpful, I got to meet some new people and one of which happened to live less than two miles from our house.  She just happens to be a midwife and have a 10 year old daughter who loves to babysit!!  It seemed like divine intervention and although I haven't spent much time with them yet I am thankful to have met a friendly neighbor.  It feels good to make some new friends, especially when my family is so far away.

 Most of my family haven't even met Samantha yet.  My parents are the only people she has met from my side of the family.  That will be changing soon because my parents bought us a plane ticket to Tulsa for next month.  It will be great to see my family and be in Tulsa.  I look forward to seeing lots of old friends and to Samantha meeting some of her cousins. I'm a little anxious about the plane ride but I think we'll be fine.  It will probably be the first flight of many in her life! 

This year promises to be filled with lots of "firsts" and I am looking forward to them all.  Brent and I just stare at Samantha and are in awe of her and the joy she has brought to our lives.  Being a parent is hard work and requires alot of faith but it's all worth it.  I am so thankful for this gift!