Survival of the Storm!

It’s been awhile. Shana, Samara, and I are trudging through apartment life with shear annoyance. For instance, I woke up one evening at about 12:30 AM to a repetitive banging on our front door. I woke Shana and, stuporously, we tip-toed into the living room and opened the door. To my surprise, a police officer flashed his light into my eyes while backing up cautiously! At the same time, a message came through his police radio…something about “looking for building 10”. The officer then stated, “Sorry, wrong building.” We should start looking for houses next month…

So, we survived the December ’07 ice storm with relative ease; we were without power for only 9 hours or so! I believe our parents were without power for 3-4 days! Ah…Oklahoma weather! It's nice to be back...

Life has been on auto pilot the past several months and we’ve been busy celebrating birthdays and enjoying extended weekends with family (a 6-day extended weekend for myself during the ice storm; Shana was not so “lucky”). Samara’s personality is growing every week; it’s hard for us to imagine that 3-4 months ago, Samara was just beginning to to walk! Her speech capabilities are amazing and she seems to be able to attempt any word we ask her to say. As a matter of fact, Shana was in the kitchen and yelled the "s" word; Samara immediately responded with her version of the word! Samara’s care givers comment every week how her speech ability is better than any of the other kids in her group. I always comment, “I’m sure you say that to all the parents!” At this point, her most frequent words (or mutterings) are eat, shoe, outside, mommy, daddy, juice, chip, broccoli, apple, sock, couch, oompa loompa, poppins (Marry Poppins), light, NO (she yells this word), yes (she always whispers this word; odd child), night night, puppy, kitty, cow, please, thank you, pop, tea, cheese, etc.

She also knows the names of friends and family…Grandma, Oma (Grandma in German), Mikey, Bubba, Jerrod, Julie, Amy, Tori, Jon etc. I’ve been teaching her to say “nanny” for my sister Shannon because that is what I used to say when I was young (I couldn’t pronounce her name). However, a couple of days ago we were talking about Shannon and Samara looked up at us and said her name! Amazing!

Although she can’t say much, she understands an enormous amount. I was at my parents place over Thanksgiving lying on the couch; Samara was playing on a tricycle-type toy. I asked her if she would grab me a pillow (because I was too lazy and I wanted to see if she understood me). She got up, walked over to the other couch, and grabbed a pillow twice the size (volume) as herself. As she was dragging it across the floor, she grunted several times before reaching her destination. I graciously gave her a hug and said/signed thank you.

Speaking of thank you, Samara is the most polite kid I’ve known, honestly. She says thank you and please whenever appropriate. One day I peeled an orange that a coworker had brought from Mexico. I explained to Samara that the orange was daddy’s but I’d give her a couple of slices. I started peeling slices and she signed/spoke “please”, I gave her a slice, she’d respond “thank you” and asked for another slice. She ate the whole orange (except for a couple of slices) and after every slice I gave her, she told me thank you. Amazing! She also repeats phrases such as “I got you”, "I love you", and “happy birthday”…

Although she is learning words quickly, she hasn’t been able to put two words together. However, she has on occasion, signed two words consecutively (other than the phrases). Signs she has conquered include more, cat, dog, juice (drink), book, want, please, thank you, bath, brushing teeth as well as her own form of outside, cookie, dad, and mom.

As always, Samara loves food! Maybe she’ll grow up to be a chef. We have to watch out when we open and close the fridge because she’ll be in it as fast as the cats scrum out the door when we get home. Her favorite foods now seem to be yogurt, raisins, chips, toast, pizza, apples, oranges, chocolate, broccoli, ketchup, barbeque sauce, ground beef, and ice.

As always, Samara loves being outdoors; however, the cold weather limits her activities. As a result, I speculate, she has taken up other activities. One such activity is watching her favorite movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She often finds the DVD case lurking around the apartment and brings it to us while pointing toward the TV and vehemently muttering “oompa loompa”. It is interesting to see addiction in its primitive form!!

Samara loves to dance to music; she has more rhythm than I do. Stated earlier is her affinity for Willy Wonka and Marry Poppins. An interesting thing has happened over the course of the last few months. Shana and I subscribe to Netflix and I have been renting the TV series Stargate: SG-1. For some reason, Samara absolutely loves the opening theme music! Whenever she hears the music, she comes running into the living room and starts dancing; most of the time holding her arms up and wanting me to dance with her. After the theme music ends, she screams “Yyyyeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh!” and claps her hands!

Having a child is awesome! The joys definitely outweigh any negatives! The next phase will be “having children is awesome!”

Below are some photos from the past 3-4 months:

Shana and I were invited to a coworker's house for a barbeque and bonfire. The photo was taken at dusk while people were fishing. The shutter speed of the camera was slow with a flash that captured her instantaneously. I like this because it makes Samara look ghostly.

Samara was taking a nap and Shana took a peek to see if she was awake. To her surprise, she caught Samara sleeping as if in eternal prayer. Maybe she was wishing for a Dora doll for Christmas!

Our anniversary was on September 27th and we had a weekend to ourselves. We had a nice evening at a cabin...fireplace and all. The photo above is from one of the 3 vineyards and wineries we visited. Shana was kind enough to pose in the vineyards at Summerside Winery. We also enjoyed some hiking and an afternoon at Lindenwood Gardens in Grove, Oklahoma. The photos below are from the gardens...

Samara loves the park! She finally figured out how to go down feet first...

Samara swinging away...

Samara went riding with Uncle Mikey during cousin John's birthday party...

Ahhhh! A nice day at the park...

Samara helping mommy cut veggies...

Feet first!

Nice ride!

She loves the ducks and geese!

Samara's new couch; it also fold out into a bed (handy for trips to Oma's and Grandma's house). I took this picture while Samara was waiting for us to get ready during one morning; she was watching Curious George.

Samara's Halloween costume...she likes to roar like a lion! Next year she'll be an Oompa Loompa!

A Bonk on the Head!!!

Every parent needs a reason why their child is, or will be, retarded; this is, jokingly, mine.

Shana and I had a newborn baby and she was going to sculpt the rest of our lives. We wanted to journey back to Oklahoma and reveal her to the rest of our family and friends. As we traveled throughout our homeland, we visited many people. On one such occasion, our trek took us to the house of Brian and Kelli DeHay. They enjoyed seeing Samara for the first time as we enjoyed seeing their kids, a 1 and a half-year old and a half-year old (at the time). Naturally, Kelli wanted to hold the 9 pound Samara and, as all mothers do, enjoyed it. However, their littlest child did not like the attention his mother was graciously giving Samara. He marched over to his mother (and Samara) like a warlord-king on a crusade and brought forth his fist on Samara’s hard noggin!

Samara has been doing great this last month and a half; growing, running, and learning new and exciting things. We are starting the potty training process with some mild success, which is great! I can’t wait until we don’t have to spend money on diapers!

Samara has increased her vocabulary, most of which is slightly garbled, but we understand what she says. She has learned the words more, up, no, yes, please, thank you, and bus. Soaking up the knowledge! And, she has learned to vigorously shake her head (no) when she does not want something. Speaking of body language, Samara has started to learn sign language at school; and, as a consequence, we have begun to sign at home (with our limited knowledge). Her only word she has down is “more”; for instance, we can sign more while she’s eating dinner and if she wants more food, she’ll sign “more” back at us. She’s also learning “milk” at school (even though she hates milk) and we’re trying to teach her “outside” and “drink”. Other signs we are incorporating into our daily routine include diaper, bath, hot, mom, dad, cat, dog, and book. We’ll see how it goes, but we are always amazed at how well she learns! I may incorporate “the bird” into her arsenal of words

She’s also latched on to some new foods that include, cottage cheese with apple sauce, fruit-flavored yogurt, and of course, whatever Shana and I are eating! In the last blog, one of her favorite new foods was cat food. Well, she has comprehended that we give Cassie and Orion kitty treats from a separate container. Every time she sees us handing out treats she desperately wants to be the one who gives the cats their “dessert”. One day, after giving her a handful of treats to give to the cats, we noticed she was eating just as much of the treats as the cats!

In early August, my brother, sister, and niece came to Oklahoma City for a weekend getaway. Shana, Samara, and I took them down the street to the Edmond waterpark called “Pelican Bay” and played in the water for several hours. Samara had a moderately enthusiastic time; Tori, my niece, didn’t want to leave! It was fun, relaxing, and a great time. The pictures below are from the extravaganza:

Shana’s aunt and her son, daughter, and granddaughter came for a visit at the beginning of September. Shana hadn’t seen her aunt Cathy for over a year and her cousins for, a lot longer. We were able to “hang out” for several days and enjoyed the weather, which had begun to have a “fall” feel to it!

Samara had her 15-month check-up earlier this month! Unfortunately, I was doing field work and could not make the trip. Samara needed her shots and took them like a baby, as I heard! Shana informed me that the needle was at least an inch long, which made me wonder, “does the needle hit the bone?” Ouch! Samara also got her vitals checked out:

Weight – 21 lbs. 12 oz.

Height – 29 1/2 inches

Since Samara has learned to walk, her favorite pastime has been playing outside. When she was younger, we couldn’t keep shoes and sock on her feet. These days, she brings us shoes and socks!! She also puts things around her shoulder (like a p

urse) and waves “bye” to us! I’ve also seen her grab my car keys and head for the door…

Here are some photos of “my girl”:

Yep, born near Boulder! Raising a tree...kisser, in her case!

I look at this picture and everytime wonder, "what did you just do?"

A favorite hobby of Samara's is chasing Orion down and giving him kisses!

Samara has discovered sexual organs of coniferous trees...pine cones.

Samara showing Julie how to pick and eat her boogers :)

Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven,...and Samara! Thanks for the lesson Jerrod!

Shana is teaching Samara how to look stoic!

Samara's 1st Concerto was anything but enjoyable....

As a result, she had too much to drink...juice, that is. Then a bath!

I wish someone would pull me around...

Samara has begun to learn the intricacies of flag football!

Samara has decided to dress up as Elton John for Halloween!

Hanging out with her bud, Griffin.

Samara with her new playmate, Ean!

The Dog Days of Summer!!

Samara is now a year old; as we look at the birth of our friends’ (Brad and Amy) child, Ean, it’s amazing to see how fast they grow. Samara began taking her first steps on July 18 and we were lucky enough to video her achievement. We’ve posted several walking videos on our Myspace account (click here and select videos under her picture). Since then, Samara has really taken off; never crawling and always walking!

Samara also received a belated birthday gift from our good friend Alli (and Brian) in Colorado. Alli started making it about a year ago and was able to send it in the mail before they left for a backpacking trip in Wyoming. Samara absolutely loved it and we were able to capture it on video. We've also posted it to our MySpace account, click here.

The annual World Cup of Softball was held in Oklahoma City from July 12-16. Shana and I became familiar with the team while watching them on ESPN win the championship in 2006, so we decided to catch a game. Our friend Julie met us at the park (we were a little late) and just as we walked up to see the field, one of our favorite players (Crystl Bustos) knocked one out of the park. It was a hot day! As a matter of fact, it was the hottest day to date (at the time) with temperatures soaring into the mid-90's. Samara had never been exposed to the heat and beloved humidity that this day had brought. We were a little worried and tried to keep her cool by putting cold water on her head. One of the security ladies noticed and told us we could go into the training room (which was right behind where we were sitting) and grab a couple of towels and some ice for Samara! It must be nice to be a child! Samara had a good time (I think)...she chomped on a plum (which to me, looks a little like a liver!) and hung out with the family!

Plums are good....

Samara hanging out with mom at the ballpark!

Even though Samara isn’t old enough to realize the importance, I think it was a great opportunity to expose her to the world of female athletes! A few of our other favorites are Jennie Finch, Natasha Watley, and Crystl Bustos.

Jennie Finch

Natasha Watley

Crystl Bustos

Shana, Samara, our friend Jerrod, and I decided to take a day trip to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, Oklahoma. We enjoyed the famous Vendome Well (and its sulphurous odor for which the town is named) and tasted its 8,000 year old waters. After Vendome, and lunch, we took a 2-mile round trip hike to see Antelope and Buffalo springs. The plan was to do a little wading in the spring water; however, the springs were flowing so much that any wading by Samara would have been swimming. Coupled with sub 60 degree water, we decided to forgo that portion of the excursion. Samara did get her feet wet at Buffalo Spring; as soon as her feet touched the water, we heard a great gasp emanate from her little body. After leaving th CNRA, we headed to the Blue River where we actually were able to wade a little; the water was flowing too fast to let Samara explore on her own.

Samara enjoyed the risk in touching the frigid water at Buffalo Spring!

Samara was beginning to get tuckered out toward the end of our journey at the Blue River...

One last family photo opportunity!

We are enjoying our time with our families and work has been great (at least for me - Chris). Samara's Rapunzel-like hair continues to grow! It is so hard to manage (especially when she eats) that Shana is thinking about trimming it!! Samara has also learned where the trash is, which is extremely helpful! Now she can throw her dirty diapers away! She is currently going through a phase (I hope) where she calls me mommy and refuses to give me a kiss when I ask for it! She also likes to give kisses to trees....we have begun the successful raising of a "tree hugger"!

Her vocabulary continues to grow; some new words include wall, duck, weeeeeee, poopy (which is hard to distinguish from puppy), and she has begun to say Orion! Her favorite foods include peas, rice, broccoli, plums, peaches, mandarin oranges, blueberries, whatever Shana and I are eating, and cat food! Samara and Orion get into fights over the cat food!

Below are some random photos we have snapped since the last blog entry. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the dog days of summer! Take care!

Samara finally spotted a plane...

As evident when she pointed to the sky!

Is Orion driving? I had to throw this one on the web!

Samara's flowing hair while bathing...

Samara hanging out with Amy and unborn Ean!

Samara learning to walk with her scooter!

Samara after chowing down on a plum!

Shana and Samara sitting by the pool at Grandma Mashburn's house. Samara is sporting her bikini she received at her birthday party.

Samara and Grandma Mashburn during G-ma's visit.

Samara meets a new friend on the 4th of July.