Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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!


Thursday, August 02, 2007

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.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Birthday Bash!!!

Holy crap! Shana and I have a new respect for all of those mothers and fathers out their who go through the first birthday party! Everything went smoothly; however, my brain felt like it had been through a "labyrinth" with David Bowie's package making several appearances and scaring me into childhood!

We originally scheduled Samara's party for 10:30 in the morning so we could beat the Oklahoma heat. Who wants to sweat it out at 90 degrees and 70 percent humidity?

So, we wake up at 7 AM and rain has been falling for 4 hours already; we postpone until noon. By noon, it is still raining and we postpone again until 4 PM (total rainfall amounts were about 4-5 inches). Luckily, the clouds broke and the sun shone through enough to dry things out a bit. And, everyone was still able to make it out! Below are some photos from the grand adventure!










Samara had plenty of help opening gifts!


















































The clean up!



























Cousin Taz and Aunt Shannon!































Cousin Samantha!


















My father!








Uncle Mike and Samara.










Kelli and Collin.











Cousin John!

















Eden and Aidan.












Collin and Griffin.


















Glenda and Shana's mother, Shirley.