The Continuing Adventures of Sam and Jessica in DC

Christmas comes early

2006-11-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

Well, we broke down and started giving Collin some of his Christmas presents, because after all, we're losers.

His current favorite is his new rocking moose, which we've christened "Bupf" in honor of his first word. Collin loves to bounce more than anything (whether on the bed, on the couch, or on daddy's stomach), and "bupf" is as close as he can get to saying "bounce." He hasn't learned the finer distinctions of bouncing vs. rocking on a moose, so... what the hey. It's all good. :-)

Life in the fast lane...

2006-11-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

We are sorry to all of our family and friends who view our blog that we have not posted lately. Imagine that- life can get really busy! We are sorry, but just look at Collin now! He is crawling everywhere and keeping his mom and dad on their toes. Why does he love to chew on electrical cords so much? DO they taste good or is it the temptation of the forbidden? He now has 6 teeth and loves to munch on animal crackers and croonchie stars. He is also rapidly developing a strong will. Please pay for our patience as we seek to raise him well and keep our sanity at the same time- we are also up for advice from you experienced parents out there. Our family email is sam@samwhite.com. Hope y'all are having a great fall so far!

Fall Fun 2006

2006-11-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

LIfe at 7 months...

2006-07-27T14:36:00.000-04:00

I am growing SO quickly! I have had a busy summer full of travel- I went to the Atlantic coast with my family on my Dad's side of the family and to the Gulf coast with my mom's side of the family. I can sit up and play with toys without any support. I love hanging out with other kids, eating baby food and getting a bath. This world is a very busy place!

Learning to eat

2006-06-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

Learing to eat can be a tough skill to master, but I am learning! I am now 6 months old and quite sassy. My favorite food is green beans. Go figure!

It's Easter Collin!

2006-04-13T17:27:00.000-04:00

Collin and Mommy's big adventure

2006-03-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

Collin and I went to South Alabama via New Orleans from Feb 21-25. We had a great time intorducing Collin to his great grand parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. He was a little trooper in the airplanes. I just wished we could have stayed longer! Here are a few pictures of our travels.

Collin's first snow

2006-02-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

We woke up to 8-9 inches of snow this morning. How fun! It's the first decent snow of the year. You can see we bundled Collin up this afternoon and introdued him to the wonders of winter. He didn't really notice; too busy sleeping and enjoying his paci. See the little "Snow Collin" we built?

Our little man is growing

2006-01-29T20:10:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of our little man from about 3-5 weeks old. He's already outgrowing some of his newborn clothes, and thankfully is starting to sleep better too. He's a real joy!

Pictures galore!

2006-01-29T19:44:00.000-05:00

Fun pictures

2006-01-29T19:38:00.000-05:00

We have been too busy to post lately

2006-01-11T17:47:00.000-05:00

Yes, blog readers, it has been nearly 2 weeks since we have posted anything. But you wouldn't imagine how busy the last 2 weeks have been for us. Little Collin likes to be awake and eat every 1-2 hours all night. This makes sleep a far off fantasy for his poor new mom and dad. But we are hanging in there and making the most of our time with him. Here are a few pictures of Collin with all of his grandparents a week and a half ago when they were all here to meet him. He is quite a popular little guy. Many friends from church and work have stopped by to meet him. How can anyone resist that cute little face? I just want to snuggle and kiss him all day myself!

What day is it?

2005-12-28T12:08:00.000-05:00

It is Wednesday morning- I think- and we are doing quite well. My mom arrived on Monday night and has been a HUGE help! It is so nice to have another adult in the house. We have split up the nighttime baby care so everyone is able to get some sleep. Collin's first visit to the pediatrician yesterday went well. He is back above his birth weight and still doing everything he needs to do to be healthy. We are tired but happy. Actually happy isn't the right word, how about overjoyed and blessed. I am still coming to terms with the fact that he is here and he is ours and he is okay. I had so many fears about his health and well being. I am truly overwhelmed by God's goodness to us.

Woof. Sleep? What's that?

2005-12-27T23:54:00.000-05:00

So, we post every day until it actually came time for us to sleep, and then... ugh. The first night he was home (Christmas Eve), I think Jess and I probably slept about 1.5 hours the whole night. I knew you weren't supposed to get much sleep, but that's just silly. I wasn't prepared for the paranoia of parenthood, either. Every single breath, coo, wimper or noise he'd make would have us both scrambling to his bedside, just to make sure he's ok. Of course, he's sound asleep, sucking on his fist, or something. It's tough - you're completely exhausted, but you can't sleep for one simple reason - you just want him to be ok. And you're afraid about EVERYTHING.

Anyway, Jess's mother is now here, and she's been great. She's cooking up a storm, and is giving us both some much needed relief with taking care of Collin. She's watching him too, and helping with everything else - cooking up a storm, going to the store, and even going to his first doctor's visit.

Speaking of which, that went exceptionally well. Not only has Collin regained his birthweight, he's actually exceeded it - he's now 7 pounds 11 ounces, all in only 5 days of life. He's a voracious eater - I just finished giving him 4oz of forumla (usually more filling that regular breast milk), and he chugged it all down. He's going to eat me out of house and home, I'm sure.

Anyway, as I fall asleep at the computer, I couldn't be more happy with the little guy. He's cute, cuddly, doesn't cry too much or too loudly, and is just wonderful. He's got a temper though, so I guess I'd better enjoy the little man and the relative peace before he really gets walking and talking. :)

Merry Christmas Eve

2005-12-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, we are finally home with little Collin. It is the happiest Christmas Eve ever. We are both very thankful that he is healthy and delivered. And I am still in shock that I was able to push him out. Sam was great during labor- so encouraging- and he cut the cord. What a man! We had a good stay at the hospital after delivery. Since postpartum is the department where I work at the hopsital, we had about 50 visitors over the 2 days we stayed. All of my coworkers were eager to meet him. The doctors, nurses, and lactation consultants gave us excellent care. And everyone commented on how strong and feisty he is. Way above average already! Imagine that! Breastfeeding has been akward and painful but I know that it takes a week or two to get into a good rhythmn so we are hanging in there. He is a crazy good eater which is a blessing, I know. But mommy is still learning- as we all will be for a very long time together in every area. We both feel so blessed and content this Christmas Eve to be home with our "best present ever," Collin.

We're home!

2005-12-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

Collin's finally come to stay in his new home. He had a great morning, despite having been poked and prodded by the pediatrician and others making sure he's ok. He's so "ok" in fact, that he managed to break free of his restraints during his circumcision, and when he got back to mommy, wasn't mad that he'd just been cut, but that he hadn't been fed at the required 3 hour mark. Man, is he feisty!

Anyway, he's getting to know his new home well, and has met Uncle Lewis and Uncle Stinky (seen here) who have made him feel very welcome at home.

Here's a few random shots of his progress from beginning to now.

Birthday +1

2005-12-23T12:05:00.000-05:00

Collin is one day old, and couldn't be a better baby. Of course, my opinion may be slightly biased, but hey, that's my job, right?

He's got all his parts, has had a successful hearing test, has breastfed a few times, and has even had several poopy diapers (which he promptly let us know about, and which daddy was happy to help with).

He's sleeping soundly at the moment, giving mommy and daddy a chance to rest for a few minutes.

He's the best baby ever! :-D

Birthday!

2005-12-22T16:03:00.000-05:00

Collin Glasgow White was born at 12:03pm. He's 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and is 20.75 inches tall. He, mommy, and daddy are all doing very well. Hooray! Check out live footage of him and mommy here.

Live blogging!

2005-12-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

FYI, we're back at the hospital, and things are going pretty quick. Jess got the epidural last night at about 1, since the cervidil threw her into labor. At this point, she's on the pitosin, is dialated to 10 already, and is likely going to start pushing soon. Yay!

PS. I'm live blogging via blackberry - how cool is that?

Almost there!

2005-12-21T22:34:00.000-05:00

I've just come back from making sure Jessica is all set up in the hospital. I think little Monkey must've been excited, because he was bouncing all over the place - his monitor (and Jessica's stomach) both seemed to indicate that he was either doing jumping jacks or using mommy's bladder as a trampoline. In either case, he'd better be packing up his stuff, because he's not going to have much longer to hang out in there - only a few more hours!

The Day Before...

2005-12-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

So, we've got less than 6 hours before we're off to the hospital. Am I really ready for this? I really have no clue what I'm doing - I've got faith that God will carry us through, and that my wife knows what she's doing but still... the thought of doing everything for the first time (bringing him home, putting him to bed, waking up to his crying...) is a little scary. Ok, it's a lot scary. But, with the friends, family, and church that we have, I think (hope) that we'll do ok.

For now, I leave you with a picture of myself, showing how much my hygiene has suffered from being on paternity leave. :)

Pregnant Jess

2005-12-19T15:18:00.000-05:00

:) Here's a picture of my beautiful wife, big as a house.

No Baby Yet

2005-12-19T09:57:00.000-05:00

As pregnancy comes to a close, I am constantly reminded by the oft present contractions and kicks that I am still pregnant! Poor Sam has to put up with my whininess and constant need of backrubs. But this is the week- not matter what- he will be born. And that gives me great joy and relief! What or who will he look like? Will he he healthy? What will his temperment be? Will he know us? How will we feel about him? Am I ever going to stop peeing so much? These are my thought on a Monday morning!