Video - Finally!

Shameless Entertainment

Well as most of you know . . . Amy and I like to laugh. I am a firm believer of the great philosopher James D. Buffett when he writes in his poem Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude that "if we couldn't laugh we would all go insane." I have tried to impart this wisdom on young Samantha. However, being the tender age of 2 months (as of last Monday) she is just now getting to the point where she can grin some and smile on occasion. She always has the most serious look on her face, but her serious looks are SO CUTE! I mean you just want to eat her up and sop her up with a biscuit!

Just like a Noland . . . Samantha takes eating VERY serious. Therefore her cutest times are when she is taking a bottle or burping afterwards (we take our gas pretty serious too). So Monday night Amy and I decided to bust out the ol' video camera to see if we could capture "bottle time" for all of the world to see. As you can see towards the end of the video Samantha shows PERFECT timing on her burp (proving that she has the comedic gene somewhere in there). It is absolutely priceless how she times it and it is on the first take! If she has this kind of timing at 2 months . . . we are pretty sure she is destined to be a star of television and/or the big screen.

Amy and I watched the video posted above several times before we posted it laughing harder each time . . . we are fantastic role models!

It Hurt Mommy A Lot Worse!

Yesterday was Samantha's 2 month check up with Dr. Herron. For those of you without kids, or those who haven't had small kids in quite some time, that means one thing ... the dreaded first round of shots. Samantha had 5 different immunizations given in 3 shots. It was the first time I knew that she was crying (well, more like wailing) because she was in pain. She was over it long before I was! Though Steve was out of town, Wawa was able to go with us. I am very thankful ... I wasn't expecting to be as emotional as I was. Samantha cried for only a minute or so, if that long. I'm sure it seemed longer than it was. She had her first batch of Tylenol shortly thereafter. Thankfully, she didn't run a fever. Her injection sites didn't even seem to be sore to the touch several hours after. All in all, she did fabulous.

The even better news is that Steve and I have not ruined her. To the contrary, she is thriving. She is now up to 11 pounds and a half ounce (the 55th percentile) and 22 and a quarter inches (45th percentile). Her noggin' is still in the 77th percentile ... big brain, we're hoping!

Because I scrapbook, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take photos of the first band-aids, tweety birds.



Samantha is working diligently on learning to hold up that big ol head of hers. She is doing great. She can hold it for a few seconds unsupported when she is sitting up. Eventually, gravity takes over. We did manage to get a few shots of her hanging out with Doug the bear in the glider. It makes her look so big!

Daddy Daughter Bonding, Part 2

Steve is out of town again today and tomorrow, working his tail off. I think he secretly wanted to miss Samantha's 2 month check-up. She gets shots today, so I am NOT looking forward to it. Actually, Steve was quite upset that he was going to miss it. He really likes to be involved. He missed only a handful of my OB appointments, though never an ultrasound. I'll certainly be reporting on Samantha's growth ... we can tell she is getting bigger and more alert. Since Steve is gone, I thought I would post a few more photos for him. Believe it or not, these were all taken since my last post on the subject. I think naptime will always be their thing. Fine with me ... it makes for great pictures!

Yes, that is the infamous Snoopy pillow!

"Daddy, please hurry home! Mommy is making me nap on my playmat! Oh, the humanity!"

Fathers Day

Better late than never is becoming my mantra these days. These photos are from Fathers Day last Sunday. It was a wonderful day! Steve and I surprised Jerry and Connie at church. Samantha was great. She slept practically the entire time. I think it's because she had heard all of the songs we sang before - they are all on my iPod mix and we listen to them regularly. It was a perfect opportunity for her to dress up in a special dress and bonnet Papaw bought her at Crenshaws, a nice childrens clothing store here in Knoxville. He picked it out himself, with no assistance from Wawa. She looked beautiful! We continued the celebration at Papaw and Wawa's house with steak and baked potatoes. I, of course, missed my Dad (the Big Guy) and Grandaddy, but it truly was a special first Fathers Day for Steve and Samantha.

Samantha got Daddy some new Maui Jims. Couldn't resist the family photo.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bill!

Motherhood has changed my life in many ways, not the least of which is my complete inability to put cards in the mail on time. I outdid myself this time, however, by failing to buy Bill a card at all. Bill is Samantha's uncle and the husband of her namesake, Elise. His birthday, which is today, snuck up on me. So, I am begging for mercy and using my adorable child as leverage in hopes that he will forgive us. We didn't forget, Bill ... we just forgot the card. You are both a great-uncle and a GREAT uncle. We hope you had a wonderful birthday. We will be in Chattanooga to visit very soon. xoxo.

Meeting our Miracle Workers

Samantha and I had a very big day yesterday ... we went back to where it all began. For those of you who are new to the blog, our journey to become parents was not easy. God took Steve and I down a path that taught us patience, the importance of prayer, the value of friendships, and the existence of modern day miracles. God may not speak to us through burning bushes these days, but He speaks to us in so many other ways if we really stop and listen. Looking back, it is overwhelming to see how He had His hand on us the whole time, even when we wondered if we would ever be parents. As Footprints says, it was during those times that He was undoubtedly carrying us.

The journey started with Lynn Taylor, my doctor. Incidentally, I started seeing her long ago because of my wonderful mother in law. The whole Noland clan goes to the same office. When she realized I would need help, she sent me to Dr. Michael Fields, who you know we love. When my treatments plateaued with Dr. Fields, he sent us over to Dr. Keenan. Dr. Keenan and his amazing staff turned out to be our modern day miracle workers. We will forever be grateful for their care.

With Dr. Keenan - lost the pacifier right before the shot!

With Nurse Mari. She did both of our IUI's.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr. Keenan and Mari. We will see you again in a few years!

Is this thing on?

Long time no post for yours truly. I've been busy working, getting stuck overnight in Charlotte on my trip back from business in New Orleans, watching the Cubs jump out to the BEST record in baseball (I just jinxed it), and trying to make site improvements to amy-n.blogspot.com. Oh yeah . . . I've also been doing a little "parenting" (I don't think I'm supposed to call it baby-sitting).

One of the site improvements (besides having Amy back posting again) is our new video feature. We're still experimenting with this so please bare with us while we try to improve to better serve you . . . our loyal readers of amy-n.blogspot.com.

Samantha is obviously a real head turner, but now she is turning her own head quite a bit. One night last week turning our "tummy" time she turned it 10 times! I was able to catch her in the act tonight. She only turned it once for the camera, but she did manage to hold that noggin' of hers up for several seconds.

Hope this works . . . .

The Large Tote

I love all things Pottery Barn Kids. I was thrilled when Samantha got a package from PBK from our friends Bo, Jen and Tate Adams. Inside, we found a cute chick towel and a canvas tote folded up in a plastic bag that simply said "Large Tote." "Large Tote" does not do it justice! This thing is huge! Of course, I love it, and I love that it has her name on it. No doubt we will fill her large tote in no time with toys and blankets and dolls and all things little girl. Steve and I, being the caring and concerned parents that we are, wondered if Samantha would fit in her large tote. See for yourself ...

Where's Samantha?

There she is!

Thanks, Bo and Jen, for the wonderful gift. As you can see, we are already putting it to good use! I am woefully behind on thank you notes, but we are grateful for you thinking of our daughter. I promise that you will get an official thank you someday.

Shoe Heaven

My favorite shoe store in the world is located in downtown Humboldt, where my parents live. I don't think I've ever been home and not made a trip to Simmons Shoes. 3/4 of the shoes in my closet came from Simmons, a family owned establishment with great prices. It's the kind of store where you walk in looking for nothing in particular, and then leave with 3 pairs. My dad usually tries to convince me that the store has closed, declared bankruptcy, burned down, etc., so I won't go (and naturally take Mom, too). For the first time ever, he encouraged me to go and take Samantha to meet the gang. Proof positive that babies do strange things to people!

Samantha, in true fashion, slept the whole time while Grammy and I shopped. Bob, Bill and Ms. Lucy gladly allowed her to perch on the counter while they showed us the latest and greatest. (Bill actually knows my shoe size and style preferences ... love that!) Amazingly, Bill did not try to sell us any baby shoes. He says Samantha doesn't need shoes until she starts toddling. No doubt one of her first pairs will be a Simmons special. For the record, Mom left with one pair of shoes. I left with two! If you ever find yourself in Humboldt, you should stop by and check it out.

Bob, Ms. Lucy and Bill didn't mind Samantha taking up some counter space.

3 generations of Simmons customers!

More New Friends!

On our way back from West Tennessee, we made a pit stop in Franklin so Samantha could meet some dear friends of ours, Jason and Krystyna Pyle. They have 3 beautiful daughters - Kate, Harper and Lane - so they know a thing or two about raising girls. Steve and I generally take whatever advice they give us on such matters!! They are great parents, and they have great kids. We love that Samantha will have plenty of playmates and friends to watch out for her, and we are looking forward to lots of beach trips as all of the girls grow. Jason and Krys, we hope we can meet the standard you've set for parenting!

A couple of old pros!

Kate and Harper watch over Samantha.

Lane was getting over an eye infection and couldn't touch Samantha ... she sure wanted to! No doubt they will be fast friends.

Daddy's Girl

Steve is once again out of town on business, in the big city of New Orleans. I think the overnight trips are harder on him than us right now. Although his digs will be much nicer tonight than those at the Johnson City Sleep Inn, I know there is no place like home. We miss you very much! Have fun!

Oh, Goody, the Becks are Here!

Samantha had really been looking forward to meeting Jared and Katie. She has already spoken to Katie on the phone several times. They have lots of family in East Tennessee, so we were thrilled that they were able to spend Memorial Day with us. They really took to Samantha like a couple of old pros. They held her, played with her, changed her and fed her. We were quite impressed with thier clothes changing skills. Though they felt like they tortured her, they did way better than we did on our first try. Jared and Katie, we miss you terribly! Get home soon!

The before photo. Katie was dying to change her - she wasn't a fan of the romper.

It really does take 2! Too bad we haven't figured out how to post videos yet. This one is priceless.

Afterwards ... a happy baby. She had a clean gown, a clean diaper and a full belly. Life doesn't get any better than this!

Memorial Day Weekend Visitors

Okay, I am going a bit backwards here, but I wanted to post some pictures from Samantha's first Memorial Day weekend. As you know, it got off to a great start with a cookout and party in her honor. The next day, Jared and Katie Beck, our dearest friends, came all the way from Austin, Texas just to visit Samantha. Katie's mother Linda stopped by, too. I told Katie that I am very jealous ... Steve and I don't have a picture with the baby that is this good! Samantha, of course, loved them, and hasn't stopped talking about them since they left.


On Sunday afternoon, Ben, Christa and Caroline Rogers stopped by to visit. They came all the way from Charlotte to spend the weekend with Ben's family. Ben and Steve have been friends since the 6th grade, and were college roommates and fraternity brothers. I bet during their summers mowing lawns they never dreamed there would be a day that they were both dads to darling daughters! We were thrilled that they were able to come see the baby. We haven't seen Caroline since she was a baby ... she is now a beautiful little girl! Caroline just turned 2. It made me realize how fast time flies, and that I need to savor every moment I can with Samantha. She'll be 2 in the blink of an eye!

Mission Impossible

One more post from the family weekend before I sign off. Mom and Dad had a dream come true last weekend having both granddaughters, their first grandchildren, at their house. Of course, they wanted to document the occassion with a photo suitable for framing. It was a great idea until we realized that two of the subjects were infants. Sorry, Big Guy and Grammy ... Maybe next time!

Hello, cousin Anna Grace!

As many of you may know, Russ and Amy, my brother and sister-in-law, adopted a beautiful baby girl who was born on March 26, 2008. Anna Grace is a whole month older than her cousin Samantha. Shortly after God opened the door for the adoption, Russ and Amy found out she was pregnant! Baby boy Fletcher (who they have dubbed "Junior") is due in September. I have explained to Russ that Junior will likely be subject to his fair share of tea parties, but he does not find that too funny. Between Anna Grace and Samantha, I have a feeling Junior will have to learn pretty early to hold his own! This weekend was the first meeting of the two young cousins. They mostly stared at each other, though I am sure they will become fast friends once they can do something other than lay around and drool.

Russ and Amy meet Samantha

"Hello, Anna Grace! I'm Samantha."

Anna Grace is already learning that Uncle Steve loves to make funny faces.

Samantha telling Anna Grace how it is. (Probably, "My Mommy and Daddy are crazy! How are yours doing so far?")

Four Generations Strong

What a wonderful weekend we had in West Tennessee visiting my family! This was Samantha's first real road trip. Outside of a minor incident that involved an attempted car bottle feeding in Cumberland County (I'll never try that again!), she did just fine. She slept most of the way and didn't seem to mind being in her carseat when she was awake.

Even though she is still a bit young for a big trip, we really wanted her to meet the people who make up a big part of who she is. In today's world, close bonds with grandparents can be rare. As a 32 year old woman, I feel most blessed to have 3 grandparents who are still a very active part of my life. That means 4 great-grandparents for Samantha (along with Steve's grandmother in Gatlinburg), in addition to her 4 doting grandparents. If only she could comprehend how blessed and loved she is! There were so many pictures to choose from, it was hard to post only a few. If you would like to see more, I'll send you the link to our online album, 100+ pictures strong.

Waiting on some "love pats" from Memaw.

My Gran with her "bambino."

Grandaddy gets his turn. I love that they have roughly the same hairdo!

With Grammy and Gran

With Memaw and Big Guy

I Love the 80's ... Strikes Back

Still no pictures from the fun family weekend, but I yet again could not resist posting pictures of the cutest baby in the world. I don't know if you have noticed, but the 80's are making a comeback. Samantha bought cousin Caroline some jelly bracelets, yes, jelly bracelets for her 10th birthday. We also looked at jelly shoes but ultimately passed those up. If you are a child of the 80s, you know exactly what I am talking about ... I must have had a million bracelets. And I wore them all at once. Classy.

If you've ventured into an Old Navy or Gap lately, you will have noticed the trend with clothes as well. There are lots of tube tops, metallics, and t-shirts that look like they were screen printed in Gatlinburg. My personal favorite, though I never actually wore them, are terry cloth rompers. Steve's Wawa, Samantha's great-Wawa (or Wawawa as I like to call her) lived in rompers during the summer. When I saw this baby romper, I couldn't pass it up. Wawawa, if you can check our blog or see your sweet great-granddaughter from Heaven, and I am certain you can, these are just for you ...

What up, dog? Where's my gold chain?

Maybe Mommy will take me to a Bananarama conert!

Can someone please tell Mommy and Daddy to quit dressing me up in these ridiculous outfits?!?

Daddy Daughter Bonding

Hi All! After a 6 week sabbatical, I am back! Steve has done such a great job with the blog that I seriously considered relinquishing my posting duties altogether. But, alas, Steve is spending his first night away from Samantha tonight (he is working in Johnson City), so I thought I would brush off my blogging skills and post some pictures that might make his night a bit easier.

We have had a busy 2 weeks. We've had lots of visitors, and Samantha took her first road trip to West Tennessee to visit my family and meet her great-grandparents. Of course, we took tons of pictures and will post some later. For now, I want to pass along some of favorite pictures of Samantha with her Daddy. Steve would never post these himself, and I want him to have a little smile when he checks the blog later tonight from the illustrious Johnson City Sleep Inn.

Samantha and her Daddy enjoy many activities together. Among them are making funny faces, watching Cubs games, and singing Jimmy Buffett songs during the nightly Buffett buffet on Radio Margaritaville. Still, as I scroll through photos of Samantha's first weeks on earth, one activity stands out above all others ....

Samantha and Daddy's first naptime in the hospital.

Samantha and Daddy napping.

Samantha and Daddy - wait for it - napping.

Even when Daddy is sick, he still has naptime with Samantha.

Okay, the last picture has absolutely nothing to do with Steve and Samantha's shared love of naptime. I just couldn't resist .... every girl needs a good pair of shades!! Wawa and Papaw bought Samantha some sunglasses during their trip to Hilton Head last week, along with her very first Salty Dog t-shirt. Don't think we won't be sporting these at Isle of Palms later this fall!