Samara is finally able to feed herself: she can pick food up on her spoon and bring it to her mouth.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
5/29/14: I can feed myself!
May 29, 2014
Samara is finally able to feed herself: she can pick food up on her spoon and bring it to her mouth.
Samara is finally able to feed herself: she can pick food up on her spoon and bring it to her mouth.
5/27/14: The Samara Lily Project
May 27, 2014
As I have mentioned before, Samara loves playing with my phone. She especially loves it when I put the front-facing camera on and she can see herself. This evening, Samara was in a fun, crazy mood and she takes off with my camera and won't give it back (you might be able to hear us ask for it repeatedly in the video and her her say no!). So here are just a few minutes out of a much longer 5-minute video that I think is worth watching because her crazy laugh is hysterical. A word of caution: if you felt sick from watching The Blair With Project with the really shaky camera action, I suggest you just listen to the audio.
As I have mentioned before, Samara loves playing with my phone. She especially loves it when I put the front-facing camera on and she can see herself. This evening, Samara was in a fun, crazy mood and she takes off with my camera and won't give it back (you might be able to hear us ask for it repeatedly in the video and her her say no!). So here are just a few minutes out of a much longer 5-minute video that I think is worth watching because her crazy laugh is hysterical. A word of caution: if you felt sick from watching The Blair With Project with the really shaky camera action, I suggest you just listen to the audio.
5/26/14: Children's Museum
May 26, 2014
Samara had a lot of fun at the Children's Museum. She checked out all the toys the museum had to offer:
Samara had a lot of fun at the Children's Museum. She checked out all the toys the museum had to offer:
But the thing she loved best was the slide. She loves sliding down, and then wants to immediately climb back up. However, she didn't understand how to do it.
Seth helped her out, and then she realized that using her feet more would help her reach the top. (By the way, the audio in this file is much louder than the previous one. Just letting you know!)
Finally, here is a different angle where you can see just how much she enjoys the slide!
5/24/14: Taking my clothes off
May 24, 2014
Samara has been taking her clothes off again. She doesn't know how to take her shirt off without some help, but she does know that one arm has to come out first. So she goes for the 80's one-shoulder look. Then it's off with the pants!
Samara has been taking her clothes off again. She doesn't know how to take her shirt off without some help, but she does know that one arm has to come out first. So she goes for the 80's one-shoulder look. Then it's off with the pants!
5/20/14: Foam blocks
May 20, 2014
Samara is able to play independently for longer periods of time. It is nice to sit back and just watch her play, make noises, and try to imagine what is going through her head while she does it.
Samara is able to play independently for longer periods of time. It is nice to sit back and just watch her play, make noises, and try to imagine what is going through her head while she does it.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
5/18/14: Great Bear Run, trucks, and pants
May 18, 2014
Aunty Sarah and I ran the Great Bear Run in Needham. Before the race, Samara was happy to see Grampi and Grandma again.
That didn't work. I will try to get on the normal way. Success!
Aunty Sarah and I ran the Great Bear Run in Needham. Before the race, Samara was happy to see Grampi and Grandma again.
After the race, Grampi was more than happy to share some apples with Samara in the back of his car.
Aunty Sarah looks a little unsure of holding Samara at this moment in time.
After hanging out and watching the start of other races, Samara and I headed home where she decided to take off her pants and practice getting on and off her musical truck.
OK, pants are off.
Let's try to get on the truck... backwards.
That didn't work. I will try to get on the normal way. Success!
Now I have to practice getting off of it.
Yes, another success! The last thing I need to do is to partially put my pants back on and show Mommy. Ta-da!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
5/17/14: Franklin Park Zoo
May 17, 2014
Today we went to the Franklin Park Zoo. There were so many people and animals to look at!
The animals that Samara loved looking at best were the lemurs because they were small in size, came right up to the glass, and jumped around a lot.
(Don't worry, Seth's hair doesn't usually look like that. It got all mussed up because Samara holds onto his hair when she is on his shoulders. See first photo of post for reference.)
Samara was really fascinated by them!
While watching the lemurs, there was some excitement by the gorilla habitat. One of the big gorillas decided to sit right by the glass and stared at everyone. We brought Samara over, but she didn't really like it. She stood pressed into Seth's legs and kept backing away from the glass. We think she was scared because the gorilla was so huge!
Samara has started to exhibit toddler impatience. She will sit in a stroller for a while, but then she will get bored and want to get out (same thing goes for a shopping cart). We would like to let her walk around, but we can't trust her enough to not wander off to where she shouldn't be or to not cause mischief/wreak havoc. So a lot of the time the only thing we really can do is to put her on our shoulders. I make Seth do it most of the time, not because he is the guy/father, but because Samara is super sneaky. She will hold my head then quickly rip the glasses off my face and throw them on the ground.
Today we went to the Franklin Park Zoo. There were so many people and animals to look at!
The animals that Samara loved looking at best were the lemurs because they were small in size, came right up to the glass, and jumped around a lot.
(Don't worry, Seth's hair doesn't usually look like that. It got all mussed up because Samara holds onto his hair when she is on his shoulders. See first photo of post for reference.)
Samara was really fascinated by them!
While watching the lemurs, there was some excitement by the gorilla habitat. One of the big gorillas decided to sit right by the glass and stared at everyone. We brought Samara over, but she didn't really like it. She stood pressed into Seth's legs and kept backing away from the glass. We think she was scared because the gorilla was so huge!
So we went back to the lemurs, where Samara was quite content just watching them.
Up next were some kangaroos. However, Samara was more interested in playing with the gravel. She began by picking it up and throwing it on the ground, which progressed into her trying to eat it. She was actually quite cooperative when I told her to open her mouth, which made picking the rocks out much easier.
Samara has started to exhibit toddler impatience. She will sit in a stroller for a while, but then she will get bored and want to get out (same thing goes for a shopping cart). We would like to let her walk around, but we can't trust her enough to not wander off to where she shouldn't be or to not cause mischief/wreak havoc. So a lot of the time the only thing we really can do is to put her on our shoulders. I make Seth do it most of the time, not because he is the guy/father, but because Samara is super sneaky. She will hold my head then quickly rip the glasses off my face and throw them on the ground.
It was a great day at the zoo, and I will leave you with a video of Samara walking with Seth as we were exiting out of the park.
Monday, July 28, 2014
5/16/14: Prom
May 16, 2014
I took Samara to prom this evening. Lots of students came up to me and, as much as I would like to think that I am just that awesome, came over and gushed over how cute Samara looked. Samara really enjoyed it. She was walking all over the dance floor and tried to climb up on the DJ's booth. She was a part of many pictures and probably every teenage girl wanted to hold her. Here is a shot of Samara getting ready at a fellow teacher's house.
I took Samara to prom this evening. Lots of students came up to me and, as much as I would like to think that I am just that awesome, came over and gushed over how cute Samara looked. Samara really enjoyed it. She was walking all over the dance floor and tried to climb up on the DJ's booth. She was a part of many pictures and probably every teenage girl wanted to hold her. Here is a shot of Samara getting ready at a fellow teacher's house.
5/14/14: Hat
May 14, 2014
With every passing day Samara becomes a little more adept at walking. She is less shaky, can take a few more steps, but she still crawls once she loses balance. I like how she sort of zombie walks in this video.
With every passing day Samara becomes a little more adept at walking. She is less shaky, can take a few more steps, but she still crawls once she loses balance. I like how she sort of zombie walks in this video.
We found her hat from last summer and started playing with it. She likes pulling it down to play Peek-a-boo, then she gets tired of it and yanks it off her head.
5/11/14: New developments
May 11, 2014
This morning at breakfast, Samara was in a really good mood. It was a nice beginning to a day full of showing off skills/quirks that she has been working on.
OK, so when I told you that Samara started walking in April, that was kind of a lie. She did have one day where she took some steps, but then she defaulted back to crawling, probably because it is easier and faster for her. Today, Samara started walking for realz.
This morning at breakfast, Samara was in a really good mood. It was a nice beginning to a day full of showing off skills/quirks that she has been working on.
OK, so when I told you that Samara started walking in April, that was kind of a lie. She did have one day where she took some steps, but then she defaulted back to crawling, probably because it is easier and faster for her. Today, Samara started walking for realz.
Samara also has better fine motor control. Up until now, she hasn't been able to hit the tiny little button on top of her ring stacker to play music. I like how she dances to it.
In addition, Samara has been making connections between objects and their uses. Although most people don't have rotary phones anymore, she still knows to put the receiver up to her ear.
To show that the first walking video wasn't a one-time occurrence, here is Samara hesitantly trying it again.
One of Samara's new things to do is to bring bowls up to her mouth and does one of two things. The first is to eat food out of it, like it is soup (even though it isn't), or she makes noise into it and giggles at how it sounds.
Finally, my favorite moment of the day. Samara grabbed a book and wandered around the counter with it. She started babbling, but it lasted longer than normal. I look around the corner and Samara is "reading" her book. It was the cutest.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
5/8/14: Eating progress
May 8, 2014
Samara's ability to use a spoon has improved. If I load a spoon with food, Samara can put it in her mouth without tipping it upside down. Also, her communication skills are slowly improving. She can point at things that she wants, shove the spoon towards me when she wants more food, and make word-like noises to indicate various things that she wants, like milk.
Samara's ability to use a spoon has improved. If I load a spoon with food, Samara can put it in her mouth without tipping it upside down. Also, her communication skills are slowly improving. She can point at things that she wants, shove the spoon towards me when she wants more food, and make word-like noises to indicate various things that she wants, like milk.
5/4/14: Weeding
May 4, 2014
Seth and I needed to weed the walkway, so we took Samara outside figuring she would walk around and play. Apparently weeding looked fun, so Samara helped us.
Seth and I needed to weed the walkway, so we took Samara outside figuring she would walk around and play. Apparently weeding looked fun, so Samara helped us.
Although this helpful attitude is great, Samara's contribution to weeding was pretty negligible as she picks one single weed at a time.
However, she provided cute entertainment, making this task a little more enjoyable.
After the walkway was done, Seth and I weeded around the front and Samara helped put the weeds in the garbage can. There were some sticks in the pile, so Samara grabbed some of those and started poking Seth with them. Unfortunately, there is no photographic evidence.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
5/3/14: Double-fisting
May 3, 2014
Samara was eating breakfast this morning when two things struck me. First of all, look at the eyelashes Seth gave to her! (OK, I know this isn't a new observation, but I am always surprised/envious of them.)
The second thing is that Samara likes double-fisting. She always wants food in both hands, preferably with food already in her mouth. If presented with more food, or if she sees that more food is available, she will do one of two things. The first option is stuffing the food that is in her right hand into her mouth, thus freeing it to hold more food. The second is opening her mouth and expecting you to put food in it. A slight variation of option two, and the more comical one, is bringing her open mouth to your hand so she can snatch the food up herself.
Samara was eating breakfast this morning when two things struck me. First of all, look at the eyelashes Seth gave to her! (OK, I know this isn't a new observation, but I am always surprised/envious of them.)
The second thing is that Samara likes double-fisting. She always wants food in both hands, preferably with food already in her mouth. If presented with more food, or if she sees that more food is available, she will do one of two things. The first option is stuffing the food that is in her right hand into her mouth, thus freeing it to hold more food. The second is opening her mouth and expecting you to put food in it. A slight variation of option two, and the more comical one, is bringing her open mouth to your hand so she can snatch the food up herself.
4/23/14: I like to sit on things
April 23, 2014
Samara has started sitting on things. As documented below, she is sitting on a bag of reusable grocery bags. But that was only the beginning. Now she sits on pillows, stuffed animals, and toys. Sometimes she is successful, other times she falls off. Today was a hesitant first attempt; she is actually squatting more than sitting, but I guess you need to start somewhere.
Samara has started sitting on things. As documented below, she is sitting on a bag of reusable grocery bags. But that was only the beginning. Now she sits on pillows, stuffed animals, and toys. Sometimes she is successful, other times she falls off. Today was a hesitant first attempt; she is actually squatting more than sitting, but I guess you need to start somewhere.
4/22/14: Banging on Daddy's computer
April 22, 2014
Samara has become really interested in whatever Seth and I are doing. She wants to eat what we eat, use our cell phones, and type on the computer. Today's video shows Samara trying to use the computer (I say trying but she actually manages to close/open various windows), but it also shows how she is becoming more assertive. There are several times where she pushes Seth's hands away so she can bang on the keyboard.
Samara has become really interested in whatever Seth and I are doing. She wants to eat what we eat, use our cell phones, and type on the computer. Today's video shows Samara trying to use the computer (I say trying but she actually manages to close/open various windows), but it also shows how she is becoming more assertive. There are several times where she pushes Seth's hands away so she can bang on the keyboard.
4/20/14: Easter
April 20, 2014
On Easter morning, Seth and I discovered that little Miss Samara is able to pull herself onto furniture, like this ottoman, and play with age-appropriate toys like a shoehorn and plastic bag.
While Aunty Sarah was holding Samara, Samara rediscovered her foot.
And finally, here is a shot with Grandma.
On Easter morning, Seth and I discovered that little Miss Samara is able to pull herself onto furniture, like this ottoman, and play with age-appropriate toys like a shoehorn and plastic bag.
I don't remember what Seth is doing here, but you can see her little cute face so I included these pictures.
Soon after, we headed to Grampi and Grandma's house for Easter. Here is Grampi tenderly holding Samara.
While Aunty Sarah was holding Samara, Samara rediscovered her foot.
And finally, here is a shot with Grandma.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
4/18/14: Playing with the curtain
April 18, 2014
Sometimes when Samara gets restless at the end of the day, we hang out in the living room for a change of scenery. Today we were sitting on the couch, looking out the window at the birds and the swaying leaves when Samara started tugging at the curtains. In an attempt to redirect her attention, I started looking at her through our sheer curtain. She realized she could see through the curtain, and loved this new game. My favorite parts are when she laughs and falls down from excitement.
Then Seth came home, and he started playing with Samara. I like to think that at 0:14 Samara just gave him a kiss.
Sometimes when Samara gets restless at the end of the day, we hang out in the living room for a change of scenery. Today we were sitting on the couch, looking out the window at the birds and the swaying leaves when Samara started tugging at the curtains. In an attempt to redirect her attention, I started looking at her through our sheer curtain. She realized she could see through the curtain, and loved this new game. My favorite parts are when she laughs and falls down from excitement.
Then Seth came home, and he started playing with Samara. I like to think that at 0:14 Samara just gave him a kiss.
4/13/14: Ices and Holmdel Park
April 13, 2014
We were in New Jersey this weekend for Passover and met up with Aunt Shari, Dina, and Ozzy (I think? I can't remember - sorry, Shari). We went for some ices and saw that Dina was incredibly generous with Samara, sharing as much of her rainbow ice as Samara wanted.
Samara, on the other hand, is not so pleased. Samara: What's going on?
What are these hands doing here?
I think I am stuck.
Who likes putting their feet up on the stroller? This girl!
We were in New Jersey this weekend for Passover and met up with Aunt Shari, Dina, and Ozzy (I think? I can't remember - sorry, Shari). We went for some ices and saw that Dina was incredibly generous with Samara, sharing as much of her rainbow ice as Samara wanted.
Samara really liked the ice, so she ate some of Daddy's.
When Dina was done eating, she wanted to hold Samara in her lap. Dina looks really happy with this arrangement.
Samara, on the other hand, is not so pleased. Samara: What's going on?
What are these hands doing here?
I think I am stuck.
Seth, Samara, and I decided to burn off the ices by taking a walk around Holmdel Park. As we were pushing Samara around, we noticed she really likes to chill with her feet up.
Who likes putting their feet up on the stroller? This girl!
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