Sweet Potatoes!

Samantha recently started eating rice cereal and tonight had her first taste of sweet potato.

My Birthday

I chose to take a family hike to celebrate my birthday.  Joseph and I ventured out to Paris Mountain State Park, which was packed with mountain bikers and miscellaneous walkers/hikers and dogs.  We brought our pack and also brought Samantha on her first hike.  Thanks to my friend, Barb, we have a small backpack/carrier that Samantha can't slip out of.  We managed to dodge most of the people and animals on foot and passed friendly mountain bikers who didn't mind the dogs.  It was a beautiful day out today...cool, but sunny.  I have to say, both the hike and my birthday were a success.

Joseph's 10+ hour drive home from work

As many of you probably know, western North Carolina got hit with a snow storm on Friday night.  I believe all you northerners got snow from the same storm, as well.  Joseph commutes to work to Western North Carolina three days a week.  He debated whether to drive north to work on Friday.  The committed worker that he is made the 1 1/2 hour trip, north, to work on Friday morning without too much trouble.  At the end of the workday and with the utmost determination to get home Joseph got in his car (really my car) and attempted to drive home, not knowing how bad the conditions really were and not knowing about the 18-wheeler that jackknifed on the interstate blocking traffic going east AND west.  Joseph sat in deadlock traffic for 6-hours until roads cleared.  He watched the snow pile up and watched plow trucks, wreckers, and other servicemen attempt to clear the roads and help stranded drivers.  Still determined to get home Joseph kept on "truck'n" ahead once traffic started moving.  He arrived home at 2:10AM Saturday morning, 10 1/2 hours after leaving work.  I did not support Joseph's decision to drive to work nor his decision to drive home, but the Mississippi boy did not wish to abide by my orders (not unusual!!).  Maybe now he understands why I have no desire to live in the North again.

Weather where we live cleared up quickly.  It's quite cold, but we are staying warm.   

Enjoy the pictures of Samantha. 

Samantha's 5 months old today

Samantha turned 5-months-old today.  She is going to celebrate by getting her first taste of rice cereal later tonight.  Hopefully, once she get used to eating solids (at night) she will sleep through the night.  The last few weeks have been the hardest for me since Samantha was born.  She has been waking up twice during the night, sometimes to eat and sometimes to get her pacifier.   I guess i'm going through what most parents go thru when their baby is 6-weeks old.  Samantha was a sleeping angel at 6-weeks old.  I have also hit a rough spot with my own sleeping and have had trouble falling asleep.  The combination of sleep deprivation and a cold has drained me of energy.  With time i am sure our troubles will pass. Sam is calling...

Christmas Time is Here Again

My dad on Samantha duty!

Samantha's response to her new toy was to blow bubbles!

Samantha's hair bows.  I don't think she has lost any of the hair she had at birth.

The McGowin's Christmas Tree.  We need to get Samantha her first ornament to add to the tree.

Samantha and I are currently in Florida visiting my dad and Karen.  Samantha has been a bit fussy because she has a tooth coming in.  I can feel sharp "bumps" on the front part of her bottom gum.  Joseph is back home watching the 4 canines.  We wish he could be here with us, but we understand someone has to stay home to watch the dogs.  We miss him very much.  

Christmas Tree Hunting

Here is a photo of Samantha and Joseph searching for the perfect "1st Christmas Tree".  Our tree is small, but it is absolutely perfect.  If only our tree stand didn't leak water.

Keeping up with the Joneses/Thanksgiving

The title to this post refers to my attempts to keep up with my neighbors' awesome Christmas decorations and my ability to make my blog as good, if not better, than Jess Telligman's blog  (haha)!  Sorry Jess for slacking in the blog dep't!!  

Our next door neighbors always have beautiful seasonal decorations and outdo us in every category imaginable.  I am so jealous of their HUGE wreath hanging about their garage windows.  The dad (an engineer) has some pulley system he uses along with a VERY tall ladder to get the wreath up.  It's secured by hooks he installed on the side of the house.   It's amazing.  The mom's bows on all of her wreathes are perfectly placed and look great every year.  Ugh.  Why does everything I do look like crap?.... at least I have a beautiful baby who looks perfect every day.

As for Thanksgiving, we stayed at home all day and enjoyed every minute of it.  I wish I could gather all my friends and family into one community and never have to travel again to visit someone.  Samantha and I are gearing up for another road trip to visit her Grandpa George and Grandma Karen.  Joseph will be on dog duty.  We'll then head down south to visit the other grandparents.  I hope to get to Charleston to visit my "long lost" friends after the New Year. 

Samantha bought her first Christmas tree and helped put up all the Christmas decorations.  Now that she weighs a whopping 11 lbs. she thinks she can do all of the things adults can do.   She is now wearing 3-6 month clothes.  Her hair is still growing like a weed.... Joseph says she uses up all her energy growing hair, rather than gaining weight.  Samantha is actually very healthy.  She is at the 3rd percentile for weight but is gaining weight steadily. 

Sam turns 4 months

Sam is now 4-months old.  She is still itty-bitty, but is such a happy baby.  She's reached all of her developmental milestones and is doing great.  She loves watching the dogs and being outside. She makes new sounds every day and talks up a storm every morning upon waking.  Samantha, Joseph, and I completed our annual trip to Mississippi to watch 'Ole Miss play football.  Samantha was a trooper!! She's such a good baby.

Visits with friends

Sam & I with Conlan and Barb

Sam (looking like she has no neck) with her friend who's moving to England :(

This picture was not posed!

Jess on her way to the courthouse!!

Jess and the most perfect baby ever, Sam!

Samantha and I took our first trip together (just the two of us) to North Carolina a few weeks ago.  The trip involved transporting a chessie (dog) in foster care and visiting our favorite NC residents.  The driving time was very long... but it was so worth the trip. Thanks everyone for the hospitality.

Another Polo Outfit

I had to post a few pictures of Samantha in her "other " pink Polo outfit.  This outfit was a gift, as was the other Polo outfit.  Samantha looks so darn cute in pink!!

Does Sam look like I did????

This was me way back when.  Can someone tell me how old I was in this picture?

Old Family Photos

I don't know how old we were, but from left to right,

Greg, Ashley (me), and Matt.

This is me when I was a baby.  Note the lovely 

kitchen wallpaper.  The year was 1974.

Guitar Note

While watching Austin City Limits Joseph informed me he has the same guitar as Elvis Costello.  That's almost like having the same bicycle as Lance Armstrong with exactly the same components.  I wonder whose abilities Joseph is closer to, Elvis' or Lance's....

Mommy, Daddy, Sam

Here are a few pics we took after we removed her monkey costume.  Joseph and I are still battling it out about who has the bigger nose, me or him.  We decided to get 3-month studio photos of Samantha taken.  we have a photo shoot this week.  Can't wait!

The Monkey

Samantha dressed up as a monkey for her first Halloween.  We weren't nearly as creative as some of our friends were with dressing our baby in costume.  She spent half the night at our neighbors sleeping.  She surely would not have gotten any sleep at our house.  Our 4 canines were barking NONSTOP. 

We love Samantha

Samantha is now 3 months old.  She is doing great. Meeting all of her developmental milestones and sleeping through the night.  I tell myself that I am going to wake her up in the middle of the night to feed her, but I never wake up (not even to pee) and she just keeps on sleeping!!

Joseph (Dad) and Sam

This was taken a few days before her 3-month birthday!

Taken October 17th, at exactly 3 months of age.

Me with my new Patagonia "Better Sweater"on.  

I cannot believe how well Sam holds her head up....

APPLE SEASON

Samantha and I took a trip with our next door neighbors to an apple orchard/farm to get carmel apples, pumpkins, etc.  It was a beautiful day, but very cold.  Felt like Fall!!!

Jamie (neighbor) trying to feed the llama

Jamie took this picture.  It's one of my favorites.

Sam & me

I wonder if I'd like myself if I looked like this.

Joseph hard at work

 Joseph hard at work watching Samantha

     Joseph fixing a light for his mom

Pictures of Samantha

Samantha on her boppy pillow

Samantha after a long day of hot, humid weather (her hair curled up)

Samantha in a 3-month PJ outfit

Mississippi trip

Samantha got to meet a few members from her father's side of the family this weekend.   She did great during the trip down south.  We experienced our first difficult outing with her, though. Samantha decided to stay awake all day on Wednesday causing her to be overtired by 7:30 PM. While eating in a fairly nice restaurant she cried and cried.  Joseph and I tag-teamed and walked with her around the parking lot.  I nursed her in the bathroom and changed her VERY poopy diaper in the car (diapers were in the car).  I believe we avoided making all of the other customers mad... maybe you'd hear differently if you asked them.

Samantha also met the McGowin's dogs, Klujo (yes, kLujo, with an "L", not Kujo, like in the movie), "White dog" (yes, he's white), and "freedom".  I have the best mother-in-law ever, but I have no idea what she is thinking when she names her pets.  (The cat is called "kee-kee and the 4th dog is called "da da").  Perhaps, she has just run out of names from all the various pets she's had... It's always great to see the extended McGowin family (and THEIR pack).