Puppy Love

Our dog, Linus, was the subject of much speculation before Sam's arrival. He's a Boston Terrier, and these dogs are notoriously hyper. We love him dearly, but many of our visitors don't particularly care for him. The second strangers walk into the house he goes into a frenzied jumping and licking attack. He means well, but not everyone enjoys his exuberance. Anyway, we were a little concerned about how he would feel about a new person in his house. Turns out we had nothing to worry about. He LOVES Sam. He's become even more protective of us since Sam's debut, and he gets very upset when Sam cries. More importantly, Sam LOVES Linus. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's true. He watches Linus' every move and laughs at everything he does.

We captured some of this lovefest last night. The video below may be a little hard for some people to watch. (I know my dad and Anthony's grandmother won't be able to stand it.) I PROMISE--we washed Sam's hands thoroughly afterwards; we're not completely insane.

Also, Anthony's good friend Beth Hoskins flew into town this weekend, and they were able to round up a crew for a small reunion. Anthony and Beth both graduated from Prep, and they have been great friends ever since. Anthony was able to spend some time with Beth, her son Will, Mack, (Sam's godfather) and Mack's daughter, Madison.

Sam and Beth

Anthony, Sam, Beth, and Will

Beth, Will, and Madison

Thanks to Mack for the pictures!

It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Sherman!

Sooooo.....Last Friday we took Sam with us to pick out some pumpkins and took advantage of the scenery for some quick pics. He was more interested in the cars passing by, but I think we came out with some pretty cute shots. We then went downtown for a few hours to attend a small Octoberfest, and he was great. All in all he's a pretty laid-back kid. I'm hoping this pattern continues.

Anthony flew out to West Virginia for work yesterday, so we're bunking at the Shermans for a few days. I won't see him until Sunday because I'm taking a girls' trip this weekend, which I am very excited about. (Clarification--I'm excited about the trip. I'm not excited about going a week before seeing my husband.) We were supposed to go the weekend of Hurricane Gustav, but since the plan was to shop in New Orleans, that obviously didn't pan out. We've rescheduled, and I'm headed to the Pelican State on Friday.

Sam is officially 5 months old today, so consider these his 5 month pictures.

Many thanks...and a hungry hippo

First of all, I want to thank all of you who have called, texted, or e-mailed us. Your thoughts and prayers have certainly helped, and we are most appreciative. Anthony's grandfather was a wonderful person, and I'm not sure that I can do justice to just how great he was. Having lost the only grandfather I knew when I was in the fourth grade, Popi was a wonderful reminder of just how lovely grandparents are. He was a warm, welcoming presence, and he will definitely be missed. Anthony and I have discussed at length how much we have to live up to; it's a challenge I hope we can meet.

In an on-going effort to cheer up our family, we videoed a little of feeding time tonight. Sam is eating some cereal at his nighttime meal, and it's quite funny. He makes hysterical faces like this:

It's like feeding a bird...a very, very, hungry bird. I'm also posting video. Be warned...when Sam eats, it's not the most appetizing thing to watch.

Question--When you become a parent, does your obnoxious factor automatically rachet up? I feel that this is something they should tell you in those parenting classes. (Which didn't help us at all. We skipped the one about c-sections because we didn't think we needed it...figures.) Anyway, after they give you breathing exercises and all that mojo, I think they should bring out a chart that shows the level of parental obnoxiousness sky-rocketing after a child's birth.

Something like this:

And now, the video.

Can you find Sam?

You may be wondering why I have put together a really strange slideshow...What do all these things have in common you may ask? Well, they're all big--just like Sam. We went to the doctor for our 4 month check-up yesterday. We were actually a week behind schedule because of his sickness last week. Our pediatrician said that Sam looks great, and even though he's huge, he's proportionate. I was so glad; the thought of denying that kid food scares me. Anyway, At 4 months (and one week) Sam weighs 20 lbs. 8 oz. That is not a typo. 20.8--my back may never recover. That puts him above the 95th percentile for height, and way above the 95th for weight. (This surprised no one in our family.) In honor of Mr. Buddha's enormity, I put together a Where's Waldo-esque collage. See if you can find Sam. I at least hope you don't get him mixed up with Jabba the Hutt.

Visit to Mama Rubye and Popi's house

If you don't know me, you don't know that my husband is 1/2 Lebanese. In college he was referred to as the "Lebanese Love Machine." Don't get any ideas--the nickname was sarcastically intended (whatever he may think). Anyway, both of his grandparents are first-generation Lebanese Americans, which makes Sam 1/4 Lebanese. Their heritage is really important to them, and we hope that Sam will grow to appreciate all that it entails. We drove to Greenville, MS, on Saturday so that Sam could hang out with his great-grandparents, and so that Anthony could get his fill of Lebanese food.

If you haven't had kibbi before, I highly recommend it, and Anthony's grandmother, Mama Rubye makes the best. There is also a raw variety that I have dared to eat, and it's really good...you just have to get over the fact that you're eating raw meat. Think of it as steak tartar, and you won't feel so crazy. Everytime I eat it raw I have a small panic attack and imagine that I'm going to get mad cow disease. If I start acting crazy in a few years, you'll know why.


I found this hysterical onesie at cafepress.com, and I had to buy it. If you can't tell, it says "Lebanese Cutie." The website has stuff for just about every nationality under the sun; I was amazed.

I've also posted a slideshow of recent pictures and pictures from that weekend. Sam looks humongous sitting in Mama Rubye's lap. I laugh everytime I look at those pictures. We go for our 4 month check-up tomorrow. Ought to be interesting...