This was a week that I dreaded coming for the whole summer because it marked my last week of summer break and the end to my time at home with Samantha. Since it was my last week at home, I decided to make the most of my time, and Ben and I went out and did a couple last things with Samantha. Last Wednesday, August 3rd, we went to downtown Indianapolis and visited the art museum. Samantha did really well and just slept in her stroller the whole time as we walked around the museum. We weren't quite sure how it would go if she got fussy, but we figured we could always leave, and we wouldn't be losing anything since the museum is free to get into. After the art museum we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants, the Cheesecake Factory! Again, Samantha did really well. She's gotten to the age where she is even more interested in life around her, and she just loves to be held so that she is facing out so that she can observe and interact with the world around her. However, at the restaurant, we had another dirty diaper incident. Lately she hasn't been having many dirty diapers during the day, and when she does, we know they are going to be good ones. Well, as we were sitting there I could smell that Samantha had made a diaper, so I quickly took her to the bathroom. On the way to the bathroom, her diaper started leaking, and needless to say, it turned into a 15 minute clean up job which resulted in a change of outfit for her and a mess on the front of my shirt. Now I understand how Ben felt when he had her diaper leak on his pants in the middle of the mexican restaurant a few weeks ago!
The next day we met Grandma and Grandpa Toll at Colts Camp up in Anderson, Indiana. Samantha wasn't too impressed yet, but if the Toll family has anything to do with it, she will grow up to be a Colts fan. She was probably one of the youngest Colts fans there, even though she slept in the baby carrier in the shade most of the time. Our little girl will be quite cultured, music and art from me, and sports from Ben.With Samantha approaching 3 months old in one week, we feel that Samantha has almost had a developmental growth spurt in the last couple weeks. She seems to have mellowed out a lot, she is much less fussy, is much easier to get to sleep for naps during the day, will sleep in her crib or pack and play a lot more, and she just has a much more interactive and happy disposition. It is amazing how much babies can change from one week to the next. I remember just a couple weeks ago feeling worried because it seemed to be so hard to get her to take good naps during the day, especially being laid down in her crib or pack and play. Ben kept reminding me that how she is now will not be how she will be in a few weeks, and of course, he was right, and today she slept in her pack and play for an hour and a half! It's just hard when you get caught up in the moment, and you don't realize what the passing of time will change.
As I said earlier, Samantha has had such an interactive and happy disposition lately. I think her personality is really starting to come out. She loves being around people, watching everything around her, and being out and about. Ben is afraid that we might have a little extravert on our hands, quite the opposite of his personality! She has been smiling a lot, and as our friend Michelle put it, when she smiles she lights up the room. Her smile takes up her whole face, her pink gums show, and her cheeks scrunch up so much that it makes her eyes narrow like she is squinting. We find it absolutely adorable and could stare at her smiling face all day, but then again, we are a little biased. She also has been laughing a lot more. We can get some pretty good giggles out of her when we tickle her neck, blow raspberries on her skin, and make silly faces and noises at her. We get lots of laughs and smiles from her when we change her diapers and give her a bath, and we just eat it up! Of course, we get the camera out she stops laughing. Those of you that know Roscoe must think it is a family trait.
As I said at the beginning of my post, this week ended on a sad note, I had to return to work for teacher meetings yesterday with school starting next week. It is really hard having to leave Samantha every day, especially after I spent every day with her this summer. I knew I would have to go back to work since Ben is in graduate school at IU, but you just have no idea what it will feel like until you actually have to leave this little person that you have so much love for. The one thing that is making it an easier transition for me is that Samantha is just staying home with Ben for the next three weeks until his classes start at IU, so they are getting lots of daddy-daughter time. Once Ben starts classes, one of our friends, Melanie, will be watching Samantha in her home along with her two boys. Even though I would like to be at home with Samantha, we have the second best thing with her being taken in as part of another family. I just have to remind myself that this is just for a season of our life, and that hopefully in a couple years I will be able to stay at home once Ben is out of school. 
God has blessed us with this amazing, adorable, precious little girl, and has entrusted us with the immense task of taking care of her, loving her, and raising her to also put her faith and trust in the Lord. Heavenly Father, give us grace and love as we seek to take on this task of raising our little Samantha.
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