I cut my last post week shorter so that I can get back on track with when Samantha turns another month old. We don't have any pictures from the actual day that she turned 14 months, but the next day, July 17th, we went to the Indianapolis Zoo to celebrate my birthday. We had a wonderful day. It was probably the best birthday I've ever had. The weather was a bit on the warm side, but we still had a great time looking at the animals, seeing a dog show, and letting Samantha play around in the the splash park. Then, we had a picnic lunch outside before heading back home. I don't think we even made it out of the parking lot before she was asleep in her car seat. She really loved the dolphin pavilion and the shark tank where you could try to pet a shark. I think she enjoys animals that live in the water more because they move a lot more, especially in comparison to many of the other animals at the zoo.
The rest of the week didn't hold too many exciting events for Samantha. We were mainly just hanging out at home, I had a meeting at school, Ben was getting work done at school, running errands around town, and getting ready for our family vacation on Saturday.
Every year we go on a trip with Ben's family to different destinations, and every year we look forward to this time. It's more fun now with Samantha and Alaina being so close in age. It's relaxing, fun, and a great reunion with the family, especially Uncle Tim who we really only see a couple times a year. This year we went to stay in a vacation house in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, which is near Lancaster, in the middle of Amish country. We decided to make the trip in two days since the babies can only handle so much time strapped in their car seats in the car. We left Saturday morning around, stayed the night at a hotel, and drove the rest of the way on Sunday, arriving at the house around four in the afternoon. The house had a great pool and hot tub, along with plenty of space for the girls to run around and play. We had two baby floating devices to use so both girls could enjoy the pool together. Samantha loves water, and we got in as soon as we could that Sunday we arrived. I will continue with our adventures on family vacation in the next post!
This post begins with our last remaining days in Ann Arbor. Samantha and I continued our outings in the morning with walking around downtown Ann Arbor, going to the art museum, and having lunch with Daddy on Wednesday. Some of Samantha's highlights were walking around the plaza in Ann Arbor and pushing around the big cube balancing on one corner. We then went to the art museum (mostly because it was free admission). There were very few people there, and Samantha had a great time walking around the galleries, hearing her voice echo off the walls, and saying hello to all the security guards. Her favorite paintings were the portraits. She kept pointing to the next one on the wall, wanting me to show her all the pictures of the people. This shouldn't surprise us out of our little social butterfly. I took some cute pictures on my cell phone of her at the museum, but can't seem to figure out how to get then onto the computer. I will add those if I can figure it out someday. :)
On Thursday, Debbi (the lady we were staying with) took us to a local duck pond where we had a picnic lunch and took a walk around on the pathways crossing the pond. Here, Samantha's favorite things were watching the ducks swim around and the chipmunk that was trying to steal our lunch. She even seems to make the "quack, quack" sound when we ask her, "What do ducks say?" When she looks at her animal picture book, she particularly takes notice of the duck picture. She seems to love animals of all kinds, from dogs to ducks to big animals in the zoo. Samantha always wants to pet them all though, which sometimes causes frustration when it is an animal she can't touch. I loved animals when I was a little girl too. In fact, before I wanted to be a teacher, my aspiration was to be a veterinarian. Maybe she shares my love for animals, too!
On Friday, after getting packed up and saying good-bye to the Brudis, Samantha and I visited the Hands-On Museum in Ann Arbor. This museum is an interactive science museum for kids, and the best part is they had a section for children four and under, which was perfect for Samantha. She really enjoyed herself, played on the small slide, went up the stairs into the playhouse, watched the balls fly around the exhibit, and best of all, got to play in the water table. We walked around the rest of the museum to see what else was there, but then returned to the preschool area for Samantha to be free to walk around and play without big kids running around. The ball machine exhibit had a few steps up to a platform where you could see the balls rolling underneath it, and then a few steps back down to the floor. Well, Samantha went up the stairs and up on the platform. I tried to get around to the other side before she got to the stairs, but I didn't make it in time and she fell down the stairs! She was okay, and she didn't even cry, but I felt terrible. Samantha just doesn't have any idea what is in front of her when she walks, so she will trip over anything laying on the floor and won't notice stairs or steps. I guess we can add it to our list of things that Samantha has fallen down or off of, and I'm sure this is going to happen a lot more throughout the rest of her life. Also, being the little socialite that she is, she was trying to make friends with all the other kids in the museum. She would try to say hi to almost everyone, and one little girl in the preschool area particularly took to Samantha. She probably played with her for 15-20 minutes. They climbed up in a little tree house together, and the older girl was trying to listen to Samantha's heart with a plastic stethoscope. Later, the older girl's mom came by to check on her and asked her, "Are you giving that little girl her very own personal space?" I wonder if we're going to have to say things like that to Samantha one day. I could see her trying to be friendly with everyone, even if they don't particularly want her around. It will be very interesting, and exciting, to see how Samantha's personality develops over the years.
After spending the morning playing in the museum, once Daddy was done with his classes, we met up and headed out of town. We stayed in Upland and left on Saturday to head back to Bloomington. Home sweet home! I don't think it's ever felt so good to be back in our own place, our own bed. You could tell Samantha was glad to be back home too. She enjoyed playing with her toys that she hadn't seen for awhile, and she was relieved to see her crib. When I laid her down that night, she briefly opened her eyes, saw that she was in her own crib in her room, sighed satisfactorily, and drifted off to sleep. It was pretty cute.
Since we were back home, we got to go to our home church, ECC, on Sunday. Even though Pastor Bob wasn't preaching, it was still so good to be back. Samantha enjoyed going down the small, plastic slide in the toddler room, and I'm sure it was great for her to be able to get around more now since the last time she was in the nursery, she wasn't able to walk like she does now. Here are some cute pictures of Samantha in her dress for church, and also some pictures showing how curly Samantha's hair is. We love it. Sometimes it looks a bit unruly, but we think she is adorable, crazy hair or not.
Our time in Chicago wrapped up with Samantha waking up on the Fourth of July with a fever. She was acting very fussy, was very tired (took two long naps that day), and just wasn't acting like herself. I gave her some ibuprofen because my guess was that she was teething. These teeth give her so much grief! I debated whether or not to take her to the fireworks because I didn't want her to end up feeling worse by keeping her out late at night. However, she was in pretty good spirits, so I decided to give it a shot. We didn't leave to go to the fireworks until right before they started, and Samantha did a good job, but got really tired while we were there. My dad was holding her and she could not keep her eyes open. Finally, my mom told him to lay her back against his shoulder so she could fall asleep, and she totally zonked out, right in the middle of the fireworks! She even stayed asleep during the grand finale! I knew she really wasn't feeling well to have fallen asleep during the fireworks because in the past she has loved watching fireworks and can't take her eyes off them.
The next day, after going to Babies R' Us and having lunch with my parents, Samantha and I headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan to stay with Ben the remainder of his time there. Samantha was really tired from being out all morning. She fell asleep before we even got on the expressway. This trip was about four hours and she slept for the first two and half hours. We stopped for a bathroom break, and Samantha played most of the rest of the way. This was probably the hardest trip for her. She got pretty fussy towards the end, partly because she was probably having teething pain, partly because she was tired of being in the car so much, and partly because she was getting hungry. We were so glad to see Daddy when we finally got there!
The family Ben had been staying with was so kind to open their home up to Samantha and me as well. We had a great time at their house. We were very comfortable there. Samantha loved playing the the play kitchen, walking around the main floor of their house, and seeing what interesting things she could discover in various places.
That weekend we first arrived in Ann Arbor, we did a lot of spending time together as a family. We went to a mongolian restaurant on Friday night, and Ben and I watched a movie after Samantha went to sleep. She did really well transitioning to yet another place. Saturday morning, she woke up too early for our liking, so I nursed her and put her back to bed and she (and we) slept until 10:45! It was amazing! I don't even remember the last time I got to sleep in that late, definitely not since Samantha was born. Even though it is different sleeping in the same room with Samantha and makes it difficult to tiptoe around when we come to bed, it's great to be in the same room with her when she wakes up in the morning. Seeing her precious little smile and tousled hair peeking over the top of her pack n' play has to be the best sight to wake up to.
Samantha's teething continued this weekend, and she was the fussiest she's ever been. It was like she wasn't happy no matter what, being held, being down, eating, playing, nothing seemed to make her happy. We were giving her ibuprofen regularly because it was clear she was in a lot of pain. She was not eating well, her sleeping was disturbed at night, and her naps were much longer during the day. Those are Samantha's typical signs of teething. Sure enough, at the beginning of the week we saw she had sprouted two new teeth, the last molar on top and her first bottom canine on the right side. These teeth have given her more trouble than any others. It will be nice when she has all her teeth in, and we don't have to deal with these teething issues for anymore!
Well, Monday Ben had to get back into his classes, so Samantha and I were left to amuse ourselves with various activities around Ann Arbor. On Monday, we decided to go to a local swimming pool that had a special toddler swimming time. The pool started as a zero depth pool and gradually deepened to two feet in the deepest part. There were water fountains and pool toys for the kids to play with. At first Samantha wasn't sure what to think and walked around the perimeter of the pool observing everyone and everything around her. I finally guided her into the pool and then she got comfortable. Our little socialite was going up to groups of kids, trying to join in playing with them. She likes to say hi to and play with anyone that will give her attention. I was holding her hand as we walked around the pool, and on one occasion she pulled her hand away almost like she didn't need me anymore. She then tried to take a couple of steps on her own, and of course, since she's not used to walking in water, she fell face first into the water. I was right next to her and helped her back onto her feet right away, expecting her to start crying, but she acted like nothing happened at all, it didn't phase her one bit. One mom that saw what had just occurred commented, "She is a little daredevil, isn't she?" Yep. That's for sure. Unfortunately, I think Samantha acquired that trait from me. She had a great time at the pool. She loves water!
On Tuesday, Samantha and I went with Daddy to the Botanical Gardens for a picnic lunch and to enjoy the beautiful weather and outdoors for the afternoon. The gardens were gorgeous, and we enjoyed walking on the paths, visiting the children's garden, and the greenhouse. Samantha loves the outdoors and particularly liked the water in the stream and the flowers that were all over the gardens.
More to come in the next blog about our adventures in Ann Arbor!
The Wednesday before we left on our big road trip, we had Ainsley and her mom, Jaime, over to our house to play in the morning, in hopes that it would tire Samantha out and so she would take a nice long nap in the car on the way to Chicago. The girls had fun together, even though they don't really know how to play together yet. Ainsley said she was at "Manna's house." It was nice to be able to get together and see how Samantha will do with Ainsley and Jaime in the fall when I have to go back to work. I really think Samantha will enjoy having another girl around to play with that is pretty close to her own age.
After lunch and few last minute items to pack, we headed out to Chicago for the night on our way up to Madison, Wisconsin to see my friend Melissa. Samantha did exceptionally well in the car, easing all my anxiety about the trip. She was very tired, so just played quietly in the back for the first hour or so, then slept for the next couple of hours, and then played quietly and looked at books for the last hour. She did not get fussy at all, what a blessing! I was very nervous about traveling with a baby and a dog all by myself for that long a distance.
I saw some family briefly while we stayed in the Chicago area with my sister and her fiance. My grandma had surgery that day, so things were a little busy. We did get to see my grandma briefly on Thursday before heading up the rest of the way to Madison. She again did pretty well in the car, sleeping most of the way, and only getting fussy near the end of the trip simply because she was getting hungry and had spent a lot of time in the car over the last two days.
Brad and Melissa are our dear friends from Taylor, and we love this tradition we have started of driving up to see them during the summer. This time, bringing Samantha made it a little different, but she had a great time. When we first walked into the house, the dogs barked pretty loudly and frightened Samantha. She started crying, but warmed up to the big dogs rather quickly after the initial shock. She isn't used to being around dogs any bigger than Roscoe. The next day, another little dog named Briggs came to stay for the weekend. He is a very tiny Maltese, just Samantha's size, and she loved him! She would try to follow him around and pet him, she wanted to hold him, and even one time when Briggs was sitting in my lap, Samantha came up to hug him and nuzzle him just like she does to her dolly. It was pretty adorable.
We didn't do anything too much while we were in Madison, just a lot of hanging out, playing games, and talking. On Saturday, Alison and Janell came up for the day. We had a great time together, and I think they enjoyed seeing Samantha walking around, talking, and being so social with everyone. We went out to a popular local restaurant for dinner, and, after putting Samantha to bed, the girls went to a local park to watch the Madison fireworks.
Samantha was so interested in the dogs. Bleu would always want to come up and lick Samantha's face, which she didn't particularly care for, so she would hold her arm up and back away, but then she would go straight towards him again, wanting to pet him and play with him. She didn't want to be in a room where the dogs weren't. She loved having them around and is really gentle when she pets them. I am pretty impressed.
The best part of the weekend, however, was that Ben decided to make the trip from Ann Arbor to Madison. I was so glad to have him come, and Samantha was so happy to see her daddy. It was great to be able to spend more time together, hanging out with each other, and with friends, before he had to drive back and start his work week again.
Here is a picture from the weekend and a video of this funny noise she makes when she looks at books, especially pop-up books:
We stayed in Madison through Monday morning and then headed back down to Chicago. After Samantha took a nap, we met Grandma and Grandpa Kappel at the mall (since it was SO hot outside), and let Samantha show off her walking skills for her grandparents. They were impressed with how fast she could get around, and that she found the candy store! The night ended with ordering some Chicago pizza, and Samantha got her first taste of it. Of course she liked it, who wouldn't like cheese, tomato sauce, and deep dish crust! Mmm, my favorite food.
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Samantha did really well with all the transitions, from Chicago to Madison back to Chicago again. It didn't seem to bother her as long as she could sleep with her pink blankie. She has become majorly attached to that thing lately. She wants to take it everywhere with her. She slept really well, even in the same room with me. That doesn't seem to bother her at all anymore. The only negative thing that happened with sleeping is that, especially in Madison, Samantha was waking up early, like around 6 or 6:30, which is way too early for her Mama to get up! Who knows, maybe she just has a very strong internal alarm clock and was still set on Indiana time, which is an hour later.
On Tuesday, July 3rd, we normally have a tradiditon of going to the Park Ridge fireworks with my grandma and the rest of my family. I was excited to have Samantha participate in this Kappel family tradition for the first time, but the forecast was for 98 degrees that day, and with my grandma still recovering from surgery, it just wasn't in the cards for us this year. Instead, we all just went over to my grandma's house, had sandwiches, played games, walked to the park for a short excursion, and listened to patriotic music (as if we were at the fireworks). Samantha had a good time exploring every corner of grandma's place and was very interested in her cat, Callie, even thought she wasn't allowed to touch her. It's nice to have my family around Samantha. She loves all the attention, and they love to see how much she's constantly growing and learning new things.
Samantha enjoyed our time in Upland. She likes playing at Grandma and Grandpa Toll's house. Here are some pictures of her playing and exploring every corner of their house:
Doesn't she look so big? We think she was going through a growth spurt with all the eating she's been doing the last couple of days. She is definitely a little toddler now!
While at Grandma and Grandpa Toll's house, Samantha learned some new skills. She has been in the habit of just throwing her sippy cup carelessly off the table onto the floor, so I decided to try and teach her to put her cup on the table when she was done with it. She actually did a pretty good job of catching on. After a while, she even started putting it on the table without us prompting her. Every time she put it in the right place, we would clap for her and say, "Good job!" which she liked. She likes anything that gets her attention. :) Grandpa also taught Samantha how to whisper, particularly at dinnertime when Samantha tends to be more vocal. If you whisper when you talk to her, she tends to whisper back to you. However, the biggest accomplishment is her walking tons more! Instead of taking 8 or 9 steps, she could get up to 15 to 17 steps! She was getting all around the house and was especially wanting you to walk around with her while she held your finger. Anything that moved, she tried to turn into a walker to push around, like the kitchen chairs, the cooler, the rolling desk chair. (I guess I should have brought her real walker toy.)
One night, when we were on our way back into the house, Samantha saw the black cat. She is very interested in animals, so I put her down on the ground near the cat. Samantha was a little unsure at first, but then reached out to pet the cat once she saw me pet it. She is very gentle with animals and pets them very nicely. I guess she has good practice with Roscoe. However, once the she petted the cat, the cat took that as an invitation to come and rub herself on Samantha's legs and brush her tail in her face. Samantha was not too keen on that action and actually ended up pushing the cat away whenever she tried to rub herself on Samantha. It was quite funny. Samantha made it very clear that she did not want the cat to be doing that.
On Wednesday morning, Jo Ann came over to the house to see us. It was great catching up with her, and she really enjoyed seeing Samantha trying to walk all around the house. She even bought her a cute little Taylor University romper onesie, which is a little big on Samantha, but still looks absolutely adorable. In case you can't tell, it says I love Taylor University on the front.
The next day, as you can see in the above picture, we went to the park and Samantha got to swing and walk around the playground, mostly with my help. She also went down a small slide several times and really enjoyed that.
On Thursday evening, after dinner, Samantha and I headed back to Bloomington. I was a little nervous about driving by myself with her, but it really went fairly well. I had an arsenal of toys and books by me in the passenger seat, and every 15 minutes or so, when Samantha would get tired of what she had, I would hand her something new. It worked pretty well and seemed to keep her occupied enough for the couple hour ride down to Bloomington.
It was nice to be back home in our familiar environment, but I have to admit that it was really strange not having Ben home. Especially overnight, it felt weird to be in our apartment by myself (well, not counting Samantha and Roscoe). On Friday we had to take the car in to get new tires, so Samantha and I walked around downtown Bloomington, exploring different shops. It was hard to bide the time because I knew Ben was going to be coming home that night and was really looking forward to seeing him again.
The reason Ben came home for the weekend from ICPSR was because his friend Chris was getting married in Columbus. We took Samantha with us, and even though she didn't make it too long during the ceremony, we had a good time at the reception. It was outdoors, so we were able to walk around with Samantha a lot when she was getting antsy. We saw some good friends from our Taylor days and even had them back to our house afterwards so we could hang out some more. Samantha did a really great job the whole day and everyone was impressed with her activity and personality. She wore herself out so much that she fell asleep almost immediately once we got in the car to travel back to Bloomington.
On Sunday afternoon, we ended up going over to play games with the Brashers because they were going to be going out of town soon, and we didn't know when our next opportunity would be. I put Samantha down for a nap there, and the cutest thing happened when she woke up. Thomas came into the room with me to get Samantha, and when Samantha saw him, she was still laying in her pack n' play, and would look at him and then at me, back and forth. Then, a huge smile broke out on her face, but it was almost like she was frozen, like she couldn't believe he was actually standing right there. Samantha loves Thomas and is always excited when she sees either of the Brasher boys.
After we played games, Daddy had to leave again and it was hard to see him go. Monday, the day after he left, Samantha kept saying Dada all day long, so you could tell she was confused as to why he wasn't there anymore and that she missed him. You could also tell that we had tired her out over our busy weekend because she took a really long morning nap.
On Monday night, I decided to make grilled cheese for both Samantha and me. She had never eaten grilled cheese before, but bread and cheese are two of her favorite things, so really, how can you go wrong? She seemed to really enjoy it. Then, after dinner, we went to the splash pad over at a local park. We walked around together and at first she seemed a little apprehensive and was just taking it all in, observing everything and all the kids. Then, she warmed up to the idea and started walking right up to all the sprinklers and fountains, sticking her hands in them, letting the water fall on her head and face, squealing with delight. It was great fun to watch her have such a good time in the water. She just loves water, and I can't wait to take her to more places like this, especially once she becomes a little more sturdy on her feet and can walk more comfortably without assistance.
This picture perfectly summarizes the complete joy that abounds in Samantha. Just being around this amazing gift from God, makes my heart overflow with thanksgiving. She makes everyone she meets smile. What a true joy!
