5 years of Samuel

And here we go, 5 years of pictures...
You were late, I did not think you would EVER come I gotta tell you, it is hard to see thta due date come and then go! . The labor lasted for days, and Finally progressed once my water broke (on daddy's side of the bed no less :) ) We called everyone and headed to the hospital (during rush hour traffic on a Monday morning) I was brave for only so long--- I changed my mind and was able to get my epidural as soon as we arrived at the hospital--- I was at a 6!! You would be here very, very soon (or so we thought). About 7 hours later -- that sweet boy who had been doing flip-flops for months was on his way out (or so we thought) I pushed for about 2 hours--- you stopped tolerating it, I struck a fever and so a very quick c-section ensued... You did not look very good and did not scream so my NICU team rushed in to work with you for a few minutes. God is so good, He gave us a BEAUTIFUL, healthy baby boy. Such a miracle and an answer to many, many prayers.At one year you are FULL of energy. You do not stop for a minute. You rolled over by 3 months, started crawling at 4 months and 1 week and started taking steps around 8 months, though you refused to go passed that 7th step until right after your birthday... and boy, once you realized you could walk you decided running was even more fun! I enjoyed watching all of your milestones, even though it meant that you no longer wanted to sit and snuggle past 4 months!. You are very curious this first year and into everything!At 2 you are into even more things! What a curious little boy. During this year I realize why they call it the "terrible two's" Just 2 1/2 short months after you turned 2, your little world turned upside down ~ we added little Miss Molly into the mix and you were not quite sure about her. You did like all of the individual attention you got while mommy and Molly were in the hospital, but then we came home... You got to experience many fun and exciting new things this year, there were many trips to the park, the zoo, the fair, pumpkin patches etc etc. It takes you a little while to warm up to new things, but once you do you enjoy it all.At 3 you turned from the "terrible two's" into the "trying three's"!! This was more of a battle of wills year for you. You are gaining more independence, and love to learn new things. You love playing your friends and have developed a love/hate relationship with Molly. You like to help mommy and daddy with the chores, but also just like hanging out with us. I can already see your protective nature when I watch you with your sister. Though it has been a trying year, you are still very tender-hearted and sweet. You love to give out hugs and kisses and your smile can melt away anyone's bad day 4... boy, 4... what a unique year. Lot's of transitions take place this year. You are much more independent, though always have an eye on mommy or daddy. Your language has really taken off and you can hold actual little conversations with people. Molly is your best friend as well as your worst enemy, but if anyone was to mess with her--- they better watch out, you are a great protector and big brother. This is true to your sweet (though stubborn) nature. You still have a ton of energy, but I can see through the year how you are actually growing and maturing. You still like puzzles and outside play, but no one will ever accuse you of drawing or coloring too much! All of your friends are female, and you enjoy it! You love your bike, warm weather and winning at any game.

And here we are... 5 years old. You are so excited about being 5!! You know that by being 5 you are growing up and get a lot more privileges. You are so excited about starting school in the fall and ask about it nearly everyday. You are actually listening to us much better. You are FINALLY starting to realize that every action has a consequence and we can somewhat reason with you. You are really into DADDY right now and want to do EVERYTHING he does. We are really enjoying #5 so far (and it has only been a couple of weeks) and look forward to what all this exciting year holds.