The Samman Family

Playdate!

2009-06-05T20:17:00.005-05:00

Alex and Foster had their friends over to play yesterday.

Alex and Ellarie played on the swing and in the sandbox, while Foster and Max just kind of rolled around. A good time was had by all....

Random

2009-05-31T18:05:00.002-05:00

Foster's 4 month appointment went well! He weighs a whopping 18 pounds 9 ounces and is 25.5 inches long. He is such a big boy!

We are letting him try some solids now. So far squash seems to be his favorite!

Alex's newest thing is telling everyone he is turning 4 and going school. We keep reminding him that he will be 3 on his birthday, but he isn't having any of that! He even told his pediatrician that he is about to be 4. He is definitely growing up too fast.

And here is a blast from the past.... Selim's prom 12 years ago! There is really for no reason for this picture, it just makes me laugh. Why does Selim look so scared?

Getting Big!

2009-05-20T13:43:00.008-05:00

Foster will be 4 months old this week! He is growing fast. I am curious to see how much he weighs now. At last weigh in he was over 17.5 pounds.

He is such a happy boy and loves to be around Alex. He thinks he is pretty funny most of the time...

But not always!

Recently Alex snuck into our bedroom to pay Foster a little visit while he was napping. A few minutes later Selim went to get Foster up and I heard him said "ALEX! What did you do to your brother's head???"

Alex looked at me and said "I didn't want bugs to bite him.... I gave him sunscreen."
I went in the room to find the back of Foster's head covered in Selim's face lotion and diaper rash cream. I started to wash it all off, but decided to take a picture. Here is what was left of it when I got around to taking the picture:

And here are some cute pictures of Foster and his cousin, Peyton. They share a crib at daycare and are just too adorable together!

2009-05-14T20:34:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to Austin to visit Grandma, PopPop, Uncle Omar, Aunt Karin, Bella, Tyler and Brady! It was great to see everyone. (And sorry again for bringing the Hand, Foot, and Mouth with us!)

Alex loved seeing everyone and playing with his cousins. And Foster was happy to meet everyone.
Grandma and PopPop came to Houston to spend a little more time with us. They were nice enough to teach Alex how to hit a ball. I think he's a natural!

And we're all better... I think.

2009-05-13T07:43:00.003-05:00

What a strange couple of weeks it has been. Alex broke out in some crazy rash that turned out to be Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. We finally got that under control and then Foster woke up in the middle of the night wheezing and sounding like he was choking. We rushed him to the emergency room and found out he had croup.
Alex's HF&M went away, and Foster's croup turned into just a nasty cough. Now the cough is going away and he broke out in the HF&M rash.
We have been to the dr.'s office 4 times in the last 3 weeks. (Well, 5 times if you count the ER visit!)
But, happily, everyone seems to be feeling fine today.

On Monday, Foster weighed in at 17 pounds and 11 ounces. Maybe we can hit 18 pounds by his 4 month visit next Friday! :-)

Almost 3 months...

2009-04-10T20:59:00.003-05:00

Foster is 11 weeks and 1 day old now. Time is flying!

Today we took him for pictures with his cousin Peyton. Peyton is exactly one week older than him. (and about 5 lbs lighter!) :-)

They were both so well behaved. Alex was, too. He was happy as long as he didn't have to take any pictures.

Chubby Baby!

2009-03-23T16:00:00.002-05:00

Foster went for his 2 month appointment today and he is officially HUGE! He weighs 14 lbs 7 oz. (Alex weighed 12lbs 12oz at 2 months!)

He is doing great and the doctor is pleased with his development!

His Father's Fashion Sense

2009-03-14T10:11:00.002-05:00

Selim always says Alex looks just like him... After seeing the outfit he put together for himself the other day, I will gladly agree! :-)

Time Flies

2009-02-24T09:29:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe Foster is almost 5 weeks old already! He is growing fast.

We took him for his one month appointment and found out that he is pretty chunky. (No surprise there)

He weighed 7 lb 7oz at birth, 8 lbs 8 oz at 2 weeks, and two weeks later he weighed 11 lbs 4 oz! I think he is going to be be a big one like Alex!

Both boys are doing well. Alex is really good to his baby brother. He talks to him and shows him all of his toys. Foster is keeping us awake all the time, but is pretty adorable, so that makes it easier.

Here are some pictures we had taken last week!

Welcome Home, Foster!

2009-01-26T11:49:00.004-06:00

Alex is proud to introduce his baby brother, Foster!

Foster joined us on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 10:35 a.m., weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces!
He is such a sweet little guy and even though he won't let us sleep at night, we couldn't be happier to have him!

Alex loves having a little brother and gives him lots of kisses and love!

We can't wait for everyone to come and meet him soon!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T20:03:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We sure did.
Alex was so excited this year. He left cookies and milk for Santa. (well he drank the milk and then had to leave a second glass... but still!)

He woke up early and was yelling for us to come get him so he could see Santa. Then he ran into the kitchen to see if the cookies were gone. And he had a blast opening gifts! The only problem was convincing him not to open everyone's gifts.

It was a fun day for all of us!

We're still here!

2008-12-14T19:27:00.002-06:00

Sorry we haven't updated in over a month. We're still here, though!
Everything is going great!
Alex is growing so much and is talking even more. It is unreal.
The pregnancy is going great and in just about 6.5 weeks we will be bringing our little guy home! It is hard to believe how fast time is flying by.

Alex has been sleeping in his big boy room since we got back from Arkansas. (Thanks Grandma and PopPop for the awesome ceiling fan!) We are getting everything ready for the baby, and it makes it so much easier to have the nursery empty for him.

Oh, and Alex will only refer to himself as Big Boy now. He still answers to Alex, though! :-)

Arkansas!

2008-11-12T18:52:00.003-06:00

We had a great time in Arkansas visiting with Grammo and PopPop! So many adventures.... Alex rode on a boat for the first time, climbed on a real train, saw Smokey the Bear, and even rode an airplane. And he loved every minute of it.

On our last day there we find an old jail built in 1928.

It was sad to say goodbye and come home, but we are definitely looking forward to visiting again soon!

Just Some Fun Pics!

2008-11-02T19:50:00.004-06:00

Here is Alex as a scary dinosaur! The second picture is his "scary face!"

And here he is braving the big boy bike!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:49:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween from Tigger! Tigger and Scooby did some serious trick-or-treating!
He was pretty wiped out by the end of the night!

Pumpkins for our little pumpkin...

2008-10-13T07:48:00.002-05:00

We went to a fall festival over the weekend and Alex loved the pumpkin patch!

He also got to sit in a firetruck! What a big boy.

So Long, Old Friend!

2008-10-10T19:47:00.002-05:00

Alex finally said goodbye to his old friend, Binky (aka Bink Bink). It wasn't by choice, but it was time.

Tonight is night #4 without it and we couldn't be more proud. He has not cried or thrown a fit. He has asked for it several times, but each time we tell him it's gone, he says "ok." Such a big boy!

R.I.P. Old Friend

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-09T07:40:00.003-05:00

Happy 4th anniversary to us!

Alex and Daddy

2008-10-06T20:07:00.004-05:00

Alex loves playing outside with his daddy. So they spent the afternoon sitting outside, looking through the telescope, and talking about who knows what. Alex loved every minute of it!

Why We Can't Get a Babysitter...

2008-10-06T20:01:00.002-05:00

We asked Steve to keep an eye of him for a few minutes and this is what happened. Now that I think about it, we really haven't seen much of Steve since then. I hope he's ok!

We're ok!

2008-09-29T16:45:00.003-05:00

So I fell down. While pregnant. And holding Alex. Not my finest moment by a long shot. But we are all ok.
I have a skinned knee and some bruises on my leg and Alex was terrified, but other than that we are fine.
The dr. wanted to do an ultrasound just to make sure we didn't rattle Owen too much in the fall. Everything looks great, though. He weighs about 1.5 pounds and is just as cute as can be! It is amazing how much he has grown in 4 weeks. (And me, too! I gained 7 pounds in 4 weeks. Yikes!)

Falling while pregnant is never a good plan, but at least we got more pictures of Owen. So enjoy this one, it didn't come easy.

Now, if only I could get Alex to quit telling people that Mommy dropped him...

A Birthday Party and a Big Boy Room! What a Weekend!

2008-09-21T20:05:00.002-05:00

Alex went to a gymnastics party for his little friend Ellarie's 2nd birthday! He had a great time jumping on the trampolines and playing with everyone. I think his favorite part was the cupcake, though.

We also started on the big boy room this weekend! The painting is almost all finished, then we move on to putting the furniture together and decorating. Alex is very excited about this new room. Pictures to come soon...

We Survived Ike!

2008-09-17T19:04:00.002-05:00

As most of you already know we made it through Ike with no damage to our home or family! We were without power for about 2 days, though. That was rough. We have never been so happy to hear our a/c kick on.
The worst part of having no power was just the heat and trying to keep Alex cool. The kid wouldn't slow down at all and spent both days just dripping with sweat.

Selim's club was untouched! That is a miracle. We were really worried that it would have flooded, or that the bubbles that cover half of the tennis courts would have blown away!
So he is back to work, but it is pretty slow. Most of his clients are busy repairing their homes or they have left the city until they get their power back.

We never worried once about my office, so of course it is in shambles. The roof was torn off of the entire office building. Our actual offices were flooded and have pieces of the ceiling everywhere. They are estimating at least 2 weeks before we can get back in.
The firm has not made a decision on what our next step is. We might relocate, we might find temporary space, we might live in a trailer in the parking lot?
The courts are all up and running again, though. So I am back to business as usual, just without an office to go to.

All in all, we were very lucky!

Hurricane Preparation

2008-09-11T19:50:00.003-05:00

We spent the day getting ready for our visit from Ike. I think we have everything covered.

The highlight of Alex's day was helping his daddy take everything from the backyard and place it safely in the garage. (No flying lawnchairs on our watch!)

He even parked his toy lawnmower proudly next to his daddy's lawnmower and repeatedly informed our neighbors that he was helping his daddy clean the garage.

He was so hot and sweaty after he finished that he had to go straight into the bath! No argument from him, of course...

The boy loves his bath!

Who is the bravest boy ever?!

2008-09-08T19:49:00.003-05:00

Alex, of course!

Today he had his 2 year check up with the doctor. I was so nervous about this visit because I knew he needed to get a shot or two. He is just so aware of what is going on these days and I didn't think he would react well to someone trying to stick him in the leg with a needle.

Selim and I also had to get our flu shots today. It was an ordeal just getting Selim to the doctor's office. He won't admit it, but he is terrified of needles. So you can imagine his excitement when he found out they now offer a nasal mist vaccine instead of a shot. That happiness was short-lived, though, as we soon realized you cannot get the mist if you have asthma. Poor Selim.

Alex watched Selim and I get our shots and was very impressed by our "stickers" (aka Tweety Bird band-aids)

He told the nurse he wanted one, please!

When she gave him the shot he looked angry for a brief second, like he was thinking "that isn't a sticker!" but before he could react, she popped a band-aid on his leg.

My brave boy responded to his shot with a "Yea! Thank you!"
Yes, he actually thanked the nurse for his shot.

Oh, and it turned out, out of the 3 of us, Alex was the only one eligible for the nasal mist. You can't get it if you have asthma or are pregnant.

And even though Selim wasn't the bravest boy today and he certainly didn't thank the nurse for his shot, he did put on a brave face for Alex and he didn't yell at the nice lady. And for that, Selim gets his very own picture on the blog tonight!

Check out that Tweety Bird band-aid!

Big Boy Room

2008-09-02T18:58:00.003-05:00

So cute! If you ask Alex what his baby brother's name is he will proudly tell you it's Owen! I love it.
Today he kissed my belly and said "Hi, Owen! Bye! Call me!"

We have started the process of getting Alex's big boy room ready for him. It is surprisingly a much more emotional task than I had anticipated. For some reason I am starting to get a little sad/freaked out about moving him out of his nursery! (But I am also having a hard time dealing with him turning 2!)
It will still be a while before the room is ready, so I have time to adjust, but I think I might cry before it is all said and done.

We decided to move his room way before Owen's arrival. We don't want him to have too much change at once or to feel like his little brother is taking over and booting him out of his own room! So we are going to pick out paint colors and start getting his new space ready for him. Hopefully he will be all settled in and adjusted long before Owen is born.

As soon as we figure out what direction we are going with the room I will post pictures. We are thinking of doing a car and/or airplane theme!

Oh, I forgot....

2008-08-31T20:13:00.003-05:00

It looks like Alex's baby brother just might have a name! Surprisingly, Selim and I both love the name Owen and Alex seems to like it, too!
So for now it looks like Owen is the name...

I can't believe he's 2!

2008-08-31T19:27:00.006-05:00

He even looks like a big boy now!

Alex had a wonderful birthday! Selim and I took him to the zoo to celebrate. He loved looking at all of the "aminals." His favorites were the sea lions, the monkeys, and the giraffes!

He was disappointed that the elephants weren't out, though. He was so looking forward to seeing them.

The look on his face in this picture is in response to a friendly giraffe that

got a little too close to us!

We also had a party to celebrate his big day! Lots of friends and family showed up to celebrate with us. He was so spoiled with all the gifts, and he loved every minute of it! It looked like a toy store exploded in our living room! (Not to worry, he did get some clothes and even some Spiderman underwear, too!)
He had a blast and partied hard until the wee hours of 7:30 p.m.

And, he finally got his tigger cake! Words cannot describe how happy he was when his daddy walked in with it. I think it made his whole year!

Birthday Presents!

2008-08-28T19:40:00.002-05:00

Alex got a birthday present in the mail today! His first one to honor his 2nd birthday.

Thank you Uncle Omar, Aunt Karin, Bella, Brady, and Tyler! He loves it.

A baby brother for Alex....

2008-08-28T19:37:00.004-05:00

It's official... We are having a boy! We are so excited!

Our ultrasound went well, everything looked great and the baby is very healthy and active.

Now the name hunt begins. Does he look like a Benjamin to you?

Stunt Man

2008-08-26T18:58:00.004-05:00

Well here is one more toy added to the list of things Alex can't play with anymore....

It looks innocent enough, right?

Selim has told me repeatedly that he gets nervous when Alex plays on his rocking horse. He is convinced Alex will rock too hard and flip it over. I assured him he would be just fine. It's a toddler toy! Right?

Fast forward to today. Alex was happily rocking on his horse. He was laughing and yelling for me to watch him. Soon he was rocking so hard that I started to get nervous. But before I could grab him, the whole horse flipped over! Alex flew off, landed on his head and did a flip. The horse landed on top of him.

I think my heart actually stopped beating.

I ran over to get him and he looked shocked and terrified. He stared at me for about 3 seconds before he busted out laughing and saying "Again, Mommy!!! Please!?!?"

So, against much protest and whining, I put the horse away for now.

Our little stunt man is going to give me a heart attack!

Alex is almost 2!

2008-08-17T19:32:00.004-05:00

It is so hard to believe that our little baby is almost 2 years old. Where did the time go?

Selim and I are working on planning a birthday party for him and Alex has been all too happy to help.

He is so excited about the Tigger cake he requested. He talks about it everyday. Sometimes talking about it gets him a little too excited and he runs into the kitchen looking for his cake. (We haven't even ordered it yet!) We have to remind him that he doesn't get the cake until his birthday and he always says "Tigger cake? Maybe later?" (Except later sounds like "lay lay" - even cuter!)

I will be sure to post pictures of Alex enjoying his Tigger cake! But for now, here is a blast from the past.

Alex devouring his first birthday cake!

Alex's Pool

2008-08-11T07:24:00.005-05:00

Alex loves to play in his pool. He splashes around and pour buckets of water over his head. Unfortunately, it is so miserably hot here that we don't play outside nearly as often as he would like.

Yesterday, though, he was so good while Selim and I shopped at Home Depot that we had to reward him with some pool time! He was so patient while his daddy shopped for the perfect lawn food and sprinklers. (And for those of you who don't know, Selim can spend hours in the garden center looking a fertilizers and pesticides)

He was so excited when we got home and filled up his pool. He couldn't wait to get in. He even did his little happy dance when I got his swimming trunks out!

Alex had a playdate!

2008-07-31T20:52:00.000-05:00

Alex's friend Travis came over to play the other day. They had an awesome time and were total boys!

They chased each other and raced through the house....

They played in the little house...

They even figured out how to drive a truck!

Big Baby!

2008-07-31T19:41:00.000-05:00

Today was an exciting day! I had a doctor's appointment and an ultrasound! The baby is so big and they changed my due date to 2/11/09! We also scheduled an induction for 2/4/09, so if all goes well that will be the baby's birthday.

Hopefully we will found out the gender at our next visit on August 28th! (The day before Alex's 2nd birthday!)

The newest member of the Samman family!

Welcome to our blog....

2008-07-29T07:58:00.000-05:00

For a long time now I have told myself to start a blog so that our family and friends can keep up with us as our little family grows and changes. I actually told myself to do this before Alex was even born! Now that he is about to turn 2 I guess I should really get on it.

For those who don't know, Selim and I are expecting another little one! I am 11 weeks along and we are due right around Valentine's day. We can't wait! Selim is really hoping for a daughter, but we have a few more months to go before we find out. Any guesses?