Happy Birthday Sam!

 Our Samuel Ridd Lelis turned 1 June 28!!  Unfortunately I am a total slacker on blogging the past few months.  But I figure better late than never.

 I made Birthday pancakes for our little Wee Man.  We were leaving for Utah the next morning so I knew things would be too crazy to have a party that night. So we made sprinkle pancakes and they were delicious. Thank you pinterest!

 He loved his presents. We got him some board books and a caterpillar that plays music when you ride it. 

 I can't tell you how much joy this little dude brings to me.  I can't hardly imagine what our life was like before him.  He was meant to be with us.  He is very sweet and mild which really makes like alot easier for me, with adjusting to having 3 children.  Many people had words of advice about having 3 children. Some uplifting- but alot of it just scared me. I will say it was a difficult transition.  Throw in moving, the husband starting a new career and remodeling a house and it was a pretty wild year.  But I can't imagine not having all 3 of my crazy kids.  They're each so different and unique, I love watching their little personalities bloom.

And my Samuel is no exception.  Here is a little Sammy update for you:

* He LOVES cheese. Or any type of food with cheese on it or in it.
* He also loves black beans plain.  I can pop open a can and rinse a few and he's a happy little man.
* He eats an entire Banana nearly every day of his life. 
* Sam adores blueberries also.  But we have to monitor his intake as they can give him some gastrointestinal distress. 
* He only nursed for 11 months.  I had (as usual) a lot of difficulty keeping my supply up, and being a boy of bigger stature, it was just that much harder to keep him full during the night. Once he started having a little formula and sleeping through the night I felt like a NEW woman! I wondered why I hadn't started slipping him a little at bedtime long before! 
 * He is SO snuggly. He is almost always be willing to chill in my lap and read a story book with me.
*  He weighed 23 pounds at a year. I realize this is not enormous by most people's standards.  But Clara was 17 lbs at a year and Edie was 18. So for us he's a woolly mammoth.
* His smile melts my heart.
* He loves Avent and MAM binkies.  The Nuk are subpar.
* His belly hangs over his diaper and his thighs have giant rolls on them.  We joke that if you rub his belly you'll have good luck.  We have a hard time not squeezing his chunky little thighs all the time.
 * He can say Mom, Dada, NO!, and Baba for his sippy cup.  Although he seems to have dropped that one lately...
* He has blonde hair
* His eyes are currently transitioning from blue to brown.  John thinks they're turning green. But he also says his eyes are mostly green so....
* He enjoys pointing with his index finger. He'll randomly make eye contact with someone during sacrament meeting and then he'll sit and stare at them and point to them for a while afterwards. 
* He has a lovely bull legged walk.  It's especially cute with his big old diaper swinging low between his chubby legs.
* At a year he had 2 teeth, but now he has 5.  He is my crankiest teether by far!
* His nicknames include (But are not limited to): Sambo, Little Dude, Sam U Well, and Wee Man.

I can't look at his sweet round little face without smiling. I can't belive how much joy he has brought us!

It's sad how fast a year goes by. Sometimes I almost feel like I've missed it.  I'm trying not to focus too much on his babyhood coming to a close but enjoy how much more personality he's getting and watching him grow and interact with us. 

We love our Sammy!