Photo Blog: Sammy Jay's First Year!

I realized that I have been taking all these monthly pictures, but I wanted to have all of them in one post so you can really see how much he has changed over this first year- so here you go!

 

Sam (and I agree) the biggest change came between his 6 month & 7 month picture.

Also, being this is a "photo blog" I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of lil man from this first year! The pictures aren't "ranked" but just in timeline order.

He is such a ham! He loves being the center of attention, and with those big brown eyes and his happy/ goofy smile- he normally is! Looking through all my photos it makes me realize how far we have come in just this first year, and I'm look very forward to all the years we have ahead of us!

Sammy Jay: 11 & 12 Month Update

Again, I know this is late but better late than never! These last two months have been pretty fun and exciting because Sammy has changed quite a bit- so I knew it was important to make sure I got this final post in. But first here are his 11 month and 12 month/ 1 year pictures:

(Sammy wouldn't sit still for the first time we tried to take the picture, so Sam holding him upside-down was the best we could do!) 

(Here the "official". It's a little weird/ fitting that the monkey hoodie Sammy is wear is the only clothing my dad ever bought him and this picture was taken just days before his passing.) 

(Not counting months anymore. He's 1 year old!)

I have to say getting the pictures and has become quite a major undertaking. It usually involves both Sam and I coordinating efforts- one of us distracting him from touching the chalkboard, and the other trying to get him to look at the camera while trying to take the picture all at the same time.

Clothes- He still fits into all his 12 month clothes, but being that he has very few 12 month size most of the clothes he wears is 18 month size. Actually seeing him wear pants that are a little too big for him is pretty darn cute. Well- until he slips because he's walking on the back of the pants- then that's not so cute. Also, we're still really bad about having him wearing shoes on a regular basis. Anytime we put them on him - they are off and thrown across the room/ car within the first 3 minutes of him having them on. I think I've created a "no shoes" monster.

(He loves to play in the cabinets! - And grandma lets him.)

Movement & Talking: He is a walking champ! He really started walking at 10 months but it took him about a whole month to get it down pat. But he has been walking strong for the past few weeks, and you only see him clawing if he's extremely tired.

As for talking he has his own language he loves to express himself in- but nobody else knows what he's talking about. However, we've been working on teaching him some baby sign language to help him better communicate with us. What we have been work on is "All done." when he's eating. Before starting the sign language the only way we know he was done with his food is when he started throwing it all over the floor and just screamed at us. We are really liking the "all done" sign a lot better- plus our kitchen floor is staying a little bit cleaner.

Sleeping: In the past two months we have found that he has a favorite "blue blankey" that comforts him and helps him go to sleep a lot easier at night. He still will wake up typically once a night, but I'm hoping that will change in the next few months as he eats more before he goes to bed.

Also, we have pretty much worked him down to one nap a day. Sometimes it's as short as 45 minute nap and other days it's as long as 2 1/2 hours. However, his average is closer to an hour.

Eating: He's eating machine! You pretty much name it he'll eat it- except for beats. His great grandma tried to give him some beats and that is one food he was not having. Additionally, he normally does really well if we go out to eat- as long as he get food right away and you keep it coming!

Also, I am happy to report that I was able to reach my goal of nursing him for year! However this kid coming off the "juice" by Thanksgiving! I have already started putting in motion a "detox plan" where I am slowly starting to mix in whole milk with his pumped bottled. So if everything goes according to plan, he should be on whole milk only by Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to the holidays this year and not having to worry about nursing. I wish me luck!

Teething- From his 10 month update, he has doubled the number of teeth from 3 to 6. He has four on the top and two on the bottom. Currently I don't think any more are coming in right now but they seem to come in pretty quickly, so who knows when the next set will show up.

Other highlights for the past two months:

Farmer Sammy!

Between visiting my grandpa Jay who is a farmer, Sammy getting to sit/play on grandpa's tractor, and going the pumpkin farm (and petting the goats)- Sammy got to channel his in farmer this fall. I'm exciting for next year when he'll get to enjoy it even more!

Halloween!

Even though we didn't "trick or treat" or really do too much for Halloween- it was still fun seeing Sammy in his monkey costume  and letting the leaves in our front yard.

This year has gone by quick. It has had many highlights and memories that will last a lifetime. I don't think I'm going to try to keep up the "monthly" updates- but I know there will be many many more Sammy Jay posts to come! 

Sammy's First Birthday- Done Twice!

I know this about week late, but better late than never... right?!?

I want to say "Thank you!" to all my family and friends who came out to Sammy's birthday parties- (Yes- he got two. I house isn't big enough for everyone to be at just one.) He had a great time and so did we (because everyone knows first birthdays are more for the parents than anyone else)!

I was so excited that my family came in from Michigan to help celebrate with us. That lil boy was very lucky and had 4 of 5 grandma's there!

I love that we got this picture and it will be treasured for a very long time!

Additionally, what would a birthday be without cake. We followed the trend and got Sammy his own "smash" cake. He did a good job getting at it, but he was kind enough not to kill the whole thing so mommy could steal a few slices of his chocolate cake!

He was also was showered with many new toys which he's had a great time playing with this week. Also, I guess it's time for me to put away his "baby toys"- (the swing, exersaucer, activity jumper, etc.) because he's moved on to his new ride on toys, blocks, and trucks.

However, even though he got a lot of really nice toys- What was Sammy favorite thing he got for his birthday?

Balloons! This kids has been walking around my house all week these. And he didn't just get one small balloon- he has a bundle of 8 small to large sized balloons he's walking around with. I've been hit some many times in the face with the balloons this week because he wants to me "see them" and play "Happy Birthday". -One of the balloon has Mickey Mouse singing Happy Birthday- so you have to hit the balloon to play the music. It's very cute the first 100x's but after a week I don't need anymore "Happy Birthday" from Mickey in my life. 

4 Years In- Happy Anniversary to Us!

In the craziness of the past two weeks, our anniversary kind of went to the way side this year. However, even though we didn't do anything special- I still wanted to at least put a quick post together to share the memories of our wedding day!

If it wasn't for our wedding and the planning of the big day- there might not be a blog to hold all these great memories!

Sam-
I love you today more than I did the day I said "I do!". You are the best dad to Sammy Jay, and the most supportive husband (especially over the past 2 weeks). I am luckiest girl in the world to have you in my life.
Thanks for being my best friend and my partner through this walk in life! I love you!
~Stacy

A Eulogy for My Dad

For everyone who didn't get a chance to come one of my dad's services (or if you just want to read again), here is my eulogy for my dad.
RIP Dad- I love you!

First, I want to start off by thanking everybody for coming today to support myself, my mother, my family, and of course to be here to remember my dad. I want to thank everyone for their calls, text messages, and overall show of support for us this past week- it's meant a lot and has helped us through this difficult time.

My dad, Richard Karl Darkey Jr., was born May 24, 1957 in Battle Creek Michigan to Richard and Pat Darkey. He was the oldest of five children- with his siblings Linda, Jerry, Chuck, and David.

As a kid my dad was a Boy Scout, and my grandpa was even his scout leader for a number of years.  He continued his dedication to scouting well into his adult years as a scout leader for our church's Boy Scout troop in Kalamazoo, MI.

Also, growing up he loved comic books- which is a love he shared with his brother Jerry. (On a side note- if anyone knows a good way to sell old comic books, please talk to me after the service). Additionally, that love the comics grew into a love of all comic movies and TV shows. Batman, Superman, Iron Man- he loved them all.

My dad was also a high school athlete- doing wrestling and cross country. I remember in junior high finding his old high school letter-man jacket and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world- I even considered making a "high school sweetheart" Halloween costume using that jacket.

My dad graduated from Bellevue high school in Bellevue Michigan in 1976.  After finishing high school he went to Lansing Community College where he met my mom- Mary.

I remember my mom telling me the story about how he asked her out... They were in a class together, they to got talking, and she had mentioned she worked at a local daycare. However maybe my dad was too nervous but instead of just asking her out in person, he found the phone number of the daycare center and asked her out over the phone. At the time she told me the story I was in college and I said to her "mom, that's what you call a stalker". However there must have been something about my dad she really liked because they were married in less than a year on December 15, 1979 in Parma Michigan.

Right after they were married, they continue to live in Lansing for a few years and then moved to Kalamazoo which is where they decided to start their family.

On December 11, 1985, they welcomed me into the world. My dad was very excited to have a little girl because just a few weeks before I was born a good friend from our church had a little girl as well. When my dad saw his friend holding his baby girl, my dad was excited to have  his own "daddy's little girl" too. After a few more years, my sister Karen was born December 29, 1989 and our little family was complete!

My dad was always such a hard-working man. He never had an easy job and he's had many of them over the years. From a factory worker, to a custodian, to working for Kmart on an overnight shift and as a shoe manager, and to his most recent job as a drivers helper for Dunkin' Donuts.

Even though he worked hard he also knew how to enjoy life. He always enjoyed taking his girls out for dinner and  movies- and he even would happily go to see the newest "chick flick" if we wanted.

Also, he was very dedicated to the church. We would always go every Sunday as a family even if he had just gotten off a long night shift at Kmart. He loved to be involved with the church- between volunteering to be liturgist, singing in the choir, and even being in the church custodian for a number of the years- it always was a big part of his life. 

As us girls got older, sometimes we didn't want to get up early to go to church but dad always found a way to convince us to go – it typically involved a fresh box of donuts.For my sister who was more reluctant to get out of bed, he would go up to her and say "Karen, I got donuts... mmm... donuts...  donuts!". Our love of sweets was definitely inherited from our father. 

My dad's life wasn't always sunshine and rainbows. As a man, he went through few really rough years. However, even in the hardest years of his life, he never lost his faith in god and always kept smiling. That was the thing about my dad, he always try to see the positive side of things even if there wasn't much positive to see.

People have asked us, "Was he sick?". The answer is "No", but the writing was on the wall. It was 4 years ago (almost to the day of his passing), he gave us the biggest scare of our lives and had a heart attack 2 weeks before my wedding. I remember seeing him in the ICU and thinking my dad wasn't going to be able to walk me down the aisle.

It was one of the scariest times in our lives; but he bounced back with full focus. During our father- daughter dance, he was spinning me around so much on the dance floor I had to tell him to slow down because I didn't want to see my dinner come up and hit the floor. (But that would have made for a good story.)

Ever since then, my dad was living life to its fullest with all the excitement of other major events in our family lives. In the past 4 years he got to see my sister graduate from beauty school, the birth of my son Sammy Jay, and  got to attend my sister's wedding. 

And in his final full day here on this earth, I know his life was filled with joy and happiness, just because he got to enjoy spending the whole day with my mom and Sammy Jay. Being a grandpa was something my dad treasured, and I know even though he's not with us physically- he'll continued to enjoy watching Sammy grow up from afar.

Dad-
I love you. Even if I never said those words enough- I truly do.  Please know that anytime I see Dunkin' Donuts, eat at a buffet, or watch a comic-book movie, I will be thinking of you. Also, as my son grows up, I hope that he keeps his love of smiling  and making people happy- like you did for us and so for many!
Love you!
~Stacy

Got to Love Random Days Off

Yesterday both Sam and myself took off of work because it was our dating anniversary. I know it might be odd to still celebrate that date, but we were dating 10 years before we got married, so I still think its good to knowledge the date. Also we did really make any real plans, and because of this we ended up just doing a bit of our own thing... opps!

So while Sam worked on house projects, Sammy and I met up with my friend Ashley and her two girls. We got lunch and then went to a local farm.

(Her other daughter was sleeping, and you don't wake a sleeping baby!)

This farm a good number of things to do- kiddie rides, pig races, hay rides, a petting zoo, etc., but it will be better next year when Sammy is bigger and can enjoy it a little more. However, I'm still glad I took him because it was really nice to get out of the house, enjoy the last day of warm weather for a while, and I at least know it's worth going again next year!

Even though Sammy couldn't do much, he did enjoy the petting zoo. The goats were his favorite and I'm glad Ashley remembered to take pictures or I would have none!

 

It was a great use of my day off and I'm excited to do it again next year as a whole family! 

Sammy Jay: 10 Month Update

Can you believe I'm able to get an update out on time? Ok- 1 day late- but it still counts. I surprise myself, but I couldn't have been done it without my in-laws because they took Sammy on Sunday night! I feel very lucky that we have parents who are willing (and want to) take lil man for a night because I was able to sleep from 11:30pm until 8:45am! It was glorious!

This month we had some really exciting action happening with Sammy Jay so I didn't want to miss out on getting it documented...

Clothes- So for some reason we don't have a lot of 12 month clothes for Sammy, so yesterday I pulled out his 18 month clothes we have for him. Even though he still does fit his 9 month clothes because he has worn them so much some of them as getting kind gross with stains. Plus being that some brand of clothes run really small, he fits into those 18 month sizes now (like the one in the 10 month picture) and the clothes that run bigger we can hang on to those for later. 

Movement & Talking- Yup there is a lot of going on! Here is a video from tonight. 

He has stood on his own not holding on to anything for about 2-5 seconds and took a few tiny steps (not really a walk) but then is always ends up back on his butt or grabbing back on to something. However, I think he will be walking any day because he can walk only holding on to just one of my hands. We are getting really close people to have a full blown mover on our hands! 

Also, he is also really working on the talking. We get a lot of "ma, ma, mom," "ba, ba, ba", and some "da, da, da" sounds but you can telling he's not directing those at us. He loves when he's in his car seat to just babble to himself and we love listening to him.

Sleeping- This hasn't changed too much. He is still getting up about 2 times a night. However, because he's teething there was one night that he got up 4 times. That was a rough night on everyone but lucky there is only a few rough night here and there. 

Eating- This also hasn't changed much in the past month. I'm still nursing (which has gotten interesting with a teething baby) so at this point I'm planning on trying to make it to his first birthday and then when I can switch him to whole milk- than I'll be done. 

(What happens when you leave the baby alone with daddy!)

Other highlights from this past month-

He finally got teeth! We are currently at 3 (2 top and 1 bottom) but I feel like there will be a bunch more coming soon. I would love if we can get this teething thing done fast because it is no fun for any one.

We are changing him to his "big boy" car seat! We installed the first one in Sam's car and I'm still using the carrier in my car for now, but we'll get around to putting in the other one probably sometime this next month.

Lastly, Sammy is learning some bad habits we'll need to work on. Things like pinching, scratching, and hair pulling. He even got his great grandma- which I was not happy about but my grandma is a good sport.

But we were able to get this sweet picture with my grandma holding his hand! This is one my favorite picture from this past month!

You can just see the love in this picture and it will always put a smile on my face- love it!