Special guest...

Granddad came to visit this weekend! We had a very busy couple of days, including a hiking adventure in Wisconsin (pictures coming shortly), a lunch outing at Tin Fish, several trips to Trader Joe's, and of course, napping...

Sam and his boppy

This pillow is amazing.

Wearing a very special onesie from dear Carolyn:

And with his new teddy bear from across the pond, courtesy of Nance:

The many faces of Sam

We call this one milk face...

And then a few more close-ups...

Sam goes swimmimg!

One of our favorite summer activities is going to the St. Louis Park pool...outdoor lap swimming, water slides, $1.50 pb&j sandwiches...it's the best. We decided it's never too early for swim lessons! Sam was not a fan. We'll try again next summer.

We didn't have much luck with the tub either...but he sure was a super cute frog. (Thanks, Erica!)

Home Sweet Home

After a few days, we bid farewell to room 427 and took Sam for his first car ride...while he initially wasn't too happy about the car seat, he was fast asleep by the time we pulled out of the parking lot.

When we arrived home, Sam was introduced to his new best friend, Switzerland. It was a joyful reunion. Sheyna wept...and we're pretty sure Matt did too. Now our family is complete (see family portrait taken outside of Sam's future elementary school).

There were all sorts of contraptions to try out, including the Mamaroo (a futuristic baby swing) and the famous Bob stroller.

And just a few final reminders of how cute our little peanut is:

Hi Sam!

At 3:07pm on Saturday August 13th, 2011 Samuel Harold Horowitz Gamage arrived! Yes, he has two middle names. And, yes, it's a mouthful but it was the best option to accommodate his stubborn parents. (Read: his stubborn mother.) He's named after two special men--Sheyna's grandfathers. We actually think his initials are pretty cool, kinda like a battleship--the S.H.H.G.
We'll spare you the details of labor and delivery but because of Sam's length (22.5 inches!) and his crooked positioning, a c-section was in order. And not just one, but two epidurals! (Sheyna's worst nightmare come true.) But it was all worth it because in the end our award was one very special little guy.