Samantha

On to our last, but certainly not least, family update: Samantha.

Or "Boom Boom" as we like to call her. Please don't ask us where this nickname came from - I suppose when you're the third these crazy names can sneak in.

Just a few days old

Samantha was dedicated with several other babies at our church in September. It was a sweet time of praying for her and committing to bring her up in the Faith.

Pastor Greg praying over Samantha

While I was pregnant with her and deciding on her name, I was reading 1 Samuel and I would pray that she would listen to God like Samuel did.

And from the moment she started noticing sounds I often thought "Wow! This kid hears everything!" And, y'all, sometimes I think it's a miracle she ever sleeps. She startles at the teeniest rustle of paper or pitter patter of toes. Poor Ellie and Meg hear "REMEMBER, Samantha's SLEEPING!!" all.the.time.

We chalk it up to her sensitivity to noise, but this sweet thing hasn't exactly been the stellar sleeper that her sisters were. It's probably because she's been in the same room as Wiggle Worm Robert Jones, though ;) We've, thankfully, now started moving her to the kitchen when we go to bed, and we all seem to be getting a better night's sleep.

She's never short on smiles, that's for sure. This kid smiles on cue. She should do commercials. Seriously.

Her first Christmas was sweet and pretty low-key; it reminds me of her delivery when they told us we were free to go... and we just drove home... and started life... We sorely missed having family there to help us welcome her, but it was special in its own right and felt very English. Carry on, Jones Family! Sure you just had a baby, but that hardly necessitates a headline. Chin up! People do this every day!

Opening up her presents

Just around Christmas time we started feeding her solids and she's done well. Now, if we can only get her good at taking a bottle, we'll really be cooking!

She's fully into teething now, too. As of few weeks ago she has her two Trout Teeth (as I like to call them) on the bottom and she's getting her top two.

Which one of these is not like the other?

She loves her bouncer, too. At least for the first 10 minutes or so. And I love the freedom it usually affords me to finish up dinner :)

She's a tummy baby all the way. She's so close to crawling - she usually does that rocking on all fours thing for a while before she gives up and just swivels on her stomach to reach for another toy.

She's in this stroller quite a bit, but such is the plight of #3 I'm told. They have to be more on-the-go and she deals with it pretty well I think.

She is now sitting up well (with the occasional tumble over) but usually moves back onto her stomach after a few minutes of sitting.

Munching on a carrot stick at a restaurant in Oxford

My favorite article of clothing she owns has to be this sweet hat some friends knitted for her.

I mean, it just doesn't get any cuter than this:

Our little sweetie is nearly 8 months old and we (as all parents of little ones can attest) just don't know where the time has gone! She endears us to herself more each day and it's hard to imagine what life was like before she joined us.