Life Happens

8 Crazy Nights Start Now

2007-12-04T17:37:00.001-05:00

It's Chanukah and our pumpkin is still out!

And it's not cold here!

Bouncing Sammy

2007-12-04T13:09:00.001-05:00

High energy Sam is testing out his bouncy skills on his Suemami (grandma) while watching the evening the news

Sammy Crawls (7 months)

2007-12-04T13:08:00.001-05:00

Stand all by myself? No problem!

2007-12-02T00:08:00.000-05:00

Sam has figured out to grab the floor with his toes and use every muscle in his body to stand so that he can wave (read flap), play with a toy, or reach down and grab something. Everyday he holds the pose for longer and longer.

Here I go mom!

Look at me!

I am so cool, huh

This is so easy!

Boom!

Sam Eats Camera

2007-11-18T23:25:00.000-05:00

All Together in the Little Blue House

2007-10-29T11:13:00.000-04:00

It's been such a LONG time since any of us (Sam and Molly included) have even had the chance to sit down long enough to post an update on our lives. With Dan back and forth to California and Sarah and Sam back in DC, the family was separated for too long! Auntie Allie took very good care of Sam and was a huge help back in DC.

Now... finally!... we're all here in Oakland, CA, and our boxes have arrived, and little by little we're beginning to put the pieces back together again. Internet, cable, and telephone are hooked up, and we're back to blogging!

Sam, of course, only gets cuter. He would be writing himself but he's talking on the cordless phone and putting a movie in the DVD player (maybe we should have got an entertainment center with doors?). In other words, he's BUSY - all the time.

We thought it would take at least a little while longer before he began getting into everything, but already at six months, we need to be sure not to leave anything out on the floor, and we're in a mad rush to baby-proof a house that still has boxes, packing material, and MESS EVERYWHERE!

Since we last posted, Sam's learned to sit, he's learned to stand (!), he's been eating more and more different foods, and he discovered Molly (the dog). He LOVES playing with her.

It's still a few days before Halloween, but Sam's already been decked out in his costume at a party that a neighbor invited us to. Check him out in his tiger costume! (don't miss the tail)

He's eating bananas, peas, sweet potatoes (doesn't like these much), and probably some other things that I haven't noticed (or things that I have, but am embarrassed to tell you, like paper, extension cords, and Molly's tail. whoops.) Whatever it is, it's a mess - look how messy he gets! We feed him in his birthday suit (i.e., naked) just about all the time just to save on some laundry!

FINALLY - While there are SO many more stories to tell, we'll leave you with some of ALL the pictures we've taken in the last couple of months:

Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset

2007-10-09T16:17:00.000-04:00

My Days at the Beach

2007-08-06T15:37:00.000-04:00

We finally got some pics up from our wonderful trip to the cape! Click here for the album. Sam refused to take naps while he was there--he didn't want to miss a thing! He joined us on the cliff for clams in his swing, went swimming (a first!) and took long walks on the beach with his friends. We all passed most of the vacation just watching all the funny things he does (and eating and eating, of course)

He's now grabbing at toys that are put in front of him and EVERYTHING goes in his mouth--sometimes he manages both fists! He's into mirrors and rolling onto his side and he still loves to stand for as long as anyone will hold him! His hair is falling out and coming in much lighter and his eyes are blue like dan's (I still can't believe it!).

Little Harbor Sunset - Family Portrait

2007-07-25T09:55:00.001-04:00

Buzzard's Bay Sunset - Family Portrait, originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

Dan's back in DC after almost a full week of relaxation by the sea at the "Melrose Place" - i.e., Susan (aka Sue-Mami) & Harriet's (together, aka the Silly Sisters) Cape Cod cottage in Wareham (where we were married).

Sarah and Sam are still up there enjoying themselves, while I'm back at work again...

This sunset picture is just one of literally HUNDREDS of photos I shot over the last week... more coming soon (I thought I'd do everyone the favor of filtering them somewhat...). The sunsets were ridiculously beautiful, and I set up a makeshift outdoor studio to take lots of gorgeous portraits for j-date or facebook or even picture frames...

Remember, you can always find our most recent pictures posted in chronological order here (or by clicking on "PHOTOS" at the top of this page).

Sam Rocks Out

2007-07-02T11:24:00.001-04:00

Sam has had a busy month! In the beginning of June he went a cruise vacation with the extended Lieberman Family. He was the youngest passenger on board! Everyone got sea sick except for Sam who loved all the rocking! After the cruise he went to Maya and Justin's beautiful wedding in Rhode Island. Then he traveled to CT to play with Grandma Sue (also known as Sue-mami)

Last weekend Sam hung out with mom and dad, Ben, Daniela, Irene, Catalina, Alex, Albert, and thousands of others at Merriweather Post Pavilion It was his first concert, and he LOVED IT! We saw Thievery Corporation and Manu Chao. Sam danced for hours with Daniela and Ben and then fell asleep on Irene's shoulder. Click here for a few more pictures of the show.

For Father's day Sam hung out with his sweetheart Shalva in Rock Creek Park joined by all of his closest friends. Click here for more .

Sam's Activity Gym

2007-06-19T23:21:00.000-04:00

Sam loves his activity gym. Click on the play button above to watch him play.

Smiling Sam

2007-05-27T22:20:00.001-04:00

Sam first smiled at 5 weeks (the day before Mother's Day) but this weekend he focused on his mobile and cracked himself up! It was so fun to watch. Click here for more pictures of Sam at Play.

While Sam is learning how to make sense of the world Mommy and Daddy are learning a few new tricks of their own...We're learning how to take turns eating dinner and how to cut up each other's food so whoever is "baby-holding" can nibble and bounce and pat at the same time. We're learning how to keep ourselves from getting showered while diaper changing (Dan however did get it in the mouth once) and how to get by on almost no sleep...but mostly we're getting to know Sam and what he likes and doesn't like. He likes to be swaddled but with his hands and arms free. He even sleeps with his arms above his head, like his Daddy. He wants to be moving ALL the time. Stop moving while holding him in the early evening hours and he howls in protest. He's a huge fan of the bath (or the shower), his own tongue, and his swing and vibrating chair. (See bathtime pics). He doesn't mind when Molly licks his feet (which she does often) but when she licks his face--not so much. He is now sleeping for 5-6 hours at night (yea!). But the best part is that he's sleeping in his cradle instead of in bed with us...a HUGE accomplishment.

Sam must go through 100 emotions in a minute because his face is constantly changing expressions. He goes from confused to happy to worried to bored in a split second, each emotion with its owned defined "look." The photos to the right are all of Same at one month, before smiling was one of his "looks." Watching him is constant entertainment for both of us. In fact, he has so many different expressions, we created an expressions set just to show some of them.

I Heart Mommy--Sarah's first Mother's Day

2007-05-24T19:02:00.001-04:00

I Heart Mommy, originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

Sam ( 5 weeks in this picture) loves his mommy! We had a great family outing on Mother's Day and went for a 5-mile walk through Manassas Battlefield National Park in Virginia. It was a gorgeous day. click here to see a few pictures from the day.

Rip Sam Wrinkle

2007-05-11T22:47:00.001-04:00

Wrinkles, originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

Sounds like Rip Van Winkle... get it?

Last night, Sam slept 5 hours straight - a new record for him. The next challenge will be getting him to do that in his cradle rather that on daddy's chest on the sofa in the TV room. As much as daddy loves TV, he misses sleeping with mommy in bed.

I stole this picture of Sam a few days ago while Sarah was sleeping and Sam, just waking up in her lap, beginning to stir. I picked him up quickly so Sarah wouldn't be disturbed (any extra few minutes is gold to her by now), to let her sleep while I put Sam down on the bed and snapped away while he was happy. You'd never know by his look on his face here here that he's just a few moments away from making it very clear that he's done with the picture-taking and ready for breakfast - NOW! I like how the wrinkles of his back seem to cross over to his forehead; the lines complement each other. It could also just be that I'm getting way too into the artistic interpretation of these pictures?

Sam's First Date

2007-05-03T12:08:00.000-04:00

Sam has been busy this past week. He keeps his mother awake feeding for hours on end every night, but no bother - he has places to go and people to see.

Debby and Larry came to visit the other day, as did Ben and Daniela, and Aunt Claudia was down from New York to spend some quality time with him.

Most exciting, though, was Sam's first date with his betrothed, Shalvah.

Shalvah was born a week after Sam to our good friends Ned and Nahanni (and of course she also has a website, here). Despite the fact that she's only 2/3 of Sam's age (or was this past weekend), she dwarfs him! Sam's a sucker for her adorable squishy fat cheeks and her gorgeous complexion. It seems she doesn't suffer from the neonatal acne that Sam has been battling. He was, however, comforted by the fact that Shalvah must also have been nervous for their date. This was plainly evidenced by the fact that while Sam, reminiscent of that Wonder Years episode where Fred Savage has to meet the cute girl with a huge zit on his face, did have a few pimples, Shalvah peed through all her clothes and showed up for their first date practically naked!

Anyway, Sam and Shalvah met at the park to have dinner and hang out together. They had a great time, as did their parents. Click here to see more pictures of their first date.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2007-05-01T13:37:00.001-04:00

Take naps when you can

2007-04-28T21:49:00.000-04:00

Thank you!
We still haven't been able to e-mail, write, or call all the people we want, or even to respond to all the calls and messages we've got over the last few weeks. We will soon, but I just want to heartedly thank all our friends and family who have gone out of their way these last couple of weeks to help out and to extend their love to us all, especially little Sam.

For new parents: take naps when you can; we've come to understand this as a basic tenet of parenthood, at least in the first two weeks. We take turns sleeping each night (and during much of the day too). Sam hasn't slept for more than 3 hours YET (in sooth, I'm quite enjoying the extra late-night TV time if not my own comatose afternoons). Sam's schedule is clockwork, and he is ready to eat almost every 2 hours around the clock. Now that I'm back at work, Sarah has been working even harder and sleeping even less. She's very impressive!

We've had a lot of visitors; this past week, Julie, Fish, Fiona, Maya, and Justin all came around to hang with the little man.

Check out our flickr page for more photos here.

In Daddy's Hand

2007-04-24T12:03:00.001-04:00

In Daddy's Hand, originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

I'm 11 days old here, in my daddy's hand, and not quite sure what to make of the situation. As indicated by my ever-furrowed brow, I'm trying to decide whether the position warrants relaxing or crying, and I'm caught somewhere in the middle.

I was patient enough for my mom and dad to take several pictures of me in this precarious pose, though, and they seemed to be happy with this, the last of the bunch.

As always, more pictures of Sam and fam here.

Sam's First Modeling Gig

2007-04-18T09:29:00.001-04:00

Samuel Paul at 9 days
Originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

This was the best shot from a quick photoshoot during the few minutes that Sam was awake with his eyes open yesterday. Considering he does nothing but eat, sleep, and poop, there's little opportunity for lounging around with his eyes open. This was a significant achievement!

p.s., The makeshift "studio" backdrop is Sarah's pashmina, and the flash is camera right, bounced off the right wall.

More Family Comes to Town

2007-04-16T16:45:00.001-04:00

Grandma Gertrud, Sarah, and Sam
Originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

On Saturday morning, my parents and grandparents came in to visit with the (cutest) baby. Here, my mom, Gertrud, is holding her new grandson.

Baby's First Bath

2007-04-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

Today Susan, Sarah, Hannah, and I gave Sam his first (sponge) bath. He was cooperative for the most part, and only peed on two walls, one counter and three people before it was done. After rinsing and patting dry, a mysterious yellow substance appeared on his leg.

Susan ran his thick head of hair under the kitchen faucet and he calmed down right away.

Early this morning Richard (Sarah's dad and Sam's granddad) arrived with Hannah (Sarah's sister). They both were so happy to meet Sam, hold him, change him, and burp him.

Click here to see more pictures from today!

i heart daddy

2007-04-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

Today was our second day at home all together. Dan and Sam took a long morning nap together (he fed and slept like a champ all day). In the afternoon we took Sam and Molly out for a walk and introduced him to the neighbors. When he's awake he's really alert and when he's sleeping he's the sweetest little peanut. We put him in premie clothes so that he doesn't look silly in the regular newborn clothes and his new premie hat fits his little head perfectly!

Maternal Bliss

2007-04-11T19:11:00.001-04:00

Maternal Bliss
Originally uploaded by Dan and Sarah.

Sam is home from the hospital, and I've posted pictures of his homecoming and of some of his first visitors into our "growing family" collection.

Click here to see them all.

Pictures of Sam

2007-04-09T12:55:00.000-04:00

Just 24 hours after he's born, I'm posting several pictures of Sam and his proud mommy and daddy from the last day. We're resting now (but not really) in between feedings and changings, and trying to catch our breath.

This is already the most amazing experience of our lives, and it's only just begun.

The Sam Set is posted to flickr here. Enjoy, and be in touch!!!

I guess we don't need the Sam countdown timer any more...

lots of love all around -

We have a son!!!

2007-04-08T12:01:00.001-04:00

Sarah gave birth to little boy Samuel Paul Lieberman at 11:15 this morning, April 8th, 2007.

Sam was 6 pounds, 7 ounces and is beautiful.

Mom and dad are elated....

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Sent from my wireless handheld.