This recipe is a Wiley family favorite, and Nick’s mother shared it with me years ago. Fudgy brownies + vanilla ice cream + salty peanuts + chocolate sauce = your new favorite summer dessert!

I made it on Saturday to take to a picnic, and we had literally licked the dish clean by Sunday afternoon. Welcome, summer!

It’s unlikely that you’ll remember the details from your eighth month, but it was a big one for our family. We bought a house! As we removed the books and toys from the shelves in your old room, packed your picture frames, and took down your birds mobile, we promised that everything would be waiting for you in our new home. But our promises didn’t prevent the sleepless nights that followed.

At first we thought you were teething, but I now believe your inability to settle was due to the stress associated with moving. Mommy and Daddy felt it, too. And we found that the only way to calm your middle-of-the-night cries was to tuck you into bed between us. You rolled towards Daddy to grab his nose and then towards Mommy to touch my hair before you finally drifted into dreamland.

It was a challenging few days, but it was worth it when we sat you down in our new spacious home and saw your eyes light up with excitement. So much to explore! Room to crawl! Trouble to get into!

Yes, Sammy, you conveniently waited until day 2 in our new home to become fully mobile. You started with a squirm — using your arms to drag your belly across the floor. Soon you figured out how to tuck your knees under your booty and push up onto all fours. Then you learned to synchronize your arm and leg movements to get from point A to point B. And now there’s no stopping you! You become more confident each day and have already added climbing and pulling up to your repertoire. You also decided that sitting is overrated and much prefer to position yourself in downward dog while playing. I’m just waiting for the day when you stand up and run across the room.

Because you’ve become so active, this month’s photo shoot was the most challenging yet. We may have to retire the stickers because you ripped it off your onesie in about 2.4 seconds! It may be exhausting to keep up with you these days, but it’s also so much fun to watch you explore the world. You examine your toys with such curiosity. And you have begun to imitate our actions. From banging plastic cups together to striking a Tupperware bowl with a wooden spoon to pushing your train across the room. You have also come up with some tricks of your own. Like biting onto the rim of a cup then removing your hands and looking to us for approval. When we clap and say “Yay Sammy!” you smile and the cup falls to the floor.

Speaking of smiling, there is almost always a wide grin spread across your face, revealing those two super sweet bottom teeth. You laugh out loud when I tickle your toes or Daddy kisses your bare belly. And you have learned to respond to our emotions. When we act excited and throw our arms in the air, you do the same. When we dance around the room, you sway your body and bop your head. Yeah, you’ve pretty much turned your parents into crazy people. We’ll do anything to make you happy.

Your serious face is awfully cute, too, though. Your eyes are still the brightest blue, and there is a slightly reddish tint to your hair. Gosh, I just want to gobble up those chubby cheeks.

Your current favorite activities include pulling tape from boxes and shredding newspaper and packing paper. Of course, you’re most interested in things you can’t have like coffee mugs and our laptop and electric outlets. (Needless to say, baby proofing is in full effect!) You are very persistent and squeal and flail your arms if we take something away from you. Seems like we are always saying No, Gentle, Be careful, and Give that to me.

But I wouldn’t want it any other way. You are seeking independence and learning boundaries. And, really, you are still such a sweetheart. You hold my hand while I nurse you and hold Daddy’s hand while he walks with you in the Bjorn. And you reach for us to pick you up. You rest your head on my shoulder and wrap your arms around my neck when you’re sleepy. Bedtime is your favorite time to snuggle. Can you please do that forever?

Aside from the week or so of midnight (and 2am and 4am and 6am) wake up calls, you are still sleeping from about 7:30pm until 7:30am. You have mostly dropped your third nap, and sleep for about 90 minutes in the morning and another 90 minutes in the afternoon. Except for two days when you learned how to sit up. About 20 minutes into nap time you would scream, and I would go upstairs to find you sitting up in your crib, not sure how to lay back down. You eventually figured it out, though.

You’ve also figured out how to eat everything that we put in front of you — from cubes of squishy bread to shreds of meat to slippery oranges to tiny peas. You haven’t refused anything yet and clean your tray at every meal. You’re drinking water from the sippy cup and soon we will introduce silverware. You still nurse at least four times per day, and we’re working on the sign for “milk.”

We think it will be so cool when you can communicate with us. Right now you tend to fixate on one sound like grrrr or baaaa and repeat it over and over and over. Your current favorite is dadadadada, which Daddy absolutely loves. Still no mamamama, though. Come on, buddy! I’m waiting.

Sammy, you bring more joy into our lives with each passing month. So many adventures await us!

Love your absolutely smitten mother.

Assembling our new patio furniture.

And dining al fresco later that night. After Sam was asleep. Date night in our own backyard!

He learned a new trick, which he insisted on practicing about every 20 minutes during nap time.

Which led to rare daytime snuggles.

Also? He’s a fan of my new chewbeads.

We had visitors over the weekend!

We put them to work.

And we paid them in food and beer.

The dogs weren’t much help. I don’t blame them, though, it was awfully hot.

Auntie Laura practiced her newly acquired nursing skills on little Sam. Why can’t he lay this still when I change his diaper?

Finally. This kid cracks us up.

Sammy was not a fan of the amusement rides.

But he loved the funnel cake.

And the concert? Let’s just say that he shares his momma’s love for live music.

Thanks for the festive welcome, Greensburg!

The poor kid was so confused by our empty house and the strange men carrying boxes. Fortunately, he slept for at least part of the 90-minute drive to our new home. But when I tried to put him in the pack n play to finish his nap, he looked at me like I was crazy. No time to sleep. It was time to explore!

The movers arrived with a truck full of our belongings about two hours later. And I think they considered turning around when they saw our driveway.

The next 24 hours involved shuffling and unpacking boxes; attempting to locate important items like bed sheets, shampoo, and diapers; setting up the kitchen; and painting.

And Nick put our second major home purchase to good use. (The first was a Dyson vacuum — we’re so domestic.) I do believe it was the best workout he’s had in at least three months.

Did I mention that Sammy is now mobile? He is also pulling himself up onto boxes and tearing tape. Quite the little helper.

And he loves our new backyard. Actually, we all do.

We were so fortunate to have Nick’s parents with us this past week — to entertain Sammy and run errands and assist with random tasks. We miss you already, Oma and Opa!

Meals have gotten interesting as we attempt to clean out our refrigerator. Our favorite so far: a big ‘ole frittata.

I took a solo road trip on Friday morning. It was … rejuvenating.

Our big eater had his first taste of blackberries on Saturday. He loved them, but his white t-shirt and our laminate floor did not.

And, finally, I had the most lovely Mother’s Day weekend. A trip to State College for apricot wheat beer and coconut chip ice cream. A Sunday brunch of crepes with nutella and bananas. A new silver latte spoon and a set of cobalt blue chewbeads. And a hike to Chimney Rocks Park for a final view of the town we’ve called home for the past two years. I love my little family, and I’m looking forward to the adventures ahead!

And, sweet Samuel, I thank you today and every day for making me a mother. My heart is bigger and my life is fuller because of you.

Thank you to my mother-in-law for bringing my dear husband into this world. For raising him to be gentle and generous — qualities I hope to inspire in our son.

And to our grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and friends — thank you for helping to guide me through my first eight months of motherhood. Wishing every mother out there the happiest of days!

So for the next six days we plan to dine out and eat cereal and delivery pizza. Which means no new recipes until we are moved and settled into our new home. Which means I’ll share Sammy stories instead!

This video was taken almost two months ago, but Nick still sings this song every night during bath time. And, if anything, Sam’s smiles have only gotten bigger when he hears Daddy’s voice.

And so is this.

Needless to say, we have a busy week ahead of us. Ten days to moving day!