A Whole New Person

It still totally amazes me that a mommy and a daddy can love each other very much, and nine months later there is a whole new person. I mean, wow!

As you might have guessed, I'M AN AUNT. Kristen's doctor decided that 41 weeks at 98.6 degrees was long enough to bake, so they went in for an induction on Sunday night. Baby girl was born at 8:46pm Pacific Time. 8lbs 3oz and 21 inches long.

Introducing Molly Katherine Stegmiller:

A Christmasy Kind Of Day

Saturday was a lovely, Christmasy kind of day in the Hunniford household. After spending most of last weekend baking a decorating cookies, it was nice to take a more laid back approach to celebrating this week.

After a lazy Saturday morning complete with cinnamon rolls, we headed out for the anticipated Santa visit. Last year's picture was pretty cute, but this year Sam is much more keenly aware of strangers so I had pretty low expectations. In fact, I expected a picture of a terrified, screaming child with the jolly old man. Fortunately, he was pretty interested in the giant flash on top of the big old camera, so that distracted him from the strange man we just handed him off to with the promise of toys. Clearly he's not thrilled, but he didn't hate us for it either. Maybe next year he'll understand...

We thought he would be pretty excited about lunch at Chick-Fil-A right after, but he's also teething hard core right now. He mostly used the french fries as a way to get the ketchup into his mouth.

In the late afternoon we rode our bikes over to some friends' house to enjoy the annual festivity known as Lights In The Heights. A small portion of our neighborhood (The Heights) takes it upon themselves to put on a lovely, laid back, outdoor Christmas party each year. There's a low-key parade, tons of decked out houses, bands playing outside, food trucks, Santa, etc. We watched the parade (he wasn't too sure about the police horses, but was pretty excited about the roller derby ladies all covered in Christmas lights) and walked around for a while with some friends. I found myself thinking about what the evening would be like in Ohio...I probably would have taken a coat with me.

We had one tired little boy on our ride home, but he had fun. There were so many kids at our friends' house - they all had a ball running all over the place. And he loved the adults too. He saw Chris shake another man's hand a reached his own out to shake Chris's hand. He saw these two sitting on the step and pushed their legs out of the way to join them. Just one of the guys.

After we tucked the tired one into bed, Chris and I capped the evening off with Home Alone. A true classic, and a great way to end the day.

**On the subject of Christmas, I feel it is important to note Sam's affinity for gingerbread men. He steels them. He begs for them. He does care about the sugar cookies - just picks the candies off and leaves the cookie. But the gingerbread men...that's the good stuff!

Sam's New Word

Sam is a boy, which means that Sam loves trucks. More accurately, he loves things that drive and make lots of noise. Sometimes its motorcycles and loud cars that catch his attention, but mostly trucks...and buses. Because buses are big and loud too.

He's really good at pointing the trucks out to us. He announces their presence loudly and with great enthusiasm. Its really the only word he uses when he's in the car seat. We hear it a lot. But here's the thing: sometimes he proclaims "truck!" when its actually a bus. So I taught him the word bus by telling him that the yellow ones was "bus." He caught on quickly - even pronounced the S at the end.

But then we noticed that he was calling trucks buses, and he was calling buses trucks. I can totally see mixing up the city buses, but he was having a lot of trouble with the school buses too. I kept trying to teach him which word to use for each vehicle.

I think I overdid it. I think he is tired of being corrected when he's simply trying to share the very exciting thing that is driving by. I think he's just confused.

The solution? Sam has now coined the phrase "BusTruck." One word. All encompassing.

Now that's problem solving.

Daddy's Little Helper

I think I've mentioned before that Sam is mimicking EVERYTHING we do right now. Sometimes its sweet, only occassionaly is it annoying, pretty much always cute.

This weekend we got the Christmas decorations out of the attic, which requires moving Sam's changing table. On Saturday Sam watched us move the furniture, open the attic, go up and down the ladder, close the attic and push the furniture back. In his little world it only takes doing something one way once before that is the way it is always to be done. So on Saturday when we put the boxes back he was already a pro. After closing up the attic Chris and I left the room. Sam ran after us motioning us to come back. He ran to the far side of the changing table, sat on the floor and started pushing against it with all his might. Daddy and I only had to help him a little bit to get it back into place.

While outside over the weekend Chris grabbed his rake to tidy up a pile of leaves. When Sam saw Daddy start to mess with the leaves he took off in a sprint. He came back from the shed carrying his prized plastic rake and shovel and started helping. Precious!
I think we need to try to capitalize on his willingness to help...can I give an 18-month-old chores?

Home Sweet Home

I am pleased to report that Uncle Geo arrived home safely to Camp Pendleton yesterday evening. After 7 months in Afghanistan with the HMLA 369 Gunfighters, my sister treated him to a dinner out last night.

This deployment to Afghanistan was much more involved than his first to Iraq in 2008-09, so we are incredibly thankful for his safe return. We are also thankful that Baby Girl Stegmiller is still quite comfy inside her Mama, now less than two weeks before her due date.

And on that note - it was really sweet of you to wait for your Daddy, Peanut, but we're all ready for you now! Hurry up and make me an aunt!

Shoes

If you'd like to get Sam a gift this year for Christmas, you can just send me a new pair of heels. I swear, he'll love 'em. The boy is absolutely obsessed with shoes right now. He is constantly asking us to put his shoes on so that he can go outside. He's constantly telling us to put our own shoes on. He knows where to go to find his shoes when you tell him its time to go - he even knows which ones are his play shoes and can bring you a matching pair if they are both in the basket. He's gotten pretty good and slipping his tiny feet into Mommy and Daddy's shoes and shuffling a few steps.

And now he actually likes to play with the shoes. Mostly adult shoes. One day I left my closet door open while I was getting ready in the bathroom. I went to get my clothes and this is what I found:
This is his new game. He moves all the shoes from one location to another. Then to another. Then to another. Generally he is moving them from their starting location to whatever room in the house I happen to be in at the moment. He usually moves them one at a time, and boy is he determined. There is little that can distract him when he is on a shoe moving mission. There is purpose in every move, and it seems that he hunts out the perfect spot to place each shoe. Its pretty funny to watch.

That is, until you need your shoes. Because inevitably one or two shoes gets left behind during each move. By the end of the game there are shoes in every room of the house. As I type this we are missing one of Chris's slippers - honestly all three of us looked (OK, I don't think Sam looked that hard) and couldn't find it. Hmph. Guess I need to tidy up a bit...and keep my closet shut!

Big Boy Chair

Sam's never been much of an eater. The effort required to get food into the boy has been my greatest source of stress for about a year now. So last week when Sam started fighting me when I tried to put him in his high chair I really just thought it was the latest chapter in our struggle. He'd tells me he was hungry and then refuse to get in his chair. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!

For three days this happened. It was a literal wrestling match to get him strapped in. And then he pulled his bib off as soon as I turned around. He'd eat a few bites, then throw food on the ground and announce "all gone!" (which also means 'all done'). Tired of fighting, we'd let him down and tell him to go play while we finished eating. He didn't. He begged "up" until we let him sit in our laps, where he'd pick food off our plates. He'd actually eat a good bit more.

It took me three days but I finally clued in: he wanted to be at the table with us! Its not like he was far away, just tucked in the corner a bit. But that wasn't how Mommy and Daddy were sitting, so it just wouldn't work for him anymore (have I mentioned that he is mimicking everything we do these days?).

So we pulled out the booster seat and sat him at the table like a big boy. He's pretty pleased with his new arrangement. I think he looks pretty cute at the table, don't you? I wish this transition meant he would eat with big boy behavior, but it does not. He still throws food on the ground when he gets bored and dumps his plate or bowl just because its fun. Bibs still aren't cool so he eats a lot of meals without a shirt on at all. The good news is that the booster is infinitely easier to clean than the high chair.
Someday dinners will be calm again. And someday Chris and I will be able to keep our drinks on the table again. (He just points at our glasses and says "want want want" if he sees them, again wanting to mimic what we do. Then he sticks his hand in the cups and spills them. We're choosing not to fight that battle right now.) That's what date nights are for, right?

Breaking News:

Sam is back on the chart. That's right, after hanging out in the "Below 5th Percentile" category for a full year, my little man is back on the chart. Weighing in at 21lbs he is now in the 3rd Percentile for 18-month-olds. Now some of you may be thinking, "isn't that still below 5%?" Yes, yes it is. But it is actually on the growth curve. My pediatrician plots all of Sam's weights on the graph and he hasn't been any where near any of the lines in a year. Now he is. That "Below 5th Percentile" was just to make me feel better. Its not very nice to say "0%" or "Too Small To Compare." So there you go. Still super skinny, but now he's at least comparable to his age group.

But it appears the boy spent all of his energy on getting fatter and not any taller, because he only grew 1/4 of an inch. At 31 1/4 inches he is now in the 21st percentile for height. I looked back on his height history and that one has bounced around all over the place since he was born. Honestly, its so hard to get him to hold still that I don't think any of his heights measurements have been that accurate.

Once again he was terrified the entire time we were at the office. The doctor and I had an entire conversation over his screaming. I thought he was going to stop breathing when it was time for the physical exam. Poor kid needs to be allowed to go there sometime when he isn't scheduled to get a shot.

The only other real highlight from the visit is that the doctor was impressed by Sam's count of 30 words. Ha! Said it was especially impressive for a boy. Word count was the milestone he missed at 15 months! I will tell you, though, that 30 words isn't cutting it. Sam and I have some major miscommunication throughout our days and I think we could both avoid much frustration if he were talking in full sentences.

He's met all of the other milestones that were posted on the wall, which is great. I looked ahead to the 24-month milestones and some of them seem pretty daunting, like I don't feel like there's any way he'll achieve them by then. But three months ago I didn't think he'd have 10 words today, so we shall see!

So there you go. All is well at the 18-month check. We're not scheduled to go back until he's 2 - a whole six months! Wow, two sounds old.

At 18 Months, here is Sam's List...
Likes:
Being Outside
Climbing
Lovie
Paci (no, we haven't taken it away yet. I finally got the pediatrician to admit his kid had it till 3)
Fruit and Cheese
Bath
Trucks
Cats and Dogs
Reading (He brings us books constantly, and sometimes "reads" them to himself)

Dislikes:
Diaper Changes/Getting Dressed
Coming Inside
Going to bed when people are over
The Highchair

Scared Little Puppy

Sam loves dogs. He's loved them for months now. Before he turned one he would point and say "ooh" when he saw one. He'd laugh when he spotted one in a book. He's recently taken to calling them "ga ga." So naturally, when I thought about what Sam might be for Halloween this year, I settled on a dog. I found an adorable costume at a reasonable price and was pretty pumped to see him in it. Would he recognize himself as a dog? Would he point and say ooh or Ga Ga?

Nope. He hated it.

Our little man was and is afraid of his costume. I merely took it out of the bag and said "look!" and he shook his head no at me. How did he even know he was supposed to wear it? How did he know it was any different from his stuffed animals, and folded up like that? I wish I knew.

We thought we'd try to condition him, that with time he'd get used to it. Chris tried to put it on his last weekend and this was the result:

We left it out all week. Chris and I would touch it, play with it, ask him if he wanted to be a dog. He violently shook his head no. It didn't look good.

So the day arrived, and we tried again. We put him in it, literally kicked and screaming. He calmed a bit when we told him he could go outside, but he still required a paci to have any bit of self control. We made it across the street, where he got some MUCH loved M&Ms, and next door to where we joined a party already in progress. He wouldn't be put down, he wouldn't smile. He looked so darn cute I just didn't want to take it off of him!

Finally Chris realized that it was, indeed, 85 degrees today and the boy was pretty hot. So daddy saved him. I knew the time would come and I was prepared with his back-up "costume." At first I was thinking he was a Steelers player, but then I realized that he was really dressed as "Daddy." Just two Steelers fans in their Steelers shirts and khaki shorts.

With the wardrobe change complete, our little man was scared no more (except for the occasional scary mask that came to the door). He climbed the front steps of our neighbor's house over and over and over again. He at M&Ms. He waved and said Buh Bye to the Trick-Or-Treaters.

Until it was time for bed. Then he picked an M&M over his paci and went willingly into his crib.

Maybe next year will be his year. He'll be 2 and a half, old enough to Trick-Or-Treat for a few blocks, and old enough to understand that with costume comes candy. Hopefully.

This Is New

I peak at Sam when he is sleeping all the time. Every night before I go to bed, and sometimes during his nap, if I'm convinced he's really asleep. The other day I peeked at him and found this:

I heard him playing in there for almost 30 minutes before he fell asleep. My guess is that he literally played until the moment he fell asleep. Do you think it was comfortable? Do you think he's experimenting with how to climb out?

By the way, he's holding "favorite lovie." All 4 lovies used to be interchangeable. Now he prefers the one. The one that came with the flower arrangement displayed at my shower. The generic one who's brand name I cannot find anywhere on the internet. The one I will not be able to replace. Awesome.

Word Count

Today Sam turns 18-months-old. Officially one and a half. Normally I would writing his big milestone post, but his well visit isn't until Friday and I want to report all his stats, so that will come next weekend. But today Chris and I made a list of all of the words he now uses. Sometimes he uses them on his own, sometimes with prompting, but he clearly knows what they all mean and we've heard them enough to know they're here to stay. When we saw how long the list was growing we were pretty encouraged, seeing as he only had 2 at 15 months. I think he only needed 10 words to reach the 18-month milestone!

1. Hi
2. Uh Oh
3. Cat
4. Ga Ga (Dog)
5. Ah Ah (Hot Dog)
6. Thank You
7. Pa (Please)
8. Up
9. All Gone
10. Truck
11. Car
12. Papa (Grandpa)
13. Buh Bye (or just Bye sometimes)
14. Ths (This, used whenever he doesn't have another word)
15. Socks
16. Shoes
17. Ys (Yes)
18. Papi (Paci)
19. Ball
20. Bubbas (Bubbles)
21. Hat
22. Bath
23. Amen
24. Ome (Home)
25. Ju (Juice)
26. Sup (Step)
27. Cheese
28. Bus
29. Boom

So he's made incredible strides in the language front in the past three months. I have to admit, though, that I don't think he's grown much in height or weight since we checked last, but we'll see for sure in a few days!

Ohio

Sam and I spent the first week of October in Ohio. The main reason for the trip was my sister's baby shower, but Chris had a conference in New Orleans and I figured there was no reason to be home without daddy, so we extended the trip. We were gone for 8 days! Thankfully my mom keeps her house stocked with essentials (toiletries, blow dryers, bibs, toys, etc) so I was able to pack for both of us in one suitcase. We even had to pack some "winter" clothes!

The first time I flew with Sam he was 3 months old. I was terrified of that trip. Looking back it was a piece of cake. He was tiny and slept or ate the entire time. Those days are long gone. But Grandma got the little man his very own seat, and I borrowed a CARES harness, and the trip was more manageable than I anticipated. Not something I choose, but manageable.

I wont bore you with a detailed account of all 8 days, but here are some highlights:

On Sunday (Grandpa's Birthday!) my parents and I took Sam to a pumpkin farm. IT WAS COLD. A true fall day. None of us were really dressed appropriately. Sam LOVED playing on the tractor (truck is currently one of his favorite words) and riding on the "banana bus." He wasn't as into the Hay Barn as I anticipated. I thought he'd love climbing all over it, but he didn't like the way it felt on his hands. He decided the goats were ok when Grandma fed them, but a little too scary to touch himself. The "corn box" (think sandbox but with corn kernels instead of sand) was a huge hit. We both still had corn in our clothes when we got home. We had a yummy lunch in the warm barn, picked out some gourds (he preferred them to the pumpkins) and headed home for a warm nap.

We spent a good deal of time at an amazing playground in my parents' neighborhood. Instead of mulch it is surrounded by shredded tires - so nice and cushy! He had a blast on the smaller climbing structure. Unfortunately, he also loved running down the brick path, which resulted in his first busted lip. It was bound to happen, I suppose.

Saturday was the big shower. Obviously my sister was there, but so were Matt and Kate, most of the Ferguson ladies, my grandmothers and aunt, and lots of other ladies I don't often see. I got to meet Colt Minder for the first time! Friday night the Fergusons came to visit and Sam and Hayden (turning 2 this month) had a ball together. It was the most playing WITH someone that he'd ever done. She even taught him to scream. It made my heart happy to see him playing with a Ferguson!

Sam had a bit of a language explosion while were in Ohio. I come from a family of talkers, and I think he was trying to keep up. Some new words from the week: football, outside, shoes, truck. He can repeat a lot of words. And he says Papa, clear as a bell. He was standing on the coffee table (my parents have NO rules about climbing on their furniture) when my dad got home from work. Its a clear shot to the back door. The door opens and "Papa" comes out of the babe's mouth. No other human has ever received a greeting by name from Sam.

Notice I said human. Because Grandma's house also has the cat. And the cat was greeted with more enthusiasm than anyone else all week long. He'd run around chanting "cat, cat, cat, cat, cat" all day. He'd demand to go look for him as soon as he woke up. He'd make us check all the usual hiding places regularly. Fortunately the two of them have a good relationship - Sam is surprisingly gentle and Danny (the cat) is surprisingly tolerant. Its pretty cute to see them together.

It was a great trip, but we were happy to come home to our Daddy. Next trip to Ohio will be for Christmas, and then we will take Daddy with us!

Special Skills

Many parents are proud of milestones and accomplishments their children reach. Most parents enjoy watching their children learn new skills. We are no different.

But today we are not highlighting the fact that Sam learned to walk (we already discussed that), has a massive vocabulary (its growing but not massive), or learned to read (not even close). This milestone is discussed far less frequently. But to a boy who has been itchy since infancy, its just as important.

That's right, Sam has learned to apply his own lotion. He can flip open the cap, wipe his hand across the tube, and then rub his belly. Just like we've done for him him every day for over a year.

Can your 17-Month-Old do that?

Bye-Bye Baby Curls

I just don't think he looks like himself anymore. I think that his wild, untamed hair matched his personality. Its too clean cut, too neat. He'll have to smear a bunch of food in it to better suit himself.

But he does look handsome, doesn't he? We took Sam to a real barber shop - pole and all - in our neighborhood for his very first hair cut on Saturday morning. I was the only girl there. It took a while (10-15 minutes) but he did great for most of it. A little restless at the end, but I was actually surprised he lasted that long without getting fussy.

We saved two curls for his baby book. Now you can vote - did you like it better before or after?

BEFORE: Right after nap on Friday. Look at those curls, and that awesome bed head!

AFTER: He was showing Sam that the razor wouldn't hurt. Sam knew that - he plays with Daddy's every morning. We don't comb it to the side like that, I like it better straight forward.
And here's some of the process:

Separation Unanxiety

Remember last winter when I kept talking about how Sam had separation anxiety? He hated to be dropped off, hated babysitters coming over, hated anything that made him think we were leaving? Someone flipped the switch. All of the sudden, its gone.

I think the biggest reason is that we've started prepping him for what's to come. We tell him that we're going to church, he'll play with other kids while mommy and daddy do "boring adult things." We tell him that friends are coming over, but mommy and daddy will stay to. I tell him we're going to the gym, he'll play with some big kids, and I'll be back in a little bit to get him. Honestly, I think he understands.

Also, I think he has finally figured out that these places we take him have REALLY cool toys. Our church moved into its brand new building last week and Sam's nursery room (1 of 10 for children 3 and under) is full of brand new things. On Sunday he hesitated for 30 seconds about going in. Then they pulled out the little buggy car and he never looked back.

And let's talk about the Y...there are always "big kids" to play with. One day they took him OUTSIDE to a preschool-sized playground. Today they took him to the basketball court to run, throw balls, and ride cars. When I picked him up he was in the Cozy Coupe. I approached him, asked if he wanted to come home with me. He slammed the car door shut and shook his head no. I guess we know what's going on his Christmas list!

Some parents would be sad that there children were so indifferent to their leaving. Perhaps if it had always been this way I would be too. But after 8 months of tearful goodbyes and being paged out of church, it makes me smile.

Lately...

A few pictures to show you the types of things that Sam has been up to recently:

1. Forts and other Sam-Sized Spaces. He likes to squeeze into places that adults can't. He like to be "in things" and "under things."

2. Climbing. On anything and everything he can get onto. Its no wonder that one of his few words is "up," he says it frequently when he needs a boost.


3. Chewing. He was doing so much better about putting everything in his mouth, but he's slowly getting molars. So everything is getting shoved way in the back.

How about those slippers in that last picture? They were a gift from Chris's aunt and uncle. They're mooses. Meese? One moose on each foot. Either way, they're the right size for a 3 year old but Sam loves them. Also visible in that picture is his Buddha Belly. It comes out after dinner most nights. He looks about 7 months pregnant. Ha Ha.

Loved To Death

Meet Birthday Bear. Or as Chris and I refer to it, Creepy Bear. He was a gift to Sam from his Great Grandma Sivard. When you squeeze the button on his paw the candles on his hat light up, his head tilts about, his mouth opens and closes, and he sings "Happy Birfday" (yes, I intentionally spelled that wrong - the bear can't say his "th). The whole thing reminds me of those anamatronic characters at Chucky Cheese's - which makes him creepy to me.

But not to the under 5 sect. Ever child who has come over since Sam's birthday was loved Birthday Bear. Every single one has smiled and giggled and made him sing again. At first Sam would drag him over to us so we could make him sing over and over and over again. Then we taught him to squeeze the bear's paw - mommy and daddy no longer required. But he still dragged the bear around the house. Sat the bear in his chair. Loved the bear.

And there in lies the problem. Birthday Bear isn't a true stuffed animal. He has a hard case holding the electronics, wires, lights, etc. Banging around on the hardwood floor has been rough on the bear. First one of the plastic "flames" popped off exposing a tiny little light. Then he started singing with a strange accent. Then two more "flames" popped off. Then he started singing slower...and slower...and slower. And then it happened.

Birthday Bear died.

Mommy and Daddy tried to revive him, but it wasn't the batteries and we couldn't get to all the wiring without destroying the exterior. So Birthday Bear sits quiet, dark and still.

Sam doesn't understand why his bear doesn't sing to him anymore. He started bringing him to us again, asking us to make him sing. We have to tell him Birthday Bear is sick and we show him that even Mommy and Daddy can't make him sing. But he forgets and tries again a little later. Its sad.

So Birthday Bear must go away now. Don't worry, Sam will be fine. It will be an "out of sight, out of mind" situation. Its just too sad to see him try over and over to make the bear sing. Birthday Bear is officially the first toy that Sam has Loved to Death. I'm sure there will be more to follow.

The River

About a week and a half ago we returned from Sam's first trip to "The River." By river I mean the Ichetucknee...no I didn't spell that wrong. It is a spring-fed, clear, cool river in the middle-of-nowhere northern Florida. Chris and his family have been vacationing there since he was little. In 2005 his parents went in on a cabin with his Aunt and Uncle, so now we can go whenever we want. Theoretically. Because, you see, its a 12 hour drive from Houston. So while this was Sam's first trip, it was only my third. I went once as a "single" gal (Chris proposed our first night there!), once as a DINK, and now as a mom.

Great-Grandpa Hunniford was able to join us there for a few days - isn't it amazing that Sam gets to vacation with his Great-Grandfather?! Aunt Becky was there for a few days too, and she brought her boyfriend. We finally got to meet him! So it was a full house there for a few days, but the rule at the river is "the more the merrier!"

Here's what's wonderful about the river: once you get there, you're there. Literally. There are no places to go or people to see. You hang out, play games, float down the river, play on the beach, eat food, hang out, sleep, repeat. I wore nothing but swim suits, t-shirts and gym shorts the entire week. Ahhh. It is wonderful to travel to your parents place - fully stocked so you don't have to pack as much. And when the co-owners have a three year old, there are also age-appropriate life jackets, waters shoes and toys for our little man as well.

Our trips to the river are always relaxing and this one was no exception - it was just relaxing in a "we have a 16 month old" kind of way. Chris's mom did almost all of the cooking - including a yummy birthday cake for me! - and there was no laundry, cleaning, work, etc for either Chris or me. But we shared a room with Sam and he didn't sleep well. As soon as he stirred and saw us the night was over - which meant 5:30 eastern (4:30 Texas time!) on our last morning. Thank you, Grandma, for taking him so Chris and I could go back to sleep! And of course our peaceful floats down the river were punctuated by moments of tears and unease, but those were the exception rather than the rule.

Actually, once we figured out the best way for him to ride, Sam really enjoyed floating down the river. And what was the best way for him to ride? Not in the contained little boat that mommy took just for his comfort. Nope. Perched on the edge of daddy's tube, practically falling in the water was the place to be. I mean, why wouldn't my child who was terrified of water back in May want to splash, pour and drink the 72 degree water the whole time? Other than position, our keys to a successful river run were a simple cup and squishy ball. The cup allowed him to fill, dump and drink to his hearts content. He even liked to drink from the ball - dunk it in the water and then suck it dry.

**Quick note: Sam started getting molars on this trip (the two fingers jammed waaaaay back in his mouth were our first clues, the chewing on ice our second). The obsession with drinking the cold water was likely related. Although he drinks his bath water too, so who knows.**

At the end of the run is a little beach area frequently populated by the "redneck yacht club." Boats come in for the day to swim, with music, food, etc...and dogs. I'd say 75% of the boats bring dogs. Oh what joy for our little man! He played with all kinds of different breeds, but one stood out. At the end of our trip we met a tiny little lap dog (complete with life vest!) that played so well with Sam. The two of them played their own little game of hide and seek/peek a boo around a giant tree stump. I'm not kidding - without any initiation from any adults one would hide on the far side until the other found him, then they'd both run around, hide again and repeat. Ohh the giggles! They had people from two other boats laughing too!

Let's see, other notes from the trip: Grandma and grandpa got him a monkey stool which he now loves to sit on. Sitting on Sam-sized furniture is now an obsession for him. Watching him stick his tiny tush out in hopes of hitting the seat is pretty cute too. Is it bad if I giggle when he misses? Also, he learned quickly that "go" meant we were going to the river and knew exactly which vehicle to head towards. He was afraid at first, but quickly learned to love rides in the golf cart. He did NOT like being in the very back of the Pilot with Aunt Becky - he knows he belongs in a car seat in the car.

We can't wait to go back as soon as possible!Who taught him to do this? Not me!

A Man of Few Words

Sam has always been a very physical guy. He's always been more concerned with getting around than master fine motor skills or talking, and this has manifested itself in different ways over the months. Right now it means that he is a pro at climbing all over the furniture, but doesn't have as many words as some of his peers. He's making progress though. Here's a little update on Sam's communication.

Sam's Vocabulary:
1. Hi
2. Uh Oh
3. All Done
4. All Gone (he's uses 3 and 4 interchangeably, but only one at a time. this is an "all gone" week.)
5. Hot (we taught him this in relation to the open oven. he now remembers which foods have been served to him too hot to touch and reminds us when he sees them again. its also becoming his word for anything dangerous)
6. Up
7. Go

Non-Verbal Communication:
1. Waving. Sam finally learned to wave in the last two weeks. Yes, most kids accomplish this months before their first birthday, but we're still proud of his accomplishment.
2. So Big! When you ask him how big he is, he sticks his hands straight up in the air. If one hand is busy, he'll do it with just one arm. Pretty cute.
3. This Much! When you ask him how much he loves Mommy, he sticks his arms straight out to the side. My favorite, for sure.
4. Touchdown! Ok, I got this idea from a friend who taught it to her toddler. He now sticks his hands straight up in the air when I say touchdown :-)

Comprehension:
I've been told over and over again that this is far more important than his word count at this age. I have no fear that the boy's comprehension is just fine. You ask if he needs a no diaper and he violently shakes his head no. You ask if he wants a snack and he runs to the fridge. You ask if he wants lunch and he runs to his high chair. He observes everything that Chris and I do to figure out just how things work. Yesterday he stole my keys and reached them with all his might up to the door knob on our shed (where the outside toys are kept). We never taught him what keys are for. This morning he held an empty cup up towards the "through the door" ice and water dispenser on the fridge.

Creative Play:
This week Sam built his first fort. He intentionally knocked over his stuffed chair and crawled underneath it to play. We didn't teach him how to do that.

This really has nothing to do with communication, but its a fun story: Sam is getting tall. He can reach every surface in our house except the kitchen counter. Yesterday he got into the candy dish and started sucking on the Hershey kisses - through the wrapper. He kind of nawed the wrappers off to get to the chocolate. He cried when I tried to clean up the mess because he wanted more. He could care less about cookies and cake, but apparently chocolate is a different story.

It is so much fun to watch his little brain develop and I'm so proud of everything he has learned. Its fun to imagine what his stream of consciousness must be while he's getting into trouble or figuring things out. I can't wait till he can tell me all about it!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Steelers play tonight, and Sam is all dressed.

This reminds me - he doesn't have an Ohio State shirt that fits. Guess we better do some shopping!

It's Official!

Sam is getting a new...

AUNT!

Best Wishes, Matt and Kate! We're so thrilled to welcome Kate to the family with our impossible-to-pronounce last name.

15 Months

Sam had his 15-month well visit at the pediatrician yesterday and it was a different experience. The boy was very aware the entire time that something was up. He was uncharacteristically cautious of every person that waked into the exam room (2 nurses and 1 doctor) and cried on and off the entire time. The doctor always has me hold Sam in my lap for the physical exam and the poor boy clung to my arm very hard the entire time. And then came the shots. I think he knew they were coming. And then they came, and his face was bright red and his little body shook. I almost cried again. I think I might make Chris take him for his flu shot in September.

My boy is still long and lean. Well, average and lean. He is 31 inches, which is 50th percentile on the growth chart. He grew 2 inches in 3 months, and moved up from the 30th percentile for height! Weight...that's another story. He did gain wait - almost two pounds in fact. But at 19lbs 3 oz he still is not on the growth chart. He has a very nicely shaped growth curve, its just well below normal. But the doctor says he's developing well and looks healthy. He is slightly behind on the talking front (his only words are "hi" and "uh oh") but the doctor wasn't concerned about that yet. He said comprehension is more important at this point, and Sam clearly comprehends. Obeying is another story. Maybe in the next three months he'll gain 2.5 pounds and learn 7 new words and not be behind on growth or speech!

I was also told that he should be off the bottle and pacifier. I proudly announced that he'd been off the bottle for 6 weeks...and sheepishly admitted that I was afraid to take away the pacifier. It just seems so harsh. We'll see.

Likes:
Being Outside (even if its 100 degrees and humid)
Running and Climbing
Rearranging collections of objects
Pasta
Fruit
Reading "interactive" picture books
Trucks
Juice
Standing on a chair to "help" Mommy make dinner (This was a necessity. He is miserable if he can't see what's going on)

Dislikes:
Sitting still to be changed
The doctor's office
Being contained

**The picture this month is from they day the house next door to us was demolished. There was much big truck love that day!**

All Tuckered Out

Sam and I had a busy week because we spent our mornings at our church's Vacation Bible School. We both had fun, but this meant that Sam didn't really have a morning nap all week. So when we tried to put him down on Saturday morning, he really didn't feel it was necessary and never slept.

A few hours later...I had my back turned for a few moments while he was eating lunch. I should have known it was too quiet! He woke up when I sat down to check on him, but fell back to sleep mid bite. So I tilted the high chair back and he slept there for 20 minutes.

Guess we're still not quite down to one nap per day!

HHI 2010

This past Saturday the three of us returned from a week on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where my family has been vacationing for as long as I can remember. We drove through the night to get there - a little tough on Mom and Dad, but worth it so the little man could sleep most of the way. We were met there by my parents (drove from Ohio), sister (flew from San Diego), brother and brother's girlfriend Kate (drove from Chicago via Indianapolis). Uncle George could not attend because he's still away at war. We all stayed in one big house that was walking distance to the beach and had its own pool. It was a great place - and once he adjusted, Sam actually slept quite well in the walk-in closet we turned into his crib room!

With so many adults in one house with only one little boy you can just imagine the kind of attention and spoiling he received. Uncle Matt actually set his alarm so he'd be sure to get in plenty of "Little Buddy" playtime before morning nap. Kate was constantly making him giggle with the silly games she came up with. And there was always someone to sneak him a cheez-it as they passed through the kitchen (ok, so all 8 of us were pretty much constantly snacking the entire week). He loved it all. He loved it so much that he couldn't stand to be held captive in our bedroom. The first two nights he woke up at random times DESPERATE to go back out to the living room to play with everyone. He just couldn't understand that everyone else was sleeping.

You might remember that Sam has been in the pool a good bit recently, so he was really comfortable on that front. This pool wasn't really ideal for him as there was no water shallower than 3 feet, but he had fun "jumping" off the side and climbing up the deck stairs.

The real fun was at the beach. I now wholeheartedly believe that God made beaches for little boys - the rest of us were just an afterthought. Sam ran in and out of the waves, up to the tide pools, back to the waves, this way and that. Running running, giggling all the way. I'm so thankful that it wasn't a crowded beach so we could let him do all this running! He even enjoyed letting the waves crash right into him and sticking his face in the water. He loved to pick up all of the wet sand, demolish the castles that my mom and I built for him, and climb in and out of the holes that Uncle Matt and Kate dug for him. And when he was finally low on energy, he enjoyed some long walks on the beach.

And I LOVED watching him take it all in. I loved that I had so many extra pairs of legs to help me chase him down. I loved that I good be in the pool while my little guy napped. I didn't even mind that I only read 3 pages on the entire trip.

We also managed to squeeze in some bike rides, putt-putting, a visit to the marina, and a trip up the lighthouse in Harbor town. We went out to eat several times. While this was actually a little exhausting with Sam in tow, he did enjoy the show at the Japanese steakhouse. Chris and I kind of rocked at the after-dinner board games :-) And we got to listen to a local children's performer named Greg Russell. Apparently he has been performing in Harbor Town for 34 year - my siblings and I went for the first time probably about 20 years ago. At the beginning of the show Greg asked who had attended as a child and was now returning as a parent vacationing with their own children - I was so excited to get to raise my hand!

All in all it was an awesome trip and I think everyone was sad to go our separate ways and head home. Its getting harder and harder to find a week that all of us can make it, but hopefully we'll have many more of these trips in the years to come!

4th of July Trips

Chris and I have returned safely from a whirl-wind, child-free Fourth of July trip. That's right. We went away, just the two of us. Cause? Micahl and Courtney's wedding in Manchester, CT combined with a few days visiting my childhood friend Meri in Manhattan. Its been a long time since I've covered so much ground on so many different forms of transportation in such a short time. Here's how the logistics played out:
-Thursday: Lindsay flies with Sam to Ohio, drops him with Grandparents at the airport, flies to NYC where she waits for Chris who flies directly from Houston after working a half day. Chris and Lindsay share a cab to Meri's.
-Friday: Chris and Lindsay take the Subway to Grand Central Station where they catch a commuter train to CT, where they are picked up in a rental car by a groomsman.
-Saturday: Chris and Lindsay return to train in the same rental car and return by train to NYC.
-Sunday: Chris and Lindsay stay in NYC and have a lovely, laid back day, but do travel by city bus.
-Monday: Chris and Lindsay share a cab to the airport to take separate flights - Chris to Houston to again work a half day and Lindsay to Ohio to claim the child.
-Tuesday: Lindsay and Sam fly back to Texas on a half empty regional jet that didn't have enough fuel to fly around the weather system thus requiring an unplanned stop in Memphis.

The wedding was set in a beautiful park and we are so glad that we made the trip to share the day with the happy couple. Highlights of our time in the city included walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza at Grimalde's, and viewing the NYC fireworks from above on the roof of a 53 story building. And three adults sharing one 400 square foot Upper East Side studio apartment for the weekend. I must say that Meri has the space arranged so well - there was a table for dinner, beds for all, and even a place for our luggage!

Meanwhile, Sam was having the time of his life at my parents' house. Friday they took him to the Columbus Zoo (one of the best in the country) where he got to spy on a toddler elephant touch goats - which apparently was hilarious. Saturday he went to the Dublin 4th of July parade where he saw lots of dogs, had a sucker, and ice cream. Sunday he went to the neighborhood pool, complete with a "zero entry" that allowed him to run in waste deep, blow bubbles, and splash to his heart's content. And his heart was so very content that we all returned to the pool on Monday.

And those were just the outings. While at the house he also got to play with a whole host of new-to-him battery-free toys (read: Uncle Matt's circa 1986), the neighbor's swing set, the fisher price slide that hadn't been out of the attic since the late 80's, and the cat. Oh the cat. The squeals that erupted when the un-characteristically patient cat was spotted were those of pure joy. Grandma and Grandpa even let him go outside first thing in the morning - before even getting dressed!

How do I know for sure that Sam didn't get bored - not even once - at Grandma and Grandpa's house? Because of all of the things he DIDN'T touch. He didn't try to splash in the toilet, or unroll the toilet paper. He didn't empty any bookshelves, or clear off any coffee tables. He didn't even open the kitchen cabinets. No no, he saves those joys just for mommy.Thanks, Meri, for hosting us! And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa, for taking care of our squirmy!