Last week Sam was playing with a light-up toy while eating in his high chair. He was getting ready to throw a big handful of food on the ground, a habit we are trying to eradicate, so I searched for a distraction. I asked him, "Sam, can you show Daddy how to push the button on your toy to make it light up?" He immediately put the food back on his tray, grabbed the toy, turned it over and pushed the tiny button.
On Saturday we had some friends over to play. As is likely to happen when multiple toddlers are involved, there were multiple sippy cups around the room. Sam kept going for the green cup, which we told him about three times was not his to drink from. One more time he approached the green cup, but this time as he touched it he shook his head no and walked away. He repeated the action a few minutes later, as if he was now telling us that it was not his cup.
A little while later the owner of said green sippy cup was playing with a toy that Sam wanted. On first attempt, she was not willing to give him the toy. Sam walked away, picked up the green sippy cup and returned to offer it as a trade. He actually handed her the sipply cup and then tried again to take the toy from her. Unfortunately, she then walked away with both, but I was impressed with his ability to remember how we'd traded toys at playgroup.
So clearly Sam is now able to understand our instructions and some relational concepts. Since he doesn't yet have any words other than Dada and Mama (which is brand new), we weren't entirely sure. While this is encouraging, it also means we no longer have an excuse not to discipline...
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
M.I.A. Mom
For four beautiful days and three long nights over the past weekend I enjoyed a Girls' Weekend. There are 4 of us that all graduated high school together that have made a point to visit each other once a year (unfortunately I missed last year's trip because Sam was only 6 weeks old) and 9 years after we graduated, we're still going strong.
This year we went to Ft. Myers where Megan's parents own a beautiful home. We went to the beach one afternoon, but for most of the weekend we were content to float in the pool at the house and chat, read and chat some more. We cooked some yummy meals together and hung in the hot tub. We did make it out to dinner twice, but most of the clothes I packed stayed folded in the bag. It was wonderfully lazy.
And I slept. For the first time in twelve and a half months I slept in. One morning I slept until 10:00. It felt amazing.
Fear not, I did not leave my child to fend for himself. Because I was going to be gone for two business days, Chris's parents came into town to watch our little man while Daddy was at work. From all accounts, the 4 of them had a lovely time while Mommy was being rejuvenated. For me this was a much needed Mommy break - my first since Sam was born. After a few days of total relaxation and adult conversations, I am more than ready to dive back into peek-a-boo and diapers. I missed my little man very much!
I feel blessed that I have such amazing friends that still make an effort to see each other after all this time. Yes, we're still young, but 3 of us have jobs and one of us a kid, we live in 4 different states in two different time zones and lead full lives. Our continued friendships are purposeful, which makes them precious. Megan teaches high school and told a story about how her students, who are imagining graduation and the possibility of never seeing each other again, were encouraged to learn she'd be seeing her high school friends over the weekend. When we were at the airport leaving Heather and I saw a group of middle-aged women clearly traveling as a pack. They gave us similar hope that these trips will continue well into the future.
(Thanks to Mrs. Welsh for opening your home to us. Just like in high school, you're the coolest chaperon.)
This year we went to Ft. Myers where Megan's parents own a beautiful home. We went to the beach one afternoon, but for most of the weekend we were content to float in the pool at the house and chat, read and chat some more. We cooked some yummy meals together and hung in the hot tub. We did make it out to dinner twice, but most of the clothes I packed stayed folded in the bag. It was wonderfully lazy.
And I slept. For the first time in twelve and a half months I slept in. One morning I slept until 10:00. It felt amazing.
Fear not, I did not leave my child to fend for himself. Because I was going to be gone for two business days, Chris's parents came into town to watch our little man while Daddy was at work. From all accounts, the 4 of them had a lovely time while Mommy was being rejuvenated. For me this was a much needed Mommy break - my first since Sam was born. After a few days of total relaxation and adult conversations, I am more than ready to dive back into peek-a-boo and diapers. I missed my little man very much!
I feel blessed that I have such amazing friends that still make an effort to see each other after all this time. Yes, we're still young, but 3 of us have jobs and one of us a kid, we live in 4 different states in two different time zones and lead full lives. Our continued friendships are purposeful, which makes them precious. Megan teaches high school and told a story about how her students, who are imagining graduation and the possibility of never seeing each other again, were encouraged to learn she'd be seeing her high school friends over the weekend. When we were at the airport leaving Heather and I saw a group of middle-aged women clearly traveling as a pack. They gave us similar hope that these trips will continue well into the future.
(Thanks to Mrs. Welsh for opening your home to us. Just like in high school, you're the coolest chaperon.)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Water and Mickey
No, the two don't go together, but I have two thoughts to share and I only feel like writing one post.
First, the water. It appears that Sam is afraid of it. He will not get in the baby pool - at our house or a friend's. He'll stand outside it and splash around, but that's it. If a toy floats a way, he'll step in far enough to grab it and then reach for me with a panicked look on his face to help him out. I tried sitting in it with him, no luck. Yesterday we went to a splash park with a bunch of fountains, he cried the entire time - it was his "scared" cry. How did this happen? He loves his bath! As a child I LIVED at the pool in the summers. This will not do. So what to do next...keep exposing him? Take him to a "big pool" where we can hold him in the water? Mommy and me swim lessons?
Second, Mickey Mouse. Sam got this fantastic push toy/ride on for his birthday from our neighbors. Its shaped like and airplane - with propeller and all - and is Mickey Mouse themed. My point isn't really about how much Sam loves it, although he does. My point in mentioning it is what I realized this morning: every time I hear Mickey's voice come from that toy it makes ME happy inside. I think that hearing his voice makes me think of all kinds of Disney magic and childhood fun. It makes me happy that I get to experience all of that again with Sam.
First, the water. It appears that Sam is afraid of it. He will not get in the baby pool - at our house or a friend's. He'll stand outside it and splash around, but that's it. If a toy floats a way, he'll step in far enough to grab it and then reach for me with a panicked look on his face to help him out. I tried sitting in it with him, no luck. Yesterday we went to a splash park with a bunch of fountains, he cried the entire time - it was his "scared" cry. How did this happen? He loves his bath! As a child I LIVED at the pool in the summers. This will not do. So what to do next...keep exposing him? Take him to a "big pool" where we can hold him in the water? Mommy and me swim lessons?
Second, Mickey Mouse. Sam got this fantastic push toy/ride on for his birthday from our neighbors. Its shaped like and airplane - with propeller and all - and is Mickey Mouse themed. My point isn't really about how much Sam loves it, although he does. My point in mentioning it is what I realized this morning: every time I hear Mickey's voice come from that toy it makes ME happy inside. I think that hearing his voice makes me think of all kinds of Disney magic and childhood fun. It makes me happy that I get to experience all of that again with Sam.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mail for Uncle Geo
We've received word that Uncle Geo has arrived safely in Afghanistan, where he will remain until late November/early December. In case you'd like to send him any letters or packages, his address is below. I'm pretty sure that any package sent to a deployed unit's address is a flat rate, but the post office also has specific flat rate boxes for the purpose in case you want to go that route.
Captain Stegmiller, George J.
Captain Stegmiller, George J.
HMLA 369 S-4
Unit 40081
FPO AP 96427-0081
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
One. Year. Old.
We made it. Sam is one year old. I know I say it every month, but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that its been a year. I still feel like we're just figuring this out, like I'm still a new mom, like Sam is still a brand new person. But he's a baby no more, and when I look at what he's done in his first year it does seem like a lot. In his first year of life Sam has:
-Been to 6 states
-Touched both the Atlantic (technically the Gulf of Mexico) and the Pacific oceans
-Met Mickey Mouse at Disney World
-Traveled on 5 round trip flights
-Developed a livable sleep schedule
-Maintained his nic name, Squirmy
-Moved from nursing exclusively to eating a wide variety of table foods
-Earned a reputation for his pathetic sad face and his amazing eyes
-Learned to walk
That's right, baby boy is now officially a toddler. He'd been putting steps together for a few weeks, but was only using them as a mode of transportation when highly motivated by his destination. Then, on his birthday, something clicked. I think it was the trip to the Children's Museum where he realized he was less vulnerable in the standing position. He is now walking by choice, with or without a destination in mind. Is he stable? Not at all. He walks like Frankenstein with his arms straight out in front of him, which is totally adorable. And he still likes to use an object to help him stand up, so if he's in the middle of the room with nothing around he'll still crawl. But, the kid officially started walking on his birthday!
In other developmental news, Sam is still tiny. At his 12-month well visit he weighed in at 17lbs 9oz and was 29 inches long (30%). No percentage for weight because we're still off the chart. The doctor said it'll probably be a few years before we're back on the chart, but that Sam will be thankful for his build as a 40-year-old. I need to also note that this was a particularly traumatic appointment for the boy - three shots and a blood draw (routine). The blood draw was long and he screamed the whole time. Then they wrapped his little finger in a big bandage that he hated and kept shaking at everyone, hoping they would remove it for him. He even tried to bite it off. Thankfully he has a short memory and there was no damage a trip to Olive Garden couldn't fix.
Still not much talking. Don't get me wrong, he makes a lot of noise. He tends to focus on one consonant at a time (da, ba, ge, nge are his favorites), but hasn't put together any words yet.
I almost forgot to mention that he also got his first teeth this month. I've been meaning to post about it, but wanted to wait until I had a good picture of them. Well, I still don't. He has his bottom two center teeth, but they aren't all the way up yet. It took them about 3 weeks to break through the gum, which they finally did on daddy's birthday (April 9).
That brings us to our likes and dislikes for the month.
Likes:
Playing outside
Apple Juice
Walking
Holding onto stick-shaped objects (pens, chapstick, etc)
Putting in/Taking out
Reading interactive books
Dislikes:
Blood draws
Being contained
Sorry this post is a few days late...we had a very busy weekend around here! I will write later about all the birthday festivities, including the party.
-Been to 6 states
-Touched both the Atlantic (technically the Gulf of Mexico) and the Pacific oceans
-Met Mickey Mouse at Disney World
-Traveled on 5 round trip flights
-Developed a livable sleep schedule
-Maintained his nic name, Squirmy
-Moved from nursing exclusively to eating a wide variety of table foods
-Earned a reputation for his pathetic sad face and his amazing eyes
-Learned to walk
That's right, baby boy is now officially a toddler. He'd been putting steps together for a few weeks, but was only using them as a mode of transportation when highly motivated by his destination. Then, on his birthday, something clicked. I think it was the trip to the Children's Museum where he realized he was less vulnerable in the standing position. He is now walking by choice, with or without a destination in mind. Is he stable? Not at all. He walks like Frankenstein with his arms straight out in front of him, which is totally adorable. And he still likes to use an object to help him stand up, so if he's in the middle of the room with nothing around he'll still crawl. But, the kid officially started walking on his birthday!
In other developmental news, Sam is still tiny. At his 12-month well visit he weighed in at 17lbs 9oz and was 29 inches long (30%). No percentage for weight because we're still off the chart. The doctor said it'll probably be a few years before we're back on the chart, but that Sam will be thankful for his build as a 40-year-old. I need to also note that this was a particularly traumatic appointment for the boy - three shots and a blood draw (routine). The blood draw was long and he screamed the whole time. Then they wrapped his little finger in a big bandage that he hated and kept shaking at everyone, hoping they would remove it for him. He even tried to bite it off. Thankfully he has a short memory and there was no damage a trip to Olive Garden couldn't fix.
Still not much talking. Don't get me wrong, he makes a lot of noise. He tends to focus on one consonant at a time (da, ba, ge, nge are his favorites), but hasn't put together any words yet.
I almost forgot to mention that he also got his first teeth this month. I've been meaning to post about it, but wanted to wait until I had a good picture of them. Well, I still don't. He has his bottom two center teeth, but they aren't all the way up yet. It took them about 3 weeks to break through the gum, which they finally did on daddy's birthday (April 9).
That brings us to our likes and dislikes for the month.
Likes:
Playing outside
Apple Juice
Walking
Holding onto stick-shaped objects (pens, chapstick, etc)
Putting in/Taking out
Reading interactive books
Dislikes:
Blood draws
Being contained
Sorry this post is a few days late...we had a very busy weekend around here! I will write later about all the birthday festivities, including the party.
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