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!