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!