18 Months!

Somehow, Sam is 18 months old today.  I'm not sure how that happened.

 At 18 months, Sam:

•  loves spending time outside.  We walk circles around the house each day and Sam spends a lot of time exploring Mabel's doggy door and wishing that his parents would let him crawl through.  He still likes going for walks in his stroller, but also likes to walk around on his own and go visit/pet the dog statue that lives up the street in our neighbor's driveway.  
• loves animals of all kinds.  We have made LOTS of trips to the zoo this summer and he is proficient at making all of the various animal sounds.  He still calls Mabel "good girl" a lot of the time, but also calls her "Beeee" sometimes, too.  I'm not really sure where that came from, but he says it in the same tone of voice that we say "Mabe." 
• is very affectionate.  Sammer is a snuggler and hugger and has started to give kisses, too.  
• loves his books and spends lots of time each day reading with Mama and Dad and also flipping through books on his own.  
• can say about 20 words, although some of them require interpretation. 
• goes through phases of laughing at strange things.  For example, a couple weeks ago, he would laugh every time we would say, "A baby cow is called a calf."  
• is working on giving up his binky.  We've just recently started using it for nap and bed times only.  
• is a  healthy boy.  He's only been slightly sick a few times and has yet to need any antibiotics. 
• loves to brush his teeth.  
• loves his cousins. 
• likes to spend time rearranging the refrigerator and cupboards.  
• eats really well and almost anything. 
• is a big boy.  He is 35" tall (98th percentile), 27 pounds (80th-85th percentile) and his head is 20" around (>98th percentile).   
• usually sleeps about 10 hours each night and two to three hours each afternoon.  
• really loves his stuffed monkey.  
• is so, so loved!  

13 Months

Somehow, another month has flown right by us and our Sam is now 13 months old. 

Right now, Sam:

• is very unpredictable about what he will eat.  The only things that he will "for sure" eat, every time that they are offered, are veggie straws and Cheerios.  For everything else, it's a big guessing game.  Something he enjoyed for lunch may or may not be spit out at dinnertime.
• knows how to give five, clap, raise his arms in the air to show that he is "so big" and wave.
• likes bubbles.
• tries to say "quack" and "meow" and can successfully growl like a lion.  
• likes to read books.
• likes bath time.  
• hates having his diaper/clothes changed and squirms around like a crazy person.
• still likes to play peek-a-boo and patty-cake.
• still puts everything into his mouth. 
• drops half of his food onto the floor around his highchair.
• smiles every time that he sees Mabel.
• likes to "help" with the dishes and explore the inside of the refrigerator.
• really likes his nursery rhyme book.  
• is loved. 

Happy Birthday, Samuel P!

 

This handsome boy is one year old, today!

At one year, Samuel:

* is a fast crawler, likes to stand up anywhere he can get a hold of something and has started taking his first steps around the furniture. 
*is wearing 18 month pants and jammies and shirts that vary from 12-24 months, depending on the brand.
*likes to shake his head "no" and sometimes really means it.
*eats really, really well.  He occasionally decides he doesn't want something and spits it out, but in general he will eat most anything.
*still likes his binky - especially when he is tired.
*can wave and give five.
*loves his cousins and is always in a good mood when they are around.
*started sleeping past 6am.  Yay!
*figured out that he can pull up on the window ledges, stand up and take a peek at the world.
*loves Mabel.
*started to really enjoy our nursery rhyme book.
*thinks peekaboo is the cat's meow.
*is loved, loved, loved! 

Aunt Shell, Sam and Daddy

Eleven Months

Our 11 month cutie:

• is getting pretty fast at his army crawl.  
• likes things that he can open and close.  These things include doors, cupboards, drawers, books, the block box that has a hinged lid, the clothes dryer and such.
• can finally say mama, but hasn't really said it yet in a way that means "Mama."
• smiles whenever he sees Mabel, looks at the window or sliding glass door when we say her name or talk about "puppies," doesn't mind if she sniffs his face, likes to put his hand on her back and help give her her breakfast or rawhide treats.
• started playing independently with his books.  He likes to sit and flip through the pages.  
• has five teeth - two on the bottom and three on top.  Brian just found a new one this morning!  So, we will rewrite that as: Sam has six teeth - three on the bottom and three on top. 
• learned how to "give five."
• is super tickly and giggly when we change his diaper.
• had his first haircut and didn't seem to mind one bit.  He was interested in the clippers, but otherwise did a great job of sitting still and letting me cut away.
• is happiest in the early mornings.
• has a birthday coming up!
• is loved.  Immensely.

It’s Sam’s 10 Month Birthday!

 At 10 months, Sam: 

*is army crawling!  It started out as kind of an inchworm type of move, but is slowly becoming more of an official army crawl.

*has a knack for finding tiny little bits of things on the floor and putting them in his mouth.  (I guess that means that its time for us to do a better job of using our vacuum.)

*loves Mabel.  He smiles and squeals when he sees her.  He will occasionally give her pets, but more often just smiles at her.

*still really enjoys going for walks.

*likes his book time.  Current favorites include Pete the Cat - Rocking in My School Shoes, What is a Dog? and Little Blue Truck. Pete the Cat is definitely winning the favorites contest, though.

*loves it when we hold him and dance around the house.  We have been listening to a lot of Christmas music, lately.  We also like to dance to Davy Jones singing "Your Personal Penguin."

*is very interested in the computer.

*will eat anything that we offer and really likes to feed himself Cheerios and veggie straws.

*likes banging on the piano, splashing in the tub and playing peek-a-boo.

*really likes to be out and about.  He seems to totally enjoy himself at the store, church, library, etc. He is quite content to sit back and observe the world around him.  Being out on the town gives him a lot of opportunity to check out new people and places. 

*is loved!