Command Post

So, I shed a few tears. Why? Because I packed up Samuel's exersaucer, dubbed his "Command Post" since almost day one. He's too big for it now and would actually start crying when we tried to put him in it because he'd rather move around. So...it is now packed away, which means that Sam is yet another step further from babyhood and now even closer to toddlerhood. I also shed a few tears the first time I had to pack away clothes that didn't fit him anymore. Ahh, I'm sure Peter will laugh at this post when he reads it. He always tells me I'm going to cry like crazy when Sam, my baby, goes off to college someday. Of course, he is right. Such is life.

So sweet...

Almost mid-July??

Where is the summer going?!? We've been keeping busy with Peter working, me in school, and Sam just exploring everything (to the point where he no longer wants to take naps, ugh). Inside, he loves to climb on things, so it's fun to take the couch cushions off once in awhile so he can work on those large motor skills!

If we set him on the couch now, he knows that he needs to get down feet first, so falls aren't so risky anymore. As far as eating goes, he seems to be getting a little bit pickier about what he likes. He has also decided that sometimes he doesn't want us to feed him with a spoon. He'd rather do it himself. For things like yogurt or applesauce, this gets to be quite messy, but he sure has fun. He especially likes to run his sticky fingers through his hair.

A couple of days a week we meet Katy and Jackson at the water park. On the 4th of July, Peter came with us since he had the day off. Sam had a good time showing Dad the ropes in the water.

Today we attended our church picnic, and I wish I would have brought my camera! Sam thoroughly enjoyed his first Mr. Freezie Pop. He finished the whole thing and hardly dripped any of the sugary cherry goodness. He also got to eat lunch at a miniature sized picnic table. The highlight, though, was the petting zoo. He got to pet goats, bunnies, pigs, and more, and he wasn't afraid of them at all. His favorite was the little wallaby. He just couldn't get enough of that little guy and giggled as he touched his fur. They had all sorts of games for the kids at the picnic too, but Sam is still a little young for those, so maybe next year.

Here are a few pictures from a family trip to one of the many nearby parks. Unfortunately, the parks with infant swings around here are not within walking distance, so we have to get there by car. Sam seems to appreciate it though!

JULY 6TH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CANDACE!!!

AND

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAURIE!!!

Wyatt's Birthday

Classes have been keeping me pretty busy this summer, so I don't have as much time to post right now. We did get the chance to celebrate little Wyatt's first birthday a couple weekends ago. Here is Sam at the birthday party, with his cousins, Will and Wyatt.

Here is Wyatt enjoying his chocolate cake...

...and here is Sam wondering why he didn't get a huge slice of chocolate cake this time!
On a completely different note, Sam now knows how to open up the pantry and pull down the box of crackers to get himself a snack (which he will also share with Oscar). I guess it is time to put some kid proof latches on our cupboards!

First Word!

So, Sam has been saying mama and dada for some time now, but we have never really been sure he knows what he is saying. It could just be baby babble.

Now we KNOW for sure that his first word is "baba", which he uses for milk/sippy cup. When he says it, it is different from baby babble in its clear and matter of fact tone. We have been teaching him a few baby signs (this is like baby sign language if you haven't heard of it). We've been working on "all done", "more", and "milk". Just this past week, he started doing the "milk" sign whenever he wanted his sippy cup. He does this by squeezing his hand, as if milking a cow. Then a few days ago, he started to attach "baba" to the "milk" sign, and he know does them both at the same time!

I can't tell you how proud we are of our little boy. I also can't imagine the pride we will feel when he does something really big like graduate from kindergarten (haha) or college! When I saw him do this for the first time, it actually made me cry with tears of happiness because there is no doubt that for the first time, he can actually communicate with us on a higher level. Of course, sometimes he does it now just because he knows he gets such a reaction out of us, and he just gets a big happy grin on his face, knowing he accomplished exactly what he wanted. I never realized that the pride you can feel for your child could be so intense. I love being a mom.

Check out the "baba" and "milk" video below.

Sam's One Year Old Pictures

Here is the link to Sam's one year old pictures:
https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0232120486JCP

Enter my first and last name as the customer name.

As you will see, we had trouble getting him to smile, but there are a few cute ones in there anyway!