Mr. Manners

One thing that is very important to me is teaching Sam good manners. Every time I hand him something, I say, "Thank you, mama! Ta ta!" I learned to say "ta ta" when I was very young, and repeat it Sam, hoping he will say it, too. A little over a month ago, I handed him his cup and said, "Thank you! Ta ta!" I turned around and heard his little voice say, "Tain you," and him walk away. So much for baby talk!

Sam saying 'please' happened much the same way. Before handing anything to him, I ask him to say please. Most of the time, he gets angry and shakes his head at me. Then one day, he just smiled and said, "Peas!"

Although Sam has proven he CAN say please and thank you, he does not do it all the time. I just keep repeating it (and repeating it and repeating it) in the hopes he will do the same. Sam has decided to hold me to a higher standard.

The little stinker has decided that he will. not. do anything I ask him unless I say please. What is that? It started right around the time he first said thank you. He was standing in the bathroom and I needed him to come out so I could shut the door. I stood there, cheerily saying, "Come on! Sam! Let's go! Come out! Buddy! Time to go! Come on!" He just looked at me blankly and refused to move. Finally, I said, "Sam, will you please come out of the bathroom?" and he screeched, "Yeah!" and ran past me into the hallway.

This is just the beginning, isn't it?

Nap by Chocolate

The last few days, Eric has been coming home within minutes of Sam going down for his nap. This means that Eric has to stay up much later than he normally would, so he can spend some time with Sam when he wakes up.

Today, in an attempt to keep Sam awake, I took him to the grocery store at naptime. He was fine at first, but as I wheeled the cart to the check-out he made it clear he was done. He started whining and was near tears (which is very unusual for Sam in public). In an attempt to keep the peace, I opened our pack of chocolate chip cookies and gave one to Sam to gnaw on.

When we got home, I didn't even have time to unpack the groceries before Sam was demanding to be put to bed. I showed him to his chair and he passed out.

This is what Eric came home to:

Applause

Most babies are well under a year old when they start clapping their hands. Sam just refused to do it. Now that he has started to clap, he is making up for lost time.

No matter what he accomplishes, it requires a round of applause. He has to set his spoon down between each bite to clap. He brings me things he isn't supposed to have, just so he can clap for himself when I thank him. Last night, as he was drifting off to sleep, I watched as he softly, slowly clapped in the dark.

Hooray for Sam!