Any Birthday Can Be Fun

Yesterday was Eric's birthday. As I type this, I am realizing it was his golden birthday! Shoot - I should have done something special!

Sam is finding out that birthdays are a blast, no matter whose it is. He helped me make Eric's cake yesterday morning. The kid is a thief. The whole time we were working on it, I'd see his little pincher fingers reaching in for a quick taste. I couldn't get him to stop! I guess Sam is only well-behaved when sweets aren't involved.

Eric's birthday present was a baseball glove for him and a baseball glove for Sam. They went into the front yard and played catch for ages. Sam even crouches down and punches his glove to show he's ready for the pitch. He laughed the entire time he was outside - playing catch with Dad is fun!

After playing, we went out for dinner. Sam saw balloons and got to color on his placemat. Then he got chicken strips and apple slices and all the ketchup he could eat. After dinner, Eric played the crane machine and won Sam a Care Bear. Even after the Care Bear was out, Sam kept looking in the little hole on the machine to see if anything else was going to come out.

We got home and Eric read all of Sam's bedtime books, gave him his bath, and cuddled with him until he fell asleep. It was Eric's birthday, and that is what he wanted to do.

Happy birthday, Daddy!

The Kid Is A Blast

Yesterday, in the midst of my self-pity, I had to take my car in. I had a flat tire that needed to be patched and I couldn't put it off another day. Car maintenance is just about my least favorite thing to do. At its best, it is incredibly boring. However, I had never gone to a shop with Sam before.

We walked in to the Tires Plus and Sam's eyes lit up. He pointed and laughed at every tire they had on display - and there were plenty. He did a little dance as I gave my keys to the mechanic.

We went to the vending machine to buy a lemonade. I held Sam up and he put all of the change in and pressed the button. When the bottle appeared, he danced again.

In the waiting area, Sam sipped his lemonade and chattered happily. He watched through the window as our tire was replaced. He sat and casually flipped through an issue of Motor Trend magazine.

We didn't have to wait long. I paid and Sam and I walked outside. About halfway down the sidewalk, I realized Sam wasn't next to me. I turned around and saw him standing at the door, wildly applauding for the two men standing behind the counter.

Even getting a tire fixed is like a day at the fair if Sam is along!

Where Is The Sun?

I never knew how much I dependend on sunshine. I used to love grey, gloomy days. Now, I have reached a point where I am so over winter! The last few days have been miserable - bleak and cold.

Sam and I are still having a great time. We are laughing, learning, and playing. But that is where all of my energy is going. I sat down to write a post and - blah. Nothing.

I have never taken this many Give-Up days in a row!

Giving Up

Today is going to be one of those days. There is snow on the ground, which is ridiculous. I have several hours of manual labor planned and my car has a flat tire. It's official - today I am giving up.

I take my job very seriously. I work hard to keep a clean, safe house for my family. I plan and cook healthy meals. Sam is far ahead of what I had expected when planning his preschool curriculum. I try my hardest to expose Sam to social situations and to get plenty of physical exercise.

The one (big!) problem with my job is that it never ends. I truly love what I do. But it never ends. Imagine if playing a major league baseball was your dream job - and then it happened! And you played constantly. From six in the morning to eight at night, you played baseball. Once in bed, you were woken up several times a night to play a quick inning. The next morning, it started again. And again. And again. And again. Every day of the year. No weekends or holidays off. And remember - no paycheck!

At some point, anyone would crack. That's why I will occasionally have a day where I just give up. Sam and I wear pajamas. We watch videos. I let him paint and play in water and do all the things I usually consider too messy. Needless to say, Sam LOVES Give Up day!

I took this picture on our last Give Up day (which, embarrassingly enough, was not that long ago). We were having Chef Boy-Ar-Dee (gasp!) and eating in front of the TV (the horror!). Sam was wearing an old t-shirt because I didn't want to have to keep him clean. The house was a mess. And honestly, I think it was one of the best moments of Sam's life.

THIS is what true happiness looks like!

S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G

Sam has learned his letters surprisingly well. While I am proud of him, it drives me crazy that he is able to spell words he still refuses to say.

Sam was playing in his room a few weeks ago when I heard him moving his fan around. Then I heard, "B...R...E...E...Z...E!" I was thrilled and rushed in to praise him. He had read the letters off his fan with no help! Inspired, I encouraged him to say "fan." Sam said, "Blah blah blah blah!" and rolled his eyes back in his head.

Every time I wear my Air Force sweatshirt, Sam practices his letters. He sits on my lap, facing me, and carefully reads out, "A...I...R...F...O...R...C...E!" (I hope Grandpa Doug doesn't read this - he'll have Sam enrolled in the Air Force Academy before he is three!)

The most annoying word Sam spells is Elmo. He will not say Elmo. He cheerfully sounds out Grover, Big Bird, Cookie Monster...but he will not say Elmo. At the beginning of Elmo's World, Elmo writes his name across the screen. Sam has spelled it along with him so many times he has it memorized. Now, without looking at the TV, Sam sings along with the theme song complete with "E...L...M...O!" in the middle.

The kid continues to outsmart me - and it is getting old.

Pot Monster

Sam has recently learned that the pots and pans cupboard is good for more than organizing. He spreads them all over the floor and uses them as the mood strikes.

This is a very strained, fake smile, pretending he is doing nothing wrong.

He casually picks up a large pot, acting like nothing is happening...

...and then he flips it over his head...

...and charges at me, roaring. Terrifying!

Sam Tells It Like It Is

Sam came down with a cold last week. He seems to feel fine but his nose just won't stop running! At first he was wiping at his nose with his sleeve. Ugh - it made me sick. We bought a box of tissues and within an hour I had him trained to ask me to wipe his nose instead of doing it himself. Now he walks up to me with his finger alongside his nose, says, "Hmm?" and we go take care of it. (I have worked with many, many two-year-olds, and it should NOT have been that easy.)

Each time he points at his nose, I ask, "Do you need a tissue?" He says yes, but I am trying to get him to say he needs a tissue, or he has an issue, or anything close to what he needs. We are still in a power struggle regarding Sam's speech.

Last night Sam had just come out of the tub when he started pointing at his nose. "Do you need a tissue?" I asked. Sam nodded. "Do you need a tissue?" I persisted.

Sam looked at me with a sly smile. "I gotta boogah," he said. And then he laughed maniacally.

That was good enough for me!

Transmissions and Lightning

Last night we had our first big thunderstorm of the spring. The thunder was really loud - the first big blast woke me up and just about made me jump out of my skin.

I was half-awake and I listened to the rumbling and crashing. Even with my eyes closed, I could see the lightning flashes. I was surprised that Sam was still sleeping - and then I heard him cry.

I started to his room to comfort him, but his little shape standing in the living room caught my eye. He was standing in the middle of the room holding both Softies, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster. His knees were bent and his shoulders were hunched. Crying, he gestured wildly at the window. "Car!" he cried. "Mama, car."

I can't imagine the size of the car he was picturing making all of that noise and light. He was so scared! I didn't even try to explain thunderstorms to him. I picked him up, carried him to my bed, and let him sleep with me for the rest of the night. He fell asleep as soon as he hit my pillow and didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning.

Being scared out of his mind takes a lot out of my kid!

Children's Museum

Grandpa Mark took us to the Children's Museum on Friday afternoon. We had such a great time! The entire experience was Grandpa Mark and I watching the back of Sam's head as he dashed from room to room. My kiddo isn't shy!

Sam loved the Sesame Street exhibit and the child-size town. I'd say his favorites were driving the life-size city bus and racing boats with Grandpa Mark in the water exhibit. We found that he does not want to touch fish under any circumstances. There were fake fish (in water) next to an aquarium and Sam simply refused to go near them. They looked pretty real.

Grandpa Mark left his good camera at home and brought a small digital camera with. He's not going to do that again - all of the pictures he took turned out blurry. He did get one cute one and a short video.

This is a picture of the TV that was broadcasting Sam's music video. He is very short, but he is REALLY dancing. This is my boy busting a move.

And here is the tail end of Sam's Sesame Street Theme Song dance. There is a lot of background noise, but listen closely. Instead of singing the lyrics, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?" Sam sings, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame, please?"

He is very polite!

Thanks to Grandpa Mark for the picture, video, and the very fun day!

The Timeless Art of Seduction

I make a conscious effort to be respectful of Sam when writing this blog. I am honest, and include the bad along with the good, but I do keep some things to ourselves. He has said some hilarious things in the tub that would probably really embarrass him when he is older - so I don't post them.

That is why I really waffled on whether or not I'd post this. I took a lot of pictures of Sam playing in my bed, wearing only a diaper (see yesterday's post). The pictures I originally posted were pretty mild. However, there were more.

I sent some to Grandma Barb and showed several to Eric. But this one...I just can't help it. I have a question.

Am I the only person to look at this:

And immediately think of...
.
.
.
.
.
this?

I hope Sam can forgive me.

Little Dude In My Bed

Sam LOVES Mom and Dad's bed. The little bugger didn't sleep in his own bed until he was 14 months old (when we converted it from a crib to a big boy bed). He occasionally will still come and snuggle for a few minutes in the morning. The other day I found him playing in my bed - and he had brought Big Bird and Cookie Monster along for the fun.

This is how I found him - happily snuggling with his best friends.

Again with the posing - he doesn't get that I don't want pictures of his toys!

I told him I wanted a picture of all three of them.

Here he is really giggling!

All together now - awwwwww!

Owies Are Gross

Sam and I have been spending a lot of time outside - hallelujah!! Every night during his bath I see new scratches and bumps on his arms and legs. They don't seem to bother him at all, and he rarely tells me when he hurts himself.

We were playing on a cedar-chip playground a few days ago when Sam fell. He caught himself with his hands and really skinned his right palm. He looked sad enough for me to walk over and check it out. I offered to kiss it and he held it out to me. Then, hesitating, he looked at his owie again. He wrinkled his nose, apparently grossed out by the thought of someone kissing it. He then substituted his left hand instead. I kissed his unscratched palm.

I have been trying to trip him up ever since, but he won't let me kiss his right hand. I ask, "Sam, how is your owie?" He looks down at his right hand sadly, and holds it out for me to see. He then pulls it back and extends his left palm for me to kiss.

I am going to kiss that owie if it is the last thing I do!

Sweet Little Feet

Is there anything more darling than a baby's foot? Sam was born in February so his feet were usually bundled up in a blanket or footie pajamas. However, any time they were out I couldn't stop myself from kissing them. Some of his first big belly laughs came from me pretending to eat his feet.

Grandma Barb bought Sam his first pair of shoes when he was four months old. We were going to my cousin Sarah's wedding and Sam needed to look his best. The shoes were size one and they slipped off his feet the entire day. The impossibly small shoes were too big for him!

Since then Sam has worn sandals, boots, and many pairs of sneakers. I have gotten rid of all of them but that first little pair of shoes. I recently noticed that his shoes were getting more difficult to put on and so we went to the store for a new pair - in a size nine. I got out his baby shoes to compare them, and the difference in size nearly broke my heart.

My little man is growing too fast.

Batbad

Sam loves little cars. On the coffee table, on his train table, up the walls, across the floor - he will drive cars anywhere. Uncle Bret has given him a LOT of cars. Recently, he came home with another one for Sam - the Batman car.

Sam loved it, simply for being a little car. He was driving it on my leg and I started singing the Batman theme song. "Na na nana na na nana na na nana na na nana BATMAN!" Sam was thrilled. By the third time, he joined in.

Now, about 20 times a day, he brings me the Batman car. "Na na?" he asks politely. And then we sing - Sam belting out the "na nas" with gusto and happily shouting "BATBAD!" at the end.

Little boys and superheroes are always a good mix!

Storytime

On Friday morning Sam and I headed to the library. The children's area was full of kids as there was a family storytime scheduled for 10:30. In the past, Sam and I have skipped storytime and enjoyed having the play area all to ourselves when everyone else left. On a whim, I asked Sam if he wanted to check out storytime. He said yes, and off we went.

It was in a large conference room on the other side of the library. Several chairs were set up in a semi-circle in the back of the room. Sam sat on my lap and watched as the other families walked in. A day care came in, with almost 10 four-and-five-year-olds, and they marched right up to the front of the room and sat on the floor. Sam jumped off my lap and went to sit next to them.

He was about 15 feet away from me and was incredibly pleased with himself. However, storytime was taking a while to start. More and more people were filling in the room and Sam slowly turned around until he was sitting with his back to the front of the room. He faced all of the parents and kids with interest. With his back turned, he did not see the librarian walk to the front of the room and sit down. She took out a guitar and strummed.

Sam's head whipped around when he heard the guitar. Eyes wide, he slowly turned his head back to me, pointing at the librarian, and said, "OOOOOOOooooooohh!!" The entire room burst into laughter - there has never been another kid more surprised and pleased by storytime.

He turned around and sat nicely for all of the songs and stories. Every few minutes, he would look over his shoulder at me, laughing at the story, making sure I was getting the joke.

The storytime season is almost done for the summer, but I will make sure to bring him every week until it is over!

Sam the Secretary

For the most part, Sam is a very careful, respectful kid. There was an incident about a year ago that found my cell phone at the bottom of the toilet, but other than that he knows what he can and can't touch. In fact, if he sees something he isn't supposed to have, he goes out of his way to bring it to me so I can keep it from him.

But come on - the kid is two. It seems that I left my pen and calendar on the coffee table one too many times. Sam took it upon himself to do some scheduling. According to him, my Sundays and Mondays in July are totally booked.

Free Falling

Yesterday was a rough one. Sam and I were both feeling a little off so we stayed home all day. We started the morning with Sam falling down the basement steps. One side of the steps is completely open, and Sam fell from that little opening at the top. He slipped right down the wall and ended up wedged behind the couch.

A few hours later, he ran to his little table, excited for lunch. He climbed onto his chair backwards and it fell over. I found him just like that - flat on his face, next to a chair flat on its back. He was so sad - falling was getting old.

We went through the rest of the day without incident until it was almost time for bed. Sam was playing with his toys on the coffee table when one rolled off. He walked on his knees to get it, and when he walked on his knees back to the table he stumbled. He fell forward, smacking the edge of the table with the bridge of his nose.

I can assure all of you Sam lovers that he is absolutely fine (except for the purple line between his eyes). But no matter how we feel or what the weather is, we will be out and about today. I don't think we'd survive another quiet day at home!

Like Mike

A few minutes ago I was cleaning out our junk drawer and came across a sheet of temporary tattoos. I think they came with a kid's meal or in a box of cereal. At any rate, I was surprised to find them. I called Sam into the kitchen and cut out a green lightning bolt tattoo.

I pressed the tattoo on his forearm. The directions said to hold it for at least 30 seconds, so we sang a few rounds of the alphabet. Then I pulled off the paper and showed Sam his new ink.

Sam was not happy. He wrinkled his nose and whimpered. He touched it gingerly and then tried to rub it off. It didn't go anywhere, and Sam looked like he was going to cry. I felt really bad.

I had a sudden inspiration. Using a cheerful voice, I said, "Sam, you have a tattoo just like Uncle Mike!" Sam's eyes widened and he stopped whimpering. I continued, "Do you like having a tattoo like Uncle Mike?" Sam nodded and smiled at the lightning bolt. "Ooooh," he whispered.

He is now proudly marching around, looking down at his arm every few seconds to make sure it is still there. Uncle Mike would be proud!

Mama Vs. Ain

Yesterday Eric and I made plans to go out for an early dinner. Karen agreed to watch Sam so we could go by ourselves. (What did I ever do without Karen??)

As I got Sam ready to go, I talked to him about our plans.

Mom: Sam, you are going to play at Aiden's house.
Sam: Oooooh!! Ain!
Mom: Mama isn't going to stay with you. Mama is going to leave.
Sam: Ain?
Mom: Yes, you will get to play with Aiden. But Mama will go bye-bye.
Sam: Oh. Ain?
Mom: Yes, Sam! Aiden will be there, but Mama won't!
Sam (happily): Ain!

True to form, Sam could hardly be bothered to say goodbye to me when I dropped him off. He was happy when I came to pick him up, but I know he would have been just as happy staying there for good.

When it comes to Sam's time with his friend, I just can't compete.

Sam's Occlumency Training

As I said in my previous post, Sam and I lead separate lives when we are at Jackie and Mike's house. Yesterday morning I was zoned out, playing on the computer, and Sam wandered into Jackie's bedroom. She was in there watching a movie and Sam decided to join her. They watched the movie and played and giggled and had a great time.

Later, we were all in the kitchen and Sam dashed in. He was babbling in a deep voice and wildly waving his arms. He held them out, palms up, and raised them over his head. He then flipped them over, palms down, and pushed them back down. He was really concentrating on what he was doing and we all watched him with mild amusement.

Then Jackie gasped. "Sam, are you Dumbledore?" she asked. She started miming Dumbledore's fancy wand work from the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sure enough, that is what Sam was doing! That was the movie she had been watching when he found her that morning. He had watched Dumbledore battle Voldemort and was mimicking the intense wand movements.

Hogwarts, here Sam comes!

What A Weekend!

Sam and I are exhausted! We went to Grandpa Mark's on Friday afternoon and had so much fun. Sam showed off his alphabet skills, played with cars, and we all went on a walk. We waited for Grandma Tina to get home and then we went out to dinner. Sam and I had to leave right after we ate - he was very tired!

We spent the rest of the weekend at Jackie and Mike's house. We have so much fun there! Sam and I go hours without seeing each other. The weather was beautiful on Saturday and Sam spent most of the day outside, playing with Miranda and James. Whether playing basketball or jumping on the trampoline, there is nowhere Sam would rather be.

We played until this morning, when we finally dragged ourselves away and came home. Sam is a little crabby now that we are here - I am not as much fun as his cousins! Tomorrow we will get back into our routine, but right now we are both wishing we could have stayed a little longer.

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This

I know I am going to regret posting this picture.

As I have made perfectly clear, I have a lovely house as long as no one opens any doors. My closets and cupboards are severely lacking in organization. I say that freely but would honestly be very embarrassed if anyone snuck a peek.

That's why I was so mad when I saw this picture on my camera. I was going through all of our pictures, squinting at the tiny display, deleting everything I knew was already printed. There were pictures of Sam from last spring on there! And then I saw this - a picture of one of my closets. Even worse, there is a vacuum in the foreground that is practically begging to be emptied. I was so annoyed, assuming that Eric took it just to pick on me.

And then I looked closer.

Come On, Spring!

We got a lot of snow this week but the forecast is saying we'll be in the 50s all weekend. Hopefully, the snow will be gone!

I took Sam outside yesterday. It was gloomy and grey but we were thrilled to get some fresh air! I can't wait to take his tricycle out and let him tear up the sidewalk!

Sam sprints down the sidewalk...

...he turns around to make sure that I see just how far he was able to go...

...and then he runs back to tackle me and give me a hug!

Disappointment

Sam wasn't feeling very well yesterday. We stayed home all day and took it easy. Today he woke up in a great mood so I decided we could go to the play gym. We got ready and talked happily about everything we were going to play with. It took me almost 20 minutes to scrape the three inches of frozen snow off of my car. We finally headed off, got there in record time, and went inside.

Right away, I saw something was different. There were school-age kids all over. I then noticed that Tot Time was not on the schedule of events for the day and there was no sign-in. Due to spring break, Tot Time was cancelled.

I told Sam we had to go. He happily pointed at the stairs and started to go down. I explained that the play gym was all gone and we had to leave. His face fell. I finally got him outside, where he followed me to the car. But once we got there, he refused to step off the sidewalk. He pointed at the building and again asked to go inside. I told him we couldn't, and his face broke into the saddest, most heartbreaking cry. He stood on the sidewalk and wailed. He must have been so confused as to why I'd tease him like that!

The only way I was able to get him in the car was by promising him we'd go see Aiden. I then called Karen to tell her we were coming over - and she let me know that Aiden had just gone down for an early nap. Poor Sam!

However, Karen came through for my little guy. After Sam's nap, she and Aiden are going to pick us up and we are going to the Woodbury Play Park. Sam has never been there, and I know it is going to blow his mind.

Life Lesson #1483: Life is full of disappointments - but a good friend can make everything okay again!

Two Panic Attacks Before Six A.M.

Sam has to stop using my phone.

This morning I was in the shower at 5:30. Sam was wandering around, still half-asleep. Without me knowing it he used my phone to call Jackie. He called her house phone, let it ring a few times, and then hung up. She panicked, wondering why I'd call so early and then not talk to her.

Of course, she called right back. I have a distinctive ringer set on my phone for when Jackie calls. I was in the bathroom and heard her calling. I panicked, wondering why she'd call so early. I ran and answered it.

Me: "Hello?"
Jackie: "Hello?"
Me: "What is going on?"
Jackie: "What?"
Me: "What is happening?"
Jackie: "What?"
Me (slowly realizing what had happened): "Did I call you?"
Jackie: "Yes!"

And so we figured out that Sam was behind all of it. Reassured that neither of us were experiencing an emergency of any kind, we hung up on each other.

Nothing like starting the day with a heart attack!