Dirt

Eric and his mom, Colleen, share a passion (obsession?) with working on their yards. Colleen received a dump-truck sized load of dirt a few days ago, and she and her husband, Jose, have been bringing the piles they don't need over in truckloads.

Today Sam and I were playing in the backyard when Jose and his friend, Rod, backed the truck into our driveway. They opened the tailgate and started shoveling dirt into a wheelbarrow to bring to the back of our yard.

Sam was just amazed. He watched them shovel the huge piles and stood in the way as they tried to maneuver the wheelbarrow. In an attempt to keep him alive, I got out his little wheelbarrow and let him help.

So there they were, two grown men taking turns with a professional-size wheelbarrow, struggling against the weight of the dirt. Darting past them was Sam, carrying his pink and yellow wheelbarrow so his two clumps of sod fell out every three feet. He looked so proud as they praised him and thanked him for helping. They were even gracious enough to look away when I had to use his t-shirt to wipe the dirt out of his mouth after he took a little nibble.

What a good day's work!

Children's Museum

As Eric and I were both off for the 4th, we decided to pack up Sam and (finally) check out the Children's Museum. We had no idea it would be so much fun!

As most families were presumably doing "4th" things, the museum was nearly empty. There were only one or two other families in each room we went into. This gave Sam plenty of space to explore and touch absolutely everything he saw. He loved the Curious George exhibit. It had a construction site, a farm, a store, mini golf...using the blocks at the construction site was his favorite.

The museum also has a room called Habitot, that is specifically designed for babies - preschoolers. We all went through caves, turned wheels, and walked over a drawbridge. The highlight of Habitot was Sam's determination to walk up a rather steep slide. There was a rope ladder next to it, but he wasn't going to sink to that level. He tried again and again (sliding back down on his face every time he fell) and finally struggled his way to the top! Whereupon he immediately slid back down on his face.

It was so much fun. Eric crawled through a complex ant tunnel and we moved clouds to cause a thunderstorm. One of the staff members supervised a "block party" with dozens of soft building blocks. Sam went over and built, knocked towers over, and tried to help the other kids. He never even turned around to see if we were still there.

Happy independence day, indeed!

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!

Humidity is Hilarious

It isn't even June yet, and I have our air conditioning on 24 hours a day. Just going to the store and coming back home is exhausting.

The only joy I've gotten out of the humidity is finding out that Sam's hair definitely has some curl in it. By about mid-morning the back is wavy and there are wisps above each of his ears. Yesterday I plunked him in his chair and hoped to get at least one cute picture of him with those little wisps. Apparently, he was in the mood to pose.

Fingerpaint

In retrospect, I could have done things differently.

After being stuck inside for two days due to rain, Sam and I are starting to get on each other's nerves. I thought today would be a great day to get out some new things to play with - and then I saw the fingerpaint. I was so excited! Sam loves getting messy and he loves coloring with markers. Why wouldn't we have a beautiful afternoon creating masterpieces together?

Sam followed me around as I gathered the paint and paper. He was whining and hanging on me (blast this rain!) but I ignored him. I felt smug as I led him into the bathroom to paint. Aren't I the smartest mom in the world, painting in the most washable room in the house? We sat down, facing each other, and I placed a piece of paper between us. I put a few drops of each color on the paper and waited for the magic to begin.

Sam stared at the paper, and then raised his head to give me the most disgusted look I've ever seen him make. I clapped and smiled and pointed at the paint. I swear he rolled his eyes. I finally took his wrist and, with him pulling back as hard as he could, I smooshed his hand into the paint.

His nose wrinkled so hard it almost touched his forehead. He yanked his arm away from me and furiously wiped his hand on the front of his (Ralph Lauren) shirt. I thought he just didn't understand and tried again. Now both his hands were covered with paint and he was angry. He struggled to stand up (using his hands on the floor and walls) and tried to battle his way out of the room (pounding the door with his palms). I finally wrestled him out of his clothes and got him cleaned up (one washcloth, one hand towel, and my right sleeve were lost in the fight).

He is now in the living room, wearing only a diaper and carrying the red bottle of paint.

I think it's best that we spend a little time apart.

A Boy and His Stick

Today Sam and I spent a wonderful Monday morning at a park near our house. We were the only people there, which gave Sam plenty of opportunity to explore. In true bizarro-Sam fashion, he spent the entire morning delighted with...a stick.

A boy, his stick, and a garbage can.
A boy, his stick, and a dandelion.
A boy, his stick, and his shadow.
A rare contemplative moment.
We're outta here!