Sam is 18 Months Old

Here is another Friday the 13th to commemorate Sam.  Is it just me, or have there been a LOT of Friday the 13ths since the one when he was born?

I post a lot so I don’t have much new stuff to say.  Sam loves his brother.  He has to copy EVERYTHING Jack does.   Consequently, he plays with more advanced toys and playground equipment than Jack did at this age, and is scribbling earlier too. 

Now that the weather is warmer we’ve been playing outside more.  Sam is trying to ride the trike and swing and blow bubbles and anything else he can get his hands on.  For my birthday I got a bike and kid trailer.  This week we’ve taken three trips to playgrounds.  The kids love riding in it and they get more time to play than when we walked.  (Yes, they both are buckled in five point harnesses and wear helmets.  This photo was while I was taking them out.)

Sam has a large vocabulary.  It’s mostly monosyllabic and highly dependent on context to understand what he is saying.  But it’s clear he is trying to communicate with us.  His favorite word is “sure.”  He says it with a Chinese accent, and says it even when he means no.   We giggle at his enthusiasm when he answers us “sure sure!” I made a list of other words that he says consistently:

Sam loves to help me with the chores.  He vacuums with me, either getting his own or taking a turn with the big one.  I bought him a broom for his dinner sticker chart prize and he sweeps the kitchen with gusto now.  Lately I’ve had him help me with laundry and he gets so excited, you’d think it was his favorite activity.

Sam must be getting close to age two, since his fascination with trucks and trains is growing.  He plays with our trains every day and beelines for them at the library.  At home, he runs to the window when he hears a garbage truck.  In this photo we had several trucks clearing snow from the street in front of our house.  A front loader, a road grater, and a dump truck all working together right in front of us! 

I realize this is a rather whitewashed account.  For the past two weeks he has been teething 3 new teeth at once.  That means he hasn’t slept through the night for a long time.  Teething and weaning (today was the last time I’m going to nurse him) have caused havoc with meals. They are emotional and difficult and he has become super picky.  He also has had the sniffles for two weeks, with a constant stream of boogers, and a sore nose from all the wiping.  Yesterday and today he has had diarrhea, causing a bleeding diaper rash, making him scream every time I change him, which is often given the diarrhea.  Toss in all the usual toddler bumps and scrapes, and you can see how he spends about 80% of the last few days crying.  Poor kid.  

I love you Sam.  It’s a tough time but you will grow out of it.  You impress me every day!