Sam at Life is Good Festival

He loved, loved, loved it this year.  Ran around, danced, dragged us from event to event.  Of course this picture was taken after we told him five times to stop picking the grass, and a man walking by stopped to talk to him, and he thought he got in trouble.  But he did stop picking the grass.

Trying to Figure Out This Baby Thing

Sam knows that I am pregnant, but doesn't really "get it."  If we talk about it, he either ignores the conversation entirely, or lifts up my shirt to look at my belly and see if the baby is coming out.  Now he knows the baby will come when it has finished growing and is ready.
Last night as I was putting him down to bed, he asked me, "Mummy, your baby ready to come out and play yet?"  (The baby is due at the end of February).
"No, not yet Sam."
"Soon?"
"After Santa Claus comes and it gets cold out again."  (I really don't know how to explain long term time to a two year old.)
"Oh."  Pause.  "Yes.  Baby gets hat and mittens on and then comes out."

Blue Fishy

We ended up getting a little Beta fish recently, one weekend when Chris was away, and Sam and I had a lot of time together.  We had been reading a lot of "going to school" stories, as Sam was transitioning to a toddler program in a toddler- grade 2 school, and we were trying to prepare.  For some reason, every story featured fish and feeding fish.  Sam likes stories and reading and seems to get a lot out of his books, so I think he related to most of what the school stories were implying (say goodbye to parents, have fun with friends, do projects, eat snack, read books... fish?).
On day three of Chris's trip, we were trying to run some errands.  Going to more than two stores is asking a lot of a two year old, especially if it requires getting back in the car between places.  Luckily, that day, Sam was being cooperative (it may have had something to do with the Panera chocolate chip bagel I bribed him with to get him out the door in the first place).  With two errands down, and one left to run in the same plaza, I couldn't fathom trying to come back to the area again, I told him we could go and look at the fish in the pet store if he would go to one more store with me.  It worked, and we ended up with a Beta fish.  I had been contemplating getting one anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal.  Now he would relate to the pet fish in the books also.
The fish, who was blue, was aptly named, "Blue Fishy," by Sam.  He was quite proud of it and would have to visit it periodically throughout the day to show it various toys and tell it things.
"See Monsta twuck Blue Fishy?  I play with Monsta twuck.  You like it?"
"Don't worry Blue Fishy, I home now."
"Blue Fishy, Daddy come home soon," and so on.  I did have to point out that Blue Fishy didn't want to see Monster truck up close (like in his little tank) and remind him about putting things in Blue Fishy's water that weren't food.
Anyway, Blue Fishy was a good pet for two whole weeks.  Then, we got an great assignment from Sam's school that I had five days to complete: a list of photos to bring on the first day.  I have very limited printed photos at all, so this was quite a task (photo of child's face, the whole child, a family photo- recent?, and photos of the family pets).  I was going to skip the photo of Blue Fishy, but figured Sam would inevitably mention it and I'd get caught.  Turns out I needn't have worried.  Camera in hand I approached the cubic tank and found Blue Fishy motionless and not revived upon a gentle shaking of the tank or by addition of food.
So, Blue Fishy is no longer.  Sam accepted Blue Fishy's death well.  We just talked about how it wasn't going to swim anymore and it was time to let Blue Fishy go (in the toilet).  Sometimes he will look into the toilet and ask if Blue Fishy is coming back and then say, "oh no, I 'member.  Blue Fishy go home.  Yep, bye-bye Blue Fishy."
I think we got off easy on that one.  He also hasn't asked for a new fish, so for now we'll stick to the cat.

Happy Birthday Mama!

Family photo from surprise party on Saturday for my birthday.  We had just sung "Happy Birthday," so Sam is excited.