Dress Code

Sam has become very particular about what he wants to wear.  It started as him just pitching a fit when we tried to get him dressed in the morning, so I finally would pull out two acceptable items and offer him a "choice."  Then it morphed into Sam only wearing khakis or light grey pants (no jeans, dark cords, navy, etc).  On top he prefers anything with trucks, engines, heavy construction equipment.  This limits things, until you build a wardrobe of serious vehicle attire, which we now have.
The problem we are encountering (other than drawers full of unworn clothing), is that it is now cold out and khakis are usually spring wear, so not designed for cold weather use.  Chris also bought Sam a cool pair of fire engine pajamas, that if he sees he has to wear, day or night.
Most of our Christmas photos involve these jammies.  The only way to make them warm, is to layer, but the pajamas have to be visible.  Today he kind of looks homeless.  Fire engine pajama bottoms, with khaki  shorts over them, a onesie, and a t-shirt with monster truck.  I'm not really sure what look we're going for here.  And this kid isn't two yet.  I'm just thinking that if he was a girl, I'd be in trouble when he was  teenager.  I figure if he's warm, I'm not fighting this battle, particularly in the morning before work.  Please excuse his fashion sense.

Sam's Christmas Eve outfit.  Fire engine pajamas with khaki pants rolled up over them.

Boys on the Bench

"Maybe if we stand here we can throw all of Nana's decorations on the floor."

More Tree Trouble

Our tree is finally up and decorated.  It was a process, that required a new tree stand, new lights, and then trying to accomplish the completing of the decorations with a 20 month old who was only interested periodically.  He also had to be taught that the bulbs were not balls.

I had a conversation with my mother the other day, that was along the lines of, "oh no, Sam is really good around the tree.  A full size tree should be fine in the living room on Christmas day."
So they put up their full size tree.

I picked Sam up at daycare yesterday and the daycare teachers told me that Sam and two of his friends had knocked down the Christmas tree.
Not to be a mom in denial (we have lots of those at school), but it sounded like it really was more the other boys and Sam was kind of there.
She showed pointed out how the lights on the upper half of the tree were no longer working.  Meanwhile, Sam and his friend Joey we completely avoiding looking at the adults (the third boy was sleeping).
From the snippets of what Sam has volunteered,
"Joey, Sammy JUMP!!!"
"twee down.  CRASH!  Oh, mess.  Sawah (Sarah the owner) fix wights!"
"Oh, twee down!  Joey cry."
Sam tells us this all very matter-of-factly, in the same conversations as "play cars!"
On the other hand, why is there a tree that is capable of falling down at daycare where the kids are playing?  Perhaps that is the greater concern.

I don't know how common it is to have falling Christmas trees, but Sam's auntie infamously knocked one down she was about five.  It was around the same time we were watching a lot of the Muppets, and Miss Piggy would karate-chop when she was angry.  Tess karate-chopped the tree, and the tree fell.  My friend and I were supposed to be babysitting.  So I fully blame this incident on his auntie.

Christmas Tree Decorating

Christmas Decorations

We get out occasionally sans baby ; )  This past weekend was a birthday celebration for a friend, held at the Liberty Hotel in Boston.  The building was formerly built as a jail.  Eventually it was bought and renovated, and is now a hotel with restaurants and bars.  These Christmas trees hang upside in the lobby, about six stories high.  It's a very cool sight.

Tree Trouble

We got our tree relatively early this year (for us).  However, it didn't get in the house until last night.  And when it did, Chris was out of patience and it was a very quick placement of the tree in the stand and screwing it into place.  Considering our house is slightly slanted (think a ball placed on the floor will roll towards the back of the house), the tree has to be skewed in the other direction.
Tonight I got home at 6 pm and Chris, who had had Sam since 3:30, went back to work.  After dinner I decided to put the lights on the tree, with Sam "helping."  The tree immediately tilted to one side, which I caught.
Sam: "Ohhh... twee."
I propped it against the wall and got down on my hands and knees to adjust the screws.
Sam didn't like this, "No!  Mama!  Out!  No twee!"
Me:  "No, it's okay Sam, Mama likes this.  Fun game!"
Sam:  "Mama, NO!  Twee, NO!"
The tree flopped to one side and I tried to hold it with one hand and screw with the other.  There is a reason two people do this job.
Me:  "Sammy, back-up.  Go play in living room.  Mama fix tree."
Sam:  "Sammy help."
Me:  "Sammy help in living room."  (mouthful of pine)
Sam disappears and returns with the cat who is meowing.  "Mama fix twee!"
Me:  "Yes, mama. fix. tree."
Cat:  "Meow, meow, meow."
Sam disappears and returns with plastic hammer and screwdriver.
Sam:  "Sam help fix!"
Sam crawls under the tree with his screwdriver and yells, "stuck!"  Then crawls out and walks around the hall banging things with the hammer and saying, "stuck!"  Hmmm.  (I really only said bad words under my breath).
After ten minutes of me adjusting the screws and the tree flopping from one side to the other, I gave up, propped it against the wall again and decided to wait until Chris got home.  Now there is a lopsided, half lit Christmas tree in the hall, which Sam occasionally walks by and bangs with his hammer and yells, "stuck!"

"Park"

We have a very routine oriented child.  He likes to have everything in order in the morning.
We usually get Sam changed and dressed & he has a bottle, I take a shower, and get dressed.  ("Samuel dress.  Mama show-a, mama dress.")
On the weekends our routine is usually to get up and out, get me a coffee and go to a playground, which Sam calls the "park."  Yesterday I got him dressed and was starting laundry, we were going out to breakfast with friends.  Sam, out of his routine, came to direct me, "Mama, show-a!  Mama dwess!"  When I was organized and got a few things done around the house, I got dressed.  Sam appeared with the car keys.
"Mama keys, park!"

Favorite Student Quotes & Moments so Far This Year

Teacher:  "Name two things  you would take on the Mayflower."
3rd grade student:  "Well, one would be my imaginary friend, so I wouldn't get bored..."


Teacher:  "We need a general statement that introduces a paper about you.  It should lead into you telling three things you enjoy or participate in."
4th grade student:  "Here are three ways I make a living."
Teacher:  "Um, so you work?  You have jobs?"
Student:  "What?"


5th grade student:  "Oh yeah!  I totally get that.  It's just like my imaginary pet unicorn!"


4th grade student:  (on writing a paper about something he is thankful for).  "So really, what is 
Thanksgiving anyway?  It's not like a real holiday.  It was just created to make more work for kids at school.  That's the only reason it's around."

Reading question in a book about the history and science of flight:"How long do you think a pilot trains for and why would they train for that amount of time?"
4th grade student's written answer:  3 + 5 years.  In case they would be confused about what they are doing.
Question:  "What makes a plane lift of the ground?"
Student"s written answer:  "Gas + motor = maybe."


Student:  "So we didn't get to go apple picking after all."
Teacher:  "Oh, that's too bad."
Student:  "Yah, that's what happens when mom says to use the GPS and dad doesn't listen."






*Note:  This is the result of me sitting down at  8 pm to work on report cards.

Sam "spells"

New trick ; )  It's cute, but he has no idea what he's saying

Thanksgiving

                    Family picture before Sam escaped to eat crackers.

                    Every beautifully set dinner table needs a train or two.

Thanksgiving Thoughts- Thich Nhat Hanh

This food is the gift of the whole universe—the earth, the sky, and much hard work.

May we eat it in mindfulness, so as to be worthy to receive it.

May we transform our unskillful states of mind, especially our greed.

May we accept this food so that we may realize the path of understanding and love.

View from the Pool

Ahh, sunshine.  Back to the New England chill.  Need to plan a warm vacation again soon!  Sam loved looking at the boats going by, the Florida version of large trucks ; )

Joys of Travel

We had a pretty successful trip to visit Chris's family in Fort Myers, but so many moments of traveling with a toddler that just made me, in the words of a former co-worker, take, "deep yoga breathes," to maintain my sanity.
I think my all time favorite was having to put Sam's bottle into an airport security machine that tests for explosives.  I mean, I get it.  I know the age that we are living in, and the measures that are in place for our security and safety, but in the moment, I just had to laugh.  I probably did look like a crazy person, possibly an unsafe one, standing in front of the machine.
We got to security, juggling the baby, shoes, carry-ons, and pulling out the zip-lock baggies of things like extra milk (everything else got checked).  Meanwhile, we had to say, "bye-bye" to every item that we put onto the conveyer belt and assure Sam that it was okay to put things on it and that we would get them back.  At the same time, an overzealous security guard was barking orders at my husband about his laptop, belt, arrangement of items, and everything else.

"Butterfly the case.  NO!  Open it, open the case, secure the laptop in it, and butterfly it.  Take the laptop out.  Now put it back.  In the case.  Butterfly it.  Open the case.  Put the laptop in, secure it.  NO!  Unzip the case."  This was from the other side of the metal detector which meant the guard was essentially yelling, which Sam took as Chris getting in trouble.

So Sam's bottle has disappeared through the X-ray machine, the man is yelling, Sam is trying to jump out of my arms to run after his bottle, and I am trying to take my scarf off ("TOO Bulky!!!"), while holding/restraining Samm.
Finally Sam and I are allowed through the machine, Chris is sent back for more instructions, and as I start to breath normally, the bottle is confiscated.
Now Sam is starting to wail, since Daddy is back there, I am out here and the bottle is walking away with a stranger.  I also can't collect the items we have put through because I have to follow the bottle.
I'm barefoot, trying to watch my purse (still in the X-ray machine), hold the squirming baby, and seeing if Chris will ever make it through, when the (luckily) nice (female) security guard places Sam's bottle in this space age machine and presses a button.
Sam is whimpering and starting to cry more loudly (and we're now on day 4 of the croup, so crying is not helpful).
"Ohhh.... microwave bottle," I feebly tried to reassure Sam.
"NO MIC-RO-(W)AVE!!!"  Sam yelled.
I prayed this would be a quick process.  We watched the machine blink and blink and then a button lit up red and said something helpful like, "seek attention."  Crap.
"NO MICRO-AVE.  BOTTLE!!!!"
The security guard and I looked at the bottle in the machine which was now requiring higher powers.
She called over her supervisor.
"Umm, it's soy milk?" I helpfully offered.
"BOTTLE!!! MAMA, DADA!  DADA..." (clearly I was not effective enough for Sam in this situation).
They took the bottle out and reset the machine. They ran it again.  Visions of confiscated bottles flooded my mind (pouring out alcohol down drains when I was underage & caught.)
"He can drink it in front of you?" I asked.  The machine beeped and Sam yelled more loudly.
"BOTTLE!"
Finally Chris escaped as I was handed back the bottle, which apparently was no longer radioactive/explosive.  And we put ourselves back together, collected our belongings and headed on our way.  This was at 6:30 am on the way down.

Airport

                            Sam could have stayed here for hours.

"Cracker Broke"

Sam was eating a cracker the other day and figured out that he could snap it into pieces.
"Mama cut!  Crack-a cut!"  surveying the cracker he changed his mind, "oh, bwoke.  Cwack-a bwoke."
He thought about it for a minute and held it out again.
"Tape?"

Fall at the Zoo

Offices, Pharmacies, and Too Much Medication

Sam's been a trooper through all this illness, down to me losing my patience over silly stuff that wouldn't normally bother me ("mama said, "NO pouring your bottle on the couch!!!  SAM, NO!!!") and getting dragged from appointment to appointment and various pharmacies.  I usually try to leave him with Chris or my parents when I go to the doctor's, so that not only he is not exposed to random germs, but I can also actually carry on a conversation with the doctor.
His last appointment to check on his ears, ended with Sam screaming, "Bye-bye, bye-BYE, BYE-BYE.  Buses, outside BUSES!" as I tried to get the final directions from the tolerant doc.  (His reward for going to the doctor is to see the buses in Davis Square afterwards and the statues on the bike path).  When I look back at photos from Halloween and see how pale and sick he was, I'm just glad he's feeling better.
Today he entertained the masses as the useless pharmacist searched fruitlessly for a prescription that had been faxed in, which she just couldn't locate.  Sam waved over my shoulder at the line forming behind me, "hi people!"  he called, "Mama, people!  HI people!"  I didn't dare turn around because I was afraid of how many "people" were the line now.
Then he got down and did his new walk, a giant side step from side to side, which luckily the "people" were amused by.  Thank God he wasn't screaming Sam, but cute entertainer guy.
We then got to drive two towns over to my doctor, where he entertained the waiting room, while I double-checked that the prescription had been sent (it had), but they don't answer phones on Saturday, so I had to go there to find out.
We have been really trying to keep him in a routine and get out and about with him (even if it's playing with keys at Daddy's office), despite everyone feeling crappy.  With my super-duper doses of antibiotics (4 pills together on day 1?), hopefully I will feel better soon.
Since we didn't track down the medication till this afternoon, I didn't get to take my horse-size dose until around dinner time.  Chris went to the Bruins game, and I plodded through the nighttime routine in a medicated haze, feeling slightly dizzy and hoping Sam would be in his crib before I potentially passed out.  I finally got a very hyper, very tolerant little guy down to bed.  He won't know what to do when everyone is back on their feet!
Times like this make me think of how lucky we really are.  At the hospital getting a lung x-ray yesterday, I saw so many little tikes getting carried into the ER by their parents, and a little girl who was a patient there.  I think of a colleague, Danielle, who passed away last year from cancer, how I imagine that she lived with the pain day-to-day while she worked until months before her death.  I think of families who have lost their dads or moms, watched them suffer.  This is all a minor inconvenience to us, and it is taxing enough.  Finding the strength to get through a long-term or terminal illness is just something I can't imagine contending with.  Hoping for healthy days ahead for everyone.

Supporting Teachers

Supporting Mama and the Watertown teachers.  We haven't had a contract since the month Sam was born, he's 19 months old now!  This was taken back in October.  There was a protest outside the School Committee meeting after they failed to honor a contract they had agreed to in a mediation meeting.  We've been on Work-to-Rule since last spring, which makes any extracurricular activities and help pretty hard to do.  Sam thought the protest was pretty cool for a while, except he was confused when people clapped for  speakers, I think he was expecting music (or maybe a giant truck to appear?).  Hopefully there will be an end to all of this soon, but it's not looking promising.

Getting There

     Sam & Chris napping (Sam is down by his waist) ; )

We're slowly recovering from this crazy week(s) of illness.  It makes me so thankful that we usually are healthy and intact (other than occasional broken bones).  People who deal with long term health issues amaze and inspire me.
It's going to be a long day tomorrow for all of us.  Sam seems to be the healthiest of all of us, and he's still not a hundred percent.  He went to daycare for two hours on Friday just to keep him in the routine a little bit and so that I could have a break and rest.  He's eating again and running around.  His dump truck has been "zooming" a lot, always a good sign.
"ZOOMMMM!" little running feet, "Oh!  Crash!  Bang!  MESS!!!" and then he fetches the dustpan and brush which doesn't really help.
 Chris was diagnosed with walking pneumonia also and a sinus infection, so we have been alternately attempting to nap, care for Sam, as he runs his business.  GrandJoe and Auntie Tess have both given us breaks and Fifi offered to come and stay for a couple of days.
It will be nice to be back at work in some ways.  I feel like I haven't seen the children in forever and that I don't have that much instructional time with them in the month of November either.  I think Annie, the cat, will the happiest to see us all out of the house tomorrow.  Sam has developed a jealously over her as well as loving her too much at the same time.  The few times he has been out of the house this week, I swear she has looked at me with relief.  He has a few scratches that are the result of his full body "guggles" (snuggles) with her and his attempts to share everything, from his food, his crayons, and then when he tried to paint her the other day.  At the same time, he won't tolerate her playing with his toys (he immediately puts them away- I think it's a result of daycare) or let her sit on our laps.
Hoping for health as the weather gets colder!

Everyone's Sick

Another bout where the entire family is sick, and those who aren't are staying away with good reason.
I failed to take Sam to the doctor, since he never manifested a fever, and I figured he could articulate (or at least scream) if something really hurt.
After waiting way too long, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with walking pneumonia, then GrandJoe took Sam in, only to find out that he had an ear infection "in addition to his upper respiratory infection."  To be fair, I had been on the phone with them earlier in the week and they told me not to bring him in without a fever, to treat him "symptomatically."  Chris scheduled to go to the doctor tomorrow morning.
So now we are attempting to rest.  Ha.  An 18 month rests the first day, and sporadically after that.  And Mama gets to chase him around and encourage quiet activities that don't involve "zooming,"  as well as battle out taking medicine.
He has been very good all things considered and as yucky as he feels.  Of course, after not saying a thing about not feeling good, other than "boogs" when he had snot running down his face, he told me last night after the doctor, "Mama, mouth hurt (I'm assuming throat).  Ear hurt."  Awesome.  Helpful information a few hours or days ago.
Hopefully this will all be over soon, going on four days of missed work and emailing choppy sub plans.

Halloween

Snow

Last winter it snowed A LOT.  Every week almost it seemed.  We were stuck in a weather pattern that blew in storm after storm.  Of course Sam remembers nothing of this.  So this early, pre-Halloween Nor'easter just changed his entire world.  I picked him up to change his diaper and he peered out the window over the driveway.
"Oh," he said, looking down at our neighbor's car. "Wose's ca?" = (Rose's car?)
"Yes, there's snow on it," I told him.
"Oh, snow."  He looked down at the chunky, slushy driveway.  "Snow, mess!"
I really have to agree.  Luckily the sun came out and melted most of the snow before it hit noon.  We did go to get bagels this morning and he clomped down the street in his new Timberlands (until I can figure out what inexpensive, warm snow boots to buy a toddler who needs new shoes every month).
We agreed the snow was very crunchy and went to get our bagels, this was all minus a hat because he will not keep it on.
When we came out of the coffee shop, now covered in cream cheese and minus a hat, the snow on one side of the street had been melted by the sun.  There were now puddles and slick concrete.
"Snow gone!" Sam cried, but then spotted snow still on the mulch around trees and across the street.  "Snow?"  We had a little chat about the sun melting the snow.
The rest of the walk consisted of, "sun!  Snow gone!  More snow!  Wet!"
The fact it snowed before Halloween is going to make for a really long winter.  Snow gone?  Please?

Making Applesauce

All those apples that we picked, that we couldn't eat, had to be turned into something good, so we created applesauce.  Sam was a big fan of attempting to cut with a plastic knife, which was actually him stabbing the apple slices I had peeled and set out, and saying "cut!" and transferring apples chunks from bowl to pan and back.  Sam also enjoyed eating lots of apple pieces.  We did this project on the (cleanish) floor, which despite some good wiping down is still suspiciously sticky.

 

 Recipe

Lots of apples, peeled and chopped

Washed, especially after much handling by toddler

Simmered in a saucepan with a little water & some cinnamon

 Pureed in blender

"Stop Car!"

I had to run errands after I picked Sam up the other day, so to keep him pacified, I gave him a piece of my scone as I pulled away from the daycare.  Sam ate it, then asked, "more cone?"

I told him I was driving, and when I stopped the car at a light, he could have another piece.  There was silence in the back seat for about 30 seconds, when suddenly I heard, "STOP CAR!"

Apple Picking: Who Knew Apples Get Stuck?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDq0y5UUq-k

Dump Truck

At the playground Sam is obsessed with this dump truck.  I take him there so that he can use the structures, slides, and swings that we don't have at home, but he will literally run around with the dump  truck for up to an hour if I don't intervene.  Yesterday he decided that he could ride on it, instead of pushing it or filling it with sand.  However, to ride it, he needed my keys so that he could "turn it on."  So he tried to ride around like this, with my keys in the cab.

Sam Works

Sam has decided that he goes to work like Mom and Dad, which he told us the other day.  He knows most of the time when one of us are out of the house, we are "at work."  When Chris was driving him to daycare the other day, they passed the lot where the local DPW backhoe is stored.  The backhoe wasn't there.
"Backhoe?" Sam asked.
Chris explained that the backhoe was working.  Sam thought about this.  "Mama work?" he asked.
"Right," said Chris, "and Daddy will go to work after I drop you at daycare."
"Daddy work."  Sam agreed.
"Yep."
"Sam work." Sam decided.
"No, Sam goes to daycare to play and learn," Chris told him.
"Sam work."
"Sam goes to daycare with his friends to play."
"Sam work."
We think that he has determined that if someone is not at home they are "working."  So I guess we have an 18 month old who "works."

Autumn

Now that fall is beginning to change our daily environment, it has taken some explaining to Sam.  I am learning that I still need to fine tune my explanations.  Recently he pointed to a leaf that was on the ground and said, "yuck, trash." (We've been working on not touching trash that we find outside).
I explained that it wasn't trash, it was a leaf and it came from the tree above us.
He looked at me, puzzled, and asked, "down?"
"Right," I told him, "it fell down."
"Down, bang.  Ow!" he said.
"Well, no.  More like down, glide, um, float."
"Bang!"
"No bang." I tried to show him how the leaf fell.
"Ow, bang."
"Well, maybe.  You never know."

The next conversation was a week or so later when he found some more leaves on the ground at the playground.                                                                                       
"Leave... down. Back?" he asked, holding it up for me to put back on the tree.
I lifted it up and showed him how if I tried to put it back that it would fall back down.  We had to do this several times before he lost interest and found something else to do.

Yesterday we practiced crunching leaves, which he thought was very cool.  I did too, because usually when he is crunching something underfoot, it involves his snacks and then the broom, which he likes to try to use, which then becomes a more expansive mess.  As we crunched down the sidewalk I remembered walking to school for years directly through the crunchiest leaves possible.
                                               
Next up, raking.  I'll have to try to find a little rake.

Sam's World

I've read about how a baby will think that the world revolves around him, that they are literally the center of the universe.  We had a conversation with Sam's pediatrician about this and the child's perception of daily life.  This is apparent in so many day-to-day activities:  a baby waking up and you are at their beck and call, their whims and desires, and interactions.  Sam has displayed this so much recently too, but it came to complete fruition when the moon was hanging low and bright at dusk last night, as we took a walk through the neighborhood.
I pointed it to him.
Sam looked up, "moon," he observed.  As we moved, it disappeared behind a house.  "more moon?"  We watched it all along our walk and then returned home.
We read a book on the couch and then Sam declared, "moon!  Moon?"  I explained we could see it from the deck.  He arranged his trucks, balloon, and book and slid off the couch.

We walked out onto the deck, where Sam looked up.  "Sam's moon!" he called.  Truly, I saw that to a toddler, the world revolves around them.

Back to Work

Back to work and now immersed in it.  I think to post blogs and then there is just so little time.  Sam is adjusting to his new daycare, he loves it, but we pay dearly because he misses us so much that he likes to visit with us at all hours of the night and some days just wants to be held after work for hours on end.  So chores like laundry, cleaning, dishes are really hard to do.  I wish, like he does, that I could sit on the floor for hours and play with him, or be outside running around, (or even looking at trucks)!  Work gets busier everyday and when I want to be relaxing, or emailing, or updating the blog, I am checking work email or thinking ahead (or behind), or correcting work.  I can't imagine not working, but part time seems more and more ideal.  Hoping there is a good school year ahead and that we all adjust completely sometime soon!

Love the Sign

Life is Good (& Funny)

We hit the Life is Good Festival on Saturday in Canton, MA, which I actually won tickets to!  Lots of fun outdoor actives, family friendly, and great music, plus the forecasted rain held out.  

Cake!

September is a month in which we celebrate a lot of birthdays in our family.  This past weekend we celebrated my Dad's birthday, who Sam calls "Go-Go."  When we brought the cake out and sang "Happy Birthday" Sam clapped and called, "more!" so we all sang again.  Today I called my Dad to say "happy birthday."  After I hung up Sam wanted to hear the "Happy Birthday" song again, so we sang it a few times.  Later on when Chris came home, Sam got us to sing it again.  When we had finished, he clapped and said, "Yay!"  He paused, then looked at us and asked, "cake?!"

      Singing "Happy Birthday" is so fun, especially when it ends with cake!

Words Can be Confusing

Sam's vocabulary continues to increase rapidly, especially since he started at daycare.  He seems to say something new every few days.  My favorite though, are the words that aren't correct, but when I think about them, they make perfect sense.  One of his first and favorite words is "kitty-cat."  He used to apply it to everything, and not just animals.  Trucks, buses, dogs were all "kitty-cats."  We got past that phase and now he correctly applies kitty-cat, (other than to a zebra, which is still a kitty-cat).
Today when I took him to see some trucks and construction vehicles that were parked, he pointed to the Bobcat and said, "Bob-Kitty-cat," which is not too far off the mark.
My other current favorite is "agua-mel" which is obviously "watermelon," though it took me a while to figure that one out. He calls water "agua", so attaching aqua to part of the word melon, would create "agua-mel."
He has also taken to calling my sister Tessa, "aunties," pluralized.  I realized the other day it's because we will say something like, "auntie's here," or "auntie's house," so to him it applies to every situation in which his  auntie (singular) appears.
A while back we had some gutters replaced on the house, by one of Chris's employees, Mike.  Sam kept asking what the noises were outside, and I told him, "that's Mike replacing the gutters."  We watched Mike for a while and heard him throughout the day.  Now Sam walks around with his toy hammer, banging things and saying, "Mike."
When Sam was pushing his truck around the other day he tripped and seemed like he really was crying in pain.  I picked him up and tried to ascertain where the painful spot was.  Finally he held up his hand and pointed his index finger towards me, "bwoke," he said, which translates to "broken."  I guess he made the connection between his broken toys and pain?  
It all makes perfect sense when I listen to him and relate it to the situation he learned the words in, or the way he has put his language together.

Farmer's Market

"I Love You"

When I was leaving this morning, I went through my usual goodbyes with Sam as he was eating breakfast.
"Bye-bye Sam.  Have fun with your friends today, I love you."  I turned to say something to Chris and as I did, I heard a little voice say back, "I luv -oo."  Sam was smiling at me from his high chair.  After saying it to him on a daily basis, multiple times a day, he has never even attempted to say it.  I immediately melted a little bit and teared up.  It made up for the morning temper tantrum and perhaps even the 3:45am visit that left me in a fog today.

Update: 
The next day when I left for work, I happily said good-bye to Sam, and "I love you," expecting a response similar to yesterday's.  He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Vroomm...."
I tried again, "I love you Sam."
"Vroom."
Chris and I interpreted this as a sign of affection, since Sam loves his vehicles so much.
He has since said "I luv oo," but at random moments.
I guess the unexpected makes it that much more sweet.

"Boyz"

Right now Sam is obsessed with his "boys" at daycare.  These little guys are the friends he has made.  If you ask him about the girls he loses focus and gets distracted.  When he drives down the street to his new daycare, he starts yelling, "boysszz..!" and waving his arms.  Upon arrival a couple of them will run up to him with toys and the older ones with say, "Sam" as they hold out their offering.  When we ask him about his day, he tells us, "boys. Cars."  Sometimes he tries to name them, which comes out like "Woey" which is "Joey," and "Mus" which is "Shamus."  I ask him about the little girls there, Amelie and Annabelle, and he looks at me blankly and starts doing something else.
Chris took him to the playground the other day with another dad and his daughter Lily.  Sam paid no attention to her at all, even when she gave him a hug and a kiss.  The next day, I took him to the playground with another little girl.  The only time Sam noticed that she existed, is when she was in the Cozy Coupe car next to him.  Otherwise he really was not impressed with her presence.  I'm not sure how he even knows the difference between the sexes right now or what the fascination with the boys is, but he no longer cries when he is dropped off in the morning, so we'll take what we can get.

Middle of the Night Conversations

Last night Sam was up a few times.  The last time, at 4 am, I went to him, because I could tell that he was standing up, which means he will fully wake up and take a long time (hours?) to go back down.  I changed him, his super wet diaper seemed to be the culprit for him waking up, and took him out to the couch to go back to sleep with me.  When I have to work in the morning, it's a lot easier to have him fall asleep on me, then listen to him cry in his crib, having to repeatedly go in.
We snuggled on the couch, Sam seemingly drifting off, when he decided it was time to chat, as if to say, "hey, I'm having a sleepover, I need to make the most of this!"
Sam sleepily:  "Ahhh... bus,"
Me, more sleepily:  "bus?  it's resting time."
Sam:  "bus. Backhoe."
Me:  "no bus. No backhoe, tomorrow bus and backhoe."
Sam:  "Bus"
Me:  "Bus is sleeping."
Sam:  "Backhoe"
Me: "Backhoe is sleeping."
Sam: "Go-go." (his grandfather)
Me:  "Go-go is sleeping."
Sam: "Go-go bye-bye."
Me:  "Go-go bye-bye, sleeping."
Sam:  "Nana.  Nana!"
Me:  "Nana is sleeping."
Sam:  "O!OOO!!!!"  (his cousin)
Me:  "O is definitely sleeping,"  (while wondering if O was sleeping or having a conversation with his parents).
Sam:  "O.  Backhoe, backhoe.  No, no, sweep."
Me:  "Sammy is sleeping."
Sam:  "Backhoe."
Me:  "Mama is sleeping."
Sam:  "Mama..." (his hand pats my face).  "Mama backhoe."
Me:  "Sleeping."
Sam:  "Ought oh.  Key-key" (dropped his binky, little hand searching around).
Me:  "Sleeping time."
Sam drowsily:  "Backhoe"
Me:  "Backhoe sleeping. Night-night"
Sam sighing: "backhoe.  Go-go. O. Backhoe"


I have to think of a lullaby that encompasses these sweet thoughts ; )

Checking out the Statues

Here is Sam checking out statues in Davis Square, Somerville.  When he was a little baby he used to love walking around with us and looking at art, especially vivid paintings.  Lately, things on the ground have been much more interesting to him, now that he's mobile.  His reaction to the statues was funny, he inspected them from all sides.

Animal Sounds

Sam's newest accomplishment ; )

Oral Hygiene

Today I took Sam to Starbucks so I could get my morning coffee fix and he could see some buses and run around.  Before we left I brushed my teeth, which made Sam want to brush his teeth.  He then didn't want to give me back the toothbrush, which was actually Chris's adult size toothbrush.  Since teeth brushing has been a battle of the wills lately, I figured it was better that he wanted it than didn't.  I let him take it for the ride.

I parked and went to unbuckle him from the carseat.  The toothbrush was still in his mouth.  I tried to take it out, he clamped firmly down on it, opening his mouth only to say, "NO."  I assessed the situation.  My coffee won over the potential temper tantrum which might mean no caffeine.  So Sam continued to brush his teeth in Starbucks while I got my coffee.

Sam's Tomato Harvest

It turns out having Sam "help" with the garden this year was not our most thought-through decision.  This is his latest (and the last of!) our tomatoes.  He's a lot faster than we are when he decides to pick them and a lot less discriminatory about the color of the fruits.

Beach Days

 
At the beginning of the summer Sam tolerated the beach.  I think it was overwhelming and just too much input for his little brain.  We did quite a few beach trips this summer, from Naragansett, Rhode Island, to Nahant, Cape Cod, and Hull, Mass.  Now when we tell him we're going to the beach, he starts yelling, "beach!" and tries to sit in my lap so I can apply sunscreen(!).  

 Today we went down to a friend's family beach house and he spent time collecting rocks in a bucket, splashing in tidal pools, tossing rocks in the water, and generally enjoying himself.  He didn't stop running around until we retired to the porch at the house to eat popsicles.  He fell asleep in the car and I am typing this now because he has been sleeping for the past three hours!

Hurricane Party

We survived Hurricane Irene, fairing a lot better than neighboring states and communities.  We maintained power through the storm.  Unfortunately Chris had numerous property damage and flood calls, so was out most of the day, which left me to attempt to keep Sam both inside ("Out-si Mama, OUTSI" + banging on the deck door) and away from windows that have large trees near them.  Chris came home safely and trees & tree limbs stayed fairly intact (at least they stayed "out-si").  Sam kept me entertained and the most damage we had was to our remaining vegetable plants (the ones the squirrels have not destroyed) and our porch bar, which is repairable and has become more of a plant holder since Sam's arrival.

                                                                             The bar.

What happens when Daddy leaves Oreos on the couch?

I was suspicious when I was cleaning up the kitchen when there was silence.  Then I heard an odd crinkly sound... and found Sam, "mmm... Mama.. mmmm!"

"Trash, Mama"

Sam was eating lunch the other day after he had woken up from a nap.  I gave him chicken and made peas while he was working on the chicken.  When I offered him the peas (offer is what baby books tell you to do- instead of giving it to the child?), he shook his head and said, "no."  This is a new word for him and it is using it whenever he can.  So I put the peas aside and a few minutes later set the bowl of peas back down on his tray.  He looked a me like, "haven't we discussed this already?"
"No," he said a little more vehemently.  I retreated again with the peas (which he really does like).
When he finished his chicken I picked up the empty bowl and surreptitiously placed the peas back on his tray.  He looked at the bowl, picked it up and held it out to me, and told me, "trash."
He repeated it again, just in case I didn't hear him the first time.

He actually ate the peas in the end, despite his direction to throw them away.  I used to think he picked things up being around other people, but since I have been with him all summer, I am now wondering, where does he get it from?

Wine and Laptops

Wine and laptops don't mix.  I was also told by a helpful Apple Store employee, that if I was to spill anything on my laptop in the future, to spill water.  Wine eventually corrodes the hardware.  Good to know.  Perhaps if I spill another glass of wine I can then clean it with water?  I was also convinced the next time that I replaced the laptop would probably be related to Sam doing something to it.
The best part is, the laptop was open and I was not using it,  it was my first glass of wine, and not even particularly good wine.  Not sure what the moral to this story is.

This is How I Roll

Dr. Phil

Chris and I seem to have these crazy things happen to us, which definitely keeps life interesting, but also makes me scratch my head.  We were driving back to a client of Chris's from Foxwoods Casino at 9:00 pm the other night, with Sam in the back of the car (another story for another time), when my phone beeped indicating an email.  Since Chris was driving and I had time to kill, I opened it.  The sender address was CBS and scanning it quickly I found it was from the Dr. Phil show.  For those of you abroad, Dr. Phil is a therapist who has a national show, he began his televised career on Oprah.  Come to find out, one of the producers was going through YouTube videos looking for children having temper tantrums.  I use YouTube to upload and share videos with people and make it a practice to set them to "private- can view only with the link," except apparently this video was not on the correct setting.  She wanted to know if we were interested in being on the show discussing temper tantrums.
I was reluctant for a number of reasons and didn't know if I should even contact her.  After some debate with Chris (who said he would explain it to Sam when he was 16 and mad at us about it), I agreed to speak to her.  I offered both Sam and Chris- Chris has better temper tantrums than Sam does, but luckily the show was focusing on 3-8 year olds.  No decisions to make there!
My conversation with Rachel, the producer ended with, "if you know anyone who has a 3-8 year old who has tantrums and their parents need help with it, can I have their number?"
I told her I'd ask around and get back to her if I came across anyone .

Unlocking

Mama's Keys

Our day ended with me chasing a naked Sam with a dirty diaper in one hand, wipes in the other, (I was trying to get him into the bath until I discovered the stinky diaper), yelling, "no, no Sam!  Mama's keys cannot go in the bath!"  He is faster than I am and made it from the dining room to the bathtub before I could figure out what to do with the soiled wipes and diaper while chasing him.  Luckily car clickers apparently now have a seal that allows them to still work after submerged in water by a toddler.
"Mama.  Keys. Bath!  No?"

Future NBA Star (bottle in one hand)

Quote of the Week

We were at a sprinkler park in Belmont, chatting with a mother, she was telling us about her trip to the beach the day before:
"and you could tell it was almost one o'clock.  All the kids were whining, no one was sharing, and then they started crying one by one.  Time to go."  This was all said with the best Boston accent ; )

Traveling Man

Going to see family in Southampton, New York over the weekend, Sam and I took the train to New London, CT, then the ferry to Orient Point, where Chris met us and picked us up.  Other than missing a morning nap, Sam did really well!  He is looking out the window here while eating blueberries.  He spent the first 5 or 10 minutes of the train moving saying "bye-bye" to the scenery as it passed us by.