Inevitable Stages Which Are Fascinating Because Sam's Going Through Them Not Someone Else

Weekend Update:

A few firsts for Sam which every parent gets to enjoy--and now it's Sam's turn!

First knock-knock joke! In fact, I'll share the first and second with you (Sam's in italics):

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Sammy Bo Bammy
Sammy Bo Bammy who?
<Sam looks a little confused and says he doesn't know>

Second knock-knock joke:

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Green.
Green who?
Green apple!

And then, just to make the experience complete, Sam wanted to know why I found it so funny.


First time Sam's voluntarily turned off the television! (I think.) Even used the remote! Wouldn't want to have to walk to the tv or anything.

First time we've ever eaten on the sun porch! Sat and watched the neighbor boy and girl play catch with their dad. Expected Normal Rockwell's ghost to drift by at any time, winking and smiling benignly. Also got to enjoy watching the birds out back. So far we've seen a male-female couple of cardinals, a pair of woodpeckers (harder to sex by eye), black-capped chickadees, mourning doves, a bazillion grackles, robins... No sparrows or house finches, yet. And the main customer at Mrs. Beck's bird feeder is, of course, the squirrels.

First experience painting a rugged plaster cross! Susan, for her Sunday-school class, made a bunch of plaster crosses for them to paint, and made an extra for Sam. As you can see, they really got into the experience.

First sleepless night of 2009 due to ear infection. Ah, well. Thank you, motrin. We'll see you again tonight...

First trip to the Farmer's Market of 2009. Susan found lots of cheap veggies and sharp cheddar while Sam and I bounced tennis balls on the cobblestone street behind the vendors.

Despite that, a fine weekend. With the warm weather we had lots of time puttering outside while I got some raking done. Ahh...

* * *

Two unexpectedly poignant moments during Sam's evening bath: First, Sam was conversing with a sharp in the tub, and told the shark he couldn't play because he had to work. Wherever did he hear that phrase?

Second, Sam was talking to and playing with a little reb rubber octopus (like you do), and told me that the the octopus was sad because his parents were moving to a new house and he was left at the old house. Of course, I assured him that the octopus' parents would always stay with him. *sniff*

Before you start feeling too badly for Sam, bear in mind the chocolate waffles topped with whipped cream which Susan made for breakfast Saturday, and the trip to the fun new playground with the climbing wall later the same day. Sam's life could be worse.

unflappable

Sam's been painting a tremendous amount at school. We've been encouraging him, since it's great to see him really focus on something, and he's having fun. And while representational art isn't his forte as yet, that doesn't mean the painting don't mean something to him. The painting above apparently is a fire (orange) surrounding a bird house (pink) next to a stream of water (blue).

* * *

We installed a flap in the door to the garage, ostensibly for the cats. After getting it in, we invited Sam to try putting his head through, just for fun. Neither of us dreamed he could fit through himself! Now we have sternly worded rules forbidding him from wandering around the land of gasoline, used oil and tree saws!

Aunt Amy Confirms the Existence of Sam and the Play Museum

Aunt Amy visited last weekend, so this is an excuse to post photos of that. Aunt Amy got the grueling all-day Samathon treatment. We started early at the Fairport library and in the afternoon spent quite some time at the Play Museum. It's fun to see Sam explore things there which he wouldn't have have the patience or maturity for a year ago. Here you see him playing with Lincoln Logs, making a Large Tower. The LL display has a little log cabin which Sam and Amy were kind enough to pose in.





Sam's also been drawn to Mr. Potato Head's wall-mounted foam golf-ball tracker, shown above. Like everything about the MPH exhibit it's only about 80-90% functional, but we enjoy it anyway. Also shown here is AA playing with Sam and his ball tracker back at home, and having a whale of a time. AA survived the Samathon, though next time we'll intersperse some rest periods during the day!

Sam's been painting every day at Montessori. Watch this space for one of his latest works...

Bears and Monsters

Our drive to Montessori takes us down a wooded lane. Sam's compared it to a jungle, with some excitement. At first he postulated that it was full of lions and tigers, but at some point this changed to bears and... monsters. (More appropriate to a temperate zone, I guess.) Now recall that there are three of us in the car--Sam, Daddy and Max. This morning he told Max we were entering a jungle, and when Max acted scared he reassured him, saying, There's no such thing as bears and monsters--they're make-pretend.

When this happened a few days ago I tried to convince him that bears really exist, and it's just monsters which aren't real. But I can see where he gets this. We constantly tell him there aren't any monsters (he doesn't know yet about middle management), but then we read books about monsters to him--And in half the books the monsters are real! So it's no surprise he doesn't quite buy it when I tell him that bears are real. Grasping for evidence I said I would ask Aunt Amy for a photo of one. AA, did you see any in Yellowstone? (The only bears we've seen in zoos are Asian bears which don't look at all like bears. Sun Bears, I think they are called.)

Speaking of Max, Sam and I were out on a cold night a few days ago, and Sam pulled his hands up his sleeves and said that his maxes were in their houses. He wasn't even saying it to get a reaction--just being matter-of-fact about it. Took me a moment to figure out what he was even saying.

* * *

Yesterday Susan was with Sam while he used the bathroom. Afterwards he dutifully washed his hands, and dried them, and then let the towel drop to the floor. Susan told him not to do this and while he was off doing his thing she went and replaced the towel. I guess this must not be a rare occurrence, because when he next went to use the bathroom he said to her, You keep changing that towel, as if to say, Are you sure you don't have a mild case of OCD?



They say that children are the best demonstration of the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity, and at times it's true. They also are dramatically self-focused in a way which can at times be endearing. Last night after Sam's bath we three were having a little giggly love-fest on the bed while getting him in his jammies. Susan asked in a grave voice if Sam knew Mommy loves him. I jumped in and added that Daddy does too. Sam, awash in all this love, laid back, smiling happily, and said, "You both love me!"