Our sweet baby celebrated his 20 week birthday last Sunday. When I was pregnant with him 20 weeks was a big milestone for me. I could not wait to get to the halfway point. It is hard to believe that he has already been here for four and a half months. We celebrated as usual by going to church. Thank goodness we were finally back in town and well enough to go. This was the first time Sam did not cry in Sunday School. When we left him I stood in the hallway watching him through the door. I just knew he would get upset once he realized Ty and I were gone. To my surprise, he didn’t…he just sat there in his little seat and sang with Mrs. Dorothy. Ty finally pulled me away to go to our class. After class Mrs. Dorothy said that he sat in his seat for 35 minutes before he got squirmy. Good job Sam!
Sam is really starting to demonstrate his little personality. It is obvious what his preferences are these days. At 20 weeks old a few of his favorite things are: (in celebration of the 45th anniversary of The Sound of Music)
· His exersaucer. He cannot get enough of it! He has finally gotten big enough to make it spin around the way he wants.
· George. He talks to George and fusses at him when he leaves the room. Sam loves to pet George and crawl on him. He loves all puppies, but George is definitely his favorite. When Ty plays fetch with George, Sam laughs in delight every time George brings the ball back. I anticipate they will be partners in crime in no time!
· Singing and Music. I sing to Sam a lot and he loves it more and more each day. Holy, Holy, Holy was his favorite song for months. It would calm him down in seconds. His recent favorite calm down melody is The Doxology. His favorite playtime song is Papa Joe Had a Farm. As soon as I start singing it he lights up and does his happy dance! Daddy gave us an iHome for my iPod. We put it in the dining room and have started listening to music during meal times. Sam thinks it is funny to watch Mama and Daddy dance! Sam generally makes it through church until communion begins. He is fine as long as singing is going on. He enjoys practicing his song leading skills! We don’t have cable and the choices we have from our seven channels are a little less than desirable, so we have started to listen to more and more music during the day. Sam does still really enjoy watching football though!
· Reading. We have read ever since Sam first came home, but he has really started to enjoy it over the past couple of weeks. In fact, he will often choose to play with a book instead of a toy. He loves to turn the pages himself. Of course, we have to pause between sentences to let him chew on the edges! His current favorites are Huge Machines and Softies Farm Animals. Sam and I are also reading through the Bible together. This is a slow process. Some days we get through a lot of text, some days not so much!
· Being outside. He has loved the outdoors ever since he was newly hatched. Nothing has changed. He has really enjoyed watching the leaves fall and blow in the wind with the change of weather. He also loves watching the flag on our front porch blow in the breeze. Of course the swing Daddy built for us is still his ideal place to be! That swing makes our yard his own little utopian paradise!
· Baths. This is Sam’s special time with his Daddy. Ty does not get near as much time with Sam as I do, so this serves as a good time for them to chat about their day and play.
· Faces. Over the past few weeks Sam has become very interested in faces. He will grab a face with both hands and pull it towards him to touch his face. He slowly examines all features with his hands, and frequently chews on noses! He loves to pet Ty’s face and feel his whiskers. We have a stuffed monkey in his crib and Sam even rubs his face. It is very sweet!
· Snuggling. When Sam got sick this past time he developed a love for snuggling. He loves to be held face to face and especially likes to cozy up against my neck. Snuggling with him is something I will always remember and times I will always treasure.
· Being au naturale! Sam would prefer that we donate all of his clothes and move him to a nudist colony. When he gets fussy sometimes we just strip him down to his diaper and he is automatically calmed. This should be interesting…hopefully this is just a phase!
· Other children. It is so neat to watch children together. They have a special way in which to communicate and study each other so closely. Last week at small group Sam and baby Robert (who is almost the exact same age as Sam) just looked at each other and held hands. (Note from Sam: “Boys don’t hold hands. We were thumb wrestling!) This bond with other children was made especially noticeable when Sam was less than an hour old and was first introduced to Jackson. As soon as he heard Jackson’s voice he perked up and widely opened his eyes!
· Eating. This goes without saying. The child was born ready to eat. We had plans for the family to meet Sam before I tried to nurse him for the first time. Sam had other plans. He made it clear that he was ready to eat just a few minutes after he was born. We are thankful that Sam is a good eater. Meal times are made even more special now when the three of us sit down together around the dinner table. Of course, we have to watch Sam closely because he tries to swipe food when we are not looking!
· Playing Peekaboo. It gets him every time!
· Laughing. Sam has the most perfect little laugh. It is music to our ears and has the power to instantly turn a sour day into a sweet one. I am pretty sure it is the sound angels make! He has a few tickle spots that make him chuckle especially loudly!
· His bed. Since we resumed crib naps he pretty much refuses to be put to sleep anywhere else. It is a lot of fun to watch him on the video monitor singing, talking to his animal friends, and talking when trying to put himself to sleep or just waking up.
What a blessing to have a happy and healthy baby boy!
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