At 18 months, Sam says too many words to count and is grouping words together to make phrases. My favorite is when he looks up at me, with hands high and fingers pumping, while saying "please hold me." He says sentences...in his own language. He is super good with remembering people's names, which I think is super sweet. Family is very important to us, so I frequently talk about family members to keep them fresh on his mind. I have also made books so he can practice putting a face with a name. He at least attempts to say all names correctly, except for my sister Tiffany who he lovingly calls "Apple Juice." And this is even a recent development. Until this past Monday he would not call her anything, even when asked to repeat her name. Everybody says it is because we look so much alike he just assumes that he has two moms! In addition to family, Sam is also good at naming friends who are special to us. When he decides he likes someone, their name is said over and over and over!
Some of Sam's favorite things to do are:
-read,
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| Sam likes to multi-task |
-sing songs (he will tell you which ones he wants to sing and stop you if you sing the wrong one),
-play with cars, trucks, buses, tractors, airplanes, etc. I love to watch him drive them around while making funny facial expressions and noises. The most dramatic is when he makes the airplanes crash. He is your typical little boy who is obsessed with all things transportation related,
-playing with blocks,
-eat, but his appetite has definitely hit the toddler phase as he has gotten picky...some things remain on his favored list: yogurt, beans, meat of any kind, noodles, biscuits, pizza, fruit, and of course all things sweet or chocolatey
-"fixing" things with his toy hammer and measuring (with a measuring tape or a dog leash!),
-eat, but his appetite has definitely hit the toddler phase as he has gotten picky...some things remain on his favored list: yogurt, beans, meat of any kind, noodles, biscuits, pizza, fruit, and of course all things sweet or chocolatey
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| Enjoying a turkey leg for Thanksgiving |
-Sesame Street continues to be quite a hit in our house. His favorites are Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar, and Abby.
-He also loves to color and play with stickers.
-My little boy can now use a big boy swing. He holds on to the chains and swings back and forth, laughing the whole time. We made up a song for when we sing and whenever i swing with him we have to sing it over and over!
-He also enjoys going down big slides. At our local park he can climb to the top and slide all by himself, over and over!
-Our neighbors trampoline is a hot spot for Sam to "hop, hop hop."
-Sam still has a strong love for being outside. Like all little boys he loves playing in the dirt, in water, and with bugs. We have great fun looking for worms and slugs. His little eyes continue to be really sensitive, so we frequently don baby sunglasses and/or a hat to help with the brightness and wind. Right before Christmas we went to visit our sweet friend, Mrs. Maria in Florence. She gladly took us on an hour and a half long tour of her moss garden. Sam was in awe to say the least. When he gets excited he does a little dance while he walks, and dance he did. He continuously said, "oh wow," "oh boy," "beautiful." When we got to a little niche along the trail that had angels, Sam immediately ran to them and prayed. He stopped and prayed eight more times before setting out on the trail again! Mrs. Maria and I both teared up and Mrs. Maria said, in her heavy Italian accent, "I don't think I will survive today." Sam is such a good reminder of the importance of prayer and of acknowledging the role our Savior plays in all situations.
-Aunt Gloria gave him a Little People nativity set for Christmas which he loves. We play with it several times a day. Sam's all time favorite thing right now is Jesus. He loves to sing songs about Jesus, look at pictures about Jesus, read stories about Jesus, and look for Jesus around the house. It is interesting to see what or who makes him think of Jesus. There is nothing like seeing life through the eyes of a child.
Sam is quite a helper in the kitchen. He loves to play in the spice cabinet, stir, pour, and measure. He would prefer to sit on the counter all day long. He has been assigned his first chore, to feed George. He thinks this is a great job! He is also a great barista. If sat on the counter he can make a cup of coffee (pull down the mug, turn on the machine, put in the coffee, push down the lid, push the right size cup size button, and add sweetener) with the Keurig without any assistance! Don't worry, we are right beside him to make sure he does not touch the coffee.
Sam loves to pray. He does it numerous times throughout the day. He will stop what he is doing put his head down and mumble something that only he and God can understand. He also likes to pray with his little friends. He will take them by the hand, put his head down, and mumble. So sweet to watch. I hope to see him continue to do that as he grows and develops his own faith. He has a wonderful example of such a man in his father. I could not ask for a more solid man than Ty to lead my family. We always pray when putting him down for a nap and even if he is fussy and not quite ready to get in his bed as soon as I start to pray, he puts his head on my shoulder and quiets down. When we pray at bedtime he likes for the three of us to be super close. A few nights ago he pulled me in closer by my shoulder and patted me softly while we prayed. It is prayer that we will raise him to know, love, and follow Jesus. We want him to love God with a love that does not compare to any other that he gives. What a great job we have been charged with when given the blessed gift of a child.
Of course, we take the good with the slightly aggravating. He has started to hit. This started when Ty and I got back from interviewing in Texas. It was not ideal to take him, so we left him with my parents for a week. Although he did great while we were away, I think he was kind of mad at me for leaving him. So, when we got back he decided to start hitting me and saying "No" about 3,000 times a day. Both of these things have calmed down a lot since we have gotten back to normal, but we continue to require redirection for hitting several times a day. Sam, like many boys, likes to wrestle. He and his buddy Owen wrestle all the time and have a special understanding with one another about such activities. Sam is having to learn now that all babies do not wrestle, especially girl babies. It amazes me how babies pick up on things. Sam has learned that if he wants to leave a room or get out of his car seat he just needs a poopy diaper. No, he does not poop on demand, but he will tell you he is to get what he wants. How do you talk to an 18 month old about lying?
One theme that I have noticed popping up throughout this entry is "over, and over, and over." Repetition is the norm for toddlers, but it should also be the norm for us as parents as we train up a child in the way he should go, as we are instructed to do in Proverbs 22:6. We pray numerous times throughout the day for God's guidance in raising Sam to be a selfless man who loves God, loves others, and demonstrates the love of Christ to those around him. Prayers, lots of prayers are required for the help to undertake such a task. We are mindful of the example our lives are to the little ears, eyes, and heart of our boy. Raising a child is serious business with eternal consequences. We are thankful to our parents for raising us in Christ centered homes and for providing us with strong examples of how to structure our own little home and family. Please pray for us as we learn to navigate our family on the path to Christ.
Although this is a long post, it is but a snapshot of the precious memories we have made thus far with our baby boy. We are thankful to our Creator for granting us the wonderful gift of our little family.
