10 Months!

Sam is now 10 months old!  Here are a few of the things he's been up to this month:

-He understands what we say more and more.  Lately, he's learned clap, splash, downstairs, get down, and outside.  I'm sure there are some others too, but my brain can't think of them at the moment.

- He's getting better at feeding himself.  Recently, he's been eating scrambled egg, ground beef, cheese, and blueberries.  He continues to prefer fruit to other things and sweet puffs above all else.  He can now hold his sippy cup by himself and is pretty clear about letting us know when he wants a drink and when he's finished drinking.

- He's down to 3 nursings a day, which is both nice and sad.  He LOVES those 3, though, so we'll hold onto them for a little while longer.

- We have a music lover!  His current favorite toy is a music box that he can make play 7 different tunes.  He carries it around with him, and it's a great distraction when he's getting into something he shouldn't.  Honey recently played her dulcimer for him, and he loved it, sitting still for the whole song each time.  Anytime we're at home with talk radio on (which Mom loves), he perks up when a commercial jingle comes on.  The video below is of Sam (and Mom) dancing in the kitchen.

- This month, we've seen more of a preference for Mom.  Sam loves to play with Dad, but there are times when Mom is all he wants.  He's still pretty easy-going about letting us know what he wants, but he knows how to make his wishes clear.  He's also been a little more uneasy about staying in the nursery.  The ladies there still say he's easy and happy, but he definitely notices now when I come to get him.

- We're pretty sure we heard him say "mama" when we were hiking one Saturday.  We haven't heard it since, though.

- Sam has one tooth!  It's still pretty small, but it's broken through and didn't seem to bother him at all.  Hopefully they'll all be so easy...

Sam is still a delight to us, and we're so thankful for him.  We can't wait to see what the next month will hold!

Hiking!

Fall is beautiful in NC, so we decided to enjoy it a bit last weekend.  It was pretty cold, but we bundled up well and got to see some pretty views.  Sam also LOVED being outside!

Making laps

Sam has been working on walking with his push toy for awhile now.  He's still not super-stable and falls a lot (a LOT), but he's gotten much better.  Here he is playing with Daddy one night before bedtime.  After making several laps around the house, when I changed him into his pajamas, his little shirt was soaked through with sweat.  Apparently walking is hard work!  (Click on "Walker Sam" to see the video.)


Walker Sam

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from our little horse!  

We had a wonderful first Halloween with Sam.  He and I visited with Papaw and his lady friends and then stopped by to see Uncle Jeff and Aunt Reba.  The visits were lots of fun, and Sam loved being the center of attention!

 Then we came home for a special treat: Daddy came home early!  Sam only got to see him for a few minutes before bedtime, but it was a fun way to end the day.  Daddy seemed to enjoy it too.

9 Months

Our little guy is now 9 months old!  He's on the move, so this is the best photo I could get.  We had his 9 month checkup yesterday, and Sam did great.  He endured a toe prick and 2 shots pretty bravely, and he greatly enjoyed sucking on one of his Band Aids for a while before Mom noticed.  (Oblivious Mom of the Year?)  He weighed in at 16 lbs. 15 oz, and he's 28 inches long.  Both his height and his head circumference are in the 50th percentile (woohoo!), and his weight is in the 10th.  He's a little anemic, so we're working on increasing his iron, and it's possible he's sensitive to dairy (just like his dad).  Other than those small issues, he's a wonderfully healthy boy!  Here are some highlights from the last month:

- We had a great visit with Grandma (Carol).  We're so happy she's willing to come visit from so far away!  We also had a wonderful time in the mountains with Honey and Poppy.  Sam loved being a mountain boy!

- Sam is on the move!  He has perfected his army crawl and has started rocking on his hands and knees.  With a LOT of encouragement, he can pull himself up on a chair or the couch, but it's not a regular thing yet. This week at Bible study, he went to the big kids' crawler nursery and did great!  His favorite "toys" are doors, Dad's briefcase, cords, and the blinds.

- He's more and more aware of things around him.  When he's going down for a nap or bedtime, he knows that he goes in his crib when Mom's song ends or when she says goodnight.  He also recognizes me when I come to get him from the nursery.

- He knows - recognizes - a few words and signs.  Some that I can remember now are eat, more, bath, come here and all done.  We're working on adding no to that list.

- We often hear him babbling babababa or mamamama, but they don't seem to mean anything yet.

- Sam is a great eater!  He eats 1/2 cup of rice cereal for breakfast, 1-2 jars of baby food at lunch, and 1-2 jars for supper.  He can easily feed himself Puffs or Cheerios, and he continues to love fruit.  Per our doctor's visit yesterday, he'll now be enjoying rice cereal twice a day; we'll see how well that goes...  We're still nursing 4 times a day, although his interest in it seems to waning a bit.

- He continues to be easy-going, happy, and a delight to his parents and grandparents.  We love you, buddy!

Mom's new favorite outfit

I love this plaid shirt and jeans!