Dear Samuel,
All of the sudden you seem so big! Maybe because we have started to picture you as a big brother?
And, oh, what an amazing big brother you will be. You are so nurturing and such a love bug. You freely give kisses to anyone who will accept them, and I just love to see you cuddle your Mr. Ribbit. In fact, your fondness for him continues to grow. He often accompanies us to the grocery store, to playdates, to gymnastics class. He has tumbled down the mulched garden bed and taken a swim in the pool and dipped his frog legs into Lucy’s water dish more times than I can count. Honestly, he could really use a bath every night, but we’ve tried to minimize his trips through the washing machine in hopes of keeping him in tact as long as possible. Though I think it may soon be time to buy a replacement — and sneakily make the big switch, of course.
Your new favorite word is “baby,” and you often point to Mommy’s belly when you say it. One night, you lifted Mommy’s shirt and said “baby.” Then you lifted Daddy’s shirt and said “uh-oh.” We thought that was just hysterical.
Your other new favorite phrase is “I want.” We’re trying our best to tag “please” onto the end of it (which comes out as “pee”). You also say “thank you” (day do) when prompted. You say “uh-oh” “oh no” and “whoa” all the time. And I must hear “mama” at least 50 times a day — that is no exaggeration. You also say “dada” consistently, and we are working on “Sammy” and “Lucy.”
I would guess you say about 20 words now. And while you may be slightly behind other kiddos your age when it comes to your vocabulary, you make up for it in many other ways.
You have no fear when it comes to climbing, running, sliding, rolling, swinging, etc. And you have become very brave in the swimming pool. I have finally convinced you that your “turtle wings” (a.k.a. puddle jumper) are cool to wear, which means you can “swim” all by yourself. You also took at least five trips down the sliding board and thought it was just about the coolest thing ever! You even threw a fit because Daddy wouldn’t take you to the very top. You kept saying “up” and “more.” So he obliged. Then your neighbor buddy, Jerry, caught you at the bottom — but not after you went under the water. But you giggled and clapped and said “yay!”
Speaking of water, I took you to a splash park this month, and you were obsessed. You ran through the sprinklers with the big kids and didn’t flinch when the big bucket of water fell on your head.
You are also evolving into quite the social butterfly. You still like to have Mommy nearby, but you approach strangers with smiles and waves and don’t mind being the center of attention. You are so confident and courageous, and I hope you never lose those qualities.
You still love trucks and tractors and trains and airplanes. One night, we went for ice cream and counted at least 20 motorcycles drive by — you were in heaven. When you see a fire truck, you say “woo woo woo.” You love bubbles, play-doh, your lawn mower, and books. We now read at least five of them every night before bed. Current favorites are “The Diggingest Dog” “Go, Dog, Go” and our family picture book.
We finished our first full year of music class this month and started gymnastics class. You absolutely love to run across the spring floor and jump on the trampoline, and you’re able to hang from the bar for a solid 10 seconds. Strong man!
Sam, we just adore the little person you are becoming. You are such a joy to be around, and each day gets better. Love you to the moon and back, kiddo!
{Photos Credit to Mudpies N Butterflies)