And counting...

Sam has been valiantly alternating between screaming, "Open the gate, Mommy!" to "I neey-aw-wate-gah!" I'm not sure what the second part is. The volume undulates every 10 seconds or so.

A slightly nicer version of the usual scowl.

Jackson is calmly reading a book. I think this scenario provides some very deep insights into my children.

Since...I dunno... let's just say, a long time ago, if a toy got taken from Jackson or something interferred with his planned activities, no biggie. He'd just switch activities.

Sam on the other hand, flaps, flails, and flops if something is amiss. Even the slightest thing. He's a great communicator. For example, he's tried to claw a chocolate out of my mouth that had I split and shared. Apparently, he wanted the whole thing and for it to be in his wrapper. Insta-tears and sharp fingers digging, trying to pry my lips open, communicated volumes efficiently and effectively.

Jackson is pretty good at waiting and tries his hardest at any task even if it's pretty difficult (unless he's tired or hungry, but we'll give him that).

Sam will often fall into the "F" behavior pattern hoping that the triple threat will one day work into getting us to do his bidding. Sam does have his flopping behavior perfected. He'll definitely look for the closest open spot to flop onto and do one of two things within .03 seconds. He'll either do a timber logging style flop in which I'm sure he thinks he's a giant Sequoia being ruthlessly and unjustly hacked, or he'll pull a Superman/Matrix move just inches from the floor and somehow get himself horizontal completely before impact. Or a combination of the two of them.

Sometimes I think that Jackson spoiled us as parents as far as behavior goes. Sam gets into everything, falls, jumps, etc. He'll tear open the baby gate and then run out and jump saying, "I did it!" At times he does elecit the "Terror of Silence" response and I rush to see what he's doing.

All in all, I guess I'm saying. I love my kids. And, yes. I love Sam. Seriously, who could turn down The Cuteness? The Sultan of Silly. The Great Sambino!

A great picture. Who could say no to The Cuteness?

"Mommy! I waw-gey-hah-bah-AH (sobbing and gulping)!"

Nine minutes and counting...


In other news, I saw this blog post and this parent very wittily sums up his experience with his daughter and in some small way, I can relate. Just so you know, we have already had to call Poison Control once in Sam's very short life because  he'll eat anything that looks edible. We called because we think he ingested one of Colby's sleeping pills. Ok. So he did. And the conversation that we had with poison control went exactly like The Weed's post did. Internal thoughts and all. Definitely worth the read. Sam also did none of the following: get a fever, throw up or even fall asleep. Not even a long blink. He must be immune. Or we were wrong about the sleeping pill part. But that was what the half-dissolved tablet that we fished out of Sam's mouth looked like.

Sam will also eat cough drops because he thinks they taste good. Eww. Sam has also eaten one of my multi-vitamins. Sam gets 5 vitamins/day: 2 calcium, 2 omega, and 1 multi. I eat 2 calcium and 2 omega (because they taste amazing) and take my multi. I put my oblong reddish-brown pill on the table, turn to get something from the kitchen and then sit back down to eat my breakfast. I am still finishing it when Sam, who had excused himself from the high chair and escaped to do something else while my back was turned, came running into the kitchen saying, "Help, mommy!" There was liquidy brown stuff all over his fingers. What was that? I immediately think "poop" and lean in to smell. That's when I notice there's reddish-brown gunk on his shirt and dribbling down his chin, as if he'd just spit something out of his mouth and then tried to wipe his mouth with his hands. The smell, in case you're wondering, was not pleasant, but at least it wasn't poop, right? *sigh*. So I tow Sam back into my bedroom and sure enough, there is my reddish-brown and unpleasant smelling multivitamin lying on the floor, with tiny teeth marks in it, looking sad, deflated and kind of like a kidney bean skin. Sam's hands smelled like the vitamin the whole day. Don't worry. Sam just got extra calcium, folic acid and is now protected against osteoporosis. Phew. Dodged that bullet.

Sam also loves keys. He is also getting very smart. Yesterday, Colby was driving down Euclid to go to grandmommy's house (a place Sam frequently blesses in his prayers) and Sam had my keys. Sam was strapped in. Colby saw that Sam had the keys and asked for them. Sam said, "No these Sam's keys." He then pointed to the ignition and said, "Those are Daddy's keys." Clever.

Sam and his baby. Sam, about 4 months back went through a baby phase. He would carry around our heating bags that he saw and take care of them and called them his baby. He'd want to take his baby in the car and the stroller and he wanted to sit on the couch holding baby. Very cute.