It seems unreal that my little baby could already be a whole year old. Has it really been twelve mongths since his whirlwind entrance to this world in our hallway/bathroom? Wow. This year in particular has gone by especially fast. While I am a little sad that I don't have a baby any more, Sam is just such a joy and I derive so much pleasure from watching him grow and learn.
I wasn't going to do it, but at the last minute I felt totally guilty about not having a party to celebrate Sammy turning one and decided to throw a little soiree in his honor. (Of course that meant cleaning the house from top to bottom and putting a few decorations out. ) It wasn't exactly little, however, as there were 14 kids and 7 moms to help commemorate the occasion. But relative to the norm for out here, it was small. Most people out here have these huge birthday parties during the weekend, planned months in advance, and even the husbands are forced to attend. (Believe me, Paul has grumbled through many a little kid's birthday party). But, I did it much simpler: I did it during the day (10:30 am) of his birthday (a weekday--Friday) and called it a playdate, and invited just the moms and kiddos. (I am sure that many spouses were thankful!) Anyway, since Sam was born shortly after I returned from a "playdate" birthday party with Max and Mimi last year, I thought it very appropriate that we throw a similar bash for Sam's special day, complete with the same pizza that I ate just hours before Sammy was born.
This picture would have been really cute, but there are two huge finger print smudges on the lens. Too many curious little kids around!
Later that day when Daddy got home, Max helped Sam open all his birthday presents. We all ate leftover pizza for dinner (Sam's favorite) and reminisced about how our lives changed so wonderfully a year prior. It was a really awesome day.
The day after Sam's birthday, we had another little celebration for him. We invited a couple of our good friends over--the Ouimet's and the Impriano's and had a little BBQ.
Everyone had fun on Max and Sam's new swingset (thanks to Mimi and my parents, and the guy we hired from Craig's list who actually showed up to get it put together the day before the big party).
More birthday cake!!
Sammy actually got birthday cake 3 nights in a row. The day after our BBQ, we drove to New Jersey to visit the Taylor's, our good friends from Park City who were in Jersey visiting family. We had such a great time with them, and Alexis made a yummy brownie ice cream cake. So, this lucky kid may not have had the hugest birthday party thrown for him, but he got to celebrate for three consecutive days!!!
Sam is a really messy eater in general. I mean, I literally have to hose him down after every meal; he gets food in his ears, his hair, and lodged into every little fat fold. The floor always looks like someone had a major food fight in the kitchen. However, his first birthday cake mess (which is traditionally and acceptably messy) was comparably tidy.
Here is a flashback photo of Max enjoying cake on his first birthday. Look at how much messier he is.
I didn't start my blog until after Max turned one, so I never got to post any of these pictures. This is Max on the morning he turned "1". He and Sam are starting to look so much alike, especially when I compare old pictures.
Our little family of three...getting ready for the big birthday bash just a couple months shy of three years ago. Max's party was a lot of fun since we actually had family there. Totally sucks that we have no one out here. Other than that, (and the humidity, and these gross flying "stink bugs" with hard shells that stink when you step on or squish them and come crawling out from every crevice in the spring and fall), our life would be really awesome out here.
And a picture from the present--The big brother. He was a really good boy during a weekend where he had to watch his little bro get all the attention. And all the gifts. At least Sam let Max help him open them. Truthfully, Max was excited about all the hoopla for Sammy. Heck, he got to eat birthday cake for three nights, too, plus--he was the one who blew out the candles. Very exciting stuff!!
Since this is a post pretty much dedicated to Sam in honor of the anniversary of his birth, I want to record a few things about him that I love so much...
First of all, notice the cute hat and shoes. Sam loves to wear hats--if they're his idea. He doesn't like it when I strap a sunhat onto his blonde head while we're outside, but he is always bringing me hats for him to wear in the house. He also likes balancing things on his head, which I find hilarious. He will bring me something like a measuring cup and want me to put it onto his head, then he will just really concentrate on not letting it fall, meanwhile waiting for me to comment on his "funny hat". Then it will finally tumble down (or Max will knock it down), and then he will pick it up and want to do it all over again. And again. And again. It is hilarious.
And the shoes--since he has mastered the art of walking upright they have become his favorite thing. He will go on a mission to find a pair of shoes--anybody's shoes, and bring them to me and insist that I put them on. While it is almost impossible given his inexperience with ambulation, he will even try to put on a pair of my shoes and walk around. He doesn't get very far before tripping, but he wants to keep trying nonetheless. In this picture he is wearing Max's shoes--he actually can maneuver in those quite well.
Sam is 23 lbs 1 oz, and is 29 1/2 inches long. Pretty much right in the 50th percentile all around. As of the posting of this blog entry he has five teeth (3 on top, 2 on bottom), but the third upper tooth popped out a few days after he turned one. He is walking--and practically running--everywhere. He definitely has the motivation to get moving as Max is the highlight of his life (mommy might be the center, but Max is the highlight); always doing something interesting like running, skipping, hopping, playing and making strange, LOUD noises--way more interesting and entertaining than mommy or daddy, and Sam just wants to keep up with him! Sam really is a lucky, lucky kid--he has Max. Sure, Sam's clothes and toys might all be hand-me-downs, he has never really known a world where everything revolved around him solely, he has always had to share the spotlight/the attention/the time. But he has a big brother. A big brother who is way more stimulating than mommy or daddy could ever be, despite all the ways we try. He is really, really lucky.
As far as sleeping habits go--he sleeps all night, usually 12 hours straight, without making a peep. But, the kid is a horrible napper. This is probably somewhat due to the fact that we are often on the go when nap time rolls around and he frequently falls asleep in the car, but I really struggle to get him to take a nap while we are home. So, sometimes I just schedule outings around naptime since I know that that way he will at least get some sleep during the day while we're in the car. Sam loves to eat, and will pretty happily eat most anything placed in front of him (so long as he gets to feed it to himself). If we try to put something into his mouth for him, he usually spits it out, examines it, then eats it. He is also getting very good at using utensils, which he loves to do. I think he feels so big and independent when he eats this way. He will try and try, but he doesn't quite have the small motor skills to get food onto his fork or spoon, so I will help him, then he can get it into his mouth all on his own.
Sam is really such a joy! I am so in love with him. He has added such an incredible dynamic to our family. He is extremely good natured--always smiling. He giggles adorably over a game of peek-a-boo, or when I chase him around the coffee table. And he drives me crazy when he won't hold still for a diaper change--the kid is extremely strong. His favorite things to play with right now are his drumset, the recorder (which he can play remarkably well, considering), and the piano. I think we might have a little musician in the making! He really likes to push things--cars, the stool, Max's tricycle, the highchair. And, of course he likes to play with Max and/or anything that Max has at any given moment.
Sam is so snuggly and cuddly. I love to stroke the back and top of his head--he has such a good head. He gives the best kisses and hugs, and he is just so delicious!! I swear I must kiss him a million times a day. I can't believe it has been a year!
Happy Birthday Sammy!! We love you!
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