My shadow

Sam has been extra upset about my leaving recently and I was trying to decide if he was in a mommy clingy stage or not. Then I realized that while he often happily plays independently during the day, he's been doing it within 5 feet of me at almost all times. If I go downstairs to do laundry, he follows me down and plays down there. If I go in the bedroom to change Andrew's diaper, Sam picks up his toys and joins me a minute later. When I start to cook dinner, he sets up camp at the end of the kitchen and plays with spoons, spatulas, pots and napkins. He doesn't fuss about my leaving like he did when he was little, but there's some definite following action going on. So I suppose he is in a mommy clingy phase. 

Andrew teeth

Sam loves talking about our family and including everyone, whether it's pointing out in his toy cars where Daddy, Mommy, Andrew and Sam sit, doling out imaginary water cups or offering snack food. When we were brushing teeth the other day, he said Daddy should brush his teeth, and Mommy, and then he said Andrew should brush his teeth. It occurred to me that we had never informed Sam that Andrew didn't have teeth...why would he know that? So we had a discussion about babies not having teeth yet. :)

Brush those teeth!

Ruth got Sam to brush his teeth!

Chatterbox

The week after Christmas Sam said his first "sentence" with three words - "Apple juice please." Since then he has been more and more willing to put two or three words together at a time and has been echoing more new words each day. Not only does he repeat after me, but he breaks out words I didn't know he could say, like "dishwasher" and "rice cooker." He's such an observant little toddler and I delight in seeing all the knowledge he absorbs.

Stomach Flus are no fun

We spent a wonderful Christmas visiting family and friends in the Bay Area. Then two days after Christmas Sam came down with an awful stomach flu and was miserable for several days. It's taken a week and a half for him to return to his normal eating, drinking and sleeping habits - poor kid! I don't know that there's anything that can prepare you for parenting a sick child. It is sad, scary, tiring and frustrating all in one, but I think it's the feeling of helplessness that is hardest. Luckily only Christine also got the flu, Dave and Andrew were spared. We are quite happy to find Sam is back to his old self now.