Sam Update - 16, 17 and 18 Months

Hold the presses, 18 months. That means that I have a 1.5 year old? Was I not JUST helping him to blow out his 1st birthday candle while he stuffed cake in my face? 

Oh man did the time since Sam's 1st birthday ever fly by! We had a really fun summer! Having a 1.5 year old is a whole combination of excitement and exhaustion. But somehow, each and every day I am still amazed and blessed that I get to watch Sam grow up into the person he will be. 

Stats:

Still my healthy and growing boy! At his 18 month doctors appointment we didn't get any measurements because Sam was FREAKING out and the doctor intervened. His wonderful doc said, "you can clearly see he is a healthy boy, don't worry about getting his weight". 

At the CLSC appointment this week we were able to get some measurements Sam is 29.5 pounds, 84.5 cm long and a head circumference of 50.5 cm.  

Wearing:

It's still fairly nice out and I already miss summer dressing! The sandals (or bare feet) and the fact that no coat is usually needed. Kids need far more clothes in the Fall/Winter for layering, keeping warm, protecting heads and hands. boots, socks! 

Sam is currently wearing most 24 month clothes with a few 2T. His shirts are the biggest problem. They are all so short on him no matter what size they are. The shirt will look baggy but then his belly sticks out the bottom. He is in size 6 shoes but seems to be growing out of those shortly. PJS are mostly 2T. 

Sleep:

Thank goodness, I still have a good sleeper! Sam is great to put to bed still. We lay him in his crib and he kind of just peacefully lies there (or talks to himself) for a while till he falls asleep. At home on weekends, sometimes he sleeps in a little (till 7 AM) and doesn't nap as well in the morning. But on daycare mornings (up at 6:20 AM) he needs his morning nap. He sleep sleeps for 2+ hours in the afternoon and in bed usually around 6:30-7 PM. We have noticed that he needs a dark room to sleep. If it's too light he won't doze off for his nap. 

Eating:

Eating me out of house and home! I really have no idea where he puts it! His servings are recorded every meal at daycare. One time I went to look at his book at it said 5 pancakes! FIVE! I was in shocked! The older girls were laughing that he ate more than they did. 

But I am really lucky he eats as well as he does. He has his 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks after each nap. He also has about 3-4 sippy cups of a milk a day and water in between. 

Sam has gotten SO good at eating with a fork or spoon! He insists on eating most food with some sort of utensil. 

His favorite foods are yogurt, cheese, bread, meatballs, fries with ketchup, oranges, blueberries....ok maybe it would be easier to list the food he doesn't like, eggs! 

Saying:

Even as a baby, Sam has been pretty chatty. Now, his words are making sense and he is trying so hard all the time to pronounce the things he is trying to say more clearly. The words that we can pick up are, Momma, Dada, Grandpa "Grmpa", Nana (for his grandmothers and daycare), Poppa, Tuck Tuck, ball, truck, night night (ni ni), bye bye, cheese, "ca ca", no, yes, more, milk, "sus" (what we call his soother), "wa wa" (what we call water), shoes, row row (his favorite song) and car. 

Appearance:

Ryan's little mini-me in my opinion. Thankfully, he has my brown eyes but otherwise he is like Ryan. I believe he is going to be tall like Ryan as he is continually growing off the charts. Sams brown hair is straight but very course and thick. It grows like crazy too! We have to go for a haircut every 3 months.  

Likes:

There is so much that Sam likes that it is impossible to list it all. But I will try to mention the ones that come immediately to mind.

Being outside, anything that drives, food, building things with his blocks, Splash and Boots, feeding Tucker, "reading" books by himself and being with his friends at daycare. 

Dislikes:

For the most part, we have a pretty happy boy. He hates being tied down. He just wants to be free to do as he wishes. Getting in/out of the car seat is still on this list. Leaving daycare. Most days Sam freaks out because I make him stop playing so that we can go home. Being told "no". Getting dressed/bum changed. Sam can also get easily frustrated when I am cooking supper and he is not at counter level to see what I am doing.

Other:

Well it's hard to believe that my last update I was worried that my almost 16 month old still wasn't a regular walker! Any body out there who is worried about their 13/14/15/16/17 month old that isn't walking, DON'T! They are all doing stuff at their own pace and will figure it out. Eventually they catch up and will be just as good at walking as the rest of the kids around the same age. 

Sam is not the most social kid. At home, his goofy and silly but out he has clam up and be a little on the shy side in public settings. He is good about playing with other kids he has never met but he kind of prefers playing with himself. 

Mommy:

Even though 100% of my day is not entirely revolve around Sam anymore, he is still the number one this on my mind. When planning or scheduling things, I always think of how it's going to work with Sam. 

Right now my favorite time of day is right when I wake him up in the morning. We usually play this little game where he pretends to sleep and I say "Oh no, you fell back asleep" and then he starts giggling. I pick him up out of the crib and then he nuzzles right into the crook of my neck for a snuggle. After a full nights sleep he is full of laughter and has a lot of stories. He "talks" on the way to daycare. It still pulls at my heart strings every morning when I drop him off but I know he is having such a fun time. When I go to pick him up, no matter what my day has been like, I love  watching him play with his friends. 

In September I went away for a girls only trip in Nova Scotia. I was feeling a little guilty but once I was there I realized how ready I was for the break! I needed a break from being the CEO of our household. I wanted Ryan to experience planning a grocery order and meal plan for the week, getting Sams stuff ready for daycare and getting supper on the table while interacting with a cranky toddler. It was just the perfect amount of time to re-charge my batteries! 

Daddy:

Ryan may have needed a little independence this this summer as well but after learning what it's like to have a toddler by yourself for an extended period of time, he seems to be sticking around home a little more. 

But Ryan is a wonderful Dad. Sam is SO excited to have Dada come home that he runs to the door yelling his name as soon as he hears it open. 

I think Ryan is enjoying this stage because he can take Sam more places now. They like to go out exploring after supper to see some of the equipment on the farm. Sam loves typical "boy" things and Ryan loves that. Ryan is still the best sound effects person in our home. 

Sam and Ryan have their own set of games that only they play together. If I try to imitate the same game, Sam just looks at me funny. 

As a couple, we have learnt who has what roll in the parenthood. Turns out Ryan is the softy and I am the disciplinary. Sam knows how to get exactly what he wants from Ryan! The manipulation starts so young! ha ha! 

  

Letter:

Dear Sam, 

It been 1.5 years since you made us a family. It amazes your daddy and I how much you have grown in that time. We always mention that this time last year, you were this tiny baby who was not even eating real food yet! Now, you are this independent little boy who loves to use a fork himself! 

We are having so much fun together lately! You are learning new things every day! Your energy is amazing and we try our best to keep up to you! 

You are such a the typical boy! Climbing, running outside, loving of trucks and balls! But thankfully you usually give me a little snuggle at least once a day. As independent as you try to be, we both know you still need a little snuggle once in a while. I'm not complaining! 

Even though life goes by so fast right now, we are so enjoying the ride and love each and every day with you. 

I love you! 

Mommy 

xo