Here Comes Peanut!

Imaginary play

2010-04-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Sam has been having fun with imaginary friends that "work" with him and come visit and whom he can call on his cell phone. Sometimes they are the fruit friends from the "Banana and the Coconut" song that Dave created, sometimes they are real friends/people who just aren't there right now. Either way, it's fascinating to see his brain at work and see what he comes up with. Elements of our daily lives are intertwined in his imaginary and provide illumination into his experience of the world. Our favorite was when he said our friend Ruth called to say she was getting married and she and Papaya were coming over to work on puzzles with Sam later. Ah, how rumors start.

3 year stats

2010-02-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

At his three year check-up, the nurse confirmed that Sam is indeed a big boy. He came in at the following:
Weight: 36 lb 8 oz, 90%
Height: 40 in, 95%

Why? why? why?

2010-02-19T23:44:00.000-08:00

I can pinpoint the exact day that Sam began to ask more and more questions. It was New Year's Day 2010 at 35 months old when a switch clicked and all my answers were met with why. Let me tell you, it has kept me on my toes to come up with that many answers! He seems to take particular interest in why things have the names they do and what people's motivations are. It certainly keeps life interesting and fills up car rides with all sorts of interesting conversations.

The way to France

2009-12-18T22:00:00.001-08:00

Sam was excited about our drive to see Grandma and Grandpa in Oakland for Christmas. We talked about packing the car and how it would be a long drive, arriving after bedtime even. After a brief stop in LA for Dave's work, I was helping to navigate us back to the freeway when Sam offered his help. He said that he knew the way, it said it on his computer, and that he wanted to go to France too. I asked him the way. He said you go up there, straight and then north and east. He also said his office was in France which was near Grandpa and Grandma's. We were in stitches. I love his imagination!

Conversing

2009-11-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

Sam's conversational skills are just blossoming. He carries on conversations, sings songs and is constantly working on new words and phrases. Some of his favorite current phrases are:

"That funny to me"
"I figure out it"
"I need do this"
"I no like that"
"Mas green blankie" (my green blankie)
"I no call that..." (as in, I no call that running Mommy, I call that walking)
"Is good idea"
"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't" (as in, do you like doing this or feel like that?)
"Oh well"
"Maybe next time"

Halloween is for kids!

2009-10-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

At first Sam wanted to be Mickey Mouse, but then he decided that Andrew should be Mickey and he would be Donald Duck. Then he said that Christine and I were also to be Donald Duck. Go figure - so we got three plastic duck beaks. So now we have a mommy duck, a daddy duck, a toddler duck, and a baby Mickey. Does that make Andrew the ugly duckling?

By the way - didn't Christine just do a knock-out job on their costumes?

Papa Duck

To do

2009-09-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

As I wrote my to do list this morning, Sam wanted to write one of his own. So he dictated to me the following list (with a few additions from Mommy):

Play with trains
Play with Backgammon
Play with Hi IQ game
Play with chairs game
Eat lunch
Play with dominoes
Get dressed
Change diapers
Take nap
Help mommy clean
Read books
Change diapers
Go to grocery store
Go to my office
Go to my house
Go to friend's house
Go to Daddy's office
Drive in work van
Daddy drives in Nissan
Be nice to Andrew
Go to bed

In a box?

2009-09-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Recently Sam and I were talking and the subject of staying in hospitals came up. Actually, I believe his question was "Mommy, you in hospital?" and I said that yes, I had been in the hospital when Andrew was born and perhaps he remembers it. I reminded him of how Andrew grew in my belly and when my belly got really big and it was time, I went to the hospital. I explained that I went to the hospital so the doctors could help get Andrew out of my belly. I said that in the hospital the doctor helped to deliver Andrew and then we could bring him home with us. Sam listened and then said "Innabox?" I quizzically asked, "Did you say 'In a box'?" He said yes, that's what he said. I pondered. Then I realized what he was asking. I said, "No, the doctors didn't deliver Andrew in a box like the postman delivers things." I had a good laugh about that one.

Snips and snails and puppy dogs' tails

2009-09-03T14:50:00.001-07:00

We were eating dinner with my parents last week and Sam said "Look, Mommy." I glance over and stop in disbelief as I see Sam stick a pea up his nose. While he has been experimenting with sticking his finger up his nose in recent months, it's never occurred to him that other things could fit in there. I had a look of shock on my face and exclaimed "No, Sam, that doesn't belong there" so Sam immediately started to stick his finger up his nose to fish it out. Luckily I was able to stop him before he shoved it up further and was able to get it out myself. Later that week he fished out a booger from his nose and tried to eat it (first time for this too!). Welcome to raising boys...

Dec 09 update: I think I am losing the battle of preventing Sam from picking his nose. I knew I was particularly doomed the other day when we were visiting friends and he picked his nose and tried to hand it to me. I said that was gross, I didn't want it and he said "No, Mommy, it's for you to eat." Sigh.

Mommy, Daddy off please

2009-08-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

We were driving in the car the other day and Dave started singing a song (I can't remember which one, but a kids song). Apparently Sam didn't want Dave to sing it, so he asked me to turn Daddy off, like he was the radio. We had a good laugh about that one...

Where is that spoon?

2009-07-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

I was eating dinner with Sam the other day and saw him putting his noodles on the table and then eating them with his hands. I gently suggested that perhaps he could use his spoon and eat them from his bowl. He started looking all around for his spoon. Then I pointed out that he was holding it in his other hand! We had a good laugh about that one...

Vanilla?

2009-07-21T17:55:00.001-07:00

We had some frozen yogurt as a treat the other day with Uncle Dave and Aunt Angela. I came over to Sam and saw some chocolate yogurt and a bit of something white. I asked him what the white stuff was and he called it "bad chocolate." I guess he's not a fan of vanilla...

Thank you, Please and Are Doing?

2009-06-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sam has started to say "Thank you Mommy" and "Thank you Daddy" spontaneously for many things and it just warms our hearts. He's also getting much better at saying please, though his new favorite phrase is "Are doing?" as in "What are you doing?" with all the inflection of the full sentence. He's also getting better at saying people's names, though the letter "L" still eludes him...

Singing

2009-06-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sam is beginning to sing along to songs a lot now. He can get maybe half the letters in the ABC song and his favorites include "I've been working on the railroad" "Wheels on the bus" and "Twinkle twinkle little star." He also likes to sing along to many of the Wiggles songs we just got on CD (or "Iggles" as he calls them).

Talking talking talking

2009-05-27T21:07:00.001-07:00

Sam is starting to really talk and repeat a lot of words. It seems that almost everything I say he's repeating, like "potato" "Torrey Pines" "Go Nuggets" "armadillo" "oatmeal." He's also spontaneously saying "Thank you Mommy" and "Thank you Daddy" which is incredibly rewarding for us!

Brushing your toddlers teeth

2009-05-06T06:51:00.001-07:00

O-kay

2009-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

Sam just started saying "Okay" today and has just the cutest way of saying it, very staccato and well enunciated. Almost as cute as how he says "Mooey" for smoothie, one of his favorite drinks.

Who's Birthday is is Anyway?

2009-04-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday, so Christine, Sam, Andrew, our friend Chris and I went out to breakfast at the Huddle - our local breakfast place. During our conversation with our waitress, Sam (I think with a little coaching from Christine) told me that today was "Daddy's Birthday". He immediately followed this up saying "Little Mah" - meaning it was a little bit his birthday too. Seems to make sense to me. :)

I love the way he refers to himself as "Mah"- not certain if "Mah" is his way of saying "Sam" or "Me".

A new kind of square dancing?

2009-04-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sam has been practicing jumping and enjoys doing it to music...I can't explain why he wanted the box on his head though. See the video for a good laugh.

I didn't know you knew that

2009-04-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

I am surprised daily by how much Sam knows. His language skills are improving, but obviously he knows a lot more than he just comes out and says. If I read a story and pause, he will fill in the next word, or make a sound that is like that word. Today I discovered that he can count to six. I was counting things in the book and asked him what came after two and he said three and when asked what came next, he went on to say four, five and six! Things got a little fuzzy for seven and eight. He's also starting to sing along with parts of the alphabet song - what fun!

Jump, jump, jump!

2009-04-01T16:21:00.001-07:00

Sam is learning to jump and just like when he was a baby learning to roll over or crawl, he is practicing this new skill all the time. Only he uses his arms for momentum a lot and doesn't always get his feet off the ground at the same time so it looks like a cross between the monster mash and a Godzilla impression. I'm still trying to get a good video of it...

I've learned from Sam...

2009-03-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

...how to live in the moment
...how to spend an hour enjoying a sand dune
...how to say "Oh well" and move on (funny how what you teach them comes back to you)
...how to be silly
...how to have fun while doing chores

March Madness

2009-03-25T14:14:00.001-07:00

Sam has become a big fan of basketball games. He's been going with Dave and Uncle Dave and Aunt Angela to the first and second round of NCAA women's tournament and also the NIT tournament that SDSU is in. His favorite newest word is basketball and he wondered why he can't go every day. He's also happily been introduced to kettle corn, hot dogs and peanuts with shells!

Peanut likes peanuts!!

2009-03-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bubble Friday!

2009-03-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Sam had his first Bubble Friday at playgroup today. He started to enjoy chasing them even more and after some inspiration from Andrew's popping bubbles, he had fun trying to catch them. I couldn't get a good picture, but I will next time.