Sam is so difficult to sum up in a few words. He is a complex little guy. He is so, so handsome and funny and loving all while being the most stubborn and opinionated 21 month old around. He has a big personality and I absolutely adore getting to know him. The toddler years are (in my opinion of course) the most exhausting years of parenting because they are smart enough to get into real trouble but not with it enough to fully understand yes/no and right/wrong, BUT they are so much fun because your baby becomes this little individual and you sort of meet who they are going to be forever. Everyday is a new day of learning, and it's so much fun.
A little bit about our 21 month old Sam:
* Wearing 24 months, 2t, and occasionally sneaking into a 3t
* I have no idea how tall he is or how much he weighs but my guess is 35 inches and 30ish lbs
* Dairy and soy free (We keep trying and dairy keeps failing. The soy is much easier to give up because he can have soy oil and soy lechithin-just not soy protein. His response to dairy isn't quite as dramatic as it has been so we let him eat a tiny bit of baked in dairy here and there, but no milk for this guy anytime soon. We have also discovered that he cannot tolerate fast food. I have no idea why though. We were eating Wendy's some when we were traveling, etc. because they advertise their chicken being dairy and soy free, but he kept getting a very upset tummy and blistering diaper rash, so now it's pretty much subway for us if we need something quick. I can get to feeling really sorry for all of us about this, but I just have to cling to the fact that he is healthy as healthy can be otherwise and this is totally doable. It takes a lot more prep and a lot more thought into meal planning, but it forces us to eat healthier than we would otherwise and it's doable. It's completely doable.)
* Naps two times a day (We are still napping twice a day! I can't believe it. I have tried twice to cut out the morning nap and do an earlier afternoon nap, but Sam won't have it. He loves his 8 am nap and he sleeps for 1.5-2 hours!)
* Sleeps all night and is sharing a room with big bro! (I was stressed about this transition as I stress about all transitions, but they are doing great in the room together. They are so cute giggling at night for a few minutes before falling asleep, and they happily greet each other in the morning. Cute things!)
* Sleeps all night and is sharing a room with big bro! (I was stressed about this transition as I stress about all transitions, but they are doing great in the room together. They are so cute giggling at night for a few minutes before falling asleep, and they happily greet each other in the morning. Cute things!)
* Has 20 teeth! (And I think is starting to feel the pressure of his two year molars coming in because he is steadily chewing on his fingers all of a sudden!)
* Is so affectionate (He loves a good snuggle and I am a sucker for it.)
* Is so so hardheaded (This has not changed since 18 months. Sam can get madder than anyone. John is super sensitive and has always swung towards the sad side if he didn't get his way, etc. Sam? Sam gets mad as hell, and I have to just give him the space to have a fit so we can move on. He rarely cries for being upset...just screams out of being mad. I have no idea how this will manifest as he grows, but I'm a little scared.)
* Is a complete dare devil (don't take your eyes off of him. ever.)
* Loves to be outside (Outside is Sam's happy place. He rarely gets upset when he's at the beach, the park, the backyard, etc. He and John are just a like in that way.)
* Is talking A LOT more (Oh Sam. His verbal skills are not his strength (but no worries kiddo-you have a ton of other strengths). He will talk enough to get his point across but he is not eager to talk to please you. He loves animals and animal noises and will say those at his own will, but not on command. He can say all of his favorite foods and has mastered the art of the "I want..." sentence. I want shoes on. I want shoes off. I want outside. I want mama. I want, I want, I want. I hear that a lot. He calls John by his name, but mostly calls him bubba. One adorable thing is that he loves to sing. He honestly sings perfectly on key and has great rhythm. I think he will be as musically inclined as his brother and dad. His favorite songs right now are "Davvvvvyyyy, Davy Crockett!" and "Yo ho, Yo ho, it's a pirate's life for me!" and he does an amazing job getting that out. He also sings his abc's a good bit and I am starting to heart a lot of the letters clearly. He loves to sing Twinkle, twinkle little star as well which is pretty dern cute. He loves to read and will point and name things in a book and he gets overjoyed when you actually understand him. He is on a big dinosaur and train kick lately and can say dinosaur pretty clearly and choo choo train is easy for anyone to understand. His verbal skills have definitely been slower than John's who was speaking like a 16 year old by this age, but he's doing great and coming around more and more everyday.
* Is talking A LOT more (Oh Sam. His verbal skills are not his strength (but no worries kiddo-you have a ton of other strengths). He will talk enough to get his point across but he is not eager to talk to please you. He loves animals and animal noises and will say those at his own will, but not on command. He can say all of his favorite foods and has mastered the art of the "I want..." sentence. I want shoes on. I want shoes off. I want outside. I want mama. I want, I want, I want. I hear that a lot. He calls John by his name, but mostly calls him bubba. One adorable thing is that he loves to sing. He honestly sings perfectly on key and has great rhythm. I think he will be as musically inclined as his brother and dad. His favorite songs right now are "Davvvvvyyyy, Davy Crockett!" and "Yo ho, Yo ho, it's a pirate's life for me!" and he does an amazing job getting that out. He also sings his abc's a good bit and I am starting to heart a lot of the letters clearly. He loves to sing Twinkle, twinkle little star as well which is pretty dern cute. He loves to read and will point and name things in a book and he gets overjoyed when you actually understand him. He is on a big dinosaur and train kick lately and can say dinosaur pretty clearly and choo choo train is easy for anyone to understand. His verbal skills have definitely been slower than John's who was speaking like a 16 year old by this age, but he's doing great and coming around more and more everyday.
* Has amazing motor skills (really. I feel like I need to follow up knocking his verbal skills by bragging on his motor skills. Sam is super athletic by nature. Today he was swinging a bat and hitting a ball that our neighbor was tossing to him. He's 1. I was amazed. He can stack blocks better than I can. He can throw hard and with great accuracy. He can ride his plasma car like a Nascar driver. He's just a super physical kid- a climbing, fearless, ball loving boy. I am blown away daily by his athleticism and how naturally talented he is. It will be so fun to see what his interests are, but I have a feeling he will be the one who loves all sports and a need to be really active.)
So that sums up our Sam. He can charm anyone with his beautiful smile and big brown eyes. He can destroy a toy faster than anyone. He can throw a fit and hug like a son of a gun. And he somehow manages to keep me wrapped around his little finger despite publicly embarassing me as much as he can. He's our angel baby through and through.
And for a few pics of our 21 month old! Here's to our...
brother worshipping,
Hat loving,
Always dancing,
Dairy finding,
Water loving,
Trains, planes, and automobiles obsessed,
Davy Crockett obsessed,
Rotten (I want banana-to sleep with, not eat),
Chest compression giving,
Lap stealing,
Full of life,
Fashion forward,
Precious,
Brother wrestling,
And amazingly cute and perfect kiddo!
You are loved beyond words dear one. Cheers to 21 months of pure chaos and joy!