Tunnel of Love II

Here's Sam in the toddler area at the playplace. I wish I'd gotten a picture of the big kid slide--she and I rode it together a couple of times and had a blast!
Hmmmm what should I play with next?
I know, I'll do gymnastics!
A pensive moment in the sunlight....
Yay! A push toy!

Tunnel of Love

This weekend I took Sam to a brand new kids' playplace fairly close to us. It's nice to have--$10 gets Sam a couple of hours (unlimited time, actually) to run around and wreak havoc somewhere other than the apartment.

Squeezing through...

Hmmmm, is this a good idea or not?

Here I come! Will my static-y hair fit??

Cool Cat

Knowing that the paparazzi lurk around every corner, Sam has decided to go incognito.

Actually, she wouldn't stop taking my glasses while I was wearing them, and I remembered I had bought these for her over the summer! At one point she put them on and ran circles around the coffee table--not sure why, but it was fun to watch!

Sam Gogh

Here is Sam with her new favorite hobby, coloring! Mommy has already spotted her "artwork" on the bathroom cabinet door and on a wall. Luckily, both masterpieces were either washable or so light that it's hard to tell (and we're painting this winter anyway).

Let it Snow!

Daddy had MLK day off (Mommy did not), so he took Sam to the park to go sledding and have some playground fun.

Hey, my butt is cold:

What is this white stuff falling from the sky?

Anyone want a ride?

Weeeeee!

Exploring the vast tundra called Forest Park:

Brief Update

Sorry I've been remiss in posting new pics, it's been a crazy week. The words just keep on coming, and Sam's developed an irritating obsession with Dora. I discovered that it's on at 7pm, so she watched it, and kept crying for Dora after it was over. When I walked into her room this morning--I knew she was up because the light was on--the first thing she said was..."Dora!"

So now I know who Swiper and Boots are. Hooray.

These Boot Are Made for Walking

Here is Sam, unable to walk in Mommy's boots. But she's having a great time!

Big Pink Marshmallow

She can barely walk in this thing, but it keeps her nice and cozy. Whenever I pick her up, she demands "Wa! Wa!" (she wants to walk down the sidewalk with me). Not when she has this on! So I contend with a whiny baby.

Sam has picked up a few new words already. "Messy" (did I mention that one already?), "Cheero" (Cheerios), "Dora" (she says "Doe-wah" if she sees Dora's picture on something at the store--she watches it at Mayra's). Last night when I was changing her into jammies, she screamed "No night-night!"

Happy MLK day. It feels as if I'm the only one in the whole city who has to work today.

Our Little Peanut

Sam went to the doctor on Saturday and had two shots and a checkup. She weighs 20.75 pounds and is 30.75 inches tall--20% for height, 10% for weight. She's a tiny little thing. The shots knocked her out, big time. We finally got her down for a nap at 3pm, and she slept until 10pm--and then was out again by midnight and slept until 6am!

Walkie Talkie

The walking part has been going on for six months...now comes the talking! I don't think I've ever seen anything as amazing as the evolution of Sam's speech. It's so great to be able to at least slightly understand her and it clearly tickles her when she can communicate something to us.

I'm out of pictures for the time being so I thought I'd list out what Sam can say. In some cases she can say the word but doesn't seem to know what it means, and in other cases I know what she's saying even though it's a complete word. This post will be a nice snapshot in time for us.

Two, three, five, six, nine (yes, I know there are several missing here)
Now I know (she knows this phrase because of the ABC song--she even says it in the right spot sometimes)
Banana (she says nana), apple, chicken (she says shishin)
Shoes
Water (wawa)
Walk
Bus (brand new as of yesterday)
No (her #1 word)
Mine (her #2 word)
I love you (comes out I love uh)
Mama, daddy (of course)
Sit
Hi, bye, hello
Yellow, Purple
Book, ball
Doggie, duck
Baby (and she definitely knows what a baby is)
Eye
Priscilla (that's one of Mayra's daughters)
Mayra (she says Yaya)
Sister (she says sissy, and picked this up from Sean, the other boy Mayra watches)

She knows the sounds that lions, doggies, kitties, and goats say, and she can point to her eyes, nose, ears, hair, mouth, belly button, arm, fingers and feet on command--ok, none of these are words, but isn't she smart?? :-)

I'm sure there are others and I'll edit the post when I think of them.

Scream a Little Scream for Me

Sam definitely has toddler meltdowns these days--sometimes several small ones a day. This is from the ice skating trip a couple of weekends ago. Sam was angry that I wouldn't just let her run around all over the place--Daddy had been on the rink, and I was trying to watch her AND all of our stuff at once.

Flattering pictures, Sam. I can't wait to torture you with them when you're a teenager!

After the meltdown, looking all puckered out:

Interspecies Kisses

"I love you Jokie!" "I love you Sam!"

Mommy's Little Helper

Sam likes to imitate Mommy and Daddy, so when I was cleaning the glass door last month, she wanted to pitch in and help! Thanks Sam!

She also likes to drag the broom around, but she comes perilously close to smacking us with it. I need to go find a small baby broom so she can really help. Of course, when I sweep the floor her first mission is always to find the pile of dirt and step in it. :-/

Idea Thief--2008 Recap

I stole this idea from another blog I follow (yes, LL, you, thanks!) and thought it would be interesting to replicate. She rounded up 2008 by posting the first sentence of the first post for each month. So, I've done that here, and I have also included the title of the post in parenthesis. So, here goes:

January: Today for Sam's six month birthday, we went to a place on the island for kids. (Happy Half Birthday to Sam!)

February: Marc took some pictures of Sam while I was in San Diego. (Get That Camera Out of My Face!)

March: Sam's first swimming lesson! (This Diaper's Really Wet)

April: He didn't really attack her--I put him on her head. (Attack of the Tiel)

May: Oh no here she goes! (The Next Step)

June: She finally got it! (The Lightbulb is ON!)

July: Daddy was gone Friday and Saturday, so it was just Sammy and me. (Mmmmmm Pancakes)

August: Yesterday I took Sam to the Alley Pond Environmental Center in Alley Park. (Duck Duck Sam)

September: I haven't updated for almost a week! (The Days are Flying By)

October: Sam doesn't understand the concept of posing for a picture yet. (Strike a Pose)

November: Hmmm my bag is not full enough... (Sam Goes Trick or Treating)

December: A couple of decent pictures of Sam in her Jets uniform. (J-E-T-S)

Samantha Goes Ice Skating

Not really. Mommy and Daddy went ice skating last weekend to celebrate a friend's birthday (Melissa, who is to the left in the picture). Unfortunately it was a synthetic rink, which I'd never experienced, and I did one whole lap while hanging on to the wall. I can skate on real ice, I promise! We took turns watching after Sam, who wanted to run around and then threw a fit when I put her back in her stroller. Cranky baby pictures will be posted next.

She's Learned from the Best

Here it looks like Sam is lounging around on the couch, all innocent.

But look closely and you can see in the first picture she is pointing at her middle finger, and in the second she is covertly holding it up. Hmmmm, wonder where that came from? Several candidates come to mind....

Alfred Hitchcock Would Be Proud

In the Office, Final Chapter

I never did post the rest of the pictures from Sam's adventure to Daddy's office. Here we go!

Sam shakes it to the sounds of childrens' music. See how close she is to the musician? She's a groupie!
Hmmm how does this work? I do see that this is a Chicago Cubs game...maybe she should be a Cubs fan. Nah, she's too young to set herself up for a lifetime of disappointment.

Sam impatiently explains how the game works, wanting to get on with it already.

Sam with a snowman on her face:

Looks like she stood still for her right cheek, but not the left!

Champion of the World

Here are Sam and Daddy by the World Series trophy. As our friend Jay pointed out, too bad it isn't the Stanley Cup--Sam would probably fit in that!

I have a few more pics of Sam's trip to Daddy's office to post tomorrow, then I'll have some fresh shots for your viewing pleasure.

Potty Time

Here is Sammy at Aunt Risa and Uncle Ira's place sitting on Lindsey's potty. It's really only a matter of months before we start trying to train her...she's starting to show the first signs of being ready (I'll spare you the details!).