Sam is an incredibly picky eater, as are most two-year-olds. He won't eat anything that he hasn't eaten before, and half the time he won't even eat things that he used to like.
These days he mostly eats peanut butter sandwiches, Doritos, and chocolate milk. So I was really surprised when he was willing to eat peas from our garden. I planted a lot, so he can at least get some vegetables into his diet now and then.
Last night we took Sam to the Museum of Natural History up at the U. He liked the dinosaur bones and pretty much ignored everything else, which is what we expected. But the first Monday of every month is free anyway, so I didn't mind just walking around to see what he wanted. We bought him a little toy dinosaur that should keep him entertained for about a day.
Well, I suppose I should post something on this blog for once. Last week we took Sam to the zoo. I couldn't believe how exhausting it was, even with two parents and one child. I can't figure out how all those mothers managed multiple children without backup.
Anyway, we could have just stayed by the elephants the whole time, because that's all Sam wanted to see. He didn't even care when the tiger came and drank right in front of us. at any rate, we learned that he enjoys seeing animals on TV as much as seeing them at the zoo, so we're probably not going to get an annual pass or anything.
On an unrelated note, Sam's new favorite game involves shutting us in the pantry every time we go in. He then laughs maniacally and tries to keep us from opening the door. Sometimes he shuts us both in there, which I imagine is some sort of metaphorical preview to what it will be like raising a teenager.
Last week Sam turned two, and he received a lot of great presents from his relatives. He celebrated his birthday by not sleeping that night.
Anyway, we can see him making more and more connections every day. Thanks in large part to his grandma, he's learning colors and numbers. We really never know what new words he's going to learn every day, so we have to be especially careful with our language now.
He also is really becoming attached to his stuffed animals. He often tries to carry two or more with him, in addition to a ball. He calls them by name and is very affectionate toward them. He even hugs the bear-shaped honey container.
The other day, Katie wrote down all the words Sam says now, and it’s getting close to 100. His speaking ability is really taking off. It’s funny to hear him say “Bye-bye… Dad,” pausing as he tries to remember what to say next. It’s also a relief that now he can at least sometimes tell us what he wants, whether he needs a drink or wants to go outside on a walk.
All right, it’s been a while since I updated this blog. Needless to say, Sam has not ceased to be entertaining. He recently started speaking without prompting. He’ll now say “hi” to us pretty often. We frequently argue over whether he has a globe or a ball (to him, anything round is a ball). And his dancing skills are truly amazing. We were at a wedding reception last week, and when they were playing music he grabbed his mom’s hands and started dancing, without any prompting. The kid has natural rhythm.
Last night we took Sam up to Millcreek Canyon. He's been up there once before, and all he wants to do is play in the stream. This despite the fact that the water is so cold it continues to hurt my feet the entire time I'm standing in it. We tried to get him to go eat with us, but he just kept running back to try to get in the water. Eventually we distracted him a little bit with a toy football. He already throws farther than I can, and he's not even two years old.
Sam's latest hobby is getting us to put on Napoleon Dynamite so he can dance at the end with Napoleon. He will sometimes do this six times in a row. He's not even two yet, and he dances better than most adults that I know.
Last night Sam and I were watching the Simpsons, when he repeated the word “D’oh!” Plus, a couple of days ago, he repeated Nelson’s laugh. I’m guessing people would either find it hilariously adorable or would take it as grounds that I should not be allowed to have children. I’m betting there is no middle ground here.
This is Sam.
Most of the time I'm at home is spent wrangling him. He'll be two in October and already has the attitude and energy. He loves balls, especially basketballs, and points out any basketball hoop he sees. Those of you who know me may wonder how we could be related.
Last weekend we went down to southern Utah for a family reunion and stayed with Katie's family. Sam's cousin Aiden, who is two years older than Sam, was there, so Sam got a chance to spend several days with another young child. I think this helped his motivation to speak. While we were there, he started to repeat a number of words. Thus far his volcabulary consists of such words as "hi," "no," "car keys," "daddy," "happy," and "ball."
I can't wait until he's really able to mouth off.
