eighteen

a list of sam at 18 months

darling sam, i have front row seats in the you-show, and have been cheering gleefully for you since the beautiful, wide-eyed, heart-popping day of your birth.  you have grown and changed and become so much in that short time.  on that first day, that blissful evening when you came silent into the world with your curious eyes open and looking at everything, you were already planted deep in my heart.  in the past 18 months, your roots have burrowed deeper inside of me, and your limbs and curls have grown and grow daily - hourly.  sometimes i forget, in the up-close-ness of our days together, how astonishing you are and what incredible things you have learned.

you:

• sleep like a champ.  12+ hours every night, and usually 3 hours of napping during the day (and oh, how you earn every single minute of it!).
• love to eat oatmeal pureed with strawberries and peanut butter for breakfast.
• are best friends with a stuffed monkey from your auntie sophie.  you can't sleep without him in your arms.
• love to pretend that any toy is a truck, and every truck is crashing.  brrrm crash!
• run ridiculously fast, usually looking back at me over your shoulder and laughing.
• are utterly terrified of fighter planes.  one flew over you one day when i wasn't close, and you dissolved into a puddle of terror.  it took 20 minutes of cuddles and singing for you to stop shaking.
• say sorry when you know you have done something wrong.  (usually you say sorry by giving a hug, but sometimes you use words)
• have the most beautiful autumn-coloured eyes that are always full of light and laughter.
• love kids.  i adore watching you meet new friends - you run towards them with your arms open, generous with hugs and giggles and drool.
• are an amazing little athlete!  you can throw and catch, climb and run, and you rarely lose your balance.  you have more skills than i thought possible.
• rock out whenever you hear music.
• take off your socks in the crib.  you'll leave them on the rest of the time, but once you're in your crib, off they come.  :)
• have the world's biggest collection of facial expressions, and you adore playing peekaboo, especially when we make faces.
• love to stop and smell flowers.  you take a big sniff and say ahhhh!
• are a big fan of the backyardigans and phineas&ferb.  i think it's all the music ;).
• say 'let go!' a lot - but i think you mean 'i want to hold this,' because you often say it when you're pointing at something that nobody is holding.
• are such a little helper!  you love to help me vacuum, put things in the garbage can, and sweep.  
• adore your papa, and have started calling him pa lately!  watching you two together melts my heart into a big gooey puddle.

that's a little bit of you at 18 months, samjam.   you are precious, hilarious, and wonderful.  i am so grateful that God brought you into this world and into our family. xo