What's New

At the zoo entrance


Sam and Casey with their PK friends - Daniel, Ben and Celia


Sammy is getting more comfy on the little car




Jeff came home from a long weekend away for the UMC Annual Conference and said he thought Casey's vocabulary and talking was better than when he left, and I think he is right. He is talking in full sentences and paragraphs, telling stories that make sense and you can sort of carry on a conversation with him. He also continues to develop a sense of humor that can be quite hilarious. This weekend we had a few rough moments where he was not cooperating with me, screwing around while I am trying to get him dressed or some such thing, and I would get frustrated. Sometimes I just walk away for a minute and he knows that means I am mad. So he would wait for me to come back, which I always do, and he would say "I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry mom" And I would say "thank you, it's ok" and then he would say "But I was pretty funny!"
Casey has designated himself Sam's keeper and has a running mantra of "Sammy, no. Sammy stop. Sammy, NOOOOOO!" The other day, I was telling Sammy "No" because he was turning the TV off while Casey was watching his show. I told him no and then he went to do it again, and Casey says "Sammy, you go to Time Out, not listening to Mom!"
Sam is careening toward his first birthday, leading me to say what everyone says: Where has this year gone? Times flies in retrospect even though I have had some days or weeks that felt like an eternity. He is crawling very well but only when there isn't something to hold onto to stay upright. He wants to be near Casey all the time an play with whatever Casey has. Sam's babbles have increased, nothing close to a word but a nice variety of sounds. It feels like Sam is pretty laid back in terms of patience. He is content to hang out in the stroller of the car or the wagon and seems to like watching what goes on around him. The dinner table is a different story completely, as he continues to demonstrate his incredible lung capacity at whim. He isn't even mad, just LOUD. The only solution seems to be to keep his mouth otherwise occupied. Today for lunch he ate an entire grilled cheese sandwich, and more than half of the one Casey would not touch (Casey: (with emotion)"I WANT PEANUT BUTTER." Mom: (no emotion) "Well that's not what we're having") After Sam ate 1.5+ grilled cheese, he polished off a banana and a cup of formula. I have a hunch that in the future, referring to Sam as the "little brother" is going to confuse people. Sam seems to be moving nicely toward one nap a day, and is even doing it at the same time as Casey's quiet time sometimes, restoring the small glimmer of hope that this house might get packed up. And the biggest news is that he has slept through the night 4 nights in a row. Most certainly, I have just jinxed it, but it has been really nice. Nights have felt so long with all the ups and downs, and now I fall asleep as I hit the pillow and wake up at 7:30 or 8 and it feels like one second has gone by. And I am starting to feel ... whats that strange sensation ... rested? Oh rested, I hardly recognized you!

This weekend there was an open house at the Public Services warehouse and kids could climb on all the equipment - throw in the free lunch and ice cream and it was actually a very cool event! Casey enjoyed himself very much.

He got his ice cream cup to go and was working on it on the car ride home. Then when we got home, I came into room and said, "Where is the rest of your ice cream?" He said "I poured it on Sammy's head!" Indeed he had. A mid day bath for everyone followed.
Thanks for checking in. The blogging might take a back seat to the packing in the next 6 weeks, but we will do our best!