Sam turned 10 months this past Friday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t update the blog because we were hit by a terrible storm and lost power for 12 hours and then cable/internet for a week!! If you’re interested, here is a video taken down the hill from us.

Anyway, back to our growing boy! I was just looking through some old photos and can’t even believe how much Sam has changed! Here are some highlights from the past month:

*Sam learned how to crawl! Wahoo! He is so cute crawling around and getting into trouble. He has an unconventional technique: one leg is bent and then he kind of drags his other foot along. It’s not beautiful but it works.

*Sam still loves cruising around on furniture, and he has learned to pull himself up. He is such a good cruiser, he can even walk along the wall. It is really cute to see him try to challenge himself to reach as far as he can to walk to another piece of furniture. He is getting braver and braver. And he’s even getting more used to the spills.

*Sam is the loudest baby in the world. He loves to scream at the top of his lungs. Sometimes I think he is having a contest with himself to see how loud he can get. But at least they are happy screams.

*Sam is into everything. We have yet to really baby-proof the house (we’ve basically only installed outlet covers). Right now our philosophy is to teach him what he can and can’t touch and keep anything really dangerous out of reach. So far it is working but I am sure we will need to so some more elaborate baby-proofing as he gets faster.

*Lately Sam has been sticking his tongue out a lot. I think he is going to be one of those little boys that stick their tongue out when concentrating. Very cute.

*He seems to be getting his top teeth in. I can kind of feel something coming through, he has been a little cranky lately, he tries to bite every object he encounters, and he has been drooling non-stop.

*As I am writing this, I have learned that Sam is able to pull up to standing in his crib, even though he is wearing a sleep sack! Unfortunately he does not seem to have the necessary skills to lie back down. Ben and I have been in there twice to put him back down but he just keeps getting back up. I’ve read that you should let them figure it out themselves or else you will have to keep laying them down. So, here we are, waiting. Any tips? (UPDATE: after about 20 minutes of crying Ben went in and laid him down again. I guess third time was a charm–he is fast asleep. Yes, we are wimps but he was an already an hour into his nap and still not asleep!).

*Sam eats like a champ! He has a huge appetite and will eat just about anything. Now that he is older, he can eat a bigger variety of foods, which is really fun. His favorite food is shredded cheese which he often eats with whole wheat pasta (mac ‘n cheese is Mommy’s favorite, too!). He also loves broccoli, smashed peas, beans, squash, and pretty much any fruit. Sam’s favorite breakfast is porridge (rice, oatmeal, millet, or some combination plus some ground up lentils and chickpeas) mixed with pureed carrots–weird but healthy! Another daily staple (usually for lunch) is full-fat Greek yogurt mixed with sunflower seed butter. Again, weird but healthy. Finally, he loves pretty much anything he can pick up and feed himself.

*He loves to entertain. He laughs all the time, especially when someone else is laughing, and definitely seems to be developing a sense of humor!

It is amazing how much fun the three of us are having! I just can’t wait to see what the future will hold! We love you, Sam!