On Thursday Sam turned 15 months old and today we went to the doctor to get him all checked out. Poor little Sam has been SO sick this past week. He started the week with a fever on Monday night which continued until Friday! It was as high as 103.2 one morning. Now his fever is finally gone but he is super congested which means he is hardly drinking any milk (4-8 ounces/day compared with his usual 20!) and he is only eating mushy or pureed foods. He seemed to be feeling much better this evening so I have high hopes for a speedy recovery.

Sam’s stats:

Weight: 26 lbs, 4 ounces (75%)

Height: 33 1/4 inches (95%)

• Talker: Sam is continuing to sign but I haven’t taught him any new signs. He is repeating words like crazy these days. Yesterday Ben said “do you want to go get tacos” and he looked at him and said “tacos!” So at this point it is hard to say how many words he really knows because a lot of words he is just repeating. But here are a few he seems to know for sure: bah (bird), mama, dada, nah dah (all done), tah doo (thank you), baba (bubbles, book, ball), nene (Henry), danana (banana), uh oh (does that count as a word?), ay (hi, bye), Ella (his cousin), nigh’ nigh’ (night night). He can also answer “what does a dog/cat say” with the appropriate noise. (This video was taken during the sick week, hence the less cheery demeanor.)

• Giver: Sam loves to give things away. In fact, these days that is the best way to get him to come to you. I just say, “Sam, can I have that?” and he will pick something up and come bring it to me. If I say, “Sam, come here” he grins and runs in the opposite direction. We always say “thank you” when he gives us something so he has started saying “thank you” as he gives us his trinkets. It is pretty adorable.
• Stacker: Sam loves stacking his blocks. He has a set of nesting cubes that he loves to pull apart, stack in a tower (with a little help of course), and then knock over. He usually can’t wait for the tower to be fully built before he starts knocking it down.

• Climber: Sam has recently figured out how to climb up on the first step (the next step is blocked by the baby gate), stand up, and get back down. He is so proud of this new skill and has probably done it 100 times/day in the last couple weeks. This video is an earlier attempt. Now he can swivel around and stand up without holding on to anything. Sam also loves to push boxes or toys up against a wall or table and stand on them for a better view. It is funny to watch him figure out what things he can or can’t climb on. The other day he tried to “step” onto the cooler which is probably higher than his waist.

• Reader: Sam still loves books! This past week when he was sick and upset, often the only way we could calm him down was to read him one of his favorite books. He likes to point to the characters as we read.
• Dog Trainer: We hired a dog trainer shortly before Sam was born to help make Henry a little more manageable. One of the things she taught us, is to say “baaah” (in a low, rumbly voice) instead of “no.” Apparently it is more effective because dogs hear “no” (or “know”) many times throughout the day but they will only hear “baaah” when they are doing something wrong.  Anyway, Sam has started saying “baaah” to Henry now too! If Henry gets off his bed while Sam is eating (a big no-no!) Sam gives him a big “baaaah.” The other day, Sam ran into Henry, who was sitting completely still, and fell down on his bottom. He looked right up at Henry and shouted “baaaah!” Poor Henry!
• Eater: Sam has been practicing eating with a spoon! It is really messy but he is getting better at it slowly but surely.  Do they make full body bibs?