Sam is learning well. A couple of days ago while getting in the car he hit his head. After consoling him and helping him to feel better I put him in his car seat and proceeded to drive. A few minutes later he said matter of factly, “Mommy, car in time out.” So when we got home Sam put the car in time out and said it couldn’t drive again until tomorrow. What a good disciplinarian. ~ May 2005
Sam is one smart kid. Sometimes he just doesn’t want to go to daycare, which I can understand because sometimes I just don’t want to go to work. But the other day when we were driving to work Sam made me laugh and laugh. I wish as a reward for being so witty we could have stayed home. We were driving and Sam said, “Mommy you are so tired, so, so tired. We need go home.” I looked in the rear view mirror and he was smiling so big. I just laughed. ~ Aug 2005
I read in a magazine once that you should get down on your child’s level when you are disciplining them for a couple of reasons. One it puts you at their level so that you don’t scare them or seem threatening and second you can look them in the eye and really communicate (really communicating with a two year old is a misnomer … completely impossible). But I wanted to be a good parent, so one day Sam got into a little trouble and I was angry and I thought about this article. So I squatted down to get onto his level, right when a bent my knees he bent his knees and squatted with me. I stood up and he stood up, I squatted down, he squatted. Up, down, up, down. I forgot what I was angry about; he was no longer in trouble. ~ Jan 2005
Kids are funny. The other day Sam came running into the kitchen yelling he had lost his guy. Right as the words spilled out of his mouth I knew I was in trouble. How was I to know which guy was which guy and who exactly was I looking for in Sam’s mass stores of toys. I went upstairs and started pulling out every ‘guy’ I could find. I found Spiderman. No not the guy we were looking for this day. I found the bus driver for his yellow bus that sings, and no it was not the guy. I pulled out every person-like toy I could find. Each time getting a look from Sam that was both exasperated and flabbergasted, he kept looking at me like, “how could you possibly think that is the guy”. Finally I looked under his bed and there was this ‘guy’ that goes on the building blocks, he looks like a construction worker. Sam was angry with him earlier because his hat wouldn’t come off. But he was it. He was the guy. That time anyway. ~ April 2005
Sam is a rough a tumbly boy. He already has his fair share of cuts, bruises and thankfully no breaks, but every once in a while he shows a much softer side. After one of those days that just seemed like it would never end I was at the end of my rope. I sat down and cried. Sam watched me from across the room for a moment and then put down his army truck, walked over, put his hand on my knee and frankly said, “Do you need a hug.” I couldn’t help but laugh and grabbed him in a huge bear hug. ~ Aug 2005
I try to teach Sam thrift. We were at the store the other day and he wanted to buy a large remote control truck that cost around one hundred dollars. I tried to explain to Sam that we could not buy it because mommy did not have the money for toys like that right now. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Mommy, just use my money.” I had to try so hard not to laugh because I think he was serious. Exactly where he is getting all his money I don’t know. But he still has it because we did not buy the truck. ~ Jul 2005
Another money story staring Sam, my friend Nichole and I had gone to Target to finish up the last details we needed to make our employee Christmas gifts. As we were walking Sam found a toy train just sitting in the isle and decided that it was his. He was carrying it around. I looked down at him and said, “who is going to buy that?” If only I could have had a camera. The look on his face was a mix of shock and determination. The look said, “You, of course.” (Side note: We did not buy it!) Nov 2005
I was feeling a little sick the other day so I was lying on the couch. Sam went and got me a blanket and put it on me and then sat by me and rubbed my leg. Then he said, “I get medicine.” I heard him rumagging around in the fridge and he came back with a diet soda. I guess that is a bit like my medicine. ~ Oct 2005
Once again Sam decided that he did not want to go to daycare. He came and climbed in bed with me and every time I would get out of bed he would say, “Go bed mommy.” Then he would snuggle up close. I didn’t want to go to work that day either. ~ Sep 2005
Sam is very into dragons lately. Yesterday when we were driving in the car he was looking at the factories near our house and they will billowing steamy clouds and Sam gasped and said, “look at the dragons, mommy”. He sees dragons in the clouds too. Of course I have learned that dragons are nice. Good thing, he sees them everywhere! ~ Jan 2006
Sam loves to go shocking. Shocking for food, shocking for clothes, shocking for toys, I love it when he wants to go shocking. I just wish I had more shocking money. ~ Jan 06
Sam’s birthday is today and last night I gave him his present from me. I asked him if he wanted his birthday present and he said, “get my birthday out of the car.” I had no idea that he knew that is where I hid it. So we went right out to the car he went back to the truck and when I opened it he knew exactly which corner it was in. Amazing. ~ 27 Jan 06
