Dallas Arboretum

We went to the Arboretum weekend before last to take a group picture with the MCOP Moms' group. We took the group picture, then headed off to let Sam play in the pumpkin patch.



I think he ran for a solid hour.



He finally settled down for a photo or two.



Here he is posing sweetly with his Daddy.



But we couldn't convince him to smile and pose for a family photo.



Melanie interviewed for a job at BBJ Linen last week and got it. It's a great opportunity for her doing what she is interested in. We are really excited for her! I took this photo of her when she got home from the interview.



And here she is the morning of her first day at work this week. Notice that it's still dark outside. She's got a pretty long drive to and from work.



This was Sam's first McDonald's Happy Meal. I got him the chicken nuggets and apple dippers with a side order of fries. Sam LOVES french fries and ketchup. This was the first time that he tried apples other than applesauce. He didn't really care for them. He didn't really like the caramel dip that came with them either.



Sam had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich this weekend. He gave it a good try until the sandwich came apart. He didn't really like the sticky stuff on his hands.

Sam's eating habits have been getting better. He still doesn't love vegetables, so if he doesn't eat his vegetables at dinner, I give him a V8. He loves V8. Maybe it's the same reason kids love ketchup.



Here is Sam playing with his dragons. He likes to sit with his back against things. He really likes to sit against his plastic dragon and then wrap the stuffed dragon around him.

We moved Sam's bedtime about 30 minutes later. He just hasn't been as tired at bedtime as he used to be, plus it always seemed like we were rushing to get him in bed. He's doing pretty well with the new bedtime. I put him his crib awake and he curls up with his blanky and his doggy-bear, and he usually doesn't fuss any more. Sometimes he even reaches for his bed before I'm ready to put him down. The interesting side effect is that he's been sleeping as much as an hour later in the morning. Although, it is possible that he's just quietly playing and not actually sleeping -- I don't really check on him until I hear him jabbering.

Sam has gotten funny about his bedtime stories. If we get a book that he doesn't want, he reaches out, closes the book, claps his hands, and signs all done. Lately he does that with every book except his pop-up books. When we bring out the pop-up books, he claps and squeals and kicks his legs. I'm surprised that he doesn't try to tear the pages, but he does have to hit at each pop-up.

Sam has been teething his top canines for a little while now. It seems like that led to drainage this week, which led to a cough and a runny nose, which ultimately led to drainage in his ears, and one of his tubes plugged up. I took him to the ENT again today, and the good news is that we caught it before it got infected. She was able to unplug the tube and drain the fluid, so he should feel a little better. I can't wait for him to get all of his teeth!

Texas State Fair

Chris took a couple of days off work a couple of weeks ago and he, Melanie, and I went to the Texas State Fair. We had corny dogs and all things fried. Well, ok, they have a lot more fried things than what we ate, but we did have fried cookie dough. We considered taking Sam to the fair, but we reconsidered when we factored in the heat, his ear infection, and the fact that he hates being in the stroller for more than 20 minutes.



Here's a picture of the Midway: games, food, and rides.



And here's Big Tex.



We spent most of the following weekend around the house. Sam has been all about Daddy lately.



Sam petting Cleo. I think Sam says "Cleo" more than any other word.



Close-up of Sam siting in the chair playing with his stacker.



Chris was playing with his new wide angle lens and got this funny shot of Cleo.



and a shot of Sam playing.



We finally took down the Happy Birthday sign from Sam's party. Sam wanted to help.



Sam has been trying to drink our coffee ever since he could control his hands. I finally gave in and let him have a taste (with milk). Of course he loved it. Now we really have to hide it from him.



We got Sam this cute set of magnets. You match the head and tail of the animals. It plays songs and Sam dances.



Chris has been experimenting with Melanie's film camera. Here's a shot of Sam and me at the park. We've been going to the park a lot in the evenings. It's only about six houses away. We let Sam walk to the park. He laughs the whole way. Some mornings he goes straight the front door when he wakes up.



We went to the follow-up with Sam's ENT last Friday and got some great news! Sam passed the hearing test in both ears. The doctor said that his ears look great. He's been learning some new words. You wouldn't recognize them unless you've heard him say them before. He says ball, duck, cat, turtle, good job, and thank you. They mostly sound like variations on "dah." He did say Mamma and Melly one morning.

Greek Food Festival

We went to the Greek Food Festival last weekend. Yiayia and Papou had just sent Sam a Greek soccer outfit, so that was the obvious choice for what to wear. I was thinking we could sit and have some nice Greek food, but sitting down was not in Sam's plan. He wanted to explore everything!



Sam hanging out with Daddy on the shuttle bus.



Chris had souvlaki, and Melanie and I had gyros. We also shared an appetizer plate. Sam was only interested in the pita bread and dolmas.



We looked around the church, but didn't actually take a tour.



It is very beautiful. I would have loved to have had the DSLR, but the point-and-shoot camera was more practical.



Sam loved walking up and down the altar steps.



We stopped for a baklava ice cream sundae while we watched some high school students do some Greek dances. I think the music and dancing was a close second to climbing the steps. Sam was mesmerized! After that, we called it a day and headed home. Sam ended up staying up past his bedtime and loved every minute of it.

As you know, I've been letting Sam walk into day care on his own for the last week or so because it's made the drop off a little easier. Today when I dropped Sam off his class was walking down the hall. Sam stood there and watched them for a while. Then as they turned the corner to go to the gym, he fell in line and started walking with them. It was so cute. After a few more steps, Sam realized that I wasn't with him any more and stopped and turned around, but the kids behind him kept walking, and two or three of them all fell down in a big pile together. Poor babies!

Melanie and I took Sam to the ENT today. He's had a runny nose and a cough for about a week now and we noticed some drainage from one of his ears yesterday. He was more fussy than normal this morning, so I knew a visit to the doctor was on the agenda. The doctor confirmed a double ear infection. She had to suction the stuff out of one ear and unplug the other tube. It appears that Sam will probably eventually need to have his adenoids removed, but she's not ready to do it yet, so she sent us home with prescriptions for oral antibiotics and ear drops. We'll go back next week to follow up. We were supposed to have his hearing test this Friday, but that will have to be rescheduled too.

While we were waiting for Sam's prescriptions to be filled, we went to Braum's for some ice cream. Melanie and I got chocolate malts, and I got Sam a small cup of vanilla ice cream. Once Sam got a taste of the chocolate malt, we had to trade. Melanie has been trying to teach him how to take turns, and it must have sunk in. He was holding the cup himself and drinking out of the straw, but he would offer it to me every now and then for a sip. He didn't actually let me hold the cup until he was done though. I wish I would have had my camera with me!



Sam made his Daddy and Aunt Melly very happy today. First Sam brought two books to Melanie and held his arms out for her to pick him up. Then when Chris got home from work, Sam gave him a big hug and laid his head on his shoulder for a long time. Then again when Chris had Sam all soaped up in the tub, Sam gave him another big hug. Chris was grinning from ear to ear telling us about it. Remember, that Sam had been all about Mommy lately, so it's nice that he's sharing the love.



Melanie showing Sam his pictures on the blog.



Mommy and Sam playing "Superman"