Marianna and the Boys: Update on Samuel

---One of my favorite photos of Samuel. He got into that tiny beach wagon that Grammy bought him. He was so proud of himself. He had on his new tennis shoes (his 1st Nike's), which took up most of the tiny wagon since he has huge feet (Size 7). I just love his smile!

Our baby Samuel turned 17 months old yesterday. We are so happy to be his parents and are enjoying him so much! Samuel is growing and changing, and sometimes I wish I could stop him from growing up so quickly. Other times I look forward to the older Samuel because I can't wait to see what God has in store for his life.

If you don't have time to read more, stop now because this is a long one...

I want to tell you what our 17-month old is up to:

-Samuel is very much an outdoor boy. He loves the beach, the pool, his wagon, playing in the yard, and exploring. He is full of energy, which keeps me on my toes.

-He is getting into everything, which can be a problem sometimes... Jeremy and I can't seem to keep him away from the desk in the office. He is so interested in anything he can get off of that desk. Oh, and being tall for his age means that he can take things off of the countertops now. Yesterday he brought me a muffin I had on the counter in a ziploc, and he said, "Bite." So cute! Other times he is pulling down things that I don't want him to touch. I'm learning to move things to the middle of the counters.

-Samuel loves to play! He is always busy! He never stops, and sometimes it makes him unhappy to stop to eat because he's having so much fun. He is getting to the point where he can pretend and interact more with toys, which I love! He loves to pull his tiny beach wagon around the house or ride his "bike". We are using more puzzles with him, and that is fun!

-Samuel can't live without books. "Book" is his favorite word and one that we hear constantly. He always wants to be read to. This starts when he wakes up and doesn't end until he is asleep. He even "reads" in the car. Our little bookworm... We love it when he says "The End". He says that at the end of a book or when he's just had enough of a particular book he will close the book and say it.

-Samuel's new favorite toy is his Noah's Ark, which his Uncle Nick gave him. For Samuel's 1st birthday, he got so many toys, that I put some of them up in a closet. I took the Noah's Ark down this week, and he is having a blast playing with it. He wakes up in the morning and after his nap saying, "Ar(k)". Yesterday my mom was teaching him how to feed the animals and play with them. He enjoyed that and today was doing exactly what she told him without help from me. His only frustration is that he can't open the Ark without help. He'll get that eventually. I took a video of Samuel and the Ark today and will post it as well as pictures of him with it.

-He is talking more each day. I'm amazed by how he picks up words and repeats so many things we say. I love to hear him talk. I especially love it when he says, "Mama" when he wants me or when I leave the room. Recently (after my prompting), he started saying, "Bye Bye, Dada". So sweet! He loves the word, "No." I sure wish he would learn to say, "Yes." I wonder when that will happen. It cracks me up when I ask him a question knowing that the answer is yes, but he says, "No." Oh well.

-We taught him how to knock on the door, and now he knocks on the door when we get home whether I'm holding him or not. It's cute!

-He loves for us to give him rides on our backs or on our stomachs. He laughs and laughs. He says, "Ride" when he's in the mood for a ride.

-He loves bathtime. He recently started putting his face into the water when he's in the bathtub. I guess he's just experimenting. Funny... He has been washing himself some in the tub. Jeremy started this by asking Samuel to wash his feet. He was quick to do it, so now Jeremy has him wash most of his own body. Naturally, he doesn't quite understand how to do it, so we have to go behind him and wash some more once he finishes.

-Samuel doesn't like to cuddle, but he loves to give us hugs and kisses. He is all about being fair though. If he gives Jeremy a kiss, he immediately leans over and kisses me. What a sweet boy! He also hugs other people. My mom and dad love Samuel's hugs! One "disturbing" thing though- He will blow a kiss to a stranger. This is ok for now, but we will have to have a talk about strangers at some point... :)

-Samuel fell in the parking lot of my grandma's assisted living home, and I was teaching him the words "Boo Boo". Now he touches it and says, "Boo Boo."

-Samuel is getting some color to his skin. He is definitely going to have skin more like his Daddy. (Something I prayed for because I know the cons of having fair skin.)

-Samuel is doing much better with beverages now and even asks for "Milk" or "Juice". It's a good thing he doesn't realize that Mommy gives him 50% juice and 50% water. I had wanted to wait until 2 yrs. old before I gave him juice, but I started with it 2 1/2 weeks ago when Samuel needed some regularity if you know what I mean.

-Samuel is sleeping through the night (Praise the Lord!) and taking a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon.

-Samuel is such a blessing! Some of you might not know that Jeremy and I chose the name Samuel from the Bible because we prayed for Samuel for over a year before he was conceived. "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him." -I Sam. 1:27

Ok, now for his 17 month birthday photos!

Ready to go for a walk