Samilicious

I just have to take a minute to brag about my little boy. When Marc and I first discussed getting pregnant again, one of the hurdles we were concerned about was that Sam still seemed so young. How could I have another baby when he was still so needy? But in the past nine months - he's grown so much!

- He weaned on his own. This was HUGE. I had resigned myself to tandem nursing, because the thought that he'd actually voluntarily stop nursing was inconceivable. Every attempt I had made to put limits on it, or stop altogether was just a constant battle. This was a kid who LOVED to nurse. Loved it like some kids love a stuffed animal or other security object. It was simply his favorite thing to do. He fell asleep every night nursing, woke up by nursing, wanted to nurse when he was bored or sick or tired or hurt. He wanted to nurse 24/7, and I never, never thought that he'd wean on his own - but he did.

- His verbal skills took off. Sam was somewhat of a late talker. A big communicator, he could say "Dis" and nod or shake his head to express yes or no, and managed to get his point across very well. But now - he's just talking and talking and talking. He's a little chatterbox, with this hugely developed vocabulary, a vivid imagination and a brilliant mind that constantly surprises me.

- He potty trained. I had potty trained the two other kids I sit for last summer and Sam had no interest in it at all. I wasn't even going to think about pushing it until this summer, but in February, he decided that it was time. He spent the best part of two weeks naked, but really, was reliably potty trained from the moment he decided it was time. He spent three months only going at home, but has consistently amazed me with his ability to hold it. He wouldn't go if we weren't at home, but stayed dry almost 100% of the time. And on Sunday, he went pee at the library for the first time. I was so proud, I actually teared up in the ladies room. And I realized this morning that he's been dry at night for the past week. Jess was in pull ups at night until she was five - I never dreamed that Sam would be able to do it so fast. But we never even got thru the first box of pull ups we bought him - he's just all the way potty trained and he did it all on his own.

He's such a big boy - he can get his own snacks out of the fridge, put it on a plate, put the plate in the microwave and then put away the container without any help. He's snapping his own buttons on his pants, putting on his own shoes and picking out his own clothes. He's this great big huge grown up boy and he's not even four years old yet. He's amazing to me - how did this tiny baby who needed me so desperately for the first two years suddenly turn into this person who's so independent and big? I didn't see this coming, for some reason.

From the beginning, Sam was such a different child. He's the one grandchild in my family who hated everyone right off the bat. Nobody could hold him, nobody could even make unauthorized eye contact for a long time because he'd cry. He hated everyone in the world for the first six months except for me, and then only reluctantly let his dad and his sisters into the inner circle of people he'd talk to. He hated parties, hated socializing - this is the kid who, last year, asked that for his next birthday party, we just have people drop off the gifts and then leave. I got used to him being anti-social, got used to spending all parties hiding in the bathroom or out in the lobby or on the stairs away from everyone. And now he's so big and smart and funny and he's really just blossomed. I'm so proud of my baby - my boy. So proud of the little man he's becoming and only a little wistful about the baby boy that he used to be.