On Your First Birthday

Dear Samson,

This is a picture of the time that we first met, face to face:
















The occasion was much more dramatic than we had expected, and the next few weeks and months were very difficult for us all, but at this moment, your dad and I were bursting with joy and relief that you were with us, kicking and screaming with your tiny body that was not yet really ready to join the world.

It's been 365 days since this photo was taken and boy, have you grown! You're now over 21 pounds and 29 inches tall. You crawl like a commando, you swig from a sippy cup, and your current mission in life (besides consuming all bite-sized objects) is to stalk kitties. You sleep all night (usually) from 7:30p to 6:00a like a big boy in your own room. It's almost impossible to tell that you were ever anything but perfectly healthy; only the little IV scars on your ankles and arms give a hint as to how you lived your first few weeks.

Everywhere you go, people notice you and comment on how big you've become and how very handsome you are. They say you look just like your mama or just like your daddy, depending on which one of us they know the best. They also say that you're an old soul with very observant and curious eyes that seem wise beyond their age. Recently, a burly punk-rock chick behind us in line for a half-hour said about you, "I don't even like kids, but this one's pretty cool."

You adore:

• feet, especially toes
  
• dogs, and you giggle whenever you see a real one
  
• cats, which you will tackle if they allow you to get close enough
  
• tickles, especially under the arms
  
• Mama, pretty much 24/7
  
• Daddy, especially when he arrives home from work
  
• PawPaw in his red shirts
  
• whiffle balls to chase and crash together
  
• swinging in bucket swings
  
• drinking Mama's milk
• eating anything that you can feed yourself
• brushing your teeth
• smiling for people and cameras
  
• songs with hand motions and sound effects, especially Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, and Sammy-Pie (sung to the tune of "Lollipop, Lollipop")
• Moose A. Moose and Zee, the hosts from Noggin
• reading Goodnight Moon and Where's Spot?
• playing with things you aren't supposed to have, like the TV remote control, the phone, and the weekend newspaper
  

You detest:

• discovering that you've reached the end of a bowl of food
  
• getting your face washed
• having your nose picked or your nails clipped
  
• pulling a shirt over your head
• knowing that Mama is nearby but not in the same room with you

You are very sociable in most settings, but you're just now learning how to wave good-bye and hello, to give high-fives & pounds, and to kiss. Your most frequent companions of a similar age are Hayden and Samantha. You hang out with Ava, Weston, Kelly, and Owen pretty regularly, too.

Already we can tell that you have a mischievous streak that's likely to cause Mama and Daddy a few gray hairs (or more in Daddy's case). Your response to Mama's recent first attempt at discipline (saying "No!" in a stern voice with a serious face) was to laugh hysterically and immediately continue the behavior that produced the first rebuke. You also find it comical when Mama uses that same tone with misbehaving pets.

We couldn't be any more proud of you, darling son. Your existence has made us a family in ways that we didn't understand we were missing before. As each month passes, we are delighted to learn more and more about the unique person you are, finding the little bits that remind us of ourselves but being most impressed with the things that are singularly yours. Live well, Samson.

Love always,
Mama and Daddy

Outta my way, Lady!

Young Love

Baby's First Rock Show

Samson braved the Austin City Limits Music Festival for a half-day at the beginning of the 3-day affair. It was hot, hot, hot, but the ACL people did a great job of creating a kid-friendly area complete with shade and a special stage with music just for tots. Luckily for Mama, Daddy and cousin Emilie helped wrangle Samson at home for most of the rest of the weekend so that Mama could keep her annual ACL attendance streak intact.

Busy Bee

Given that his birthday is just three weeks away and his genes include a double shot of procrastinator, Samson has decided that now would be a great time to start doing lots of behaviors and skills that we've been waiting a few months to see. In the past week, he's begun to

• crawl and pull up,
  
• use a sippy cup to drink a substantial amount of fluid,
  
• insist on feeding himself at all meals,
  
• babble all sorts of new syllables, and
• snuggle when being held or holding a furry object (alive or stuffed).

While we're elated to see so much progress, there is a down side. Samson's knees are raw with rug burn from the new wool area rug in the den and his newfound fearlessness at diving to reach for something has resulted in several near collisions between his head and the concrete floor. He has also become much more whiny than ever before, with severe separation anxiety and more difficulty with going to sleep. He pretty much shrieks whenever Mama leaves his field of view, although he usually recovers quickly once his attention is diverted to something awesome, like Rice Chex or kitties. We know that this is all normal, but we'll be glad when the drama subsides a bit.

Mealtimes are a whole new level of procedure with the additional work of cleaning up a sticky boy and everything in the general highchair vicinity at least 3-5 times a day, plus the buying and preparing of something fresh, nutritious, safe, soft, and cut into tiny cubes for ease of pincer grasp. The jars were so much more convenient! On the fun side, we've been able to try a lot of new "real" foods lately, even having Samson's first Luby's meal entirely from items off the steam table (cornbread - the winner by far, green beans, mashed potatoes, peaches, and bananas; he vetoed the halibut). Current faves at home include sweet potato cubes and bits of watermelon.

Last weekend, Samson attended two birthday parties and got to hang out with lots of new friends. Here he is showing off his army crawl to Julia and company:





















We've also continued to enjoy our twice-weekly "Mamas & Boys" strolls with the Zavalas. Here's a great shot of Hayden and Samson plotting their escape:





















This coming weekend we'll be heading to Austin Kiddie Limits (and ACL Fest for the grown-ups), and thank goodness, the forecast is for cooler, possibly wet weather. Mama is so excited to take Samson to his first concert! We may have given him the procrastination genes, but we've also passed on our love of music, too, and we're gonna make sure he's exposed to every genre.