Samantha is ten months old!

Samantha is ten months old, eighteen pounds, and getting closer and closer to walking. She can stand up by herself for more than a few seconds at a time, and she does this several times each day. Meanwhile she is a speed crawler when she wants to get something, or when she wants to flee the Roomba she accidentally turned on. She seems to be able to say "Mama" and "Dada" for each of us, she talks to Siri quite often ("That's what I thought you said," Siri typically responds), and she has Googled for "burlap" on Robert's phone, so clearly her language skills are progressing nicely!

 

Sam adores Marcus absolutely and will let him do almost anything to or with her. She lights up when she sees him after school and just wants to be around him all afternoon after that--until he collapses into bed at 6:15, tired from his long fun day.

She went to the church nursery for the first time, where she loved getting to sit on a chair and eat animal crackers like a big kid and walk up and down the toddler stairs.

She also discovered miso soup while at a Korean restaurant in the Porter Exchange building one Sunday after church. She couldn't help spoon it in fast enough!

 

Sam has really been enjoying her Monday and Wednesday mornings with Marissa and Charlotte. Charlotte loves Sam, and is always showing her things and hugging her and helping her crawl around the playgrounds, and Sam lights up when she sees Charlotte and Marissa as well.

Sam is a hit at playgrounds even when Charlotte isn't there. These four-year-olds followed her around for almost an hour, calling, "That cute baby is getting away!" when she crawled away, and then chasing after her to pet her again. Sam positively chortled with glee and allowed their affections.

On Thursday afternoons we've been going to the South End library straight from picking up Marcus at the bus stop so that Sam can crawl around and look cute while I help Marcus do his homework and choose a couple new books to bring home. From there we walk over to Clarendon Street for Marcus's piano lesson. Two weeks ago he learned where all the "C"s are on the piano, and he knows what a rest is and is learning to clap out whole and half and quarter notes.

One Sunday after church (on the miso soup day, actually), we went to Somerville's Honk Festival (of activist street bands) and watched the parade from Porter Square down to Harvard Square, where we braved the chilly drizzle to join Alex and Marissa, listen to more bands, eat lots of kettle corn, and watch a fabulous bubble guy perform.

 

 

The very next day, we spent Columbus Day at the Fenway Open Our Doors arts festival with Alex and Amalia and their moms and baby sisters. There was a funny exchange with Sidewalk Sam, while the big kids were drawing with chalk, when he asked us if "all of these" kids were ours. With Marcus and Alex and Amalia and Charlotte running around, and Sabrina and Samantha crawling, it did seem like there were twenty kids there, not just six, but we laughed, and owned up to two each. Marcus went tearing around on his bike, garnering lots of positive attention, while Alex alternately used her balance bike and Ren's jogging stroller, and Amalia took turns walking, strolling, and even trying out Alex's bike.

 

Just this past Saturday we went with Sarah and Sean and Garrison and Clarinda to the Davis Farmland Mega Maze--it was an hour's drive away, but it was definitely worth it. An elaborate multi-level corn maze with a "Clue"-style mystery game built into it (there were clues under each of the bridges, and characters from the mystery were stationed throughout the maze to answer questions--either about how to get out, or about the mystery), and fun games for kids at each of half a dozen clearings inside the maze, plus a couple campfires and a large inflatable slide and some "farm volleyball" at the end of the maze, it was a great fall destination, and Marcus and Garrison had a blast.

 

 

Happy ten months, baby girl! It's been busy and wonderful, and we can't remember life without you.

 

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Created: 10/15/12. Last Modified: 10/15/12.