Last weekend, Sam turned three years old. I must admit, this year’s set of birthdays has snuck up on me spectacularly. I’m fairly surprised that I even got a birthday party whipped up for Young Samuel. Lydia’s is still looming . . .
Sam has really grown into himself this past year. He continued speech therapy throughout the winter and spring, and he has done so well that he no longer qualifies for the service. He has made a vast improvement, and Steven and I are so proud of him.
In fact, Sam picked up on some things that we’re still not sure how he caught on. Soon after he turned two, we discovered Sam knew all of his letters along with a few words. Perhaps that’s one of the perks of having an older sibling. Since then, he’s learned his numbers and most of the lowercase letters as well. His favorites are ‘O’ and ‘W.’
Sam is still a voracious eater. There are some days where he eats more than Steven or I do. He is much less picky about foods than his sister and is usually willing to try about anything at least once. His allergies seem to be getting better as well. We began re-introducing eggs into his diet over the past few months, and it seems like that pesky allergy is gone. No more egg-free alchemy going on in this household! (However, I’m still afraid to try the rice. I think that incident scarred me for life.)
Sam’s ever-changing temperament is still a big part of him. He can go from bright and happy to a tempestuous storm in the blink of an eye. As he ages, though, he is learning to better control his moods and find his way back to Happy Mode. Hopefully he will continue to improve. Happy Mode is best mode.
Lydia may be my artist, but Sam is my musician. He is more enthralled with music than Lydia has ever thought about. Not only does he enjoy it when we sing songs to him, he is usually singing songs to himself, especially if he’s playing alone. He will hum or sing as he plays, and many times he changes the words to suit him.
The older the kids get, the better friends they become. They’re about the same height and weight right now, and over the past year I have already gotten a few, “Are they twins?” questions. We don’t worry as much when they wander off to play together — we hear more giggling and less fighting or crying — though sometimes the occasional incident will happen, with Sam bursting out of the room in tears with Lydia right behind him, apologizing, “Sorry! Sorry, Sam!”
Sam is a man of many loves. Nothing gets him excited quicker than any mention of water-related activities, whether it be bath, the pool, or brushing his teeth. Now that it’s summertime again, you can almost always find Sam soaking wet from head to toe.
His other two loves are Yo Gabba Gabba and the color orange. Even his wardrobe is a mix of Gabba and orange shirts. If it’s not one of the two, he ain’t wearing it. Sam’s birthday party was even all Gabba.
Despite having an older child, I have no idea what this next year will bring for Sam. The only thing consistent about him so far is his ability to be completely unpredictable. I hope he can keep it down to manageable proportions.
As usual you have described your youngest child very well. I always enjoy reading your posts 🙂