Top Five Most Recent Accomplishments

5. Discovering that cabinet doors open. He hasn't yet learned that things are in the cabinets, but he's learned that doors are fun to bang. Now, where did I put those latches?

4. Sprouting two little teeth in the center of his lower gum. All that fussing has now been put on hiatus...for now.

3. Sitting for extended periods. Yes, we didn't start doing this until this month; before now, he would only sit by himself if I was sitting behind him and providing him with "moral support." He could do it, but he didn't believe he could. No more!

2. Babbling. He still lapses into grunts and hums, but more and more, we're hearing genuine "Ba-ba-ba" and "Ma-ma-ma" and "Pa-pa-pa" going on.

1. Propelling himself on all fours. I don't call it crawling just yet, as he tends to only go for a few seconds before dropping to his belly and "army-crawling" a few strides. The combination of the two methods in alternation, though, get him around quite happily and effectively. Yay for mobility!

Top Five Things I Hope He'll Grow Out Of - Soon

5. Sock losing. Really, I'm pretty much over this.

4. Waking me up every morning by poking me in the nose. Well, maybe it's not every morning, but it's often enough to be tremendously tiresome.

3. His intense dislike of getting dressed. I know why I measured so large when I was pregnant; it was because he couldn't stand to have his arms bent. He puts up a hue and a cry every time I have to bend them to put them into his sleeves.

2. Violent, erm, "package pulling" at every diaper change. You know, I'm not opposed to him examining himself; it's the, well, vehemence with which he does it that's disturbing. I was informed yesterday that he could actually do himself injury with this; Bekki's son ended up peeing blood, which the doctors attributed to "vigorous penis manipulation." Ow.

1. Biting while nursing. It's new, but it's old already. Ow, doubled.

Top Five Signs That Sam Could Turn Out As Strange As His Parents

5. The boy already grins at his own farts.

4. He prefers hot pepper tortillas (plain) and lemon wedges to carrots or Biter Biscuits. Definitely our kid, this one.

3. He thinks Daddy's morning Dragon-Breath, exhaled directly into his face, is funny.

2. If he can catch you without your shoes and socks on, he'll try to suck on your toes. Maybe this is to compensate for the fact that he was never quite able to get his own feet into his mouth.

1. His current favorite nursing position: on hands and knees, rocking back and forth.

Top Five Most Lovable Parts About Being His Mama

5. The way he belly laughs when Eric makes his phone dance, or when Eric drops throw pillows on him, or when Eric tosses him in the air. My little Daddy's boy!

4. The way he plays with my face when he's nursing (not on all fours). He rubs my nose and mouth, trying to sneak his fingers between my lips. All the while, his eyes are smiling, and I feel warm all over.

3. The way he never seems to stop grinning. He's the happiest kid on earth.

2. The way our days are full of quiet times. He's not a very verbal child, and he seems to enjoy playing quietly next to me, or nestling silently in the sling while we shop for groceries, or engaging in dialogues with eyes alone. When he talks, he talks, but he doesn't always have a need to fill the silence.

1. Baby kisses. On my cheek, on my chin, on my mouth. When Bekki and her boys were here this weekend, Sam planted a big one on baby Collin's cheek. (That's Collin in the picture with Sam at the side). Baby kisses are always wet, always open-mouthed, and always wonderful.

I have to go to a neighboring library tonight; they're hosting a talk on waterbirthing, and Barb and Joy are going to be there. Hopefully I can get some good info for an article I'm writing. Should be fun, at any rate!