10 months

Sam is one busy little man! He is crawling all over the house and will follow Jake from room to room and even come looking for me:) And he is fast! Sam loves it when Jake crawls and chases after him. He even pauses to look back, checking to make sure you are coming. He just laughs and laughs. Sam pulls up to standing but hasn't started cruising yet. He's not so sure about walking toys, dropping to his knees when I try to coax him into taking a step with them. Hopefully this means I have a few more weeks of just crawling:)

He has four new teeth (7/25- upper L lateral incisor; 7/26- upper R lateral incisor; 7/27- lower R lateral incisor; 8/4 lower L lateral incisor), bringing him to a grand total of eight! Three teeth in three days is quite a feat, and he handled them remarkably well. Other than the large amounts of drool, you wouldn't have known he was teething. I think he is now working on his first molars because he is shoving his hands way back in mouth all the time. We'll see...

We took away the pacifier on July 31st, and Sam hasn't missed it. Other than a little extra crying the first night, it was a very smooth transition. We would have taken it away sooner (once he teeth came in), but Gammy asked us to wait until after Peru:) It seemed like a minor request considering they had him for ten days:)

Another big thing is that Sam signed "more" last weekend. He's done it since, but he isn't using it consistently. It is exciting that he is starting to communicate with us. Jake loves to remind Sam how to sign and demonstrate for him. Too cute! He definitely uses mama intentionally and can also say dada, gaga, nana, and baba indiscriminately.

He is finally starting to get some hair, and it is definitely coming in red! It's not that visible yet, but when the sun hits it or it is wet, it is very obvious. We'll have to wait and see what shade of red it will be.

Sam is a sweet, fun-loving boy. His exuberant personality is really coming out, and he is such a ham. He is a boy who knows what he wants and wants it now! He is in a screaming phase as of late, letting you know when you're not fast enough for his liking:)

He has been really attached to me since I've been back from Peru. He likes to have me in his sight. I think he's scared I'm going to leave and not come back:) Although, this might just be separation anxiety that is normal for this age.

Jake and Sam are really starting to play together, and it is so sweet. Sam will feed Jake if Jake comes up to his chair while he's eating. And Jake always wants Sam to play with him. They are very good about sharing toys, too. We really enjoy watching them interact. We are so blessed!

Showing off the red peach fuzz:)

Such a sweet little face. Everyone tells us he looks like the Gerber baby:)

Playing in their new killer whale pool on our new deck.

Classic Sam face:) Love that scrunched up nose!