Sam's words

Sam turned 2 today! I started this blog post last week and didn't get back to it. In just that week his language has exploded. He's a little parrot. Sentences are still shaky - and each word in his 3 word sentences comes after a thoughtful pause, but he's on his way to chatterbox-dom. He is patient and persistent and somehow makes himself understood when he really wants something.

Here's an abbreviated list of his words. He doesn't say "r" or "s" so translate these words in light of that.
"Wa-hoo" (waffle)
"Cin-chee" (candy) - boy's got his parents' sweet tooth
"Oo-koo" (orange juice, orange and sometimes yoghurt)
Morning! As in "Morning, Mama!" And "ata'noooon, Mama!"
"Tanks, mamma" he has realized the power of this so he says it often - when you give him things, pick something up for him, help him when he asks for it, etc). He says Please too - "Peez"
"Hewp!" - he uses this liberally
'Tuk" - stuck as in "I'm stuck" "My hand is stuck in my sleeve", "I can't get up", etc.
"Owoow book". His favorite book - that and "Mama Day" his newest favorite book since I can't find Owl Book. Update - for the last  3 nights he also wants "Fwag an' Dod, Mama, Fwag and Dod book!" (five points if you can figure out what characters those are)

Of course, in the past few weeks, his all time favorite words have been those 2 year old universals: "MINE!" and "NO!"

Other cutness:
When he's carrying a cup with liquid in it he walks like he's carrying radioactive material - concentrating so hard he's almost shaking. But he often leaves his cups of milk on the floor for me to trip on and spill. Aargh.

He starts moving his mouth to drink the instant the cup is near his mouth, no matter where the liquid in it is. Little smacking noises go on until the drink actually reaches his lips - which can take awhile, since he's a deliberate little fellow.

He loves playing the piano. Plinking around, up and down. Not banging, and not connecting notes to a tune, just listening to the sounds it makes.

He puts his boots away himself, and helps me take off my coat if I haven't done it soon enough (by his timing). Unsnapping the snaps as high up as he can reach, then pulling on my sleeve cuff. After it's off he tries to hang it up on his hook - which is much too low for my long coat. But the idea is a fabulous one and I'm going to encourage every tendency to tidiness. Hurrah for Murray's genes!

We had such a fun birthday. His big gifts were a train table (to match the train set) from the Carlisle's (BIG hit, Lindsey), a pop-up tunnel and a fish. (I'm sliding down the slippery pet slope. First chickens, now fish.)

Here's his cake:

(Thomas the Train if you're not in the small boy child world) He liked it quite a bit - which is the goal.