Sam has been nursing quite a bit less, lately. His appetite for solids is still behind what we see in most children his age. Of course, I think most children his age were rushed into solids and are further along than they should be, so maybe the perfect situation is somewhere between them and Sam. And his doctor did say that he felt Sam was always going to be a petite child. We have decided to take him for his well-baby checkup when he turns 2 in January. I guess we'll have to call them "well-child" checkups now, since he is no longer a baby.

Although Sam does nurse less than before, he still nurses frequently enough that most people are shocked. I can tell from their conversation that they want Sam to wean soon, as they say things like, "No way he'll be nursing still when he turns 3." Based upon what knowledge that prediction was made, I have no idea, but they felt quite certain they were right. My response was as it always is -- Sam will wean when he weans. Kenny said that he nurses less frequently during the night. I'm such a heavy sleeper (when I do sleep) that I rely upon him informing me. For all of the thousands of times Sam has nursed at night while sleeping, I remember very few of them.

He is getting smarter every day. We have a map of the United States in his room, and after only two days of looking at it, he can point out Florida, California, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Mississippi. He pronounces "Mississippi" perfectly. It's so funny to hear such a little voice say such a big word.

Sam spent some time with his "grandbrothers" (that's what we call his cousins -- "cousins" doesn't adequately describe the closeness of their relationships) this weekend, and he has never been happier. I wish they could all be together more. They are so good with him, and it provides Sam an opportunity to learn to interact with other children. Justin and Brandon are very special. I've included a picture of the three grandbrothers. (Order: Justin, Sam, Brandon)

I have so much to catch up on. I really want to do a better job of recording the funny, sweet, memorable things he does, but tonight I really must get some sleep. I haven't been coughing for several hours, and I'm hoping I've turned the corner on this stupid hack. I'll try to double up on my entries for the next few weeks.