Changes

The Seismic Sam Shift continues.

Everybody changes, right? Subtle differences, here and there, although Stephen is pretty much the same Stephen as 4 years ago. He has different capabilities, different surface desires, but his core reactions and drives are the same. Timothy too.

Jonah changed the most, and the most rapidly. From birth to 18 months he was smiley, happy, huggy; he was the easiest baby we ever had. Then, one day, he became Jonah.

Sam, on the other hand, was the hardest baby we had. He cried pretty much constantly as a baby, unless he was being held by my wife. Even if he held her, he would sometimes cry, only to cry louder if she put him down. All boys are Mama's Boys; but Sam was an Only Mama's Boy.

Then, at about 2 years, he began to change. He started to laugh, to play, to walk around and see and do things. But not when my wife was around. If she was in the house, he was attached to her leg. Just like old times.

So for the past year or more I've gotten to know a Sam that his mother has never seen. He would go with me to the grocery store (every time) and we would have a blast. Publix would have french bread samples, and we'd get one as soon as we entered the store. Because he eats so slow, he'd still be working on that little, inch-thick round of bread halfway across the store. We'd laugh, he'd help pick out food. He still wouldn't smile at or speak to any other person, but Sam and I would have a good time.

Then we'd get home to Mommy, and he'd be on her leg again, crying.

But now he's starting to change. He still whines when she's around, and he still climbs up on her while she's reading on the couch. But he plays up there a lot. And it seems that once he's established that she's going to stay there, he'll go roam around the house and play.

So her Sam is slowly becoming my Sam. Kids are bizarre, but wonderful.