When it comes to eating, Sam is pretty open minded. So far, he has never met a food he didn't like. Now that he has 7 teeth, he is able to enjoy a broader range of cuisines. Recently he tried (and liked) Indian food, tacos, humus, Russian borsch beet soup, salmon, turkey leg, white beans, zucchini, squash, eggs and all sorts of fruits, among other things.

VIDEO: Sam munches on plum

Being an avid reader that he is, Sam preordered the Amazon Kindle II on the internet weeks before it came out (for those of you not familiar with the Kindle, it is an electronic book reading device). Sam especially enjoys the built-in dictionary fuction, which he found can be used for looking up useful words like "Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia" (which means "the fear of long words").

Sam: "This piece of real estate is great fixer-upper... I can build a wall right here to create another bedroom, hang in a few shelves, throw in a few coats of paint..."

Sam thought he might want to become a gymnast when he grows up but decided that being in the 95th percentile in both weight and height among boys his age, he probably would not be very graceful while performing jumps with the pole, on uneven bars or pummel horse (believe it or not, he got into this position himself, unassisted).

"Check out what kind of hunk I am!"

VIDEO: Brain Freeze

This was Sam's first time eating an ice cream. He got a bit of a brain freeze - check out the face he made!

This photo is a bit out of focus, but it really captures what Sam does all day... he runs around REALLY fast!

Sam is plotting some mischief: "Hmmm... should I stick my hands in the refrigerator door, climb on a table, bang on the window, or bite somebody?"

2 VIDEOS

Rite of Passage


Block party


Sam masters new skills all the time. He can now stack 4 blocks, roll the ball and his cars back and forth, and imitate adults gestures (for example, throwing his hands on his head, clapping, and such). He is also currently growing his forth tooth (top front, left), which is now about half-way out.

Sam decided, why bother learning words when you can easily make your own? Two more new "words" in his vocabulary: "Brrrrmmm-brrrrm", which means "toy car", and "Ta-ta", which means "book".

We are transitioning Sam away from pacifiers, so he has taken to falling asleep with his favorite toy - books :)

VIDEOs

VIDEO: Merry Go Around


VIDEO: Giggling Sam


VIDEO: Dancing with the Stars


VIDEO: Sam is making a splash.

For some reason Sam really likes sharing his toys. While his mom was sitting on the couch, he brought all those toys you see one by one and gave them to mom. Happy with his work, Sam is resting on his laurels (or rather, on his pillows).


"Waiter, what are today's specials?" Sam is contemplating what to "order" while celebrating his cousin Jake's birthday at the Cheesecake Factory.


To make a good use of his library card, Sam went to check out some books at the library in the kids section.

Sam is quickly building his vocabulary. He understands lots of words, but can only say a handful at this time. The ones that come out consistenty: "Ammam" is "feed me", "Bah" is when something fell and needs to be picked up, and of course, "Papa", "Mama", and "Obama".

Just kidding about that last one. He is more of a libertarian (or maybe a liberal republican) in his political views.

East Jersey Old Towne Village, Piscataway, NJ

Today we went to visit East Jersey Old Town Village in Piscataway, NJ. The village consists of a collection of 18th and 19th century buildings, which were moved to this location in the middle of the 20th century, when the highways were being built and the buildings were in danger of being demolished. The village now consists of a tavern, school house, church, blacksmith shop, wheelmaker shop, and other buildings.

Here, Sam checks out the bar at the 18th century tavern house.


Of course he also needed to inspect the tavern's fireplace, too.


Behind Sam and Vic, there is a reconstructed 18th century room with some exhibits.


Sam: "I'm out of here! Posing for pictures is boring!"


Sam really enjoyed running around the various pathways and houses.


Kiyaaaaa!!! Sam is practicing his best Karate stance.


Sitting at a desk of the old school house.

So many places to go, so little time...


Fooling around at home.

Hanging out at our building's swimming pool.

Sam flashes a grand total of his 1 pearly white as he cuddles with a cozy towel after swimming.

Turtleback Zoo, West Orange, New Jersey

This was Sam's first trip to a zoo. He is starting to get interested in animals in general. Sam really enjoyed riding the Zoo Carousel.


We didn't get to see the real turtles, but Sam made good friends with this play one. He had a lot of fun running on this kiddie playground at the Zoo.

Sam checking out the Bald Eagles, which are the U.S. national symbol.

We also took a ride on the Zoo train. The train went around for about 5-7 minutes in forested area and passed near a beautiful lake. Sam giggled a lot and generally loved it.

VIDEO: Some kids like to stack toys, and some like to stack.... laundry bins.

Vic's family visits

Sam tried on a pair of cool shades.


Sam's aunt Julia and cousin Nikki came to visit. Here, Julia, Vic, Sam, (Elena and Nikki not pictured) are hanging out in a local park.


Sam also really enjoyed this swing.

Revolutionary War Historical Site at Morristown, NJ

Sam visited Jockey Hollow in Morristown, where George Washington's trooped spent a winter during the Revolutionary War in 1776. Here, Sam tries out the officer's uniform.

Here Sam is checking out a recreation of a soldier's hut. Sam checked out their digs and decided that his crib was much more comfortable.

VIDEO: Sam on the phone

VIDEO: Sam's first piano lesson

Grandma, who is a professional piano teacher, decided to give Sam his first piano lesson.

Zzzzzz....

2 little piglets fell asleep...

Basketball

Sam: "I am going to be playing forward... I better start practicing making those 3-point shots!"

Sam tries out Bright Horizons daycare

This week Sam tried out daycare with Bright Horizons. He loved the facilities, the teachers, the toys, everything. On his second day there, he didn't even want to go home! :)

There are the notes that his teachers wrote:
6/15/09 (teacher Miss Theresa): Samuel, Welcome to bright Horizons! Sammy transitioned very well after Mom and Dad left for work. He enjoyed stacking the rings on the base. Sam spent a lot of time playing with the piano key board, listening to the different notes and songs. He explored and touched almost everything in the room. Bravo Sammy, what a great day, it was a pleasure.


6/16/09 (teacher Miss Nirva): Good morning Samuel, happy to meet you. I think of Sam as an inspired artist. He moves his whole body when he hears the sound of the music and also when we clap our hands together while I was singing. He tries to say "book".


6/17/09 (teacher Miss Theresa): Samuel enjoyed socializing with a new friend A (the same age). He shared blocks and musical instruments. Samuel cruised all around the room. he took turns crawling and walking. Samuel wanted to play all day. He didn't even want to stop to rest.

6/18/09 (teacher Miss Theresa): Samuel was a celebrity at the ribbon cutting ceremony of our grand opening. He smiled and waved to everyone at the window. Samuel left very comfortable reaching and grasping toys, books and anything on counter tops. Samuel also sat briefly for an activity. He touched colored cellophane paper and attempted to place it on a sticky card.

6/19/09 (teacher Miss Theresa): Samuel was very energetic. he sat down to listen to a story. Samuel was non stop stacking the soft blocks, talking on the phone, etc. He played and explored using his hands and shapes in the water table. Samuel painted with fingerpaint on different mediums and textures.

The budding abstract painter

Sam decided to try his hand(s) at abstract painting. This is his finger-painting project. Sam explains: "This piece combined post-impressionist strokes with realism influences, and was also inspired in part by the 19th century American painters". You never know, maybe this will be worth 10 gazillion dollars one day.


This is another finger-painting project, this time in red paint on a plate, and a picture of Sam busy painting.

The weekend went swimmingly!

Sam decided to open this year's swimming season this weekend.


Hanging out in the pool with daddy.


Lock up your daughters!

First Haircut

Sam got his first haircut yesterday, as his hair was growing too long and getting into his eyes. Sam was a little afraid of the haircut at first, but then got a little bit more into it.


I think Sam likes the haircut but is still afraid a little because he doesn't know what's going on :)


As a reward for being a good boy while getting his haircut, Sam got to go to the pet store at the mall. Here he's checking out some dogs.

Historic Speedwell, Morristown, NJ

Sam now has 2 Teeth! Check out his two bottom incisors.


VIDEO: Sam goes checks out an exhibit at the museum.


Sam in front of a historic cottage dating from 1700's, which was a house for a local judge and a factory owner Samuel Vail.


Checking out the local lake belonging to the village. In the old times, they collected ice from this lake in the winter and stored it underground in the summer to cool food.


VIDEO: Wild Geese Chase :)

Garden Tour on Memorial Day

Chilling... (Avis Campbell Gardens in Montclair, NJ). Sam had fun hanging out on the grass. He especially liked walking around a bench in the garden and picking grass.


Sam also learned how to unzip his bedsheet. There is a zipper on four sizes of the bed, and Sam unzips the sheet on all four sides (!). Perhaps it's more fashionable to sleep without the sheet these days... Sam's a member of the younger generation, he would know.

And the winner of the "Biggest Gainer" Contest is... Sam!

JERSEY CITY, NJ - Never has gaining been so satisfying! For the past year, Jersey City's Biggest Gainer contestant Sam Izmaylov has been working to take control of his life and gain a lot of pounds. "This journey has been wonderful! It's been tough, but wonderful. It's totally changed my life," Sam said. Sam gained a total of 19 pounds, or 238% of his starting body weight of just over 8 pounds at birth, by consuming countless calories during intense eating sessions on a 24-hour schedule, and bouncing around the crib and the apartment, ending at the final weight of just under 27 pounds. This means he more than tripped in size!

"It's definitely self perpetuating, because every time I see the height and pounds go up, every time I put on a new shirt, I can't believe I need the next size up. I was wearing "0-3 months" size before", Sam said. "I feel like a new person. Now people take me more seriously."

In interviews to the press, Sam acknowledged the "Grandma Diet" as the main factor helping him win this contest. One of the Grandmas could not be immediately reached for comment. The other Grandma declined to comment and asked not to be identified, because the information is private.


Sam's height at birth, represented on the measuring tape (Before) and as a 1-year old (After)


Sam's clothes as at birth (Before) and as a 1-year old (After)


Sam's daily food consumption at birth was 16 oz of mommy's milk (Before) and lots of other food as a 1-year old (After)