I wasn't particularly excited about my birthday this year, as turning 34 doesn't carry with it the excitement of turning 16 or the allure of reaching 21. It really just means that I have to round-up to 35 and that I'm that much closer to 40. Coupled with the fact that I was going to be celebrating at a trade show, I didn't have high hopes. But, it turns out the youngest guy with the least amount of money gave me the best present: he took his first steps on my birthday. I think that it's actually an attempt to make up for the "da-da" on Mother's Day, but I'll still take it.
Sam's proven to be a bit of a showman, if not a little bit of a meat head. We ran for the video camera when he started walking and captured many of his first steps, after which he mugged for the camera and clapped for himself. He held court during the Davis-Edwards-Mendez soiree in October and managed to capture and hold the attention of nearly 20 adults and several hillbillies sitting near us in a restaurant.
He's learned to offer "cheers" while giving a companion's glass a clink with his sippy cup and will offer up an emphatic "Mmmm" after licking the fingers he just stuck in someone's beer glass.
We were sad that our little guy had to endure such heartbreak at such a young age, watching the Bulldogs fall to South Carolina and Tennessee. But, joy soon followed as UGA beat Florida and then Auburn. Sam was so moved that he mastered the touchdown signal and can even belt out a toddler-version of "Go Dawgs!" We're hoping that he doesn't learn to belt out other key phrases - which, of course, would be his father's fault.
For those of you that were concerned after last year's Halloween, rest assured that we didn't incorporate any portion of the oven or stove in this year's celebration and, again, no lobsters (actual or otherwise) were harmed.
Star Wars was the theme this year, starring Sam as Yoda and Louie as the dark-sided foe, Darth Vader. We hooked up with one of Sam's friends, who coincidentally rounded out the group as Princess Leia. While the movie characters had the Millennium Falcon, our group took flight in a Radio Flyer. All was well until Darth had to, er, lift the cape and relieve himself. The helmet was short-lived and, with the pit stop, the body suit was a goner. Only the cape - and a stinky bag - survived. That was the first tremor in the Force.
The second came when Yoda, who we all know is vertically challenged, tried to stretch and see something. Rather than using his powers to move the object in his way, young Yoda leeaaned a bit more and fell right out of the wagon. No fancy flipping and no Ninja-like reflexes. We were left with a pile of Yoda right on the sidewalk. I've learned that the ears must be some sort of futuristic coping mechanism, as that's what saved Yoda from certain doom. A hug from his mom and the defender of good was on his way.
Leia and Yoda had differing opinions from time to time on where to walk and which candy to select, but revealed a bond not seen before in any of the movies George Lucas shared with us. Now we'll all have to go back and look beyond Luke and Han and see if there really was a spark between the princess and the little green man.
