Hello, I'm Sam - Chapter One - Monday

Hello.  My name is Samuel Martin Kirk, but you can call me Sam.

I was born on Sunday the eighth of March 2015.  I don’t remember much about that day, so you’ll have to ask my Mommy and Daddy.  I’m sure they remember.  I live at home with Mommy and Daddy and our cat.  His name is Heathcliff, but Mommy and Daddy call him MiniMan.  I think that’s a funny name: MiniMan.  I think he’s still getting used to having me around, but he’s soft and fluffy so I like him.  Daddy says he gets confused sometimes because he calls the cat MiniMan and me little man.  He says that he sometimes calls the cat little man by mistake.  My Daddy’s silly and he makes me laugh.

I thought it might be fun to tell you about what I do in a week.  Mommy tells me that a week is seven days, and that the first day of the week is Monday.  Some people say it’s Sunday, but I’ll go with what Mommy says.  I’ve picked things from various days across the six months that I’ve been alive, as Daddy says that will give my story some variety.  He says that if I chose a week when I was first born the story would be the same for each day, as I didn’t do much back then.  I hope you enjoy reading about what I’ve chosen to talk about.

Daddy gets up for work early every day except Saturday and Sunday, which Mommy and Daddy tell me is called the weekend.  I like weekends because I get to spend more time with both Mommy and Daddy.  When Daddy’s at work I stay with Mommy and we have lots of fun.  Mommy has a job, too, just like Daddy, but Mommy’s work let her stay home with me, which I like.  When I’m a little older Mommy will go back to work and I’ll go to a place called a nursery.  I’ll get to play with other kids all day and have lots of fun.  I’ll miss Mommy and Daddy when I’m there, but they’ve told me that they’ll always come and get me when they’ve finished work.  Daddy says it’s part of growing up, so I’ll be okay.  I’m looking forward to making new friends.

At the moment, Mommy and I go to something called Baby Yoga on a Monday.  We get to go in the car, which is lots of fun.  I fall asleep a lot of the time when I’m in the car, and I always wake up somewhere different, which is really exciting.  Going out in the car with Mommy is like going on an adventure.  Mommy tells me that Baby Yoga is all about exercise, which she says is important for everyone.  I get to see other kids there, and Mommy gets to meet other Mommys, too.  The exercises are fun, and Mommy always makes me laugh with silly faces.  Mommy’s silly, like Daddy, and I like it.  After Baby Yoga, Mommy sometimes takes me shopping.  Sometimes Mommy will try and do what she calls the big shop on a Sunday because that means she can leave me at home to play with Daddy.  Shopping is fun, too, though.  There’s always lots to see and I get to ride around in a trolley, which is loads of fun.  When Daddy pushes me in the trolley he makes funny noises like I’m in a race car.  Maybe I’ll be a race car driver when I grow up.

When we go home Mommy puts my play mat on the floor in the living room.  I really like going on my mat: it has lots of bright colours and pictures, and parts of it feel different.  Some bits are soft and fluffy and other bits make funny crackling noises.  There’s also a shiny circle in it that I can see my face in.  Mommy says that it’s called a mirror.  We have more mirrors in the house that I also see my face in.  When Mommy or Daddy takes me upstairs they show me my reflection in the mirror.  It’s funny looking at myself in the mirror; it’s like I’m looking at someone else who looks just like me.  When I first saw myself in a mirror I didn’t realise it was me, but now I’m getting a bit older I know that it’s me.  Mommy and Daddy say that’s called learning.  Mommy and Daddy help me with my learning, but they also help other people.  Mommy and Daddy are teachers.  They tell me I’ll have lots of teachers when I’m older and I go to school.  I’m looking forward to that, too, as I’ll get to make even more friends and have even more fun.

When we’re at home, Mommy talks to me while she’s doing things around the house.  I like to hear Mommy’s voice because it helps me know where she is.  Sometimes I can see her but if she goes into another room I can’t.  I don’t like being left on my own, so Mommy makes sure that if I can’t see her that I can hear her.  When I get hungry Mommy feeds me my milk.  It’s very tasty, but sometimes I make a bit of a mess.  Mommy doesn’t seem to mind, and she always cleans me up.  After I’ve had my milk Mommy helps me make a funny noise out of my mouth.  It’s called a burp, and when it happens I can feel it coming up from my tummy.  Mommy says it’s important for me to burp after I eat.  I’ve seen Mommy and Daddy burp, but when they do it they say “excuse me”.  I think I’ll have to say that, too.  Daddy says it’s good manners.  Mommy and Daddy want me to have good manners.

Later in the day, Daddy comes home from work.  He always says hello to Mommy, me and MiniMan when he comes through the door.  I like it when Daddy comes home because he always gives me a big kiss and a cuddle.  He tells me that he’s missed me, which is funny because I’ve missed him, too.  I guess grown-ups can miss things, too.  While Mommy makes dinner for her and Daddy, he normally does his own exercise.  Sometimes he goes out for things called a jog or a bike ride, but other times he stays at home and exercises in the living room.  It’s funny watching him do that, and it makes me laugh.

Mommy and Daddy let me sit with them while they eat their dinner, which I like.  The stuff they eat doesn’t look like my milk, but they tell me that when I’m older I’ll eat food like them.  Daddy likes spicy food, though, and Mommy doesn’t, so I’ll have to see if I like spicy things when I grow up.  When Mommy and Daddy have eaten their dinner Mommy makes me more food for in the night, and Daddy takes me upstairs for story time.  I like it when Daddy reads to me, and he says he enjoys it, too.  He reads me books that he likes as well, so we both enjoy it.  Daddy says it’s important to like reading, as it helps people become clever.  I want to be clever when I grow up.

After story time, Mommy and Daddy come to bed.  I get to stay up with them until my last feed of the day.  Mommy and Daddy watch television in bed, and if I’m awake, I get to watch it with them, which is lots of fun.  The television, or TV as Mommy and Daddy call it, has lots of interesting things to look at and listen to.  When it’s time for my last feed Mommy normally does it during the week, as Daddy’s usually going to sleep so that he can get up for work in the morning.  After I’ve eaten, Mommy waits for me to fall asleep and then she puts me in my basket, which is next to Mommy and Daddy’s bed.  I have my own room, with my own bed in it, and Mommy and Daddy tell me that I’ll sleep in there when I’m old enough.  I’ll miss Mommy and Daddy when I’m sleeping in my room, but it’s part of growing up.

Goodnight, everybody.  Sleep tight.