Sam is feisty, strong-willed, and loud, but under it all, it is very easy to love her and she how amazingly sweet she is. She loves to be funny, silly and will totally do things to annoy her brother, because she knows exactly which buttons to push.
Every day, Sam wakes up and asks, "What do I have going on today?" If I only answer "school", she looks disappointed. Her favorite day of the week is Wednesdays when she has school, music class and dance class. Bonus if we do Ledo's afterwards with everyone. Sam loves her activities and the more I have her scheduled in, the better.
Sam is a born "mother" and loves to take care of us. Whether it is helping to make dinner, pick out her brother's clothes, or make sure we are all where we are supposed to be, Sam is sometimes running our house. I firmly believe she has no idea that she is the younger sibling and feels like Ian's equal. To her, everything must be fair and square. She loves to play Ian's favorite games and apps, even though she can't read them yet.
Actually, not everything has to be fair and square. Sam plays by her own set of rules and will create whatever game she wants that makes her the winner. Lately Jeff, Sam and Ian have been playing ball outside. Sam will call the shots, run around with the ball, while Jeff and Ian get to watch. After a long sprint to the other side of the field, Sam will yell "I won! I won!". Poor Jeff and Ian never even got to chance to touch the ball. It wasn't in Sam's plans to let them have a chance with it. Fortunately for Sam, Jeff and Ian are quite amused watching Sam have fun winning, each and every single time. And then, they'll shake their heads with wonderment, exclaiming, "What was that?!!? I didn't even understand the rules."
Sam's aptitude for technology is through the roof. She can work any gadget with the best of them. She absolutely loves to play her favorite songs over and over again. Most of the week, you can catch her dancing around the house, practicing her moves from dance class.
Sam's temper tantrums are based on some perceived emotional distress that we usually can't figure out what got her so upset. She'll storm up to her room, slam the door shut, bury her head in her pillow and cry, "THAT'S NOT FAIR". It is pretty funny and I am sure she would be even more upset with us if she knew we were laughing. After a few minutes, she'll calm herself down and re-emerge downstairs to be with the rest of us, or I'll find her quietly playing with her dollhouse in her room. There have been many a days, these past months, when she'll have had enough and put herself to bed, all on her own and usually a good hour before her usual bedtime.
Sam picks out all her own clothing and decides what she wants to wear. Sometimes she'll say she loves it and has to have it in the store, only to find out that when we've brought the outfit home, she wants nothing to do with it. Oh joy! I've learned very quickly to keep the receipt close by and the tags on it until she is literally in the clothing. Some days she is okay with ruffles, but then that will change for no reason. Other days she likes zippers or buttons, but that can change just as easily too. If the clothing has anything that looks itchy, you can pretty much forget it. Sometimes I get pleasantly surprised when she wants to wear a t-shirt and leggings. Usually she'll only wear dresses or skirts. And then of course, there are tons of days when she'll have one outfit on and then 10 minutes later she is ready to change her clothes into something else.
Sam loves her friends. She is incredibly social and gets very excited about being with them. Whenever she talks about her best buds from preschool, Sam will start every sentence with "You know, my friend Ruby from preschool"..., or, "You know, my friend Jacob from preschool...". It is really cute. Believe me, she only has one friend named, Ruby...one friend named, Jacob, etc.
One of Sam's favorite activities is to snuggle. Curling up on the couch and just cuddling. It is very sweet and a rare moment when Sam is both quiet and still at the same time. Another thing she loves to do is to memorize all her favorite books. Pick out any Pinkalicious book and Sam can recite it pretty much word for word from memory. It is so cute to hear her tell the story. Each page gets its own unique little spin. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to instantly fall in love with her.
Over the past year, we've had more than our share of challenging times. And I am certain the road ahead is still a long one until we are no longer under a therapist's or pediatric GI dr's care. But I love my little girl so much and wouldn't trade one day for what we have now. Being around her brings me intense joy. I love that she will now freely give me hugs, tell me she loves me or misses me if I've gone away. Jeff says she is exactly like me, but I don't see it.
Happy 4th birthday to my spunky, beautiful, spirited, outgoing, fearless, delightful daughter. You keep me on my toes and help me to appreciate the good times. I love you so much and wish a year filled with many giggles, fun surprises and enchanting experiences.
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