A Day (or Two) In the Life of Sammie B

In spite of the stress of this week and the list of things B and I have to think about after touring pre-schools today and for gearing up for Thursday's IEP, this week has brought tons of giggles. Once again, our girl is reminding us of what really matters -- the giggles, the love, the moments of magic -- in a week filled with other stuff. And, now, I share with you a few of those magical moments (THESE moments are why I adore having a camera phone nearby at all times . . . ).

A REALLY big proud smile after "climbing" up dada's chest.



Snuggling on the couch with mama while talking about (and patting) Baby Mia:



Reading (these are the moments that just melt me - I walked out of my room to get her jammies and came back and she was "reading" one of her books to herself - obviously from memory, and when she noticed me taking a picture, she smiled this adorable smile!)



Sporting new Strawberry sunglasses in anticipation of her upcoming Strawberry Shortcake birthday party:



Here's a sign that your kiddo has spent A LOT of time in physical therapy. I've probably mentioned before that her favorite thing to do with her dolls is help them "walk" (just like we help her). Well, tonight, we caught her doing some exercise ball/core strengthening work with her baby. Pretty stinking cute. Creative little lady.



And, tonight, Sammie B was rolling/scooting around in the floor. Her new PT has been very adamant that we encourage ANY kind of movement and just let her explore. So, when she made her way to the dog's water bowl, rather than running to get her and moving it away, we just watched (except when she tried to drink it - we told her "no."). she dumped the whole thing out, and then, I kid you not, was trying to swim in the floor in the water . . . she was a mess, floor was a mess, but she was giggling and loving it, and so were B and I.



Bringing dada in for a big smooch before bedtime:



Mama's genius idea to motivate Sammie B to hold different positions for longer periods (strength-building!) -- being different animals! Here's Sammie B and dada being kitty cats:



She brings so so much joy and love to our every day.

[And, in case you were waiting for a Cervix Watch 2011 update, I saw my high-risk OB today and while I'm still having mild contractions, all looks pretty good. I'm just supposed to keep doing what I've been doing - sitting/lying as much as I can, lifting as little as possible, etc. I don't need to go back to the high-risk OB again unless something goes wrong or I just want to . . . I will hit 34 weeks on Friday and after that, even if I went into labor, they wouldn't stop it. Truthfully the 34 - 37 week period is going to be tough for me . . . up until this point, I've felt like if I DID start real, active labor, these doctors I trust so much would somehow stop it (or try). . . knowing that if I went into labor now, this baby would be coming is different territory. I just want to get to full-term. So very badly. 3 weeks, 3 days to go].