Conversations

It's been awhile.  My only excuses -- one birthday party planned, executed, behind us (I need to post pics! it was such a fun, fun party); one birthday party planned and coming up this weekend; work is crazy; B is traveling (the annual professional conference he goes to for work), so I'm solo with both girls.   Reflecting back to last year when he went to this same conference, when I was on bed rest, pregnant with Mia at this time, and now a year has flown by.  A year.  So, last month brought a 4th birthday party for Sammie B and this month (this week) brings a first birthday party for Mia.  So much joy, so much celebrating. And mindblowing because . . . wow . . . life moves fast, doesn't it?!   And, I need to find the time, in between the motions and the briefs and the discovery and the celebrations to sit and write about it.  And, I will.  I promise.  But not tonight. 

For now, I want to share with you some of my recent conversations with Sammie B.  For we take none of her words for granted.  I delight in them all . .

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Yesterday, her nanny took her to see the Endeavour space shuttle, which was parked a few miles from our house.  (We'd all seen it fly over the beach a few weeks ago, which was amazing).   On the way there, Sam insisted on wearing her "astronaut helmet."  So, her nanny put her horseback riding helmet on her and off they went.  Sam kept saying, "I saw a space shuttle" all day and "3-2-1-Blast off."   That night, I was carrying her and pretending she was a space shuttle and said, "3-2-1-Blast off" and she said, "Mama, you were funny!"

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When we picked Mia up at daycare yesterday, I had both Sammie B and Mia in the double wagon, and Sam reached forward and tickled Mia's belly and said, "Hello Mia Mia, Tickle Tickle Tickle."  Mia giggled, and Sammie B said, "I was so funny!"  Watching the two of them giggle together is, hands down, the best part of my day, every day. 

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Tonight, Sammie B dressed as Tinkerbelle (every day brings at least 3 different princess or fairy costumes around here lately!) and watched the Tinkerbelle movie.  Out of the blue, she declared, "I love fairies!  Mama, I love fairies!"   Then, she looked at me and said, "I love you, mama!"   Oh be still my heart.

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Everything I tell her that I need to do lately, she says, "I want to help you."  So, last night she "helped me" file a brief (I let her hit the mouse button to "send" it); tonight she "helped me" do laundry (she put the dirty clothes in a basket) . . . such a big, big girl.

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She's so imaginative lately.  She has this baby doll, and the other night she told me, "my baby isn't listening to me."  So I asked what we could do, and she said, "she needs to go in her thinking spot!" (which is where we put Sam when she doesn't listen, though we've only had to use it 3 times, usually the mere mention of it gets her listening . . . she's a pretty stinking easy kid to manage!).  So, we came up with a thinking spot for her baby, and I said "is she going to stay there for 5 minutes?" and Sam said, "no 10 minutes," to which I said, "wow!" and she said, "no, 18 minutes!"    Tight ship.

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She's decided (for now) that she wants to be a swim teacher when she grows up, and during her last lesson, she took a waterproof Elmo in with her, and we were sort of ignoring her, just listening, as she told Elmo, "put your face in the water!" "Now kick!" "You did it!"

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She loves having us make her stuffed animals/dolls talk, and now she's starting to talk for them too, which shows me that she's really finding confidence in her voice (which we've known for a long time was part of what was holding her back speech-wise, she knows her articulation isn't perfect and that she may be hard to understand, so it has held her back from trying at times, but well (shameless brag) . . . articulation is coming along nicely . . . she said the word "spanish" perfectly the other day . . . and confidence is increasing too . . . all making for this amazing explosion of speech).  Anyway, today, we were using her stuffed Simba and making him talk, and she took him by his shoulders, pulled him right up to her face, and said in the most serious way, "I saw you in a movie.  You were in a movie!" 

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Tonight, I told Sammie B I needed to run downstairs and get something, but then I'd be right back and I needed to ask her a question.  So, I ran downstairs, came back up and she immediately said, "I want to hear your question." 

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She also asked me tonight if her baby could have water.  She has a water cup by her bed, so I said, "why don't we wait until bedtime and you can share water with your baby then?" and she said, "that's a good idea, mama!"

I cherish her words.  I cherish the "I love you's" and the "I want to help you's" and the "Hello Mia Mia's" more than my own words could possibly convey.

Oh how I love her voice.  Her ideas.  Her opinions.  Her questions. 

Sammie B, you bring such joy to our lives.  With your words, your giggles, you.