My baby boy was born on this day, three years ago exactly. Even though I wasn’t there, the time he
has been with us has been, amazing, surprising, exhausting...and always filled with laughter. Of
course there was a lot about this little boy that I was not prepared for, and even when I cannot
understand how he works, I adore who he is and there is still something about him that always melts
my heart. And that something just happens to be his entire giant adorable smile.
That is not to say that he has not been the biggest challenge of my life, because he HAS BEEN THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE. He is strong-willed and loud, totally unreasonable, publicly
humiliating, quick to cry and slow to recover. With him I have wondered, more times than I can
count, if I am doing any of this right at all? Am I totally failing here as a mother? Will he turn out to
be a kind and respectful, loving young man? Or will he be in prison by the time he's seven?
But wait! Have you ever seen the way he runs while he's laughing? Like when he's trying to get away
from you in a game of chase that he's invented in his head? Or have you ever heard his laugh...you
know, the one where he starts to giggle and then and loses his breath in a full blown belly laugh...
when you tickle his cheeks with kisses at night right before bed? Have you ever snuggled with him
while reading a book and felt that (gigantic) head beneath your chin or resting on your arm...and
those 5 tiny fingers rubbing your arm while the other 5 rub the edges of his blanket while we read
“just one more book” at bedtime. And have you EVER seen funnier thighs or a cuter bare bottom?
Nope, most people haven't seen any of that. But just trust me...those are just a few things about
him that I love. There is no child on the planet that would get scooped up and kissed and hugged
more than this one if I could only catch him and keep him still for more than a second.
Above everything else, I know he was made just for me...and me for him. He has made me speak
louder (out of necessity) and love stronger. I have learned to listen more, and teach with my actions
instead of words (because usually he's not listening anyways.) And just when I've lost my patience
with him, he'll turn around and redeem himself with a soft word or cheesy (devilish?) grin.
He will always be my, buddy, my monkey, my baby boy. Happy Birthday Sammy!
I Love You!
Mommy
Now back to our regularly scheduled 10 greatest moments for June 2009
10 – Yet another transition. We got you to give up the binky this month and it was surprisingly easy.
We went to Nona’s house and…while we had planned this strategy all along…you commented that you
forgot them so we ran with it – Great minds, buddy, great minds. You still have your 2 blankets (I
think we explained how that happened in an earlier blog) and although you did give up the binky, you
seem to have replaced it with some ferocious love for your stuffed dog, Lilac. I know, the name
sounds incredibly creative right? Sorry to disappoint you, but on and off for the last couple months
her name was everything from ‘Dog’ to ‘Popcorn’ and you weren’t sure you were really all that into
her. That all changed when we turned you on to a new cartoon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and in
your eyes Harold’s dog Lilac looks just like your stuffed dog and apparently what is good for Harold
is good for Sammy, you two haven’t been apart since.
9 – And they just keep coming. Yes, the next transition is you decided to move to an even bigger
boy bed. Your crib converted to a toddler bed, so basically it was the same size as a crib, but we
removed the side rails. That transition happened in April, but this month, you decided one night well
after you should have been asleep that your big boy bed was too small and you wanted to sleep in
Nona’s room where there is a Queen size bed (Sorry Nona). Of course this room was in no way,
shape or form, ready for you, but in you went. I wonder how long it will be before that is too small
for you? Anyway, we’re slowly moving you and all your stuff into “Nona’s room”, yes, you still call it
Nona’s room and it just dawned on me - do you think Nona will have to sleep with you the next time
she visits? I hope so!
8 - When mom asked if you wanted to stay in “Nona’s Room” and make it your room you said “yeah,
but it needs paint”. When mom asked you what color, you replied “red and blue with a little orange”.
Mom thought this was funny so asked again the next night and you said “red and black and green and
pink” and on the third night “green and yellow with lots of colors all mixed up”. Mom kept asking, but
I stopped taking notes, so I’m not sure any of us have any idea what color your room will ultimately
be. I’m hoping the nice shade of beige that is already on the walls will suffice.
7 – You started formal swimming lessons this month, or "swimmin' school" as you call it. Okay,
formal might be a fancy way of saying we paid somebody, but they did begin - sort of. Remember,
you just turned 3 and your ability to focus is, how do I say this nicely? Not fully disciplined yet?
Mom took you because she is out for summer break, but apparently, while it was worth the effort
(so she says) she canceled the second course saying you just aren’t ready yet, you refuse to go to
the instructor by yourself and will only do what she asked when she wasn't looking...oh well, maybe
next summer buddy, besides, we have more fun at Tyler’s pool.
6 – Which leads me to the story of how I got that nice little scar on the right side of my forehead
Sammy. That scar will forever remind you to warn me before you jump into a pool! We were at
Tyler’s pool one evening and like usual, you love to jump from the side of the pool into my arms, over
and over and over again. And normally, you are pretty good about waiting until I say “1, 2, 3 jump”
before you throw your 45 lbs my way. Until the one time when I glanced away for one second to
make sure Tyler was okay and by the time I turned back to you, WHAM! Your teeth met my head,
and for those of you who know my head, I usually win those battles. I still caught you (Hooray) and
you of course were screaming (Uh-oh). My first thought was “oh no, he’s knocked his teeth out”. And
I’m sorry to say Sammy, while of course I was concerned for your well being, my next thought was
Lauren is going to kill me because every picture from this day forward will be toothless and will
remind her that you were on my watch when it happened. Sorry, I just had a cold shiver run down
my spine just thinking about it.
So, as I’m carrying you out of the pool, Tyler’s mom and dad had this concerned look on their faces,
but I just assumed they too were contemplating the wrath of Lauren that was surely coming my
way. After a cursory check, I realized that nothing on you was broken, all teeth were accounted for
and I remember thinking, “I may just escape this yet”. And then I saw the blood. Not from you,
but from my forehead, and that is what Tyler’s parents were concerned about...a nice, little gash oh,
about 2 inches long, bleeding profusely down my face. And to make a bad situation worse, Allison
only had extra large bandages, which she kindly placed on my head so I looked like I was fresh from
the front line. Allison then suggested I go to the doctor for stitches (of course I didn’t go to the
doctor, please, have you met me?! I’ll fix it myself) and sent us home. What is really funny is when I
walked in the door, Lauren asked what happened, so I started by saying “Sammy is okay”, then gave
her the 2 second explanation followed again by “but Sammy is okay”. Remember – BIG tourniquet on
my head, blood is seeping through and what does she do? She grabbed you and started her own
examination to make sure you were okay and you milked it for all it was worth. I see my lot in life
now Sammy, second fiddle to a 3 year old. So Sammy, when you are older, every time you look at me
and see that scar, now you’ll know how it came to be. Thanks buddy.
5 – You are like a celebrity in our little burb. Keep in mind that mom is a first grade teacher, so
every year, she has ~25 kids that absolutely adore her and then they move on and are replaced by a
new batch of ~25 kids. She has been at this for 6 years now? So, I took you into the class on the
last day of school because you love to go and the kids love to see you, and as we are walking through
the hall, I couldn’t believe how many kids were coming up to us and calling you by name. I was
apparently invisible (even though I bring the donut holes. I know, I can’t believe it either!) Every
one kept referring to you as little Sammy. “Hi little Sammy” “look, it’s little Sammy Angel”. Hello!
What about Mr. Angel??? Sammy’s dad??? Right here??? Again, second fiddle and this song are
getting old.
4 – Aunt Samantha and Uncle Billy drove down from NY to visit and aside fun having great time just
hanging out with them; they brought you a big kid sized roller coaster for your Birthday. We are so
happy they made the trek down to see us and the roller coaster is a huge hit with you and the
neighborhood gang…but I’m looking forward to getting it moved out of the garage and into the back
yard so #1 I can resume parking a car in the garage and #2 I can fall on a softer surface…when
your older remind me to tell you about how I broke my ‘bottom’ with that thing. . Can you tell I’m
thrilled? No worries Sammy, daddy will gladly repay their generosity with I suspect, a drum set
when they decide to have kids. Their kids will love Uncle Kev as much as you love them AND the
universe will once again be in harmony…ain’t karma grand?
3 – Somewhere you have heard the phrase “Knock it off” not sure where, but I’m guessing it was
said directly to you, about something naughty or mischievous you were doing, and probably more than
once. Anyway, you have decided at times that this phrase suits your needs as well and quite often
snap at us to “Knock it over”…which, while rude and completely inappropriate…is freakin' hysterical,
which only serves to make you even angrier and yell even louder, "I said KNOCK IT OVER!!!".
2 – In our continuing talks and reading about adoption and Korea, we asked if you want a baby sister
or brother…you did some thinking and responded, “No, I want a baby elephant”…which leads us to…
1 - The number one moment of the month, the year even – 10 more toes are on the way!!!
Enjoy the pictures everyone.
Kevin, Lauren, Sammy, Gracie (the cat) and...
has been with us has been, amazing, surprising, exhausting...and always filled with laughter. Of
course there was a lot about this little boy that I was not prepared for, and even when I cannot
understand how he works, I adore who he is and there is still something about him that always melts
my heart. And that something just happens to be his entire giant adorable smile.
That is not to say that he has not been the biggest challenge of my life, because he HAS BEEN THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE. He is strong-willed and loud, totally unreasonable, publicly
humiliating, quick to cry and slow to recover. With him I have wondered, more times than I can
count, if I am doing any of this right at all? Am I totally failing here as a mother? Will he turn out to
be a kind and respectful, loving young man? Or will he be in prison by the time he's seven?
But wait! Have you ever seen the way he runs while he's laughing? Like when he's trying to get away
from you in a game of chase that he's invented in his head? Or have you ever heard his laugh...you
know, the one where he starts to giggle and then and loses his breath in a full blown belly laugh...
when you tickle his cheeks with kisses at night right before bed? Have you ever snuggled with him
while reading a book and felt that (gigantic) head beneath your chin or resting on your arm...and
those 5 tiny fingers rubbing your arm while the other 5 rub the edges of his blanket while we read
“just one more book” at bedtime. And have you EVER seen funnier thighs or a cuter bare bottom?
Nope, most people haven't seen any of that. But just trust me...those are just a few things about
him that I love. There is no child on the planet that would get scooped up and kissed and hugged
more than this one if I could only catch him and keep him still for more than a second.
Above everything else, I know he was made just for me...and me for him. He has made me speak
louder (out of necessity) and love stronger. I have learned to listen more, and teach with my actions
instead of words (because usually he's not listening anyways.) And just when I've lost my patience
with him, he'll turn around and redeem himself with a soft word or cheesy (devilish?) grin.
He will always be my, buddy, my monkey, my baby boy. Happy Birthday Sammy!
I Love You!
Mommy
Now back to our regularly scheduled 10 greatest moments for June 2009
10 – Yet another transition. We got you to give up the binky this month and it was surprisingly easy.
We went to Nona’s house and…while we had planned this strategy all along…you commented that you
forgot them so we ran with it – Great minds, buddy, great minds. You still have your 2 blankets (I
think we explained how that happened in an earlier blog) and although you did give up the binky, you
seem to have replaced it with some ferocious love for your stuffed dog, Lilac. I know, the name
sounds incredibly creative right? Sorry to disappoint you, but on and off for the last couple months
her name was everything from ‘Dog’ to ‘Popcorn’ and you weren’t sure you were really all that into
her. That all changed when we turned you on to a new cartoon, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and in
your eyes Harold’s dog Lilac looks just like your stuffed dog and apparently what is good for Harold
is good for Sammy, you two haven’t been apart since.
9 – And they just keep coming. Yes, the next transition is you decided to move to an even bigger
boy bed. Your crib converted to a toddler bed, so basically it was the same size as a crib, but we
removed the side rails. That transition happened in April, but this month, you decided one night well
after you should have been asleep that your big boy bed was too small and you wanted to sleep in
Nona’s room where there is a Queen size bed (Sorry Nona). Of course this room was in no way,
shape or form, ready for you, but in you went. I wonder how long it will be before that is too small
for you? Anyway, we’re slowly moving you and all your stuff into “Nona’s room”, yes, you still call it
Nona’s room and it just dawned on me - do you think Nona will have to sleep with you the next time
she visits? I hope so!
8 - When mom asked if you wanted to stay in “Nona’s Room” and make it your room you said “yeah,
but it needs paint”. When mom asked you what color, you replied “red and blue with a little orange”.
Mom thought this was funny so asked again the next night and you said “red and black and green and
pink” and on the third night “green and yellow with lots of colors all mixed up”. Mom kept asking, but
I stopped taking notes, so I’m not sure any of us have any idea what color your room will ultimately
be. I’m hoping the nice shade of beige that is already on the walls will suffice.
7 – You started formal swimming lessons this month, or "swimmin' school" as you call it. Okay,
formal might be a fancy way of saying we paid somebody, but they did begin - sort of. Remember,
you just turned 3 and your ability to focus is, how do I say this nicely? Not fully disciplined yet?
Mom took you because she is out for summer break, but apparently, while it was worth the effort
(so she says) she canceled the second course saying you just aren’t ready yet, you refuse to go to
the instructor by yourself and will only do what she asked when she wasn't looking...oh well, maybe
next summer buddy, besides, we have more fun at Tyler’s pool.
6 – Which leads me to the story of how I got that nice little scar on the right side of my forehead
Sammy. That scar will forever remind you to warn me before you jump into a pool! We were at
Tyler’s pool one evening and like usual, you love to jump from the side of the pool into my arms, over
and over and over again. And normally, you are pretty good about waiting until I say “1, 2, 3 jump”
before you throw your 45 lbs my way. Until the one time when I glanced away for one second to
make sure Tyler was okay and by the time I turned back to you, WHAM! Your teeth met my head,
and for those of you who know my head, I usually win those battles. I still caught you (Hooray) and
you of course were screaming (Uh-oh). My first thought was “oh no, he’s knocked his teeth out”. And
I’m sorry to say Sammy, while of course I was concerned for your well being, my next thought was
Lauren is going to kill me because every picture from this day forward will be toothless and will
remind her that you were on my watch when it happened. Sorry, I just had a cold shiver run down
my spine just thinking about it.
So, as I’m carrying you out of the pool, Tyler’s mom and dad had this concerned look on their faces,
but I just assumed they too were contemplating the wrath of Lauren that was surely coming my
way. After a cursory check, I realized that nothing on you was broken, all teeth were accounted for
and I remember thinking, “I may just escape this yet”. And then I saw the blood. Not from you,
but from my forehead, and that is what Tyler’s parents were concerned about...a nice, little gash oh,
about 2 inches long, bleeding profusely down my face. And to make a bad situation worse, Allison
only had extra large bandages, which she kindly placed on my head so I looked like I was fresh from
the front line. Allison then suggested I go to the doctor for stitches (of course I didn’t go to the
doctor, please, have you met me?! I’ll fix it myself) and sent us home. What is really funny is when I
walked in the door, Lauren asked what happened, so I started by saying “Sammy is okay”, then gave
her the 2 second explanation followed again by “but Sammy is okay”. Remember – BIG tourniquet on
my head, blood is seeping through and what does she do? She grabbed you and started her own
examination to make sure you were okay and you milked it for all it was worth. I see my lot in life
now Sammy, second fiddle to a 3 year old. So Sammy, when you are older, every time you look at me
and see that scar, now you’ll know how it came to be. Thanks buddy.
5 – You are like a celebrity in our little burb. Keep in mind that mom is a first grade teacher, so
every year, she has ~25 kids that absolutely adore her and then they move on and are replaced by a
new batch of ~25 kids. She has been at this for 6 years now? So, I took you into the class on the
last day of school because you love to go and the kids love to see you, and as we are walking through
the hall, I couldn’t believe how many kids were coming up to us and calling you by name. I was
apparently invisible (even though I bring the donut holes. I know, I can’t believe it either!) Every
one kept referring to you as little Sammy. “Hi little Sammy” “look, it’s little Sammy Angel”. Hello!
What about Mr. Angel??? Sammy’s dad??? Right here??? Again, second fiddle and this song are
getting old.
4 – Aunt Samantha and Uncle Billy drove down from NY to visit and aside fun having great time just
hanging out with them; they brought you a big kid sized roller coaster for your Birthday. We are so
happy they made the trek down to see us and the roller coaster is a huge hit with you and the
neighborhood gang…but I’m looking forward to getting it moved out of the garage and into the back
yard so #1 I can resume parking a car in the garage and #2 I can fall on a softer surface…when
your older remind me to tell you about how I broke my ‘bottom’ with that thing. . Can you tell I’m
thrilled? No worries Sammy, daddy will gladly repay their generosity with I suspect, a drum set
when they decide to have kids. Their kids will love Uncle Kev as much as you love them AND the
universe will once again be in harmony…ain’t karma grand?
3 – Somewhere you have heard the phrase “Knock it off” not sure where, but I’m guessing it was
said directly to you, about something naughty or mischievous you were doing, and probably more than
once. Anyway, you have decided at times that this phrase suits your needs as well and quite often
snap at us to “Knock it over”…which, while rude and completely inappropriate…is freakin' hysterical,
which only serves to make you even angrier and yell even louder, "I said KNOCK IT OVER!!!".
2 – In our continuing talks and reading about adoption and Korea, we asked if you want a baby sister
or brother…you did some thinking and responded, “No, I want a baby elephant”…which leads us to…
1 - The number one moment of the month, the year even – 10 more toes are on the way!!!
Enjoy the pictures everyone.
Kevin, Lauren, Sammy, Gracie (the cat) and...
 | |  | |  | |  |
| June 2009 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| Journal - Back Home - USA |
| Favorite Photos |
| Did somebody say birthday? |
| 'Hunting wizards' in the yard |
| Mini celebration #2 |
Mini celebration #3 - Thanks Sarah!!!
| I left him with Kevin for 5 minutes and came back to find... |
| Sam sporting his birthday suit & some undies stuck on the house! |
| "Miss Bef's" boyz! (sans Austin) |
| Sammy's "reading nest" |
| It really is a shame they don't get along |
| Stopping to smell the flowers on the way to "Swimmin' School"!!! |
| School's (almost) out for Summer!!! |
| It's official...Sam is the WORST HIDER EVER!!! |
| The biggest, best-est, birthday present ever! |
| I 'wub' to swing! |