Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sam at 2 Years, 1 Month

I am so excited to finally be able to stop referring to Sam's age in months. For some reason, that really bugs me (maybe it is my extreme disdain for math of any kind).

At any rate, it has been a crazy month. Between broken feet, potential layoffs (March 16 is R's last day of work for his old company) and salmonella poisoning, there has been little time to just sit back and enjoy our two-year-old. But Sam is hard to ignore. This month, more than any before it, she is two to a T.

Some highlights include (almost) stroke-inducing tantrums (mine and hers), talking almost non-stop, a new passion for the television that is hard to shake and wanting to do almost everything (including swim in the deep end of our gym pool) "by myself." The kids is like her mama, whose motto (according to Auntie K) has always been "go big or go home." Sammy brings it, baby.

I love it. I love her fire and her passion and her determination and her will. She is the daughter I always wanted and even though I know adolescence will be rough, I would not want it any other way. This girl does not take no for an answer. I believe she will probably declare herself world dictator someday. Chick's got charisma.

She speaks in complete sentences and says something new everyday. At this point she and I have entire conversations. There are almost no words she can't say and this communication is fantastic. It is hard to remember what it was like before she talked. She is also reading some basic words, which I believe is due, in part, to her favorite show, "Word World." Yes, we have discovered the tv.

We do family movie night once a week (this week's feature: Lady and the Tramp) and she gets a half hour of Curious George or Word World ("da dog,"as she calls it). I can't imagine how we lived without it for almost two years. It has made my life much easier and I actually think she is learning a lot. I like the placement of our one TV (in the basement, away from her playroom/kitchen/bedroom) because it will never be a focal point in our lives. She gets her show, it ends and then she plays without the incessant background noise and clutter of the television. I still hate the TV in many ways, but used in the right way, it is an absolute godsend.

We started an art class this month and Sam loves to paint and explore. As of next week, she will start at a co-op pre-school. I am really looking forward to this development and seeing how much it helps her.

She also continues to love reading and has many of her favorites memorized. She loves to sing, especially Twinkle, Twinkle; Baba Black Sheep; the Alphabet Song; the Hokey Pokey and the Farmer in the Dell. This girl has got charisma in spades.

Both R and I are so gaga over her, I worry she will become totally narcissistic. After she is in bed, we talk in her voice, we crack up about all the things she said and did that day, we check on her five times, we look at photos and we count down the hours until she wakes up. It is probably safe to say, she is the lord and master of our small family. Even the pets worship her ladyship.

Wearing her crown:




And more:


2 comments:

Kristi said...

Ah yes, the tv. It is mommy's best friend. She's such a cutie!

g and c boyarko family said...

I LOVE the picture of your two kids together...that is just wonderful! They are both so cute and it has been fun watching Sam grow into her twos via your blog. She is just beautiful and sounds like such a fun kiddo!