Since the day Sami was born, people warned me not to blink. They said time will go by so quickly. I believed them, but I don't think I realized just fast the time would go by. In less than 8 hours, Sami will walk into a classroom and start her first day of kindergarten.

I am so proud of this little girl. She has grown and matured so much, and her personality brightens my world each and every day.

It's been a long time since I've written here, although I have continued to do so in a journal I am writing to Sami. I will try to update here more often again.

Love to all. :)

Kitty

I know it's been a very long time since I've written. And I know this blog is usually a place where I just write about Sami, but I want to devote this post to Kitty, my beautiful cat who to whom we said goodbye a little after midnight on Saturday, April 6. I adopted Kitty when she was just a few weeks old November 2002. She was 10 and-a-half years old.

Losing Kitty was a huge shock. One day she was fine, running around and meowing at us, and the next day she wouldn't eat, and looked lethargic. Friday night we took her to the animal hospital to learn about 2 hours later that she was in kidney failure, and was truly suffering. The vet told us that she probably had this for months, but just like many other cats, didn't show any symptoms until the end. They are like soldiers, hiding any symptoms and being so proud.

It was a rough night. We spent about an hour with Kitty, telling her how much we loved her, and how much we will miss her. We moved into our house 3 years ago with 4 cats, and now have 1 cat. It's been a rough few years with our fur-babies, losing now 3 cats in 3 years. So we told Kitty that we knew she would be greeted by Shakespeare and Loki, and my sweet greyhound, Pebbles, who left us in 2008, and they would show her around. We assured her she would not be alone. We cried and hugged her and kissed her. And with the wonderful vet's gentle assistance, we said goodbye to Kitty. It was peaceful, but completely heartbreaking and our home is not the same without Kitty.

Kitty was a beautiful, sweet and tiny cat. (She never weighed more than 6 pounds.) She slept every night cuddled with us, and Sami had just recently started calling her by her name, instead of just "cat." The reason behind her name is somewhat silly, but when I first adopted her I couldn't think of a name for this adorable tiny kitten. So I kept calling her Kitty, while trying to come up with a name that suited her. Eventually she started answering to Kitty, and the name stuck.

Kitty is so dearly missed.

The most active child

There's a new show on the Oxygen channel. It's called "I'm Having Their Baby." The show chronicles pregnant women, who have decided to place their babies up for adoption. It's heartbreaking, watching these women, most of them very young, go through the grieving process when they say goodbye to the baby after giving birth, even though they repeat that they know they are making the right decision.

It makes me think about Elizabeth, and how she never seemed emotional at all about placing Sami up for adoption. Yet, I am so grateful to her every day when I look at our beautiful daughter.

Just twice this past week, I was told by people that Sami looked exactly like me. These of course, were people who assume I gave birth to Sami. The funny thing though is that sometimes I forget I didn't give birth to Sami.

For example, last week when I was at the dentist, we were discussing how come I get new cavities every year, even though I do not eat candy, do not drink sugary drinks, and always brush and floss after each meal. I even carry a toothbrush and dental floss with me almost everywhere I go. The dentist tested my saliva, and said that I have an enzyme that my body naturally produces that actually causes tooth decay, no matter how well I care for my teeth. He said it is genetic. My father had terrible teeth, and so does my aunt (his sister), so I know that I got this from my father's side of the family. Immediately after hearing about this genetic enzyme from the dentist, my first thought was that I hope I did not pass this to Sami!! Things like that happen all the time, not usually health-related (sometimes it's about my curly hair), in which I hope (for Sami's sake) she doesn't inherit something from me. Then it takes me a little while to remember we are not biologically related. I truly forget that all the time. In my mind, she belongs to me and Steven in every way possible.

It's hard to believe that we are now talking about how to celebrate Sami's 2nd birthday! Sami is already 21 months old. Every day brings new surprises. Yesterday morning, she climbed out of her crib already. She may wind up being the youngest child to move out of her crib and sleep in a toddler bed! We are waiting to see if it happens again. She is just so incredibly active. I have many friends with kids Sami's age, and with the exception of one little boy, Sami is much, much, much more active than any other child we have ever seen. She never sits down. She plays only standing up, and if the decision was hers, she'd eat every meal standing up or walking around. She is completely exhausting!! She climbs up chairs to stand on the dining room table, climbs up the back of the couch in order to stand on the windowsill. You name it--she does it!! She definitely keeps us on our toes....

In other news, since I've last written Sami had her first haircut, and already looks like she is ready for her second haircut! Also, over the summer I tried taking Sami to ballet classes. There is a dance school near us that has a class for girls ages 18 months to 3 years old. We went for a few weeks, but Sami didn't follow instructions well. She wouldn't sit (big surprise) when she was supposed to, and seemed to think the instructions were for every child aside from her. She also cried and screamed if I wasn't in sight. I'm going to wait a little while and try again, and see if she does better when she is a little older.

I honestly do not remember what life was like for us before Sami was in our lives. In 21 very fast-moving months, everything is different. Steven and I are different people. We have gone from the couple that was known for first going out at midnight on a Saturday night, to being exhausted by 10 p.m. I guess the simplest way to put is that we became parents. LOL. And I couldn't be happier. :)

I've attached four photos here today. One is from the Fourth of July, one is from dance class (Sami is the only one standing of course), one is of Sami standing on a chair at a table outside the planetarium, where we took her to watch a show recently, and one is from her first haircut. Hope you enjoy!!

Stuck inside today

Today, Sami and I are stuck at home because we are getting a new air conditioner in our house. It is supposed to take about 5 hours, and it's 94 degrees outside. Sami is hot, bored and a bit crabby. (And so am I. I'm also crabby about the $3,500 cost.)

Sami will be 20 months old on July 4. How crazy is that? I'm already starting to think about what to do for her second birthday. Part of me feels as though she was born yesterday, but the bigger part of me doesn't even remember life without her.

It's been a good week. I've been working on the magazine, but still finding time to meet friends for play-dates. Sami's favorite place seems to be the park these days, but we try to either go in the morning or after 5 p.m. because it's so hot. Also it rains almost every afternoon around 2 p.m.

This week Sami also got to spend time with her cousin, Lindsey, who is home visiting from college. Sami had a great time playing with her earlier this week. And in a couple of weeks my sister, Norma, who lives in Texas, will be visiting. It's been almost a year since she was here last, so it will be fun for her to see how much Sami has changed and grown.

The other day I was looking through the clothes Sami has outgrown. I have everything packed in boxes, but I am not quite yet ready to give anything away, but I still have hopes for Baby #2 one day. The chances are slim, because I do not know if we will ever be able to afford to adopt again, but just in case, I am holding on to Sami's outgrown clothes.. for now anyway. Sami's preemie-size clothes are so very small. I think they aren't much different in size than doll clothes, so it is extremely unlikely we will ever need to use those again, but they're packed up with the other clothes for now anyway.

When I was looking through her old clothes, it brought back memories of how small Sami was when she was born. When people meet her now that didn't know her then, they find it hard to believe she was born weighing just 3 pounds and 9 ounces. She is the same size as other kids her age now, and has completely caught up. It still amazes me.

We are dog sitting for our neighbors this week, while they are out of town. The dogs are easy to take care of, and when we go to their house every day, Sami wants to play with them, even though they are two very large boxers. It's funny that Sami has no fear of dogs, no matter what the size. She thinks of our dogs as just part of the family, as they were here before she got here. She's never known a home without animals. Now when she pets Penny, she says "nice" over and over, because I am always telling her to make nice when she goes near them. She also loves to give Penny and Java lots of kisses. Penny appreciates it, but Java not-so-much. He usually gets up and runs away, which of course leads Sami to chase him around the house.

I've attached three photos: one of Sami hanging out with Penny and Java, one playing at a friend's house, and one with her eating her second favorite snack-- a frozen yogurt popsicle. (Her top favorite snacks are cookies.)

18 months old

Sami turned 18 months old last Friday, and today she had her 18-month checkup. 18 months old!!! How did we get here so quickly?

Sami weighs 24 pounds and is 33 inches tall. She is between the 75th and 90th percentile for height and in the 60th percentile for weight. It's hard to believe this is the same child who was born weighing 3 pounds.

It's been so long since I've written. There have been so many days in which I say to myself "Tonight I am going to blog." But then the day and night get the best of my time, and before I know it, the time is well into the early A.M. hours and I'm exhausted. So I obviously have a lot to say in this update.

Needless to say, Sami keeps me extremely busy. Saying she is an active child is putting it VERY mildly. She is on the go from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to sleep every day. Though she does nap some days, she doesn't nap every day anymore, and she is always on the go. She doesn't even sit down when she plays. She walks around with her toys and plays with them standing up. She climbs her changing table and the furniture and any stair she can find. She loves stairs. She really has become her own little person, and in case you didn't already know, I'm madly in love with this little person.

She says more words than I can count, give me tons of hugs and kisses, and quickly returns my smile with a smile of her own. People still stop us wherever we go to comment on how beautiful/adorable/cute/precious etc. etc. etc. they find Sami to be.

Sami and our greyhound, Penny, have gotten extremely close. In fact on a recent day when were out of the house all day, Sami came home and ran over to Penny and gave her a kiss.

She has so much hair that she's now wearing it in a little pony tail on top of her head most days, as I'm trying to avoid getting her hair cut as long as I can. She loves hats, and is always putting anything on her head and pretending it's a hat. Her new favorite is the spaghetti colander at my mom's house. She even knows which kitchen cabinet my mother keeps it in, and takes it out and wears it around the house when we visit my mom.

Going to the park has become a favorite pastime for both Sami and me. We go to the park very often, in addition to Mommy & Me classes, and lots of playdates with friends we have made. I've posted a photo here of Sami in a swing at the park, which she'd do for hours if I'd let her. I've also posted a recent photo of bubble time at Mommy & Me.

I am still working from home, and it's more challenging than ever balancing working and taking care of Sami throughout the days. Most days I wind up working after she goes to sleep at night and staying up late. I'm tired almost all of the time. Sometimes I don't even realize I am tired anymore. I guess I'm getting used to it. Then of course there are other days in which I'm so exhausted I can barely see straight. But of course it's worth it.

Going into Sami's room every morning when she wakes up is still the highlight of my day. When she sees me come in her room, she immediately starts clapping and saying "Yay!" And then when I pick her out of her crib, she generously grants me with a hug and kiss.

As you can tell, I can go on and on about Sami, and I promise to try and write updates more often. The days just go by so quickly, and unfortunately this blog is getting lost in the shuffle.

Thanks to everyone who continues to read when I do post here. Love to you all. :)

15 months and walking

On Monday night, at 15 months and 2 days old, Sami finally walked! She's taken a few steps before here and there in the past, but this was different. I'm not saying she is ready to run a marathon, but she walked across the playroom downstairs, and she did it several times. And while she did it each time, she laughed aloud the whole time, obviously very proud of herself!

Tomorrow is the last day Sami is contagious for the chicken pox, according to the pediatrician's office. Since we've been stuck at home for almost two weeks, I've really been working with her trying to get her to walk. I know she may have walked tonight regardless, but it gave Sami and I something to do to pass the time. I've really been going stir crazy being stuck at home, but Sami and I have had a lot of fun playing together. That said, I am really looking forward to us getting out the house!

Sami is also talking even more, and dancing and clapping every time she hears music. She is really quite a character and makes us laugh every day. We have to be really careful what we say now, as she repeats so many things she hears.

I can't believe she is already 15 months old. She is really her own little person, with her own personality (and her own huge temper, of course). She has so many teeth now, including molars on both the top and the bottom in the back of her mouth. She's growing so quickly, and I'm thinking she might even need her first haircut soon. :)

Chicken pox!

It's been a long week.

Last Monday, Sami developed a fever that began around 101 and wound up going to 104.4. Then on Thursday morning, she came down with the chicken pox as a reaction from the vaccine. It's a mild case of about 10 or so pox, and for some reason all of them are on her face. It's rare, but it happens. It follows a couple of months ago when she got a similar reaction after getting the MMR vaccine. One theory is that because she was born so early, she didn't get immunities in utero, as this usually takes place during the last two months of pregnancy.

Anyway, the first morning she scratched them a little, but since then she doesn't seem to even know they are there. But because they are contagious, Sami and I are stuck at home all day, every day. The last thing I want to do is spread the chicken pox around to anyone.

Meanwhile I am hoping that my one vaccine a couple of weeks ago will be enough to protect me. Adults are supposed to get two vaccines, four to eight weeks apart, to be fully protected. It's a few weeks too soon for me to get the second shot, so for now I am just hoping for the best!

Aside from that, things are going well. Steven's grandmother recently celebrated her 99th birthday, and Sami got to spend time with her grandparents (Steven's parents) while they were here visiting for the occasion. And of course Sami showed off for them, talking like she loves to do.

I also received my 40th birthday present from Steven, which he saved up for by doing extra freelance jobs, last week, as the jeweler needed some extra time to create it. I got beautiful diamond earrings that I will always cherish, remembering this special birthday. I haven't taken them off since I got them, and have no plans for them to leave my ears.

As for now, not many people feel safe coming into our home, with Sami having the chicken pox. I do not blame anyone, and I almost feel as though we are living in isolation. LOL. Thank goodness for the telephone and Internet or I'd have no communication with the outside world! It's been difficult keeping Sami entertained, but playdates are out the question. So I've playing with her and trying to keep her as busy as possible at home, working while she naps.