Sammy conquering everything
Yeah, I know I promised a round of of everything cultural I've been doing (with a special "Did you know all this was FREE?!?!") in the past month or so, but something more special has been up.
It's Sammy's birthday, and that takes precedence.
I've already written before about what a ray of sunshine he is, and I used to be afraid that one day he'd just turn into a mouthy teenager and all that. I've kind of evolved that for two reasons. One, everything that's been happening lately has taught me to live in the present, and enjoy today, because you will go crazy dreading tomorrow. The other is that, I'm pretty well convinced that although Sammy will go through a rebellious phase, I think he's always going to be a guy with a sunny disposition, generous and caring about his family and friends, and funny as all hell to boot. It's just in him.
Even when he was little, he's always been able to make me laugh with brilliant comic timing. (Granted, the humor behind the timing was kind of simple and sometimes coarse, but still...). And he's always been able to make me smile, whether it's been with his artwork ("Mom, this is a leaf monster that's going after Godzilla!") his enthusiastic singing, or just a big squeezy hug either out of the clear blue sky, or when he' sees that I'm down and could use a hug. He's very sensitive about that too -- he innately knows when something's wrong and genuinely wants to help.
He's come so far this year. He's conquered the monkey bars (so I don't have to spot him across any more), he's conquered cracking eggs into a bowl, he's conquered his fear of going down a tube slide at a water park, he's conquered reading! He's massively curious about math and how numbers work and how much x times y is, and I know all these things will show up on his report card at school. He's so insanely happy when he hits a milestone, and his joy de vivre is so infectious I put him to bed every night and thank whatever name I'm referring to "God" with that he's in my life.
But when that report card comes, I read it and see all the progress he makes, and there's a constant message every term that makes me explode with happiness and pride. Yes, he's reading. Yes, he gets his numbers. Yes, he's understanding those basic little kid physics. But every term, his card ends with how he reacts with his classmates and it always says "Sammy is a good friend."
And he is. This summer I saw a particular instance of that: he'd wiped out on a cement sidewalk (after I told him NOT to run because it wasn't the best paved cement ever) and he'd badly skinned his knee. After that was taken care of and the ensuing Federal case was closed (all accidents involving blood-- even less than a drop of road rash-- do involve a Federal case, you know), he saw his playmates horsing around the same way. "Don't run! Don't do it!" he cried in a panic to them -- clearly worried about them and not wanting them to suffer this same fate. It was genuinely his concern for his buddies that was coming across his face and voice. He does this a lot -- he warns us of bad things, and he's always willing to share good things with all of us. Sammy is a good friend, and he's conquered our hearts.
Happy birthday, little buddy!
It's Sammy's birthday, and that takes precedence.
I've already written before about what a ray of sunshine he is, and I used to be afraid that one day he'd just turn into a mouthy teenager and all that. I've kind of evolved that for two reasons. One, everything that's been happening lately has taught me to live in the present, and enjoy today, because you will go crazy dreading tomorrow. The other is that, I'm pretty well convinced that although Sammy will go through a rebellious phase, I think he's always going to be a guy with a sunny disposition, generous and caring about his family and friends, and funny as all hell to boot. It's just in him.
Even when he was little, he's always been able to make me laugh with brilliant comic timing. (Granted, the humor behind the timing was kind of simple and sometimes coarse, but still...). And he's always been able to make me smile, whether it's been with his artwork ("Mom, this is a leaf monster that's going after Godzilla!") his enthusiastic singing, or just a big squeezy hug either out of the clear blue sky, or when he' sees that I'm down and could use a hug. He's very sensitive about that too -- he innately knows when something's wrong and genuinely wants to help.
He's come so far this year. He's conquered the monkey bars (so I don't have to spot him across any more), he's conquered cracking eggs into a bowl, he's conquered his fear of going down a tube slide at a water park, he's conquered reading! He's massively curious about math and how numbers work and how much x times y is, and I know all these things will show up on his report card at school. He's so insanely happy when he hits a milestone, and his joy de vivre is so infectious I put him to bed every night and thank whatever name I'm referring to "God" with that he's in my life.
But when that report card comes, I read it and see all the progress he makes, and there's a constant message every term that makes me explode with happiness and pride. Yes, he's reading. Yes, he gets his numbers. Yes, he's understanding those basic little kid physics. But every term, his card ends with how he reacts with his classmates and it always says "Sammy is a good friend."
And he is. This summer I saw a particular instance of that: he'd wiped out on a cement sidewalk (after I told him NOT to run because it wasn't the best paved cement ever) and he'd badly skinned his knee. After that was taken care of and the ensuing Federal case was closed (all accidents involving blood-- even less than a drop of road rash-- do involve a Federal case, you know), he saw his playmates horsing around the same way. "Don't run! Don't do it!" he cried in a panic to them -- clearly worried about them and not wanting them to suffer this same fate. It was genuinely his concern for his buddies that was coming across his face and voice. He does this a lot -- he warns us of bad things, and he's always willing to share good things with all of us. Sammy is a good friend, and he's conquered our hearts.
Happy birthday, little buddy!
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