Dearest Sammy:You recently turned two. You are such a joy in our lives. You light up every room you walk into with your warmth and your crazy expressions and that spectacular curly hair. You let us know what your needs are and you demand that they be met--the sooner, the better. You are most definitely a second child.
You are talking up a storm and you walk up to us with your arms outstretched and say "hug". You get incredibly jealous when I hold Ben, because like most two year olds, the world revolves around you. You love to have an audience, and when we laugh at something you did at dinner, you look so proud of yourself. You are less cautious than your brother, but still by no means a daredevil. You love to dance and listen to music. You love to eat spaghetti, tomatoes, ice cream and cake. On your birthday, when I made chocolate cake, you walked around the house all day saying 'num', 'cake' and 'happy'. You grab our hands and say "come on". You grab the Playstation remote and you say 'game' as you walk around the house with it (even though you are not actually playing). You can finally say 'Ben'.
When we still lived in California, before you were born, we saw a financial advisor for awhile. She told us we were not in a financial position to have a second child. We decided "Screw her. Poor people have children all the time." And I am so glad we did not take her advice to heart. Money is fleeting, but you my dear are priceless. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Happy birhday Sam.
Love, Mom
In the hospital:
with Natalie:
At one year old:
Birthday fete:
Another Letter for Sam
in portraits