TWO!

Dearest Sammers,

Today marks your second trip ’round the sun. It’s super cliche to talk about how quickly children grow, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if wormholes were involved or something. This year went at friggin warp speed.

And what a year it’s been! You have learned and grown SO MUCH. I’ll just list some milestones off the top of my head because coherent prose isn’t coming easily today. Look at what you’ve done, Buddy:

1. You had your FIRST HAIRCUT! (And subsequently several more, which is good because food ends up in your hair a lot.)
2. You had ear tubes put in, which are nothing short of miraculous. Ear infections, BE GONE!
3. You learned how to walk! It was on your own terms and a bit later than is typical, but you’ve always been kind of a rebel.
4. You learned your letters! (Which, frankly, was a complete shock to me. We definitely didn’t drill you on that, so high five to daycare and the more-than-recommended-amount of screen time you get, I guess?)
5. You can count! Sure, occasionally “chicken” pops up when you get past ten, but chickens are awesome.
6. You have developed an affinity for “gourmet” food combinations. Would I have dipped dill pickle slices into blueberry yogurt or teddy grahams into meat sauce or blueberries into honey mustard? No. But I admire your culinary creativity.

We’ve had our share of struggles and tantrums and stomach viruses, but you are SO SO SO loved. You’ve brought me more smiles and laughter in your two years than anyone ever in the universe. If it were possible, I’d have exploded into a shower of glitter by now out of the sheer force of my love for you. Lucky for all of us, that isn’t a thing that happens, because, among other things, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to clean up.

Predictably, I teared up last night while reading I Love You Just Like This, just like last year. It’s not even meant to be one of those smooshy parent feelings books, but it always gets to me. I think it’s because it speaks to the way I express love. It’s silly and sweet and full of quirky metaphors. I will ALWAYS love you bluer than Cookie Monster’s toes.

Happy Birthday, Samuel James.

XOXO,

Mommy

PS- Dada certainly shares these sentiments, but I imagine he’d argue that he wouldn’t have exploded into a glitter shower of pure love. He’d probably have turned into a Transformer or something.