Five and 2 1/2!

I got in a nice 5 mile run on the Highland Green loop this morning. I headed out around 6:45 am - earlier than I've run in a while, but it was the only time that worked with our schedule today. The sun was low in the sky and bright in my eyes. There was a bit of a breeze and it was cool out, but I warmed up quickly. I made an attempt at turning my legs over a bit more quickly than they have been recently, finishing up the 5 miles in 43:04. Not exactly a record, but it will do. I'll be working on cramming a lot of miles into the next few days. Wish me luck :-)

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OK, so Sam won't really be 2 1/2 for another week, but it is close enough! I can hardly believe how grown up she is getting. She looks more and more like a little kid every day. That is not to say she is big; in fact, she is still pretty small - weighing in at only 23 lbs 8 oz this morning at the doctor's office for her ear check :-) (For the record, there is still fluid in her ears, so one more round of a different antibiotic before we get a referral to an Ear, Nose, Throat doctor for a consultation.)

Out hiking (and looking like such a big girl!)

She cracks us up daily with the things she says. I got her a doctor's kit the other week and she loves to check everyone's ears. Yesterday, she turned very seriously to me and said, "Mama, I am so upset. This baby is sick." She checks her baby's ears too, and thinks that everyone she checks is sick :-) So cute. But not as cute as the way she said "I am so upset" with just the right sort of note in her voice!

She knows a lot of songs, and has memorized a few of her favorite books. I tried to catch her on video reading "Brown Bear Brown Bear" as she really gets into that one, but it didn't work. If she knows the gist of a story, she will "read" it to us or her babies, saying the title of the book over and over to us as she turns the page. If she doesn't remember what book it is that we are reading she will say, "I don't know that one."

Sammy singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." 

(Yes, she is on the potty, but you can't see anything. 

And, yes, one day, she may hate me for taking this video, but oh well :-) )

We are trying (sort of) to potty train her. She loves to sit on her little potty and wear her big kid pants, but has yet to actually produce anything while sitting on the potty. Sort of defeats the purpose, eh? :-) Ah well, we'll get there!

She loves to be outside, and will point out chickadees and blue jays to me by name as they flit around out back, eating the bird seed I put out. We've taken her on a few walks along the easier Cathance trails and she can easily walk a 1/2 mile or so, very interested in the color of the blazes, the leaves, the river, etc.

She has started a music class at daycare, and a few weeks ago told me she needed "her mallet" for drumming. Then she picked up the two cans of almonds she had been eating from, and decided we needed to do some drumming on them. Adorable, if noisy :-)

Drumming

She loves to play hide and seek, although her version includes things such as "Mama, you hide right here. I go count and come find you." Or, "I hide here. Go count, Mama." So much for the "hide" part :-)

She recognizes and can find the letters "S" (for Sammy), "M" (for "Mama and Auntie Meg), "D" for "Daddo and my Mama Danielle"), "G" for Grammie and Grampie, and "P" for Pippi. She sometimes can find "N" for Neenie and "B" for Bampie. She knows her name, and the town we live in, and knows where Grammie and Grampie, and Neenie and Pippi live. She has started to call Morgan "Morgan" instead of "Morgum," which is sweet, but sort of sad. I did love how she said that one! She can now count to 13 (thank you, daycare!) although after that it sort of ends up something like, "13, eleventeen, seven!" :-) Ha!

I could go on and on, but those are some of the Sammy highlights from the past month. She is a character, that's for sure!