Ah, a day out without Samantha. It felt very strange. Michelle, a friend of Matt's, came over in the afternoon and we went to see Harry Potter. I was convinced that Samantha would scream the whole time, but Michelle assures us that actually she spent the whole time playing and generally being her charming self. We brought Matt's cell phone to the movie theater and I still couldn't stop thinking about her. I clearly need to get out more. When I walked in the door, I picked her up and held her for about twenty minutes, smooching her. It felt pretty good to have her grab my hair and smooch me back a few times. I didn't even mind the slime.

Today, we went to a holiday party at Tom and Ellen's. They have a gorgeous old Victorian in Jamaica Plain. Samantha looked particularly fetching in her purple velvet party dress with the crinoline skirt. And her smiles were double watts of joy. She really lights up a room, this one.

I am exhausted. Sam may not have yelled with Michelle, but she sure yelled without her. When Matt left to take Michelle home, Samantha woke up and screamed for the next hour until Matt got home. She didn't want to eat, didn't want to snuggle, just wanted to scream. I gave her some aspirin and that seemed to help. I was shaking all over by the time Matt came in. It took me awhile to calm down enough to fall asleep. So, no wonder I am tired today. That and Ella and I had a nice walk in the woods this morning. Fresh air always tires me out.