Sam was not satisfied today that I read her four books, most of her choosing. She wanted “more!” She particularly wanted to read “Harold and the Magic Garden.” I told her to read it for herself, and she starts sobbing in a most pitiful voice, “But Mommy, I can’t read.” Well, clearly we are greatly remiss in our parental duties here. A three year old who can’t read! She told me that Daddy would teach her. I am sure he will.

I’ve been having an interesting time walking in the warmish weather with Sam and the dogs. Sam runs around the house barking with Tucker when someone goes by on the street. Whenever guests come to the door, I put Ella and Tucker on the stairs so guests can physically make it through the door before getting kissed and hugged by the dogs. Sam insists on going up the stairs with them. Luckily she also feeds them and makes them sit and do a down for treats, or the dogs would get very confused about who is alpha.

For the past two nights she has dressed herself for bed, including finding and putting on her pull-ups. She dresses herself in the morning, mostly, and helps me feed the dogs. She scoops out the food, has the dogs do a sit, and puts the food in their trays. She gives them the release when it is time for them to eat their food. They listen very attentively to her at those times, not so well when she is walking around with cheese in her hand. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t steal it from her hand, but they do follow her around the house and sniff it a lot.

Sam and I went to Smith College for some much needed Spring away time. Matt was in Naples, FL for work, but I managed just fine in Middle MA. We saw the Smith Museum of Arts, which had a special A. St Gaudens exhibit. She didn’t care much for the artwork, but she did like the stairs and benches, as well as the specially designed toilet bowls with blue designs under the rim. Very cool. We also went to a butterfly conservatory, Magic Wings, and the Dr. Seuss sculpture garden. Very cute. Sam seemed to enjoy it, but the most fun we had was swimming in the small pool at the hotel, and walking to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. She is pretty upset with me that I lost all of her binkies on the trip. She kept whining for it, and it was only 10 in the morning. I had enough, so I locked them all in the glove compartment. If she was going to whine anyway, I may as well just have her finish all her whining for a few days and then be done with her whining for a binky. That night she slept fine without it. She was up (with her dad) for five hours the next night crying for it, a few hours the next night, and now she doesn’t ask for it all. She is even fine without one at Jim’s, and several of the other children have them. I think she sleeps better now, actually, than ever before. She isn’t waking up in the middle of the night missing the binky because she didn’t fall asleep with one.

I have to say it was an incredible experience walking through Smith campus with Sam. I felt like two people. I remember being there as an undergraduate, and now I have my daughter. I never could have imagined the person I have become. I really enjoy who I am now, so much more than I did as a young woman. I think I want to go back out when the flowers and magnolia trees are blooming. It is a gorgeous time then.

It's finally happened. Samantha is sleeping through the night without a pacifier. She still asks for one from time to time, and I think she's emotionally a little uneasy about not having them, but any progress is good progress.

Sam and I just had a tea party with Tucker, which delighted Sam no end. Tucker had a saucer with a couple of treats and a dash of milk. He was in heaven. Sam had the plate of cookies, which I thought meant I would not be touching them. She hands me one, "Here Mommy, you need a cookie too!" Aw, she's a sweetie. Now I have to put eye ointment in her eye and then she will turn into a squirming octopus. I hate giving medicine to Sam when she doesn't want it.

Sam has pink eye. Poor kid. When I got her from day care, she was just waking up. We noticed her eyes were covered in goop. I found the Mystic River Pediatrics and Dr. Bloss fixed her up with some eye ointment and some oral antibiotics, since she has been sick so long and is getting worse, not better. Her cough is really phlegmy and her nose is getting so stuffy it won’t even run anymore. She is so good about taking her medicine. I couldn’t be prouder of her. The rough part is getting the ointment in her eyes, but I only have to do that for two days.

Sam asked me to marry her the other day. I told her she was my daughter and there was no closer relationship than that. She will always be my daughter and we don’t have to have a wedding to make it official. I think I also said our ties are closer than any husband’s, but I can’t really say that in fairness. I hope she finds someone she can be even closer to when she is an adult. Just not for a long time yet. I’m having too much fun with her and I am not ready to share her yet.

In the pool today Sam wanted me to move. So what does she say? “Excuse me, Madam.” I laughed so hard. I have no idea where she got that from, but it was hysterical.

If I call her my little bunny, she informs me she is my little penguin, and when I remind her that penguins eat raw fish heads, she gets this prim little voice and tells me she is a penguin that eats fish heads that Grandpa cooked. That evidently makes everything okay.