One Year with Sam

On February 16th, we celebrated our first Family Day with Sam. It's hard to believe one year ago we met our sweet little boy for the very first time in Tunja, Colombia. This was our very first time to Tunja. We drove through the quiet town navigating the steep roads and gazing at the colorful buildings, memorizing the images of our soon-to-be son's birth city.

Sam's team of social workers asked us to bring decorations to make this day extra special for him along with a special treat. We had scrambled the night before procuring party decorations, but thankfully we were able to locate some items for the special day. 

After the decorations were up, we waited for Sam's arrival to the Tunja ICBF office. We weren't sure how long it would be, and then all of the sudden, he was here! Sam was quite reserved upon arrival, taking everything in. He melted into Shane's arms as he scooped him up. We had been told that Sam was already quite the Papa's boy. He loved looking at Shane's pictures and listening to the voice recordings that we had sent to him while we waited to travel. 

It was hot in the tent, and we were sweating from the heat, while all the ICBF employees were wearing multiple layers and jackets. Poor Sam was a sweaty little ball, dressed in 3 layers of clothes. We had brought along ice cream for the party as one of the social workers had previously mentioned it was one of Sam's favorite treats. 

After ice cream, we got our first glimpse of Sam's personality as his sister handed him a ball and he purposefully let it drop to the floor, over and over again. 

Eventually we said our farewells to the Tunja ICBF team who had spent the past three years advocating for our son. They were all so very happy to see him finally united with his forever family.

As we made the journey back to our rental house in Villa de Leyva, Sam fell asleep in my arms. What a big day full of big changes! He was exhausted.

Our little boy has changed so very much over the last year. He's no longer a quiet observer, but a very opinionated and vocal little one with lots to do and say. Sam loves being upright on his feet navigating the house with assistance. While bearing weight through his legs is still hard for him, he's gotten so much stronger. He loves exploring the house, and with my assistance, he'll take a couple steps, then point in the direction he wants to go. Then off we go together, one step at a time, until he reaches his destination of choice, which, much like his sister Aria, is usually the bathroom! He loves to open and close the bathroom door and play with the water as it flows out of the faucet.

Not only have Sam's legs gotten stronger, but so has his trunk. He's getting so very close to sitting independently. He's even sat up for well over a minute all by himself! 

His arms have also gotten stronger and he's able to self-propel short distances in his little Bella's Bumbas wheelchair. But his favorite and easiest mode of transportation is on his back. He'll lay on his back and push with both legs, scooting himself slowly across the floor. Before we know it, he's digging in the beverage fridge or has pushed himself across the house and into the mudroom! He's definitely a little boy on a mission to move.

Sam communicates in many ways. He has mastered pointing as a way to request the items he desires. He has about a dozen words, including - yes, no, please, and help. He's even been stringing the words together to form a sentence, "Help me, please" is one of his most frequently used sentences. He understands nearly everything we say. We just need to be sure to ask the question correctly with a yes-or-no response to properly communicate with him. 

Sam has become a bit of a YouTube Kids junkie. He often requests his iPad by pointing to it and when asked, "Do you want your iPad?" He'll sheepishly smile while saying "yes". His favorite YouTube channels are Blippi, Jason Vlogs, and Hudson's Playground. He loves to watch them do all sorts of silly things.

Sam has become strangely obsessed with my black winter jacket. I'm not sure how it all started, but he absolutely loves helping me unzip it and pull it off one sleeve at a time. He'll point towards my coat with the biggest grin on his face. And when I reply, "Do you want to play coats?", he'll enthusiastically yell, "YES!!!"  Then up goes the zipper, down goes the zipper, off comes a sleeve followed by the next sleeve, usually followed by a big hug from Sam. And then we repeat the process over and over again.

Sam is an amazing eater. Not only can he chew and drink out of a straw (which we weren't certain that he'd be able to do, but he can and does it very well!!), but he eats the broadest diet of any 4 year old I've known. Avocados, tomatoes, salads are a few of his favorites - he sure LOVES his veggies. He gets so very excited when offered his favorite foods, one being chicken and wild rice soup. He'll get the biggest smile on his face while his feet boop up and down, and he shouts, "YES, YES, YES!" when offered a can of his favorite soup.

Besides food, Sam is a huge fan of his sister Rose. She is his all-time favorite sibling, despite many attempts by the others to win him over. He adores Rose and will beckon her by name shouting, "Rosie! Rosie!" then she'll scoop him up and off they go, playing on the floor or snuggling on the couch. He simply cannot get enough time with his Rosie.

Sam loves to sing along to catchy tunes. Whenever a good beat comes on the radio, he starts humming along. It's pretty stinkin' cute! Just make sure you don't start to sing along with him. Sam has strong options on that topic and is it not at all shy about expressing his feelings when mom starts belting out the lyrics. There will be a frustrated, "Mom, no!" yelled out by him. He definitely prefers to sing solo.

Sam and Aria are inseparable. Where one goes, the other usually follows. Long drives all over the metro and beyond for daily therapy sessions and lots of playtime at home. On those rare days when Aria's not with him, Sam is sure to ask about her at least a dozen times. He's always very concerned about his big sisters whereabouts.

On February 16th, we celebrated Sam's 1st Family Day with all his favorite things to do - surfing YouTube Kids on his iPad...

Swinging...

Jumping on the trampoline...

And more swinging!

We finished up our celebration with take-out from Noodles and Company. He loves their gluten-free pasta with marina and chicken. 

Sam - we are so very thankful to be able to wake up to your adorable grin every morning and your sweet hugs every night. You are an amazing little boy, and we are so very blessed to call you our son. We are forever grateful to be chosen as your family. We couldn't imagine our lives without your giggle and double dimples. A very happy Family Day to you, Sam. We love you to the moon and back!