Samantha's first blog

pamelamyers | July 31, 2017

It was Sam’s favorite (not) day of the year, her twice annual trip to the dentist. Thankfully, she has really mellowed about it. She still doesn’t like it, but it is not the screamfest it used to be. She just whines about it a lot. And more thankfully, she always has a perfect checkup. This year, I was interested in a couple of things: (1) if any of her baby teeth are loose because it’s been ages since she lost any, and (2) I wanted to ask her regular dentist about those sealants that were recommended. The last time she was at the dentist, it wasn’t her usual one, and honestly, I didn’t like the woman. She recommended the sealants, didn’t really tell me what they were and kind of blew me off. We were the last appointment of the day, and I kind of felt like she was just rushing us out the door. I did speak to my dentist about them at my next visit and got a ton of useful info. He doesn’t recommend them for all kids, only ones who would seem to benefit from them because of the actual physicality of their molars, their own dental history, their family dental history (as in, how strong are your parents’ teeth), etc.

Her regular dentist was there, Dr. Megan, and she said Sam’s x-rays looked great, and her teeth are in perfect shape. She did point out to me that her next two adult teeth on the bottom are clearly ready to pop through her gums, but her teeth aren’t loose yet. She told me that once they break the gumline, give the baby tooth three weeks to start getting loose, if it isn’t already. If it’s not loose, give them a call. I don’t know how I never noticed the adult teeth! I brush her teeth every day! She never mentioned the sealants, so I brought them up. She told me that she thinks it would be premature for Sam to have them, which is why she didn’t mention them, but she did see the note from the other dentist. I was glad that she mentioned all the factors that my dentist did as a consideration. I really like this dentist – I hope she never leaves! She told me that Sam’s adult molars are not 100% protruded from her gums yet, so she would wait. It was her plan to re-evaluate in six months. So, I’ll see what she says. But in the meantime, Sam checked out perfectly, got lots of little jewelry and prizes, and it was a good day!

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pamelamyers | July 30, 2017

Today Sam got a new bike! Mark was trying to give me some peace and quiet, so he took Sam to ride in Manayunk. They rode the trail that we rode before and you can see, she was having a great time.

More geese to feed. Yikes. This kid is bird obsessed lately! She fed them all her goldfish and Nilla wafers that Mark brought as her snack.

You can tell she needs a new bike, especially from these pictures. She looks so big for her bike, but she has been a little reluctant to get a new one.

She was ready to go home, but Mark’s plan was to stop in the bike store to see what they had for her. We figured we’d get her a new bike for her birthday, but we had to start looking now. Mark said as soon as Sam saw this bike, she was done. She loved it! Apparently, they let her test ride it in a lot across the street, and the minute she got on it, she just took off!

Sam liked seeing her bike up on the mount getting tuned up, just like an adult bike.

This is one happy face. Mark called me to make sure I was ok with her having the bike now instead of for her birthday and I said, of course! Mark said she was so happy, that it would have been impossible to let her test drive it then tell her she couldn’t ride it until the end of September. We did tell her though, that it is her birthday gift, and she is only getting some small things from us on her actual birthday.

They stopped for celebratory ice cream afterwards.

The minute she got home, she just had to show me how well she rides. I will say, that bike was made for her. She goes faster, and longer, and can do so many more things. It even has a hand brake for her to start using instead of only the back pedal. We offered to put her basket on, but she said no. I think she feels like her bike is a “big kid” bike and the basket is not “big kid.” She’s so grown up in so many ways now.

Thank you, Daddy!

After dinner, we rode over as a family to St. Matthew’s, her old preschool, where she likes to tool around in the parking lot. One thing she quickly realized about her new bike is that it has black tires, and thus, her tires can make skid marks. She has been obsessed with the ability to do this since July 4th when Julia had her bike here and Mark showed Julia how to do it. This one was purely accidental – she was trying to not crash into me – but boy, was she happy as a clam! Her first skid!

Enjoy your new ride, Samantha! To think, only a few months ago you were crying about getting your training wheels off, now look at you go!

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pamelamyers | July 29, 2017

We were at a baby shower today for a family member, Katie, and at one point, Sam asked me what the baby’s name was going to be. We told her that we didn’t know. Everyone knows it is a girl, but the baby’s parents were keeping the name a secret until the baby is born. Sam very matter of factly told me that if she has a baby girl, she is going to name her Violet. We all thought it was a very nice name. Where she got it, I have no idea, but still. Glad she’s thinking ahead!

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pamelamyers | July 24, 2017

And the story continues! We had such a good time on the beach. The water was warm, and much to Sam’s delight, hermit crabs abound! Well, at least if you have Mark along to find them.

It was probably the most relaxing beach vacation I’ve had, as far as beach time. Sam amused herself enough that I actually read a book – shocking! We also had time to just take a rest on the sand.

But, you can’t just sit in the sand all day, there are attractions to see! Places to go! We knew there was a decent sized Ferris Wheel, so you know we had to do that. Here it is – the skywheel!

It was pretty nice, actually. Just about the size of the one in Ocean City, NJ, but you sit in air conditioned little “rooms”. What views!

Sam liked this big chair outside the wheel. Could it be any bigger? She could hardly climb on the thing.

We found a place to eat and Sam agreed to take a bite of my chicken taco. She said it was “okay.” She has been trying more and more foods lately, but I’ll post about that later.

Sam found an arcade so….in we went. You didn’t think we’d get away with skipping that, did you?

The view from the boardwalk was beautiful. Look at that sky!

I used to vacation a lot in Myrtle Beach when I was a kid, and I always remember going to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum. It’s kind of cheesy, but since it’s still there, I wanted to take Sam. She saw a lot of freaky things, but I was surprised that there were also some regular things too. One was a giant Lite Brite. Mark quickly helped Sam spell her name before anyone else came to mess it up. Sam had no idea what a Lite Brite was, but now she wants one! Not a bad toy for her to want.

There were other cool things too, like this thing that showed your movements on the screen and enhanced them with weird special effects. It was really neat.

This one was a giant screen in a room playing dance music and when you danced it projected you on the screen. That was fun.

The next beach day, hunting for hermit crabs. No luck this day, but they had fun.

Instead, Sam and I made Barbie a castle. We did that a lot that week – making Barbie castles and Sam making Barbie complain about all of them so we had to keep rebuilding parts, and making her shovels evil enemies that tried to invade Barbie’s castles. It was funny.

Mark tried his hand at boogie boarding and Sam cheered him on the whole time. She loves her Daddy.

It was a great week. The weather wasn’t terribly hot so we didn’t bake on the beach. The water felt super warm to me, compared to NJ, but Dan and Eileen said it is usually warmer. I was happy the way it was, believe me!

Many, many more duck/swan/goose photos. Sam had so much fun. She fed the swan so many times. We all did, actually. How can you resist?

More pool play. Here is Sam swimming for her ball over the water. She is getting better and better, she just needs practice.

Hot tub time!

I bought a bunch of new bathing suits this year and when I bought this one, I didn’t realize how similar the pattern was to one of Sam’s swim shirts. She loves being “twinsies” with me.

Mermaid Sam 🙂

Now it’s Daddy’s turn to wave jump.

We only went to the water park for a short time, but Sam just had to try to lazy river, mostly because, unlike in the lazy river at our pool, she was allowed to be in her own tube.

Last night, and we had to say goodbye to all Sam’s feathered friends (and the turtles). She is going to miss them. It was really cute. It was getting late, and I think the ducks realized we had no more food, and they all started swimming away and tucking in on the rocks for the night. Sam watched baby duck swim to the opposite side of the lake with one adult duck. I said to Sam that I think baby duck and his mom are going to bed. Sam thought it was adorable and yelled to baby duck, “Good night, baby duck, I will miss you!” and all the sudden, baby duck and the other duck came swimming back to us as fast as they could. Sam couldn’t have been more thrilled that he came to say goodbye to her. It made her night.

We got to the airport early, and I just love this picture. Sam looks like such the experienced traveler, just waiting for her flight. Such a jet setter, my girl.

Home we go! Sam led the way onto the plane.

Home in Philadelphia and home to our kitties!

We were planning on taking an Uber home, and for some reason, this made Sam so happy. I don’t know exactly why, but she was tickled pink. So, here she is, in her first Uber ride! Crazy girl!

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pamelamyers | July 24, 2017

We just got back from Myrtle Beach! We had such a good time. It is the first time we have ever been on vacation as a family in an actual hotel! Or really, the first time we have taken a non-Jersey Shore vacation. We never would have even considered it, probably, but my boss Dan, and his wife Eileen, go every single year and they just really wanted another couple to vacation with. Dan travels so much for work, that he has a million (literally, I think) hotel points for Hilton, and since the Embassy Suites where they stay is a Hilton property, he said he could get our room for free if we wanted to go. We have known each other forever and have gotten to be friends, so Mark and I decided that we would have been crazy to not take him up on it, since we only had to pay airfare.

Packing is never fun, and the cats were not too happy to see suitcases come out. As you can see, Zach was doing his best to keep us from leaving!

Leave we did, though, and we made it to the airport in plenty of time. Sam absolutely loves the airport and I have no idea why. I guess just because it’s different. Does anyone love the airport? Just our kid I think.

I swear, her fascination with skeletons kills me. She found one! I think this was a Kiehl’s store or something. Crazy.

When it was time to board, Sam got all settled in to her window seat. She had her new travel Spirograph out and ready to go! She has been dying to use that on the plane. We came ready with lots of coloring and drawing materials, and of course, her Kindle.

I actually got time to read my magazine while Sam played. She just loves the beverage cart. Apple juice, please!

Here is where we stayed, or rather, the view from the elevator lobby. I am in the hotel overlooking the property which had two pools, two hot tubs and a water park. More on all that later…

The view from our balcony. Ahhhh….the ocean!

Sam liked our suite and that we had multiple rooms. Mark and I loved it too – at least when Sam fell asleep at night, we had some privacy to talk.

We hit the beach the next day and Sam immediately set out playing with Barbie. I was a little worried that she would make us crazy. I could only pack so many toys since we were flying, a few collapsible buckets, a few shovels and her Barbie, but she was so good the whole time. She never complained she was bored. There were a million perfect seashells to collect, so we did a lot of that, of course.

Sam tried boogie boarding for the first time. I can’t believe it! I never thought she’d be so brave. She didn’t love it, mostly because water kept splashing up her nose, but I think with a nose clip, she would be pretty good. At first she wouldn’t let Mark let go of the strap, but then she finally went on her own!

Do you love the goggles? She asked me to buy her a pair in the hotel shop to keep water from getting in her eyes. They were super cute, and cheap, so why not?

Sam and I did our usual wave jumping. I don’t know what I will do when she is too big for me to lift!

We wanted to send Grandmom a postcard through an app I have on my phone, and this is the picture she chose – her starfish pose. She is a nut.

We all loved our lounge chairs and umbrella, sitting waiting for us each day. What a way to relax at the beach!

I buried Sam, but not all the way. She was happy though. The sand was so different than in New Jersey. It brushed right off and didn’t stick at all (thank God).

Every day after being on the beach a while, we’d head to the pool. One day, a little tortoiseshell cat came walking by. It reminded us of Penny. 🙁

When I told Sam she could get in the hot tub, she was so excited. She’d never been in one before. This is her first time, and she was loving it! I told her we need to convince Daddy we need one for our backyard. 🙂

Hot tub selfie!

On this trip, even the pool water was warm so Sam was really willing to try a lot of swimming. She improved so much! I couldn’t believe it. She tried swimming above water by moving her arms, which she never wants to do, and even tried to master a handstand, just like her Daddy.

We borrowed Dan’s underwater camera for these shots!

I was so proud of how well Sam did with her swimming. She went underwater to dive in 5 feet of water, which is way more than she ever did before.

They had a kid’s activity tent and one day Mark took Sam to do tie dye shirts. It was a fun distraction for her and she got a great souvenir!

There was a lot to do, and one night we went to what is called Broadway at the Beach. It is as close to boardwalk-type activities as you can get for Sam. She really liked it, and it was a fun place to stroll around.

We found one of those penny machines so she got a new one for her growing collection.

Ha! This one is for Mommy. 🙂

There is a lake filled with fish sort of in the middle of everything, and machines that give you food so you can feed them. Sam loved that. Anytime we can feed animals, she’s all about it.

There were a lot of firsts on this trip for Sam too – her first cotton candy (thumbs down)…

and her first Hawaiian shaved ice (semi-thumbs up).

I think Sam’s favorite thing was this pick your own pearl thing. Basically, there is a tank full of oysters and you pick one and get to keep the pearl inside. The pearls are not perfectly round, but they are pearls nonetheless. The pearl could be white, pink, black or blue. I didn’t think she was likely to get a white one, so I warned her that we were doing it ONE TIME. Whatever she gets, she gets. She promised to not be disappointed no matter what.

She got a white one! The woman running the stand said it was only the second white one that day. Sam picked a mermaid necklace to display it in. She felt like the luckiest kid ever.

On the way home, we had to stop to let a flock of geese cross the road. Geesh guys, you have wings, fly!

We stopped for ice cream one night after dinner. It wasn’t Sam’s beloved soft serve swirl, but she rolled with it.

Back at the hotel, there is a lagoon/lake sort of thing next to the property. We went over to check it out one night and boy, was it full of ducks! They are nowhere to be seen until you come over. These ducks are not stupid. They know that human voices equals food! Sam was thrilled!

Her very, very favorite is baby duck. It was the only baby duck we saw, but boy, was Sam enamored with him or her! Baby duck made the whole thing, as far as Sam was concerned.

We walked the length of the lake and discovered a black swan also lived there! Crazy! None of us ever saw one before. It was so beautiful. Other than ducks, we only saw one goose and a whole lot of turtles. Lots and lots of turtles!

But boy, were there ducks! Mark actually ran to the store and bought Sam crackers so she could feed everyone. She had a blast. We were back there every single night so Sam could see and feed her little friends.

Grandmom asked Sam to write her a message in the sand, so she did. We framed it for Grandmom when we got home.

I don’t know how he does it, but Mark certainly has a knack for finding hermit crabs. He found her some!

Sam made a friend, Chloe, and they played for a while. It turns out they were from Lancaster. Small world…

More of Sam’s little friends, a lizard we saw over by the pools. There was a baby lizard, or a skink, we were told it was called, but he was too fast to photograph.

When we finally hit the water park one day, Sam tried the slide. She only went down twice, and the second time she hid her face so she wouldn’t get water in her eyes. I think I’d be freaked out going down blind, but she loved it.

Day after day, night after night was packed with activity. At dinner one night, the restaurant’s resident piano player let Sam sit with him. He even gave Sam his CD and played her some songs she would know (like from Beauty and Beast). She felt very special.

Here we all are after dinner. Someone was nice enough to take our photo.

Dan and Eileen. 🙂

After dinner, you guessed it, back to the lake. The ducks cracked her up.

They were very friendly birds, even the goose, which is odd. Geese can be kind of mean. This guy was friendly though.

The swan was super friendly! We quickly figured out he was very gentle and would take crackers out of your hand!

We were in South Carolina, and thus, fireworks stores abound. One night we stopped in one just to see what you can buy. Stupid Pennsylvania! You can’t buy anything. Mark was tempted to buy a few things and set them off (we were given info about where we could), but instead, we just got some super long sparklers for Sam to light on the beach. She was happy. It doesn’t take much. We did see some beach fireworks one night from our hotel window. That was awesome.

More photos to come!

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