Our younger middle child...

Samara or "ti poul" as she is known at the "O", is the shy one in the family but don't let that fool you. She is very smart & independent. She's not quite as strong willed as Phoebe...thank you Lord! You can see a totally different side of her when it's just the two of you & no one else is around. She gets all giggly & turns into a "turkey ham." She's very much a cuddler. She attached to my hip in July when we first met & our visit together a week ago was no different. She's perfectly content to be on my hip & carried every where. I love the cute way she say's "wi" which means yes but was not so impressed by the way she demanded "dlo" which means water, every night before bed. We had to have a little talk about that :o) She was a little skittish of Papa in July but has since really warmed up to him. When she looked at his picture in her picture book she excitedly said, "Papa, Papa!" She also talked to him on the phone while I was there & she told him that she loved him. She is very sensitive & observant. She watched everything I did & tried to imitate most things I did. It was so cute to watch her in a full length mirror as we were putting our swim suits on to get ready to swim. She did every thing I did including running her fingers through her hair...which is not easy for her considering it's all in little tight braids. She looked at me in my swimsuit...which isn't one of my most flattering moments...and said, "Mama bel" which means "Mama beautiful."

I was somewhat saddened about how she reacted to us leaving in July & did not know what to expect this time. In July when she was told that we were leaving & she couldn't come with us yet she just shut down & walked away from us & wouldn't talk to us anymore. This time when she saw me she just started crying...which was my response the first time I saw her. When she was told this time that I was leaving & she couldn't come with me yet, she just clung to me & practically had to be peeled off of me...which to me was a "normal" response. I can't wait to hold her again & look into her beautiful eyes.