"I love you too, Mommy"

Every day, several times a day, we tell Sam that we love him. I never know how much he understands or what he remembers... and if something happened to me, I never want him to say or think, "My mom never told me she loved me." So, I tell him all of the time.

When Sam was almost 4, I was putting him to bed. I said, "I love you Sambo."

He looked me right in the eyes and said, "I love you too, Mommy."

INSTANT tears filled my eyes. This was the first time Sam had responded that way. He would normally acknowledge that I'd said something by a glance, smile, hug, etc. But before that evening, he'd never responded with "I love you too, Mommy." Amazing.

Since then (it's been about 3 months), he's told me a half dozen more times. Each one seems like a special gift.