Saturday, December 31, 2016

December Highlights

2016 ended up being a much different year that I could have ever expected. If you had told me all the things that did and did not happen this year, I don't think I would have believed it.

All in all, December was quite a month for us. It brought the holidays, the season of birthdays, and lots of fun and excitement to boot. Here are some of our highlights:
{Davey requested birthday chocolate chip cookies instead of cake. Easy enough!}

{He covered his ears when we sang to him though. He didn't mind singing the song, but did not want to be sung to!}

{We hosted a babysitting event and lock-in for the youth girls at church! We had a fun time, even though I ended up with a cold afterwards :(}

{Davey enjoying his first cup of hot chocolate!}

{Phil and his little Lottie :)}

{Jillian wrote her letter to Santa all by herself! She's growing up so fast :'(}

{My parents sent us some Topsy's Popcorn - one of my favorite traditions in the family!}

{Lottie and her newest hobby: chewing and drooling}

{Instead of having a birthday party, we took the family to a hotel that had a pool! We spent the night at the hotel, and swam in the pool together. The kids had fun, and we were glad to celebrate their birthdays}

{We went to Krispy Kreme for breakfast after our hotel stay, and they were letting kids decorate their own donuts! This was David's creation}

{Jillian requested funfetti cupcakes with hot pink icing. If Jillian were a cupcake, this is exactly what she'd be :)}

{HOW is my baby 5?!?}

{We dressed up Lottie in the Christmas Sack my brother had. They are all definitely related, even though Lottie fills it out more ;)}
{From Left to Right: Jillian, David, and Lottie}

{This picture is from Jillian's hearing clinic. This was taken at their Christmas party. It was a great picture of them with Santa!}

{We decided to build a gingerbread house}

{We were proud of our creation!}

{Buying our Christmas tree for 50% off the weekend before Christmas. This is one of Phil's favorite traditions ;)}

{Lottie slept through the whole thing!}

{David and Jillian with our decorated tree!}

{Waiting at the doctor to check out Jillian}


{David's turn}
{I couldn't get Lottie there and take a picture, so no Santa Lottie ;)}

{Jillian had some wheezing, so she got an inhaler and antibiotic. Poor girl :(}

{Jillian was well enough to go to Polar Express Day at school!}

{For those wondering, no, my wrapping has not improved over the years!}

{Davey and I like to do Snapchat filters together :)}

{Jillian ready for Christmas Day church :)}

{David was watching the rows in front of us, and decided to sing the hymn too}

{Poor Davey after seeing the doctor. He and Lottie both had the same thing Jillian did with double ear infections for both. He got some iPad time just so he'd sit still!}

{Jillian standing on the box that had our new recliners! She needed Gee-Chaz's help getting up and down :)}

{Lottie smiling at her Jemma <3}

Hope your December was lovely! See you guys next year!

Monday, December 12, 2016

Jillian: {5 Years}

Jillian –

You are 5 years old today! I am in awe that we are here, my darling. There's something about the little baby that made you a parent turning 5 years old that just seems so big! According our measurements are home, you are 35 lbs, 10 oz and 40-1/2 inches long. We'll update the official stats when you go to the doctor in January. {EDIT: As of 1/19/17, you are 35lbs, 8 oz and 41-1/4 inches long. That is 2.5 lbs heavier & 2.75 inches longer than at 4 years old, and 29 lbs, 2 oz heavier & 21-1/4 inches longer than at birth!}

You wear mostly 4T, and a few 5T clothes. You can still fit in some 2T and 3T clothes, but they are short in the legs. You wear size 4 underwear, and wear size 8-9 shoes.

Eating is decent for you. You don't always want what we make, but we don't give you other options. You usually eat something though. Other times, you'll clean your plate and ask for seconds. I think it just depends on the day. You're not always willing to try new foods without a little encouragement. However, you will try it. You'll say "I like it!" even when you don't. We usually have to ask if you want more. If you say no, then that means you didn't actually like it ;) You like whole milk, water, lemonade, celery. oranges, chicken, cheese, and plain spaghetti noodles. Other than that, you'll eat here and there, but nothing is guaranteed ;)

You have all of your teeth, and you have had zero teeth issues. You have dentist appointments that you rock! You like the dentist and his assistants, so you're one of their favorite patients :) You are a great patient both at the dentist, and at the doctor's office! You very rarely cry or make a scene. Plus, you give the doctors high fives and hugs, which I'm sure they don't get all that often. We talk about teeth falling out every so often, and you seem pretty unsure about it. I think you may worry about it hurting. We'll cross that bridge when we get there, honey!

Sleep is good overall. You very rarely take a nap, but when you do, it usually lasts about 1-1.5 hours. Those are the days we've really tired you out! You share a bedroom with your brother, and you seem to like it for the most part. You still love your big girl bed. We notice that sometimes you're a little cranky in the morning because you'll get up extra early. I think you're just a morning bird! On rare occasions, you come in our room because of a loud noise or a bad dream. After some cuddles, you usually go back to bed just fine. You also do pretty well in terms of sleep in hotels or at other homes.

This fall, you started the PreK class at preschool. This is your very last year of preschool before you go to Kindergarten at your big school! You LOVE your teachers, your classmates, and going for extended day on Tuesdays. You have the most fun with coloring, painting, music, and playing outside. You have a few social issues, (like sharing, and controlling your big emotions), but you are doing really well at school. You are SO very smart. It's hard to keep you interested simply because you understand what's happening already. We recently discovered that you can read! You do it every chance you get.

You are still very verbal, and just about anyone can understand what you're saying. Your vocabulary is incredible, and we tend to forget you're only just now 5 years old based on your speech. We are still looking into cochlear implants for your right ear, but we're running into some insurance issues. Like I mentioned at your 4 year update, if we are able to do this, you will most likely go back to speech therapy while you adjust. You certainly don't let your hearing loss slow you down! Your personality is one of a kind! I get so many comments about how friendly and sweet you are. You really have never met a stranger, and you love telling anyone and everyone your life story. Even though it's not in my personality to do that, I try not to keep you from doing that. Partially because it's what makes you you, and also because it really seems to brighten other people's day when you smile and hug them just because :) For the most part, you are just sweet, loving, funny, and a joy to be around. You love anything pink, especially with sparkles. I think it's because you truly leave a sparkle everywhere you go. You are strong-willed, independent, intelligent, and confident. All these things will take you far!

You are pretty sensitive, and we also recently discovered that you have a little bit of sensory issues to work through. Now that we know this, it makes sense why you like certain bedsheets, or get SO upset about your socks being crooked. We're working with you as best as we can. Overall, I think you've mature quite a bit this past year. You're asking more questions about church, and we just pray that we can help you in your faith journey!

Similar to your 4 year update, running is still your favorite way to exert your energy! You run laps around the house/couch, you love to play "catch me" with anyone that's willing, and you love to show off how fast you can run. You took a soccer class last spring and just loved it! You'll get to do it again in the spring. So far, soccer is the only sport you are interested in. You did tell me you already know how to play basketball ;) Your allergies have gotten even better, and I believe we only used your inhaler twice all year! You will get red and itchy if you run barefoot in the grass. Usually, we can just give you a quick bath and it subsides. You still enjoy singing in the children's choir at church. You don't always sing loudly during "performances," but your enthusiasm always makes up for it :)

Right now, you are SUPER into little toys called Shopkins. You play with The Grossery Gang as well, but prefer Shopkins. Other than that, there is no real favorite thing of yours that I could list. You fixate on a show or character for a bit, then move on to the next one. You still love arty stuff, and you color really well!

You're a great big sister to Davey and Lottie! When asked, you usually list David among your best friends. I know you will always have your siblings, and I hope you will always consider them close friends! You also love our dog, Olive. You think she's the perfect dog for us, and you love to pet her whenever you can. As much as you love me, you are definitely a daddy's girl. The world is a much better place when he's around :)

Jillian, I am in awe at the little girl you are becoming. You look more like a girl than my little baby I first held in my arms 5 years ago. You made us parents, and we are so thankful to have you in our lives. You bring so much laughter, joy, tears, and love in everything you do. I pray God will always be a part of your life, and that you learn to lean on him and show his love and mercy to the whole world. You have a bright future ahead of you. What a privilege for us to watch it unfold :) Love you, sweet Jilly Bean!

Outtakes:
{Suspicious of David who wanted a picture with her}

{Blurry, but a sweet smile :)}

{Goofy Kiddos}

{David giving Sissy a birthday kiss!}

Comparisons:
{Left: 1 Month Right: 5 Years}

{From Left to Right: 1 Year, 3 Years, and 5 Years}

{Left: 4 Years Right: 5 Years}

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Connections

Over the years, I've admitted to seeing connections where there really are none. I think I just like knowing everything and everyone is connected together somehow. Other times, I've been validated when describing connections to other people who confirm there is something there.

To show all the connections for this particular story, we are going to go back to 2014.

On Jillian's 3rd birthday, David woke up with a fever. Being a new 12 month old, I figured it was just a bug that needed time to work through his system. He was having high fevers, but no other real symptoms. He was not eating well, and would just cry all night. As you know, he was hospitalized and thankfully did not need a surgery to correct his intussusception. I was so glad to have a healthy boy back home. It scared me to death to see him so sick and in the hospital.

After Christmas, we were approached to participate in a special choir for the 20th anniversary of the Murrah Building Bombing. I've mentioned before that I was still living in Arkansas at the time it happened, so I had very little connection to the event. It was very sad, but I had no reason to really dwell on it. One of the things they did for this choir was to have the same number of singers as there were victims. That way, it was like we were a voice for them.

At one of the last rehearsals, we were asked to pick a name with a picture on it. That would be the person we were singing for. I decided I wanted to pick a child if I could, since I was a new-ish mother myself. By the time I got there, most of the names were gone. However, there was a cute little boy named Tevin that I picked up. He didn't look very old, so I tried googling him. All I could figure out was that he was 16 months at the time of the bombing. That meant he was the same age as David would be at the time of the concert. That was hard. Having just had that scary experience with David's health, I couldn't even begin to imagine what life would have been like if I lost him. That made the concert a little harder for me. Knowing they were close in age, I tried to find out Tevin's actual birthday. I was unsuccessful. However, I felt like I would want to remember him around David's birthday every year. If nothing else, I wanted to say a prayer for his family.

Fast forward to November of 2015. Phil and I were unsure if we'd be able to have another child after trying off and on all year. In that month, we got our dog, I was in a car accident, (small rear-ending at low speeds), and Phil went out of town. It was a stressful month. However, after a moment of just pure hormonal-madness on my part, I decided to take a pregnancy test on 11/25. It looked negative, but I knew I could see a very faint line. It was faint enough that I didn't even mention it to Phil until the next day. However, in my heart of hearts, I just knew it was positive. Whether or not it was a viable pregnancy, I wasn't sure. I just knew it was there. Two days later, I had a darker line. By 12/5, we had no doubts that the line was visible, and we would be having our 3rd baby.

Fast forward to this summer. Just before Lottie was born, I was looking at something about Tevin. I somehow found a different website, and it listed his birthdate as 11/25/1993. That meant he and David were 7 days apart in age. I decided I wanted to be sure to do something special on his birthday since I finally knew when it was!

November 25, 2016 was the day after Thanksgiving. I wasn't able to go see his chair at the memorial. I told Phil I would be praying for his family, and especially his mother. To think he would have been 23 this year really broke my heart. He could have been finishing college. His adult life would be just beginning. As I jumped on my phone to look at something, I was reminded that it was also the day I knew deep down that I was pregnant. I didn't have official confirmation, but I knew. To have that happen on his birthday? That just made the connection a little deeper.

Honestly, I'm not trying to put myself on the same spectrum as his friends and family. Their loss is so much greater and deeper than I will ever understand. All I'm saying is, this was just making me feel like I needed to remember Tevin. I needed to remember his family. I needed to pray for them. I needed to have someone else never forget who he was, and what he meant to others. I doubt I'll ever contact his mother or family, but they will always be on my mind in April, and in November. I don't want any of them to be forgotten.

Whether you think there's a connection too, or that it's just a coincidence, I know how these connections have made a difference to me. Happy Belated Birthday Tevin. May your family and friends rejoice in the joy you brought to them, rejoice in the promise of eternal life in God, and have His peace during this time.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

David: {3 Years}

David –

You are 3 years old today! It is amazing to me that we are here. I feel like you're still my little baby boy. You have grown in so many ways this year! According to our at home measurements, you are 31 lbs, 4 oz and 37 inches long. {EDIT: As of 1/19/17, you are 32 lbs 0 oz, and 37-1/2 inches long. That is 5 lbs 0 oz heavier, & 4-1/2 inches longer than at 2 years old, and 25 lbs, 0 oz heavier, & 18 inches longer than at birth!}

You wear 3T clothes, with a few 2T that still fit ok. You wear size 3T-4T pull ups. You currently wear size 9 shoes, but could probably fit into size 8 if you didn't have socks.

Eating is ok for the most part. You're not terribly picky, but you change your mind frequently which can be a pain. You're enjoying more foods, but eating less overall. You are the most iffy about eating meat, no matter what it is or how it's flavored. We can usually get you to eat bacon though ;) If you're not in the mood to eat, or just feel like being argumentative, we leave an opened snack for you that you'll eventually pick up and eat. I think you're just too busy playing to bother eating. We did discover that you need a bedtime snack before bed. If you don't get one, you would periodically throw up a little acid/bile. I read up on it, and it seems like your body just needed something to digest. Ever since we started giving you a small bedtime snack, it has not happened again!

You have all your teeth! You get to see the dentist for the first time next month. I'm not sure you'll like it, but we'll keep a hopeful attitude.

Sleep at night is great, but daytime is iffy. You usually accidently fall asleep either in the car or on the couch, and you wake up really mad. I'm not sure if you're mad that you fell asleep or that you're awake. Either way, you are usually pretty grouchy. When you got to bed, you usually crash quickly. You sleep for about 10 hours straight. You're not a morning person, (like mama), so breakfast is a 50/50 chance of a good mood or bad. You're usually ready to have breakfast and be left alone. You have the occasional night terror, which is sad :( It has not happened in awhile, but it's scary because you just scream, and we're not supposed to wake you. Thankfully, you don't have any memory of these episodes.

You started the Mini-3's class at preschool, and you just LOVE it. You are so smart! You already know the alphabet, your shapes, numbers, colors, and most of what Miss Barbara and Miss Lori teach you. You apparently even correct the other kids if they get something wrong during circle time! HAHAHA You want school to be everyday, and you really love Tuesdays when you get to take your lunch for extended day. You tell us that Miss Barbara and Miss Rose (the music teacher), are your best friends. You cry when I pick you up from school, and get upset if Sissy gets to go to school on your off days. I'm SO glad you love school this much. We were not sure how you'd do since you've never been exposed to a classroom setting like your big sister did prior to starting preschool. However, you've just taken off and are doing so well!

Speech has improved dramatically! You went from saying a decent group of words, to speaking full sentences. Your words are not always clear, and you get frustrated when you have to repeat yourself multiple times. However, you are doing so well, and we are proud of you! You can also point to and name most body parts when asked. 

Personality wise, you are a sweet and caring boy that is incredibly flirtatious! When asked who you play with at school, you say "All the sissies" (sisters, so all the girls). You also join groups of women and say things like "Hello ladies!" You are just a ham, and you love doing Snapchat filter pictures and videos with mommy. You are pretty stubborn, and will NOT do something if asked right away. You do sometimes, but you'd rather question and see what you can get away with instead of obeying right away. You don't like loud noises and will cover your ears if you think things are too loud. You also ask us to "not say 'Yay!'" if you don't want us to cheer. You love getting "lots of kisses" from mommy, being picked up and wrestling with daddy, making faces, singing songs, and dancing around. You crack us up with the things you say and do! You tell us all the time that Sissy, (Jillian), is your best friend. We hope you feel the same way about Lottie too :) You've also finally warmed up to Olive. If you're not in the mood, you'll get mad at her for licking you. Otherwise, you like to be around her 90% of the time :)

You are all boy, mister! You love to climb, jump, run, and just be in the middle of the action. You chase animals and play on the playground with absolutely no fear. You get lots of scrapes, bumps, and bruises, but usually a hug and kiss from mama makes it all better.

Potty Training has come to a halt. You were doing well, but suddenly lost all interest. We're not pushing you yet, but will definitely be mentioning it to your pediatrician when we go in February. You've got the routine down, you just don't want to do it. We'll get there :)

Some of your nicknames are: Davey, Davey Boy, Bud, LT, and Mister Man.

Things you love: Cookies, Mickey Mouse, school, friends, playing outside, being with Big Sissy, opening Olive's kennel door, closing the door to the mini-van, being the driver of the van (sitting in the driver seat when it's off), running, playing with your friends, singing, Shopkins, Scooby Doo, climbing, playing in Jemma and Gee-Chaz's basement, Skyping with Jemma and Gee-Chaz, visiting Grandma and Papa, milk, pancakes and syrup, chicken nuggets and french fries, brushing your teeth, doing things "by myself", making your lunch for school, helping cook, ice cream cones, Daniel Tiger, being held, getting tickled, playing on mama's phone, taking off your clothes and running around naked, and reading. 

Things you don't like: Not getting your way, being told no, getting your nails clipped, sitting down to eat, loud noises, being wiped, and being sleepy.

The biggest change in the family has been adding your little sissy, Lottie. You've done very well with this new dynamic in the family. I was really worried about you before she got here! You do get jealous from time to time, and you HATE that she cries loudly. However, we've gotten in a good routine, and you think she's really cute most of the time! You're a great big brother, and I know you two will be great friends!

David, we just love you so very much. You make us smile every day, and we are thankful for the liveliness you bring to this family. You are sweet, fun, strong, brave, and smart. We truly believe God has great things in store for you in your life. We love you little tomato! :)

Some outtakes:
{He looks like he's pointing to the dead crickets I didn't notice until after pictures were taken}

{He blinked, but this is so much him. He has a bruise on his forehead, (thanks to Big Sissy hammering his head in the nursery Sunday), pizza sauce around his mouth, and crazy hair}

{Singing and Swaying :)}

And comparisons:
{David at 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years}

{David in the last 12 months}

{David at 1 month and 3 years}

{Left: Jillian 12/2014 Right: David 12/2016}

But I Know What It Feels Like

This post is going to be awfully vulnerable and hard for me, but I really want to finally say it out loud. I got permission for my daughter ...