Year-End Review (Lissie 2.75 and Xavier 1.5 update)

The busyness of the holidays are to blame for neglecting to do a Lissie update when she turned two and three-fourths on December 9th and a Xavier update when he turned 18 months on December 26th. As such, I'm lumping them both into one post and, therefore, writing a year-end review in the process. Three birds. One stone. Efficiency the way I like it.

Let's start off with the eldest child.



Oh, sweet goodness. Lissie is the gentle one, always listening and wanting to do the right thing. She is so eager to please and gets upset when others aren't as happy as she is. "Mommy not happy?" is followed by a big hug and an "I love you, mommy" even when she is the reason why I was displeased in the first place. She also has quite a wild imagination. She takes on other personas multiple times a day, more often than not saying "I'm not Lissie, I'm Doc McStuffins!" and will only answer to the name "Doc." She takes pretend play to the extreme. If it's not snack time, she'll whip up her own concoction in her kitchen and have tea parties. She can see things in ways that I can't. An overturned bench quickly becomes a row boat to paddle ashore. An unopened toy becomes a movie screen to sit in front of and eat pretend popcorn. A scrap piece of fabric becomes a treasured blankie for her doll.

She is extremely independent, to the point where it can be frustrating for everybody. Putting on a coat can take ten minutes because she has to do it all by herself, zipper and everything. Add putting on socks and shoes, and it's no wonder why we're late for everything these days!

And she remembers. Boy, does she remember. You say things once, and she'll get it. You go somewhere once, she'll know the way there the next time. You change plans on her, she'll let you know it. The "What's That?" and the "Why?" questions come a mile a minute. Her unceasing curiosity is endearing. I'm constantly left wondering, "How did she learn that?"

But her absolute favorite thing in the world is food. "What Lissie have for breakfast?" is asked before we put her down for bed. "What Lissie have for snack at school?" is asked days before she goes to school. She loves food. Talking about it. Eating it. Making it. Pretending to cook it. When we eat, she will ask to try a little bit of everything, even before she knows what it is. She loves going out to eat or eating at home or at a friend's house. There are only a few foods that she refuses: eggs for breakfast (but she will eat them for dinner), lobster (which I'm not pressing - it only means more for me!), and asparagus. Anything else is fair game.

Her next favorite thing is school, both "Mommy's school" where she's in the nursery two days a week and "Lissie's school" where she goes to Mother's Day Out. Even though her teachers say that she is super shy, they all agree that she is a sweet, silent observer. Lissie loves going, and when she comes home she tells me every.single.detail about her day.

More Lissie Loves:

* running like mama
* Caillou (sadly), Daniel Tiger, and Doc McStuffins
* playing games (currently The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel game and a Lucky Ducky Ernie game are her favorites)
* art projects
* sleepovers at Lola's house
* going to the library

Here are some recent Lissie pics:



And now for Xavier.



You can't say his name without giving an exasperated sigh. Like Lissie, he is extremely curious. But instead of asking questions, he just explores. Climbs. Crawls. Walks. Touches. Gets.Into.Everything. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is safe around Xavier. You take him to an indoor play area? He'll immediately go for the outlets. You go to someone's house for a playdate? He'll find something to tear into. You leave him alone for a second, and you come back and find him standing on top of his sister's play shopping cart or stuck underneath the activity table.

But boy, does he have a smile that will simply melt your heart and make your exasperation go away in a heartbeat. It's dangerous, that smile. Pair it with his sweet-yet-mischievous giggle, and you can guarantee that his future teachers will have a hard time disciplining him!

Healthwise, he is doing well. He didn't qualify for getting the monthly RSV shot this season, but we still need to protect him from illness because of his weakened lungs. Since he's started going to nursery two days a week while I'm teaching, he's been on a preventative inhaler. He eats almost as much as his sister and chases after her all day long, so he definitely doesn't look or act like the preemie he was 18 months ago.

He looks up to Lissie and would follow her around all day long if he could. He imitates everything she does, and she, in turn, is generally good about having a second "shadow."

It also took just about 17 months before he finally started to sleep through the night, and I am thrilled to be getting seven hours of uninterrupted sleep each night as a result.

More Xavier Loves:

* dancing and music
* books (finally!)
* Rupert

Here are some recent Xavier pics:




It's crazy to think that in a few short months Lissie will be a three-year-old and that Xavier will be two in June. I seriously just had them yesterday. And as much as I'm looking forward to seeing them grow, I wouldn't be too upset if I could make time slow done. Just a little bit.

Christmas through a Child's Eyes

                                    

Lissie has had a special love for Jesus for a while now.  So much so that she adores going to Mass.  Every Monday and Wednesday when we go to "Mommy's school," Lissie wants to know if we will go to church that day.  And if I tell her that we are and, for whatever reason the plan changes and we don't, she gets very sad.  As such, we stopped our brief stint of taking her to the nursery during Sunday Mass because she just loves watching everything that is going on at the altar.  We still bring a backpack full of quiet activities "just in case," but she is generally happy with a small snack and the missal.

Which is why I have been looking forward to teaching her about Christmas this year.  She's starting to understand things in her own innocent way, and I couldn't wait to get started.

We started Advent by making our own wreath.  Since Lissie loves art projects, she adored recreating the Advent wreath that she had seen at Mass that day using toilet paper rolls and finger paints.  Every week, we would look at the wreath at church and discuss the candles that were lit.

 

I also used one of my activities that was always a big hit when I taught second grade.  The Story of Christmas Advent Calendar was a fun way to read a small snippet of the Christmas story each day and hang an ornament on our meager tree.  Both kids loved taking the books and looking at the pictures.

We also spent one Sunday in "Bethlehem".  I had never been before but had always wanted to go, and I am so glad we went.  Lissie loved visiting the different markets and doing the crafts and sampling the foods.  Xavier was mesmerized by the animals and seeing everyone in costume.  It was a wonderful way to see what it was like when Jesus was born.

We made our own Nativity out of toilet paper rolls and also made a baby Jesus out of a sock that unfortunately looked more like a cross between the Pillsbury Dough Boy and a snowman than anything else.  But they got the point, haha.

We wrapped up our learning by doing a small version of another activity I also use in my classroom: What God Wants for Christmas.  I, of course, simplified the activities for her understanding, but she really enjoyed retelling her own story of Christmas using the characters in the boxes.

All in all, she is very, very excited about celebrating Christmas tomorrow because she knows that it is Jesus' birthday.  And that there will be cake.

She also knows that Santa somehow plays a part in the holiday, but she doesn't quite understand how.  We talked about the Man in Red a little bit, she met the guy several times this season (with no tears, whoo-hoo!), and she understands that he gives presents.  But since she wasn't all that interested in him, I decided not to press the issue this year.  He'll still come to the Yasay house tonight, and she did write him a letter and set out Christmas cookies for him and his reindeer, though!

We also decorated cookies, enjoyed seeing Christmas at Cheekwood, toured the Governor's Residence to see the Christmas trees, saw the lights at Opryland Hotel, and did other various Christmas-y things to get ourselves ready for the holiday.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring for my kiddos.  And I definitely can't wait until next Christmas when I know that Xavier will start to "get" Christmas a little bit more, as well!

Oh come let us adore him: Christ, the Lord.

Cherish

June 2012

June 2013

It's too easy to forget your child's early struggles or another mom's hardships when you are dealing with your current everyday problems.  And it's also a harsh reality check when something heart-wrenching and seemingly unfathomable happens and you realize that you need to just stop and simply cherish.  Cherish your sweet children and the moments you have with them.

Over a week ago, a friend of mine gave birth to her son at 28 weeks.  We had been chatting for a bit, as she wanted to read up on life in the NICU with an early preemie.  And, selfishly, I struggled.  It brought up a lot of memories that I didn't want to relive - those long days of visiting Xavier in the NICU with another little one tagging along, the roller coaster ride of emotions, the apnea and chronic lung issues, et al - and, as much as I was trying to help her, it just made me sad knowing that she was gearing up to go through a similar long NICU stay of her own.

Then, yesterday, things took a turn for the worse and we lost sweet baby Case at a mere 10 days old.

My heart is broken for her and her family. I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.  I am literally in pain thinking about their anguish at this time.  I am hurting for my friend and am praying that she can find peace and overcome this truly difficult time.

And I am thinking about my own 'lil preemie and how he drives me crazy with his rambunctiousness and lack of sleeping-through-the-night and how he still can't let go of drinking milk from bottles instead of sippy cups.   And I cry because even though he makes me want to tear my hair out and he manages to get sick all.the.time, I can still hug him tight and see his sweet smile and hear that heart-melting giggle.

As it happens, November is the month to remember pregnancy and infant losses and today just happens to be World Prematurity Day.  So I am lifting up in prayer sweet baby Case, my own sister Christine, and all of those babies that left the earthly world too early and are waiting for us in heaven.

Because today, and hopefully every day, I want to cherish.

To read more about baby Case's journey, read here: Our Baby Case.

Run, Run, Run Part Three

In case you need a recap, here's the back story.

So, this past weekend marked Half Marathon Number 3 for the year.

Going into it, I was somehow even LESS prepared than Half Marathon Number 2 in September.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of runs I had done since then, not to mention the total number of miles run on both hands.

As with last time, things just seemed to get in the way.  I was still battling gastrointestinal issues and had that lovely colonoscopy and endoscopy last month, only to find no answers.  Then, like last time, Xavier got sick.  And then the day before the half, BOTH kids came down with fevers and I was thisclose to canceling.  Justin, of course, being the supportive guy he is, reassured me that he could take care of the sick children while I did my thing, and so I did.  Albeit begrudgingly.

I went into it with no expectations.  It was a cold morning, so I was optimistic that the weather would help me run faster, but with as little training as I had done, I wasn't really gonna sweat it either way.  I just wanted to do it.

What struck me while waiting to begin was a small group of women wearing matching shirts that read "Preemie Mafia."  I didn't talk to them, but from what I could gather, these women all had premature babies, and they banded together in friendship while in the NICU and decided to run the half marathon together.  Of course, that got me thinking of my sick 'lil imp at home, and I knew that this run was gonna be done for him.  And his sister.  And my husband who was taking care of them.

But, man, once the race kicked off, time just seemed to go by soooooooo sloooooooow.  I thought that I was pacing myself well, but since I didn't wear my running watch and there were no pace timers on the course, I really just had no idea how well/not well I was running.  And then there was miles 7-11.  It was an out-and-back stretch going into Shelby Bottoms Greenway and then back downtown.  It was long, and I was getting discouraged seeing all of the runners ahead of me.  To top it off, they ran out of water at mile 10.  As a result,  I got bored so I started walking.  And I am still kicking myself for walking because when I started running again after a mile or so, I felt great and ready to finish.  My final time was 2:26:51.....which only meant that if I hadn't started walking, I would have probably shaved off another 8 minutes or so.  UGH.....

Anyway, I did it.  After a very trying and difficult 2012, I am finishing 2013 with three half marathons under my belt.  My first was a PR (which happened to be done in the rain), my second was amidst health issues, and my third was for my family.

This time I really am temporarily retiring.  But I do have my sights set on a Ragnar Relay next year.  Anyone interested?

And, special thanks to my running buddy, Stacy, who ran all three with me and provided much needed encouragement along the way.

Y'all, it's Fall!

My $6 pumpkin

Fall has always been my favorite time of year with leaves changing, apple picking, pumpkin patching, trick-or-treating and everything else that goes with it.

What was so great about this year was that Lissie actually understood more of what was happening and Xavier wasn't stuck at home and could actually participate.  It made for some fun family memories.  What made things even more fun was when my mom whipped out a few of my old costumes, and Lissie utilized them in her many costume changes of the season.

Here are a few of my favorite pics:

At Cheekwood LIGHTS exhibit

Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest!

Bouncy House Happiness at Oktoberfest

We found these two pumpkins at Franklin's PumpkinFest.

Our 'lil John Deere

Mommy on the left, Lissie on the right.  Eerily alike!

Halloween Party at the Meolis

Trunk or Treatin' at MDO/Reusing last year's costumes

A Tootsie Roll getting a Tootsie Roll

The sweetest donut you ever saw.

There's no such thing as a plain pumpkin costume, so he was a backwards jack-o-lantern.

Pumpkin Painting

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El Dia de los Muertos at Cheekwood

She really can't get enough of these bouncy houses.