Lissie's Second Birthday - a Recap

As is seemingly typical of our family's birthday celebrations, Lissie somehow managed to have extended birthday festivities. We actually started TWO WEEKS EARLY and won't stop until later today, the day after she turned the big T-W-O.

After what seemed like an endless amount of time researching fun party venues for two-year-olds, I had my heart set on a music class for Lissie and her fellow tot friends. Unfortunately, the location wasn't available on any of the weekends I wanted, which is why we ended up wreaking havoc on Justin's work schedule and having the party two weeks early.

And it was totally worth it! Even though it took Lissie a little while to warm up to all of the attention, she and her buddies had a wonderful time (and, from what I hear, took stellar naps afterwards)! There was dancing and singing and jumping and twirling and shaking and instrument playing galore. And, of course, there was cake.



Fast forward to her actual big day, and we started by greeting her with birthday ballons and kisses. After a delicious breakfast of "2" pancakes, mangoes, and cottage cheese, she spent a good chunk of time playing in her upgraded kitchen (thanks, Lolo and Lola!) before we headed out to see daddy at work and play at the park.



Following her nap, we went to Mass and then celebrated with a birthday dinner of pancit (gotta have those noodles for a long life!), adobo, green beans, rice (duh!), and ice cream cake!



The celebration continues later today when she opens the remaining few presents from me and Justin when he gets home from work. Phew!

What a fabulous way to rejoice in the fact that she's two! Happy happy birthday, Lissie! We love you!

Dear Lissie - Two Years

Dear Lissie,

I'm writing this with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am so excited that you're two and growing and developing well. But on the other hand, I just can't believe my little baby is gone. I look at your newborn pictures, and I can't even recognize that baby anymore. They say that time flies when you have kids, but you really don't understand it until it happens.

I look back on just this past year, and so much has changed in just 12 months. You're walking. You're talking. Your personality is blossoming. And, of course, you're a big sister.

Sure, you have your moments - we are headed straight for those terrible twos, after all - but, in general, you are just the sweetest, silliest, shyest little girl. Much to daddy's chagrin, you are most definitely a mama's girl. It takes you a while to open up to anyone, but when you do, you're the life of the party. You're very cautious and are quite the perfectionist. You get very frustrated with yourself when you can't get things right, but you are so independent that you don't want any help.

Some of your likes:
* Dora the Explorer
* Elmo
* Swinging at the park
* Cooking - whether real or pretend
* Jesus
* Playing with dolls
* Lego Duplos and any other type of building block
* Music
* Ring around the Rosie
* Eating.
* Lolo Ernie
* Reading

Some of your dislikes:
* Unsweetened almond milk. (Who would've guessed?)
* New people and places
* When Lolo and Lola go on vacation (it took you forever to warm up to them again)
* Going to church (which is weird since you adore Jesus)
* The Adventure Science Center (I guess we'll hold off on that membership)

You definitely make my day brighter. You show me the world through your eyes, and it makes me smile. There's so much left for you to learn, but at the same time there's so much that you've already taught me.

I love you,

Love,
Mommy

Here are some of my favorite Lissie pics of this past year (in no particular order at all):

How I Survived 2u2

So, assuming I can get through the next 36 hours, I can almost officially say that I have survived having two children under the age of two. That means that everything from here on out will be smooth sailing, right? Haha.

As I mentioned previously, I really didn't think having two under two would be so difficult. But after having done it, I must say, that it has made me all the more grateful for having nearby family and wonderful friends to help when I feel overwhelmed.

I honestly can't complain too much. Sure, there were challenges. Some self-imposed (i.e. potty training). Some not (i.e. teething and sleep regression times two). But, in all, both of my kiddos are generally easy to read and predictable. And that definitely helped. A lot.

Both children follow a pretty straightforward routine. Sure, we are flexible when we need to be, but we all love knowing what's going to happen next. For Lissie, it's wake up, breakfast, morning activity, snack, play, lunch, nap, walk the dog, afternoon activity, snack, play, dinner, put Xavier down for bed, then bedtime for herself. For Xavier, it's wakeup, eat, play, sleep, rinse, repeat roughly every three hours during the day with a long sleep stretch at night. And, my absolute saving grace, is that they both take a decent afternoon nap AT.THE.SAME.TIME which helps me frantically try to cook and clean so that I can sit back and relax for a moment before they both wake up. Oh, and they are both in bed for the night by 8pm. Thank God for good sleepers!

The first few weeks (months?), though, as expected, were the roughest since we were all getting used to each other, and Xavier still had all of his cords, wires, and extra needs. Xavier had yet to learn the fine art of sleeping well, and I was trying to figure out how to have energy to do everything that needed to get done, including pumping every three hours 'round the clock. It shouldn't have been a complete shock to me that Lissie's first terrible tantrum occurred a few days after Xavier came home.

But once Lissie realized that her brother wasn't going anywhere (and, sadly, also discovered the beauty of Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer), things started getting so much easier. It definitely helped to give Lissie her own mini-versions of everything I have with Xavier (i.e. a doll stroller, car seat, baby carrier) so she can mimic everything that I did.

And it only kept getting easier, simply with time, but also with Lissie's growing ability to communicate and comprehend.

And now? Now the fun is starting. Xavier is beginning to show interest in everything around him, especially his sister. He is absolutely fascinated by her and her crazy antics. Lissie, in turn, loves the fact that her brother is starting to play and interact with her more. If Xavier is already awake when we get Lissie from her nap, she begs for him to come in her crib to play. It melts my heart each time to see them giggle and smile at each other and play peek-a-boo.

So, yep, I survived. Would I do it again or try for 3u3? Don't think so! Because, while I'm proud of my accomplishment, I'm also not THAT crazy....

Dear Xavier - Eight Months

Dear Xavier,

Happy eight months, buddy! Like all the other ones, this month seemed to really fly by. As far as milestones, you're slowly starting to sit up on your own. You've also become a rolly-polly baby; unfortunately, all of the rolling makes for restless sleep because you end up every which way in your mini crib and get yourself stuck in a corner. Silly boy.

The best part about this past month or so is seeing your relationship with your sister develop. You love watching her play, and I can already see just how much you look up to her. When she gets upset, it is almost inevitable that you - with your sensitive old soul - will start to cry out of empathy. In the same light, your sister absolutely adores you, too. She loves giving you random hugs and kisses throughout the day, and she is always quick to help feed you or bathe you or just simply make you feel better when you are sad.

This upcoming month is going to be a busy one for you. We've got doctor's appointments galore again - a (hopefully) final checkup with the pulmonologist to make sure that you're still thriving off of supplemental oxygen, a visit with your cardiologist to check in on your heart murmur and PDA, a standard hearing screening due to your preemie-ness, your last Synagis shot to round out flu/cold/RSV season, and, of course, your 9-month well baby check-up with your pedi. Whew. We're continuing to pray that the doctors will find you in great health, and that all of the appointments go well.

I'm trying to cherish every moment of your "baby" phase because it really is just going by too quickly. This may mean that you get extra snuggles with mommy while your sister is sleeping. Just don't tell her, okay?

I love you.

Love,

Mommy

And here are a few random shots from this month:

Lovin' on Rupert.

Starting to outgrow more 3-6 month clothes.

Not so sure about your jumparoo.

Being a good sport and allowing your sister to play dress-up.

Admiring your handsome self.

My smiley, happy baby.