On Deck

This is Zachary's analogy for the moment! And it happens to be two-fold.

Our little slugger just started baseball a couple of weeks ago and is headed into his third game this weekend. Baseball has long been my favorite sport. I grew up watching my brother play and had my own 7 year run with softball. There is something about the game to me that is so relaxing, nostalgic, strategic, and patriotic. I know part of my love has to do with the time of year, SPRING and all its wonderful glory...fresh cut grass, new flowers, warmer weather, the urge to be outside, the team camaraderie while being with friends. Needless to say, Zach has had a baseball tee for a few years now. And lucky for this mama, he has always loved to use it. Zach doesn't have a very extensive attention span at 4.5 (who would expect much different), but I was very impressed with his attention on the field at his first game. His second game was a little different. He and the other kids are now friends and are cutting up more, which in itself is great. Here's hoping this next game he is still as enthused and attentive!

 

LOOK WHO REGISTERED FOR KINDERGARTEN! Technically, Zachary can start kindergarten this year given that he turns 5 before September 1st. Having an August baby is hard in making the right decision about starting school. Having an August baby that is a boy is even harder.  Chris and I have gone back and forth extensively about our choice whether or not to start him in school. We've decided to take the plunge and see where it takes us. My hesitation as a mother are his maturity issues, his need of one on one guidance while doing work, and not wanting him to get pushed around by bigger kids. With a child of his enthusiasm and charisma also comes the opposite spectrum of easily having his feelings hurt and being sensitive emotionally (also clearly a middle child trait). I'm hoping that after a couple of months into kindergarten we will have a good perspective on his development. Luckily I've been able to have a good relationship with the teachers and staff while volunteering for Bella in her first year of school. I know that grants me more knowledge and insight to what lies ahead for Zach's first year. Within those first two months, if I see him struggling or not progressing accordingly, I will have a sit down with the counselor and decide how to move forward. But right now, I need to give my little man the chance to prove himself for all that he is capable of accomplishing.

 

So here is to Zachary and all that the future holds! He has incredible potential and I cannot wait to see where everything he learns (and absorbs) takes him. Five minutes in a conversation with this kid and he would probably have you on the floor laughing. He is very matter-of-fact and insightful bringing an amplified meaning to "kids say the darnedest things"!

Peace be with you!

BELLA DAY #7

Daughter, the strides you have made in your short few years

Shock and awe me, only to show me all God hears.

You are a gleaming example of fervid prayers
Graced by loving hands of medical carers.
Without their abounding knowledge and passion
You may not be here to fill my life with devotion.
The world is blessed by your very presence.
Your wit and humor give a precious essence
To all the good in life and all there is to love.
Your many daily gifts are endured from God above.
To the little Gymnast, whipping yourself around,
To the creative Inventor, with toys scattered upon the ground,
To the inspiring Pianist, who's fingers move across keys,
To the Literary Master, reading me chapter books with ease,
And correcting any word I might say wrong.
You will not be my amazing LITTLE girl for long.
You went from itty-bitty, teensy-weeny 
To a shining star exuding beauty.
I know in all due time you will be a young woman
Ready to take on the world, continuing to shine.

Here is to our NICU Graduate, where on this day we always remember being able to take our precious girl home after 99 days in the UVa Children's Hospital. We do our best everyday to teach you how you started and where you came from. You have an amazing beginning and I pray each day that you continue to have an amazing life with a fighting spirit!!!

Peace be with you all.

Crazy but Happy

Hello blog-o-sphere friends! From our family to yours...we hope you are doing fantastic and enjoying all life has to give!!!

All of the kids are doing great! Their love and battle relationship is deeper than ever. They miss each other all day while at school but quickly after the precious hugs and kisses are dispersed go on to a "that's mine, don't touch me" routine.

Isabella is loving kindergarten. It took most of the fall for her to get acclimated to the routine and expectations but she is flying with beautiful colors now. We've started back to gymnastics after a break with getting settled into the new house and area. Her body movement still has some catching-up to do. She was doing very well in the old gymnastics class, however with 7 months off it will take her some time to get back into the swing of things. It still amazes (and concerns) me at how stiff her body can be even after 6 years. Fortunately she is fearless and loves the challenge of gymnastics allowing her muscles to adapt over time.

Zachary is our funny monkey. He is hilarious with his coy attitude and quick wit. He has definitely mellowed down in the past few months, but still has his temper and flare-ups. The kids common sense and logic are astonishig to us. He has always been great with physical puzzles and now he has started to show how capable he is at problem solving. And boy am I happy to see this kid back in gymnastics, not only is he limber and great at it, but it burns off some of his intense energy. He has become obsessed (at the moment) with Ninja Turtles and will run around the house flipping his body with a pretend bo staff. Which is all too ironic because he declares himself Leonardo (the turtles leader per se) and uses the weapon of Donatello (the inventor/engineer)...both are so fitting for his personality. He runs the show amongst the three of them and creates everything that they play with.

Alexander is unbelievably precious with his loving and energetic demeanor. He does everything Zachary does, from repeating his every word to imitating his every action. He insists on tackling Zachary and Cooder Bear every chance he gets. Then he will come curl up and want to snuggle with mommy. I read a great article recently about taking the time to lay with or have a conversation with your children instead of putting it off. Before we know it they will all be grown, have their own lives and not make that kind of time for us. As I watch my baby growing up, all I can think is that I need to savor the baby he is and I tend to cave to his demands. There's no doubt he is a tad more spoiled than the others, a dilemma I'm sure many mommy's out there face.

We  getting used to our new environment. The area is very nice and super family friendly. We have amazing neighbors, have had several get togethers and love being able to spend time with them randomly. It reminds me of how I grew up and that is something I have always wanted for my children, neighbors that almost feel like family.

Now onto the best part...a few pictures of how the kids have changed since the last time I posted.

Peace be with you all!

                                      June 2014                                                 December 2014

July 2014                                                 January 2015

June 2014                                               January 2015

June 2014

December 2014

Happy Easter 2014

Happy Easter everyone! Today has been gorgeous in so many ways. The weather is beautiful. Our family is terrific. And God is amazing!!! As we celebrate our Lords resurrection today, we can all step back and breath in a new beginning. The good news is among us, Christ has risen, we can walk in faith and choose to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, soaking in that last commandment He left us with.

That commandment makes me think of a message a childhood friend posted about on Facebook recently, the contagious nature of a smile and choice to be happy. A philosophy I have always carried in my pocket..."my cup is more than half full, and most often overflows!" Being happy is a choice. Wearing a smile is a choice. My faith has always allowed that smile to be on my face, even in the roughest of times. Confidence in Christ and the power of prayer keeps my life positive. There are so many times I feel overwhelmed, but a quick prayer and deep look into nature reveals the beauty He has created. For instance, focusing on a cardinal dancing on my plants in the yard warms my soul and makes it clear life is beautiful and God is powerful!

On this day, I hope each of you finds happiness, a smile, a prayer to soothe your heart, and the love of Jesus Christ. Peace be with you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESTART

That word is an understatement! I've missed writing, I've missed giving you updates on our crazy little family, and time has totally escaped from me. I cannot believe it is the middle of March. I cannot believe that it's been 3 months since my last post. I partially wanted to call this RESTART because of the new year...but I can't really do that anymore now can I?! But I can kind of given that it is the Lenton season. I mean it is a great time to clean our hearts, our minds, renew our soul and deepen our relationship with the Lord, and restart our journey of life. So here we go...

December was great! We had a wonderful holiday visiting Nana, Papi and Mama in Florida, taking Disney by storm for 3 days, and instilling a little bit of chaos at the grandparents house.

January was beyond busy and everyone had a touch of being sick with the yucky, snotty stuff...fortunately no stomach bugs! We haven't told many people but we are in the process building a new home and that occupies quite a bit of time; doing walk throughs on that house as well as prepping our current house to be sold. Being cooped up inside due to all of the ice didn't help much either. The kids were pretty much bouncing off the walls this entire month.

February continued with all of the same stuff as January just at a more rapid pace and rain instead of ice. And if it weren't for 2 of my best girlfriends, I wouldn't have had this post lingering in the back of my head to do.

The kids are doing great...getting big, too smart for their own good, and evolving personalities...

Alex has added many words to his vocabulary, mumbles sentences up a storm, can feed himself pretty well, climbs on everything and constantly has bruises on his shins. Chris is determined to find shin guards to fit his little legs. It amazes us everyday what he picks up on from the 4 of us. Doing many things so much earlier than the other 2 were. But how could he not when he is constantly observing us all?! He actually refuses to be fed and only wants to feed himself. He will turn his head and say "unt-uh" piercing his lips together. Once you hand him the spoon or food he will devour it. At his 18 month check up he was 33.5", 26 lb, and had a 19.75 cm head...yeah, pretty big noggin.

Zach is, well Zach. All spunk, imagination, and constant ball of energy. He is so creative and visual. I love this about his personality, but it often gets him into trouble. He doesn't do a very good job of controlling his passionate moments. He is totally into dinosaurs right now and everything he does is dinosaur related; from eating his food like a triceratops, to stomping through the house like sharp-tooth, and digging for dinosaur fossils in the flower beds.

Isabella is a diva...enough said! She knows she is the princess and owns it. She is going through a dramatic phase, screaming at everything either of her brothers do to her and constantly calling attention to herself. She even looked at me this morning when I asked her to do something and said "WHATEVER". I'm sure a bit of this has to do with Chris and I being so busy. She is loving gymnastics right now and doing incredibly well at it. Her strength is amazing, her cart-wheels are beautiful, and her hand stands would shock you. Very proud of my big girl!!!

So the most important part of every post, PICTURES:

 

 

 

 

 

The Sadness Never Changes, But Miracles Do Prevail

Yes, this title seems a little odd given that it is my firstborns birthday. The title should be all encompassing rejoiceful "HAPPY #5 BELLA BABY". But as 98% of you know, the experience of her birth was atypical and scary as hell. (Goodness, it is how we have gotten to know most of you). I must admit that today was not an easy one. I cried several times. Pain actually filled my body a couple of times. Regardless of it being 5 years removed, the anniversary of this day conjures up what was treacherous, odd, and almost a constant blur. And I don't ache for losing the pregnancy experience, but for the pain my daughter would endure for months; the first several months of her life. Those are supposed to be the happy times, the peaceful cuddle with your baby times. Not for this momma...I had to schedule to hold my baby...I had to make it to rounds to hear how she was breathing and meds administered for the day...I had to promptly show up on the hour to do diaper and linen changes...we had to ask permission to sleep on couches in the lobby while she was recovering from multiple surgeries.

 

With Thanksgiving coming late this year and leaving little room to get into the holiday spirit, I didn't have the cushion to soften how this time always makes me feel. I can normally use the decorating and jolly songs to lighten my mood before this week starts. Doesn't seem to be doing the trick this year. But just like my AMAZING, MIRACULOUS, SPIT-FIRE daughter gracefully pulled herself through SOOOOO much, I will too. I use her endurance to put a smile on my face. She is always my beacon of light. To this day there is always one second during the day that I look at her in awe. There is only one way to describe the blessing that she is...CHRIST! Through prayer, spreading our story across the world, sharing our story with and leaning on Father David, and having such a knowledgeable medical staff guide us, we are beyond blessed to have our baby girl turning FIVE!!! And not merely turning FIVE, but doing it with flying colors: reading, writing, doing math, running, skipping, jumping, speaking clearly. I could go on and on and on because all of that could be oh so different. And it is different for many families that went through something similar to what we did. To all of you out there that have suffered loss, I pray for you. For all of you with a special needs child, I commend you for all you do for your child. No matter how much I feel sad in a few split seconds of a day, it does not compare to what these families face; for our lives could be drastically different without our little beacon of light.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS GIRL

You light up our lives constantly

 

Her birthday blessing...such a big girl going by herself

 Decorating her room tree

 Having an early birthday dinner at the place of her choice,

BURGER SHACK

with her favorite cupcake from

OOH LA LA

Peace be with you all during this holiday season! I hope you grasp the miracles of your life, big and small, and lean on CHRIST to fill your heart with joy.

Blessed day for #3

We took our time having Alex baptized compared to his sister and brother!!! Chris would point the finger at me on that one :) Luckily we were able to fit it in when Nana and Papi were in town, so it was well worth the wait. They made the trip in from FL to celebrate Halloween with us this year. For months Chris kept teasing me saying that "the kid is going to be able to walk himself down the aisle"...and that is exactly what he did! He still takes a short morning nap and he happened to do it just before our 9am service. A little way into service he woke up and was ready to run around. When it was time to go to the alter he wanted down so that is what I let him do, walk himself to God. He refused to let us hold him during the first two-thirds of the presentation. He screamed and threw himself backward and ended up doing circles around us. What was so precious was that when the water graced his head he instantly mellowed. Peace of the Lord truly came over him. We were surrounded by family and that made it even more awesome! On top of Nana and Papi being with us, my mom, Lisa (my sister-in-law, and Alex's godmother), Brayden (my nephew), and Kim (one of my mom's best friends) were all able to come in from New Braunfels. It was a great celebration.

As for Halloween, the kids had a blast. They had a fall party at school during the day, gymnastics after school, dress up time when they got home and trick-or-treating once dusk hit. And they loved being able to share it with their grandparents. Bella was Merida from Brave, Zach was a triceratops, Alex was Mickey at home with Daddy passing out candy, and Papi & Nana were clowns! (I'm only going to embarrass Papi with the picture below.)

Before that we got to celebrate Trunk or Treat at Church. The kids loved the games and bounce castle. I love that Halloween was a week worth of fun this year with Halloween being a Thursday. It gave us extra days to dress up.

The kids are all still doing very well in school. I've met with everyone's teachers for conferences and each is going great. Right where they need to be for their age. Bella's teachers even suggested that we have her tested in the spring for gifted and talented upon entering kindergarten. She also passed all of the state vision and hearing testing. The speech pathologist did suggest that she have a little work though...not surprising! We also need to work on skipping and hopping on one foot to hone her gross motor skills. On a super awesome note, the pediatric surgeon did not feel she is in need of surgery right now. He asked that we up her fiber intake to keep her even more flushed out. Apparently the number one complaint of girls from 4-9 is abdominal pain do to some form of constipation. Of course with her bowel history and hernia, she is already very sensitive in that area. So we've added fiber gummies, prune juice, and flaxseed to her already intense vegetable/fruit and laxative induced daily regimen as well as cut out a large portion of dairy and bread. We haven't heard any large outbursts of crying or complaints of pain.

Someone being a daredevil....and Zach at his first concert!

We hope you all are enjoying the beginning of your holiday season. Many blessings to you all :)