I have to brag about my daughter

I just have to brag about Mairead.  She has just been so 'on' lately!  She has just been awesome. So much fun, so happy, and, as her teacher put it last week, "so effervescent." How great is that? The other day, I was driving her to school and told her I wanted to get gas first. She said, "No thanks, Mom, I just want to go to my school." This from a child I literally had to drag kicking and screaming last Spring.

I have really been remiss about taking pictures, lately.  I did get this one of her drawing of Thomas.

And this one of her playing dress up.  She's a fashionista.

Recently, she had her first dentist appointment and was amazing. A little nervous, but awesome. When Dave and then my parents came home, she immediately told them, "I go to the dentist and I get a prize." I didn't prompt her to initiate conversation or anything.

Then, she went in the bathroom, peed, flushed, washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and put her pants back on-- all with ZERO assistance or prompting. I was listening from the hall but she didn't even know I was there. This may not seem like a big deal for a 4.5 year old, but a year ago, I really didn't know how she would get to this point. She then asked me to carry her special bears because "I want to go in my room and play with my squinkies and go to bed." This was at 6:50, and she usually goes at 7:30, so she must have been exhausted!

She has just been doing SO many things lately that just blow me away. Recalling things, making great eye contact, talking to adults, answering questions, doing more in terms of self care, etc. I tell her about 20 times a day that I am so proud of her.

At a playdate the other day, she said to a  little girl, "We can go play in my room, Kacey." Meaningful, socially age-appropriate, pointed conversation/interaction. I could not have been happier.

This all means SO much to me- I just can't even tell you. I think about how dark things were for us a year ago when we were fighting with the schools, she was struggling through the day, *I* was struggling through the day, and now she is just making such great strides. I well up with tears about 5 times a day thinking about what a miracle she is.

And, if all of this isn't enough, the other day she told me, "And when I grow up into a mom, I can have a baby in my belly like Katie (my sister)." I cried. I mean, here is a kid who, at the time of her stroke, we didn't know if she would talk, walk, etc. When things were at their worst in terms of her anxiety, social skills, etc, I would think about how all I wanted for her was that she be able to grow up, find someone to love, have a family, and just be happy. I used to fear that these things would be out of reach for her. She just proves me wrong and continues to amaze us. She has a tougher road than most kids and we know that she has a long way to go, but I no longer believe that there is anything she can't do.

Thanks for reading all of this-- and thanks for always being so supportive of her and of us!

Fakesmas 2011

With so much to do on Christmas Day, we needed to extend the holiday and have Fakesmas on the 26th.  This day allowed us to exchange gifts without chaos, to relax, and to just be together.  It also gave us time to watch John Denver and the Muppets, and to eat my dad's famous Beef Wellington!

Christmas 2011

Pictures can be hard to come by when there is so much going on!  Jen got some great ones but I can't figure out how to get them from the shutterfly site to the blog, so I have limited pictures to share.  We had such a great day- probably the best Christmas we have had with the kids!  They are all old enough to 'get' it, and they had so much fun.  All of our family was there, the tree and decorations were beautiful, the food was great, and we really could not have asked for anything more.

The kids were ridiculously cute.  Mairead and Lily had matching dresses, and the boys were in ties and vests to match.

 The boys loved all of their Thomas gifts and even read this Thomas book together.

My mom gave Lily this Elefun game and the kids had a blast catching butterflies in their nets.

Unfortunately, Nana had to miss the day because she was still recuperating from Legionnaire's disease.  We did get the kids dressed up and over to visit her so that she could give them their gifts.  She did some wonderful oil paintings for the kids, but they really just wanted to press the buttons to make her bed go up and down.

There is a long story behind this... don't ask...

We are so lucky to have everything we do.  Thank you to everyone who made Christmas so wonderful this year!

Christmas Eve 2011

My sister, Katie, pointed out the other day that I have not yet blogged in 2012!  I can't believe I let that happen.  We have just been having too much fun!  Really- we are so busy and have been doing so many fun things that sitting at the computer to type them all out has just not happened.

We had a fantastic holiday season, the highlights of which included Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We are so lucky to celebrate with so many family and friends.  The best part about living in Lowell is that my kids are able to grow up with many of the same experiences that were so important to me.  Holidays are some of my best memories.  I remember being surrounded by family, the wonder of the lights, the presents, the decorations, and everything that goes with the day.  I love that my kids are surrounded by their relatives and that they will grow up knowing that they are so loved. 

We had a great time at Dan and Katie's Christmas Eve party.  The kids love playing with their older cousins, and they discovered several Rudolph stuffed animals.  They were really in to the movie this year so they were excited to play with the toys.

The commotion is always a little much for Ben- I think that we will have a picture of him just like this every year. 

Santa was good enough to take a break from his busy night to stop by and see the kids.  Mairead was beyond thrilled.  She went back to sit on his lap three or four times, in fact.

 Every time we asked Jack what Santa was going to bring him, he said, "Gordon!"  And what do you know?  Santa DID bring Gordon!  Jack was mystified and so happy.  Prior to the visit, Jack had been saying that he was scared of Santa, so the arrival of Gordon went a LONG way with Jack!

Jen and Mike were good enough to stay at our house on Christmas Eve so that they could share in the excitement of Christmas morning.  Even Bean slept over, which just added to the fun!

The Best Boxes we Opened this Year

Could we ask for anything better in any Christmas gift this year?  How about three happy, healthy, beautiful kids?

The boys are wearing the special Thomas pajamas that Grandma sent as a pre-Christmas gift.  Thanks, Grandma!  The only downside to those pajamas is that the boys never want to take them off!

Why did we buy them presents?

They are just so fun and so cute together.  There is still more whining than I would like, and some people (cough, Jack, cough) need to be a little less bossy, but they are learning and doing so much.  I wish I could remember all of the cute and amazing things they do and say!

For example, Ben was sick about two weeks ago and had been vomiting.  He was lying in his bed at night while I sat in the rocking chair next to him.  Jack asked what Ben was doing and I told him that Ben was not feeling very well.  He said, " Oh, can I go in his bed and sleep with him and make him feel better?"  Talk about melting my heart.  Everyone should be so lucky as to have a brother like that!

Mairead has been dancing a lot to songs from John Denver and the Muppets.  This was one of our favorite records (yes, I said records) growing up, and seeing her enjoy it so much really brings tears to my eyes.  I love creating memories with her and seeing her enjoy the special moments of childhood.

Both boys really get into their pretend play with their trains.  Ben, especially, uses phrases from the show that just crack me up.  Sometimes, you'll just hear him say, "Oh, no! Exclaimed Henry!"

All three kids are protective of one another.  If one of the boys cries, Mairead strokes his head or back and says, "Oh, it's ok.  It's ok."  If one boy can't see the other, he goes on an all out search for his brother.  If Mairead is upset, the boys ask, "What's wrong with Baread?  I can help her?"  I just love watching them grow up and seeing how close they are!

Christmas Cupcakes

To get ready for Christmas, Mairead was a big help in baking some holiday themed cupcakes.  She takes her job as a helper very seriously.  She loved measuring out the ingredients, counting the cupcake wrappers, and stirring the mix.

 But the decorating was the best part.  You have never seen so many sprinkles on one cupcake!

That same day, she found a hat in Nana's room and wore it for most of the afternoon.  Ben then insisted on having a hat, too, so he wore on of Grampy's.  Pretty cute, huh?

The Nutcracker

Before Christmas, my mom was nice enough to take Mairead (and me) to see a local production of The Nutcracker.  My parents used to take all of us, especially the three girls, when we were little.  I remember it being such an exciting event.  We would get all dressed up for the big night out. 

Mairead was dressed in her Christmas Eve dress and then in a coat that I wore when I was young.  I was probably about 6 when I wore it, but it fit my 4 year old very nicely!

She did really well!  I was a little worried about sensory overload, but she handled things in stride.  She got a little nervous when the lights went out (it was VERY dark!) but as soon as the music came on, she was enthralled.  We stayed until intermission (about an hour) before she was asking to go home.  I was happy with that, and happy to see her enjoy the show.

Since then, she has been asking to dance to Christmas music and actually imitates many of the moves she saw at the show.  I am amazed at her memory-- she remembers what the mice did, how some of the dancers fell, and how the ballerinas twirled and jumped.  I do have some video to upload that shows Mairead dancing just as she remembers the dancers from the show!  Thanks, Nana, for a special day!