The Lanksters

A Letter to Santa

Liv refused to sit in Santa's lap this year. We tried to get in line twice at the mall and the second we stepped into the line, she immediately hit me with a death grip around the neck and started screaming. Santa wasn't even in sight. She really wanted to see him, but absolutely could not get past her fear. We are actually having a lot of problems right now with fear - Liv's imagination has really kicked in and she is having a lot of nightmares about cartoons that she has watched. So anyway, rather than fight it, I gave up sitting in Santa's lap. I figured Lilly would hate it as well since she has stranger anxiety, so we decided to skip it all together this year.

But Liv was very concerned that if she didn't get to talk to Santa that he wouldn't know what to bring her. So I decided we would follow a tradition that we enjoyed as kids growing up - we would write Santa a letter. Now when I was a kid, we wrote Santa a letter and Dad would burn it - the ashes would then float up to the North Pole and the letter would magically re-attach for Santa to read it. So I suggested this to Liv and she was SO excited. Someone was kind enough to give us special stationery last year for letters to Santa so we let Liv sit down and write a letter (caveat - the only word Liv can write is her name - so it was actually just scribbles, but I figured since Santa is magic, he could decipher a 3-year-old's handwriting). She was so funny - not only did she ask for a bicycle, helmet, and Pillow Pet for herself, but she also wanted to write Santa about gifts for everyone else. I think Grammie and Grandpa somehow ended up with baby dolls and toy soldiers, amongst the many other presents that everyone "needed." It was cute that she thought of others - she definitely didn't want anyone to be left out.

I, of course, could not bring myself to burn the letter yet. I think I will just pass the info on to Santa and keep the letter - I tend to hoard personal items for the girls baby books and keepsake box!

Deep contemplation about what we want for Christmas...

So excited to be writing Santa...

Lilly was part of the fun too...

She was really excited that Liv asked for some presents for her too!

My Girls' First Birthdays

I love these pictures. The first is obviously Jeremy trying to put Lilly's birthday hat on (and as you can tell from the previous pictures, he was not successful in convincing her to wear it!). The second is a picture of me trying to put the same hat on Olivia at her first birthday party. We didn't mean to take such a similar picture at Lilly's first birthday party - it just happened. But I love how they mirror each other!

Happy First Birthday Lilly!

After playing in the snow all morning, we celebrated Lilly's first birthday! I cannot believe my baby girl is already one year old - it makes me so sad. The year has flown by. I regret that I can remember little of the first half of the year as those first months were very traumatic for us, but the past year, while difficult, has been a blessing for us as well. I cannot imagine our life without Lilly - her smiles, laughs, and hugs. She is such a beautiful child and is one of the happiest babies that I know. She is also incredibly easy-going. I guess she has to be with a sister as demanding as Olivia :) Another word that would describe Lilly is determined - if she wants something, she will literally climb over you to get to it - nothing stands in her way. I like that about her personality - while it can be frustrating (and I am sure will be VERY frustrating when she is a teenager), it is an important trait to have and a trait that I think will serve her well.

We have been lucky that despite her diagnosis, Lilly has been healthy this first year. I took her in for her well-child visit and she weighs 18 lbs. and 2 ounces, which puts her in the 8th percentile in weight. Lilly is 29 inches long, which puts her in the 30-40th percentile in length. She is definitely not a bruiser, but she is growing and for that I am thankful. Lilly can crawl, "cruise" across furniture, and stand on her own. She is trying to take her first steps, but hasn't decided it is worth it since she can get anywhere she wants in a flash by crawling. She says "mama" and "dada" and jabbers up a storm, but I can understand very little of Lilly's small talk at this point. I have a feeling that will change soon and watch out - I am afraid once she starts talking she will never shut up! She loves to play peek-a-boo and clap her hands (although she would rather clap yours!). She is starting to point at what she wants and I am trying to teach her some sign language, although she looks at me like I am crazy :)

Lilly is also very sociable. Unlike Liv, who hated the groups at her birthday parties (and still does), Lilly loved the excitement. She was a joy to watch at her birthday party and as far as I am concerned, it was perfect! Enjoy the pictures!

First Snow!

Liv getting ready to go out in the snow!

Packing the snow for snowballs...

Liv and Daddy worked hard to build Frosty the Snowman!

Poor Lilly wanted to go out so bad but all she could do was stand

by the window and yell at her sissy and Daddy!

Lilly Belle :)

Instead of playing in the snow, Lilly and I

read books in the playroom (which Mommy much prefers!)

Cousins

This is our attempt at a cousin's picture of Lilly, Olivia and Cooper. If you notice, Cooper is holding a dollar. We had to bribe Olivia and Cooper with money to get them to sit by the tree for a picture and this is the best we could get!