2010 Review

Good bye 2010!

Not that it was a bad year by any means and that I'm glad it's over. Rather, it's more that it is hard to believe that it passed so quickly.

I just want to share a few things that stick out in my mind about 2010. Because of the way my mind works, I'll list by person. =)

MAKENA (9 months at Christmas)
God delivered her to us March 16th this year. Lena was quite relieved to begin her normal eating again as she developed gestational diabetes while pregnant with Makena. Once again, Lena dilated quickly. Our doctor remembering this with Karis, sped her way to the hospital. En route, she was pulled over and let off without a ticket. Makena just about joined us while Lena was laughing (and before doctor was there) so we named her "happy one."

Makena has had some minor health issues (minor in that not life threatening and not as severe as others we know). She had surgery for pyloric stenosis like her dad did (muscle between stomach and small intestine grows to thick and prevents food/liquids from passing through and thus leads to projectile vomiting). My scars and staple marks are enormous in comparison to her three small, nearly imperceptible incisions. To this day, she still spits up quite a bit and would be more constipated if we didn't give her daily doses of Miralax. Her large head size is of concern so she's having an ultrasound next week. Prayers that there is no water retention or other causes are appreciated.

She has been a quick learner regarding physical development. I'm sure it helps that she has a slightly older sister from whom to watch and learn. Karis walked at 10 months and Makena was on pace to beat that. She was crawling earlier than Karis, standing earlier, and cruising at 7 or 8 months I believe. She has taken steps at 9 1/2 months. She was babbling quite early, too, with clear sounds of Mama and "nigh-nigh" (night-night).

She loves watching and playing with big sister. The feelings don't yet seem mutual. Now that she is so mobile, she is pretty adept at getting too close for Karis' comfort. She's typically pretty observant and docile. But she can get demanding and vocal when she's hungry. As of late, she is constantly sticking her tongue out of her mouth. She, unlike Karis, definitely has stranger anxiety... sometimes even with her dad.

KARIS (2 years at Christmas)
Karis from the beginning has been quite the adventurous one. And she continues to be just that. Instead of cruising around the house fearlessly, she is now doing that outside (for example: sneaking over to the neighbor's house to take an apple off their tree, climbing - unassisted - up the rock wall at the park across the street, walking solo up to the restaurant counter to request a balloon). She doesn't have stranger anxiety nor separation from parent anxiety. I'm guessing she won't be going to an in-state college and living at home.

I remember a picture Lena took of Karis typing at our computer when she was just learning to sit up. We joked that she was online shopping - seeing her now that doesn't seem so far fetched. She liked the TV remote early on (as does Makena) and keeps progressing. But now she's pretty good with the iPod and work iPad playing videos on YouTube, looking at photos, taking self-photos, doodling on one of the applications, and playing games. However, she doesn't yet get that the screen on my "old school" phone does not recognize finger motions when she attempts to flip the screen.

Daddy enjoys his nighttime routine with Karis. Momma would enjoy it if I was more cognizant of the time so that I'd get her down on time more often. I'm a work in progress. I'm enjoying my Fridays with both girls more and more as they both get a little older and simultaneously need daddy less and less. I'm getting out with them more and more and find it to be quite an ego boost. It is rare when I am not stopped and told how cute the girls are.

I look forward to multiple-word conversations with Karis. She seems to be building a good vocabulary but chooses not to share multiple words with us yet. I still have to call for Momma to decipher some words. Where some (doctors) may think she is behind the normal with talking, Karis explodes off the charts with physical aptitude. I'd like to say it's all Daddy's genes but Momma was quite the lacrosse and field hockey player in her school days. Combined with her no fear attitude, it'd be wise for us to invest in stitches and crutches now. She climbs the rock wall at our part without assistance (in fact, gets bothered when we try to guide/assist her). She likes to hang on monkey bars. I timed her one day and she held herself off the ground for 30 seconds. I think that's when she got bored with it and quit as opposed to not being able to hold on longer.

Karis is getting better at sharing with Makena. I guess you could say that she now swaps toys when she wants whatever Makena is holding at the moment. At least she isn't ripping it out of her hand as often. I see shades of Daddy's obsessive compulsive disorder when she is playing by herself. The toys have to be aligned just so...not a hair out of place or else! And when she plays with the toys another time the get put back in the same order (not just neatly). She played a game with Mommy and Daddy after Christmas on some colored floor mats. We started calling out a color for her or her stuffed animals to stand on. Soon enough, she'd repeat the color verbally and nod her head as "of course" but no matter who we called to which square, Tigger always landed on red, Boots on green, Karis on yellow (looking like yellow will be her favorite color), and Fluffy on blue. Karis is a good helper when Makena is sad. Karis will gladly plant herself in Makena's face and be silly until Makena stops crying. She'll also bring her a toy without us asking. She alerts us to any potential danger for Makena by yelling "baby!" when she is near the stairs for example.

DEREK
I don't post blog entries nearly as often as Lena does, but I'm going to try to do better this year. She writes so well and captures such great moments, I put too much pressure on myself to produce equally magnificent posts. Thus, I end up not posting.

I turned 40 this year. I still get looks of astonishment from people when I tell them...but not as often. And while they used to reply, "I thought you were in your 20s" they now say, "I thought you were in your 30s." I'll take those comments. I didn't have any fear about it and it passed easily. Aches and pains do seem to appear more easily from things like breathing and such.

I've realized that I had absolutely no clue what it was like being a parent until I became one. And now having 2 kids, it's more than twice as hard to find time to visit friends or even call to say "hello." They make me realize how little patience I have, how selfish I want to be with my time, and how quickly I can get angry when I don't get my way. I hope that I am extending more mercy to Lena as I realize how hard it is to be a full-time parent. I am extremely grateful to have her as my partner. I am dumbfounded as to how single parents survive. My prayers go out to all of you.

LENA
I'll let her provide her own synopsis of 2010. But hers I would think can be found in her posts throughout the year. My thoughts about Lena from 2010: for putting up with me, she's extremely forgiving; for what she does for the girls, she's extremely caring; for what she does for our family, she's extremely selfless; for what she does for others, she's extremely loving. I'm blessed!