To Lydia at 14 months

Dear Sweet Lydia,

Originally I wasn't going to write you letters monthly during your second year of life, but with so many new developments I have decided to continue every other month. You are still my little baby girl, but you sure are growing fast! You are quickly becoming a toddler, and your attitude is proving it! You have quite the personality all packaged into a little body. We have done several fun things these past couple of months, including your first rodeo, Mardi Gras parade, a couple of visits to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson's and your first time on a horse! You loved all of them, well, except the parade. But you love playing with all the beads you acquired! Some of your developments include (but are not limited to):
*Climbing onto whatever furniture you can get your chubby leg on. Luckily you are also fairly good at going back down!
*Opening all the drawers within your reach. This has caused the next step of baby proofing in your bedroom (taping the drawers closed on all of our storage bins kept in your bedroom).
*You love playing with stickers! You love putting them on you and taking them off and sticking them wherever you can. Unfortunately this also means stickers always stuck to the bottom of our feet as we walk around the apartment!
*You respond to simple commands, such as getting your shoes, picking up a toy we point at, and coming to us when we ask.
*You have learned the sign for "more" (in your own way). You point to your other hand rather than touching all of your fingers together.
*We have caught you saying several words, but you aren't quite repeating them yet. I am pretty sure you said "horse" the other day. And your other common ones are "mom", "daddy", "shoes", "bye bye", and "hello".
*(My favorite one) You give us kisses! It's really more like a lick, but it's sweet all the same!

I know I haven't named everything new you do now, but these are a few that stand out to me. I love watching you learn and grow! You are teaching me so much! Most of all, to put aside the work once in a while and just play. I love you so much and am so excited to share this time with you! Thank you for choosing to come to our family!

love,
Momma

Riding the carousel at Morgan's Wonderland

Playing dress up with Daddy

The petting zoo at the Rodeo

Sorting your finds at the rodeo

It's Bluebonnet season again!

Horseback riding!

Blessings in Disguise

Yesterday was, in all definitions, terrible. Lydia, who had been running a fever since Tuesday afternoon, went to the doctor for the second time to try to figure out what was wrong and there was a rediculously long wait. I had my interview to receive food-stamps, which the workers are never in a good mood and treat everyone like liars and cheaters. Lydia, who was obviously in incredible pain, screamed bloody murder all afternoon. And, during my moment that was supposed to be a break from all the stresses (a night out with the girls), my car breaks down halfway to the restaurant. In the words of Alexander (a movie I enjoyed watching as a kid) it was an "Awful, Terrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day!"
But (yes there is a "but" in all of this) it was also an incredible day! Through all of this terrible day, I have seen the hand of God. He seems to have known how difficult the day was and made little miracles happen along the way. So, here is a deeper look at my day:
1. I took Lydia to the doctor. Yes, there were a ton of sick, coughing, runny nosed kids in the waiting room where we were for well over an hour, BUT the doctor we saw was incredible! She was so sympathetic toward Lydia and I, that she made sure she found a way to possible help Lydia rather than just sending us away like the previous doctor had done a couple days before. Lydia is being treated for an ear infection, which I am convinced is really something that Lydia has because she began pulling at her ears a bunch last night. So, we were able to get her started on the medicine right away.
2. I had my interview to receive food-stamps benefits. Anyone who has ever gone through this process (at least in Galveston) knows that it is a miserable experience that only the truly desperate for assistance will endure through. The case workers are almost always in incredibly cranky moods and don't want to hear anything that you have to say to explain your situation. You only speak when spoken to and only say what they have asked for, otherwise you will get an earful and will end up leaving in tears. Actually, I can't remember a single encounter with them that hasn't involved some sort of tears! Anyway, it's a very stressful experience. I hope I've painted the picture well enough for you to see. However, you also never seem to know exactly what questions to expect during the interview, so you always think that you're prepared but they'll throw something new at you that you were not prepared for.
Well, here's the miracle of all of it. I have been bugging David for a long time now to clean his side of the bedroom. There are always so many random papers and stuff all over that it drives me crazy! So, in order to distract myself while I waited for the case worker to call (always a tedious wait!) I started cleaning his side of the bed. I got most of it well enough organized. Then the caseworker called. And guess what random question they threw at me this time! How much my car insurance costs each month. Not a question that I had been asked before nor one that I knew off the top of my head. But she wanted the answer right then and there. But, miraculously, as I had been cleaning I had seen our car insurance policy and was able to quickly grab it and give her the number. I know that the spirit was what prompted me to clean when I did and made sure that paper was there that I needed! What a blessing!
3. Lydia's screaming. Well, unfortunately I don't have a specific blessing associated with this other than that it was a beautiful day and we were able to enjoy a walk outside together. This was my trick to convince her to eat some food because otherwise she wasn't calm enough to chew her food up without choking. So, the beautiful day was a true blessing!
4. The car. Well, there are a lot of blessings associated with this one. First of all, the timing of it all. It didn't happen at a time when we needed to be somewhere at a certain time. We had already been to all of our appointments and classes for the day. I was simply going out to eat. Second, the car broke down in a convenient location. It wasn't on a freeway or far away from home. I was only a few miles away. I was slowing down for a stop light when it quit and there were no cars in front or behind me. I was able to safely roll into the median, out of traffic, and turn on my hazard lights. Third, it was Mardi Gras weekend, which meant there were several cops driving around. I was able to easily wave down a cop who called for back up and they pushed me into a parking lot. Fourth, one of my friends picked me up and took me to the restaurant so that I was still able to have a break from everything before facing reality again. Fifth, and so on, we have so many incredible people in our lives who will not hesitate to help us out. We've been so blessed.
So, all in all, I'd say it was a good day. Maybe this is the reason God wanted me to go through all of this, so that I could recognize His hand in all things. He truly was watching over me and my family in this challenging time. I'm so grateful for all of this!
And, as I mentioned before, it's Mardi Gras weekend! This is a HUGE thing in Galveston and we still got to take part this year! Lydia experienced her first parade and was shocked by it all. Mostly by the noise, I think. She clung pretty tightly throughout the whole thing, but seemed to enjoy getting all the beads. And No, during the daytime parades you do not need to flash people to get beads. It was a great time had by all! Anyone who wants to join us next year is welcome!



And here is a fun video of Lydia for y'all to enjoy! Lydia recently started copying us when we nod and shake our heads. Sorry for the camera shakiness, I don't do well holding a camera still and shaking my head at the same time apparently.

Lydia's Eye Surgery: The Finale (I hope!)

Lydia had the full Crawford Tube surgery on her eye today and I'm so glad that part's over with! I don't think I've been the best at updating my blog about this. But prior to this surgery, Lydia has had two probings done on her eye to try to unblock her tear duct so that her tears can drain properly. About 90% of the time the eyes heal without needing any intervention. And, each time the probings were done there was a 90% chance of being successful. However, Lydia just didn't seem to have the majority on her side. So, it came down to needing the full surgery on her eye. This basically means that they have to put her under general anesthesia so that they can then put a tube in her tear duct to hold it open till the tear duct is able to heal and stay open on its own. Then, in a few months we will go to the doctor's office again and have the tube taken out. We won't really know how successful this has been until the tube comes out and the tear duct stays open. I don't think I've ever felt so sick and nervous before! Luckily David didn't have classes this morning, so he was able to come with me and keep me sane.
Lydia's still recovering and probably will be for the next day or so. She's very groggy and fussy. And a little more cuddly than usual, so I like that part! The surgery center was so good with her. They even gave her a cute duck stuffed animal with a Baybrook Surgical Center T-shirt on. The doctor's report was that the tube was more challenging to put in than usual. There was a large obstruction in her tear duct, she's guessing scar tissue, that was easy for the probe to go through , but wasn't a big enough hole for tears to actually drain through (thus the reason why all the other procedures didn't work). She was able to get the tube in successfully, however with more blood loss than is usual. She felt that the procedure would be successful overall though. We'll find out for sure in a few months. Lydia did swallow quite a bit of blood and that caused some nausea after she woke up, no fun! She's got a lovely cotton swab in her nose attached to some string that she amazingly hasn't pulled out yet and a couple stitches inside her nose that will dissolve in a few days. But she seems to be doing well now. She's taking a much needed nap! I think I need one too! Thank you for everyone's love and prayers! I know our Heavenly Father is listening! We love you!

The nurses even put Lydia's shoe on the duck while she rested! So cute!

And this picture was taken a few days ago during a walk on the beach (where else?). I got a new jogging stroller the other day... well, I should say Lydia got one with her birthday money! And, just in case anyone's thinking, the double does not mean that I am pregnant! I just figured I might as well get a double now rather than needing another one in a couple years.

Happy 1st Birthday Lydia!!!

Dear Lydia,



Happy Birthday! It's finally here! You're a whole year old!!! And if every year is as good as our first one was then I'm ready! You are such a sweet, beautiful little lady! Your personality is just blossoming and your curiosity is exploding. It's so much fun to watch you play and explore. You almost always have something around your neck (mostly necklaces or draped clothes). You are starting to shake your head at me (though I think you just enjoy it and don't know what it means). And you are so polite at the dinner table (you say "please" in sign language whenever you want something). You are always on the move and ready for something new. You are quite the little socialite! You love to be with people, especially little ones. Most people describe you as a happy girl, and you are most of the time when you are getting attention.
For your birthday we pulled out my old babydoll cradle that your Great Grandpa Matthews made and you tried it out for size. Here's you at a few days old:

And here is you on your 1st birthday:

You're growing so big! It's hard to believe that much time has passed, so here are some reflections of your first year.

February 4, 2010: The day you blessed us with your sweet spirit.

One week old.

Your blessing day: February 21, 2010

2 months old.

Happy St. Paddy's Day! 2 1/2 months old.

3 months old. You love standing with our help and we love looking at those chubby cheeks!

You can hold your head up!

4 months old and the real charmer!

You light up our lives!

Daddy's little girl!

5 months old and enjoying Grandma! Loving those rolls!

You learn to sit up on your own!

And pull yourself up on things!

6 months old. You know that you rule the roost!

You love the beach!

7 months: You enjoy a last visit with Aunt Brittany before her mission.

8 months old: Happy Halloween!

9 months old: 3 out of 4 generations. You are starting to walk!

Does it show?

10 months old

Merry Christmas!

11 months old: Your curiosity and personality are through the roof!

1 year old! Happy birthday Little Princess!

We love you so much and are so excited for this next year!
love,
Momma and Daddy

To Lydia at 11 Months!

Dear Sweet Lydia,
You seem to get sweeter by the day! I love having you in my life. When Daddy and I talked on our Anniversary about our best memory since we got married, we both agreed that it was the day that you came into our family. You have brought so much joy and love. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You are my little angel. Though you try to prove otherwise at times.

You have learned even more this month, if it is possible!
*You quickly learned how to stand up from sitting in the middle of the room. This has opened up even more possibilities and makes you even more eager to discover everything around you! You are now, literally, unstoppable. Well, unless there's a closed door. I'll take advantage of that as long as possible!
*You are starting to communicate with us a little bit. I said a while back that you were waving hello and goodbye. However, you took a break from doing that for a few months and now it is back in full force. In fact, today when you wanted to go outside, you walked to the front door and waved bye to me. Unfortunately a lot of your communication is in squeals right now. So, you have been learning a few signs to help you. You have started to sign "Please". You are also learning "Jesus", "More", and "Thank you". Can you tell that I'm trying to start you off by teaching you good manners? We'll see how well it sticks.
*You have officially mastered the stairs. You enjoyed going up the stairs while at Grandma and Grandpa's. In fact, you made it to the top a couple of times before we even noticed you were gone!
*You are turning into a book worm. You are starting to enjoy pulling books off the shelf, bringing one to me and then sitting on my lap while I read it to you. Then you go pick out another one. I love having you cuddle up close to me while we read together!
*Tooth #4 is on it's way in now and it's a top one! Hooray! You will finally have something on top to bite with!
*Speaking of teeth, you are becoming a much more picky eater. You are discovering the wonders of throwing things off of your tray when you don't want it. In fact, it seems to be fruit a lot of the time. Like bananas and grapes. You'll eat some of it, but then decide you're done and start tossing them down. This I could do without.
*You enjoyed your first Christmas! And boy did you come out with the loot! I think that your favorite things you got were the Little People, your musical table (you are addicted to dancing to music), and the Peekaboo book. You seem to enjoy everything else you got, but these are the things that catch your attention for the longest. You also enjoyed the toy cell phone that Grandma got. You even would hold it up to your shoulder (ear) to say "Hello" when we told you to.

I love you Lydia and look forward to all the time we have together!
Love,
Momma

President Monson

I just read this on my sister-n-law's blog and thought that this was amazing! President Thomas S Monson was voted the most powerful octogenarian (person over 80) for the second year in a row by Slate. I especially love that when you click on his face and see what he has done for the world since turning 80 it says, "Is regarded by the world's more than 13 million Mormons as a Prophet of God 'in the same way they view Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and the apostles in the day of Jesus Christ'." I love how they word it. For one thing, they recognize that he is regarded as a Prophet and not as a Savior, like some people confuse. For another, I love how his name is put up next to the other Prophets from the Old Testament. He truly is called of God in the same way. This is such a wonderful thing to know. It is an incredible gift that God has given us today, as if He hasn't given us enough already!

What we've been up to lately...

I can't say that I've been very good at taking pictures this past month or so, but I have been better than other months! Things have been fun, crazy and busy. But I thought I'd let y'all know what we've been up to.
Of course, living on an island in the gulf has its perks! One of those things is the beautiful beaches and one of the others is the warm weather in the fall and winter months! Gotta take advantage of it! We love going for walks on the beach and so does the little lady! She just wishes we'd let her really get dirty in the sand more often! And let her put all of the seaweed into her mouth! Ick!


The firemen came to storytime at the library one day. Lydia could have cared less about them. But she did enjoy the truck!


We had a bonfire with some friends out at Crystal Beach (for those who aren't familiar with the area, Crystal Beach is on a peninsula that we get to ride a ferry out to from Galveston.) That was by far the best bonfire I have ever done! The wind was blowing in the same direction off the water all evening and kept the smoke from the fire going in the same direction! So, we could sit around the fire without getting blown by smoke and smelling like it for days afterwards! It was amazing! Plus you can't beat ditching the group for a little bit to take a moonlit stroll on the beach! Amazing! And Lydia loved getting dirty in the sand (and taking a few handfuls of it to the mouth)!

Lydia went on her second plane trip to Washington for Thanksgiving. This is her on one of the better flights! She loved playing on the tray! Luckily we got the whole row for 3 out of 4 of the flights.

Lydia slowly warmed up to the cat during her time at grandma and grandpa's. At first she enjoyed looking at him from a distance, but would cry when the cat made any sudden jumps that scared her. But by the end of the trip she did not let the cat rest in peace! Luckily the cat was very patient with all her poking and prodding!

Washington was sooooo cold! I could have gone without seeing snow this year! Lydia didn't know what to think getting bundled up so much! (Do you like our way of bundling her up since we are from an island?!!! We don't really have snowboots and heavy coats! But we had already gotten her a warm hat and gloves.)
Lydia discovered fallen leaves! She picked a favorite one and carried it around with her.

We were fortunate to make it up to my grandma's house while we were in Washington. We went for a walk around my grandpa's grave. I think it was good for me to get to visit and try to find some closure. I still have a hard time believing that he's not physically here sometimes. (This is a picture of us with grandpa's grave and my Uncle Mark and Grandma Matthews.)

Three out of Four of the generations. Mom, you need to come up with us sometime so that we can get all 4 generations! Lydia loved her great grandma though!

After coming back from Washington, we thawed out and enjoyed some time outdoors. Lydia is a big fan of the swings and even tried out the slide on her own! I'm not sure how much she liked it. She smiled at the top and then smiled when I caught her at the bottom. But all in between was a look of terror!

We went to the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. It was such an amazingly beautiful night! And the lights were so original!

And there you have it. That's some of the things we've been doing the past month. Also mixed in is David studying like crazy. He has 2 more tests next week before Christmas break. And also trying to get everything ready for Christmas. It's been fun though!