If you assume I've been extraordinarily busy and over-stressed you would be very correct. Besides my job and my kids (oldest with a very intense, new school), my 3 year old nephew has been going through cancer treatment since August and I was extremely ill from January through October (much better now, but still getting infusions). He has really struggled and while he has been in and out of the hospital for chemo, as well as more life threatening emergencies than you can imagine, I have been caring for his baby sister (she is now 13 months old), and helping my sister out in any other ways I can. 2009 was a shockingly bad year and I have honestly been overwhelmed to a point I have never before experienced!
I have discovered that when I am under an extreme amount of stress and overworked to the point of constant exhaustion I become a very different person. My memory is shot (I suppose forgetting how to get to my own blog is one example, but I've even forgotten my own phone number, my pin on my debit card and much more). I cannot keep up with anything important and I haven't even kept up with any of my friends, which just makes me feel bad! I didn't even get out most of my Christmas cards and have not even begun to put away our Christmas stuff. How sad is that! We did get rid of the tree at least!
Now on to why I'm finally here. Samantha and Sierra - my girls!!! Samantha is doing so well. I can't believe she's been home for two years. It seems she's been with us forever, but it also feels like we were just in Taiwan! She is my little talker. Unfortunately, she has a speech impediment, but we think it's because her teeth are very badly formed (she has extreme buck teeth). Despite this she is a talker, and has been since her first couple of months home. I suppose she has to keep up with Sissy, the original talker! There is no limit on what she says or how she speaks (complete and proper sentences of any length necessary) and she LOVES to make up songs. It's funny because she makes up songs all day long and many of them are about her day, but many are from her imagination. It's fascinating to listen to them! She also makes up jokes, constantly. For some reason most end with the words, "Dr. Who" (A British TV show she doesn't watch, but we do have the toys and games)! That always cracks her up! She is also a princess, although she has NEVER seen a princess movie! It must have come from books. Here's the funny part, she now wears a pink tutu AROUND HER NECK! She refuses to put it around her waist (have photos, will post)! We even have to call her princess. Sierra is quite embarrassed when we come to school with Samantha wearing a fluffy pink tutu as a poncho!!!
She is also extremely polite, always says please and thank you, and also always asks properly (may I please...can you please...etc) and also always coughs into her arm (sissy taught her about not spreading germs) and rushes to get kleenex and a bless you for anyone who sneezes. On the flip side if someone does not cough into their arm, or does not ask properly, she can be quite rude to them, essentially telling them off!! She still has some eating issues and will not eat anything she does not like, hunger does not cause her to eat. She did FINALLY start gaining a little weight, but at 22 pounds (34 inches tall) is still underweight (according to doctor severely underweight). She does like to eat, but is very, very, very picky. She loves sweets (particularly fruit and dark chocolate!), but could care less about most foods.
She is also totally a mommy's girl and if I have to go somewhere without her (I'm still getting infusions 2 times a week and she can't go) she spends the hour after I get home telling me not only how much she missed me, but why she missed me (she couldn't look into my eyes, she thought of a funny joke that no one else liked, she thought she saw a monster etc). She is also a major tattle tale and gossip, so any information I do not want Sierra or Jeremy to know I must keep from her! Since Sunnie is here so often, for days or weeks at a time, Samantha thinks Sunnie lives with us, so when she goes home, Samantha worries about her and pines for her. She also really misses Logan (they really are buddies), since his treatment has made playing with him not very feasible (most of the time his immune system is too low or he's just not up to playing) and talks about him constantly. She doesn't understand and wants to go to the hospital too, so she and Logan can play (kids are no longer allowed at hospital because of H1N1, which has been especially hard on Sierra) and she also wants to be in the hospital as a patient.
Now onto Sierra, for a brief update. She started middle school in August. It's times like this I wish she hadn't skipped a grade. All of her playgroup friends are in 6th grade and when we get together (after all of these years we still get together, especially the moms) I hear them talking about school and I wish Sierra was still in elementary school. It's much more protected. Middle school is hard!!! Not just academically, but also socially. It happens to be a collegiate academy, so it is a very, very rigorous and tough school academically. She is doing great though and this Friday will receive an academic award. She has a 4.0 average, in a school where that really is a major feat!! In addition to school she is on the yearbook staff, which she loves, and was in the cooking club (it's over for the year).
As always she is my best helper and is just one of the biggest joys of my life. She is also adorable! I've been lucky in that so far I have not experienced a lot of the bad things you hear about pre-teens! She is still loving and affectionate, always tries to be helpful and kind, did everything in her power to help me while I was ill and never once complained that we had to cancel our trip to Europe to see relatives and her best friend (who moved over there) or that we then had to cancel our "make-up trip" to Disneyland. She has pitched in and helped out with Samantha, Sunnie and Logan in any way she could. I am very proud of her!
Samantha doing her angel pose! Don't be fooled!
Samantha's two year home celebration - she chose hot dogs, deviled eggs and little pizzas for dinner and wanted to eat in the living room, like we did for New Year's Eve!
Time out is sure more fun with Sunnie as my time out buddy!
Sunnie wearing Sierra's old shirt
Sierra reading The Night Before Christmas to the girls
New Year's Eve dinner
Samantha reminding me to be quiet so Sunnie could take her nap!
Sierra doing her homework (hours every night!!) with her little helper buddies!!
Samantha feeding Sunnie her snack!
Logan looks so different now, not just the hair gone, but even the eyebrows and eyelashes, which did not happen last time. He is nearing end of treatment, and we are all looking forward to spending more fun time with him (now he's often either too ill or too immune compromised).
Sierra has two papers (from English) up in the school hallway for being excellent AND three on the science "wall of mastery". She is the only one in her school to have papers on both boards and the only one to have three for science!
School dance to celebrate end of exams!! Sierra's group of friends, they didn't actually dance!
Sierra's birthday morning-we have taken photos like this from her very first bday!
Sierra celebrating her birthday with her two best friends (her party will be in summer -she's tired of cold weather parties and wants a swimming party), her birthday dinner, her cake (actually brownies) and playing her new DSI, with her favorite helper!
Sierra celebrating her birthday with her two best friends (her party will be in summer -she's tired of cold weather parties and wants a swimming party), her birthday dinner, her cake (actually brownies) and playing her new DSI, with her favorite helper!
We made this for Amber. Sierra's first days of school, Sunnie at our house and Logan's birthday. After the end of this time is when the really hard times began and I really haven't had time to put together any more photos of Logan or Sunnie (or my girls), but I do plan to do that soon. This particular smilebox takes awhile to load.
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A few random photos. As you can see Samantha regressed quite a bit while Sunnie was here. She needed a bottle (didn't last), tried to only eat baby food (didn't like and gave that up after one day), started crawling, well you get the picture! In the early months we spent as much time with Logan as we could. I would take Sunnie to the hospital so she could nurse and we'd see Logan. Eventually he just got too sick and then the hospital quit allowing children to visit.
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This card was made for me by Sierra after my birthday...she always works very hard to make my birthday very special and she always succeeds! I LOVE THIS CARD!
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FYI I wrote this several days ago, but then lost internet for three days. It was a nightmare because I work from home, so have had to go into the office, dragging toddlers with me!!
