In February, Liesel had surgery to untether her spinal cord. She spent 6 days in the hospital, and then another 3 weeks at home resting and laying low. Hubs and I took turns staying the night with her, while Juliet stayed at my parents house. It was a tough week for all of us. I had the double challenge of dealing with morning sickness. There's nothing like wanting to puke at the hospital! Also in February, Liesel celebrated her first birthday with us. She turned 5, and we had a huge party for her. It was such a memorable day!
In March, we found out we were having another girl. Up until the day of the sonogram, I could have sworn it was a boy. I was completely stunned to see that we were having a girl. I remember feeling surprised and joyous for weeks over the news. We were so blessed to be adding another girl to our family!
In April, Juliet turned four. We had one more huge birthday party, complete with Princess Belle. The girls still talk about that party. Juliet thinks that Jasmine is coming for her birthday this year. I think birthdays will be low key this time around! :)
In May, we took our first (and last) vacation as a family of four. We hit the road and headed to the sunny shores of the Florida panhandle. My parents came along, as well as some good friends, Dave and Jen. The girls had so much fun that week. They talked about our beach trip for months afterward! Clearly, it was a hit. We enjoyed the time away together as a family. I hope we are able to go again someday.
June brought my third and final trimester. It also brought one of the most jam-packed schedules my calendar had ever seen! We had swim lessons, VBS, Chinese school, doctor's appointments, date nights, overnight trips for the girls to Grammie's...busy, busy, busy!
On July 14, we celebrated one year with Liesel. Gotcha day, as we call it, was very special. We took the girls to a Schlitterbahn, a huge water park not far from Austin, and we had a blast! We also enjoyed 4th of July with a morning neighborhood parade and an evening trip downtown for a fireworks display. We parked our car and walked 1.2 miles to park and back. At the time, I was about 33 weeks pregnant!! We do it all for the kids, don't we??
August was *supposed* to be the month of Lydia's birth, but as seems to be the case with my pregnancies, this one went long. I have to say I wasn't that surprised. Juliet was induced at 42 weeks, so I knew I could be in for the same thing with Lydia. I kept myself busy that month. I had so many little projects I wanted to finish up before the baby came. We painted an accent wall in her room, and I finished knitting her baby blanket. She really did come at a great time. That last weekend of August, I was 41+ weeks and I knew something was up.
September came in with much joy and excitement as we welcomed our Labor Day baby on September 2. My water broke that morning when I stepped out of bed around 7 am, and Lydia Charlotte was born at 12:58 pm, just six short hours later. From the moment they handed her to me, I was smitten. A lot of my friends tell me, they always wondered with their second child if their heart would be big enough to love another child that much again. That thought never even entered my mind during my pregnancy. I sure did worry about other things though! As soon as our eyes met, I was done. She is my precious angel baby...just as easy as pie. Love my Lydia Lou!
Honestly, I don't remember that much about October. I'm going to blame it on the new baby! Early in the month we had a visit from hubs' Mom and Dad. They flew in to meet Lydia. I also remember that toward the end of the month, Lydia started sleeping for 12 hours overnight, and she rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time. She's a fast learner. I believe we also took a trip to the pumpkin patch. The girls had a blast painting pumpkins, riding the train, and taking a hay ride.
November brought busyness with the rush and excitement of the coming holiday season. On Thanksgiving day, we hosted six Chinese doctoral candidates from UT, along with my parents, their neighbors, and some friends from their church. The preparation for that kept me busy for weeks!
To tell you the truth, I still can't believe December is over. We enjoyed another visit from Hubs' family; this time, his brother, sister-in-law and their kiddos came along too! Our house was full of joyful noise as the cousins played together. Hubs also has enjoyed two weeks off from work, so we've had some nice, relaxed days at home as a family. We made Christmas cookies, had a birthday party for Jesus, sang songs, decorated a tree, went looking at Christmas lights in our PJ's and slippers, and visited the Trail of Lights. What a memorable month!
Looking back at this past year, I'm reminded of just how blessed we've been. This year hasn't been without its sorrows. We've mourned at times and rejoiced at others. Through it all, we know that God has been so good to us. We want to wish you a very Happy and Joy-filled New Year. May God's abundant blessings be yours in 2014. Happy New Year from our family to yours!
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