Another Birthday... (part 2 of 2)

The family Bit...

So apart from all the 'getting ready' for Christmas, November also hold Lilo's birthday - on the 27th. It's hard to believe she is already 12 (and this time next year I will have five teens in the house!). 



Lilo is my baby with maybe the most 'firsts' ...

• She was my first baby born in Cheshire ~ my first 'Dabber'.
• She was my first (but not last) 'big' baby ~ weighing in at 9lb 10oz, and not arriving until week 43 (although she did not look at all overdue, came with plenty of water around her still and didn't tear me). Thankfully she was the last baby to be that late. The three since have been just a little earlier.
• She was my first, and only, child to have white-blonde hair, that was almost invisible until she was over two. It has remained as beautiful golden locks ~ yes, she is my Goldilocks :D
• She was my first baby to be admitted to hospital, on the whim of a meddling HV who thought she wasn't thriving. We had to stay in for most of a week (which wasn't easy, with Paul being a full-time student at the time and four other small children at home), with me being pressurised to give food supplements and/or bottles because she wasn't gaining adequate weight - for their liking - on breastmilk alone. I didn't cave! She was, lively, strong and happy, feeding really well and really regularly and I knew they were wrong. Finally her consultant Paed' came round, took one look at her (and me) and sent us home ~ and gave his team a ticking off!! 'Catch Down' was his diagnosis - she was born to big for herself and was finding her happy place - which was what I had been saying all along. At this point she was the same weight as all my other babies had been at the same age (which had, of course, showed as a plateau on her growth chart). We popped back to see the Paed' in OP once I think, by which time she was happily pootling along on her corrected growth line :D So much fuss over nothing!
• She was my first baby to reject the breast too early for my liking - at 6 months - and then she totally refused to drink any milk from that day on, from me or otherwise (I did try all sorts). Thankfully she ate lots of yoghurt and cheese and stayed healthy, but she has remained my most picky eater and she still really doesn't enjoy food all that much. We're set to do some work on that issue very soon...
• She is my first girl with a shed load of Sas!

So, here she is ~ 12!! 

  

Lilo is also my child of many contrasts...

• She is the one who needs to plan ahead - but then forgets what the plan was ;-)
• She is able to be, in one single moment, both silly and sullen.
• She is fierce and fiesty, but she is my one who giggles - a lot! 
• She is tough - really tough - you know that kind of inner strength that holds it all together even when life hurls its crud at you - she has that!
• Yet, she is soft and gentle, sensitive and kind to others.
• She struggles with her dyslexia, yet she loves to create stories and talks of being a writer some day.
• She has a determination in her eyes that pierces me at times. If she wants something from her life, I have a feeling she will find a way to make it happen.

She reminds me of myself in many ways, and yet not. 

Happy Birthday beautiful girl! ~ we all love you to bits xxxx

~ ~ ~ ~ 

In other news, we are winding up for Christmas with a crafts week next week, but we have been busy already, making our new Advent Calendar. 

       

The calendar is filled with sweeties of various descriptions (mostly from our old fashioned sweet shop in Nantwich) and a small object to help us remember the part of the story we have read that day. On the shelf above are 25 readings to cover the Christmas story. We are reading one each day. 

  

I have also printed out some activity sheets for Chip (and Stitch if he wants), which he can do some of next week. The children are loving having a change this year and I love that they have all been involved in the creation of something so beautiful :D

Abbie is blogging Advent over on her blog. She's doing an ABC of Advent. It's great so far - why not go have a read? :D ... http://babsiboosblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Oh, and two boys had a haircut (it's mine and Chip's turn on Monday coming);