I want to share the fun we had at Christmas so then I can continue to share our good times for this year.
The PreChristmas Season
We began our Christmas season with a trip to the Christmas parade in Dallas again. Last year we were lucky enough to go just a couple months after Ry's transplant. She loved it then and did again this year! Rylynn's favorite part of the trip is the parade, my favorite part was a trip to Nordstroms to see the window displays and Gilly's was room service and hot chocolate with Rylynn. It was a success by all measures! It's at just the right time of the season too, it triggers all the fun yet to come!
The Christmas season also brought a trip to see Christmas lights of course. Luckily in Texas we could do that with a nice stroll lakeside in mild weather. The kiddos had a blast.
Next was one of the highlights of our Christmas fun. Rylynn was in her school Christmas program. We had no idea what to expect. We practiced her songs each day in the car, in the bathtub and any time Rylynn felt like belting out some tunes. Anytime I would run into one of her teachers they would mention that they loved Ry's dance moves. We all know Ry likes to dance, but it was hard envisioning her breaking it down to Silent Night or Away in a Manger. But they were consistent in their compliments of her dancing. So the big night came and she had lots of fans! With a stage full of 3-5 year olds we figured we'd see tears, chaos and some funny moments. We were shocked that those adorable kids got up there and sang their hearts out just as their teachers had instructed.
Ry was super cute on the front row and swayed to the music as she sang. AND THEN... the final song was not on our list of music to practice. The organ player stopped, someone pushed play on the stereo and the kids begin to sing along to "Milton the Dancing Christmas Mouse". Ry went crazy! She was shaking and twisting and singing like no body else!!! For the next several weeks, I would constantly get compliments from people around town on Rylynn's dance moves! It was priceless!! I wish I could have gotten it on video, but it will forever live in my mind!
We enjoyed every minute of our Christmas season here together with our family. I was thrilled to actually get a family Christmas card and letter out this year. Things were so crazy for the two previous Christmas seasons that it just didn't happen. Here's the letter that updated all our friends and family about our happenings and what we were up to.
I
hope this letter
finds all of our friends and family enjoying a beautiful Christmas season. This is the first year that Rylynn has
understood the Christmas story; it’s been fun to try to teach her how special
it is. It’s wonderful that she has a Little People nativity scene that’s all
her own to play with and set up.
Although, daily she has Joseph (because she says he is the best driver)
drive Mary and the wisemen from the manger to the princess palace in their pink
van. They play together, eat together
and then rest. She still can’t
understand why Mary and Joseph don’t have a bed or other luxuries in the
manger. So I guess she is doing the
right thing by providing them with the comforts they may want before going back
to the manger.
She has also been preparing for
the Christmas program at school. We can’t
wait to see just how she’ll respond when the stage lights come on! School has been one of the best blessings in
our lives this year. Ry attends each day
for 3 hours and LOVES it! She has a passion
for learning that I had never seen before.
I’d love to brag and brag about all the little things she’s learned, but
I’ll spare you and just say that Gilly and I just couldn’t be more proud of her
emotional, social, and cognitive developments. Aside from a little lag in her gross motor
skills you would never know what she’s been through and would never guess that
this time last year she had just gained the strength to begin walking again.
Her doctor’s are also very
happy with her medical progress and growth over the past 14 months. She now weighs over twice as much as she did
pre transplant and has grown over three inches.
All of her checkups and biopsies have been great and we’ve been able to lower
her medications as planned during these 14 months. She’s still an excellent patient which we’re
so grateful for and she adores her caregivers at Children’s. It’s nice to continue to have a special
relationship with them as she continues to do well.
Over the past year Ry celebrated
her third birthday, was re-potty trained, learned to swim, started preschool,
tailgated at each Aggie home game, marked one year post transplant, and has
learned to write nearly her whole name.
She’s hoping the new year will bring with it a new puppy! The year 2012 for Gilly and I has been filled
with work and the daily grind, but we don’t mind. Having our family together under one roof at
the end of a busy day is just fine with us.
We pray that 2013 will grant us that same luxury.
It’s difficult to think about
the long months and the tough days spent at Rylynn’s bedside, but it’s all part
of what has led us to here and now. We
think of the donor family often, and keep them in our prayers and in our hearts. We will never forget their selfless gift.
During this spiritual season,
we thank God for our blessings and pray for Rylynn’s continued good
health. May you and yours have a
Christmas filled with the things that bring you joy.
Family Christmas
Fun times! A day spent with Gig and Papa and gang.
Then a day spent with Mimi and Papi and family!
Christmas morning was spent at home so we could see what Santa brought. Followed by a whole day playing together and eating lots. It was perfect!
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| Ready for Children's Christmas service |
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| Gifts at Mimi and Papi's |
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| Love these crazy boys! |
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| Ready for some cooking! |
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| These beautiful eyes must run in the family! |
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| Gigi and Papa tearing into their loot! |
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| Santa got just what she and Daddy picked out at Academy! |
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| Santa also brought Ry her own desk |
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| Ry spent the day trying out her new halter, feed bucket and brush on her rockin' horse |
And so the obsession begins! Ry had shown some interest in the new television series on Nick. It's a recreated version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So I climbed up in mom's attic and found my old turtles. We washed them and wrapped them and she couldn't have been happier!
It was a wonderful Christmas season! We are so blessed.
