Eleventween

Blessing dress by Mom. Blessing blanket by Great-Grandma Elkington. Blessed April 2000.

It's really hard or me to believe that I became a Mom 11 years ago! I mean, I remember a lot about being pregnant with my first baby and all of the drama we went through coupled with the miracle that all babies truly are. And here we are 11 years later and there is still a lot of drama and still a lot of miracles.

Becca age 2

This year of Becca's life was significantly toned down from the years directly previous. We went from seizures every day and at least one big one every week to no seizures at all. She has had mixed blessings come with being more aware of herself. She's more aware of the things that she likes (us, music, etc.), but also more aware of the things she doesn't like (chaos, physical discomfort). She used to just sort of exist in this state of placidness. Seizures were these rude little monsters giving her an unexpected re-boot that totally threw us all for a loop. We know how blessed we are to have the Ketogenic diet work for her.

She is quicker to smile these days. She is happier, like giddy, giggly, joyfully happier. Her happiness and her smiles last far longer than they ever did before, too.

Becca age 11 Great-Grandma Sagers age 92 :)

She's also been a lot warmer this winter! It kind of hit me one day that jeans are about the dumbest winter-wear for Becca there ever was. They don't hold out any of the cold nor do they hold in any of the warmth. Other than being trendy, there's really no use for them in Becca's winter wardrobe. She has a couple of fleece pants from Old Navy, etc. and I had the thought that I could make some more. In steps Grandma Lee with her fairy dust and made her several pairs of the cutest fleece pants ever! With matching hoodies to boot! And speaking of boots, another addition this year, are the Ugg knock offs that turned out to be the best investment I ever made for calf and ankle warmth. I was always worried about getting them on and off and having them stay on. Turns out, she has just enough flexibility to get them on and just enough ridgidness to hold them on! Win-win!

Becca after school January 2011, hair re-do by Gracie

We hope we made this year enjoyable for you, BeccaBug! We love you SO much and are blessed to have you in our family. Please forgive us for our shortcomings and we'll keep doing our best to help you enjoy your life and feel loved and be comfortable.

P.S. Next time I write a birthday post, I will post it, instead of saving it until I found more pictures and posting it a month late! :)