Best Christmas Ever!

Oh, Christmas time!

The most magical time of the year.

All of us had such a wonderful holiday. I can't say enough! It was joyful. It was triumphant. It was a Christmas we're sure to never forget.

And it all started with a little visit from Santa Claus (a tradition we had to continue from last year)...

"Uh, Dad, I hate to break it to you, but you look ridiculous in that Santa suit."

"That silly beard isn't fooling anyone, you know."

"I can't believe Mom is encouraging this too."

"Now can we all go and open up some presents already!? Come on, people!"

Wait a second there, Belle! Since we're on the subject of presents - what's the most important gift of all? 

The gift of life! 

In the end, that's all that matters, right? The gift of health, family, and spending time with one another. Every Christmas is another reminder: being together is all that counts. 

Flash-back to last Christmas. Arabella was seven months corrected. She was a tiny little thing. She still required oxygen support and her NG feeding tube.

Fast-forward twelve months and we're looking at a big girl. A girl who's gotten so much tougher and stronger. 

A girl with personality...

A girl with charm, charisma...

And, a whole lot of ATTITUDE! 😂

Mom and Dad certainly have their work cut out for them these days, but Bella is one gift we can't exchange (nor would we ever want to!). 

She's a keeper!

On Christmas Eve we went to Grandma and Grandpa's where Arabella got her first taste of the joy and excitement. She had so much fun unwrapping her presents. She was ripping and tearing like we've never seen! 

Dolls were a huge hit this year. Here's Belle opening up her Belle dolly...

"Give a kiss to your dolly, Arabella!"

Muuuahhhh 💋

Arabella received so many wonderful gifts from our family and friends. You guys are truly the best! Thank you so much!

After Christmas Eve dinner we went back home and let Bella open some more presents (and some especially from Mom and Dad). There was just so many presents this year that we had to stagger them throughout the 2 day event! Ha!

One of little Bella's favourite...Little People! 😄

"Hey guys, are you going to help me get these out of the box, or what?"

Bella was loving it. 

Then came Christmas morning. Nana (Kiera's mom) came over and my girls were busy again opening presents.

For a second it looks like I have two children! 😄

And here's Bella feeding another new dolly...

She's such a good girl. Sometimes she feeds her dolls in the belly, the same way we feed her!

Presents and more presents. It was all too much, to be honest!

Someone got spoiled, don't you think? But our family just can't help themselves. And who could blame them? They love Arabella so so deeply, and they remember everything that she's been through.

Just look at all those gifts. And that's not even everything!

Her face said it all.

Bella shouted, "This was the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! Thank you everyone!!!"
💗💗💗

Big girl Bella (videos)

Arabella wants to show everyone how BIG she's getting. 

She's learning to walk...

And learning to balance herself...

She's studying her books...

She makes the best faces!

She can be very silly...

She has a weird sense of humour...

But best of all, she started eating A LOT MORE by mouth!

Wow Arabella! You're doing such a great job! Woo!

Hunkering down

Little Miss Frosty.

She's a jolly happy soul 😀

Well, suddenly it's winter...

So it's time to turn over a new leaf, and say goodbye to another season.

We're going to miss that perfect walking weather. Not too hot or too cold, but just right.

Fall is a great time of the year, huh? And Halloween was a lot of fun, but it came as quickly as it went. 

Now we enter cold and flu season. Germ season. Where parents like us become a-little-too-over-protective season.

Cold and flu season is an anxious time for preemie parents. My heart goes out to all of them because I understand the fear and worry.

Last winter, Arabella was extremely high-risk. So high-risk, in fact, that she qualified for Synagis (RSV) shots. The shots provide antibodies to help boost a preemies immune system so it can fight a viral infection, but they are insanely expensive (at $1000+ per shot) and only the most fragile infants qualify. Last year Bella received over $5000 worth of shots, can you imagine? But this year she didn't qualify, and that's okay, since there are other little ones that need the drug more. 

RSV is serious. It's the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchitis in infants. Just imagine how it might affect a premature infant with heart and lung conditions. The craziest part is that the virus causes only mild cold symptoms in healthy people. What would give me a slight cold or a runny nose might end up putting my daughter in the hospital, and Kiera and I never want to go back to that reality again. 

Arabella says, "See you guys in the spring", because we're officially hunkering down.

Even though she's stronger this year, she's still very vulnerable, and Kiera and I are trying to do the best job we can without losing our minds. We do what's necessary. We wash our hands often and we try to be mindful of germs in public places. We all take extra vitamins, and do all the little things to try and minimize Belle's risk.

It's not always easy. Sometimes it means saying "No" to certain people or events. 

Meanwhile, this girl continues to grow and flourish. She wants to be a big girl, and she wants to do BIG GIRL THINGS. 

She stands, she squats, she even cruises around...

She pulls herself up and let's herself down...

In a few months, she'll likely be walking by herself.

And she's getting smarter and smarter with each passing week.

"Arabella! Get down! Sit on your bum, please!" says Mom. Bella does what Bella wants, it seems.

All laughs aside, this girl's health is our #1 priority. We're not taking any chances this winter, so we're settling in for the long haul. We're getting comfy because it's going to be a long winter ahead!

Seasons of change

Arabella loves the outdoors. 

And I love watching her experience it all. 

To her it must seem like such a world of wonder...

The changing colours of the trees. The bright blue sky above. The feeling of a cool wind, or the sound of leaves beneath her. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch!

She's changing so much with every season... 

And every seasons brings new hopes and challenges.

There are a lot of good times, and there are stressful moments, too...

But as long as we're together we can get through it. And we do!

We all lean on one another.

Without a doubt, it's a beautiful life with Arabella. She forces us to take a step back. To slow down and relax. To appreciate. 

I find myself being a kid again. Living in the moment, having more fun, and not worrying too much about the superficial. 

Arabella has changed my outlook in so many ways. 

I only care about the big things now. The "real" things in life. There's no room for time-wasting, or doing things simply to keep up appearances. And I'm in no rush to do anything, or go anywhere. Ever. 

I only have one mission, and it's to devote as much time and energy as I can to this little girl. I want to squeeze everything I can from each and every moment, before it's too late. 

Ever since she was born, something inside me said, "Give everything of yourself to her. Don't even waste a minute, because nothing is guaranteed in this world."

This girl is getting bigger every day. She's changing right before our eyes...and I don't want to miss any of it.

Every minute, even in silence, is precious. I'm constantly reminding myself that there are only so many years left where I can hold her like this.

And when she grows too big for me to hold her in my arms, hopefully she'll hold onto my hand for a little longer, at least.

Then one day she'll have to let go of my hand, too. 

And it's going to be alright. I'm going to be ready for that, and I'll be okay with it, because I know I've given her every bit of myself that I possibly could.

I live for this girl. I live for my family, and for my closest friends. And it took a life-changing experience to realize this. 

Time is precious, and it waits for no one. That's why we have to do our best to squeeze these moments, and hold onto them as long as possible.

Hold them. Own them. Cherish them.