Merry Christmas everyone! This year I will be sending out Christmas postcards rather than traditional cards. It will save on postage, stamps, and paper. On the postcard, I said that our Christmas letter will be on the blog. I made a fancy newsletter on Word and now have no idea how to put it on my blog. So here is the Christmas letter. Enjoy!
The past two years have been adventurous for us! On Father’s Day 2006 we moved into our new home and I was 7 months pregnant with Chloe. I highly recommend moving while you are pregnant because you don’t have to lift anything heavy!! On August 15, 2006 our daughter Chloe was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore and on October 9, 2007 our son Wyatt was born at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Yes… they are Irish Twins, only 14 months apart. Both kids are miracles, but Wyatt fought for his life born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. I remembered when we found out during our 18 week sonogram. We came home and researched and learned everything we could about the condition. Wyatt’s health dominated our lives for most of last year. Chloe was just as strong and enjoyed spending extra time with my parents on the weekends and spending time with just one parent while the other was with Wyatt in the hospital. Chloe proved that kids are bouncy balls! Benji and I were like two passing ships as we handed Chloe off to each other. It was a good test of our relationship and family and I am happy and proud to say that we passed the test!!! We still have many challenges ahead of us but being home all together as a family is such a blessing. We cherish our dinner time together, playtime together, and even cranky time together. Being apart for five months makes you appreciate ALL the time that you spend together as a family. Because of Wyatt we learned so much about all the blessings we have such as a supportive family, great friends, and our wonderful neighbors who offered to cook, clean, and cut our grass. In May on Mother’s Day Weekend, our good friends Joe and Maria hosted a benefit concert in honor of Wyatt. They worked so hard on the benefit and it was a really special time in our lives. Friends and family from all walks of life showed their support, even complete strangers. Over the past year, I learned so much about the medical field, much more than I would ever want to know. Wyatt’s blog has taken a life on it’s own. Before Wyatt’s birth, I knew nothing about blogging. I have to say, creating Wyatt’s blog, with the help of my sister and maintaining it has influenced my life greatly. It’s is therapy for me and it’s a way to network with parents going through the same thing. I have learned many new things through Wyatt’s blog and with 38,000 hits since last Christmas I am in awe of all the support and followers of our family. Wyatt is doing great. His personality is showing everyday. He is a very patient person, sensitive, and seems to be wiser than his age. He sits up and is working on crawling, standing, and eventually walking. He dislikes eating, but will lick a cracker and other tasty treats. He is making progress and works very hard to impress us. He loves to play pee a boo, grab my nose, mouth, and eyes, and loves to bug his sister.
Chloe celebrated her second birthday with an Elmo theme and she is amazes us everyday. She knows her alphabet, numbers up to 20ish, and can even recognize some letters. She loves to listen to us read her books and pretends to read herself. She doesn’t like to be messy and likes to “organize” things by lining them up. Her favorite color is orange. (She insists on having an orange vitamin everyday) and her favorite TV shows are the Wiggles and Sesame Street (because that’s all we show her). She is enjoys putting on Mommy’s make up and makes a point to tell me what she wants to wear everyday. She loves to ride on her Daddy's shoulders through out the house too! Chloe also enjoyed her first plane ride and vacation to Mexico for my sister's wedding. She is definitely a girly-girl and a complete joy.
Abby, our dog is learning that she is not the only child anymore. She still barks at every little thing, but she is getting better about being around Chloe and Wyatt, especially since they drop tasty treats on the floor. With the exception of biting the oxygen delivery guy, she has been on her good behavior.
Sputnik our cat, passed away this year. He was such a lovable cat and acted like a dog most of the time. It was hard to put him to sleep because he was only six years old. However, he developed crystals in his urine and after an emergency visit to the Animal ER on a Sunday night and a doctor’s appointment the next day, we could not save him. Benji was out of town and I was home with Wyatt and Chloe on a Sunday when all this happened. Sputnik will always be remembered and will always be part of our family.
My sister got married this Fall and moved into a basement apartment at my grandmother’s house. It’s great to have her around since she has been away for the past five years living in Japan.
I am enjoying spending time with Chloe and Wyatt. Chloe enrolled in Tumble Kicks this season which is basically a class where two year olds run around and have fun. Sometimes Chloe likes it and sometimes she throws herself down on the floor in a dramatic way and does not like it. We also enjoy going to story time at the library and out to lunch together. I am also really enjoying my job this year as a mentor teacher for middle school and helping with elementary science. With time with both kids and working, I feel like I finally have balance in my life.
Benji is also enjoying his job. He had an opportunity to attend two computer trainings (one in Las Vegas) this year and he works with a wonderful group of people. So after not really celebrating Christmas last year, I finally feel like we are settled into our house and with both kids at home can enjoy the holiday. I think I am in the Christmas spirit more than anyone else in my household! From the Koger Family, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love,
Benjamin, Gina, Chloe, Wyatt, Abby, and Angel Sputnik
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