Halloween

I am determined to write you more! I am trying to figure out your sleep schedule lately and it is driving me crazy. Some days you want one nap, some days 2, and some days NONE! We are trying to switch you to just one nap a day but you aren't taking a long enough nap. We will get it figured out! You have switched from going to bed at 9 to going to bed at 8 and sleeping in til 8. Works for me! Although, your Daddy is home on vacation this week and I am enjoying the extra, kid free (sorry!) time with him, I will miss you being awake with me once he goes back to work. Sometimes I wish you would sleep from like 11pm to 11am. Then we could stay up together and SLEEP IN together! But, I have always tried to listen to your body and do what comes naturally for you. When you were hungry I fed you, when you were sleepy I let you sleep, I have never been a stickler for a schedule. We have a routine, but definitely not a schedule! It seems to work well for us and that is all that matters. Well, today is Halloween and as I am sure you already know by the time you read this, that we don't celebrate Halloween. This is really odd for me, especially at first. I am getting on board though. I grew up celebrating Halloween and it was never a really BIG holiday in our house, but it was definitely something you looked forward to doing every year. My favorite parts were when we would come back and your Grandma would be making apple cider for all of us. The years that we had a van were best. We would ride down the road with the door open and hop out hit up 5 or 6 houses and hop back in all while Grandpa drove and Grandma was home handing out candy for the trick or treaters. I like the idea of getting to dress up as something cute and silly and then getting free candy, but Halloween is much more than that. In Mexico, it is called "La dia de los muertos" or the day of the dead. Your father can explain this more in detail to you, just ask him! He will be happy to explain it. But essentially it is a day that you call out the spirit/soul of loved ones that have passed on and leave a trail from the cemetary to your house. You offer them food and build an alter, etc. There is a lot of folklore behind it, but it is definitely a satanic holiday as well, with spiritual warfare in full blast! There are many examples in the Bible that we will be happy to show you, that support the way we have decided to stand on this issue. I worry that you will be upset when all of your friends are going Trick or Treating and you are not allowed to go. I hope that you will sit down with your Dad and listen to him on this. He is such a strong Christian and this is very important to him. He believes very strongly in this. You have to remember that things are very different here than how your father grew up. He had a much different childhood than you and I. It is important in family and life that we respect the views of others. With this being said, that also includes others views that we may not agree with or support. Just because someone doesn't believe the things you do doesn't make them wrong or even bad/evil. That is their decision. I want to teach you to stand up for what you believe in, but do it in a way that is not condeming of others. When you are older you can chose whether or not you want to participate in Halloween, but until then I pray that you respect the guidance and wisdom of your father and I. In the big scheme of things this is really not that big of a deal (I promise!!). 
I have to tell you the greatest thing you've done lately! You went poo poo in the potty for the first time yesterday! You were playing on the bed with me and daddy and you starting pointing to your diaper and trying to tell me something. Well this is normally what you do "after" you have already done your deed. Well I asked you "Do you need to go poo poo?" and you said yes, then I asked "Do you wanna go poo poo in the potty" and you said YES! I was so excited! We ran to the bathroom and you went!! You did it! I was jumping up and down and you started clapping your hands and your Daddy came running in to see what happened! Haha! I never imagined I would be so excited over some POOP! But it is fantastic to see you learn and do and grow!
You know me, I am a worrier. I am so excited that you are talking more and more, but I can't help but worry that you aren't talking as well as you should be. Maybe my expectations are too high. Afterall, you are learning two languages. I am just so convinced that something is going to be wrong or something will remain from all that happened to you. I have to stop it and truly believe that God has FULLY healed you. Everyone tells me how smart you are and I have to tell you, they can tell me how cute you are all day long but if someone tells me you are smart, man! That means THE WORLD to me! I love that you are so handsome and beautiful, but knowing that you are smart and will be able to do anything you want to in this life is a feeling that cannot be measured. You have touched the lives of many and I would like to share with you something a dear friend of mine wrote about you recently. I may even share a few of the comments that people posted about it for you. You may not even know what Facebook is by the time you read and understand all of this, but I will at least share what was written:

You all know how VERY much I love my grandbabies...to the moon and back and until the stars fall from the sky. But, I have to admit before God and the world that this little boy, Isaiah Vidal,...whew...tears me up...in a good way, every tim...e I see his bright, smiling, happy, sincere, innocent, perfectly HEALTHY face! This is his most recent picture his mom just posted and I have her permission to share it with you. This little miracle that now walks and talks on earth who, by all accounts since his very first breath, should not be doing so. This precious baby boy who was gifted from God not only to his amazing parents, Cari Biggers Vidal and her husband, but, indeed, gifted to us all. This angel of love whom so very many of you joined with me in fervent prayer for last year only hours after his birth during a succession of many unexplained seizures that stopped his heart and deprived his brain of oxygen for more minutes than "allowed" each time. I met him for the very first time in person just before July 4th this summer while on a visit to Mooresville, NC, and I was able to hold him and touch him and feel his breath against my skin and I was absolutely reduced to tears upon the realization that I had received a gift myself. As unworthy as I am, for some reason the Good Lord saw fit that I should know the experience of how it feels to see and touch and look straight into the eyes of a true miracle. And as I held Isaiah that very first time ...I think I actually clung to him, there was such a sweet release for my soul of knowing that if God can do what He did for Isaiah and for my sweet friend, Cari and her husband, there is absolutely NOTHING that He cannot do for any of us. This beautiful little boy has changed my life forever and I will always love him as if he is one of my own. Thank you all again for being a part of Isaiah's prayer chain. YOU made a difference in his life and he has most certainly made a difference I mine. I love you, Isaiah Vidal. And, Cari, I love you too and am so happy for you and so proud of the mother that you have become. I hope to get back for another visit soon! Love, Me ♥

 

"Me" here is a lady named Debra Snipes. Here is a picture of the two of you the first time you met:

 

 

We also just had some fall pictures done of all of us. I will post two of my favorites. Your grandma has the disc with all the pictures so I will have to show you more later.

 



You are so incredibly handsome!! We have been so blessed with such a good little guy! You are starting to get quite a mind of your own lately and we have had to really start disciplining you and sticking to our guns when we say NO! Which is a lot harder now that you say "peeeez!" so sweetly! We are having so much fun with you! You are enjoying every second that your daddy is home! Him and I were talking after you went to bed the other night and in conversation he said "well yeah, we'll be best friends" He was referring to when you become "a man" and it just really touched me because I love that he wants to be your daddy now, and looks forward to being best friends with you as you grow. This is saying a lot for your dad, as you know, he can be a bit reserved and quiet. But it showed me how much he loves your company and the little spitfire you are becoming! You already are best of friends but I can only imagine the way your bond will continue to grow and develop as you get older. We knew you were special before you were even born, but there's no doubt about it, you will do GREAT things son!

14 months and counting!

I can't believe it has taken me almost 10 months to write again! I would love to write more but you are keeping me insanely busy! First let me fill you in on your past few months! Last time I blogged you were just starting to sit up and scoot along the floor (army crawling).  Within about 3 weeks or so you starting really crawling and almost immediately (within a day) were pulling up on everything and walking along furniture. Your Aunt Casey and cousin Landon moved in with us from the time you were 6 months to about 9. You advanced SO quickly having your big cousin to keep up with. You took your first steps at about 8 1/2 months and in a month or so you were walking around everywhere!! I remember the first time you took more than your usual 5 or 6 steps. I was walking to the kitchen and you were in the living room and no sooner did I reach the fridge when I heard something. I turned around and there you were! You were walking like a little zombie! For the first week you walked with your arms straight out like a mini monster! It was adorable! Especially when you would do your infamous growling! Yes, don't worry I have that on video! Once you started walking you really started to come out of your shell. I don't know if it was the new found confidence that walking brought you or if that is normal for 9 months but you were so full of personality! Your Uncle Chris joing the military when you were about 6 months old and we went to visit him several times when he was away. He loves spending time with you! Your Uncle Chris and I would always have dinner every Friday when I was pregnant with you and after you were born I was afraid to take you anywhere. I got really depressed and didn't want to do much. He was so great to encourage me to get out and do stuff! So we started our dinners up again and without fail we meet every Friday to have dinner! When he was away for the Army, your sweet Aunt Lindsay took over Friday nights and we had a blast! We would have cook outs or go out and sometimes just hang out! Without them encouraging me to keep getting out and doing things, there is no telling how much the depression would have continued to take over my life. Fortunately, that is no longer much of an issue! Now your Uncle Chris is back home and we still meet every Friday! We've been doing this for almost 2 years now. We also went on your first beach trip this summer to Ocean Isle Beach! We went with Grandma and Grandpa and your cousin Landon! We had a great time and you loved the ocean! I can't wait til next year! You are going to have even more fun! I have to mention your first birthday party too! It was HUGE! There were like 100+ people there! It took me forever to plan and seemed to go by so quickly, but we had a great time! You didn't really care for birthday cake. We expected you to make a huge mess and  you could really care less about the cake! We did a beach themed birthday! You had both sides of the family there. They sang happy birthday to you in spanish and it made me cry! It was so beautiful and really showed me how lucky you are to have two strong cultures to grow up with!
You started trying to say some real words around 10-11 months HOWEVER your FIRST word was MAMA!!! You were 7(almost 8) months old and we were playing over at Stephanie and Brayden's and she was holding you. You started to cry and reach out for me. Stephanie encouraged you to say Mama and sure enough you did!! My heart melted and the next morning instead of your usual crying, all I heard was that precious sweet "mama!"  Your next word was definitely BALL! It is still one of your favorite words! You can also say cat, dog, light, cup, up, dada,look, papi, that, papaw, bubba(banana), bebe (blanket)  and just recently starting saying "pweez" when you want something. You can say a couple spanish words too like aya, lota, and aqua. It is funny because I kept hearing you say "aya aya" every time you would point or throw something and it sounds a bit like a karate chop "aaaaya!" so I thought you had just picked that up somewhere. It wasn't until I was watching you play with your dad that I realized you were speaking spanish! He would point and say "aya!" directing you to throw the ball in a specific place. It's funny, I never imagined having a child that would speak spanish like this, and I guess I was thining to listen for them! Either way I am incredibly proud of your language comprehension now! You understand just about everything I ask you to do! I can ask you to go into your room and get your "banana book" and you go in there and get the right book and bring it back. If I say "Let's Go!" you bring me your shoes! You like to help me unload the dishwasher and cook and you absolutely LOVE to vacuum! You try to ride on the vacuum!
I am anxious for you to talk more and more. The doctors have told me that bilingual children often don't talk until almost 3 or 4 years of age, but that when they do start talking, they can speak both languages at or above their age level. The delay is caused by the difference in the facial muscles used in each language. The muscles (including tongue movement) required for English are very different from the muscles used to speak Spanish. We are so sure that our God is good and faithful! We know he has healed you and we know he will help you in language as well. We still pray for you multiple times a day. You have become such an active part of church worship lately too. I sometimes get a little teary eyed watching you clap your hands and raise them up and even try to sing! You are soooooo into worshiping! You love it! It makes me proud and happy to see you already loving church! I see you watching your father neal at the alter, or sitting in between us during the sermon holding your bible and listening. You are just so young to seem so in tuned with worship! I know God is speaking to you. I don't know if you can sense the spirit there or if you are just so sensitive to the spirit, but you get it! At only 14 months, you get it! I am amazed at you every time we go to church, I really am. I CAN NOT WAIT to see the young man you become! You are surely going to do great things. I will never let you forget how special you are and how blessed we are that you are so healthy. I met a young man recently who had the exact same things happen to him at birth. He is almost 3 and still cannot sit up independently. I don't think people realize sometimes just how miraculous you are. By all accounts you should not be doing any of the things you are doing. We believe truly that you were healed by only God himself. You are proof of a modern day miracle!
You are learning new things everyday! We are having so much fun watching you grow up! I almost wish you could stay this age forever! You do some of the silliest things! Whenever we say TOUCHDOWN!! you raise your hands up! We can ask you "What sound does the piggy make?" and you make the most adorable pig noise! You do do turtle lip smacking if we ask "what does the tortuga do?" And my favorite is when daddy says "TORRO TORRO!" and you become a little bull and snort and snarl at us! You can already use a fork and a spoon really well. You still only weigh about 20lbs but you are so active that it is hard to keep the weight on you! You have 12 teeth already! We just have your incisors and then we should have a little break from teething for a bit! You also tell mommy whenever you do #2 in your diaper which is pretty awesome because now I can just ask you and you tell me yes or no. So far you have always been right and then I don't have to wonder if it's just gas or if you really did something. You also go over and lay down and get a diaper when you want to be changed. We have a little potty in the bathroom and you go potty with mommy all day. You even like to use your toilet paper and flush your potty. Now if we can just get you to actual do something on the potty instead of just pretend! Nevertheless I am stoked that you are so interested in going potty! I
I have really enjoyed being a stay at home mom more than I thought I would. I really feel like this is the most important job I've ever had! That being said, it is also the hardest! I never worked this hard at any other job! There are no breaks, no help, no sitting down, nothing! It's go go go 24/7 and I wouldn't trade my time with you for anything. I have cherished these moments with you but I am sad to see your Daddy have to work so hard. He is so good to us! He is working 2 jobs so that I can stay home with you. Somedays, like today, he doesn't even come home in between jobs. He is gone from 5 in the morning til 11 at night or later. But I want you to know the most amazing part of this, he has NEVER, not even once, complained! He loves you so much Isaiah! You are his everything! When he is off, instead of sleeping in he can't wait to get up and spend the day with you. When he is home the two of you are truly inseparable. I know that there may be times when you get frustrated with us or even mad, but please know how much your father has sacrificed for you so that you could have the therapy and the attention that you needed so early on. He has always put us first. Look to him for guidance and listen to him when he tells you something. He is so wise and so strong and he will always have your best interest at heart. I would be so proud if you grew up to be the man that he is! He is the best father I could have ever dreamed for my child. Never think for a second that our love for you is anything less than unconditional. We are here for you no matter what and we will always do our best to be the greatest parents we can! Being a mom, or parent for that matter, is incredibly hard. No one can really prepare you for it. No book or article or post or blog, nothing. It is all different and situational and no matter how hard we try to be perfect parents we are unperfect people and fall short so many times. But we keep on trying, trying hard, and thank God for his great mercies each day!