Family Holiday Letter

Happy Holidays from the Woodward Family!

2010 in Review…

Philip & Lyla:

2010 brought some special days for us to celebrate with the 10th anniversary of our first kiss in October and the 10th anniversary of us officially becoming a couple in November! It also brought with it some new challenges with Lyla having her first heart surgery since before we met and, thus, her first as a wife and mother. After much discussion with her doctors at Duke, Lyla was given a new high-tech pacemaker with three, instead of two, wires that will supposedly give her more energy than she has ever had! Lyla did “wonderfully” during the surgery and asked for her “blue-eyed medicine” (Philip) as soon as she woke up. Philip was nice enough to sleep in a chair and stayed by Lyla’s side her entire time in the hospital, so the only difficulty she had was with the “no lifting arm or objects with arm for 6 weeks” restriction because Philip is not so great at doing Lyla’s hair and the kids did not understand that mommy had to be careful for a month and a half. Just before her surgery, Lyla graduated with 4.0 and Birth-Kindergarten teaching license. But she decided to wait and not take a job until November so that she could spend lots of quality time with the kids including being Bella’s pre-K classroom room mom. Lyla is now working two days a week, while the kids are at preschool, as a developmental therapist. She works with children under the age of 3 with disabilities and their families/teachers/etc. to help them achieve their service plan goals and further their development as much as possible before preschool. Philip continues to make a name for himself promoting accessible tourism in NC. His travels took him across NC from the tactile talking fish at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores to the Mile High Swinging Bridge (it’s not as scary as it sounds!) at Grandfather Mountain! His family even got to travel with him some; for example, they trekked up the steep slopes of Clingman’s Dome in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and paused at the Appalachian Trail for the above photo. He also continues to be a great father and enjoy every moment with the kids, creating games such as spinning Bella in circles in the air, bathtub basketball with Carter, and pulling both kids on a piece of cardboard (“magic flying carpet”) through the kitchen!

Bella:

In 2010, Bella has really gone from very young child to a big girl! She continues to amaze us with the way she sees the world; for example, while making a Mii character of her friend on the Nintendo Wii, she asked why the program does not have the option of selecting a wheelchair for her friend who needs one to play sports with her and why Daddy’s Mii does not have hearing aids. She has also become not only a great friend to her brother, but also a great help with him, and even asked to share a room with him for much of the year. This year Bella officially learned to swim with no help or flotation devices both above and below the water surface. She also obtained her second belt in Tae Kwan Do and then decided to take time off from organized activities. Just before her 4th adoption day, Bella participated in her first race, which raised money to help birthmothers in the area and promote adoption. She continues to ask for a baby sister, has bunk beds ready to share with her when she is old enough, and even threatened to steal a “blue punch buggy no punch-backs, drive it to the ABCD (BB&T Building where our adoption agency is located), and get herself a baby sister!” Unfortunately in March, Bella had her first (and hopefully only) trip to the ER due to a febrile seizure caused by a strep infection, so now she gets to sleep with Mommy and Daddy whenever she is sick so that we can keep a close eye on her, which she LOVES! Bella will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and already knows her letters in English and Spanish and has 3-4 pages of homework each week in Spanish as part of her Spanish immersion Pre-K program.

Carter:

In 2010, Carter did a LOT of growing! Between his first and second birthdays, he grew 5 inches and gained 7 lbs! Despite a rough first half of the year with recurrent ear infections, once Carter got tubes in his ears in June he really started talking! Some of his favorite words are: “Beba” (Bella), “Race car,” “choo-choo,” “fra fra” (pacifier), “blankie,” and “ha shawlet” (hot chocolate). He can also identify every common sports ball, including a tennis ball, and throw them like a mini-pro! He took his first organized sports lessons including basketball, soccer, and T-ball and was one of the best at following the coach’s directions and performing the skills. He is very excited to be taking football with his Daddy in January! Carter turned into a typical “trying” two-year old this year, mastering the art of throwing himself to the ground (even in parking lots!) when he does not get his way or get to do things on his own. In honor of his 2nd birthday, his crib was converted to a toddler bed, and he adjusted much more quickly than we expected him to. Carter continues to enjoy his Spanish immersion pre-school and really loves that his class and Bella’s class have recess at the same time. He is counting in English and Spanish and beginning to show other early learning skills. This year Carter has really started to show preferences for certain toys (especially toy vehicles), TV shows (including Dinosaur Train), and more!

We wish you a happy and healthy 2011! Love, The Woodwards