January 4, 2010

2009 marked the year where Sabrina transitioned from being a toddler to being a kid.  She went through so many milestones this year and I can’t help but get emotional when I look back on all the changes.

Her social skills have improved dramatically in one year’s time. She still cannot be considered sociable now but those of us who have witnessed the changes know that she has changed dramatically. She started communicating with other people and is less agitated when faced with strangers.

Her communication skills are above average…but only when she’s talking to us. She still clams up when with strangers but WILL NOT SHUT UP when with me. She has started asking questions and absolutely hates it when I tell her I don’t know something. Her sentences have become more complex and she now likes associating new information with things she already knows….for example she told me that my bookmark looks like a lollipop or that a certain hat looks like a donut.

She has grown closer to my mom for some reason or another. She keeps wanting to go to my mom’s house and keeps talking about her grandma.  She is also idolizing my little sister (who’s turning 11!!!!), she would follow my sister around and copy whatever it is she’s doing.

She is now 3 ft 4 inches tall and has become a bit slimmer after she stopped drinking milk from the bottle.

She’s completely weaned from her bottle which lead to her being completely diaper free for the past 2 months…even at night!!  We put diapers on her when we go out but she refuses to use it and so we end up having to run to the nearest restroom so she can pee there. I decided that we’ve wasted enough diapers so last week I stopped using diapers even when we go out and I just say a little prayer that I might not be showered with pee that day.

She’s such  a good girl! She doesn’t throw tantrums, she obeys, she is not materialistic…I’m really so happy! I only hope we find out how she turned out that way so we can replicate it once baby number 2 comes…

My new year greeting to my favorite ladies went like this:

“Closing time every new beginning is some other new beginning’s end. Here’s to our wonderful new beginnings in 2010. I just know 2010 is going to be fabulous. Why? Because we freaking deserve it after everything we went through in 2009″

Yes, 2009 was difficult — very difficult! It’s not even just one event but just the combination of things which happened last year which made for one heart-wrenching year. 2009 made me question mortalities, moralities, friendships, relationships, parenting, and my self-worth.  It was as if God was telling me that he gave me so much and yet I’m still dissatisfied and ungrateful so he decided to shake things up a bit and show me just how much I had by taking a lot of things away.

The brutal method might have worked on me. The amount of difficulty in 2009 was tantamount to the lessons learned that same year. I think 2009 was a year of lessons not only for me but for most of my friends. I surely hope I learned the lessons 2009 wants to teach me because I sure as hell don’t want another beating like that of 2009.

I’m ready to for the fabulous like 2010…bring it on!