Tag Archives: Lila

Dear Lila, You’re 12!

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Dear Lila,

Welp, I missed a year. I guess that just shows how full of sports, travel, family time, and fun our lives have been. So this post will be a look back on you as a 10 and 11 year old, considering you just turned 12.

The past two years have been transformative ones for you. First, you switched schools from St. Rose (20 kids in your grade) to public school at Perrysburg (500+ kids in your grade). While you took this on with excitement and bravery, it wasn’t without it’s bumps. You had to navigate new friendships, say goodbye to old ones, and figure out your new place among your peers. It took about a year for this transition to happen fully, but now you’ve found a great group of friends and are thriving at school and socially.

I’ve also seen a transformation for your confidence. You are pretty introverted and at times could be very quiet. I will admit I didn’t always understand this being that I am a very outgoing person naturally. But your Dad assured me that he was similar at your age and to just let you work through it on your own. While you keep your circle small, you have really blossomed socially. Now as a 12 year old, you are comfortable being yourself with teachers, coaches and peers. I really have a strong sense of yourself.

Physically you have grown to be 5’10”, wear a size 11.5 shoe, and yet somehow are still coordinated and athletic. While you still play allll the sports – travel softball, club volleyball, two basketball teams – you have made softball pitching your #1. You work very hard at honing your pitching craft, often practicing 5 times a week even out of season. Watching you develop your passion for softball has been so fun for me. I love watching you in all your sports, but there’s something so special seeing you out on the mound!

I love spending time with you – driving you to and from all your activities, taking you and your friends to a haunted house, and even satisfying your Canes, Starbucks, and Chipotle cravings. The truth is you are such a great kid that I don’t mind spoiling you.

Keep working hard, being true to yourself, and loving those around you. You are going to do incredible things and I’m so happy to be a small part of it!

Love always,

Mom

Dear Lila: You’re Nine!

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Lila,

You turned the big nine about a month ago. We celebrated with your annual balloons, flowers, presents and donuts for breakfast. Then we had a joint birthday party with your friend Bubba at the gymnastics center. Your classmates had so much fun celebrating you two and you got about a mountain of presents.

This year was another great one for you. You are doing awesome across the board in school, sports, your friends etc. This year you won the Cross Country championships again, made the 10U travel softball team and are playing in two basketball leagues. I love watching and coaching your sports! You also made it into the gifted program at school and continue to challenge yourself across the board.

I am in awe of your confidence as a young girl. I was always a bit awkward and very self conscious at your age, so it is so cool to watch you be so confident. At a cross country meet, a boy in your class was razzing you saying you were going to lose, and instead of getting your feelings hurt, you razzed him right back with a good comeback. The whole thing ended with you both laughing. This confidence will serve you well as you grow up and take on the challenges of middle school and junior high.

You are at such an interesting age where you’re kind of between being a little kid and being a tween. On one end you want to do more grown up things like go to bed later, walk to your friends houses on your own and pick out all your own clothes, yet on the other end you still want us to do your bedtime routine and set up the Christmas elves each night (even though you don’t believe any more).

Growing up isn’t always an easy thing. I still remember crying in my bed as a girl about your age because I was sad about getting older. I can tell you’re in a bit of that emotional stage right now too. Dad and I are trying our best to give you some freedom while also honoring your desire to still be a “little kid” when it pops up.

One of my favorite times with you in before bed when we sit and talk together. You tell me all about school, your friends and confide in me your worries. I feel so lucky that you feel comfortable talking to me about your life. You actually paid me the best compliment ever recently when you said “mom, I love talking to you. You should be a therapist!”

It’s very important to me that you know that I always have your back, I’m always on your side and nothing you could do would make me stop loving you. My goal is for our relationship to stay close as you grow up so you feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and feelings with me, knowing I am here to support you.

You are an amazing kid who makes me incredibly proud. You are wise beyond your years, truly. Thank you for being a great leader among your siblings and for giving Daddy and I grace as we figure out this parenting job with you first.

Keep being you and show the world what a special person you are.

Love you sweet girl!

Mom

Dear Lila: You’re Eight Years Old!

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Dear Lila,

Today you turn eight years old! We started your morning with the usual donuts, balloons, flowers and presents. I love showering you with attention on your special day, because you absolutely deserve it!

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It feels a little weird that you’re turning eight, because on one end I feel like you were just my little baby. I can actually feel your little hand in mine as we took on all our daily adventures to story time, play dates, the zoo and coffee shops. It was just you and me most days and it was so awesome.

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But then on the other hand you seem so much older than eight. You have a quiet maturity beyond your years. Sometimes when we’re laying in bed before I say goodnight, you tell me about your day, your friends, whats happening in school and I feel like I’m talking to a young woman, not a little kid.

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You’ve shifted away from princesses and dress up towards pop singers and begging me to wear some makeup. While I am not too keen on you growing up too fast, I am enjoying watching the amazing person you’re becoming. I tell my friends all the time that you really are such a wonderful kid. When I feel like I’m failing as a parent, I remind myself how great you are, so I must be doing something right, right??

Screen Shot 2020-11-16 at 1.38.05 PMThis year you’ve really come into your own. You are so confident that it blows my mind sometimes. When I was your age I often tried to do anything to just fit in – even hiding parts of myself to appease others – but you are unabashedly yourself. This is probably why people are so drawn to you!

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Just like when you were a toddler and would ask me daily to “go bye bye sumpin,” you still like being active and busy. This year you did cross country again and got first place at championships against girls a year older than you. It was so exciting! Other sports you’ve done this year include swimming, tennis, golf, basketball and yoga. You also still love art, drawing, singing and you’re just starting piano lessons. On the rare days we don’t have anything planned, you usually beg to have a friend over to play. You do NOT like just sitting around.

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Despite having a lot of friends, you still love spending time with your family the most. You have developed an especially close bond with Alden. And he adores you right back. You love to hold him, play with him and try to get him to giggle. You’re also still very close with your cousins Mabel and Reagan. I’m so thankful for technology that has allowed you girls to play games together despite covid and living so far apart.

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You are incredibly smart and have an insatiable appetite for reading. Daddy can’t keep library books coming fast enough for you and we often have to tell you to turn the lights off or you’d read well into the night. In fact last year you read the most minutes during a school competition – 33 hours in one weeks! You definitely got your memory from your Daddy as you already smoke me in matching games. I love that you love school, learning and expressing your creativity. I often find you writing stories, plays or poems in your free time.

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I love how sensitive and open you are with your feelings. Almost every day you tell Daddy and I how much you love and appreciate us. You always express your genuine appreciation for the things we do for you, like take you shopping or have your friends over. Little things many kids take for granted, you recognize and know how lucky you are. Any time you feel angry, upset or sad, you are able to work through your tough emotions and apologize on your own later. Like I said, you’re mature beyond your years!

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These birthday letters are always bittersweet because I know you’re growing up and eventually will set out on your own. Any time I start to get sad though I remind myself how lucky I am that I got to spend literally every day of your life with you. I haven’t missed a thing and it’s been the BEST experience of my life watching you grow up.

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I hope you know how special you are to me and Daddy. We are so proud of you kiddo!!!

Love always,

Mommy

 

 

 

Filled to the Brim

Posted in Davis, Lila, Liz's Life, Whitaker by

Life is so full right now. It’s amazing, joyful and exhausting all at once. Every moment of my day seems filled with childcare, home care or work. The precious moments I get to relax are usually spent vegging out on the couch with Luke over some ice cream. So, I’m sorry if I haven’t been by here as much to keep you all updated!

The boys recently turned 15 months old, and they are IN. TO. EVERYTHING. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with them. They certainly keep me on my toes. Their current obsession is climbing everything in sight and giving their mom a heart attack. Our house is in full on baby-proofed mode, with gates in nearly every room, outlet plugs galore and the bottom shelves emptied all around the house. We are seriously contemplating moving all our kitchen chairs to the basement because the boys LOVE climbing on top of them and onto the table! Basically our house will be empty soon. :)

When the house can’t take any more abuse from them, I plop them in the back yard. They LOVE playing outside and think our back yard is their own personal safari. They climb up the slide and then go down on their bellies, giggling as they bump into each other. They play in the sand box and end up eating most of it, and when it’s hot out, we put on the sprinkler or slip n slide for them and Lila to cool down in.

Their personalities are becoming more and more apparent. Davis is our adventurer. He’s always on some mission to explore a new area of the yard, get into some trouble he knows he’s not supposed to, or try to make a break for it up the stairs when the gate is left open. While he’s got a curious spirit, he is still my easy-going snuggler. It takes a lot to get Davis upset. My favorite time is right before bed when he lays his head on my shoulder and sucks his thumb, completely content.

 

Davis discovered the slide! #davisray #13monthsold #babyboy #slide

 

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Someone didn’t want to let me cook dinner. #davisray #babyboy #mommyshelper   A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on

Whitaker is technically the “baby” in our family, and boy does he milk that role. He is our little koala, and loves nothing more than to be toted around wherever we go. He reaches his arms up whenever someone walks by begging to be carried and loved on. He has no stranger danger and will literally let anyone hold him. He’s been doing this awesome knee-shuffle to get where he wants to go. He tends to be more slow and deliberate, where his brother is off in a flash.

 

Famous Whitaker knee shuffle #babyboy #crawlingbabyprobs #whitakerJohn #sweetboy

 

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 When Whit wants something, you better believe he will let you know it! This boy is LOUD and likes to be heard. He is most obsessed with my mom. Whenever she is nearby, he starts grunting and reaching out for her to hold him. He also has started getting jealous of his siblings. If I have Lila in my lap, Whit will crawl over and start trying to push her off, like “that’s MY mommy!” I have a feeling Whit is going to want to stay close to mommy and daddy for awhile, and that’s just fine with me.

Daddy & mini daddy. #whitakerJohn #babyboy #likefatherlikeson A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on

Lila is 4 and a half, and really maturing. I love this age. She is full of imagination, enthusiasm for life and generally is a joy to be around. She spends her days lost in her world of play. She enjoys making art projects using the various materials I put into her art cart. She loves building “towns” with her Legos and then acting out little scenes with the people. When she’s not lost in her imagination, she is doing something physical like dancing, climbing on her playground or building one of her daily forts.

  Saturday’s with Lila #lilakate #sillygirl #4yearsold #dressup   A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on

This girl is going to be athletic like her mama! She participated in jr. golf this summer with her daddy, which was a great bonding experience for them both. Although it took her awhile to understand that the winner isn’t the person who gets the ball in the hole the fastest vs the least amount of strokes! Her swimming has really taken off this summer as well. She is almost to the point where she can swim the length of an olympic sized pool without stopping. This girl has no fear!

How Lila and I spent our Fourth of July! @toledocountryclub photo credit. #mommysfish #lilakate #ohiosummer A post shared by Liz Batman (@elizbatman) on

I’ve been working more with my marketing consulting business. I’m booked about 20 hours a week, and I find the balance is perfect for me. I have realized I’m happiest when I get a mix of time with the kids and time away working. Right now I am usually with the kids from 8-1pm and then a sitter comes 1-5 pm three to four days a week. Luke and I share a home office space upstairs since he works from home as well. Some people think it’s crazy that we work by each other all day, but I absolutely love it! There’s no one I’d rather have for my “coworker.”

Anniversary dinner! #aventuras #annarbor #7years #anniversary

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Luke’s been enjoying golfing a lot this summer. He’s been a life-long golfer, but this is the first summer in his adult life that he’s really gotten to devote more time to the game. I love that he gets that outlet, because he works extremely hard and then also is very involved with the day to day care of the kids. Plus he also makes sure I get time to do things I enjoy too, like my new workout obsession Pure Barre. It works for us to both get time away to do things we enjoy separate from our roles as parents.

For real tho

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We are all trying to soak up the last few days of summer. We’ve really tried to make this summer low key by staying home most days, with occasional trips to the pool. But Lila starts school next week, the boys are both close to walking and I have a feeling our already busy life is about to get even more hectic.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful summer with your friends and family!