Della has her own page on here, so I wanted to start one for Lana, too. This one won’t be quite as daily journal-ish as D’s is, though. I’ll use this space mainly to keep track of milestones, stats, things of that nature. Basically whatever I’d want to keep track of in a pen-to-paper journal and/or stuff that doesn’t really go in a baby book. So here we go…
(FYI, because I write so much about these kids, their pages are all broken into yearly chunks so as not to crash my site. I’ll keep the current year on the main page for ease of use. Enjoy!)
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January 1, 2021
Happy New Year, my sweet baby girl! Last year was pretty crazy, but you did an amazing job with all the different ways we had to do everything, especially school. You were struggling to stay awake until midnight last night, but you did it! I love you so much, and I’m really looking forward to spending a lot of time with you again this year.
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January 19, 2021
You were so excited today, because you got to be the co-host of your class with Miss Safer! You got to help share screens, mute and unmute classmates, etc. It was so cute – you were looking forward to it forever. I love that you guys get to do fun things like that even with a virtual classroom.
You also had STAR testing last Wednesday for half an hour and again tomorrow for half an hour in the gym at Richards, and you love getting to be in school just for a little while.
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February 17, 2021
We had your 8-year well check tonight, and thankfully everything looked great! Here are your official stats:
- Height: 53.5″ (86%)
- Weight: 62 lbs. (62%)
- BMI: 15.2 kg/m2 (34%)
- Blood pressure: 98/55
Your heart murmur has been gone for years, and every other stat is 100% healthy. You still have your allergies, which are generally remedied with Claritin or some other allergy medicine, so the doctor isn’t worried about those at all. We know you’re specifically allergic to cats and down feathers, but I think the rest is fairly seasonal. You didn’t have a hearing test this time, but we might need to get your eyes checked again. You said you couldn’t read the bottom lines on the exam room eye chart, but those are also the really, really tiny ones. You got your glasses almost exactly a year ago for farsightedness, so I’ll try to get you back in soon for your next eye exam, see if anything has changed there. Way to go, my love, stay healthy!
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February 26, 2021
You made your first from-scratch cake yesterday, and you were so excited! We were off school today and yesterday, and yesterday morning you said you wanted to make a cake. We don’t have any mixes, but you said you found a recipe from scratch you wanted to try. I thought oh great, my favorite. 😂 You guys have been writing your own little cookbooks lately, and you really had found a recipe for vanilla cake that seemed pretty simple. So we got started when the twins took their nap, and you did a great job! Last night we found a super easy vanilla frosting, which you made today, then frosted your creation. It was delicious! Great job, kiddo!! It makes me so happy that all you guys love to cook and bake. The opposite of me. 😉
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April 8, 2021
Happy back-to-school day, my love! You, Della, and Morrison went back to in-person classes at Cumberland today, and you guys were so excited. We found out you’ll be with Ms. Reiels, and some of your friends from past grades are in there, too. You gave me the biggest waves, kisses, and air hugs as I dropped you off in line first to get to Della’s line then around to the front to get Morrison to his line, and I just know you’re going to have an amazing day. You were definitely sad to be leaving Miss Safer, but we found out that she’s actually not going to be teaching her virtual class this quarter after all. She’s going to be helping in Morrison’s classroom! So you would have gotten a different teacher anyway. I think you are going to have an incredible time being back at school, and I can’t wait to hear how your first day went! You are such a wonderful student and you were already chatting with a friend in your class as soon as he got in line behind you this morning, so I think you’ll be just fine. I love you so much, my sweet baby girl, and I am so proud of you!
ETA: You are the cutest, my love. When we got home from school today, you immediately went into your bedroom with craft supplies and started working on something. You made me stay out, so I assumed it was for our anniversary. I was right, and it was amazing! It looked like a wedding cake topper that you just turn with a little paper tab, and around the stand you wrote “Here comes the bride, all drest in white.” But the best part was that you wanted me to take a picture of it right away and send it to Ms. Reiels, your new teacher. That’s a sure sign that you’re loving your new class and teacher! My heart is very happy.
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June 11, 2021
Happy last day of 2nd grade, my love! You did so well this year, and I could not be prouder. You absolutely loved Miss Safer for the first 3 virtual quarters, but you rocked Ms. Reiels’s class for the last in-person quarter. You made new friends and had a lot of fun! I can’t wait to see all the great things you’ll do next year in 3rd grade. You’ll be the oldest Rau kid at Cumberland, and the little green last-day-of-school dress is now officially yours!
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June 29, 2021
Tomorrow is Nigh-Night’s birthday (he’s turning 8, because he’s just a little younger than you), and you spent the entire afternoon and evening today setting up his birthday surprise in the basement after we got home from our little Door County trip. It’s a surprise for your brothers and sister, too, so no one but me and Daddy have been allowed downstairs. You got the idea after we went to Bay Beach on the way home today, which is a small amusement park in Green Bay. You rode your first roller coaster – The Zippin Pippin – and were absolutely enamored. So you have created an amusement park in the basement for Nigh-Night and everyone, complete with a roller coaster fueled by pure imagination, a claw machine, a nerf-gun bullseye, a photo booth, disco lights, tickets, and a prize station. I added some paper chain decorations that you’d made for my birthday, so it’s all set for the big reveal in the morning. I absolutely adore your creativity and am in constant awe of your beautiful mind. I love you so much, little one!
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August 31, 2021
Oh, my sweet baby girl. Tonight your eyes looked a little sad when I put you guys to bed, but you said it was because you’d been holding them open without blinking so they were tearing. Ok, I get that. But then you came out a little while later to go to the bathroom, and you were definitely sad. I picked you up to carry you back to your room and comfort you, and you admitted that you were going to miss Della at school this year (she starts middle school tomorrow and you guys don’t start at Cumberland until next week). I knew that was going to happen, whether or not you admitted it. I assured you that it was ok and totally fine, and that we were all going to miss her not being with us on our walks to and from school anymore. But I also told you how much I miss you when you’re at school, too. You guys are my whole heart and soul, and I love you so much. Fortunately I think that made you feel better, and you slept soundly the rest of the night. You’re a lot like me, my love – we always try to have a brave face, no matter what’s going on inside.
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September 2, 2021
Happy Roaring Start day, my love! You get to go to school for about an hour and a half, see Mrs. Jester in your classroom, then do some STAR testing. Your new locker mirror arrived the other day, too, so you’re very excited to hang that. 🙂 I can’t believe you’re in 3rd grade already! With Della in middle school and you being the bid Rau kid on campus in elementary this year, this is just crazy. Mrs. Jester seems amazing, though, so I think you’re going to have a fantastic year. I love you so much, my sweet girl, and I’m SO proud of you.
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September 3, 2021
Big day for you, my sweet girl. I let you stay home alone while I took Morrison to and from his Roaring Start over at school. You were so excited. I figured with Della getting a lot of first-day-of-school attention this week, you deserved something special, too. You did a great job!
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September 12, 2021
I am very proud of you, my love. You’ve gotten an assignment notebook from school that you keep track of all your daily tasks, reading time, and upcoming events in, and you have been so diligent about getting everything done, checking each item off, and making sure you get your nightly reading in before bed. You’ve also gotten really good about practicing your piano lessons, and I can tell you’re getting more confident with it and proud of yourself. Miss Sylvia has also noticed – she always says how focused you are during your lessons and that she can tell you’ve been doing more practicing. Great job, my sweet girl!
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October 3, 2021
The Tooth Fairy finally came back for a turn for you! You told me yesterday that you had a wiggly tooth, then this morning you pulled it right out! It was tooth #9. I knew she hadn’t been to see you in quite a while, but I looked back at your notes and it hadn’t been since June of 2020 when you lost a tooth in Paw Paw!
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October 21, 2021
Happy 9th birthday, my sweet baby girl! I can’t believe my youngest daughter is 9 now. You are such an amazing kid, and I’m beyond proud of the incredible big kid you’re becoming. We love you so, so much, and I can’t wait to see the wonderful things you’re going to do in life!
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October 27, 2021
BIG NEWS! You big 3 finally moved upstairs today!!! Daddy finished enough flooring so that you can sleep up there, so I spent all day today moving everybody around. You guys moved up, the twins moved into your old room, and all the remaining toys in the living room moved into their bedroom. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to have a non-toy living room, the twins in their own bedroom that also doubles as a playroom, and you guys upstairs in your huge new room! You all love it, too, which is even better.
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November 13, 2021
Big day for you, my love – you got your ears pierced! You’ve been asking for a while, so I let you get them done for your 9th birthday instead of waiting until 10 like Della. You picked some pretty little pink stars, and you just love them. We went to the same place where Della got hers pierced, and they did such a great job. Easy peasy!
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December 9, 2021
You big 3 just got your second dose of the COVID vaccine this afternoon, so you will soon be fully protected – hooray science! And SOMEHOW you were the only one of our family who didn’t get COVID this past week, so you are seriously something amazing, my love.
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December 22, 2021
You FINALLY get to go back to school today for the only full day of the month. Since you were the only one of us not to test positive for COVID these past couple weeks, you had to complete one more close contact quarantine after Daddy went back to work last week. Thankfully you tested negative again this week, so your quarantines are over! Just in time for your winter party day at school, too. I will miss having you here with me and the twins all day, but I know how happy you are to be back with Mrs. Jester, all your friends, and Morrison at school.
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December 25, 2021
Merry Christmas, my sweet baby girl! You guys had such a fun day, and it was so wonderful for me watching your pure joy and excitement as everyone opened their bags to see what Santa left. I know I will certainly never outgrow the magic of Christmas!
