The Scherlings are either turning Christmas letter writing into a biannual tradition, or Anna and Ian wanted to give Ellis a really solid second child complaint story by skipping letter writing for his first Christmas. He’ll be fine. Right?
2021 was… a lot. The first few months were full of remote work, preschool, and gearing up for a new baby. Anna’s mom came out in mid-April to help, anticipating Ellis would show up three-ish weeks early just like his sister. Instead, he decided to come just three days early, letting Lucy savor her last birthday as an only child. The next day, at Anna’s regularly scheduled prenatal appointment, her OB expressed concern that waiting for active labor might make Ellis a parking lot baby. Anna headed back to the car where Ian was waiting (COVID restrictions), and said, “we’re having a baby today.” They drove straight to the hospital for a walk-in induction. About three hours after arriving and just two hours after starting Pitocin, Ellis popped out. (Anna’s big regret is the 15 minutes she waited to start her epidural so she could eat a croissant.) He was healthy and hungry, and, given Lucy’s extended NICU stay exactly four years prior, Anna and Ian didn’t take it for granted that they all went home after just two nights. They were also grateful Lucy’s big-sister excitement didn’t vanish once she met Ellis. It was pretty magical.
That summer was full of grandparent visits, sleepless nights, and a job change for Ian. And Lucy really started to lean into her primary extracurricular: Boston Children’s. She has now collected seven specialists, stemming from her apraxia diagnosis and slight hearing loss. Thankfully most of her appointments involve games, not needles, so she thinks the hospital is really fun.
In the fall, both of Anna’s brothers and their families made trips to meet Ellis and enjoy New England. Lucy loved adventuring around Boston with Sadie, and Lucy, Ellis, and Brooklyn got to go trick-or-treating together in coordinating weather costumes. Anna took a turn as TV star on Ask This Old House, and for the record, she’s on track to surpass Ian on YouTube views. That December, Ellis (mostly) enjoyed his first airplane trip to spend Christmas in Kansas, where he got to meet lots of family, including all three great-grandmas.
2022 kicked off with big moments for everyone. Anna took her first solo trip since before Lucy was born and headed to Kansas City for a good friend’s wedding celebration! Ian went back to work at Sasaki! Lucy got glasses! Ellis turned blonde! (He also was walking by 11 months, and they can’t decide which was more surprising.) In April, with Lucy turning 5 and Ellis turning 1 just a day apart, the Scherlings hosted a gigantic mermaid and shark birthday party with lots of cake (thanks, Jen!).
Summer was full of beaches, ice cream, fireworks, and aquarium visits (the membership is totally worth it), and then suddenly it was fall. Lucy started kindergarten, and she loves it. At home these days, she’s the resident safety monitor (“I made a sign that says no getting burned”), and zoologist (her area of expertise is an obscure imaginary big cat called the “house cave”). Ellis is always ready to launch off tall things at a moment’s notice. He immensely enjoys sports (randomly yelling “touchdown!” as he dives to the floor), aggressive snuggling, and reading any and all books that contain sea creatures (“fishy! shark!”). Ian and Anna are staying busy at Sasaki and figuring out their new commuting schedules to downtown Boston while still chauffeuring the kids around. They’re also very thankful for their church family at REUNION, and their community group geared towards parents, where they get to talk about faith with other parents while quoting Bluey (IYKYK).
In this holiday season, Ian, Anna, Lucy, and Ellis hope you find moments of wonder and joy, and wish you a healthy and happy 2023!
Want more? Read past Christmas letters.
That summer was full of grandparent visits, sleepless nights, and a job change for Ian. And Lucy really started to lean into her primary extracurricular: Boston Children’s. She has now collected seven specialists, stemming from her apraxia diagnosis and slight hearing loss. Thankfully most of her appointments involve games, not needles, so she thinks the hospital is really fun.
In the fall, both of Anna’s brothers and their families made trips to meet Ellis and enjoy New England. Lucy loved adventuring around Boston with Sadie, and Lucy, Ellis, and Brooklyn got to go trick-or-treating together in coordinating weather costumes. Anna took a turn as TV star on Ask This Old House, and for the record, she’s on track to surpass Ian on YouTube views. That December, Ellis (mostly) enjoyed his first airplane trip to spend Christmas in Kansas, where he got to meet lots of family, including all three great-grandmas.
2022 kicked off with big moments for everyone. Anna took her first solo trip since before Lucy was born and headed to Kansas City for a good friend’s wedding celebration! Ian went back to work at Sasaki! Lucy got glasses! Ellis turned blonde! (He also was walking by 11 months, and they can’t decide which was more surprising.) In April, with Lucy turning 5 and Ellis turning 1 just a day apart, the Scherlings hosted a gigantic mermaid and shark birthday party with lots of cake (thanks, Jen!).
Summer was full of beaches, ice cream, fireworks, and aquarium visits (the membership is totally worth it), and then suddenly it was fall. Lucy started kindergarten, and she loves it. At home these days, she’s the resident safety monitor (“I made a sign that says no getting burned”), and zoologist (her area of expertise is an obscure imaginary big cat called the “house cave”). Ellis is always ready to launch off tall things at a moment’s notice. He immensely enjoys sports (randomly yelling “touchdown!” as he dives to the floor), aggressive snuggling, and reading any and all books that contain sea creatures (“fishy! shark!”). Ian and Anna are staying busy at Sasaki and figuring out their new commuting schedules to downtown Boston while still chauffeuring the kids around. They’re also very thankful for their church family at REUNION, and their community group geared towards parents, where they get to talk about faith with other parents while quoting Bluey (IYKYK).
In this holiday season, Ian, Anna, Lucy, and Ellis hope you find moments of wonder and joy, and wish you a healthy and happy 2023!
Want more? Read past Christmas letters.