"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break." -Chinese Proverb



18.1.12

A little bit of everything 2012






This year has started.....and it roared in like a lion and we've been doing lots of great stuff!
With the mild weather in the New Year, our family has been enjoying numerous activities out....our city has created a beautiful skating rink outside of city hall.....we headed to our local second hand store where I found bob skates and a helmet.....all for $6. See previous blog with pictures and video! We have been a few times and he is getting used to it, not loving every second but dealing with having to try!
Again with the weather being mild, we have been going for "night walks".....and since it's dark after 5, everything is done at night! We walk the paths, go looking for remaining outdoor lights, and go on adventures so that we can return to have warm "hot" chocolate, loaded with mini marshmellows and get cozy under blankets to watch movies before going to bed.



And the boy is getting many of his mama's traits.....like getting so excited about going somewhere, that he hurries and gets ready WAY before it's time, sometimes hours before it's time to leave....lol... I am now using the timer on the microwave to let him know when we are leaving.... I should get him a Time Timer (that we use with the kids at work) so that he can SEE how much time we have before leaving....and yes, I can choose not to tell him, but he likes to know what we are doing every day (note to self, make him a calendar/agenda) .....so how can I NOT tell him!

Lots of other fun things are happening.....





1. Hubby turned 40! Can you believe I'm married to such an old man! We were going to spend the day in the city he grew up in over the weekend, but Saturday was ridicously cold and Sunday, none of us could get motivated to move....so the boy and I made cupcakes and we ordered pizza for dinner....we will be celebrating the birthday in February!





2. On the adoption front, things are NOT moving and I'm NOT happy (surprise!) The SW hasn't been over to finish our homestudy (we finished PRIDE in November...what? Am I expecting too much) and she is coming over next week. But after everything that happened in PRIDE and the story of adoption that is unfolding for my friend, I teeter between Adrien being an only child and having him surrounded by cousins and giving him a sibling..... I have never wanted an only child, in my mind (and only in my mind) I think it would be lonely. I remember having a friend that was an only child and when we were younger I remember her telling me that being an only child sucked and that a person could die of loneliness....it just stuck with me, true or not....it stuck...Back to adoption, I hate that the SW make themselves seem like the saviours.....saviours to these "poor" children and these "poor infertile" families....when in reality, if they did their job better, there were be less kids falling through the cracks....(and I'm not holding the SW 100%, I know what caseloads are like and limitations and how everyone wants more work for less money....I get it!)...it's just frustrating.....





3. So last night I get home and there is a message on the machine.....it's Adrien's "big boy" school....yes, he's going to JK in September. The message went along the lines of...We have Adrien's name down as a possible student for our school. Can you please call and confirm? In turn, we will send you an information package to fill out and bring to registration on January 3o. WHAT!!!!!!!!! JK registration doesn't begin in our area until January 30 SO my question is how did they get our contact information....when I asked her that, she replied though I don't remember what she said, I did decide that it made sense, but could I explain it again, no, probably not! It has to do with the fact that his school in under a boundary review. More importantly....my baby is starting school.....he is going to learn so many new and different things....I'm so excited for him!





4. When visiting cousins, we don't need a couch to watch TV!!!! lmao....I love the below picture!

5. Adrien has started a new class....I know, right, look at me, never giving up in setting my kid up for failure (see two swimming lesson drop out sessions and incomplete gymnastics) He and I talked a lot about this new class. It's a Dance Fit class. When I called to register him, he and our neighbour were the only two registered. He was very excited about going with his friend....when we got there, he said good bye to me and headed off like the big boy that he is with the teacher. I spied for a little bit...he seemed to really like it...then I went for coffee. When I got back near the end of the class, he was laughing and listening to instructions and when he saw me, he waved but kept on dancing! HE WANTS TO GO BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Adrien recieved the following books for Christmas......I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend them.....we absolutely LOVE reading them over and over again! They send a fabulous message about love and self esteem......
Draw and paint a little!
Make friends!
Sing and dance a little!
Have fun!
Be kind—be brave!
And be the best YOU


Love is me, and love is you.
You see, when you smile I smile too.
When you’re around, the skies are blue.
It’s like being happy . . . times two!


7. We have a new routine at home.....at bedtime actually.....it was inspired by my eldest niece. We were at my brother and sister-in-laws last Friday night and I noticed that every spare second my niece had, she had her nose buried in a book. I commented to my SIL how impressed I was with her like of books. She replied that it's because she sees her reading.....so now our new routine consists of 10 minutes of Adrien reading his books with me reading my book beside him. Then I read him his night time stories. We have done this for 4 nights and he LOVES it.....he likes picking out different books and telling me stuff that is happening in the books......

7.1.12

2011 in review

JANUARY: We were busy with birthdays....it seems that 80% of our family's birthdays fall in January.....also, my mom, sister and family came up as we had a surprise 80th birthday for my grandmother on February 1! We also started swimming lessons and played outside....A LOT

FEBRUARY: We still enjoyed having family up visiting....and we did a lot of baking and cooking. He seemed very interested in learning how to and being helpful in the kitchen. Still in swimming lessons!!!!!

MARCH: we headed down to Nashville for spend almost two weeks with my mom, my sister and her family. The weather was beautiful, we wore shorts, went to the Zoo and had so much fun! Adrien also graduated to the preschooler room at daycare....and we dropped out of swimming lessons.

APRIL: We saw my oldest childhood friend marry the man of her dreams (he is kinda dreamy ;)) We hung out at the airport and watched all the planes fly overhead.....we celebrated Easter and learned how to make pizza!

MAY: We celebrated his cousin's First Communion and his 3rd birthday with a Rock Star party! The best part was that Grandma was here too!

JUNE: We spent a lot of time outdoors.....at parks, picnicking (having a dog pee in our picnic basket of food) and hanging with family and friends.

JULY: we went to festivals, had the cousins come up again to celebrate baby cousin's 1st birthday!!!!! Played hard and saw fireworks! Hung out with ZiZi (my uncle) from Italy....saw a bike race and had a police escort out of Nonno's! (due to bike race)

AUGUST: Seemed super busy.....lots of activities, lots of visiting, lots of beaching and camping for the first time! Also, the last time we cut his hair......

SEPTEMBER: He learned to ride his bike, we went to more beaches and got to see Toopy and Binoo LIVE! The look on his face was out of this world!

OCTOBER: we celebrated birthdays, went to pumpkin patches and Halloween but we couldn't get our upcoming Disney cruise out of our minds...

NOVEMBER: Disney was the only thing on our minds for the whole month!

DECEMBER: To start with, there was illness of sinus and ear infections though he did grow an inch and gained 1.5 pounds this month! We saw lots of parades, enjoyed the outdoors and visited as many people as we could!

I think my resolution for 2012 is to keep up on the theme of others, growing to know people better and visiting them, letting them love my kid and celebrate family!

New Year's

As per our tradition, our little family and family friends gathered for dinner before heading down to our neighbourhood park where they have tons of decorated themes and fireworks.....the weather was perfect and the boy LOVED the fireworks....as he usually does!

6.1.12

I'm Skating!!!!!!!!!!!!!



With the beautiful weather....being +5 this evening and doing great treasure hunting at the second hand store (scored bob skates for $2 and a hockey helmet his size for $4), hubby and I took the boy to city hall where they have a something under the ice rink that keeps it cold despite the out door temperatures..... it was his first time skating... he was so excited and so proud of himself PLUS he did FABULOUS! The skating is free and opened 12 hours a day which means we may be doing it often! He would fall and laugh, then get up and try again....he would raise his legs like he was a figure skater doing his moves....He would gleefully exclaim "I'm skating!!!!!!!!!!!!"



2.1.12

Merry Christmas

We had a fabulous Christmas.....I will back it up to two weeks previous, when we had to take Adrien to the ER because he woke up in the middle of the night screaming....Turns out he had an ear infection and was put on Amoxocillian for 10 days.
The week before Christmas, we got to visit with Adrien's foster parents. It was a visit much needed and did wonders for our boy. He was beaming....and so happy....we hadn't seen them since April and Adrien will request to see them or ask where they are, so I know seeing them did him a world of good. At dinner time, he helped set the table, and set three stools, with plates on one side of the table and a lone chair with a plate on the other side. He very loudly announced that the three stools were for gramma, him and grampa.....mommy can sit in the chair.....I laughed and reveled in his love for them....it is there, unconditional and ever lasting....

On December 23 (the day after he finished his medication) he complained of an ear ache and was coughing up a storm, so we headed to the walk in that our family doctor mans on Fridays. His ears were clear and so was his chest. PERFECT!
On December 24 we headed to my grandparents home....my youngest brother, his girlfriend and my dad showed up.....it was nice....we ate an early dinner, opened gifts left at my grandparents from a friend....

....before heading home. Once we got home, we made some cookies and hot chocolate and had our neighbours over before bed time.....

Christmas morning we were up around 8.....and he found all his gifts waiting for him.

As a tradition, gifts are purchased for the following categories:
Something you want= awesome construction set with a crane, diggers, cement mixer, dump truck and a bunch of guys and pylons to play with (HE LOVED IT!!! Hubby got video of him opening it and squealing with delight but someone passed wind and so we are not posting that video!)
Something you need= a 54 page scrapbook of our Disney Cruise....only took me three FULL weekends to put together and he LOVES looking through it.
Something to wear= penguin pj's (exciting I know!)
Something to read= 14 pack of Disney books.
And Santa brought him a skateboard (which he also squealed to as he opened it), Pictureka, I Spy puzzle and TWO stockings.....the little man did well....he's growing and exploring therefore needs different toys to teach him and help him learn.

We headed to my dads for Christmas linner (between lunch and dinner) Where my brothers (who haven't spoken to each other is over six months) and their families came. We had an awesome time playing, laughing and eating, the whole time, the two of them avoiding each other like the plague.....they will be ok....(I pray) just not right now....




We have done a lot of tobogganing over the holidays.....almost everyday we (along with our adventurous neighbours) have hit the hills..... Adrien tried his first GT racer and LOVED it, now I want to buy him one...maybe next year! He did get a new sled and an inner tube to go on, though he is getting braver and trying to go without me on each run (more pictures to follow!)


Then on the 27th it happened again, the crying and complaining of his ear hurting. I had a girlfriend over and we were catching up, when he asked us not to talk so loud and his eyes and colouring looked off. We cut our visit short and I headed off to the walk in with him.....We got to our regular one....and I popped my head in, what luck!!!!!!!!!!!!! the waiting room was empty and the doctor and reception were chatting away.....that's because they CLOSED at 4 and it was 4:30....why didn't they go home? Anyways, next we headed to the the ER to see....from the window, you could tell that it was standing room only...REALLY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! My son needed a dr and I didn't know what to do. I contacted hubby who informed me that all medical care in our city excluding the ER was closed until January 3....he was VERY misinformed! I then contacted a friend who would know the information and she sent us to another walk in....we arrived at 5:15....it was closed for another 45 minutes....So we sat down....by 5:30, there were 30 people there waiting and Adrien was crying in pain....Finally at 6, it opened.....we were the first in line, registered and were seen by a dr by 6:05......turns out, he also had a sinus infection that was causing the ear infection.....so, more medication...and a lot of play inside :(

And he seemed to be doing better until he woke up last night screaming of pain in his other ear.....Advil was administered and after 20 minute of heart wrenching crying he fell asleep....