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!!!!!!!!!!!!"

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....

Merry Christmas

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas.......from our home to yours......

Adopted, like him

I know a woman. We have been sharing information about our personal lives. I confided that we had adopted, she confided that she and her spouse where going through infertility treatments, and that her spouse was adopted and he currently doesn't want to adopt. Whenever I meet adults (or spouses of adults) that were adopted, I always seem to have a hundred questions, because I want to know what it might be like for my son as he gets older. She shared with me that her spouse has reunited with his first mother and they have a good relationship. She also shared that they can not share their visits with his first mom with his adopted mom as his adopted mom feels threatened and doesn't want to know about the relationship. They will be spending Christmas with his first mom and haven't been able to tell his adoptive mom because it would hurt her too much. I pray, that when the time comes, Adrien will be able to share his relationship with his first mom and first family (if they reunite) and that I won't feel threatened by it. I have an aunt and uncle that adopted their two children and when she found out that we adopted Adrien, she celebrated the fact that his was a closed adoption and that we wouldn't have to worry about another family barging in (her words, not mine). She couldn't understand why I want an open adoption and constantly challenges me on thoughts. Infact, when my cousin found his birth parents, she made him pick..... his adoptive family (that in her words, gave him the world) or his first family..... He struggles daily with the choice he told her he made, maintained a close relationship with his birth father until his passing. Talking to him, he shares that he always feels like a piece of him was missing, he couldn't talk to anyone about being adopted while he was growing up and still has resentment towards it. I don't want Adrien to feel that way....EVER......no matter how I feel about it.....this adoption process started out as our desire to have a family and has morphed into giving Adrien all the security and love surrounding his adoption, no matter how I feel about it. He has a right to know where he comes from, who he looks like and knowing that though they couldn't care for him, they loved him.....Which brings me back to this woman.....she shared that her spouse's first family had a birthday party for him......at this party, all his first family was there, including siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They gave him gifts.....gifts that they would have given him as he grew up from an infant on....on their cards, they indicated at what age they would have given him that gift, how old they would have been and things that he and that family member would have been doing. As she told me, I cried.....because the gesture was so heart warming and heart felt and because I can't comprehend the loss his first family felt or how he felt receiving those gifts. Knowing that they thought about him, wondered about him and always loved him.....I want that for Adrien....so badly.....

The Boys in Angry Birds!

leading up to Christmas

Adrien has an Elf on the Shelf that joined our family three Christmas' ago. Though its fun to hide the elf in new spots, it gets boring for the grown up after a while so I thought I'd have some fun. Elfie scribbled all over Adrien's picture....and Adrien howled when he saw it!


I gave my nieces their Angry Bird hats.....I think they liked them!











This year, there won't be any Christmas cards going out....instead, I took a picture of the boy.....please consider it your Yuletide greeting card!

Dear Santa Letter

Dear Santa
This year I have made good choices. I have helped my mom and dad. I have cleaned up my toys, gone pee on the potty and have learned how to clean my body in the bath.
For Christmas, I would like some toys, maybe an airplane, skateboard like Gavin’s and some trucks to play inside with.
My mom and dad would LOVE a brother or a sister for me.
I look for Elfie every morning and I don’t touch the Christmas tree.
Love, Adrien