Catherine's Chatter - Waiting for Hannah

A Moment in Time: Sometimes I Forget…

2012-01-30T23:39:00.001-05:00

…that Hannah doesn’t remember the day we became a family as I do.
Now, that may seem like a funny thing to say as she was only 8 months at the time but a little background will help explain what I mean. (Please bear with me…this post wanders a bit.)
Right now one of Hannah’s favourite games to play is ‘Baby.’ She will suddenly pretend to cry like a baby, want cuddles, to be picked up, snuggled and comforted with, ‘Shhh…it’s okay baby, Mommy’s here.’ She’ll do her pretend cry a little longer, all the while with a big smile on her face and stifling a giggle while I hold her close and rock her. (Any opportunity to snuggle and cuddle my independent little sweetie is a good one!)
Something else Hannah loves to do is ‘Pway.’ We say her bedtime prayers each night and now she adds her own personal requests. Often she’ll say, ‘Mommy, pway for me when I was a baby in China.’ and I’ll pray something like, ‘Lord, thank you so much that you knew before the beginning of time that Hannah and I would be a family. Thank you for creating us to be a family and for brining us together in China to be together forever.’ I use this sweet time of prayer to reassure her that God designed our family and that we will always be together.
Each nigh after our prayers we cuddle for a few minutes before I go downstairs. She’ll normally grab hold of my arm and say, ‘I keep you!’ and try to hold me, all the while with her with a huge smile on her face! We giggle together with our faces mere inches from one another and I say, ‘Yes sweetie, you can keep me forever!’ Eventually I wiggle away with the reassurance that I’ll be back very soon. We end our little time of night-time fun with me placing a kiss on her forehead and her placing one on mine. (Any attempt to kiss her sweet rosebud lips right now is met with that kiss being thrown away as she laughs! I still do it and oh how she giggles and she announces, ‘I frow it away! )
I’ve often heard and read on other people’s blogs that ‘big’ conversations often seem to happen in the car. Sometimes planned by parents that way, other times it’s just spontaneous conversation.
Yesterday as we were driving home from one of her little friend’s birthday parties we were praying for safe travels for those at the party as the roads were snowy and some families had a distance to travel. After that prayer she said, ‘Mommy, let’s pway for Baby Anna in China.’ I asked if she meant Baby Ellie and she said yes. Baby Ellie is the sweet daughter of friends who are traveling to China this week to meet their daughter!! Although Pam and I have never met in person and only met via our blogs, the friendship is a dear, precious one and we know that someday we will meet. Cannot wait!!
And now, to get to the reason for the title of today’s post. As we were driving down the road and ‘pwaying’ for a variety of things and people Hannah wanted to pray about she said,
‘Mommy, pway for me when I was a baby in your tummy in China.’
It suddenly struck me that even though I know we didn’t meet until she was 8 months, 6 days old and we’ve often talked about that day and looked at videos and pictures, she doesn’t understand (nor have the ability to understand that) quite yet.
I was surprised by her innocent request and all at the same time my heart began to race and tears threatened my eyes while trying to sound as ‘normal’ and calm as I could as I responded to her sweet request.
My response? We prayed, ‘Lord, thank you so much that you knew before the beginning of time that Hannah and I would be a family. Thank you for creating us to be a family and for brining us together in China to be together forever.’ Someday I will want to delve further into this matter but for now, I responded in the way I believe her little 2yo mind could handle.
I know in time these questions and many, many more will come and I am already praying (oh boy if you could have heard the arrow prayers I shot up as we drove yesterday!! Talk about multitasking!!) that when we have these discussions that Hannah will view her adoption as a positive thing.   That she would not be angry with her situation, God, her birth parents, China or I’ll be honest, me. I’m not in denial that some/all of these feelings may come but if/when they do I pray they do not last. I pray that Hannah will see and believe that God brought us together to be a family. A family designed by Him. The perfect family for us.
Together, forever.

Gymnastics Graduation–Kindergym

2012-01-29T23:59:00.001-05:00

Saturday Hannah graduated from her second ‘nastics’ class! The first term which we began a year ago this month we were part of the parent and tot group and this time the coaches at her gym encouraged me to register her for a Kindergym class designed for 3-5 year olds even though she would still be 2 at the end of the session. It was a big step (for mommy!) but I’m so glad that we took the leap! She did wonderfully from the very first class, leaving mom with a hug then skipping off to warm-ups with the rest of the kids.

I appreciated that she was learning to listen to someone other than me and she did well…most of the time. She’s still a normal, busy 2yo and would sometimes lose focus but I was very happy with how well Hannah did in her first non-Mom class.

Each week I sit in the parent viewing room which is above the gym. It was fun to look down and see what she was doing and then to wave when she looked up for a reassurance. It was also fun to meet the other parents whose children were in the same class. We would laugh at some of the things the kids were doing or giggle at their lack of attentiveness. The coaches were young and they had their hands full with 5 3yo’s and 1 2yo but they grew too and it was neat to see their confidence grow over the 20 weeks of the session. Thanks Coach Brittany and Coach Bria!

‘The train’ the kiddos make to move from station to station.

Catching some air

The kids all love the tumble track. Today Hannah was in one of her ‘I’ll do what you ask when I feel like it moods’ and it took until she was about half-way down the track before she’d put her hands where the coach asked. Oh well, I tell myself her personality will take her far as she grows! ;o)

This picture makes me laugh. Every time Hannah goes by this bar, rather than jump over it she picks it up and readjusts it. There was one time way back in the parent and tot class that it was crooked so she asked if she could straighten it and I said ‘yes’ and ever since then, each time she does the circuit she picks it up…every-single-time!

I’ve seen big improvements in what she’s attempting and succeeding at, especially on the bars and beam. In the beginning she would let go each time she went around the bar but now she holds on most times and pushes up onto the bar too.

Here’s my sweetie waiting her turn for her name to be called to accept her graduation certificate.

Want to take a fun step back in time for just a moment? The pants she’s wearing are size 9 months and ones that were made for Hannah by an anonymous person and sent to us via M3. I’ve always loved the ribbon pants this person has made for Ro and Ree so was so excited when she made some for Hannah. I bet she never guessed (nor did I) that she’d still be wearing them 2 years later and that they’d still fit! Hannah has grown taller in the past 2 years as you can see by the pants that used to reach the floor, but her waist really has not changed too much at all. Here she was in February of 2010 when she first received this gift! Adorable now and then!!

Accepting her certificate

Hannah had her own little cheering section at graduation with Grandma, Grandpa and Papa in attendance. She was also excited and surprised when Bec Bec came too!

Way to go Hannah! You did so well in your first session of Kindergym and Mommy is excited to watch your grow and learn even more in the next session that begins Saturday!

*Christmas Celebrations with Nana and Papa!

2012-01-27T21:20:00.001-05:00

(Catch up post from Dec 23, 2011)

Tonight Hannah and I celebrated Christmas with Nana and Papa and oh the fun we had!! After Hannah’s nap and hair cut it was time to head to Nana and Papa’s for an evening of fun and PRESENTS!!

Reading her new princess book with Nana

We gave Nana a coffee table book created from pictures from our Disney trip in August. It was fun to relive those memories together again.

Auntie Joy gave Hannah a pillow case made with Mickey and Pluto material. She loves it and has slept with it almost every night since, only missing it when Mommy sneaks it into the laundry. At first Hannah preferred to use it as a sleeping bag though!

As always, the boxes proved to be as much fun as the actual gifts!

Thanks for all the great gifts Nana and Papa and the evening of Christmas fun!

‘Helping’ Mommy Shovel?!

2012-01-26T17:22:00.000-05:00

We haven’t had much snow this winter (yay!) but when we received some beautiful, light, fluffy snow last Saturday Hannah was excited to help me shovel!

Many hands make light work, right? Well….not sure that was the case this time but we sure had some laughs and giggles during the process!

My angel’s snow angel

Hannah only lasted about 5 minutes before she opted to go inside and watch Mickey Mouse but considering all of her shovelling ‘help’ ended up in snow piled inside the garage I think her decision was a win-win situation for both of us!

I think maybe she remembers this episode from last winter and her shovelling into the garage was retaliation for Mommy’s bad aim!

OK, we’ve had snow, made an angel, gone sledding and shovelled the driveway. Yup….we’re ready for spring!

Fun Times with Ava

2012-01-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

Over the past couple of weeks Hannah has had fun doing some special things with her friend Ava!

On Jan 12th we took the girls to see the Disney Princess’ show and they had a blast! Even though neither girl had seen any of the stories portrayed, just being there, seeing the Princesses plus their pals Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy was all these girls needed!

A wonderful Disney fix before our next trip.

Next was a quick snowy play date last Saturday. I’m glad we took advantage of this time as the rain Monday washed all the snow away.

Monday night we celebrated CNY with Liz and Ava in their home. What fun we had and it was decorated wonderfully!

Chop stick fun!

Eating long noodles is a CNY tradition. This year Hannah enjoyed plain noodles with butter until we can see an allergist and rule out a peanut allergy. She was just as happy with those noodles so that worked out just fine for her!

Our cute, giggly girls checking out the dragons.

Kung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Year of the Dragon!

CNY Party with Friends

2012-01-24T16:54:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon we were invited to Ange and Gavin’s to celebrate CNY/Tet with some of our friends. I will be forever grateful for the friends I made as I was waiting for Hannah and now those friendships continue to grow as we have many connections with friends who not only share our journey but also for Hannah’s sake, look like our family. I believe having that connection is very important for her both now and in the future. Adoption may be what brought us together but friendship now ties us together.

This weekend 5 families got together to celebrate. Aren’t they cute?!!

Hannah playing with her new little friend Isabel.

Since this year we were celebrating the year of the dragon we found a cute little dragon craft for the kiddos to make. They did so well!

My little love hard at work making her paper chain.

Final step….fedders!

Hannah with her finished ‘dragon muppet’. Great job Hannah! (Instructions can be found here.)

The highlight of the night was the amazing cake that Ange made!! It was a Canadian version of M3’s awesome Dragon Cake! We weren’t able to find single coloured M&M’s so she substituted with gummy hearts and it looked AH-MA-ZING!!! Way to go Ange!!

This kids (ok, and adults too!) couldn’t wait to dig into it!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Kung Hei Fat Choy!!

2012-01-23T00:35:00.001-05:00

From Hannah and I, Happy New Year! Welcome to the year of the dragon!
This is Hannah’s version of ‘Kung Hei Fat Choy.’ LOL! Guess we should have started working on this earlier than Friday. (Her ‘muppet’ is the dragon we made at a CNY party at a friend’s place tonight. More on that to come in another post.)

Napping in Nana’s arms after church.

*Going to Work With Mommy….Almost!

2012-01-22T12:21:00.001-05:00

You may remember from last Christmas that Hannah went to work with Mommy on Christmas Eve day. My dad had the same employer I do for the majority of his career and I remember going to work with him on Christmas Eve day each year from when I was not much older than Hannah! This year was going to be no exception for us and Hannah had talked about going to work with mommy for a couple of months. When she’d ask I’d tell her she could to with me at Christmas.

The day dawned bright and sunny and as we were getting ready Hannah was excited to be going to ‘Mommy’s work!’

We parked the car but as we began to walk towards our building I realized that our morning would not go quite as planned.

It’s not easy to see from this pic but when we arrived at work our building was encompassed by 3 fire trucks and 6 police cars…that we could see. I believe there were probably more parked out back as the street behind our building was closed to traffic.

So, what does any good worker do when they can’t get into their place of employment? They go for coffee!

Due to the situation inside the building (which we never really found out many details about) we were sent home mid-morning. Yay! An extra couple of hours 2 days before Christmas was a welcome treat!

Before we left the coffee shop some of my co-workers came over and gave Hannah a bag of treats and oh boy did she enjoyed those! Puzzles, chocolates, stickers and more!

Thanks Miss Pat and Miss Hema!!

What did we do with our extra time that day?

We went for an yummy unplanned sushi lunch with Grandma

and then after nap it was time to visit Miss Ruth Anne who cuts mommy’s hair just in time for a cute trim for Christmas!

A fun day and gift opening at Nana and Papa’s was still to come!!

PS – Yes Auntie M, if you read the hair cutting cape I’m wearing it’s bilingual…English and FRENCH! ;o)

Look Who’s Potty Trained!!

2012-01-18T23:54:00.001-05:00

Oh yes she is! Hannah decided when it was time and it took her about 3 hours from start to finish! I would never have believed it was possible but she proved it to me! She still wears diapers at nap time and overnight but that will come with time and again, I’ll take her lead when she begins to wake up from one/both of these dry.

The turning point for Hannah was when Santa brought her underwear. You may remember from this video that even with all the presents under the tree, the first one she was looking for was underwear! She was a girl on a mission!

Once she opened her new undies she asked daily to use the potty. I wanted to ensure we had a full day at home with no interruptions to train so I was originally planning on this coming Saturday (a rare Saturday without gymnastics) but with her constant requests and displayed interest we moved it up 3 weeks and Monday, Jan 2nd became her big day!

Months ago I began doing some research about potty training and the book that came highly recommended by many was, ‘Toilet Training in Less Than a Day’ by Azrin and Foxx. I borrowed it from our local library and decided that since it boasted such a successful track record and came so highly recommended by people online that I was going to follow their method to a T! If you have a toddler to train in your future and you’d like a book to help you out, I cannot recommend this one enough! I’m going to share a bit here but reading and following the steps in the book is the way to go.

Our morning began with breakfast and a large number of beverages for her to choose from. Wanting to encourage her to drink as much as possible she even had ‘bubble pop’ (aka sparkling grape juice left over from New Year’s Eve) in one of her Sippy cups. That was a huge hit for sure! The thought behind this is that you want your child to learn what it feels like to need to ‘go’ so the variety and availability of beverages helps this.

After breakfast the training began in earnest. I pumped up the heat as it was cool outside then dressed her in a t-shirt and large training pants.

I gave her a brand new doll and she was pretty excited about that!

(A funny side story. If you give your child a new doll the week after Christmas and ask her what she wants to name it, there is a chance she’ll say, ‘Baby Jesus!’ So yes, we have a cute little girl dolly who wets and is wearing a ruffled dress whose name is…‘Baby Jesus!’ To this day she still asks where her Baby Jesus dolly is! LOL!!)

The fun part about this doll was that she wet so Hannah learned how to help her go potty first. She walked the doll through all the steps that she would soon begin doing herself.

Soon it was time for Hannah to try herself and she did great! I wanted her to think about what she was doing so I chose not to have any toys or books in the washroom. The system of helping the doll, drinking lots and making frequent trips to the washroom worked like a charm and she was going frequently! Oh the celebrations, clapping and cheering that went on! Yay Hannah!!

Another important part of the program was treats – and there were plenty of them! First the dolly would earn a treat each time she would go and since Hannah quickly realized that the doll wasn’t able to eat the treats, she got to eat them on her behalf. Bonus! Then, each time Hannah went she was able to choose a treat too! In her potty treat jar I had a variety of things for her to choose from: tiny squares of Rice Krispy treats, packages of 3 M&Ms, small chocolate bars, balloons, stickers, small bits of pop tarts, jelly beans, gummies and more. Lots of treats that she doesn’t normally get so they were an incentive for her! As soon as she finished washing her hands she’d make a bee line down the hallway and right to the treat basket! (Side note: For about a month before she was trained if she happened to notice that mommy had used the washroom she’d cheer and then exclaim, ‘Mommy get a treat!’ Heh! Nobody normally cheers for those things! I’m just glad she was able to help me eat them as I’m not a huge fan of chocolate at 6am. Oh who am I trying to kid? Of course I like chocolate at any time…but it tasted much better when shared!!)

The day was full of much praise, cheering, encouraging and celebration! (Thanks to all who allowed us to call with her big announcements and the congratulations and celebrations you shared via the phone with her!) By the early afternoon Hannah was able to know that she needed to pee (or other ), go to the bathroom, do each step involved in the process on her own and then wash her hands. If I realized it has been a while since she’d gone I’d ask her if she needed to go but basically she was going on her own and I was only going in for encouragement, wiping help when needed and assisting with hand washing.

All in all potty training was a huge success! (Even more so when I mention that the day we trained was also the same day she started her eye infection so we took time out to visit urgent care.) She’s had the odd accident but that’s never a problem and we just say, ‘accidents happen!’ If we’re travelling for a distance I’ll put a pull-up on her but basically she wears underwear whenever she’s awake.

I’m so proud of my big girl even though this is one more step of her babyhood that we have left behind us.

She’s a big girl now!! Yay Hannah!!!

We’ve Been Spending A Lot of Time Together…

2012-01-17T18:01:00.000-05:00

Who may you ask? Who has been taking my time and put me through the wringer? Why….our washer and dryer of course!

Unfortunately Hannah had 2 more bouts with hives last week, the first one quite severe! I put her to bed Wed night and she seemed fine but woke up around 11:00. We were rocking in her chair and she was wiggling around, whining and just not herself at all. I turned the light on and was shocked by what I saw. Poor lovey!!!

This time rather than being just on her legs and stomach they also covered her chest, neck and portions of her face. Even the bridge of her nose was covered with welts. (Sorry, this next one is a sad pic you may want to skip but it shows how swollen she was too. I took them to take to our doctor when we go see him later this week.)

Thankfully Benadryl works like a charm on her and within 10 -15 mins she was back to normal and all signs were gone. Thurs she started to scratch her head as I was giving her her bottle and by the time I was about to lay her down I noticed her neck was bright red and the welts were starting again. I quickly gave her Benadryl and thankfully that’s the last we’ve seen of the welts and rash.

Since we’re staying away from all nuts right now I was trying to figure out what else might be causing it. I analyzed everything and one possible theory I’ve come up with is the Tide Free that I’m gradually introducing her clothes to. Until now I’ve used Ivory Snow on her clothes and only Tide the odd time. Because of where the welts are and when they’re showing up I’m questioning the laundry detergent.

So….for the past 4 days I have laundered every single sheet, towel, blanket and piece of clothing that we own. I went from doing 3 loads a week to 3 loads a day for 4 days in a row! Each time I thought we were coming down the home stretch I’d find more things that needed laundering. I’m using a hypo-allergenic detergent and so far she has not had any reaction to it. Yay! It may not be this at all but for now it’s working and I feel like I’m doing something to help. Oh how it broke my heart when she broke out last week and I’ll be honest that by the 3rd time I was really scared too! So concerned that the face swelling could begin to affect her airway and that I’d be downstairs when it happened and unaware of her struggle. Thankfully this has NOT happened! As a nurse friend gently shared with me that if she’s swelling on the outside where we can see, the concern is what’s swelling on the inside that we can’t see? Another reminder that until we find the source and with the increased intensity of the second attack that I must carry the Epipen with me at all times. Hopefully I’ll never need it but until we know more it will be our ever-present companion.

Oh yah, and if the Tide Free is the cause ya wanna hear something cool? Mom told me that my Grandma was also allergic to Tide. Guess it’s genetic!

And A Child Shall Lead Them

2012-01-16T17:47:00.000-05:00

Hannah and GG (short for Great-Grandpa) have shared a special relationship from the very first day they met! This first picture was taken November 15, 2009, the day after we came home from China! I love the look on both of their faces and the way they’re smiling into one another eyes!

As time has gone by their relationship has grown! Each Sunday at church Hannah can’t wait to see GG and when she does she runs to him and wraps herself around his leg. He has to stable himself of she just might knock him over!

After church we head to Nana and Papa’s for lunch along with Grandma Dale and GG. Hannah has a new job and she takes it very seriously! She is responsible for walking GG to his seat at the table and making sure he gets there safely. I love to see the two of them together!

When we’re all seated at the table if Hannah is asked who will be saying grace she always says with a big smile, ‘GG!’ and oh how precious his prayers of thanksgiving are!

I am thankful for the beautiful relationship Hannah shares with GG!

Christmas Yummies

2012-01-13T23:06:00.001-05:00

Over the Christmas season there are a few things that I make each year and they’re my ‘go to’ appetizers. I often make them in bulk and then freeze them, taking out what we need when we’re going to an open house or Christmas party with family or friends.

I have two all-time favourites and want to share them with you.

Ranch Stars

I think over the Christmas season I made about 20 dozen of these and took them to lots of places. (And I didn’t remember to take a single picture!) Each time they were gobbled up and I took home an empty plate which truly is the goal of any food I take to a potluck….no leftovers.

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups tri-cheese shredded mix (I use Tex-Mex blend)

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red pepper

1 small bottle ranch dressing

1 small can black olives

2 packages won ton wrappers (1 package normally has 2 stacks of wrappers)

Use mini muffin tin to create stars to hold filling. Place wonton wrapper in mini muffin tin and press into place.

Bake at 375o for 5 mins.

Prepare filling:

- fry ground pork and ground turkey and drain well

- finely chop peppers and olives

- mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

- fill each wonton with mixture. At this point these can be frozen and baked later or, if using immediately, bake for an additional 5 mins. at 375^o. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

These take a bit of time to put together but trust me, they’re more than worth that time!! This year I had a little helper with me to hand me the chestnuts and toothpicks and that made the making of them that much more enjoyable!

Ingredients:

1 lb. bacon

2 small cans whole water chestnuts

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

cut bacon strips in half
wrap each water chestnut in a slice of bacon, securing it with a toothpick
place in 8x8 pan

Bake for 30 mins at 350^o

Remove from oven and drain

mix brown sugar, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce together

pour over water chestnuts

Bake for an additional 20 mins

Delicious! Enjoy!!

Candy Cane Popcorn with Chocolate

This was a new recipe that I found on Pinterest this year and will be added to our annual repertoire for sure!

16 cups popped popcorn

2 cups white chocolate

1 cup crushed candy canes or mints (divided)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. butter

pop popcorn and place it in a large bowl (remove unpopped kernels)

melt white chocolate in the microwave: melt on high for 1 min, stir, then at 30 second intervals until melted

stir 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes into chocolate

pour over popcorn and mix together while sprinkling in remaining crushed candy canes

pour onto cookie tray

melt chocolate chips and butter following above method. Using spoon drizzle over popcorn

cool

Enjoy!!

I hope you enjoy these ‘go to’ favourites as much as our family does!

A Special Way to End Each Day ~ Bedtime Prayers

2012-01-10T22:22:00.001-05:00

For as long as I can remember, Hannah and I have said bedtime prayers together as we share our final evening snuggle. We pray by name for each person in our immediate family and some very close and precious friends. Others are added on certain nights, often triggered by whom we’ve been with that day, illness and also special requests that friends may have.

This year we added something new and Hannah is loving this. We were blessed to receive many Christmas cards last month.

Rather than packing them away now that the Christmas season is over I’ve taken them and placed them into a gift bag. Each night as we’re getting ready for our snuggle and prayer time Hannah selects a card from the bag and we pray for the family who sent it to us. What a precious time this is and it’s our honour to pray for people who hold special places in both of our hearts! We’ll do this for the entire year and then next January we’ll update our gift bag with 2012 Christmas cards.

This was the Christmas card that we shared with our family and friends.

When we were at my cousin’s house for a family Christmas party Hannah exclaimed with a big smile on her face, ‘Look Mom! I on anuder fridge!’ Heh…so cute!!

For those who sent us cards, thank you! I hope the thought of this precious little girl praying for you warms your heart! (This sweet pic both warms my heart and makes me giggle! She was praying at the time that I snapped it while we sat in a parking lot. The part that makes me giggle is that she saw a police officer so quickly said, ‘Pway Mommy! Pway!’ We prayed….even though we were in a Tim Horton’s parking lot and all he was doing was going in for a coffee! )

If you ever have a special prayer request, please send it to us and we would be honoured to pray for you.

Also, thank you for praying for us. Hannah is doing wonderfully and has had no recurrence of the hives. We’re being cautious with what she eats and excluding all peanuts and tree nuts until we know more but for now, all is wonderful! Thank you for all your kind words, prayers, suggestions, personal stories and support. We greatly appreciate them!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

She Likes to Keep Mommy on her Toes!!! Updated Mon, Jan 9th

2012-01-08T22:51:00.001-05:00

I have much to write about so will post as I’m able. For the next while it’s going to be a mish-mash of posts and dates that they involve.
Last Monday Hannah woke up and had a little sleep in her eyes but not really much more than normal. As the course of the morning wore on her eyes began to weep and I realized she had some sort of infection or cold in her eyes. We headed to a local urgent care where they confirmed this and prescribed an antibiotic eye drop that she was to take for one week.
Her eyes cleared up within 24 hours but we continued on with the drops as prescribed.
Fast forward to last night when we were staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s house together. She was her normal fun, happy self and snacked on a few peanuts with Grandpa. She’s had peanut butter for well over a year now and had also eaten Nutella at breakfast yesterday.
When I put her to bed she went right to sleep but was pretty unsettled. I kept going up and settling her and figuring it was a new place so she wanted mommy there. I ended up going to bed earlier than normal and when I did I quickly realized why she was unsettled - she was SO itchy! I lathered her in cream more than once and scoured mom and dad's medicine cabinet but they didn't have anything for kiddos that would help. (I often travel with our meds bag but since it was just one night it hadn’t even crossed my mind to take them with us.) Shortly after midnight she was still super itchy so I turned the light back on. When I unzlpped her pj's I saw that it had got worse and she was now covered in white welts from her tummy to her toes! Poor kid!! I know what that is like and it's awful!!
I hopped out of bed and began to google 24 hour pharmacy's and realized the closest one was in another city. I decided rather than drive there that I’d to head to ER. Partially because it was closer and partially because she'd had the nuts. I wanted to err on the side of caution.
The good part was that the ER was quiet and we were in and out quickly and home within an hour. (The ER in the city we live in is often a 4+ hour wait so this was much better!) (The mask was not necessary. She just wanted to wear it because it was covered in Disney characters! )
The doctor was great with Hannah, teasing her and making her giggle even though it was 1am. He took the reaction very seriously (more seriously than I thought it was) and because of the potential that it's linked to the nuts he gave us a prescription for an Epipen Jr. until I can get her tested. They also gave her some Benadryl and it worked quickly which allowed her to finally rest peacefully and sleep.
So, for now we're staying away for everything that might contain peanuts or nuts and I'll be calling our doctor's office tomorrow to set up an appt. He told me to stop her eye drops which I did immediately.
In my heart it's not a nut allergy but given the seriousness of the doctor's conversation last night I'm taking it seriously. I think it might be related to the antibiotic eye drops that she's had this week.
We'll see. I'll keep you posted....
For now, she's as amazing as ever and we're just being careful. I was like a different person today, reading labels and questioning everything I fed her. Praying it’s NOT an allergy to something that is part of her normal life!

**UPDATE - Monday, Jan 9th at 1:15** I spoke with my doctor's office and we now have an appt with them on Fri, Jan 20th.

More stuff to add to post based on the great comments from readers!
1. The nuts that she ate were peanuts but they were from a can of mixed nuts that contained hazelnuts, almonds, filberts, cashews and almonds. Also, it stated it may contain oils from other tree nuts. She'd had Nutella at breakfast that morning too but showed no reaction to that at all at the time. She has eaten nuts and peanut butter since she was about 15 months old.

2. As I've given this more thought I've also remembered that some days last week after giving her the eye drops she would get red patches under/beside her eyes and a couple of times even small white welts under her right eye. At the time I just figured it was where the antibiotic touched her skin when she wiped her eyes after we put the drops in. She was a trooper but did not appreciate those drops at all! :)

2011–My How She’s Grown!!

2012-01-05T22:15:00.001-05:00

January
February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September
October

November

December
Check this out. A pic taken at the same place in Jan and Nov. Wow….she’s grown and changed so much!!

Oh how you’ve grown my sweet XiaoFen!!! Before my very eyes you’ve lost your baby face and are now a little girl. *sigh!* It happened so fast even though I tried desperately to soak in and remember every moment possible!
2011 was amazing and I know 2012 holds many precious adventures just waiting for us to discover them!

Ringing in 2012 with Special Friends!

2012-01-04T00:52:00.000-05:00

Hannah and I were invited to welcome 2012 with some wonderful friends! The kiddos has a blast together and then when they went to bed the adults enjoyed a great evening together too!

Hannah’s sweet friends!

Nothing says ‘Happy New Year’ like a game of bubble wrap stomp!

One Auntie brought these fun colour with water books!

The following morning Hannah’s best bud tried to give her a New Year’s kiss. At first she gave him the stink eye

but then gave in and decided she’d kiss him back!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Where Bobble Chippey Go?

2012-01-03T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hannah really enjoyed her adventures with Bobble Chippey and one thing I didn’t anticipate was that more than a week later she’d still wake up each morning and talk about him.

I’ve told her that he’ll be back next Christmas and that he’s helping Santa at the North Pole make toys for next year. (This is also sweet as her comment to that is often, ‘He make toys for Kenna? I already have toys. ) I tell her he’s playing with his friends Frosted Flake and Chippey but still, she talks about him each morning. It’s cute and it shows me how much she enjoyed this fun little tradition that we began this year.

Does any one else’s child still talk about their elf each morning?

Bye Bye Gingerbread House!!

2012-01-02T23:53:00.001-05:00

Almost as much fun as decorating her gingerbread house was smashing it to pieces!

Trying to eat it proved much more challenging! (We had a few nibbles here but then the rest magically disappeared and she hasn’t asked for it.)

Until next year gingerbread house…….

(Green) Milk and Cookies for Santa!

2011-12-30T18:17:00.001-05:00

It wasn’t planned this way but when Santa arrived at our home on Christmas Eve he was greeted with a feast of green milk and green cookies!

The green milk was thanks to Santa’s Elf ‘Bobble Chippey’ so since he’s now living back at the North Pole with Santa until next December, he’ll have to deal with him about that! But, the cookies were all my doing.

When we were in Florida in November I saw a neat Christmas decorative icing package so picked it up. We hadn’t used it so Christmas Eve day we set to using it, decorating cookies for Santa. I was working on some last minute appetizers to take to a friend’s place that night and to family the following days so Hannah was set up near me, ready to decorate sugar cookies (thanks Auntie Norma!) for Santa.

You can see that this year she needed no help at all and quickly set about getting the important job done!

Adding many, many….MANY sprinkles!

The finished product all set out for Santa!

And since it’s fun to do this, here’s a recap of Hannah’s Santa offerings for the past couple of years.

2010 (21 months old)

2009 (9 months old)

And one final note to Mommy. Don’t let this innocent face fool you!

Next year schedule cookie decorating (which equals eating copious amounts of sugary icing!) at a time other than 2 hours before Christmas Eve service! Let’s just say my excited bunny and I enjoyed the service from the hall and overflow room…along with other excited toddlers!

One Word…Family

2011-12-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

(There are a number of posts for 2011 that I still have to create before printing our annual book so for the next bit you’ll find some older posts coming up. Hopefully that means I’ll finally find time to finish our Disney posts from August!!)
The week following Christmas we were blessed to travel 5 hours away to spend time with our extended family. These are precious people in our lives who mean so much even though we only see one another a couple of times each year. Family = blessed!
When we get together with my cousins and their children it is a sea of little ones and Hannah is in there with the rest of them! I love to see her playing with her cousins! Have you ever tried to get 22 kids to look at a camera at the same time? This was the best we did…not bad!
Can you hear right through the pic the amount of noise these kiddos were able to make? SO much fun! I love how close in age my cousins children and Hannah are!
This pic just made me laugh! Look what happened when we opened the box of chocolates! Some serious chocolate selections for sure!
Many dress-up layers happening here. Her friends Ro and Ree would be proud!
I’m so thankful for our family both near and far!

A Right of Passage

2011-12-28T14:44:00.000-05:00

Truly, nobody has to tell them….

or show them.

It…just…happens.

At least once in a child’s life (and probably more than once) a child must…

wear these on their head!

And oh the giggling from them and mommy when they do!

Santa brought Hannah what she’d asked for, underpamts and Minnie Mouse pj’s. Oh yes, she was one happy girl!! (And mommy scored a blog post. Now I don’t have to wait until her wedding day to share these cute photos!)

Grandpa’s Girls

2011-12-27T14:42:00.001-05:00

On Sunday as we were waiting to open gifts as a family, Dad called out to us to come and bring our cameras.

When we arrived in the family room he told us that he was already holding his gifts and that he needed nothing more.

It wasn’t until after I’d snapped the pic that I remembered this very same one being taken just 2 short years ago. How can time move so quickly? Slow down! Slow down!!!

(I’d forgotten how round Hannah’s face was then compared to now. She still looks very much the same minus *sniff* the ‘baby’ look and yet the shape of her little face is different.)

Christmas Morning 2011! Two is Such an Awesome Age!!!

2011-12-25T14:44:00.000-05:00

After beginning our day in the upstairs hallway reading the Christmas story in Mommy’s Bible and in one of Hannah’s books we made our way downstairs. I love how excited she was!!! (Smart cookie too! She quickly recognized the M&Ms candy cane in her stocking as the same gift I’d given my piano students this Christmas. Can’t get much over on her any longer!)

LOL! If you listen carefully to the beginning of this one you can hear what she’s looking for. So cute! Also, love how excited she got with each and every gift that she opened!!

The infamous ‘underpamts’. You can see in this pic even though it’s blurry that she was happy to receive these and it seems to have set things in motion. She’s asking to use the potty more often and is ready to begin potty training. I was going to wait until late Jan when we had a Saturday at home but I think Monday is going to be the big day!
Let it snow!
Minnie Mouse pj’s
A new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD
A Leap Frog LeapPad was my main gift to her. It’s designed for ages 3-7 but since she’ll be 3 in just 2 short months (whaaat???) I decided we’d give it a go! She’s done wonderfully with it and already knows her way around it playing games, watching videos and even using the camera!

LOL! Love how she blends into the sea of Christmas wrapping. And, that one lone gift still under the tree. She was so excited to play with some of what she’d already received that it sat there for a good hour until she was ready to open her final gift. I wanted her to have time to enjoy her gifts rather than open everything before the playing could begin. Guess it’s one of the perks of it just being the two of us. It gives us lots of time to take Christmas morning at our own pace and do what works for us. Fun!!
And…if you’re not already bored to tears with all the videos in this post, here’s just one more.

Merry Christmas from my adorable little sweetie and myself!! (Note to self – make sure to take a pic of us together on Christmas day next year! Oops!)
And yes, I still pinch myself all the time because I cannot believe this amazing, fun, wonderful, precious, sweet, beautiful little girl is my daughter! Truly God has blessed in ways we cannot measure! Oh how I love her!!!!!

View Full Album

And….HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! May 2012 be an amazing year for you and your family!!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!!!

2011-12-25T10:48:00.001-05:00

When we woke up we found Bobble Chippey in the upstairs hallway looking at the nativity scene. We read her ‘Very First Christmas’ book together and then played with the nativity set. It was probably a good half hour before she suddenly looked up and questioned with excitement, ‘Santa came??’

Oh yes he did baby girl!

Off to play with new toys so for now,

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!

The Latest Adventures of Bobble Chippey

2011-12-24T10:33:00.001-05:00

We laughed the morning he got into Hannah’s hair accessories! He was wearing a big Christmas bow in his hair and a Mickey pony tail holder as a skirt! Silly Bobble Chippey!!

Napping with Mickey and friends (minus Donald who has been AWOL for a couple of months and Pluto who is Hannah’s current favourite and sleeps snuggled under her chin.)

He found Hannah’s scissors and paper and had fun with them making Christmas snow!

Watching a Christmas special on TV

Mmmmm….snacking on Christmas M&Ms. (Hannah has an AMAZING memory! She took one look at him like this and said, ‘Mommy, Dat napkin from Grandma’s house in Florida.’ And you know what, she was right! Somehow I packed one of them in our luggage and when I unpacked it the night before - yes, still not unpacked from FL - Bobble Chippey decided to use it. I hope this amazing memory is here to stay!)

Playing with Hannah’s cash register

LOL – this is a common stance that Hannah takes on each morning when she finds out what Bobble Chippey did overnight.

Sitting beside her gingerbread house. Hmmm….wonder if he took a nibble?

And this morning Bobble Chippey got himself into a little mischief! This was him holding the sign outside the fridge

and when we opened the door and took out the milk…

it was GREEN!!! Silly Bobble Chippey!!

(LOL! After looking at this series of pics I hope Santa brings Hannah what she’s asked for…another pair of pyjamas! She has more than these but each morning I remembered to take pics she was wearing the same ones. Oh well….they’re cute and I enjoy the excuse to nibble her toes with the cherries on top!)

1 more sleep!!! Merry Christmas!

LOL!! Look Who Took All the Credit for Decorating the Christmas Tree!

2011-12-22T22:54:00.001-05:00

Yes, Bobble Chippey!!

This morning when Hannah woke up we began our search for Bobble Chippey. When he couldn’t be located upstairs we ventured downstairs. Oh the wonder in her eyes when not only did she spy her adorable elf but noticed all the work he’d done!

There was a box of decorations that Bobble thought he might leave off the tree but Hannah felt otherwise so now all the decorations are adorning our tree!

So far the only Christmas ball that has broken was when Mommy dropped it! Oops! I’ll admit to being happy with a few new boxes of ornaments I picked up on clearance last week when we got them home and they were plastic! Yay!! I’m hoping this will be the last year decorating the tree on my own so non-breakable ornaments will be a good thing for both of us!

One Word….Finally!

2011-12-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

I finished decorating the tree after Hannah went to bed tonight. It’s wonderful to have it fully decorated but it would have been much more fun to have her help. Her attention span lasted about the length of time it took to put her little ornaments on the bottom though and then she was done. There were stories to read and toys to be played with. The tree was complete as far as she could tell.
Well, I left it like that for a week and truly contemplated just leaving it with her decorations but then tonight I decided to spruce it up a bit and add more things. I skipped many of the regular decorations I usually put on it and went with mainly gold, cream and red balls but I’m very happy with it!
That being said, there are still many special ornaments adorning out tree. In the bottom left corner of the pic above you can see the little ornaments Hannah and I made for the grandparents last year.
This little Asian girl and cottage were a gift from a dear friend as I waited for Hannah. It is a treasure and it signifies the years of faithfully waiting for God's perfect timing! And oh how perfect she is!!!!!!!!
Mulan, a reminder of our August trip.

And, the most precious new ornaments this year are the ones that Hannah made herself! This fun foam wreath
and her sweet little handprint!
Hannah has no idea that I was going to decorate the tree tonight. It will be fun to see her reaction in the morning!
4 more sleeps!! Merry Christmas everyone!!

Hannah and Kenna: A Dynamic (Noisy!!!) Duo!

2011-12-19T19:19:00.000-05:00

Hannah and Makenna are just 5 months apart in age (Makenna is older) and they love to spend time together! I love the relationship that they share as their next closest cousin in 3 years older than them so they’re our two ‘littles.’

The girls absolutely adore one another and when they saw each other last Saturday at an early family Christmas celebration, it reminded me of the commercial when the kids show up dressed alike and begin screaming.

When we arrived the girls realized they had the same tops on and the giggles began!

This is my ‘little’ brother playing with the kiddos.

I think if you listen carefully you can hear the laughter and giggling right through these pics!

So thankful for the love these sweet cousins share!

It’s Beginning to Look a Bit Like Christmas!

2011-12-18T23:24:00.001-05:00

A week from tonight the gifts will be opened and we’ll be enjoying spending time together playing with Hannah’s new toys and reading her new books.

With that in mind and after she’d asked numerous times (while sitting atop the closed box in the dining room) it was finally time to put up the tree! Last Monday night was supposed to be the night but alas Hannah was missing her friends in Urgent Care so she decided to spike a fever of 40.1oC/104.1oF to ensure that mommy was paying attention! Yikes!! We went back and thankfully her ears were clear but her chest, yah…not so much. She’s been on an antibiotic for the past week again and a puffer which is new for her but she’s done great! Unlike the awful illness she battled last month, she took this one in stride and even though she was sporting a fever for 4 days you wouldn’t really know it unless you touched my little hot pot! She’s much better now thank you and for that we are very thankful! My co-worker said she has 2 daughters and the one that was sick often as a kiddo is now a healthy teen and the healthy toddler now battles more illnesses. I’m hoping my little sweetie is just getting it out of her system!

Wednesday night we put up the new tree and I’m so thankful for all those that encouraged me to purchase a pre-lit tree! Last weekend I took a Home Depot gift card to the store with the intention of purchasing the tree I wanted and then keeping an eye on the flyers for the next month to see if it went on sale. You can imagine how happy I was when I arrived at the store to find out that there was an unadvertised sale on all Christmas trees! Yay!!!

I went with a slim tree which suits our needs perfectly! I’m so thankful for all the great options available in trees these days. Here is our new tree!

It’s not your eyes deceiving you, the decorations are few and far between! But, I love where they are! My little love was in charge of her (unbreakable) decorations and she put them all in the perfect spots for her. So sweet!!!

My sweet decorator in action! (The scowl at the end is somewhat new and I’m working on getting rid of it but alas, it’s here for now. Hannah is almost 3 and working hard on inserting her independence!)

My goal is to get the rest of the decorations on soon but the challenge is that they’re breakable so it needs to go on after Hannah is in bed and by then I’m pooped and, also completing many of the other items on my Christmas ‘to do’ list. I know it will get decorated….just not positive when. Trust me, when it does you’ll hear the hootin’ and hollerin’ from wherever you live!

Hmmmm…I wonder if I can ask Santa for 26 hours a day for the month of December next year? Truly y’all understand this!!

Even at 2 my Sweetie Knows WHO Christmas is Truly All About!!

2011-12-16T08:30:00.001-05:00

We still have work to do but finally our home shows a bit of an indication that Christmas is only 9 more sleeps away! (YIKES!!)
While I was putting our NEW tree up I pulled out Hannah’s Fisher Price Nativity Set. I ran downstairs for a few minutes and when I came up this is what I found. Oh my….how she warms my heart!! It’s easy to see that Hannah realizes who Christmas really is all about!

More Christmas fun to come soon!

Hannah’s First Visit to the Dentist!

2011-12-13T00:03:00.001-05:00

Hannah had her introduction to the dentist last week and she was absolutely AMAZING!!! It wasn’t a ‘real’ visit as that will happen closer to her 3rd birthday but it was her first time in the dentist’s office and she rocked it!

She and I talked about the dentist for a few days ahead of her visit and I explained the the dentist would probably count her teeth and she’d get to ride in the up and down chair. She was excited but I wasn’t sure if that excitement might wane when she entered the office.

When she woke up Wednesday morning she was surprised and excited to see that Bobble Chippey was also getting ready to go to the dentist!

It was an early morning for us as we needed to leave the house by 7am which meant waking Hannah up. I was changing her and started to get her dressed when she asked to stay in her pyjamas. Why not?? The pj’s were headed to the laundry anyway so why not let her stay snuggly warm in them while bringing smiles to the gals that the dentist’s office too?

My mom met us at the office (thanks mom!) and watched Hannah while I went in for my appt. Afterwards Hannah came in to join me so started off sitting in my lap. The dentist came in and asked her to open so that she could look at her teeth and voila…she did! Way to go Hannah! The dentist commented that the spacing of her teeth is good which is always a good thing to hear, especially to a mommy who had to have a number of teeth pulled due to a small mouth. (Heh…betcha didn’t see that one coming! )

Learning about ‘Mr. Sunshine’

Chillaxin in the dentist’s chair

Choosing a toy. I tell you, the girl cleaned up! 5 mins in the chair and she walked away with a new Ariel toothbrush, kiddie floss, a sticker and glitter ball! Mommy on the other hand was in the chair for 45 mins and only got a (gentle)lecture about flossing, a cleaning and the bill!

And yes, the sweet gals in the office didn’t disappoint. From the moment Hannah walked off the ‘elegator’ they talked about how smart she was wearing her pj’s and wishing they could wear pj’s to the office too!

All one and all smiles.

A video of Hannah riding in the dentist chair. She thought this was pretty fun! I’m so thankful her first experience was such a positive one!!

This Week’s Adventures of Bobble Chippey!

2011-12-12T00:31:00.001-05:00

Hannah enjoys looking for Bobble Chippey each morning yet still feels most comfortable when Mommy comes with her. It’s quite fun to hear her ask, ‘Bobble Chippey, where are you?’ each morning in a sing-song voice followed quickly by, ‘Mommy, you carry me!’ Heh! I scoop her up and we happily go in search of her fun little friend. This week Bobble Chippey was often found just hanging out in various places but a couple of times he did get into a little mischief. Regardless of what he was doing, it was exciting when she found him each time!

Hanging out in Hannah’s room

Going for a ride on the gate

Eating Hannah’s breakfast!

Wearing her gymnastics out fit the morning on ‘nastics’

And finally this morning we found Bobble Chippey in the upstairs hallway reading the book about himself!

I wonder what mischief Bobble Chippey will get up to this week?

A New Tradition Has Been Born: Christmas Gingerbread House Creation!

2011-12-10T23:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday as the evening drew near I grew more and more excited! It was going to be a night when one more long dreamed of event was going to happen!

Hannah and I were scheduled to attend a gingerbread house decorating class at our local grocery store. For years and years I had seen other people build these fun, seasonal creations with their children and I longed for the day when Hannah and I would do it together! Last night was that night and to make even more special Auntie Norma was going to be there with two of her grandkids who Hannah knows from daycare at Bonnie’s. An evening of fun was guaranteed as we shared this special evening together!

Our adorable little chefs.

All good chefs require a personalized chef’s hat!

Checking out the candies, ‘Pssst Katelyn, Check out all these candies!! Do you think they’ll notice if we eat 1….or 20?’

After a little direction from our 2 head chefs

we were off! Mommy was responsible to pipe the icing and Hannah was free to decorate any way she wanted!

Hannah is not a subscriber in the ‘less is more’ belief

I gave no guidance as to what went where and I was surprised to see how organized she was with her decorating. Once again, a reminder to even myself that she’s only 2 3/4 years old!

The kiddos’ works of art in progress.

Considering her next decorating step

Grandma helping hold little parts that wanted to slide away before drying.

Hannah ‘posing’ with her finished house. Heh….still not a fan of looking at the camera. She prefers the more relaxed, ‘Hey mommy, take what you can get’ kinds of poses!

3 adorable kids with 3 awesome gingerbread houses!! Don’t they look proud? And so should they!

This sweet house has been dusted with snow and is now adorning our home. A new tradition was born for sure and hopefully it will be with our friends again next December!

Sharing My Desire to Adopt with Family and Friends (Repost from March 24, 2006, updated for 2011)

2011-12-09T11:02:00.001-05:00

I am doing something today that I have never done before on my blog. I'm choosing to re post something I wrote long ago with hopes that it is helpful to one or more today.

My reason for doing this is that I have recently been approached by a few people who are just beginning their adoption journey and have asked me to share some of my experiences with them. One of the gals asked about people's reactions to my decision to adopt and the following post immediately came to mind. I remember taking a really long time to originally write this post and at times even questioned if ever would. It was hard to write. It was hard because the subject and content of it led me to relive and attempt to put into words pieces of my heart. It brought back a myriad of emotions as it did today as I reread it for the first time in a few years.

The bottom line is that I am very thankful for the response and reactions that each person had when I shared my desire to adopt Hannah. Even though at the time I didn't understand all of them, in time I did and am thankful for those responses. I'm thankful that my family and friends love me enough to be open, truthful and caring with their responses, both then and now.

Before I share the post want to hear 2 really cool things???
1. When I looked back today I realized for the very first time that this post was originally published the day after my file was logged in China! I didn't know that at the time but looking back today it gave me goose bumps!
2. Some of Hannah's very biggest fans are those who most cautiously guarded their initial response to me. How amazing to see how in time, the perfect time for them, they came around and now like me, cannot imagine a single second of their life without Hannah in it!! SO COOL!!!

**Original post from March 24, 2006**

This morning while my friend Carol and I were out for a walk, we began discussing my adoption journey (no surprise here!) and all that had transpired over the past 14 months.

She brought up something really insightful that I've thought about but had not talked about here yet.

What Carol and I talked about was people's reactions to my news that I was adopting. Some jumped on board right away while others took probably close to a year to fully come on board. I was surprised by both. Some people who I thought would immediately be as excited as I was, were more reserved in their reaction. Others who I thought would need time to grasp the idea were ready to start knitting pink sweaters Day 1.

What I want to share is that over this year+, I've realized that each person's reaction was exactly right for them. An honest, open reaction from their heart.

If they were reserved, was it because they disagreed with my decision? Probably not. Was it because they didn't understand? No.

It was because they love me. They love me so much that they didn't want to see me hurt should the adoption not happen. They wanted to somehow protect me from hurt and for that I am very thankful to each of them. If I was honest I'd say that I was often hurt (in a different way) by the 'reserved' reactions but only because at the time I didn't understand. It's taken me a long time to fully grasp why (I think) people react in different ways.

Becoming a Mother was something people knew I wanted to do someday but the thoughts I'd had, researching done and prayers offered up about the possibility adopting from China, was something I had only shared with 1 person. And, that discussion had only happened one time and I hadn't mentioned it to her again to the best of my knowledge. Me, who spills everything to everyone, had kept this silent thought and prayer deep inside. Because of this, when I announced what my intentions were, people took time to adjust. Some took 5 seconds. Some 5 months and others an entire year. And that's OK. I'd had years to prepare myself and yet I was asking them to grasp it immediately and fall in love with the idea in an instant. I didn't realize it at the time, but my expectations were way out of line. Just as I had taken years to make this decision, they needed time to adjust to it too.

As you can tell by this blog, I'm not one to hide my heart. (Truth be told, I probably offer it out too much.) For me, I want to share what's happening. Do I get hurt? Yes...but don't we all. I put my heart out and sometimes it gets trampled. When that happens I pick up the pieces and with God's help move forward, hopefully a better person for what I've learned.

What I have learned is that putting my heart out is how God has made me and I'm happy I'm this way. The good that happens far outweighs the bad. I'm willing to risk it.

I guess, all of this is to share with those who may be new to the adoption journey, that you will receive many different reactions to your news. Please don't judge people by their reactions. Sometimes it will shock you. Sometimes hurt and sometimes you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Whenever you decide to share your wonderful news with family and friends, prepare your heart for a variety of reactions. It's going to be OK. Will it hurt? Sometimes. Will it bring joy? Often. I've been told by many wonderful friends who have already completed their adoptions that the minute people lay eyes on your beautiful daughter they're all there for you! I am so very, very thankful that this has already happened in my life.

Adoption is an emotional roller coaster (or 'Stroller Coaster') and the bumps and turns begin Day 1. Hang on and let's enjoy the ride together!

Congratulations 4Ds!!!

2011-12-08T09:37:00.001-05:00

Earlier this week our wonderful friends the 3Ds became the 4Ds!!!

What a wonderful day it was when they welcomed their sweet son into their family!!! Isn't he the cutest??!!! And his big sister? She's amazing and a wonderful friend of Hannah's!

Congratulations friends! Hannah and I could not be happier for you!!!!! We cannot wait to meet your newest addition just one short week from tomorrow!

If you'd like to hop on over and congratulate this amazing couple you can click here! I know they'd love to hear from you!

December 6th and Nary a Christmas Decoration in Site. Oye!!!

2011-12-06T22:46:00.001-05:00

I have only one real excuse, but aside from that it’s just taking me a while to get our decorations up this year. Last week they replaced the roof of our home so I needed to wait until after that before putting up our outdoor wreaths. I was happy to wait as I was so thankful to have our roof replaced. I’ve been in my home almost 15 years now (how did that happen??) and the roof was the original one the builder had installed. Since a couple of neighbours had had problems with leaks last winter I was very happy when the roofers showed up last week! Now that it’s complete my goal is to put the wreaths up when Hannah is at my parent’s place this Thursday evening. Crawling out onto the lower roof is not something I want to do when Hannah is home as I can envision my daredevil kiddo climbing out right after me! Yikes!! That’s NOT going to happen so I’ll put the wreaths up when she’s not home.

Christmas shopping is coming along great and that’s a huge relief but if you were to see our home you’d find it hard to believe that Christmas is a short 2 1/2 weeks away! Truly we must remedy this….and soon!!

Other than Bobble Chippey who makes his nightly appearance we have only one decoration up. This particular decoration while a favourite of Hannah’s. I’ll blame on a weak moment for Mommy when her very sick little girl spotted it from the car on her way home from the doctor a couple of weeks ago.

Yes, we have officially become one of those people with the dare I say it, ‘tacky inflatables’ adorning their home for Christmas. Meet, Christmas Mickey! What place of honour did we give this special mouse?

Why the back porch of course! That way Hannah can enjoy him every single evening! She’s happy and so is mommy!

My plan is that we’ll decorate the tree on Saturday. The question is now, which tree? The little one we’ve used for the past couple of years or a new pre-lit one? I have my eye on a pre-lit at Home Depot and am really hoping it goes on sale this week so that I can justify the cost. We’ll see which one wins out and you’ll know by whether it’s the pretty little 4’ one or a new 7’ tree. I know I’ll be happy with either but the thought of not having to string lights on the tree is an enticing one for sure!

Bobble (aka Chippey) has arrived!

2011-12-04T15:15:00.001-05:00

Late last Christmas I saw an Elf on the Shelf and knew that would he make an appearance at our home this year!

Wednesday night we watched the movie twice (because any good movie is worth watching over and over…and over again! ). When it was over I mentioned to Hannah that I thought I’d heard someone at the door.

It’s easy to see that Christmas gifts will be ripped into with ease this year!

Chippey is the name of the elf on the movie so that’s what Hannah called hers too but she has been toying with the name ‘Bobble’ as well. Personally I love the name ‘Bobble’ as that’s how Hannah has referred to her bottle since she first learned to talk so it holds a special place in my heart. So for now he’s Bobble Chippey and that’s just fine with us!
For those new to the Elf on the Shelf, basically he’s a cute little elf that hangs out at our house during the day observing the goings on and at night he flies back to the North Pole to tell Santa what an awesome little girl Hannah has been! (Trust me, there’s a lot of great stuff to tell him too! Hmmm…wonder if I’m a little biased?)
When Bobble flies back to our house each night he finds a new place to hide and Hannah hunts for him each morning.

So far Chippey has been most comfortable hiding upstairs but I have a feeling pretty soon he might venture downstairs too! Here are some of the fun places he’s been and Hannah’s reactions to finding him.
December 1st she was a little unsure about the whole thing and didn’t quite know what to make of this little guy sitting on the 1/2 wall beside our staircase.
December 2nd she was more into it and she thought he was pretty funny sitting upside down on the bathroom door handle!

I wonder what other fun places Chippey will find to hide?
(PS – So far Bobble Chippey has been very well behaved and I think that since he’s being an example for my sweet 2yo he’s going to remain that way. I have a feeling in future years though he might get into a little more mischief. We’ll have to see! For this year, we’ll hunt for him each morning and laugh at the funny places he hides himself!)
For more elf fun you can check out friend’s blogs here, here and here!
Is there an Elf on your shelf? It’s great fun I’ll tell you and makes getting up in the morning such fun!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!

2011-11-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

Last night after having our Christmas card pictures taken I decided to take advantage of Hannah being dressed up and we drove to a local mall to visit with Santa!
So far every time Hannah has seen Santa this year he has been in a ‘paw-wade’ so I wanted to prepare her a bit that he would be visiting with her rather than just waving from a float. I captured this quick bit of adorable video while she was in the car. Truly, her sweet, wonderful, precious personality is contagious and I can’t help but smile every time I hear her sweet voice! She was so excited and just wanted to wrap this up so that she could get on with the fun of visiting with Santa!

I love that this year the two things she consistently says she’s going to ask Santa for are ‘underpamtsl (heh!!) and clothes. In particular, pyjamas. She says hers are too small. I guess the 3T’s I had her in last week were a little on the snug side so the new 4T’s are fitting the bill. And yet, she would like more. Oh, if only her wish lists would remain so simple and unselfish in the future!
Our mall has a wonderful area for visiting Santa and they’ve made an effort to make the waiting area as child friendly as possible. There are games, colouring sheets and a TV playing Christmas movies. The time flies by for the kiddos as they wait which in turn means it flies by for mommy too! Another bonus is that the free(!) pictures and video are emailed to you the moment you complete your visit with Santa. It doesn’t get better than that!
Hello big guy!
Hannah was excited about being able to talk to Santa although whenever I asked her if she wanted me to go with her or if she wanted to sit on his lap alone she always said she wanted mommy with her. I was happy to do that so went prepared with that plan. When it was our turn I went in and put down our coats and my purse and when I looked up this was what I saw!
She was a little hesitant but had easily walked up to Santa all by herself and allowed him to pick her up. She didn’t talk to him when she was on her own but I was still so pleased that she was comfortable visiting with him! Way to go Hannah!! Here’s the video they captured of Hannah’s visit with Santa.

A final pic with all of us together!
Christmas celebrations and preparations are in full swing for Hannah and I! I hope you’re enjoying the season too while still remembering the true Reason for the Season.

Mommy! I’m Hiding!

2011-11-28T22:53:00.001-05:00

Hannah’s favourite game right now is ‘hide’ and we play it numerous times each day. She loves nothing more than to hide right now and have me look for her. It’s absolutely adorable since she makes so much noise that it’s work not to find her! Heh! The more I try to look other places for her the more noise she makes. So cute!!

I also wanted to say a big ‘Thank you!’ to all who have prayed for Hannah, emailed and called to find out how she’s doing. I’m thrilled to say that she’s almost 100%. She has a slight lingering cough but that’s about it. Numerous times today I found myself thinking about where we were a week ago today and how sick my little love was and thanking God that she is so much better now. She gave me quite a scare last week and I’m thankful for the health that she has today! She lost about a pound when she was sick and I can still see that in her little tummy and waist but in time she’ll gain it back.

Thanks again! Your love, concern and prayers for us is greatly appreciated!

So Much To Be Thankful For!

2011-11-24T23:13:00.000-05:00

Although I celebrated Thanksgiving with my fellow Canadians last month, there is so much to be thankful for today that in honour of my American friends I say, ‘Happy Thanksgiving!’

First off, I am very, very thankful that Hannah has definitely taken a turn for the better and she is well on her way to feeling like her old self. Although still sporting a low grade fever and signs of a cold, the pain and high fever that enveloped her for 3 longs days is behind us. For that I am very, very thankful! My sweet baby girl was a trooper through it all but seeing her like this

for days at a time was hard. Hearing her little cries of pain even though she was topped up with meds had me feeling so helpless. When she was sleeping I shed my own tears.

Thankfully the 2nd antibiotic worked wonders and with it’s help and more importantly, the prayers of many, my little love turned a corner yesterday and her normal self began to immerge. Never have I been so thankful to see our home littered with toys and craft supplies, walking an obstacle course each step of the day. After 3 days of the toys and books not moving from their storage locations, she made up for it in a matter of minutes…and I was thrilled!

She is also sleeping so much better too which is such a blessing to both herself and I’ll admit, to mommy too! Early Wednesday morning when she was awake ~~whining~~ crying for the 10th+ time that night, was one of the very few times that I’ve ever wished I had someone to tag team with for just a moment. I didn’t so I took a moment, a few deep breaths and then held her close until she drifted back to sleep. Thankfully that session at 2am was the last time she woke for the next 5 hours and we both woke up feeling much, much better!

I went back to work today and Hannah went to Ange’s. She had a great time and when I emailed Ange during nap time to see how she was doing she said she was doing well and the kids were being their normal selves….playing one moment and arguing the next. Heh! We often tease that Noah and Hannah are like an old married couple! One moment they’re hugging one another and the next they’re grabbing a toy out of the other’s hand or bickering with their little 2yo words. They share a great friendship and I am SO thankful that Hannah has Ange’s home to go to each day!

Normally I teach piano on Thursday nights but I cancelled my students tonight so that Hannah didn’t have to jump right into a 12 hour day at daycare. (Mom and Dad are still in FL for one more week. Normally they watch her Thurs nights while I teach.) I wanted Hannah and I to have some time together tonight. It was fun to watch her enjoy herself while she ate rather than not eating at all.

Raspberry manicure anyone?

Tonight I am also celebrating with two other wonderful friends. Earlier this week our dear friends the 3D's received their long waited for TA (travel approval) and will be leaving one week from today to meet their sweet son in China!! Congratulations 3D’s!!

Today another precious friend and her family received their long awaited LOA (letter of acceptance) for their beautiful daughter! Next step TA and then hopefully early in 2012 they’ll be travelling to China (to Hannah’s province!!) to meet their precious Ellie!!

I get goose bumps to think that Ellie will be placed in Pam’s arms in the very same room that Hannah was placed in mine!

Both of these families have waited a l-o-n-g time for this day! They both received their referrals way back in May and have been waiting since then to travel and meet their children. Today is a day of thankfulness that each of them are so much closer to holding their little loves in their arms!!

Congratulations D and Pam!!!

Yes, so much to be thankful for!!

I think we might soon earn preferred parking at the doctor’s office! Updated

2011-11-22T22:04:00.001-05:00

Sadly I spoke too soon. While Hannah’s fever stayed away last night even when her meds wore off it was back hovering around 37.6oC/99.6oF this morning. She had a better sleep than the past few nights with only 6 or so wake ups so that was nice for her especially…and Mommy was thankful too. It was still a lot of wake-ups for my sound sleeper but once again she was woken by the pain in her little head. We continued meds throughout the night but still the slightest cough brought on a sad whimper and sometimes even full blown tears. Another day home with Mommy was an easy decision to make.

Another change that started yesterday afternoon was that she had no interest at all in eating anything. I tried to suggest anything easy to swallow or cool that I could think of and it went nowhere. Even the popsicle she had in the tub last night was more fun to melt in the water than to eat. Thankfully she was still drinking so that was a good thing. Late this morning she asked for chicken nuggets and French fries so that’s exactly what she got. She only ate a few fries and one nugget but after eating nothing for 24 hours I was happy to see her consume anything. This pic is a great one and was taken during one of her ‘peak’ times during the day. Trust me, looks can be deceiving as 30 mins earlier she was crying in pain. Medication is our friend!!

Naps have been short and distressed for the past few days so today I decided that whenever she was ready to nap I’d hold her and see if that helped. She had a wonderfully restful 1 1/2 hour nap which I was SO thankful for and the bonus was that I enjoyed the treat of holding my sleeping little girl which happens rarely these days. It was a wonderful reminder of what her baby days were like!

Unfortunately when she woke from her nap she was in rough shape again. Her fever was up and she didn’t know what to do with herself. It broke my heart to see her sneeze and then literally shake her fists and kick her legs as she cried, ‘owe, owe, owe’ and then uncontrollable tears. Something more needed to be done as she should not be in that much pain!

During this time I was texting back and forth with my amazing friend Polar Bear and she wondered the same thing I did; that it might be a sinus infection and both of us know from personal experiences how painful these can be. Others had mentioned this in the comments of my last post too.

I called my doctors office with my concerns and her current status and within 15 mins they called back and told me to bring her right in. The doctor was between patients when we arrived and he looked at her right then. Oh how blessed we are to have such an amazing, caring doctor! The next time I’m waiting an hour for a regular wellness check-up I’ll remember how amazing he was with Hannah during this time and that he can take all the time he needs!

Since it’s now been 5 days of constant fevers (when the meds wear off) and she’s still in so much pain he decided to change her antibiotic and give her one that is for a broader spectrum of problems. If her sinuses are involved this one should help those out. Praying that happens!

My lively, energetic little girl is currently a placid and lethargic with moments of energy thrown in throughout the day. She napped for another half hour later in the afternoon, rested watching Disney Junior and still began asking to go to bed at 5:30. Her little, ‘I tiiiired Mommy. Please go bed.’ is such an unusual and distressing thing to hear.

She let me feed her a little supper of mandarin oranges in sauce and a couple of bites of chocolate pudding but that was it. The fact that my, ‘I do it all myself!’ little girl asked me to feed her is another huge sign that this bug still has a firm hold on her.

I’m praying that this antibiotic is the right one and that we see a difference even by tomorrow. I’ve already decided to stay home with her with my employer’s blessing to stay where I’m needed and do all I can to help her feel better. She’s resting well now and has only woken twice for a good cry and mommy cuddles. Even that is a huge improvement over the past few nights.

Thank you for all your kind comments and many prayers. They are so appreciated! I had my first big cry today about this situation. I’ve tried to be strong for Hannah but the feeling of helplessness to take the pain away is awful! Thank you to all who are praying for us!

Wednesday AM update:

Dare I say it looks like Hannah has turned a corner? Yay!!! After a rough night with no less than 10 wakings she’s much more herself this morning. She’s been playing for the past hour and a half, chatting (sounding a lot like Kermit the Frog) and even smiling! After 2 1/2 days of laying around and feeling pretty punk, she’s more herself. Her little nose is running and I’m hoping that if her sinuses have been sore that this draining will help relieve the pressure. Her fever is still present and she needed Advil (but not Tylenol) when she first woke up and now that that’s kicked in she’s enjoying playing! SO thankful!

Praying She’s Turned the Corner

2011-11-21T23:21:00.000-05:00

My sweet little girl has been one sick ‘baby’ for the past few days. It hurts me to see her in pain!

She began with a slight fever Thursday evening and throughout the day Friday. Friday night was a little rough but meds were keeping the fever down. Because Hannah’s history with fevers = ear infections I took her to urgent care Friday night. The doctor said her ears were a little plugged but it was not an infection and she was fine unless her fever continued.

Saturday she was her normal happy self in the morning so we headed out to gymnastics then went to a local Santa Claus parade. She napped in the afternoon and woke up a little bit ‘rough’ but that's not unusual after a nap so we continued on with plans to meet my brother and SIL to go to another parade. We bundled up and Hannah had lots of fun dancing to the music and waving at the people in the parade.

Once we got into the car…she lost it! Poor sweetie! At the time I didn’t realize how poorly she had been feeling or I never would have taken her. There were many tears as we waited for traffic to move and eventually she fell asleep. Once home I took her temp and it was up again so I topped up her meds and settled her in bed. She remained asleep but woke up within about 20 mins and needed comforting. By then I knew that Sunday would be a day at home so I cancelled my nursery commitment and lunch with Nana and Papa.

Saturday night was rough! Hannah woke often and I had to keep her meds up to control her fever.

Sunday morning I was so thankful that I’d decided we’d stay home. My feverish baby was struggling and my happy-go-lucky gal was cranky. Understandable for sure. Auntie K offered to come over with Pea so that I could run out and get a few groceries. While my first thought was to say, ‘no thank you’ I realized now was one of those really good times for me to accept that gift of help that was being offered. I told her yes and they came by for a wonderful playtime! Hannah had a great time with Auntie K and Pea and I was able to buy our weekly groceries and stuff to make some chicken soup. It felt weird to be at the store without her but I was also able to get a lot done in a much shorter amount of time. As I went through the store I looked into the cart and laughed. All the groceries were in the lower part because I’m used to the items in the top being fair game for my co-pilot. I also realized towards the end that I’d filled one side of the seat with groceries but the spot where Hannah normally sits was totally empty. Yes, it was great to take an hour to do groceries on my own but I missed my gal and was excited to get home to her.

After lunch I tried to put her down for her nap but she was out of sorts and it was easy to see that even though her meds were up to date she was in pain. She kept telling me her teeth hurt but I’m wondering if it’s a sore throat and she just doesn’t know how to explain to me where the pain is. I decided a trip back to urgent care was in order once again. (So thankful for free medical coverage!!) We saw a different doctor this time and in the 36 hours since our last visit her congested ears had turned into a double ear infection. Poor little love!! No wonder she was having such a rough time! She began a course of antibiotics for the next 10 days and truth be told, I was really hoping I would see improvements even overnight.

Unfortunately the opposite happened. As on Saturday night, she slept fitfully and woke numerous times during the night crying and needing comfort and telling me her teeth hurt. My normally awesome sleeper was fitful and restless. I knew by very early in the morning that Hannah needed a day at home with Mommy on Monday.

I woke up and emailed the 3 people I report to at work sharing a bit of what Hannah was going through and that I was going to stay home with her for the day. Can I just say that they were amazing! All 3 of them took the time to write back to tell me they were praying for/thinking of Hannah and telling me I was exactly where I needed to be. What a blessing it is to work in a job that I love and also with great co-workers and supervisors!

Today was a-w-f-u-l for Hannah! AWFUL!!! I have never seem my little love so sick! Yesterday was bad but today was terrible! She had no voice and whenever she coughed or sneezed she burst into tears as the pain was so bad. Oh how it hurt me to see her hurting so! I now wonder if it could be her sinuses that are hurting her? We spent the day together, much of it cuddled together on the couch as she just wanted to be held.

Cuddling with her ‘Stacy blankie.’ A gift from a dear friend.There was no other place I wanted to be either! (That being said, I’ve seen about as much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as I care to for a while. Thankfully I had a couple of Tinker Bell movies on the PVR that neither of us had seen and we enjoyed those together.)

Her nap this afternoon was all but non-existent so I decided on a whim to take her to our family doctor. (You know it’s on a whim when I left the house with no make-up on and having not showered in ummm…4 days! Sick kiddos will do that to you.) Our doctor and nurse are amazing and the moment I showed up in their office they took us in. Dr. Fitz reaffirmed that she did have a double ear infection and also that the antibiotics she’s on should do the trick. That works for me. There’s just something comforting about hearing the exact same thing from our family doctor.

Hannah finally napped on my lap from about 4:00 – 5:30 and then woke up asking to go to bed. I know Hannah is sick when the past 2 days she has been asking over and over again to go to bed from 5:30 onwards! That’s not my gal! Both nights I stretched things out by giving her a bath and tonight she was distracted from how she was feeling by glow sticks in the tub.

I put her to bed at her normal time of 8:00 but tonight was different. Even though she was still in pain and needed meds for that, she didn’t have a fever! For the first time since Thursday night she didn’t have a fever when her meds wore off! She’s been awake and needed snuggles 4 times so far tonight but she’s been cool to the touch each time. Thank you Lord!

So, I’m hoping that she’s turned a corner and is on the mend. Those who have known she’s been sick have been praying. Thank you! There is nothing like knowing others are lifting your sick child before The Great Physician!

I’ll see how tonight goes and decide in the morning if I’ll stay home again or take her to daycare. Ange is amazing and their family has been fighting the same battle this weekend. Poor Noah and Hannah!

Must run….my lovey needs more cuddles so I’m going to call it a night.

Thank you for praying

Cape May Cafe–A New Dining Experience for Us

2011-11-18T23:41:00.000-05:00

And one that we will repeat for sure!! The Cape May Cafe is located in the Beach Club Resort which is absolutely gorgeous!

Mom, Hannah and I headed there for an early breakfast before our day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

My friend Kristy gave me this adorable little Minnie Mouse outfit for Hannah at a shower just 2 days before I received her referral. It was so cute and although I took it with us to Disney in August I just couldn’t put it on her as the weather was so hot and I kept her in cotton clothing as much as possible. This time it was different as it was a beautiful day in the high 70’s and she was excited to wear the pink dress with adorable white bloomers!

I’ve done a lot of character meals over the years and this one was wonderfully different in that it had a calmer, quieter mood to it. Even though we were seated right beside the buffet we never felt crowded or out in the open. I would highly recommend this character meal to everyone!

One treat for Hannah was that she was able to try her very first hot chocolate ever and oh boy was it a huge hit!

As we dined we were joined by 3 of Hannah’s clubhouse pals dressed appropriately for a day at the beach! First to visit our table was Donald Duck and Hannah was all set for him! I love to watch her little reaction and excited smile at the end of the video and this was typical of her reaction whenever a character came by.

Goofin’ with Goofy

Hannah thought Goofy was really funny when he pretended to eat her head!

Minnie…meet Minnie!

We enjoyed our time at Cape May Cafe and will return again someday, especially since it’s just a short walk from the resort to Epcot. But for this visit it was time for a quick change for Hannah then a swing by Pop Century to pick up Nana and Papa for our day at the Studios!

Precious Moments

2011-11-16T23:22:00.001-05:00

Saturday evening we were out for a final shopping trip before flying home the following day. The evening was a little cool but the draw of the cart over the van just meant we wore our jackets and bundled up with blankets for the return trip to the house.

As we were preparing to pull out of our parking spot an ambulance with lights flashing and sirens blaring drove by. From behind me I heard the sweetest little voice say, ‘Pway Mommy.’ I looked back to see her snuggled into Papa’s lap (much like the pic above) but this time with her little fingers interwoven and head bowed, ready to pray.

We took a moment to pray for both the person who needed help and those that were rushing to provide it. We’ve done this sometimes in the car as an ambulance has rushed by us or we’ve passed an accident scene. That night it was Hannah who reminded me that it was a time to put others before ourselves and pray for them.

‘…and a little child will lead them.’

Isaiah 11:6b

A Magical Day in the Magic Kingdom

2011-11-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

Wednesday we were up and on the road by 6am but rather than heading to the ‘bread store’ as Hannah likes to call it, we were on our way to Disney!! It had been all of 8 weeks since we were last there and we knew that Mickey might be missing us! (Grandpa decided to stay in The Villages this trip and do some golfing with Uncle Paul and Aunt Louise so he missed visiting the Mouse.)

After saying good bye to Nana and Papa at Pop Century (who were spending the day at Epcot and Animal Kingdom) Grandma, Hannah and I boarded our ‘Mickey Mouse school bus’ (Hannah’s term) and headed over to the Magic Kingdom!

For as often as I have been at Disney, there is still nothing like entering the park and realizing that we’re really there! The Happiest Place on Earth!! It was beautiful this time as it was also decorated for Christmas which means a treat for your eyes around each corner and Christmas music filled the air! Oh yes, Christmas!!

With Toontown closed to create the new Fantasyland Expansion, many of the characters have been relocated to the front of the park. We decided to meet some of them early in the day so that we could spend the rest of our time enjoying the rides, shows and parade.

The last time we were at Disney we missed meeting Daisy Duck so she was first on our wish list of characters to see. Once again Hannah was literally jumping with excitement as we waited in line but was a little star struck when Daisy was right beside her.

Pinocchio was also there so we took a moment to meet him too.

After this we headed inside to meet some precious princesses and Mickey too! This pic makes me laugh as it was taken just as we entered the royal room where the princesses were waiting to greet us. As you enter there is a roped area where the queue is formed. We entered the room and before I realized what was happening Hannah was under the rope and running as fast as she could to greet Belle and Cinderella who were waiting to greet the little princes and princesses! They bent down and spoke with her and then waved good-bye as she came back to me. Oh how I love the spontaneity and excitement of being two!!

Soon it was Hannah’s turn to meet each of the princesses and this time she was excited to show them the pictures she had from our trip last November. What a difference a year makes!

Princess Aurora

Belle

Cinderella

After the princesses we used Fastpasses to visit Mickey Mouse. While we were waiting to go in Hannah asked where Minnie was. You should have seen her smile when she looked in and saw both Mickey and Minnie waiting to greet her!!

Next it was time for rides, shows and a parade! Spinning teacups.

Carousel

Dumbo

Getting ready for Mickey’s PhilharMagic

We went on ‘it’s a small world’ and I had to take a pic of this. Whenever Hannah sees these little people on the swings she looks at me and says with great concern and a furrowed brow, ‘Dey should sit down Mommy!’ Heh!

Relaxing with Grandma

Surprised by Stitch! We were standing discussing where to go next and how to plan for Hannah’s nap when I felt this warm hand in the middle of my back. I looked beside me and was shocked to see Stitch standing there! He asked Hannah for a High 5 which she happily gave him and then went back to the kiddos in line. Little surprise moments like this are fun!

Sharing her drink with Minnie Mouse

As we were leaving the park the festivities for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party were just getting started and it was snowing on Main Street! Hannah was excited to see the snow and did her best to catch it before it hit the ground.

Our first day at Disney was a huge success and the 3 of us shared a wonderful day together! What fun it was to be in the Magic Kingdom with my Mom and Hannah!

She Melts Me!!!

2011-11-15T00:49:00.001-05:00

It’s 12:15am Tuesday morning and I was sitting here working on one of our Disney blog posts from our visit last week.

Hannah just woke up moments ago and called out to me. I went up to her reassuring her as I climbed the stairs that I was on the way. Often when she wakes before I go to bed it’s because she needs help putting her blankets back on.

When I got there my little princess was sitting up in bed so I scooped her up for some cuddles. She snuggled into me and put her sweet sleepy head on my shoulder. I asked her if she needed her blankets back on and she nodded yes. I then asked if she needed anything else and once again with her head, nuzzled into my neck, nodded yes.

I asked her, ‘What do you need sweetie?’

Her answer….’Kisses!’

She has no idea what this does to me. This little lamb who is the love of my life can melt me with one little word. Kisses.

I gently covered her sleepy head and face with kisses and laid her back in bed, covered her and off to sleep she went. Could life get any better?

In the past few months Hannah has become so demonstrative with her affection and with her words. Some mornings I’ll wake to her pulling the covers up over my shoulders just like I do for her.

Some nights I’ll be sleeping and wake to her whispering, ‘I love you so much’ and placing a gentle little kiss on my cheek.

Love….in the form of a 2yo angel who I have the privilege of calling my daughter!! SO BLESSED!!!

Hannah’s Homecoming – 2 Years Ago Today!

2011-11-14T22:22:00.001-05:00

Two years ago today Hannah and I began our life in Canada together! Such precious memories of our homecoming and the many wonderful family and friends who welcomed us at the airport and at home!

We are so blessed to be loved by so many and I am so thankful for all the amazing people who are part of our lives! You know who you are and please know…you are loved!

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

2011-11-11T23:26:00.001-05:00

(We took a fun 2 day side trip to Disney for a couple of days so posting is a little behind.)

Tuesday our day started as has become the norm for this trip with Hannah and I heading out in the golf cart at the break of dawn to pick up breakfast for the family. This time Nana came along for the ride with us.

We also stopped to pick up some yogurt for Grandma. One perk to being in a little city that is made up of mainly retired people is that there’s a good chance you’ll get the really cool carts at the stores! This morning it was car in the grocery store (yes, still in pj’s )

and later in the day at our first Target stop of the trip.

Hannah thinks the popcorn available at Tar-jay is a great treat! Mommy likes it because it encourages her to sit in the cart rather than ‘help’ mommy shop.

We know that Target is Uncle Mark’s favourite store south of a da border so we stopped to take the traditional pic on the red ball while Hannah threw up her arms and shouted, ‘Uncle Mark!!’

My little shopping diva wanted to hold, wear and try on everything sparkly in the entire store! And yes, Mommy bought the hat because she looked just too cute wearing it!!

Mom, Sharon, Aunt Louise and I were going out for lunch together and the guys were going to watch Hannah! Here’s mom giving them a walk through the contents of the diaper bag. Too funny!!

I saw a few pics on Grandpa’s camera that unfortunately I don’t have the cables to download but it’s safe to say a great time was had by all!!

Chillaxin in the afternoon watching some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I bought Hannah these kids headphones recently and it’s safe to say they’re a big hit and I’m really impressed with the good quality.

Tuesday was also a day of celebration as Mom and Dad celebrated their 53rd Wedding Anniversary! We went out for dinner and enjoyed a delicious Italian supper. Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

Just a fun pic of Hannah helping me get her milk ready at the end of th day.

Next strop….Magic Kingdom! Now, Mommy needs to narrow down the pics and stories. We had a fabulous 2 days at Disney and I’m looking forward to sharing more with you.

Daytona Beach Meet-up with Friends

2011-11-08T23:25:00.001-05:00

Monday morning dawned early once again as Hannah was awake and ready to play by 5:30am. I decided this morning that whomever created Daylight Savings Time must not have been the parent to a toddler at the time! Hopefully tomorrow when she wakes up it will be 6am or later. Regardless, we still had fun going to Panera Bread to pick up breakfast for everyone. This morning it was delicious bagels for all!

Shortly after breakfast we all hopped in the van for the 1 1/2 hour drive to Daytona Beach!

Hannah decided a nap was in order on the way there.

We met up with our wonderful friends Ford, Alyson and Alyzabeth An; Don and JMei. We’d met at the same place last year and it was fun to see the girls together once again.

Colouring with Mr. Ford

It was a beautiful sunny day and we sat outside on the patio which was right on the ocean front.

After lunch there was lots of time for the girls to play in the sand and waves.

Hannah was happy to run in the waves with anyone who would go with her! Grandpa

Papa

and Mommy

This year mommy remembered to bring a change of clothes so Hannah was welcome to get as wet as she wanted…and that was wet!

Sometimes she even ran on her own which my independent little girl loved!

We shared a wonderful visit together with these special friends at

and we’re looking forward to Daytona meet-up 2012! It was great to see you friends!!

Checkin’ In From The Villages

2011-11-07T21:42:00.001-05:00

Early, early Saturday morning Hannah and I, along with Nana and Papa boarded a plane; destination: Florida!

Even though we’re not Disney bound until Wed (for a quick 2 day visit with the mouse) Hannah was quick to see her little pal in the airport.

My parents drove down last week as they’re here for the month so Grandma and Grandpa picked us up at the airport. We spent a fun day hanging out at their house and taking the golf cart for a spin. It’s fun to bip around The Villages in our golf cart and enjoy the warmer weather rather than being inside a car all the time. Hannah spent some time with Grandma, Grandpa and Papa while Sharon and I went to see ‘Courageous’ at the show. It was a great movie and I’d highly recommend it to all parents!

Saturday night the time changed but Hannah’s little internal clock didn’t! She was up and ready to go at 5:30am! Thankfully the house is really soundproof so we hung out in our room and played until about 6:30 when we went out on a little adventure! We hopped into the golf cart and drove to Panera Bread. Yummo! I wish we had more of these in Canada as the closest one is about 45 mins. away. (Joy, we need to book a return trip when you’re feeling up to it!)

A bit of cookie for breakfast when you’re on holiday never hurt anyone! Hannah tried the orange pumpkin cookie and said it was delicious!

By the looks of this picture the rest of The Villages didn’t have any problem adjusting to the time change!

We went to a quaint little church and Hannah did really well going to Sunday School. Yay Hannah! As we’re in a retirement area it was no surprise that she was the only little in the nursery and had 3 wonderful ladies caring for her. They said she was her normal chatty self and even told them that she lived in Canada! I didn’t even know that she knew that. After church she posed by this Hannah sized palm tree to take a pic for Auntie Deb!

Walking with Uncle Paul on her way to lunch. I can’t believe how grown up she looks in this pic! We bought her some clothes while we’ve been down here and some have been size 4 to accommodate her beautiful long legs. Yikes! Size 4 already?!!

We enjoyed lunch together after church. Dad’s brother Paul and his wife Louise are staying at a house here too so it’s a great time for us to see them too!

We went to one of the town squares in the afternoon and wandered around a craft sale there. It rained for a bit so we grabbed a coffee but then the sun came back out so we went back into the wonderful sun.

We spent a quiet evening at home just enjoying being together. Tomorrow is a trip to Daytona Beach to meet up with the wonderful friends we saw last year! More fun times ahead!

Celebrating our 2nd Hannah-versary!

2011-11-06T21:59:00.001-05:00

Wednesday Hannah and I celebrated 2 wonderful years together as a family! It’s still hard to believe that two whole years have passed since my beautiful, amazing, wonderful daughter was placed in my arms!

November 2nd is a day of celebration for us! The day that God chose to bring Hannah and I together as a Forever Family! I like to make it a special day when we look at pictures of the day we met, watch videos as well as go out for supper. Someday I hope to finally find the time to create a Forever Family Day movie but for now we watch the little video clips we have.

I wanted to give Hannah a little something special to celebrate this day so I gave her the ‘Big Bird in China’ DVD which she has already enjoyed a number of times! She says the monkey scares her a bit but she still wants to watch it. I just make sure that mommy is close in case she needs some extra reassurance and hugs during those parts of the movie.

In the evening we celebrated by going out for supper with our wonderful friends Auntie Deb and Uncle Scott. (Pic taken Oct 1st at their son Jeff’s wedding.)

We went to a great local Chinese buffet restaurant that is a special treat for us to go to.

Once again getting a pic with my wonderfully active 2yo proved to be a fun challenge!

More pictures Mom?

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When it was time for dessert Auntie Deb and Uncle Scott surprised us with a special gift of celebratory Family Day cupcakes in the shape of a ‘2’…decorated with Mickey and Minnie! Oh, they know us well!! Thank you AD and US!!

Hannah, Mommy loves you SOOOO much!!! My life has changed in the very best ways now that you and I are a family! I love every moment we spend together and still find myself tearing up at times just realizing that you are my daughter! I love you Hannah XiaoFen!!

Love, Mommy xoxoxoxoxoxo

2 Glorious Years Together! Happy Forever Family Day Hannah XiaoFen!!

2011-11-02T17:46:00.001-04:00

I’m feeling very emotional today and could cry at the drop of a hat. Two years ago today God blessed me with the most amazing baby girl in the entire world when Hannah Catherine XiaoFen was placed in my arms in Changsha, Hunan, China!!!

I can remember the details of that day as if it were yesterday as well as the day prior. The stress of November 1st, trying to fly from Beijing to Changsha in the midst of a snow storm. A storm that grounded us, sitting in our plane on the tarmac for 7 long hours while chaos erupted inside the airplane. And yet, peace. A peace that only God could provide. Sweet, sweet peace.

The relief of hearing the de-icing machine beat upon the fuselage of our plane at 9:45pm and, as we lifted off at 10pm the peaceful sleep that enveloped me that lasted the entire 2 hours to Changsha. We landed at midnight, found our luggage and then boarded the bus. I remember looking at Norma when Sara (our guide) began to share with us the details of that day…THAT day! Due to the flight delay is was now Monday, November 2, 2009. The day that God planned long, long ago.

The day that Hannah and I would become a Forever Family!!! (centre)

I remember walking into the grand Dolton Hotel and wanting to absorb every detail that I could. This was a pattern my entire time in China. It was like I wanted to draw into myself every sight, every smell, every nuance that was China so that I could remember it and someday share it with Hannah.

As we made our way to our room we passed a playroom that was filled with toys. We were on the ‘baby floor’ and it was designed to aid us in as many ways as possible. In our room there were special racks for housing baby ‘stuff.’ A little plastic bowl and spoon intended to help with feeding and a little stuffed red Ox sitting in her crib….CRIB!!!...waiting to welcome my beautiful little ‘Year of the Ox’ baby.

Before we unpacked and moved things around, Norma and I took pictures of the room, wanting once again to soak in and remember every little detail of the first space that Hannah and I would share together.

Although by now it was after 2am we unpacked and I began to prepare some things for Hannah’s arrival. Little toys that I’d purchased over the past 4+ years were unpacked with care and lovingly placed in a basket she could reach. Heh….little did I realize at the time that my sweetie would be just learning to sit up and that crawling would be out of the question for a couple more months. We prepared some but then it was time to try and sleep a bit before the big day!

(On a side note, sleeping for me in China involved a bit of gymnastics! I have sleep apnoea and use a CPAP machine. I quickly found out the first night we were in Beijing that turning off the lights at the head of the beds also turned off all electrical supply to that side of the room! My solution? Sleep upside down in the bed each night with my head where your feet normally go and my feet at the top. A chair for ‘Darth’ – the pet name of my CPAP machine, and we were good to go!)

Although the night was short and I think we were up at 6am, I remember sleeping well which truly was a gift from God. I tend to get very nervous when ‘big things’ happen and lack of sleep and frequent trips to well….you know where, have always accompanied me during times of high stress. I tell you, this was the BIGGEST thing that had ever happened in my life and yet…peace. God’s peace! Precious, sweet peace.

My parents, Norma and I met the other families in the restaurant for breakfast. I distinctly remember looking around at all the tables and realizing how vastly different it would look the next time we sat down to eat together. Oh how wonderfully different it would be!!

At 9am Mom, Dad and I boarded the bus with the destination of a couple of branches of a bank to transfer our traveller’s cheques into Yuan. While I was extremely thankful not to have needed to carry vast amounts of cash on me while travelling, exchanging the travellers cheques proved to be quite and ordeal. I believe it took us almost 3 hours to accomplish this and the clock was quickly ticking.

While we were at the bank, Norma was touring Changsha with another gal and scouting out places we would go back to later. She was also preparing things for me back at the room (unpacking gift bags and tissue, ironing my clothes and more). I will be FOREVER grateful for all the things Norma did behind-the-scenes to help me be able to focus on what needed to be done that day. Thank you Norma!!

From the bank we boarded a bus and went across the street to a Carrefour store to stock up on supplies I would need for Hannah. My parents (who were absolutely AMAZING the entire trip!!!) were with me helping to try and keep me focused and also helping make such major decisions as how many bags of formula should I purchase and how many diapers? What stroller for the few times I might use it? Trust me, when you’ve waited 43 years to become a Mom and you’re now half-way around the world and she is just hours away, even breathing was something that was no longer coming naturally!!

We made it back to the hotel with about an hour to prepare to go meet our babies. One hour to prepare for HANNAH! One hour? Oye!!!

Once again, Norma was amazing. I remember walking from the windows…to the bathroom…to the windows…to the bathroom…and not accomplishing anything! I knew I needed to be doing something but what it was I didn’t have a clue! Norma would gently ask me if I had xxx in the diaper bag. Oh yah….I’d put that in. Then….pace! Heh! She wrapped my gifts for the orphanage as well as the director. I’m sure if she hadn’t done this they would have ended up getting unwrapped gifts – if I’d even remembered to take them!!

One funny thing during this time was that on my pacing path between the windows and the bathroom was our safe which held our passports, money and all our official documents. I’d opened the safe and left the door wide open. It was blocking a good bit of the small hallway and really was in the way. Norma would gently ask if I needed anything out of the safe or anything to be put into the safe and I’d answer with, ‘I don’t know’ so I left it open. I’d accomplish a few things, pace some more and then she’d gently ask about the safe again and I’d respond the same way! That silly safe truly was in our way but making the ‘huge’ decision about what I might need in/out of it was too big to make at the moment so for the entire hour it stood gaping open and each time we passed by we had to squish ourselves against the wall to get by the door! Memories….

Finally at 2:00 we were ready to go!!

- Camera – check!

- Video camera – check!

- Diaper bag – check!

- Bottle – check!

- Passports – check!

- Gifts – check!

- Mommy-to-be – CHECK!!!

We went downstairs and met the others and this is where I finally lost it! The tears. Oh the tears! Knowing I was just minutes from holding Hannah in my arms overwhelmed me with emotions of God’s goodness and love; that He would entrust the baby girl whom I already loved, into my care!

We boarded the bus and headed to the Changsha Center of Adoption Affairs. Sara shared with us what we might expect and also a little bit of what the babies might be experiencing.

As we arrived a couple of the babies were making their way into the building with their nannies. Hannah was not one of them but I knew she was close.

We went up the elevator and entered a room that I could describe in great detail to you even today. The room where I would become Hannah’s mom!! A quick scan of the perimeter showed some babies on nannies knees and while I took a quick double-take at one of the babies, I quickly realized that Hannah was not there. We went into an adjoining room where I unpacked a little toy for Hannah and just made myself busy trying to fill in the time before the families were called to meet our babies. I remember at one point Norma rushing back into the room and saying that Hannah was here and…I froze!! I was so frightened that it might not be her (for some silly, silly reason) that I couldn’t go out until I knew it was time for me to meet her. Silly, I know that now but at the time it was what I was experiencing.

Very quickly (like seconds later) they began to call names and I believe I was the 3^rd name called.

And…there….she……was!!!!!!!!!!!! (Tears streaming down my face even now as I type this!)

Hannah….my Hannah….my DAUGHTER!!! The child God had created for me.

I reached out my arms and for the first time in my entire life I knew what it was to feel unconditional love like no other! The love of a mother!!! There was not one single second of hesitation, my daughter was in my arms and we were together forever!!!

In a room filled with laughter, tears, talking, calling out of names…it was like we were the only 2 there. Gazing into one another’s eyes. Getting to know one another. Mother and daughter…love!!!

She was so little, so young and…so calm! I had anticipated tears but they were absent. (Well…mommy shed a few. Hannah calls them my ‘Happy tears in China.)

I had anticipated a look of fear in her eyes, but it was not there. Bewilderment? Yes. Uncertainty? Yes. But fear? No.

I held her beautiful head in the palm of my hand and we gazed deeply, intently into one another’s eyes. She was so young (only 8 months, 6 days old!) and this played such a huge part in her acceptance of this life changing moment as did prayer. The many prayers I had offered up, those of my parents, family and friends. And those that were being offered at the exact moment Hannah was placed into my arms. God revealed Himself in the answers to those many, many prayers in the way He wove Hannah and my life together from that moment forward.

It didn’t take long for Hannah to gently get to know me and her precious little hands began to explore my mouth and face.

This video makes us laugh as we call is her, ‘Mommy….you talk a lot!’ video!

We spent a little time with her travel nanny but as she was not the one who cared for her on a daily basis, Hannah did not appear to have any real attachment to her. That being said, the following day we saw the orphanage director when I finalized Hannah’s adoption and Hannah knew who she was and lit up when she saw her! All the time though she was keeping a close eye on Mommy. The long, long process of attachment had begun.

I was prepared to wait a long time for that first smile but Hannah blessed me with it and many more within the first half –hour of meeting one another…and they’ve never stopped!

She even found some giggles!

While I was feeling so much love and thankfulness, I also remember moments of overwhelming uncertainty. Would I know how to care for her? I knew it would come in time and we would learn more and more about one another yet in my heart, I just wanted to take away as much of the stress from her little life as possible. When I fed her her very first bottle I remember questioning, ‘Is it too cold? Is it too hot? Is it thick enough? Thin enough?’

I was confident in my abilities to be Hannah’s mom, but getting the details right would take time and now, 2 years later, I’m still a work in progress!

And on that day, not only was I blessed beyond measure to become Hannah’s mother, she also gained an entire family who love hear dearly!

Grandma and Grandpa were unbelievably patient as they met her and yet allowed me to be the one to meet all of her needs for the first 6 days. Thank you Mom and Dad. Your love and support through this entire journey of many years is appreciated more than you know. Saturday, November 7^th they held their granddaughter for the very first time and it was poetry in motion as they gazed at one another with love!

Meeting Auntie Norma on November 2nd and then being held for the first time on Nov 7^th

After about an hour we boarded the bus, mother and daughter(!!!) and headed back to the hotel. I remember feeling so complete and so much love! My daughter was in my arms….just where she was meant to be! I don’t know what Hannah was feeling but I can tell from pictures that she was trying to figure things out too. Who were these new people who looked different, sounded different and smelled different?

My sweet baby girl decided to trust. God allowed her to trust. She fell asleep in my arms and for the very first time in my entire life I knew what it was to be a mother holding their sleeping child in their arms. And it was beautiful!! I was complete!

There were tears when she woke and we worked our way through those. I remember being calm and just trying to figure out what would be the best thing to help her through this time.

From this point forward in the day, my memories are more blurry. I vaguely remember some things but more than anything remember the feeling of holding Hannah and it was all about her. Gazing at her, changing her diaper, feeding her, examining every finger and every toe. Being a Mom and doing all those things that moms do!

Early in the evening Sara came to our room and Norma carefully wrote out the translations to all the documents the SWI had sent. I learned some of Hannah’s schedule, her likes, dislikes and food preferences. I’m sure glad Norma wrote it down because even though I was sitting there listening to all of it, not a lot was staying with me. I’m sure you can understand why!!

Later in the evening there was paperwork to be completed and our team of 2 showed up in our ‘gear’ that was to become our staple baby ware for the next number of weeks and months. Hannah in her baby bjorn, safely secured to mom and often fast asleep.

Since she was sleeping soundly and it had been a long day, Norma and I did something fun and treated ourselves to a pedicure. Heh….isn’t that what all new moms do the day they become a mom? Hannah’s life as my ‘go with the flow’ kiddo, had begun!

As the day drew to a close I pulled Hannah’s crib alongside my bed and gazed at my sweet baby girl sleeping peacefully in her crib. So blessed. SO BLESSED! There were more tears. Tears of a mother who knew not how to express her thankfulness to God for allowing her to be the mother of the sweetest , most perfect child for her!

‘The LORD has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes.’

Psalm 118:23

Hannah and I preparing to go out to celebrate this year’s Forever Family Day! I’ll share about that soon.

Twick or Tweet Pwease!

2011-10-31T23:21:00.000-04:00

Hannah had fun practicing ‘Trick or Treating’ all weekend. Each time she found a bag, basket or container I’d feel this sweet little fist gently knocking on my leg and hear ‘Twick or Tweet pwease!’ I’d excitedly ask her to tell me about her costume and then would drop pretend candy into her container of choice. Whenever I asked her about her costume she’d excitedly tell me she was a strawberry or, strawberry shortcake. She found last year’s costume and said right away that she wanted to be a strawberry. That made life easier for sure!

This year

Last year

It’s fun to watch Hannah’s little personality constantly emerging and one thing I’ve realized lately is that once she sets her mind to something she doesn’t tend to waiver. The week after we returned from Disney she said she wanted to have a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ birthday party when she turns 3. It’s now 8 weeks later and she hasn’t changed her mind even once. I know this determination will take her far in life! (Hmmm…someday when we’re butting heads and she’s showing that determination, I’ll need to remind myself that it’s a good thing! :)

We started the night by enjoying supper with Ange and her family and she made these cute little pepper pumpkins with spaghetti in them. What fun!

Baby Grayson wasn’t going trick our treating but he dressed for the occasion anyway. Even though I see him every day I can’t believe how he grows and changes each week!

I don’t think he was too impressed about being left home from the fun

Hannah and Noah waiting patiently to go out. Hannah looks none too impressed that mommy wants her to pose for pics when there is candy to be had! Oh how I can’t wait for the day when she wants to look at the camera again and dare I hope….smile?

Pirate Owen. Argh!

Our pumpkin collection. Love the Disney theme we had going on here!

Let the fun begin! It took the kids all of 2.5 houses to figure out how all this worked and they were off! Running from house to house and even though each of them took at least 1 stumble in the dark they just brushed themselves off and kept going.

Hannah made me giggle each time the door opened. She’d step right up into the doorway and I think had she had the option, gone right in to ensure she got as close to the candy as possible.

Last year I held Hannah’s hand and walked her up the steps to each door. This year my independent gal happily ran up the steps to each door on her own. *sniff* (See my cute shoes, Auntie M?)

More than once I had to call out to Hannah to slow down as she just wanted to run from house to house to house.

I’ll admit to not being a fan of scaring kids at Halloween. (I’m not a fan of scaring kids….or anyone, at any time. I know….boring!) We went to one house and upon climbing the stairs found a pretty yucky skeleton guy on the dark porch and the woman answering the door was pretty made-up too. Unfortunately that kinda set Owen off for the rest of the night. He was pretty much ready to go home after that but stuck with the other kiddos for the last few houses. His daddy came and helped him at this house and then all was right in his little corner of the world.

Hannah even Trick or Treated at Ange’s place when we got back. Baby Grayson was sleeping peacefully in the Ergo. I guess he’d gotten over his disappointment of being left behind.

A couple of treats were enjoyed then it was time for us to head home.

We stopped at Nana and Papa’s for a quick visit then attempted to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa who are on their way to FL and then it was off to bed. Even though Hannah had enjoyed some sweet treats, all the walking and climbing tuckered out my adorable little strawberry and she was asleep practically as soon as her head hit the pillow.

And now, my favourite pic of the night! Hannah and Noah sitting on the stairs for pics, waiting patiently for it to be their turn to go out and then, the doorbell rang. I love the look on their beautiful faces as they looked to see who was at the door.

Sweet dreams my little strawberry…….

Pumpkin Guts? No Way!

2011-10-31T12:44:00.001-04:00

Hannah`s really adventurous so I was sure she`d enjoy digging deep into the pumpkin to pull out all the slimy, gooey pumpkin guts!

Yah….not so much! :o)

While she napped I`d prepped the pumpkin by cutting the top off and scooping the gook off the sides and bottom but leaving it in the pumpkin. (Thankfully in the morning I’d taken a quick look at our pumpkin in the garage as I realized that it rotted and a quick trip back to the pumpkin farm was needed to buy a replacement. Note to self: Next year leave pumpkin outside as the garage isn’t cold enough. Oops!)

When she woke I she was excited to see her pumpkin on the counter and quickly ran to get the little one she`d coloured at daycare last week. I took the top off and asked if she wanted to pull out the guts? She took one peek, and sniff and declared that pumpkin guts are yucky! Heh….so much for Mom’s photo op she’d planned!

She didn’t mind me digging it out and eventually tried to hold a couple of pumpkin seeds but wasn’t really into the whole cleaning out the pumpkin thing. That was ok.

She lost interest pretty quick which in reality worked okay as I needed to carve our image. I’m sure Hannah’s choice will come as a surprise to none of you!

I haven’t carved a pumpkin in a number of years but it went ok. The pic above had lots of details that I ignored but the finished product made Hannah happy and truly that’s all that matters!

Hannah posing with her first pumpkin! Cuteness abounds!

(I was blessed to be chosen by Lisa as a winner of one of her great photography classes intended to help people with DSLR cameras get out of the Auto mode. Umm…yah, that was me. I’ve had the camera for 2 1/2 years and still took 95% of my pics in auto. I’ve only had one class and am also trying out a new lens so please ignore some of the fuzzy pics. I love the blurry background but I’m still working on how to keep the subject as crisp and clear as I want it. I’ll get there. Just more practice needed!)

China Travel Group 2 Year Reunion!!

2011-10-29T23:14:00.000-04:00

2 years ago today my parents, Norma and I boarded a plane in Toronto….destination Beijing, China!

Truly I cannot believe that was 2 years ago! Where has the time gone?? I’ll write more about our official 2 year Family day when we celebrate later this week. Today’s post is all about the reunion we shared today with some from our China travel group!

2 years ago this coming Wednesday we were blessed to become parents to sweet babies and toddlers ranging in ages from 8 months – 22 months. Today we were surrounded by fun, busy, active, chatty, delightful 2 and 3yo’s!

Dad captured it well when he commented on the memory that 2 years ago we were surrounded by cries of fear and distress while today the house rang with laughter and shouts of excitement!

Jianna showing us her Halloween costume

Meigan (L) and Emma cooking up some yummy lunch

Knight Adam (Jianna’s big brother who was in China with us)

Hannah

Kayla (L, Kristy’s big sister), Jianna and Kristy

Hannah and Grandpa (the tables were covered with paper for colouring which was a huge hit with our toddlers!)

Cute little panda cake pops. Thanks Anna!

Emma and Hannah were in the DaoXian SWI together for the first 8 months of their lives. I’m so thankful our families are able to keep in touch!

As you can well imagine, getting a group pic is no easy feat! We tried but this was about the best I could get. (Left to right: Meigan, Kristy, Jianna, Emma and Hannah)

Even though this year most of the girls moved around (ok, Hannah moved around ), it was better than last year’s attempt. (Left to right back row: Meigan, T, S, Jianna. Front row: Hannah and Emma)

My guess is next year might be easier right? Or, am I just kidding myself?

Comparison pics are always fun! Here are the ones I have where I can compare what these special families looked like 2009 and now look like in 2011

Peter, Anna, Adam and Jianna

Mary, Robert and Emma

Marge, Tony, Kristy and Kayla

Becky and Meigan

Hannah and I

Hannah and I with Grandma and Grandpa

It was wonderful to see everyone today and see how our sweet daughters are growing! What a blessing to have these special people in our lives!! We love all of you!