Just Hangin' Out

James has a new hairdo!

As new parents of our African son, we or should I say I, decided that it was time to get James' hair twisted. I brought James to see Gill who owns the African Braids and Beauty Shop in Kelowna. Armed with a portable DVD player (thanks Simone!) and treats to entertain James during the two hour process we arrived at the salon. Twenty minutes into the twisting James begins to cry and I try to tell him it's okay and to keep watching Happy Feet and eating his treat. But the bribery tricks weren't working, he kept crying and saying, "All done." I wanted to tell him that hair is painful at times. What little girl hasn't screamed blue murder when their mommy did their hair? I wanted to explain to him that it's part of his heritage but I knew that none of that would sink in to a crying little boy. So I look at Gill and say, "What do I do? Should we cut his hair?" She blurts out quickly, "No! You don't cut his hair!". So Gill gave me a quick tutorial on how-to-twist our son's hair and we packed up the portable DVD, bought some wax for the twisting and went home. Once at home Michael and I took turns twisting and two hours later we were done. James was a trooper allowing us to complete the project and now seems to like it...I think!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Parker is crawling at full speed to try and catch James who is running around the house while singing or talking. The words, "No, don't touch that." is frequently used and the boys seem oblivious to these words by day's end. Parker has 8 teeth now and loves Cheerios and won't bother eating baby food, which we don't blame him. Baby food isn't very tasty. He is a typical baby learning to eat by throwing his food on the floor!
We enjoyed a warm November and eagerly welcomed the snow that arrived last week to see James reaction to it. He liked that taste of it and loves to put his boots on to stomp on the snow. Now we'll need to show him how to make a snowman and a snowball. And most importantly we'll need to tell him the importance of not eating yellow snow!
It has been six months since James arrival and he is now above average in his weight! He eats like an adult: two toasts, a yogurt, an orange and a class of chocolate milk is his regular breakfast. His feet are so thick that we have trouble finding shoes that fit correctly! James loves going out and socializing. If we aren't out and about there is a restless boy in the house. If Parker grows to be as social we'll have quite the happening household! As for now Parker continues to be a quiet baby with great admiration for his big brother.

They Just Keep Growing!

Our Sons!

Mommy Brain!

No, I didn't leave the world of blogging but I do think my brain is leaving me. It started during my pregnancy. (We've all heard about pregnancy brain.) But I really thought it would get better but apparently it isn't. For one, I have on more than one occasion put the salad in the freezer and the ice cream in the fridge. Both items don't tolerate a change of temperature very well. Secondly I have trouble remembering what month we are in. The other day as I stood looking at my nicely labeled bins of decorations I had to really think hard, "Do I take out the Easter decorations or the Christmas decorations?" Luckily the brain finally kicked in and the spiders, pumpkins and bats are nicely displayed! Now I could provide further evidence to support what I call my mommy brain but I think you get the ideal or you may even had the pleasure of witnessing a mommy brain moment or having your very own. If so, please tell!


Joanne

PS - Sorry, no pictures this time as the blog system is having some technical difficulties in that dept.

My Friend Spencer

Spencer, with his mom (Lisa) and dad (Mark) came to visit us all the way from Saskatoon. Spencer taught me about combining, grain bins and that John Deere is the best. We toured an orchard and got to see tractors, roosters and goats! We had fun playing on the swings too! Here we are giving each other a big hug!

I am getting stronger every day! Not long ago I had trouble walking at a good pace but now I can run, climb stairs and even get a bit of air when I try to jump. These are big accomplishments for me. Mommy and daddy love hearing me yell, "I'm running! Look I'm running fast!".

Parker is trying to talk. I often tell him to be quiet but then I'm told that three parents are not needed. When Parker is not wearing his boots and bars he sure tries to crawl. I'm also noticing that he is trying different foods, now that he has 3 teeth he seems to want to chew on everything.

I love taking my swimming lessons and dunking my whole head under water. Teacher Amy says I'm a real fish. If I could go everyday I would!

Well it's night-night for me. Daddy is going to read me "The Gruffalo" and than I'm going to sleep in mine and Parker's room. I hope Parker keeps up his new routine of sleeping till morning!

Wet kisses,
James

Calgary Visitors!

Parker and I had lots of fun with Aunty Louise and cousin Christine. We got LOTS of attention. Christine gave me a bath every night and tucked me into bed reading me a story. Aunty Louise cuddled Parker, rocked him to sleep and added a few more foods to his diet; like ice cream! Mommy and daddy got to escape to a movie! We had lots of fun but today they had to go back home. I'm already a bit lonely!

Tomorrow I start my first swimming class called Bubblers! I love the water so I am very excited to go. Hope you all had a great summer! Parker and I sure did!

Hugs,
James

Where I was Born

Many of you have asked questions about my place of birth so here is some information of my home land; Monrovia, Liberia - Africa.

I have also included the flag of Liberia (very similar to the United States flag), a map, the orphanage I lived at (http://www.wacsn.org/Home.asp), and the very first picture my mom and dad saw of me (I'm looking a bit sad because I was hungry).

FACTS:

• The capital of Liberia is Monrovia. That's were I was born!

• Monrovia was named after former U.S president James Monroe. Which by the way brings me to mention that my name is James Monrovia Epp. My parents thought changing my middle name from Kid to Monrovia would be special and unique and I agree.

• English is the official language. That's why I can talk so good!

• The president of Liberia is Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She is the first female president in Africa.

• Liberia is on its way to a very slow recovery after being in a 14 year civil war where many children were used as soldiers.
  

EFFECTS OF THE WAR:

• One in eight babies die at birth and nearly half the children die before they are five years old.

• The unemployment rate in Liberia is 85%.

• 80% of the people live in extreme poverty.

• There are no functioning public utilities, and the vast majority of Liberians have no access to electricity, water and basic sanitation facilities.

• Most medical facilities have been destroyed, looted or damaged preventing children from receiving basic and necessary care.

I am a lucky boy to now be here safe with my mommy and daddy but they often say that they are the lucky ones to have me! I hope one day soon to return to Liberia with daddy, mommy and Parker to visit and volunteer.

James Monrovia Epp

FEET

Boots & Bars

Parker
I am now having to wear little white shoes with a bar to make sure my foot stays straight. I wear it 23 hours a day. I now get to take a bath every day and enjoy the sun. I got some snowboard stickers at West49 and stuck them on my bar. I now look like a baby snowboarder!

James
Here I am in the tub with my little cousin Liam. He is only 2 months older than Parker. We had fun playing together but I'm told I need to work on my sharing skills. I am not too sure why that is! I still love to eat, play and talk. I just love my new home!

New Hairdo!

Finally my parents decide to cut off my Donald Trump Comb Over. Dad did the honors while mom held me. I think they took an inch off. Dad wanted to cut more but mom didn't want to. I think she is afraid that it will never grow back. I also got my first teeth - two on the bottom! Now I am really wanting to eat dad's food!

My bro James still makes me laugh. If you ask him, "Who is your brother?" he will say, "Parker!". Last Friday he got shoe inserts put in his new runners. James was born with flat feet so this will help give his feet the arch they need so he can jump, run and climb stairs.





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Is Baby Parker Spoiled?

Tonight Michael and I went to a movie and left the boys with Mere & Pere (my parents). Our first get away since James' arrival. Two and half hours into "Transformers" (a movie to watch only if you are paid to) the cell vibrates and my mom leaves a message suggesting we come home 'cause Parker has been crying non-stop. We speed walk to the car and Michael drives the same way he did when he drove me to the hospital when I was in labor - fast. We arrive home and there are my parents standing at the door with Parker red face and crying. I rush to baby Parker and he stops crying immediately. I nurse him, daddy holds him and I nurse him some more till he passes out. I say to my parents, "He is so spoiled!", but they refuse to believe it. "No, no, no. He is a baby. He's not spoiled. He's just used to being with his mom and dad." I know Parker is spoiled and yet I'm not ready to do something about it because I love it - most of the time. Maybe one day I'll come to regret it but till than I'll enjoy his devotion!

PS - How did James do with being away from his mom and dad for the very first time? You guessed it, he was a gem!

Appointments

Parker and I flew to Vancouver yesterday for his third cast while James hung out with his Dad at home. We are going back next week for a new cast and at the end of the month Parker will get fitted with boots and bars. He will need to wear them during the day. Once he starts walking he'll be sporting special shoes and only needing to wear the boots and bars at night till he is 3 years old. I learned that clubfoot occurs in approximately 1 in every 750 babies and is two times more common in boys than in girls. Every Tuesday the BC Children's Hospital holds a Clubfoot Clinic so we see lots of babies receiving this innovative treatment.

Today James had his first visit to the dentist and he impressed his parents. Dr. Kalinski (nee Painchaud) was able to polish James' teeth and give him a fluoride treatment without James squirming too much. No cavities! Yippee! (www.aestheticdentalclinic.com)

One more thing Parker has now started eating cereal once a day. Perhaps with a fuller belly Parker might just decide to sleep through the night!

My Foot!

Tuesday I got botox injected in my leg to fix my foot. Dr. Alverez said I was a very brave boy and she also said I was really cute. I like her! Next Tuesday mommy and I go back to Vancouver to get a new cast.

Here is a picture of my cousin Noah. He is so cool! He wants to be a spy when he grows up! And my bro is doing good too. He is the funniest person I know.
Hugs & Kisses,
Parker

Party Time & Botox!

On Saturday Lisa & Jeff (Fletcher) hosted a Welcome Home Party for me! I loved playing with my little friends that attended the party. They are so much fun! Last week we also had our cousins Leanne and baby Liam visit. Mommy and Leanne got to share motherhood stories. I think I heard them say the get tired...I wonder why?
We got back from Vancouver today. My little brother got a new cast put on his foot at the BC Children's Hospital. He sure was not impressed. He cried so much last night that I had trouble falling asleep! Next week mommy and Parker go back to Vancouver so Parker can get a botox injection done to his foot. This way his foot will get better so he can run and play with me.
Bye for now!
James