It was all a blur...

Nice Bum!

Wordless Wednesday

My tooth is lost...

Motherhood, brings unexpected joys. I never would have thought that I'd experience such giddiness and pride seeing my child loose a tooth. But oh how I did!

Here's the story...

James discovered that two of his teeth where loose a few days ago when he accidentally bumped his mouth on a chair. I was surprised! Isn't he kinda young? Maybe his birth date isn't accurate? Maybe he just bumped them too hard. So I checked his teeth again? Further shocked! His permanent teeth where pushing through!





















I checked on the Mayo Clinic website...indeed you can start losing your teeth at 4.5. Not as common but its' not common to weigh 50lbs at this age either.

I hadn't really talked to James about the whole process of why we lose our teeth...I though I'd have a year or two more. I read to him the book, "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof. Tooth Traditions from Around the World." To try and get him up to speed.




















After reading the book James said, "I want a treat and throw it on the roof when my tooth is lost. " In other words James wants the Tooth Fairy (Canada) tradition and an African tradition where you throw your tooth on the roof for the birds when his first tooth falls out.

On day 3 James' tooth fell out! He was so proud that he kept looking at himself in the mirror...like a lot more then usual. He admires himself in the mirror about 10 times a day, this time you can definitely double that number!!!!

He quickly put the tooth under his bed.





















The Tooth Fairy will be honored to pay him a visit tonight!

I stumble as I try.

James is the new kid at preschool. The nine other kids where together last year. This didn't phase James. He is the most easy going person I know. He doesn't cling to my leg nor do I have to bribe him to get to school. Before I know all the mommy's know his name and the teacher reports that he is doing A+.

I am impressed by James' ability to parachute into a new environment without even showing a stumble. For me it's not that easy: evidence of this was as early as when I started kindergarten where I literally would hide in the morning so I wouldn't have to go. (Side note: my teacher was a nun, need I say more?) Twenty some years later I remember one of my performance reviews said I had to work on not being so aloof. I was insulted and chalked it up that my boss was an idiot.

Recently a friend told me her daughter said to her, "I think Joanne doesn't like me." I was shocked and sadden by this. I really like her daughter. Her confidence and ability to play all kinds of sports impresses me. What did I do that made her feel this way? Did I show signs of being "'unapproachable"? Was my boss' comment from years back coming back to haunt me?

James is the type of person, regardless of the color of his skin, that people will remember meeting him. Me on the hand, people forget my name. That doesn't bother me. I am by no means the life of the party. I like being on the side lines. But I don't want my quiet personality to be classified as snobbery...if that is even a word. I don't want people who are in my presence to have thoughts to themselves, "Isn't she anti-social. Obviously she isn't very friendly" or worse thinking I don't like them.

Last week at preschool I tried to be more 'open'. I said hello to one of James' classmate and than said hello to what I thought was the grandpa. "Hello! You must be Jane's grandpa." "No. I am her dad." Damn.

As I stumble to find my way to being a more open person I will take cues from my four year old, who to me, has mastered the art of being friendly without being overbearing.

Stinky Feet!

After a day of walking in flip flops and walking bare feet on the sandy beach...

there is nothing so refreshing than cleaning your feet before 'night-'night.

Note: James loves this picture, "See Mommy, there are two James!"

Run Forest Run!

My boys are growing. I'm 'in love' with motherhood these last few weeks.

Not so long ago James was so malnourished he had trouble walking. Parker was wearing a cast for his club foot.

Now they are running as fast as they can. Picking up sticks, rocks and getting really dirty.

Not so long ago James didn't pay any attention to Parker. Parker didn't pay any attention to James.

Now they make belief together, fight together and hug each other.

I am loving the moments.

Goin' to the Chapel

Our Easter weekend was enjoyed by attending Patrick & Holly's wedding in Creston, BC. James was right into this:

He got to kiss the bride...

Eat from a chocolate fondue...

Blow bubbles...

and do a few dance moves...

He tried holding a girl's hands to dance but she didn't want anything to do with it! It was soooooo adorable.

Poker Face

We vacationed in Las Vegas with the boys last week.
The buffets that stretched like limos were the highlight for Parker and James.

Things Mommy didn't like about Vegas:

1. Everything is too big! Really, do you need to have your lobby the size of a football field?
2. Starbucks has the monopoly in all the hotels on the strip. And they where worried about Bill Gates?
3. Crossing the street to see a new venue takes not five minutes, not 10 minutes about 26 minutes! By the time you get there you've walked two miles! And don't forget you haven't yet walked into their football size lobby!
4. Cigarette smoking is allowed as you sit enjoying the warm sun by the pool.
   
5. No recession here. All the trust-fund kids were enjoying their spring break!
   

Treat with TLC

Today James had his umbilical hernia repaired. We arrived at Kelowna's General Hospital at 6:30 AM and by 12:30 PM we were back home having lunch! The service that we received was top notch. The nurses were kind, the anesthesiologist from South Africa was lovely and Dr. Sullivan was prompt and said James was a real trooper. James loved the 'all you can eat popsicle' rule at the hospital!

If we didn't know he had surgery we wouldn't believe it. He is his happy go lucky self. Parker was a trooper too. It was his first time waking up not seeing mommy or daddy. Our sweet babysitter Amanda was his companion today!

We couldn't ask for a better day!

Tough Enough?

It's a cute and funny face now.
But when he's 16, a few feet bigger than me and he gives me this look when I say, "No, you can't stay out till 3 in the morning." I think I'll be scared.

For My Little Cupcake!

As many of you know the kitchen and I don't mix. But having two little helpers makes me try to get along with the kitchen. Yesterday I made some treats! I must say that I do feel like a Yummy Mommy!

More and More Cute at 4!

Today was all about me...Mommy and Daddy said I could decide the day since it was my birthday! I asked to go skating. So we headed out to Big White where I got to practice my skating on an outdoor rink. I am very tenacious, I'll be skating on my own soon!Daddy cooked my favorite meal: eggs and bacon! Yummy! The best part was my cake! There was whipped cream and strawberries, just like I ordered! I was even allowed to lick off the chocolate icing.Last week I got promoted from my toddler bed to a queen size bed! That's right, a huge bed just for me! Mommy and Daddy think I'm going to be a big guy, so they thought they'd super size my bed sooner than later!
Today I asked more questions then usual on the day I was born. I was born in Africa. Mommy said another mommy had me in her tummy. Daddy said he had to take a plane to come and get me. He said I was very hungry. I like to say, "I was just very little, right Daddy?"This turning 4 is sure cool! I hope the other 364 days will be just as fun!

No Chewing Gum

James had to have no foods or liquids prior to getting his blood test done. So I rushed this morning to be at the clinic before 8 am. We arrived with a line of people already waiting. We were No. 5 in line. We stood outside for 20 minutes. I bribed them with some gum to keep them quiet and calm. When the doors opened the receptionist noticed my James chewing gum. And that's when she told us to come back another day. I guess no food, no liquids also includes no gum! Duh! So next week we will try this again.

He goes a lot...

Today we visited Dr. Gossier. James has been having to go pee frequently. A couple a times an hour! This has been going on for some time now.

Before Christmas we dashed to the walk-in clinic to get this checked. This is where the receptionist told my kids to be quiet because she couldn't here on the phone. The mother bear in me had to bite her tongue! Who would you believe...the bias mother or the cranky receptionist?

The doctor prescribed James an anti-biotic for a bladder infection. Even though it didn't show on the urine test that it was an infection he thought to treat it as one: 'just in case'. Weird, I thought. But got the prescription anyway. And you guessed it, his trips to the bathroom didn't diminish.

When I told Dr. Gossier this she looked at me funny and then kindly said, "We do things differently here." This is why I keep her as our family doctor. It's not because her clinic is too far from our house (30 min drive) or that she is notoriously late (less than 30 minutes waiting is a good visit!).

So tomorrow James is going to get some blood test done. To have things checked out more thoroughly. And this is where I get nervous. The last time James had to get blood tests was when he had just arrived here. It was a gong show. The ladies had a very hard time finding a vein on him...hmmmm I wonder why? Anyway they kept probing and picking and soon James was having a melt down. The poor little thing.

The best part was when we were leaving an elderly lady came to me and said, "Do you think it's something to do where he came from, that he's crying?" Again the mommy bear in me had to bite her tongue.

I can only hope that tomorrow's blood taking event will be less dramatic than the first one.

I Have Arrived

Daddy and James arrived in Kelowna after a very long flight from Africa on May 4, 2007. A couple of weeks later I shared my thoughts on paper:


Sunday, May 19, 2007

James, you are home, laying asleep beside me in our bed. It is an honor, a joy and a blessing to have you. You arrived with apprehension, week and malnourished. Today, two weeks later, you are vibrant, happy and loving to eat. You are calling us mommy and daddy and we are in love and bonded to you. Your kindness, humor and soft and gentle ways are what keeps us feeling over the moon. My life is complete.

Thank you, thank you God for blessing us with our precious two sons. Continue, God to guide us to be the parents we need to be for our sons.

love and joy,
Looking back at my journal brings back a flood of memories. I've tried to type them out but the keyboard and I are not flowing tonight. I've deleted. Re-typed. Cut and pasted. Still I was not satisfied how the words read. Maybe it's just not meant to be written about, this time around. I'll respect that and in the meantime, to the two people who have shared with me, just recently, that they are adopting internationally I will keep sending positive vibes your way. All the best in your adoption journeys.

The Story of My Adoption

I was born in Africa on February 8, 2005. When people tell me they know of Liberia, the country where I was born, I get quite excited. There are fifty-three countries in Africa, I only know of one!

For the first nine months of my life I lived in an old zinc house in an area highly populated with drug and crime activities. The police are afraid to go into this area, since it is run by criminals.

The sanitary conditions were very poor. My house was infested with flies and mosquitoes. Perhaps this is way I have a melt down if either a fly or a mosquito comes flying by me. Don't let me get started on my phobia about dogs....

The neighborhood was deplorable, dirty and crowded. The beach was, and probably still is, being used for latrine purposes. There is no educational, social nor adequate facility for little tykes like me.

I arrived at the West African Children Support Network (WACSN) at nine months old. At the orphanage I ate the same thing everyday: oatmeal for breakfast, rice for lunch and bread with tea for dinner. It was a lot more than I was used to but still my body craved for more. This is why I ate non-stop for a whole year when I arrived, gaining a whopping 20lbs in less than a year! You will notice that this is why I eat with such precision, quite unlike my little brother. He spills everything!

I slept on a single bed size mattress on the floor, sometimes sharing it with other boys if the orphanage got crowded. I spent my day singing, and memorizing my ABC's. There were no toys. It took me no time at all to learn about super heroes, trucks, and cars. Disney, and the other toy makers have the power of marketing down pat, no matter how hard my parents have tried to shield me from these consumerism gurus.

The nannies where loving and caring. Though I do have to stay that since living in Canada I am sure smitten by blonds. I love to touch their hair. You can just ask a couple of girl blond buddies!

When I met my dad for the first time, I just clung to him. I didn't want to see or hear anything else but him. I was afraid, sick and hungry. Having him hold me made me feel safe and happy. Slowly I looked at my mom and my little brother. It took me awhile to start talking. I was often found humming and singing songs. Especially the song, "Hosanna".

After two weeks I started talking a lot and my parents say I haven't stopped since. I love entertaining. I can sing you 3 of Kid Rocks' songs, word for word and I have also incorporated some of my own dance moves. The words in his song Amen, "can you imagine what's it's like to starve to death...." reminds me of the stats in Liberia: nearly half the children die before they are five years old.

If you ask me, "James, where is the sun going?" as the sun sets I will tell you it's going to Liberia.

If you ask me what I did in Africa I tell you, "I was a little baby and hungry and I cried." And then I'll pretend to cry like a baby. As funny as I think I am, my parents often tell me, "James, calm down. Use your soft voice."

I know that my daddy and mommy waited and wondered, but they tell me, never did they imagine I would be so cute and they would love me so much, even when I can't sit still to take a picture!

Note: Any words that are highlighted are links to past posts.

Snapshots of ME!

I heard mommy and daddy talking yesterday about how much I have 'blossomed'. Not too sure what that word means. But they kept talking and I heard nice words like miracle, cute and amazing.

They sometimes think I am not listening but I hear it all. Here are few other things I have over heard being said between mommy and daddy:

• Mommy will be away this weekend for the very first time without us. I can't wait! I mean I will sure miss her!
• They are talking about maybe adopting another son or daughter. I say bring it on! Except I still want to be the oldest!
• As of tomorrow I will no longer be able to watch the movie Shark Tale. They say I talk about it too much.
• I'll be taking swimming lessons next week. They said if they tell me now I'll be asking every 2 minutes when I'll be going. What's wrong with that?
• Daddy was not impressed with mommy accidentally shaving my hair off. Mommy said lucky I'm young enough not to know how short it is. But I do know how short it is. My head is cold!
  

And they think I'm not in the loop!

It's Just in Him!

Soon after James joined our family we said he is an actor and a year later this claim still stands true.
Check this picture of him and I.
Who taught him how to pose like a rapper? Anyone want to fess up?
Really...it's not the parents and it couldn't be Parker 'cause he's too busy getting black and blue!

Girls, cake, and more girls!

On Saturday mommy took me to my very first birthday party.
My buddy turned "4"!
She had lots of little friends there, mostly girls!
It was hard to keep up to all of them. One minute I was the monster and the next minute I was told, "We're not playing that anymore."
A princess appeared and she colored our faces! The girls got butterflies and such but I went for a blue monster truck! I had so much fun that I was nodding off on the way home. But mommy made sure I kept awake till I got home.

Note: Mommy made me wear the PINK shirt!