Tuesday, April 27, 2010
YAY..we could post videos...
This is the first time I tried this feature. This video clip is from Easter weekend. Enjoy! For your info though...she's a super fast crawler now. sigh. Next post. :0)
A Cousin's Love
Oliva first met her 2 (of the 4) first cousins a few weeks ago. It was Audrey's annual skating recital and for the past few years we have always gone to see her and support her accomplishments. I have to say...she has improved leaps and bounds every year. It's always exciting to watch. This year was no different, and Olivia LOVED it.
We arrived in the afternoon, and Audrey was outside anticipating our arrival. Sure enough as we pulled up to the drive way, there was Audrey all smiles and eager to get her hands on Olivia. We were still a bit anxious on how Olivia would react, but she was great. She quickly noticed the vast crawling space, and started crawling around. They gave her a toy which she played with Audrey and Catherine. We couldn't be any happier.
Mathieu shortly arrived and quickly gave her a hug. Even he was amazed by her funky hair. He mentioned to Martin how beautiful she was. Too cute. It was obvious that Marc and Cat had a conversation about adoption with Mathieu (who was old enough to understand), and had such profound comments for a 10 year old boy. He's an amazing kid. Then up came Uncle Marc, who took hold of her. No issues. Martin was amazed and claimed it was because Marc looked similar to himself. Whatever. hahahah. When she fussed on the couch, Marc gave her the remote control. A big no no with papa, but Olivia was happy. :0)
The event started at 7pm, so we thought we would take the stroller up so she could fall asleep during the show. That didn't happen. She was fascinated with the lights and sounds and the skating. Surprised...we let her stay up a few more hours. Needless to say, we left a little bit earlier and weren't able to see the finale. But...we stayed for a good portion of it. We wonder if she'll be a figure skater to like her cousin Audrey.
There are 2 other cousins Olivia hasn't met formally. We've seen each other via webcam, and Olivia was equally fascinated by the other "babies" on the screen. Can't wait for that meeting. Olivia is definitely so lucky to have such wonderful and adorable cousins who love her.
We arrived in the afternoon, and Audrey was outside anticipating our arrival. Sure enough as we pulled up to the drive way, there was Audrey all smiles and eager to get her hands on Olivia. We were still a bit anxious on how Olivia would react, but she was great. She quickly noticed the vast crawling space, and started crawling around. They gave her a toy which she played with Audrey and Catherine. We couldn't be any happier.
Mathieu shortly arrived and quickly gave her a hug. Even he was amazed by her funky hair. He mentioned to Martin how beautiful she was. Too cute. It was obvious that Marc and Cat had a conversation about adoption with Mathieu (who was old enough to understand), and had such profound comments for a 10 year old boy. He's an amazing kid. Then up came Uncle Marc, who took hold of her. No issues. Martin was amazed and claimed it was because Marc looked similar to himself. Whatever. hahahah. When she fussed on the couch, Marc gave her the remote control. A big no no with papa, but Olivia was happy. :0)
The event started at 7pm, so we thought we would take the stroller up so she could fall asleep during the show. That didn't happen. She was fascinated with the lights and sounds and the skating. Surprised...we let her stay up a few more hours. Needless to say, we left a little bit earlier and weren't able to see the finale. But...we stayed for a good portion of it. We wonder if she'll be a figure skater to like her cousin Audrey.
There are 2 other cousins Olivia hasn't met formally. We've seen each other via webcam, and Olivia was equally fascinated by the other "babies" on the screen. Can't wait for that meeting. Olivia is definitely so lucky to have such wonderful and adorable cousins who love her.
Olivia - A Poem by Maddie
It's now been 2 months with our precious Olivia. In the last few months friends of ours have heard their referral news, and some of them have gone to Korea to pick up their precious bundle. I've started reading other people's blogs about their journey and many of them start with the memorable day of the "phone call". The news. You have been matched. More and more friends are blogging about their experiences like ours and I can't help notice the same emotions - love, elation, overjoy, relief, disbelief, and peace. I love reading about how they found out.
A friend's daughter had a project to do at school. A writing assignment. Apparently she was stumped on what to write. All along, my friend was coming home with updates with our news and shared them with her family. She has been in our shoes before. The idea came up to write something about this experience, and she took off from there. She gathered the information and came up with her "project". To us, her writing captured the moment perfectly and it brings tears of joy just reading it again.
Thank you Maddie for capturing that day for us. For all my friends and those who are waiting for your referral news...It really is a magical moment. Best wishes!
A friend's daughter had a project to do at school. A writing assignment. Apparently she was stumped on what to write. All along, my friend was coming home with updates with our news and shared them with her family. She has been in our shoes before. The idea came up to write something about this experience, and she took off from there. She gathered the information and came up with her "project". To us, her writing captured the moment perfectly and it brings tears of joy just reading it again.
Olivia
It was a fresh crisp average day.
November 30th, 2009.
A day of great significance to all those dear to the close knit family awaiting their child from Korea.
Every day deemed a working day to the parents.
Then came a call.
She received it at work.
It's a girl!
Tears flowed freely.
Laughter echoed through the halls.
The news traveled on winged voices,
Reaching out gathering friends around a proud new mother.
Eunsoo, the name of smiles.
For the news of the child they were to adopt was expected many months into the future.
But brought overwhelming joy and elation to already the warmest hearts.
Mother and Father call each other to share the magical moment together.
It's a girl.
It was the father's birthday.
Then through a seemingly errant phone call,
He was promised the greatest gift of all.
The promise of a new life.
The promise of a complete family.
As the working day drew to a close,
The clouds adorned the sky in tufts of pink glory, cast by the fading sun.
Whoever knew that the greatest gift of all could arrive,
On a fresh crisp average day?
Her name is Olivia.
The child of smiles.
Thank you Maddie for capturing that day for us. For all my friends and those who are waiting for your referral news...It really is a magical moment. Best wishes!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Happy 2 months!
Sorry it's been awhile. April has been a very busy month and with that things have fallen behind. Blogging is definitely one of them. Olivia is doing really well. We are still managing "sleep"issues, but really it's not a biggie and we are okay with knowing that Olivia right from the beginning was never a good sleeper. I say this now and Olivia is sleeping beside me in our bed for the last 2 hours. sigh. Who knew our bed was this comfy!! Well to be honest, Miss O has been struggling with her very first cold since she arrived. Boo! Both Olivia and Papa are managing well under the circumstances. The frustrating part is see the runny nose and watching her sniff it back up! hahaha How early is it too teach them how to use a Kleenex? At this point, Olivia uses the Kleenex to rip it apart in millions of pieces and tries to put it in her mouth. Sigh. Then..of course, because she can't blow her nose, there's "stuff" stuck in her throat that she tries to cough up. Poor thing. But all in all...things are perfect. She has gained some weight (sigh), her hair is getting longer (i've put them in pigtails!), she crawling faster, and she's "talking" more (Martin seems to think she's talking back to us already when we discipline her...hahhahah). Time to really start baby proofing the house.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Things I learned in 2 months
Do you ever have those moments where things just come to you (changes,moments) and you always say you should remember that and write it down? I had those moments this week so I started writing them down in a book so I would remember. This week I think I actually said out loud "parenting is damn hard". I thought I would share. hahaha
Below are 20 things (there are more) that I learned so far:
1. Teething...everything about it is frustrating. The crankiness, the rash, the warm temperatures, the length of time it takes for the set to grow in. Everything about it is hard and Olivia only had 6 right now. People tell me the molars are the worse...how much worse can it get? I'm afraid.
2. In the past 2 months, she went from sitting and rolling around to crawling like she's in a F1 race. I had to find a drop-in indoor playarea for her to crawl around and move because she's moving so fast. Sigh...I miss the carpet play. Today she started pulling herself up on things and actually climbed up 1 step. Yikes.
3. I learned that she loves our bed more than hers. Okay, that sometimes is a good thing. :0) There's nothing like waking up to her smiley face or singing and clapping her hands in the middle of the night. It makes us laugh.
4. I learned that "Mama!" sometimes is not a good thing.
5. The walker is the best "helper" in the world.
6. I should invest in infant food and snack market because it would save me lots of money. These companies make a fortune.
7. I learned that Elmo is up there with "important" people in Olivia's life.
8. If you persist at things eventually she'll get used to it |(except sleeping through the night :0P) i.e. stroller and carseat...woohoo!
9. I learned that playgroups are sacred times for mommy and baby.
10. Burping need to be part of the feeding routine.
11. There is no time to finish "thank you" cards from the shower. Make sure you do all of it before the baby comes. Sigh. Sorry everyone...it's coming.
12. Don't start new projects. But you always do because there is always something to do. i.e. scapbooking, photo invites, annoucements, blogs etc.
13. With Olivia, when moving to solid foods - put a few pieces at time because she puts all the pieces in her mouth as fast as she can. I'm sure she's thinking "That's why I have 2 hands and 10 fingers...to pick up all these pieces!"
14. Changing diapers....Ugh. I understand why there are STRAPS on some change tables. Why is she so wiggly and squirmy! AND...Why do they call it the DIAPER GENIE? Seriously, what magical thing does it do?
15. Pillow cushions are not baby gates or barriers.
16. Vacuuming is not an option but a part of daily life. I've stepped on hundreds of Cheerios and Mum Mums. It's so annoying.
17. There should be more DRIVE-THRU restaurants, other than McDonalds. Seriously...what do you do with the sleeping baby in the car and your starving? Plus...who has the time to make lunch?
18. At this age, Olivia at least knows more than we think. I love the way she looks at us first when she does something she's not supposed to. It's like "Ummm..are you watching?" When we say "Nooo",she takes a minute and contemplates what the consequences would be. I know that might not be true, but it sure seems like it. hahahahha
19. Did I mention how important ELMO was?
20. I learned being a mother is the best thing in the world. Can't wait to learn more things. :0)
Below are 20 things (there are more) that I learned so far:
1. Teething...everything about it is frustrating. The crankiness, the rash, the warm temperatures, the length of time it takes for the set to grow in. Everything about it is hard and Olivia only had 6 right now. People tell me the molars are the worse...how much worse can it get? I'm afraid.
2. In the past 2 months, she went from sitting and rolling around to crawling like she's in a F1 race. I had to find a drop-in indoor playarea for her to crawl around and move because she's moving so fast. Sigh...I miss the carpet play. Today she started pulling herself up on things and actually climbed up 1 step. Yikes.
3. I learned that she loves our bed more than hers. Okay, that sometimes is a good thing. :0) There's nothing like waking up to her smiley face or singing and clapping her hands in the middle of the night. It makes us laugh.
4. I learned that "Mama!" sometimes is not a good thing.
5. The walker is the best "helper" in the world.
6. I should invest in infant food and snack market because it would save me lots of money. These companies make a fortune.
7. I learned that Elmo is up there with "important" people in Olivia's life.
8. If you persist at things eventually she'll get used to it |(except sleeping through the night :0P) i.e. stroller and carseat...woohoo!
9. I learned that playgroups are sacred times for mommy and baby.
10. Burping need to be part of the feeding routine.
11. There is no time to finish "thank you" cards from the shower. Make sure you do all of it before the baby comes. Sigh. Sorry everyone...it's coming.
12. Don't start new projects. But you always do because there is always something to do. i.e. scapbooking, photo invites, annoucements, blogs etc.
13. With Olivia, when moving to solid foods - put a few pieces at time because she puts all the pieces in her mouth as fast as she can. I'm sure she's thinking "That's why I have 2 hands and 10 fingers...to pick up all these pieces!"
14. Changing diapers....Ugh. I understand why there are STRAPS on some change tables. Why is she so wiggly and squirmy! AND...Why do they call it the DIAPER GENIE? Seriously, what magical thing does it do?
15. Pillow cushions are not baby gates or barriers.
16. Vacuuming is not an option but a part of daily life. I've stepped on hundreds of Cheerios and Mum Mums. It's so annoying.
17. There should be more DRIVE-THRU restaurants, other than McDonalds. Seriously...what do you do with the sleeping baby in the car and your starving? Plus...who has the time to make lunch?
18. At this age, Olivia at least knows more than we think. I love the way she looks at us first when she does something she's not supposed to. It's like "Ummm..are you watching?" When we say "Nooo",she takes a minute and contemplates what the consequences would be. I know that might not be true, but it sure seems like it. hahahahha
19. Did I mention how important ELMO was?
20. I learned being a mother is the best thing in the world. Can't wait to learn more things. :0)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Make New Friends
"Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other gold."
I sing this song to Olivia all the time, and it makes her smile and laugh, so does meeting new friends.
P.S Olivia's shirt is wet, because she's learning how to use a sippy cup. sigh.
Ave Maria
There are some jobs that only a certain person can do. It takes a special person to be a Korea program director for Children's Bridge. I'm wondering if its the "type A" personality she keeps talking about. hahaha
In all the hustle and bustle of getting Olivia settled and comfortable, I've neglected to mention one of the most important person that was responsible in helping unite with Olivia. No, she didn't match us and no she didn't know of Olivia when they refered her to us. But, she was there from the very beginning. I have a feeling that our journey and friendship with Maria will continue. It started with that late phone call March 2009 evening to tell us we were ready to start the process. The rest they say is the history in the making. It was her voice that we waiting for so "patiently" to hear. It was her voice that we first heard when we found out our prayers had been answered.
She has been there through every step of the process. Making sure all the documents were in on time, making sure they were filled in correctly. People should know that 80% of the process is all paper work and dead lines. She was there to receive and send all the documents back and forth from the ministry to Korea. I'm sure dealing with anxious parents like us wasn't easy. hahahha. But she was calm and ever so helpful and it was much appreciated that her hand was there to walk us through the process. That's her job "making families happen".
I walked in last week to introduce Olivia to the CB family. They were awaiting our arrival for awhile. I feel bad that it has taken this long. I walked in and there they were (sans Shelley - next time I promise) welcoming her with open arms. Everyone eager to touch or hold her when she was ready. It just occured to me that this was the most special time for the people, especially Maria, when they finally see the family united. It must be the best part of the job. Maria has done hundreds of these I'm sure. She gets to see every family finally with their child they have been waiting for so long. She gets to be part of that every day, every year.
Did I mention she is a devoted and wonderful mother? I remember this conversation we were having about Christmas and the need to be more socially aware. There she was making an advent calendar of good deeds for her children. She is the type of person that every mother aspires to be. (And she could do a great ELMO impersonation! - won Olivia over for sure.) Divine intervention has brought us to Maria and through her help we were able to have Olivia in our lives.
Her every action and effort brought Olivia to us. We are forever thankful for what she and her team did. They have a special place in our hearts.
In all the hustle and bustle of getting Olivia settled and comfortable, I've neglected to mention one of the most important person that was responsible in helping unite with Olivia. No, she didn't match us and no she didn't know of Olivia when they refered her to us. But, she was there from the very beginning. I have a feeling that our journey and friendship with Maria will continue. It started with that late phone call March 2009 evening to tell us we were ready to start the process. The rest they say is the history in the making. It was her voice that we waiting for so "patiently" to hear. It was her voice that we first heard when we found out our prayers had been answered.
She has been there through every step of the process. Making sure all the documents were in on time, making sure they were filled in correctly. People should know that 80% of the process is all paper work and dead lines. She was there to receive and send all the documents back and forth from the ministry to Korea. I'm sure dealing with anxious parents like us wasn't easy. hahahha. But she was calm and ever so helpful and it was much appreciated that her hand was there to walk us through the process. That's her job "making families happen".
I walked in last week to introduce Olivia to the CB family. They were awaiting our arrival for awhile. I feel bad that it has taken this long. I walked in and there they were (sans Shelley - next time I promise) welcoming her with open arms. Everyone eager to touch or hold her when she was ready. It just occured to me that this was the most special time for the people, especially Maria, when they finally see the family united. It must be the best part of the job. Maria has done hundreds of these I'm sure. She gets to see every family finally with their child they have been waiting for so long. She gets to be part of that every day, every year.
Did I mention she is a devoted and wonderful mother? I remember this conversation we were having about Christmas and the need to be more socially aware. There she was making an advent calendar of good deeds for her children. She is the type of person that every mother aspires to be. (And she could do a great ELMO impersonation! - won Olivia over for sure.) Divine intervention has brought us to Maria and through her help we were able to have Olivia in our lives.
Her every action and effort brought Olivia to us. We are forever thankful for what she and her team did. They have a special place in our hearts.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter Bunny and our first road trip!
This weekend marked Miss O's first Easter and first BIG family event. There was much "discussion" about our weekend get away. As you know, Olivia has been with us for almost 2 months now. She is progessing so well that sometimes I forget that she can still be overwhelmed with change in routine and different people around. This weekend there was a big family party planned for my aunt who is going back to the Philippines, plus it was Easter so it was a great opportunity for ALL the family to get together. WE HAD TO BE THERE. Of course there was the hope from family members to meet Olivia for the first time. Granted a big family affair was probably not the best scenario for Miss O, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to say goodbye to Tita Edith. Also Lola and Lola were going for an extended vacation to the Philippines too and Olivia wouldn't see them until June! Ohhh they would miss her so.
So after much thought we decided to make a overnight trip to Brampton. We had our family bonding day on Friday (the weather was spectacular), and then we left shortly after breakfast Saturday morning. We packed up her clothes, food, diapers, and the extra bag full of toys and goodies for the car. We contemplated stopping at Costco to buy a portable DVD player just in case we needed Elmo to help us out. However, it turned out that Olivia slept for the first 3 hours of the road trip. We couldn't believe it. We got to Brockville, still sleeping. Okay...let's wait till Kingston to stop...nope...still sleeping. Bellevile? Nope. She actually woke up 1 hour away from Toronto. Thank goodness because we needed to hit the washroom so badly, but didn't want to stop because of Miss O. hahahha We had lunch in at a rest area (disinfectant wipes in hand!) and then onwards to Brampton. Actually, made a pit stop at Panera Bread, where Tita Melissa and Lola meet us for a snack.
After our snack we stopped in at Square One to check out some things and back to Lola and Lolo's house. It was a nice day all in all. When we arrived at the house, she had a chance to unwind and play a bit. She had dinner, and then it was off to Tita Melissa's house to sleep. It was an extra long day for her, so she had to miss her much loved bath. Papa was really more sad about it. Then all 3 of us hopped into Tita Melissa's bed (thankyou!) exhausted. Tomorrow would be a bigger day. Extended family. Family who loves babies. :0)
In the morning, we woke up and got dressed. Olivia had her Easter dress on which had an extra petticoat to make it extra pouffy. How the heck we got her seatbelt on I have no idea? We had a quick breakfast at Panera. Unfortunately we didn't make it to mass. Sigh. Good intentions. We headed back to Lola's house to give them some "baby" time before the herd came in and snatch her away.
The rest seems like a blur..hahhahah. Family came in droves and it was all exciting. They all wanted to see our dear Olivia and give her kisses. I have to admit, it was a bit stressful. Kept asking myself, "Is it too early?" "Can she handle this?" "Will my family think it's rude if I take her away if she cries?" But in the end, they were all very respectful of Olivia and giving her space that she needed. At this point, the dress with the layers of crinolin came off and she was playing only in her onesie. They way she loves. hahahha Then it was time to go. Sigh. It was so very short, but it was great to see everyone and have that chance for everyone to meet Miss O. It'll be another 2 months before Lola and Lolo see Olivia again. She'll be that much bigger (well hopefully not too much!), she'll be more talkative and moving around more.
We said our goodbyes and kisses and headed back to Ottawa. I have to admit, I was more emotional about leaving than expected. Maybe I was overwhelmed by all the family attention and love as well. It's one of those times where I do miss living near my big family. I'm sureMartin feels the same about his family living in Montreal. Our family parties were always the best and I miss all of my relatives. Having a little one, I hope it won't stop our regular visits to Brampton. Olivia will just have to get used to the road trips. It's one of the perks of living in Ottawa I guess. :0)
Olivia had a good ride back. We stopped in Kingston and had dinner at a very family friendly restaurant. Swiss Chalet. Then we stopped at the drive-thru Starbucks. YAY! Then did the next stretch home. Because it was her bedtime, she was out of sorts and a bit cranky. I sat in the back to try to calm her down, and 30 minutes before we arrived home she fell fast asleep. Of course.
WE got home and immediately brought her to our room and she woke up with a huge smile and clapped her hands. Home again...something familiar.
For more pictures...click below.
http://picasaweb.google.ca/Mingsavy/Easter2010?feat=email#
Monday, April 5, 2010
Marty touching base..Everyday!
I just wanted to give you a brief update on things and some of my thoughts!
Miss O is doing really good, I never ever imagined how much she would changed our life...and never imagined my life could get any better then it was already.
As me and Mel were talking, we remembered a conversation from about over a year now, after all the thought times building a family, and asked ourselves the question:
How we would look back at our life without children when we are 75 year young ? Would we feel we had a fulfilled life?
We both look at each other and think, you know what, life bring different things, and not only one path leads to happiness. We are soulmate, and enjoying our every moments together, we share everything, we are silly together, we laugh together, we cry together (well you know!!!) and we felt that we would have no regrets just being the 2 of us and happy to spoiled all our nieces, nephews and god child"s (we have quite a few of those!)
.....but today, after I came back from my trip in California, for the first race of the season, and sitting in the car driving to Toronto with Mel, we looked at each other and I said...
I still believe what I was thinking over a year ago..BUT you know!!!! now, I could not imagine my present and future without my 2 girlfriends.
Everyday is a bigger blessing when I see my 2 girls intertwined in bed, when I wake up to go to work.
Everyday, I can't wait for my day to start, because I know it start with Olivia and Mama playing silly in bed
Everyday I can't wait before I leave, to have breakfast all together as a family..(the price for O to participate.....a few extra cherios needed..But less and less everyday.)
Everyday, I can't wait to come home after work and have her and mommy waiting for me
Everyday I can't wait to give her dinner
Everyday i can't wait to give her bath, and have her make bubbles!
and yes...everyday i can't wait to sit with her before bed watching Elmo, over and over.
Come the think of it, now I can surely say that when i'm 75....We had the time of our life!
Stay silly Miss O, daddy loves you!....... Everyday.
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