Elmo and Olivia

Yesterday was Olivia's first concert experience. When Papa first heard of the Sesame Street coming to Ottawa it was a week before the concert, so the VIP tickets were sold out fast. So Papa, got the next best seats in the house...floor and the last row...beginning aisle. The only drawback was..the concert was at 1:00pm. Olivia's nap time.

The day started off well, except that it was -25 degrees outside. It was frigid. I bundle Olivia so much that we had to adjust the carseat straps to put her in. When we arrived at ScotiaBank Place, we immediately walked in and found a long line in front of a vendor stand. Of course. Tons of parents and kids waiting in line to get some Elmo paraphernalia. We became one of them. Thank goodness they only accepted cash, because Papa would have bought more. Needless to say, we came out with an Elmo soccer ball, a stupid light-up toy (which can be a safety hazard because it has plastic thingys spinning around), and oh yes...a souvenir program. But it was Olivia's first concert. We wanted it to be memorable. Yes, we are suckers.

After spending some money, we decided to walk down to our seats. Olivia was just amazed by all the kids moving around. She was in heaven. Then she caught a glimpse of this huge colourful stage. I am sure it peaked her interest even more. Then Big Bird's voice came over the speaker "Hello boys and girls, only 15 more minutes!". She looked everywhere to find where that voice was coming from. As were getting settled (taking our layers of clothes off), Olivia's BFF and her parents arrived. Her BFF from next door actually got seats right beside us and Olivia was ecstatic. She was stomping around from the get-go screaming "Hi Nalina!" - which was for Nalina and Nalina's mom - Fa, who she calls both by the same name. Sigh. One day we'll get it straight. hahahah

Then the lights dimmed, and Olivia found her spot on Papa's lap. All of sudden out came Elmo and friends. Olivia didn't say a word. Here they were dancing and singing around, and she was speechless. We were shocked. We were thinking...oh great..she's really tired...she'll fall asleep. This maybe was not a good idea. But, it may have taken about 10 minutes for the concert shock to set in and Olivia was screaming for ELMO. hahahah. We were relieved that she was actually enjoying the show. She was probably thinking... this Elmo guy is huge! By the end of the show, Olivia was dancing and stomping in the aisles. It took everything to get Papa to stop her from running up the stage.

It was a great concert. Short and sweet. Colourful and musical. It was a perfect introduction to a concert for Miss O. I think she had a blast. When the show ended, we bundled Olivia up again and raced to the car. Of course she was fighting because she couldn't move in all her clothes. As soon as drove out of the parking lot, she was fast asleep. She was out. Papa and I decided to go for a coffee and wait it out. In the middle of our "coffee break", Olivia started clapping her hands and yelled "Yay! Elmo! Yay!". But the funniest thing was she was fast asleep. HAHAHHA. She was still in concert mode in her dreams. Poor thing. We weren't sure whether to clap our hands too or just to turn around and ignore so she could go back to asleep. After 45 minutes in the car, she woke up as happiest as can be. As for Papa and I, we were exhausted. But we wouldn't want it any other way. It was a perfect day.

Parental Leave Over...back to work. :0(

The only good thing about going back to work today was the fact that it was a holiday for everyone else. Sigh. Most if not all government and banks were closed today, which meant I didn't have to fight the traffic in the morning. I was able to start my first day with a little less stress. I didn't have to wake up Miss O early in the morning. She slept in till 9am. I didn't have to rush her to school. She stayed and played with Papa. In that case, that was great. I could start my first day and really focus on my work.

I was pretty anxious about going back to school. I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I remember everything? DId I forget how to teach? Will the kids like me? Deep down inside I was thinking "Will Olivia miss me during the day?". Sigh As it turns out, I haven't forgotten how to teach. Not so worried about whether or not the kids like me. I was happy to be in my class, my routines, my things. I was happy to be with my fellow teachers and friends. You know...adult stuff. I was tempted several times during the day to call and check in. But decided against it because I knew Papa was having a blast.

Well..Olivia did have a blast. A little too much so I hear. Apparently she was "active" all day. She slept maybe an hour in the afternoon even though she was racing around Starr Gym for 40 minutes non-stop. Needless to say, she went down easy tonight. Thank goodness, because tomorrow is the big day. Day 2 at work (with everyone else in the city going back as well) and Olivia starting school for "real" now. I'm a bit anxious about how the morning will go. I'll have to remind myself to pack some breakfast cereal bars and snacks for the morning ride. She hasn't been a great breakfast eater lately. Frustrating...but at least she likes these bars.

Tomorrow will be a test. Tomorrow will be the day. I better get some rest.

Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!

After our Savard Christmas, we drove to Brampton to celebrate the Ortiz Christmas. We arrived around 7ish and had a great traditional filipino dinner. When we walked in, to our surprise, she yelled out "Hi Lolo, hi Lola!". We were stunned. Where did that come from? Here we were all worried that she would be anxious about her new surrounding again, but she quickly recognize everyone and even her fish DORTHY. We were definitely off to a good start.

The next day, Papa had to go to work we had a relaxing day at home. I don't know how relaxing it was. Olivia and Ethan were running all around the house all day. However, she did manage a 2 hour nap. No kidding. The next day, we were planning to go to Buffalo to do some boxing day shopping, however, there was the Juniour World Champtionships playing in Buffalo, and borders were awful. It was a sign. Don't spend money. We decided to go to Square 1 which was pretty insane. Then we had lunch at our favourite bakery Panera. We rushed home to put Olivia down for a nap. While Olivia was sleeping, Papa and I slipped out for a late afternoon outing and then had a date night. We didn't go anywhere fancy. We went to The Keg by the house, but it was a good meal and good conversations. We came and rested. There were still lots of party preparations to be done.

Friday was a "quiet" day, but a busy one. Lola and Lolo started early with cooking food. We were busy arranging the house and the table to make room for all the food. Food had to be prepared, food that was ordered had to be picked up, and food had to be arranged. The whole day revolved around making sure everyone had enough food to fill their bellies till midnight. Thank goodness Tita Jen was around to help look after Olivia because our hands were pretty tied up with all the food preparation. hahahahha

We tried to put Miss O down for a nap and we were hoping that it would be a long 2 hour nap. 3'oclock came around and she was still up, and guests were supposed to arrive at 4. She finally fell asleep and I was free to help around the kitchen. course, as luck would have it, she only slept for an hour. Sigh. We knew then she wouldn't be able to make it till midnight.

The night continued on, with relative after relative. It was like the old days. Olivia was having a great time with all her cousins and the food! As midnight approached, the relatives started making their way home so they could be in their own homes for the new year. The last remaining families were Tita Lucy, the Ortiz clan, the Corros clan, and the Rathore clan. Olivia went down around 10pm. Even with all the noise downstairs, she slept right through it. She was exhausted.

As midnight rolled around, Martin and I walked upstairs to be with our little blessing. This time a year ago, we prayed that she would be with us soon. Here she was, sleeping like an angel, ready to start a new year with us. Everything in the world was perfect at that moment. We heard the "Happy New Year!", and at that moment we did a big family hug in the bedroom - Mama, Papa, and Olivia. We gave her a kiss and whispered "I love you and Happy New Year!" in her ear then we went downstairs to greet the rest of the family.

What a year. I pray that this new year will be as wonderful as the last. This the first of many new years for Olivia and us. Life is wonderful.