March Madness

You know saying "March rolls in like a lion, out like a lamb...".  This was our month.  Papa travelled a lot this month, which means Maman, Olivia, and William also travelled.  We spent a lot of time in Brampton visiting Lola, Lolo, Tita, and the family and friends.  Yes, it was very (very) tiring for EVERYONE, especially Lola who would take the train 1 day and drive back to Brampton with me the next day. I figured once the kids are a bit older I could drive down by myself.  Lola was a huge help. Once there, I was able to sneak out here and there for coffee, but it was still kid-focused and we tried out best to keep them busy. 

The month started off by celebrating Nalina's (Olivia's BFF neighbour ) 3rd birthday.

First trip to Brampton - Week before March Break

We always try to fit in our play dates with Bella and Jake. It's always a fun time jam-packed with activities.

Then we got to visit Tita Melissa's 2nd grade classroom. It was pretty cool because it was in a portable.  Olivia loved being the centre of attention.

Another "play date" with Bella and Jake at Vaugn Mills. Tita Michica and I spent lots of money putting these monkeys on rides.  We treated ourselves in the end with some yummy gelato!

Back to Ottawa for some unexpected warm weather.  It reached a high of 23 Celsius that week. It was great. We put on our shorts and capris and played outside for many days.  We opened the sandbox for the first time this season. It was a hit.

Then back to Brampton.  Why?  Papa left for his race with Lance!  Go PAPA go!

Olivia and William didn't spend much time on the couch at Lola's house that's for sure. This was one of the rare moments that they weren't running around the house.  Luckily Lola and Lola have this great park around the corner for the kids to play. "The blue one!" - Olivia would always say. The grandparents also took Miss O on a bus ride. They rode the transit bus to Shopper's World and back (the ZUM!).  That was the highlight of the day.  She was exhausted by the end, but she loved riding on it. All these little experiences. hahahhahahah

Play date with Bella and Jake (with dinner!).  Tita Michica made some delicious pizza.  Then as a treat everyone had icecream sandwiches.  Then relaxed on the couch for some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. 

The next day, we took the kids to Square 1. Apparently the Disney store there was amazing!  Of course, Olivia gravitated to the Snow White toys.

They also had this huge screening room with tables and children were able to watch Disney movies. I think they can actually host "princess" parties there. Insane right?  Where's William?  Sleeping in the stroller. Totally missed all the fun.

There was a day where Lola and Lola had an appointment, so it was just Maman and the kids. Luckily there is a Chapters around the corner from the house. It's a great Chapters. Much more things for kids here than in Ottawa. Thankfully it was quiet and it made great time killer.  :0P

We also made it to Manang Verna's and Tito Sunny's. The kids were so happy to see Zoey and Xan Xan.  Tito Sunny treated us to dinner. Sushi!  I have to say they kids had their best dinner "behaviour" all week. Tito Sunny has that effect on everyone.  :0)

Now we are back home (for now). Easter is around the corner. There will be a couple of more trips in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned. 

February Events!

Just because it's the middle of winter, doesn't mean there's nothing going on.  On top of the road trip to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of Lola and Lolo, we had  quite a number of other celebrations going on. It was a busy, busy month!

The week after our trip to Brampton, we celebrated Benjamin's 3rd birthday.  We all went to STARR Gymnastics and let loose and party!  Olivia definitely let loose. She loved it. She loved it so much she managed to have a couple of time outs. hahaha. Sigh, life with a "spirited" 2 year old. I would walk her down to where the group was, talk to someone, and then couldnt' find her. She went back to join another pary on the trampoline!   Then as we were eating, Olivia managed to "crash" another birthday party in the other room.  We were looking for Olivia and then we heard  "Does anyone know who this girl int he purple belongs too?" Ugh.  William, on the other hand,  enjoyed following the others and enjoyed running around.  It was just great seeing our friends again, and it was a perfect venue to tire the kids  out - more so of the parents.

Then Valentine's Day came. A day that maman and papa don't really celebrate (even though it's our wedding anniversary too).  This year was different because Olivia was old enough to write (or at least make an "O") on her Valentine's Day cards. This marked a new event in her school journey. It was her first time to deliver cards to her friends.  So the night before, we made cupcakes for her class and teachers and put her cards in her mailbox to be delivered.  Love is in the air.  :0P  Then at night we got a special treat.  We ate at Hockey Sushi for dinner with Nalina and Fa because Papa was away for work. Then came home and had a bath and then picked up Lola at the train station.  She was down to help maman with the monkeys.  When the weekend came around, Lolo and Tita Melissa arrived. Tita Melissa said she wanted to celebrate her birthday with us. 

On the weekend, we made a trip downtown to the market to eat at The Keg. We got there at 5pm and there already was a 90 minute wait for the next seating. So we decided to put our name down and walk around in the market. It was fun and it was William's first time.  We finally got our table (2 hours later with free appetizers) and had a nice steak dinner. As you could imagine, we were out from 5 to 9pm.  So the kids were great at the beginning, but whoa boy by the end it was near disaster.  :0P  We packed up in a hurry and went home, while Lola and Lolo and Tita Melissa felt lucky and decided to head to the casino. They came back empty handed.  Too bad!  The next day we decided to do the birthday cake for  Tita Melissa. It was a birthday weekend for their lovely aunt. 

End of February is now hear and today we went to talk about our journey to Korea at an Adopt Talk session with our adoption agency. This workshop is mandatory for all families in waiting during the process. It was our opportunity to give back and it was very special to us. Not only because we made lots of memories on BOTH of our trips, but it also falls on Olivia's GOTCHA Day. She came home 2 years ago on February 25th. We made a powerpoint presentation made up with tips, maps, short clips, and pictures for these waiting families. Working on it with Martin brought so many emotions.  We told ourselves we should watch these videos of our GOTCHA days often to remind us how each one is a miracle and blessing in our lives.

Lola and Lolo's Anniversary Party - Take 2

Now that the holidays are a distant memory, it was time to get on to other celebrations.  February just seems to be full of them. One of the important events in our family this month was lola and lolo's 40th wedding anniversary.  This party was supposed to be December 18th - their real wedding date, but somehow a trip to Korea messed up our plans. hahhahah. Seeing that we arrived back in Canada Dec. 16th and the party was the 18th, we decided to post pone it for February. The great thing was it fell exactly on lolo's birthday as well.  It was the perfect time to go down and see the family. ALL OF THEM.

The party was a surprise and poor Tita Melissa was having a hard time trying to keep it on the down low. Of course, seeing that it was Lolo's birthday, we invited family over for the dinner. She was going to do a huge spread.  So all the same family invited to the anniversary party was going to be there in the evening too. This meant, lola and lolo would be cooking all day and needing preparation. That was not good. So Tita Melissa had to call everyone and tell them to cancel out for the evenig so they wouldn't cook anything to grand.  Why is it so hard to give surprise parties in our family? :0p

The trip down to Brampton went well. We picked up Olivia earlier from school so that we could leave mid-afternoon. Really we were supposed to leave by 1pm but ended up leaving around 3pm.  I was dancing around trying to keep them up, hoping they would sleep in the car.  They did well. Olivia slept an hour, and William (because O was pretty talkative) slept only an hour and half.  Considering this was his first road trip, he did well.  We stopped just outside Oshawa for dinner at Five guys and then Starbucks for a little boost. We made it to Brampton by 8pm.  Then were in bed pretty much by 9pm. hahahha They were done.  

The next morning, Melissa and I went to the hair salon to get our hair done while the grandparents watched the kids. What a treat it was!  I missed doing stuff like that.  AFter getting our hair blow dried straight, they gave us a free make up touch up!  I felt like a million bucks. Being a mom of 2 now, it's the simple things that you appreciate - just a little pampering.  

We got home to tired kids and grandparents who were cooking. Not good. Then we had the dreaded "We don't feel like going out to eat, we have lots to do". We knew this was going to happen. But Martin insisted, and what he says ...goes. hahahha.  We got the kids bathed and ready to go and we left earlier.  My parents arrived about 5 minutes after we did and then the party began.

The kids loved it. They love eating sushi. But it was great seeing all the family, and to introduce our William.  They immediately gravitated to him and wanted to pick him up.  He was somewhat hesitant, but amused by all the people oogling him. hahhaha. Then there was Olivia, running around the place and jumping up and down because there were balloons!   Sigh. 

Grandparents arrived and the party went on.  I wished I had more time to talk to everyone, but it seems bringing 2 kids under the age of 3 to a restaurant makes it impossible. hahahah.  But it was fantastic nonetheless and the proud grandparents paraded their grandchildren around.  Typical filipino style - relatives take over watching the little ones so the parents can eat in peace. Love these moments.

After lunch, the kids were done.  I'm pretty sure everyone in the restaurant was happy to see our loud, rambuncous crowd leave.  We all said our goodbyes but not really, we were going to see most of the family back again for the evening. Party # 2 was going to take place at the house. We had to celebrate Lolo's birthday too.  For that fact alone, we had to make it home for much needed naps.

They both did a long nap, thank goodness. They were up and ready to receive more guests by the evening. More food, more people, more chances for them to get really tired.  I was exhausted just eating my dinner.  As the evening started quieting down, we put the kids to bed. It was hard sleeping in a house with a party still going on.  Everyone was still having a good time downstairs and it could be heard!  William went down without any problems. He was exhausted. Olivia, on the other hand, although I knew she was just as tired, I had to issue the some threats for her to sleep. She finally gave in and we were able to relax for the rest of the evening.  It was a fantastic day.

Then next day we had a family portrait session planned out in the morning. In hindsight, maybe it wasn't a good idea to plan such an event after travelling in the car and a having 2 parties the day before.  Olivia was a trooper, but everyone was still tired and by the end of the session - somewhat grumpy. I hope the pictures turn out. hahahahha. After choosing the pictures - which we were't really sold on but felt pressured to get - we went home for lunch and naps.  The rest of the day was time to wind down. The evening however, was the SUPER BOWL.  We celebrated Savard style and went all out. It was our new tradition and I hope we can continue this for the years to come.

We left the next morning back to Ottawa. We enjoyed every minutes of our stay but we were ready to go back to our own beds and things.  I am happy that most of the family got to meet our little William and see how much Olivia has grown. At this age, changes happen every minutes. I can't imagine what the changes they saw in Olivia since the last time they saw her.  Sometimes we can't believe how much she's grown and changed. That's the great thing about these big family reunions/gatherings - so many new things to share.  Till the next road trip back home.

Pyjama Party!

Last night we had a nice get together with some friends.  It was William's first gathering with our friends and he did amazingly well considering there were adults and kids all over the place.   Friends started to arrive around 4:30.  They kids looked totally cute in their pjs.  Earlier Olivia (right after she woke up from her afternoon nap) had a mild freak out because I was telling her to change into her pyjamas.  She was crying and refused to put it on. She must of thought she was being punished and had to go back to sleep.  Poor thing. She didn't quite understand the concept of a "pyjama" party.   Which is funny because most of the time when people come over the kids are usually in their pjs. I'm just too lazy to get them ready especially since it's such a CHORE to get them BOTH dressed!

Luckily the first guest to arrive was Nalina, and helped Olivia somewhat to calm down.  Then the doorbell kept ringing, and Olivia and William loved to flock to the door to see who was coming.  In my (teacher) mind, I thought there would be time to have a craft table - cereal necklaces. Ya...that wasn't going to happen. The cheesies were on the table and the kiddies just sat around the table devouring these treats. Oh well, next time!  :0P

We ordered pizza and had paper plates and plastic cups. It was the perfect "no-brainer" get together. After dinner, we let the kids loose to the playroom upstairs. So in the end, half of the kids and adults were upstairs and half were downstairs. It was perfect - everyone was safe and there was a good adult to child ratio. hahhahah.

It was a lot of fun. We were able to see friends that we hadn't see for awhile. We were able to catch up other friends and "vent" or chat about family life.  We love our Stittsville family.  They are awesome families and we are blessed to have their friendship and support. As the night progressed, William did wonderfully. No tantrum, no crying, no fighting over toys.  We're beginning to think he is like his sister - the social butterfly.  He was his charming self, played here and there, did the room. It was a great night, and I hope we will have plenty more.

Dare to compare?

We would never compare these monkeys.  They are similar in some ways, but different in more ways. But comparing their pictures is lots of fun.

Who likes doing laundry?  Olivia and William do.  

The mandatory first month visit from Martha.

The "wriggle and move" photos.  Sigh.

The teething fun!

Car seat dreamers.

Hab fans by default.

Our first trip out with Maman - Chapters!

Both love to visit Papa in the washroom. It's their special place.

We are so glad they have each other. 

13 months old - Home for a month

So many changes in a few weeks.  To think I was worried - that because we got William at 12 months instead of 8, I would be missing all these wonderful milestones.  As a family, we have grown and changed, adapting to this little one.  The experience with adopting Olivia was so much more different than this experience - not better, not worse, just different.  For one thing, the home environment is different. When Olivia came home, the house was her world. Everything was catered to her.  Everything she touched or wanted was hers. When William came home, there already was a toddler in the house - who knew what belong to her and what didn't.  He had to play with O's toys, and learn to sleep in his own room.

We had more of an adjustment when William came home. The reason really is because now we have 2. We have many things to take into account - sleep, eating, bathtime,  and balancing home and work with 2 children.  When 1 cried in the middle of the night, we had to make sure 1 parent was with the other child, and the other with the other one. What is with the soaked diaper every morning (and sometimes bed).  This monkey sleeps on his tummy. So most of the timethe front of his jammies and bed get wet.  Boys...can't they learn to pee normally. hahahahha

Breakfast time has totally changed.  Olivia wakes up early so we have to tiptoe and eat quietly downstairs so not to wake up William.  Before, it was the busiest, even nosiest time of our day.  We would be playing some music or had the TV on in the background.  Sleep time - William is sleeping through the night, and well Olivia currently is back in our bed - after we tried for months to get her into her own room and bed. :0P

William is quite the boy. We've always said Olivia is such a "tomboy" - strong, active, boisterous.  She is such a princess compared to this brute.  Not only is he adorable and a charmer, he's strong, hot-tempered, and very smart.  He is not a pushover, but can be whiny.  To think that Martin's mom had 3 boys and to this day is so patient and calm. She is amazing! hahahhaha Raising a boy, is totally different from a girl.  When he doesn't get his way, he gets mad.  Arms fly, wails come out, head flings back and forth.  Tapping objects, people, the floor, or himself when he is mad. What is that??  Friends just reply, "He's a boy who is frustrated".  When Olivia is frustrated, she screams and stomps her feet - girl. Boys I guess use their upper bodies more. hahahah.. Something we don't want to get used to.

He's a smart cookie. Today when we put him down for his nap, he was not happy (because he already had a power nap in the car for 20 minutes and he thought that was enough :0)).  We thought he was sleeping, but he sat up and started playing with his pillows in the crib.  We knew that he couldn't pull himself up and go over the crib, so it was pretty safe.  But then we saw him climb on top of a pillow - teeter-tottered on it. Hmmm. We could see what he was thinking. "Maybe if I stand on this pillow, I will be tall enough to climb over the rail!".  Close, but not close enough my love.  :0P

Then later,  Olivia was playing with her princess stickers and putting them on our hands.  She never gave William any, but he decided to take mine from my hand and put it on his hand.  Then he walked off to play. Smart cookie!  Food wise he notices when he's not eating the same thing we are. Arms stretch out and "Ba!" - which we think means "Mine?".  If only you could chew properly and not gag on stuff!  He gets mighty upset when things are different.  He wants to use the spoon, fork and drink from the cup.   He is a great meat eater, unlike Olivia. However, both are happy with pasta and breads.    Olivia is the fruit lover and William is a veggie lover.  Actually, Olivia will eat both happily.

He's definitely talking/babbling more. There is a definitive "Maman" and "Papa", along with "Baba".  That pretty much goes for everything.  He clearly understands the word "No!" - which is great.  If only Olivia could learn from him. Sigh.

He was playing with the clock radio in our room the other day, and then the song "Holiday" from Madonna came on.  He started to really rock it. Before, when there was song he liked, he would sway side to side, or move his head to the beat. That day, everything was moving!  He was stomping his feet like crazy.  It was hilarious.  So happy that my two little ones love music. I guess it might be time to find a Kindermusic class somewhere for him.

Everyday there is always something new.  He's learning something new everyday, and so are we.  Oh the places we are going to go!

3 Weeks Home!

It's Sunday night and Olivia and William are fast asleep (hopefully for awhile).  William is a much better sleep than Olivia but we are still working through some crying at night.  The last couple of days he has been sleeping 12 hours straight, so keeping my fingers crossed it keeps going. Things have been slow going, but every minute of it has been wonderful.  I say if feels like a year that we've have been home with William because everything seems just right. He really is a joy and his smile and laugh melts your heart.  You can already see that he is going to be a little monkey like his sister. I'm not saying though it has been smooth sailing.  The rough and tumble -"say how you feel" kind of boy behaviours.  This week though has been much better than the last 2 for sure. Totally different from a girl. And more exhausting. hahahha.

 A part of me is so happy that we were able to travel and be home for the holidays AND celebrate his 1st birthday, but it's been super crazy and hectic with the holidays.  Sometimes I think how different would it have been if we left for Korea after the holidays.  But in the end, we wouldn't have had such an amazing experience in Korea if it weren't the holidays too.  Christmas celebrations in Korea are so wonderful. 

William is adjusting (we think and hope) very well- despite the few tantrums here and there.  The social worker and foster mother claimed that William was a very happy, sociable baby boy. Which he is - when he gets what he wants. hahahaha. God forbid we take something that he wanted - foster mom (God love her) definitely catered to it. But he has a smile that will melt hearts and 6 teeth to show (4 on top and 2 on the bottom).  I'm sure there were lots of treats for this monkey to be happy. hahahha.  But it's nothing major..just typical short tempered boy stuff (like Papa). :0P  Learning curves. 

He started walking more and more after the holidays, and now it's his preferred way of travelling around.  Loves to climb things now too - the stairs, up and down the sofa couch, up and down the toys. Sigh.  Eating now has been much more manageable.  No more formula - woohoo!  In the beginning I was telling a friend that he was gagging on the solid foods we were giving him, but now he is doing very well. We went to Hockey Sushi today and it was a great dinner for everyone.  Everyone had something off the menu and were very satisfied.  PHew. Tomorrow we'll try an Italian restaurant. We'll see how that goes. Food wise - he's a carb loader. Loves his bread, pasta, crackers, cereal - anything he can just nibble on.  He'll hold it in his hands for hours.  Fruit is not a favourite - unless it's mushed and it can be spooned. Sigh. We're working on it. 

Toys/Playing - Well...he's really interested in everything he's not supposed to play with (phone, cellphone, computer etc).  Also, he's interested in everything Olivia is interested in, which is not making Miss O too happy these days. She could be at 1 end of the room playing with something and he'll walk across the room just to take if from her. Sigh. Good times.  I am happy to say that he's not an oral fixator. Not everything goes in his mouth, like his sister at this age. He also understands "NO!" - at least he should be now because we say it so many times. ahhahahha

Winter is hard! Besides the holiday travelling we have been stuck at home and "cocooning" because it has been so cold or the weather has been yucky.  And getting these 2 monkeys dressed to go out is just not fun at all.  Olivia is back in her PJS only stage and William, well he just hates getting dressed and bundled.  Car seats and William - are only good for about 15 minutes and only with a bottle of milk. hahaha We'll get there.  There are a lot of road trips ahead for this family. hahahha.   Really in the end, everyone is much more happier being in PJS for the whole day anyways. But at the end of this week I did have cabin fever. I ended getting the 2 dressed and driving over to Children's Bridge to drop off some papers and back home. That was my "exciting" outing. hahahaha.  The only good thing that has come out of these outings so far is that Olivia (who used to be running everywhere and would rarely want to sit in the cart), will ask  to sit beside William in the cart. Strapping them in makes a much more enjoyable shopping trip.  :0)

Like a boy however, he is into everything Olivia is.  Which is frustrating her quite a bit lately.

It has been an adjustment for Miss Olivia for sure, but she's been doing so well. Quite the Mama's helper and very eager to come to William's rescue when he is crying or in distress. It's been hard to keep her quiet in the mornings so she doesn't wake him up because she's so excited to go in his room.  She has had her share of meltdowns though and she has definitely picked up on the screaming and attention that William has gotten.  But they love each other. You can tell. He immediately stops crying when she approaches him. She definitely knows how to calm him down. It was a perfect sibling match too.  

Next week, Olivia will be back to school and I will have William all to myself. What to do?  What to do?  

Funny Moments

1.  I can't help add to this blog a little something I read the other day. I picked up the mail and got a holiday card from my friend Kate who has been blessed with 3 gorgeous children.  On her photo card it reads  "Wishing you many full nights of sleep, peaceful car rides, and dinners free of meltdowns. - Ooppps!...That's what we're wishing for!"  - It's hilarious because it's true.  Thanks Katie for making me laugh as my kids were screaming in the car because they wanted a snack.  I know I'm not alone. Love it!

2. Stickers - Seriously. I know the kids love them, and I know they can spend some time playing with them (mine will only spend about 5 minutes). I get it. We spend tons on money trying to get the animal ones, the sea creature ones, the "princess" ones, the "hello kitty" ones - any cartoon stickers that they have taken an interest to.  But I am tired of picking up the odd stickers stuck on the table, the floor, the fridge, the oven, the computer.  And of course, the ones that are stuck are permanently stuck there because they use super glue when making them!  They are everywhere but in the sticker book.  Who thought giving stickers to toddlers was fun?

3.  A couple of weeks ago Olivia was playing with her bags and stuffing them with toys. We asked her where she was going and she said as-a-matter-of-factly "I'm going to KOREA!".  Ok then, bye!  It made us laugh so hard. We couldn't believe she said that.  I'm glad she knew where we went. hahahahha

4. The other night as I was putting Olivia to bed, we always say our goodnights to everyone. It does drag the sleep routine, but I think it calms her. All of a sudden she was saying "KAMSAMIDA (thank you in Korean) Mickey Mouse - and every stuffed animal she had.  Then proceeded to say "ANNEYONG HASEO (hello how are you? in Korean) Tasha! - and to all her toys".  Did we really drill it in to her that much while we were in Korea? hahhahahah

Happy New Years Everyone!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  Our family has been blessed again this year with the arrival of William.  Martin and I were talking on our way home from Ste. Sauveur about how this time last year, we made the final decision about going forward to adopt a second.  Olivia's adoption was finalized mid-December. We were only able to more forward once it was finalized. I remember clearly having dinner with Martin at The Keg in Brampton. (This year for New Years - when we arrived home we ordered pizza and drank a bottle of wine and put the kids to bed  hahhahaha). 1 year later, we have a beautiful daughter AND a son. We love them so much and it's hard to believe life without either of them. It was just meant to be - we were destined to be together.   Praying that 2012 will bring more blessings and cheer to our family and to the ones we love.