Happy Easter!

A great Easter weekend at home. Yes, we celebrated a holiday in Ottawa. The weather turned out great for our Easter egg hunt, and this year Olivia was able to celebrate in style. Below are just some highlights from our weekend.




To Miss Olivia's surprise, the Easter Bunny left a pink bike for her. She must have been really good this year.





So, this year was slightly different from the last Easters we celebrated. Papa decided to do a roast instead of turkey. Sigh. I guess Maman will have to wait till Thanksgiving for her bird.





Also, to make this weekend extra special, we celebrated Lola's birthday too. Olivia just couldn't wait to sing "Happy Birthday!" and eat cake.

Cabane A Sucre

It was a beautiful day. A perfect day to go to the maple sugar bush. We decided to go to the place where we went a few years ago in Ste. Eustache. Yes, it was bit of a drive, but in the end it was well worth it. We got to spend some time with the cousins!

We arrived and the first thing Miss O wanted to do was jump in the puddles. Sigh. Thank goodness I brought her splash pants. Sadly, it was the muddy puddles in the parking lot that she was jumping in, but it was her day, why not. When Mathieu and Audrey arrived, she recognized them almost immediately. She followed them up the main house and there she took her place in between them. Super, I had two babysitters today. There was Mathieu putting on her bib and wiping her drippy nose. Then there was Audrey slicing the hotdogs in half for Olivia to eat and entertaining her by colouring with her at the table. It was so cute!



We had an enormous delicious meal, and then set out for the good stuff. ahhahaha. Yes, Olivia's first try with the maple sugar "popsicle" aka " " . She loved it of course. This might have been the highlight of the trip if it weren't for the SHEEP she saw on the other side. She quickly sucked that lollipop and ran to the farm animals. She went right up to the fence, trying to touch this dirty little sheep. All the time, singing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" - only it was white and not black. Oh well, we'll work on the colours later. :0)





Then it was time for the cousins to leave. Before we hopped back in the car for the drive home, we decided to take a walk around the maple sugar forest and check it out. Didn't really want to take the horse carriage. There would be more fun walking in the snow and opening up the cannisters on our own. Of course, along the way, Olivia found TONS of puddles. One of which she jumped into and fell. Sigh. Soaked. Well at least her socks were because the water went down her boot! Cold water. She wasn't too pleased at first, but made a beeline to the next puddle she found. Water. What can I say?



After the walk, we changed her and headed home. It was a perfect day. No stress, good food, great weather, and awesome company. Can't wait for next year! A super Savard tradition.

March Break Madness

Well...I wouldn't say it was a break. It was jammed packed with activities.

The week started off visiting Grandmaman and Grandpapa on the weekend. They were getting ready to leave for Florida for a few weeks, so we made trek up to the Laurentian. Olivia was great. She is really starting to familiarize herself with the place and the people around her. She slept through heated discussions over 3 bottles of wine. At around 11ish, she started crying and Papa went up to settle her back down. Maman sat a bit longer in the kitchen and talked politics with another bottle of wine. :00 A great start to the March break!

We returned back home the next day, to find Tita Melissa waiting for us. She had come down for a couple of days to be with Miss O and I'm thinking to help me out a bit. Which A OKAY with me.I had 2 days to run around and do some errands before we left again for Brampton to see Lola and Lolo, and of course Ethan. Tita Melissa was a great sport watching Olivia while I got some things done at home. On Wednesday, we packed up the car again and we drove to Toronto. Unfortunately, Olivia slept for the first hour or so in the car, which meant a interesting car ride down. Let's just say, the DVD player was pretty much on for the whole ride. Which was fine in the end because Olivia hardly watched any TV while we were in Brampton (Please disregard the photo below....hahahah)

We had a wonderful playdate on Friday with Bella and Jake. Michica and I just gathered up the kids and brought them down to this fabulous playroom. Olivia was so excited! There was tons of new toys to play with. Bella and Jake were great hosts, and kept Miss Olivia entertained. At one point, they all decided to sit down at the table and colour. Tita Michica gave each of them crayons on the premise that they don't put them in their mouth. Yup, that lasted all of 2 minutes. Once 1 started, the other would follow, and then the other. hHahahhaha. Done. We packed them up and headed up stairs for our fabulour Swiss Chalet lunch. You can't go wrong with chicken and fries. Tita Michica did a great job in heading up the factory line of high chairs and filling their plates with food at a constant rate. The only problem was there were too busy watching TV and she was in the way. They were awesome! Love our playdates!




After Miss O got some playtime with friends and family, It was time for maman and papa to go and have some fun. Believe it or not, after a year we were able to do our first overnighter WITHOUT Olivia. There was a "sale" at the Pillar and Post and I just couldn't resist. It was a sign. So...Friday afternoon we packed up and left Olivia with Lola and headed down to Niagara-on-the-Lake. To add on to our 24 hour vacay without Olivia, we added a spa treatment too.

We left while Olivia slept. We gave that job to Tita Melissa. :0) And we drove off feeling just slightly guilty. Then it passes. WE arrived at the hotel and told ourselves we were going to make the most of our trip. We went to our favourite restaurant in the world (Stoneroad Grille). We had an amazing 6 course - 3 hour meal. We had just enough wine to make us sleepy so we could enjoy the rest of the night. We were so ready for a good night sleep. A night of sleep that didn't have Olivia rolling on top of us, or singing to us at 3:00 in the morning. Sure enough though, Martin slept well, I on the other hand, was somewhat restless. Guilt? Worry? I'm thinking it was just weird taking a minibreak without Olivia. That feeling left when I had the spa treatment the next morning.

The next morning, we woke up still full from our fabulous dinner. We had our spa treatments (separately because I didn't want the distraction). Then lazed around the dark waiting room and did a power nap on the huge comfy sofa. We decided to order some food and had breakfast in our robes. YAY! Before we knew it, it was was close to lunch and check out time. Sigh. It was a nice break. Martin asked if we wanted to have some lunch around the village or visit some wineries. But really...I just wanted to go home and see how Olivia was doing. We didn't make it back to Brampton until 4pm. Olivia not sure what to do when we knocked on the door and came in. Was she happy or angry at us for leaving her? The next couple of days...she was a little out of sorts. It didn't take her long to get back to routine. It was a busy March break - for everyone - but we did manage to squeeze in some downtime. YAY!.

GOTCHA DAY!

Today marks the most life changing event of my and Martin's lives. One year ago today, Olivia was placed in our arms permanently. It's hard to believe a year has gone by. But then again, so much has happened in a year that we forget that she has only been home for a year. She has grown so much since we brought her home.

I used to smile when I hear people talk about these GOTCHA days. I hear stories of elaborate parties, gifts, and activities. I always thought the day that you get that beloved "referral" was the day to mark on the calendar. It was kind of silly to celebrat GOTCHA days because really you "get" your child when they are referred to you. But now I get it. When birthparents have their child, they celebrate it as the birthday. They don't celebrate the "day they get home from the hospital". I get it. As parents to Olivia now, we celebrate the GOTCHA day because she was placed in our arms on February24th. Lucky for her, Papa makes every event in this journey a big deal. Birthdays will be larger than she is, "referral" day will just as big because it falls on Papa's birthday as well. The first time we met Miss O falls on Tita Melissa's birthday - February 22nd. A year ago seems like a lifetime because so many milestones and events happened this year.

So many things have changed, and then again so many things haven't. As we speak, she is sleeping soundly in OUR bed. A year ago, I was still rocking her our the glider and singing her songs to sleep - Bon Do Do, You are my Sunshine, and Baby Beluga were her favourites. Then I would place her in the crib when she was finished her bottle. Now, every night Martin and I would turn in to bed and cuddle beside her. Sometimes, she would roll on my side for part of the night, and then make her way to Papa's side and play with his hair. We've gotten used to this routine. We have gotten used the warm body in the middle (thank goodness for king size beds!). Now we would read some "livres - a book" (she would say it like that), and then climb into bed. She still plays with my hair before she dozes off, but not until she sings ME a song. Last night was "Skip to My Lou".

Today, Papa picked her up from daycare. The best decision we made to place her in this "school". She's confident, happy, and coming home with new things everyday. Somedays, Martin and I would just stare in disbelief when she did something out of the ordinary. Lately, she has been sitting in her highchair and counting to 14 independently! Last time this year, she was not a happy camper. hahahahaha. She was in this new apartment with strange new people all around her. Ugh...breaks my heart just thinking about it. Foster mom said she didn't like strangers, people wearing black or wearing sunglasses. ????? Today, she is the most sociable happy baby. She walks up to strangers and waves, says "hi!". SO much has happened in a year.

For dinner today, we celebrated at our favourite hamburger place. This time last year, Grandmaman and Grandpapa served us McDonald's with (very expensive) wine - for lunch, dinner, and I think the breakfast next day. Thank God that McDonalds across the street just opened. We were tempted to recreate the dinner seen. I remember being so exhausted physically and emotionally that day. Physically because our of whirlwind travel, and then caring for this 20llb bundle of joy. Holding her and bouncing her so she would stop crying. Emotionally drained because THIS day had finally come. After years and years of waiting to build our family. In a way, Olivia exhausts us the same way she did 1 year ago. Physically, because we run around constantly to catch her. hahahha Ugh..these toddler years definitely have made us more fit. Emotionally, we are not drained, but so happy, constantly worrying about her wellbeing and happiness. A glass of wine would have been great today. hahahahha. So much has happened in a year.

Today when we came home. Olivia, on her own, went to the living room and went through the photo albums on the table. She has done this a couple of times, but for some reason, she went to the album with her baby pictures in it and pointed to herself and said "O-i-via". Crazy! Then she went through our family album looking at pictures of me and Papa. One day, she'll undertand the stories that go with the pictures. One day, she will relive the "Gotcha Day" with us through stories, videos and pictures. But now, there is so much to learn and do THIS year. Looking ahead to the next year with our precious little Miss O. It'll fly by again I'm sure.

Superbowl XLV

A new tradition with Papa. Superbowls and junk food (well...pizza). I thought I threw this cheesehead long time ago. Funny...I can't put a dress on this girl, but a jersey and cheesehead, she's all excited. Sigh. GO PACKERS GO!

Mama and the Teacher

Well today Olivia is feeling a bit run down. After almost a month of daycare, the colds and germs got to her. I mean she did have a bad cold way back in December when she first started transitioning, but this is her first cold in awhile. We were doing so well. So she is finally asleep after a night of tossing and turning, coughing and sneezing, and just warmer than usual. I am hoping she will catch up on her sleep that she missed out on from the last couple of days. Another difference from her last bad cold is, I am actually back work.

Last night, when I had to call in to make arrangements for a supply teacher to come in, I was feeling out of sorts. First of all, here is my daughter who was absolutely miserable and needed extra attention. She didn't have an appetite and she was sneezing and coughing every five minutes. Of course I would stay home with her the next day and even the next day after that if she wasn't feeling better. Any parent would. However, not every parent is a teacher, and there was a tiny trace of guilt or worry about not coming in the next day.

Of course, the class would be fine. But I was finally back at work and starting to get my routines underway. This year my class proved to be the most neediest I have ever had. There was a bit of worry that all my efforts of trying to build a routine and structure for these kids would fall down the drain because I was not there. This is silly I know. But I realized that this is a teacher thing. Parents who are not in the education field wouldn't give it a second about not coming into work. As a teacher, there is some amount of accountability to these kids and their parents. It's a huge responsibility.

Even with 12 years of experience, I rarely called in sick. Even if I had the flu and was still recovering I wouldn't take time off. First of all, it's such a hassle to leave instructions about the class and their routines, and then trying to find work that would keep them busy and didn't require a lot of teaching time. It would literally take about an hour to get organized the night before I knew I was going to be away. It was even more of a hassle calling in the morning of and not having anything ready for the supply teacher. Needless to say, most teachers would go in sick, work the day, and then make plans for the supply teacher the next day to recover. It's insane I know.

It's funny though last night, I was thinking about how different life has become. This is the first "sick" day I have taken for Olivia. Yes, there was a day last week when Olivia had a doctor's appointment. But today, she was really sick so I stayed home. I wouldn't drop her off at the school feeling like this. But in my mind, I wondered...how sick would she have to be for me to stay home. Does that cross any other parent? If she's sick, of course I wouldn't go. But if she just had a cold, I don't really have the luxury of staying home either. And that sucks. She will always be my priority. As a mother now, my priorities have changed. Family first. My daughter's well-being is first. School or work...well...that's a close second. This is my life now. I've banked all these sick days for a reason...for myself and my family if they needed me. Today she needed me. I'll just do some planning while she sleeps. :0)

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.

Olivia's First Christmas

Well...right now we are here in Brampton for the continuation of the Holiday festivities. Olivia celebrated Christmas in Ste.Sauveur with the Savard clan. And man on man...it was busy. We were a bit worried about how Olivia would react to the big gathering and the big family dinners, especially since our last experience with family members was in Florida. That was the peak I'm thinking of her "mommy" separation issues.

When we arrived at our Christmas Eve dinner at Marc's place, we quickly saw all the kids and was fine. Phew! Even the lucky few got to hold her for a few seconds. hahahahha. It was truly memorable because she enjoyed playing with her cousins and running around the great upstair level. We opened the presents before dinner and Olivia was actually starting to get the hang of it. How could she not? All the kids tore into their presents quickly with squeals of glee. There was Olivia, as soon as Mathieu (oh I mean Santa's elf) called out "Pour Olivia!", she went running to grab her gift. She brought it over to Papa and together would tear into the presents. The gift that made her night (and Papa) was a doll stroller. She was going around and around pushing this stroller.

In the end, we changed all the kids into their pjs and hoped they would go down while we ate our late dinner. The kids were winding down and didn't put a fuss. Audrey, Nico and Matt said their "bonne nuit", and there was Melo and Olivia left upstairs. They put a mattress on the floor for Melo to sleep, and we put on a Elmo DVD for Olivia. Well...Melo fell asleep quickly. Olivia? Well...let's just say there were many times when she walked into the kitchen and sat on my lap to munch. It was probably around 11:30ish when she finally fell asleep in my arms. However, it was also time to leave. Sigh. Sooo.. we woke her up again and put on her coat and tucked her into her carseat and drove back to Grandpapa's house. What a night.

Then next day. We ended up having a much needed quiet morning and afternoon. Olivia played in the house and had a morning nap AND an afternoon nap while we were getting ready for another Christmas dinner. And yes...more presents.

In the morning, Olivia, Grandmaman, and I went to Christmas Day mass in the village. It was very beautiful and calm. It was even more calm with the fact that Miss Olivia fell asleep for almost the entire mass. I think I woke her up when I had to carry her to get communion. hahhaha. After mass, we walked back to the car and out of nowhere, SANTA came out of his car! He parked right behind us. What are the chances? hahahaha Olivia got to high-five Santa before we drove back home. It was quite the surprise for Olivia. Certainly made my day. :0)

The family arrived shortly after 6 and we began the festivities again. Christmas' in the past, we had the "opening of the presents" upstairs in the family by the big Christmas tree. This year, because of the number of gifts, we had the event downstairs in the basement. There was much more room. Again, Mathieu did his job and handed out the gifts. The kids were again equally excited by all the spoils of Grandmaman and Grandpapa as you can imagine. Olivia was starting to get the hand of this "gift" opening idea. She was right there ripping the paper and moving on to the next gift. hahahahha. I have to say though she was equally excited about all the snacks that were in the room. Sigh. That's my girl.

We had a lovely Christmas dinner after all the presents were opened. Just as always with the holidays, we were all pretty exhausted. not only because of the late nights and preparation, but all the food! It was just too yummy. Again after dinner, the kids changed into their pjs and this time I was able to put Miss O down in the bedroom. She went down quickly and slept soundly for the night. She woke up around 8ish the next morning and played with her gifts.

Papa ended up doing his Boxing Day tradition with the boys. While the boys "bonded" (while going shopping ironically), we drove to see Grandmaman Anita. It was the first meeting with her great grandmaman. Luckliy there was no traffic and we got to the other side of Montreal under an hour. Which meant...no cranky Olivia. hahahah. When we got there, to Olivia's delight, Grandmaman Anita had a little dog. Even more of treat, her name was "Cookie". One of Olivia's favourite things. Of course, Olivia did not disappoint and lived up to the stories of how active she was. She was very excited about the dog and kept calling her name out and chasing her around. Poor Cookie. As always though, that didn't last long and Melo and Olivia were getting bored. Out came the snacks. Then to entertain them, they played with the magnets on Grandmaman Anita's fridge. Just like toddlers though, when we were leaving, we couldn't find 2 magnets. Ooopps! Sorry. It was a pleasant visit and I hope we will have another chance to see each other again. Of course on the way home, Miss Olivia finally falls asleep in the car as we literally got into Ste. Sauveur. Sigh. I decided to stay in the car for another 10-15 minutes to give her a good power nap.

That night we had another family dinner. But that night, Nico and Melo got to sleep over. Yay! It was a pleasant surprise for Olivia when she woke up to see her cousins playing downstairs. By the end of the weekend, she was calling them by their names. It was totally cute. Sadly, we had to leave that day to go back to Ottawa. The next day would be another road trip to Brampton to see Lola and Lolo. The fun never ends. We drove back and Olivia fell asleep all the way home. She was exhausted.





When we got home, we unloaded the car. I started the laundry. Of course, Olivia had more presents to unwrap. Lucky girl. We invited Nalina over her BFF because we hadn't see them for ages. I know Olivia missed her. They played for a bit and then it was time for dinner. Tomorrow would be another busy day. Another couple of days of family gatherings, opening presents, food, and fun. That's how it should be. I pray that how it's always going to be for Olivia. I hope every year will be like her first Christmas - you don't need all the gifts, but the excitement, the family, the love is the core of any great Christmas. She is so lucky to have that.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered

On Wednesday, December 8th, The Honourable Judge B. ordered that Olivia be "officially" ours. Yes, the adoption is finalized. It was an early Christmas present from the government. I only wish that I could have met this Judge in person to thank him for putting his signature on a piece of paper and stamping it with his seal. He doesn't realize how much power he has. She was always ours..but now we have the papers to prove it. :0)

Week 2 - Full day today!

Well...the morning did not start off right. She went to bed early, and slept pretty well for the night. I was thinking it would be a fresh start to the day. However, Olivia is much smarter than that. Although she pretty much had a 12 hour sleep, I had a hard time waking her up this morning. When I did she was crying "Maman!". Sigh. She finally got up and wanted to read her books. Stalling!

She went to her playroom and sure enough she gave that look. The same look on the plane when we went to Florida. The "caca" look. Damn...so early in the morning. This is strange. So I changed her and brought her down for breakfast. She had a hard time getting into her chair. She didn't want to eat her cereal. She didn't want her toast. She refused a bib. Whining throughout breakfast. Sigh...this is not good. I finally feed her more fruit and brought her up to change. Gave her my phone to play with and put on her snowsuit to leave.

The drive this morning wasn't too bad. I put some ELMO on because I wanted her to be in a better mood. I know I'm a sucker. :0P We got to the school just in time for outdoor play. Papa met us there so we could do this drop-off together. She was super happy getting out of the car. We walked together towards the playground. That's when she saw Miss Crystal and the other kids. SHE STARTED TO WAIL. Ugh...my heart broke. Tears and tears came and she was crying "maman!" all the time. The teachers finally took her and brought her in the gated playground and we said our goodbyes and walked away.

Today was a brutal. Waves of emotion for me. It was funny because the other parents sensed we were having a hard time. A parent said "Don't worry. It happens all the time. She'll be fine in 3 weeks". I'm thinking...wait a sec...I only have 2 weeks till the Christmas break. 2 other mothers approached Martin and I by our cars and told us it was going to be fine and she'll adapt. I knew that she would adapt eventually, but right now she was crying for me. Ugh.

Now I'm at home and feeling a tremendous amount of guilt because I have the whole day without Olivia. What am I going to do? I'm so used to planning my day around her schedule. I'm at a loss. The first thing I did when I got home this morning was open up my email and noticed GAP was having a sale. I felt like going shopping. That's my thing. Bored and feeling blah...shopping makes me feel better. hahahhaha I actually didn't buy anything though. I miss her terribly. But I guess I will keep myself busy today.

I'm looking at the clock now...10:11am. She's having snack. I hope she's eating. sigh. Anyways..I guess I'll jump in the shower. A luxury for me because I don't have to rush today. Yay! I'm sure the day will be fine. She'll cope. I can't wait to pick her up this afternoon.

It's a Girl! Happy Aniversery....Marty's take

Hi everyone.
It has been a long time since I wrote. Let's just say that between work, training and parenting well! Thank god Mel kept you updated.

As you know November 30th will forever be marked in our history. That same day last year, we got THE call. The call that brought us tears of joy but as well lightened our hearts forever.
That day, my birthday, is now associated forever with the greatest moment in our lives, having our daughter.
From my perspective now, on that day, I was not only blessed by the gift of my life, but now blessed with the meaning of it.
It's hard to explain, but it feels like Olivia has been with us since she was born. From day 1, her temperament, her laugh, her silliness felt it was taken right out of our souls.

I say this often, but yes, there is such a thing has 2 soulmates.
I'm just lucky I have found both of them, and now I'm spending the rest of my life with them.

Olivia, Happy Anniversary. Since the first day, Papa loves you.. beaucoup, beaucoup, beaucoup

A year ago everything changed...

Olivia at 6 months.

First of all I want to say Happy Birthday to my husband and beloved father to Olivia. Today is the anniversary I guess you can say when we got the life changing phone call. Martin's birthday of all days. It is exactly 8:47 now, I'm thinking this is the same time last year I was writing about our days event and names floating around our heads.

1 year ago we became a family. People ask "What did you do before Olivia?". Honestly, lots but I don't remember. hahahaha Our lives are completely wound up in this little girl. We eat, sleep, work, play, breathe Olivia. She is our world the moment we said "yes" to Maria. The minute we got the phone call, one year ago today, I became a mommy and Martin became a papa.


Olivia at 17 months