Rain on the Parade

Aidan finished school on Friday and we were all looking forward to the neighbourhood's annual parade and carnival in the local park. I was especially looking forward to Maya participating this year and possibly having her first pony ride. But it rained. Aidan went to the parade in the rain but the carnival was basically cancelled.



Not only that, Maya got a high fever and threw up Friday night and was still feeling pretty miserable Saturday. So she wouldn't have been able to go anyway. She was experiencing a lot of teething pain to boot.



Her illness threw a wrench in our plans to move her to her new room. She ended up sleeping with us two nights in a row and was up pretty much every hour both nights. Just when life was getting a little easier and I was almost caught up on my sleep!

By Monday, Aidan was sick and by Tuesday so was I.

The drama didn't end there - my elderly mom ended up having some rather significant rib pain on Friday afternoon. After taking her to "urgent" care (which took 5 hours), she was prescribed a strong pain killer. I insisted she stay with us Friday night as we weren't certain what was causing her pain. In the morning, I found her lying in bed with a big gash on the side of her neck. Turns out she took 2 (strong) pain pills instead of one, got very dizzy in the middle of the night when getting up to use the bathroom, and fell. Somehow I didn't hear any of this despite being up every hour with Maya. We are now extremely concerned about her continuing to live independently.

Fun times.

So yes, it rained on the parade literally and figuratively.

Sleeping Through the Night

For the past month, Maya has consistently slept through the night (with us in another room). And she is taking one 2 hour nap per day in the crib - Hooray!

I am finally feeling like I am catching up on the sleep missed during the first 3 months. I think Mike will tell you I am not as cranky either!

We plan to finish her room and move her in this weekend. I hope that she will not regress with the change of scenery!

Aidan and Maya

Aidan and Maya are still getting along well. The novelty of having a new sister is wearing off a bit for Aidan but his face still lights up when he sees her. And Maya gives him lots of open mouthed kisses (MWAH!). So all in all things are going pretty well. I'm looking forward to having some fun with both of them this summer while I am on leave. I think it will be a special summer.

Here are two cute photos of the kids together last week and also a nice one of Maya.

The Nannies of VT3

Catherine has a wonderful post on the nannies of Vung Tau 3. Check out her latest post here.

These women had such an important role in Maya's beginnings. I feel bad that we didn't get to spend more time with them and thank them more for all they did for Maya. We did send some extra money and a thank you note to all the nannies while we were in Vietnam. We also recently sent a small token of our appreciation - some photos and thank you cards and small souvenirs to each individual nanny.

Happy Father's Day!

to the most giving, patient, and loving father I know (Mike!).

We spent Father's Day at Heart Lake Conservation Area with my sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews. Unfortunately, my camera battery ran out early on but I was able to get one nice shot of Mike with Maya on his first Father's Day with her.

Mike with Maya (cousin Justin has given her a flower, worn behind her ear).


Here she is riding on Daddy's shoulders the day before. She likes to hold on tight and yell "Ow!" (because that's what we say when she pulls our hair! )

Backyard Baby

Some photos of Maya that I took in the backyard last week....

I love her smile....

Berry Good!

It's strawberry season in Ontario, and this past Sunday we went to Springridge farm to pick some berries. Well, Mike and Aidan did the picking, and Maya and I did the eating! Here are a few photos from the day...

MWAH!

MWAH! I am showered several times a day in kisses by Maya. Open-mouthed wet kisses. So sweet.

She is such an affectionate child. I get extras at bedtime and extras when I return to the house if I've been out without her. When I pick her up, she pats my back.

She's not affectionate with everyone though- just me, Aidan, and (sometimes) Mike.

I am grateful that she has attached so well to us. I feel that she must have received a lot of love from her nounous at the orphanage.

Puddin' Face

This week in Maya's Early Years class, the teacher decided it would be fun to do finger painting with chocolate pudding. Well, as you can imagine Maya did very little finger painting - all she did was shovel pudding into her mouth and say "Mmmmmm!". Here she is...

"Mmmmmmm!"

I missed a spot!

9/13

Maya has slept through the night nine out of the last 13 nights. Knock on wood, I think we have turned a corner. In addition, she napped in the crib yesterday with a minimum of fuss - i think that was a first.

Words

Maya can say quite a bit now... here is a list of the "words" she can say:

mama
papa
up (as in pick me up, her favourite)
cracka (cracker)
buh (book)
0-0h!
hi!
ta (tongue)
mmm!
tan-ka (thank you)
nana (banana)

Sandbanks

This past weekend we went to Sandbanks Provincial Park near Pictin. Saturday was a glorious day! The weather was just right - not too hot and not too cold. The kids had a great time at the beach. And Mike and I enjoyed doing NOTHING for a change!

We stayed in a sleepy town called Wellington at The Newsroom Suites. Our suite was very nicely decorated. And Maya slept through the night again even though we had forgotten the sleep machine.


The next morning was very rainy but the rain let up for the TDH picnic at Sandbanks. It was nice to meet some other families with children from Vietnam (mostly Vung Tau). And the kids had a great time playing the sand.

Here are a few photos from the weekend...

Aidan building "The Extreme Extractor" as he called it

TDH Picnic - Me and Maya with a family who had recently returned from Vung Tau with their daughter

TDH volunteers and executive

Aidan playing in the sand dunes with some new friends

Maya in May

Some photos of Maya in the backyard on a rainy day in May

Look at me! I know how to use a sippy cup now!

Forget toys ! Playing with onions and cans of pop is much more fun!


Roped into a game of Superheros by her brother


We got Maya a wading pool for the backyard. Even seven year old Aidan thinks it's pretty fun!

We went to the Vietnamese Pavilion at Carassauga (a festival of cultures) and got Maya the conical hat we didn't want to carry home from Vietnam. Here are a few photos of Aidan sporting it...