October Wrap-Up

Second post for today -- in a blogging mood! Check back tomorrow for an update about Maelyn's upcoming surgery...

A few pics to catch up on October events...

Game opener...yes, Maelyn is wearing a Leafs shirt...I lost that battle!

Paul took Maelyn to a farm with some friends -- his first outing on his own with Maelyn. The both had an absolute blast!!

Rolling down the hill...

Kara in the middle of helping me put up pictures in the living room -- purging and organizing...

 

Spending the day with wonderful friends...after their group photo shoot -- we got such amazing pics!

Opening Halloween gifts/treats from Auntie AM and Julia

Silly Bandz -- Julia introduced them to her and she loves them!

A fun visit with Leanne and Jennie....

Getting into the dress-up mood...

Car seat in the hallway...always a novelty. She insisted on being buckled in...hehe!

A Much Needed Break...

Lianne and the girls were kind enough to offer to look after Maelyn on Monday evening, while I went out for dinner with my good friend, Martine, who I haven't seen in months. Trust me, by the time we made it to Mississauga, I was more than ready to hand her over and take a break!

Maelyn had a rough day on Monday. Tantrums, crying, screaming -- it made up our entire day. Everything made her miserable, nothing at all made her happy. When I put her down for a nap, she didn't sleep a wink. I considered cancelling, but then I hoped that she would cheer up when she was with Bryanna and Cassidy.

Thankfully, Lianne is a seasoned mother and was able to handle it when Maelyn continued to be miserable for part of the night. After a little bit of Advil, as Lianne suspected that perhaps her teeth were bothering her, Maelyn returned to her normal, happy self. I couldn't believe the difference in my child when I came to pick her up! Ahhhh....the magic of pain medication. :)

The girls spent the evening entertaining Maelyn and in the end a good time was had by all. Of course -- she was in the hands of loving friends family.

As for me, I had a fabulous dinner out and had a much-needed break from mothering. I love my little girl with all my heart, but I know when I need a break -- it allows me to maintain patience and to keep going. Thanks, Lianne, for helping to keep me sane! :)

One of her favourite activities -- stickers!!

A purple popsicle helps to make a mouth feel better, too...

Love the way she is snuggled into Lianne's arms...

Eating popsicles, snuggling, watching Elmo....

Playing with Charlie -- so cute!!

Halloween Fun!!

What a fantabulous day!!! It was our first Canadian holiday as a family of three and it completely lived up to our expectations! Traditions were born and the excitement was plenty...

Helping Daddy get the pumpkins ready for carving...

Paul had the opportunity to sleep in, but instead got up early, excited about carving our first pumpkins with Maelyn. She loved pulling out the guts of the pumpkins and even helped to separate the guts from the seeds. We loved seeing her experiment with the different textures and get messy! Her attention, however, only lasted for one pumpkin gutting. Maelyn watched Backyardigans and had a snack while Paul and I finished gutting the other pumpkin.

During lunch time Maelyn decided to throw one of the longest and most intense tantrums we have experienced with her. We have no idea what started it, but we were worried that she wouldn't be in the mood to enjoy the day. In the end, she calmed herself down and went on as if nothing had happened.

After nap time, we decided that we needed to make some modifications to her costume. April made her the most the beautiful ladybug costume, complete with ladybug shoes, hat, etc. Unfortunately, the snow that we had during the day made it so that the black clothing underneath the ladybug shell just wouldn't be enough to keep her warm. We consented to the idea that we would have to put her in her snowsuit and just make do -- hoping that Maelyn would play along.

In the beginning, she wasn't too thrilled at being so bundled...

In the end, she loved it!! :) Funny what a magic wand will do!

Mike and Nicole dropped by with Katelyn.....too cute!!

Maelyn's first glimpse of others dressed up....she just couldn't figure it out!

Neighbour fun -- to think, last year Genesis was the only little one in our group....

Trying to figure out why Mike now has hair....

We were wondering how Maelyn would react to the experience of trick-or-treating....but of course, our social butterfly ladybug absolutely LOVED it!! After the second house, she understood that if she said trick-or-treat (in her syllable-type talk) and held out her treat bag, people would give her treats -- the best trick in the world! As soon as Maelyn and Paul walked away from one house, she would be screaming trick-or-treat all the way to the next one. At one house, a kind woman bent down to talk to her and Maelyn helped herself to the treat bowl, taking handfuls of her candy. The neighbour laughed so hard that she just kept letting Maelyn grab the candy -- I didn't mind, either! :)

We went to many more houses than we had planned on visiting, but Maelyn just wanted to keep going. After an hour and a half, we finally got her inside and took off her snowsuit. She then answered the door and handed out candy -- screaming and laughing every time the doorbell would ring.

What a fantastic day! I am normally not a big fan of Halloween, but experiencing the holiday through Maelyn's eyes has made me see the holiday in a different light. It hit me hard last night -- how lucky we are to be parents and especially the parents of such an amazing little girl. Life is as wonderful as a bowl of candy!

Thanks, AM, for the planting the idea of not missing out on this holiday -- delaying surgery by a week was the best thing we could have done!!

Our Ottawa Adventure

At the beginning of the month we headed to Ottawa to visit family. My Grandpa hasn't been feeling very well lately and we wanted to visit with him. It was the longest car ride we had taken with Maelyn -- but she surprised me and handled the trip really well. It could be that Paul sat in the back with her for the entire trip -- that man has the patience of a saint! :)

We stayed with my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Eric and we were able to visit with many of our cousins. It was wonderful being able to introduce her to our extended family. Auntie Kara, Uncle Cam and Jake were also in Ottawa with us -- Maelyn had a blast playing with them for the entire weekend.

Kealey and Maelyn...

Auntie Kara, Jake and Maelyn playing in the backyard...

Maelyn and Uncle Cam reading the morning paper...

One of the highlights of our visit was being able to introduce Maelyn to Coby, Kealey's son. He is three and a half and we were excited about the kids being able to spend time together.

Another highlight of our trip was being able to visit with my cousin, Craig, and his four kids. I have always loved visiting with their family and it was so nice to be able to introduce them to our little girl. They were wonderful with her, sharing their toys with her, introducing her to their horses, and even playing on their trampoline.

Visits to Ottawa were always an important part of my childhood. The fact that my family can share in the joy that is Maelyn is something that is hard to describe -- a lifelong dream fulfilled.



Fun Times...

The past few days have been busy, but a ton of fun!

Julia stayed with us overnight, which meant huge amounts of excitement for Maelyn. We weren't even out of the car to pick her up at school and Maelyn was already calling out for her Julia. The two of them giggled and danced to the music all the way home.

After homework, making Julia's lunch, dinner, and then bathing, the girls were ready for a night of fun!

Paul, Julia and Maelyn played flashlight hide and seek...I have no idea how that game is played -- I was at Zumba class and Paul apparently invented the game. When I got home, we put the girls to bed. Maelyn desperately wanted to stay with Julia and tried her best to convince us that she could stay with her -- even pretending that she was asleep!

Today, after we dropped Julia off at school, Maelyn and I tackled a baking project together. I wanted to make some apple desserts to use up some of the apples we had picked.

 Maelyn grabbed the apple I had peeled and started munching...

Helping Mama clean up...

 Ready to be baked...

 Okay -- I set off the alarm....apparently these muffins are BIG ones...ooops!!

Oh well....they were still pretty tasty!

Once we were done baking and tidying, Maelyn found her bin of winter wear and decided to try on every single thing....and then chose a hat to wear during lunch...

What a great way to spend the past few days -- with friends and a little one I love dearly.

Giving Thanks

I have been really excited about the holiday season starting -- Thanksgiving, Halloween and Christmas! This year is especially exciting as it is our first holiday season in our new home and as a family of three.

Anyone who really knows me knows how much I LOVE any kind of holiday and the traditions that go along with it -- including the decorating. The only problem with wanting to go all out this year is not having the budget to support it -- being off on adoption leave is a delicate balance between wants and needs. So...I kept the decorating for Thanksgiving low-key. I love the way in which the forest behind our house drops beautiful leaves on the ground and adds to the fall look around our house -- all for free! :)

This year Paul and I hosted my Mom's side of the family for Thanksgiving dinner -- our first big holiday gathering. We planned out the meal ahead of time and felt completely on top of things -- but didn't realize how difficult it would be to look after Maelyn and cook at the same time. Thankfully, my sister and brother-in-law were there to make sure that she was entertained and fed. Even more importantly, they made sure that she was comfortable in the crowd of people we had over.

Normally the 'kids' are relegated to the smaller table, but this year the 'kids' outnumbered the parents -- the balance of power has shifted!

Spending quality time with siblings and cousins...

Although we try to take the time to appreciate how lucky we are, this year we are especially thankful for the people in our lives. Our family and friends have shown us a tremendous amount of love and support over the past year -- the likes of which we could have never imagined. You all need to know how much we love you and are grateful for your presence in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just because....