Busy Sunday morning....

Another busy Sunday morning....Grace was up at 7:30am and has been going strong since. This photo is from about 10am when I put some coloured soapy water in clear dishes and gave her some utensils and little dishes to play with.

It's 11:30am now and she is still playing with them. At present, she says she is making a birthday cake for me. She keeps singing me "Happy Birthday" over and over again. She must have heard me talking lately about turning 30 in January (an event I'm dreading).

RIP Hilary....

Update from an old post (September 18th):
Sadly, Hilary Bonnell was not found alive...RIP.

Belated Halloween Photos

Despite the magnificant Sleeping Beauty costume that we got at DisneyLand Paris, Grace wore her drab elephant costume out trick or treating on Halloween. The trunk got in the way a bit as you can tell from the photos (she kept lifting it up). Our neighbours are so great and most had a special bag done up just for Grace. Love my neighbours...I feel like they look out for Grace and I.

Buddies....

A picture of Grace and Brendan playing at O'Dell. They kept taking each other's hands to come play. The top picture is from another day at Queen's Square when a kind man gave the kids some tennis balls to play with while he practised on the courts.

Travel Plans....

December...New York City (with Grace)

January/February....Hawaii (alone)

Video from Disneyland Paris....July 2009

This is a video of Grace running into Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland Paris. She just took off with a big smile on her face. She is going to be Sleeping Beauty for Halloween as we bought her costume on this trip.

Painting....

One of Grace's favourite things to do is paint. Almost everyday we paint at our dining room table. The table is not what is used to be as I have given up on covering it up. What doesn't come off with a good scrub before we eat, stays put. So...if you come to our house for dinner...please know that our table is clean, but has a few memories from our painting times on it.

H1N1 vaccine

I have about 5 people ask me everyday how I feel about the H1N1 vaccine. Specifically, will I vaccinate my child? While I am flattered that people respect me enough to ask my opinion, I also feel a great sense of responsibility about making a recommendation to others. I often get asked for advice as a nurse, but this question seems to carry so much weight these days.

So....I am not making any recommendations to others but I can tell you the following:
I have devoured all the literature, talked with experts and people that I trust/admire about this. I got the vaccine myself yesterday. I plan on vaccinating Grace when the public clinics open at the end of the week.

Growing Up...

This picture of Grace was taken at a friend's baby shower. Grace seemed so grown up that night. She was well behaved, watched Angie open her gifts, munched on finger foods, and acted like a little lady.

Jack-o-Lantern

Grace and I had fun one night carving this pumpkin. We had gone to the Country Pumpkin the previous day with friends and picked up a few pumpkins. We chose this one to carve and Grace wanted to make him 'scary'.

Grammie and Grace

I love these pictures of Grace and my mother. Grace is painting my mom's face with face paints that she got for her birthday. Mom was very patient and Grace took such care and attention painting her face.

Grace's Two Birthday Cakes

These are the two birthday cakes that I made for Grace's third birthday. Grace was excited about both of them and helped out a bit with the "Barbie" cake.

"

Fun at the Frex

Brendan, Mya and Grace on the rides...Checking out the animals in the barn. This pic was with the baby piglets. Too cute!


Some pics from the FREX this year. Grace had a great time! She loved the rides, petting zoo, pony rides, visiting the barn and all the yummy food!

Birthday Number Three!

The birthday party in disguise went fairly well. Grace did quite well until the cake came out and it was present time. Then it was quite obvious that it was not just a playdate.

Birthday Plans....

Gracie has decided that she does not want a party for her birthday this year. To be more specific, she wants a party but does not want anyone to come to it. Strange little people, these almost-three year olds.

So...shhhh.....I am disguising her birthday party. We are having a play date at the Clay Cafe with a few friends. I can't let birthday number three go by without a celebration of some sort with her little friends.

Missing Teen in NB

I work with an aunt of this missing teen. Please keep an eye out for her. I pray for her often and hope she is found safe and sound.

Ballet Lessons

Grace and I went to visit the ballet teacher tonight and ended up registering her for classes for the year. Grace was so delighted and started dancing on the spot! She even went over to the ballet bar in the classroom and started to dance like a real ballerina. Grace's teacher, Michelle, is lovely and said that the classes are all about the girls having fun and having some 'princess time'. I will be sure to post some photos soon.

Finally done....

A weight has been lifted off my shoulders!! I just submitted the last requirement for a course that I have dragged out forever. I had a kind prof who gave me extra time to do this. She understood that sometimes during times of stress, you mind does not give you the head space to write papers and think about things other than survival.

I took this course in the midst of my separation from Gordie and every time I sat down to write papers for the course, it felt like I was reliving that anguish all over again. The terrible sadness and anguish would wash over me and I would become paralysed. I would write a couple of words and then stop. I made excuses after excuses not to work on the papers I needed to hand in. I could not understand why the course was so linked to these feelings.

Anyways...I finally got it done!!! I wanted to drop the course so many times and start over with another one. I wanted to forget about it all. However, I knew that I would always regret not finishing it. I wanted to follow through on it. This course was not going to get the better of me.

Soo...it is midnight and I want to party to celebrate that I am done...but alas, I have a sleeping toddler that wakes too easily...so I am sending this celebration off into cyber space on my blog....

Sleep tight...I hope I have good dreams...
love,
Cheyanne

Washing the Windows

Grace has taken to washing the windows lately...I give her a squirt bottle filled with water and some rags.

Square Lake, Alma

A lovely resort that I stayed at recently for a research meeting. Here are a couple of pictures of the great view that we had during our meetings...if only I could always work from such surroundings.

DisneyLand Paris

Some very belated photos from our time at Disneyland Paris....

Eiffel Tower

Grace and I loved the Eiffel Tower...

London

We stayed with friends in London ---big thanks to Caitlin and Billy!--- and I felt like I had my own personal tour guides. In between her work, Caitlin graciously showed us the sights and on her work days she helped me plan our train/underground routes for the day.
Grace's highlights of London were...
---the street performers on the South Bank
---the London Zoo
---taking trains everywhere and anywhere

After the first day, she started calling money "pounds" automatically (to my great surprise!).

I loved St Paul's Cathedral and the houses of Parliment.

Everyone in London was so kind to us and Grace won everyone over, everywhere we went. I mastered carrying a toddler, stroller, a 40lb backpack and a 15lb shoulder bag through the London underground while digging out my ticket to get through the gate...only to find that it was three flights of stairs down, with no 'lift'. Plenty of very kind Londoners carried our stuff up and down stairs for us almost everyday. Someone always offered to help.

The Departure....

We had an uneventful flight overseas. Grace was a great passenger and slept most of the way from Halifax to London. I had to wake her once we landed at the airport. Here are a couple of photos from the plane.

Packing...

My goal is to pack very light for this trip. I do not want to be ladden down with luggage and chasing Grace in airports and foreign cities. I am hoping to fit it all in one carry-on backpack...which Grace has taken to calling a 'pack bag'....probably since I talk about packing our bag.
We are only taking a couple of story books with us for amusement and the laptop with a couple of movies downloaded. She is at the stage where she makes everything into a toy or game anyways. She will be happy with a pen and paper to draw or simple utensils and cups to play tea party. She seems to have a bit of a dual personality these days...there is sweet and pleasant Grace and then as soon as tiredness/hungar/boredom/jealousy take over she turns into "Terrible Two's" Grace complete with whining, crying, and temper tantrums. I will try to keep her well fed and rested while we are on vacation....especially while we stay with Caitlin and Billy. :)
I found a neat product online that can be used instead of a carseat on airplanes...I am off this afternoon to see if I can find it at Stylin' Mom and Tot.
I will keep you posted....
XX

Have you given up on me?

I did not realize that it had been so long since I last did a blog post....hope you all did not give up on me. My laptop was in for repair forever, and finally today the company called and told me to come pick out a new laptop...mine was damaged in shipping it back to the store. So...here I am with a computer again...and a spiffy one at that!
We leave for the UK on Tuesday and plan to stay there a week and move onto France for another week. I plan on keeping you posted as we travel as I will have my laptop with me.

ted.com

I enjoy watching the videos on ted.com, but this one is my all time favourite!
I tried to post the video, but it would not let me.
Here is the link:

10 Things you did not know about orgasm.
http://www.ted.com/talks/mary_roach_10_things_you_didn_t_know_about_orgasm.html

Halifax

I was in Halifax for 4 days last week to attend the Atlantic Senior's Housing Research Alliance (ASHRA) conferance. It was the culmination of 5 years of research and 1.3 million in research dollars. The results are outstanding and I hope that some of them are implemented here in the Maritimes.

I especially loved the details of how seniors are housed from around the world. I think I will need to go to Northern Europe for the best treatment. Some exciting technology was showcased that will benefit seniors who wish to stay at home longer before entering a nursing home. The company is called Tunstall from the UK...really cutting edge (in my world anyways...not of much interest to the rest of the world).

Much Music

Much Music was quite easy to find as it was in the entertainment district of Toronto. I timed my trip so that it would be "Much On Demand" when I came. They always have the doors open to the street and you can see in. They had a large screen TV on which you could see what was happening during the show. At some points during the show they come outside to talk to the crowd. No one special was there the day that I went. About 20 people were standing outside and everyone who walked by asked "Who is here today?" That must be fun if you live in that neighbourhood, you can walk by when you favourite music artist is there.

I stayed for about 10 minutes then moved on. I ate on the rooftop patio of a place across the street so that I could still watch though.

Green Cabs

These 'cabs' brought a smile to my face....no one seemed to be using them though. I think they would work well as Toronto is quite flat.

More on Toronto

The Toronto trip turned out to be fun overall. I quickly got over my 'run in' with the homeless women and made the most of the trip. The photo above is where the conferance was held (Victoria College). It was a very historic block and buildings and I soaked it all in. I took the photo from underneath a beautiful archway (hence the framing in the photo). All the photos turned out 'grainy'...time for a new camera....

I went to the top of the CN Tower and took in the view of the city. It only took about a minute to got up in the elevator. The elevator has two glass walls and a glass floor so the view is breathtaking! Some people closed their eyes, but I took it all in! However, when it came to walking on the glass floor at the top, I was a little more hesitant...it just looked unnatural for me.

I could not figure out how to rotate the picture below, but that is my view from the bottom on the tower looking up. The second photo is from the elevator as we were going down. The last picture is the view from the top. It was quite hazy that day, but I still thought the view was spectacular!

Toronto

I was sitting in the back of a cab surrounded by giantic IKEA bags and a backpack full of shopping from the Eaton Centre....I was thinking what a good day of shopping I had in Toronto. I was able to find my way to all the shops I wanted downtown and even took the subway (with a transfer) to go to North York IKEA without getting lost there and back. I had way too many bags when I got off the subway...so that is how I ended up in the back of the cab....taking it only 6 blocks to the university....when it happened. My little daydream bubble was burst when a homeless lady opened the door to the cab and started screaming at me and begging for money. The cabbie kept yelling for me to close the door but she would not move! She didn't like that I was trying to close the door on her either! She was right in my face, yelling, begging, crying, grabbing at my arm....very scary! I have not had such an forceful encounter with a homeless person. I would have given her some money if I had some in my pocket, but I figured if I went digging for my wallet in my backpack she would probably steal it. Cars behind us in the intersection where honking at us/her and she kept right at it. Finally the cabbie passed back a few dimes and I gave them to her.
The cabbie said that she begs on that corner all the time, but he has never seen her open the door to a car before. Lesson learned: Always lock the car doors!

Mud

My hands are absolutely filthy at the moment....and I love it! Grace and I had a great day playing and gardening in Siobhan's back garden. I am doing only container plants/gardending this year as we may be moving.
We potted some cucumbers, letture and tomatoes. I need some more soil to get the green peppers in as well. We also potted some phlox, which Grace quite likes as it is pink (her favourite colour). We will have to make sure that we get the phlox in the ground sometime before late fall as it is a perennial.
Grace had a bad tumble at the garden centre and has a large 'goose egg' on her forehead to show for it....ouch! She recouped quite quickly though and was back to her usual self in no time....a tough cookie.

My last post was a bit preachy...I wonder what had happened to me that day? Funny that I don't remember...early onset dementia, I think

What I know for sure....don't judge others!

My rant of the day!

Never, ever pass judgement on someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.
You have no idea what people have been through in their life that has led to the decisions they make today.

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day! Grace made me some lovely homemade gifts and cards this year. Very precious and will be displayed proudly at work and home.

...

This quote has been on my fridge for the past several months and I thought I would share it.

'I believe that we still learn as much from our differences as we do from our similiarities.
When we only talk amongst ourselves all we get back are echoes. But when we talk with others of a different mind we are made to think. And it is in thinking that we learn and in learning that we grow.
But we only grow if we take the time to quietly and carefully listen to each other.'

Romeo LeBlanc, Governor General
February 8, 1995

Something to work on....

Lately, I seem to be more conscious of the work that needs to be done with marginalized populations. In quoting Mother Teresa
'Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work'

Weather

Grace and I went for a walk tonight and ended up staying out about 2 hours. We kept running into people we knew and stopping to chat.

Grace was asking a zillion questions as usual and kept asking me about 'weather'. Everyone we talked to mentioned the 'weather' and how nice it was outside. I had no idea that it would be so hard to explain the concept of 'weather' to her. She understands seasons quite well. She understands what it means to be sunny, cloudy, rainy, etc....but to pull that all into the general concept of weather is quite tricky

Quirks

Some of Grace's recent little quirks....

~Grace is intrigued by knowing every one's full names lately. She wants to know first, middle and last names...I have encountered some very interesting middle names amongst my friends.

~Grace wants to accessorize all of her outfits including sunglasses, hair accessories, shoes, and jewellery. She stuffs her purse with snacks, books, dolls, paper, pens and money. What more could a girl need? Today, I found my missing package of gum in her little purse.

~Grace loves the kids next door that skateboard in their driveway. She yells "Hi Boys!" to them all the time. They are quite gracious now and talk back to her. I think they have learned that if you don't answer her, she will keep shouting louder and louder until you do. She has learned all their names and gets quite concerned if they fall down (which they do a lot).

~She talks in her sleep. Not only that...she talks very politely in her sleep. She says things like "No thank you Mommy!" I wonder what she is reliving from her day...obviously something that I did that she did not care for.

House Update

Lots of 'showings' on the house this past week.
Fingers crossed.
Not sure where we will move, but will cross that bridge when we come to it. Lots of ideas in the works.

swim lessons

Grace started swim lessons this week. They are a big hit! She is so eager to swim on her own and keeps telling me to let her go! She jumps in the water fearlessly and comes up with a big smile.

Ironically, one of the other moms in the class was in my own learn-to-swim class a few years ago. We both learned to swim together and now we are teaching our little girls as well. She still remembered me jumping into the deep end for the first time! Hard to believe that I was that scared to swim at age 26!

The Perfect Day...continued...

My friend Siobhan has blogged about this perfect day here http://wanderbugs.blogspot.com/

I will add more pictures soon...need to find that USB cable....

faith....

Here is one of my favorite quotes, by Patrick Overter. It has carried me through the last several months. I have it written on little slips of paper by my desk at school and on my nightstand. I thought it might help some of you as well.

‘When you have come to the edge of all the light you know
and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown,
faith is knowing that one of two things will happen:
there will be something solid to stand on or you will be taught how to fly.’

Grace's Favourite Videos

Grace and I watch very little TV, but we love to watch fun clips on YouTube and from the Kid's National Geographic site.
Her ab-fab video at the moment is the one with the monkeys doing the Irish dancing all in a line. I wish I knew how to post those videos, but you should search for 'monkeys Irish dancing' and you will find it. Only about 30 seconds, but will make you laugh out loud.

A perfect day....

I will post more about this day when I have more time...but it was a perfect day....

Favourite Songs of the Moment

I have been really into music lately. I find that it can be a great distraction when you need to lift your mood. Grace and I love to put on the tunes and dance away. I am pretty sure my neighbours think we are crazy. I know for sure that my friend Siobhan's neighbours think we are crazy since we both were doing the dance from the "Where the hell is Matt?" video on Friday near her picture windows. Wow...no wonder Matt is skinny....that dance is strenuous....

Anyways....I thought I would post a sampling of my favourite songs right now.....
Just Dance- Lady GaGa
Gotta be Somebody- Nickelback
Beautiful Girls- Sean Kingston
Circus- Britney Spears
I hate this part right here- The Pussy Cat Dolls
So What- Pink
Single Ladies- Beyonce

Grace has her own favourite music of the moment....
Puff the Magic Dragon-- from a lovely CD we just got
Wind the Bobbin Up-- complete with action rhymes
Frosty the Snowman-- Grace will sing this one solo
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star-- Again you will find her singing this to herself and doing the actions....beyond cute...I need to capture this on video

Mmmmm....this was really good....

Maple Chicken Curry Penne

Ingrediants
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast meat (or shrimp)
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup heavy cream (I used whipping cream)
2 1/2 tablespoons hot curry paste or curry powder

Directions
1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers, and cook until onions are soft and translucent. Stir in cooked chicken and garlic, and sprinkle with sugar. Cook, stirring for about 3 minutes, then stir in maple syrup, and cook for about 5 more minutes, until caramelized.
2. Stir in curry paste/powder and cream, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
3. Serve over rice or penne pasta.

Should I?

I am thinking about taking a bit of a break from graduate school....eek!
My advisers think that I have too much on my plate and need to give myself a break for a bit. I think it would be good for me to take some time off and come back refreshed...but then another part of me just wants to be done ASAP!
Decisions, Decisions....

A kitten and a princess

This photo captures Grace's two favourite make believe games this winter....pretending to be a kitten and a princess.



I guess this day she felt like being both.

Winter

I am wishing the winter away, but Grace seems to be enjoying it!

Friday

Mental note to self: Eating ice cream sandwiches with Gracie for dessert every night is not conducive to weight loss.
25 pounds are gone....but 30+ pounds left to go!

Update on Frosty the Snowman

Our very own Frosty the Snowman has completely melted away. He still lives on in Grace's heart as she sings this song every day and asks "Where did Frosty go?"

Mom's Night Out

A group of friends and I go out to dinner about once a month for a "Mom's Night Out". It is a great time to get together and chat about our kids and to catch up. We go out to dinner at a restaurent and leave the kids at home. We have been doing this for about 18 months and we are going strong with no plans of stopping!
This group started out as a 'baby playgroup' that got together once a week when we are all on maternity leave. All of us have a least one child that is in the 2 year old range. Most of this group have had a second child or are expecting a second child, so it is really fun for me to get to see the new babies as well.
Last night we ate at The Blue Door....yummy! I had sweet potatoe fries as an appetizer, skipped the main course and had the best brownie ever as dessert. My mouth is still watering, it was so good.
Thanks for the good time girls!

Home-made Laundry Detergent

I have been meaning to post this recipe for awhile. I made my own laundry detergent in the fall and have really enjoyed using it. It is very economical and most importantly for me...it is free from harsh chemicals and scents.

I got this recipe from the Duggar Family. I will copy it here. I used Sunlight soap for mine.

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Bioenergetics Workshop

I went to a "Bio-energetics" workshop this weekend. I met some wonderful people and had a good time. It definetely pushed the boudaries of my comfort level and seems like an interesting form of therapy. Bioenergetic Analysis is a specific form of body-psychotherapy – based upon the continuity between body and mind – rooted in the work of Wilhelm Reich and founded by Alexander Lowen. BA basically combines a bodily, analytic and relational therapeutic work, based upon an energetic understanding.
Here is an interesting quote about it:
"When you have no words for your feelings, for what happened to you, for what is missing in you, we listen to the inner resonance - of your inchoate secrets - as it lives in your body. We help you to sense and amplify this inner resonance until its movement comes close enough to the surface of your being to enter your consciousness. But we also listen carefully to your words and are touched by them when they come from a depth of your being that no one can put a hand on. We invite you to surrender to the spirit of your body and the body of your spirit - and in so doing, to embrace your true self." (Robert Lewis, M.D)

I came away from the workshop with a better understanding of myself but also feeling a bit raw from all the deep reflection that I did about myself.

The Road Not Taken ~ Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Why?

Grace is always asking "Why?" these days. A typical conversation goes like this:

Me: Would you like animal crackers for your snack?
Her: Why?
Me: Because you might be hungry
Her: Why?
Me: Because you were playing all morning
Her: Why?
Me: Because you like to play
Her: Why?
Me: Because you are two years old
Her: Why?
Me: Because you were born two years ago
Her: Why?
Me: Because that was your birthday
Her: Why?
Me: Because God decided that was the day you were going to be born
Her: Why?
Me: Because God decided
Her: Oh.

The conversations usually end with a reference to God for the reason or saying "That is just the way it is". She will not stop until she gets one of these answers, but she wants to hear all of the reasons to get to that answer. If I give one of these answers immediately, she is not happy.

What a curious little soul....hopefully my patience lasts as long as this stage of her life.

Horsie

We bought the horse at a yard sale this summer and Grace likes it, but uses it infrequently.






However...since her friend Brendan played on it last month, she is playing on it non-stop.

Thanks Brendan for making Gracie interested in her horse again! I think you showed her how much fun it could be.
:)

Update on the toddler bed

Here is a picture of Grace's toddler bed. She has not slept in it lately as she has been sick...but this afternoon she crashed out on it...so I took a picture.

Hopefully, she will be sleeping in it soon....and I will have my bed back to myself again.

Frosty the Snowman

Grace is really into Frosty the Snowman this winter. She started singing the song daily about a month ago. This culminated last week in her using a banana as a microphone and standing on her Little Tykes picnic table and giving a concert for her dollies. I do not know where she got this from!

I found out that they have a Frosty book at school that they read daily. Grace and I went to Chapters to see if we could buy it. It was not in stock, but we ordered it and it arrived the day she was in hospital. She was so happy when I brought it in to her.

Gordie made her a "Frosty" on the day she came home from the hospital. Very cute! She loves to look out the window at it.

Home from the hospital

Gracie came down with a nasty stomach bug over the weekend. She quickly became severely dehydrated (totally lethargic), so had a 24 hour stay in hospital for IV fluids. The staff on the pediatric unit were so great with her that she did not want to leave. Too cute!
We are home again and Grace still has the flu symptoms, but it seems more manageable since she was rehydrated well in hospital. Mom and Gordie are helping out lots, and I am able to take some time to nap and work when needed.
Hopefully, Grace will be better soon! The pediatrician gave us some good suggestions for next time Grace gets sick. We can start Zofran right away....a powerful anti-nausea drug. He said that this helps kids who are "super-vomiters", like Grace. Whenever Grace starts to vomit, it quickly spirals out of control. The usual Pedialyte treatment does not help when she is sick. He also stressed that Grace's "super-vomiting" status is superimposed on her being a picky eater that struggles to stay on the growth charts.
All of this sounds terrible, but it validated what I have been saying all along about her. She needs quick medical intervention to help her when she is sick like this.
Fingers crossed that this passes soon!

Clinical Teaching

I am getting excited about starting clinical teaching again. I start on Monday and teach 2 days a week for the next 2 months. I did this before and really enjoyed it.

I think I will be a better instructor this time since I have all my Master's coursework and Diploma in University Teaching under my belt.

Wish me luck!

Happy Valentines Day

We had a lovely Valentine's Day party today with some friends this morning. Grace was in foul mood when she woke up so I was worried about having people over, but it turned out that was all that she needed in order to turn around.

We did the muffin tin lunch idea (recently made fashionable by my good friend, Siobhan). This made it easy to have a picnic lunch on the floor. We did a simple craft and exchanged Valentines.

Thanks everyone for making Valentine's Day fun!

Toilet Training

Grace has decided that she no longer wants to wear diapers....so we are in the midst of potty training. There is so much going on right now that I did not think it was the right timing...but she is determined not to wear a diaper.

We have done well this week with only a couple of accidents. She still wears diapers in the car and at nap and bedtime. We are using stickers as rewards and that is working well. She quite likes to empty her potty into the big flush as well.