Garnet — Page 3

21
Aug

Cross Canada Road Trip – Off we go!

August 21, 2013

Day 1

We started off happily singing choruses while putting along in our energy efficient hybrid……. um, nope.

We spent half the morning packing and re packing scads of stuff into the back of our monster van (the Magic School Bus my brother called it the other day – the name may have stuck. :). I had a mega migraine and we had just thrown out every decent scrap of food set to expire causing me to run to Subway for a huge order to go.

We finally gave up on peace and perfection and ushered everyone into the van.

And then off we went. After a couple quick stops we drove out of town. By the time we hit Mara Lake we had laughing kidding the back. By Revelstoke we were all roaring with laughter over James and Faith’s parodies just begging us to pull over for a pee break. 🙂 Golden brought us to McDs and a hunt for a store that sold the one important thing we had forgotten (we hope the only one!). A search fir Elk that ended in quarters for finders. And finally we pulled over the Rocky Mountains to Garnet’s gasps of Ooooo and Aaaah. So cute. Pulling into Calgary under a perfectly, enormous full moon with a spectacular sunset in the sky and finished the night with room service, deep fried pickles (I’m in love – who knew?) and a bottle for Isaiah.

We began our journals tonight (hey, it is the first day of homeschool for us!) and Grace wowed me with her drawing skills and perspective.

The day definitely started off this trip with a rosy glow!

{photos taken with my phone}

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8
Aug

So here we are

August 8, 2013

After writing that last post about our visit to Samuel’s friends, we returned to the hotel and Isaiah promptly fell into a deep, dark, angry grieving rage. It was a long and loud one. So long in fact, that we sent my folks off to the Goodbye China Party that our agency throws all on their own. We ended up following them after a bit, and enjoyed watching Samuel so excited over the magician, but that’s not really the point. Actually, that rage was only the beginning.

The airplane. The drive to Stephen’s folks. Driving home. At mealtime. At bedtime. At play. At the doctor’s. Never for so long that we fear for him, but definitely intense.

Isaiah had fussed and cried before. Not long-lasting, but it spoke of what was going on underneath. It appears to be a typical two year old type of thing, for sure. Head clunking against ours. Back arched and stiff. Sharp screams and yells. The hard part is knowing where the two year old part of it begins and the fear and grief ends. And mix it all in with thoughts like our doctor voiced yesterday, “He’s got to be frustrated that he can’t do for himself.”

Yeah. Not a simple thing to sort out.

He has enjoyed playing with his siblings, that’s for sure. And honestly, I will do a post later about it, but they’ve enjoyed him too. That is the 90% of it. The 10% remaining is this rage.

0-60 in no time flat.

So, we hold him and remind him and love him and hold him some more. And sometimes when the yells are too piercing we hold him and wear ear buds. Whatever it takes.

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Post swimming at Grandma and Grandpa’s. He’d say, “WOOOOOOW!” with great enthusiasm every so often.

Samuel, showing Isaiah how to open one his birthday gifts.

Rolling, rolling, rolling… Sure glad we kept those baby gates up!

Yes, we own desks and nice furniture. This is James’ room. And this is the den of Minecraft. Isaiah was welcomed into the fold.

It looks sad, but this is the crew allowed to play, yes, you guessed it, Minecraft, together for a few minutes before we headed out for swimming at their grandparents’. They had just finished laying all over the floor playing with Isaiah. He was kind of like, “Huh?” He is pretty good at swiping on the iPad. IT’s only a matter of time….

He’s sexy and he knows it.

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15
Jul

People Watching

July 15, 2013

We are waiting for our flight from Beijing to Changsha. Thunderstorms have cancelled most flights in and out. Lots of time to sit and people watch. People are the same everywhere. Except for one family that has me thinking. They have a tween daughter and a toddler son. Two children. Special quota? Children missing in between? Infertility? Second marriage? Adoption? Careful birth control until fines raised? So many thoughts run through my mind. Different thoughts than I have in other countries airports. The land if my four youngest children’s births.

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23
May

What do you see?

May 23, 2013

What do you see?

I see three children washing dishes.

I also see one of the children using step stool.

I see that it is not the child who measures in at 2 1/2 feet tall without his prosthetics.

LOVE it!

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19
Feb

This is Love

February 19, 2013

Do you see what I see?

I see Love!

Most people who know Stephen in his real life, see him as serious, regimented, disciplined and driven. They’d be right. In his professional life and in many of his personal hobbies and habits he is “Mr. Type A”. And trust me, it’s served us all very well.

Chore Charts? Check.

Kids to appointments on time? Check.

3 Square meals a day? Check.

He likes life orderly and in line.

OH that is SO tough for this undisciplined girl!

But I’ve learned and he’s softened, and we’ve flexed back and forth and it works.

Watching him take 25 minutes to pull out of our driveway with Garnet and Samuel this morning made me pause.

He didn’t just pick up Samuel and carry him outside. Nope, he made him walk.

He didn’t just boost him into his car seat. Nope, he waited for TEN minutes while Samuel figured out how to climb up into his car seat, turn around, not catch his prosthetic feet on the seat back in front of him, position himself just so, arrange his crutches, realize that his buckle was underneath himself, haul his bottom up and wiggle around his winter coat, position his crutches, feed his arms through the straps, and then proceeded to allow Samuel to buckle himself 1, 2, 3 times in order to get it just right.

You get the idea.

And he did it with patience, kindness and a smile.

That is LOVE!

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8
Jan

l.o.v.e. my kids

January 8, 2013

Adorable Garnet story from pre-op (sorry if you already caught it on FB):

Garnet brought the stuffed monkey we bought for him while he was still in China to the OR with him. Monkey got a piggy back ride down the hall to the OR and then was clutched tightly as he drifted off to sleep. My little monkey…

Got home to sleep tonight (Steve is staying the night with Garnet) and the other kids had entertained Samuel all day, shovelled the mounds of snow, fed and cleaned up three meals, completed their assignments for school and tackled their chores. Totally impressed my socks off! Way to go guys!

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7
Jan

Garnet’s Bone Graft Surgery Eve

January 7, 2013

Here we are again. Surgery time for Garnet.

He was scheduled for this one back in October but it was cancelled due to his catching a cold.

I’ve ~~almost~~ hesitated to post anything at all about it for ~~fear~~ hope it would be cancelled yet again.

You see, I’m chicken.

B-GAWWWWWK!

Yep. I hate all of the poking and prodding and procedures that my kids have to go through. But I think I may have mentioned that a time or two. Let’s just say that I don’t go into these things lightly for any of them.

Oh my heart!

Tonight I’ll simply post some photos of him on his Bone Graft Surgery Eve. They tell so much about Garnet right now.

I think he’s adorable with his long shaggy hair and tired eyes. Dad took him out late to get a “last supper” of McDonald’s before he is restricted to a soft diet for the next while.

Dad let him play with his iPhone too. What’s not to love about being the patient?

This is the one that made our hearts melt.

He packed his own bag for the hospital.

(Don’t worry, we tucked some clothes in another bag – but hey, who needs clean clothes, right?!)

Included in the bag was:

1. His stuffed monkey that we bought for him while we waited to travel to meet him.

2. His “Froggy” that James gave him.

3. His beloved hat that was passed down to him from his cousin Lane.

4. His Illusion-ology book about Magic.

5. His Pokemon guidebook.

6. His Outdoors guidebook that his Dad reads to him nightly when he is home.

And last, but not least…

7. Every possible electronic device he could get his hands on, including chargers and extra game cartridges.

That’s our Garnet in a nutshell!

He’s so delighted that he gets some time off school and smoothies for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

He’s obviously going to feel bit different tomorrow, but he’s a pretty upbeat guy and I know he’ll get through this alright. The one regret he has is the fact that he won’t be able to make those “oh so popular with the young boys” noises through the hole in his gum line anymore.

(Don’t tell him, but I might just miss that a little bit too!)

It’s all just so Garnet!

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5
Jan

What can you do on a snowy day?

January 5, 2013

Grace teasing me with her smile…

Faith working on her polymer clay figures…

Appreciating my last night with the glow of the Christmas village…

Gazing outside the schoolroom window at the snow…

Garnet building creatively with the new Magformers…

A reintroduction to Anne of Green Gables…

Bring the fun inside. Snow in the kitchen? Samuel thought I was hilarious!

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2
Jan

Genuine Christmas Spirit

January 2, 2013

Like most of us, I really love the weeks leading up to Christmas. The lights, the visiting, the anticipation – they bring out such a warmth in my spirit and in the demeanour of so many around me. Truly, what’s not to love?

Unlike many, I try to avoid the Boxing Week sales. The return lines in the mall, the 70% off everything signs, the bedraggled decorations – they put a damper on my glow, you know?

Today though, I decided to take James out to exchange a couple items. And as expected, folks were a bit more down in the mouth. And things didn’t have the sparkle that I’d noticed just a few short days before. Until, that is, we headed over to a new prosthetics office that we haven’t been to before.

I needed to pick up some spray that helps Samuel’s prosthetic liners suction a bit better. We go through a ton of that stuff. I ran in expecting a quick errand and stopped dead in my tracks. Amongst the clients and professionals, there was laughter and smiling; friendly banter and joking. I paused for a second while they waited for me to announce my reason for stopping in. Such a contrast and in such an unlikely place, or so one would think.

But that it the secret that we have discovered over the past five years. The key to happiness and joy has nothing to do with the packages and shiny lights and brand names and deep discounts. It has to do with perspective.

And today I realized, not for the first time, that I am one of the privileged few who have been let in on the secret to joy and maybe even the true essence of Christmas Spirit.

It was a wonderful reminder for a brand new year.

Welcome 2013!