R&R

Rebecca's Twin

2009-04-27T22:34:00.004-06:00

Rebecca has a twin sister who lives in sunny California!! Well, not quite....oh yes, she DOES live in California, but she is of course not really Becky's twin :) But she may as well be! I've never met any other little girl before that looks SO MUCH like our Sweetie! Her name is Kira, and I met her mom Sarah on the Internet when the girls were around 1, I believe? We emailed each other occassionally and chatted a few times on MSN, but then somehow lost touch for quite awhile (nearly 2 years?) and just got reconnected again not long ago. It's been nice catching up and seeing pictures, and seeing that the girls still do look very much alike! Sarah posted a very similar post on her blog, she had asked me if it was ok for her to do so just before I was going to ask her the same thing! She was showing her 6 year old son pictures of Becky from my blog, and he thought it was his sister Kira, but couldn't figure out who all the other people in the pictures were! It would be so cool if we could all meet in person one day. Hey, I need an excuse to travel to California, wouldn't meeting Becky's twin be a good reason? :)

KIRA

THE 2 SLEEPING BEAUTIES:

WHEN KIRA AND BECKY WERE AROUND 2:

Easter

2009-04-13T16:11:00.003-06:00

We just celebrated Easter, the resurrection of our risen LORD!
I tried to get some pictures of the girls, but could not get one good one, Rachel is just too squirmy now and just won't sit still! Ahhhh, things were so much easier when she was 3 months old and she'd sit all pretty beside her big sister! Anyways, here are some attempts and also a picture I had taken at the mall of Rachel, courtesy of First Impression Portraits.

Birthday fun!

2009-04-11T10:59:00.005-06:00

I'm now the mom to a 4 year old and a 1 year old! On March 29th, we celebrated Rebecca's 4th birthday, and on April 2 Rachel turned 1. Time really does go by so fast. Rachel is now walking and learning new things every day. Here are some pictures of the girls on their birthdays.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-15T14:31:00.004-07:00

Happy New Year, everyone!!
I haven't been good at keeping up with the blog, but thought I'd do a quick update since it's been so long. We had a good Christmas, had both our parents here over the holidays, first time since our wedding that we were all together. We are settling into Edmonton and enjoying it here. It has been nice to still be able to see some of our Yellowknife friends on their way through Edmonton. We don't miss the -40 temps though! Calvin is enjoying his work, and the girls are both getting big so fast! Rebecca is going to preschool at Elves Monday - Friday, and Rachel is at home with me growing fast and learning new things all the time. She will keep us on our toes!
Here are some pics from the last while...

Rachel happy in the tub.

Becky and Rachel with Oma and Opa.

The girls with both grandparents.

Rachel and Oma.

Don't Google "Koala bear poems", or you will end up here!

2008-12-01T17:47:00.005-07:00

I know, I know....I haven't posted in 4 1/2 months!! Do people even check my blog still? People I actually know, that is .... I just did a peak at my stats counter and saw that most people lately that have come across this blog did so after googling something to do with koala bears. These are some actual google searches that people did that brought them to my blog:

"koala bear poem"

"koala bear cookies"

"koala poetry"

"smiling koala bear"

and lots of others, many of which have to do with koala bear poems...who knew, that so many people were searching about poems to do with koala bears??
So...if you have come across this blog in search of something to do with koala bears, sorry to disappoint you!!
Actually, I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog. Even though I like koala bears and it's the nickname I've used for ages for Internet stuff...too many people are landing on this blog from all over the place thinking they will find something to do with koalas!!
I will post another actual family update with pics soon....

Balloons and Smiles

2008-07-23T17:03:00.004-06:00

We were at the hospital yesterday with the girls for Rebecca's last appointment with her pediatrician before we move away. While there, we went and got their picture taken next to their balloon on the Obstetrics ward. After your baby is born, you have the option of donating $100 to the hospital, which they use to purchase medical equipment etc. The child's name then gets put on a balloon and hung on the "Little Treasures" wall. We didn't do it with Rebecca, but after Rachel was born we decided to get them both a balloon. They were just put up while we were in Winnipeg, so we decided to go take a look while we were at the hospital. I thought I'd post these since I like the way Becky is smiling in her picture!

I just noticed something on the tickers up top....today Rebecca is 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days old, and Rachel is 3 months and 3 weeks old. ... that's a lot of 3s!!

Update...

2008-07-20T09:34:00.010-06:00

So it's been over a month and a half again since I last posted. Rachel is now over 3 1/2 months old and continuing to grow like a weed. It's amazing to see her grow and learn new things right before our eyes. She is now constantly rolling over from her back onto her tummy, and never stays on her back for sleeping at night. She always promptly rolls either onto her side or right onto her tummy when we put her down. The last 4 nights she's slept awesome, right through the night! Last night she slept from 9 pm till 8 am! :)
Rebecca is getting bigger too and in just a month and a half from now will be attending the Elves Society preschool program! Yup, we are moving to Edmonton in a month from now. Edmonton will be better for Rebecca in the long run, with more services and programs for her. The preschool program will benefit both her and us, as it will allow me to go out and do shopping etc during the day with Rachel. It's almost impossible for me to get out myself with both of them, which usually means I spend most days in the house.
We just got back from a very quick 2 week trip to Winnipeg, where we helped my parents move from their house into an aparment. The time was just not long enough though, and when we left the apartment was still piled full of boxes with nothing put away. I wished I could have stayed longer but it was just not possible.
Here are some pictures taken over the last month...

Rebecca & Rachel wearing their matching sundresses from Tante Barbara.

All smiles!

Sisters on Canada Day (and Daddy's birthday!)

With Oma & Opa in Winnipeg.

2 months old

2008-06-02T22:36:00.002-06:00

Here are a few pics I took today of Rachel, who turned 2 months old today.

Smiles

2008-06-01T20:04:00.004-06:00

I managed to get a few pictures tonight of Rachel smiling. She's been smiling lots now but it's hard to catch with the camera cause it happens so fast! The second picture is my favourite.

Rainbow

2008-06-01T19:49:00.004-06:00

There was a beautiful rainbow out tonight. We don't have the best view from our house with all the buildings around, but here are some pictures I took.

"As long as it's healthy"

2008-06-01T18:02:00.002-06:00

I hear this comment a lot from people when they (or somebody close to them) are expecting a baby. When asked if they are having a boy or a girl, often times the response is: "Oh, it doesn't really matter, as long as it's healthy." I heard that comment again today, and just thought I'd write down some thoughts on that. Before having Rebecca, I think I may have said the same thing. On more than one occasion. I thought nothing of it, and did not expect to NOT have a healthy baby. That happens to other people, not us! "We don't really care what we're having, as long as it's healthy." NOW, whenever I hear that comment, I feel so different about it. I always think, well what if the baby is NOT healthy? Does that mean you would want it or love it any less?? I don't think so!!! I always think of our sweet Rebecca when I hear people saying that now. She is blind, has severe brain damage, can't walk, talk, sit or even roll over....but I LOVE her no matter what, healthy or not! Now believe me, I do NOT hold anything against anybody who ever said that statement. I know they don't mean anything bad by it, and of course we all hope for healthy babies! But, what if your baby is born with a disability? And the 'as long as it's healthy' part no longer applies?
Just my humble opinion, and something to think about.

Well, it's about time!

2008-06-01T17:34:00.003-06:00

Well, it's about time for an update. I haven't been good at keeping up with this blog, mainly cause just about everyone who would look at this is also on Facebook. But I do enjoy reading and looking at other people's blogs, I am just too lazy to keep up my own!

So Rachel is 2 months old now. She's changed so much, that newborn stage sure goes by fast! She is now smiling and talking ('cooing') at us which is so cute to see. She still does not have too much of a 'routine' with sleeping but she has had some good nights where she slept 6 hrs straight....that only happened twice though so far. I've enjoyed being able to go for some walks with her in the stroller, something I hardly ever did with Rebecca since she absolutely hated being in the stroller.

Here are some recent pics of Rachel and her big sister Rebecca.

Introducing the newest member of our family!

2008-04-11T20:16:00.002-06:00

The newest member of our family, Rachel Ann, was born on April 2, 2008 at 7:23 a.m weighing 8 lbs 15 oz and 21 3/4 inches long. She is such a little sweetheart, just like her big sister. We are so glad that she is healthy and thank God for this precious addition to our family. This newborn stage goes by so fast that I'm just trying to enjoy every moment of it.

Still waiting...

2008-03-24T11:57:00.003-06:00

I guess it's been awhile since I've posted! It is now 2 days before my due date (due Wed the 26th), and we are still waiting for the baby to arrive. Unfortunately Calvin had a cold last week, and now a few days ago Rebecca and I both got it, just as he was starting to feel better. Rebecca's coughing and I've got a headache, stuffed up and coughing, ughhhh! I never thought I'd actually wish to go overdue, but in this case I do, I can not imagine going through labor feeling like this. So I'm hoping baby will wait till the end of the week to arrive.....and who knows, maybe baby and big sister Rebecca will share the same birthday of March 29? Can't believe Rebecca is turning 3 on Saturday! Hopefully by the next time I post, we'll all be better and baby will be here. Thank-you to everyone who has been thinking about us and praying for us, we appreciate it.

Poem

2008-02-23T11:17:00.003-07:00

I came across this poem awhile back, and thought I'd share it on here. Rebecca has truly been a blessing to us, and I can't imagine not having her in our life. She is our special little Sweetie, and a gift from God. As we await the arrival of our second little one on the way in just a few weeks, I sometimes wonder how it is that you can love the second child just as much as the first, but from what I hear, your heart just opens up another place for that little one and you love it just the same .... I am looking forward to meeting our new little one very soon, and experiencing that same love all over again! But for now, we are enjoying the last few weeks as a family of 3.

Here is the poem:

Special Child

by Sharon Harris

You weren't like other children,
And God was well aware,
You'd need a caring family,
With love enough to share.

And so He sent you to us,
And much to our surprise,
You haven't been a challenge,
But a blessing in disguise.

You winning smiles and laughter,
The pleasures you impart,
Far outweigh your special needs,
And melt the coldest heart.

We're proud that we've been chosen,
To help you learn and grow,
The joy that you have brought us,
Is more than you can know.

A precious gift from Heaven,
A treasure from above,
A child who's taught us many things,
But most of all - "Real Love."

C-O-L-D

2008-01-28T11:11:00.001-07:00

This is what COLD looks like:

Rebecca in her Stander

2008-01-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

January is almost over, and the really cold weather has hit us. The forecast for the next 4 days range from highs of -31 C to -34 C, with nights from -37 C to -42 C! So I don't think I'll be going out to much in the next few days, especially not with Rebecca.
There are now less than 2 months till we will meet the newest member of our family! There are still lots of things I want to get done before the baby comes, so I think the time will go by quickly.
I took some pictures a few days ago of Rebecca in her stander, she hadn't been in it for awhile cause we had to get it readjusted to fit her properly.

Some more pictures....

2008-01-08T15:58:00.000-07:00

So the new year is here and things are back to the regular routine now, we finally took down the tree and decorations yesterday, and Calvin's parents left for home today after visiting here for 2 weeks. Now that the busyness of the holidays is over, it's time to get started on some projects that I want to complete before the new baby arrives. Only 11 weeks left to go!
Here are a few more pictures that were taken in the last few days.

Sweetie

Our family of 3....for now.

Rebecca with her Grandma and Grandpa. Calvin and I took a little spin around the lake...don't worry, didn't do anything too crazy!

Calvin doubled his mom on the snowmobile, before she went for a little ride by herself.

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile again since I posted, so I thought I'd post some pics from the last little while. Calvin's parents came up for Christmas, it's the first time they've been to Yellowknife at this time of the year. We've had a nice time visiting and playing games. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and have a happy and healthy new year 2008! The new year looks like it will bring a lot of changes in our family with having a new baby in March and moving later in the summer, but we are looking forward to the adventure! Here are some recent pictures:

Hanging out with Grandpa.

Becky and Grandma.

Making German Paper Stars with Grandma.

Keeping warm by the fireplace.
"Daddy, may I open this present now?"
"Sure, Sweetie. Daddy will help you."
"Hmm, what is it?"
"A fleece Winnie the Pooh blanket!"
"Look at my new Teddy bear hot water bottle!"
Trying to get a family picture. "Trying" is the key word here.
Smiles from Sweetie.
Calvin got some SuDoku books for Christmas, and couldn't put them down for days afterwards!
Sweetie opening up another gift.
A really neat tree ornament that changes colour.

Morning smiles from Sweetie

2007-11-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

This is how Rebecca greeted me this morning when I went to her bed to get her up, she was just quietly lying there, but when I got close and started talking to her, she gave me some big smiles and was so happy, she did the same thing yesterday morning too! I had to grab the camera and snap 2 pictures. I think it's helped that I've started having her sleep on her side now instead of on her stomach, her neck probably doesn't get sore from being turned and and I think she's much more comfortable.

Trip to Winnipeg...

2007-11-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Rebecca and I went to Winnipeg for a couple of weeks and had a nice time visiting with family and friends (Calvin just came for a few days at the end). The time went by fast but it was nice seeing everyone again and getting to go shopping in bigger malls and eating in some restaurants we don't have in Yellowknife. Here are a few pictures from the trip (more can be found in my Facebook album):

Rebecca sitting with her Oma and Opa:

Becky LOVED clapping with Oma!

Another favorite activity was sleeping!

And I enjoyed spending time with friends, like Melissa and Michelle:

Becky with Opa:

One last day outside on Christina's deck:

With Melissa and Sarah:

Our second little blessing is on it's way!

2007-11-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so most of you already know this, but I haven't kept up with my blog so I thought I'd do some updates today. I'm not sure if I should even still be keeping up this blog since I think almost everyone who reads this is also on Facebook, and I tend to post pics and update on there more often than here! But yeah, the latest news in Rebecca's (and our) life is that she is going to be a big sister towards the end of March, right around her 3rd birthday! Here are some ultrasound pictures of our second little blessing that's on it's way:

Profile at 17 weeks:

17 weeks - hand touching forehead.

20 weeks - profile of face and hand by mouth.

20 weeks profile - hand resting on chest.

20 weeks - front of face (skull) with hand near mouth.

Winter has arrived...at least for now!

2007-09-29T13:44:00.000-06:00

It looks like winter has made an early appearance in Yellowknife, it snowed yesterday and here are some pictures I took today. It looks like it is supposed to be sunny and 27 C today in Winnipeg, I wish I could start my trip to Winnipeg a bit sooner! Chances are most of this snow will melt yet, but for now this is what it looks like here:

Front of our house:

View from back deck:

On another note, Rebecca is exactly 2 1/2 years old today. Where has the time gone? I couldn't resist posting another picture of her napping today.

Sleepy Sweetie Yawn

2007-09-18T22:25:00.001-06:00

Rebecca has been so sleepy the last couple days. She has always preferred sleeping during the day, especially in the mornings, but the last 2 days she slept off and all all morning and afternoon, luckily though her night was still ok despite all the sleep during the day! I caught a few of her naps with the camera. Oh yeah, as you can see she is wearing her PJs in the pics, she was so tired I just let her stay in her pajamas all day :-)

Sept 17, 2007 6:05 pm - Napping with Daddy before supper.

Sept 18, 2007 - Nap at 12:55 p.m

(Still 12:55 p.m)

2:10 p.m - Asleep again.

2:20 p.m - ZZzzzzzzzz.

4:20 p.m - Still snoozing away Zzzzzzzzzzzz.......

Here's a collage of happy Becky in the bath last night, love the crazy hair?!

Cookies are the Truth of Life.

2007-08-24T12:35:00.000-06:00

I received this in an email forward and thought I'd put it on here:

Fun with Bubbles

2007-08-19T21:51:00.000-06:00

Colleen phoned this evening, and asked if I would like to go with her up to Pilot's Monument to blow some bubbles. Colleen loves to blow bubbles, and I once suggested that we go together to Pilot's Monument and blow bubbles there. She agreed that it would be a great location, so off we went there tonight. Here are some pictures of the evening:

View from Pilot's Monument.

Me and Colleen.

Colleen blowing bubbles.

That's a big one!

Me blowing bubbles.

Blowing bubbles in Yellowknife can involve dead mosquitos.

A bubbles-filled sunset.

Trying to be artistic?

Rebecca's new stuff...

2007-08-09T14:02:00.000-06:00

It was Christmas in July for Rebecca, when she received a bunch of new equipment all within a few weeks. She got some AFO's (ankle-foot orthoses), a bath seat, a stander, and a new car seat! Here are some pics of her modeling her new stuff:

It's been SOOOO long!

2007-08-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

It's been almost 2 months since I posted, so I guess it's about time for an update! I haven't been blogging lately, for one I wasn't sure if people actually still read this stuff, and for another I've spent more time on Facebook and had already put pictures on there from our trip to Calgary. And the more time that goes by, the more I feel overwhelmed with what to write, how do I condense the last 2 months into a blog post? First off, we went to Calgary/Edmonton and the end of June/beginning of July for 2 1/2 weeks. The main reason was to go down for Calvin's cousin's wedding on June 30th in Edmonton, and the rest of the time was spent visiting with his parents in Calgary. While out there, Calvin and I had a little "mini-vacation" with just the 2 of us, spending 2 days and 1 night in Radium & Fairmont. Here are some pictures of our road trip to Calgary:

Watch for crossing buffalo on the highway.

At the border.

Rebecca eating and sleeping at the same time, I bet YOU can't do that!

Calvin wakeboarding.

Monika wakeboarding - well attempting to, anyhow.

Calvin and his cousin Jeff.

Becky with her Grandma and Grandpa.

Us at the wedding.

July 1 - both Calvin's and Canada's birthday.

Isn't this the perfect shirt for our Sweetie?

Today....

2007-06-13T23:38:00.000-06:00

Today was another beautiful, sunny day outside. Well at least until this evening, when we got some rain. I finally finished planting some flowers tonight, just before the rain came. Some of them look pretty pitiful still, but hopefully they will get revived and grow, hope the Miracle-Gro does it's job!
This afternoon Rebecca's friend Jonas came over for a visit. He is a little boy 4 months younger than Rebecca that also has cerebral palsy. Here are some pictures of the two of them from when they first met, till now:

First date: March 23, 2006

Second date: January 4, 2007

Third date: Today! June 13, 2007

My big girl!

2007-06-08T23:46:00.001-06:00

So today Rebecca and I went to try out 2 standers for her. The first one is called the Buffalo stander and the second one is the Superstand. We are hoping to get the second one, once all the paperwork and everything goes through with insurance. This process sometimes takes months, but hopefully Rebecca will have her own stander sometime this summer! She looked like such a big girl standing up! When you're used to seeing her sitting or lying down all the time, she sure looks big when you see her standing. She is sleeping in the first picture, she was asleep when we got there and it took awhile for her to wake up.

A beautiful day to be outside....

2007-05-26T20:37:00.000-06:00

So 2 weeks has gone by again since I've posted, so I thought it was about time for a post and some pictures. Today was a beautiful, sunny day in Yellowknife, getting up to 23 C So Rebecca and I spent some time outside on our deck:

Since I last posted, it was also Mother's Day, as well as our 4th wedding anniversary a few days later. We spent our anniversary going out for supper to "The Office" restaurant, and then rented a movie to watch at home, while our friends watched Rebecca all evening. On Mother's Day we went to church and then to "The Explorer Hotel" for a lovely brunch buffet, it was yummy. No breakfast in bed for me, but that's ok cause then I would have been too full to eat this brunch! Here is me and my Sweetie Rebecca on Mother's Day:

On another note, I bought some strawberries a little while ago, and couldn't believe the size of some of the strawberries they have nowadays. Is it me, or have strawberries gotten bigger and bigger since we were kids? It makes you wonder what they put in them to get them that big! See what I mean, since when is a strawberry supposed to be bigger than a kiwi?

But the strawberries and the kiwis were a nice addition to this chocolate cheesecake I made. As Rachael Ray would say, Yum-O!!

Pics from today....

2007-05-11T17:45:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from from today. This morning Rebecca STOOD beside the couch! Well okay, so her legs were tight and she had a lot of her weight on the couch, but still, I had never seen her hold that position for that long, she was like that for about 30 seconds! Enough time for me to run and take a couple pictures at least, haha. Then the rest are of her just being happy sitting in her Kimba chair (which she often does not like). We even went for a nice walk outside for over 1/2 hour this afternoon, enjoying the beautiful sunshine.

You are NOT supposed to see FLAMES inside your oven!

2007-04-30T23:48:00.000-06:00

So tonight, we had Amanda over for supper. We were almost ready to eat: the salad was made, the pasta was done, the garlic toast was almost ready...."hmm", I thought, "maybe it could be in the oven just a BIT longer, it's not quite crispy enough". So I turned it onto broil, and continued to mix the sauce into the pasta. Not more than 5 minutes later, we heard BEEP BEEP BEEP, our smoke detector was blaring. I looked into the oven, and the garlic toast was ON FIRE!! Aaaaahhhhhh!!!! I have never seen FLAMES inside my oven, it was quite the scary site!! Calvin came running upstairs and to the rescue, while I ran downstairs to get the fire extinguisher. By the time I got back upstairs, he had already taken the firey garlic toast out of the oven and put it outside where the fire was put out and all that remained was black, charred pieces of garlic toast. YIKES, talk about a scare, my heart was racing a million miles a minute! But it could have been a lot worse, and "Note to self": Always keep an eye on the stove when garlic toast is in the oven, especially when on broil! After opening all windows and airing the smoke out, everything was back to normal.

Wanted Poster

2007-04-28T14:10:00.000-06:00

Look who is being "Wanted" for "Being Too Cute"!

More pics from Winnipeg

2007-04-28T13:02:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures of our time in the Peg:

Sweetie with her Opa

Sweetie being very happy with Oma!

And being happy with Daddy too!

Me, Christina, & Jill

Michelle & Dave

Rebecca wearing MY old dress! (a bit small on her already)

Becky with Oma & Opa

Rebecca's Birthday Party

2007-04-28T13:01:00.000-06:00

Rebeccca had a birthday party in Winnipeg with some of our friends there. Here are some pictures:

Becky's Birthday Cake

Helping Becky blow out her candle

The youngest guest - 9 day old Sarah

Michelle with the Birthday Girl

Becky, Markus & Sarah

Hmm, what is Markus going to do?

Aaaaaaah, a big birthday kiss! *smooch*

The 3 M's

I'm baaaaaaaack!!

2007-04-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted, hasn't it?? We were gone on holidays to Calgary and Winnipeg, Rebecca and I were away from home for 5 weeks, and Calvin for 3. We had a good time catching up and getting together with family and friends. I thought that once I got back home, I'd want to blog about our holiday. But now that we're back, I have found something else to spend my time on, and it's not blogging, but Facebook!

Here are some pictures from the first part of our trip, to Calgary:

Calvin skiing at Kicking Horse (near Golden, B.C)

In the pool in Airdrie

Fun on the waterslide!

Relaxin' in the Hot tub

Becky got her Kimba!

2007-03-13T19:28:00.000-06:00

Rebecca finally got her new Kimba Stroller yesterday!! It's been a long process, but now she finally has her own stroller. For the past year we had a loaner from the vendor in Edmonton, it took forever to go through insurance, all the paperwork, etc etc. It's pretty much just like the one she had, except that the headrest and footplate are different. But now we finally have it and it will be interesting to see how she does in it as we are taking it on our holidays to Calgary and Winnipeg.

My Maybelline Girl

2007-03-13T16:28:00.000-06:00

I love my Sweetie's eyelashes.
"Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline."

My sleeping beauty.

Smiles for Daddy after he picked her up.

My Sweetie today

2007-03-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just a few pics of my Sweetie from today...

My Visual DNA

2007-03-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this another blog and thought I'd try it for myself. It's fun to do!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Early 2nd Birthday present...Thank-you!!

2007-03-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

Rebecca received an early 2nd birthday present from her Auntie Dorleen, Uncle Doug, cousins Tyler and Logan from Swan River, Manitoba. They sent her this cute Jean Jacket/Jeans outfit and shirt, so here she is modeling it.
Thanks Auntie, hope you can see this!! If you do, please leave a comment :-)
By the way when I first saw the size 3x I thought it wouldn't fit her yet, but put it on and it does!! It's funny how different sizes/brands fit so differently!

2 days in Edmonton

2007-02-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Becky and I spent Monday and Tuesday in Edmonton for 2 doctor appointments. Nothing too eventful happened at the appointments, they were just follow-ups from 6 months ago. The one doctor sent her for hip x-rays and to me it looked like her left hip has gotten worse but we'll wait and see what the report says. Calvin's mom and dad came up for the 2 days from Edmonton, and I also met up with friends from Yellowknife who were down there the same time and I met up with my friend Michelle that I went to x-ray school with and her little boy Matt.We all met up at West Edmonton Mall for lunch and then did a bit of shopping. While in Edmonton, we also went and checked out the Elves Child Development Centre , a Preschool / Kindergarten that Rebecca will most likely be going to once we move to Edmonton.Here are some pictures from our time in Edmonton:

Becky with Grandma and Grandpa.

Sleeping in the King Size bed at the hotel (she slept for 12 hours!!)
Meeting up with friends at the mall.
Me and Becky, Michelle and Matt.

Weekend at Blachford Lake Lodge

2007-02-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Blachford Lake Lodge this past weekend and had an awesome time! Friday morning we headed out to Reid Lake with our snowmobiles on a trailer and met up there with a guide to snowmobile with us out to the lodge. As it turns out, we wouldn't have needed a guide, as the trails were so well marked it would have been impossible to get lost! But it was good to have him along as he had a toboggan for us to put our backpacks in. It was a 50 mile (80 km) trip, and we made it there in 2 1/2 hours. We weren't going super fast as our guide was pulling a toboggan, plus I really don't like going fast so the pace was just right for me. The trails were so nice getting out there, not so bumpy like the ones near Yellowknife. Once we got there we spent our weekend snowshoeing, sitting in the outdoor hot tub, going for walks, doing more snowmobiling, and sliding down the hill on a sealskin sliding mat. The food was AWESOME, everyday we had a nice breakfast, lunch and supper...yum yum yum. On Sunday morning we went on an hour dog sled ride, which was a neat experience too. These weren't racing dogs, but expedition dogs, so the pace was not fast but that was fine with me. Oh and the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) were amazing Saturday evening, what a show! Too bad my camera doesn't take good pics of them. All in all, it was a great weekend, and Rebecca did well for our friends The Henry's and Amanda back in Yellowknife. I put 130 miles (2o8 kms) on my sled that weekend, and came home Sunday evening tired but happy. The weekend was a lot of fun and I'd love to go back there next winter, if possible. Here are some pictures:

We've arrived!!

So much snow!

Sunrise from our bedroom window.

On Great Slave Lake - Calvin beside a Pressure Ridge.

Snowshoeing through a winter wonderland - just gorgeous!

Inside the Igloo.

Getting ready for our dog sled ride.

Almost ready to go!

Heading back to the lodge (seen in background).

Are we fashionable or what??

Weekend Getaway

2007-02-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

We are heading to Blachford Lake Lodge this weekend, leaving tomorrow morning and driving out to Reid Lake, then snowmobiling to the lodge from there, it's about an 80 km snowmobile drive from Reid Lake going over lakes and through trails between the lakes. I'm a bit nervous about this, as I've never snowmobiled such a big stretch before! They say it should take about 3 hours, and I'm sure I will be quite sore by the time we get there. They have an outdoor hot tub that I will be putting to good use.
Then on Monday, I take Rebecca down to Edmonton for 2 days for 2 doctor appointments. So we have a busy few days up ahead!! I will update and post pictures as soon as I can.
This will be the longest I've ever been away from Rebecca, I'm sure I will miss my Sweetie lots but she will be in good hands.
Please pray for safety on the trails and lakes going out and coming back. Looking forward to a hopefully relaxing weekend!

Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day ! We spent our evening with some friends playing Ticket to Ride and some Nintendo Wii. Our supper consisted of ordering pizza ... no romantic dinner out for us, but that's ok! Here are some pictures I took today of Rebecca, wearing her new bibs/shirts I ordered from CafePress . They have tons of neat shirts there, and I got some with her nicknames (Peanut and Sweetie).

YAWN!!! Enough pictures, already!

Sweetie and the Car Seat

2007-01-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Rebecca has never liked being in her car seat, and driving anywhere with her has not been fun. I still have to sit beside her and shake her arm to help her not get so stiff and agitated, but even that does not always work. It's a good thing that you can get anywhere in 10 minutes in Yellowknife. As I was mentioning in a previous post from last week, Rebecca's O.T brought over a massager called the Thumper for us to try out and see if it helps Sweetie sit in her Kimba seat longer. It's really helped her in her Kimba seat, so a few days ago I brought her car seat inside to see how successful the Thumper would be in getting her to not be agitated in her car seat. Check out this video of her without and then with the massager in her car seat. We plan on buying the Thumper since it's helped Sweetie so much, and we want to buy an inverter at Canadian Tire so that we can plug the massager into the vehicle if we ever go on a road trip. Road trip, with Sweetie? Impossible, you say?? With the Thumper, this may be possible. YAY for Thumper!

Happy Girl

2007-01-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Rebecca has not slept well the last 2 nights, only about 4 1/2 hrs one night and 5 1/2 hrs the other night, with no naps during the day. But despite her being so tired, she's been so happy when I did one of her favourite activities with her, "bikey-bikey", which is moving her legs real fast like a bicycle. Look at the big smiles she gave me ... I know I've been posting lots of similar smiling pictures lately, but it just means so much to me to see her smile and see her happy. That big smile from my Sweetie is just so precious, isn't it??

More Smiles from Sweetie

2007-01-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from today of me with my Sweetie, and then of Sweetie being a happy little camper and letting me take some more pictures of her smiling. Isn't she a cutie pie?? :-)

Big Smiles!

Rebecca's new friend Thumper

2007-01-21T23:36:00.001-07:00

Rebecca has a new friend named Thumper, and it's not a rabbit! It's a handheld massager that we are borrowing from Rebecca's Occupational Therapist, who brought it over last week to see if it would help her sit in her Kimba Seat longer. It's been a real challenge getting Sweetie to sit in any kind of seat, she's been doing okay sitting in her chair in the morning shortly after waking up, but later in the afternoon or evening it doesn't go well at all. She starts to arch back and gets very uncomfortable, the only thing that usually helps is having me sit beside her and shake her arm, which relaxes her. We also know that she loves to have her legs moved like a bicycle and likes having her hips massaged, so her O.T thought of trying to use a handheld massager on her legs while sitting in her chair. So we tried it, and found that it works!! Here is a video clip of her sitting in her Kimba seat without the massager, and then immediately after placing the Thumper massager on her leg.

These next pictures were taken after she had been in her Kimba seat for awhile with the massager, when I picked her up she smiled! So I quickly sat her down on a different chair and took a couple pictures....it's so hard to get pictures of her smiling, especially ones where she is smiling but NOT in the bathtub! My precious Sweetie.

Sweetie modeling her new shirts

2007-01-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Rebecca received two wonderful shirts from our friends in PA, Sask that used to live here in YK. Thanks Herd family for sending them....the one shirt even says Sweetie on it, how great is that?!

You cannot make me open my eyes, nope nope nope...

Well okay, there you go, is that better?

Thanks Herd family, this shirt is awesome!!

Yup yup yup, I'm Sweetie, and my shirt says so!!

This is the other one, it says "I love ice-skating". Hmmm, I wonder if Mykayla picked this one out, the little figure skater herself? :-)

We miss having you here in YK. Thanks for the gifts and Sweetie gives big ((hugs)) to you all!

If you can't go snowmobiling...go bowling!

2007-01-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

We wanted to go snowmobiling today with our friends, but the warmest it got today was -36 C so we decided to go bowling instead! It still was fun, although I played horribly. Calvin, on the other hand, should join a bowling league! Look at the score he got, 329 - crazy!!! I think he should take up a new sport....

BRRRR!!

2007-01-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

I guess I shouldn't complain, we've had pretty nice weather up until now! But as I am writing this, it is currently -36 C outside, and with the windchill it's -50 C. We were supposed to go snowmobiling with our friends The Henry's tomorrow (well later today, as it's past midnight), but since the high is only supposed to be -34 C we've decided it's a bit to chilly for sledding and we're going to do some indoor activity instead. Hopefully we can plan another snowmobiling trip another day soon...

Bathtime smiles

2007-01-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

I know I've posted pictures of Sweetie smiling in the tub before, but I just couldn't resist posting some again that I took last night. It's the place she smiles the most, and I love seeing her so happy when in the water!

Some pictures...

2007-01-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that were taken in the last few days. Rebecca got a cute Harley Davidson outfit for Christmas from Amanda, so that is what she is wearing in these pics. The last collage is of Becky and her friend Jonas, another little boy here in town who has special needs like Rebecca does.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'd like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!! I saw something on Colleen's blog today and thought I'd do the same thing :-)
So here is me making a total ELF of myself. (Click on "elf")

2 days after Christmas...

2006-12-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's 2 days after Christmas, hard to believe it's come and gone so fast for another year! Luke and Nolan were over today (and tomorrow) because their regular day home was not open today and Laurie had to work. Here are some pics of the day.... At lunch time they BOTH wanted to sit right beside Becca, so I had to move over to the other side of the table :-) That's ok, it gave me a chance to get some cute photos of them with Sweetie.

Sweetie & Pooh

2006-12-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sweetie and Pooh

Presents!

2006-12-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

Opening presents....

More pics....the kids!

2006-12-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of all the kids that were over last night.

From L -> R: Rebecca, Luke holding Timmy, Madison, Nolan, Jacob.

Last night . . . Christmas Eve

2006-12-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

We had a get-together last night after church with some of our friends. Here are some pictures of the evening:

David, Anne & Madison

Laurie, Luke & Nolan

The Henry's

Colleen & Mark

O Holy Night

2006-12-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Calvin played 'O Holy Night' in church last night on his trumpet.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

From our house to your's, we wish you a Merry Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2006-12-10T16:15:00.000-07:00

I set up our Christmas tree and decorations last week....and now I feel more like Christmas is not that far away... I still think it will sneak up on us faster than expected though. The first collage is some winter pictures I took about 2 weeks ago.

Our front yard this morning....

2006-12-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is what Calvin discovered in our front yard this morning. Some ptarmigans camaflouged in the snow. I had seen these footprints in our yard a few days earlier, and assumed it was some cat that had wandered through our yard. By the look of the trail these ptarmigans left behind, it looks like it was them and they were back for a visit.

On another note, the northern lights were amazing last night!!! I tried to take some pictures but did not suceed, I don't have the proper camera for that...

Edited to say: I added one picture that I tried to take last night of the Aurora Borealis....Dave & Michelle , I wish I had your camera for this... and a tripod, you need really long exposures to take pictures of the northern lights.

Good night, Sweetie & Pooh

2006-12-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

Becky got this glow in the dark Winnie the Pooh from Santa yesterday at the respite Christmas party. It plays music and the face lights up when you squeeze him. Very fitting for her, since her bedroom has lots of Winnie the Pooh stuff already.

Eeyore...then and now.

2006-12-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our little Sweetie as Eeyore from 1 year ago....and now. What a difference a year makes!

EEYORE THEN:

EEYORE NOW:

Becky got her bangs cut...

2006-11-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I decided to go ahead and give Rebecca a haircut last night. This was the first time I've ever cut someone else's hair (well, besides using the clippers for Calvin), but I thought 'how hard can it be'? Just trim the bangs a bit and that's it. So I sat her in the Kimba chair, divided her hair into front and back sections, wet it, and got to work ..... snip .... snip .... oh oh, that looks crooked now .... snip snip .... still crooked? Snip chop chop snip....well before I knew it, her bangs were WAY shorter than I had wanted! And they were still not totally even!! Grrr!! Thank goodness I didn't go into hairdressing. Poor lil Sweetie has super short, uneven bangs now. It didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped, but at least I know that it's only hair and in a few weeks it should look better.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER!!

To cut or not to cut, that is the question...

2006-11-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Let's take a vote....who thinks I should cut Sweetie's hair and give her bangs, and who thinks I should let her hair grow out?

Brrr....

2006-11-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

Winter has definitely arrived in Yellowknife, we have lots of snow now and it's cold! At the moment it is -28 C and who knows how much colder it will get during the night. Calvin's taken the snowmobile out already a few times, and I'm looking forward to going out on the sled again this year, as I haven't gone at all in 2 years. This may be our last full winter in Yellowknife, so I better make the most of it!
Here are some pictures from yesterday...Mich, the first 2 are for you again :-) Still waiting for you to post some pictures are your blog.

Here you go, Michelle Z.....

2006-11-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Michelle, this first picture is for you! I had someone take a picture of us 3 today when we were at a birthday party. So there you go, a picture of me instead of just Rebecca and Calvin...but of course I had to add some more of just Rebecca and some of her with Daddy.

Sweetie playing Scrabble...

2006-11-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures that were taken last night as we were playing Scrabble. Sweetie joined in on the fun....

I survived my first day back...

2006-11-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

So I worked my first day back at the hospital after being off for 20 months. Don't worry, I didn't "fry" my patients like in the cartoon above ;) The day went pretty well - in a way it seemed like I had never left and some things were just the same as before, but other things have changed and it's going to take some getting used to. The equipment they now have they got just before I left so I am getting used to working with it now, I'm still used to the old equipment. The portable x-ray machine is new too, I went to take a portable x-ray in ICU and was going to plug the cord into the wall - luckily the tech with me saw and informed me that this new machine does not need to be plugged in to take an exposure, it's battery powered and only is plugged in to charge. I was surprised to see that when I tried logging into the computer system when I arrived there first thing in the morning, my username and password was still in the system - I guess they were anticipating all along that I would return at some point?? Sweetie did well at home with Daddy too. Calvin survived his first day of watching Rebecca for more than a few hours. And he gets to do it all over again tomorrow....my second day back at work. My next shift after that isn't till next Friday. Well, it's getting late, better get to bed here soon....

After 20 months, I'm taking the plunge...

2006-11-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow I am doing something that I haven't done in 20 months - going back to work! For those who don't know, I'm an x-ray tech at the hospital. I haven't worked since a few weeks before Rebecca was born, and wasn't sure when or if I'd be able to return. I just want to work casual, on average maybe 1 or 2 days a week when Calvin is off. I am looking forward to getting back into it, but am a bit nervous too - but I guess that is normal after being away from it all for 20 months! So I hope it all goes well and that Calvin will manage watching Sweetie for 9 hours, which is something he's never done! Hopefully she'll be her usual sweet little quiet self and he'll do just fine.

More Bathtime Smiles

2006-11-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here are some more smiles from Rebecca in the bath today. She loves the water! Now if we could only get her to smile like that in her car seat or any other seat for that matter...

Our lil' Pumpkin

2006-10-31T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Mommy put me in this seat again...

Look at all this chocolate in front of me!

Too bad I can't eat any of it, mmmmm!

Bathtime is F-U-N ! ! !

2006-10-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Sweetie loves bathtime! This was her tonight, smiling in the tub. That's where she is the happiest, and where we see the most smiles from her, in the warm water of the bathtub. Splish...splash!! :-)

Sleeping Beauty

2006-10-30T20:57:00.000-07:00

My Sleeping Beauty catching some zzzzzz's

Special Tomato Seat

2006-10-30T20:53:00.001-07:00

Here is Rebecca in a Special Tomato Seat that we are borrowing for a few days from the hospital. We are supposed to see how she will tolerate sitting in this seat, and so far she's done ok but after awhile she still gets upset and wants out - she is much happier simply lying on the floor on her tummy! She would rather be either on the floor on her tummy or be held all day. But as she is getting older and is no longer a little baby, we want something that she can sit in instead of just lying on the floor. So far, this has been a huge challenge!! In these pics here she did ok for awhile, then eventually she had enough and let us know about it! We also have a different seat called the Kimba as seen in some earlier pictures - she is not too fond of the Kimba either, unfortunately! I am hoping for the day where she can sit in something for more than a few minutes without getting upset.

Some pictures

2006-10-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Rebecca that were taken about 3 weeks ago.

Winter's here...

2006-10-30T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mommy got me all dressed for winter....and I don't like it!!

Rebecca's First 6 Months

2006-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a video montage I made earlier in the year of Rebecca's first 6 months.

Rebecca is 18 months old!

2006-09-29T18:13:00.000-06:00

Rebecca turned 18 months old today! Wow, our little girl is growing up. But she will forever be our "little Sweetie". Here are some pictures of her first 18 months. The first collage is from 0-8 months, the second collage from 9-17 months, and the last picture from today at 1 1/2 years old.

Sweetie enjoying a beautiful fall day

2006-09-23T14:25:00.000-06:00

It's such a beautiful, sunny day out today! I took Rebecca outside in our backyard for a bit and took some pictures of her enjoying this lovely fall weather.
If you click on the picture, you can see it bigger.

Picking Cranberries....

2006-09-23T01:44:00.000-06:00

Not to copy Colleen or Lisa, but I too have a cranberry post now! Calvin and I went cranberry picking tonight and got ourselves some wild northern cranberries. We didn't go for very long though and I plan on going again. It was nice to be out in nature and I look forward to making some cranberry muffins and other assorted cranberry-filled goodies.

Visiting Swan River

2006-09-10T16:41:00.000-06:00

While in Manitoba, we took a 5 hour road trip up to Swan River. Calvin's grandma, sister, brother-in-law and nephews live there (Rebecca's 2 cousins). We hadn't seen them since our wedding, and we hadn't seen Calvin's grandma since last summer. So we went up there for a weekend, and had a nice visit with everyone. It was nice to spend some time with my sister-in-law Dorleen, and get to know her better. Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Calvin, Rebecca, and Dorleen (his sister)

Rebecca and her cousins, Logan & Tyler

Rebecca and Great-Grandma

Rebecca on a sheep....Baaa!!

Calvin on a trampoline- Jump at your own risk.

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Sweetie with Oma & Opa

2006-09-10T16:07:00.000-06:00

Rebecca was able to spend some time with her Oma and Opa in Winnipeg this summer, they hadn't seen her since last September, and she has sure grown a lot since then. This first picture was taken last Sept 2005, see how much she has grown since they had last seen her!

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Finally...an update!

2006-09-10T15:12:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been almost 2 months since I've updated my blog. So I thought it was time to sit down and write a bit about our summer and add in some pictures. We spent almost a month away from Yellowknife, a few days in Calgary and the rest of the time in Winnipeg. We had a great time visiting with family and friends. My good friend Michelle got married to Dave, here are a few pics from their wedding. Michelle and I go back about 12 years and when we're together we seem to pick up right where we left off, no matter how long it's been since we last saw each other. It's great having friends that you can just be yourself around and have so much fun with. Michelle, if you see this, I was so glad to be able to come to your wedding, and wish you and Dave a lifetime of happiness!!

I got up! But not for long . . . . .

2006-07-12T15:12:00.000-06:00

On Monday evening we went out to Long Lake one last time with Trevor and McShane's, and as I have never tried wakeboarding, I thought I should give it a try, otherwise I would regret it that I was too chicken to at least try. So I tried, and I got up! But, not for long as I kept forgetting to pull the rope to my hip and turn the board once I got up....it was still fun though, and I think that with a bit more practice I would maybe get the hang of it!

Summer fun

2006-07-08T12:54:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures taken earlier this week at Long Lake. We were there having some fun with the Herd's and the Deutscher's. Sweetie went on her first boat ride, and she seemed to enjoy it once she got used to wearing a life jacket! She loved the breeze on her face. And her daddy had a great time wake boarding!

Another Poem...

2006-06-21T21:00:00.000-06:00

Here's another poem I've come across that is meaningful to me...

I AM THE CHILD

~Author Unknown~

I am the child who cannot talk.
You often pity me, I see it in your eyes.
You wonder how much I am aware of -- I see that as well.
I am aware of much, whether you are happy or sad or fearful,
patient or impatient, full of love and desire,
or if you are just doing your duty by me.
I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater,
for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do.

You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times.
I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated.
I do not give you answers to your everyday questions,
responses over my well-being, sharing my needs,
or comments about the world about me.

I do not give you rewards as defined by the world's standards -- great strides in development that you can credit yourself;
I do not give you understanding as you know it.
What I give you is so much more valuable -- I give you instead opportunities. Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine;
the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your abilities;
the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible.
I drive you further than you would ever go on your own, working harder,
seeking answers to your many questions with no answers.
I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who cannot walk.
The world seems to pass me by.
You see the longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play like other children.
There is much you take for granted.
I want the toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh I've dropped my fork again.
I am dependent on you in these ways.
My gift to you is to make you more aware of your great fortune,
your healthy back and legs, your ability to do for yourself.
Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I always notice them.
I feel not so much envy as desire, desire to stand upright,
to put one foot in front of the other, to be independent.
I give you awareness.
I am the child who cannot walk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired.
I don't learn easily, if you judge me by the world's measuring stick,
what I do know is infinite joy in simple things.
I am not burdened as you are with the strife's and conflicts of a more complicated life.
My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child,
to teach you how much your arms around me mean, to give you love.
I give you the gift of simplicity.
I am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child.
I am your teacher. If you allow me,
I will teach you what is really important in life.
I will give you and teach you unconditional love.
I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you.
I teach you about how precious this life is and about not taking things for granted.
I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams.
I teach you giving.
Most of all I teach you hope and faith.
I am the disabled child.

Pictures

2006-06-21T20:42:00.000-06:00

Here are some recent pictures of Rebecca.

The past 3 weeks....

2006-06-20T13:29:00.000-06:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've posted, so I thought it was time to finally get at it and post an update. I always check everyone else's blogs for updates yet I myself don't post as often. It's been a busy few weeks. It all started on June 1 when I went to M&M's with Rebecca and slipped outside on the parking lot, twisted my foot and fell. It started swelling up and got very painful to walk on, so I went for x-rays and sure enough, there was an avulsion fracture (at the base of the 5th metatarsal, to be specific) but it was minor enough to just require a tensor bandage, not a full cast. So I was hobbling around for the first week, by the second week could walk much better, and by now it feels almost normal except for when I move it the wrong way (or have Colleen step on it at church) ;-) The next day, Cavin's mom and dad came up here for 2 weeks from Calgary. So hurting my foot was good timing! They helped out with a lot of projects - reshingled our roof, worked some more on the garage, painted our living room window casings/frame, etc. It was a busy 2 weeks. They left on Friday. On Friday though, I had another mishap. I was feeling miserable as it was with a cold and a headache, when I went to put Sweetie down on the floor. As I was putting her down her feeding tube must have gotten stuck between my arm and my leg, and when I put her down her tube yanked right out of her belly! I felt HORRIBLE, she was crying, I was crying...I quickly called Peggy and she came to the rescue!! She got to our house faster than an ambulance and helped me put a temporary tube in place before I called the doctor's office. Her pediatrician was not in that day but there was a different ped on call who said I should bring Sweetie right in and he would see her. So off we went with Peggy to the hospital. Thanks, Peggy, for being there for us during our little crisis! Rebecca was supposed to have this PEG feeding tube in place till end of August, and then have it replaced down in Edmonton by the GI doctor who put it in last month. However, now that it accidentally came out, it was ok to go ahead and put in the Mic-Key button, which is much nicer to have than the long PEG tube. No long tube sticking out of Sweetie's belly that we have to worry about getting caught on something, or having to always tuck it into her pants. So in the end, it all worked out, but that was not how I had planned on getting out of having the long tube for another 2 months! That's all the news for now...

Welcome to Holland

2006-05-28T14:55:00.000-06:00

This is a poem that perfectly describes to me the whole experience of what it's like having a child with a disability. I love this poem and can totally relate to it, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Welcome to Holland

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."
"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.
The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.
But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.
But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Pictures from the Airplane

2006-05-22T14:19:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures I took from the airplane as we were landing on Friday.

Back in Yellowknife

2006-05-22T13:56:00.000-06:00

Well Rebecca and I got back to Yellowknife Friday night after being there for 10 days. The whole trip took way longer than expected, but we are now glad to be back home and things are going well. Thanks to everyone for their prayers while we were in Edmonton. She got her g-tube put in on Tuesday, May 16th. This will make feeding her way easier, as she is very difficult to feed by mouth. Dawn - if you are reading this - I have to say I was surprised but happy when you told me that you had managed to feed little Sweetie a bottle while I was out shopping and getting my hair done in Edmonton. You have the touch! We are still feeding her by mouth as well, but having the tube allows us to give her some formula by mouth and some through the tube, way less stressful! Also it's easier to give her medication now. Here are a few pics that were taken in Edmonton.

Update from Edmonton

2006-05-15T11:16:00.000-06:00

So it is Monday May 15th now and we are still in Edmonton. We got here Wednesday the 10th, when we got to admitting they weren't even expecting us so we had to wait about an hour and a half till they figured out where we were supposed to go. Once on the ward, I spoke with a nurse and a medical student. Then Thursday I finally spoke with the pediatrician and another med resident. That day Rebecca was supposed to have a test done where they see how fast her stomach empties, we waited and waited, then they cancelled it! It was finally done on Friday, and it showed that her stomach empties at a normal rate, so that's good. Friday I talked with the gastroenterologist, the doctor who will be putting Sweetie's g-tube in. She told me the earliest she could do it was Tuesday the 16th. So they let us leave for the weekend, Rebecca and I went and stayed with some friends in Beaumont, my friend Dawn and her family, they used to live in Yellowknife too. So we had a nice weekend, it was fun and much better than spending it at the hospital!! We even got to do some shopping on Sunday afternoon.
So now it's Monday, and we're back here. Then plan is to put the g-tube in tomorrow, and there is a slight chance we could be home by Wednesday evening, but probably not till Thursday or Friday. They want to make sure everything is working ok before sending us back to Yellowknife. Wednesday is our 3rd anniversary, and I for sure thought we would be home by then, that's a week since we left! Calvin even took the day off work, and now it looks like we won't be back till later in the week. So I probably will have spent Mother's Day AND our anniversary without Calvin in Edmonton.
Well that's all the news for now....looking forward to coming back to the 'Knife later in the week.
Update: They just told me that they plan on putting the g-tube in tomorrow (Tues) at 11:30 am. So please keep Becky in your prayers at that time, thanks!

We could use your prayers...

2006-05-08T15:06:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday (May 10) Rebecca and I are going to Edmonton. She will be getting a feeding tube put in. This all came about way faster than expected. We had been having a real hard time feeding her lately since starting her on some medication for seizures, it was making her really sleepy and extremely hard to feed. She's hard to feed on a good day, let alone on medication. Since we've switched to giving her the medication just before bed now, she's been easier to feed again, but the pediatrician feels that it would still be a good idea to get the feeding tube at this point while she is healthy instead of waiting till it gets even harder to feed her by mouth. With the tube we will still be able to feed her orally as well, but the tube will be there to give her extra fluids/formula. Besides the g-tube, they will also do a test where they check the pH level in her esophogus for 24 hrs to check for acid reflux, and if it is bad they may want to do another procedure called a fundoplication. I'm not too keen on this procedure and hope that she will not need this. It's something that can be done at a later time if need be, but they feel that if she needs it anyways it would be better to do it all at the same time instead of putting her through surgery twice.
So we could use your prayers over the next few days and weeks. I will be going down to Edmonton alone with Rebecca, Calvin is not able to come along. We may be gone just a few days, but it could be longer. We'll see how it goes and we'll try to keep you updated.
On another note, Rebecca loves going to the pool! I took her once last week and she really liked it so I will be going one more time yet tomorrow with two of her little friends. After that she won't be able to go for awhile till everything heals up.

Going for a walk...

2006-04-24T20:46:00.000-06:00

So I've been able to do something the last couple days that I've been waiting to do for such a long time - go for a walk with Rebecca without having her cry! And, it finally happened....yesterday I took her out in the special stroller called the Kimba that we are borrowing from Edmonton to see if it's something we may want to get for her. Yesterday it was just a 20 minute walk, then today I went for two 45 minute walks, and she did fine!! I am so happy to be able to get out of the house with her, get some fresh air and exercise.

Rebecca's Easter Pictures

2006-04-17T17:18:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures taken of Rebecca on Easter Sunday. We went to church in the morning, had a relaxing home in the afternoon (as seen by Rebecca's nap with her bunnies), and then went to a very yummy Easter dinner at the Herd's!

R&R

Rebecca's Twin

Easter

Birthday fun!

Happy New Year!

Don't Google "Koala bear poems", or you will end up here!

Balloons and Smiles

Update...

2 months old

Smiles

Rainbow

"As long as it's healthy"

Well, it's about time!

Introducing the newest member of our family!

Still waiting...

Poem

C-O-L-D

Rebecca in her Stander

Some more pictures....

Happy New Year!!

Morning smiles from Sweetie

Trip to Winnipeg...

Our second little blessing is on it's way!

Winter has arrived...at least for now!

Sleepy Sweetie **Yawn**

Cookies are the Truth of Life.

Fun with Bubbles

Rebecca's new stuff...

It's been SOOOO long!

Today....

My big girl!

A beautiful day to be outside....

Pics from today....

You are NOT supposed to see FLAMES inside your oven!

Wanted Poster

More pics from Winnipeg

Rebecca's Birthday Party

I'm baaaaaaaack!!

Becky got her Kimba!

My Maybelline Girl

My Sweetie today

My Visual DNA

Early 2nd Birthday present...Thank-you!!

2 days in Edmonton

Weekend at Blachford Lake Lodge

Weekend Getaway

Valentine's Day

Sweetie and the Car Seat

Happy Girl

More Smiles from Sweetie

Rebecca's new friend Thumper

Sweetie modeling her new shirts

If you can't go snowmobiling...go bowling!

BRRRR!!

Bathtime smiles

Some pictures...

Happy New Year!

2 days after Christmas...

Sweetie & Pooh

Presents!

More pics....the kids!

Last night . . . Christmas Eve

O Holy Night

Merry Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Our front yard this morning....

Good night, Sweetie & Pooh

Eeyore...then and now.

Becky got her bangs cut...

To cut or not to cut, that is the question...

Brrr....

Here you go, Michelle Z.....

Sweetie playing Scrabble...

I survived my first day back...

After 20 months, I'm taking the plunge...

More Bathtime Smiles

Our lil' Pumpkin

Bathtime is F-U-N ! ! !

Sleeping Beauty

Special Tomato Seat

Sleepy Sweetie Yawn