Me (me first!)
I went to Toronto, and it was a whirlwind of a trip. I left Friday night after dinner (6:30) and rolled into Bowmanville close to 11:00 (thank goodness for satellite radio, oh oh!). Saturday morning saw me up early-ish - I hit the post office to collect Hendrik's new passport, and then made for the city. I checked out a good thwack of books (some rare, all valuable) at a TPL branch; I liked some, loved some and thought some of them were straight up weird. Several tomes made me wonder, Would this get published today? (Answer = no way.) Anyways, I could have requested and looked at many more, but my time was limited - I had to get going to Info Session #1 at U of T's iSchool (information school).... along with 75 other people - !! It was all fine and dandy, and I think that as long as I could take the electives I want and come away with a degree that would give me a solid certification (for a career I'd enjoy), I'd be happy. That being said, I didn't come away with a 100% sold-on-the-program feeling, which may not really be possible within the span of a few hours. It might be the big school big city academic schmacademic business - or the fact that I've been out of school for 12 years (!!) that left me feeling a little less than convinced. If only I could visit Western too - it's the other contender that I'm thinking could be the right fit. In any case, at this point it's not a plan that's set in stone (me going to library school) in the fall... but it might be getting there.
In other heather-mama news... what? Volleyball has been super fun (women's league, Tuesday nights), I'm getting involved a bit with coaching (regional team perhaps, clubs in Ottawa), and I'm starting to get Christmas on the brain. Stuff has been out and up at Costco for at least a month now, but with the colder weather (there were FLURRIES here this morning - flurries!) it's the positive focus of winter (family, giving good presents, nanaimo bars and goodies). And on that note, I am no longer loving fall, and maybe that's because it seems to be over. Mrrrrrr... I like being warm the best.
Hendrik (almost 3)
I have to get his quotable quote out first, which Steve tells me about on the phone on Saturday night, while I'm stopped to gas up in Belleville and walking around a Shopper's Drug Mart looking for snacks. Hendrik, in the bath, farts. Steve says, "What was that?!" - knowing full well that sour air had just surfaced. Hendrik paused, looked at Steve and said, "Daddy, there's a fish in my bum." A fish in my bum? What?! Hilarrrrrrious.... Steve obviously lost it. Blub blub blub equals fish sound or fart-in-water sound which rationally means fish in the bum. Nothing more has been said of it, but really, it's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard.
Moving on - the big news of the week is that our little man is having a second eye surgery on November 22nd. We had an appointment last Thursday and our thoughts were confirmed; we've seen a tremendous improvement in alignment but have also seen that things weren't quite right. So hopefully this next job does the trick! He was such a trooper the first time around - we're hoping this next lap is much like the first. I'm not sure how the statistics change after the second surgery, but we were told that after the first surgery, 50% of the cases need a second operation. So, to repeat, our fingers (and yours please) are crossed that this makes it all right.
Preschool has been great (for all of us). He's only been once on his own (we missed day 2 for his doctor's appointment), and was a bit shaky when I picked him up - even though the teachers were very positive with how he was doing. He still came away with a smile on his face... all good!
A few more small details: Hendrik is obsessed with Franklin (with watching Franklin, reading Franklin, having pretend Franklin conversations with his friends Bear and Goose. with quoting Franklin... it goes on and on), he loves playing volleyball, he's eating less, he still isn't super nice to Alana.... and ?? He tells us that he doesn't like us going away (not knowing that we go away a lot less than most parents). For now, that's it.
Alana (almost 14 months)
Oh Alans! Alana is such a happy little girl, even though her big brother pummels her and takes things away from her non-non-stop. She was graced with her first black eye late last week, which was the result of a high (hockey) stick to the face... ouch. Like Hendrik at this age, she eats like it's her job - she's packing away quite a bit more than Hendrik does, cleaning up her plate and his at mealtimes. She's been pretty clingy - very mamma-mamma-mamma - lately, and is more into reading books, which is nice. She loves doing anything and everything that Hendrik does and is getting more and more sure on her feet. She does a cute little hands up in the air thing when it's "dance time" at the end of Franklin episodes (or, say, when we put Gangnam Style on) - that's a must-get on video. She's saying more words: book, poop (!), baby, buck(le)... and she loves feeding and playing pretend with baby - which is ah-dorable! She pretend cooks and gives her/him a bottle... very cute. I must be getting sleepy... I can't think of anything more besides the fact that she cut another tooth.
Steve
Steve is training away and busy busy with the costume of the year - you guessed it, Franklin! I took the first photo the other day and he laughed and said, "I was hoping you wouldn't document this." Well of course I'm documenting this, it's amazing. So far the costume is better than store-bought - and on that note I was wondering why it's impossible to find a Franklin costume, and that's because Franklin is Canadian. Well, technically Franklin's creators are Canadian... and that's why. Anyways, Steve is doing a great job - finished product pic to come; let's just hope that Hendrik wants to put it on when it's all sewed and done :).
Steve leaves for Mexico with the team in a few weeks, and we'll be here solo for 10 days (?) - I think. Short-term future plans include Hendrik's third birthday here (a week after surgery), a trip to Toronto in early December for some meetings and a facilitator course (both volleyball) for me, Christmas in B-ville... and then ? We'll see!
