Matteo is settling into Daycare...

...while I, on the other hand, am not settling into a work rhythm, though I keep trying...here are some wonderful first photos from his wonderful daycare...

What Matteo did today!!

My heart still races every time I think of it, how in just a few minutes and a moment of distraction, an unsafe environment can be created. On Tuesday I was probably trying to get too much done and when we got home from a visit I was in the kitchen getting supper ready while keeping an eye on Matteo playing in the living and dining room area, or so I thought. I usually have a safety gate at the bottom of the stairs and between the kitchen and dining room. From the kitchen I can mostly see and hear Matteo. What I noticed first was the quiet so when I came into the living room to see what he was doing, I couldn't find him. I turned around and looked at the stairs and the gate I thought I had put on, was not there and in a panic I called out for Matteo who cried out for me from the second floor landing. In a few minutes he had climbed 15 stairs and was wandering around in the hallway!!...Thank God he didn't try to come back down! I was so relieved that he was okay, so upset at myself, so happy that he could climb the stairs safely and made a mental note that I needed to teach him how to safely go down the stairs too...all in the same moment. All it takes is a moment and yes too many things on one's plate can easily lead to forgetting to put the safety gate back on the stairs!... I'm sure there will be other experiences like this as Matteo is a very curious little boy always trying to go where he is not supposed to and exploring and trying different things especially when his mommy forgets to put up gates and isn't looking.

On Wednesday instead he chose, instead of trying to climb stairs, to take out of his book shelf as many books as he could. Not sure if he was counting them, or just trying to find just the right book to read, but it was fun watching him do this with such focus. He only stopped when I decided to capture it on film. i'm much happier with these kinds of adventures and not climbing stairs when your mommy thinks she is supervising you and instead you're climbing up high!! I hope you reach for the stars Matteo and your mommy will continue to try to do her best to keep you as safe as I can, on your climb!!

First Movie night out a success!

Well finally after some planning and a generous sister, I was able to go out with my cousin to see a movie and then for coffee. While I have been away from Matteo lots in the past, those times were always for work/groceries/appointments etc...but not for a social. It felt good and was especially happy that Matteo settled in with my sister so well!...The only down side was that it was a later night than usual and getting up this morning was especially hard...but so glad. Next social outing will hopefully be a dinner out as most of the meals out that I've eaten in the last while, including Italy, were fast eating, or cold food, or not finishing because of the needs of Matteo..so it will be nice to look forward to that!

Happy 3rd Birthday Max and Vanh

I have not blogged in a while as it has been a busy couple of weeks...As I mentioned in my last post, I have been very tired and I'm sure most of it has to do with jet lag...additionally I have been preparing to do part-time work, until the end of July, followed by more full-time work for August. I was able to get an additional contract that I jumped at and so it means that Matteo will be going into full-time care starting August 1st and not September 1st. Now the bad news is that moving to do more work has been hard. As much as I did teach one course during the winter only a month after Matteo arrived in Canada, it was really about 6-10 hours a week at the most. I got a taste of more full-time work for three weeks in May before leaving on our trip and it was very hard. I know what Catherine means in her post about being a single parent and I think of her often. For me I have been trying to make sure to have a number of good babysitters around me and family who is willing to help out...but juggling all of it takes some practice. I am feeling better about having to leave Matteo with sitters, but they are all so good with him and I need to take care of things for both us and for me. Now the good news for the next while is that I will be mostly working from home with maybe one day at the archives, so I'll be able to set my schedule and maybe be with Matteo earlier in the afternoon rather than later, and in addition I plan to incorporate some long weekends, though have nothing planned except to hang out at our local swimming pools and splash pads and relax at home.

Now as to Matteo and water. I have posted below Matteo's first time in his small swimming pool. He still seems to be hot and cold in his bath time water. Sometimes he plays and at other times he just wants out as quick as possible so I am trying to introduce him to pools and splashpads slowly. I hope he grows to enjoy the playtime in the water as I love the water and would hate for him to be afraid of it as he was when I first met him in Vietnam.

Today we had a relaxing day and then got to spend part of our afternoon at Max and Vanh's birthday parties with their parents and grandmother and house guest and also enjoy Bev and Ben visiting from Toronto. Happy Birthday Maxem and Vanh. It was great to watch the three three year olds and also to see how Matteo reacted to them.. Will try to post some photos below though will probably just create a link to Samantha's blog here as I'm sure she'll post some photos.

Matteo has been changing so much. His little personality continues to surprise me. Last week on Wednesday we were having breakfast when he reached out to give me one of his puff wheat cereal nuggets. He had been starting to feed me pieces of his food, just as I feed him, but this time instead of putting it in my mouth, he pretended to give it to me and when it got near my mouth and I had my mouth open, he pulled his hand away quickly and stuck it in his own mouth and started to laugh!!....I'm not sure where he learned this or if someone did it to him but I sure never did that with him to tease him like that. He enjoyed my reaction so much he continues to do this and sometimes he lets me eat what he is giving me and sometimes he tricks me and he laughs so much at his trickery!!

He has a great sense of humour and continues to laugh at me when I do something different or silly or say a different word over and over again that sounds funny or I say in a funny way. It will be very hard being away from him for longer days as I much prefer a 4 hour workday. The part-time work suits me fine and if I can move that to only 6 hour day instead of 8 then that would be great...at least until he is in school...so for now that's where we're at. I will post below some photos I took of Matteo after he tried his little trick on me with his food and if I can, will also upload a video of Matteo's progress on his walking.

One year ago today!! Happy Referralversary!!!!!

...AND TODAY....



Grazie Chantal for reminding me of this important day. I have been so tired from returning from our trip and I think jet lag is finally hitting me, such that I forgot what day it was. I am finally posting the 3 referral photos (with some cropping of his name) I received on July 10 after waiting impatiently for them after having been told on July 9th, 2010 that I was going to be the mother of a little boy....and here he is today!! I will be writing more about our trip if I can soon, however Matteo is a great little traveller...we had some problems but nothing that would deter me from travelling with him again. Of course I know that the planning that went into travelling to Vietnam to adopt him really helped with my packing this time around and I was pretty exact with most of what I brought for Matteo...intanto, for now, celebrating this milestone with a little bit of spumante...the same drink I had when I received his dossier on October 19, 2010 clearing the way for me to become his mother!!

As I noted during that time of waiting after the referral, that I have always loved the poetry of Khalil Gibran....and I think it important to repost it here as a reminder of how I feel about my role as Matteo's mother.

On Children by Kahlil Gibran (1923)

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Matteo and mommy enjoying a final granita at Laguna cafe

Final dinner a Venezia with a beautiful sunset over Giudecca canal- all travellers are looking forward to being home!

More artwork !!!

Checking out the bricks at the gallery

Matteo playing in front of an Anselm Kiefer

Kiefer