Going for a Ride

This is for Grammie and Uncle Mike - Arabella enjoys taking a spin on her new tricycle with Teddy in the trunk! Can you believe how good she has gotten since she started riding it in Florida? And I know, she should have shoes on....

Jumping

Arabella has been obsessed with jumping lately. Here she is after dinner last night.

Emotions

Today started as a perfectly normal day, no real issues and the sun was shining (which was nice to see since we had a lot of rain over the weekend). Arabella had an appointment for an immunization that they were not able to do at the CLSC last week so we had to go to the Traveler's Clinic at Lakshore Hospital. (In case you are wondering why we did not have it done at the pediatrician's office, it is because we are still trying to find one that is accepting patients. Also, most immunizations are done at a clinic and not at the pediatrician's office). We made it to the hospital and parked and were right on time. But as soon as we walked in the hospital, I was overcome with this sense of fear, I wanted to turn around and leave and almost started crying. It was horrible the way I felt and I knew I had felt this way before. It was when Arabella was in the NICU. Every time I walked into Riverside I was not sure what I was going to be faced with when I stepped off the elevator. I had knots in my stomach and was not able to talk or breathe. And that is how I felt again today. I have not been in a hospital in over a year, the last time was when I took Arabella to visit her nurses in the NICU. It must have been the smell and sounds that triggered something in my mind. Now, I know I could use the excuse that I am in a new country and in a hospital with signs in both English and French and I was not sure what to expect. But I am sure that is not what caused me to feel the way I did. All I know is that I never thought I would feel those emotions again. And since we left the hospital this morning, I am still trying to get past them. It is interesting how something new can trigger an old wound to open up. I am just thankful that my Arabella is happy and healthy, that is all that matters.

My Big Girl

Arabella has been growing be leaps and bounds the past few weeks. She loves to help at the grocery store and when we get home. Her vocabulary increases daily and I am amazed at the words she knows. And she becomes more and more independent all the time. Today she had an appointment for one of her vaccinations. She was so good at the appointment that she picked out a cupcake at Loblaws (our grocery store). After lunch she ate some of it and was so excited that she was able to have a treat!

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing: Curious George's intro song on the TV.

Tasting: My raw/organic raspberry, kiwi, peach, spinach and flax seed smoothie. A perfect early-summer breakfast!

Seeing: Arabella's beautiful face (and thinking how did you get so beautiful??).

Smelling: Light rain that is falling outside the open windows - such a clean and refreshing scent.

Feeling: Excited about booking our family cruise vacation later today! Yippee!!

Amazing Arabella

Arabella has been doing great at Le Petite Gym and she loves going to class. I am amazed to see how much progress she has made since she started the class in January. I will be enrolling her again in the fall, however, a few of the other mom's are so impressed with her gymnastics ability that they have suggested enrolling her in WIMGYM, which is more focused on competitive gymnastics.

Here are a few photos that I took today. I am hoping to get better ones when she has her "graduation" class in a few weeks since Jay will be attending that class.







In addition to her love of gymnastics, she is a great helper! She will help me do almost anything and if she can't help, she gets mad. Today was no different, she helped unpack the grocery bags. Thanks for your help Little Bean, I love you!

Yummy!

As some of you know, I am trying to incorporate as much raw food as possible into my diet (and sometimes Jay and Arabella). I am doing this for many reasons, but that is another post. Anyway, I know that a few of you are curious about what raw food is and what it looks like. If you think it is only fruits, veggies and nuts, you are right and wrong. Take the following for example:



Looks yummy, right? It is La Fiesta from Crudessence in Montreal (www.crudessence.com) and is rosemary nachos with guacamole, salsa and sour cream. This dish is completely raw, vegan and organic - which means it has no meat or dairy in it. You might be wondering how sour cream doesn't have dairy...it is made out of nuts and it tasted just like regular sour cream. And I am not kidding. It was so good and filling. You could actually taste the ingredients instead of all the fat, salt and preservatives in regular chips and salsa. Needless to say, I am hooked and will be going back to Crudessence to eat again, next time with Jay and Arabella.

And just in case you were wondering, it passed both the Jay and Arabella test.