So proud of my boy!

On Tuesday at Kindy Ethan did a little talk about Canada. I guess you could call it "Show and Tell", but he was specifically asked to do it by one of the teachers. He decided to take along the stuffed moose that I got him, and 2 postcards. One of Niagara Falls and one of the CN Tower.

Anyway, I decided to get there a little earlier than usual so I would be able to hear him. He had been practising the night before, standing on the couch saying "excuse me, kids ..." while holding up the postcards :-) I knew that on the day he would get a bit shy, but he still did really well. He just spoke quite softly and Lisa had to repeat all the things he said. He couldn't remember the name of the waterfall but he said it was "really big". And when he showed the picture of the CN Tower, Lisa asked "how did mummy get up the top?" and Ethan said "she used the stairs" ... um, whatever! I'm soooo not fit enough to do that! Actually I don't even know if they have stairs. I suppose they do somewhere, but they weren't for public use.

I was so proud of my big guy! He did great, and all the kids were really interested. They were not quite so interested in the next boy, who had a plastic make-up case to show everybody. He (yes, he) was actually wearing the make-up as well. I'm really not sure what that was about! The teacher didn't ask a lot of questions, either!

I only wish I'd taken my camera! It was a moment definitely worth scrapbooking. But I did see one of the other teachers taking photos, so I might see if she can email them to me. I know they will put a page in his portfolio about it, but I'd love to have copies as well.

Tyler's talking

While I was away, Tyler acquired a few new words & phrases. Some of them I heard over the phone (which made me SO homesick!) and others I am only just noticing. His funniest one is "not fair" when something isn't going his way. The other night I was getting his PJs on and when I took off his T-shirt he said "I want car" (there was a car on his shirt) and I said "car is dirty, it needs to go in the wash" and put it in his hamper. He said "not fair, I want car" and I just about died laughing! He wasn't upset, he was almost angry! He had a really serious look on his face and his voice was very authoritative! What a crack-up.

He says "whoa!" all the time. Anytime he wobble or teeters on the edge of something, anytime he is remotely close to falling off something (which is quite often). He says it with such gusto, as well!! It always makes me smile.

Tyler has also fallen in love with Toy Story. He carries Buzz Lightyear around the house and wants to watch Toy Story 2 all the time. The last 3 mornings the first words out of his mouth have been "I want Woody on" which means he wants to watch the DVD. He slept with Buzz the other night. Buzz is not soft & cuddly. He is hard & plasticky. Tyler loves to carry the DVD cover around with him, and he points to all the characters and says their names: "Buzz, Woody, Zurg, Jessie, Rex, Mr Potatohead, Ham, Bullseye" … and the way he says "Mr Potatohead" is just SO cute! He says "Tay Toe Head" and pronounces each syllable really precisely.
He plays with Buzz like a real boy. He makes flying noises ("whee, whoosh, whoa") and uses his arms to make Buzz fly all around the room. Tyler is learning and copying a lot of things his big brother does, and it is really cute to watch.

The most often heard phrase in our house these days is "No, Ethan" (or more correctly "No, Eh-Uh") and this is usually followed by "Mumma/Daddy, Tyler said No to me". Who knew the word "No" could be so insulting?!

I have to admit, I was worried that Tyler wouldn't want anything to do with me after I got back. He's always been a Daddy's Boy, and usually prefers Rob to me when he is feeling upset. Ethan is more of a Mummy's Boy. I thought that after being away for almost 2 weeks, Tyler would be even more firmly attached to Rob than before. But to my surprise and delight, Tyler has actually been more attached to me since I got home. It's a nice feeling. He seems to be "evening out" and not really having such a strong preference for one or the other. I guess he is just growing up, and that is part of the process. I can't really believe he is going to be 2 next month. The time has gone by so quickly!

I think I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

And it is SO ironic, because just a couple of weeks ago my Dad was telling me that he has had numbness and pain in his left hand for a while, and Mum and I were telling him to go to the doctor because he "almost definitely" had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome!! Of course he hasn't been to the doctor, so we still don't know! Typical male :-)

Anyway, I first noticed the numbness in my left hand while on the plane from Toronto to LA. I figured it was because I had been sitting for so long, and had my arms squashed up to avoid touching the people on either side of me (as you do, on a plane). But it hasn't really gone away, and I've noticed it getting worse while I'm working.

I decided to ask my dear friend Google about it, and I found the following description of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome:

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.

Although I haven't had much pain, I've certainly had burning, tingling, numbness (lots of it) and the feeling of needing to "shake out" my hand. Kind of freaky! I will have to take my own advice and get myself to a doctor. My parents are away at the moment so I can't even talk to Dad about it and see if we are having the same symptoms. How bizarre would it be if we both had the same thing and both needed surgery?!

I'm home!!

And it is so good to be home. There is NO PLACE LIKE IT.
Every time I go away, coming home just reminds me how much I love NZ, my neighbourhood, my house.

My plane arrived at 6.40am yesterday (Sunday) and I have to say that walking through that arrivals gate and seeing my boys waiting for me was the BEST feeling in the world. I was so excited to see them, and they were just as excited to see me. And considering Rob had woken the boys up at 6am and taken them from their nice warm beds into the cold morning air, followed by a 45 min drive to the airport, they looked good! I could tell they were still a bit sleepy though :-)

My trip home was loooong. I arrived at Toronto airport 4 hours before my flight was scheduled to leave. This was "just in case" it took a really long time to get through security and US customs. Which it did. Then I had a 5 hour flight to LA, another 8 hours at LA airport waiting for my 12 hour flight home. 30 hours without deoderant, toothpaste, lip gloss and moisturiser. Boy, was that tough!! Needless to say, I chewed a LOT of gum and the first thing I did when I got my bags in Auckland (before going through to arrivals) was crack open my deoderant. LOL. But I wanted to smell nice for my honey! And he noticed :-)

I had a really great time in Canada. I loved Toronto, and I'd love to go back someday. I especially enjoyed meeting Jenn, Chris, Duncan, Matthew and Joey. What a neat family! I'm so blessed to call Jenn my friend, and even more blessed to have met her in real life.
I have to say that I liked Canada a lot more than the US. People were friendlier and it seemed more like home. A Canadian guy I talked to on the plane home said that NZ is often likened to Canada, while Australia is likened to the US. And there is that rivalry between the countries just like between NZ and Aussie. That was interesting to me.

There were lots of things I really loved about Canada.
1. Quizno's. I had it twice and both times I was sad when my food was gone. I really wish I could have taken a Quizno sub home for my sister who is a huge Subway fan, just to prove that it is yummier!
2. The accent. I really like it!!
3. Wal-Mart and Sears. Great stores! I went a bit crazy in both of them, buying clothes for the boys. I got some cute stuff for them!!
4. Maple syrup. I'm glad we have it here, too.
5. Chocolate (oops, I mean candy) bar selection. I tried a few different ones, most of them got The Big Tick of Approval from this chocoholic!

There were some things I didn't like about Canada though.
1. Not enough fruit & vegetables! I was going through veggie withdrawal when I got home and last night Rob cooked a whole lot of broccolli and peas for dinner and they tasted so good! And I didn't eat any fruit while I was there. I couldn't find any!
2. The volume level in conversations. I didn't notice it at all with Jenn's family, but most other people I talked to spoke so loudly all the time!! My uncle (who passed away last year) was a Kiwi who lived in Canada for most of his adult life. And every time he came to visit I would be scared of him because of his bellowing voice! I noticed lots of people over there talk really, really loudly. Why?
3. The crowds. I'm just not used to them. I'm not used to jostling people as I walk down the road or through the mall. I definitely could have lived without that.

I missed certain things about home. Just to name a few: Weetbix, Vegemite, Coke Zero (couldn't find it anywhere!), my TV shows (I didn't find much worth watching over there, even with 58 channels to choose from) and most of all HUGS! I can totally understand those studies that have shown people who don't receive any physcial affection can actually die. I went for over a week without any physical contact with other people (apart from being pushed and shoved while queuing up for things). After I left Jenn's place, I didn't hug another person until I saw my family. You just don't think about those kind of things, but it really affected me! I hugged everybody lots more yesterday :-)

Ah, home. I love it. And I'm not in a hurry to go anywhere else.

Mildly exciting photos from AIDS2006

There hasn't been much to report so far (well, besides scientific stuff that would bore you all to tears.) However, you may have seen/read on the news that Bill Gates has pledged more money to fight the AIDS epidemic, and has been a keynote speaker here at the conference. I heard him speak at the opening ceremony, along with his wife Melinda. They are doing some very good things for the AIDS cause.

Richard Gere also spoke at the opening ceremony, albeit briefly. Apparently Alicia Keys gave a speech on Monday but I missed it. Bill Clinton has been here for a couple of days, and today I managed to get to part of a press conference he was giving in the Media Centre. Unfortunately I couldn't take pictures thanks to very large men with very large cameras standing directly in front of me. However, I did manage to snap a couple of very blurry shots as he was leaving the area.

I also took a couple of photos of some of the vandalised pharmaceutical company stands in the exhibition hall. Apparently at the 15th AIDS Conference in Bangkok, activitists and protesters threw blood over some drug company stands. This year wasn't quite so bad, but you get the idea. In case you can't read the small poster, it says "Abbott your booth is empty just like your promises".

I'm working my butt off, feeling quite weary but only 2 more days to go. I have scanned one of the two abstract books (each one is 520 pages) and I'm working on the second. My shoulder has a permanent "dent" in it from carrying my conference bag stuffed with info, and my arms are covered in bruises from being bumped and pushed and shoved in the extremely busy poster hall. Like I said to Rob last night, I'm going to need a holiday when I get home!

Want to see something spectacular?

Then you should go to Niagara Falls. They. Are. Amazing.

There honestly aren't enough words to describe how awesome they are. I took heaps and heaps of photos, probably way too many but who cares!! The falls are simply breathtaking. It felt surreal to be standing there today, seeing something that I have only ever seen on TV or in a book. To watch all that water just tumbling down, the power behind it, the sheer majesty of God's beautiful creation. It felt strange to look across the river and see the U.S.A. (and I can tell you now that the Canadian side definitely has the better view)!

My tour group was small (just 16 of us) and I met some lovely people. Many of whom I hope to see again during the conference. We went on the Maid of the Mist, a boat which cruises up the river and directly underneath the Horseshoe Falls. They provide blue ponchos, but we still got drenched! But it was totally worth it, and in my opinion part of the whole experience.
I learned so many things today. I didn't actually realise there were two sets of falls, the American and the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls, with an island (Goat Island) separating them. I also hadn't heard the stories about people who survived falling down them, and how people who survive it these days face a $10,000 fine!

We had lunch at Table Rock Restaurant which overlooks the falls. Then we drove along the Niagara Parkway to a quaint and pretty little town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. So beautiful!! It was a gorgeous sunny day, and being a Saturday afternoon there were weddings at the church, market stalls, street performers and lots of other things to see. The Peach Festival starts tomorrow, I was disappointed to miss that. But I did try a new thing while I was there ... cookie dough icecream! I've always wondered what it was like. I have to say it was a bit strange and I'm not sure I would buy it again. It actually has chunks of cookie dough in it - I always thought it was just the flavour. But it had to be done, and I was happy to oblige :-)

My conference starts tomorrow, so I'm not going to get much time to blog. Besides, it wouldn't be interesting to anybody else! Unless I meet Bill Gates, Richard Gere, Alicia Keys or one of the other celebrities proported to be here :-)

A taste of Canadian life

Today is my third day here in Toronto. I've had such a great time so far, hanging out with Jenn and her family. Here are just some of the things I have done:

~Rode the subway into the city
~Had a "real" Toronto hotdog
~Went to a baseball game (and the Blue Jays won!)
~Shopped at Wal-Mart
~Tried Quizno's (like Subway but yummier!) and Dairy Queen
~Swam in Lake Ontario

Tomorrow I am going on a tour to Niagara Falls, including a boat ride "Maid of the Mist" and a tour through Niagara-on-the-Lake. I organised it through the AIDS conference website, so all the other people on the tour will be conference delegates.
Jenn is taking me to my hotel tonight. I'm ever so grateful to her & Chris for their hospitality and generosity. It was also lovely to meet Marilyn & Peter, Jenn's parents. Duncan, Matthew & Joey are the cutest little boys. I have felt so welcome and at home here.

I have to admit being around Jenn's boys has made me really miss Ethan & Tyler. A lot. So much that I'm not sure I could travel like this again. Leaving them was harder than I thought it would be. I feel so far away from home, and 12 days is a long time. I miss them so much my heart physcially hurts. But I know they are doing great, and I talked to Ethan last night on the phone. But I have to say, I don't agree with a work colleague who told me leaving her 2 girls (ages 5 and 3) wasn't difficult. She has travelled twice in the past 6 months, and both times she said it was no big deal being away from her girls. I'm sorry, but I can't understand that. I miss my kids so much and I don't know how anybody could find it easy to be away from their own children for more than a few days.

Anyway, I better stop or I'll make myself cry. I'm feeling a little anxious right now, considering the recent terror threats and increased security at airports. But like Rob said, I will be even safer flying home now than I would have been before. That is quite comforting, but I do hope things go smoothly for the trip home. I'd appreciate your prayers for that, and that the conference days would go by quickly so I can get home to see my precious boys (all 3 of them).

I'll post again tomorrow after my tour. I'm sure it is going to be amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something I'll always remember.

Here I am in LAX

It is 4.30pm here and I have SIX hours to kill before my flight to Toronto. I've paid $3 for this e-mail port and it took me the first 5 min to get here!
Anyway, it was a pretty uneventful flight. Was seated next to 2 French guys and directly across the aisle from the bassinet seats. And 2 babies. I was worried to start with, but they were so good! They slept almost all the way. And Rob, the school kids were really quiet!!
I took my sleeping pill but wasn't impressed with the results. I slept on-and-off for about 7 hours but not much more than 60-90 min at a time. Had to wait forever at the security checks here in LA. Crazy system now, I had not travelled here since 9/11 so things are different. Had to take shoes off!!!
There isn't much to do here in Terminal 2 but now I'm here I'm not leaving!! LONG queues to get back in. There are some food places and a few duty free shops. I'll probably just read my book.
I do miss my boys a LOT but now that the worst part (the long flight) is over, I think I'll be okay. Hope to phone mum soon and maybe talk to Ethan. He was ever so brave yesterday, for the goodbyes. I was so proud!! Anyway, I'll blog again soon, probably after the ball game I am going to with Jenn tomorrow - can't wait!!

My next post will be from Toronto!

Or possibly Los Angeles. I have an 8h layover. Yep, 8 HOURS. So if I manage to find an internet cafe or somewhere to hook up my laptop, I might do some more blogging. Otherwise you'll have to wait until I get to Jenn's place!

My bags are packed (almost). I've shaved my legs (it is HOT over there). I have written lists and crossed things off. I recorded 6 stories onto a tape for Ethan to listen to while I'm gone. Today I am supposed to be working from home, doing last-minute conference planning. But I'm not doing much work. I figure I will be working enough overtime while I'm there, so today is going to be a chill-out day. I need to relax and calm down after a week of stress and frantic planning/organising.

I will take Ethan to Kindy at 12.45 and then pick him up at 3.15. Perhaps I will stay for the session, and do some "parent-help", something I don't usually get to do. We'll see. Anyway, after Kindy I will have about an hour to spend with Ethan before Rob gets home with Tyler and we drop the boys off at my parents' place.

Then it will be time for The Goodbyes. I am not looking foward to them at all. Ethan has been saying "I don't want you to go to Canada" and "12 days will take too long". Poor little guy. He was really upset on Sunday night, enough to make me cry when I'd left his room. But last night he was much better. He didn't cry and he seemed to have accepted it a bit more. He is going to be upset when I leave today though. And that is going to be the hardest thing for me.

Anyway, I'd appreciate prayers and good vibes for my trip. That everything would go smoothly and I would get some sleep on the plane (courtesy of Zopiclone). I'm really excited about meeting Jenn and seeing a new country. I'll miss all 3 of my boys SO MUCH, but being away for 12 days will make the homecoming SO good. I can already imagine myself walking through the arrivals gate and seeing them there. I can't wait!

Name writing

Ethan has been practicing writing his name a LOT since he started Kindy.
Every afternoon when they arrive at Kindy, they find their name on the whiteboard, and then copy it onto a sheet of paper. Before Ethan started Kindy in mid-May, he was able to write an "E" and "t" pretty well, but the other letters weren't as easy. Plus, he wasn't overly interested in doing it. But after just a few weeks at Kindy, he was writing his name almost perfectly. Now he can do both his first and last names without asking for help or copying them. And he enjoys doing it!
Have a squizz at this:

Michelle's recent blog about her 3 1/2-year-old daughter's drawings prompted me to take some photos of Ethan's latest artwork. I need to have it documented and eventually scrapbooked :-) At the moment he really likes drawing people, faces, animals and shapes (squares, circles, triangles, etc). Here's one of his typical "people":

You know, there was a time about 6 months ago when I thought Ethan would never be interested in drawing, writing or even colouring in. But now he loves all 3, and is getting better and better at them everyday.

Proud mumma? You bet!