Tooth meets Scooter

Yesterday, my son had an accident in the playground.  The preschool said he was riding around the playground on a scooter and fell because he was going too fast.  His mouth hit the scooter on the way down so his gum was bleeding and one of his front tooth chipped.  

I called a good friend of ours who is a dentist and she saw him right away.  She filled the chip and took an x-ray of both front teeth.  It turns out that it is the other front tooth that is more concerning because there was some trauma to the tissue surrounding that tooth.  (Must be some kind of spiritual lesson here).  He needs to be on a soft/liquid diet for 10 days to allow the tissue around that tooth to heal.

Click here to see some pictures.

I think he was in shock more than anything because he didn't cry much but he was very tired after the whole incident.  He fell asleep in the car going home so we just put him to bed and he didn't eat dinner.  

This is the first real accident that my son has had.  We are thankful that it was not anything more serious and that the tooth was able to be fixed right away.  He was such a brave boy.  It totally helped that the dentist is our good friend so he was not scared while she was working on his tooth.  We are so blessed to have good friends!

2010 Highlights

All in all, 2010 was another year of great blessings.  Everyone is healthy and we welcomed a new addition to our family.  Here are some month-by-month highlights:

Jan - Got pregnant
Feb - Found out I was pregnant
Mar - Got super sick with a cold/flu that lasted 4 weeks
Apr - Landed a job back in the PR department
May - Worked 2 jobs as I transitioned out of my old job and into my new job and juggled major crisis/issues management at work
Jun - Continued to deal with major issues at work
Jul - Jeremy turned 36
Aug - Went to the JW Rosseau for vacation to decompress after 2 months of VBS
Sep - Keith turned 3, celebrated our 7th year wedding anniversary
Oct - Ainsley was born and started mat leave
Nov - Celebrated Ainsley's 1 month birthday
Dec - Will be celebrating Jeremy's grandma's 91st birthday

Fever

Our son had a fever last night of 103-104F, the highest he's ever had. When we went to bed, there was nothing to indicate that he was going to have a fever. He just had a bit of a runny nose which is normal given that he goes to daycare. Fortunately, my husband decided that he wanted our son to sleep with us which is how I realized, in the middle of the night, that he had developed a fever. I wonder what would have happened if our son slept in his crib last night? Would he have slept through the night with a fever? Would he have started crying, long enough to cause us to check up on him? Sometimes the little decisions we make in life can have such a big impact. Thank God that my husband allowed our son to sleep with us last night.

Living vicariously ...through your child

I think generations of parents have tried to live vicariously through their kids. For example, my parents forced me to take piano lessons because they never had that opportunity. Now that I am a parent, I think about how my son is going to be a great jock, how he is going to be able to sing and play multiple instruments, and be the most popular kid at school. That pretty much sums up the complete opposite of my childhood.

Who knows, he may very well end up being a nerd that can't throw or catch a ball. Or worse, he may end up hanging out with the wrong group of friends and get into all kinds of trouble. At the end of the day, I guess we really don't have any control how our kids turn out. Thank God for His protection, grace and mercy!

True Olympians

I was watching the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic games the other day. As the athletes entered the stadium, some walking and some in wheelchairs, tears began to stream down my face. As the commentators gave snipets of the athletes' background, I was so overwhelmed by their stories. I can't even begin to imagine what each of them has had to go through to get here. These athletes have had to overcome all the obstacles that life has dished out for them and still manage to emerge as champions. These are true Olympians.

My bucket list

In no particular order, here's my bucket list:
- go to Las Vegas and stay at a 5-star hotel
- take my kid(s) to Disneyland/world when they are old enough to remember it
- run a marathon
- write a book
- go to Europe
- stay in a hut that is floating on water like the ones they show in travel brochures
- volunteer at the Olympics
- celebrate our 10 year anniversary on a cruise
- celebrate our 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, etc.. wedding anniversary
- get an annual subscription to a live theatre production
- go on school field trips with my child(ren)
- pay off our mortgage
- start my own business
- have another kid
- take my kid(s) to live theatre
- become a stay-at-home mom
- become a children's bday party photographer
- join a synchro skating team
- go to a 5-star all-inclusive resort
- take my kid(s) camping
- get a zoo membership and go once a month
- sing in a real choir
- learn to play an instrument
- read through the whole Bible
- read the Bible every day for 1 year
- become a godmother
- volunteer
- retire in Vancouver
- become a board member for a non-profit organization
- live in another country
- throw my son a bday party at McDonald's

Stuff that I've already checked off my bucket list:
- get a driver's license as soon as I can
- learn to drive standard
- finish high school
- work in Hong Kong
- get a degree
- get a good job with a great company
- take a bartending course
- show my husband where I grew up in Calgary
- skate at the Olympic oval in Calgary with my husband
- take my husband to Hong Kong
- get married
- go on a cruise for our honeymoon
- go ziplining
- go on a biking/camping trip in PEI and Nova Scotia
- buy a house
- run a half-marathon
- get an MBA with honours
- have a kid
- go on mat leave for a year
- breastfeed for at least 1 year
- go to NYC with my husband
- take my son to Hong Kong
- get a job in marketing

Babysitting

I'm babysitting my friend's 2 yr old today because she is going to have a baby.  I got a call from the husband at 4:40am and before I knew it, I had taken a shower, gotten dressed, and was at my friend's house by 5am.  A new life is going to come into this world today and in a small but important way, I am enabling that to happen.  Life is good.  God is even better.

Blessings

I met a women today who has a 7 year old with a disability and a failed marriage. As I listened to her story, I was overwhelmed with sadness. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she has gone through over the past 7 years. She has such strength, courage, and grace despite her circumstance. I felt so unworthy and blessed for having a healthy son and a happy marriage and I was reminded once again not to take anything for granted. Each day, I thank God for keeping our family safe and healthy. We are so blessed.