August 2006

It's amazing how quickly the summer has passed. As I look at the pictures of my kids from the beginning of the summer, it makes me realize that each of them has really changed and grown a lot this year. It's pretty amazing really!

At five months old, Myles is obviously changing the most rapidly. He's now able to sit for short periods on his own, says mum mum mum when he's hungry or wants me, and is such a HUGE flirt. He continues to be the most good-natured baby I can imagine and his smile lights up our world. Lilah and Naomi love to make him laugh -- which isn't too hard to acheive!

Naomi and Lilah have become the proud parents of two Monarch butterflies. We've been finding hundreds of caterpillars and cocoons around our property (currently we know of five cocoons growing out there). So the girls caught a couple of caterpillars, fed them milkweed and waited for them to pupate. Two weeks is a long time in a preschoolers life, but finally yesterday the girls were rewarded and a Monarch presented itself in their bug catcher. Today another cocoon hatched and once again excitement was a brewing. It's so fun to watch their minds grow and expand.

On top of this being a bug, butterfly, toad and snake summer -- we've recently spent more time at Auntie Heather and Uncle John's house on William's lake. This time, we tried to get the fishing thing going, but were rather unsuccessful - only capturing one tiny sunfish (and Roxy the dog on occasion). Once again, we returned home well rested, relaxed and VERY envious of their home!

At 10:30pm on the road home a construction pylon hit our truck and we ended up with a hole in the windshield. Thankfully none of us was hurt, but we were not able to safely drive home. A not so quick call to CAA and we ended up riding home in the truck, on the back of a flatbed tow truck. Another experience for the kids -- who at 12am were fascinated with how high up we were and how much easier it was to see the moon!

This month also brought about Naomi's gotcha day anniversary and reunion. It's hard to believe all that has happened in those three short years -- we've come a long way from a couple to a family of five!

At the reunion, it was wonderful to see how much each of Naomi's "Zhuzhou sisters" have grown and changed. This was really the first time we experienced the expression of each gal's personality through language -- what a joy. Naomi's actual gotcha day (the 24th) was spent at Ontario Place, taking in the Chinese Lantern Festival. It was a terrific way to reminisce about our first trip to China and the WONDERFUL gifts that we've received! The girls loved the experience and we enjoyed the time together as family.

As August winds down, we are gearing up for school. Naomi meets her teacher on September 7th and then starts JK on September 22nd. Lilah starts Nursery School on September 5th. As the dates grow closer, I look forward to watching my girls move on to new phases in their lives and continue to grow. At the same time, I am admittedly a little sad to let them go -- a feeling I think every mother can relate to.

I've also had to let go of my cat Maggie this month, she was 17 years old. Maggie was my eldest child, only two days old when we met as I was hunting for my first apartment. Our journey together began six weeks later when I moved in, and the previous tenant left her for me. I took my first independent steps with her by my side as I moved away from home and started college in Kingston. At night she loved to suckle on a blanket, kneeding her paws and giving me a massage while we snuggled. Whenever I felt homesick, she was there for me. Whenever I struggled in school or life, she quietly reminded me that I was important, that I was needed and that I was loved. Maggie was the most dependable thing in my life. As a kitten, she was adventurous -- travelling home with me on school vacations, always riding in the back window of the car while basking in the warm sun. As an adult, she loved to watch the birds, wander through the trees and bask in the sunlight.

Our journey together saw career changes, relationships, marriage and children. During her 17 years she survived college; 11 moves; a few boyfriends and 2 husbands; 2 Rottweilers and Bubba the cat; a few job changes and one career change; 2 adoptions and 1 pregnancy; 3 children and my journey into motherhood. I remember her snuggling with me as I cried my way through the agony of SARS and waiting for Naomi. I remember her rubbing up against me while I hugged the toilet through pregnancy, and after Myles was born, she would sit on the arm of the chair as I nursed him. Through it all, Maggie has always been a great comfort to me and I cherish that.

Euthanizing her was the most difficult decision I can ever recall making. To have the power to choose when life will end is painful and heartbreaking, despite the fact that I know I was saving her from pain and suffering. Saying goodbye to Maggie was like closing a chapter in my book of life and it was a very sad experience. Thankfully I have so many wonderful memories of her to treasure within my heart.