Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's been a long time since I've had time to sit and play at the computer. Here's the update:
-Our household got very sick for about three weeks and then it took us two more to recover.
-Christmas Eve supper was at our house for the first time this year (we've had the rite of passage into adulthood now!)
-We spent a lot of time preparing our house so that we would have a comfortable place to celebrate .
-As soon as Makeba's bronchitis went away, she began cutting teeth.
-We took many steps backwards in the weaning department as a result of illness and teething.
-We are so happy that my parents are in town for Christmas.
-Makeba is growing up SO much! She says so many words and can put together 2 word sentences really well. Some of her favourite phrases are "ooo la la!" and "oy yoy yoy!" She actually says "ooo la la" when she sees something she likes! She also says it just because she likes to say it.
-I've been reading up about homeopathy as a method of healing for our family (as I've been frustrated by contemporary doctors, myself, and needed an alternative which has brought me much healing so far!)
-I've been reading up on breastfeeding and weaning and found that the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at least the first two years to maximize the immune benefits of the breasmilk for the child. I've also found that many women feel pressured to wean before both the mother and child are ready. I'm encouraged because it seems that every time we try to wean, something gets in the way, so now I feel that it's all part of it and we are just fine the way we are.
-I made "kutia" (traditional Ukrainian dish for Christmas and Theophany Eves) for the first time! It was good (that is, if you like it! It's an acquired taste!)
-Makeba told me to make her some tea "Mama-tea-make it!"
-We got sick AGAIN, but in a different way...vomit, etc. Oh, man, that's been tough! All three of us got it and it has set us back about a week. Makeba still has the diarrhea part (let's just say, "peee eew!" in the words of Makeba).
-Makeba had her first haircut last night! Just the bangs. I, of course, cut them too short, even though I swore I would be better than all those other mothers who cut them too short! Oh, well! I guess we're all paranoid about stabbing our children's eyes with the scissors so we all misjudge the space between the eyes and the scissors!

So, that's the update! I tried to keep it concise, but, as you know, it has been a long time! Thanks for not giving up on us!

May you all have peace and fulfullment in this new year!

Love,
Hania

Busy month...

So, this month has been both busy and I've been feeling sort of up and down. We started weaning Makeba off breastfeeding at night time. It's been better than we expected! I've been sleeping in the guest room and she and Annand have been in our room. They've been doing so well together and really bonding well! Makeba sure loves her Dada! We've been getting more sleep each night, but now Makeba is sick (chest cold) so we've taken a few steps back. It's nice to see her getting more sleep at night. Soon she'll be in her own room. It has really helped our little family connect more and carve out more of our identity as a small unit. We have really needed that. Here we are before our first night weaning.



I'm so proud of how well Makeba is growing up. She truly is a friendly, compassionate, sociable little kid. She's learning so many words every day. She likes to repeat everything I say and gets really interested in new sounds that she can make. She confidently tries to speak all the time. She also likes to sing along to songs in the car, play her "guitar" (it is actually a pink push toy that she turns into a guitar in her imagination), and sing her own little tunes as she wanders around the house. Here are two videos that show her speech and song...






I've been feeling a little low as I have been feeling the loss of my Babie (grandmother). There's a little bit of Babie everywhere. "When your back hurts, you should lie on the couch like this with your knees like this" "You should have a bowel movement every day" "Don't call her crazy, it will leave a mark!" There's a little bit of Babie in the Polish songs we sing to Makeba, Babie gave me the green woolen jacket I've been wearing this fall, almost all of my pajamas came from Babie at Christmas (this year I bought my own to wrap up for myself to have on Christmas day). The list goes on and on. I love her and miss her. I've had a few dreams about her, so I know she's watching over us and making sure we're all okay. She always did that when she was alive, phoning to make sure things were going well, sending cards and gifts and money, imparting her years of life knowledge whenever she could. She was our loving, caring matriarch. Life is different now, but she is, still, very much with us.

Here are a few pictures of us...

Good times with Andrea

My cousin Andrea came to visit us before the wedding in Banff. We had a great visit...lots of togetherness time, relaxing, baking, and going out on the towne. It was so nice to get together so much! Thanks for the great times Andrea!

Makeba and Daddy at the park

The nice thing about Annand's new work schedule is that Makeba and I get to spend time with him during the day. We went to the park on this beautiful autumn day and Makeba enjoyed playing on the swings, slide and in the sand. There were so many pretty yellow leaves in the park from the trees that surround it. It smelled so good, and looked so nice. This is a video of Makeba and her daddy enjoying the day together.

Fancy Nancy... I mean Makeba

Last weekend we went to Calgary, Banff and the Stoney Native Reserve for my cousins' wedding. Here is Makeba in her finest (minus the bangles, barrettes and fancy shoes that she had on initially and took off in the car on the way to the wedding). We had a great time gathering with family and being in the mountains!

Ahh, growing up...

It's funny that we find it so cute when little kids do things that adults do with little remarkability (I think I made up that word, but I like it...tiredness breeds invention, isn't that how the saying goes?)

Just doing some work here...

Boston Pizza daycare...

It was Vooyko Mark's last day of "work" at Boston Pizza. Tonya, Evan, Makeba and I went there for supper. The cousins enjoyed feeding each other, chasing each other, throwing food on the floor together, and banging on the glass door together. They have so much fun together! We love it!