Field Trippin'

Yesterday while dropping Nathan off at daycare, his teacher handed me a permission slip in order for Nathan to attend a field trip!

I have to admit that I was both giddy with excitement and a little bid sad.  After nearly two years at daycare, Nathan is finally old enough to attend outside activities.  I happily signed the permission slip before reading the fine print.  Nathan needed a pair of rubber rain boots.  I had no idea where I would even find rain boots in France, let alone with such short notice.

Thankfully my Facebook friends came to the rescue and rubber rain boots were purchased that afternoon.

I totally talked up the field trip to Nathan all night.  I told him how he would ride the bus, go to the farm and visit the animals.  Much to my dismay he didn't seem too impressed.

This morning as he was throwing his usual "I don't want to go to the creche" tantrum.  I told him again about the bus, and the farm, and yada yada.  The only thing that stuck with him was that he would be riding a bus - and boy was he excited. 

The entire ride in to the daycare all he could talk about was the bus this, and the bus that.  Screw the farm, this kid was going to ride a bus!  He even called me out when we arrived at the parking lot and there was no bus.  I had to explain that the bus would come later after all the kids were there.  He was hesitant, but armed with his back pack he proudly walked into daycare.

He even told his teachers that he would be riding the bus and wanted to stay by the door.  Never underestimate a kid with a mission.

As I walked away and saw the twinkle in his eyes, I was so excited for him. I remember all too fondly my school field trips.  The excitement of going somewhere different and of course not having to go to school that day.

Hopefully he will build the same kind of memories.  This is yet another milestone that has come much too quickly

Dear Nathan

Has it really been two months since we've written you a letter.  The past few months have been a little hectic.  We've traveled a lot and have done so many things together which hopefully make up for the lack of letters.

You have truly come into your own lately.  Your sense of humor is coming out and you keep us laughing non stop.  Now that you are officially 2 1/2 you definitely have your "terrible two" moments but they are few and far between.  There are moments when you refuse your afternoon naps which can add to the madness.  You have also decided that now would be a good time to get two more molars.  Just when I thought we were through with the worst of the teething.

Celebrating holidays with you have become so much fun.  You are finally starting to understand what is going on which makes the celebrations much more special.  You now associate birthdays with cake, candles and you love to sing Happy Birthday whenever you see one or the other.

Throughout all of our travels we have seen you blossom.  It is incredible to watch the twinkle and magic in your eyes when you explore new things.  You have become so adventerous and have started to come out of your comfort zone.  There is no end to the things you will do and try, and traveling with you has become such a joy.

You spent some time with not only your grandparents, but also your great-grandparents.  It was amazing to see how much love you had for them even though you hadn't seen them in over a year.  You would walk with your grandfather (bunico) hand in hand and would play football with your great-grandfather.  You spent time in the country and adapted as if you had spent your entire life on a farm.

I hope that when you grow up you remember all of the love that surrounded you these past few months.

You have truly grown into your role as a big brother and you have become Noah's protector.  I love watching you express your feelings and emotions through actions.  You hug and kiss him when you think no one is watching and you always ask for him whenever he isn't around.  I can only hope that you two will grow to be great friends.

Your personality is absolutely amazing and we can hardly wait to see how you continue to grow.  You are truly have such an amazing heart.

We love you.

Love and acceptance

I don't get political on my blog because honestly I don't follow politics. Ask me about what celebrity just gave birth and I am a wealth of useless knowledge.

I did, however, see the news about President Obama "evolving" on the Gay Marriage issue. I also saw the thousands of people who praised him for this evolution. Really? Personally, I will praise a President who actually DOES something about it. But that is neither here nor there.

The point of this post is that I am still shocked that there is so much hate and intolerance in this world.

I can only hope that by the time my boys grow up the world will be more open-minded. That my kids will never think that they are better than anyone else. That they never judge a person based on color, religion or sexual preference.

Kids are not born with hate. It is taught, and passed down. We need to stop teaching intolerance to make issues like this disappear.

For the record, Gay marriage does not threaten my marriage in any way.
And we as a family support it 100%.

First Flight

A little over a week ago we packed our bags and headed to see Cornel's family in Romania.

Exciting since not only would this be the first time that most of his family would meet Noah but also because this would be Noah's first plane ride.

At nearly five months Noah was no stranger to traveling but first plane rides always make me nervous. Let us not forget the time that I was stranded at the airport with Nathan for over ten hours.

This time, however, we would be traveling as a family and all that entails. Getting through security was an adventure and Nathan wanted nothing more than to keep running through the metal detectors.

Security and customs aside, we all survived the airport and the ride went amazingly well. It looks as if Noah will be a great flyer just like his big brother.

The Ring

My engagement ring has always been a point of contention in my marriage. The ring itself is beautiful but certain circumstances have always caused discussion.

A few nights ago while at a hotel in Bucharest I took off my rings to get ready for bed.

Then it happened. My engagement ring slipped out of my hands while in the bathroom. Like the ball in a pinball machine, it bounced around clinking and clanking. I watched its movements almost as if slow motion before I finally saw it fall down the drain.

I gasped, and I think it was one of the few times when I actually gasped out loud. I stared down at the drain as if my mind could magically make the ring float back up.

I then ran into the bedroom and started frantically explaining to Cornel what happened. He called down to the front desk while I feverishly tried to fashion a hook out of a metal coat hanger. In my desperation I must have thought I turned into McGyver.

The front dest called saying that at that late hour there was no maintenance personnel available but that they would send the concierge. Perfect. If he couldn't recover my ring at least he could book my reservation in the looney bin.

Cornel kept trying the coat hanger hook to no avail. Maybe if I would have put some chewing gum on the end I might have been more successful.

The concierge finally arrived in his suit and proceeded to put on yellow rubber gloves. They snapped like surgeon gloves snap before an operation. It was too much to bear, so I went into the bedroom and closed the door.

Within minutes Cornel came back with my ring in hand (no pun intended). The concierge had even been nice enough to wash it off for me. That is what you call four star service! He totally deserved the tip Cornel handed him.

We disposed of the hook and continued with our night. Cornel made a joke that at least it was the ring that I "didn't like". Touché.

Alternative

I knew that it was bound to happen.  Within just one week of starting daycare, Noah was sick.  I wasn't surprised.  We experienced this downward spiral with Nathan.  I was just hoping that it would take longer than a week.

The diagnosis:  Bronchitis.

The poor kid was miserable.  He had a terrible cough that would keep him up at night and his eyes were red and watery.

We took him to the doctor who could do nothing for us, since this was viral.  He did however refer us to a kine-therapist (or physiotherapist in English) to do sessions of breathing treatments (which I later found out was called Chest Physiotherapy).

If you have never heard of this before.  It is truly insane.  The therapist basically pounds down on the baby's thorax to break up the mucus in the lungs.  The pounding is so heavy, however, that you feel like your baby is going to snap in half.

It is truly one of the most horrific things I have ever seen.  I had to turn away and finally leave the room.  When the session was done, Noah was borderline blue and completely limp from the session.

I seriously could not comprehend how one earth that could possibly be helping him.  Yet, here we are 7 sessions in and we can definitely see some improvements.  He is breathing much better and his lungs are clear.  He is sleeping through the night again and he is back to his happy go lucky self.

I know that these sessions defenitley helped him get rid of the things he couldn't get rid of himself.  I am truly grateful that our pediatrician referred us rather than loading up Noah with drugs that wouldn't have done him any good.

I, however, will refrain from participating in any future sessions because my emotional well being cannot handle it.  Luckily he is at an age where he won't remember a thing.

Doesn't he look cute waiting for session?

Missing

Last week my Facebook feed started blowing up with pictures of this beautiful little girl, Isabel Celis.

She was reportedly abducted from her bed in the middle of the night.  She is still missing. {read her story here}

Stories of missing children always pull at me.  I just simply cannot imagine the pain that the family is going through.  I cannot fathom the not knowing about where my children are sleeping and whether or not they are safe.  The thought of it alone is enough to make me sick to my stomach.

And while we hear stories like this everyday, this one hit close to home.  You see, Isabel's mother went to my high school.  She graduated two years ahead of me.  I graduated with her younger brother.  Isabel's grandmother is friends with my mom.  Isabel's aunt is a close friend of my sister and they graduated together.

This happened back "home".  This could have been any of my own nieces and nephews.  This could have been my children, since we always visit the area.

You never imagine this happening in your own back yard; to people you know.

And while I rarely ever do things like this on my blog, I ask that you pray.  Pray for Isabel.  Pray for her family.  Just keep her in your thoughts today.  Hug your children extra tight tonight and remember that not all parents have that luxury.