Comparing the first day of JK to the last day of JK….

…what a difference 10 months make….Matteo was wearing the same shorts and t-shirt and you can clearly see how he has grown, sprouted more like it…in so many ways beyond his height….he is still the "ham" with the great sense of humour for the most part - (though I'm still trying to accept the "funny" thing he did on his last day of Vietnamese school!!)…

…...yet he has learned so much…he speaks some French, still loves books a lot, loves to sing, asks lots of questions, is very sensitive and hurt when his friends don't want to play with him and terrifically excited when he has had a great playing day with friends!! He loves animals real and stuffed ones and cries if he hears of an animal being hurt.…and also wants to pet and say hello and learn the name of all the dogs we encounter in our neighbourhood….

…. for his mommy the best part is that he is now reading at Level 1!!  He received some Level 1 Lightening McQueen readers and after family left on the day of his 5th birthday, he actually started reading with me…so May 30, became a milestone not only for turning 5, but for his first reading day.

He still struggles with not wanting to practice his letters or numbers, something his teachers have encouraged me to work with, but LOVES copying letters in order to spell something specific…so we will try for practicing concrete words etc…..he loves stickers, loves giving raspberry kisses, loves being a big boy, gives lots of compliments but finds it hard to get a "no"….He also has a bad temper and when something isn't the way he wants it, everyone sure hears about it…at times he throws books, stuffs, and utensils and we are working on having him use his words to express his feelings and not to be aggressive with throwing….he is getting better, but  this is something we will continue to work on…

….He loves being and behaving grown up, helping out at home, feeding the cats, helping with laundry,  putting away his laundry, putting away groceries, recycling, but also loves being fed like I did when he was a baby….he loves hearing stories of my trip to adopt him, and does still go through his adoption book…and loves hearing stories of when he was a baby….

….he loves to colour and look at his books..his desk is always piled with books and papers and markers all over the place….as he is working on so many different projects all at once…

…he still loves his trains but is definitely more into cars these days….he loved his Vietnamese class, but it was still a struggle to get him there….…..I'm not sure he is understanding much of what adoption means, but I am trying to keep the conversation going when he wants to talk about it…

.....I am so proud of this little boy. It has been a tough year for us, and never imagined I would have to be dealing with such serious matters with him as the death of our cat and then the death of what we had accepted and hoped to be his younger brother, another son for me…we will never forget Malio; however, we have both come through this in our own way and hopefully the future will bring a new blessing into our lives…all the more valuable because we have experienced the vulnerability and loss…

….for now, we wait and while we are settling into the reality of summer, we are also trying to keep our dream alive and fully in the forefront of our plans.


September 2014

June 2015

Last day of Junior KIndergarten....a school year comes to a close........

The school year is coming to a close. It is often a time for reflection and new hope.  Matteo finished off his last day in Junior Kindergarten and I would have to say on the most part it was a wonderful success.  He is doing well in many areas, and has a bit of work to do in others. He/We are looking forward to the change in routine though he will be in an extended day camp for about 3 weeks.

For me, we have commencement for our students tomorrow. It will be an important marker for students as young adults embarking on the next chapter of their lives.  The teachers who taught them feel that sense of accomplishment along with them. For them and for us, we take this journey with them and when they fail, we fail, and when they succeed, we succeed too.

It has been a while since posting.  I would have liked to have some additional news to report on the adoption but things are still in a bit of flux and uncertainty is still hovering. The dragonfly has not fully landed so we continue to wait and hope.

  I was just thinking back to when I was waiting for a referral for Matteo in June of 2010 and remembered this post and these words "When nothing is sure, everything is possible"  You can go back to read that post here. 

  It was June, also the end of an academic year. I had been told that I would have had a referral by the previous February. It was then June, and nothing. [Eventually I was matched with Matteo in July of that year.]  I went through all the uncertainty of it will never happen, it will happen. I am feeling very much the same now.

  Someone recently told me that she felt there are stronger forces at play when children are matched with families. I do believe each adoption is a miracle.  I also believe in God's plan for us as a family.  I am praying these days to believe that if we are the right family for this dragonfly then all will work out. 

   It is  a heartfelt prayer filled with all the pain of the last year, learning first hand of the vulnerability of these children, but also of hope and faith to trust that we will be carried through whatever happens in the next few days.  There are so many individuals who are part of each child's story and I pray that as God has blessed me with the opportunity of sharing my life with one little boy, that there will be another child who I am blessed with as well.  I am also praying for faith and acceptance if that does not work out. For now, I am trying to stay positive and remind myself that "when nothing is sure, everything is possible."

Happy Birthday to my little boy who is now 5!!!

I love you!