Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Matteo and Santa....another interesting experience
Well if your read my earlier post, you would know that Matteo is feeling better. So this morning we went off to Westgate mall to pick up and print some photos. I also sort of wanted to check the Santa in this small mall. Turns out Santa is run by volunteers who are fundraising for Children at Risk - Special needs families dealing with children with Autism. They charge $5.00 per photo, let you take any photos you want on your own camera, and also will transfer the images to your disk for an additional donation. The line was very small...only two families ahead of us so thought we'd try. Matteo was a bit hesitate, though he loved the train display and kept saying "Chou Chou..."....and then eventually wandered over to Santa. These first two photos are the official photos. The later ones were done because they wanted to apologize because before she was able to transfer the images to disk, she accidentally deleted them?? But thank goodness were printed before they were deleted. I told her I could still scan them and not to worry, but they felt bad and wanted to take some more photos for us, which they did. Matteo by this point had had enough so he refused to sit on Santa's knee at first, so I got to take some photos with Santa and then we tried with Matteo and Santa alone...not so fun...Matteo only smiled, as you will see, when he got the bell back from Santa!! Great memories and another great story.
This is my favourite....
Here are the freebees with mommy and a reluctant Matteo...
....and here is the second attempt about an hour after the first two photos were snapped....and Matteo really trying to wiggle off Santa's lap as well as trying hard to get that bell!
This is my favourite....
Here are the freebees with mommy and a reluctant Matteo...
...and here he is with the bell...happy Teo!!
Croup at Christmastime
As a followup for those who have asked and more details on what happened.....Matteo is doing much much much better. He still has a slight cough and no longer has a low grade fever and this morning for the first time in a week, I saw that little or should I say, big personality back...his mischievous grin and laugh when he is teasing me. That was great to see and hear. Last night we both had a good night's sleep and I heard very little coughing. I am slowing recovering from the lack of sleep both from our hospital visit, but also not sleeping very well as I was checking on him more often in order to make sure he was fine.
Last Sunday night he developed this bad cough, and woke up a few times. On Monday morning, our family doctor was able to squeeze him in. She mentioned croup and suggested I just monitor him to make sure he's fine and to watch for breathing difficulties. Monday evening when he went to bed, he was waking up much more often from the coughing and crying. I was able to settle him a few times but then at about 9:30 when my friends were leaving (I had two friends over for a visit) Matteo had his worse bout of coughing. As I said goodbye to them, I went up to him. I could not settle him and he was crying quite a bit, and wanted to be taken out of bed. We came downstairs where I could better see his breathing which from my sense, he was having trouble with breathing. I wrapped him in his snowsuit and we went out on the porch for about 10 minutes in the cold air and that seemed to calm him and his breathing did seem to become more normal. After we came back inside and waited about 10 minutes, he again started to cough and then the same difficulty breathing. I tried to find my friend's cell number as they were both experienced moms and J. had said her son also had croup when he was young, so wanted to see what she thought...unfortunately I couldn't find the number and was becoming worried.
I made the decision to go to the hospital and was getting our things ready. I had planned to go in our car....this was about 10 p.m. or so, and then Matteo began to vomit after another coughing episode. As I was calming and cleaning him, realized I couldn't go in our car as I could not take a chance that Teo would have both breathing problems as well as vomiting. He is still in a rear facing seat. I also didn't think waiting to call a friend to accompany us was the best decision, so I called 911. While I was on the line with paramedics, Matteo was calm. As we were waiting for the ambulance, Matteo's coughing again made him vomit. I was getting even more worried. The paramedics were very good with Matteo and while he was crying at first, he then calmed down. Both of the paramedics did feel it was croup and one of them started explaining what they were going to do etc. and that by law they had to strap him onto a gurney...etc...but as she was explaining about what she would do if he started to have severe trouble breathing...she said something about what they might have to do....and then said something about it being "fatal"....I think at that point I was slightly in panic mode and was no longer thinking or listening.
The paramedic had to tell me to bring Matteo's snowsuit, and yes that I should bring some milk with me, and also to get my coat as we were about to leave and I was about to walk out with no coat. So that was a blur.
In the ambulance, I was feeling very nauseous, both because of motion sickness, but also from the worry, and just found myself praying, and speaking with Matteo. He on the other hand was looking around and not crying. He did not have a mask on him but they put the oxygen tube just above his head. She also proceeded to glue little patches on his body so she could measure his heart rate and take a reading. She also taped a probe on his tiny thumb so she could measure his oxygen level. We went to the hospital with the sirens blazing. She told me it was all precautionary. We seemed to get there in no time at all. The nurses who we were transferred to immediately also thought it was croup and then gave him some advil for his throat which they felt was probably very sore. He had no fever but Matteo was crying again. The reason he was in hospital pyjamas was because I did not bring a change of clothing with him and as his sleeper was all wet from his vomit. Within minutes he was feeling better and instead of staying close to me, started to explore his surroundings. It would be hours before we would see the doctor, and the waiting room was FULL. When we saw her and she checked Matteo, she officially determined it was Croup and gave him a dose of steroid medicine by mouth which she said would help with his breathing over the next few days as he fought the infection. Of course she said, if it doesn't help and he continues to have trouble breathing, even after you bring him into cold air again, then to bring him back to hospital, where he would be admitted to be helped to fight the virus. She also told me that unless he felt really unwell, that he should continue to go to daycare, unless she said I wanted to keep him home for the entire winter!!
So our report is that we don't have to go back...but what a stressful experience for the little one and for his mommy.
From the pamphlet that the doctor gave us...
What is croup? Croup is an infection of the breathing tube (trachea or windpipe) below the vocal chords (voice box). Croup is caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't help. This virus causes the lining of the windpipe to become swollen. This causes a lot of noise when your child breathes in. Your child may also find it hard to breathe. Croup happens more often through the winter and early spring (October to May. It is most common in babies and children 1 to 4 years old. Croup usually lasts for 5 or 6 days.
How will I know if my child has croup?
If your child has croup, she will have: -Noisy breathing (especially when breathing in) - A bark-like cough - A hoarse voice - He might also have a fever, and feel unwell. With croup, breathing trouble is often worse at night. Your child may even wake up because he is having a hard time breathing.
How can I take care of my child at home?
-Cool air - Wrap your child in a blanket and bring her outside into the cool air. You can also hold your child in front of an open window or open freezer door. If your child's breathing is still noisy and difficult after 10-15 minutes, bring your child to the hospital.
- Lots of rest.
- Plenty of fluids like breastmilk, water, apple juice, popsicles, formula. - Treat sore throat and fever. Give your child ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, Tempra) for fever or sore throat. Do not give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months.
Bring your child to the hospital if your child:
-Is working hard to breathe.
-Has blue lips or fingernails.
-Won't drink
-Has trouble swallowing
-Is weak and has no energy
-Starts drooling
Tele health 1-866-797-0000
Last Sunday night he developed this bad cough, and woke up a few times. On Monday morning, our family doctor was able to squeeze him in. She mentioned croup and suggested I just monitor him to make sure he's fine and to watch for breathing difficulties. Monday evening when he went to bed, he was waking up much more often from the coughing and crying. I was able to settle him a few times but then at about 9:30 when my friends were leaving (I had two friends over for a visit) Matteo had his worse bout of coughing. As I said goodbye to them, I went up to him. I could not settle him and he was crying quite a bit, and wanted to be taken out of bed. We came downstairs where I could better see his breathing which from my sense, he was having trouble with breathing. I wrapped him in his snowsuit and we went out on the porch for about 10 minutes in the cold air and that seemed to calm him and his breathing did seem to become more normal. After we came back inside and waited about 10 minutes, he again started to cough and then the same difficulty breathing. I tried to find my friend's cell number as they were both experienced moms and J. had said her son also had croup when he was young, so wanted to see what she thought...unfortunately I couldn't find the number and was becoming worried.
I made the decision to go to the hospital and was getting our things ready. I had planned to go in our car....this was about 10 p.m. or so, and then Matteo began to vomit after another coughing episode. As I was calming and cleaning him, realized I couldn't go in our car as I could not take a chance that Teo would have both breathing problems as well as vomiting. He is still in a rear facing seat. I also didn't think waiting to call a friend to accompany us was the best decision, so I called 911. While I was on the line with paramedics, Matteo was calm. As we were waiting for the ambulance, Matteo's coughing again made him vomit. I was getting even more worried. The paramedics were very good with Matteo and while he was crying at first, he then calmed down. Both of the paramedics did feel it was croup and one of them started explaining what they were going to do etc. and that by law they had to strap him onto a gurney...etc...but as she was explaining about what she would do if he started to have severe trouble breathing...she said something about what they might have to do....and then said something about it being "fatal"....I think at that point I was slightly in panic mode and was no longer thinking or listening.
The paramedic had to tell me to bring Matteo's snowsuit, and yes that I should bring some milk with me, and also to get my coat as we were about to leave and I was about to walk out with no coat. So that was a blur.
In the ambulance, I was feeling very nauseous, both because of motion sickness, but also from the worry, and just found myself praying, and speaking with Matteo. He on the other hand was looking around and not crying. He did not have a mask on him but they put the oxygen tube just above his head. She also proceeded to glue little patches on his body so she could measure his heart rate and take a reading. She also taped a probe on his tiny thumb so she could measure his oxygen level. We went to the hospital with the sirens blazing. She told me it was all precautionary. We seemed to get there in no time at all. The nurses who we were transferred to immediately also thought it was croup and then gave him some advil for his throat which they felt was probably very sore. He had no fever but Matteo was crying again. The reason he was in hospital pyjamas was because I did not bring a change of clothing with him and as his sleeper was all wet from his vomit. Within minutes he was feeling better and instead of staying close to me, started to explore his surroundings. It would be hours before we would see the doctor, and the waiting room was FULL. When we saw her and she checked Matteo, she officially determined it was Croup and gave him a dose of steroid medicine by mouth which she said would help with his breathing over the next few days as he fought the infection. Of course she said, if it doesn't help and he continues to have trouble breathing, even after you bring him into cold air again, then to bring him back to hospital, where he would be admitted to be helped to fight the virus. She also told me that unless he felt really unwell, that he should continue to go to daycare, unless she said I wanted to keep him home for the entire winter!!
So our report is that we don't have to go back...but what a stressful experience for the little one and for his mommy.
From the pamphlet that the doctor gave us...
What is croup? Croup is an infection of the breathing tube (trachea or windpipe) below the vocal chords (voice box). Croup is caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't help. This virus causes the lining of the windpipe to become swollen. This causes a lot of noise when your child breathes in. Your child may also find it hard to breathe. Croup happens more often through the winter and early spring (October to May. It is most common in babies and children 1 to 4 years old. Croup usually lasts for 5 or 6 days.
How will I know if my child has croup?
If your child has croup, she will have: -Noisy breathing (especially when breathing in) - A bark-like cough - A hoarse voice - He might also have a fever, and feel unwell. With croup, breathing trouble is often worse at night. Your child may even wake up because he is having a hard time breathing.
How can I take care of my child at home?
-Cool air - Wrap your child in a blanket and bring her outside into the cool air. You can also hold your child in front of an open window or open freezer door. If your child's breathing is still noisy and difficult after 10-15 minutes, bring your child to the hospital.
- Lots of rest.
- Plenty of fluids like breastmilk, water, apple juice, popsicles, formula. - Treat sore throat and fever. Give your child ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol, Tempra) for fever or sore throat. Do not give ibuprofen to babies under 6 months.
Bring your child to the hospital if your child:
-Is working hard to breathe.
-Has blue lips or fingernails.
-Won't drink
-Has trouble swallowing
-Is weak and has no energy
-Starts drooling
Tele health 1-866-797-0000
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Name Change Application
In the province of Ontario, there is a 12 month residency requirement before you can legally change your child's name. Matteo arrived in Canada on Dec. 6, 2010, therefore he has now met the residency requirement, and I can proceed with legally changing his name so that we will share a last name. I am keeping the same middle name Bao that he was given so he will officially be Matteo Bao + .....after this process is complete I will therefore reapply to change his name on his Health card, Citizenship card, Passport, RESP, and any other document where his name is still in his Vietnamese name.
So this morning I went to our family lawyer. He acted as both the Guarantor and the Commissioner of Oaths for our Name Change Application. As Commissioner he can Notarize documents and this is what he did. The application will be mailed today, December 8, 2011.
The application asks for certain documents - a photocopy (front and back) of the Citizenship card and then "Court documents". In our case the "Court documents" will be the adoption papers to attest to the fact that I have legally adopted Matteo and have sole custody of him and therefore can apply for a name change.
I will not be sending any of the original Vietnamese documents, however I brought them with me. Our lawyer photocopied the originals, and then notarized, stamped and signed each photocopy attesting to the fact that he saw the originals and these are photocopies of the originals. While in Vietnam, Loan our TDH representative, had two certified translations made of each of the documents by a Vietnamese translator and each translation is stamped, signed and has an affidavit attached. I will be sending one of these original certified translations, with affidavits, for three documents.
So here is the list of the documents I am sending.
1. Photocopy of Matteo's passport - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer (this was
not requested but I sent it anyway.)
2. Photocopy of front and back, of Matteo's citizenship card - Notarized, stamped, and
signed by lawyer
3. Photocopy of Ontario Ministry of Children Letter - Letter of No Objection - Addressed
to Department of Adoption in Vietnam - and has both my name and Matteo's
Vietnamese name on it - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer (again not
requested but felt it as a Canadian document that attested to the fact that I adopted
Matteo.)
4. Photocopy of Vietnamese Birth Certificate - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer
5. Photocopy of Decision to Adopt documents - Notarized, stamped, and signed by
lawyer
6. Photocopy of G&R documents - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer
7. Original Translation of Vietnamese Birth Certificate - With Affidavit by Vietnamese
Translator attached.
8. Original Translation of "Decision to Adopt" Document -With Affidavit by Vietnamese
Translator attached.
So this morning I went to our family lawyer. He acted as both the Guarantor and the Commissioner of Oaths for our Name Change Application. As Commissioner he can Notarize documents and this is what he did. The application will be mailed today, December 8, 2011.
The application asks for certain documents - a photocopy (front and back) of the Citizenship card and then "Court documents". In our case the "Court documents" will be the adoption papers to attest to the fact that I have legally adopted Matteo and have sole custody of him and therefore can apply for a name change.
I will not be sending any of the original Vietnamese documents, however I brought them with me. Our lawyer photocopied the originals, and then notarized, stamped and signed each photocopy attesting to the fact that he saw the originals and these are photocopies of the originals. While in Vietnam, Loan our TDH representative, had two certified translations made of each of the documents by a Vietnamese translator and each translation is stamped, signed and has an affidavit attached. I will be sending one of these original certified translations, with affidavits, for three documents.
So here is the list of the documents I am sending.
1. Photocopy of Matteo's passport - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer (this was
not requested but I sent it anyway.)
2. Photocopy of front and back, of Matteo's citizenship card - Notarized, stamped, and
signed by lawyer
3. Photocopy of Ontario Ministry of Children Letter - Letter of No Objection - Addressed
to Department of Adoption in Vietnam - and has both my name and Matteo's
Vietnamese name on it - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer (again not
requested but felt it as a Canadian document that attested to the fact that I adopted
Matteo.)
4. Photocopy of Vietnamese Birth Certificate - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer
5. Photocopy of Decision to Adopt documents - Notarized, stamped, and signed by
lawyer
6. Photocopy of G&R documents - Notarized, stamped, and signed by lawyer
7. Original Translation of Vietnamese Birth Certificate - With Affidavit by Vietnamese
Translator attached.
8. Original Translation of "Decision to Adopt" Document -With Affidavit by Vietnamese
Translator attached.
9. Original Translation of "G&R" Document - With Affidavit by Vietnamese Translator
attached.
10. Cheque in the amount of $137.00
I will post on this blog the application as it processes and if there are any glitches. I know from other information and blogs, there seem to be issues about having original documents translated by a Canadian translator, however the person I spoke to at the Ministry, insisted that all they need is the affidavit by the translator, regardless of country of origin..so I'll see if that applies.
Okay off to the postoffice!! So so much paperwork!!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
December 5 and 6th, last year and this year...
What a difference a year makes, right? ... well not always, though Matteo has grown....Last year on these dates we were getting ready to travel home to Canada from Vietnam, and this year on the anniversary of our return, another memorable event: Matteo's first trip by ambulance to CHEO. He has croup, was having trouble breathing, and throwing up....terrible and anxious time for him and his mommy, though Teo was very calm while the paramedics buckled him onto the gurney and attached all kinds of tubes....he was fascinated, but for his mommy a tiring and very stressful ordeal, not unlike our return trip from Vietnam...stressful, worrisome, and looooooooong........
Last year...
To see more photos from our trip last year from Vietnam to Canada, click here.
For this year's memories keep scrolling.....look thumb sucking and Matteo's favourite giraffe....we have tentatively named the giraffe Bao....
Monday, December 5, 2011
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