An Aide for Stella!!!

We have excellent news to share -- we have a developmental aide for Stella. Her name is Kimberly, and she is starting on Monday (April 30). We have been waiting for PACE to assign us an aide since January (and have been on the waiting list since August) -- and of course this is after my huge fight with FSCD to get funding in the first place.

So, why are we so excited? (Over the moon, actually). The aide will spend 2 hours every day with Stella working on her developmental goals. Providence will still provide therapy and direction, but Kimberly will provide some much needed one-on-one attention. Most children, and especially children with ACC, learn through repetition. Stella needs a lot of repetition as part of her learning process.

The bad news is that Kimberly is only available until mid-August, when she goes back to her studies at Mount Royal College. We are hopeful that we can find a permanent aide for Stella by then. We are also hoping that the new daycare at the Alberta Children's Hospital will be open by then! (Original opening date: October 2006. New estimated opening date: September 2007).

Grateful, is the word of the day.

Obsessions

Dan and I have a love-hate relationship with Thomas the Tank Engine and his ilk. We love him as in we feel he is a better influence than, say, Batman, but we hate the overt commercialism and, frankly, boredom of it. (C'mon, how many times can you read "Cow on the Track" with conviction and enthusiam? A small sample: "Move!", said Thomas. "Moo", said the Cow. "No, not 'Moo', 'Move!", exclaimed Thomas).

Francis, however, has a love-love relationship with Thomas. He has the books, the videos, the tracks, and god knows, the various trains. He has seven Thomas t-shirts, one for each day of the week. Some are getting a bit Britney Spears-small (we layer an another t-shirt underneath) and some are getting less beloved (Dan put the one with the decal in the dryer and ruined it and so is basically unrecognizable to all but The Devoted).

Ha, ha, we laugh. Such enthusiam. Such dedication. Such ... obsession. But then, I turn around and see The Magazine Basket. Yes indeedy, there does seem to be a problem here, not only in storage. Let's see, I subscribe to:

(1) Mothering (I do so enjoy this one although it makes me feel inadequate as a parent in a whole different way than, say, "Parents Magazine" which is really all about advertising in obvious and not so obvious forms)
(2) Brain, Child (I love love love this one, it makes me feel human as a parent)
(3) Today's Parent (actually, this is pretty good)

(4) Parents (I am letting this one go. #3 is so much better, and is Canadian)
(5) Bust (helps me remember that being a woman can, yes!, be fun)
(6) Bitch (interesting but very uneven)
(7) Canadian Living. (Hey! It's got great recipes! and it's Canadian!)
(8) Harpers (Dan's, really)
(9) Roast (definitely Dan's)
(10) Ottobre (um, I need it for the kids?)
(11) Self (I am letting this one go as it is too "young" for me)
(12) Sew Stylish ("Threads" for beginners, really)
(13) Sunset (house-porn)
(14) Style at Home (Canadian! Although they neglect my favorite decorating style, 'Clutter')
(15) Canadian Gardening (I am letting this one go as I just don't have time for gardening and we are thinking seriously about knocking down the house).
(16) Mother Jones (this is my main source of "news". Believe it).
(17) Consumer Reports (we are big fans)

And then there are the free magazines that come in the Globe&Mail -- Avenue and Western Living. Do they count? Or the ones I buy off the newstand occasionally -- Wondertime? Bon Appetit? Marie Claire? FineHomebuilding? Threads? Do the CFA magazine that come with my membership count?

Down with consumerism, I cry! But then, I turn and look around and the hippocracy of it hits me like a 2x4 in the head. I am such NOT a good role model. I feel myself really fighting against consumerism -- damn it, it feels good to buy something. Not having a t.v. helps, not reading mainstream magazines would help, joining the food co-op helps (ie, not shopping).

Obsessions = consumerism? I guess in an oblique way that is my very own logic. Francis comes by it honestly.

Now I am Four!

My baby is four years old! Oh, man! Wasn't he my little baby Francis like, just a minute ago?

I am in awe of the person he is becoming, and honored that I get to be part of the process. He is going through a real cuddley lovey phase right now -- he'll stop whatever he is doing and walk over and hug me and say, "I love you, Mama". Aaaah. (Unfortunately, he also has learned that this will also stop punishment dead in its tracks).

This year's cake was the number "4", with a roadway and cars on it (thank you, Australian Women's Weekly). I still have red food coloring deep in my fingernails. Decidedly less complicated than last year's train cake.

Nonetheless, I am still resolved to take a cake decorating course since I see a lot of cakes to make still in my future. There was disappointment that the cars were not made of chocolate like in the picture accompanying the recipe.

This year we let loose 7 4-year olds in the KinderGym at Village Square for an hour, and then fed them chicken fingers, french fries, juice and cake and sent them home with ballons. (What is it about ballons that facinate children so? They are so happy to get balloons. This year I splurged and got helium-filled balloons). The money spent on having the party in a place padded with crash mats instead of my little house was worth every penny.
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There was some tense moments as the party start time came and went and no-one came. No-one! Oh, I was white-knuckling it, ready to burst into tears for my dear, dear boy. But, traffic was bad (there are two seasons in Calgary, don't you know; winter and construction) and so everyone was late.

Happy Birthday, Francis! I hope your day was special!