Carrie's Chronicles!

My friend Carrie is having an awesome auction fundraiser to bring home her daughter Anna Grace from China! You can check out her cool blog here: Kreuer Chronicles Fundraiser and I dare you to outbid me! And she is even having a give-away (no purchase necessary) if you leave a comment, and the prizes include a way cool camera, among other things! So take a minute and go check her blog out. I double dare you!

Back to Life with Kerri tomorrow!

Kerri the head hunter!

Kerri decided to help Daddy change careers. I overheard this conversation:

Kerri: "You can sell lemonade that you make on the corner."
Daddy: "But lemonade is for hot days, and it's been cold for months."
Kerri: "Then you wait until it gets hot!"
Daddy: "Kerri, that could be more than a month away. What do I do in the meantime?"
Kerri: "You can stay here on vacation!"
Daddy: "How about a different kind of job?"
Kerri: "You can sell clocks for a dollar."
Daddy: "I am not good at selling things Kerri."
Kerri: "Then how about selling hats for a dollar?"
Daddy: "I don't think that would work for me."
Kerri: "Or maybe you could sell Christmas trees!"
Daddy: "Again with the selling - Daddy does not sell too well!"
Kerri: "Maybe you could work at a grocery store helping people."
Daddy: "I am not a salesman. I can't sell things."
Kerri: "Are you a Goofy person? (pointing to Daddy's Goofy t-shirt) Maybe you could sell Goofy faces to everybody."
Daddy: "Again, Daddy is selling something?"
Kerri: "In a store."
Daddy: "Kerri, think about something else."
Kerri: "You could say 'three dollars!' and ..."
Daddy: "The musings of a child. Think of all the jobs people do in the world. Think of what other people do."
Kerri: "I got it! Maybe you can fix toys when they are sick!"
Daddy: "So you want me to be a toy maker?"
Kerri: "No, a toy doctor."
Daddy: "I like this job, are you going to hire me?"
Kerri: "Yes, and I am going to pay you for real! I am going to pay you with one lollipop."
Daddy: "But I want money, not lollipops."
Kerri: "Wait for a little while, I have to find the money first." (as she searches the house) "I changed my mind, I am not going to pay you with money for real, I am going to pay you with the biggest loonie - it's pretend, do you like it?"
Daddy: "I like this job - I'll take it! But first I need to go file for unemployment."

Life with Kerri is better than a day at the office.

Conversations with Kerri

Yesterday, Daddy surprised us by coming home early. Mommy and Daddy had a wonderful lunch "date" while Kerri was in school. And then we went to pick up Kerri, who started jumping up and down with excitement when she saw her Daddy at the school play yard waiting for her. She proudly introduced both of us to her teacher: "That's my Daddy! And that's my Mommy!" As if the teacher, kids and waiting parents had never seen us before. It was too cute.

I am still fighting off the bronchitis, so I have been a little lax in taking photos, sorry. But I do have some cute conversations with Kerri to share:

Kerri: "Don't tell anyone I am marrying Shane."
Mommy: "Don't you think Shane should at least know you are marrying him?"
Kerri: "I am going to wait until he is older to tell him. Just in case he decides to marry someone else."
Mommy: "Ah, I see...you are keeping your options open."
Kerri: "Shhh, it's a secret."

While I was getting dressed:
Kerri: "Where are the two things in the back?"
Mommy: "What are you talking about Kerri?"
Kerri: "You know, the two things that hang in the back, down there." (pointing to her tushie)
Mommy: "I am not sure what you are talking about, Mommy does not have two things that hang down there by my tushie."
Kerri: "You know, the two things that hang...Daddy has big ones and I have little ones, want to see? I can show you!" (as she begins to pull off her pants)
Mommy: "Are you talking about boy parts? Kerri, first of all they do not hang down there in the tushie, and secondly, you and I do not have them. Only boys do."
Kerri: "Yes I do, and mine are just like Daddy's, just smaller!"
(And for the record, she does NOT have two things hanging!)

Life with Kerri keeps me on my toes.

Just a quickie...

...to apologize for not posting in awhile. I am still sick, but halfway through my antibiotics.

Here are some quick rambling updates in no particular order:

• Kerri now performs magic "tricks". We are not allowed to look until she is ready to say "Ta Da Da!" She is quite the performer.


• Kerri is anxiously awaiting my recovery so she can have another play date with her friend Maria. Today she had a melt down when I told her I was not well enough yet, and Maria gave her a huge hug.


• Kerri is still sleeping in her own room, but she calls out to us several times during the night. In the beginning, hubby would go sit with her until she fell asleep again. Last night, he told her "go back to sleep Kerri", and she did!


• Kerri is still asking for a sibling and asks us how we are progressing on "working on baby sister".


• We are still undecided if we will be going to Florida in March.


• We finally got a call back from the private school, and they advised that the speech therapy they provide is private and separate from tuition, which means we cannot afford this school.


• I put my resume on Monster.ca Sunday night, and today it got two hits and I received one job offer to work as a financial planner. I politely declined. I am going to wait a bit and see what other (if any) offers I receive before I start looking myself or contact a head hunter.


• Hubby has been such a help this past week...he is doing laundry, dishes, and sometimes cooking!


• Today when I was dropping off Kerri at school, she asked me if I could leave earlier because she wanted to be brave. My little girl is growing up so fast!

I will post again tomorrow. I have not forgotten the pictures!

Updates.

I have bronchitis, so I am a little behind on my blogging and catching up on my favorite blogs. Other than taking humongous pills, coughing, and sounding like a chain smoking Vegas gambler, I am doing fine, really. Kerri has been amazing, she is great at bringing me tissues. And hubby has taken over pretty much the laundry, dishes and other household chores. Even Pookie licks me constantly, or will sit across my lap to keep me warm. I am a very lucky Mama.

Kerri still has a runny nose, but she is doing great. She seems to have grown an inch, and is now wearing 5T. She learned to do the "F" sound, and is really doing fantastic with her speech therapy. And Melissa keeps it fun for her. We are very lucky to have found the right person to work with Kerri!

We are trying to decide if we will be heading to Florida for Grandma's birthday and Spring Break for a few weeks in March. I am trying my best to get well as soon as possible! So for those of you down South, I will let you know as soon as we know.

Today President Obama arrived here to visit Canada on his first international trip (took him less than an hour to fly here). It was pretty cool to see Air Force One up close, and the "Beast". Impressive. And all the men in black! You would think Will Smith and the aliens had landed. And you know the men in black are Americans. Because the Canadian Mounties wear red and look like they are about to go horseback riding. Living in Canada is so cool.

More updates tomorrow, and hopefully pictures of Kerri's haircut.

Life with Kerri is cooler than Canada!

Still sick

Yesterday was Family Day, a holiday here in this province (Not every province celebrates Family Day, weird, huh?). And our long weekend travel plans were scrapped when I came down with what looks like a bad case of the flu. Which I probably caught from Kerri.

Speaking of my precious daughter, yesterday she told me to stop taking advantage and get moving. Not necessarily in those words, though. She said, "I am sicker than you and look at me, I am running and playing. So you can too, Mommy." There was no convincing her that I was really sicker than she was, and that I did not have the strength to get up and play. Thankfully, hubby did a great job entertaining her all weekend and running the household. He even made time to bake a cake with Kerri.

Today I will be heading to the doctor as soon as the office opens. I am not sleeping, having a hard time breathing, ran out of tissues (and now using toilet paper to blow my nose!), and am just miserable. But hubby has to go to work, and Kerri has to go to school. So like my daughter implied, I need to get moving.

Life with Kerri is a reminder that time is too precious to waste on being sick.

Just a quickie...

Kerri woke up last night at 8:30 PM from her impromptu dinner nap. And then she was ready to start her day, full of energy and definitely feeling better. So we were up late last night trying to get her to go back to sleep. And sometime in the middle of the night, she crawled into our bed.

This morning I woke up feeling like I was run over by a train. So our plans were all scrapped and we stayed home. Hubby took care of us, cooked, did the dishes and even laundry! And Kerri is starting to feel better and is running around playing with Pookie. I have spent the whole day blowing my nose and feeling miserable.

So the pictures will have to wait until tomorrow. I am going back to bed.

Life with Kerri is contagious!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This year I told hubby I did not want expensive flowers, chocolates or gifts. Hubby had a hard time with that, since he felt bad that this was the first time in ten years that he did not get me anything for Valentine's Day. And I reminded him that I "get" things all year long, and that those are the priceless gifts I cherish the most: his love, respect, friendship and companionship. This is what I want my daughter to learn, not the commercialized aspect of handing out cards and candies that she is taught at school.

And before you think I am a mean Mom, we made Valentine's cards for the entire class, candy attached, and also brought in a veggie platter this week. I am such a hypocrite.

So today I went to pick up our friend Carol. We stopped at Costco for some minor shopping (HA! - when have I ever done any minor shopping there?), and then spent the entire day enjoying each other's company. I made mussels in wine sauce with linguine for lunch (Carol claims mussels are an aphrodisiac - I told her to wait until she got home to hubby!). And for dinner, Andre (her hubby) joined us after he got off work. I made milanesas (chicken cutlets, or schnitzel in German) with sour creamed mashed potatoes and asparagus for dinner. Dessert was creamy chocolate ice cream with real whipped cream and maraschino cherries. Yum! Good friends, good food, and a great Valentine's Day. The only thing missing are all the rest of our loved ones who are too far away. Sigh.

Kerri had a great time: we played Candy Land, she and Carol painted with watercolors, they watched "Finding Nemo" on the big screen TV, and ate cheesy popcorn. And all was wonderful until dinner.

Kerri has been feeling under the weather the last few days. She is crankier than normal, and her nose is running. Last night she came to our room for the first time in two weeks. And at dinner, she refused to eat, and went to the couch and promptly fell asleep. At 6:30 PM. We are going to keep a close eye on her tonight, but she does not seem to be running a fever.

We wish all our friends and family a very happy Valentine's Day, and hope you spent it with your loved ones. We miss you all!

Life with a healthy Kerri is the best gift of all.

Fun Friday!

Today Kerri is out of school (the teachers are undergoing a training day). We decided to venture out this morning and brave the cold. Our first stop was to the Central Library. Although Kerri goes to her school library once a week, and has an extensive library at home, she has never been to a real library. (I know, bad Mommy!). So she had her list of questions ready for the librarian, and with new library card in hand (which she signed herself!), we went downstairs to the children's section. I wish I had brought my camera to show you all the librarian's face when my four year old asked her for books on bones. It was priceless! The librarian asked Kerri if she was going to be an orthopedic surgeon when she grew up. Kerri gave her the "look" and said, "No, I am going to be a doctor." And a very happy Kerri brought home three books on skeletons, bones and the sort.

After the library, we stopped at Tim Horton's for some treats, and while we sat there enjoying them, Kerri decided she wanted to cut her hair short in a shoulder length bob. So, off we went to the hair salon. I will post pictures this weekend. She looks more like Mulan now. However, due to Kerri's experimentation with safety scissors, Kerri has more layers than her heroine.

Once home, Mom set the yeast and dough to rise to make some home made bread for dinner. And we will be reading all about bones. Have a wonderful weekend everyone and Shabbat Shalom!

Life with Kerri is the best story.

More pictures!

Kerri had a play date with her classmate and friend Maria

Showing off their matching necklaces

One more picture and then we go play!

Kerri clowning around at home, you can see her new gap in her front teeth in this picture.

Cheese!

Kerri insisted I take a picture of this pose

That's my silly girl!

Life with Kerri is everything I dreamed it would be.

Happy birthday Hannah!

Sunday afternoon we headed to McD's to celebrate a birthday for one of Kerri's classmates, Hannah.

Kerri did not like the outfit she wore, because she thought she looked like a tiger. We convinced her to wear it anyway (thank you Tia!), and she received lots of compliments. I have to say, she can really rock a leopard outfit with hot pink snow boots! But I digress.

Kerri grabs a balloon

Doesn't Kerri make a cute kitty?

Rocking the pink snow boots!

Because every leopard outfit should have pink snow boots.

Cheese!

Hannah the birthday girl!

Before the party got underway, Kerri decided she would climb the labyrinth play structure, made up of winding, climbing, kid size tunnels that lead up and culminate in a slide. Kerri climbed all the way up to the top, and then remembered she was afraid of heights and slides. She had a full blown panic attack with crying and screaming galore. There was no way I was going to fit in those tubes, nor attempt to maneuver them with my sciatica. And Kerri would not come down, not even when her friends tried to help her. So I quickly called hubby to the rescue, and while he worked his way up to Kerri, I tried to calm her by talking to her from inside one of the bottom tubes. And then when hubby got to the top, he remembered he was extremely claustrophobic. I turned to one of the fathers and asked if we should call the fire department now, and we laughed. But I was serious! Hubby managed to slowly work his way down with Kerri in his arms and lap. And then the real party got underway.

We had alot of fun, and somewhere between the merry meals and the gift opening, I saw all the parents leaning on the glass, (we were on the second floor), peering at the play structure and calling out to me: "Look at your daughter!" And then hubby, who was downstairs at the play yard called me on my cell and said, "Look at your daughter!" Oh great, now she's MY daughter. And there was Kerri, running up the tubes and sliding down as fast as her little leopard and stocking feet could take her. Wow.

Life with Kerri is full of surprises.

Sushi Sunday

After a fun Sunday afternoon birthday party (which I will post about tomorrow), Daddy surprised us with a dinner date to our favorite sushi restaurant.

Kerri loves sushi, and is getting better at using chopsticks.

Look Mom...no more gap in my teeth!

Daddy, sporting his newest Goofy tee shirt, smiles for the camera.

While Kerri is still chattering away about something.

And her Miso soup must have noodles in it.

"Mom, can you put down the camera already?"

Digging into her red bean ice cream. In the middle of winter.

Life with Kerri is delicious!

Snowy Saturday

If you wanted to get an idea what a snow day really looks like, here are some pictures:

The snow piled up against our sliding glass door.

And our backyard was buried.

You almost cannot see the top of the fence!

But by the time these pictures were taken, the snow had been plowed and the cars had been cleared by their owners. You still get an idea just how much snow we have though!

Oh boy, here we go again.

Friday I was picking Kerri up from school. She dropped a glove in the snow. A boy in her class named Shane picked it up and came running after her to give it to her. We thanked him, and then I put Kerri in her car seat as this conversation ensued:

Kerri: "I like Shane."
Mommy: "Yes, that was very nice of him to pick up your glove and bring it to you."
Kerri: "I'm going to marry Shane."
Mommy (who is getting better at hiding her shocked expressions): "Well, don't you think Shane should have a say in this?"
Kerri: "Oh, I will tell him later."

After school, we went to her friend Maria's house for a play date. Kerri had lots of fun, as did Mommy! And when we arrived home just in time to meet Daddy at the door, Kerri decided to fill him in on her day. As we were eating dinner, she broke the news to Daddy about her wedding plans. I reminded Kerri she was still engaged to Daniel, the Chinese boy that used to live next door. And then she said, "Well, I have so many I get to choose! Hmm...eenie, meanie, miny, moe...." , and then she chose Shane again.

Daddy told her she would have an arranged marriage when she was older. Mommy slapped Daddy's knee under the table, and told Kerri she did not have to decide yet, she had her whole life ahead of her. And then we quickly changed the subject. Whew!

Life with Kerri is engaging.

Tit-for-tat

I was getting dressed and this is the conversation that ensued:

Kerri: "Why do you put on a bra?"
Mommy: "To hold my breasts up so they don't hang down or bounce around."
Kerri (lifting her shirt and looking at her breasts): "My boobies don't hang down."
Mommy: "Wait until you are older."
Kerri: "I think you should let your boobies hang down!".
Mommy (laughing): "I don't think so Kerri."
Kerri: "Why? Are they going to hang all the way down to the ground?"
Mommy: "No Kerri, I hope not!"
Kerri (grinning): "Then you don't need a bra. If they hang a little you can always pick them up and carry them."

So according to Kerri's logic, I should do away with all my bras and hire someone to carry my breasts around for me.

Life with Kerri is a hoot.

Updates.

Yesterday Kerri went to speech therapy. She showed Melissa her bouncy ball that she got from the treasure box at the dentist's office. As a matter of fact, she has shown that ball to everyone and sleeps clutching it, but more about the ball later.

Kerri is progressing beautifully in speech! She has mastered the "C" and "K" sounds, and pretty much has the "PL" and "BL" blends down pat. Most of her "S" blends are coming along, although she still has a lisp and still has to work on the "SM" and "SN" sounds (they come out as "SP"). And she mastered the "G" sound in record time! Next week Melissa is going to start her on two new sounds, the "F" and the "W". We are so excited at her progress, and I really do think she is speaking clearer. She has not gotten angry or frustrated since we started therapy, and now when we don't understand her she immediately looks for another word or describes it. Speech therapy is definitely working!

Back to the ball. After school, Kerri and her friend Maria were playing in the ten-feet-high snow banks by the school parking lot, while Maria's Mommy and I chatted and arranged a play date for Friday. All of a sudden, Kerri came apart at the seams. She dropped her beloved bouncy ball in the snow, and was desperately trying to find it as she wailed and cried. It was heartbreaking, because no matter how much we tried, we could not find that little see thru ball in the snow. I told her that the snow would melt in Spring and just maybe we would find it then, but there was no consoling her. She wanted to sit there and wait for Spring. The only way I was able to get her in the Mama Mobile was with the promise of going to buy another bouncy ball.

She was very quiet in the car, but warmed up to the idea when she realized I was going straight to the store. So we had an impromptu shopping trip that included groceries and a whole bag of bouncy balls. Last night, she fell asleep clutching that new replacement bouncy ball. And this morning, she brought it downstairs with her.

Going back to yesterday's post about the open house we attended: I wanted to tell you more about the school. For us, it's a no brainer, Kerri needs to go to a more challenging school that is equipped to attend to her special needs. It really is going to boil down to how are we going to pay for it. And Melissa thinks this will be a positive move for Kerri. The school has a speech pathologist that comes in once a week, so she would get her speech therapy in school. They also have an Occupational Therapist, and a special ed teacher to help any child who is struggling in any subject as well. That alone makes the school worthwhile! However, it is intense, there are three languages being taught : 90 minutes of French daily, 90 minutes of Hebrew daily, and about 4 hours of Kindergarten studies in English. That's a pretty long day, and lots of homework!

The teachers we met were all fantastic and passionate about their jobs. The school was impeccably clean, and security was good. And the Jewish Community Center is within walking distance in case we would have to put Kerri in after care. The teachers went over their curriculum's, including demonstrations of how they teach and a breakdown of subjects covered. Since I know a little something about teaching, I was impressed and satisfied. And the school fosters community spirit: for example, the kindergarten class once a week visits an elder care facility across the street to cheer up the residents. The school also teaches children about their religion, and their core mission statement really matches our beliefs at home, so we are totally cool with that too. I think we have found the best school for Kerri. Now I need to find a job so I can afford to send her there!

So that's our updates for today. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

Dentist and an Open House.

Yesterday morning Kerri went to the dentist to have her new gap checked out. To prepare her, we told her the night before that she was going to the dentist. She literally jumped for joy and yelled out "Yay!" and clapped. I have never seen a kid so eager and excited to go to a dentist!

I pointed out the new gap in her front teeth to the dentist, and he explained it was perfectly normal and a good thing. It means Kerri's face is growing, and the more gaps the better. This way he won't have to pull any teeth when her grown up teeth start to come out. Whew!

However, he noticed she had two very small cavities right where the gap was in between the two front teeth. He decided to fix her teeth, and fill the cavities. So now Kerri's gap is gone. Kerri was unbelievable, she just lay there and let him do the repairs without moving a muscle. When he was done, she smiled and asked "How do my teeth look now?". The dentist, his aide and I are all amazed at how well she handled herself. No fear, no squirming, nothing. So, I guess it was a good thing we decided to check out the new gap, or we would not have found the cavities until later, when there would have been more damage.

Last night at 7 PM we went to an Open House for a private school (we are considering sending Kerri to for Kindergarten). Kerri met another little girl there, and hubby had to take them out to the hallway because they wanted to play. We could hear their laughter and singing and yelling throughout the school. The girls held hands the entire time we were there. By 9 PM I was glancing at the clock, and thank goodness the teachers wrapped it up very quickly in the end. I apologized profusely for my daughter's interruptions. But the staff all smiled and said they loved having her there and hearing her have a good time.

Poor hubby was very tired after "baby sitting" Kerri for two hours in the hallway. And it was way past Kerri's bedtime, and she was over tired. She cried and said she missed her new friend all the way home. Mind you, she does not even know the little girl's name. But everyone at the school remembers Kerri's name! Even the security guard, when we were leaving, said "Goodbye Kerri!". This happens to us no matter where we go, our little girl just leaves a lasting impression on everyone she meets.

Our new hard drive is stuck in Customs, so no pictures yet. Hopefully by this weekend I will be able to post all the pictures I took this week!

Life with Kerri makes a lasting impression.

Weekend catch-up

• My laptop made a funny noise, and hubby says the hard drive is going, so a new drive has been ordered and should be here within the week. We are very attached to our old laptop, since we bought it to go to China and have since lugged it around everywhere we go. We are sentimental fools.
• Since I don't know how to upload pictures into our newer (second) laptop, I apologize in advance if it takes a few days to get pictures posted to the blog.
• Kerri's teeth used to be perfectly aligned, with no spaces in between. Imagine our surprise this weekend when we noticed that her two top front teeth have a very noticeable gap in between them. Upon closer inspection, it looks like her teeth are chipped/broken. I will be calling the dentist today. We have no idea how/when this happened. Kerri thinks it may have happened at school when she slid down the snow hill (she says her teacher pushed her down and that she landed on her face in the snow). She has no bruises or scratches.
• Since it was very cold this weekend, we opted to stay at home and watch movies again. Kerri asked to watch "Hat on the Cat" (Cat in the Hat) and is now repeating parts of the movie. She almost made me spit out my drink when she said "When a Mommy cat and a Daddy cat love each other very, very much...", and then asked, "What comes next?"
• I think we are the only family that did not watch the Super Bowl. I did peek at the half time show though, to relive some of my Glory Days! Kerri was more interested in taking a bath though.
• Kerri is starting to pick things up from her class mates. One is a die hard hockey fan, and as hubby was channel surfing this weekend, Kerri stopped him. She was excitedly jumping up and down yelling "Ock-key!" and then rooting for the home team, whose name she totally mispronounced. It was hilarious to watch. She would stand directly in front of the large screen TV and yell at the players. It only lasted about ten minutes, until Daddy changed the channel (I can just hear Tammie and Tia gasp at this!). Going to a live game with Kerri is going to be fun!
• After messing up Kerri's bangs, I thought I would cut Pookie's schnauzer-like eyebrows, which had grown so much we could not see his eyes. Poor Pookie. That's all I am going to say. (He was not harmed, only his pride is hurt). And I was not even under the influence of any pain killers!
• To celebrate the fact that Kerri (and Pookie) has been sleeping in her room all week, we baked a cake. I put dulce de leche and peaches in the middle layer, then let Kerri decorate her piece with whipped cream, sprinkles, and maraschino cherries. Yum! It's the first time Kerri actually finished a slice of cake. She kept calling it "her cake". We are very proud of her!
• Tomorrow we are going to an Open House at a private school, to try and decide whether to move Kerri for Kindergarten or not. Kerri's speech therapist does not think the challenging curriculum will be an issue (there is immersion in three languages!). But we need to find out what kind of OT they have on hand to deal with Kerri's needs. Private school would be from 8:45 AM to 3:45 Am vs. the 2.5 hours she would be attending at public school. It is also very expensive, and farther away. But her private school schedule would allow me to go back to work, even if only part time. And it appears the teacher/student ratio is much smaller in private school.
• Kerri asked us yesterday for a progress report on "working on baby sister". I almost spat out my drink a second time this weekend! I just keep telling her that "these things take time". She is now saying in the meantime she wants a bird and a fish.

Life with Kerri is more fun than watching sports on TV!