What We Have Learned Thus Far

• We were chosen to be a family, a real family.
• Children are not just born in hospitals; they are born in our hearts.
• Every child is a blessing and needs to have a growing and positive relationship with each parent and sibling.
• Relationships take time and effort, but are worth it!
• Life and adoption is a journey, not a destination.
• Relationships are much more important than possessions or experiences.
• Character is not built on always getting what you want or always knowing why.
• A child always needs to feel secure, worthy, and loved.
• Time with your family is never wasted.
• Life is full of lessens, we just have to open our eyes sometimes to see them.
• The life of a child didn’t start the day he was adopted. He needs to know he can talk about his past experiences and not feel judged.
• If a child misses his foster family or biological family, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you. It means he knows how to love.
• Sometimes listening and lovingly holding a child is all we need to do to make him feel better.
• Everyone makes mistakes and have limits, even big people, even moms and dads. Even parents have to say they’re sorry, sometimes.
• If children aren’t still doing it right, parents may want to reconsider their parenting style.
• Perfection is highly overrated.
• Being a mom or a dad is the most important job in the world.
• A child needs parents who feel positively about and embrace his cultural background.
• The most beautiful bouquets have flowers picked from many gardens. We believe that our family is a beautiful bouquet.

Montreal Metro

Watching Trains Go By

Picnic at the Park

Jonah's Favourite Activities - Picnics in the Park and Taking the Metro

Isaac's Favourite Activities - Horses, Motorcycles, and Zoos

16 Months and 6 Days, Race and Other Stuff

Yep, 16 months and 6 days it's been since Isaac and Jonah came home. It's amazing. Isaac is now 5 years old and Jonah is 4.5 years old. They start kindergarten in September! My, how time flies!

So, what is the news since the last time I posted? Well, lots!!!

Isaac and Jonah started a wonderful daycare at my work in mid-August 2007. It is French-speaking and the boys understand everything. Isaac was speaking some French since the first week. However, Jonah is just really starting to speak in French lately. Of course, we speak English at home and they are very comfortable in English.

In the last year I have learned so much about my sons.

Isaac is sensitive and shows his affection easily. He is a very bright and outgoing child who is the star of the party. He likes to watch movies and look at books. He has a very curious nature and is often asking, "Why, mama, why?" He is a beautiful child who is endearing to everyone around him. He loves animals and staying home with the family, playing and helping mama.

It wouldn't be fair to you the reader to let you thing the last 16 months were all roses. Isaac had difficulties in the first months of his new life. He simply didn't want to be here. He missed his life in China, but he didn't tell me. He had night terrors for months. He was afraid of his father. As you may remember, my husband, Amar, is from Nepal, a very diverse and beautiful country. Most Nepalis that we know in Quebec are often confused with Chinese or Korean people. However, my husband is usually taken for a Mexican. Anyways, to make a long story short, Isaac was afraid of his father because he was dark-skinned. Actually, Isaac called him "black." To add to that, he said that I was pink, and that he was pink too.

Boy, you talk about an identity crisis. OK, I am pink, but baba isn't black, he's brown. Isaac isn't pink either; he's light brown. Now, I knew that colour was something that we had to talk about. By the way, race exists, but man, was it hard for me to find someone to talk about it!

I simply explained to Isaac that God made people in different shades or colours, but that inside we were made all alike. Baba loved him and his heart was what mattered the most. And I told him, he wasn't pink. He was beautiful the colour he was. I sensed that he didn't think he was beautiful at all.

Then in the fall we went a few Nepali functions. When the boys walked into the room, you should have seen the looks on their faces! I have yet to see them feel so comfortable in a caucasian environment. Eventhough I had prepared them, Isaac still asked, "Why, mama, why?" I eplained that baba came from Nepal, which is beside China and you look a lot alike. "Why, mama, why?" "Because God made you (and them) that way. Isn't that wonderful!" Jonah said, "Wow."

And just the other day, Isaac told his father that when he came home from China, Baba was black, but now he's brown and he loves his Baba just the way he is. I asked him what colour he was. He said brown too - light brown and that it was good.... but he still likes pink. It brought tears to my eyes to se how he had accepted his father and who he was himself.

Jonah, however, is a different boy altogether. He is 100% boy. What I mean is, he doesn't care what colour he is or anyone else is... He just doesn't seem to notice the details... He doesn't have time! He's got things to do.. cars and trucks to play with, things to put in the VCR, food... there's got to be food around here somewhere... Jonah is always on the lookout for the next snack. I figure he most have been hungry in earlier years. Eventually we do put limits on what he can eat. He is a more reserved boy in groups. He is shy and still whispers to mama what he's really feeling. He calls himself Ati (little brother) that's still his nickname at home. He is a real sweetheart, who loves to cuddle with mama and make her laugh.

The stuggles with Jonah over the last 16 months have had to do more with medical concerns. He often catches the flu or bug... whatever is around. He had something or another from Oct 1 until Feb 1. I kid you not!

On the medical front, Isaac has had ear tubes put in and he hears better than he ever did. Isaac and Jonah had reconstructive teeth surgery (21 cavities) and now have many fillings and even a few crowns to boot. Isaac will have plastic surgery in a few months. Our concerns have had little to do with medical conditions, but rather with adaptation and family issues.

We know that adoption is a journey, but we feel that right now Isaac and Jonah are two very happy little boys!

April's Pictures

I love to talk about the fine details of life with the boyz. I just downloaded to our computer some pictures taken in the last three weeks. I can't believe how many we take. So I will go down through a number of everyday events that took place since early April.

First of all April 7 was Baba's birthday and Isaac stayed home with me to bake Baba a b-day cake.



During the cake making Jonah went shopping with Baba. He loves to shop with his father because he loves to go in the bl-ue car. Once everyone was home, we sat down to "Baba's birthday party" - just the way he wanted it. His birthday gift was a new jacket. For those of you who know Amar and his expertise in clothes, you know that we spent the whole afternoon picking out his jacket and he loved it!





Easter Sunday after church, we took out the boyz chocolates that were hiding in the closet. They were over the moon about their chocolate helicopters, Ice Age figures, and the chocolates from Ju-ju. Thanks Ju-ju!











Jonah became quite possessive of his chocolate helicopter - so much that he insisted on putting it in his car and driving it around the house for the rest of the day. The only place he didn't take it was to bed!




The boys have a fascination with WHEELS and I often cut their vegetables round or buy foods that are round to encourage them to eat. This is one of their favourite: it's WHEEL pasta.



This is a picture of our freak storm on Friday, April 13.



One of the ways we know that the boys are getting along well is their fun-loving rough-housing. When I see this, I know they are really bonding as brothers.



They do really funny things every day and one of them is when they put on their clothes, you never know how it will turn out. This is Jonah with his pants on backwards and his pockets are on his bottom... too funny.



Isaac, who complained that he couldn't eat anything crunchy because of his cleft, now has revealed a facination with... bones. This is a delicious curry Baba made.



They both love veggies and will fight over that last piece of lettuce.



Now I know why my grandmother loved to watch children eat. It really is fascinating to see. This is especailly true for Jonah; he is soooo focused on that bowl in front of him. If a earthquake hit, he wouldn't bat an eye.



They continue their interest in animals, especially elephants, whales and horses. We will be taking them to Granby Zoo on opening day. Their stuffed whale and animal toys will have to do for now.



April 19th was a beautiful day outside and we took some great photos.



Isaac made noodles and here he is chopping them up. I guess he saw his foster mother do this often.



Guess what this is. That's right, it's an orange train. Choo! Choo!



I made some necklaces for the boys to celebrate their names and help them to learn their alphabet.





TTFN. Ta ta for now.

Cod Tongues

Yes, that's right - cod tongues! It's a Newfoundland delicacy and the boyz love 'em! Here's the proof!





Isaac, where did that candy come from??!!

First BBQ in the Backyard

This is Isaac eating his first hamburger. Last week we had our first BBQ! The snow was all gone and spring had sprung! (The irony is that we received about 10 cm today, but I refuse to talk about it!)

So, as I was saying... we had a great two days outside and we took some pics of the boyz at their table, wearing their sunglasses, etc and we thought we would share.





THE COOL DUDES!!!



The boys love flowers and went around looking for them. They found Snowdrops and purple, yellow and white crocus, which they proceeded to pick and either put on the back of their bike (Jonah) or put them in their pocket (Isaac). I have included a picture of the beginnings of a rhubarb patch.







They were stupified that the weather could get so warm and that the snow could melt so quickly. Amar spent some time raking the leaves and the boyz helped him. Here is a picture of the three of them in one shot.



You might notice that there is an old aluminum part of a screen door that we screwed onto our front gate. I have things around to remind me of my childhood in Newfoundland. This B was on the screen door at my grandparents' home in Pike's Arm, New World Island. As a child I visited them often and I remember being a little girl standing face to face to that B and I still remember the sounds of the door opening whenever we arrived at my grandparents. A pleasant memory for someone so far from home.



Getting back to our BBQ... They were very excited! Bike was the first and last word of the day for Jonah. Everytime we had to come in because it was raining, to eat or it was dark, he would scream blue murder for that bike! Oh well, it would last only about 10-15 minutes. That's why I decided to have a BBQ and eat outside - it was easier than dealing with the tantrum!



The other word I hear a lot these days is chocolate and I had to give it some thought. When they first arrived form China, the boyz didn't like chocolate or chocolate cake. They probably hadn't eaten it in China... All of a sudden, chocolate became very very interesting... and I can think of only one reason... Larry Boy. For those of you who know Veggie Tales, you might remember that Larry Boy's temptation was chocolate. They were watching it every night before bedtime... Instead of teaching them to resist temptation, the boyz have learned to give in to it! Too funny... Soon their English should be good enough to understand the moral of the tale... If not, Easter is just around the corner and we have chocolate hidden away!