looking back now, the struggles gabe and i had over swimming lessons and piano lessons might not have been a power struggle or plain old preschooler stubbornness. perhaps it was something more serious that i overlooked. and now that we've struggled through 2 soccer lessons, my mom thinks gabe suffers from anxiety. for once, i'm not doubting her wisdom or experience...after all, she spent 25+ years surrounded by 6 and 7 year olds :P
soccer lesson #1. we had been talking about it for a bit, but leading up to it, we never practiced playing soccer. on the day of his lesson, gabe was pretty excited about it. he did comment his tummy hurt at one point, but he often says that (when he doesn't want to go to bed, when he doesn't want to floss his teeth, etc.). at bonsor, i took him into the gym, showed him where to put his water bottle, and then my parents and i watched him from the bleachers. he did really well during the warm-up...running to the wall and back during roll call, running around the gym with the other kids. and then it was time for jumping jacks. he froze. he never fully recovered after that. he hunched his shoulders, hung his head, and didn't run but chose to walk...slowly. i didn't want to seem like an overprotective parent, so i let the teachers guide him and work through it. after a few minutes, i noticed his shoulders shaking and his face was scrunching up, so i stepped in. his eyes were all red, and he was putting on his bravest face so the tears wouldn't stream down. oh boy, he was a hot mess :( i had never seen his face so splotchy red, and his breathing was so intense, he needed time to recover.
we took a break and talked through the activities and i re-assured him that i was proud of him for participating and that he could do activities at his own pace, he didn't need to keep up with the others. the teachers were great, and one of them took him back to the group. once the soccer balls came out, i thought he would recover, after all he loves kicking them around. but he froze again. it was breaking my heart to watch him struggle through his fear. but fear of what?
after lesson #1, i assumed he just needed time to practice his skills. he was so excited to tell chris about his soccer lesson later that night...he had retained all the information that was shared and that he had seen (but not done). so over 2 weeks he practiced his t-stops and kicks at my parents house, and at home with chris.
soccer lesson #2. again, all seemed fine (no complaints of tummy aches), nothing was out of the ordinary. this time, gabe and i had discussed the option of me sitting inside the gym and my parents would sit outside on the bleachers (he's asked them to watch him every week). so, we walked in together, and i sat on the bench while he joined the other kids in the welcome circle. this time he ran to the wall when his name was called, but as other kids were running behind him he started to slow down, and on his walk back, he hunched his shoulders and slinked back to his spot. then it was time for jumping jacks - he actually did the arm motion but not the legs (yah, progress!), and then he attempted to stand on one foot while wiggling the other foot - yippee! then the kids had to line-up behind the teacher, get their airplane arms ready and "fly" around the gym. gabe froze. well, sort of. while the other kids were running, he was barely walking. after walking 1/4 of the gym, gabe started to panic. the class was already lined up and getting instructions for the next activity by the time gabe was halfway around, and my heart broke. he eventually caught up with the kids, but by then he was dry-eye crying, splotchy-faced, and shutting down.
at that point, i took gabe aside for a chat. asides from the obvious situation, i knew that the pants he picked were too loose and the shirt too big, so i changed him into more size-appropriate clothing (hoping he would at least feel better in his clothes). after a brief reassurance from grandma that we all loved him, we returned to the gym. unfortunately that was all we did. gabe didn't want to have anything to do with soccer at that point. he was fine sitting with me on the bench and just watching the other kids play. the teachers tried twice to get him to re-join the kids (playing at his own pace), but he wasn't interested. he did clap for the kids when they scored a goal, so i was hopeful that he wanted to do it, too. but no, he refused. he finally wanted to join the kids at the goodbye circle so he could get a sticker. i didn't want to punish him for not participating, so we sat together and he got his sticker.
we still have 3 more soccer lessons to get through, and with the upcoming ski lessons we've signed up for...i just don't know what to do. i've started to read up on childhood anxiety, and gabe has displayed many of the symptoms. but i need him to open up to me and discuss what his fears are so we can talk through them, but he's obviously embarrassed by it and doesn't want to open up yet. but he has mumbled that he doesn't want to get hurt, there are too many kids around, and he doesn't want to make new friends :( to watch him go through his anxiety is painful...it breaks my heart and i just want to wrap him up and protect him. but, he's a big boy now, and we have to work through it. if it truly has been going on since the summer, then we need to nip this in the bud!
the timing of my (undiagnosed) discovery is impeccable...we have a parent meeting at preschool this week and the guest speaker is a counsellor coming to discuss childhood anxiety. i'm hoping for some great information at this meeting, and with anxiety bc as my guide, hopefully we can make a little bit of progress before soccer lesson #3.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Legoland 2012!
when we planned our disneyland trip, i insisted that we had to make a side-trip over to legoland. so, we loaded up our rental beast and drove down to carlsbad. (we actually spent a few hours at the san diego zoo when we arrived, but it was a pretty quick visit...not much to report there.) in the planning process, we determined that gabe would probably enjoy 2 days at legoland, and the website offers online promos to get a 2nd admission day free!
we stayed at the sheraton carlsbad, which is conveniently located right behind legoland with its own private entrance to the park. (anyone going after spring 2013 can stay at the new legoland hotel!) thankfully legoland has "normal" operating hours, so we were able to sleep in and enjoy breakfasts at the hotel restaurant :) also, because the park closes at 5 p.m., we were able to stay until closing without needing an afternoon break.
like their website says, legoland is great for the 2-12 year old kids. the rides are catered to the little ones, so gabe was able to ride by himself! his favourite ride was the Royal Joust - he managed to get a few rides in before the line-ups hit, and he also enjoyed the Volvo Driving School. i was so proud of gabe...he was the only kid who managed to stay on the course and not crash into walls (or any other cars for that matter). he learned his safe driving skillz from me of course :-) the rest of the rides were for kids and adults, so we all got to experience the fun. also, the rides are a great way to see more of the lego exhibits, like on the storybrook lane boatride.
the people-hours and imagination that goes into each exhibit is amazing. i had posted a picture of the mgm grand on facebook, and at first glance ppl actually thought we were in vegas :-) the photos don't really do the pictures justice though...to see all the little pieces stacked together that actually create a whole cityscape...crazy! new york, new orleans, washington, san francisco...very realistic! i think chris' highlight was the star wars attraction - they had created several scenes from the movies as well as head busts of the main characters, including a life-size darth maul.
while safety is important, it was also the biggest downfall of the legoland rides. if a child attempts to unload a ride incorrectly, or unbuckles too soon, the safety alarm is triggered and the entire ride shuts down. it happened after we'd been in line at the royal joust for 30 minutes. they had to offload each child (about 10-12 of them scattered throughout the "courtyard") and escort them back to safety, the engineer has to come and do his magic flip the switch, and then every single horse had to trot the course before the kids could ride again. a similar situation happened to my dad and bro on the technic coaster...fortunately to kill some time, my mom was completing a legoland survey and as a thank-you, she received a free 75 piece lego set :) also, there were a couple rides that i wanted to take gabe on, but the height and age requirements were more strict than at disneyland!
with our tickets, we also had admission to sea life aquarium. so we spent an hour walking through and gabe really enjoyed it. they had several touching stations and he was really brave and touched the starfish and shellfish. he's never wanted to do that at the vancouver aquarium!
legoland also had a halloween party when we were there (similar to disneyland, with the trick or treating stations set-up throughout), but we didn't stay for that. we already had 10 pounds of candy to carry home...we didn't need more :P
a trip to the states isn't complete without a stop at the premium outlets! our hotel was 3 minutes away, so we managed to get a bit of shopping done as well :) "in the moment" i always find shopping with my mom really annoying...she is a rack surfer and will find all sorts of items for me to try on. but, i have to admit that she does have a good eye, and she knows what will look good on me. plus, she got my birthday shopping done a couple months early ;-)
our final stop on our vacation was to the OC! we stopped in newport beach, took some touristy pictures and watched the fishermen on the pier (gabe LOVED seeing the freshly caught fish in their buckets - dead and alive!).
all in all, a FANTASTIC week-long vacation! now i just have to sort through my 700 photos and get my photobook organized for my parents christmas present :P
we stayed at the sheraton carlsbad, which is conveniently located right behind legoland with its own private entrance to the park. (anyone going after spring 2013 can stay at the new legoland hotel!) thankfully legoland has "normal" operating hours, so we were able to sleep in and enjoy breakfasts at the hotel restaurant :) also, because the park closes at 5 p.m., we were able to stay until closing without needing an afternoon break.
like their website says, legoland is great for the 2-12 year old kids. the rides are catered to the little ones, so gabe was able to ride by himself! his favourite ride was the Royal Joust - he managed to get a few rides in before the line-ups hit, and he also enjoyed the Volvo Driving School. i was so proud of gabe...he was the only kid who managed to stay on the course and not crash into walls (or any other cars for that matter). he learned his safe driving skillz from me of course :-) the rest of the rides were for kids and adults, so we all got to experience the fun. also, the rides are a great way to see more of the lego exhibits, like on the storybrook lane boatride.
the people-hours and imagination that goes into each exhibit is amazing. i had posted a picture of the mgm grand on facebook, and at first glance ppl actually thought we were in vegas :-) the photos don't really do the pictures justice though...to see all the little pieces stacked together that actually create a whole cityscape...crazy! new york, new orleans, washington, san francisco...very realistic! i think chris' highlight was the star wars attraction - they had created several scenes from the movies as well as head busts of the main characters, including a life-size darth maul.
while safety is important, it was also the biggest downfall of the legoland rides. if a child attempts to unload a ride incorrectly, or unbuckles too soon, the safety alarm is triggered and the entire ride shuts down. it happened after we'd been in line at the royal joust for 30 minutes. they had to offload each child (about 10-12 of them scattered throughout the "courtyard") and escort them back to safety, the engineer has to come and do his magic flip the switch, and then every single horse had to trot the course before the kids could ride again. a similar situation happened to my dad and bro on the technic coaster...fortunately to kill some time, my mom was completing a legoland survey and as a thank-you, she received a free 75 piece lego set :) also, there were a couple rides that i wanted to take gabe on, but the height and age requirements were more strict than at disneyland!
with our tickets, we also had admission to sea life aquarium. so we spent an hour walking through and gabe really enjoyed it. they had several touching stations and he was really brave and touched the starfish and shellfish. he's never wanted to do that at the vancouver aquarium!
legoland also had a halloween party when we were there (similar to disneyland, with the trick or treating stations set-up throughout), but we didn't stay for that. we already had 10 pounds of candy to carry home...we didn't need more :P
a trip to the states isn't complete without a stop at the premium outlets! our hotel was 3 minutes away, so we managed to get a bit of shopping done as well :) "in the moment" i always find shopping with my mom really annoying...she is a rack surfer and will find all sorts of items for me to try on. but, i have to admit that she does have a good eye, and she knows what will look good on me. plus, she got my birthday shopping done a couple months early ;-)
our final stop on our vacation was to the OC! we stopped in newport beach, took some touristy pictures and watched the fishermen on the pier (gabe LOVED seeing the freshly caught fish in their buckets - dead and alive!).
all in all, a FANTASTIC week-long vacation! now i just have to sort through my 700 photos and get my photobook organized for my parents christmas present :P
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Disneyland 2012
It's been 17 years since I vacationed with my whole family, and it might be another 17 years before we do that again :) After a week with my parents and my brother, we were definitely ready to come home! Here's my (long) summary of Part 1 - Disneyland/California Adventure:
Disneyland Hotel - our family vacation just happened to coincide with Gabe's 4th birthday, so we splurged a little :) For his birthday present, Chris and I arranged a celebration package from Mickey Mouse upon our arrival at the hotel. On our room door was a "Surprise" banner, inside the room was a "Happy Birthday" window banner, Mickey's footprints on the floor, a Mickey Mouse plush, a helium balloon that Mickey actually sings Happy Birthday, a helium balloon bouquet, a personalized Disney autograph book signed by Mickey with an official Disney autograph pen, and a boxful of Mickey items (Hidden Mickey book, photo frame, jelly beans, and personalized Happy Birthday Mickey ears). Also, when we checked in at the hotel, they gave Gabe a signed photo from Buzz Lightyear & Woody and a Happy Birthday button.
It was great to have connecting rooms, so my mom could watch Gabe when we went to the park at night :) And also Gabe got a kick out of knocking on their door in the mornings. The hotel rooms come standard with mini-fridges, so to save on morning hassles we went to Target and stocked up on bottled water, snacks and breakfast necessities. Definitely a life-saver on the early morning admission days...waking up at 5:30 a.m. was already a pain :P Also, I heard someone saying that to buy a bottle of water inside the park was $3.50, no surprise considering the hot dog meal we bought Gabe at Mickey's ToonTown was $10 :P
The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland - since we were vacationing with the Wong's, we had made a draft itinerary so we didn't miss anything important. It was based loosely around the touring plans in this book. It was definitely a great reference guide because it provided age appropriate ratings, descriptions, and personal reviews by families. I think the only piece of advice that we didn't follow was Toy Story Mania - we happened to be there mid-day and waited almost an hour...the book advised to do it first thing in the morning. Instead, we made Cars Land a priority.
Disneyland - because we were in the park at opening time, we managed to get a lot of rides done within the first hour on day 1 (we thought it would take ALL morning). For Gabe, the best ride was Autopia - even though he couldn't reach the gas pedal, he really enjoyed "steering" the car...i think we did that ride about 8 times (thank goodness for FastPass!) :P I was very proud of Gabe on this trip...we had been to Playland/PNE a few times over the summer to practice going on rides and not being afraid. On our vacation, he went on every single ride that we asked him to (no rollercoasters, or anything with "thrill", "doom" or other scary connotation words) and then depending on how he felt afterwards we could repeat them, or move onto something else. Every single time (with the exception of Autopia), he refused to ride a second time. He wasn't a big fan of the dark places, loud voices, and the unexpected turns and drops in the rides. Most of the time he would cover his ears to dull the sound. I think the most frightening ride was the Nemo Submarine...staring out the potholes was great, until the sharks appeared and then the underwater "landmines" started exploding. Game over for Gabe...his face was buried in my side. I've also heard from other people (my mom included), that they feel claustrophic inside the sub.
Travelling with the Wong's and my family had its perks - we all took turns going on grown-up rides. After a bit of pressure from the boys, Vanessa and I even faced our fears and rode the Big Thunder Railroad "coaster". I'm not sure my dad and bro appreciated our ear-piercing screams from behind them :P We had done Soaring Over California on our first night, and I wasn't sure how Gabe would do on it, because you're sort of suspended in the air in front of a giant screen, but he was a trooper! We found the trick (for all rides) was to talk him through each one and encourage him to engage with the characters - so we would be waving at the cars, boats, people, whatever.
Mickey's Halloween Party - ahead of time, it seemed like a good idea to pay an additional fee for the extra evening hours for the Halloween party. In hindsight, we would never do it again, or any additional theme party. First...Gabriel feel asleep in the stroller as soon as we arrived at 6:30 p.m. and woke up an hour later. Second, because of Gabe's nap my family ended up aimlessly running around the park to the trick or treating stations and wound up with 10 pounds of candy. Third, we didn't take any pictures with characters, no rides, nothing. After securing curb-side seats 30 minutes prior, the Halloween parade was a letdown. At least we got some souvenir shopping done along Main Street :P
Disney California Adventure - as a guest of Disneyland Hotel, we were able to get in for early admission at DCA. This was our opportunity to ride Radiator Springs Racers, since the line-ups are consistently 2+ hours, and the Fast Passes are taken within 1/2 hour. I think this might have been my favourite ride...but I missed out on 1/2 of the experience - I was so busy taking pictures through the ride, and then comforting Gabe because he was freaking out.. We were in the backseat of the car, so we couldn't see what was coming up - sudden turns, hills/drops, etc. After our ride, the plan was to get a FastPass, but by then the line-up was at least 30-45 minutes long, there was no way we would get a pass, so we opted to spend our time on other attractions.
We did miss out on a few key attractions at DCA - the World of Color show...we actually had a FastPass for the 8 p.m. show, but after early morning admission, we were just too exhausted. We also missed the entire Bugs Life attraction; however, since Gabe hasn't heard of the movie, I wasn't too fussed. But we did spend a lot of time in Cars Land because Mater and Lightning have become his favourite characters, and it was pretty neat to see them "drive" through Radiator Springs!
Disney Apps - it was great to have wi-fi on this trip, so we could plan our next ride according to the line-ups that were being reported. It's also nice to be able to surf and check email while standing in long line-ups, or waiting for other people in our party to go on rides while we waited w/the kiddies :)
The Frustrations - of course, no vacation is without problems. What we didn't realize (whether it was omitted from the book, or we just plain forgot), is that during shows like World of Color, everything else in the area will shut down. On our first night, my dad, bro, Chris and I hit DCA to go on some rides, and were excited to see no line-ups at California Screamin'. Well, it was actually closed, as were all the other rides nearby. I think they close about 15 minutes prior to the show, and don't re-open until both shows are over.
At the Halloween Party, we had hoped to do some more rides, but because of the fireworks show, areas of the park are closed off (presumably for safety reasons?), so we couldn't get to Fantasyland. Lesson learned...get in all the rides while you can, because you never know! This was a true point for Radiator Springs Racers...the day before we rode on it, the attraction had to be shut down for several hours because it completely broke down.
Disneyland isn't a relaxing vacation. Because we technically only had 3 days at the parks, we really packed our itinerary. We also factored in afternoon breaks each day...turns out WE needed it more than Gabe did :P Makes sense...he was cruising in his stroller while WE walked everywhere!
The Good Times - I want to end our Disney adventure on a positive note! Gabe has never been a fan of people in costumes, but he managed to conquer his fear on this trip. We managed to snap a pic of him hugging Goofy...melted my heart!
We also squeezed in a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. While over-priced, it was great to meet a few of the characters 1:1. We didn't see too many characters throughout the park - maybe we were in all the wrong places - so to have a few pictures and autoraphs at breakfast was definitely a highlight for the kids. Gabe was brave and did a few pictures solo, but I think Baloo was just so big he got frightened :P Also, the cast members at the restaurant brought out a birthday cupcake with an "I'm Celebrating" button for him.
While I was hesitant about a Disney trip at age 4, I have to say that the timing worked out. Gabe was just the right height to do all the rides (accompanied with us of course), he found things he really liked and embraced the experiences. We didn't have any meltdowns or tantrums either! Also, it didn't hurt to have 5 adults watching Gabe, plus having 2 little friends on this part of our trip was brilliant! All in all, Disneyland was a HUGE success :)
Stay tuned for Part 2 - Legoland!
Disneyland Hotel - our family vacation just happened to coincide with Gabe's 4th birthday, so we splurged a little :) For his birthday present, Chris and I arranged a celebration package from Mickey Mouse upon our arrival at the hotel. On our room door was a "Surprise" banner, inside the room was a "Happy Birthday" window banner, Mickey's footprints on the floor, a Mickey Mouse plush, a helium balloon that Mickey actually sings Happy Birthday, a helium balloon bouquet, a personalized Disney autograph book signed by Mickey with an official Disney autograph pen, and a boxful of Mickey items (Hidden Mickey book, photo frame, jelly beans, and personalized Happy Birthday Mickey ears). Also, when we checked in at the hotel, they gave Gabe a signed photo from Buzz Lightyear & Woody and a Happy Birthday button.
It was great to have connecting rooms, so my mom could watch Gabe when we went to the park at night :) And also Gabe got a kick out of knocking on their door in the mornings. The hotel rooms come standard with mini-fridges, so to save on morning hassles we went to Target and stocked up on bottled water, snacks and breakfast necessities. Definitely a life-saver on the early morning admission days...waking up at 5:30 a.m. was already a pain :P Also, I heard someone saying that to buy a bottle of water inside the park was $3.50, no surprise considering the hot dog meal we bought Gabe at Mickey's ToonTown was $10 :P
The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland - since we were vacationing with the Wong's, we had made a draft itinerary so we didn't miss anything important. It was based loosely around the touring plans in this book. It was definitely a great reference guide because it provided age appropriate ratings, descriptions, and personal reviews by families. I think the only piece of advice that we didn't follow was Toy Story Mania - we happened to be there mid-day and waited almost an hour...the book advised to do it first thing in the morning. Instead, we made Cars Land a priority.
Disneyland - because we were in the park at opening time, we managed to get a lot of rides done within the first hour on day 1 (we thought it would take ALL morning). For Gabe, the best ride was Autopia - even though he couldn't reach the gas pedal, he really enjoyed "steering" the car...i think we did that ride about 8 times (thank goodness for FastPass!) :P I was very proud of Gabe on this trip...we had been to Playland/PNE a few times over the summer to practice going on rides and not being afraid. On our vacation, he went on every single ride that we asked him to (no rollercoasters, or anything with "thrill", "doom" or other scary connotation words) and then depending on how he felt afterwards we could repeat them, or move onto something else. Every single time (with the exception of Autopia), he refused to ride a second time. He wasn't a big fan of the dark places, loud voices, and the unexpected turns and drops in the rides. Most of the time he would cover his ears to dull the sound. I think the most frightening ride was the Nemo Submarine...staring out the potholes was great, until the sharks appeared and then the underwater "landmines" started exploding. Game over for Gabe...his face was buried in my side. I've also heard from other people (my mom included), that they feel claustrophic inside the sub.
Travelling with the Wong's and my family had its perks - we all took turns going on grown-up rides. After a bit of pressure from the boys, Vanessa and I even faced our fears and rode the Big Thunder Railroad "coaster". I'm not sure my dad and bro appreciated our ear-piercing screams from behind them :P We had done Soaring Over California on our first night, and I wasn't sure how Gabe would do on it, because you're sort of suspended in the air in front of a giant screen, but he was a trooper! We found the trick (for all rides) was to talk him through each one and encourage him to engage with the characters - so we would be waving at the cars, boats, people, whatever.
Mickey's Halloween Party - ahead of time, it seemed like a good idea to pay an additional fee for the extra evening hours for the Halloween party. In hindsight, we would never do it again, or any additional theme party. First...Gabriel feel asleep in the stroller as soon as we arrived at 6:30 p.m. and woke up an hour later. Second, because of Gabe's nap my family ended up aimlessly running around the park to the trick or treating stations and wound up with 10 pounds of candy. Third, we didn't take any pictures with characters, no rides, nothing. After securing curb-side seats 30 minutes prior, the Halloween parade was a letdown. At least we got some souvenir shopping done along Main Street :P
Disney California Adventure - as a guest of Disneyland Hotel, we were able to get in for early admission at DCA. This was our opportunity to ride Radiator Springs Racers, since the line-ups are consistently 2+ hours, and the Fast Passes are taken within 1/2 hour. I think this might have been my favourite ride...but I missed out on 1/2 of the experience - I was so busy taking pictures through the ride, and then comforting Gabe because he was freaking out.. We were in the backseat of the car, so we couldn't see what was coming up - sudden turns, hills/drops, etc. After our ride, the plan was to get a FastPass, but by then the line-up was at least 30-45 minutes long, there was no way we would get a pass, so we opted to spend our time on other attractions.
We did miss out on a few key attractions at DCA - the World of Color show...we actually had a FastPass for the 8 p.m. show, but after early morning admission, we were just too exhausted. We also missed the entire Bugs Life attraction; however, since Gabe hasn't heard of the movie, I wasn't too fussed. But we did spend a lot of time in Cars Land because Mater and Lightning have become his favourite characters, and it was pretty neat to see them "drive" through Radiator Springs!
Disney Apps - it was great to have wi-fi on this trip, so we could plan our next ride according to the line-ups that were being reported. It's also nice to be able to surf and check email while standing in long line-ups, or waiting for other people in our party to go on rides while we waited w/the kiddies :)
The Frustrations - of course, no vacation is without problems. What we didn't realize (whether it was omitted from the book, or we just plain forgot), is that during shows like World of Color, everything else in the area will shut down. On our first night, my dad, bro, Chris and I hit DCA to go on some rides, and were excited to see no line-ups at California Screamin'. Well, it was actually closed, as were all the other rides nearby. I think they close about 15 minutes prior to the show, and don't re-open until both shows are over.
At the Halloween Party, we had hoped to do some more rides, but because of the fireworks show, areas of the park are closed off (presumably for safety reasons?), so we couldn't get to Fantasyland. Lesson learned...get in all the rides while you can, because you never know! This was a true point for Radiator Springs Racers...the day before we rode on it, the attraction had to be shut down for several hours because it completely broke down.
Disneyland isn't a relaxing vacation. Because we technically only had 3 days at the parks, we really packed our itinerary. We also factored in afternoon breaks each day...turns out WE needed it more than Gabe did :P Makes sense...he was cruising in his stroller while WE walked everywhere!
The Good Times - I want to end our Disney adventure on a positive note! Gabe has never been a fan of people in costumes, but he managed to conquer his fear on this trip. We managed to snap a pic of him hugging Goofy...melted my heart!
We also squeezed in a breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. While over-priced, it was great to meet a few of the characters 1:1. We didn't see too many characters throughout the park - maybe we were in all the wrong places - so to have a few pictures and autoraphs at breakfast was definitely a highlight for the kids. Gabe was brave and did a few pictures solo, but I think Baloo was just so big he got frightened :P Also, the cast members at the restaurant brought out a birthday cupcake with an "I'm Celebrating" button for him.
While I was hesitant about a Disney trip at age 4, I have to say that the timing worked out. Gabe was just the right height to do all the rides (accompanied with us of course), he found things he really liked and embraced the experiences. We didn't have any meltdowns or tantrums either! Also, it didn't hurt to have 5 adults watching Gabe, plus having 2 little friends on this part of our trip was brilliant! All in all, Disneyland was a HUGE success :)
Stay tuned for Part 2 - Legoland!
Thursday, October 04, 2012
gabe turns 4!
4 years ago our little man made his entrance into the world and forever changed our lives...for the better?! well, given the rough summer we had, i'll still say it's been for the better :)
gabe's birthday always feels like a week-long celebration, but this year it's extending for 2 weeks! on saturday we celebrated with the lok's for all the october birthdays, gabe's birthday party with his friends was on sunday (more details below), i had my preschool duty day today for his birthday celebration followed by a gabe & mom dinner date @ hi-genki, and then on sunday we're off to disneyland for a special 4th birthday celebration! sheesh, what more could a kid ask for?!?!
this year gabe was semi-involved in his party plans. given his artistic abilities, i did plant the idea of an art party this year, and gabe van gogh was in full agreement! he was allowed to pick the friends he wanted to invite (the ratio of 8 girls, 2 boys is a bit crazy but the story of his life), he helped pick the loot bag goodies, and he had some input for his birthday cake. in typical gabe-style, he wasn't impressed with his cake, and was hoping for a thomas cake :P however, everyone else thought it was pretty cool to have your picture on a cake!
the party was held at pinnochio art studio along the heights. gabe instantly liked the studio because of their outdoor sandwich board sign (he calls it "the pencil nose place!"). the activity was painting a scene (blue sky, green grass, brown tracks, white clouds) and then colouring a thomas stencil to glue on, as well as random stickers for embellishment. the hour-long activity was a bit much for gabe...i ended up painting most of the scenery for him, but he really enjoyed colouring thomas!
after the activity, it was cake and snacks for everyone! it was great to catch up with our friends...now that gabe has preschool on wednesdays, it cuts into potential playdates with friends. but soon enough there won't be weekday playdates once they all go to full-day kindergarten! so now gabe and i are enjoying afternoons together running errands or playing games at home.
it's been a really busy week, and being out 3 nights in a row this week messed up my planning, so for gabe's preschool celebration, i ended up making rice krispy squares for his birthday treat...a definite hit with the kids! fruit was also served and was equally popular :-) since it was my first duty day of the year it was really great to see how comfortable gabe has gotten at preschool. he didn't cling to me for the full class (neither did sofia for that matter!), and he was totally into doing his own thing. i was tidying up during story time, and i made eye contact with gabe a few times and he didn't mind sitting without me. and during his song (BINGO), he waved at me and was singing away. melt my heart! the sweetest moment was at the end of class when they're dismissed through a song...he got to choose a buddy, and he chose emma and the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the cubby room. sigh. my little man, he really is drawn to the girls :-)
and in less than 72 hours we'll be at disneyland! i don't know about gabe, but i'm pretty excited! all i have to do is get through the work-day tomorrow, piano lessons, and a preschool classmate's birthday party. the craziness never ends!
gabe's birthday always feels like a week-long celebration, but this year it's extending for 2 weeks! on saturday we celebrated with the lok's for all the october birthdays, gabe's birthday party with his friends was on sunday (more details below), i had my preschool duty day today for his birthday celebration followed by a gabe & mom dinner date @ hi-genki, and then on sunday we're off to disneyland for a special 4th birthday celebration! sheesh, what more could a kid ask for?!?!
this year gabe was semi-involved in his party plans. given his artistic abilities, i did plant the idea of an art party this year, and gabe van gogh was in full agreement! he was allowed to pick the friends he wanted to invite (the ratio of 8 girls, 2 boys is a bit crazy but the story of his life), he helped pick the loot bag goodies, and he had some input for his birthday cake. in typical gabe-style, he wasn't impressed with his cake, and was hoping for a thomas cake :P however, everyone else thought it was pretty cool to have your picture on a cake!
the party was held at pinnochio art studio along the heights. gabe instantly liked the studio because of their outdoor sandwich board sign (he calls it "the pencil nose place!"). the activity was painting a scene (blue sky, green grass, brown tracks, white clouds) and then colouring a thomas stencil to glue on, as well as random stickers for embellishment. the hour-long activity was a bit much for gabe...i ended up painting most of the scenery for him, but he really enjoyed colouring thomas!
after the activity, it was cake and snacks for everyone! it was great to catch up with our friends...now that gabe has preschool on wednesdays, it cuts into potential playdates with friends. but soon enough there won't be weekday playdates once they all go to full-day kindergarten! so now gabe and i are enjoying afternoons together running errands or playing games at home.
it's been a really busy week, and being out 3 nights in a row this week messed up my planning, so for gabe's preschool celebration, i ended up making rice krispy squares for his birthday treat...a definite hit with the kids! fruit was also served and was equally popular :-) since it was my first duty day of the year it was really great to see how comfortable gabe has gotten at preschool. he didn't cling to me for the full class (neither did sofia for that matter!), and he was totally into doing his own thing. i was tidying up during story time, and i made eye contact with gabe a few times and he didn't mind sitting without me. and during his song (BINGO), he waved at me and was singing away. melt my heart! the sweetest moment was at the end of class when they're dismissed through a song...he got to choose a buddy, and he chose emma and the two of them walked hand-in-hand to the cubby room. sigh. my little man, he really is drawn to the girls :-)
and in less than 72 hours we'll be at disneyland! i don't know about gabe, but i'm pretty excited! all i have to do is get through the work-day tomorrow, piano lessons, and a preschool classmate's birthday party. the craziness never ends!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
speech therapy success
back in the summer i took gabriel to see a speech therapist. we had gotten a referral through our family doctor, and i wasn't sure what the wait time would be. fortunately we got an appointment within a month. at our first appointment, the therapist assessed gabe's speech, focusing on my areas of concern - the hard C, K, and G (otherwise known as the "cough" sounds). while he passed the assessment, she did admit that he was ever-so-slightly behind for his age.
about the exam - in usual style, gabe was uncooperative for almost 10 minutes, refusing to look at the pictures and/or repeat words...but once tammy pulled out her arsenal of toys (thomas!), gabe was a dream. when tammy presented the tongue depressor to gabe, i was convinced he would fight it - after all, i have a terrible gag reflex and won't let doctors near me with it. however, this was a strawberry flavoured stick and gabe did great! he even let me try it on him so we could practice at home.
we went home that day with a fistful of grape and strawberry tongue depressors, worksheets, and stories. i actually got lazy the first week and we didn't practice our exercises, but the following week, we sat down and accomplished our task! by our 2nd day, gabe had almost mastered his cough sounds...he would pause and think for a moment and really work at the sounds.
the downside to achieving his cough sounds was that he lost his L's. we addressed that in our second (and final) appointment with tammy. fortunately the L's are a 4-5 year old development, so no need for any more speech therapy...gabe will develop at his own pace, and achieve greatness in his own time :-) however, we did get some optional exercises if we choose to help speed up the process...
about the exam - in usual style, gabe was uncooperative for almost 10 minutes, refusing to look at the pictures and/or repeat words...but once tammy pulled out her arsenal of toys (thomas!), gabe was a dream. when tammy presented the tongue depressor to gabe, i was convinced he would fight it - after all, i have a terrible gag reflex and won't let doctors near me with it. however, this was a strawberry flavoured stick and gabe did great! he even let me try it on him so we could practice at home.
we went home that day with a fistful of grape and strawberry tongue depressors, worksheets, and stories. i actually got lazy the first week and we didn't practice our exercises, but the following week, we sat down and accomplished our task! by our 2nd day, gabe had almost mastered his cough sounds...he would pause and think for a moment and really work at the sounds.
the downside to achieving his cough sounds was that he lost his L's. we addressed that in our second (and final) appointment with tammy. fortunately the L's are a 4-5 year old development, so no need for any more speech therapy...gabe will develop at his own pace, and achieve greatness in his own time :-) however, we did get some optional exercises if we choose to help speed up the process...
Thursday, August 30, 2012
a midsummer's nightmare
i am very envious of all my friends' happy summer updates :S for me, the summer seems to be a never-ending nightmare. every day is a guessing game of mom vs. gabe - who will win?
my parents continued to babysit gabe over the summer, and they do fun activities together...whether it's outings to ikea/costco/metrotown/gourmet warehouse, adventures @ the beach, lunch dates @ nikkei, or just blowing bubbles and painting on their balcony. gabe has a great time with my parents and they never experience any problems.
on the flip-side of that happy coin is the terrible 3's and i seem to get them every day. we've been battling the nap/no nap situation for awhile, and i've decided he still needs that nap - whether it's in the car, in the stroller, in my arms, i don't care...don't wake him up! dealing with gabe on a no nap day is no fun.
having said that, sometimes the day just doesn't start right at all. on bc day, chris and i wanted to get some errands done and then try the steveston waterpark. by 9 a.m., the day was a disaster. gabe refused to let me put sunscreen on him, and he refused to put on his swim trunks. chris and i both used our nice, but firm, voices and he wouldn't budge so we cancelled our plans. this was tantrum #1. 90 minutes later, gabe calmed down and we (well, me) are all going crazy stuck at home on a nice day. so, i decide we need to go to brentwood - i need my watch repaired and we needed lunch. 10 minutes later we've parked the car right near the food court entrance, and gabe demands to be carried (we didn't bother bringing the stroller). we refuse to carry his almost 40 pounds around the mall. meet tantrum #2. chris and gabe stay at the car while i get my watch fixed. 20 minutes later, and gabe is still sulking on the curb, so we hop back into the car. not so easy with our almost 40 pounder...he's kicking and screaming at chris, who's trying to get him into the carseat. by the time we get home 15 minutes later, gabe has bruised up both shoulders from the seatbelt straps (he got his arms out TWICE on the way home) and his voice has gone hoarse. he continues tantrum #2 at home, where he decides to unlock the door and leave home. he does that twice. after more battling, we finally get gabe into his bedroom, and after some door slamming and hoarse yelling on his part, he finally gets tired and goes to sleep for 2 hours. chris does the same (minus the door slamming and yelling) :) i think this was our worst day, so i'm glad chris was around to help out and we kept each other in check so we didn't cause too much damage to gabe.
having said that, this was gabe's first experience with a spanking. we never planned on being the spanking-type (even though we both grew up on the receiving end), but on this particular day, and after 5 hours of battling it out, it was the final straw. he received 2 blows to the behind, and he had no reaction to it at all. all he said was "it burns!", and continued to tantrum. lesson learned, don't bother spanking. we also tried to instill the naughty corner, but that didn't work out so well either. so instead, we took away his privileges as well as everything that he threw at us (including his table placemat) :P
swimming lessons: another lesson learned...don't bother until gabe is older :P i'm sure parents were rolling their eyes at us as i dragged gabe into the swimming pool, and would randomly dunk him in frustration :P we had a lesson after vegas and he actually did well for half the class (front float, jumping into the pool). then he melted down. the following week, i got sick (more on that another time), and then for his last class, we simply forgot to go :S we'll take a break for the fall and discuss it in january.
needless to say, i am definitely glad summer is coming to an end, and gabe is going back to preschool in a couple weeks. even more exciting is that he'll have school on wednesday mornings, so i'll get a couple hours to myself...i'm looking forward to hitting the gym again and finding a zumba class!
my parents continued to babysit gabe over the summer, and they do fun activities together...whether it's outings to ikea/costco/metrotown/gourmet warehouse, adventures @ the beach, lunch dates @ nikkei, or just blowing bubbles and painting on their balcony. gabe has a great time with my parents and they never experience any problems.
on the flip-side of that happy coin is the terrible 3's and i seem to get them every day. we've been battling the nap/no nap situation for awhile, and i've decided he still needs that nap - whether it's in the car, in the stroller, in my arms, i don't care...don't wake him up! dealing with gabe on a no nap day is no fun.
having said that, sometimes the day just doesn't start right at all. on bc day, chris and i wanted to get some errands done and then try the steveston waterpark. by 9 a.m., the day was a disaster. gabe refused to let me put sunscreen on him, and he refused to put on his swim trunks. chris and i both used our nice, but firm, voices and he wouldn't budge so we cancelled our plans. this was tantrum #1. 90 minutes later, gabe calmed down and we (well, me) are all going crazy stuck at home on a nice day. so, i decide we need to go to brentwood - i need my watch repaired and we needed lunch. 10 minutes later we've parked the car right near the food court entrance, and gabe demands to be carried (we didn't bother bringing the stroller). we refuse to carry his almost 40 pounds around the mall. meet tantrum #2. chris and gabe stay at the car while i get my watch fixed. 20 minutes later, and gabe is still sulking on the curb, so we hop back into the car. not so easy with our almost 40 pounder...he's kicking and screaming at chris, who's trying to get him into the carseat. by the time we get home 15 minutes later, gabe has bruised up both shoulders from the seatbelt straps (he got his arms out TWICE on the way home) and his voice has gone hoarse. he continues tantrum #2 at home, where he decides to unlock the door and leave home. he does that twice. after more battling, we finally get gabe into his bedroom, and after some door slamming and hoarse yelling on his part, he finally gets tired and goes to sleep for 2 hours. chris does the same (minus the door slamming and yelling) :) i think this was our worst day, so i'm glad chris was around to help out and we kept each other in check so we didn't cause too much damage to gabe.
having said that, this was gabe's first experience with a spanking. we never planned on being the spanking-type (even though we both grew up on the receiving end), but on this particular day, and after 5 hours of battling it out, it was the final straw. he received 2 blows to the behind, and he had no reaction to it at all. all he said was "it burns!", and continued to tantrum. lesson learned, don't bother spanking. we also tried to instill the naughty corner, but that didn't work out so well either. so instead, we took away his privileges as well as everything that he threw at us (including his table placemat) :P
swimming lessons: another lesson learned...don't bother until gabe is older :P i'm sure parents were rolling their eyes at us as i dragged gabe into the swimming pool, and would randomly dunk him in frustration :P we had a lesson after vegas and he actually did well for half the class (front float, jumping into the pool). then he melted down. the following week, i got sick (more on that another time), and then for his last class, we simply forgot to go :S we'll take a break for the fall and discuss it in january.
needless to say, i am definitely glad summer is coming to an end, and gabe is going back to preschool in a couple weeks. even more exciting is that he'll have school on wednesday mornings, so i'll get a couple hours to myself...i'm looking forward to hitting the gym again and finding a zumba class!
Friday, August 03, 2012
las vegas 2012
my mom requested a week off from babysitting, so we have given her this past week off. since our hopes of a couples gambling trip couldn't get off the ground, we settled for a family getaway.
on monday afternoon, we drove to bellingham and hopped a flight to las vegas! this is now gabe's 3rd trip to vegas, and probably his last until he's 21 and can treat US instead :-) i know ppl think we're crazy for taking him when we enjoy gambling so much, but for us, it's a "relatively inexpensive" trip (depending on how much is won/lost). i'm a social gambler, so unless i have my partner-in-crime with me, then it just isn't as fun...so lucky chris got to play games in the evening, while gabe and i caught our zzz's.
i had hoped for a sunny getaway, but somehow the vancouver clouds followed us to vegas, and we had rainshowers and cloud for 2/3 days. fortunately the sun isn't required for retail therapy :-) all 3 of us came out of the shopping excursion with some new duds (and a new handbag for me!).
in all my trips to vegas i have never been to fremont street, so we started at the golden nugget and walked around. having been there now, i can say i don't need to go back. while the bon jovi light show was great, there wasn't much else that appealed to me. the restaurants are hit and miss (we tried to get into an italian restaurant at the nugget, but it was a 45-60 minute wait), so after randomly exploring other hotels, we ended up at the 4 queens in a divey spot (see below re: food).
while the weather wasn't the greatest, that didn't stop us from hitting the pool! we had booked the mgm for the pool and "lazy river", but once gabe saw the river/waterfalls, he decided it was just too loud for him. so we stuck to the regular pool for 3 days. after 4 weeks of swim lessons, gabe's on the verge of failing. i did a lot of prep with him prior to the lessons starting and he was doing really well, but the teacher/structure of class setting isn't to his liking, so he refuses to partake. in vegas, gabe still wasn't keen on actually "swimming", but by day 3, he was back to his old self and jumping into the pool without my help. he even accidentally submerged himself a few times...and i would have to fetch him out of his sputtering predicament. to my surprise he wasn't scared or traumatized by it all, and kept on "dancing" in the water. the sun finally appeared on wednesday afternoon, and we got our tan on :-) we were happy to get a late check-out on thursday, and hit the pool again before our flight home.
lastly, the food...the past 2 trips with gabe, we've made the trip out to nobu for the chef's choice menu. unfortunately things weren't panning out so well for us. gabe's patience was non-existent, and his eating was dodgy at best. so rather than sit through a 2 hour dinner of food that gabe probably wouldn't even touch, we opted for easy meals. even at outback steakhouse, gabe refused to eat his cheeseburger and fries because there was pepper on the fries. fortunately for us, the mgm breakfast buffet was to his liking - french toast and pancakes with syrup, grapes, and soft serve ice cream! he also enjoyed the aria buffet - california roll, pepperoni pizza (without the pepperoni), vanilla gelato.
that's about the extent of our trip...it was a short 3 nighter, and because we made the pool a priority for gabe, we didn't do any hotel-hopping, or shopping at caesars for that matter :(...just right down to the important business at hand :-) hopefully one of these days we'll have a getaway without gabe!
on monday afternoon, we drove to bellingham and hopped a flight to las vegas! this is now gabe's 3rd trip to vegas, and probably his last until he's 21 and can treat US instead :-) i know ppl think we're crazy for taking him when we enjoy gambling so much, but for us, it's a "relatively inexpensive" trip (depending on how much is won/lost). i'm a social gambler, so unless i have my partner-in-crime with me, then it just isn't as fun...so lucky chris got to play games in the evening, while gabe and i caught our zzz's.
i had hoped for a sunny getaway, but somehow the vancouver clouds followed us to vegas, and we had rainshowers and cloud for 2/3 days. fortunately the sun isn't required for retail therapy :-) all 3 of us came out of the shopping excursion with some new duds (and a new handbag for me!).
in all my trips to vegas i have never been to fremont street, so we started at the golden nugget and walked around. having been there now, i can say i don't need to go back. while the bon jovi light show was great, there wasn't much else that appealed to me. the restaurants are hit and miss (we tried to get into an italian restaurant at the nugget, but it was a 45-60 minute wait), so after randomly exploring other hotels, we ended up at the 4 queens in a divey spot (see below re: food).
while the weather wasn't the greatest, that didn't stop us from hitting the pool! we had booked the mgm for the pool and "lazy river", but once gabe saw the river/waterfalls, he decided it was just too loud for him. so we stuck to the regular pool for 3 days. after 4 weeks of swim lessons, gabe's on the verge of failing. i did a lot of prep with him prior to the lessons starting and he was doing really well, but the teacher/structure of class setting isn't to his liking, so he refuses to partake. in vegas, gabe still wasn't keen on actually "swimming", but by day 3, he was back to his old self and jumping into the pool without my help. he even accidentally submerged himself a few times...and i would have to fetch him out of his sputtering predicament. to my surprise he wasn't scared or traumatized by it all, and kept on "dancing" in the water. the sun finally appeared on wednesday afternoon, and we got our tan on :-) we were happy to get a late check-out on thursday, and hit the pool again before our flight home.
lastly, the food...the past 2 trips with gabe, we've made the trip out to nobu for the chef's choice menu. unfortunately things weren't panning out so well for us. gabe's patience was non-existent, and his eating was dodgy at best. so rather than sit through a 2 hour dinner of food that gabe probably wouldn't even touch, we opted for easy meals. even at outback steakhouse, gabe refused to eat his cheeseburger and fries because there was pepper on the fries. fortunately for us, the mgm breakfast buffet was to his liking - french toast and pancakes with syrup, grapes, and soft serve ice cream! he also enjoyed the aria buffet - california roll, pepperoni pizza (without the pepperoni), vanilla gelato.
that's about the extent of our trip...it was a short 3 nighter, and because we made the pool a priority for gabe, we didn't do any hotel-hopping, or shopping at caesars for that matter :(...just right down to the important business at hand :-) hopefully one of these days we'll have a getaway without gabe!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
clarisse & doug get married!
it's over! after over a year in the planning, clarisse (chris' youngest sister) and doug got married on june 30, 2012. i couldn't be happier for the two of them!
the preparation: when gabe was asked to be a ringbearer over a year ago, i knew that there would be A LOT of preparation for him. doug's niece was the flower girl so we decided to get them together for several playdates prior to the wedding so they would be familiar with each other. well, they got along great and we figured it would be easy enough for them to walk down the aisle together. not the case (for gabe, at least)!
the fittings: omg...i knew it wouldn't be easy to get gabe into a tux, but man alive i was sweating buckets on fitting day! at any given time, he only had one part of the suit on...never did the entire outfit get assembled properly. as for my bridesmaid dress...let me just say that the initial measurements were taken last summer, when i was seeing my personal trainer twice a week...and then fell off the exercise wagon 3 months later. but on the wedding day, i managed to get into my dress and not bust out of it!
the rehearsal: a couple weeks prior to the wedding, we started reminding gabe about his responsibility at the wedding, that he would walk down the aisle with mikaela. well, then gabe caught a cold and all he wanted was mommy, so he decided he wanted to walk with me instead. fortunately i was a bridesmaid anyways, so it wouldn't look too much like i was his parental escort :)
at the church, the minister briefly talked through the proceedings and then it was show-time. as soon as we were lined up, in typical gabriel fashion, he decided that it was potty-time. lesson learned...take gabe to the bathroom upon arrival on the wedding day! fortunately we were doing 2 practice runs, and gabe did ok on the 2nd run :-) i just wish he would've walked with the flower girl...she really tried to convince him to do it, but he dug in his heels. stubborn child...i don't know where he gets it from :P
the wedding day: with a 5 a.m. wake-up call, i was up and ready to go! fortunately chris and gabe were able to stay in bed until a more respectable hour :) despite the early start, i had some down-time after my hair and make-up were done, and was able to go home and help chris get gabe dressed in his tux. what a cutie!
the ceremony: after a mad-dash to the church, we got everyone corsaged/bouttoniered, pottied, and primped. and then it happened...as soon as we were queued up to walk down the aisle, gabe had a meltdown. he refused to hold the ring pillow, so he was throwing it on the ground, the rings fell off, he put on his grumpy face, and i was convinced it was game over. after some hissing, threatening and readjusting, i put on my happy face, and shoved him down the aisle beside me. once we made it down the aisle (rings securely in tact and handed to the best man), gabe sat with chris and was entertained with snacks, ipod, and ipad. the kid has no patience for anything :P
after a short ceremony, then came the pictures at the church! i can't wait to see what kind of photos the pro's got, because none of the "amateur" photos show a happy gabriel. he's sulking, he's fidgeting, he's eating his fingers, he's stripping off his clothes...ugh :P
after ditching the family, the bridal party headed to QE Park for more pictures; thankfully the rain held off for a bit and we managed to get some great shots. thanks to clarisse, doug, mel, alan, vince, huong, and bobby for making it a a great afternoon!
the reception: dinner was held at Floata in Chinatown, and it was super fun. doug & clarisse had a photobooth at the wedding, and gabe ended up LOVING it! it's pretty funny to peruse the entire collection...a lot of the older people had no idea what to do, and they now have some passport-worthy photos :) the 10 course dinner was delicious, however, a certain 3 year old decided he didn't want to sit with my parents and chris, so he became the unofficial 9th member at our table and ate my food :P
gabe is definitely attached at my hip...during the bridal party announcement he refused to leave me and bobby, so the 3 of us entered together. and again, during the bridal party slow-dance, my partner ended up being gabe. such a mama's boy :-)
and once the dancing kicked off, my parents bid a quick farewell and took gabe for an overnighter with them. thank goodness...after all, i now had to take care of my other baby...chris was in FINE form by the end of the night...at least he didn't throw up at this wedding...
the preparation: when gabe was asked to be a ringbearer over a year ago, i knew that there would be A LOT of preparation for him. doug's niece was the flower girl so we decided to get them together for several playdates prior to the wedding so they would be familiar with each other. well, they got along great and we figured it would be easy enough for them to walk down the aisle together. not the case (for gabe, at least)!
the fittings: omg...i knew it wouldn't be easy to get gabe into a tux, but man alive i was sweating buckets on fitting day! at any given time, he only had one part of the suit on...never did the entire outfit get assembled properly. as for my bridesmaid dress...let me just say that the initial measurements were taken last summer, when i was seeing my personal trainer twice a week...and then fell off the exercise wagon 3 months later. but on the wedding day, i managed to get into my dress and not bust out of it!
the rehearsal: a couple weeks prior to the wedding, we started reminding gabe about his responsibility at the wedding, that he would walk down the aisle with mikaela. well, then gabe caught a cold and all he wanted was mommy, so he decided he wanted to walk with me instead. fortunately i was a bridesmaid anyways, so it wouldn't look too much like i was his parental escort :)
at the church, the minister briefly talked through the proceedings and then it was show-time. as soon as we were lined up, in typical gabriel fashion, he decided that it was potty-time. lesson learned...take gabe to the bathroom upon arrival on the wedding day! fortunately we were doing 2 practice runs, and gabe did ok on the 2nd run :-) i just wish he would've walked with the flower girl...she really tried to convince him to do it, but he dug in his heels. stubborn child...i don't know where he gets it from :P
the wedding day: with a 5 a.m. wake-up call, i was up and ready to go! fortunately chris and gabe were able to stay in bed until a more respectable hour :) despite the early start, i had some down-time after my hair and make-up were done, and was able to go home and help chris get gabe dressed in his tux. what a cutie!
the ceremony: after a mad-dash to the church, we got everyone corsaged/bouttoniered, pottied, and primped. and then it happened...as soon as we were queued up to walk down the aisle, gabe had a meltdown. he refused to hold the ring pillow, so he was throwing it on the ground, the rings fell off, he put on his grumpy face, and i was convinced it was game over. after some hissing, threatening and readjusting, i put on my happy face, and shoved him down the aisle beside me. once we made it down the aisle (rings securely in tact and handed to the best man), gabe sat with chris and was entertained with snacks, ipod, and ipad. the kid has no patience for anything :P
after a short ceremony, then came the pictures at the church! i can't wait to see what kind of photos the pro's got, because none of the "amateur" photos show a happy gabriel. he's sulking, he's fidgeting, he's eating his fingers, he's stripping off his clothes...ugh :P
after ditching the family, the bridal party headed to QE Park for more pictures; thankfully the rain held off for a bit and we managed to get some great shots. thanks to clarisse, doug, mel, alan, vince, huong, and bobby for making it a a great afternoon!
the reception: dinner was held at Floata in Chinatown, and it was super fun. doug & clarisse had a photobooth at the wedding, and gabe ended up LOVING it! it's pretty funny to peruse the entire collection...a lot of the older people had no idea what to do, and they now have some passport-worthy photos :) the 10 course dinner was delicious, however, a certain 3 year old decided he didn't want to sit with my parents and chris, so he became the unofficial 9th member at our table and ate my food :P
gabe is definitely attached at my hip...during the bridal party announcement he refused to leave me and bobby, so the 3 of us entered together. and again, during the bridal party slow-dance, my partner ended up being gabe. such a mama's boy :-)
and once the dancing kicked off, my parents bid a quick farewell and took gabe for an overnighter with them. thank goodness...after all, i now had to take care of my other baby...chris was in FINE form by the end of the night...at least he didn't throw up at this wedding...
Thursday, June 07, 2012
i touched a snail
i had my last 2011/2012 duty day on april 30. gabe toured me around the classroom and a new activity had popped up. instead of the usual water table, there was a table full of something gross and slimey. of course my first reaction was "ew, gross! what is it?!" one of his teachers was nearby and told me it was shaved soap and water that the kids had made. the teacher realized where gabe's cleanliness comes from. i never thought of it before, but i myself don't like to be dirty (unless it's a planned occasion and i'm dressed for it). so gabe and i gingerly grabbed the measuring cups and carefully scooped the slimey soap in the water table and let it run down the mirrors. and even though it's soap and water, we still went to the bathroom to thoroughly wash our hands with proper soap and water.
also new at preschool for spring were the snails. again my reaction was less than favourable for such impressionable kids. all the other little boys were fighting over who could "race" the snails down the number track. and then there was gabe...standing back...beside me (scrunching my face in grossness). at this point it became clear i had to take action. in all my 34 years, this was the first time i touched a snail. i picked it up by its shell, and put it on the track to race down the line. and then i did it again. and again. all the while i had a smile frozen on my face as i pretended to enjoy touching it and using my happy voice as they passed each number.
i've come a long way since that day at the aquarium in the tropic zone, when a butterfly flapped by and grazed my arm and i screamed in horror. turns out it wasn't a butterfly after all...it was my camera strap swinging around.
also new at preschool for spring were the snails. again my reaction was less than favourable for such impressionable kids. all the other little boys were fighting over who could "race" the snails down the number track. and then there was gabe...standing back...beside me (scrunching my face in grossness). at this point it became clear i had to take action. in all my 34 years, this was the first time i touched a snail. i picked it up by its shell, and put it on the track to race down the line. and then i did it again. and again. all the while i had a smile frozen on my face as i pretended to enjoy touching it and using my happy voice as they passed each number.
i've come a long way since that day at the aquarium in the tropic zone, when a butterfly flapped by and grazed my arm and i screamed in horror. turns out it wasn't a butterfly after all...it was my camera strap swinging around.
Friday, April 06, 2012
3.5 years old!
where does the time go? i look at gabriel, and can't believe the little man he's become. he's 37 inches AND 37 pounds :) looks like when he's 4, he can switch to a booster seat in the car...yippee!
new things - where to begin! in addition to his first trip to the dentist, we also went for his first appointment to the optometrist. when the technician was trying to take pictures of gabe's eyes, it looked like a downhill appointment before we even started. but once he found out that dr. jessica was going to let him watch thomas, he was super cooperative. i got a bit anxious as he was reading letters aloud and noticed that he was getting a few of them wrong. turns out gabe has astigmatism - blame it on me :( he'll eventually need glasses, but we're going to re-assess in 6 months at his next appointment. and now that we know about his vision being slightly off, i am more aware of his 'problems'...he does blink and rub his eyes a fair bit, and now i've noticed a bigger problem - when he writes in his workbook, he is literally 3 inches from the paper when he traces things. it could also be a lighting factor, so we've moved him from his usual spot at the table. fingers crossed, he doesn't get worse before september!
i took gabe ice skating a few weeks ago. thankfully we went with sofia, so he had a friend to observe. the 2 of them were super cute balancing on their skates :) once we got on the ice, gabe stayed glued to the little plastic chair. it took about 30 minutes before he finally tried standing and holding onto the metal bars and i would push him around. then at one point i realized his skates weren't even on the ice - he had been resting them on the horizontal bar in front of him for a free ride :P smartypants!
the hopes of taking ski lessons went out the window this year. between me being sick in january, then birthdays galore in february and march, there just wasn't time to commit. however, we will make a concerted effort next year. the ski show & swap is in october, so we'll see what kind of deals they have for gabe.
our little parrot - be careful what you say around gabe! we know kids are sponges, but to hear everything you say come back to you...not cool!
development - we've done music together classes since gabe was 6 months old, and this past session he FINALLY embraced it - typical...he's now 'graduated' and will move onto piano lessons in september (maybe...i'm still thinking about it).
while i have no imagination whatsoever, chris is awesome and plays with gabe and they pretend play and tell stories about everything. the downside is that gabe's been telling my parents some pretty wild stories in such detail, they can't help but believe him. then they ask me about whatever the situation is, and i have my 'what the?' face on.
through the scholastic book orders, i've gotten some great cars and disney workbooks for gabe. so he's really been enjoying writing his letters, numbers and colours/shapes. usually he'll do 2 or 3 pages a day before he gets "tired" of writing. it's hard work - and each page has an "activity" to do.
preschool - he is doing so well at school. he won't willingly tell us about his day, but after about 20 questions, we know who he "played with", what he had for snack, and whose mom/dad was on duty. i've forgotten how expensive school can be - between the cookie/pie sales, monthly scholastic book orders, winter fundraiser, purdy's easter chocolates, and now the spring plant sale - i can't wait for the summer to arrive so we can give the cheque book a rest!
pottytrained! - yup, it took us awhile to get here, but a few months ago gabe started wearing underwear at home. he was definitely ready for it because the idea of wet pull-ups was really bothering him. even a slight tinkle in his pull-ups would cause the "funny walk" and he'd scream for a new one. we'd still "go out" in pull-ups because gabe wasn't liking the idea of public washrooms - the loud flushing and hand dryers freak him out. but for the past 2 months (or so), he's been fully trained. he's even used to using public bathrooms - but its not pleasant for any of us. i don't know about other mom's with little boys, but gabe has to take his pants and briefs off completely (therefore his shoes are off too) because he can't spread his legs wide enough to sit and pee pointing down. so to help with the problem, i figured teaching gabe to stand up and pee would solve the problem, but he's still too short to pee without a stepstool. i just can't win. we haven't tackled the nighttime yet...but we're close - 90% of the time he has dry diapers!
speaking - gabe is still having trouble enunciating his words. the hard consonant c's and k's really baffle him (eg., cookie comes out tootie or cake is tate), he's getting better at his hard g's (he can say cheeseburger vs. cheeseburber), and his l's are getting better (yellow is starting to sound better vs. yeyow) but he REALLY has to work at it. we do a lot of repetition and exaggeration with some of our words to get the point across - my mom's working hard with gabe :)
the most exciting news for 2012 is that we're going to disneyland right after gabe's 4th birthday! it's a family vacay, and we can't wait! i think my dad might be the most excited - it's pretty funny - he can't stop talking about it :)
new things - where to begin! in addition to his first trip to the dentist, we also went for his first appointment to the optometrist. when the technician was trying to take pictures of gabe's eyes, it looked like a downhill appointment before we even started. but once he found out that dr. jessica was going to let him watch thomas, he was super cooperative. i got a bit anxious as he was reading letters aloud and noticed that he was getting a few of them wrong. turns out gabe has astigmatism - blame it on me :( he'll eventually need glasses, but we're going to re-assess in 6 months at his next appointment. and now that we know about his vision being slightly off, i am more aware of his 'problems'...he does blink and rub his eyes a fair bit, and now i've noticed a bigger problem - when he writes in his workbook, he is literally 3 inches from the paper when he traces things. it could also be a lighting factor, so we've moved him from his usual spot at the table. fingers crossed, he doesn't get worse before september!
i took gabe ice skating a few weeks ago. thankfully we went with sofia, so he had a friend to observe. the 2 of them were super cute balancing on their skates :) once we got on the ice, gabe stayed glued to the little plastic chair. it took about 30 minutes before he finally tried standing and holding onto the metal bars and i would push him around. then at one point i realized his skates weren't even on the ice - he had been resting them on the horizontal bar in front of him for a free ride :P smartypants!
the hopes of taking ski lessons went out the window this year. between me being sick in january, then birthdays galore in february and march, there just wasn't time to commit. however, we will make a concerted effort next year. the ski show & swap is in october, so we'll see what kind of deals they have for gabe.
our little parrot - be careful what you say around gabe! we know kids are sponges, but to hear everything you say come back to you...not cool!
development - we've done music together classes since gabe was 6 months old, and this past session he FINALLY embraced it - typical...he's now 'graduated' and will move onto piano lessons in september (maybe...i'm still thinking about it).
while i have no imagination whatsoever, chris is awesome and plays with gabe and they pretend play and tell stories about everything. the downside is that gabe's been telling my parents some pretty wild stories in such detail, they can't help but believe him. then they ask me about whatever the situation is, and i have my 'what the?' face on.
through the scholastic book orders, i've gotten some great cars and disney workbooks for gabe. so he's really been enjoying writing his letters, numbers and colours/shapes. usually he'll do 2 or 3 pages a day before he gets "tired" of writing. it's hard work - and each page has an "activity" to do.
preschool - he is doing so well at school. he won't willingly tell us about his day, but after about 20 questions, we know who he "played with", what he had for snack, and whose mom/dad was on duty. i've forgotten how expensive school can be - between the cookie/pie sales, monthly scholastic book orders, winter fundraiser, purdy's easter chocolates, and now the spring plant sale - i can't wait for the summer to arrive so we can give the cheque book a rest!
pottytrained! - yup, it took us awhile to get here, but a few months ago gabe started wearing underwear at home. he was definitely ready for it because the idea of wet pull-ups was really bothering him. even a slight tinkle in his pull-ups would cause the "funny walk" and he'd scream for a new one. we'd still "go out" in pull-ups because gabe wasn't liking the idea of public washrooms - the loud flushing and hand dryers freak him out. but for the past 2 months (or so), he's been fully trained. he's even used to using public bathrooms - but its not pleasant for any of us. i don't know about other mom's with little boys, but gabe has to take his pants and briefs off completely (therefore his shoes are off too) because he can't spread his legs wide enough to sit and pee pointing down. so to help with the problem, i figured teaching gabe to stand up and pee would solve the problem, but he's still too short to pee without a stepstool. i just can't win. we haven't tackled the nighttime yet...but we're close - 90% of the time he has dry diapers!
speaking - gabe is still having trouble enunciating his words. the hard consonant c's and k's really baffle him (eg., cookie comes out tootie or cake is tate), he's getting better at his hard g's (he can say cheeseburger vs. cheeseburber), and his l's are getting better (yellow is starting to sound better vs. yeyow) but he REALLY has to work at it. we do a lot of repetition and exaggeration with some of our words to get the point across - my mom's working hard with gabe :)
the most exciting news for 2012 is that we're going to disneyland right after gabe's 4th birthday! it's a family vacay, and we can't wait! i think my dad might be the most excited - it's pretty funny - he can't stop talking about it :)
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