2nd Birthday x3

Well, Maya's birthday 'season' is now over. It started 2 weeks ago with a Dim Sum with our adoption group. The kids all got to see each other and, really, 'meet' each other as they were all infants when we travelled last year. It was a fun day AND NO DISHES!!! The babies have all changed so much...

Then, on her actual birth date last week, we had a nice dinner at home. My parents even managed to be here as they were on a lay-over enroute to Hawaii. All eyes were on Maya that night - she loved it - but she didn't seem too sure what all the fuss was about. The highlight for her was chocolate, wood food & a new blanket. She's becoming a real girl...

Yesterday, was her third (and final) birthday celebration with 'the gang' and their kids. After a rocky start, we all managed to find each other in a very crowded park and settle in for some playtime and a nice BBQ. I'm continually amazed at how well the kids, aged 5 to 9, can show such care and tenderness to a little toddler. They love playing with her and she loves playing with them. I think the big kids were more excited about giving Maya her presents than she was in receiving them. And that says a lot!

It was a good (1st) 2nd birthday (in Canada) but I'm relieved that it's over for this year...

My Own...

Not flesh of my flesh
Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.

Never forget for a single minute,
You didn't grow under my heart,
But in it.

May 20...

Despite having such a wonderful birthday celebration with Maya yesterday, today is full of mixed feelings. Somewhere in China there is a woman who gave up her baby 2 years ago today. Who is she? Where is she? How is she? What is she feeling today? Does she think about Maya? Does she regret her decision? We'll never know and for that I feel sad for Maya...

2 years old today!

Maya is 2 today! We went for a walk with Gamma & Gampa, had sushi for lunch, had a good poop & a nap, lots of play before dinner, good food & chocolate for dinner with friends, then more play & a bath before bed. Could life be any better!?

1 year ago...

One short year ago today, May 18, we finally met baby Maya in the Guangzhou Registry Office. She was 'temporarily' placed in our care for 24 hours so that we could 'decide' if we wanted to adopt her. Really, did we need the extra 24 hours?! It was a done deal long before we held her... Today could be considered our 'family day' as its the day we met.

Tomorrow, May 19, could also be our 'family day' as that is the day we signed all of the documents to officially accept and adopt Maya. Tomorrow is also Maya's 2nd birthday so maybe it'll be nice to celebrate the 2 occasions apart... or maybe celebrate them together. We haven't completely decided on that yet...

The hard part for Maya in the future will be the day after her birthday, May 20, as its the day she was abandoned by her birth mother. What a hard thing for a child to understand. There are so many changes that happen in these 3 days that one day Maya will have to try to grasp what has happened and how the direction of her life was so drastically changed on her without her permission.

Triathlon Training

I've started my training for the Vancouver Triathlon that's happening on September 6. There's 2 distances you can do for this event so, as it's my first triathlon, I'll be doing the 1/2 distance. That involves a 750m ocean swim, a 19km bike ride then a 5km run. The official training groups start on May 30 but, due to my inclination for injuries, I wanted to get a head-start on things. I've already managed to complete all of the required distances individually, now I just need to do them without stopping and all at the same time. Last week, I did 75% of all 3 events inthe same day and I was tired that night! Let's hope my training will continue to improve my 'abilities' over the next 15 weeks...

New video

John managed to put together another video for YouTube. Check it out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI_bFHVOUPI