It's Sunday and Friday came last week and the Canadians let Richard in this time.
So he doesn't have current plans to leave in a hurry.

Liam is recovering, we've done a second lot of ultrasound images as the first set didn't show an AV fistula, which they thought they'd seen on the CT scan, neither does the second set. I think this is a good thing, but I'm sure the surgeon would rather have his diagnosis confirmed and move on with solving the problem.

So we've had a quiet weekend around the house,Liam and Richard are building a model farmyard, and those other kiwis are coming over for dinner.

Days you can do without.

We (Christine, Liam,Madeline and Izabel) took a trip to Denver. We left Victoria on Good Friday and meet Richard at the Denver airport, where he had flown to from Texas. Saturday was a good day, set up things for Sunday, when Liam and Richard had skiing lessons. We went to Loveland which is about an hour out of Denver. They both enjoyed their lessons, Liam was worn out after his full day of skiing.

Monday we went to the downtown aquarium and the children's museum with friends from Santa Fe who have moved to Denver. Both places were great and the kids all enjoyed playing together at the park in between too. It was nice to catch up with their move and set up in Denver.

Tuesday morning was fine really, we did some shopping, got some activities to do in the hotel room the problems started with the scissors, Liam wanted to cut the game pieces out for one of the ladybug games, he is not clear about how, but the sicssors went into his right leg,behind his knee,so I think he was standing and sat down on the chair with the sicssors in his hand and sat on the sicssors. After he screamed in a more screamy way than normal I put Izabel down ( she was feeding) and walked around the couch to see Liam's trousers colouring with blood,I pulled them down and the blood was pumping from his leg, I automatically got him lying doiwn and put my thumb over the hole,too hard according to Liam, but I stopped the bleeding, then needed a phone. I couldn't reach the room phone but my cell was on top of the stroller next to me so I called 911 and spoke to the operator who put me onto the ambulance operator and dispatched some paramedics. Once they arrived I called Richard, he met Liam and the team downstairs once they had decide where to take Liam. Which changed from what they discussedwith me so they went to Littelton Adventist Hospital. Richard went in the ambulanceand I stayed with Madeline and Izabel planning to follow for the pick up once we knew where and when. The surgeon at Littelton decided that it needed the specialists at Childrens hospital, as it was now rush hour it was decided to take Liam in a chopper, Liam really enjoyed this, he wasin pretty good spirits most of the time.
The surgeon at Childrens called in a Specialist Vascular surgeon from University Hospital and they operated on Liam's leg at about 10pm, it took until midnight and they sutured his artery. Richard stayed with Liam, the hospital is really well designed for parents to stay with children. There was a foldout couch bed in the room and shower facilities and toiletries in the hospital, there is also accomodation for families to be able to stay,but out of the patient rooms.
Madeline, Izabel and I went up to the hospital the next day. Izabel wasn't allowed in PICU, (Pediatric Intesive Care Unit) where Liam was so Richard and I swapped who was with Izabel or Liam. Madeline missed Liam alot, she woke up in the night worried about where Liam was, so once she was in his room and they were drawing or watching tv together she was happy, she didn't really want to go back to the hotel that night. Liam spent two nights in PICU, but the second was because they were short of space on the regular floor. He keep the nurses entertained, they all thought he was delightful, especially as they are used to much sicker children. Thursday afternoon he moved to the sixth floor where his room even had its own full bathroom and xbox system. Each of the regular floors have an activity room with all sorts of games and toys and craft activites. We had visited the one on the eightth floor earlier in the day. Richard and Liam tried to play baseball on the Wii which was amusing. Liam's physio had given him a walker, like a mini zimmer frame and a leg brace. Thursday night Richard stayed again and friday morning we returned again and the kids played in the activity room on the sixth floor until about mid morning when they said we could take Liam home, mostly they were organising follow up care in Victoria.

The rest of the time in Denver was good, we visited with people and went for a drive and looked around Denver and its surrounds. Monday we got up at 4AM!!! to get to the plane for a 7am take off. They had to deice the plane which Liam found amusing. Then he, Madeline and Izabel all slept till about the last 30min before we arrived in Seattle. We had little cart meet up off the plane so we got to our connecting gate really easily and were on out flight to Victoria at 10am The local Ice hockey team, The Salmon Kings were returning after playing Frezno and were on our plane. Liam didn't realise until we were all leaving customs and hestarted asking about what was in the big bags (hockey sticks) then he was asking then all kinds of questions about sticks and asking everyone if they were a Salmon King, most of the team said hi to him I think.

So today is tuesday again and I called the pediatric surgeon who we'd been referred to,since they hadn't called yesterday, and those were my instructions. She saw us today, 11.30 was the appointment at 12.30ish we saw her and she was concerned about the strength of the pulses in Liams foot, Sooo we went to Victoria General for a CT scan, and the vascular surgeon. He was not pleased with the results, there appears to be a connection bewteen the vein and artery, so tomorrow we go for ultrasound to confirm that finding then we see him again to decide how to proceed.

This clever girl

Izabel's first attempt at sitting in a high chair occured on monday when we visited the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

We decided to catch the Clipper over to Seattle on Sunday afternoon for a couple of days and see Richard, since he could come to us and it was looking like at least ten days before he'd be able to get the documents sorted to enter Canada. As an extra hoop to just through I needed a letter from Richard to say I could travel with the children without him. but we managed it, and had a nice visit to Seattle area. Tuesday the kids and I went by bus, the monorail to The Children's museum in the Seattle Centre. which occupied us for most of the day.

We're back home now having been allowed into Canada with not much in the way of trouble. It's very hard to travel with three children and not have too much hand luggage.

Last weekend Victoria Tourism had a 'Tourist in your hometown' promotion, it started on wednesday and ended sunday, so thursday the kids and I visited the undersea garden and the wax works museum, saturday, Richard and Liam went to the Maritime museum and Madeline and I went on a bus tour and to the Miniture world. I found the undersea gardens a bit dated, the glass area was like small submarine windows, thou the anemones were huge. Richard was off to the US for work on sunday afternoon so we took him to the airport. Never a favourite activity with us, the kids like to take him, but don't really want him to get on the plane and go. Several times this week when Madeline saw seaplanes over the harbour she thought dad was on it.
The usual round of dance, gym and sportball happened. Liam's doing gym twice a week as we have some makeup classes from when we were away, he's enjoying that and it's at an earlier time, so I think his concentration is a bit better. Liam and I went for a walk on Ross Bay Beach while Madeline had Sportball and we all had a spring nature walk and play in Beacon Hill Park. The kids enjoy telling me what they want pictures of, this trip it was all spring flowers.

Last night we collected Richard from the airport, thou Canadian Immigration wanted to see him again this morning as they weren't happy with his paperwork, so he walked down to see them at the wharf and was denied entry. So today we went to the airport again to put him on a plane back to Seattle. We're still figuring out where it's best for 'us' (me and the kids) to be. Really depends how long it's going to take for Richard's ducks to line up.

Educational Information

Tonight is a total eclipse , It's a lunar eclipse. It will be like this for us. And the sky is clear so we can see it.

Mostly some pictures

Well the trip is well and truly over now, it feels like a long time since we left for Bristol at the begining of December.
I enjoyed it while we were away but I have thought since it was rather an undertaking, it never felt like we couldn't manage but we didn't get much in the way of time to stop and think about it.
Since we've been back in Victoria we've got back into all the normal activities, dance, gym, sportball, and LLL for me. I lead my first series meeting for my new group on friday and everyone seemed to think it when well. There was a good numberof mum's especially since there's not been a meeting since November.

This weekend we visited the BC ferries open day on their new ferry there were long ques, longer than the organisers expected. I thought it was OK, we got to see the bridge and some staff areas, but mostly it was just showing everyone what the new ships looked like.

Today we watched the Chinese Communities celebration of Chinese New Year with the Lion dance.
Here's a collection of Pic's I've just put up they cover a range of stuff, there must be more on Richard's machine which I'll have to find.

January 2008

Friends and Food

We joined with a collection of friends for a post xmas picnic at Kaitoke Regional park. It's a lovely bush set picnic and camping spot just north of Wellington, on a good day swimming is an option in the river. We had a day that couldn't decide what it was doing. It was mostly a sunny, slightly windy day with spits of rain.

the picnic

Xmas Present

We had second great Christmas celebration. The plan was for presents and a BBQ, which all occurred. The weather was not favouring us so the sitting outside was not pleasant, and so abandonned, and the backyard cricket was cut short, many rain delays. Still everyone seemed to have a good time and we enjoyed being with everyone.

Christmas in Wainuiomata

So click the picture and you'll see what I managed to capture.

Here we are

It's the tail end of what has been a fun Christmas day at Foxton Beach. The weather though not frightful has not been the balmy backyard summer day weather that I imagine from a southern hemisphere Christmas. We've have opened presents and eaten, and eaten and eaten as expected. The children don't seem sure on their time zone, but having been awake since 7.30am they are looking tired. they've had heaps of fun digging up Grandad's yard and playing with their toys and each other. Madeline was worried when the cousins left, but was reasured she'll see them again tomorrow.

Foxton for Christmas

Two days ago we were in the snow in Santa Fe and the cloudy skies outside keep me thinking of the snowy weather. It is a huge contrast being back by the sea in green New Zealand. We manouvered our collection of baggage through Alberquerque San Francisco and Auckland to leave a couple of items on the plane in Wellington nothing major thou and we'll collect them from the airport after Boxing day. Izabel has caused some entertainment on the trip, we have to fill in different potions of the forms for our Canadian, and the gate staff at SFO insited on seeing her outbound itinerary before she could board the flight. But we're all here and are looking forward to a few less airline meals over the next couple of weeks.

So Merry Christmas to you all!! We have several more Christmas events to come, hopefully we'll get some NZ summer in the next couple of weeks.

Where are we??

You might have noticed that my brestfeeding and typing skills are not up to scratch and I haven't been very good at practicing.
We've started our world tour. We left Victoria tuesday 4 December for Heathrow headed for Bristol for two nights and Oxford for one. We attended the exor Chritmas party and award dinner, Richard got an award, everyone admired Izabel who hada pretty dress for the event.
Now we're in Sanat Fe for a couple of weeks and it's snowing!!! So the kids are pleased.
We head to NZ leaving here on the 22nd Dec for a month. So you can all use your powers to make sure that the airports we need (Albuquerque, maybe Denver, San Franscico) are not closed by the weather at that point.

Back in the Water

Izabel had her first bath with her siblings tonight. They were very pleased for her to join them. She seemed to enjoy it mostly thou didn't like it when Madeline dropped water on her face.

Izabel

Fish

Last weekend we got out of Victoria and found the Salmon Run was happening on a nearby River. So we stopped and had a look.

Salmon Run,

All the little ghosts and goblins

One of the features of North Amreican for Liam and Madeline is Halloween. Luckily their wardrobes contain enough fancy clothes so it didn't matter that we'd not created or purchased any special outfits for this year. Lots of houses in the neighbourhood had decorations some quite spectaular. Izabel and I stayed home and answered the door to many trick or treaters, lots of whom were delighted to see such a small baby.

Local fare

If I manage to retain my 40 week size this will be one of the culprits. Not that I've made it myself, but thrifty at the end of the road always has some. It's best when the chocolate on top is about 2mm thick, the yellow layers is soft and creamy and the base is well pressed, so it's not to crumbly.

A web presence - finally

It's taken a while but here are some pic of Izabel's birth. She arrived at 9.58am PDT October 18 and was 8 pound 6 oz - unlike what I emailed some people.
Everyone's very pleased with her, Liam and Madeline both want to hold her all the time. She's waking up again so more later.

Liam spotted this guy (actually I think girl) on our lounge window. Which lead to much photography and a seach of the internet to identify it as a Cross spider (harmless), Liam still wants to get rid of it.

The parcel arrived - Thank you

This was followed by the creating several paper pirate hats do Madeline, Richard and I all had some too. Pirates had soup for lunch.

Three

World? Breastfeeding Week

I'm pretty sure I was in Santa Fe for World Breastfeeding week in August and I know thats when it was in NZ, but It's World Breastfeeding Week here this week
There was a Breastfeeding Challenge on saturday morning which Madeline and I took part in. I had a email today saying that our 124 children nursing was 5th in North America. Here are some photos that were taken on the day, Madeline and I are in there and we're at the back of one of the group shots. There were prizes for all sorts of things, like oldest (~3 1/2), most concurrent(2), youngest(10 days), and donating to the milk bank. The event was outside in Centennial Square and it was cold, one of the things mentioned was that none of the Shopping Malls were prepared to host it. Otherwise it was a nice event, I met some more of the local LLL Leaders, there were snacks provided for the participants and we got a collection of vouchers and things to read.
Some high school students who were helping read this out. I'm sure I was going to write somewthing else but the children have called me away and I've lost my train of thought so you can have this lot.

The current state

This is 37 weeks and 3 days. (Yesterday)