Dental surgery

My poor princess. Both my family and C's are cursed with small jaws, and Katie has inheirited the smallest of them all. I'll spare you the graphic details but she has a mouth full of cracked teeth and tiny interdental cavities. The pediatric dental surgeon basically told us we can drug and freeze your baby 4 times to do all of this work, or we can do it all in one fell swoop under a general anaesthetic. Katie herself made the decision to get it done all at once.

Yesterday was the big day. She was a little nervous, and very miserable for having been denied real food an awfully long time (her appointment wasn't until after lunch so she was allowed only jello for breakfast and nothing at all after 10am). They let me stay with her while they gave her the anaesthetic and until she was asleep. I kind of wanted to take a picture of her laying there with her little hair net and peaceful expression but I just didn't have the balls to ask :) He ended up having to do more work than originally expected but it still only took a little over an hour (which feels like about 50 years while you're waiting)

She was really loopy when she first came out of the anaesthetic and ripped out her IV when she first woke up so when they brought us in to see her in recovery it was a little bit of a horror scene (the blood mixes with the saline from the IV bag and makes it look like there's 10 times more blood), but after sleeping the whole drive home and eating some soft pasta for dinner she was feeling pretty good. She even went to school today. She's a trooper.

Journée du drapeau franco-ontarien

While I was away in Mississauga the kids' school celebrated Journée du drapeau franco-ontarien, which meant my poor long-suffering C had to play craft-mama and help the bits create crazy hats in the colours of the franco-ontarien flag (green and white) for the crazy hat parade at school.

I think he did an amazing job, and he even picked up perfect green shirts to complete their outfits.

A visit

After finishing my training in Mississauga I stopped in to see my grandparents. The problem with moving away (in this case from the GTA) is that you leave people and things behind, and Gam and Bumpa can't come visit me in Ottawa.

Though it's been almost 20 years since I was last in the cemetery I remembered immediately exactly where their grave was. I've been thinking about them a lot lately, in part I think because my brand new niece has the same middle name as my grandmother. I was a young teen when they died, far more interested in my own shallow life than in their rich stories. I deeply regret that they died before I had matured into someone who could ask them about their lives, their dreams, their triumphs and regrets. They left precious little written record behind, and what they did leave was, I believe, destroyed by their children when my grandfather died. Too many painful things. I don't know exactly, but I have so many questions that will never be answered.

This is a big part of the reason why I scrapbook. Putting my story into words and images so that if I leave this mortal world prematurely the people I love will still hear me.

More Maya

I got sent to Toronto, again, for training, again. This time with only 3 days notice. And for a whole flipping week! Ahem. Anyway, the only part of the trip that didn't suck was being able to spend the week with my brother, sister-in-law and my precious little niece Maya.

More pinwheels

I can't help it, I really like pinwheels :) The fabric is from a bunch of remnants I purchased on Etsy (from an Ottawa seller - yay local!) and the leftovers from Maya's quilt. It's based on this tutorial (though if I'd read it more carefully instead of jumping in head first my prairie points might line up better!)

This is intended for the niece of a dear friend. It still needs to be squared up, a backing made, quilted and bound, but this is a good start :)

Maya

My brother and his wife had their first baby on September 1st, a beautiful baby girl :) We drove out to meet little Maya today. She's sporting a wee bit of a George Hamilton tan (jaundice) but it does nothing to detract from how adorable she is :) I'm not biased either ;)

Typical Day

A giant turtle flying over the highway, pooping out a basket. Yup, just another commute into the city...

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival