Positively Loved and Adored: January 2016

I was looking at the calendar today, and it hit me that we've been back 6 months! 6 months today.
I look back at the 6 months, and I'm honestly not sure where to start. I haven't blogged since coming back to Canada, and for the most part it's a combo of being crazy busy, and not really knowing how to put this across the world move into words.
For those of you who have lived somewhere else in the world for a lot of years - you'll get it, you'll understand. Canada had always been home. It's where I was born, and raised, where I went to university, and started teaching. But somehow, during my many years in Johannesburg, a shift happened and that became home. It's smells and sounds, and life and people - they became the heartbeats that made me feel comfortable and at home. So when I started planing my return to Canada, and everyone said, "oh how wonderful, you're coming home", something in me rebelled and said, no that's not home! This is home, the heat, the dust, the red dirt, the babies, the people, the thundering rainstorms - this is home! And I struggled to reconcile my return to Canada, with going home.

I knew without a doubt that returning to Canada was right. There was no questions that my Nicholas needed the medical care Canada could provide. But even knowing that, my heart had a very difficult time saying goodbye to what had been an amazing, life-altering chapter in my life. I had spent one third of my life in South Africa, loving on TLC's amazing babies, and meeting, loving and eventually adopting my 4 amazing treasures. What a chapter indeed!

Since returning to Canada life has felt a bit like a whirl-wind. There are some week's I'm not really sure what's up and what's down. But gradually we're all finding our feet. The 3 biggest kids have settled beautifully into school, Grades 3, 2 and Kindergarten. The school has been so supportive, and the teachers amazing. They are all making friends and finding their new normal in not only a new school, but also a new curriculum and culture. Nicholas is staying with Gramma during the day, and loves being her buddy. I hear so many fun stories of sledding, and snowmen, and milking, and horse riding. . .endless days of adventure and exploration. I'm working with the school and specialists at BC Children's Hospital to get everything in place for him to have a full time aid in school next year. This would enable him to start Kindergarten with full participation and endless possibilities.

When I returned to Canada I was very hopeful that a teaching position would open up for me, but school started in September, and I didn't have a position. I applied for a number of different teaching jobs, (even one at the city jail), but never heard back from anyone. I started looking at other job options, and then all of a sudden there was a .54 teaching job that popped up at the local elementary school. I didn't apply at first, as I really wanted more than half time work, but when nothing else materialized, and the job was posted for a second time, I decided to apply. It was just over half time which meant I would be able to get extended medical - which I really needed for my kids, and it was so, so close to home (only 10 km away). Within days I was called for an interview, and a few days after that I started teaching. I started out teaching K-7 Fine Arts and Health Education, and within a month I was offered extra time teaching ELL/ESD (English as a second language) and my job moved to .66, which is 3 and a half days a week. The other day and a half every week I sub - fill in for different teachers, in different schools who are absent/sick. The school I am teaching in is very, very small - only two classes with 31 students total in the whole school! It has been such fun teaching there, and I feel so blessed to have been placed in this job. My principal has also been so,very supportive of me, and the time I've needed to take off to bring my children to BCCH. I was quite worried about how to approach taking off a full week every few months, but she's been nothing except helpful and supportive!

Much of my time has been filled up with bringing the children to doctors of just about every variety. We have made 3 trips to Vancouver to see specialists at BCCH (BC Children's Hospital) and have another full week planned there the last week of January. Between the 4 kids we are seeing Nephrology, Urology, Gastroenterology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Pediatric General Surgery, Orthopedics, Orthotists, Virology, Psychiatry, Cardiology, Allergy Clinic, Spinal Chord Clinic, and multiple clinic nurses, dietitians, and social workers. . .plus all the different tests that they all want conducted. Then try fitting all these different specialists and scans/tests into ONE week. Yes, it's enough to make my head spin.
At home in Prince George the doctors and therapies have also been crazy busy as everyone wanted their first time assessment visits. Family Doctor, Pediatrician, Eye Doctor (Nicholas now has glasses), Dentist, Vaccination catch ups, TB checks, OT, Physio. . .do all of this times 4 kids and days filled up very, very quickly. Add to this the fact that Nicholas has had recurrent UTI's every 4-6 weeks, which means tests, and meds, one hospital admittance, and multiple blood tests. . .yes, busy would be an understatement many days! It looks like there will be some more surgeries in Nicholas' not so distant future. The different specialists are trying to determine the best way to move forward. . .so I think we'll be finding out a lot more in the next 3-6 months. His remaining kidney is holding steady at about 40% function. He's being checked every 3 months, and his renal team say that once he drops to 30% we'll start working to get him on the kidney donation list. They're not sure how long it will hold out, but his doctor said he's never seen a kidney with as little function continue to function through puberty. So, we wait and see. At least I can wait knowing that he is being monitored by an amazing team of doctors and nurses - what a blessing indeed!

Our house continues to progress slowly, but surely. It is just gorgeous! We're getting ready to put down the top floor wood flooring - which is simply stunning wood. I'm really hoping that by spring we'll be able to move into it - time will tell. My kids are certainly getting to know Gramma and Grampa. . .making up for the years we weren't here and able to interact on a regular basis. Gramma is in her element - a house full of grandkids, and Grampa is still alive! I think he'll be very happy when he gets his quiet house back. . .but for the time being he gets daily encores of "love you Grampa"; so sweet to see. . .

So, I guess that's the short version of our last 6 months. . .I'll try to sit down one day soon, and give you more day to day details. The little moments that make me laugh, the moments where I try and reconcile with being home, and all the other emotions and moments thrown somewhere in between. I'll end with a few pictures from the past 6 months. . .