Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Wipeout


On Sunday evening I had the biggest scare of my parenting life. Caleb, the world's most cautious and sweetest little boy, had a brutal bike crash. He wiped out going downhill and landed directly on his face. Thankfully he didn't break anything, but his forehead, cheek, chin and mostly his nose were seriously scraped up. It hurt. Badly. It bled. A lot. It was a terrifying thing to witness, but we were able to make it home, get him cleaned up and now we are in the process of healing. I felt so bad for him. He was really just getting the hang of biking and starting to build his confidence. And the tough part is that he listens so, so well. I was walking with Odie in the stroller and he was going downhill - only 2 driveways and then he would stop and wait for me (his idea). A neighbour stopped to help us out post-crash, which was truly a lifesaver, and Caleb wouldn't let him drive him home until he was wearing his seat belt. That's how safety conscious he is and that's what broke my heart the most about the whole situation. One thing I didn't know about Cale is just how strong he is. I wouldn't have described him as tough before, but since this has happened he has put on a very brave face (helped out by ice, tylenol and a new lego set that Alan raced out to buy) and this afternoon he was determined to set out on a bike ride. I was so proud. 

It made me realize that my life as a parent is really just beginning. There will be more injuries, accidents, heartbreaks, misfortunes, disappointments....many, many things that my boys will have to face and I will be no the sideline wishing I could take their pain away. Kids are so fragile and life can be so unfair at times and there is no real way for parents to shield them from getting hurt. All you can do is  teach them to be wise and strong, trust them, believe in them, encourage them and be there to love them wholeheartedly the second they need it. I now understand that parents are fragile, too.

And now for some happy pictures. I can't bring myself to post a photo of Caleb's face right now, but the scars will be there for sometime so you'll see when things aren't quite so raw. And if you happen to see him in the next week or two, let him know that you've wiped out before too, and that you've heard from his mom what a great bike rider he is.

Before the accident Cale had been spending hours a day outside. He even invented a new sport - inline scootering!
Cousin time in the back of Greggy's truck!
Happy little brother

Post first spaghetti meal (always makes for a good photo op!)
This is how I'm getting some hands-free time these days! Whatever works!

Thursday, April 9, 2015

The road home

We are back in Fredericton after our truly excellent adventure. After DC, we continued North and made a stop that I'd been dreaming of for years...the PEZ Factory in Orange, Connecticut! The giant Visitor Centre was filled with vintage pez, walls covered in pez decor, a scavenger hunt, trivia and many excellent souvenirs.This was the only time on the trip where I was really tempted to shop!! We ended up with 13 new pez for my collection (which needs a new total count, but is somewhere near 575!!), some stickers and just a few items of 'pez wear'!


I'd drive that Pez VW any day!!
Our next stop was a visit with Alan's sister Kim and her family in New Hampshire for a few days of  fun. It was so great for Caleb to spend time with his cousins who taught him all kinds of new songs, dances, games and introduced him to some true New England slang. It was wicked! Our last night on the road was spent with great friends in Portland, Maine whom we hadn't seen in way too many years.  They now have 3 year old twins (which Caleb was very excited about) and it was so nice for our families to finally meet.

American cousins!
Now we are home, happy to be out of the car and settling into yet another new house (this time in Mactaquac). One of my favourite things about our trip was a 'Road Trip Journal' that Caleb and I worked on together throughout the journey. It is my favourite of all of our joint projects. - definitely a keeper. We filled it with stickers, ticket stubs, maps and memories. I see many of these travel journals in our future. Perhaps a European one should be next....

Cover Page! 
We were welcomed home to even more family fun with Aunt Mary and Sarah's families in town for Easter. We've been filling up on cousin time, family dinners and enjoying the spring weather that has finally made its way to NB. 
More Cousins!

Happy Easter from the best  dressed little guy  I know!