Last day of JK and SK

School's out for summer! Some very excited girls around here, can't wait to head to the beach next week.

A package just arrived for Miss B from the War Amps. It was a disk containing some pictures taken on the Champs weekend.
Once again, I have to say how amazing this organization is. Please, please buy your key tags and support the Canadian War Amps. They help so many kids with missing limbs, and provide a support group for these families!

B's first real party

Had a few of B's friends over today to celebrate her big 5th birthday!



Not going to post any of the pics with the friends for obvious reasons.

B had so much fun, lots of games, cupcakes, food and candy. I do believe that the pinata was a hit (ha ha).
B was just so excited for her big day. She was a little confused and kept asking me if today was her "real birthday". Nope, it' still on July 1st and the lucky girl gets to have another party with all the Grandparents (it will be a 3 person birthday party, since my Dad just had his birthday and Nana's birthday is the day before Brennyn's).

My baby is growing up

Kindergarten graduation was this afternoon. My little girl is moving up to grade 1 in September, which means all day school. I just do not know where the last 6 years have gone? How can time move so quickly?

Gymnastics

It was Avery's big debut at the gymnastics gala. Each group at the gym prepared a routine for the parents, it was a full house. I was so proud of my painfully shy daughter, she didn't miss a beat and I even caught a smile. The whole group did a big dance at the end and I am pretty sure I saw a big grin on her face for the entire dance. If there weren't so many kids on the floor I would have got it on film!

Don't worry, I did get a few close ups of my favourite bear!






All the kids worked so hard to put on a little show for their parents, it was great to see.

As you can see, someone isn't really excited about having her picture taken these days.

Someone else still likes to strike a pose!


Of course all bets are off when one is doing her crazy dancing, pictures are a must at that point.


Yes, she is dancing on our coffee table in her favourite shark t-shirt (can't get her to give that shirt up, it has shrunk a size or two and is now falling apart she insists on wearing it every other day. Best $5.00 shirt ever).

Happy Father's Day

First, a very happy father's day to my Husband. You've come a long way in 6 years and your girls adore their Daddy!
I love the little gifts they made you in school, especially the poem, may have shed a tear or two!

Now, also need to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day. You've always been there for me. You would drop everything for anyone, you are a great man and I love you!

interesting day

Quick update. Psychologist was very interesting. I must say that I felt like she was analyzing all of us, which I'm sure she was. Made me nervous to the point that I think I answered her questions not very intelligently.
Not all about me anyway. B thought it was a fun place to visit, there was an amazing doll house that she played with for the whole time. She can't wait to go back.

Fairly safe to say that B has some attachment issues and trauma related to loss and living 2 years in an orphanage. Won't know for sure until we have a few more appointments.
What a time to quit one's job, even if it was just part-time. Private therapy was not in our budget, but you have to do what you have to do for the best interest of your child.

The OHIP covered therapy just sent us a letter in the mail yesterday to say we are on their waiting list, a 12-16 month long waiting list!
We will go private for now, I am not waiting another year just to have an assessment done on my child who has waiting already far too long.
I feel so sorry for people who have children with more serious mental health issues. I hope that they would be pushed to the front of the line, because 12-16 months is far, far too long for a family to wait for help.

Appointment today

I will admit that I am a little nervous. Today is our (by our I mean Brennyn) appointment with a psychologist who specializes in attachment and other developmental delays.
Hubby has to work, so I decided to take both girls. The appointment is in the big city right at rush hour so we are going to hit a huge mall after we are done. This is a treat, since good old O`ville has one sad little half empty mall.

Hoping the psych has some answers for us, good or not so good.

Great link about raising a child with a chronic condition

Saw this posted on NFED facebook page and had to repost.
One Shoe Can Change Your Life

One Shoe Can Change Your Life « A Different Normal
blogs.webmd.com
By Rachel Buerman Rachel Buerman serves as a Family [...]

Not sure if the link will work, or maybe this one: http://blogs.webmd.com/​chronic-conditions/2012/06/​ectodermal-dysplasia.html
http://blogs.webmd.com/chronic-conditions/2012/06/ectodermal-dysplasia.html

Okay, so it looks like I don't know how to add links to my blog. Computer literacy has never been my strong suit!

A bit of rain

It's been raining on and off for 5 days now. It started out sunny, but this is what we ended up with by the end of the day!



Oh, and that's not snow!

Progress

Thanks to some fellow adoptive parents, I was given the contact information for a professional who is known for their work on attachment and other adoption related fields.
We have an appointment set, and although it may cost us our children's future college tuition, I feel a huge relief. Still going to wait for the referral to the local youth and development (our doc. feels that in this type of situation the more information you can gather the better), which will be covered (hence the long wait for appointments).

At least the ball is rolling now, and maybe some answers will be found for our beautiful amazing daughter!

June is Ectodermal Dysplasia awareness month

For those who do not know, Brennyn has a very rare form of Ectodermal Dysplasia called ADULT Syndrome (An autosomal-dominant disorder with pigment anomalies, ectrodactyly, nail dysplasia, and hypodontia). ADULT stands for Acro-Dermato-Ungual-Lacrimal-Tooth (which is medical speak for the parts of the body the syndrome affects).

There are over 150 different forms of Ectodermal Dysplasia, affecting so many people all over the world. I know that before we adopted Brennyn I had never heard of Ectodermal Dysplasia. I have since met some amazing families who are trying to help other families by raising money to fund dental costs, cooling vests, etc.
Most people who have ectodermal dysplasia will have some sort of dental issues. Many do not have a full set of teeth and will need dentures at a very young age. I have discovered that the cost of dental work is unbelievable and many families simply cannot afford it (most insurance companies do not cover dental implants, etc).

I have become a co-director of the Canadian Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndromes Association, www.ectodermaldysplasia.ca. We want to create some awareness for these groups of syndromes.