Thanks for all the Great Suggestions

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions on how to help Denis deal with my absence. I actually have a baby's photo album that I brought with me. It was an idea I got from Diane, she'd made one for Ciera. I brought the album with photos of my brother and sister, and some of my friends and their children. Now the album has pictures of Denis and I. During every visit we look at the pictures. I'll be leaving the album with him when I leave.

Also my translator is going to be going to the baby house with Jody every day, so she will from time to time go into Denis' room to see him. We hope he doesn't think that I am there when he sees her.

Denis' favourite caregiver will be working tomorrow. I will be giving her all the diapers I need to leave while I am gone, and Yulia and I have spoken to her about when I am away. She asked for a photo and I showed her the album, she thought the album was a great idea.

Oh and Susan, thank you for the idea about notes from the caregivers. I bought a little notebook and I will leave it there with them this week, Yulia will pick it up next week and translate the notes. The caregiver was very happy with the idea.

Today Denis was so cute he had me laughing my head off. When we go into the isolation room, our bonding space, he firsts wants to look out the window. Today when I lifted him up, he leaned on the sill and then asked to be let down. I put him on the ground and he went into my knapsack to get the snack ziplock bag. I helped him open the bag and he pulled the face cloth I bring. Then he asked me to lift him back up to the window where he promptly began to wipe the window sill and scrub at a mark on the wood. I'm sorry JB, but your nephew is into clean, you'll have to change your ways.

Later we had our first temper tantrum. Denis found a pen in my knapsack and I let him use it in a notebook, but then he decided that he wanted to write on the furniture and on the floor. On his second attempt I took the pen away. Oh the crying and the throwing himself on the floor. Unfortunately it was at the end of our ever so lengthy 20 minutes visit, but he did let me comfort him and he was smiling when he said goodbye.

3 more visits and then I'm head for home. I'm in the process of trying to change my tickets right now. It will only be the third time I've changed these tickets. They do say the third time is the charm, right?!

Paka paka