Sting of the Scorpio

I'm learning about life with a Scorpio child. This is a description I found here.

Scorpios are extremely strong-willed and powerful by nature. They know exactly who they are and that most people don't have the strength, knowledge, nor stamina to match their own.

They have a tendency to believe they were born with a crown on their heads and that they don't have to follow the rules that other people follow. They will laugh and mock you as you lay down the rules. You have to be strong and firm while teaching Scorpios that yes, the rules do apply to them too

Oh yes, this describes my little guy. He is totally strong-willed and bossy. He was only home a few weeks when I told him I was the boss. He barely spoke English and was still learning how to say his name yet but that didn't stop him from saying, "No, Danon the boss."

He has taken to screaming when he doesn't get his way, and he will throw things when he is displeased. I had tried time out a while ago, but I felt it was too hard on me and it took forever for Denis to stay on the time-out mat. Well I figure if he can tell that a king is missing from a drawing, he can understand time-out.

This evening, he was drinking from a regular water bottle and twice spilled water all over me and the couch. I told him that he wasn't using the bottle correctly and would have to drink from the red (no-drip) bottle. Denis was NOT pleased. He screamed so loud my ears are still recovering and threw the bottle across the room. So off to the bedroom for time-out.

In the past, I've used the technique of putting him back on the mat when he moved off. But it hurt my back and he decided it was a fun game. And as with the description of a scorpion, he has much greater stamina, we could play that game for over an hour. I've decided that he would have to put himself on the mat.

Prior to the water bottle incident I had told him that he'd be going to bed in about 30 minutes. I think he decided he would beat the bedtime by not getting on the mat. I told him that he had to sit on the mat for 3 minutes because he threw the water bottle, but he would be going to bed at 8 whether he sat on the mat or not. Then I sat in the room against the door (he'll walk out no problem otherwise) and then I began to read my book.

Oh, my lord, he had me struggling to not giggle. He was ever so cute trying to get my attention and make me laugh. He would repeatedly poke me (gently) or he would put his face between my nose and the book. He made faces and funny noises. It was a totally struggle not to laugh.

In the end, he didn't sit on the mat, he decided to just go to bed. I'm just glad he didn't push his luck and fight after I settled him into bed, after fighting a few little ones in my SK/Grade 1, I don't have the stamina for too much of Denis' fighting.

He must have been tired as he was asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Where Da Udder One?

At mass today, Denis and I joined the children's liturgy. While the leader read and discussed the gospel, Denis seemed more interested in playing with his juice bottle and being silly. I was amazed by the knowledge of some of the children (3rd grade and younger) they knew the names of the 3 kings who traveled to see Jesus, and what each one brought. I will admit I would have to look that information up and the leader only knew as it was written in his children's liturgy manual.
After the reading the children were invited to complete a craft involving cutting gluing and colour a camel and king. On the paper there was a camel, king, the three gifts of the Magi, and a small illustration of how to construct the finished product.
Denis get his paper and looks at it and says, "Where da udder one?"
I wasn't sure what he was talking about so I asked for clarification. He points to the large king, then to the illustration of the finished product, he counts one and then two, then repeats "Where da udder one?"
I was shocked! Not only was he listening, he has 1 to 1 correlation up to the number 3. Not bad for a 3 year old I'm thinking.

Got Skates Ready to Play Hockey

Today I bought Denis a pair of skates. He tried them out in the living room.


It is really a good thing I hate the living room carpet as Denis bounced and jumped around in the skates.


Now he has skates he has declared that he is ready to play hockey.

Identity Crisis

I'm having a crisis of identity. See it all began when I was reunited with Denis and started using "Mommy" to describe myself. I'm sure I'm not the only one who says such things as "That's Mommy's. Or here let Mommy do it". Fine, that's easy, I am a mommy, I'm saying it to my son, everything is fine and dandy.

Until I went back to work. I never realized that I my Ms name when talking about myself in the classroom too, but I do. And one day I heard myself say 'mommy' instead, oh no.

And then my sister came home for the Christmas. Now with Kathryn I use Sha sha, Kathryn never learned to say Michele, instead it has always been Sha or My Sha (my favourite). Kathryn, hearing Denis and my brother refer to me as Mommy, started to call me Mommy too.

Well, the true crisis began yesterday when I was getting Denis ready for school. He wanted to wear his knapsack (which he calls a mapsack). He then declared that he was Dora. And then, then he decided I was Boots.

Who the heck am I anymore?

This Time Last Year

This holiday season has been making me very sentimental about my Christmas and New Year last year in Kazakhstan. In many ways I feel like I didn't have much of a Christmas or New Year because I was so away from home, friends and family, and I didn't get to enjoy the lead up to the holidays. And of course, the celebrations there were different.

Here are some photos of my time in Kazakhstan from a sentimental me. I had a good time overall in Kazakhstan, but would have had a great time if I hadn't had the underlining feeling of fear that something would go wrong and Denis wouldn't be my son.

This is the view on a snowy morning from my apartment kitchen window.
And here is the same view in November, just after I arrived in Kaz.
And looking out the same window watching some work. Really, how many men does it take to dig a trench at minus 26 degree C.
Here is said kitchen window. It was the window from which I could see the town center and watch the fireworks on Independence Day and on the day of the tree lighting.
This is the kitchen in the apartment. It was a very quiet and clean apartment with a very bright kitchen.
I took this picture while standing on the balcony of the apartment. That's the main road of Uralsk and the nightclub CumCum pronounced SimSim was directly below me.
And the view the other direction, toward the Orthodox church.

And this was the living room. The couch was my bed while I was in Uralsk. The chair too would pull out to be a bed.
The stair case in my apartment building. I was on the sixth floor and I walked up and down the stairs unless I was with people or had my suitcase. I did not like the elevator.

This is the door of said scary elevator. It was small and you had to use a card to go up or down. It was good for my health going up and down with all the water jugs and shopping.
The door at the end of the hall was in the hall and my apartment door and another door were behind these doors. I got told off by my neighbour for not pulling these doors shut properly when I had gone out one day in my first week in Kaz,

And this is the hallway leading to the outside door. There was a homeless man who would often be found on the stairs ahead leaning against the radiator on the right hand side as you go down.

Baby House 1, where Denis moved to the second week I was in Kaz. It was the one close to the Ram store mall. I also learned that it was around the corner from the Catholic church that I had hoped to visit while I was in Kaz, but didn't know where it was until I returned to collect Denis.The playground on the ground of Baby House 1, donated by families from the US who had adopted prior to 2006, or so said the plaque on the side of the climber.This is unit 7, Denis' group and this is their dining room. Denis is in black sitting on his care giver's knee. I took this picture during the final days I was there prior to leaving to return home for the month.
Denis' bed in the sleeping room.
Group 7's playroom. The large windows were Denis' spot where he would stand looking out waiting for me to come each day. These are the toy shelves in the room. Not a lot of toys for up to 12 children. As to that, I know Denis has more toys than that in the house. Wow!
I think this was Denis' favourite toy in the room. I would often see him playing in this 'bus' with one of the other children, they loved to look out the window at each other while sitting on the benches.

The other rooms in the unit were a classroom, the isolation room (both rooms where I would go to visit with Denis. And beyond the sleeping room there was a large room used to store toys such as the bicycles, it is the room connected to the outside door and stairs.
And here is the music room and the goodbye to the fir tree party. All the children were dressed in the finest clothes and immaculately groomed. The children are each putting an ornament onto a little Christmas tree, or as they called it the fir tree.


And finally a picture of me at the memorial flame. I went there 4 times during the time I was in Uralsk and no matter the weather I was never the only one there.

And finally, Uralsk airport. This was February 14th, the day I returned to collect Denis. Jody's mother and I were flying in together. They'd had a huge snow storm the day before and our flight was delayed by about 4 or 6 hours. I can't remember, I was just so glad to be back and getting my little boy.

Wow, I do love looking at these pictures. Doing this has been a nice way to spend the final day of 2011. And now I'm looking forward to all the marvelous things that 2012 will bring.

Happy New Year!