Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving is a very special holiday in the US, and it is the busiest travel period of the year, as people travel long distances to be with friends and family. This year we cooked dishes to share and got dressed up and traveled almost a full tenth of a mile down the road to Caitlin and Jamie's house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was a wonderful gathering, with eighteen of us around the table, including Eliza and Oliver, their older cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. Although Ollie joined us at the table, he didn't actually eat (of course). But after dinner, Meghan's cousin David treated him to some piano playing, and Ollie loved that.

Waterfalls and fall colors

As the bumper sticker says, "Ithaca is Gorges", and that's especially true in the fall. For a brief period of time the leaves are a spectacular mix of green and red and gold, the waterfalls are gushing, and the sunsets light up the evening in flaming colors. This year we managed to get out on a few local walks, and in spite of the unseasonable early snowfall, we enjoyed some lovely fall weather. Below, a handful of pictures from around Beebe Lake, Ithaca Falls, Taughannock Falls, and Stewart Park.

Halloween 2009

Last year Oliver was a (very cute!) pirate for Halloween, but it was a pretty quiet day for us since it isn't a big thing Down Under. But this year, in the US and with lots of cousins around, it was a much bigger event. Although we are patching Ollie's right eye even more now than a year ago (6 hours a day), I thought he should dress up as something different for Halloween. I thought about it, and finally had an idea. I found some red fleece pajamas in a box of hand-me-downs, and I bought some blue socks for his feet and hands. My mom helped to sew a fox snout and ears onto a red fleece hat we had, and made a red tail to match. Voila, the cutest Fox in Socks ever! (For those of you not familiar with Fox in Socks, he is a character from one of Oliver's favorite books by Dr. Seuss.)

I am not sure how much of the concept of Halloween Oliver grasped, but we had fun talking about it beforehand. I told him how children dress up in different costumes, and that he was going to be Fox in Socks. I explained how they go out and knock on neighbors doors and say "Trick or Treat" to get yummy candy that they like to eat. When I would ask him what he was going to be: a pirate? an elephant? a robot? he would shake his head No No No... until I asked, Fox in Socks? and then he'd give a big grin!


So in the evening I suited Ollie up (he didn't fuss too much, luckily!) and we went out Trick or Treating on our street with some of his cousins. I recorded "Trick or Treat" onto one of his talking buttons, so that he could say it himself. Some of the neighbors who are not familiar with Oliver's cerebral palsy probably thought it was weird, but I guess I have to get used to that, or at least try not let it bother me so much. It was both a fun and sad time for me, watching the kids running, playing, talking and collecting candy. I wished things were different for us, and especially missed Shami, who was away for the week at a meeting in England. But I did my best to put on a happy face, and I think Ollie had a fun experience. And he was an awfully cute Fox in Socks!

In the photo: Jeanine, Eliza, Sean, Devon, and Kieran in the back. Caitlin, Shannon, Oliver, and Mariah in front.

Homecoming Day Anniversary

Today is the two year anniversary of Oliver's discharge from the NICU in Sydney, the day we brought him home for the first time.

Unfortunately we marked the day with an early morning Ophthalmology appointment at the Children's Hospital in Rochester. After a long, mostly sleepless night with Oliver, we were pretty exhausted even before the 2+ hour drive there. But luckily the appointment went smoothly enough. The good news is that Ollie's eyes are improving slowly but steadily, and there is a small chance that he might not need surgery to align them after all. We'll have to keep patching his right eye for 6 hours a day, and go back for another exam in 3 months.

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year in central New York, and we enjoyed the vibrant fall colors while driving to Rochester and back. On the way back home we drove by Cayuga Lake and made a quick detour to see the breathtaking Taughannock Falls as a treat. We even managed to get a smile from Oliver!


It was all going well, and we were on track to get home well before Ollie's afternoon feed, when... we got a flat tire. We were only a few miles from home! Shami was a star and we were able to put the spare tire on, which was enough to get Shami to work, and Ollie home in time for his lunch. Thankfully, after the morning's excitement, the rest of the day was fairly quiet and laid back.

Snow!

Ithaca got an early start to the winter yesterday, and the light snow that began in the afternoon continued into the night. By 3 AM there was over an inch on the ground. (I know because I was up!) But despite two nights of little sleep with a sick boy and Shami away, seeing the beautiful peaceful snow outside in the morning lifted my spirits. Ollie and I looked out the window as we read "Snow", by P.D Eastman and Roy McKie. I also got a bowl full of snow for Ollie to put his hands in. Conclusion: it is cold and wet!

By noon it had melted away, though there is more snow in the forecast through Sunday. After a wet cool summer, it looks like we may be in for a long, cold, snowy winter. But it sure is pretty.

A brand new cousin

Speaking of cousins, we'd like to extend a long overdue 'welcome' to Oliver's new cousin, Dhimaan (also known as Marco Polo).

Oliver's Uncle Tuku and Aunt Uttara (or Tuku Kaku and Uttara Kaki in Bengali) had a little boy on August 28th. Thankfully everything went smoothly, and he and his mom are healthy and happy. Unfortunately for us, they live half way around the world in New Delhi, so I fear it will be a very long time before we get to meet the little guy.

But isn't he gorgeous!?!

Canadian cousins

We had a weekend visit from Oliver's uncle Ian, aunt Wei, and his cousins Eamonn and Molly. They live in Canada and we don't get to see them very often, so it was a lot of fun to have them stay with us.

It was especially nice for Wei to visit, as she hadn't seen Oliver since our visit to Ithaca from Sydney in June of 2008. Oliver took to her pretty quickly, and enjoyed dancing with her!

We had a belated 9th birthday party for Eamonn. Shami cooked a meal (with some help!) for 16 people... 18 including Eliza and Oliver. Everyone enjoyed the food and the chaos.


Pizza was on the menu the next night. Here is Oliver with his littlest girl cousins: Mariah, Eliza and Molly.

Where is the letter S?

Here's Oliver playing with Mum and showing off his letters.