Merry Christmas!

Jahn, Jack and I have had a great Christmas in Ottawa visiting with family.  It's been so fun to watch our families spend time with Jack, and seeing him getting to know his family is pretty adorable.  Our trip has definitely helped solidify our decision to move.   The whole trip has had a different feel than past trips.  Usually the last few days feel almost desperate -- trying to make sure you enjoy every moment with family, knowing that it will be months until we see each other again.  Knowing this time that we'll be back in only a couple of months has made the whole trip more fun. 


And Jack?  He's been a total charmer.  He's spent days and days partying and being passed from person to person (mostly to people he doesn't know) and has been sweet and smiley through the whole thing.  He reaches his limit now and then, but most of the time, he just looks around, takes the world in, and grins.  I would say it's been a pretty terrific first Christmas.

Looking at the Christmas Tree 

Chatting on Christmas morning 

That was a lot of partying. . .  

Mary Poppins

When I was little, I remember always feeling sad at the end of Mary Poppins.  I understood she helped Jane and Michael's family, and I knew she was needed somewhere else, but that didn't stop me from wanting her to stay with them.  These days, that feeling is very real for me again.


After we had been in Calgary for a few months, I knew we were going to like living here.  But I also knew that, as much as we liked the city, it wasn't going to be home.  I think it was clear to both of us this was only a stop on our journey.  But it turns out that knowing that and living it are two very different things.  Jahn and I created a life for ourselves here -- one that felt very permanent.  We have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by some of the kindest people I've met.  They took us Ontarians in with open arms and I'm forever grateful.


But Jack changed everything.  I know he has no idea whether he lives in Calgary or Ottawa or Yemen, but we do.  We know that he's far from his family.  The pull to have him near his grandparents and aunts and uncles, especially for these "little kid" years, is pretty strong.      


So now, even though I know the winds are blowing us somewhere else, somewhere both familiar and exciting,  I feel that same Mary Poppins longing again -- that wish to be able to stay, too.    

In This Crazy Life

"Once you have a baby, everything will be different."  From the moment people find out you're pregnant, that's the chorus you hear repeated over and over. And I knew it would be true. But until you're there, it's hard to understand how things will be different. Some changes happen right away, like the limited use of both hands. But I think more often, the changes aren't as obvious. A new member of your family arrives, something imperceptible shifts, and nothing is ever the same.


We both felt that shift, but while I was nestled at home in my cocoon of new baby and blankets, Jahn went back to work. And back out in the real world, Jahn started to feel that maybe the changes weren't quite done for us.  Being here in Calgary with our new baby, introducing him to our families over Skype just wasn't sitting right.


It may seem crazy, but I'm a big believer in putting your desires out there into the universe and seeing what comes back. I think, maybe without even really knowing it, that's what Jahn did. And the universe didn't disappoint.


So after a coincidence, an application, an interview, an offer, long conversations, and many tears, life changed again and a new chapter started for us. Watch out, National Capital Region.  Come March 2012, Jahn and I are heading back to Ottawa, and we're brining a little cowboy with us.