Called Home

With Easter last weekend, we celebrated our first holiday back in Ottawa. Walking outside and seeing so many families out enjoying the weather reminded me of how much I loved this four day weekend as a child. It felt like a gift -- a double weekend meant for enjoying family and the beginning of spring.

This year, while Easter weekend still brought sunshine and time with family, it brought sadness too.

The weekend started with sad news from Calgary. I know there are times when there is nothing that can be said or done to make a situation better, but that didn't stop me from wishing I could be there, to give support from nearby instead of across the country.

Our second piece of sad news served as a major reminder of one of the reasons we knew we needed to be home: you just never know how long you have with the people you love. Sunday night, we lost my aunt to cancer. Her battle was short, beginning with a nagging cough at Christmas which turned out to be a lung tumor, and ending last Sunday, with her family surrounding her. She was the wife of my father's youngest brother, a sweet, gentle man we lost almost four years ago, months before we moved to Calgary. Elaine and my uncle Moe were childhood sweethearts, together from the time they were 12.

The progression of her illness was unbelievably quick, and her death has been a shock to everyone. It has also affirmed for me, once again, that we have made the right choice. My heart aches for my cousins who have now lost both their parents, and for their children, who will grow up without their grandparents. I am grateful for two things, though: that I am able to be here to show support, and that there is some solace knowing two childhood sweethearts have been reunited.

Before and After

Once the date of our move was confirmed, my life felt divided into Before March 14 and After March 14. I spent much of March with a sort of permanent lump in my throat, knowing each time I did something or visited with someone, it would be a Calgary last. Leaving Calgary was as hard as I knew it would be, and while my heart is filled everyday as I watched Jack and all his family fall in love with each other, it doesn't take away the sudden moments of homesickness for everyone and everything we've left behind.

It's hard to believe March is already over and we've been in Ottawa for more than three weeks. Jahn has started work, we're settling into a routine, and Jack is growing by leaps and bounds. When I named this blog, I had no idea how appropriate the title would be for describing life with a baby. Everyday brings something new with Jack. One day he's lying flat on his back, the next, he discovers his toes and holds on to them non-stop, turning himself from a line into a dot. He's made some big changes in the few short weeks we've been here: he sits on his own (though, as Jahn said, "I wouldn't sit Humpty on a wall quite yet"), he has developed a love of food (especially things he shouldn't have ...yes chocolate croissant, I'm looking at you) and, most miraculously, he will now go to bed NOT in someone's arms. I love my son, but being able to spend the evening as an adult without a baby in my arms has been amazing. Now we just have to get him sleeping longer at night.

Jahn and I have also started the house hunt. Details to follow...