January 26, 2010

I am the lucky grandmother of two delicious adopted Chinese granddaughters and two juicy Caucasian grandchildren. For those who might be wondering, Chinese grandchildren are exactly the same as Caucasian grandkiddies except that the shape of their eyes are different. I was in the delivery room with my daughter, Erica when Josh and Jessie were born. I was also in China in 2002 when my first baby grandchild, Lotus was handed to her mom, Leslie and just recently, I met my second little Asian love, Bexie at the airport when she arrived on Flight # AC030 from Beijing. The sense of wonder and the instant outpouring of love and bonding was exactly the same for all four children. Simply put, whether connected by bloodlines or by random choice, we are FAMILY!

We were all at Pearson Airport so that we could be the first to hug and hold Bexie when she touched down on Canadian soil. Her cousins each took turns wheeling her around the Arrivals Terminal in her stroller. They were so excited; they had a 'new doll' to play with. On Hanukah, all the kids, including the baby wore Chinese pajamas to celebrate and honor the newest Chinese addition to our family.

 Lotus thinks her big cousin Josh is the coolest guy around. Ever. At Lotus's recent roller skating party, Josh was only one of three boys invited. The thing that made our little eight year old smile 'big' was when her cousin Josh put his arm around her for a birthday photo. She later told me, 'You know Bubby, you can't marry your cousin or your babies could have 'extra parts.'  We are FAMILY!

 And when I planned a birthday tea party just for Jessie, Jess called and asked if Lotus could come, too. They were more than happy to eat the birthday cupcakes I provided but otherwise they ignored their grandma completely. They spent most of the afternoon together in front of my bedroom mirror, holding imaginary microphones and pretending to be famous and fabulous rock stars.

These two little girls make a big fuss about closing the door when they change their clothes. Boys aren't allowed to see them. I think how lucky these cousins are to see each others bodies and to understand that we all have the 'same bits' and parts. Under our clothes we look exactly the same. We are FAMILY!

Unlike most children Lotus mysteriously gives up french fries in order to have plain white rice on her plate. She's been like that since she's been a baby but all Chinese preference changes on our Jewish holidays. It's sweet to watch her devour her chopped liver, gefilte fish, chicken soup and matzo balls. I swear she eats more than anybody else at the table.

This past week-end I had the pleasure of celebrating 'Gotcha Day' with Lotus and her family. On this date in 2002, twelve other Canadian families received their Chinese daughters along with us. We travelled together, supported each other, signed adoption papers together and lived in the same hotels both in Beijing and Xi'An. Since then each year we all meet on this day - parents and kiddies - to renew our friendship and connection and to reminisce about our time in China. The girls are now eight years old, they've grown like little weeds and it's heartwarming to see how comfortable they are with each other. I like to believe that these young ladies are slowly building bonds that will grow stronger each year. I like to believe that as they get older and understand more, they, too, will be happy to say, 'We are FAMILY.'

P.S. If you'd like to read about my grandmother experience in China, please click here 

January 14, 2010

Some events and destinations are so kid-friendly and fun that you are duty-bound to tell other parents and grandparents about it. That's how I feel about Winterlude which is celebrated the first three weekends of February in Ottawa, Canada.

Last winter my granddaughter, Lotus and I celebrated her 7th birthday on a Winterlude weekend excursion to Canada's capital city. Each day was jam-packed with activities and we both weren't bored for a single minute. For those considering going -- I thought it would be helpful to list where we stayed, what we did, where we ate and what we wore to keep warm. One thing is definite; we're going again this year. This time it will be even more fun with the Yummy Mummy Club. Perhaps we'll see you there?

Economy Is The Perfect Class
We travelled by VIA Rail Canada between Toronto and Ottawa. Since it was a birthday gift I chose the added convenience of priority boarding, a delicious meal and beverages included in the price of a business class train ticket. The service we received was absolutely perfect but Lotus seemed to be the only child in the upgraded car and she would rather have had a grilled cheese sandwich than the excellent adult meal that was served to me. Grandma's mistake. This year we'll bring a picnic basket of kiddie snacks and travel economy so that my granddaughter can have the fun of interacting with all the other kids on board. 

Pack Your Longjohns
Winter in Ottawa is cold but not so cold you can't enjoy yourself outside. The trick is to be prepared with the proper clothes. Lotus wore a down two-piece snowsuit with hood. I packed a long down-filled coat with hood and silk longjohns to wear under my jeans. We both had warm hats, winter boots, socks, an extra sweatshirt and two pairs of mittens incase one pair was misplaced. I packed a few plastic bags (like the ones you put fruit into at the grocery). We wore those tied over our socks in case snow got into our boots and made them wet. With that simple list we were perfectly dressed.

A Great Hotel Location
We stayed at the Lord Elgin Hotel  smack dab in the midst of all the Winterlude fun (we walked to most places and took the shuttle bus for about $2-$3 per day to areas a bit farther away).

Knowing that it was Lotus's birthday the hotel manager left a little Lord Elgin Teddy Bear in the room to greet us. You can be sure he now has my granddaughter's loyalty for life.
I appreciated the location of our hotel room as we were situated just opposite the wonderful ice sculpture garden in Confederation Park. On two occasions Lotus had the fun of interacting with all the Winterlude characters that roamed the park and together we tested the throne made out of solid ice. Brrrrr (thank goodness for those longjohns)!  At night the park was lit by hundreds of tiny colored lights making it a magical sight from our hotel room window.

The Hard Rock Cafe Reall Rocks
On our first night in Ottawa we chose the family-friendly Hard Rock Cafe  for Lotus' birthday celebration. Granddaughter dined on a huge hamburger and fries while grandma opted for an excellent salmon steak served with decadent garlic masked potatoes. Lotus really enjoyed her food but she 'loved ' the enormous birthday sundae delivered to our table by the Hard Rock Cafe singing staff. Oh my goodness, what a feast for both of us. Of course we couldn't finish that huge treat even though we tried our very best. Lotus talked about that free giant ice cream sundae for days.

Skating On The Canal
Pack your ice skates (or rent them when you get there) and join the throngs of people having great fun on The Rideau Canal Skateway. At almost five miles long it's the world's largest skating rink and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We didn't have skates with us but we still walked the canal, people watching and enjoying the Winterlude booths that lined the sides of the canal. Lotus laughed as some moms skated by pushing babies in strollers while one dad pushed his kids and a big dog in a rented sleigh. It was pure winter family fun.

There's much more to this story -- The Children's Museum, Princess Tea at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Byward Market, and the fabulous outdoor fun at Jacques Cartier Park. 

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