6 days in Canada to go.....

Today there are 6 days left until Ada and I leave for Italy. Alessio will be here tomorrow and I'm very excited to see him! Ada is doing so many things now that she wasn't doing when he left: laughing, rolling over (OK, it was only once yesterday and she hasn't done it since, but STILL!), 'sleeping' through the night, watching me eat my breakfast with ravenous eyes and all those other good things. The moment is bittersweet though since I know that once Alessio gets here, we leave in 5 days.

I've been packing up a storm for the past week and going through everything that I've accumulated living on my own for the past 8 years. So many memories and items that I think 'should I keep this?' and then I'm reminded of my two suitcases full of blank paper that I kept from my college years (France will remember this....) and I think that I can probably get rid of the Ice Cube concert ticket from 2003 where he bailed (as usual) and where I fantasized for years about writing him a letter claiming he owed me a 'hundred dollar bill y'all...' But I digress....

If there are any tips that I have learned for an overseas moved, it is to use those vacuum bags to put all your clothing in. This has enabled me to bring ALL of Ada and my clothes (and ALL my shoes with the leftover room!) and to put it all comfortably into six 29 inch upright rolling suitcases with the extension zipper fully open....other than this tip though, I don't have any advice to offer for this move.

Ada had her 4 month shots today and is also teething so I'm not really looking forward to the flight but I think she'll do fine since she's such a little trooper. She only cried for the second of three shots today which is the one that stings a little (or so I'm told by the Health Nurse) and then was fine moments after. Fine enough to sleep on my shoulder and 'hum' along with me when I sang to her....speaking of which - what's wrong with humming the American National Anthem to your child? lol.....I did this last night and my mom looked at me as if I were crazy....it was the first song that popped into my head, so I followed it up with Brahms' Lullaby (ad nauseum) and mixed in a little Swingin On A Star for good measure.

My computer is almost finished being updated with a new security software, so I must go get more packing done. Alessio will be here tomorrow and I have to get my hair done for the big event which leaves me with no time to spare..... :)

There's a first time for everything....

As you can see from my country, I'm Canadian. That is to say, I live and work in Canada....for now. In April of 2008 my daughter and I will be moving to Viareggio, LU, Italy to be with my 'husband'. I use the term in quotes since we're not married, but having a child together makes 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' seem somewhat inadequate. Besides, I feel like I have to qualify the exact definition of the relationship whenever I say 'boyfriend, but he's Ada's daddy....etc etc etc' so the quotes will do for now.

I hope to use this blog as a tool to keep in touch with family and friends instead of having to email everyone since I invariably forget someone and then spend the next day or so promising myself to create a master distribution group of everyone who wants updates on my life...then never get around to it until the next time that I get an email from someone who has had an email forwarded to them from someone fortunate enough to be on the original email...it's a vicious cycle really....

Anyways, I wanted to write my very first post and as for how long this lasts, I guess you'll have to check this out every now and then to see!

Hayley