Hip and Cool and Awe-Inspiring.....

The days seem to fly by lately. We haven't really been all that busy and part of me feels like I'm going stir crazy when things aren't as hectic. I don't know if that makes sense. Mornings are for; getting up, getting ready, feedings and naps. We leave our fun stuff for the afternoons.

I've taken the girls to Tommy K Play a few times now and it's a really great place. The first time we went, it wasn't busy, which made Brinley happy. She needs to get familiar with a place and take in her surroundings before she feels comfortable. There were a few kids and once Brinley felt safe, she started to interact with them a little more. It was a fun afternoon, no injuries, no tears, just fun.
I decided to go back again, but this time it was raining out, so I figured that it would be a little busier. It sure was.
We paid, got our bracelets and went to sit down. The only chairs that were available were behind a support beam. I took two chairs, one for the diaper bag and my purse and one for myself, Adele and Brinley. My plan was to snuggle with Adele while keeping Brinley in view. We sat beside the hip moms, the ones with the Peg car seats, the skinny jeans, the coiffed hair, the pretty babies, you know, those moms.

I set Adele down and figured that Brinley would be thirsty....ok, I could leave Adele for a minute, I can see her from the drink counter. I had the clip undone just on her chest but she was still buckled up, so she was secure.
Brinley and I made our way to the counter, I was watching Adele. I could see one of the hip, cool, trendy moms get up and jump over to Adele. AWESOME!!!!
She grabs Adele and starts to walk over towards me.
"Is she your baby?"
Well, I just walked past you, around 30 seconds ago, the one with the car seat (Graco), the diaper bag, the purse, the toddler, you know, me, the one who is sitting beside you?
"Yes, she is mine." I was feeling a little sheepish and neglectful. "Did she arch?"
"Yes, she almost flipped herself out."
I kind of doubted that considering she was still clipped in, unless my child is Houdini! Wouldn't that be cool!!
"Thank you for bringing her to me."
I take Adele and realize that she has a big, stinky dump.
So now, the trendy, hip, cool mom knows that I neglect my children and I don't change their diapers. This is going well.

Wearing red to support the RCMP

I head back with my two children, to our chairs, behind the beam.
Brinley wants me to climb through the tunnels with her and go down the slide. My first thought.....my ass won't fit on the slide and my second thought....I will get stuck in one of the tunnels and trendy, hip, cool mom will have to rescue me. She will call Child Protective Services and my day would soon be ruined. Mind you, if CPS came and took my children, I could go to Starbucks, it is so close, I could have a coffee, check my emails, pretend that I have a quiet and peaceful life. CPS would babysit my children for a few hours, do a background check and realize that I was probably just having an off day. I would be all rested and rejuvenated by the time they returned my children.
Hmmmm.....something to think about. :) (Please know that I am kidding for those of you who don't get my craziness)
Anyways, I had a baby that needed me, so Brinley would have to find some playmates to go through the tunnels with her.

She was more comfortable on the second day and actually went up to several of the kids and had a 'conversation' with them. It was pretty sweet.
The hip, cool, trendy moms would smile at Adele and comment on her cute outfit. I would smile back and continue to eavesdrop on their conversation. Nothing interesting going on, no real gossiping, such a disappointment.

I was trying to keep my eye on Brinley but it was difficult, the damn support beam. I would flip back and forth in my chair, looking like a dork, but whatever, I'm hip too....sometimes.

James showed up after work and climbed through the tunnels with Brinley and went down the slide. I was safe.

We went back to Tommy K Play today. The girls didn't have good naps and I was feeling frustrated and was losing my patience. I wanted to get out. The house was a mess and I didn't care, I needed to get in the car and go somewhere.
After we had been there for a while, one of the moms came up to me and asked if I was Krista. I was worried that I was being served. :)
Her name is Kandis and she reads the blog. She said that she has been reading the blog since the beginning. She got teary as she was talking to me and told me how much she loves it and that she checks every night to see if there is a new post. I got teary too, but a happy teary. How nice that she would come up to me and let me know that she appreciates what I am doing. It was a happy moment.

Brinley, Adele and I went back to our comfy chairs and while sitting there, another beautiful mom came up to me and asked if I was Krista. She told me that she follows Adele's Facebook page.... Adele's Over the Rainbow Baskets - Down syndrome LOVIN' :)
She loves the pictures and keeping up to date on the girls. Shauna told me that her son is autistic and that she can relate to some of the fears and struggles. We are all on our own journeys and it is something to always keep in mind.

I mentioned this in the last post about not being so quick to judge. There was a lady in a full burka today at the play place. All that was showing were her eyes. It is not a familiar site to any of us. Brinley was scared and a bit teary as she has never seen this before. Her little girls would come up to Adele and chat with her and touch her face. I'm ok with this because this is what kids do, they love babies and they love to touch. My first thought was that she probably didn't speak English and then I thought that maybe she wasn't allowed to talk to me. Her husband was there in western clothes, talking on his phone the entire time. I was sure that he made the rules. I thought about my last post and I wasn't going to pre-judge. I asked her how old her girls were and she asked me the same question. She could see Brinley hiding behind me and then she would peek around me to catch a glimpse of something that she didn't quite understand. I told her that Brinley is pretty shy and the kind woman told me that Brinley is probably scared and that she hasn't seen this type of dress before.
She was right.
I asked her how long she has been in Canada and she told me that they have been here for five years and that they came from Pakistan.
She was kind.

LOVE my new pyjamas!! :)

It is so important to me that my children see me as a kind and loving person. We accept people for who they are and we need to get to know others. Ask questions. Don't judge.
It was a really great moment.
Today at the play place, I met three amazing women all on their own journeys.
Take the time to meet people. Take the time to learn about their journeys. Take the time to teach your children that we are all unique. We are all special. We all have a story.

Lastly.....

WORLD PREMIERE!!
Adele's Over the Rainbow Baskets - Down syndrome LOVIN' presents - A Perfect Extra Chromosome - Awe-Inspiring Miracles.

This is a video about inclusion of ALL children, of ALL abilities and ALL walks of life. It is filled with love and acceptance and beauty. Please share this video with the world! Let's go viral!
Thank you to Brian Campbell for creating our video. Many hours and a lot of dedication went into the making of the video. We are forever grateful. My shameless plug for Brian - He is a member of the band Blades of Steel! They are on ITunes and they are pretty awesome.

A Perfect Extra Chromosome - Awe-Inspiring Miracles

Sometimes our babies just need some snuggles <3