Standing Strong

We were taking pictures for Southern Grandma this morning (because Ellie received a package with all sorts of cute clothes, including the Princess Pj's shown here...so, see, there was an actual REASON for her to be in pajamas this time!), and decided to see how well Ellie could stand in the corner. It's been a while since we've done this exercise with her, and we were amazed how strong she's become! She stood up, all by herself, for a good 15 minutes. Whoot!

Stinkin' Cute

Why is this expression so pickin' precious?!

Marker Marks

Ellie got a hold of a black marker the other day. Gotta love it.

Must...Be...Better

...about blogging!

Argh, ANOTHER week come and gone with only one meesly post.

I am caught up on a big work project, though, so I should be afforded some blog-writing time this week. Promise.

I WILL post some pics today for you, though.

Still love me?

Ellie's Craft!

Cheap Labour

I read the most thought-provoking article today at work, while I was cataloguing more than 30 academic journals and periodicals that came in the mail last week (I love my job!). My heart about stopped when I read the title:

Wombs For Rent: For $5000 a woman in India will have your baby. It’s the ultimate in cheap labour.

I had NO IDEA these types of fertility practices were going on, half a world away! The article described how Indian women, who earn approximately $50 PER MONTH, were lining up in droves to become surrogates for North American couples. The $5000 they would receive for baking the baby would give them the ability to buy a house, or send four children to college.

Apparently, fertility clinics in India are 5-star rated, as they cater to North Americans with “all the money”. The surrogate spends her entire nine months in the clinic, so she can be monitored and receive the highest degree of medical care. After all, if she miscarries, the parents don’t have to pay a single cent.

As I was reading the text, I noticed my heart started beating faster and my brain began to spin.

Oh my gosh, a surrogate for $5000? That’s ALL?

Richard’s sperm is a-ok. My eggs are rock-star. It’s my POS uterus that’s the problem. All we need is an oven. It doesn’t matter where the oven lives.

No, no! It’s so immoral! Think of these poor surrogates! It’s as if I’d be feeding the cycle of poverty and abuse. What if the surrogate was shunned by her family for selling her “body” (we all know about honour killings, etc)? What if…? What if…? What if…?

But think of how $5000 could change her life! Think of how she could buy a piece of land, or leave her abusive husband! Think of how she and her children could go to school!

And think about having another biological baby.

Sigh.

Deep down, I know that my heart would be forever plagued to even pursue something like this. There are so many moral implications, and the concept of renting a uterus makes me ill.

Yet, the reality is that we’ll be buying a baby through adoption. Will we be doing it because we want to save the world and prevent another human being from living the life of extreme poverty? Not really. That’s a perk, sure, but when it comes down to it, we’ll buy a baby because WE want one. Because we want Ellie to have a sibling. Because we want to experience the joys of parenthood times two.

I suppose, then, I’m struck by the admission that in both surrogacy and adoption, it’s not the “how” part of becoming a Mommy again that matters. It’s buying a uterus or buying a baby. Is one better or worse than the other?

The difference, I guess, is that surrogacy is so much more than economics. Sure, $5000 could make a huge difference in someone’s life. But, it’s more complicated than a payment-for-services transaction. She feels that baby kick for four months. She sees her belly blossom as the life inside her grows. She sings to that baby before sleeping. And then she has to give that profound human being away.

For $5000.

Report From the Orthopedic Surgeon & Physiatrist

Just an "in case you really want to know this information..." :-)

And, given the fact that Ellie's "real" name is Ellise, and that's the info the doctor has to go on, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt with his misspelling of ELLIE. But, yes, I do grind my teeth every time I see it spelled "Elly"!

My Little Helper

Ellie LURVES to help me with folding the laundry, and I finally got smart and used this task as motivation! Nothing gets her moving quite like the laundry basket incentive!

"Her Condition"

When you live in the land of disability, you quickly realize that there is a fine line of politically correct terminology to be walked. Sometimes, I'M confused with which words are offensive. To make matters worse, some people prefer one terminology, when the next person is offended by the same word.

For example: When we first found out about Ellie's CP, I started to categorize children as either "normal" or "disabled". I always flinched at the term "normal", because who's to say that Ellie isn't? After doing some reading, I embraced the term TYPICAL as a way of describing non-disabled kids.

I also loathe the phrase "Something's wrong with her..." There is nothing WRONG with Ellie. I think that you ask the question, "What's wrong with you?" when someone is being stupid. And, of course, Ellie's not stupid.

I can accept the term handicapped (although some parent's don't appreciate that term either...), and, as you all know from reading my blog entries, I'm perfectly fine with using the word "disabled" when referring to Ellie.

Yesterday, a very annoying family member asked me, "Do you normally point out HER CONDITION to other people?" It was the first time that anyone had phrased it that way. It made me feel uncomfortable and ticked off. Perhaps it was because of the source (he is sooo very obnoxious), but the more I've thought about it, the more disgusted I've become. I just HATE how "Ellie's condition" sounds. Am I being overly-sensitive?

Maybe I'm just in a bad mood.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Obviously, I'm not an American, but I often feel as though I am. I left a big chunk of my heart in Texas, and the two people I love most in this world are US citizens, so I'm admittedly attached. Living back in Canada, I have come to realize that there are a lot of things that I sorely miss about the States. So, today, I submit my list of:

Top Ten Things I Love About the United States of America today:

*Sonic. Cheesecake Factory. Braum's (regional, I know). Chik-fil-A iced tea. PF Chang's. Oh, the list could go on and on....

*Warm weather. Again, I understand that this is more regional than national, but it IS pretty great that you can travel within one country to see 8 feet of snow in North Dakota, and 8 miles of coastal palm trees in Florida.

*The ability to vote directly for the President. I'm still undecided as to which governmental system is "better" (checks-and-balances vs. parliamentary), but I definitely embrace the fact that in the US, you can vote for the PERSON of president (as opposed to the PARTY). Although I would side primarily with Democrats, I love the option of voting for a Republican here-and-there. Cuz, really, Republicans aren't ALL bad, tee hee!

*College football. There is nothing better than attending a college football game (especially in the South) with 120,000 other DIEHARD fans on a Saturday afternoon. Well, okay, maybe not the first few games in August and September, where you can die from stadium heat stroke, but that's what ESPN is for! ROLL TIDE ROLL!

*30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgages. I had no idea that you could only fix your rate for five years MAX in Canada (essentially a five-year ARM)! And I love that, in the US, you can write off your mortgage interest.

*Target. No, even better: SUPER Target.

*Patriotism. Now, of course there is some degree of patriotism present in every country. Having just celebrated Canada Day this week, there were tons of Maple Leaf flags flying, but NOTHING like the year-round patriotism of the US. I love it when people are proud of their country. Declaring national pride doesn't mean that you love every single thing about the country or your leaders, of course. It means that you love where you come from and want to see your nation flourish. I really like all the stars-and-stripes t-shirts at every store in an American mall, and the huge American flags hung from every car dealership and Perkins restaurant in the USA.

*Interstates, freeways and speed limits. Oh, the things I took for granted the last decade! Did you know that there is not ONE freeway in the city of Winnipeg (population 600,000)?? And did you know that the top speed limit in the province of Manitoba is 60 mph (100 kph)?? Crazy!

*USPS (United States Postal Service). I miss Saturday mail carrying, "cheap" postal prices, and "fast" delivery!

*Outlet Malls. Enough said.

God Bless America!

Happy Birthday, Canada!

It's still amazing to me that I can celebrate Canada Day from my HOME in the Great White North! And celebrate I will! In true Chrystie fashion, today is deserving of a Top Ten List!

(Note that there are a million reasons why I love my Home and Native land, but these are the first ten to pop into my mind...)


Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Canada Today:

*UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. Without a doubt, this would be tops on my list. I will admit that I took public healthcare for granted before moving to the States. I just assumed that everyone living in a "developed" country would have access to major medical care, free of charge. Oh the naivety! It was the weirdest thing for me to bring the check (cheque) book with me to a doctor's appointment after moving to Alabama. Of course, now that we have Ellie, and medical appointments consume much of our existence, I am truly thankful for the coverage. I don't know what we'd do without it. I also love what universal healthcare symbolizes about Canada: the majority of Canadians realize that every human being is deserving of medical care, regardless of how much money they make or where they come from.

*Honey dill dip, Coffee Crisp chocolate bars, and Ketchup chips (don't even ask Richard how many times I craved these three things during our time in Texas!).

*Northern Lights. Yes, Richie, they DO exist! And they are fabulous. There is nothing more majestic and awe-inspiring than a fluid sky of shimmering lights, above a rustling field of wheat. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

*Gun Laws. Oh, I know this one is up for some debate, and I absolutely realize that guns are a problem on Canadian streets, but comparatively, the situation is SO much better here than south of the border. I remember the first time I dropped Richard off at work in Texas, and saw the "Firearms Not Allowed Past This Point" sign on the front door. It's a computer engineering firm, for crying out loud! The simple fact that such a sign had to be posted made my heart stop. I am so very thankful that Canada's gun laws are some of the toughest in the world, and that I've NEVER seen a gun-warning sign on a front door in this country!

*Hockey Night In Canada. Even Richard has become a Don Cherry addict!

*The flag. Isn't it pretty? I love how recognizable our brilliantly red maple leaf is.

*Tim Horton's. Hands-down the best coffee ever. Yes, better than Starbucks. I spend entirely too much money there.

*Colorful money. It's easy to distinguish the bills because they're all a different color! Granted, I'm still out on the loonies and toonies (coins), but I LOVE the multi-coloured bills (I suppose, since this is an O Canada post, I should spell it coloUr, tee hee!).

*Separation of Church and State. (Yes, I am being politically bold in this post!) It's a strange topic, I realize, and on paper ALL democracies should maintain this separation. Yet, after living in the US for nearly eight years, I realize that the separation of church and state is practiced quite differently in the two countries (since those are the only two countries in which I've lived, I can't speak to how other nations deal with it...). I remember when GWB was running against John Kerry in 2004, the men's group in our little Baptist church viewed a "look at how Christian our president is" promo video. I was absolutely appalled, especially since there was no one from John Kerry's camp to promote their candidate. I felt it was incredibly inappropriate for a church to campaign on behalf of a candidate. I also still get a bit heeby-jeebied when I see national flags hanging beside the pulpit, or ROTC (reserve officers in training) exercises being held in church sanctuaries. I am thankful that, in Canada, that division between church and state is much more vivid.

*The CBC. For those who aren't familiar with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, it's a publicly funded TV and radio station, which features solely Canadian content. It's a good thing.

God keep our land, glorious and free!