In January, my nonna (grandmother) passed away. She was 90 years old, and though they didn’t speak the same language, Angel really thought her bis-nonna (great grandmother in my family’s dialect) was pretty neat. After all, not everyone has a walker and a cane and other cool things to get around. And bis-nonna loved to watch her great-grandkids play and really loved it when they’d come and give her kisses.
Bis-nonna had a couple of rough years, and we knew that the end wasn’t far off. When she was hospitalized in January, it soon became apparent that it was time. It’s the first time that Angel has experienced death so close at home (other than her pet fish dying a couple years ago). With her sensory issues and anxiety, we had to do some advance planning. Here is what worked for us: …continue reading
This summer, the girls and I had the opportunity to visit the Canadian National Exhibition (also known as the CNE or the Ex). My mom was volunteering at a china painting exhibit and offered to bring us with her. I loved the Ex as a child, but it was never something I thought that we could do. Big Kid was going to go with Nonna (“grandma” in Italian) and demonstrate painting with her, and Mom suggested I bring Angel and come too. I hemmed and hawed and discussed it thoroughly with my mom and I actually agreed to go.
The Ex is a 3 week fair at the end of every summer in Toronto. It’s crowded and noisy and I was more than a little worried about how Angel would handle it. I didn’t decide until the day before, so Angel didn’t have time to get anxious. Daddy told the girls what the plan was and they were both excited. Angel was a little nervous, but felt better when we looked at the Web site so she could see where we would be going. …continue reading
