Greetings Family and Friends:
In an effort to “go green” we have mailed out cards this year but rather than printing our Christmas letter indicated it would be placed on the blog. As many of your know, the blog was started in June 2010 when Malcolm was having some health concerns to keep everyone near and far up to date on his progress. Mary Ellen has kept it up ever since, though now posts only a couple of times per month, except in October when she participates in the “31 for 21” challenge to raise awareness about Ds.
Malcolm’s treatment ended mid-January and he has never looked back – he is the healthiest one of the bunch now with a mild cold his most serious ailment all year. In February, Mary Ellen travelled with the boys to Ontario for a much anticipated visit home. She ended up staying about six weeks and all had a great time. Jan was able to join them for a couple of weeks over his reading week but otherwise had to stick around Halifax to teach classes and generally get some work done. His hard work paid off as he was successful in winning several grants which guarantees that he will be able to effectively run his research program for the next several years. He also received tenure and got promoted to “Associate Professor”.
Mary Ellen returned to work in May but negotiated a permanent position at three days per week. She has been very busy and successfully managed development of a major legislative package that was introduced in November. She really enjoys having some extra time with both the kids and has no intention of seeking a fulltime job anytime soon.
We had a great summer. Our thanks to all who visited Halifax. We had a great trip to Ontario to visit family and friends in late August and then it was back to Halifax for the biggest event of the year – Donovan started school!
They call kindergarten “Primary” in Nova Scotia. There is no junior kindergarten so Donovan started at 5 years old and attends school every day, 9am – 3pm with a 1.5 hour lunch break. On the days I’m at home, he usually comes home for lunch. On the days I work, he goes to a really great lunch and after school program just down the street from the school – which is just down the street from our house since we live on the same street as the school! It has been a huge adjustment for the whole family but Donovan is doing really well. He likes his teacher (a man!), has a new best friend and is already on “Level C” reading books.
Malcolm attends daycare on the days that I work and has been doing really well there. We know he loves it because he is so happy to go there every morning – waves bye-bye to his mother and then turns to the toys and makes the sign for “play” with a huge smile on his face. All the other kids love him and like to include him in their play – a few have started signing words to him which is so nice to see.
We hope that your year has been as fantastic as ours, and that 2012 will be even better.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Mary Ellen, Jan, Donovan and Malcolm
Two days before Christmas it snowed! We went out right away and made two snowmen, pulled Malcolm around in the sleigh, made a snowcastle and shoveled. In Halifax, the snow doesn't always last long so it's important to make the best of it right away. However it turned cold and the snow stayed for a couple of days - there is still some outside but it's partially melted now.