Friend or Foe?

Here is our beloved pet, Dongsoon. She is beautiful, loyal, intelligent, curious, and a very faithful companion to Remco and I. She was also in the spotlight for years and we would take her everywhere. We even bought a car in Korea solely for the purpose of taking her with us on vacation, to festivals, and summer trips to the beach. Dongsoon has been well established as our number one and before Ella arrived, she was top dog.

It seemed to me Dongsoon could sense something was changing in my life and hers. She took up a habit of sitting and staring at me intently, searchingly, when my belly started to really show. As Ella grew, Dongsoon became a bit spookey with the amount of attention she demanded and the weird things she would do, like sit and put her paw over the baby in my expanding body. Remco suspected she knew there was a baby and was making a lateral move to secure her position as the most favoured one.
Naturally, Ella became our little love, taking up all our time and Dongsoon mostly existed in the background of our lives. She was supplementary to our family and she had finally become more of our pet and less of a family member. At this point, I think she began to take an interest in the tiny, wriggling human being that had usurped her power. She would sometimes approach Ella with a simple curiousity and watch her.


Other times, Dongsoon was trepidatious and sat nervously for photos, always waiting to jump up and escape flailing limbs. Dongsoon certainly was not comfortable with the new addition. Crying always upset Dongsoon, and she would hover nervously around Ella. Sometimes, she would take one sniff and walk away.

Dongsoon began to try and assert a new role in our lives. Mostly, she tolerated Ella even when Ella was smacking her face, poking her eyes or pulling on her fur. Dongsoon's expressive eyes usually looked as though she were searching for reassurance. She needed to hear, "good dog!" and, "Dongsoon, it's okay." Some days she would bring me toy after toy in an effort to entice me to play with her. She definitely needed more attention than she was getting.

One day, Ella had become a little too familiar to Dongsoon. She grabbed her toy, putting her tiny hand over Dongsoon's mouth and for a moment Dongsoon froze. Then, she growled and tried to pull it away. It was as though she were saying, "Look, tiny human. You may be in the spotlight for the rest of your life, but THIS is MINE." Sometimes I spend the day going back and forth from saying, "Dongsoon, no!" to "Ella, no!" Both of them trying to take a toy or fetch a snack. And once in a while, they play together. Dongsoon brings her a toy and prances about the livingroom, inviting Ella to join her game. One thing is for certain: they are both captivated by the camera and when I put them in a frame, they are the best of friends, looking at me with loving devotion and behaving the best they can.

Christmas Holidays, 2009

Here is Ella in front of her grandfather's Christmas tree. After flying from Edmonton to Vancouver and then to Nanaimo, we arrived on Christmas Eve and spent six days in BC. It was not a white Christmas and we enjoyed the warmer weather in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island where it was sunny for our entire stay. Being Ella's first Christmas, we were sure to bring her red fuzzy sleeper and a present for her. We were excited about spending Christmas with my dad and my brother. Ella's grandpa was especially good with teaching her to move her legs and she really enjoyed his glasses. Oh, baby! On Christmas morning, Ella surprised us with successfully crawling for the first time. We captured it on video, but unfortunately it can't be posted here. It was a joyful and proud moment to see her crawl on her knees towards one last shiny present.



Seeing Ella meet her Uncle Steve made me incredibly happy. I think my brother was still trying to wrap his head around the idea that his baby sister has a baby. They sure look cute together. I think she captured his heart.


In a previous post called Look-Alikes, I told everyone that Ella looks like her grandpa, especially when she smiles. Here is the photo that is the proof! She definitely takes after her grandpa Reiber here and they both look adorable with their heart shaped mouths and wonderful smiles.


A few days after Christmas, we had a surprise visit with Cameron and my dad's friends, Judy and Mike. Judy brought Ella a fantastic CD of children's music she recorded and Cam took out his guitar later in the evening. Ella was a huge fan and sat mesmerized by the music and Cam's singing. She wasn't the only one! Ella loves music and she has the same fascination with the sounds when her papa plays guitar or piano. She was a great audience for Cam and he was impressed with her ability to sit still for so long (unlike his own daughter).

It's great to go home and see those people we miss and to take account of all the little things that make us into the adults we become. The lovely thing about growing up and leaving home is that I can return with a fresh perspective on my life. I can take into account those people who mean so much to me and who helped me along in my youth. As a mother, I can guide Ella through life and give her opportunities to have positive experiences. Our bi-annual trip to Golden to see our friends and their young babies is the kind of gathering I hope Ella grows to remember fondly.


We travel to Golden in the summer and for New Year's Eve. It's always busy and is a remarkably good time with friends. Now some of us have babies and when we get together there is always time to make some photos and see how they are all growing. Ella is sitting with her boyfriends and at the moment she is the only little girl in the mix of friends. It's my hope she will grow up with very healthy relationships with these boys and remain friends with them.


Ella and her little friend made a short trip around the side of the house in a retro wooden tobaggan. This is only a little bit of the fun we get up to at the beginning of the year. And what's in store next? We'll just have to wait and see.