Goolamallee Family Year in Review

On December 15, 2009 I discovered I was pregnant. I celebrated the beginning of 2010 by sleeping on the couch....all day and all night :) During my few hours of wakefulness I went house hunting for a new home that would accommodate our growing family. On March 19, 2010 we moved to our new house. It is a wonderful 4 bedroom house built in 1954 in the West end of Ottawa situated on a large treed lot with a large in-ground pool complete with a slide in the backyard. The house is gorgeous and full of soul. It's rarely quiet but somehow it still feels peaceful. When I wake up in the morning I feel like I am at a cottage. I look out the window into the backyard and see a dozen large pine trees and a crab apple tree whose blossoms would take your breath away in the spring. We spent a lot of money and time in the spring of 2010 to convert our swimming pool to a salt water pool. I am a nutritionist, and therefore quite health conscious. I insisted that our children have a salt water pool. When the spring thaw came, such to our dismay, we discovered a leak in our foundation. Since the house is so old and was built with a block foundation we decided to dig up over 1/2 of the perimeter of the house and re-seal the foundation. This came at a huge financial cost as well as the loss of use of our wonderful deck and yard for most of the summer. We plan on living in this house for a while, so we believe it was worth the sacrifice.

On June 9th our daughter, Freddie (mine from a previous relationship), turned 5! She demonstrated her love of swimming in our new salt water pool. From the minute she jumped in to the time we had to drag her out she would scream "I love this pool....I love it....Mom, watch me....Mom, are you watching...Mom, I love this pool!" She has successfully completed 4 levels of swimming lessons and is eager to move onto her next lessons. Freddie completed Junior Kindergarten and moved on to 100% French classes in Senior Kindergarten. She attends school full-time: Montessori School in the mornings and Public School in the afternoons. We are so pleased with her education. We feel she gets the best of both worlds. She is challenged at her Private School in different ways than her Public School. She has a wide spectrum of friends from all different socio-economic classes and her French language skills are unparalled. She really enjoys school and learns quickly. She is also very socially advanced for her age. At parent/teacher interviews her teacher said she is the "Public Relations Manager" for the class.

On July 28th I turned 34. This was a quiet year for me. I didn't buy any business, start any new ones, or sell any old ones. In early January 2010 I decided to go back to school to become a legal assistant/law clerk. It's something I do every time I get pregnant (that's only been twice, by the way). I think that a child needs a "stable" mother so I run off to school in hopes of settling on a "real" job. BUT we all know I will NEVER have a real job. It's not me and it would crush my spirit. The one that my husband has grown to appreciate in our 2nd year of marriage :) I love school - always have. Despite my extreme fatigue from pregnancy and my poor attendance to all of my early morning classes, I made the Dean's Honour List. I received a report card of straight A's for my first semester. I continued my studies throughout the summer, despite the fact that my last day of school was the due date for my baby. Luckily, my baby held off and I completed another semester of the program with excellent grades. I met a ton of "young" people in my law classes and had a good laugh in class almost every day. The amount of respect they showed to "this pregnant lady" was absolutely adorable and although I may never be a law clerk in this lifetime I enjoyed the experience immensely and I believe that all forms of education, whether you gain employment from it or not, is of value and I do intend to complete the program over the coming year(s). I read a bumper sticker not long ago that said "An educated person is one who can entertain an idea even though they may not support it". That was not the exact quote but it was something to that effect. I like it!

On August 2, 2010 our son, Azan (Sam's from a previous marriage) turned 6. For most of the year he has either had a loose tooth or had a new one growing in. He has grown into a handsome young man. He is the voice of reason in the house. When we forget the rules we can always turn to Azan for a lesson in what's right and wrong. He is a debater and stands strong on his opinions and beliefs. He started Grade 1 this year and is in an "enriched" program within his Private School class. He is extremely smart and he demonstrates this through his superior reading ability and his use of large words when speaking. When you take him grocery shopping he does not ask for apples, but rather he differentiates between the different types like Granny Smith, Macintosh and Golden Delicious. If you simply call it an "apple" in front of him, he will be quick to correct you with the correct name for that specific type of apple. We rarely buy Golden Delicious but I believe that to be his favourite....probably because of the fun name. He loves to play video games and has a real knack for mastering them quite quickly. He is not a huge fan of the pool but loves riding his bike and attempted to learn how to skateboard over the summer.

On August 21st, 2010, our son (together), Arie Ishaan Goolamallee, was born at home on the bathroom floor, both drug and intervention free, weighing in at a whopping 8 pounds 12 ounces. Labour, from start to finish, was exactly 12 hours. Unfortunately, his first few weeks of life were hard, both for baby and mommy. He was an extremely fussy baby and he slept very little. I felt on the brink of emotional breakdown for just over 7 weeks. At 7 weeks + 3 days he began to sleep and he cried less and less each day. Today, he is 4 months old and he is sweet as a peach. He weighs 19 pounds and wears 12 month old clothes. He is the master of the Jumperoo and the King of Drool. His face lights up every time he sees daddy and he stares in amazement at his brother and sister. He is the tie that binds this family and he is a gift. He eats well, sleeps well and is generally a joy to have around. His name is Arie for several reasons: 1) during a long winded discussion in my "Torts and Contract Law" class about what I should call my baby we came up with the name Arie based on my professor's brother-in-law's child (even though that is not the child's name.....go figure) 2) My husband and I watch a TV show called "Entourage" and my all-time favourite character is "Ari Gold" 3) It means "lion" in Hebrew and he is a Leo 4) We wanted a unique but non complicated name 5) It is pronounced "R-E" and those are my father's initials (Robert Edward Rivier).

On August 23rd, my husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. This was a really good year of marriage for us. We are the textbook definition of a "blended family" and we have our challenges but we have learned to love and accept our differences. Our personalities are opposite but complimentary and our kids are also polar opposites. If you searched the entire world you would not find two more differing children than Freddie and Azan but they love each other so much and they are both thrilled to have a new baby brother. We are all excited to watch the development of Arie's little personality and see how it all turns out.

On November 9th, my husband, Sam, turned 38. On December 7th he got his dream car - a 2 door, standard transmission, Infiniti G35. He has worked very hard this year to pay for the beautiful home we live in and to help us maintain our standard of living. He has developed his entrepreneurial spirit and is working on some great ideas. His employment in the High Tech Industry continues to hold strong despite the economic changes and the future looks very bright with continued diverse opportunities arising for him in this field. His focus, drive and commitment to reaching his goals never cease to amaze me. He is a good man and a wonderful father. This was a big year for Sam. He moved to his second home and bought his second car. Two major purchases.

My goals for 2011 are to find balance again now that my infant son demands less of my time. I want to spend more quality time with my husband and I want to be a better mother to my other child(ren). I want to make loot bags and bake yummy vegan cupcakes for every holiday that my kids celebrate, I want to play outside with them and I want to teach my daughter how to skate. I also want to save my money and buy a big-ass trampoline to complete our beautiful backyard. From a business point of view, I want to sell one of my businesses, buy a commercial property to house my other business, and invest in one more solid business venture. From a personal point of view, I want to read more, have some alone time, have friends over more often and get into the best shape of my life.

My husband's goals for 2011 are to pay down a large portion of our mortgage and get back to the gym. He enjoys tennis and squash and will hopefully be able to find time to play again. He is also planning to launch one of his business ideas into full swing and he is planning a family vacation for all of us in the summer of 2011.

Life is not easy, and at times, very stressful but I cannot think of anything else I could ever want (except that big-ass trampoline). We all have our health and our children are full of self-confidence and are smart and well-liked. We live in a beautiful home and we have a small yet loyal group of friends. I am blessed with amazing women in my home and personal life who help me keep it all together (Gina, Melanie, Christina and Nicollette....and many more). Our extended families are all doing great as well. My mother suffered a bout of cancer this year but came out the other side even stronger and more beautiful that she was before. She is currently planning her wedding to a man that truly adores her in 2011. My brother has reduced his consumption of alcohol substantially and has rekindled his relationship with the mother of his child. My father has his own home and works for the best boss in the world. My mother-in-law loves her work and has begun a new and challenging position for 2011. My brother-in-law just had a baby boy as well and recently moved to a beautiful new home. He has a job that he loves and he has great kids.

We wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

The Goolamallee Family