Ships and Giggles

Karen here.


I've always loved being on the water, and I know Matt does too. Some say if you like to be near the water it's because of the ions in the air. I'm not sure on the science about this, but I can say that it's peaceful and relaxing... just what we needed after a few months of new baby craziness.


Halifax is a busy port, so a few times a day we see various vessels pass by our window. Check out a few that we've been able to capture.

These last two are obviously military ships. It's amazing to me that in a few months after he completes a few more military courses, my brother will be assigned to one of them as a weapons tech of some sort (sorry Adam for not remembering your correct title). These ships are huge and incredibly imposing. I hope we can get a tour before we leave the city! (wink wink Adam!)

I feel very fortunate that we got the condo we did here in Halifax. This is the view we get to wake up to every day.

To showcase our new digs, Matt took pictures of Magnus in a few of the rooms.

In the past 2 weeks since arriving in Halifax, Magnus has taken to giggling a lot more. His cooing has progressed into vocal experimentation, and he now loves to squeal in a way that neither Matt nor I can replicate. We try, but we just sound silly. It took us days to be able to capture his shriek on camera.

Magnus shrieking in delight

He's incredibly vocal. He almost doesn't stop trying to talk. I wonder if we have another William or Sammy on our hands! In fact, most mornings now, instead of wanting to eat right away, he prefers to lie beside me in bed and tell me all about his dreams and what he wants to do today. At least, that's how it seems. He looks me right in the eye with those baby blues and coos up a storm. Then throughout the day he keeps it up. I'm used to it now, but on weekends it does unnerve Matt a little. I mean, he just doesn't stop!!! For example...

Can't choose between eating a toy and telling us all about it

Testing out his vocal range

Well, he may be loud, but he certainly is cute.

And he's growing like a weed. Check out his chubbiness!

We've decided to go up in diaper sizes once again after he had a major accident on my lap. Hopefully we can salvage my lululemons.

Shits and giggles indeed. 

Nobody Cares Anymore :(

Back in 2005 when I was still working as a management consultant, I lived in Tokyo for 9 months out of the Shinjuku Hilton.  The other day I told Karen a story of how, in the middle of the night one night, my phone range unexpectedly  Remember, there is a 16 hour time difference between Tokyo and Ontario (and I was 30 years old).  The conversation, at 2am or 3am, if I recall correctly, went something like this:

Me: (groggily) Hello?

Phone: Matt, is that you?

Me: Who is this?

Phone: Matt, I'm so sorry, I know it's the middle of the night, it's Julie, from the office in Oakville.

Me: Ok.  What's up?

Julie: Well, your mother called and she was wondering if you were ok.

Me: What?

Julie: I guess she saw that a bullet train had crashed and that there were fatalities...

Me: That wasn't even in Tokyo!  It was a different part of Japan!

Julie: I know.  She said that she was worried and had no idea of how to reach you.

Me: Well, I'm ok.

Julie: Um, well, will you call her back?  This is kinda weird. 

Afterwards, Karen asked me what that had to do with anything.  I said that one of the biggest storms of the year is coming up the east coast, has shut down parts of the US, has shut down 200kms of the Trans Canada Highway east of Quebec City, is forecasting huge amounts of snow, rain, and freezing rain, and we didn't get a call, email, text, nothing!  I guess no one cares anymore! Not even about Magnus.  I guess it doesn't take long to fall off the list.

Well, if anyone is interested, we survived just fine, thank you.  Below is a 20 second video that Karen took from our window (The flags show the wind, and to the left you can kind of make out the speed of the water.  Sadly, you can't make out the whitecaps).  She took it right after I had gotten back from my run on Thursday night.  Maybe not the best idea to go for a run in that weather, but I was definitely warmer running in it than those walking in it!  And, because of the wind, I ran away from the water, letting me see a different part of Halifax (lots of graveyards!).

On Friday, it cleared during the day but then got worse again in the evening when the 2nd storm hit the city.  Karen had tried to take Magnus for a walk to meet me after work, as he had not slept all afternoon.  She didn't make it a block,due to the wind (upwards of 150 km/hr gusts).  To get him to sleep, I ended up walking him in his stroller up and down the hallway in our building a couple of times.  Below are my first feeble attempts at taking my first ever selfie with Magnus to mark the event.



I think that'll be it for selfies for awhile.  I might also try to put that smile away.  Don't want to freak the kid out.

Luckily, Saturday was another nice day before the 3rd storm hit.  We got out for a walk to Spring Garden Road.  Below are Karen, Magnus, and Winston outside the Halifax Library.

Karen's brother, Adam, was nice enough to watch Magnus on Saturday night so, from 9:00pm to midnight, Karen and I got to go out in Halifax.  We hit a nice pub 10 minutes from home with good food, decent beer, and a live band in the corner.  The walk home was a little crazy, with Karen walking behind for a little bit, trying to stay out of the wind.

So, all in all, a very successful 2nd weekend in Halifax. 

If the weather gets better, the plan for next weekend is to take a day trip (maybe a night, too) to the Annapolis Valley to see the Bay of Fundy and one or two vineyards!  Yay!

Hope all is well elsewhere!

Magnus is 3 Months Old!

Karen here.

On February 1st, Magnus turned 3 months old. It's hard to believe it's only been 3 months. This is probably due to the fact that I spend almost every waking second with him. I do get some alone time at night when Matt comes home from work. He takes him to the master bedroom to change his clothes and tell Magnus about his day. I also get a reprieve when I go to the gym where the nice ladies at the day care take care of him and usually another 3 - 8 kids. Saturdays are the worst day to go as there is usually a line up for every machine as well as to put your kid into day care. That's in Toronto, anyway, and we are now in Halifax. So hopefully things might be a bit more easy going for the next 3 months. We will see as of tomorrow when I make it to the Goodlife here in town. :)

At 3 months of age, Magnus is surpassing all the milestones... that is, except one. He just can't stand to be on his tummy. And he needs tummy time to learn to push his upper body up. So we force him a couple times a day, but inevitably, never for long as I must give in to the wails of fury. On the flip side he LOVES to try to roll over and to sit up. Many many many times a day, he practices both rolling form side to side as well as sitting up from lying on his back. He's at least a few weeks away from being able to roll from his back to his front all on his own, but in the last few days he has been able to hold himself in a sitting position for a few seconds. A few examples...



In the videos above, he is also doing his other favourite thing these days - cooing. Every morning after I have had my breakfast, he and I have a discussion in a language that only a mother and her baby could understand. My mum got to witness our cooing conversation when I visited her a week or so before we left Toronto. She said we are like twins who have their own language. While visiting her, she and my sister Tanya got Magnus giggling like never before. He laughs quite a bit and smiles so large his whole face is taken up by gums. Normally when he laughs it's one big gaffah but you can hear him really going for it in this video.

 

Oma and Tante making Magnus giggle

Another thing that Magnus has taken a liking to is putting practically anything in his mouth. He's not incredibly coordinated, but he has a strong grip. He loves to grab onto his toys and attempt to stuff them in his mouth. It doesn't matter how big the item may be, he tries with all his might to force it in his drooly mouth. His favourite is Mortimer, a toy one of Matt's uncles (Gary) gave to him. Here you can see his attempts.



Magnus devouring Mortimer

I think Magnus is looking more and more like his daddy. It was evident from day one that he has Matt's body, but we weren't sure who he would look like. Well, I took the following picture on his 3 month month-day. For a month now he has been wearing 6 month clothes, and now that's what he wears exclusively... no more 3 month clothes. You still may not be able to tell who he looks like, but boy, I think he's going to be a big guy. Looks at those mitts! He looks like a gorilla!

Magnus' mitts

Halifax Morning Traffic

Surprisingly, Karen and Magnus were still asleep when I woke up this morning.  Maybe not a good sign, as it probably means that there was less sleeping going on at night.   So, before they awoke, I thought that I would try to provide a brief update on our first day and a half in Halifax.  All went well.  

On Thursday night, Karen's brother and his girlfriend, Adam and Lauren, stopped by for a quick visit to say hi after we checked in.  Was nice to see family upon arrival into a new town.

On Friday, Karen and Magnus got out for a walk and Karen got most of the bags unpacked. I got into work easily (10 minute walk along the water amongst all the old historic buildings).  By the end of the day, two of the managers with whom I will be working closely in Halifax already tried to make me feel at home: one offered me tickets to the local theatre for Saturday night (can't go, hosting Karen's brother and his girlfriend) while the other gave me his cell number and home number on his way out the door, "just in case we need anything or get lost, you know."  On top of that, today (Saturday) we are connecting with another BMO employee who I met for 5 minutes when I was here a month ago,  and who is now lending us a bunch of baby stuff while we are here, so that we didn't have to over pack the car on the trip.

Point of the story: in comparison, Toronto people suck! :)

Today's plan (besides getting some pics of Karen and Magnus in our new place so that we can share with you) is to hit the Farmers' Market (again, a 5-10 minute walk) and stock up on other sundries (fun word) for our stay.  We will also connect with the colleague that I mentioned earlier and hopefully try out the gym on-site (Karen) and go for a run on the boardwalk (me, in some of the great gear that Karen bought me for Christmas), before having our guests for dinner. 

Below is the view that I saw when I walked into the kitchen this morning.  The island to the right is Georges Island (if anyone is curious to know pretty much where we are staying).

Halifax Harbour Traffic

Within 20 minutes, the clouds had cleared, revealing the sun rising above Georges Island (with the lighthouse peeking over the right point) and the harbour.  Should be a nice day!  I hope it is the same wherever you might be today.

Georges Island at Sunrise

Wagons East!

Matt, here.  We have begun our trip to Halifax.  As I write this, we are at the end of Day 4.  I attempted to update at the ends of Days 2 and 3 from our hotel room in Quebec City, but inevitably Magnus would be fussing and Karen would require some assistance in putting him down to sleep.  First time having all of us in one hotel room.  Don't know how my sibs do it with 3-5 kids!   

We are now in Fredericton, and as we put the movie Casablanca on hold and Karen tries to sooth Magnus back to sleep, I thought I would try to give an update on the first few days of our trek. 

On Sunday (Day 1) we stopped in Ottawa instead of adding an extra night in a hotel in Montreal.  The trip to Ottawa was pretty quick.  We simply pulled into town, watched Denver get crushed by my (extended) home town team, and then pulled out early on Monday.  Magnus did get in some time with Nan and Grandpa Raz.  Didn't get too many photos, but was able to get a little bit of Grandpa Raz singing to his youngest grandchild.   I need to apologize (especially to Grandpa Raz), as the quality of the video isn't too great, it is only about 3 seconds of Laird singing, and I have witnessed better episodes of Magnus staring at Laird while he was being serenaded.  Still, we got Laird, Mortimer, and Magnus, a scene I am sure will repeat itself in the future.

Monday and Tuesday were spent in Quebec City.  Great view from the 20th floor of the Hilton.  Could see Chateau Frontenac, Old Quebec, the Citadel, the Plains of Abraham, and the National Assembly.  Pretty much the birth of a nation (or two). 

Night view from Hotel (lights on the Plains were for Carnival)

Day view from Hotel (Citadel to the left, Plains on other side of road, National Assembly on the right)

On the Monday drive to QC, we discovered a couple of things.  The first was that Karen's eyesight is still not back to 100% post-baby, as she thought that she had spotted an odd car vanity plate saying: DOG BOX.  Was actually: DO6 BQX...

The second lesson was that our grasp of the French language is extremely poor.  Driving through Montreal, we constantly saw traffic sign updates stating, "Circulation Fluide".  Guesses at what it meant included: "Use your Washer Fluid" and "You are about to go into the tunnel, below water".  Eventually, I think we landed on, "Traffic on the highway is moving well", or something of the sort. 

Inability to read the signs not withstanding, we did make it to QC.  Tuesday was cold, but sunny, and we spent the day walking through Old Quebec and around the Plains of Abraham.  With Magnus's snow suit packed away and no mitts packed, Karen improvised, showing her creativity and Magnus's personal style at the same time.  Got to love Argyle!

We also ended up in a square that contained this church.  I am pretty sure that this is in "Catch Me if You Can", with Tom Hanks and Dicaprio.  Maybe the scene where Dicaprio surrenders and then all the French police show up?

Scene from "Catch Me If You Can"?

Magnus also got to ride the Funicular (which took us down to the pretty square with the church and the cobble stones).  For those who haven't been there, it is like an elevator or gondola attached to a track running down the side of a cliff. For those not too interested in heights, it could be a little scary.  Reminded me of a child's version of a ride I took in Australia's Blue Mountains (that really freaked me out!). 

Interestingly enough, the base of the Funicular (where it stops) is in the house that was originally owned by the explorer who discovered the Mississippi.   Like Champlain, it seems that the guy really got around.

Magnus in the Funicular

All in all, QC was a great stop on our trip.  Great food both nights (as Karen said, "Now I have a place in Quebec City that I can recommend to other people!" FYI, it is called the Hobbit), lots of fresh air, and saw most of the sights.  Would add more pics but too many issues with this blog!

Will say hi from Halifax once we get the chance!

Gifts from Vancouver

Well, we have been quite busy here in the Big Smoke, trying to get ready for our trip eastward: trying to see friends before taking off, selling the Mazda and getting a new Subaru Outback, heading to Ottawa so the grandmas got to see Magnus before we heartlessly take him away for 3 months....  Hopefully we will be able to find some time soon to tell everyone about our recent trip back to Ottawa and Magnus turning 3 months (think he is getting enough attention?). 


Taking a break from packing (having really started yet...got to get to it), I wanted to show Magnus with a couple of gifts that he recently received from my Uncle Garry and Tante Leonne who are out in Vancouver.  Garry is my father's eldest brother and very much the family patriarch.  They still live busy lives, especially with a new grandson of their own, so we thought it very special when the gifts showed up at our door.  We are guessing that it is because of that grandson that they really nailed the gifts! 


First was an outfit for a 6 month old that fits Magnus now at 3 months (Razzies don't come in small packages!).  The second was a Lamaze toy called Mortimer the Moose.  Magnus can't get enough of him.  He just grabs Mortimer and throws the moose into his face.

Magnus and his best friend, Mortimer

 

In the video below, Magnus is wearing the new outfit and watching his mobile.  Looks like he's got his dad's dancing skills (doesn't know to stop when the music stops!).  When I showed this video on my phone to his godfather the other night, there were two reactions.  First, he predicted that Magnus would be walking in no time.  Second, he turned the phone to the bartender and said, "Look at how big my godson is!".  Glad that he's proud to be the godfather.