Father's Day Scare

Matt, here.

A quick update from the East Coast.  Last weekend, I got a bit of a scare.  Health, financial, mental, emotional, all wrapped up into one.  Luckily, it was very brief.  You see, Karen surprised me with a card on Friday night.  In the card, it said, "Happy Early Father's Day", and then she said something along the lines of, "We have to make some decisions, and relatively quickly."  

And then there was silence. (Confused and frightened silence on my part, I think).

I thought to myself, "Hmm, Father's Day is in June, right?  And this is...March?  Yeah, March Madness is on.  This is March!".  I quickly realized that such logical conclusions were not really helping me figure out what was going on.

I then looked at her, looked at the glass of wine that she was drinking, looked back at her, and thought to myself, "Hold on, Big Guy, if she was pregnant, she wouldn't be drinking wine, right?  Right?" It had been a while since I read, "What to Expect When You're Expecting", so I still was not all that confident.

I finally realized that I had no idea what was going on and knew that she was waiting for a response, so I replied with what I am guessing was somewhat of a tentative, "Ohhhh Kay". 

Once she figured out what her little surprise had done, she laughed at me.  As it turns out, she knew that I was getting tired of my music mix and that, seeing as we had some long distance drives in our near future (Cape Breton, Toronto, cottage, etc...), she wanted to get me SiriusXM for Father's Day, but didn't want to wait until June.

Everyone together: PHEW!

So, on Sunday, with our trial version of Sirius XM in hand, we took off for a centuries old fishing village on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour.  On the way we listened to some Springsteen (live in Sydney, Australia, from this past February) and some of the Margaritaville station (had never heard, "Too Drunk to Karaoke" before, but Jimmy Buffett sure knows his target audience!).

We got to see Halifax from the other side of the harbour, got to eat some of the "Best Fish and Chips in Atlantic Canada", as approved by the Federal Government of Canada, and we got to check out the sights, sounds, and smells (turns out BC isn't the only province with a weed fetish) of a traditional fishing village.

Magnus waiting eagerly for the "Best Fish & Chips" in the Atlantic

Bathroom sink that I want for back home!

 

Magnus lounging on the boardwalk

Easier to see from sea?

Anchored ships with Halifax in the distance

On a side note, there was also a lot of historic information about the village, the surrounding islands, and the people that had passed through it over the past 300 years (Union ships from the Civil War, islands used as immigrant quarantine camps, English vs French conflicts, etc...).  From this information I have decided that the Mi'kmaq are some of my new favourite historic Canadian peoples.  You see, the Mi'kmaq had originally sided with the French.  After the French got scared and ran away and took off to Fort Louisbourg (north up the coast to Cape Breton Island), the Mi'kmaq were surrounded by English and were pretty much screwed.  So much so that the English put a bounty on their heads.  Not a bounty on the heads of the chiefs, or on some of their top warriors, but a bounty on the whole damn lot of them!  If there's a bounty on all of your peoples, you've got to be pretty kick ass and I think that it shows you've truly earned the respect of your enemies!  

Too bad they didn't have good antibiotics, though.

Well, there's your Grade 5 history lesson for today.  Turn in next week for: Cape Breton...is it really an island?

A Short Visit Home

Karen here.

3 months away from the grandparents was going to be WAY too long for them not to see the newest grandchild. So on March 12 Magnus and I jet setted off to snowy Ottawa to visit the fam. It was the first time I had flown with Magnus and I was incredibly anxious. You hear horror stories of babies that won't stop crying during an entire flight. And it's always more stressful on the parent than on any slightly annoyed passenger. I shouldn't have worried though. I guess most babies have trouble popping their ears with the air pressure changes, so I had read to combat this, I should feed my baby. So on take off, I gave Magnus a bottle. Not so much as a peep. Then, with a full belly, he was as happy as a clam. And he showcased his flirting skills by charming all the passengers around us. Of course, that wasn't enough for him, so he had to be passed around to meet everyone sitting close to us. He was the 'belle at the ball'. He had another bottle on the descention and again had no problems. Matt's parents, Laird and Peg, picked us up at the airport in the middle of a snowstorm. Welcome back to Ontario, eh?

The next morning after Peg had gotten in some quality time with the little man, I took Magnus to a walk-in clinic to get his 4 month check up. He has a pediatrician in Toronto, but being in Halifax, I didn't want to deal with the inter-provincial health card mess. So Ottawa was it. He weighed in at a hefty 18 lb 7.5 oz, which we discovered later when checking out growth charts online is the 90 - 95 percentile for his age. He also measured in at 26" long (85 - 90 percentile). Obviously a Rasmussen. But sadly, the poor boy has eczema. And not just a little bit. I switched to Huggies diapers shortly after we arrived in Halifax as he needed to go up a size and the Huggies are supposed to have a great leak guard in the back where most of his accidents are. Well, he started to get a rash on his upper thigh and then around the rim of his tummy where the diaper sits. So I switched back to Pampers, but the rash spread all over his tummy, his entire back and is starting on his arms and calves. So the doctor gave me a prescription. It doesn't seem to bother him, but I just hope it's not for life (both Peg and I have eczema). But that wasn't it. He also needed his 4 month vaccination shots. However, he was a real trooper. He only cried for a few seconds and was right back to being his happy self.

The rest of the day Magnus hung out with Laird and Peg. The next day my mum came to town and after a wonderful lunch and visit at Laird and Peg's, my mum and I headed off to the spa while Peg looked after Magnus. As most of you know, my mum made all the thank-you's for our baby showers as well as some invites. She is a masterful card maker and she put in countless hours. So I finally got to thank her for all her hard work by treating her to her first massage and her first facial. She fell IN LOVE with the facial. Her skin was baby soft afterwards! While she had her treatments, I had a men's pedicure (I don't do polish often - like 3 times a year maybe) and the best massage of my life. I've had a number of massage therapists over the years, but Kelly at Allure Spa in Manotick was superb. After we left the spa we picked up Magnus and headed to my mum's. My sister Tanya made liver for dinner and it was delicious! After Magnus had gone down she surprised me with a special drink of white hot chocolate spiked with raspberry vodka, and it was accompanied by peach pie. Yum!

Saturday the 15th was my niece Jacoba's 9th birthday party where pizza and salads were her request for dinner. She got a lot of neat presents, but she didn't anticipate the present she got from her God Parents (my sister Hilary and her husband Joe). They will be taking her to Disney Land! She didn't quite get the full implications at the time. The next day Mary Beth (my sister, Jacoba's mum) had to explain how big a deal it was. She said she felt very special. I'm really excited for her! I've never been to Disney Land!!! Here are some snap shots of family members of whom I had yet to capture in a picture with Magnus.

Mary Beth and Magnus

Joe and Magnus

Chad and Magnus

Aunt Mary and Magnus

Sugar and Magnus

On the Sunday Mary Beth, Jacoba and my dad came over to my mum's house to have a pancake lunch. While mum and Tanya were at church, my dad made pancakes while Jacoba entertained us with her dancing (I joined in a bit too). She's really into Minecraft (a game) and she has a bunch of songs that are parodies of modern songs but are about Minecraft. Here she dances to a Parody of Psy's "Gangham Style". I apologize for you having to turn your head to watch it. I forgot that cameras don't have accelerometers like phones have.

Jacoba dancing to 'Minecraft Style'

And we finally got a picture of the 2 Hawkins cousins!

Jacoba and Magnus

My mum drove Magnus and I back to Ottawa that afternoon and we again visited with Laird and Peg. Matt's brothers, Karl and Jud, and his cousin Amy arrived shortly afterwards with their families. It was nice that my mum got to meet them all before she headed home. What a zoo with 7 kids aged 6 and under! We had a wonderful meal and visit. Again, here are snap shots of people of whom I had not yet taken a picture with Magnus.

Davin, Sammy and Magnus

Karl and Magnus

Jill and Magnus

Jud and Magnus

All in all, a great trip.

Breakfast Oysters, Big Bombs, and Trollops!

Ah, life in Halifax...

Last weekend, after being here for 4 weeks, Karen and I attempted to put a plan together that would result in some relaxation.  Prior to this past weekend, we had always agreed that we would relax on Sundays.  Words, of course, only go so far.  Our first four Sundays consisted of gym, groceries, cooking, ironing, and keeping Little Mr. A.D.D. occupied. Typically, by the time 8:30pm had hit, there was still no food on the table or relaxation in the lower back.  

Now, for those who don't know me that well, I pride myself on being somewhat of a problem solver (see, as a reference point, the electric car, Pepsi Free, and the upcoming Crimean referendum, all or none of which might have relied upon my input).  When I stepped back and took a look at our issue of lack of Sunday relaxation, I quickly identified the limiting constraint: gym at 10:00am!  Surprisingly, when I suggested to Karen that we punt the Sunday workout and replace it with a brunch, she wholeheartedly agreed.  And so began our adventure within an adventure.  

First, we hit a brunch spot that some relative stranger at the local Farmers' Market had said was the best brunch place in town.  Although it had never been heard of by some of my Haligonian coworkers (turns out it had only been open for 3 weeks), the underground market worker knew of which she spoke.  

The brunch Caesars came with an oyster on top (I was going to give mine to Karen, but decided to embrace the East Coast Lifestyle and sucked back maybe my 2nd oyster of all time).  Karen's East Coast Salmon Eggs Bennie on Homemade Biscuit was mouthwatering (we're not Foodies, but we should have taken a photo - more on lack of photos later). My "Salmon / Latkes / Egg whatever it was", was crazy good (how's that for food critique writing?).  Needless to say, any visitors will be hitting Edna Restaurant, or overseeing Magnus while we do!

Next?  The Hydrostone!  What's the Hydrostone, you ask?  Well, after the Halifax explosion of 1917 (two ships hit in the harbour, one of which was filled with explosives for the war in Europe, and resulted in the largest, pre-atomic, man-made explosion, ever), a crapload of the city was devastated (I do believe that "crapload" is the appropriate scientific unit of measure). The north end of Halifax was rebuilt, based around +300 fireproof houses built with "hydrostone", which I guess is more touristy than saying, "cinderblock".  Still, neat area, neat memorial, and amazing history.  Odd to stand on a hilltop where a fort had once sat, a fort which had actually sheltered part of the city from the blast.

View from memorial towards harbour, showing the site where the ships made contact

 Houses made from "Hydrostone" (looks better in real life)

 The Hydrostone Market (also better in real life)

Karen in front of the Citadel

Sadly, as you can surely tell from the photos, we had forgotten our camera and had to rely upon my iphone.  

Amazingly, after all of that, there was still time free in the afternoon for me to go for a quick run.  I checked the local tourist map and thought I would run around the Citadel and check out a street on the map that had caught my eye.  Needless to say, when I made it to Trollope Street, I was quite disappointed.  

It turns out that my spelling skills require a bit of a refresher.   

Oh, and in case you are just checking the site to see Magnus, here he is not fitting into his chair.  My sense is that he has somehow figured out, intuitively, that there are cousins out there somewhere, and that he needs to get big and he needs to get ready.    

 Magnus prepping for Josh and Sam (and Franny)

Magnus is 4 Months Old!

Karen here.

On March 1st, Magnus turned 4 months old.

 He's starting to be a bit clingy. Matt will come home from work and play with Magnus, only to have Magnus stare at me the whole time! So I go into another room to let them have some time together. And he whines more and more about having to be in the boucy chair or the swing. His favourite place to be is in my arms. So he's spent more time in the baby carrier these last few weeks. It's just so hard to get anything done with a 4 month old in your arms.

But in being 4 months old, he is very aware of who's around and what is going on. As his attention span increases, he becomes more and more fun. It's been said a million times that all you need to do is give a kid a cardboard box to play with and he'll be happy for hours. Ours seems to be happy with a blanket on his head.

The blanket game

He's passing all the milestones except the tummy thing still. He's getting more used to being on his tummy, but he still doesn't like it much. At this age he is supposed to be able to push up on his arms and raise his chest. He can do it, but I think it's more a matter of he doesn't understand the concept, not that he is physically unable to do it.

And he've been working on his rolling. He can roll from his back to his side no problem; every time we nurse (lying side by side facing each other) he gets into the 'ready position'. And he can now roll from his side to his front. But he hasn't put it together yet that one follows the other... and that he can do it all by himself. At the moment, his rolling requires my assistance for him to realize that he should practice. However, in the videos below, he is temporarily distracted by the camera.

Rolling over take 1

Rolling over take 2

Rolling over take 3

And just a couple of days ago, we were playing the stand-up game where we hold him up and he stomps his feet. Well, as he is known to do, he surprised the heck out of us.

First Jumps

Yup. That's my 4 month old jumping.

So yes, he is physically huge and strong. He will have his 4 month check up when I return to Ottawa for a short visit next week, and we will see how heavy he is. Recall that he was 14 lb 4 oz at 2 months. My guess is he is over 19 lbs at 4.5 months. In other words, ridiculously huge. In fact, at the gym daycare, he is bigger than all the other babies... 7 month and 8 month olds included. He's even bigger than a 13 month old little girl! He wears more 9 month clothing than 6 month clothing as more and more of the 6 month clothing gets put away for being too small.

Besides the physical realm, Magnus is a delight to be around. He loves to be sung to and has started to enjoy listening to me babble away reading stories to him before bed. We're lucky to have a supremely happy baby. He smiles all the time and is fairly patient. The ladies at the gym daycare always comment on how happy and good he was.

I live for those smiles! 

Parenting 101

Situation: Child's motor skills still not at 100%.  In attempting to suck on a rattle, child continues to bang himself in the head, such that he starts to cry.  As a good parent, you:

a. Remove the rattle from his hands and comfort your child.
b. Find another toy so that he can continue practicing his motor skills.
c. Run frantically through your place trying to find camera to catch it all on film.  

If Magnus ends up getting a sibling, that sibling is gonna owe him a lot of thanks and last pieces of dessert for being the dry run. 

Had a Great Birthday

Karen here.

This year my birthday kind of snuck up on me. We had 3 months of baby craziness coupled with spending January buying a new car and packing up our lives for a 3 month stint in Halifax. So the day arrived kind of out of no where. But I got to do exactly what I wanted to do though. :)

Once a year on my birthday (unless work gets in the way), I treat myself to blueberry pancakes. It's a little tradition of mine. It must be because of the blueberry muffins we had as kids. We picked so many blueberries in our woods each summer that we had muffins almost every Sunday! On the walk to the restaurant Magnus fell asleep in the basinette, and he STAYED ASLEEP! It was dreamy! I had my favourite breakfast uninterrupted. And it was oh so delicious!

About a billion calories later, on the walk home it was bright and sunny and I felt utterly fantastic. Maybe it was the sugar rush, or maybe I was feeling thankful for everything I have. Either way, I felt truly auspicious.

I spent the rest of the day hanging out with my little man. Normally we go to the gym in the morning, and by the time he is fed, and I am fed, and I have showered, it's 1:30pm or 2pm. Then I tend to cook something while Magnus sits in the boucey chair or the swing. However, I purposefully did not go to the gym, nor did I make anything. In fact, I was tuckered out from all the food prep I had done earlier in the week. The last thing I wanted to do was cook on my birthday. Earlier in the week when we were making our grocery list I was feeling industrious and proposed we have homemade lasagna for my birthday dinner. I had been "Jones'd" because my brother's girlfriend had made some for him when she went home for reading week. We looked up a number of recipes, some uber healthy and some not. It looked like WAY too much work. Afterall, throughout the week we made what we typically make each week (in addition to dinners):

veggie soup for my post workout lunches

zesty quinoa salad to go as a side with our dinners for the week

homemade protein bars (utterly sinful btw, but actually healthy!!!)

protein pancakes for afternoon snacks

So I went for frozen fare.

With a glass of my favourite Sauvignon Blanc (post putting Magnus down for the night of course), Matt and I attacked the lasagna. Then he came out of the bedroom with 2 cupcakes, each sporting a lit candle. And he actually sang to me! It was great! He also presented me with an East Coast t-shirt and a mug (because the mugs at our furnished place are tiny). We watched a little tv and called it a night.

My brother Adam and his girlfriend Lauren were kind enough to babysit on Saturday night so Matt and I could go out for a few drinks and listen to some local live music. We invited them over for a taco dinner, and if you haven't had tacos in a while, I highly recommend it! They were delicious and fun!

Magnus being super cuddly with his Uncle Adam

After Magnus had gone down for the night, Matt and I hit the town. It felt really great to get out of the house and go on a date. This was only the second time since Magnus was born that we have done so, and it was so refreshing. Matt and I have so much fun together! I highly encourage all parents reading this to immediately book a date night.

All in all, it was a great birthday weekend. :)