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.
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