Little Pickle

Baby Henry is Finally Here!

2009-01-12T16:10:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe that he's finally here, but on December 5, 2008 we welcomed our son, Henry Patrick Spratt into the world. I wanted to say "we welcomed our little boy" but to call him little would be quite a misstatement. Hank weighed in at a hefty 9 lbs 6 oz or for the metrically-minded, 4275 g. His massive girth came as quite a surprise and unfortunately gave rise to some delivery-related complications. But after a long stretch of labour followed by a quicky quick surgery baby Henry emerged happy as a clam and has been that way ever since.

Charlie LOVES being a big sister. She has been as helpful as a two year old can and smothers the little bugger with hugs and kisses at ever possible opportunity. We figure it's good for his immune system (?)...

Christmas came and went in a haze of diaper changes, late nights and, for me (Emilie) the slow and gradual recovery from the C-section. Things are slowly getting back to normal and we're all having fun adjusting to our new life together. Sorry for the delay in posting but I'll try to get more out soon. Happy New Year everyone - we look forward to seeing you and introducing you to baby H in the coming months.

Where Did the Lazy Days of Summer Go?

2008-08-17T20:13:00.007-04:00

It is the middle of August. Summer is almost over. I know this because the Blue Jays' hopes of a playoff spot are growing ever dimmer. As the summer draws to a close Emilie and I cannot help but dread the craziness that will engulf us in the very near future.

We are in the process of doing renovations to accommodate baby number 2 (unlike Charlie who had a cute in utero nickname, our second child is known simply by the number two). There is much work to be done to prepare for #2's arrival. We are turning the office into Charlie's room so #2 can move into the baby's room. This sounds easier on paper than it is in reality. This simple change required new master bedroom furniture so the office could be moved into our room. And why do one reno when you can do two - I also thought it a good time to paint all the molding in the kitchen. Currently the kitchen molding is half sanded, Ikea only delivered half of our new furniture, and the office is a disaster.

I wonder if we will be ready for #2's arrival. Emilie and I both have large trials over the next two months. Charlie is not much help with sand paper or that little Ikea wrench. I expect that #2 will end up sleeping in an unfinished room. I guess this is typical for a second child - my younger brother always complained that he suffered from the 'hand me down' plight of being second born.

We did find time to take a trip to B.C. to visit Em's brother. It was a fantastic. I would write about the great weather, the beautiful scenery, spending time with Pat.... but I have to go sand molding.... and the pictures tell it all.

Stanley Park

Pat and Charlie on one of our many hikes

Almost at our destination - A private beach

Pat singing Charlie to sleep

Charlie at the Goat Zoo in Victoria

Charlie loved the fish at the Vancouver Aquarium (so did Bear)

Charlie's Sand Castle

Charlie's Engineering Lesson

2008-07-04T19:36:00.004-04:00

Charlie learned that a tower built on a shaky foundation - when intentionally pushed - will fall. She was not too impressed.

Look Who's Walking and Talking

2008-07-01T18:57:00.008-04:00

It seems like only yesterday when I resolved to post more. Since then, in typical resolution fashion, I have not posted at all. I take this to be not a measure of laziness, but of how busy we all have been. Work was (and is) very busy, the winter was long, and as usual time is short.

Charlie has also kept us busy. She has finally learned how to walk. According to the doctor 99% of kids learned to walk before she did. This means that Charlie beat only legless babies to bipedal locomotion. She has come to love the freedom and terror that walking brings and so have we. Charlie seems like more of a little kid.

Charlie has also had a vocabulary explosion. She know too many words to count. She even learned an x-rated word from her mom (for once I am not the irresponsible parent, woohoo)

Instead of posting a ten page update I resolve to start fresh and post more often. Here is the pictorial version of the last few months:

Charlie and I play in the park a lot. I wish she weighed more.

Charlie was the impromptu flower girl at Julie's Wedding.

We hung out as a family at the Tulip festival.

Charlie took us to the zoo. She loved it. It was after the zoo trip that she started to walk. I think the monkeys made her a bit jealous.

Charlie has maintained her relationships with her close friends.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmma??

2008-03-09T15:53:00.006-04:00

Charlie and Emma had their first joint professional photoshoot this week. In view of the INSANE weather (see below) we have been forced to resort to less conventional activities - such as junior modelling! Actually, we have been meaning to take the girls in to further document their friendship, so we took advantage of an Easter special and carted them off to the Superstore for a photo session. Wow. It's hard to get two one year-olds to sit quietly for a portrait. Especially when one of them (Emma) is primarily interested in eating chocolate and not at all interested in sitting still. It was quite the little adventure. To our great surprise though, we ended up with a very cute shot of the two together and one of Charlie with the Easter bunny. Efforts at getting Emma on her own had to be scrapped after she threatened to trash the whole studio if the endeavour was further pursued.

Charlie and Emma have spent the majority of their short lives together. As you know, they were born six hours apart and have been inseparable ever since. When Chrissy and I were on maternity leave we spent most days together. And when we went back to work, the girls went off to daycare together. That is, until this past week, when Charlie started in a new daycare. Don't get me wrong, we are THRILLED with our new childcare situation, but Charlie misses her Emma. According to Lisa, Charlie's new caregiver, from time to time, and without notice, Charlie poses the question: "MMMMMMMMMMMMMa?" Lisa initially thought she was asking for me, but I explained the nuanced distinction between "Ma-Ma" and "Mmmma". So, with their time together less consistent, we have to make an extra effort to get the girls together for playdates. Luckily for me, Chrissy and Henrik have taken pity on me these past few weeks and have fed me and Charlie several times during the week while Mike toils away at his office, plugging his way through a murder trial. Of course we miss him, but with friends like Chrissy, Henrik and Emma we know we'll be okay.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2008-03-09T15:43:00.002-04:00

We know we are not alone, but here in Ottawa we have been bombarded with a RIDICULOUS amount of snow over the past three days or so. About 64 cms to be precise. Kudos to Mike and his dad, Noel, for spending most of the weekend shovelling snow. And thanks to both of them for not having heart attacks while doing so. It's tough going out there.... I might have to stay indoors until spring.

We Are Oh So Pretty

2008-01-18T22:21:00.001-05:00

It was a late night. We partied, hit the clubs, danced, and after a couple last bottles of milk it was time to crash.

Boxy McGee

2008-01-15T22:32:00.001-05:00

Charlie likes to climb into things: boxes, baskets, containers, sacks, she really doesn't discriminate. There is a good chance she will grow out of this quirk; she get larger everyday but the boxes stay the same size.

Merry Late Christmas/New Years

2008-01-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, Merry Santa Day, its been a long lazy time between posts. We have finally recovered from the holidays. We had a great time, put thousands of miles on our car, Charlie had the stomach flu (we did learn that she needs to learn to chew her food), and only 346 days until we will do it all again.

Charlie had a great Christmas even though she had no idea what was going on. In fact the unwrapping of presents freaked her out a bit. Emilie and I have been so diligent in teaching her not to rip books that the concept of ripping off wrapping paper was a bit scary for her. Ultimately Charlie conquered this fear and a good thing she did; she got thousands of gifts.

Of course the best part of the holiday was getting to hang out as a family. It is crazy how many tricks Charlie has learned (see Dec 12, 2006 for a comparison). Charlie can identify most of her body parts, use sign language so say 6-8 words (she learned this at day care), she can identify people in pictures, make a ton of animal noises on command, dance on command, etc... There are too many new skills to list. Most importantly these tricks can be done on command for her parents' amusement.

Over the holidays Charlie really got into music. Incidentally I should thank my parents for giving Charlie a 5 piece must set that includes symbols - very stimulating and loud. Her love of music has also encouraged the development of problem solving skills. Check out the video below - Charlie wants to shake her rattle, but she also wants to use both hands to play the music table.... she comes up with a unique solution.

P.S. New Years resolution - more frequent posts - lets see how that works out

The Old Lady's Party

2007-11-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

Charlie turned 1 on November 4th. Weird. Who would of thought we could have kept a baby alive for a whole year. To be fair, Chrissy and Henrik have kept Emma alive for the same length of time, so I guess we are not that special.

In celebration of their longevity Emma and Charlie had a joint 'first birthday' party. This means they each got twice as many presents. Charlie and Emma invited 12 kids (all under 3) to their party. Each of the 12 kids brought along at least one adult. It was a pretty rocking party for our pretty small house.

Emma and Charlie played very well together; not surprising given that they are old school chums. Charlie also got to play with her next door neighbours Ellie and Gillian. As you can see Charlie loves Ellie.

Charlie received more gifts than we know what to do with. All the presents were very thoughtful. Special thanks to Maggie and Bruno for buying the toy with the most small parts that are scattered all over the house and inevitably end up under foot; a sweet revenge for the similar toy we got their daughter Sydney.

Charlie's birthday will always be crazy as it is directly preceded by Halloween and followed by Christmas. Charlie's first Halloween was fantastic as well. Our neighbourhood is infested with children; it would be no exaggeration to say we had 150 kids come to our door. As usual Emilie and I put off preparing for Halloween until the last minute. Charlie was a make-shift bunny (we used a recycled infant bunny hat and a taped on pom pom). I carved the pumpkin at 6:45 on Halloween night. The pumpkin was a sad sight, it looked like something a blind, left handed child, who was having a seizure would carve. Charlie had a great time answering the door and staying up past her bed time. Emilie and I had a great time eating the bags of candy charlie collected.

Only 1106 hours until Christmas....

Blue Steel

2007-10-13T10:44:00.001-04:00

Charlie has discovered a new love, hamming it up for the camera. In the past Charlie would become mesmerized and expressionless in the face of a camera. Now she strikes a pose. As you can see her signature pose is quite funny.... she has named it blue steel.

How Do You Like Them Apples

2007-10-09T22:38:00.001-04:00

Charlie seems to be developing a bit of a stubborn streak. A few days ago we were in the grocery store when Charlie spotted a bin of shiny red apples. She pointed at them, laughed and gave us the hugest, cutest grin. As we moved away from the apples the grin turned into a frown and then Charlie started with her fake baby cry. We gave in a bought two apples for the princess to hold. She held on to them the whole way home, and then for TWO more hours. Charlie loved those apples. Eventually her bed time rolled around and we had to take the apples away. As you can see, in this video expose, Charlie was not amused.

P.S.: Charlie forgot about the apples when she woke up the next morning - in fact she now feels completely indifferent about apples.

Fall Fall Fall Fall

2007-10-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

September is over! It has been a crazy busy month. I started and finished my first jury trial, Emilie went back to work (for real), and Charlie started school (aka: daycare).

I think our lives may be more manageable now that Charlie is in structured care. The daycare seems like a great place. The food is prepared by Steven Bekta (the owner and chef at one of the best Ottawa restaurants). It turns out that his son is in the same grade as Charlie. No more wienies and beans for the kids - curried chicken and butternut squash pure is way more classy. The daycare also has a web cam so I can watch Charlie from work. Presumably this will prevent Charlie from being abused on camera. It also is a great time killer - I could watch Charlie play for hours. Yes, a classy, high-tech daycare.... almost work every penny (150,000 of them every month).

We finally made it up to the Cottage this month. It was very entertaining to let Charlie truly experience fall. She loves leaves - she likes to point at them, grab them, give them as gifts, eat them, lick them, crinkle them, and throw them; she has even vomitted a leaf. I can only imagine how much she is going to love the snow.

Charlie has also taken to feeding herself with a spoon. It is amazing how much pride she takes in this simple act. It is her favorite and, coincidentally, messiest part of the day. She is growing up fast. Only one month until her birthday......

Seven Weddings and Almost My Funeral

2007-09-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that I have been back to work for a month. The transition has been quite painless, but perhaps a bit sudden. One day I am changing a diaper and the next I am back in court defending the mostly innocent. A large reason for easy transition was our grand-parental support. With both me and Emilie at work and no day care the grandparents came to the rescue. Louise took the first shift and looked after Charlie for a week. Noel and Linda took the second shift and kept the baby alive for a second week. With live in grandparents, Emilie and I got used to having our cooking, cleaning, laundry and house repairs done for us. After the Grandparents left we entered the final sprint of summer wedding madness.

Emilie and I have been to seven weddings this year. This means we have had to buy 7 different presents (we are actually 3 behind) and travel to 5 different cities (Montreal, Ohio, Toronto, and Halifax - twice)...... with a baby. Charlie has attended each wedding with us; Emilie and I are trying to teach her to never pass up a free meal. We end the season of weddings with a blitz of three weddings in three weekends in three cities.

While in Toronto for the first of the three weddings, we were invited to Emilie's goddaughter Sydney's second birthday party. It was great to see Maggie and Bruno again and even better to meet their fresh baby Tucker.

The wedding was fantastic, especially since my parents and brother where invited as well. Charlie loved to crawl around the floor with Uncle Jon (or did Jon like to crawl around the floor with Charlie?).

Last weekend was perhaps our most stressful wedding adventure. We all flew to Nova Scotia for Danielle's wedding. Charlie was well behaved on the plane, but our weekend began with a two hour rental car seat installation odyssey. That painful memory (it was literally painful because I almost broke my hand) was soon forgotten. We drove to Devon and Andrew's and had a great time hanging out in Halifax before heading down the coast

Danielle got married in Peggy's cove (to a Peggy's Cove-ian). We stayed at a beautiful B&B and, as usual, the owners of the B&B were certifiably crazy (and a little racist). The scenery and weather were fantastic. Charlie had a great time, but as you can see stayed out a bit past her bed time.

Our last wedding is in Ottawa. Thank god! We are looking forward to some lazy fall weekends.

On the developmental front Charlie grew (or is it sprung) a new tooth. She can crawl like a real baby. She can also pull herself up to standing and especially likes to stand up in her crib in the morning - very cute. She makes a ton of new noises, has developed a love for broccoli and will copy you if you pat your head (but don't do it because Charlie tends to hit her head too hard). She is growing up fast; only 3 more years until she if off to blessedly free public school.

P.S. Thanks have to go out ot Devon and Andrew who again let us crash in their living room while in Halifax. Charlie always gets her teeth at their place (5 out of 6 I think), which can lead to crankey nights.

Cleaning up and shipping out

2007-08-03T09:43:00.006-04:00

It is a sad day. Today marks my last weekday away from work. On Monday I return to the widget factory to defend the mostly innocent. Truth be told I am looking forward to the return to work; I love my job. At the same time I know I am going to miss staying at home with Charlie. The years of expensive daycare are about to begin.

I have learned a lot on my time off. Most importantly I learned
that a 14 year old member of the Taliban can grow a better beard then me. It made me sad to bathe and shave, but it made the world of personal hygiene and style that much better.

Back to Work Rant
STEPHEN HARPER IS A FOOL: We received our $100 a month child care check a few weeks ago. The accompanying letter said that the money will give us a CHOICE about child care (unlike the Liberal's universal daycare plan). What *&$!*@# planet is Harper on. $100 lets us chose nothing. It does not let me quit my job and stay at home and it does not even cover %10 of monthly daycare fees. What a disingenuous fool. It upsets me that I can look across the river into Quebec and see the $7 a day daycare spots.

We need an election - and a viable option to the Steven Harper Conservatives - maybe a career change is in order.

Jolly Spinner

2007-08-02T20:35:00.000-04:00

We have always said that we would like Charlie to be able to think outside of the box. Charlie seems to do this every day (exemplified by acts such as eating shoes rather than wearing them). Today she thought of a new way to use the Jolly Jumper. You may also note that in the video she is holding a pillow, don't ask me why, but she loves it.

A Lake of Tears

2007-07-30T10:08:00.007-04:00

It is hard to tell what will freak out a baby. We spent the weekend at the cottage where it was sunny for a change. Emilie and I took Charlie down to the dock to introduce her to the water. Emilie sat with Charlie to watch me dive into the lake (a very rare event). As I entered the water Charlie convulsed and began to scream. She did not stop crying for 30 minutes. I am not sure why she was so upset. I can only guess that my half naked, ghostly white body caught her off guard.

There and Back Again

2007-07-26T13:15:00.001-04:00

Summary

3,500 km
4 Provinces
3 States
2 New Teeth
1 Wedding

Day 1 or 200 km Down 3,300 To Go

We are the type to ease into things; Saturday mornings start with pyjamas, coffee and 2 newspapers. We applied the same philosophy to our road trip. It started with a 2 hours drive and a weekend at the cottage. It rained all weekend. Contrary to what you might expect, this was perfect for us. No pressure to go outside, no guilt about being lazy. We did manage to make it down to the dock and Charlie got to explore the forest. I have a feeling she will be a 'woodsy' girl.

Most importantly we did 5 loads of laundry. In typical Spratt/Taman style we had packed all dirty clothes. As you can see, Charlie even helped with the folding. After a great weekend we packed the car and headed to Quebec City. This was the second time I packed and unpacked the car, I would do this 10 more times.... Never Again.

Day 3 or the Vicarious Tooth Ache

In Q.C. we stayed with Fannie, Nat and their 2 year old daughter, Marina. Charlie enjoyed a chance to escape the car seat that would soon become her prison and we had a chance to eat well and relax. Life was good, then Charlie woke up at 2am screaming. It was not until the next morning that we realized she had acquired 2 new front teeth. When kids lose teeth they get money from the tooth fairy - there should be some sort of parental compensation when babies get their teeth. After a sleepless night we left for somewhere in New Brunswick.

Days 4 and 5 or Not Just For Driving Through

New Brunswick is sometimes referred to as 'the drive through Province'. We were guilty of driving though it many times on the way from Ontario to Dalhousie. This trip gave us the chance to see the sights as Charlie would only stand confinement in her rear facing car seat for a few hours at a time. We spend the first night in Fredericton where Charlie and I enjoyed a 3 am teething walk across the longest pedestrian bridge (in New Brunswick) - 581 meters. Thankfully this would be the last we would hear from those teeth; Charlie ended up quickly adapting to her new mouth.

The next day, after a drive through Fundy Park we stayed in a great bed and breakfast. The best thing about B&Bs is not the food or the room but the eccentric owners who invariably collect angels, glass figurines, ceramic frogs, dolls or other chachkis. Our hosts collected all of the above and had a hobby farm which included llamas and alpaca. Charlie loved the goats.

We also stopped at the Bay of Fundy itself. I for one am glad that the Rhinoceros Party did not win the 1988 or 1980 election where one of their campaign promises was to pave over the Bay of Fundy to create more maritime parking. Charlie loves the bay at low tide and was very cute sitting on the ocean floor at the Hopewell Rocks although she was not so keen during high tide and refused to put her feet in the water.

Day 6 and 7 or How Charlie Mastered Catan

On day 6 we arrived in Halifax. Emilie and I were looking forward to spending time in our old haunting grounds. It was our first time back to the city where we first met. We spend two nights with Devon and Andrew where we all celebrated my birthday and more importantly our 5 year "Catan-iversery" (it was July 20th 2001 that I received Klaus Teuber's masterpiece The Settlers of Catan for my birthday). Devon won both games, with a little help from Charlie.

Day 8 and 9 or A Wonderful Rainy Wedding

On day 8 we finally arrived at White Point, a beautiful resort on Nova Scotia's south shore. They say rain on your wedding day is good luck. By 'they' I mean brides who have had weddings on rainy days. In this case I think the saying is definitely true. Meg and Jon's wedding was as fantastic as they are. Charlie was well behaved and while rocking her to sleep outside I heard a group of older guest say 'I think this will be one of the ones that stick' - of course they are right. We spent most of the time trying to convince Meg and Jon to move to Ottawa. It was such a pleasure to see them I can only hope they will take our advice.

Day 10, 11 and 12 or Are We There Yet?

We drove home through the States, spending a wonderful night at a cabin in Maine. A perfect way to end our longest road trip to date. The last day of driving was a bit of a chore; Charlie, finally fed up with her confinement, developed a high pitched scream of boredom. With the finish line in sight we tuned her out and 3,500 km after we began we arrived back in Ottawa.... where for the last time I unpacked the car.

The journey was truly the best part of the trip.

It Begins

2007-07-12T18:21:00.002-04:00

In the beginning there was a car, neatly and efficiently packed. There had been no tears shed. The tank was full (well 3/4 full) of gas. The sun was shining. The question is: can it last?

Today we are embarking on our longest road trip with Squishy. We are driving to Meg and Jon's wedding in Nova Scotia (where we were promised there would be a baby sitter). The plan is to segment the trip by spending a night at the cottage, a night in Quebec City and a night in New Brunswick and ultimately to arrive in Nova Scotia sometime next week.

Traveling with a small child is a bitch. They need so much stuff. I had always wondered how my father learned to expertly pack the car before long trips. Packing a vehicle seems to be a man's job. This is sexist, but true. I now know my father was not born with the ability to efficiently and economically pack a car. It is a super power that develops over time. I think I have now acquired the skill.

And so we set off feeling confident that we will survive and reminding ourselves that the trip is half the fun.

Splish Splash

2007-07-08T13:15:00.000-04:00

On Friday we offered to babysit Emma while her parents went to a FIFA soccer game. Emilie and I always welcome a chance to hang out with Emma. It is amazing that babies that were born on the same day can be so different. Emma possesses some sort of super strength. She can move into a sitting position from her back, she can almost stand on her own and she can crawl - a real baby crawl that is very unlike Charlie's worm-like wriggle. While Charlie may not be as active, she excels in other areas; she is very verbal. She also has a refined sense of humor, when ever Emma cried Charlie laughed.

The above was exemplified during bath time. Charlie needs a bath every night due to her smelly helmet head. Emma appeared clean to us but we could not resist a chance to see the babies play in the bath together. I bathed Charlie and Emilie looked after Emma. We documented this adventure and it is safe to say Emilie had the wetter experience.

Comic Charlie

2007-07-06T09:57:00.001-04:00

It was late afternoon and Charlie was napping. She had been asleep for about an hour and I was dozing on the couch watching tennis. This is the part of Charlie's nap I hate the most, the last 1/3. Its not the worst part because Charlie will soon be awake, but because of the uncertainly of when she will wake. She could begin to stir at any minute or she could sleep for another hour. Its entirely random. It is hard to plan my nap when I can't anticipate hers.

On this day I was woken not by Charlie, but by my neighbour's children yelling into a loud speaker - 'COMICS FOR SALE, GET YOUR COMICS, ONLY 25 CENTS'. I was slightly annoyed at this interruption, but mostly I was intrigued. 25 cents for a comic is quite a deal. What if these comics were valuable first editions? Maybe they were selling their dad's old X-Men comics. Maybe I could make some money from the children's ignorance. Torn between supervising a sleeping baby and the seductive allure of cheap comics I ran outside.

The neighbour's kids (Liam - 7, Nicky - 4, and their friend Max) were not selling old comics, but were offering to draw comics. I had never seen their work before. I thought that the kids might be some sort of artistic prodigies; maybe one day their drawings would be priceless (like the old Bob Ross I have in the cellar). Without hesitation I dug a Loonie from my pocket (25 cents per page, plus a 25 cent tip) and commissioned a three page comic. I suggested that maybe Charlie's helmet could be worked into the story. That maybe her helmet was the source of her supper powers. Not wanting to interrupt the artistic process too much I left the kids to their work and returned home to make sure Charlie was still alive (she was).

An hour later the comic was delivered to my mail box. It may not be a Stan Lee original, but it is fantastic. I am thinking of sending it to a Hollywood movie studio; I hear movies based on comic books are big money these days.

Ohio Road Trip or How Charlie Spent 7 Hours in a Car Seat

2007-07-05T10:31:00.000-04:00

I owe Charlie an apology. I may have recently accused her of playing sick. As it turns out she was sick; Charlie had a massive ear infection. After a trip to the doctor and 10 days of medication (oral injection 3 times a day) Charlie was as right as rain. This was a good thing as we were about to embark on road trip to Ohio to attend Katie and Jack's wedding.

Statistics

Provinces: 1
States: 3
MacDonald's Meals: 4
Hours in Car: 24
Antibiotics: Priceless (actual price $14)

We have discovered that a road trip with a small baby is less like an epic voyage and more like multiple short sprints. Pit stops are needed every 2-3 hours to feed the child and more importantly to deal with explosive car seat shits (please note that we hate baby talk - no sane adult calls feces CaCa, boo-boo, doo-doo, poo-poo, or shoo-shoo). We also stopped for the night in Hamilton on the way to Ohio and Toronto on the way back. It felt like we were driving for ever, although it was great to spend time in Hamilton with the family.

We finally rolled into Ohio on Friday and headed straight to the rehearsal dinner. This was a special wedding for Emilie as she went to camp with Katie and Jack. She has known Katie since they were 10 years old and Jack since around 17. Camp weddings are always fun and prove to be a convenient mini reunion (aka a giant bender).

On Saturday Charlie was herself reunited with her baby friend Kate (see Febuary 20th post). Kate is now 14 months old and is just learning to walk. Emilie and I love the preview of tricks that Charlie will someday learn.

The wedding itself was fantastic. I say this not because the setting was idyllic, the bride was beautiful, or because the food was dreamy, but because Katie arranged a baby sitter for the babies. This meant that mommy and daddy could drink and stay out late. By late I mean 11 pm and we only drank enough to get tipsy, not wanting to be hung over for the 6am wake up. We had a great time.

On the way home we stayed with Aunt Catherine in Toronto and paid a visit to a very pregnant Maggie, Bruno, and 2 year old Sidney.

Charlie did very well on her first road trip and now I feel slightly less intimidated by the thought of the drive to Nova Scotia in 2 weeks. On second thought the thought of driving across 4 provinces make me shoo-shoo my pants.

DaDa Day

2007-06-17T11:21:00.006-04:00

I thought it may be appropriate to write a post to document my first Father's Day. To start with the important information, I got lots of presents and got to sleep in! I also came to the realization that I have had it easy the past month. It has been a tough week with Charlie; the perfect storm hit. Charlie is teething (her two bottom teeth have cut through), she has a cold, and it has been very hot (only made worse by the helmet and the furnace of a room she sleeps in). Charlie has woken up in the middle of the night a few times and has cried more than normal. She is still very cute, but now very loud.

I think the worst is over, but it is hard to tell as Charlie has also learned a new skill; the 'Bob Barker' fake-out (very appropriate timing as Bob just finished his 35 year run on the Price is Right). For those that don't know, the Bob Barker Fake-Out is when one feigns sickness in order to stay at home from school (and watch the Price is Right from 11am-12pm), but then miraculously recovers at about 4pm.

The very hilarious videos are documentation of Charlies new skill. She cried uncontrollable before and after, but when she wanted to play she showed no signs of ill health.

P.S: The author of this post does not admit to anytime of fakery at any time and certainly never pretended to be sick in order to miss school and hang out in his Grandmothers basement, drink tea, and watch the Price is Right (A Mark Goodson Television Production)

The End of an Era

2007-06-12T13:44:00.000-04:00

Charlie can crawl. It may be more accurate to say that Charlie can crawl backward. Even when she wants to move forward she moves back; I would find this a tad frustrating. Charlie however is not fazed by her unidirectional mobility.

For Emilie and me this new mobility is a big adjustment. Gone are the days of sitting baby on the floor and running to get the phone. No longer can we take our eyes off our bundle of joy to read the news paper. When left unsupervised Charlie seems to always end up stuck under a table (mostly due to her helmet enhanced large head) or perilously close to putting her fingers in an electrical socket (why are baby so fascinated with deadly household objects). Constant vigilance is my new motto, but I will still let Charlie get stuck under the table; it is too funny.

Emma and Charlie's Play Date

2007-06-03T17:57:00.001-04:00

Charlie and Emma had a fantastic play date today. This was one of the first times that they seemed to respond to each other in a gentle manner that did not involve grabbing, poking, and drawing blood and a flood of tears. Much.

As you can tell they are both musical prodigies.

P.S. As you can see I figured out how to upload video's. I feel as smart as the average 12 year old.

First Word

2007-05-28T12:23:00.000-04:00

Charlie is very smart; this is to be expected. It is for this reason I feel confident in announcing that Charlie has said her first word.

Charlie seems to be discrimanently saying the word 'DaDa' when I am in view. More often than not she pronounces it 'DaDaDaDa DaDaDaDa'. Yes, she sometimes says DaDa to Emilie, a stranger, or a house plant, but on balance she says it mostly around me.

One word down, 29,999 to go (the average vocabulary for a very smart human is about 30,000 words).

Mr. Mom

2007-05-16T10:52:00.000-04:00

This marks my second week as a stay at home Dad. I transitioned quite easily into this role, although it has been a bit of an adjustment; I do miss work and my colleagues. The relative ease of the transition came as no real surprise. I love to clean, cook, and most importantly I love spending time with Charlie. This is not to suggest that staying at home has been easy. It is by far the most exhausting thing I have done in a while.

To start, my first day at home fell on the day Charlie was to receive her second set of 'shots'. This seems all too convenient and I tip my hat to Emilie for planning things this way. Charlie handled her needles in her usual stoic manner.

Charlie has been very well behaved. She is always at her best in the morning when she sits on the couch and reads 'The Squishy Turtle' while I read the paper. After an hour of play she takes the most wonderful nap from 10am - 12pm. In the afternoon we stop by the office, go for a walk, attend baby time at the library with Chrissy and Emma, or just hang out in the garden (Emilie and I spent last Saturday planting the most beautiful back garden).

Being at home has taught me a few lessons. First, Charlie is more athletic than I am already; god help me when she starts to crawl. Second, Charlie is smarter than me; no matter how hard I try she always gets what she wants and what she wants is something to put in her mouth. This includes but is not limited to: my glasses, my cell phone, my fingers, my watch, the T.V. remove, grass, and any other unclean item. Lastly, the more time I spend with her, the more I love her.

Last weekend was Emilie's first mothers day. We took a long walk and posed for some photographs. Emilie is the best mother in the world (excluding our mothers of course)!

Road Trip (...well plane trip to Florida)!!

2007-05-02T20:25:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago Chrissy and I (Emilie) packed up the babies (and all their clothes, their strollers, their car seats and a further 24 kg of luggage) and went to Florida. A last minute deal to Orlando was more than we could resist, so with Mickey calling our names we headed South.

Chrissy and Emma have been our most frequent playmates these past few months. What better way to mark the end of my maternity leave then by spending a week in the sun with our best pals. Chrissy's sister, Carolyn, and her friend Michelle, joined us with their two babies as well. It was a baby bonanza! We spent our days either shopping, or lazing by the pool and one day we even drove to Tampa to check out the zoo. A fantastic time was had by all.

Charlie's first experience with grass...

2007-05-02T20:18:00.000-04:00

Today Charlie had her first experience with grass. And by grass, I mean grass. No euphamism, no lingo, just lush green garden grass (seriously, she's only six months old...). She loved it - it made her giddy and giggly and after all that fresh air, a little peckish.

After a long, cold winter, Charlie is really enjoying every minute she spends outside. From the park to the backyard, it's as if with every layer of clothing she sheds, she acquires a new perspective on the world. Or maybe that was just the grass too...

Did we mention that Charlie can sit? Check her out! It's getting hard to keep track of all her new skills. Clearly she's very advanced. Objectively. Well, gifted really.

With her mom getting ready to head back to work, Charlie has some serious baby-Daddy time in her immediate future. Bring on the park, bring on the sun, bring on the grass, bring on summer!

First Solid Food

2007-03-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

Charlie had her first solid food today. I should start by saying that I use the term solid very loosely. By solid I mean thick liquid. Never the less, Charlie enjoyed her first non-milk food.

I am not sure what she liked most, the taste (I thought it was pretty bland) or the texture (there was not any). I can only assume that she enjoyed the experience as she made sure to lick every finger clean!

Vertical Integration

2007-03-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

Charlie has discovered the joy of being vertical. Charlie inherited a 'exersaucer' from her friend Harry. This is great for baby as the exersaucer encourages development of muscles and hand-eye coordination. It was even better for parental units, who can enjoy being horizontal while baby is playing.

Keeping with the non-lying down theme, Charlie has also discovered the bumbo chair. The chair lets Charlie sit on her own. Her favorite sitting place is the kitchen counter and her new favorite toy is a wooden spoon. It is only a matter of time before we train her to make us dinner.

A View of the Room

2007-03-25T17:34:00.000-04:00

At Charlie's baby shower we asked for donations for the new baby's room. We promised that we would post pictures of the new room. With typical Taman/Spratt efficiency it has only taken 4 months to follow through on our promise.

Charlie's room is by far the nicest in the house. Charlie better like it because given our penchants for lazyness she will be in this exact room until her teens.

Seriously, we love the room and appreciate the help we had in obtaining it.

America's Next Top Model

2007-03-12T20:03:00.000-04:00

Given my background in biology I often wonder where Charlie got her genes. For example, Charlie is in the 98th percentile for length; Emilie and I are not very tall. She is very cute, where as I am certainly no Adonis (for my sake I won't speak for Emilie). It seems, however, that her parents genes are finally shinning through. Charlie took her first bad picture yesterday. Although it may not be easy on they eyes it certainly confirms that she is our child.

New Skills

2007-03-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

Charlie is now 1/3 of a year old and with this maturity she has discovered a few new tricks. Charlie can now roll over by herself. This brings to the end the glorious practice of leaving Charlie on her change table while we run to retrieve a diaper, the phone, a glass of wine, etc.

Charlie has also discovered that she has feet. Prior to last week she believed her body ended at her waist. Now she knows that her feet are hers. More importantly she has learned that her feet taste good and should be put in her mouth whenever possible. Charlie can now do one thing her parents can't.... put her feet in her own mouth. Our girl has skills!

Charlie has also begun to giggle. It is still a rare, but magical occurrence.

I am thinking of doing a blog makeover; please let me know any additions you would like to see. On a related note I am thinking about finishing painting our house, finishing unpacking the basement, and finishing the novel I have been writing.

2007-02-20T18:44:00.000-05:00

It seems to be harder and harder to find time to 'blog'. I guess that it is not so strange that the more happens in the real world the less time we have to write about it. The major even of the past few weeks has been the introduction of Charlie to her Grandpa Larry. Charlie got along quite well with her Grandpa and after see the pair it is obvious where Charlie gets her good looks from.

Charlie also made two new friends. Maggie and Sydney came for a long visit. Sydney is now 18 months old and running around like a baby with her head cut off. It was great to see what we could expect in a few months. It was like a baby freedom 55 commercial. Charlie also met Kate, Carley and Bob's daughter (pictured below). The three girls will be seeing a lot more of each other over the coming years as they will be forced to attend Northway Camp together. Attending Northway is a mandatory tradition in all three households.

We also have found a pediatrician, which is no easy task. Charlie went for her first check up with the new doctor and received a clean bill of heath. Her weight it average and she is in the 97th percentile for length. Charlie also had her first giggle (Daddy is very funny). Most importantly Charlie is still sleeping through the night.

More pictures have been added to the slide show. We will post pictures of the house in the near future (remember this is a relative measurement).

A Weekend in 'The Moose'

2007-01-24T18:23:00.000-05:00

Every year Justice Binnie's former law clerks gather in L'Oringal for a reunion. The highlight of the day is a massive hockey game on the Ottawa River. Dan, Justice Binnie's court attendant and our good friend, is not only kind enough to host a crowd of 40 people at his house, but is physically fit enough to shovel a large potion of the river for the game.

The hockey game is always competitive, which can lead to some strange moment. For example, when you are cross checked by a Supreme Court of Canada Judge, are you permitted to drop your gloves?

Charlie has not yet mastered the art of holding her head up, so she did not lace up for the game. She did make a new friend, Dan and Lilly's daughter Rosalie. The two of them were very cute together.

Dave and his partner Emily made the trip from California to attend the festivities and after a great day we crossed the boarder and headed to Louise's cottage (AKA our cottage). We were met there by Naomi and Jannette, who also clerked at the Supreme Court for a mini reunion of our own. All in all quite a relaxing weekend.

We have added some more pictures of Charlie to the slide show and I hope to post about our new house in the near future.

A Very Merry Late XMas

2006-12-31T19:09:00.000-05:00

In a baby’s life a few weeks is an eternity. It has been an eternity since the last post. The intervening time between posts represents 1/3 of Charlie’s life. Suffice it to say that a lot has happened.

Charlie has practically doubled in size. This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but Charlie has put on a few pounds, mostly in the cheek area. Beside enlarging cheeks Charlie has matured in other ways. Perhaps the best part of Charlie’s maturation is her smile. It is a full face, lip quivering, gaping smile that is pure beauty (for a pictorial example of this please see the newly added pictures). Charlie has also started sleeping through the night (we define night as 12am-5am). Charlie has become much more interactive and we can see her turning into a real person. I suppose the only real down side of this maturation is that Charlie not only has needs, but also has WANTS. It seems that when Charlie wants something she needs to use her cry hole.

We also finally moved into our new house. The move was hell, but moving in was a pleasure. Patrick and Noel painted the entire house in a few short days. I am sure it felt longer to them as they were living and sleeping in a paint fume filled, empty house. Since Emilie and I bought a house it was only appropriate to buy new furniture (to the delight of the VISA corporation). Please stay tuned for a ‘house related post’ and details of what I am sure will be the a moderately fun house warming party.

Since the last post we also celebrated the birth and life of Santa. Charlie made out like a banshee (which is appropriate since she often sounds like one). We had a slew of visitors during the days leading up to Christmas, culminating in 10 visitors on Christmas-eve-eve (Mike, Jess, Devon, Brook, Sara, Harry, Howie, Aden, Emma, and Anne). This was just a prelude to Christmas at Louise’s cottage where we spent the holidays with Emilie’s family and my parents. Charlie’s first Christmas was a success. We have told Charlie that she must write thank-you cards to all who gave her gifts (she still has not sent out thank-yous for her shower presents).

Have a merry late Christmas!

Two Stresses for the Price of One

2006-12-12T20:47:00.000-05:00

We are in the process of moving into our new house. I have been told that two of the most stressful things in life are a new baby and moving. Why not get them over with at the same time. Our apartment is in boxes and our house is covered in dust and draped with exposed wires, so there is not time for a lengthy post (there is much to say and many to thank, a long post will follow). However, with Charlie firmly into her second month I thought it was time to detail a list of her current tricks:

1. Smiling (this is relatively new and still developing and unpredictable);
2. The ability to scream for up to 2 straight hours;
3. Lifting her head for a few seconds;
4. Making eye contact; and
5. Juggling 3 small balls.

Just kidding, Charlie is to lazy to lift her head.

Screaming Baby = More Productivity

2006-12-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

Another long week has come to a close. Time seems to be flying by, although when the baby screams time seems to inch forward. Right now time is moving VERY slow, but at least staying up with a screaming baby means I can find time to add a post to the blog.

This week Emilie and I took possession of one of our largest impulse buys, our new house. We saw the house a few months ago and like the candy at the supermarket check out, we could not resist buying it. We are not actually moving in for another week as all the wiring needs to be re-done (this means we can put off packing up our apartment for another week). Charlie had her first out-of-the-womb view of the house on Wednesday, and it seemed to meet with her approval.

Charlie also continued her pattern of being on her best behaviour in the company of non-parental units. On Friday Emilie and I took Charlie to my firms Holiday dinner party at Bekta. We were a little worried that Charlie may have one of her freak outs in the restaurant, but she was on her best behaviour and was the centre of attention. As far as I can tell babies have a finite number of freak outs per week. Since Charlie did not have one at the restaurant, she is having one now.

Beside the very expensive dinning experience the highlight of our week was a trip to the cottage. It is always a pleasure to escape the city. Charlie seems to really enjoy the time up North. I don't know if it is due to the lack of TV or any other stimuli but Charlie always sleeps well up North. As an added bonus, despite the snow, Nick and Monica found time to visit us on Sunday.

Unfortunately it is back to reality and back to work. Hopefully time does more flying than inching this week.

Road Trip

2006-11-26T22:30:00.000-05:00

The last week has been somewhat of a blur. Emilie has settled into a groove with Charlie at home and it was my first full week back at work. I have discovered that I can still run a trial on 2 hours of sleep. Despite our ability to function on little to no sleep, the weekend was much anticipated.

On Friday Ceilidh, who was in town from Toronto, paid us a quick visit and then Charlie, Emilie and I then embarked on our first road trip. We loaded ourselves in the new car (sadly 'Carlos' the VW had to be put to pasture and was replaced by 'Carla', our new Subaru) and headed to the cottage. Charlie enjoyed her first trip to the country. More importantly we enjoyed the fact that Charlie slept most of the way there.

As always the cottage was a dream. We took a long walk and made the most of the change of scenery (a one bedroom apartment can become a little claustrophobic). On Saturday afternoon Sylvie and Robert paid us a surprise visit, I can only assume to meet Charlie.

On Sunday, after an all to short stay, we packed up and headed to Montreal to have brunch with Grandmaman Rose, her sister Henriette, Uncle Andre, Blaise, Sandra and Anna. Anna, who was in town for a conference from Whitehorse, joined us for our return trip to Ottawa and is going to stay for a short visit.

In retrospect the weekend was as blurry as the week. The prospects for rest seem to be slim. Emilie and I have just realized that we take possession of our new house next week. Let the packing begin.

Candy Dinner

2006-11-19T22:20:00.000-05:00

I have managed to update the blog so that you can view a slid show of all of our pictures of Charlie. I was told that a small child could accomplish this feat in a few key strokes. I feel proud that it only took me an afternoon of work. To view the Flickr slide slide show scroll to the bottom of the page. You can also go to our Flickr page to view the photos.

Charlie had a busy weekend. Cristina and Michelle came to spend some quality time with our little squishy. This quality including being delegated the role of diaper changers. We also took Charlie to visit her soon to be new house and took a walk in nearby Brewer Park.

Charlie was also introduced to the time honoured tradition of the 'candy dinner'. The concept of the candy dinner is relatively self explanatory, dinner is comprised entirely of candy. We always try to represent all food groups in the candy dinner. These groups include: the gummy group, the sour group, the chocolate covered pretzel group, the smart food group, and the beef jerky group. Although not always strictly considered candy, smart food and beef jerky provide much needed protein and vegetables.

Charlie was not permitted to indulge directly in any candy eating and despite the consumption of sugar laden breast milk had the best sleep of her life.

2006-11-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

I have now been back to work for two days. The combination of work and lack of sleep has rendered me a zombie. Charlie does her best to keep Emile and I on our toes. She has the wonderful ability to transition from sleep, to crying, to explosive poo, to wide awake, to screaming and back to sleep in the blink of an eye.

Emilie is beginning to develop a day time routine with Charlie. She has manage to make a few small trips out of the house between feedings. Emilie has been showing the baby off to all the market vendors and various local characters (the Afghanie parking lot attendant, the tattooed coffee Batista, the one armed guitar player outside the Bay, and the dude who has two jack Russel terriers dressed up like clowns with sunglasses - although these costumes are seasonal and it is only a matter of time before the dogs are dressed up like Santa). The consensus is that Charlie is the cutest baby in the world.

This weekend Aunt Christina and Michelle will be paying Charlie a visit. I hope they enjoy changing dirty diapers.

Home Fires Burning

2006-11-12T18:29:00.000-05:00

Catherine left today after a wonderful visit, she must have taken our brains with her.

Charlie lost some weight during the first week and we have been supplementing Charlie's feeding with some formula. This means that every feeding we need to boil and sterilize bottles. In a non-sleep deprived world this extra step should not pose much of a difficulty for two adults with a combined 14 years of post secondary education. We no longer live in such a world. In order to sterilize the bottles they must be boiled for 10 minutes. Today we boiled the bottles for 45 minutes. One would think this would make the bottles more sterile. One would be wrong. As it turns out boiling bottles for 45 minutes creates a toxic plastic soup.

Our new motto: A watched pot may never boil, but a watched bottle will not melt.

On a happier note Charlie's umbilical stump fell off today, good riddance.

Aunt Poo

2006-11-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Emilie and I are pretty laid back people. We don't really plan too far in advance, we don't open mail for weeks at a time, and we procrastinate (have you received your thank-you card yet?). So it is a bit of a change for us to be constantly monitoring the intake and output of a little human.

Charlie was having problems on the output end of the equation. Wendy, our midwife, asked us to write down times and amounts of feedings and the time, type and intensity of Charlie's output to help diagnose the problem. Charlie had not had a poo in 48 hours. We were getting a little worried, until Emilie's sister arrived.

Aunt Catherine got into Ottawa on Friday night. Her first stop was to see our little Charlie. Catherine was very excited and wanted to hold Charlie. As soon as we passed a dozy Charlie to her aunt she (Charlie) immediately unloaded 48 hours of built up BM. Ironically Catherine had given Charlie a 'Poo Happens' shirt a few weeks ago. Poo does happen, especially when Aunt Poo visits.

Bath Time

2006-11-10T21:38:00.000-05:00

Charlie had a bath today. OK, it was a slow day for news, but Charlie does not get out much. Emilie's sister Catherine is arriving tonight from Toronto. Charlie cannot wait to meet her new Aunt.

Charlie = Girl, Girl = Pink

2006-11-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

Charlie slept well last night. By well, I mean that she slept. Emilie and I got about four hours of sleep last night, which in our new reality is dreamy.

I also went to work for a half day. It was pretty hard to drag my self in. I have the next few days off to mentally prepare for a return to full time work.

Charlie is doing well. She had a good two hours of alert play today and she made another new friend, Yellow Bear (Charlie is very literal and has an underdeveloped imagination). We have now taken to dressing Charlie in gender appropriate cloths. All pink all the time is our new motto.

Grandmaman Returnes to the UN, Charlie Has No Comment

2006-11-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

Charlie is now four days old. It seems, however, like she has been around for a lot longer than that. After hours and hours of thought I have discovered the reason for this apparent paradox. For non-babies four days equals about 64 hours after sleep is accounted for. Charlie has decide to make the most of life and forgo sleep. For Charlie four days equals the full 96 hours. I am happy for every moment I spend with her.

We had to say good by to Grandmaman today. Louise left Ottawa for Geneva. In typical grandparent fashion Louise proved indispensable over the last week. In addition to preforming official UN duties she cleaned, cooked, bought groceries, shopped for baby clothes and found time to watch hours of movies with Emilie. Like Charlie, I don't think Louise sleeps.

Family friend and former CBC journalist Mary Lou Finlay, in Charlie's first interview, asked for her thoughts on her first 4 days. Charlie provided 'no comment'.

I Name Thee...

2006-11-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

Emilie has taken to calling Charlie 'Squishy'. I have no idea why.

Grandmaman Rose

2006-11-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

Can you guess which Rose is which. Grandmaman Rose visited her first great grandchild today. Baby Charlie loved the visit. We think it was mainly because she received so many presents (clothes, toys, and a beautiful pewter cup). Old Rose could not stop commenting on how beautiful young Rose is. We tend to agree.

Gender Confusion and Parental Departure

2006-11-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today my parents left Ottawa to return to Hamilton. They were such a help during Charlie's first few days. The house has never been cleaner, the laundry has never been so well folded, and the fridge has never been fuller. It was amazing to see my parent holding a small baby and imagine that 28 years ago they were holding me. Their help was much appreciated.

Charlie is doing well. She has lost a bit of weight, but I assume she will be a little porker in no time.

I am slowly learning how to address the new arrival. When referring to Charlie in the 3rd person I call her 'it' 50% of the time 'he' 10% of the time and correct as 'she' a staggering 40% of the time. I can only hope my gender recognition skills improve. Luckily Charlie does not seem to mind the confusion. I guess this is just my way of teaching her that labels are relic of the past

Mike

Baby's First Friend

2006-11-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

When Emilie got pregnant (or more correctly I got her pregnant) she told one of her closest friends, Julie. Of course Julie was told this was top secret information.
At the same time Julie was told by our mutual friend Chrissy that she was pregnant. The same top secret lable was attached to this information.
Julie broke in less than a day and told Emilie and Chrissy about each others' conditions. We are glad that she did.

Charlie made her first friend before she left the womb. Chrissy and her husband Henrik have been great friends over the last 9 months. After sharing the highs and lows of pregnancy togehter, Chrissy and Emilie gave birth to their beautiful daughters within six hours of one another. Charlie made her appearance at 2:25 a.m. while Emma held out, emerging into the world at 8:25 a.m. I'm sure Charlie will be generous with all of the wisdom she accumulated during this significant head start on life!

As you can see Charlie may have a few pounds on Emma, but Emma takes the prize for screaming.

Mike