Angel Eyes

After quite a few days of eating, sleeping and getting changed, Oliver has finally decided to show us his eyes more often. It took his Gran 3 days just to see what they looked like but now he is more wakeful each day. He cranes his tiny little head and neck all around, checking things out. He is such a quiet and solemn little guy pretty much all the time, making squeaky sounds when you hold him. If we could get one of his sneezes on video, you would think it was the cutest thing ever! He has been for his 48-hour check at the doctor and got the thumbs up on all scorecards. Next week he sees his own doctor, who was away this week, for his next weigh-in and checkup. He is eating very well so we expect he will do just fine.


Big surprise, but the boy has no shortage of clothes already, thanks to some very generous gifts plus a hockey bag of stuff that arrived from Halifax. In good time Oliver will strive to follow his sister's footsteps to the runway. For now, he is a limited to clothes small enough for dolls! We bought some preemie sleepers for him last month and when we got home, we looked at them again and questioned our judgment, these things were way too small, we should have bought the newborn size. Turns out that we were right in the first place and luckily we have something to keep him warm that doesn't look like a tent!


Last week when we came home from the ice slides, Isabelle's mommy came to the door with Oliver to greet us. Isabelle saw the baby and said "Is he still here?". We got news for you, kid, he's here for good! Not to worry though, Isabelle continues to hug and kiss him every chance she gets and is asking lots of questions about his feeding. Whenever we buy something at the grocery store that isn't for her, she says "Is that for baby brother?". In cases where she wants a specific one of us to do something for her, she simply tells the other one that it's "their turn" to hold the baby.


Happy one week birthday, Oliver! Just a week ago today your Mom and Dad were arriving at the hospital, unaware that in less than 2 hours, you would be here!

Breakin' Beats with DJ I-Cee

Isabelle's cousin Sarah was in town last week and accidentally left behind one of her favourite toys, a DJ mixing board with piano, turntable, microphone and more. Well, Isabelle discovered it tonight and she is hooked to the point where she decided on a new career path. No more doctors scrubs or Olympic dreams, she is set to scratch and mix on the after-hours club scene!

Isabelle's Guide to Getting Ready

Isabelle is now an expert at putting on her own coat, courtesy of the new trick she learned from one of her classmates:

Slip Sliding Away

The final weekend of Winterlude has come and gone in Ottawa, but not without Isabelle getting out and putting her own stamp on the festivities. With little brother safe and cozy warm at the house with his Mommy, Isabelle, her Dad and Gran all headed to Jacques Cartier Park and the gigantic snow and ice funland that awaited. Big, bigger and biggest ice slides, all of which Isabelle sampled with glee, plus some high speed tubing, giant snow sculptures and the obligatory hot chocolate pit stop. Like the diving board at the pool, the little daredevil has no fear, zipping down gigantic ice slides at breakneck speed and loving every minute! It was a true test of how many times her Dad and Gran can hear "Again?" and "One more time!" and keep giving in. Finally, with the sun setting and Isabelle's energy depleted, it was time to call Winterlude over for 2009. Next year it will be a total blast, with Isabelle becoming a solo slider and the hoopla around Oliver's first birthday party. Beaver Tails all around!

Headline News

How prophetic a headline in our favourite paper the day Oliver was born.

Homecoming King

After a mere 30 hours since he arrived, Oliver has had enough of this hospital stuff, he wants to see his room! So having passed all his tests and achieved the maiden bowel movement required, the nurse granted us permission to bring him into the outside world and home to Dow's Lake and the Rideau Canal. It is insane how tiny he looks in this giant car seat. It looks a spaceship ready to launch and Oliver is the first infant astronaut. Such a tiny little thing. A big welcoming committee as we arrived with Isabelle, Gran and all the New Jersey clan with arms open to hold him. He soon proved to us that even with a fully passed hearing test, he can sleep through the craziness of toddlers and pre-teens jumping and screaming to beat the band. We are so glad to have him home and are now ready to see what adjustments are needed to have two of these little people around. At least only one is super mobile right now! Isabelle is doing awesome so far, always asking to hold Oliver and showing no signs of trauma or jealousy at the arrival of her baby brother. She has a few big sister books and has had her share of gifts recently to keep her occupied. She loves the new little guy and it will only get better as he grows and becomes her best friend and loyal student. Now that he is here, bring on spring and summer, warm weather and maternity leave await!

Mom and Baby getting ready to ship out



Home Sweet Home

Dr. Feelgood

No, you haven't accidentally tuned into this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. It's only Isabelle, who has breezed through her studies and is now interning at the Ottawa General Hospital. This week she is working the 8th floor, for Labour and Delivery and also newborns. Lucky for her that this also happened to be the week her baby brother arrived! All kidding aside, Isabelle got a new medical kit for Valentine's Day and has spent plenty of time examining her Mom and Dad. She thinks the stethoscope can check pretty much any part of the body, plus she is the only doctor who asks you to check her once she is done with you. She has become a veteran at visiting the hospital and her Mommy recently saw some wicked scrubs for sale in the bookstore. What a perfect gift for the burgeoning med student....today she put them into action and even if she doesn't have all the right credentials or the MD after her name, she easily won the hearts of all the patients and staff in the building.

Code Blue! Get to the Emerg Stat!

Yes, in fact, I WAS born Yesterday!

Now into his second 24 hours in the world, Oliver Henri just keeps getting cuter. Bundle of joy is such an apropos term, no wonder it gets used so much. He is a superstar breastfeeder, passed his hearing test, and a good score on his blood sugar level. The pediatrician says he looks great and hopefully he will be ready to come home tonight. Thanks to everyone for your calls and well wishes, you mean the world to us and we are so lucky to be able to share his arrival with such wonderful friends and family.

Big sister Isabelle has been kind enough to "help" open some of Oliver's gifts and has given him about a thousand kisses and hugs so far. Today she seemed confused when she arrived at the hospital, saying to her Mom "You get another baby!?" No, same baby as yesterday, Isabelle!

Introducing Oliver

Oliver Henri Constant arrived in our world at 11:25 this morning, weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches long. We are biased but clearly he is the cutest little boy anyone has ever seen. Mommy, Daddy and the proudest big sister on the planet are all doing well. Thank you all for your never-ending love and support. We can't wait for you to meet him in person.

Gran's Here!

Isabelle's Gran arrived in town from Halifax (along with some snow and the day before President Obama!) and our little girl could not be happier to have a new playmate in the house. The arrival of any new face is usually followed by Isabelle playing show and tell, rapidly bringing any and all toys in the general vicinity to show to her guest. Even if the toys are not new to Isabelle, she figures that they must be new to the person that just arrived!

Upon being satisfied that Gran was sufficiently updated, it was then time for Isabelle to show off her new room, including the Hello Kitty lights and her newest toy of all, the Ikea storage pelican that she has determined is a basketball hoop. She also LOVES the jewelry box that Gran brought for her, so much so that she wanted to play with it and share baubles right up until bedtime last night. She lovingly refers to it as her "treasure chest".

Busy times in our house now and with Aunt Lesley, Liam and Sarah arriving on Friday, Isabelle will not know what to do with all the new faces. So much for only having her Mom and Dad to play with!

Love, Actually

Still a day away from February 14th but today was the Valentine's Day shindig at Isabelle's daycare so she could celebrate the day with all her classmates. And she did so in true Isabelle style. Was there ever any doubt? Adorned with hearts from head to toe, our little valentine did not disappoint anyone. She arrived armed with treat bags for all her teachers and the admin staff, plus super-cool valentines for her friends, including some with temporary tattoos and others with fold-out sunglasses. They were a big hit as we saw many of the kids sporting them when we dropped by to pick her up. Isabelle had a heart painted on her face and kept it on all the way until bathtime, when she was not too pleased about losing her new visage.

All in all, she had a great day and she is ready for more festivities and family valentines tomorrow. It's an important day for all of us, a chance to formally recognize the love we all have for each other and our friends and family. And what more do we need than knowing that we love and are loved in return? Nothing. Well, maybe some chocolate.

Daughter in the Water

After a couple of months away from the pool, Isabelle was back in action tonight as Parent and Tot - Level 3 set sail! She was very excited to be on deck but I think the cooler water (at least compared to her nightly bath!) shocked her a little when she first jumped in. She was in the circle for songs and practiced her kicks and jumps but was a little bit tentative . However, the shy start was quickly overcome when free time was given to the group. Free time = waterslide! Isabelle was ecstatic and zipped down as many times as she could in 5 minutes. She has never met a slide she didn't like.

Back to the class and the instructor announced we were headed down to the deep end?! To the diving board? Really? Lifejackets on and the little ones piled in for a boat trip to the far side of the pool. Once there, Isabelle stood on the pool deck and sized up the situation. She watched one boy get lowered off the diving board to his Dad and that was enough. She literally RAN to the diving board for her turn! Up the stairs, into the instructor's hands and next thing you know, she is off the board and into Dad's waiting arms. Amazing. No fear whatsoever in this little girl.

Sorry we don't have any photographic evidence. Isabelle may break rules by running on the pool deck (which her parents got scolded for by the authoritarian pool manager), but her parents didn't break the no cameras rule. A further example that child protectionism may be going a little too far when you can't even bring a camera to take your own daughter's picture.

Next Tuesday we are back for lesson #2. What will our little fish do for an encore? Look out Florida, Isabelle is getting ready for the beach already!

The Bookworm

Isabelle appears to be following the footsteps of Mom, Gran, Grandmama and many more of her predecessors. The child loves books beyond belief. Her bookcase is stuffed so tight that it's hard for her to even pull a book out and it is impossible to get her to bed without her having read every book within arm's length. Curious George's antics are a night-time favourite, but lately she is obsessed with Olivia, and especially Olivia and the Missing Toy. There is no situation Isabelle could be in where she would refuse to read this book, and usually she will end up reading her favourite lines to you! Not the slightest of complaints from her parents however, we love that she is a reading fanatic and will feed this pastime as much as possible. Read on, little one!

Skateway Sweetie

A rising mercury and perfect ice this weekend meant it was time to venture back on the canal for a skate and a warm beverage. Isabelle felt more like riding than skating so she opted to have her Dad pull her along in her sled. She enjoyed checking out all the skaters along the busy skateway and had a great time, which got even better when she realized it would be capped off with a hot chocolate. Her mittened hands did not stand in the way of her getting cup to mouth, at least before some spills on her snowsuit, the sled and the canal. Not to worry, still some left for her to finish off at home! Safe to say that it is highly unlikely any future canal trips will be complete without Isabelle devouring the same marshmallow-filled treat!


Look, Daddy, the moon!


World's largest skating rink? Big deal. I have hot chocolate.


Good to the last drop!