Sadly, Gigi seems to dig Simon & Garfunkel

Of course, this is Mark's worst nightmare.

Steph, Shannon, Sasha

Steph and I were due pretty much at the same time and have been sharing pregnancy and birthing experiences all along, so we were pretty anxious to see their little one when they were in town recently. Turns out Sasha's a suavé, well-dressed little guy with a nice olive complexion - he'd better keep away from Gigi when he's older is all I can say...

Manon and Maddie

Manon and her adorable daughter Madeline come visit occasionally, although the two girls are almost a year apart. This is one of the rare instances where they seemed to connect. 

Almost everyone I know in Ottawa has a child under one year. I don't know if that's why everyone always says it's a "great place to raise children" - is it because everyone has one? Surely, there must be more to a great city than that?...

Attention sports fans!

Mark strikes the Heisman pose

"Squeaks please" - The Movie (takes a few minutes to load)

Gabrielle is wearing an adorable pajama given to her by my mother. This is a normal morning playtime routine, but it's the sweet blink and the smile at the beginning of the video that kills me... Make sure your sound is turned on.

Trip to Halifax

Gabrielle took her first plane trip at the tender age of 6 weeks, but handled it like a pro, either sleeping or laying awake and charming her fellow travellers. For the record, she just loved flying Porter:

Gigi's cousins, Amelia and Ben, took to her immediately, fighting for the right to hold her:

Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Amos were naturals...

Amos and Carolyn hosted a small gathering for those who wanted to grab at and pay homage to Lady Gabrielle, including Sarah (my bugaku sensei), Liza (my first art director and the person who taught me about *space*), Melvin (esteemed editor of the Shambhala Sun), Lucy (star of the hit TV series, Trailer Park Boys, airing on Showcase, and don't forget to go see the movie and no, those aren't her real breasts), and Barry (word snob and all-around great guy). 

And finally, at the end of a whirlwind weekend, the wait at the Halifax airport for the flight home...

Grandmas redux

Both my mother ("Safta") and Mark's mother ("Nana") came for a short visit this week to see how Gabrielle has changed since her earliest days of life. Despite the fact that she now weighs a whopping 13 lbs., both grandmothers were able to carry the load.

More friends...

Mary, Gerry and Isabelle stopped in, bringing us gifts, used clothes, and several food items, all of which reminded us once again that we're bad people. Our apologies to all those out there to whom we never brought gifts. We'll be better in the future - we promise.

Playdate 2 - Logan checks out Gabrielle and Naya checks out Elvis

Is she real?

One of the people whose lives was most affected by my pregnancy and Gabrielle's birth was Roger, my work colleague and friend. Roger acted as my personal driver to and from work throughout most of my pregnancy, taking it upon himself to perform this benevolent act for the benefit of society. 

Thanks very much Roger, now when are you installing that car seat??