No Title Required

Another Birthday!

Not only was Friday Chloe's 2nd week birthday, but it was also Corinne's Birthday. There was cake and presents and a baseball game with nachos and everything!

back to old rag mountain...

beautiful climbing, no ropes required...

Highland Lass

Fiona finished her 3rd year of highland
she thinks she'd like to take Fiddle lessons in September
Now we're looking for a good, uesd, 1/2 sized fiddle.

working at the Dogwash

Here you see our neighbours giving ABBY the yearling a bath after she rolled in everything she could at the farm.
Karen and Jeramie did the work but the girls rinsed.

zoo trip for JK's

Hello all! Says Mr. Fitz and all the JK's on their trip to the zoo as their school year winds up
can you spot Fiona?
think Woolley Backwards

bathing beauty

here fiona sports her new style of bathing suit
works super for sun coverage, lack of sand in places it can bother a person
and very colourful
SUE: show Natalie and see what she thinks!

one bottom tooth gone

the princess fiona lost her first official baby tooth
The top one didn't count as a supernumeral (extra tooth) pushed it out early.
Tooth #2 came out about 2 weeks later

A great game

The whole house full went to the Jay's game last night. It was a first for 3 of them. One slept through the entire game including extra innnings when the Jays won it in the bottom of the 10th. Thanks to Derek for the extra bonus of 100 level seats along the third base line!

HI TECH GIRL

That's right. As of earlier this week, Chloe is now leading edge as she is now cordless!
(we shall spare you the photo of the shrivelled chunk o' dried flesh)

JJ's 25th at Amherst

JJ was among fellow alumni panelists speaking at his 25th Amherst College reunion in early June. This group's theme was "Isn't That Fascinating!" and showcased a diverse set of professions outside the impressive array of doctors, lawyers and authors that this class of 300 (191 of whom attended the reunion!) comprises.

JJ was talking about racing and automotive journalism, and took this opportunity to NOT wear one of the 100% polyester custom designed (and funded by an anonymous sponsor) purple indestructible reunion shirts sported by his fellow panelist, left.

J3 at Chesapeake Chase

Once a year, Mazda invites automotive journalists and their families for a seaside weekend of fun. Events traditionally include a Pinewood Derby (which you can see JJ watching intently, though we did not enter a car ), discreet motoring around the countryside in Mazda's newest cars (including the Speed3 and the CX9) and a more leisurely meander for photography and enjoyment of a wildlife refuge on the Chesapeake near Cambridge Maryland on the way home.

Aunt Judy Meets Chloe -- 12 June 07

So, the absolute highlight of my last Toronto visit was meeting four-day-old Chloe! What a cutie! And after meeting Mamy Solange and Papy Hubert, I am even more charmed. They tolerated my makeshift conversation in French with grace and patience during dinner at Lorne and Corinne's on the evening of June 13th.


Congratulations to Bradt-Campanella Family V2.0!

Love,
Judy

Visitors Days

Chloe had lots of visitors...( and don't miss "A Life in the Day" story posting below)










and more to come

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!

The Bradt blog turned One this month. Let's try to reinvigerate it.

A Life in the Day

Dateline: Toronto, Friday June 8th, 2007

9:30
A beautiful warm sunny day. Official due date is June 10 or 11. Corinne, Papy and Mamy are off to take Simon for a swim at a local pool. Lorne is trying to sell the Mazda (we just picked up the new Volvo the day before) and get a little bit of work done.

12:00
Swimmers arrive home. Corinne says she felt a little something as they arrived and again 20 min later. Braxton Hicks maybe? Regardless, it's time to pack that bag that's been sitting out for a week now.

13:00
A relaxing lunch in the yard. Contractions are down to 10 min. Corinne doesn't eat, just in case.

14:00

Simon is napping. Contractions are ~5 min apart and definitely uncomfortable. With Simon, from this point it was 17 hours. We are ready to go but stop for a couple of pictures in the kitchen just as we did before Simon arrived. Grand parents will wait for a call before heading to the hospital. No point in hanging around for 10 hours like last time.

14:25
Parked at the closest spot there was, around back of the hospital. Lorne put 2hrs on the meter, figuring we'll have settled in by then and Lorne will come back and move the car to somewhere long term. We find a wheel chair at the hospital entrance and borrow it to ease the trip to Maternity.

14:30
Arrived at maternity triage and were sent back to the reception desk to register and wait. Corinne sits at reception and Lorne returns the wheel chair.

14:45
We are told we can now go to the maternity triage and have a seat. A few minutes later Corinne is given a gown, she gets changed and we again sit and wait.

14:58
The nurse comes in and asks Corinne to lay down so she can connect the monitor and see how things are going. At that moment, the water breaks. The nurse says, "Oh my. The baby's head is right there...". She starts barking orders to people as Corinne gets wheeled down the hall to a delivery room. Corinne asks "What about my epidural?!". "There won't be time for that." says the nurse.

15:01
We are in a lovely deluxe suite and people appear out of nowhere. The on call doctor is in surgery, but there are others on hand.

15:04
Corinne isn't impressed with the pain and asks again if she can have the epidural. "Are you sure there isn't time?"
"No. Now push!"

15:06
About 4 pushes and a hairy little head is out.
2 more and the shoulders are out.

15:07
We have a baby girl!


15:20
Weights and measurments are done.

Phone calls tell people the news (and that she will be named tomorrow morning) and to reorganize grandparents coming by with big brother Simon.


16:00
She gets her first meal.

Lorne decides to go pick up Mamy, Papy and Simon before the rain storm hits. Grandma will arrive on her own.

16:22
Lorne is back at the car before the meter even expired.

16:30
Lorne gets home. Simon is still napping but we get him up and head back to the Hospital.

16:55
After a short wait while the doctors give Corinne a little checkup.














They say no complications and Mamy and Papy come in with Simon who sees his baby sister for the first time. He is intrigued and happy.

17:15
Grandma arrives soaked from the storm to see her 5th grandchild.
Everyone has a lovely visit. Simon sings twinkle twinkle little star repeatedly to his new sister, because he wants to.


22:45
Baby girl has a first bath.











They are pretty full so we are told we can just stay in the deluxe room.



Saturday June 9th, 2008, Toronto East General Hospital, Room 713

7 ish
Not much sleep for mom and dad. Baby girl was fine.
The short list is down to but 3 girls names. A tough decision with some last minute suggestions vying for the lead.


8:30
Corinne gets breakfast. Lorne heads home to do some computer baby names research, emailing, updating car ads, get some food and back to the hospital by 11.

11:59
As promised, we decided on her name. Hence forth she shall be called CHLOE Eliane Bradt.

13:30
(Unofficial Aunt) Zara comes by for a visit. Lorne forages for food.
The hearing test lady drops by a couple of times before Chloe is settled enough for the test, which she passes.

15:15

24hr blood screening for Chloe. We change her, dress her and strap her in to the car seat for final inspection before we head home.

16:30
Chloe is home for the first time, Mamy, Papy, Simon, Tequila and Rapsody welcome her home.

17:30
Grandma arrives for dinner.
Lorne sells the Mazda. The guy wants it NOW, cash, so Lorne drives it up to Markham takes the plates and recruited Grandma drive him back. DONE!

23:00
Our first night home.
We begin again with Family V2.0

We have normality. I repeat, we have normality. Anything you still can't cope with is therefore your own problem

so the strike is over, the Replacement workers are all back home, and the union brotherhood is back on the job. ultimately, the deal that was accepted was fundamentally the same as the one that was on the table when they called the strike. The strike is being generally viewed as unnecessary.

What it means is that the Management employees can, and will, fill in if a union wants to hold us over a barrel. So I don't expect a strike at the CPR for at least another ten years. Unless, of course, we outsource all the management employees, and there's not enough to fill in for striking workers, and then they can have pretty mich anything they want...

But I'm glad to be home.

Days of Rest...

Today begins the rest period for our crew. Me and Abe and George finished a bit early on Monday, and scrambled to check out of the hotel and make it to Kamloops to see if we could get on the earlier flight. When we arrived, the attendant had told us he just sold the last ticket, but he could get one of us in on Stand-by. I am indebted to Both Abe and Goerge for letting me take the stand by seat, so I could get back to Calgary to See both Gordon and Peter Drake (here for a visit) before they left fo the respective next stops. THANKS, GUYS!

Now I can do those restful activites like cutting the lawn, finishing the drywalling in the spare room, and other household duties. And I do them with relish. And a bit of mayo.