Mobile Technology: Bigger than the Internet and the PC combined

Mobile technology is going to change your life and the change has not really begun yet. That's the take home message from Elliot Soloway (Professor, Univ. of Michigan) and Cathie Norris (Professor, North Texas Univ.). In their fantastic video, called the Mobile Generation, that documents a road trip through Texas and Louisiana to see firsthand how mobile technologies are being used in school, Elliot and Kathy argue that mobile technologies in use today are initiating a fundamental shift in education. It's the beginning of a deep kind of change in our life where mobility adds the ability for people to walk around and have all the knowledge with them regardless of where they are: office, classroom, car, park, mall, sidewalk, etc. This amazing new resource is available 24/7 in the palm of your hand. Once in place in the culture of our society, so many constraints will be removed from our lives. The immediacy of information provided by mobile devices may accelerate learning because the notion that formal learning can only be done in schools will erode fully. Learning will happen everywhere and in every context with this new resource that was not there before.

"It's an evolution - not a revolution." - Elliot Soloway, 2009

Watch the video and let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Almost 2 years old, time flys!!

Here is a picture of Maxime posing in the long grass and his new bed. His 2nd birthday is in one week and he has 5 friends coming to his birthday party, can't wait! Maxime is now stringing together 2-3 word sentences such as "ferme porte" and "Je t'aime Mama/Papa". He now knows when there is more than one of something and he will say "deux avion", but he does not really understand numbers yet. He likely knows 40 plus words. His favorite things are still "avions" but has recently added motorcycles and our dog Winston to his daily discussions:) The biggest development is he is now sleeping in a bed! Bravo Maxime:)

Maxime at 21 months old

Maxime is growing up, he is now 21 months old, fast approaching his 2nd birthday! This is a shot of him hard to work at painting, a future Di Vinchi?

Maxime walking Jack March 09

Maxime is 20 months old now and doing really well! He now attends a French Daycare and he knows many words. He says two word expressions like "no maman", "bye bye Dada" and "bebe dodo". His current passion is airplanes:) We are planning a trip to the airport soon! Maxime also has a new baby cousin: Sadie who was born on Feb 11, 2009. He loves his Aunt Julie but is not extremley interested in Sadie, ha ha!
Here is a video of Maxime walking Jack, March 25, 2009.

15 months now

Maxime is now almost 15 months old. He is moving like the speed of light now that he is walking/face planting:) He had 2 black eyes during his first week and a half he started to walk on his own. He is doing great, he weighs over 26 lbs now (the Homo milk helped:) he has 7 teeth and his vocabulary, although sometimes difficult to decipher is excellent. He can say: car, kitty cat, dog, truck, duck, moo (for a cow) he shakes his head for no and he knows a bit of sign language "more" and "eat". He likes to color and paint and makes us all kinds of crafts while at daycare. I recently set up a table for him to draw and paint on and he loves this. Maxime's all time favorite activity is being outside, he could stay out all day! That is all for now, will try to update more:)

Maxime's First Birthday

I can't believe how badly we have neglected the baby blog, we've been painting, showing the house for sale, I (Erin) have returned back to work, then moved to our new beautiful home. Maxime is making leaps and bounds. He is over 22 lbs now, has 5 teeth and is beginning to walk with assistance:0 He is also a big boy at daycare now. He and his doll Pablo are now taking naps together and he is making new friends: Dominique, Jack, Reese to name a few. Here is Maxime enjoying his first cake, July 26, 2008. It is very hard to believe the wee Prince is 1 year old:)

9 months already!

Maxime is now the big 9 mo!! He's scooching, refusing to crawl but will get places fast despite doing it while looking somewhat handicap:) He's still saying "Da da da da" but with a bit of "ga ga" mixed in! So life is getting busier the faster he moves. He is now into opening up drawers and playing with anything but his toys! He loves his second time at swimming lessons, now being the big man in the pool, showing the other younger, slightly less mature babies how it's done!!

Makin' Music

HI all, latest baby news: Maxime is becoming a Muscian! He can now shake it with the rest of us! He also loves playing with any type of cards and thin round objects, (we are trying to discourage him sucking on beer coasters,ha ha). Other favorite play toys are strings or carpet/blanket frays. Daycare tours are also beginning and Mom's heart is slowly breaking knowing someone else will be soon looking after him, sniff sniff!

First Tooth

Maxime got his first resemblances of a tooth last night. Its sharp, small so far and on the bottom. We'll take photos later, when its more visible:) Here is a recent photo of Maxime at his swim lessons (Starfish).

The Babe

Just wanted to write an update on Maxime. He is getting more and more busy; grabbing at everything and taking in the world with much curiosity. He also has learned to roll very quickly (have to keep a close eye on him), and he recently discovered his ear, its very cute, he grabs it just to make sure its still there!! Last medical apt. for his 6 month check up, he weighed 17 lbs and 7oz, 72th percentile in length and 50 for head size and weight, so he's doing great! He also got his needles, which did not go over well, but no fever afterwards! No more needles until after 1 year old, thank goodness!
Oh yes and not to mention we get stopped everywhere we go with compliments on how cute he is, obviously! Thats all for now.....

My first Wings Game

Here is Maxime and Dad at his first Wings game, Jan 12, 2008. Despite the Wings losing, Maxime cheered as hard as he could and cried when Ottawa scored, at a boy! We took a bus up and Maxime was a wonderful traveler as always, one woman commented when getting off the bus on our return to Kingston, that she did not realize there was a baby on the bus!!! Hopefully the Wings will win the next time we go!!

Vocab

Here are a couple communication skills Maxime has developped that I want to chronicle so we don't forget: raspberries (bppppp, with a spit sound:) and "booksly" not sure, but I think he is talking about books.......little genius and more recently, screaming (while having fun and testing his voice out at the same time)!!!

Maxime on You Tube

Check out this site which has several videos of Maxime laughing, chatting and in his Jolly Jumper for the first time (very funny!) Here is a You Tube video of Maxime in the jolly jumper, its a bit dark because we shot it at night but it was his first go at it!

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=actionhamster

Maxime and Mimi in Windsor

Maxime and I are in Windsor! I decided last minute to come and see Denise and Ron (Eric's Mom and Step-Dad). We left New Years day to get here in time to have a visit before Gramma Webster begins teaching school again. They are wonderful hosts and Maxime is having a great time visiting the triplet (his cousins), playing with all sorts of toys Ron brings in from the garage (which they used when the triplets were smaller) and trying the jolly jumper for the first time.

Merry Christmas, Maxime's First

Eric and I opened up Maxime's gift from Mimi and Ron last night, he received many wonderful "livres francais" and French songs on CD and DVD, thank you so much! He even has his own set of books entitled "Maxime", Maxime had the most fun with the paper, as most kids do, putting us back into perspective and making the world make sense:) Thanks to all the grandparents for your generous contributions to the RESP, he is a very lucky boy, but especially lucky to have such amazing people to care about and for him!

The latest updates include Maxime learning to stick his tongue out, it’s too funny. We have pictures on Eric's camera and will download soon! He also has graduated to the "neglect-a-saucer" as my friend Robin calls it, ha ha (excer-saucer). He can jerk back and forth while sitting on your lap and can almost roll over (Winston and Jack are excited about this too, they keep wondering where his "treat is"). He is almost 5 month old! Hard to believe he's getting so big!

Merry Christmas from Maxime xoxoxo

Look at me and Dad, Red Wing fans?!

Maxime is now 4 months old!

Hi all
Maxime is now four months old and growing bigger by the day! He weighs 15 lbs and is 61 cm long:) He loves to speak "Maximium" and he has a bright smile and laugh! He is a blast to take anywhere and gets a great deal of attention from the ladies! We are having lots of fun with him and looking forward to his first Christmas!

An early visit with Santa!!

Halloween with Maximes friends

Here is Maxime with my good friends (Tiffany and Siobhan) kids, Aysling as a pumpkin and Aidan as a Lion, roar!!! Maxime was sporting a fancy pumpkin sleeper which was popular with the trick or treaters!

Baptism

Maxime was Baptized on Sunday October 28, 2007. It was a nice ceremony and my Mom had a great lunch at the house following the event. Godparents are Julia and Chris Merry, Maxime's aunt and uncle. Eric's father Raymond and his girlfriend Louise were able to come all the way from Ottawa to attend. We had a nice weekend which included dinner at New Garden and an elevator party, as a patient of Julia's who is super funny had a party to celebrate getting a much needed elevator in his home.

Maxime's second wedding

Maxime attended his second wedding this past weekend, my friend Chantal's in Burlington... He was stellar in the church but only lasted 2 hours while Jenny and Chris watched him for the reception. Seems he only wants breast milk from a breast so we returned, but it was great to see Chantal and Jeff so happy and visit with Rhain and Dave. Maxime is now hitting some developmental milestones, grabbing objects and putting things in his mouth. He also can play on the floor toy mat for about 15 min. which is heavenly for me to get a few things done:) He is a joy to watch grow, he is very content and lovable.

Almost Three Months old now:)

Here's Daddy's Red Wings Fan

Almost Three Months old now

Aunt Julie and Cousin Terri with the Wee Prince

Cousin Terri and Maxime

My Bee Hat.

Here is my favorite hat for the fall/winter weather! I was so tired on this day I fell asleep in my rocker chair, zzzzzzzz. Here I am 8 weeks old. Till we meet again, Salut! Maxime xoxo

More on the wee gaffer!

Maxime had his 2 month needles yesterday. He was great after, no fussy mussy or fevers. It was probably worse for me to see him get the needles than for him to get them. He had 2; one for the regular vaccinations such as Diphtheria and Mumps... the other one was for ear infections, blood infections, meningitis and the flu. Also he weighed in at a very respectable 12lbs and 1 oz, (it sounds like he's a bass at a Wolfe Island fishing derby, he'd definately be a first prize winner!) He also grew 3 inches since birth, now 24 inches and his head circumference is 5 cm (now 58cm) bigger, so in other words he's growing:)He is 92 percentile for length, 72 for weight and 50 for head size. So he is doing wonderfully and continues to laugh, smile and is now starting to notice dangling toys and likes to occupy himself with this fun new discovery. This is Aunt Tiffany and Maxime, she has the power to make them sleepy because she is already a Mom:)

Maxime Update

HI All
Maxime is growing fast, he has a Dr. apt. tomorrow (Thursday Sept 27/07) for his first set of needles (done at the 2 month mark). I will update the blog with a weight, but I am guessing he is close to 12lbs because 3 weeks ago he weighed 10lbs and 8 oz. He is very alert now, focusing on everything with great intent! We have stared to look at simple books with large patterns, colors and shapes, and he will look at them for about 10 minutes. He is also starting to read "les livres Francaise", (French books for those non-French):) He is enjoying his wakeful times, now starting to giggle frequently, of course his parents are quite funny, or funny looking !??
My Mom thinks he is playing strange already, normally this occurs at 6 and 9 months, as he generally seems to want "Mommy" to hold him and cries when anyone else does. Some say I am spoiling him but research states you can't spoil a baby under 6 months and you have to attend to their crying.... so for all you skeptics out there, look it up:)
In summary: he is a great baby, not much crying and very content, we are super lucky!! Oh yes and he is also very handsome!

Smiles all around:)

Hi Everyone
Just wanted to let you know Maxime is now smiling to some of his favorite songs like Daddy's original creation "Maxime mon Amour, Maxime" and other baby classics such as "Itzy Bitzy Spider", "Frere Jacques" and "The wheels on the bus". He also is becoming a nighttime sleeper, last night he slept for an amazing 7 hours, thanks Maxime!! I will make sure you get an overdose of milk today:) Hope everyone can notice him getting bigger and he can't wait to see all of you soon!
Erin (aka Mummy)

The Baby has Arrived!!

Maxime is here, weighing in at 8lbs exactly on July 26 at 12:27 pm, what a little prince. We are in love!!!!!!!

New Boy name rising to the forefront...

Hi Folks,

We are still pretty firm on the girl name: Sophie. However, there's been some movement on the boy name. We now have three candidates: Sebastien, Nicolas and now.... (drum roll please).... Maxime. What do people think? Comments?

ttyl

-Eric

Duelling Bellies:) Erin and Tiff, both prego's

The Final Countdown:)

11 days and counting..... till "D" day or the due date, Saturday July 21, 2007. Eric and I are having fun with the count down but at the same time not getting set on the day, it could be a week later or even earlier? Baby Tremblay will be the decision maker on this one:) I had a Dr. apt. today (they are weekly now). Uterus measuring 37 cm (belly measures 51 inches in circumference), good heartbeat (although baby was moving around so it was going in and out of range), it made me laugh thinking of babe wiggling around the monitor....
I am off on Maternity leave now and I am thankful for a number of reasons: 1. I can be off and get some things done 2. Sleep is getting very interrupted (due to movement and general comfortablenesses) and I can power nap in the day if need be
3. The heat, whoa its a stinker out there! 40 with the humidex today..... Siobhan, Aysling and I went to the mall to enjoy the air condition comfort. All the women in our childbirth class had their babies so we are the last family to go! All that is left to do is wait...... and have well wishes and/or prayers for a safe labor.

19 days to go!

19 days to go until we hit the due date! WOWOWOWOWOW!

36 weeks and counting!

I have not posted a message in awhile, so I wanted to give an update....
First off there are 25 days left till my due date, July 21, 2007. Baby is doing fabulously, lots of movement and growing well! Mommy has carpal tunnel in her right wrist and has to wear a funny brace sometimes at work and two wrist guards at night while sleeping, talk about sexy!! Other than that, and the occasional swelly ankles, things have been great and I love being pregnant!
I have completed the testing for the exercise research study I was in. The testing was long (5 hours in total) with many blood pressure readings, blood taking, and at one point I had to wear a crazy apparatus on my head that had a ventilator attached to it. The ventilator controlled the oxygen and carbon dioxide flow, I had to wear it while increasing my level of exercise on a stationary bike. This was the easier part surprisingly enough, the tough part of the testing was having a blood pressure cuff on my hand cutting off a great deal of blood flow for 6 minutes at a time, I did this 4 times throughout the testing, ugggg! This was done so the researcher (Tracey) could watch my vein with ultrasound to see how the veins response with restricted blood flow, then the blood flow was released. She did this with other women who have high blood pressure. The cool part of the testing was the fetal monitoring, a Nurse from the hospital came and monitored fetal movements and heart rate for 2 X 20 miniute sessions. She said it was one of the most active babies she had ever monitored! Not sure if that is a good or bad sign?
Eric's Dad thinks the baby will be an over-achiever like his/her daddy, ha ha! So now that the testing is over I can still work out at Queens with the group, I have cut back to two days weekly but I am still walking at lunch with my walking buddy Janet.
I am also done work at the end if this week and I want to start swimming for exercise in the last few weeks. I went swimming in Vanessa's pool about 2 weeks ago and it felt great!
Our top selection for a boy's name has changed slightly to "Nicolas" from "Sebastien". I think we will wait until we meet Baby Tremblay to decide:) Sophie still the front runner for girls names! If I could venture a guess right now on the sex, I will guess BOY, this is Eric's guess too! He's been humming the NHL theme the past few weeks!
We met with Donna last week, our Doula to discuss labor wishes, medication and for her to see the house and get a sense of where things are located like towels, coffee ect.... Aunt Julie was there because she is going to be in the delivery room with Eric and I. We had a good time and it was helpful to get ideas about when Donna should come over once labor starts and how everyone can help. She is super nice and Eric and I feel very confident she will be a huge help for pain management and keeping me calm. My last task is to prepare a birth plan about my wishes during labor. Eric has been a great "Dad to be" very helpful and considerate and best of all loving! He loves to feel the baby at night just before falling asleep!
That is about all for now, I'll keep you posted!! It won't be much longer now!

35 Weeks Pregant

Erin is 35 Weeks pregnant today! YEAH! 5 weeks to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohooo!

Hospital Tour and Baby Shower

Eric and I went to the hospital today to have a tour of the "baby wing". Two words sums up this experience: Excited and Terrified (all rolled up in one). It made things much more real for me, Eric was as cool as a cucumber. A few times I my eyes welled up with tears, it was a very emotional experience. Now it is easy, walking around with a baby in utero, no labor pains, no scary scary.... I am now 34 weeks pregnant, 3 weeks left of work, 6 weeks till "D-day". My sister hosted a beautiful shower for me yesterday, relatives and friends came, it was great! We got some really neat and thoughtful gifts: books, supply's, some larger sleepers, picture frames and a gorgeous quilt. Jules and my cousin Terri are hosting another one (I'm spoiled) in August. There is alot of movement now, I'll make another entry to tell about all the exercise testing and hearing research studies which recorded above average movement and heart rate fluctuations. That is all for now:)

33 Weeks Pregnant

Erin is 33 weeks pregnant today! YEAH!

Weekend of painting

I (Eric) spent almost the entire weekend painting. Thanks to the amazing leadership skills of Julie, we painted the entire nursery including the closet doors, and bedroom door. I still have to bath the adjoining bathroom doors and then we can set up the nursery later this week. YEAH! Many thanks to Julie for her painting prowess.

32 Weeks pregnant today!

Erin is 32 weeks pregnant today! YEAH!

Week 4 of Baby Classes

Hi all
Tonight Eric, myself and baby attended our fourth child birth class tonight. The focus was on breastfeeding and learning some basics. We continued practicing comfort moves which will help during labor, I especially like the hand massages which Eric is great at! We also had a trivia contest on Breast Feeding, guys against the girls, the odds were not stacked in the boys favor. Needless to say the girls won but the men did well, only a few behind. We also watched a video with an expert in the field, Dr. Newman, demonstrating visual cues of how the baby gets a good "latch" and regarding the enormous benefits of breastfeeding . Ahhhh there is alot to learn in a very short time but were up for the challenge:)I am 30 weeks pregnant, the baby should be about 3 lbs at this point. I can feel harder kicks and its amazing. Eric gets a kick out of watching the belly move. I had a Dr. apt. this week as well, everything is going well, I am 31 cm in length (uterus), almost the same # as weeks pregnant. Dr. Shepperd is guessing an 8 lb baby at this point, which is a good weight, similar to mine and Eric's. Dr. Shepperd mentioned she takes the first two weeks in July off so hopefully she will be able to deliver, as it will likely be later July. Also Eric and I decided to have a "Doula" which is a birthing coach for the 3 weeks leading up, the big day and to follow up a few times afterward. The lady which teaches out classes, Donna will be the Doula. She is really sweet and Eric and I feel very comfortable with her. Julie will be there too, and I think its a great mix!

Child Birth Classes session #2

Tonight Eric and I went to our second child birth class with Donna our instructor and two other couples. Tonight we focused on comfort measures during labour such as breathing and positions to rest in and/or massage (ahhhh). There are many excellent ways to help cope with the pain; my favorites were having a shower, hand massage and hip pressure or pushing on the pelvis to help ease the constant expanding. She also gave us information breathing, long and relaxed or short styles. We had lots of laughs and really enjoyed the session, we feel grateful to have learned so much already, well worth it for such a reasonable price. The other couples are Erin and Frasier and Jeff and Krystine, both very nice. Looking forward to next week!! We have also asked Donna informally to be our Doula or labour coach, and she is waiting on another couple but will most likely be doula for both of us (keep your fingers crossed), more to come on that topic.....

Dr. Apt at last :)

Today Eric and I attended a regular Dr. apt. But, the not so regular part was this was the first time Daddy came and he was able to hear the fetal heart beat (140bpm). He thought it was "pretty cool". I was very happy and relieved to hear the uterus grew to 28 inches, which is 1cm more than "on target" with me being 27 weeks pregnant.
Dr. Sheppard warned me to watch "the eating", as it increases the size of the baby, and we don't want to deliver a 10lb'er! I also took the glucose testing for gestational diabetes. I got to drink the orange pop-like drink, it wasn't too bad! Then they took my blood exactly 1 hour after. So all is well in baby land! Next ultra-sound for the exercise research study is May 18/07.

Started Childbirth Classes

On Wednesday of this past week Eric and I (and baby) attended our first childbirth class with "Beautiful Beginning Childbirth Education". The instructors name is Donna Bell and it turns out I knew her through work which was a nice suprise! She is a nurse who has 15 years in Obstectrics and has been a Doula on a number of occaisions. She is super nice and approachable. In the first session we talked about our thoughts on labour and delivery, signs and symptoms that labour may be beginning and the stages of labour. We have 5 more classes then a reunion class after the baby is born. I am really glad we are taking this because I think you can never learn enough, the more the better to help us prepare for this amazing journey!

27 weeks pregnant

Erin is 27 weeks pregnant today! YEAH!

26 weeks this Saturday

I am almost into the third trimester, 1 more week. Everything is going well, still lots of movement, mainly while I am at work (I wonder if the baby likes Social Work?)It hears many a story, some which should be reserved for virgin ears, good thing the baby does not know what it means, ha ha! Daddy is doing well, working hard to get the nursery ready. It is cleared out, even the border has been removed (by Eric :)Now the final step is for Aunt Julie to help paint! More to come.....

Shakin' Down

Its dancing time inside my belly, the baby has been moving alot lately, sometimes at the top part of the uterus. I read somewhere that a active fetus means a healthy baby so that makes it more bearable! It is a very strange sensation, sometimes it makes me nauseaus. A further development are my ankles are begining to swell, ah the beauty of pregnancy but it is a good excuse to put the feet up and relax. The next Dr. Apt is mid April.

24 Weeks Pregnant

Erin is 24 weeks pregnant and the baby is doing backflips in her belly HAHA!

Belly Size

Today Eric measured my belly at 47.5 inches! Whoa its getting big!

Eric-22weeks-2-19Mar2007

HI There,
I had my monthly apt. today and Dr. Sheppard now is measuring my uterus to monitor the baby's growth (as technically I would not have any other ultra-sounds). Basically the uterus is the size in inches as the number of weeks you are pregnant, so today I measured 22 inches from pelvic bone to the top of my uterus. All results from the 20 week ultra-sound were great, no concerns and the baby measures average in all accounts. I think she knew the sex because she was smiling and asked if they told me at the ultra-sound. I heard the heartbeat too, 156 bpm. Here is the first series of me turning into large Marg!

Eric-22weeks-2-19Mar2007
Originally uploaded by actionhamster.

Erin-22weeks-1-19Mar2007

Erin-22weeks-1-19Mar2007
Originally uploaded by actionhamster.

Happy St. Paddy's Day Baby!

Happy St. Paddy's day, the little one survived 7 hours at the Toucan with no drinking. My dad was funny, he and mom came in to visit and as a concerned grandparent he asked if I had been drinking today! Ha Ha

20 week ultra-sound

My belly is huge!

Today I measured in 46 inches at the biggest part of the belly.... 1.5 inches bigger than last week, holy growth factor! The even funnier part is Eric thinks it is as big as I will get.
Erin

First Flutters

It's Erin here
I will announce when I post now since Anglea thought Eric got him MSW, also so noone mistakes Eric for feeling the baby kicking inside him, which sometimes I think, he thinks he has!
Anyway...I finally felt the tiny bubbles or flutters people say you feel (quickening), even though I have felt the baby for move for more than 3 weeks now at times when I get up in the night ect. So this time I felt bubbles popping in my belly, weird really. I felt it on the way to Toronto on the train and I called Eric right away! After I realized it was not bad I smiled:) I am 21 weeks now and the baby nearly weighs a pound and has eyebrows (hopefully not as large as mine).

Big Kick last night

Just before falling asleep last night, I had my right hand on Erin's belly and I felt a really big push/kick. That's the biggest movement I've felt so far. The baby is getting stronger and bigger. Awesome!

New Update: Belly Size

Erin's belly now measures 44.5" in circumference at its largest point. That's up 0.5" over last week. Cool.

Eric thinks he's a cartoonist now. Sheesh!

Updates this week

HI all, it's Mom (aka Erin). This week we have some exciting developments such as an ultra sound on Friday. I am dreading holding in fluids, probably the worst part of being pregnant (in my opinion)! Also I will be 20 weeks this Sat. which means I am 5 months in and a bit over half way done there. My uterus is the size of a cantelope,interesting in a way, also it gets 1000 times bigger from the begining to the end of preganancy. Eric swears he can feel movements when we get settled into sleep, I can definately feel things but i don't really know what they are yet. In the next few weeks I should be able to feel flutterings, then it progresses into small kicks and then eventually large ones! So stay tuned... Oh also a friend of mine, Robin is pregnant too, about a few weeks behind me. She is joining the exercise group and I am excited to share pregnancy phases with her. Eric and I are going to dinner with she and her partner Roger this weekend so it should be fun!

Updated Names List

Boys Names

Sebastien (Eric+Erin)
Francois (Eric+Eric)
Francis-Xavier (Eric)
Mathis (Erin)


Girls Names

Sophie (Eric+Erin)
Marie-Josée (Erin+Eric)
Genevieve (Eric+Eric)
Marielle (Eric+Erin)
Julia (Erin)
Celeste (Erin)
Carine (Erin)

Any comments? Additions? Just click below.

Belly Size

Ok, we're going to start tracking the belly size. We should have started earlier really. Still, this data is going to be cool. We'll see how it changes over time. So, today the largest circumference around Erin's belly is 44 inches. Cool! Stay tuned for updates over the next 4 months.

19 Weeks + X-Country Skiing

Erin is 19 weeks pregnant today. To celebrate we went Cross Country Skiing at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area. It was really fun and the weather was perfect for it. So last weekend was skating and this weekend was Cross Country Skiing; this baby really is getting lots of exercise! What's next? Skydiving!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHA ;-)

18 weeks + skating on the Canal!

Erin was 18 weeks pregnant yesterday (Saturday) and as a family we skated on the longest skating rink in the world: The Rideau Canal. It was awesome. The weather was warm and sunny and we skated about 4 kilometers. Erin only fell twice...DOH! Her centre of gravity is shifting and we were carrying bags of boots so it was throwing her for a loop. We had a great time; however, because of the falling... I think ice skating is out of the question from here on in. Saturday night we went to my Dad's friend Yao's for a traditional Chinese New Year's Eve feast. It's was Yummalicious! We even had Dragon Fruit for the first time! Neato!

Baby Movement here we come!

Today I swore I could feel some movement or deep pressure! It felt weird but exciting. Maybee it was all the excitement of the Frontenacs winning the hockey game 4-1 last night.....humm a baby hockey fan already?

17 weeks!

Erin is 17 weeks pregnant today. Yeah. I'm wondering when our next ultrasound is? hmmm.

How about FX Tremblay?

Hey Folks,

How could does this sound: "FX Tremblay steals the puck at centre, he skates in on the left wing, makes a good move on the defenseman. Oh... he switches to his backhand, he shoots....SCORES! OH MY GOODNESS! FX Tremblay folks. FX Tremblay with the game winning goal in overtime for the Detroit Red Wings. Boy that kid is good!"

What do you think? Cool name or what? FX (Francis-Xavier) was also the first name of a very famous French Canadian stonemason in Kingston: FX Rocheleau (1761-1812). He was the builder and original owner of the building where Chez Piggy resides today. His initials are carved into the cornerstone of the building. The area between Chez Piggy and the Toucan is called Rocheleau court today. I've been in Rocheleau Court quite a few times (*haha*)

Exercise Program

I have started working out and the baby has no idea what went wrong! I have been feeling better from my sick weekend in time to start the program this week. It's a research study through Queens on Pre-Eclampsia (or high blood pressure) in pregnancy and whether exercise helps decrease it. I found out about it through Siobhan who did a study last year and really enjoyed it. I am in the fitness control group (ha ha, me does not equal fitness, but oh well I'll go with it). We do 25 min of cardio then a series of strenghtening exercises for pelvis, abs, arms and legs. I am really liking it and I have two other preggo's with me and a trainer 3 nights per week, I will also try to fill in my weekends with winter fun or goodlife....
Sat. is 17 weeks, I am 42% of the way through, it's hard to believe its happening so fast and the baby is 8.5 inches long! Eric keeps thinking he'll feel something kich but it will be a few more months before that is visible and a few week until I feel fluttering. Thats all for now.

Home sick

Erin's not feeling good today. Boohoo. She can't decide if it has anything to do with the boat-load of chicken wings she ate at Michelle's last night or what. But she feel really nauseous today. Yuck. Poor her.

16 weeks... and counting!

Erin is 16 weeks pregnant! YEAH! Also, yesterday Erin came back from her trip to Victoria. Boy, the baby is well travelled.... first Italy, now British Columbia. Nice! On our way hom from the airport we picked up a free crib from someone in Amherstview that I found on the Internet. It's a StorkCraft from Sears and it's in great condition. People are so kind sometimes.

Erin+Eric = new name

My cousin Barbara in Timmins suggested we should make up a baby name that contains letters from both our names. So she suggested Carine for a girl and Enrico for a boy. Erin likes Carine ;-) It might land on Erin's list of baby names at some point. Any other ideas by anyone? If so, please leave a comment.

15 weeks pregnant

Going by the projected due date on July 21st that we obtained from the ultrasound appointment, Erin is 15 weeks pregnant today. YEAH!

We have legs, arms and a heartbeat! PHEWFERS

TremblayBaby-22Jan2007-14weeks, originally uploaded by actionhamster.

It's official, there is a life in my belly! Today was the first Ultrasound.
Eric, Julie and I saw the little one, it was incredible! Jules even shed a few tears (shh don't tell her I told you, she likes to act all tough but she is a softie when it comes to being an aunt!).
The heartrate was 155(hbm), some non-scientific speculators would say its a boy....
The fetus was 8.5cm long from head to rump/bum not including legs and arms, about 3.4 inches. My placenta is in the front, we saw its hand, well only four fingers. The wee one is 14 weeks and 2 days old and we are due July 21/07. We even got to see its legs running, it was wild! A future runner or skater perhaps, Eric says a future Steve Yzerman! Eric is a proud papa! Here is the picture, kind of skeleton like but beautiful none the less! We are very happy everything is A-OK!

Erin is 12 Weeks Pregnant

It's Wednesday....you know what that means..... Erin is 12 weeks pregnant. Well, at least thats what we're guessing ;)

Revised estimate: Erin's due date

Well, I sat down today and did some calculating and I think we made an error calculating Erin's due date. I think the conception date was about Oct 25th. So that makes her 12 weeks pregnant this Wednesday, not 11. Oh well, that's just my guess. We'll know more on Jan 22nd after the 1st ultrasound. (*smile*)

Update: Names!

Erin and I have updated the names list after all the feedback we've had from friends and family. Here it is... still a work in progress.

Boys Names

Jean-Marc (Eric+Erin)
Pascal (Eric)
Sebastien (Eric)
Mathis (Erin)
Jean-Paul (Erin)

Girls Names

Marie-Josée (Erin+Eric)
Marielle (Eric+Erin)
Sophie (Eric+Erin)
Julia (Erin)
Éloise (Erin)
Sophia (Erin)
Genevieve (Eric)
Aimée (Eric)
Jacqueline (Eric)

Erin's belly is getting BIGGER

This week, I went away to Cornwall for 3 days for a meeting and when I came I swear Erin's belly was bigger. She's definitely showing now. I'm going to try and get a picture soon ;-)

Officially 10 weeks

It's Wednesday: 10 weeks pregnant!

Almost 10 weeks

Hey baby bloggers
I am 10 weeks pregnant this Wed. I have my first Doctor's apt. this Tuesday at 1pm, mainly its to ask any questions, do a recce-checky and book the first ultra-sound. I am feeling great, no more queasy (it was probably as Eric said: work and getting back to the real world!). Eric and I got our first goodies off of "Free-Cycle" a diaper genie, bath toys, bath tub, jolly jumper infant holder, books and some pregnant magazines. Tiff also gave me some mags and both Tiffany and Siobhan got me maternity shirts and Sio gave me a ton of clothes, thanks!

New name suggestion

We met this nice girl from Malaysia on our trip to Italy. Her name was Alianna. Erin likes that name. What do others thinks?

9 weeks pregnant

Yup...it's Wednesday today. Erin is 9 weeks pregnant! Doing well. Almost no morning sickness. She felt kinda 'queezy' Tuesday but she thinks that might be from having to go back to work after our vacation. HAHA!

Pregnant in Italia!

It's Wednesday today and we've got our hands on an Internet computer.... so you know what that means.... Erin is 8 weeks pregnant today. YEAH! She feels great and the baby is learning new Italian words like 'Buon Natale' for Merry Christmas and 'holy shitto' for 'holy shit' as Erin drives down mountain sides with our Nissan Micra Cabriolet. FUN!

Six Weeks Pregnant!

Erin is now approximately 6 weeks pregnant!

Emotional Meltdown

Yesterday I had my first emotional moment, likely due to hormones..... I came home from a bad day at work and poor "Daddy" had to hear it!! I am ready for vacation and Eric will be doubly ready for a break. Aunt Julie and Uncle Ken are being extremely generous by moving into our house to watch our farm load of animals, THANK YOU JULES!!!

Getting ready to travel!

Saturday December 16/06 the Tremblay baby will enjoy their first vacation... to Italy! Eric and I leave this Sat. to enjoy two whole weeks of vacation! We can't wait :)
We'll take lots of photo's and eat lots of yummy italian treats. I hope I don't have to much morning sickness. My sister-in-law Jennifer told me to pack Ginger snaps, I guess ginger is a natural anti-nausea.
Ciao Bella's - Erin

Names!

Erin and I are building lists of names for the new baby. Hopefully we will be revising these lists every so often but here's the first draft (*smile*)

Boys Names

François (Eric)
Jean-Marc (Eric+Erin)
Sebastien (Eric)
Mathis (Erin)
Ethan (Erin)
Mikel (Erin)
Jean-Paul (Erin)

Girls Names

Éloise (Erin)
Marie-Josée (Erin+Eric)
Julia (Erin)
Marielle (Erin+Eric)
Chloe (Erin)
Sophia (Erin)
Genevieve (Eric)
Annik (Eric)
Aimée (Eric)
Jacqueline (Eric)
Sophie (Eric)

Do you have any suggestions for names? Leave comments below.

Five Weeks Pregnant!

Erin is now approximately 5 weeks pregnant!

Day 2 of Nausea

HI
This is my first Mommy posting. Day 2 of nausea setting in was a bit better, no regurgitation "accross the nation". I have learned a few things from other mom's who basically say keep down what you can and avoid stong smells (pretty or not). I just hope Eric and I's honeymoon is not plagued by sickness! Even if it is, its all worth it!!! I am 5 weeks pregnant today! Ya Hoo

In the beginning...

Erin is about 5 weeks pregnant. It's the beginning. So I'm going to write this blog to describe the pregnancy -- the fun, and sometime the frustration, we're having with this wonderful process. To kick it off today was Erin's first day that she was unable to go to work due to morning sickness. I'm sure she wouldn't be embarassed if I told you she had to pull the car over this morning at 7:30am to throw up. It's the first real day of morning sickness for her. Let's hope it's the last (*grin*) Stay tuned for more updates as they become available!

Note: This blog isn't publicized yet so very few people know about it. Once the first trimester is completed, we'll spread the word a bit more. So for now.... if you've found this blog... shhhh ... keep it a secret.