Our Photo Albums
So, Charlie definitely likes playing with gadgets. Like digital cameras. So Charlie took a lot of pictures during our trip. Here's our trip as Charlie saw it.
Berlin was hard to leave - three weeks was barely enough time to take it all in. Even so, we were also looking forward to a week and a half of German hospitality, and the opportunity to introduce Charlie and Emery to many family members and old friends of Anita's family - many of which we hadn't seen since our honeymoon. Our itinerary took us first northwest, to Lubeck to visit Anita's second cousin Dorte and her family; then we headed south to Hamburg to visit Anita's cousin Cornelia and aunt Baerbel; then to a suburb of Hamburg, Buxtehude, to visit friends of Anita's father, the Borns; then south to the Harz mountains to visit both old family friends the Stolles in Barbis, and Anita's First Cousin once removed Hanna Kalwass and her husband Hans-Georg in Braunlage; finally we took the train further southwest to Frankfurt for a night in an airport hotel and the flight home.
On the afternoon of August 28th, with several little pieces of our hearts left behind in Gothenburg, we landed at Tegel - the Berlin airport built in less than 3 months during the Berlin Airlift. For the next three weeks we would inhabit a 3rd floor walk-up in the district of Mitte, not far from Charlie's favorite Berlin landmark - the Fernsehturm - breathing the famous 'Berliner Luft', wandering through the streets, frequenting the museums and the playgrounds, and eating Currywursts by the, uh, ones...
We covered a lot of ground but we left many things unseen and unexperienced. There is no shortage of lively things to do in Berlin. We look forward to going again.
On August 17, 2009, the ZeeGees stepped on board a LuftHansa jetliner and bid farewell to Vancouver for 6 weeks. After a sleepless overnight journey, a harried dash through Frankfurt airport, a connecting flight to Sweden and the best ham bun Anita or Randy had ever tasted, we arrived in Gothenburg for the first leg of our journey: ten blissful days visiting with Anita's Rotary Club host parents from 1992 - Michael and Ylva Eckerstein.
A pretty uneventful summer for the Zeegees. Let's see, what did we do again?... We enjoyed our first summer as a family of four... And then what? Oh yeah, we moved into our first family home. And then a month later we did something, right? What was it. I remember - we went on a six week trip to Sweden and Germany. Almost seems not worth a gallery. But since the demand is there, we might as well put one up.
Spring brought big changes to the ZeeGee household. After 3 years of making life with young children work in our 2 bedroom apartment, we finally realized we needed more space. So we bought a house - something we weren't sure we'd ever be able to do in the crazy Vancouver market. We move in mid-July. Charlie also turned 3, and continues to develop all kinds of interesting personality traits, as I suspect is common with kids his age. And of course, Emery turned 1/2 as well - his defining characteristic seems to be his huge and seemingly constant smile, which always seems to make the room brighter.
Life as a family of four is great... But tiring. With two such sweethearts as Emery and Charlie though, who can complain. Emery spent the winter growing. A lot. Despite Charlie having a pound and a half on him at birth, Emery now likely weighs more than he did at the same age. And Charlie was no small baby either. Speaking of Charlie, he continues to freak us out by doing things like basic adding and reading street signs, but we're getting used to that now.
After our White Christmas, we proceeded to Charlie and Emery's first ever White New Years Eve. Charlie's godparents Justin and Veda invited everyone over to their place for a backyard New Years Eve 'pre-party.' Bryn, who lives upstairs from them and is a baker, made fresh bread in his handbuilt wood burning oven. As you can imagine, it really doesn't get better than that. And then we charged on into the new year of 2009. Our first full year as a family of four.
Yes - Christmas 2008 was the first white Christmas of Charlie and Emery's young lives. They sure got that milestone out of the way early - especially Emery. Cars were pushed out of embankments, snowmen were built, and most of it went undocumented. We lost our camera a few days before Christmas - only to find it a few days after Christmas. What follows is a partial reconstruction of Christmas 2008 from the sources we were able to cobble together.
Well, as you already know, this was a pretty eventful Autumn for the Zee-Gees. Here's what was happening when we weren't busy having another baby.
Not nearly as epic a tale as Charlie's Birth Story, but well worth the time regardless - read on...
Okay not even two days have gone by and we're already getting asked when our Hallowe'en gallery's going up. Here it is...
As the days grow shorter, wetter and colder, let us pause for a moment to look back to the not too distant past - summer!
Now give me my piece of cake!
Wherein Charlie turns two and breaks his leg, and mommy's tummy starts to grow again. I think that's all that happened this spring.
Have you noticed that the gallery naming has gotten less creative? More formulaic? Yes. Charlie is a toddler. We are tired. Be happy we're even bothering to still maintain this website... Oh yeah - this is what we did this winter.
And so, as it must come to all families, Christmas came to the Zeegees. And lo they did rejoice (if by rejoice, you mean eat) and there was much merriment and jollity, and Charlie stayed up past his bedtime several times too many...
Just a quick catch-up before we get into documenting the Christmas season. What did Charlie do this fall? Click on and find out.
Charlie's summer began with a dog day - literally. Mama took him to "doggy day" at her work. It continued through numerous excursions, weddings, the birth of his first cousin all the way up to Dada's first strike. Bittersweet, perhaps, but as long as we've got each other, life is always great.
Charlie's second spring brought with it a flowering of abilities: walkin', talkin', rockin', rollin'. It all happened when the trees were in bloom and the sky was falling on our heads.
One full revolution around the sun.
We marked it with a family gathering at the Gatleys on April 8. And Charlie celebrated at daycare with shepherd's pie and a birthday carrot muffin.
What has 2007 brought us so far? A new-years eve trip to the Caravan Farm Theatre near Armstrong, BC; perambulations around Toronto; and a snowshoeing trip, but you'll find little of that in here - we've been lazy with the camera lately.
November to December: The air got cold. Record snowfalls. Trips to Portland, family visits, Fleetwood Mac. It's all in here.
Some of Charlie's pre-natal class buddies and their moms got together to celebrate the holiday season and to catch up on life. The babies are roughly 8 - 9 months old now. This means movement, exploration, food, and lots of babbling. It also means moms starting to return to work and make arrangements for child care. Most of all, it means continued awe and wonder at how these little ones are growing and developing.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief. - Robert Frost
Charlie breezed through October on his way to November, with energy in his legs and a smile on his lips. Days were full; mornings began with a Jolly Jump and an Exersauce routine, followed by some cereal before heading down, exhausted, to his morning nap. Mondays are Babytime at the Library; Tuesdays and Thursdays are swimming at Eileen Dailly Pool in Burnaby (Starfish, Level 1); Wednesdays is outdoor fitness with mom at Trout Lake and playtime with Rosi over in Dunbar; and Fridays we make up as we go. Time is structured in chunks not defined by the clock. This feels right.
Charlie hit the 6 month mark on October 12. On the weekend we had a half birthday party for him at Justin and Veda's place - mostly because Randy couldn't resist having a cake with a fraction on it. Highlights included a game of 'Pin the Tail on the Charlie,' many Charlie cocktails (brandy, vermouth and bitters), and a 1/2 carrot cake.
There may be some of you out there who think it's rather indulgent to have a website with nothing but pictures of our baby. And we accept your point of view. This gallery, therefore, is strictly off-limits for you. You would just be apalled at how many snaps we've taken of our little Charlie in his natural habitat. These photos were taken between July and September and display a range of developmental stages. Mostly, you'll see that he's an inquisitive and good-natured guy.
Charlie is so lucky to have his Opa in his life. In honour of Opa's 65th birthday on September 19, here is a gallery dedicated to Opa and Enkel.
Charlie is fortunate to have a large cohort of baby friends. It seems there is a baby boom happening. This allows for much sharing of baby information and baby clothes. Here are but some of his peers.
Charlie kept up his busy social calendar well past the Labour Day weekend. Unfortunately his Executive Assistant did not have the camera at every event, so apologies for any good times not documented. In this Gallery, you will find highlights of his visits with friends and family, including the much-anticipated first meeting with Opa, Cecilia and the girls.
The hijinks continue. On Friday we celebrated Veda's birthday with a Sports Day. The events ranged from the traditional (three-legged race) to the surreal (a crying contest).
For one week this August we decamped to Savary Island with Charlie's entourage (AKA, a bunch of our friends). Here's what happened.
We know you're dying to see more of Charlie and we aim to please. Those of you who have met him in person know that he is a wonderful character. We hope that those of you afar will enjoy this latest gallery and we look forward to adding pictures of you with Charlie in upcoming galleries (call now to make your appointment!). These pictures were taken between June 19 and July 25.
For a guy who can't even crawl, Charlie really gets around. The opera, the Governor-General's Awards, numerous debutante balls. But he hasn't lost the common touch. Here he is partying with friends, dining with family, and just hanging around at home in his bathrobe.
Well, as threatened in the previous gallery, it's time for another Friends and Family gallery. Charlie's just such a popular guy.
The ZeeGees are darn lucky to have great family and great friends to support them through this wild and crazy learning experience that is familyhood. Unfortunately we don't have pictures of everyone (in particular our German family and friends), so keep your eyes peeled for more additions to the gallery, or perhaps a sequel gallery...
The story of how we got to 4:06 AM, Wednesday, April 12. And beyond...
Was there a life before baby? It's so hard to remember now, but apparently there was. Here are a few highlights...