When we arrived in Winnipeg, Kevin and Melissa came to pick us up at the airport and Noah was very excited to see them. We did forget to mention to them that we had a ridiculous amount of luggage with us: Bed for baby, stroller bag, toy bag, you name it…which could not all fit in the car. So Melissa and Marj took a taxi home.

We had a great time in Winnipeg. Kevin and Melissa were fantastic hosts. Noah had a great time playing with Melissa:

We went on long walks to check out Winnipeg which we really liked. They live in Osborne village which is a very nice area with nice stores and restaurants. We went to the market at the Forks and had some great empinadas and a deep-fried Mars bar! It was very good! We also walked around the Exchange area which has great old buildings, and the french area in St Boniface which is also nice.

I know we talk a lot about food, but you should know by now that food is quite prominent in our lifestyle :-). So let me keep going. Kev and Mel made us a great meal with grilled shrimps, an awesome risotto and delicious meat. Jodene came over that night and it was great to see her. We also ate in a very good Thai place, miam miam.

One evening, we went over to their friends Pete and Lisa who have three adorable little girls. They were so cute with Noah.

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In early November, we decided, somewhat at the last minute, to go to Alberta to visit family and friends. Noah was very excited to meet some of his Uncles, Auntie and cousins he had not met yet. He met the Noels: Auntie Louise, Uncle Jacques, his Godmother Kristan and her boyfriend Craig and cousin Tracey. We spent quality with the whole family and Noah had fun playing with everyone (and creeping as fast as he could after the four cats!). As always, Uncle Jacques prepared some amazing food with roasted ham one night and deep fried turkey the other night. It was delicious!

Here he is with Auntie Louise who came to see him as soon as we landed:

He also met the rest of the Brattinga family: Uncle Pete, cousins Kyle and Kurtis. He was very happy see his Auntie Denise and his Godfather Justin and meet Justin’s girlfriend Rebecca. We spent some time in Camrose with them and had lots of fun.

Here is Noah with his Godfather:

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October was a busy month filled with visits from family and friends as well as great events like Thanksgiving and Halloween.

For Thanksgiving, Auntie Anette, Uncle Ken, and cousins Travis, Daniel and Lindsay came to visit from Vancouver. It was the first time they met Noah and everyone had a great time together. Went on long walks in the city to McGill Campus and the Jean Talon market, enjoyed our neighborhood with good coffee and good pastries and of course enjoyed good food at home.

Here is a Fall family picture at the Jean Talon market.

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After living the high life in Europe, it was time to come home. If I had to summarize:

week 1: Jet lag, Eczema madness, and two teeth!
Week 2: Catching up with our Montreal friends
Week 3: Friends visiting and starting solids…

Week 1:

So we got back from France on the Sunday night with a 6 hour jet lag. Noah decided that between midnight and 3h30 was a good time to have a party (it was morning for him after all…). The Monday, which was a holiday, he breaks out into a pretty major skin outbreak all over his body. So Tuesday morning we rush out to see the nurse, who calls in the doctor. They are not sure that it is actually eczema. They want us to see a dermatologist but there is a 6-month waiting list. After more phone calls from the doctor, they got us an appointment 20 minutes later (and it was a 20 min drive)… So we grabbed the baby and jetted there. She was also perplexed as it did not look like typical eczema. She said it could also be rare skin condition with no treatment (great!). If you remember from previous posts, we had spent a good half hour morning and night for weeks in France for Eczema treatment… She sent us to see a Pediatric dermatologist the next day (who says the Health system doesn’t work). She examined him and concluded that is a rare form of Eczema called Nummular Eczema which can be more severe. We left with two full pages worth of treatment with yet new creams, wet-dry bandages and tar baths… And that week Noah got two teeth! Factor in the jet lag and let’s just say it was a rough week! Where were our idyllic places in the South of France!?! In true Noah fashion though, he did not let a little eczema bring him down. Here he is having fun in the park:

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Noah got baptized on July 12, 2009. Auntie Denise and Cousin Justin came to visit from Alberta a few days before as Justin is Noah’s Godfather and Auntie Denise was standing in for cousin Kristan who is Noah’s Godmother. They enjoyed hanging out with Noah. We spent a day at the Jazz Festival; we all had a great time.

A lot of family and friends came for Noah to the Baptism. It was a very nice ceremony and the priest was really nice. Tata Sego read a nice passage and then on to the baptism part. We were a bit concerned because it was a baptism by immersion during which Noah was going to be dipped in water three times. We expected screaming but Noah was very happy smiling away at the priest, it was great!

After, we dressed Noah in his white toxido. It is a very special outfit as it was born by Noah’s Godfather Justin at his own baptism almost 20 years ago. All the boy cousins in the Laforce family who have been baptized were baptized in that outfit: Travis, Justin, Daniel, Kurtis, and Kyle. Denise and Justin looked very happy to be there for Noah.

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Uncle Gerry, Auntie Bernadine and cousins Laykin, Dana, and Jaycee came to visit. We met them in Ottawa to celebrate Canada Day, it was a lot of fun.

We spent the day on Parliament Hill. Noah was proudly waving the Canadian flag. He had a blast.

In Ottawa, we also went to visit our friends Curtis, Marnie, Evan and Nathan. They will come meet us in France in August. Nathan and Noah had a great time catching up.

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Hi,

Well, we usually use our blog to talk about our travelling adventures, but we have now embarked in the greatest adventure of our lives: parenthood! Our son Noah arrived 3 weeks early on March 25th 2009, weighing 5lb 13 oz and measuring 48cm. You will never guess where Roger was when Marjorie’s water broke, yep a Habs game! It has been a very exciting time, albeit tiring at times… Noah is a happy baby for the most part, of course he has his moments. He was pretty small but he has been a very good eater from the start and he is growing like a weed! For those who think “I don’t want to read about the baby, I want to see pictures” you can find plenty of pictures in our photo gallery, in the Noah Album. We may have gone overboard a little but you know how it is with first time parents!