Class of 2031

There's an old adage that says the cloth of the alma mater that touches a child's skin first shall too be that child's alma mater.

Naturally, Emmett's dad was thrilled when Emmett received a lovely University of Waterloo gift from dad's boss Alyson, a fellow Waterloo alum. Alyson said the shirt would be too big but Emmett proved that it was, in fact, too small. Emmett's mom thinks that the shirt is better off worn by a stuffed animal, and that Emmett will be better off studying at the University of Guelph.

Emmett's disappearing neck

Auntie Clare has returned for another visit. All the world's a stage, and Emmett is a prop.

Pick the namesake

People like to ask if Emmett was named after someone. "No, we just liked the name," isn't the answer those folks seem to want to hear. We're wondering if we might change our answer to, "Well yes, actually he's named after..."

Based on resemblance, who do you think Emmett should be named after?

Emmett Cullen from Twilight?
Doc Emmett Brown from Back to the Future?
or former NFL running back Emmitt Smith?

High altitude risk management

Emmett's parents drove him to Kananaskis today so he could take his first breaths of crisp, clean mountain air.

Unfortunately, they also took him for his first taste of not-so-clean mountain Sunday brunch. Mountain Sunday brunch (especially when served at a casino) has been known to cause high blood pressure, migraines, excessive toe jam, and, in rare cases, acute neonatal shrinkage.

Intro to the clan Stran

Trying though celebrity life can be, Emmett was generous enough to donate some time from his busy schedule for a family gathering. He logged some solid face time with some of his new Greats and new cousins. All seemed to approve of this little fellow. Fortunately, no fights broke out over who got to hold him. Inexplicably, no fights broke out over who got to change his diaper.

Smiling monkey

Research suggests that a two week-old baby is too young to smile a true smile. However,similar to the infinite monkey theorem, a baby randomly combining all possible facial muscle movements for an infinite period of time will almost surely organize his facial movements into a given expression, such as a smile. And if you're patient enough with the camera, you will capture that expression. For example:

Reinforcements arrive!

Emmett and his parents rose early this morning to meet Nana and Grampa at the airport.

Emmett is currently adding 30-40 grams per day to his already monstrous physique. While sporting this impressive growth rate, it will be some time before he is equipped to properly shake Grampa's hand. Best guess is sometime between 2028 and 2033.

Strange affinity for people soup

"I'm so excited for you guys when he poops up to his neck."

That's what cousin Blake expressed to us back in June, having had the experience of a year with a baby of his own. Today, cousin Blake is excited, but not how you might expect.

Today was Emmett's bath day. Mom and Dad dutifully laid out towels, washcloths, soaps, filled the kitchen sink, and plunked him in. As washing proceedings began, Emmett reached the point of maximum relaxation. And then VOOM, he soiled the bath. Mom screamed. Dad rushed in. Emmett was oblivious. Mom and Dad emptied the sink, rinsed the chunks off Emmett, wrapped him in a dry towel, washed the sink, refilled it, and started over.



And then it happened again. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

The third attempt (Mom and Dad acted quickly this time) yielded one clean child, and two traumatized parents.



Meconium was bad. This was worse. Only divine intervention will save Emmett's parents when he ups his game and finds a new way to unleash his wrath upon them.

Peeping tom squirrel stalks nursing mom

When Emmett is on sentry duty, all is quiet on the western front. When Emmett is on his lunch break, this is what happens:

But look out, squirrel. Once fully fed, Emmett puts on his game face. It's go time.

A career in the trucking industry?

Out for a walk on a beautiful autumn day, Emmett and his parents happened upon a monster truck event at Stampede Park. With tears in their eyes, Emmett's parents wondered if this might be the moment that would set the tone for the rest of his life. Would he grow up enjoying a life of adventure on the monster truck circuit?

Alas, Emmett conjured up little enthusiasm for the spectacle, and opportunity knocks but once. Poor little fellow, relegated to a life of relative obscurity in medicine, law, education, or municipal solid waste management.

Questions for a pediatrician

Dear Doctor,

We are new parents. We have never done this before. Our child is one week old and is acting strangely. At least, we think he's acting strangely. Can you answer a few questions for us?

(1) Is he supposed to periodically go cross-eyed?


(2) Should we be concerned if he appears to be too comfortable when he sleeps?


(3) Is it normal for a child to squeak (you may wish to turn up the volume on your speakers for this) when you administer his vitamin D drops?

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Mom and Dad

Two reasons to celebrate

Emmett showed little interest in the chocolate zucchini cake his dad baked today, but that didn't diminish two momentous occasions worthy of celebration: The one-week anniversary of his birth, and the triumphant return of his mom's ankles after several weeks on hiatus.

Emmett's mom's ankles on August 25 are on the left, Emmett's mom's ankles today are on the right:

Guard posted at the patio door.

As it's all his parents can do to keep up with his near-constant need for feeding, burping, diaper-changing, cuddling, etc., Emmett's dad thought it time for the kid to pitch in and help around the house. Emmett's first official chore is to defend the premises from unwanted intruders from the order Rodentia.

Hey, if you were a squirrel, and only a thin mesh of screen separated you from obliteration by a baby with a loaded water gun, wouldn't you be afraid?

A day of firsts

Today was Emmett's first exposure to serious fire fighting equipment (for you, Uncle John and cousin Allen),
...his first bouncy chair,

...and the first hint that he may grow to be a spiritual leader, perhaps the next Buddha.

Milk coma.

Also known as milk drunk, milk plastered, milk sloshed, and milk passed-out. Strange phenomenon that seems to manifest in newborn babies after they've done a few too many shots of mom's milk. I'd never heard of it, but now we see it immediately after most of Emmett's feedings. And boy, is it ever funny.













Oh yeah, today was also Auntie Clare's last day running interference for Emmett's parents (we love you, Auntie Clare!), and Emmett's first bath at home. A.J. the doula showed us how to get 'er done in the kitchen sink.

Burgertime, sushitime, anytime.

Rocky's Burger Bus, with the donation of a couple of Rocky's Specials (thanks, Jim and Kathy!), has become the official fast food sponsor of young Emmett. We'd always described Rocky's burgers as being the size of a small child's head, but now we have photographic proof.








Today was also the day when Emmett's mom fell off the sushi wagon. While being careful to temper her intake, she is nonetheless thrilled to once again include raw fish in her diet.

Emmett's first visitor

Emmett's Auntie Clare drove halfway across the province to make sure he was as cute in person as he is online.

StranMcCann Jr. settles into his home... and his new name

Emmett. After 24 hours with the little guy, the name just seemed to fit. He came home to The Hamilton on September 12 and seems to like the place. All survived the first night, although we have now bid bon voyage to our old friend, Mr. Good Night Sleep.

Speaking of which, Mom and Dad are supposed to sleep when Emmett sleeps and he's sleeping right now. Must... follow... suit...

Heir to the StranMcCann Throne

Say hello to the first genetically full-blooded StranMcCann, born September 11, 2009 at 4:52 a.m.. Now approaching 19 hours old, I guess we'd better figure out a name for the kid. What can we say? We had a girl's name all lined up, but then the infant formerly known as 'Drago' turned out to be a boy. Stay tuned...