My first Christmas

Seasons greetings, everybody. So much has happened in the last three months! 

First of all, mom and dad took me on some great walks around Belgium in the fall! 

As the days went by, I got bigger and bigger... .

... at some point, I didn't fit in my plastic bucket anymore... 

... so mommy and daddy finally bought me a real bath tub! 

Not only am I getting bigger, but my first little teeth stubs are starting to poke through. To celebrate the occasion, I have posted here a short homage to my toothless grin as it won't be around much longer... 

In October, I helped my dad celebrate his 34th birthday... 

... and he read me a bed-time story.

Shortly after, I had my first Halloween. They don't celebrate Halloween very much in Belgium, but I still dressed for the occasion. 

As fall turned to winter, things started to really cool down. 

Pretty soon, it was so cold that mom and dad bundled me up in this much-hated device. 

As you can see, it is quite appalling... 

... but it keeps me warm through the cold winter. ..

In December, Uncle Joris and Tante Lien gave birth to my new little cousin, Finn. I hope we grow up to be great friends! 

I'll even let him borrow my mom sometimes so she can be his god-mother. 

All this mothering, god-mothering, and being a good auntie is tough work, so I like to help her out with some of the household chores. 

Here I am with dad on the way to my very first Christmas Market in Antwerp! 

Our friends, Mark and Sarah, joined us for our visit! 

Here I am getting a fresh nappy and re-fueling with Sarah , as we warm up in a cozy cafe to prepare for another Christmas Market hot wine and binge-eating experience. 

I spent Christmas with my Belgian family in Eernegem. As you can see, the whole gang was there! 

A Champagne toast to wish everyone... 

... a very merry Christmas...

... and a happy new year. 

Baby travels

Daddy started my world travels off fairly low-key with an Ergo-Baby walk through the local park. 

Of course, mommy was never far away. 

With a bit more confidence, mommy and daddy strapped me into a maxi-cosi and drove me a few hours south to the Champagne region of France. 

Here I am considering the subtle cloudy appearance. A flowery bouquet with a hint of vanilla oak combined to give it a balanced nose, while the glass itself tasted a bit like my dad's knuckles. 

Mom and dad carried me about the Champagne region sites, while I charmed the pants off of every senior citizen in the province. 

Here I am recovering from wine tasting with dad in a tiny over-priced French hotel room. 

My parents got a bit more ambitious for my next trip. Here I am in my 60s cosmonaut cap giving one final cry of protest before boarding a train to my next adventure. 

I don't see what the big deal is about trans-Atlantic flights. I had great food and plenty of leg-room. After a spot of light reading, I retired for the rest of the flight. 

Before I knew it, we had arrived in Canada. 

My uncle Kevin picked us up from the airport. Here I am meeting my cousin Sam for the first time, chaperoned by our two proud mothers. Sam might be a couple of days older than me, but I'm a couple of pounds heavier. 

A little tummy-time with Sam...

Tough guys...

Here's mom and Auntie Dine doing some serious new-parent chat while Sam and I are feeling safely attached in our ultra-trendy matching Ergo-Babies. 

We also took this opportunity to visit our friends, David and Noriko, living in Vancouver. Here I am with Noriko enjoying my very first Dim Sum experience. 

After a couple of days recovering from a nine hour jet-lag, I was ready to embark on the next leg of our journey. 

A few wet nappies, some Tim-bits, and a long car-ride later, we reunited with the whole clan in Penticton, British Columbia. In the back row from left to right you can see Uncle Ryan and Cool Aunt Didi, mom and dad, Dubby, Uncle Kevin, little Sam, and Aunt Nadine. In the front row, there's Emily, Grandma, and Owen. 

In fact, the whole extended family on my grandma's side was there too. We all joined together to celebrate the life of my late great grandmother, Audrey. 

Here I am with Grandma, Dubby, and all my cousins. 

Carrying forward the Fort name to the next generation. 

I mostly hung-out in grandma's electric chair while my older cousins gathered around to entertain me... 

Nap time at grandmas...

Here's my god-mother, Aunt-Didi, holding me and Sam. 

Aunt-Didi let us stay at their gorgeous house by the lake. Ritual use of their hot-tub under the grapevine was an important part of making our stay so memorable. Here I am in mom's arms swimming between Emily and Owen. 

Still a bit jet-lagged, we had a lot of early morning fun at the Fort-Moseley guest wing... 

Eating also featured prominently on my busy vacation schedule. Here I am beside grandma's 65th birthday cake celebrating with the whole family at their ritzy Apex Ski Condo. 

On the way back to Vancouver, we stopped at Manning park to enjoy a bit of the great Canadian wilderness...

Of course, it's good to be back. While I have fond memories of Aunt Didi's Jacuzzi, there's nothing quite like a warm bath at home in my very own plastic bucket.