Not-so-objectively speaking, I think I can say that she’s earned her stripes. Here’s a little update on what she’s been up to since my last post at 6 weeks and as always, feel free to click on any of the images for a larger view:

• smiling, laughing and squealing with delight. Beyond coos and gurgles, she sometimes makes sounds resembling a squawking bird when she’s excited. And maybe it’s just by accident, but we’ve caught the occasional wink!
• still loving faces, especially her own. She smiles at “the baby” in the mirror.
• eye contact – she loves people, sees everything and spends hours taking in the colours, lights and movements in a room.
• she’s found her hands. They (and anything she gets her hands on) inevitably end up in her mouth. Not her feet or toes, but she reaches down and grabs them too!
• she’s fascinated with eating and loves to watch her mum and dad bring food from fork to mouth at mealtimes.

• rolling over – onto both sides from her back. She’s gone right over onto her tummy but seemed to freak herself out.
• chumming around with her mates. In early October, she trekked to Mount Sinai Hospital to greet her newborn cousin Jude; she’s “hosted” pals at home (sort of!) and meets new babies every time she goes to “Circle and Songs” or “Story Time”. Especially fun is seeing her hanging out with Inara and Violet – her friends from Day One at the hospital (all born within 24 hours of each other).

Stella gazing from her mum’s lap

Stella’s found her hands

Stella with her friend Emma

Another with her friend Emma

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Do you like old-world craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and clothes that just fit?! Then you’ll love Maxwell’s! Oh, and did i mention all this at an extremely reasonable price?!

Basically, i knew Maxwell’s are only ever in town for one week, twice a year so i got the specific dates via the Maxwell’s Clothiers Ltd. website and found out the next time they were in town. I then made sure to make my way over to the lower level of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel (one of their three locations while in TO, i believe the others are in the Toronto Airport and the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Markham). As you make your way down the escalator you start to hear a mad buzz of activity then as you turn to enter the room you see the tons of people all riffling through hundreds of available fabric swatches, scribbling down their choices and rushing over to get measured. I must preface this post by only concentrating on their dress shirts for that’s all i have purchased, they also do custom suits, ties as well as a full line of woman’s apparel.

So, like everyone else in there i chose my three fabrics along with collar / cuff style, presence of a pocket (or not), initials style / placement (or not) and recorded it all on my order form. I then proceeded to the fitting line where one of the Maxwell’s sales reps kindly measured me up and recorded their results. After that i placed my order. That was March 12, ’09 and the shirts arrived three months later on June 17!

The three shirts i ordered from Maxwell’s Clothiers Ltd.

Well worth the wait, let me tell you; the shirts are absolutely amazing! The fit is right on; not so tight that when you raise your arm your buttons get stressed out, but allow enough room that it still looks fitted without resembling something a women would wear. The fabric is what it is. The collar is super-stiff, i imagine to withstand the test of time and dry cleaning that comes with that. All this for $50/shirt; you wouldn’t even get a pair of cuff links at Holt’s for that price, let alone a fitted-shirt!!!

A detail of the three Maxwell’s shirts

BTW, the next time you visit Maxwell’s you don’t need to get measured, just pick your fabric and various other styles, pay and that’s it! Maxwell’s will have your previous order – plus measurements – on file from your previous visits.

Times and (Toronto) locations Maxwell’s Clothiers are in town for Fall/Winter 2010:

• Westin Bristol Place Hotel (Toronto Airport, 950 Dixon Rd.) Sept. 9, 10, 11, & 12 – (416) 675-9444
• Sheraton City Centre (Downtown, 123 Queen St. W.) Sept. 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 – (416) 361-1000
  
• Sheraton PKWY Hotel (Markham, 600 Hwy 7 E., Hwy 407 & 404) Sept. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23 – (905) 881-2121

Let me know, have you been before? Thinking of going? What’s been your Maxwell’s experience?!

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Here’s Stella roughly at her one month mark showing us what one can expect during this stage of rapid change: nice and calm one minute, bit restless the next then outright scream-fest for the remainder until she’s burped, fed or changed.   That about sums up the first four weeks!

Highlights of Stella’s first month:

• After a slight drop in weight (to 9lbs) she’s back up to her birth weight of 10.5 lbs and measures 61 cm
• She loves faces – get in close and she’ll examine yours
• Her doctor describes her as “very mature” and “focused”
• Showing early social skills and smiles at sounds of her mum’s and dad’s voices!

The rest of the pictures are pretty self explanatory.

Stella having a gander

Stella swaddled

Stella having a go with her mum

Stella in the arms of her Granda

Stella sleeping on the couch

Stella gazing before a swaddling

More to come as we grow…

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I have been thinking about trading up my 2 yr Honors Diploma i earned from Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning in ’03 for a Bachelor of Commerce Undergraduate Degree (BComm) from Athabasca University (AU) and i can say now that i have taken the first step in the process; i have officially registered in the program. After inquiring “how long it takes to for admissions to make their decision” i received “you will automatically be enrolled in the BComm program. You may go ahead and start taking courses “. On that note i believe i can safely say that i am indeed admitted into AU’s BComm program and a University student!! Wow, that feels great!

I feel if i want to further my Web Analytics career i will need to compete on this level. While browsing recent job descriptions i have noticed that having some sort of a BA/BS/BComm or equivalent degree is a common requirement whereas none that i read mention a College diploma and if they did i imagine they’d just couple it together with the hands-on/on-the-job experience bit.

During the AU application process i had the opportunity to be evaluated for transfer credits toward the degree and am still waiting on their response, although i have read on multiple discussion boards that other people in the same boat have been quite happy with the outcome. So that’s encouraging!

You figure a full 4yr AU undergrad degree is 120 credits; knock off say 1.5yrs or 45 transfer credits, that leaves 75 remaining credits (AU can only grant up to 50% total transfer credit); I could complete my 4yr degree in 2.5yrs. That’s if i do it full-time, however, i plan to go at it part-time whilst working full-time and, with my wife, raising a newborn as of August 16, ’09.

If we break it down even further, AU gives you 6 months to complete one course which is 3 credits; if i can register in a new course every 2 months, that’s 6 courses/yr or 18 credits; that divided into the 75 required credits equals roughly 4 yrs realistically to complete my degree. I have a feeling though this could be quite demanding. So i may have to equate it like so: register in a new course every 3 months, that’s 4 courses/yr or 12 credits; that divided into the 75 required credits equals 6.25 yrs to complete my degree.

On the other hand if i receive full transfer credit, or 60 required credits to begin with, that would reduce my overall completion time by 1.25 yrs resulting in 5 yrs in total to complete my degree! We’ll see i guess, i’ll have to play it by ear and assess what i can get away with.

What do you think, can one still rely on their working experience alone? Coupled (work experience plus degree) do applicants stand a greater chance for career advancement?

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Well that was something else:  after 13 hrs in labor my wife Leslie gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Stella Ma Smith!! We can’t get enough of her. Check out pics from “the first days” and see for yourself.

Little Stella literally just born laying on the heated change-table

Stella and mum sleeping shortly after delivery

Stella with her mum and dad in the delivery room

Stella – up close and personal

Little Stella swaddled up

Active little Stella

Before i end this post i must give a great big shout-out to the Medical Staff and RNs over at St. Michael’s Hospital – Labour and Delivery unit. You are all absolute angels!!! Thanks again for your outstanding care and attention.  We are so indebted to everyone who went the extra mile in bringing our little one home.

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I don’t get it?

Let me explain…

Each year on November 18 to 21 The Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) holds its signature fundraising event the Whodunit? Mystery Art Sale – an exhibition and sale of hundreds of pieces of original art donated by artists who are famous and not-yet-famous, including well-known and celebrity artists, OCAD faculty, alumni and students.

So, at Whodunit? ’07 i came across these two pieces (each 5×7) i thought were pretty cool and decided to buy them and to my surprise, wait for it… were created by contempory  Canadian artist and curator Micah Lexier! Both handwritten in pencil the top says “Mitch Robertson made this.” and the bottom “Kelly Mark made this.” who btw are also established artists in their own right! Genius!!

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So here we are at nine months and counting… Little Stella’s going to be here so soon!! We can’t wait!

• Check out the ultrasound pics if you haven’t already

Still, however, trying frantically to get the place in order to accommodate. I’m sure though it’ll all fall into place; life has a funny way of doing that at times.

We’ll know what to do, right?!

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There you have it, our little one in the making!

• Check out the pics from the second ultrasound of Tuesday, June 23.

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Our little Stella is getting very big now into the third trimester / eighth month of pregnancy  so getting an overall body length pic was out of the question, instead the RN had to narrow it down to specific areas i.e., Stella’s head and feet. Check it out! Six weeks to go!!!

The next image is a little joke played by the RN; look closely Stella’s trying to tell us something! Hehe.

• Check out the pics from the first ultrasound of Tuesday, March 17.

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I mean that is how we lost our “coats” in the first place right?! The need for warmth as we migrated across different parts of the planet, leading us further and further away from the equator?

Come on people, wise up and remember dogs already have coats. There’s no need to throw another one on there!! </endrant>