Snow and Rainbows

Wednesday was the fourth day of Spring, although while I was in Toronto, you wouldn't have know by looking outside. As I woke up to a heavy snow storm with 20 cm laying on the ground - who expects snow in late March? As I was suffering in the snow, Nancy and Sam were enjoying rainbows from our window in downtown Vancouver.

Silly Monkey

I am in Toronto for work this week, but we didn't want anyone missing out of their weekly Sam photo. So here he is in an outfit provided by Auntie Laura, although, shortly after this photo was taken he puked-up on the shirt. Not suggesting that there is a correlation though!

Also his Canadian birth certificate arrived a few days ago, so it is official - he is certified.

Vancouver Whitecaps Arrive in the MLS

Playing in their first-ever match in Major League Soccer (MLS), Vancouver Whitecaps FC defeated Canadian arch-rivals Toronto FC 4-2 in the first-ever meeting between two Canadian MLS clubs on the pitch at Empire Field on Saturday afternoon.

Designated Player Eric Hassli endeared himself to his new fans with two goals for the Blue and White, while Vancouver native Terry Dunfield and Expansion Draft pick Atiba Harris also found the scoresheet on an historic day for the "Caps". Dwayne De Rosario and Brazilian striker Maicon Santos replied for Toronto FC, but it was not enough to ruin Vancouver's special moment on the grounds in East Vancouver.

Nancy and I watched the end of the second half on the web, but next stop is to get to see a game live, especially as Cap fever is about to start in the city. Now with their first match under their belts, Whitecaps look ahead to their first-ever away match in MLS, as they visit Eastern Conference side Philadelphia Union next Saturday.

Couldn't Agree More with Sam!

We are receiving a number of messages from friends saying that Sam looks remarkable like Nancy, especially in this photo. So I'm not sure I can take the credit for his cuteness now.

On the Map!

Ryan noticed recently that our Washington/Vancouver sign has appeared on Google Earth and immortalized for all to see. On our holiday to Washington last August, there was a welcome sign for Nancy and myself on Ross and Laura's driveway. Turns out the Google satellites were watching at the same time. Well spotted, Ryan!

The Many Faces of Sam

Sam has settled into Vancouver life very well this week and has been receiving his first visitors. Friends John and Lindsay came round on Wednesday for hugs and on Friday the Player family enjoyed an afternoon of cooing with the little man. Today he is two weeks old and we have more friends popping in to meet Sam later. Also all his initial medical worries have resolved themselves now.

This one is for you, Laura

As I know Laura is now addicted to the blog and demanding more Sam photos. I thought I better leave the dirty nappies and burping to one side to update the blog. Sam is now ten days old and settled in to our home life, he is feeding well and has regained his birth weight. The doctor is happy with Sam at his medical checkups, especially as his jaundice has reduced significantly and his bruised head has returned to normal. So far, so good and no disasters!

Sam and Nancy's Homecoming

Nancy and Sam arrived home safe and sound yesterday from the hospital. To enable this to happen I had to learn the intricacies of a child's car seat and continue my parenting learning curve. Our homecoming was also accompanied by a number of cards and flowers. The first night also went well with Sam feeding in good quantity and sleeping most of the night. Once again thank you to one and all for the messages of support and well wishes.

Sam Update - Still in Hospital

As I type, Sam and Nancy are still in the hospital and probably will be for another day. This is because of Sam's weight loss of 11% since birth, so he needs improved feeding before we can leave. Despite this, he is extremely cute with his facial expressions and his neck muscles seem to be very strong with all his head movements. But heh, what do I know being a new Dad, although the girls in my office are smitten from his photo alone, so some evidence of cuteness. These photos are from the last couple of days. Also thank you to everyone for their messages and best wishes, it has been great to read the blog and Facebook comments.

Sam's Birthday

Two's company, Three's a family. . .
Despite a snow storm in Vancouver, we are delighted to announce the birth of our baby boy:

Sam Robert Leonard Shears

Arrived: 27 Feb 2011 at 7.35am (PST) and Weighed: 7 pounds, 4 ounces
Nancy and I are proud new parents today and thank everyone for their best wishes.

Four Years Today. Wow!

Today (18th Feb) is the anniversary of our engagement. It was four years ago today that Nancy agreed to marry me and become my gorgeous wife. The setting was Hong Kong harbour and the champagne tasted fantastic.

Also Happy Birthday to my Mum today - many happy returns!

The Bun in the Oven is cooking

Nancy has officially finished work now at Futureshop and is is in the final stages of the pregnancy. The bump is nearly at 38 weeks and the due date of 2nd March is rapidly approaching. According to the last doctor's appointment the baby is currently weighing around 6.5 pounds, but still time to go.

We remain open to suggestions on baby names....

Very Funny Video

Check out this video clip.

I thought this was very funny and cute, especially with the star wars theme.

Muppets having sex!

Yesterday, Nancy, myself and Wendy went to see the stage show called Avenue Q. This was a birthday present to me and I didn't have a clue what to expect - all I knew that muppets were involved.

Turns out that Avenue Q's unique presentation requires substantially more suspesion of disbelief by audience members than normal: The cast consists of three human characters and a bunch puppet characters who interact as if human, Sesame Street-style. The puppets are animated and voiced by actor/puppeteers who are present, unconcealed, onstage, but remain "invisible" relative to the storyline.

The characters face real-world problems; they use abundant profanity in dialogue and musical lyrics; there are episodes of "full puppet nudity" (and puppet sex); and many songs and sub-plots address decidedly adult themes, such as racism, pornography, homosexuality and schadenfreude. We all really enjoyed the show but this was certainly not Sesame Street for kids.

Attached is a link to a online video for a taster Avenue Q Video

First Baby Related Post

Admittedly it is not as exciting as a Spork, but at least our first baby purchase of a stroller (aka a buggy) will keep Anthony's mind entertained for a little while. I have to say the easiest part was buying the thing, putting it together was a major mind-bending task. Thanks to Nancy and a YouTube video it is now ready to go.

Nancy is at 34 weeks and counting!

Heading Back to Work

My weeks holiday is coming to an end and I head back to work on Wednesday, however, I thought I would share some positive news which makes my role a little better in 2011. Some of you are aware at the end of 2010 Mercedes-Benz Canada and BMW Canada were dueling for the sales lead in the premium car market and for most of the last decade BMW has prevailed every year. Not anymore... MB Canada became the country’s most popular luxury car company after edging perennial leader BMW Group Canada.

Mercedes-Benz sales jumped 15.6 per cent to a record 28,065 vehicles last year from 2009 while BMW volumes climbed 10 per cent to 27,202 in the same period. So working most of my birthday contributed in some small way to this success and we gained an extra day of vacation from the company.

Only problem now is that we start all over again now!