It’s Christmas time!

Well hello again all!

I thought this would be a good time to write to everyone just as the holiday season is getting under way. We are 5 days away from Hadrian’s first Christmas! We’re excited to celebrate the holidays and see how the little guy reacts to all the festivities. Unfortunately he has got himself a little cold earlier this week, but he seems to be doing better now. Although not before getting his mama sick first and dad’s feeling a little under the weather now too! But hopefully we’ll all be feeling much better by Christmas day (or eve actually, because that is when we are having a little party!)

I finally gave in (a few weeks back) and let Hadrian get his first haircut. Well it’s actually more like a crooked trim, but at least his hair is no longer in his eyes! He’s still showing lots of interest in toys and is very responsive when we talk and play with him. I think he definitely recognizes us by now and he knows his name too because whenever we call him by name he looks right at us. It’s especially nice to see how he reacts when daddy comes home from work. As soon as I walk in the door and look at him, a big smile comes across his face and he giggles. Even when I walk away to do something else, he looks for me and follows me around with his eyes. It feels great to know that just by looking at your child you can make them so happy!

Just last weekend we left Hadrian for an evening for the first time. It was for my company Christmas party and he spent the evening with Grandma and Grandpa To. They said he was pretty well behaved, but did have his moments of fussiness. Apparently the only one who could calm him down was Debby’s sister, Jessy, because they think that she reminded him of his mama! Well, we’re glad to have all the future baby sitters we can!

His sleep has been getting a bit better, but now that he’s sick he’s waking up more often and is a little more grumpy at times. It definitely hasn’t affected his chattiness though, he love to talk to himself and chatter away for hours! I wish I had a universal translator to find out what he’s saying; he’s probably been debating our current economic situation or else working on his latest masterpiece!!!

Anyway, Debby and I are doing well, trying to get over our respective colds, and life with baby is still great, if not a little draining when you’re not feeling 100%. We hope everybody has a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! Wow, 2009… Weren’t we supposed to have flying cars and transporter devices by now? Well enjoy the holidays and here are a few pics of baby Hadrian that might help brighten your day!











Danny, Debby and Hadrian.

Four months +

Hello, hello!

Well our beloved-baby-boy (try saying that 3 times fast) is over 4 months old now and life with him is great! He now weighs 16 lbs, he's 66.5 cm tall, and his hair is at least 6 ft long! That seams to be the feature that everyone asks about. We’ve heard on more than one occasion that he has the most hair anyone has ever seen on a baby!!! In fact, we often get comments about how cute our little girl is, and I have to frustratingly explain that he is a BOY! I mean come on, I know Hadrian is a very handsome, attractive, good-looking boy, but as a girl he wouldn’t exactly be the cutest! People sometimes wonder where he got all his hair from; well I think it’s obvious that it comes from me!! (That’s why he has it all and I have none left!) Debby thinks it’s time for him to get a hair cut, or at least a trim, but I love his stylish hair as it is!

He is very active now and is starting to show interest in toys. He especially likes to grab hair within arms reach when you’re holding him, as Debby can sorely attest to! He still loves being the center of attention, but gets quite cranky when you put him down and don’t pay attention to him! He smiles all the time now and likes to laughs, especially when Daddy throws him up in the air, to which Mama inevitably objects!

It’s a little more difficult now to take him out. He used to just sleep the entire time, whereas now he wants to be held and entertained. We just went on our first family trip a few weeks ago, down to Oregon for 4 days in a small town called Silverton. That was an interesting trip, 8 hours driving with the little guy in the car. He was actually pretty good on the way there, sleeping most of the time. On the way back though was a different story! There were a couple of times where he nearly lost his voice screaming so hard!! Actually, there was a funny occurrence when approaching the board crossing to enter back into Canada. Now, the personal exemption is $400 when staying over 24 hours in the US, along with up to 2 bottles of wine per person. Therefore, since Hadrian is obviously a ‘person’, we thought we were entitled to 6 bottles of wine! So when the boarder guard asked if we had any alcohol or tobacco, I promptly replied that yes we had brought 6 bottles of wines. To this he stepped back, peaked into the back seat, and asked if that was an infant sitting back there, to which I answered yes. He thus went on to state that one must be of legal age in order to count towards the alcohol exemption. Now this put us in a bit of a bind, however, as luck would have it Hadrian decided that this was a good time to exercise his vocal capacity by screaming at the top of his lungs! The boarder guard turned, looked at me and said, “have a nice day”!!! This was one instance where having a screaming baby was a good thing!

Our new challenge now is getting him to sleep a full night. He still tends to wake up every few hours throughout the night. At first we thought it was because he was hungry, but we’ve recently been finding out that it’s more for comfort. We have placed him in his own room now, which wasn’t too bad a transition, and he is sleeping a bit longer. The toughest is actually trying to get him to go to sleep when he’s still awake. He used to fall asleep while feeding and then we’d put him in bed, but now we’re trying to allow him to fall asleep on his own. To say it’s challenging is not the least! He’s starting to be aware now of us trying to put him down and he seems to be knowingly defiant! He’ll just scream and cry until we pick him up and hold him, and this will go on for up to an hour until he’s tired himself out! Anyway, we’re being strong and things are starting to improve!

OK, well Debby and I are doing very well and we’re so happy to be experiencing all these great moments with little Hadrian. I hope that we’re able to bring a little piece of these experiences to you through our updates here and that you enjoy being a part of our son’s life! Four months have already past and time seems to be flying, so preserving those memories are all the more important. Having said that, here are a few more recent photos of baby Hadrian for you to enjoy!












Danny, Debby and Hadrian.

P.S. Don’t worry, no history lesson here this time!!!

Two & a half months…

Hey all!

It’s been almost 11 weeks now since our little boy joined our happy family and things are going very well. Hadrian is now close to 14 lbs and about 60 cm long. He’s been very alert lately and likes very much to be entertained. Fortunately, he also likes being around people and isn’t scared to be held by others; he just loves the attention! He’s smiling a lot now and laughs when we talk or play with him. He’s still quite good when we go out too. Just this week he went to his first sign-along! He really seemed to enjoy the songs and gestures. We’re thinking of bringing him to the swimming pool soon, hopefully he has his father’s genes for the water!

We recently received our professional photos of little Hadrian that were taken back when he was only 2 weeks old. I’ve included a few here for your enjoyment!

Debby is still doing very well, and her and baby are well into a routine now. We recently introduced a pacifier to him, which he takes with mixed results. It’s actually quite funny some times; he hasn’t really figured out how to suck on it and kind of chews it instead! We also started giving him a bottle as of late. So far, he’s not liking it too much. He usually fusses for a while until he settles down and finally starts to drink from it. On two occasions now I’ve stayed home alone with the baby while Debby went out for a bit. The first time she left us alone together he started crying about 2 minutes after she left the house and he went on for almost an hour until he finally settled down and went to sleep! The second time started off similarly. I decided to try to give him a bottle in case he was hungry and that seemed to tick him off even more! I swear, he can smell the milk from his mom and he instantly knows when his food source isn’t around!!! Anyway, he’s slowly getting used to the idea of taking the bottle, which is good because eventually we’d like to be able to go out and leave him with the grandparents!

My good buddy Dan (a.k.a. Galazzo, a.k.a. Big G) visited us a couple of weekends ago and we had a great time reminiscing about our lost youth! These are things we do now that we have kids and are getting older!!!

OK, I thought this would be a good time tell you about some interesting facts concerning the day our little Hadrian was born. On July 20th:

1871 – British Columbia joined the Canadian confederation.
1903 – The Ford Motor Company shipped its first car.
1969 – Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon followed right behind by Buzz Aldrin, after Apollo 11 successfully became the first manned mission to land on the moon.
1976 – The Viking 1 lander successfully landed on Mars. It was the first attempt by the Americans to land an unmanned spacecraft on the red planet.
1976 – Hank Aaron hit his 755th and final career home run. After breaking Babe Ruth’s 39-year-old record, his own career home record would stand for another 33 years until Barry Bonds surpassed it in 2007.

Well, hope you enjoyed those fun facts! For those of you who would like a little more interesting trivia regarding July 20th, stay tuned for my special note at the end. So baby and family are doing well and we’re all very happy (and yes, still sleepy too!) Here are a few more recent photos of Hadrian for you to enjoy!

Danny, Debby and Hadrian.

P.S. Here below is that special note I mentioned. Read on!

Since you can all remember my story about the origins of Hadrian’s name, you know that I’m somewhat of an ancient history enthusiast. Well, in keeping with that topic, there is some interesting facts about the day on which Hadrian was born.

According to most commonly recognized sources, on July 20, 356 BC, a Macedonian Greek, son of King Philip II was born. The boy was named Alexander III of Macedon, but is better know as Alexander the Great. On the night of his birth, a Greek named Herostratus infamously burnt down the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is said that Artemis, the goddess of childbirth, was too busy attending the birth of Alexander to save her temple. Alexander the Great is considered one of the most successful military leaders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle. During his reign, he had conquered most of the then known world.

Before imparting my next historical tidbit to you, I must first give you some background information. According to the ancient Egyptians, their year began the day that the brilliant star Sirius, know to them as Sothis, could be seen on the eastern horizon before the rising of the sun. This day corresponds to July 20th in our calendar. Due to a series of complexities in the ancient Egyptian calendar, the coincidence of this “New Year's Day” and the rising of Sothis occurred only once every 1460 years. This period is known as the Sothic cycle. Thanks to the writings of Roman historian Censorinus, we know that the ancient Egyptian New Year's Day and the rising of Sothis coincided in the year 139 AD. OK, so how is this relevant, other than the fact that July 20th was the ancient Egyptians’ New Year’s Day? Well, based on this Sothic cycle, July 20, 1262 BC was suggested as the embarkation date of Jason and Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece. Jason is considered one of the oldest and most important figures in ancient Greek mythology and the quest of the Argonauts is know throughout the world.

Finally, on July 20th, 2007, the following was reported. Archaeologists had partially dug up a 2nd-century bath complex believed to be part of the vast, luxurious residence of a wealthy Roman. The complex is believed to be part of a multiple-story villa that belonged to a man called Quintus Servilius Pudens who was friends with Emperor Hadrian. I thought this was an interesting coincidence seeing as our Hadrian was partly named in honor of the Roman Emperor!

Hadrian’s first weeks

Hello once again!

Well it’s been over 6 weeks now and all is going well with us and the little one. Or maybe I should say not-so-little one anymore! After dropping almost 10% of his body weight in the first few days after birth, Hadrian has been putting weight on very quickly. He’s been averaging about 1 lb a week and has now reached 12 lbs! Not bad for a 6-week old!! And it’s all muscle on top of that, just like his dad!!! Just kidding, but he is still relatively lean, not a very chubby baby. It’s amazing how much they change in such a short amount of time. He’s much more attentive now and will smile and laugh when we play with him. Only a few weeks ago his smiles were simply the result of gas (or perhaps happy dreams)! He’s also starting to require more attention now too. He doesn’t like to be left alone and really enjoys being in a noisy environment around lots of people. He’s been very good going out and usually sleeps most of the time when we take him places. And he also seams to get along with just about everyone he’s seen, no enemies so far!!!

My parents and brother we’re in town last week and a half to visit the baby for the first time. That was a really nice experience. Now my parents have a grandson to go along with they’re granddaughter, little Eva, who just turned one year old! They were also here for Hadrian’s one-month celebration, a Chinese custom when the parents show the baby to the outside world for the first time. We had a lovely dinner with our families and Hadrian enjoyed the experience tremendously, sleeping through just about the entire event!!!

So now it’s back to just the three of us and we’re starting to develop a bit of a routine. Debby is doing very well and has been enjoying her time off with the baby. The whole experience so far has given me a new appreciation for the amount of work a baby requires though. You could virtually spend your entire day just tending to the baby; making sure he’s being fed, and changed, and entertained, and put to sleep, and fed, and changed, and entertained, and put to sleep, and… well you get the picture! They require a lot of attention, and Hadrian has actually been a pretty good baby, he fusses some times but generally doesn’t cry too much (let’s keep our fingers crossed that doesn’t change!) So to all the moms out there, I now have a new found respect for what you did for us! Actually, now a days we have it easy in comparison. According to Debby’s grandmother, she had to take a bus to the hospital while in labor, deliver her baby by herself, take a bus back home with the new baby, and stop to pick up a bag of rice on the way! So I think it’s great in our time today that the men are so involved in the care taking and raising of their children.

So, life with the baby is good and we’re all very happy (if not a little sleepy!) And now, here are some recent photos of little Hadrian for your pleasure! We hope you’ve enjoyed being a part of this new experience with us and we’ll try to keep you updated on our new adventures as they unfold!











Papa Danny, mama Debby, and baby Hadrian!

Introducing…

It’s a boy!!!

We would like to welcome to the world our little bundle of joy, Hadrian Radway Hall. Born on July 20th, 2008 at 11:24 pm, weighing in at 7 lbs, 9 oz, and measuring 52.5 cm long. Why the name Hadrian? Keep reading and you’ll find out!

It all started on Tuesday, July 15th when Debby started having pre-labor contractions that would come periodically every 20 to 30 minutes or so until about mid-day on Wednesday, July 16th, when they suddenly stopped. After that she was contraction free until Saturday, July 19th when they started again at about 8 pm. They gradually continued to come closer together and intensify until we decided to go to the hospital at about 1 am Sunday morning. It was a difficult labor; after nearly 28 hours Debby ended up having to have a C-section. It was the last thing we wanted, but both baby and mom are safe and healthy and that’s what is most important. Debby was simply amazing. She initially went more than 14 hours without any pain medication or medical interventions. At that point the doctors had recommended she have an epidural in order to help the labor progress, since she was stuck at around 5 cm dilation and not moving ahead. After the epidural she continued to dilate until she was over 9 cm, but that last little bit would not move. When several hours passed with no further progression, the doctors finally recommended the C-section. It was just not going to happen naturally and instead of putting the baby or Debby at risk we decided to do it. Of course, it was a very frightening situation for Debby and me, having never once thought that we would have to face this situation, but again Debby was incredible. The strength and focus she showed throughout the entire labor was nothing short of remarkable.

So in the end, a beautiful baby boy was born! He’s been a very good baby so far, some crying and sleepless nights of course, but in general he is very well behaved. And he definitely is a strong boy! He’s got very good neck control and has very strong arms and legs! Of course he being his father’s son he had to be a kid of undeniable vigor!!! And Debby has also shown us her strength throughout everything and has been recovering extremely well. Only a day after her surgery, she was already out of bed and walking around. By the time we left the hospital she was moving as if she had never had a baby! Needless to say, she has immensely impressed me and I consider myself the luckiest man alive to have her for a wife. Ok, ok, enough of the mushy stuff!!!

Now on to the good stuff, the part you’ve all been waiting for, the first photos of our little Hadrian! The first pic is of Debby only 1 day before delivering and the next pics are of us and the baby. Please enjoy!

Well, that's all for now. We’ll try to update this blog periodically to keep everyone informed on how our little guy is doing. Talk to you soon!

Danny, Debby & Hadrian.

P.S. Now it’s time to find out about our baby’s name.

Why Hadrian you might ask? Well there’s an interesting bit of history behind his name. From 117 to 138 AD, Hadrian was Emperor of the Roman Empire and as one of his most renowned accomplishments he ordered the construction of “Hadrian’s Wall” in the Roman province of Britannia (modern day Britain). The wall completely isolated the northern part of England, dividing the isle in half. So how does this have anything to do with us? Well, aside from having an interest in ancient history, it ties together two parts of my family very nicely. My mother, Maria Colangelo, being Italian, one can argue is descended from the Roman Empire, whereas my father, John Hall, is mostly of English and Scottish descent. Thus, naming our son after a Roman who’s greatest accomplishment was in England seems quite fitting!

Why Radway you may also ask? Well this one is simple, both my father and my father’s father (my grandfather) have the middle name Radway. This was carried down from my father’s father’s mother’s mother’s maiden name (I know that’s a lot of ‘father’s’ and ‘mother’s’, but in simpler terms it was my great-great-grandmother’s maiden name!). She was of the family which created the famous “Radway’s Ready Relief” home remedy, circa 1860’s.

And what about his Chinese heritage? Don’t worry, he also has a Chinese name that Debby’s father came up with, although I don’t think I could spell it out for you!!! It basically combines my last name with Debby’s last name and the baby’s name. The meaning behind the characters are of River (or water element) with Wood & Soil (earth element) and a Ray of Sun, and it symbolizes growth.

Well there you have it, the origins of baby Hadrian’s moniker!!!

Final stretch

Hello again everyone!

Well, we’re almost to the end now. Only one more month to go and our little bundle of joy will be here! The weather is finally getting nicer and it’s actually beginning to feel like summer!

It was a sad time for us this last couple of weeks as my grandfather passed away. It is difficult but we know that he is in a better place now and looking down at us with all his warmth and love. We will miss him very much and never forget all the good times we had together. We’ll be sure to let our little boy know how special his great-grandfather was.

Well we finally got the baby room nearly all set up. The crib is assembled and the furniture has been re-arranged so that everything fits now! The baby clothes are all washed and put away. We’re stocked up on diapers and baby products. Only a few minor things still need to be completed. It’s a bit of a relief, because getting everything ready for the baby has been quite stressful! So Debby is now in her 8th month, with less than 5 weeks until her due date. Of course, that only means that the baby could be joining us at any time now, as it is rare for babies to be born right on their expected due date. Overall Debby’s doing well, she still has some back pain at times and feels as if she’s getting bigger every day, but that’s all part of the experience (or so I’m told, because being a guy I really have no idea!!!) I try to comfort her and help out as much as possible, and remind her to take it easy and rest often too. The little guy is moving and kicking quite often still, I guess he can’t wait to meet his new parents!

That's it for this update, but be sure to stay tuned because our next one could be the one we’ve all been waiting for! Again we've included a photo of Debby, now in her 8th month (looking big and beautiful!) We’ll be sure to let you all know as soon as the baby arrives!

Danny & Debby.

8 weeks to go!

Hi all!

It’s update time again! Well it’s the end of May and the weather is getting better (except for the rain!) Here’s what’s been going on in the lives of your favorite Vancouverites over the past month! Debby’s in her 7th month of pregnancy now, that’s over 32 weeks, and is still doing very well. Her belly is the size of a small mountain but that hasn’t stopped her from eating!!! (Just kidding!) She has had some back pains, but I’m sure that’s normal for this stage of pregnancy. I, of course, am doing everything possible to ease her discomfort. Instead of cooking once a week, I’ve now upped it to two times!!! The birthing classes we’ve been going to have been interesting. Last class we watched a video birth and Debby almost passed out! It really is quite exciting though and we’re very anxious to meet our little guy. He’s kicking very regularly now and I can feel it quite strongly, I could even hear his little heart beat when listening closely to Debby’s belly!

We were down in Seattle for a few days last week. It was really nice to escape and relax a bit before the last few hectic weeks begin. We picked up not one, not two, but three stroller when we were there!! OK one of them was free, but it still counts! We also got a few other last minute items. It’s crazy how much cheaper baby stuff is in the Unite States versus here in Canada. It’s actually kind of frustrating because often times the exact same item (same manufacturer, name, color, etc.) is 30-50% cheaper in there! We also bought our crib and change table too, so all that remains is to assemble everything and rearrange our computer/baby room! That’s easier said than done though, with the limited space we have in our place I’ve had to “design” the room’s layout using AutoCAD just to ensure than everything will fit!!!

That's all we have right now. We've included a photo of Debby at about 7 months pregnant. Keep checkin’ in and I promise to update you all again soon!

Danny & Debby.

Month 6

Hey everybody!

Time once more for an update! It’s been over a month since our last one, so here’s what we’ve been up to. Debby is now in her 6th month and doing very well. She’s showing more and more every day now, which is very exciting, and glowing too of course as pregnant women tend to do!!! Only 3 more months to go now, so we’re really starting the feel the time creeping up on us! We still feel like we have so much to do before the little one arrives, but we’re getting there one step at a time.

For those of you who didn’t know, we were back in Montreal from March 29th to April 7th and had a great time there. We were there to celebrate our niece Eva’s baptism, Laura’s birthday, and a special surprise baby shower for Debby. It was so nice to see everybody again and we’re very grateful to everyone for all your wonderful gifts! We ended up returning to Vancouver with twice as much luggage as when we arrived! We miss everyone in Montreal very much, but now that we’re having a baby it means that all of you will have to come to Vancouver and visit us! The same goes for all of you in other parts of Canada and the world! So now that we have all this baby stuff (clothing, toys, etc, etc…) our place is starting to feel rather small. We still haven’t bought the baby’s crib yet and we’re running out of room! Anyway, that’s life in Vancouver, we’ll make due with the room we have (at least for the first one, but once a second baby is on the way it’ll be time to move!)

We started our prenatal classes this week and it was quite interesting. It’s nice to meet with other couples who are also having their first child around the same time as us. The little guy is moving a lot now! Debby feels him quite regularly and I can even feel his little punches and kicks. He’s gonna be a little kung fu master from the feel of it! Or maybe a basketball star… I guess now I can start to dream about him becoming all the things that I wanted to be growing up!!!

Well that's it for now. We've included a photo of Debby at approximately 6th months pregnant. Be sure to check in again regularly for our next update, we'll post again soon!




*Quick side note: Go Habs go, all the way to the cup!!! And also, lets go Raptors!!!

Danny & Debby.

P.S. I’m sure most of you know about grandpa Colangelo having gone for surgery. I’d like for all of us to keep him in our heart and our thoughts. Perhaps we can all give him a little positive energy and love to help him get better soon.

It's a...

Hi everyone!

It's that time again, time for another update from your favorite Vancouverites enjoying the beautiful west coast weather!!! Debby is past the 20 week mark now, which means we're just over half way there. We can't wait to meet our new little arrival! And speaking of our little one, we finally found out if it'll be a he or a she. And the answer is... it's a BOY!!!

We're obviously very happy, but be it a boy or a girl we would love them all the same. We're just happy that the little guy is healthy and hopefully happy! Debby had her big ultrasound last week and it was amazing to see our little baby. He was moving around and actually having the hic-ups at one point! When we found out it was a boy we were surprised and happy but for some reason both Debby and I were thinking it would be a boy all along. I guess us parents have pretty good instincts! Debby's even starting to feel the little guy move now, which is very exciting. I can't wait until I can feel him kicking and moving in his mama's belly!

So that's our latest update. We've included a photo of the baby from the ultrasound at approximately 20 weeks. If you look closely you'll notice that he's sucking on his little thumb! How cute!!!

Keep checkin' in, we'll update you again soon.

Danny & Debby.

18 weeks and counting...

Hello again!

Well it has been about a month since our last update, so it's a good time to let everyone know how things have been progressing! Debby is currently in her 18th week and feeling pretty good. We've had a few visits to the doctor so far and things are looking good. The last time we were there they performed a quick ultrasound and we were able to see the baby's little fingers and toes! Next week we will be going for our detailed ultrasound and hopefully be able to determine if it's a boy or a girl! We'll keep you all posted!!!

Debby's doing very well and starting to show more and more every day. It's very exciting for us because it makes it all seems that much more "real". Of course she's still hungry all the time, but now her cravings seem to always be for cheese! Maybe it's because our baby will be born in the Year of the Rat, according to the Chinese Horoscope!!!

So that's our update for now! We've included pictures of Debby at 2 months and 4 months, respectively, for your viewing pleasure!




Stay tuned for our next update!!!

Danny & Debby.

Sharing the news!!!

Hey all!

Well for those of you who didn't know yet, Debby and I are expecting!!! This is our little experiment with 'blogging', so we'll try to keep you all posted on the progress of our pregnancy and so on.

So as this is our first entry I'll give you a little update of where we're at right now! Debby is approximately 14 weeks and 2 days today, which puts her at the beginning of her second trimester. The baby's due date is around July 20th, 2008. We're both very excited and can't wait to become parents! So far things have gone quite well for Debby, she hasn't had much nausea and has been feeling pretty good. Of course she's hungry all the time and often has cravings for chicken pizza or noodle soup, but I suppose that's quite normal!

So that's our good news and we're very glad to share it with all of you. And just for good measure, here's a photo of our little guy or gal, taken at 8 weeks and 1 day!

Well, that's all for now but we'll be sure to post another message soon.

Danny & Debby.