I am currently sitting on Air Canada, en route from Vancouver back home to Montreal, reflecting upon the incredible five days we have just had. A complete whirlwind of activities, line-ups, security checks and national pride, Jeremy and my time at the 2010 Olympics was truly an experience of a lifetime. And this flight is pretty sweet too… Ah, the joys of traveling without my 16 month old, Jasper (he stayed home in Montreal with his grandparents)! Miss the kid like crazy but it sure is nice to actually watch the movie for a change!

Packing up to leave was quite a feat in itself. Between getting Jasper organized for five days at his grandparents house with clothing, essential toys, food, and playdates set up for every morning we were going to be away, and then me trying to abide by Jeremy’s strict “only carry-on luggage” rule (how oh how do I stuff my tall black boots into this tiny Samsonite I ask you??), the frenzy began the second we woke up that day and continued for the rest of the trip. From the time we arrived in Vancouver last Thursday afternoon (the 18th), our schedule was jammed pretty tight with activities. Jeremy got very lucky with the Olympic lottery system two years ago and he was able to score quite a few tickets – mostly to hockey, rightly so as he was the one selecting the events, but also men’s curling and ski jumping up at Whistler. We were so psyched, and our national pride was brimming from the second we landed.

Upon arriving at Canada Hockey Place for the Slovakia v. Russia match-up, we realized very quickly that we might as well have been naked unless we were dressed head to toe in Canadian garb. Although Canada wasn’t even playing that night, looking out in to the stands was a sea of red, white and maple leaves and we had nothing! First order of business we decided was to hit the Hudson’s Bay the next day and load up. “Good luck with that”, we were told by a nice old man sitting in front of us, “they are all sold out of everything. You’d have better luck buying stuff at home where you came from!” Nonsense, I thought, they must be selling this stuff everywhere, this is the Olympics for crying out loud! The game was intense, edge of your seat hockey, and despite the jet-lag, we sat riveted into overtime and then the stressful shoot-out. Slovakia scored, got the upset win… very cool to see!

Being on east coast time and all, the next morning we were up, literally, at the crack of dawn, so we thought it’d be fun to head in to downtown Vancouver to check out where all the events were going on before the rest of the city had the chance to wake up. And perhaps pop into the Bay (which was set to open at 9) to get some Canada gear. Robson Square was already brimming with bodies by the time we arrived, and already we could see lines forming throughout the area, people clearly who knew what they were doing. “What are you guys lining up for?”, we ignorantly asked a group of girls way at the end of a long snaking line, three rows deep. “Zip-line”, one of them responded happily, “should only be a 3 hour wait from here!”

“Three hours??”, we cried incredulously.

“That’s nothing! Yesterday my brother waited for 7!”

As we walked away, dumbfounded that anyone could wait for ANYTHING for 7 hours in line that didn’t include a million dollar jack-pot or possibly a kiss from Brad Pitt, it dawned on us that our fellow Olympic revelers had a lot more stamina that we did, and a lot more patience.

“Maybe we should walk over to the Bay, just in case there is a wait to get in”, I said to Jeremy. It was 8:45. As we rounded the corner of Granville, our hearts sank. “Is that line-up to get in to the Bay?” I asked glumly, although I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. Flashbacks of horrible boxing day shopping popped in to my head as we found ourselves at the end of the queue that must have snaked over three blocks. And after around 5 endless minutes, we threw in the towel. Novices, I could hear the people in front of us thinking with disdain.

“Pssst!”, whispered a pan-handler as we walked away, resigned to the fact that we would have to live without our Canada hoodies. “You should go out to Oakridge Mall, no line to get in and they have the same stuff.” I felt like we were being passed top secret government intel from Deep Throat. “Thanks”, I muttered, eventhough I was sure as hell not going to drive all over Vancouver just for a stupid sweatshirt. Jeremy, meanwhile, was buzzing back to the car, tapping away on my IPhone’s Google maps trying to find the exact location of this illustrious mall. I couldn’t believe it. I can barely get the man to buy himself a new pair of shoes when his are falling apart at the seams, and all of a sudden he wants to drive a half hour away to go the Bay?? What has happened to my husband?? Olympic fever, that’s what.

The frenzy at Oakridge Mall was bad but nothing like downtown Vancouver. I had to laugh as I saw Jeremy wrestling an old lady for the two remaining Hudson’s Bay tartan Canada scarves (he was victorious!), and groaned in unison with the rest of the crowd as it was announced that the hoodies were all gone. With our scarves and the much sought-after red mittens in hand though, we left happy.

Watching the men’s curling that afternoon was awesome. Though neither of us knew the first thing about the sport going in, it was very easy to catch on (think a cross between bowling and bacci on ice), and it was so neat to watch Canada dominate so significantly over Denmark. Who knew this sport could actually be fun to watch? And I gotta say that seeing the Norwegian teams’ pants was worth the price of admission alone.

Our next few days were a whirlwind of more hockey games (Switzerland v. Norway, Finland v. Sweden) but the biggest event was finding somewhere to watch the best match-up of the week, Canada v. USA. Bars and restaurants were packed throughout downtown, stuffed to the gills with crazed fans from both countries, and we got lucky with prime seating in front of a huge screen, so big we felt we were actually there. You could hear a pin drop in Vancouver during the 2 hours that they played, and sadly we all know the results… But that just makes the gold medal game all the more exciting!

Late that night, after the Finland/Sweden game, we hit the road to head up to Whistler for the next morning’s ski jumping. The weather had been on our side all week and that day in Whistler had to be the most spectacular. Sun blazing, not a cloud in the sky, we watched excitedly as Austria set a new Olympic record for distance and basked the beauty of our surroundings. Ski jumping, it turns out, is not exactly Canada’s strongest event (we placed 12th out of 12) but it didn’t matter – it was our favourite event of the week.

Spending the day in Whistler Village was great too. The vibe and energy there was so different and much less frantic than Vancouver. Bands played open-air concerts outside with no queues that snaked kilometers long and though the village was packed with bodies it was still very easy to get around. It was great to check in again at the Hatley store, where they have launched the new Spring line and it looks fantastic. In retrospect we wish we had spent more time up at Whistler, but it was time to go home and see our boy who we have been missing incessantly.

All in all, our Olympic 2010 experience was truly a once in a lifetime event. It was so great to be here in our own country, taking in all the energy and witnessing such national pride. Really special. Too bad Jasper was too little to come along, if he were a few years older I think he would have been in heaven. As the games now wrap up, and the final showdown between the Canada/USA hockey looms on the horizon (for men’s and women’s), it’s time we all get back to real life again. I’ll have to put my maple leaf mitts away till 2014…

The devastation in Haiti is unbelievable. The indelible images on the news, the heart-breaking stories and unimaginable future for a country that has already faced such hardship and challenges is impossible to comprehend. Help is needed and every dollar counts. Hatley is donating 20% of all online sales from now until February 17th to the Canadian Red Cross to help with Haiti relief efforts. I know it is just a drop in the bucket, but it is something, and every little bit helps.

On a much lighter note, I have had more adventures in the exciting life as a new mother. After our whirlwind trip to Vancouver and Whistler, Jasper and I made our way slowly back to Montreal last week, with a 2 day stop-over in Toronto. Not exactly home, but at least we were back in the right time zone. The purpose of our layover was for Jasper to pose in the Hatley photo shoot for the Fall 2010 catalogue, quite a distinguished honour (with certainly a bit of nepotism involved!) And so begins my life as a stage mum…

This modeling session was actually Jasper’s second time in front of the camera, the first being when he posed for the Spring 2010 line (look for him in the adorable Alligator and Young Buck outfits) last summer.  Some may call him a seasoned pro at this point, the super model of babies traveling the country with his own entourage (me!) and a long list of demands. Others, however, like the poor photographer, may have a different opinion.

The shoot last summer went really smoothly. Jas was about 8 months old, and the call time was perfect, falling right after lunch and in between naps - couldn’t have been better. I find now as a mother, I cherish appointments and commitments that  fall so perfectly in between naps. The shoot was fast, the photographer managed to get the right shot instantly with each change of outfit, and Jas remained highly jolly throughout, in spite of having a shirt pulled over his head countless times (his least favourite part of getting dressed!)

Now Jasper is 15 months, and I hoped that this shoot would go just as well – and when I saw the call time was for 1 P.M., I thought that everything should be fine. Again, post lunch/pre-afternoon nap. Unfortunately, I hadn’t factored jet-lag, a terrible morning nap, or a hunger-strike lunch into the equation, so when I showed up at the Gladstone Hotel for the shoot and saw that things were running a bit behind schedule, I started to get nervous. Already highly excited, there’s nothing like a room full of other kids, lots of people and expensive camera equipment and bright lights to throw my kid into the biggest ball of hyper energy. We settled in to watch the other kids and with every minute that passed, Jas got more and more excited. Luckily there were long hallways at the hotel for him to run up and down, and bless Max the 4 year old who happily agreed to play with him, even though he was less than half his age. Jas was ecstatic with giggling and exploring, which was certainly better than hysterical crying, but at this point of exhaustion there was a very fine line between the two. As time ticked on, it was close to 2:30 before we were told to get Jas into his first outfit.

First up was Dinosaurs, a very cute play set. Jas was to pose in a chair with Max, but poor Max realized pretty fast my son wanted this chair all to himself. My role suddenly went from doting proud mummy to catcher, as the Wiggling Wonder was determined to fling himself from the chair any chance he got. It was quite a trick plunking Jas back into position, jumping out of the way of the shot, and then grabbing him before he sustained a spinal injury by falling over the back of the chair. Finally, mercifully, the photographer said he got one.

Next was the Elephant coverall. This shot was to be taken on a queen size bed, one of Jasper favourite crawling grounds at home. As with the chair session, he was determined to hurl himself off of the edge of the bed, so I went from catcher to dragger mode. “Mum, just grab his legs and pull him back into position”, the photographer would yell at me, trying not to get frustrated. Luckily, Jas found this to be hysterical, and after about 10 minutes of this dragging/crawling routine, finally a decent shot was taken. Thank God for quick shutters.

Lastly was the floor shot, a one piece Dinosaur outfit with a hoodie. Again, Jas thought it was hysterical, to be in the middle of the room surrounded by bright lights and people standing around. Every 2 seconds he was taking off in a different direction, and once again the photographer would ask me with exasperation to pull him back in to position. People, I wanted to say, we have about 3 minutes until this laughing turns into hysterical crying. Sensing my silent pleas, the photographer shouted, “I got it!” We were done. Amazing. And just in time. As I was changing Jas back into his own clothes, out came the water works. Enough is enough, Mummy! I could hear him saying to me. I am so done!

So ends our crazy two weeks of travel and exclusive photo shoots. It was fun, but are we ever happy to be home. Just after getting back, we all got hit with a nice dose of stomach flu, which is always a good time. All I could think is that we were very lucky THAT didn’t hit in the middle of the photo shoot (or our plane ride for that matter!) But we are all now back on our feet, and settling back into the regular routine. Who would have thought we’d have missed it so much!!!

Let the countdown to the Olympics begin! Almost 2 weeks away…!

There are a few things in life that I dread: a looming root canal from my dentist, the squeaking sound of styrofoam being rubbed together, a suspicious looking piece of sushi from the take out counter…  And now I have one more thing to add to my list: long plane rides with my toddler son, Jasper.

Plane travel with Jasper actually used to be relatively easy. Other than the copious amounts of baggage I could not (and still can’t) seem to leave the house without – huge bags packed to the gills, “essential” baby items, (yes, at 3 months, lugging the bouncy chair EVERYWHERE we went was a necessity) – flying with Jasper never stressed me out that much.  He would inevitably just eat his way through the flight and then conk out in my arms.  Even a solo trip to San Francisco when he was 5 months old (with a transfer in Denver no less) went relatively smoothly, aside from the discovery that many US airlines do not have changing tables on board (not good!)

Now, however, it’s a whole new ball game in the world of plane travel.  At 14 months, Jasper is the definition of a ball of energy.  Trying to get that kid to sit still for more than 5 seconds is a stretch, so you can imagine that a 5 hour flight to Vancouver looming on the horizon for us came with some anxiety. When I decided to accompany my husband, Jeremy, on his business trip to the Whistler Hatley store, and bring the baby, it seemed like a great idea.  I had not been to Vancouver since Expo ’86 (LONG time ago!), so it seemed like a great chance to visit with some family and friends, see the sights and catch a little of the Olympic fever that is sweeping the city.  I considered the long flight, but thought, I’m sure it will be fine…  If we leave around his bedtime, he’ll just sleep.  As the departure day grew closer though, I started having second thoughts about the whole thing: the long flight, time change, trying to pack for a week away, it all just seemed like a risky prospect, but alas, tickets were booked, so we were going.

With all the tight security at airports lately, we arrived sufficiently early for our flight and sailed through security (traveling with babies does come with some perks) and having my husband with me made a huge difference.  By myself, I have often had to hand Jasper off to complete strangers or bewildered security agents as I wrestle to unfold the stroller or rescue the lone squeaky Sophie doll wedged into the car seat.  There is definitely strength in numbers, so traveling with Jeremy makes navigating the airport significantly easier.  As we settled into our seats onboard the flight, I thought, this won’t be so bad…  It’s already 6 P.M., Jas is exhausted after skipping his afternoon nap, so he will for sure fall asleep soon after take off.  I brought out all the board books I had packed for entertainment so we could start flipping through the pictures, ignoring the wary stares of fellow travelers who could only foresee a very long flight with a screaming baby in their future.  No need to worry, I wanted to tell them, look how tired this kid is, he will sleep I promise!  Funny thing about my son, however, is that sometimes the more tired he is, the more riled up he gets.

We thought the flight was leaving on time, but after 15 minutes of no motion whatsoever, the pilot finally came on to say they were still waiting for some passengers, and if they didn’t arrive soon they would have to remove their baggage, shouldn’t be too long.  Oh crap, delayed.  Not good for my cause of getting Jasper to fall asleep.  With blaring lights and no motion to lull him into slumber, this was a recipe for disaster.  Lots of wiggling started to ensue, then board books hurled on the floor and over seats.  Jeremy started to walk him up and down the aisles, as more passengers looked on with trepidation.  A half hour later, the pilot came on to say we are ready for take off, but now they needed to de-ice the plane.  All of a sudden our 5 hour flight is turning to 6, and we hadn’t even left yet.

Finally, lift off.  An hour plus behind schedule, but at least we were airborne.  Please Jas, I whisper, settle down, time for sleeping.  Fat chance!  He was so full of energy at this point, crawling all over me like a Mexican jumping bean, trying to get the glasses off of the face of the poor man trying to read his paper behind us.  High pitched giggles turned to inexplicable wails for no reason, milk bottles were hurled down the aisles.  The stewardess came by for drink service and looked at me with pity and slight annoyance.  “Having trouble falling asleep, huh?”  Ya, you think?  Got any tranquilizers on that drink cart, I want to ask?  Jeremy and I do five minute turns with the wiggling wonder, handing off to each other in exasperation after each shift.  Finally, about an hour and a half after take off, the eyes flutter, the wiggling begins to subside, then, could it be possible?  Yes, he is asleep.  I don’t even want to breathe with fear of disturbing the sacred slumber.  My fellow travelers offer congratulatory looks that barely hide their own relief.  This is a big victory for everyone.

So, we made it in one piece.  It wasn’t a great flight, but sure could have been a lot worse.  Jeremy gave Jasper a B for his performance.  We are still here in Vancouver having a great time, this truly is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to.   The Whistler store looks amazing, and what a fun town.  And aside from the rain, the balmy weather feels positively tropical compared to the sub-zero nonsense back home in Montreal.  But with two days left, and all I can think about is the trip home…!  Wish us luck!