So I'm a Dad....

It's been quite a December to say the least....

Today, Christmas Day, I sit here reflecting on the month so far and what may come.   It all started the afternoon of Sunday November 30th and evolved from there.

We were expecting our first child, a daughter, on January 5th.  Our pregnancy hadn't been easy with my wife feeling the effects of pregnancy from being tired early on through to high blood pressure in the later stages.  My wife had been on bed rest since early October and we were on regular visits to the Ottawa Hospital's General Campus Obstetrical team for observation. The Obstetrical team was top notch, many of the staff physicians are also professors at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Medicine.

That Sunday November 30th was a beautiful fall day in Ottawa.  My Mother-in-Law and I had ventured to Lansdowne Park to see the Christmas Market and tour around the grounds to review the renovations that had been undertaken in the previous years.  That afternoon we went home to help my wife take her blood pressure.  This is where things got interesting.

With her blood pressure through the roof after multiple tests over a period of fifteen minutes we set off for the hospital.  Fast forward to later that evening, my wife was resting in birthing unit carefully being attended to by a nurse.  The nurse carefully reviewed the extensive monitoring equipment minute by minute with a Fellow (a doctor working towards full certification in maternal-fetal health medicine) checking in periodically.

Things got a little scary when our daughter's pulse started to dip a bit on a couple of occasions.  My wife and the team of nurses plus the teaching fellow would turn her over too and fro until the pulse rate came back up. After about the third occasion the Fellow said we needed to move forward.

At this stage I was in shock.  It hadn't registered yet.  It was only the previous week at the regular Doctor's appointment that we were thinking of scheduling the delivery for late December.  I was going to graduate from the YMCA's OSEB Program with my business, Suddcorp Solutions, and then move forward with having a daughter before Christmas.  Apparently my daughter had other plans.

I was suited in scrubs and introduced to some guy named Dr. Lawrence Oppenheimer who said he was going to do the surgery.  At this point, it could have been Santa Claus himself doing the surgery, I didn't care I was just concerned about my daughter and wife's health.  Turns out Dr. Oppenheimer is the head of the Maternal-Fetal department at the Ottawa Hospital along with being a Full Professor at the University of Ottawa.

On  December 1st, Theodora was born!  A cute bundle of joy who let it be known to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Doctors she was not happy at being poked and prodded in the Operating Room (OR).   Soon after though she was bundled and carefully handed to me.  We sat together with Mom for a long 15 minutes eyeing each other silently as the Doctors continued to finish up.

Soon after I was invited by one of the nurses to take Theodora on her first ever trip, to meet Nurse Emily at the NICU where Theodora would be welcomed, comforted with a heating lamp and allowed to rest. I returned to our room and greeted first time Grandma, my wife's mother and got changed out of the scrubs.  My wife soon returned to rest and be tended to by the kind nursing staff of the Ottawa Hospital's Birthing Unit for the rest of the evening.

This past month our daughter has passed every possible test with flying colours.  She stabilized her blood sugar and body temperature, eats regularly (yes, sometimes sleepy), has decent hearing and is gaining weight.  After two family Doctor visits she has impressed her with both her cuteness and the ability to fill her diaper while being examined.

She even has the knack for timing.  In the womb I tried putting my ear up against my wife's belly to try and listen to what it was like in there.  About 5 seconds later I got a swift kick in the ear.   Later on the Ultrasound appointments more kicks and punches were dealt to the stenographer's probe.  Outside the womb, 4 a.m. feedings seem to be quite eventful.  After a diaper change, drink and burps Theodora is ready to party!  She wants to be held by either mommy or daddy in their bed, no crib time for her until she falls asleep!

It has been quite the month of feedings, burps and diaper changes.  I never thought I would be so excited to see a full diaper. She has gained weight, is awake a little more and is gradually filling out.

In the future I look forward to many adventures.  Whether it be to the local library for storytime with the librarian and to choose a few favourites to take home, to the Experimental Farm to see the cows or on adventure through the walking paths throughout the Ottawa area.  I'm looking forward to many firsts whether it be walking, riding the bus and meeting aunts and uncles from Toronto or Vancouver.

It sure has been quite the month of December, but I wouldn't trade it for anything as we celebrate our first Christmas as a family.

Online Scams: How to Make an Educated Purchase Decision

In the previous two articles we investigated two common internet scams featuring Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Fake Online Reviews. Each of these had their own individual tips on how to avoid falling for suspect marketing techniques.

But how can an a savvy consumer reduce the risk of being taken by an Online scammer when making a purchase?

Read More >>

Online Scams: Google SEO Promises Over the Phone

Recently, we had an unsolicited phone call from 818-420-4298 asking if we were interested in being on the front page of Google if we qualified. Of course the offer was for free.

The whole call seemed fishy to us. The caller identified his company as a "Google Partner" in his noticeably scripted spiel. At no time did he mention his name or his company's name. With a waft of other voices in the background it sounded like one large telemarketing scheme as opposed to a genuine SEO Marketing company. So what was the full story?

Read More >>

Online Scams: Faking Online Reviews

Over at Suddcorp Solutions, I recently posted an article about online review scams on Urbanspoon, Yelp! and others.

If you enjoy reading my restaurant reviews, I can ensure you I have never been paid nor comped a meal by any restaurant.  If I would, I gladly fully disclose said compensation to ensure you, the reader, know the full context of my visit.

The idea behind this post originated after I saw CBC Marketplace's episodes on Fake Online Reviews and how online marketers and businesses try to manipulate both review websites and reviews of products on their websites.

As an leading user in the Ottawa area of Urbanspoon and a social media company owner, I felt the need to show how both the average business owner and consumer could not fall for these fake marketing gimmicks.

To learn more, read the article on Suddcorp Solutions page.

Online Scams: Faking Online Reviews

CBC Marketplace recently aired two segments investigating online reviews both on review websites (i.e. TripAdvisor and Yelp!) and company websites (i.e. Amazon, TigerDirect, etc.). CBC Marketplace found that many of the posted reviews were from either regular average customers, paid marketers or even average customer reviews that have been edited.

The original intentions of online reviews both on review websites and company websites were to allow average people to provide authentic reviews on their experiences in purchasing goods and/or services. For quite a while this was the case until marketers researched the influence of these reviews and how they impacted consumer purchasing. Marketers quite simply found the more positive a product or service was reviewed positively the higher sales increased. This finding resulted in marketers writing their own reviews on review websites and possibly editing customer reviews on company websites as needed. Excellent examples of marketer's using these tactics can be found in the aforementioned CBC Marketplace segments.

Read More >>

Remembrance Day

LEST WE FORGET

Flavourful Santa's Secret Tea at DavidsTea

Saturday morning I was out shopping and decided to try out DavidsTea (2277 Riverside Drive, Ottawa) for a couple of reasons.

I visited the new store that opened in the summer of 2014 to find a well stocked store with 100 plus teas lining the wall behind the counter.  One employee was carefully removing each tin one at a time and dusting the shelving.  She saw me approach the counter and stopped dusting.

She got down off the chair she was using to dust and approached the counter with a bright smile on her face asking how she could help.   I was there for two things:

First to sign up for the "Frequent Steeper" program.  This is DavidsTea customer loyalty program.  For signing up for the program customers receive a free cup of tea.  Another free cup of tea is given on the day of your birthday. Then once customers reach 100 points they receive so many grams of free tea. Currently 1 point is the equivalent of 1 dollar in sales.

DavidsTea Storefront

I signed up for the program mainly for the two free teas after sign up.  I don't really have a hope in reaching the free tea portion.  The main issue with the point system is DavidsTea resets the points balance at the end of each December.  Thus, if a customer spends 90 dollars in November, by next January those points are lost and they need to start over.

The next was to try out some tea.  I reviewed my options both from the cans lining the wall but also the specials neatly written on the chalk board.  I decided to try one of the specials as this was $3.00 (taxes included) instead of the $3.85 for a regular size.

The Order: 1 Santa's Secret Tea.

The tea was poured quite quickly by the excitable guide.  Guide? Yes, that is what DavidsTea markets their employees as.  Their guides are supposed to guide you through choosing the right tea for you.

The tea was hot and flavourful.  Felt like a warm comforting blend for a cold winter day.  I guess it could of been a more holiday season themed cup, but Santa's Secret would be perfect even in January long after Christmas has past.

Overall, this DavidsTea location has cheerful, warm and welcoming employees who are willing to help with your tea exploration.  Added "specials" are a great way to try a new tea for those, like me, who feel adventurous instead of just having the same old same old.