Hmm, I thought I'd published this post, but obviously not! Suffice it to say, Owen is now sleeping really well, thanks to a little bit of fussing it out. Two nights of letting him fuss when he woke (unless it was time to eat) and he got it all figured out. The longest he ever fussed for was 20 minutes, and it was actually not that bad, because he never got to the screaming stage that he would escalate to the times Steve or I would go in and then try to settle him. But I'm posting this anyway, because wow, I need to remember this to hold over his head one day!
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I am so beyond tired these days, I'm like the walking dead. Auntie Erica says I'm a "mombie", which fits just perfectly. Owen is not sleeping well. He falls asleep pretty well; he needs some intervention to get him down for naps, but he goes down fairly easily at night. But he does not stay asleep. Some nights, it's like he's awake every hour. I take 10 minutes or so to settle him back down (he still only wants to eat once in the night, the other times, he just needs a cuddle) and then he's back into a deep sleep. Which only lasts for another little bit of time!
The books I've been reading say that babies have a sleep cycle of about 40 minutes, where they start out sleeping lightly, then deeper, and then lightly again. It seems like every sleep cycle, Owen wakes up. I definitely think it's a sleep cycle thing, because even when he sleeps a little longer, it's increments of 45 minutes or so - he'll sleep for an hour and a half, and (rarely!) for three hours at a stretch.
This is very hard, not only because I'm not getting quality sleep, but because Owen slept so WELL when he was tiny - I feel like I must have done something to screw him up! Of course, between teeth pain, learning to sit up, rolling over, he's got a lot on the go right now, and that's enough to keep anyone awake at night.
The interrupted sleep doesn't seem to bother Owen at all - he often wakes up in the morning and just talks happily to himself until we go in to get him. He's in a good mood during the day between naps. He's still our Cheeri-O, which is great. And at least I get all those smiles and love from him when he's awake - it would be much harder to be a mombie during those first few weeks, before you get all those gummy grins and love back from the baby.
One of the strategies suggested by the (massive amounts!) of reading I've been doing on baby sleep suggests that if he's waking in a set pattern, to set an alarm, and go in and try to semi-rouse them before they would normally wake themselves, to break their pattern. I spent two awful nights doing just that (from the spare bedroom, poor Papa did not need to be woken up all night long!) but it seemed to cause more issues. To start, because Owen sometimes wakes up every 45 minutes, I was setting my alarm for only 1/2 hour, which was really tough on me. And then, because he sometimes sleeps for an hour and a half at a time before waking, I couldn't tell if he stayed asleep "longer" because I jiggled him around a little bit, or because he would have stayed asleep then anyway. And several times, I just woke him up by accident, and he was even MORE upset than when he wakes himself up. So, was I really doing anything, or would he have slept through those times and then woken up those other times anyway? I decided that I wasn't doing anything, and since I was a much better mommy for getting my sleep in 1.5 hour chunks than 1/2 hour chunks, I've just gone back to letting him wake me!
Today is Steve's last day of school before Christmas holidays, so soon I'll have some middle-of-the-night help, since he won't need to be up for work, which is nice. Things can't go on like they are, the walking dead is not an attractive look for Owen's first Christmas!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Owen...NOT rolling over
Ha! I've been trying to get video of Owen rolling over to post for Kristi and Ryan, since they're as good as in Bangkok now. (They're still in Ottawa, but since I'm not going to see them again before they go, they might as well be half a world away already!) Anyway, Owen is NOT cooperating, because he loves the camera too much to look away and roll. But the not rolling video is hilarious - my voice is SO high, because I'm trying to "sweet talk" him, I guess, and some of the looks he gives me are very funny. The quality isn't that great, because it's just taken with my digital camera. Let's see if I can get it posted for viewing....
Owen NOT Rolling
Enjoy!
Owen NOT Rolling
Enjoy!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Poor Baby
So, Owen is definitely teething. How do I know? Several nights of waking in the middle of the night, trying to nurse, and then screaming. Not able to nurse, not taking his soother, and screaming in pain until I can get a cold washcloth wrapped around my finger into his little mouth to rub those little gums. Poor, poor baby. The teething meltdowns only seem to happen in the middle of the night, or when he's really tired, which makes me think that most of the time the pain is not too bad, but it's too much to bear on top of other discomfort.
And speaking of discomfort, Owen's poor bottom is quite sore. He's got his first case of diaper rash, which we are treating with lots of cream, and open-air bummy time. (It's like tummy time, but without a diaper! Try it, it's fun. Minor prep required: lay down waterproof pad to protect your floor, cover pad with burp cloth for comfort, and voila, ready for bummy time! Luckily, Owen's still not much for rolling front-to-back, so he stays put on the pad.) Again, most of the time, it doesn't seem to bother him too much, unless he's tired, and then he just can't bear it. Poor baby.
And I can't even see a white bump yet, so who knows how long it will be until this tooth (teeth?) comes to town and solves the teething and runny bum troubles. So if you have a spare moment, think a kind thought for my poor, teething, red-bum boy.
And speaking of discomfort, Owen's poor bottom is quite sore. He's got his first case of diaper rash, which we are treating with lots of cream, and open-air bummy time. (It's like tummy time, but without a diaper! Try it, it's fun. Minor prep required: lay down waterproof pad to protect your floor, cover pad with burp cloth for comfort, and voila, ready for bummy time! Luckily, Owen's still not much for rolling front-to-back, so he stays put on the pad.) Again, most of the time, it doesn't seem to bother him too much, unless he's tired, and then he just can't bear it. Poor baby.
And I can't even see a white bump yet, so who knows how long it will be until this tooth (teeth?) comes to town and solves the teething and runny bum troubles. So if you have a spare moment, think a kind thought for my poor, teething, red-bum boy.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Cruisin'
Well, Owen reached another milestone yesterday. After putting him in his fourth outfit for the day following three blowouts, I finally had to admit that he has outgrown his Swaddlers, and move him into the next size of diapers. He's in the Cruisers now, no more soft little baby diapers. :( And all those blowouts - I have a feeling he's started teething in earnest now, since a "runny bum" is one of the signs.
We weren't able to have our play date with Nathan last week, because the poor little guy has pinkeye. We hope he's better soon, because Owen misses him! We did get to play with Jack, Ella and Ailish, however, which was lots of fun. I should say, that we were able to lie on our tummy, and have Jack, Ella and Ailish play around us. Owen's not much for playing with yet these days, he's more with the "playing at". He's very good at getting sat upon, and likes to be petted. Glad to be doing our part to help his soon-to-be-big-sisters friends Ella and Ailish practice being "gentle" with babies. :) Of course, mommy forgot her camera, but here's a picture from the last time all these little guys got together:
He loves to play in there, because he loves standing up. It was a gift from the River Sisters, Krista, Julie and Summer, my good friends from high school. And speaking of them, Krista just had another beautiful baby boy! Congratulations Krista! Lots of babies coming for Owen to practice HIS "gentle" skills on one day. (One day. No more babies in the works for us for the time being!) Cheers!
We weren't able to have our play date with Nathan last week, because the poor little guy has pinkeye. We hope he's better soon, because Owen misses him! We did get to play with Jack, Ella and Ailish, however, which was lots of fun. I should say, that we were able to lie on our tummy, and have Jack, Ella and Ailish play around us. Owen's not much for playing with yet these days, he's more with the "playing at". He's very good at getting sat upon, and likes to be petted. Glad to be doing our part to help his soon-to-be-big-sisters friends Ella and Ailish practice being "gentle" with babies. :) Of course, mommy forgot her camera, but here's a picture from the last time all these little guys got together:
Pretty cute, no?
In other news, Owen FINALLY started rolling over again yesterday. He did it several times while I was out of the room - I'd leave and he'd be on his back, and I'd come back in and he'd be on his front. I tried coaxing him, bribing him with toys just out of reach, nada. Then Steve came home, and coaxed him a little bit, and he did it with both of us watching. Yay!
And on the teething front, no little white bumps in the mouth yet, but we are chewing on absolutely anything and everything that we can get our little hands on. Including trying to eat the yellow bell on his exersaucer (which isn't really a saucer, but if I call it the "Intellitainer" like it says on the box, people are like, huh?) Here's a pic of Owen in it, see how big the bell is??? It's more like a bell pepper, but Owen loves to "bob" for it.
He loves to play in there, because he loves standing up. It was a gift from the River Sisters, Krista, Julie and Summer, my good friends from high school. And speaking of them, Krista just had another beautiful baby boy! Congratulations Krista! Lots of babies coming for Owen to practice HIS "gentle" skills on one day. (One day. No more babies in the works for us for the time being!) Cheers!
Friday, December 01, 2006
December Already???
Here's our happy little guy, playing with his toes. Diaper changes are an adventure these days, since Owen LOVES to grab his feet. And kick. Did I mention the kicking? He's a kicking fool! And he rolled over for the first time last week. We were at BabyTime at the library, and I didn't realize I'd put one of his toys down just out of his reach, until he rolled over to get it! That afternoon, he was rolling all over, back to front, back to front, and even back to front to back. But he stopped before Steve came home, he stopped, and he hasn't done it since! He goes halfway, onto his side, and then stops and grins at us. Silly boy.He's also getting better at sitting on his own, he does the tripod sit very well, and if he's sitting with Steve or I, he'll pull himself up on us into a sitting position, but he still needs to work on balance.
He did much better with his shots at his four month appointment - he cried, but stopped as soon as I picked him up. He's almost 16 pounds, and 26 inches tall. What a guy!
Last weekend we had Auntie Kristi and Uncle Ryan's home reception. For the occasion, Owen wore his first suit:
Aren't my boys handsome? I love them! Owen also wanted to try his first rum & coke:
Auntie Kris and Hunkie Unkie did their first dance...again!
And Owen got tired, so I just popped him into his sling, just like in Mexico. He fell asleep, and still gave Mama a chance to get out on the dance floor. (See him peeking out there?)
Now that all of Auntie Kristi and Uncle Ryan's wedding parties are over, it's time to start thinking about Christmas - yikes! November just flew by, good thing Owen and I have time for shopping during the day. We have an appointment this morning to get Christmas pictures taken. Not sure what he'll wear yet, I have a few cutie options. We got a few pics taken by the photographer at Movies for Mommies this week too. I put Owen in just a cloth diaper, and we put him on her bear rug - too cute! She also had a pair of angel wings - we'll have to see how those photos turn out.
Got to run - playdate this afternoon with Auntie Erica and Nathan, then this evening with Aunties Jill and Rachelle and Jack, Ailish, and Ella. Mama will remember her camera and try to get some more cutie pics. Cheers!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Hola Amigos!
Sorry for the delay in updates, but we've just returned from Auntie Kristi and Uncle Ryan's beautiful wedding in Mexico. Owen was an awesome traveller! He had no trouble with flying (a few issues on the flight home, but that was due to a wonky napping schedule more than anything). We roomed with Kristi's best friend Amie and her daughter Abbie, and the kids were great. The first night, they woke each other up LOT, but after that, they were fine.
I had a lot of fun with Amie and "the babies" were a huge hit wherever we went. Heh, the funniest was a group of Americans who had seen the four of us all over the resort. One day the guys stopped us to demand: "Where are your MEN???" (By this time, Amie and I had tired of the looks we were getting from people when we told them we weren't sisters, just friends, and had just started smiling and nodding when people assumed Owen and Abbie were cousins.)
Owen loved the pool, even though it was cooler than our swimming lessons pool at home, but wasn't too keen on the ocean. The sand was take it or leave it. The wedding was fabulous, and even the mystery monsoon that blew in just as we started walking down the aisle to the beachfront gazebo couldn't wreck things. The major deluge caused a mad scramble to the far side of the gazebo where the wind wasn't quite as strong. My brother got completely soaked trying to keep the rain off Amie and Abbie, and a lot of the ceremony pictures feature my arm as I tried to keep Kris' veil from whipping Ryan in the face.
The best part of all is that Ryan didn't even realize it was raining, and couldn't figure out what all the commotion was from the musical chairs going on behind them. He only had eyes for Kristi. That's a guy I KNOW will give my sister the happily ever after she deserves. Too many pictures to post, but here are two:
Please email me if you want to see more, I'll invite you to view our albums in our Yahoo Group. Cheers!
I had a lot of fun with Amie and "the babies" were a huge hit wherever we went. Heh, the funniest was a group of Americans who had seen the four of us all over the resort. One day the guys stopped us to demand: "Where are your MEN???" (By this time, Amie and I had tired of the looks we were getting from people when we told them we weren't sisters, just friends, and had just started smiling and nodding when people assumed Owen and Abbie were cousins.)
Owen loved the pool, even though it was cooler than our swimming lessons pool at home, but wasn't too keen on the ocean. The sand was take it or leave it. The wedding was fabulous, and even the mystery monsoon that blew in just as we started walking down the aisle to the beachfront gazebo couldn't wreck things. The major deluge caused a mad scramble to the far side of the gazebo where the wind wasn't quite as strong. My brother got completely soaked trying to keep the rain off Amie and Abbie, and a lot of the ceremony pictures feature my arm as I tried to keep Kris' veil from whipping Ryan in the face.
The best part of all is that Ryan didn't even realize it was raining, and couldn't figure out what all the commotion was from the musical chairs going on behind them. He only had eyes for Kristi. That's a guy I KNOW will give my sister the happily ever after she deserves. Too many pictures to post, but here are two:
Please email me if you want to see more, I'll invite you to view our albums in our Yahoo Group. Cheers!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Hallowe'en Redux
Sorry for the delay in updates, but we've just returned from Auntie Kristi and Uncle Ryan's beautiful wedding in Mexico. More on that in another post - waiting to get some photos ready.
I didn't have a chance to post Owen's Hallowe'en picture before we left:
He was a slug - that's our nickname for him, when he falls asleep in your arms, it's like he doesn't have any bones, so we call it "Sluggin' Out". Of course, Old Navy doesn't carry slug costumes, so I had to get out my sewing machine. I'm very happy with how it turned out. And I'm so happy we got a sunny day right before Hallowe'en so I could take him to the pumpkin patch and get some pictures!
More on Mexico in just a sec...meanwhile, a few more October pictures:
Yes, he's sitting up! Well, it's actually more of a tripod-prop, but he can hold this position long enough to snap a few pictures before he topples over. Real sitting can't be far behind! :)
Wearing his cutie hat and sweater that our friend Laura made for him.
Mexican preview - a sample of the photos I was supposed to send along for Kris' island-themed bachelorette party in Ottawa that we weren't able to make.
Owen peeking at me through the mirror in TummyTime Turtle. He loves tummy time, and he loves that turtle!
I didn't have a chance to post Owen's Hallowe'en picture before we left:
He was a slug - that's our nickname for him, when he falls asleep in your arms, it's like he doesn't have any bones, so we call it "Sluggin' Out". Of course, Old Navy doesn't carry slug costumes, so I had to get out my sewing machine. I'm very happy with how it turned out. And I'm so happy we got a sunny day right before Hallowe'en so I could take him to the pumpkin patch and get some pictures!
More on Mexico in just a sec...meanwhile, a few more October pictures:
Yes, he's sitting up! Well, it's actually more of a tripod-prop, but he can hold this position long enough to snap a few pictures before he topples over. Real sitting can't be far behind! :)
Wearing his cutie hat and sweater that our friend Laura made for him.
Mexican preview - a sample of the photos I was supposed to send along for Kris' island-themed bachelorette party in Ottawa that we weren't able to make.
Owen peeking at me through the mirror in TummyTime Turtle. He loves tummy time, and he loves that turtle!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Thanksgiving Photos
Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving....
Owen in his Jolly Jumper (man, he LOVES that thing!)
Owen with his Grandpa, ready for a nap!
Owen with his Great Grandparents
Owen with Auntie Kristi and Hunkie Unkie Ryan
Owen with Uncle Geoff
(Um, a note to my family: I hope someone else has a picture of Owen with his Grandma on Thanksgiving, because I thought we got one, but we didn't!)
Owen in his Jolly Jumper (man, he LOVES that thing!)
Owen with his Grandpa, ready for a nap!
Owen with his Great Grandparents
Owen with Auntie Kristi and Hunkie Unkie Ryan
Owen with Uncle Geoff
(Um, a note to my family: I hope someone else has a picture of Owen with his Grandma on Thanksgiving, because I thought we got one, but we didn't!)
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Three months old at Turkey Time!
Wow, I really am not that great at updating this site. So much has happened with our little Cheeri-O in the past few weeks! Of course, he's still getting bigger and bigger. We had a reunion with the other parents from our pre-natal class about a month ago, and although he was the youngest baby there, he was the second biggest! Of course, he had the second biggest birth weight too, so he had a head start. What cuties they all are, (although of course, the Cheeri-O is the cutest, if I do say so myself!) One of the other girls, Kristyn, also has a blog, so I'd been following along her story and seeing pictures of her petite princess, Abby. I LOVE Abby's hair, it's too cute! And Valerie and I have been seeing each other at Movies for Mommies, so I'd met Sadie a few times too, but it was nice to see everyone together, and meet Andrea's little Lola (also a doll! All these adorable little girls!)
We also found out that congratulations are in order for Owen's Aunties Erica, Rachelle, and Jill - he's going to have three new little cousins in February and March! We can't wait, it's so exciting! And his Auntie Lee Ann gets congratulations too - she and Uncle Evan will be tying the knot this time next year, and I'll have the honour of standing up with them as their Maid of Honour. And speaking of Maid of Honour, there's only a few weeks left until Auntie Kristi's wedding - our passports are finally here, and plans are in full swing for a shower and Buck & Doe party in Barrie, and we're all set for Mexico in November. Unfortunately, I'm not able to make the bachelorette party in Ottawa on the 28th, but a surprise package will be travelling to Ottawa with Amie for the girls to enjoy. :) Sorry Kris, I know you read this, so no hints!
We've started going to BabyTime at the library - we sing songs, play little games with the songs, and read a story. Owen seems to really like it. We also start swimming lessons next week, which should be lots of fun, since Owen loves his bath!
We had a fabulous Thanksgiving in Barrie, Owen did really well on the drive, needing just a quick stop for a diaper change each way. I hardly got any sleep while we were there, though, since we had him in the room with us - is he ever a loud sleeper! He "talks" in his sleep, which is too cute, but takes some getting used to. And we got some great pictures of him with his great-grandparents - I'll post once the camera batteries are charged.
And now Hallowe'en is coming, and of course, we've put lots of thought into Owen's first costume. There are lots of cute costumes for babies out there, but I decided to pull out my sewing machine and make his outfit. He's going to be a slug - that's our nickname for him, because when he falls asleep in your arms, it's like he suddenly doesn't have any bones anymore! We call it "Sluggin' Out". I've got some grey wool fleece, and some shiny blue material, and he's going to be in a modified hooded onesie, with shiny blue "slime trail" on his belly, and antenna eyes on the hood. I just have to attach the arms and feet to the onesie, and finish the hood, and then we're done! Of course I will have lots of pictures. I'm hoping to finish by the end of this week, and hoping for some nice weather next week, so I can take him out to the local pumpkin patch for some photos.
Guess that's all for now, except to mention that our guy is 25.5 inches tall, 15 pounds, and nearly outgrowing his "bucket" car seat. Sniff, he's getting to be so big! But then I put him in his jammies for bed, and put him to sleep in his crib, and think how tiny he looks in there. Sigh. This mommy-gig is just one big rollercoaster! The hormones just don't stop! :)
We also found out that congratulations are in order for Owen's Aunties Erica, Rachelle, and Jill - he's going to have three new little cousins in February and March! We can't wait, it's so exciting! And his Auntie Lee Ann gets congratulations too - she and Uncle Evan will be tying the knot this time next year, and I'll have the honour of standing up with them as their Maid of Honour. And speaking of Maid of Honour, there's only a few weeks left until Auntie Kristi's wedding - our passports are finally here, and plans are in full swing for a shower and Buck & Doe party in Barrie, and we're all set for Mexico in November. Unfortunately, I'm not able to make the bachelorette party in Ottawa on the 28th, but a surprise package will be travelling to Ottawa with Amie for the girls to enjoy. :) Sorry Kris, I know you read this, so no hints!
We've started going to BabyTime at the library - we sing songs, play little games with the songs, and read a story. Owen seems to really like it. We also start swimming lessons next week, which should be lots of fun, since Owen loves his bath!
We had a fabulous Thanksgiving in Barrie, Owen did really well on the drive, needing just a quick stop for a diaper change each way. I hardly got any sleep while we were there, though, since we had him in the room with us - is he ever a loud sleeper! He "talks" in his sleep, which is too cute, but takes some getting used to. And we got some great pictures of him with his great-grandparents - I'll post once the camera batteries are charged.
And now Hallowe'en is coming, and of course, we've put lots of thought into Owen's first costume. There are lots of cute costumes for babies out there, but I decided to pull out my sewing machine and make his outfit. He's going to be a slug - that's our nickname for him, because when he falls asleep in your arms, it's like he suddenly doesn't have any bones anymore! We call it "Sluggin' Out". I've got some grey wool fleece, and some shiny blue material, and he's going to be in a modified hooded onesie, with shiny blue "slime trail" on his belly, and antenna eyes on the hood. I just have to attach the arms and feet to the onesie, and finish the hood, and then we're done! Of course I will have lots of pictures. I'm hoping to finish by the end of this week, and hoping for some nice weather next week, so I can take him out to the local pumpkin patch for some photos.
Guess that's all for now, except to mention that our guy is 25.5 inches tall, 15 pounds, and nearly outgrowing his "bucket" car seat. Sniff, he's getting to be so big! But then I put him in his jammies for bed, and put him to sleep in his crib, and think how tiny he looks in there. Sigh. This mommy-gig is just one big rollercoaster! The hormones just don't stop! :)
Friday, September 15, 2006
Evolution of a Nap
Auntie Kristi says I am giving her a very unrealistic vision of what parenthood is like - apparently, her coworkers don't think any baby could possibly be as good natured as our Cheeri-O. Owen does have his fussy moments, but they really don't last long, as long as you get him down for a nap, or fill his tummy, or change his bum. And so I give you, the evolution of a nap:
What the... I was just chewing on my fist, and Mom popped me into the swing! I'm so not even tired! Well, maybe my eyes are a little heavy...
I'm so not napping. I'm going to fight you, nap!
Wahhh! I'm so tired, why aren't I sleeping?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hey, I feel much better now! Let's play!
What a guy, hmmmm? :)
What the... I was just chewing on my fist, and Mom popped me into the swing! I'm so not even tired! Well, maybe my eyes are a little heavy...
I'm so not napping. I'm going to fight you, nap!
Wahhh! I'm so tired, why aren't I sleeping?
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hey, I feel much better now! Let's play!
What a guy, hmmmm? :)
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A few more photos
I couldn't get all the pictures I wanted to in the previous post, so here are a few more: a general cuteness picture, napping with Mama and Papa pictures, Owen having a serious chat with his Auntie Lee Ann, and Owen in his Canada outfit from Auntie Kristi and Hunkie Unkie Ryan (he wore it to Poker night at Uncle Jamie's, because of the visor.) Enjoy!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Superstar!
First things first:
Some really cute pictures there, the Cheeri-O is such a smiley guy, I could snap pictures of him all day long.
So, the doctor's appointment went not too badly. Owen is 24.5 inches long, and 13 pounds, 9 ounces, putting him in the 95th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for weight. He's going to be a tall one! He HATED the shots. I don't think he even noticed the second one, he was screaming so much about the first. Poor little guy got his first band-aids, one on each chubby little thigh, because the injection sites bled a little. He had a pretty cranky evening, lots of sobbing and hiccups, but we dosed him with Infant Tylenol and he hic'd himself off to sleep. Thankfully, today he's back to his usual Cheeri-O self, and seems to have forgotten all about it. I just wish Steve and I could!
Speaking of sleep, Owen is sleeping in his crib in his own room now. I get weird looks from people when they look at me sympathetically and say, "oh, and is that hard on you? How are you handling that?" and I'm all "It's GREAT!" But really, Owen makes much more noise in his sleep now, and sometimes even wakes up, coos to himself a bit, and then drops back off - Steve and I have both been sleeping better with him in his own room. And since he's only up once in the night, getting up and going into his room for that middle of the night feed isn't so rough, especially since I get 6-7 hours of sleep before he wants to eat.
We were so proud of the little guy this weekend - we went to a party at our friends' house, it started in the late afternoon and went into the evening. We brought Owen's Pack n Play and set it up in one of the bedrooms so he could nap and even go down at his regular bedtime... and he did! When we finally came home that night about 11:30, he'd already gone down for the night, and he slept right through a diaper change and PJ change, and stayed down until 5 the next morning, when he woke for his usual early morning feed. What an angel!
Here's a question: do all babies LOVE to get their diaper changed, or is this just a weird Owen thing? Seriously, he can be crying, but you put him on the change table, and it's all smiles and giggles. Maybe it's the little nudist in him, but as soon as you start unsnapping his clothes, he gives you the biggest grin, and starts squealing away, he's so happy. It's so funny, and so adorable.
And he's finally noticed all his "friends" we painted in his room - he loves to be held up right next to the Sneetches and just stares and stares at them; sometimes he even reaches for them. The Hop on Pops above the change table get a lot of attention too, but the Sneetches are definitely his favourite. I can't wait until he starts trying to talk to them!
Finally, Owen is not only grabbing onto toys, but now he's bringing them to his mouth for chewing on. He loves his Rumble Bee (it's a bee that vibrates when you pull the tail) and spent the afternoon gnawing on its crinkly wings. (Whoever thought to put cellophane inside of kiddie toys was a genius - Owen loves his "crinkly" toys!) Another favourite that goes right into his mouth is Pokey Bear, and Mama's fingers are a close runner-up. Yes, it's so sweet when your son grabs onto your finger oh-so tight... and then tries to eat it! What's really funny is when he sometimes misses - there is no way he could pass the finger-to-the-nose test they give people who have been drinking, his hand-to-mouth coordination sometimes leaves a little to be desired. But he's getting it more often than not, and it's pretty cute! I'll try and post some pictures of him tasting his toys next time. Cheers!
Some really cute pictures there, the Cheeri-O is such a smiley guy, I could snap pictures of him all day long.
So, the doctor's appointment went not too badly. Owen is 24.5 inches long, and 13 pounds, 9 ounces, putting him in the 95th percentile for height, and 90th percentile for weight. He's going to be a tall one! He HATED the shots. I don't think he even noticed the second one, he was screaming so much about the first. Poor little guy got his first band-aids, one on each chubby little thigh, because the injection sites bled a little. He had a pretty cranky evening, lots of sobbing and hiccups, but we dosed him with Infant Tylenol and he hic'd himself off to sleep. Thankfully, today he's back to his usual Cheeri-O self, and seems to have forgotten all about it. I just wish Steve and I could!
Speaking of sleep, Owen is sleeping in his crib in his own room now. I get weird looks from people when they look at me sympathetically and say, "oh, and is that hard on you? How are you handling that?" and I'm all "It's GREAT!" But really, Owen makes much more noise in his sleep now, and sometimes even wakes up, coos to himself a bit, and then drops back off - Steve and I have both been sleeping better with him in his own room. And since he's only up once in the night, getting up and going into his room for that middle of the night feed isn't so rough, especially since I get 6-7 hours of sleep before he wants to eat.
We were so proud of the little guy this weekend - we went to a party at our friends' house, it started in the late afternoon and went into the evening. We brought Owen's Pack n Play and set it up in one of the bedrooms so he could nap and even go down at his regular bedtime... and he did! When we finally came home that night about 11:30, he'd already gone down for the night, and he slept right through a diaper change and PJ change, and stayed down until 5 the next morning, when he woke for his usual early morning feed. What an angel!
Here's a question: do all babies LOVE to get their diaper changed, or is this just a weird Owen thing? Seriously, he can be crying, but you put him on the change table, and it's all smiles and giggles. Maybe it's the little nudist in him, but as soon as you start unsnapping his clothes, he gives you the biggest grin, and starts squealing away, he's so happy. It's so funny, and so adorable.
And he's finally noticed all his "friends" we painted in his room - he loves to be held up right next to the Sneetches and just stares and stares at them; sometimes he even reaches for them. The Hop on Pops above the change table get a lot of attention too, but the Sneetches are definitely his favourite. I can't wait until he starts trying to talk to them!
Finally, Owen is not only grabbing onto toys, but now he's bringing them to his mouth for chewing on. He loves his Rumble Bee (it's a bee that vibrates when you pull the tail) and spent the afternoon gnawing on its crinkly wings. (Whoever thought to put cellophane inside of kiddie toys was a genius - Owen loves his "crinkly" toys!) Another favourite that goes right into his mouth is Pokey Bear, and Mama's fingers are a close runner-up. Yes, it's so sweet when your son grabs onto your finger oh-so tight... and then tries to eat it! What's really funny is when he sometimes misses - there is no way he could pass the finger-to-the-nose test they give people who have been drinking, his hand-to-mouth coordination sometimes leaves a little to be desired. But he's getting it more often than not, and it's pretty cute! I'll try and post some pictures of him tasting his toys next time. Cheers!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Two Months Already!
I can't believe our Cheeri-O is two months old already! He's such a big guy. I know you all just come for the pictures, so first things first:
What a cutie pie, yes? And still good as gold. He's having a nap at the moment - he's on a rotating routine of approximately 3 hours. He wakes, eats, plays, naps, and then repeats every 3 hours or so until he's down for the night. He gave us a few cranky days when he was 6-7 weeks old, because up until then he was falling asleep as soon as he got tired. Now he needs a little help, but now that we've figured that out, we give him some "quiet time" and off he drifts. He's napping much better now too, giving me 45 minutes to over an hour with each nap, and only the occasional short cat-nap, which is nice. And he's gone from waking once-or-twice through the night to only waking once, so we've got high hopes for sleeping through the night by three months.
He's still in our room, but that may be changing shortly now that Steve is back to work - he needs his rest at night! Now that school has started again, we miss Papa during the day. We've started giving Owen a bottle (of expressed breastmilk) once every evening, so he and Papa can have some cuddle time. Last night was the first night they actually got cuddle time though, Owen's still learning to take a bottle, so the first few times were more like protest-time.
Owen has started grabbing toys, but it's still accidental - if there's one in reach when he's waving his hands, he'll grasp it by reflex, and then look surprised when he hits himself in the head with it. We only place soft, head-friendly toys in reach now. :) And he's really starting to get into tummy-time, lasting over 10 minutes on his own. (Tummy-time on mommy or papa's chest lasts much longer). And of course, he babbles non-stop, lots of coos and giggles. We went to Movies for Mommies at the Princess Twin yesterday, and he definitely did not get the lesson on not talking during the movie. He was gurgling away, and laughing like a loon. And staring around like crazy - he's really started to notice other babies, and can't get enough! We have our reunion with our pre-natal class next weekend, and I'm sure he's going to love it. (I also think that all the other babies who are going to be there are girls, which means my little flirt will be in fine form!)
We've also started running, with our awesome jogging stroller. I wait until he looks like he's ready for a nap, then pop him in and off we go - he sleeps the whole time. Right now, he's still lying flat in the jogger, but when he's older and can sit up, we'll do it when he's awake and can enjoy the scenery. I learned quickly during our walks though that he can only take so much staring at the sky before he gets bored and cranky. Love, love, LOVING my stroller.
Next week we're off to the doctor for his two-month shots. I'll get the official weigh-in then, but we're sure that he's closing in on 14 pounds. He's getting heavy in the car-seat bucket! He just keeps growing and growing, sigh. Lots of tiny clothes have already been put away for his little brother or sister one day. Sigh.
What a cutie pie, yes? And still good as gold. He's having a nap at the moment - he's on a rotating routine of approximately 3 hours. He wakes, eats, plays, naps, and then repeats every 3 hours or so until he's down for the night. He gave us a few cranky days when he was 6-7 weeks old, because up until then he was falling asleep as soon as he got tired. Now he needs a little help, but now that we've figured that out, we give him some "quiet time" and off he drifts. He's napping much better now too, giving me 45 minutes to over an hour with each nap, and only the occasional short cat-nap, which is nice. And he's gone from waking once-or-twice through the night to only waking once, so we've got high hopes for sleeping through the night by three months.
He's still in our room, but that may be changing shortly now that Steve is back to work - he needs his rest at night! Now that school has started again, we miss Papa during the day. We've started giving Owen a bottle (of expressed breastmilk) once every evening, so he and Papa can have some cuddle time. Last night was the first night they actually got cuddle time though, Owen's still learning to take a bottle, so the first few times were more like protest-time.
Owen has started grabbing toys, but it's still accidental - if there's one in reach when he's waving his hands, he'll grasp it by reflex, and then look surprised when he hits himself in the head with it. We only place soft, head-friendly toys in reach now. :) And he's really starting to get into tummy-time, lasting over 10 minutes on his own. (Tummy-time on mommy or papa's chest lasts much longer). And of course, he babbles non-stop, lots of coos and giggles. We went to Movies for Mommies at the Princess Twin yesterday, and he definitely did not get the lesson on not talking during the movie. He was gurgling away, and laughing like a loon. And staring around like crazy - he's really started to notice other babies, and can't get enough! We have our reunion with our pre-natal class next weekend, and I'm sure he's going to love it. (I also think that all the other babies who are going to be there are girls, which means my little flirt will be in fine form!)
We've also started running, with our awesome jogging stroller. I wait until he looks like he's ready for a nap, then pop him in and off we go - he sleeps the whole time. Right now, he's still lying flat in the jogger, but when he's older and can sit up, we'll do it when he's awake and can enjoy the scenery. I learned quickly during our walks though that he can only take so much staring at the sky before he gets bored and cranky. Love, love, LOVING my stroller.
Next week we're off to the doctor for his two-month shots. I'll get the official weigh-in then, but we're sure that he's closing in on 14 pounds. He's getting heavy in the car-seat bucket! He just keeps growing and growing, sigh. Lots of tiny clothes have already been put away for his little brother or sister one day. Sigh.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Back to School is Looming....
Owen was six weeks old yesterday. They say that if you can so anything for six weeks, it will become a habit, and you'll stick with it for life. Never worked for me with the gym, but I definitely feel like I have this whole mommy-thing under control at least.
We had our last official midwife appointment yesterday. Our last two appointments have been with Julie, because Sky is on vacation this month. (We have a social visit scheduled with her when she's back, so she can see how much Owen has grown!) I'm so sad to think that our time with all the midwives is over now - they've all been so wonderful, and Steve and I feel so lucky to have had the experience that we did with them. (Steve is a total advocate for midwifery care now! It's awesome to hear him.) I'm going to really miss Sky - but we're hoping to give Owen a little brother or sister when he's about two years old, so hopefully it won't be too long before we're making those long drives to St. Jacob's regularly again!
Anyway, Owen looked great at his final appointment. He weighed 12 lbs, 1 oz, so he's still growing like a little weed. He's more and more alert every day, and getting louder and more vocal with his cooing/talking/screetching. And I swear, that boy knows when someone is admiring him - he totally turns up the charm whenever anyone pays him the slightest compliment! He's a big flirt. He's started sucking his fists now when he's hungry, so grunting and snorting have been replaced by slurping as the cue that we'd better get him fed. I never thought it would happen, but I really can tell all the difference between his cries (not that there are many, there's the "I'm hungry", "I'm tired and need help falling asleep", and then there's the "I'm uncomfortable and/or hot - change my diaper, or take off my clothes", (in addition to being a flirt, he's a little nudist!)
We still haven't bothered with any sort of schedule, but our days have a routine to them with his eating and napping patterns. He's still a catnapper, but he is getting in one longer nap a day now. And he's still fantastic at night - goes down about 10, sleeps until 3:30-4, eats, and goes right back down until 7:30 or so. I'm not even napping in the day anymore. We go out and about and do our thing whether he's awake or asleep, and just transfer him from car seat to stroller to Baby Bjorn, or just carry him, depending on what suits his mood.
Of course, the real test will come in two weeks. That's when Steve goes back to school, and I'll be on my own during the day. Steve's managed to get in quite a bit of golf and poker this summer, so it's not like I haven't been on my own with Owen yet. We've been out and about just the two of us, and even survived a bit of a meltdown in Zellers together (his meltdown, I was fine). But it's just easier when Steve is around - when Owen decides he must eat NOW (and he is so like his mom in that way - I can go from zero to bitch in less than a second if I'm hungry and not getting fed!) I can always take him and find a quiet spot or go out to the Jeep and feed him, while Steve finishes up the shopping/paying our bill, whatever. Not that I'm adverse to breastfeeding in public, but the middle of the baby aisle in Zellers is not as comfortable as the Family Room at the other end of the mall. I at least require a place to sit, he's getting too heavy to walk and feed! :)
So, yes, in two weeks our summer "holidays" will be over, and I become a real stay-at-home mom all on my own for the next 10 months. I'm selfishly looking forward to having the little guy all to myself - Steve always wants to hold him and play with him too! But I'm hoping I don't have some sort of delayed post-partum depression, and suddenly lose it because I HAVE to do it all on my own. I know I can, I know I have, but maybe it's different day after day? All I know is, we're having tons of fun so far, and I can't imagine things really getting difficult. I'm sure everything will be fine. At six weeks in, I think we're both feeling pretty used to each other now, and we're all pretty confident that this new family structure is the best thing ever. But we sure will miss Papa when he goes back to work!
We had our last official midwife appointment yesterday. Our last two appointments have been with Julie, because Sky is on vacation this month. (We have a social visit scheduled with her when she's back, so she can see how much Owen has grown!) I'm so sad to think that our time with all the midwives is over now - they've all been so wonderful, and Steve and I feel so lucky to have had the experience that we did with them. (Steve is a total advocate for midwifery care now! It's awesome to hear him.) I'm going to really miss Sky - but we're hoping to give Owen a little brother or sister when he's about two years old, so hopefully it won't be too long before we're making those long drives to St. Jacob's regularly again!
Anyway, Owen looked great at his final appointment. He weighed 12 lbs, 1 oz, so he's still growing like a little weed. He's more and more alert every day, and getting louder and more vocal with his cooing/talking/screetching. And I swear, that boy knows when someone is admiring him - he totally turns up the charm whenever anyone pays him the slightest compliment! He's a big flirt. He's started sucking his fists now when he's hungry, so grunting and snorting have been replaced by slurping as the cue that we'd better get him fed. I never thought it would happen, but I really can tell all the difference between his cries (not that there are many, there's the "I'm hungry", "I'm tired and need help falling asleep", and then there's the "I'm uncomfortable and/or hot - change my diaper, or take off my clothes", (in addition to being a flirt, he's a little nudist!)
We still haven't bothered with any sort of schedule, but our days have a routine to them with his eating and napping patterns. He's still a catnapper, but he is getting in one longer nap a day now. And he's still fantastic at night - goes down about 10, sleeps until 3:30-4, eats, and goes right back down until 7:30 or so. I'm not even napping in the day anymore. We go out and about and do our thing whether he's awake or asleep, and just transfer him from car seat to stroller to Baby Bjorn, or just carry him, depending on what suits his mood.
Of course, the real test will come in two weeks. That's when Steve goes back to school, and I'll be on my own during the day. Steve's managed to get in quite a bit of golf and poker this summer, so it's not like I haven't been on my own with Owen yet. We've been out and about just the two of us, and even survived a bit of a meltdown in Zellers together (his meltdown, I was fine). But it's just easier when Steve is around - when Owen decides he must eat NOW (and he is so like his mom in that way - I can go from zero to bitch in less than a second if I'm hungry and not getting fed!) I can always take him and find a quiet spot or go out to the Jeep and feed him, while Steve finishes up the shopping/paying our bill, whatever. Not that I'm adverse to breastfeeding in public, but the middle of the baby aisle in Zellers is not as comfortable as the Family Room at the other end of the mall. I at least require a place to sit, he's getting too heavy to walk and feed! :)
So, yes, in two weeks our summer "holidays" will be over, and I become a real stay-at-home mom all on my own for the next 10 months. I'm selfishly looking forward to having the little guy all to myself - Steve always wants to hold him and play with him too! But I'm hoping I don't have some sort of delayed post-partum depression, and suddenly lose it because I HAVE to do it all on my own. I know I can, I know I have, but maybe it's different day after day? All I know is, we're having tons of fun so far, and I can't imagine things really getting difficult. I'm sure everything will be fine. At six weeks in, I think we're both feeling pretty used to each other now, and we're all pretty confident that this new family structure is the best thing ever. But we sure will miss Papa when he goes back to work!
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Time Flies...
And we really are having fun!
I can't believe that Owen is 5 weeks old already. I finally got around to writing down his birth story, it's in the post below this one. He is the best baby in the world. We're still getting lots of sleep, he's growing like a weed (his next appointment is just before he turns 6 weeks, and we think he's closing in on 12 pounds!; he was 11.5 two weeks ago...). He's such a happy little guy, Steve calls him our "Cheeri-O". He's changed so much in 5 short weeks. He's really filled out, with pudgy little legs, a grapefruit belly, and chubby cheeks! And he's totally smiling at us...
Actually, I have a better picture that shows his gummy grin, but I have to get it off the camera still, and since it's out of batteries at the moment, that will have to wait. But here are some other cutie pictures...
We're having so much fun, our little family. Owen's been to a wedding, to his great-grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary celebration, to his great aunt and uncle's house on the lake (where he went fishing, dipped his toes in the lake, and went for a ride in Grandpa's boat!) and to any number of other parties and outings. He's such an easy guy to get out and about with - only fusses when hungry, and that's a problem I can easily solve!
And Owen is so much fun these days! He's coo-ing, and really trying to "talk" to us, grinning away whenever we have a "conversation". He's really noticing things around him, and he's started hitting out at toys around him (not really in that grasping stage yet, but he'll knock Tummytime Turtle around something fierce!) And speaking of tummy-time, he loves it. He kicks his legs, and if you hold your hand against his feet, he'll scoot along his blanket, he kicks so hard! He also likes to practice "running" in his bouncy chair - just kick kick kick, one leg after the other. He's a busy little guy, arms and legs always moving, and he keeps up a running commentary while he's going.
Poor Steve is starting to think about school now, with only a few more weeks to go for his summer holiday. He's going to miss our little guy something awful when he has to go back. He's such a great dad - I fall in love with him all over again whenever I see him with Owen. I'm so lucky - he changes more than his fair share of diapers, loves to give Owen his bath, and is just as involved with Owen as I am. The only thing he can't do yet is feed him, but I've started pumping, and we're planning on celebrating Owen's six-week birthday with a bottle from Daddy. He's (Owen, not Daddy) nursing very well, so there shouldn't be much chance of "nipple-confusion" anymore. I think Steve's pretty excited.
In other news, my sister got engaged over the holiday weekend! Owen is very excited for Auntie Kris and Hunkie Unkie Ryan! They're planning a November wedding, somewhere warm and beachy - I believe the Mayan Riviera is the front-runner at the moment. As the Maid of Honour (I refuse to refer to myself as the Matron of honour - what an ugly word!) I will be there of course, and the little guy too, we're just hoping that somehow Steve will be able to get a couple of days off from school to join us. We're thinking of doing just a 4-day package wherever they go, so keep your fingers crossed. Unfortunately, teachers don't have holiday time or anything, and who knows if they'll grant him a few personal days for a sister-in-law's wedding. But please cross your fingers for us too, every bit helps! Here's a picture of the happy couple:
So, that's all the news for now. More pics and Owen stories as time (and the little guy!) permits. Cheers!
I can't believe that Owen is 5 weeks old already. I finally got around to writing down his birth story, it's in the post below this one. He is the best baby in the world. We're still getting lots of sleep, he's growing like a weed (his next appointment is just before he turns 6 weeks, and we think he's closing in on 12 pounds!; he was 11.5 two weeks ago...). He's such a happy little guy, Steve calls him our "Cheeri-O". He's changed so much in 5 short weeks. He's really filled out, with pudgy little legs, a grapefruit belly, and chubby cheeks! And he's totally smiling at us...
Actually, I have a better picture that shows his gummy grin, but I have to get it off the camera still, and since it's out of batteries at the moment, that will have to wait. But here are some other cutie pictures...
We're having so much fun, our little family. Owen's been to a wedding, to his great-grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary celebration, to his great aunt and uncle's house on the lake (where he went fishing, dipped his toes in the lake, and went for a ride in Grandpa's boat!) and to any number of other parties and outings. He's such an easy guy to get out and about with - only fusses when hungry, and that's a problem I can easily solve!
And Owen is so much fun these days! He's coo-ing, and really trying to "talk" to us, grinning away whenever we have a "conversation". He's really noticing things around him, and he's started hitting out at toys around him (not really in that grasping stage yet, but he'll knock Tummytime Turtle around something fierce!) And speaking of tummy-time, he loves it. He kicks his legs, and if you hold your hand against his feet, he'll scoot along his blanket, he kicks so hard! He also likes to practice "running" in his bouncy chair - just kick kick kick, one leg after the other. He's a busy little guy, arms and legs always moving, and he keeps up a running commentary while he's going.
Poor Steve is starting to think about school now, with only a few more weeks to go for his summer holiday. He's going to miss our little guy something awful when he has to go back. He's such a great dad - I fall in love with him all over again whenever I see him with Owen. I'm so lucky - he changes more than his fair share of diapers, loves to give Owen his bath, and is just as involved with Owen as I am. The only thing he can't do yet is feed him, but I've started pumping, and we're planning on celebrating Owen's six-week birthday with a bottle from Daddy. He's (Owen, not Daddy) nursing very well, so there shouldn't be much chance of "nipple-confusion" anymore. I think Steve's pretty excited.
In other news, my sister got engaged over the holiday weekend! Owen is very excited for Auntie Kris and Hunkie Unkie Ryan! They're planning a November wedding, somewhere warm and beachy - I believe the Mayan Riviera is the front-runner at the moment. As the Maid of Honour (I refuse to refer to myself as the Matron of honour - what an ugly word!) I will be there of course, and the little guy too, we're just hoping that somehow Steve will be able to get a couple of days off from school to join us. We're thinking of doing just a 4-day package wherever they go, so keep your fingers crossed. Unfortunately, teachers don't have holiday time or anything, and who knows if they'll grant him a few personal days for a sister-in-law's wedding. But please cross your fingers for us too, every bit helps! Here's a picture of the happy couple:
So, that's all the news for now. More pics and Owen stories as time (and the little guy!) permits. Cheers!
Owen's Birth Story
All along, before I had even gotten pregnant, I knew that I wanted a natural, drug-free birth. I felt it would be best for myself (easier recovery) as well as for the baby (no drugs to cross the placenta and make him drowsy). This was one of the reasons I went with the midwives for my prenatal care – I felt I’d have the best chance of a natural birth with their guidance.
So imagine my frustration when Sky and Tracy had to bring up the possibility of induction once I was past my due date. I did not want to be induced – my vision of a natural delivery did not include Pitocin! I had every confidence in my ability to have my baby naturally – unless I had a drug-induced labour. I had only heard horrible things about Pitocin-induced labour – it was hard, and no one had a good story to tell.
Once I was past my due date, I had an ultrasound scheduled for Friday, June 30, just to check in and make sure everything was okay. (The biggest concern with post-date babies is the placenta beginning to break down.) Our little guy was doing just fine, so no worries there at least. When I had seen Sky and Tracy the day before, we decided that if nothing happened over the weekend, I would see an OB for a consult the next week. If I had to be induced, at that point, my care would have to be transferred to an OB, so it would be better to at least consult with one ahead of time, instead of just showing up two weeks overdue.
Over the long weekend, nothing happened. Not even false labour, or Braxton Hicks contractions. Nada. On Sunday evening, Sky called. She had finally gotten the list of OBs on call at the hospital over the next few days, and the most “post-date friendly” OB, Dr. Potts, was on call that evening. Would we be able to meet here there for a non-stress test and a consult? Definitely!
We met Sky at the hospital, and went up to Maternity Triage. We did the non-stress test (NST) first – they attached two monitors to my belly. One monitored the baby’s heart rate, and the other monitored for (non-existent) contractions. I had a little button I had to press every time I felt the baby move – the idea was to see if my feeling fetal movement corresponded with his rise in heart rate (from moving). It did, and all was well.
The doctor came in, and examined me, telling me what we already suspected. At my last appointment the previous Thursday, Sky was going to attempt a “stretch and sweep” of my cervix and membranes to try and get things moving, but I wasn’t even dilated enough for that. Things hadn’t changed. The doctor said that given my positive test that evening, and the good results from the ultrasound on Friday, he would be comfortable letting me go to 42 weeks, if I wanted. He recommended I continue with a NST on Tuesday, another ultrasound on Wednesday, and a further NST and Cervadil insertion on Thursday, with the view to inducing me on the Friday (if necessary). (Before your cervix can even begin to dilate, it has to soften and thin, which the Cervadil should cause it to do. Mine was still too firm and long – they can’t even start the Pitocin drip until your cervix has softened, hence the Cervadil the day before induction.) That way, if things got too busy in the hospital for them to induce me on Friday, he’d still feel comfortable letting me go until Saturday or Sunday. So that became the plan, but I was still hoping that the baby would come on his own.
Another NST, another ultrasound. Everything still looked healthy with baby, and I was still feeling lots of movement from him, so I knew he was fine, but why wouldn’t he come out???
Finally, Thursday rolled around. I was feeling like this was my last chance – Sky had told me that for 40% of women, the Cervadil alone was enough to kick them into labour. I was really hoping to fall into that 40%! Steve and I went to the hospital again, and had to start with yet another NST. So far, so good. Then, we had to wait for the OB on call to do the Cervadil. So we waited. And waited. The thing about Triage in the maternity ward is, if neither you nor your baby are in any real trouble, you are a low priority. That day, there were three different pregnant women who had been in car accidents. Thankfully, everything ended up being okay with them and their babies, but we kept getting bumped down the list. Finally, they tracked down the doctor, and I got the Cervadil. Then, I had to do another NST to ensure that the baby was reacting okay to the drug.
About halfway through this NST, we started getting some wacky readings on the monitor – it said the baby’s heart rate was up around 200, then down about 40. I think it was because he was moving, and the monitor couldn’t read him properly. But because of that “deceleration” down to 40, I had to start all over with the time measurement, to ensure this was a one time thing. All in all, we spent about 4.5 hours at the hospital on Thursday, and when we finally left to go home, I was exhausted.
We got home just before 7 pm, and nothing was happening. Sky called around 9 to see how I was doing, and I told her I had just started feeling some really mild cramps, but they weren’t regular, and they were barely even noticeable. She said that was the drug working away, and to try and get some rest, because Friday would be a long day if I didn’t get some sleep. I went up to bed around 10, and dozed. By the time Steve came up around 11:30, I was up and rocking in the chair in the baby’s room. I was still feeling cramps, they were still mild, but they had gotten into a pattern: two minutes apart, and lasting for about a minute. We had been told to call the midwives when contractions were less than 5 minutes apart, but these were still just mild cramps – I wasn’t sure if this was worth calling about or not, but I paged Sky anyway. She decided that she and Tracy would come check on me.
They arrived about 1 a.m., and I was still just feeling those regular, mild cramps. Sky examined me, and I still wasn’t dilating. Nothing happening. She said it was just the Cervadil working away, and repeated her advice to try and get some sleep, because Friday was going to be a long day. Steve and I went to bed. I dozed on and off for about an hour, and Steve fell asleep.
By about 3 a.m., the cramps had gotten a little stronger, and were no longer so close together. I got up and heated my barley sock (literally, a sock filled with barley – makes a great heating compress!) in the microwave and lay in bed with it against my back – that helped a lot. By about 3:30, I couldn’t take the cramps lying in bed anymore – I would get up with each one and go into the bathroom and lean down against the countertop, then in between I’d rush back to bed to lie down and rest. By 3:45 I was really working hard to relax between contractions (they definitely weren’t cramps anymore!) and had decided that I would try to make it to 4 before waking Steve and calling the midwives. I was worried that things were getting a little tougher, but what if I was working this hard to relax through contractions, and nothing were happening still? Would I be able to make it all the way to 10 centimeters?
At 4, I woke Steve. Before calling the midwives, he ran me a hot bath, and helped me into the tub. I really thought that I would enjoy labouring in water, but while the hot water felt great and really helped me relax between contractions, I hated being in the tub during contractions. I wanted to be back in my standing bent-over position by the countertop! When Steve got off the phone, I had him help me out of the tub. Then I thought I’d try the shower. We have a bench in there that I could lean on, and I thought I’d really like the water beating on my back. And I did… until I had another contraction, and then I wanted nothing to do with it!
By the time I got out of the shower, it was 4:30, and Tracy and Sky had arrived again. They checked me – I was 3-4 cm dilated! The Cervadil had worked! I quickly found that the best way to labour was leaning over the bed, and it really helped to have someone putting pressure with a single hand on my lower back, right near the base of my spine. Anything else was distracting – I wanted no additional touching! In between contractions, having two hands on my back on either side of my spine helped me to relax. Steve got the hang of this “one hand, two hands” switch very quickly, and was great.
By 5, the contractions seemed to be pretty intense, so Sky examined me again. In that half hour, I had progressed to 7 cm! Time to think about getting to the hospital. It took a while to get organized between contractions, but eventually, I was dressed, down the stairs, and ready to get into the Jeep. I was pretty nervous about the ride to the hospital – I had been labouring standing up and leaning over, and was handling things pretty well, but I wasn’t looking forward to having to sit with my seatbelt on for the ride to the hospital! Steve was nervous for other reasons – my water hadn’t broken yet, and one of the last things Sky said before she got into her car to follow us was that if I felt the urge to push, not to! I’m sure he had visions of the baby coming in the Jeep!
The ride to the hospital was actually not as bad as I had been dreading. One of the books I had read had mentioned that the transfer to the hospital can sometimes slow labour down – it has to do with the body’s fight or flight response. If you’re on the move, your body doesn’t think it’s a good time to have a baby, and tries to slow things down. I’m not sure if that’s what really happened, but I found a few of my contractions were milder during the drive – I was just panting through them, rather than moaning and using my relaxation techniques.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:45. Sky put me in a wheelchair and took me up to the maternity ward while Tracy waited for Steve to park and brought him up. Before we left the house, Sky had called Joan to let her know we were on our way to the hospital, and she arrived shortly after we did. I had to get blood drawn just after we arrived, and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done was sit still through a contraction while the technician had the needle in my arm. (How does anyone sit still through a contraction while getting a needle in the back for an epidural??)
At about 6, I was really feeling pressure, and the urge to push was quite strong. Joan told me to go ahead and push with the next contraction, and pushing with the contraction made all the pain go away! It felt so good. They checked me out – 10 cm, definitely ready to go!
They decided to break my water, since it still hadn’t happened, and when they did, there was meconium in it (the baby had had his first bowel movement while still inside – not a huge deal, but there can be some concern if he breathes some of it in). Because of the meconium, they strapped the monitor to me to keep an eye on his heart rate.
I kept pushing with each contraction. There wasn’t time to break the bed down to get the squat bar set up, even though I had wanted to push in an upright squatting position. Instead, Sky supported me on one side, and Steve on the other, holding me in a squat on the bed between the two of them. When he was getting close, they had me lie back down, and Sky and Steve each held one of my legs. Steve had to remind me to breathe, I was concentrating so hard on pushing with each contraction!
I remember Sky telling me not to worry, but the baby’s heart rate was dropping a little with each contraction, so they’d like to get him out soon. She said that she might want to do an episiotomy if needed to get him out faster, and would that be okay, if he needed it? (One of the things we’d discussed previously was that I didn’t want an episiotomy unless it was absolutely necessary for the baby.) I said yes, if it was for him, she could do it. But I also found a little bit of extra strength to push even harder with the next contractions – my baby needed me to get him out!
And at 6:16 a.m., get him out I did! The episiotomy never happened – I got him out before they really got worried about him (although I did tear a little, and needed a few stitches). I remember them telling me that he was coming, and feeling him crowning (I remember thinking, oh, so this is the “ring of fire”. It’s not actually that bad… it’s definitely not excruciating…) and then Sky was telling me to reach down and grab my baby! I reached down, and there he was! They helped me lift him up to my chest, and covered us both with a sheet. He was here! He was finally here! I was so happy, I remember just looking up at Steve and saying, “He’s here!”
Owen Edward Howard was born at 6:16 a.m. on July 7, 2006. He weighed 8 lbs, 8 ozs and was 22 cm long. He had wispy brown hair, dark grey eyes, and long fingers and toes. He was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
It was an overwhelming moment. Lots of crazy thoughts ran through my head: “He’s finally HERE!”, “He doesn’t have a funny-shaped head!”, “He’s so little!”, “I DID IT!”, and “Wow, I feel really good now that he’s out!”
I held on to my little guy and snuggled him tightly while I delivered the placenta (when I had to push for the placenta, I didn’t even realize I was tense about more pain until Tracy said “It’s okay Cari, there’s no bones in the placenta”, and then I relaxed.) I remember saying to Steve, “Isn’t he beautiful?” and telling Steve that I loved him, and Steve telling me he loved me. We were finally a family of three!
Because of the meconium, they had to have the pediatrician on call check out our little guy. She did his APGARs (measurements out of 10 of how healthy the baby is at 1 and 5 minutes after birth) and he scored 9 and 9. While Sky gave me a few stitches, Steve dressed Owen in his first clothes, and snuggled him for a little bit, then brought him back to me.
We’d left our cell phone at home (on the charger!) in the rush to get to the hospital, but Joan found a phone for us to use, and we called our parents to tell them that our little guy was finally here. (We had to wait until we got home to call our friends, because we didn’t have a phone list – all the numbers were programmed in the cell!)
Then I was able to try to feed Owen for the first time, and he actually latched on right away! I was so happy, another reason I’d wanted to avoid the drugs was to help get breastfeeding off to a good start with an alert baby. I remember saying again at this point, “I did it! And without any drugs!” and Tracy said, “You sure did, and you didn’t even ask for them!” I was pretty proud of myself. Steve was proud of me too – I can be a bit of a suck around the house, if I hurt myself. I know he was pulling for me, but had his doubts about my pain tolerance.
After his first feeding, I gave the baby back to Steve and ate some breakfast. Then I got up and Joan helped me to the washroom to get cleaned up and dressed. Sky was just working on some paperwork, and we were nearly ready to go. Steve had to go back to the car to get Owen’s car seat (they don’t let you leave the hospital with your baby until they can see you have a proper car seat). Just before he left, his mom arrived, so she held Owen while Steve went to the car for his seat. Then we packed everything up, and headed down to the Jeep. Tracy had to leave for class that morning, so just Sky was coming home with us. We said goodbye to Steve’s mom in the lobby, and put our little guy in the Jeep. He cried a bit on the ride home – I think he wanted to be held some more.
We got home about 10 a.m. We’d spent more time in the hospital the day before than we had that morning having the baby! I was so happy to be able to come home right away. All three of us just got into bed together. Sky helped me feed Owen again, and when she was sure we were settled and comfortable, she headed out, letting us know she’d be back with Tracy later that evening to check in on us. We just snuggled down, the three of us, and Steve and I sang softly to Owen:
"A man and a woman had a little baby, yes they did. They had three in the family. It’s a magic number: three."
So imagine my frustration when Sky and Tracy had to bring up the possibility of induction once I was past my due date. I did not want to be induced – my vision of a natural delivery did not include Pitocin! I had every confidence in my ability to have my baby naturally – unless I had a drug-induced labour. I had only heard horrible things about Pitocin-induced labour – it was hard, and no one had a good story to tell.
Once I was past my due date, I had an ultrasound scheduled for Friday, June 30, just to check in and make sure everything was okay. (The biggest concern with post-date babies is the placenta beginning to break down.) Our little guy was doing just fine, so no worries there at least. When I had seen Sky and Tracy the day before, we decided that if nothing happened over the weekend, I would see an OB for a consult the next week. If I had to be induced, at that point, my care would have to be transferred to an OB, so it would be better to at least consult with one ahead of time, instead of just showing up two weeks overdue.
Over the long weekend, nothing happened. Not even false labour, or Braxton Hicks contractions. Nada. On Sunday evening, Sky called. She had finally gotten the list of OBs on call at the hospital over the next few days, and the most “post-date friendly” OB, Dr. Potts, was on call that evening. Would we be able to meet here there for a non-stress test and a consult? Definitely!
We met Sky at the hospital, and went up to Maternity Triage. We did the non-stress test (NST) first – they attached two monitors to my belly. One monitored the baby’s heart rate, and the other monitored for (non-existent) contractions. I had a little button I had to press every time I felt the baby move – the idea was to see if my feeling fetal movement corresponded with his rise in heart rate (from moving). It did, and all was well.
The doctor came in, and examined me, telling me what we already suspected. At my last appointment the previous Thursday, Sky was going to attempt a “stretch and sweep” of my cervix and membranes to try and get things moving, but I wasn’t even dilated enough for that. Things hadn’t changed. The doctor said that given my positive test that evening, and the good results from the ultrasound on Friday, he would be comfortable letting me go to 42 weeks, if I wanted. He recommended I continue with a NST on Tuesday, another ultrasound on Wednesday, and a further NST and Cervadil insertion on Thursday, with the view to inducing me on the Friday (if necessary). (Before your cervix can even begin to dilate, it has to soften and thin, which the Cervadil should cause it to do. Mine was still too firm and long – they can’t even start the Pitocin drip until your cervix has softened, hence the Cervadil the day before induction.) That way, if things got too busy in the hospital for them to induce me on Friday, he’d still feel comfortable letting me go until Saturday or Sunday. So that became the plan, but I was still hoping that the baby would come on his own.
Another NST, another ultrasound. Everything still looked healthy with baby, and I was still feeling lots of movement from him, so I knew he was fine, but why wouldn’t he come out???
Finally, Thursday rolled around. I was feeling like this was my last chance – Sky had told me that for 40% of women, the Cervadil alone was enough to kick them into labour. I was really hoping to fall into that 40%! Steve and I went to the hospital again, and had to start with yet another NST. So far, so good. Then, we had to wait for the OB on call to do the Cervadil. So we waited. And waited. The thing about Triage in the maternity ward is, if neither you nor your baby are in any real trouble, you are a low priority. That day, there were three different pregnant women who had been in car accidents. Thankfully, everything ended up being okay with them and their babies, but we kept getting bumped down the list. Finally, they tracked down the doctor, and I got the Cervadil. Then, I had to do another NST to ensure that the baby was reacting okay to the drug.
About halfway through this NST, we started getting some wacky readings on the monitor – it said the baby’s heart rate was up around 200, then down about 40. I think it was because he was moving, and the monitor couldn’t read him properly. But because of that “deceleration” down to 40, I had to start all over with the time measurement, to ensure this was a one time thing. All in all, we spent about 4.5 hours at the hospital on Thursday, and when we finally left to go home, I was exhausted.
We got home just before 7 pm, and nothing was happening. Sky called around 9 to see how I was doing, and I told her I had just started feeling some really mild cramps, but they weren’t regular, and they were barely even noticeable. She said that was the drug working away, and to try and get some rest, because Friday would be a long day if I didn’t get some sleep. I went up to bed around 10, and dozed. By the time Steve came up around 11:30, I was up and rocking in the chair in the baby’s room. I was still feeling cramps, they were still mild, but they had gotten into a pattern: two minutes apart, and lasting for about a minute. We had been told to call the midwives when contractions were less than 5 minutes apart, but these were still just mild cramps – I wasn’t sure if this was worth calling about or not, but I paged Sky anyway. She decided that she and Tracy would come check on me.
They arrived about 1 a.m., and I was still just feeling those regular, mild cramps. Sky examined me, and I still wasn’t dilating. Nothing happening. She said it was just the Cervadil working away, and repeated her advice to try and get some sleep, because Friday was going to be a long day. Steve and I went to bed. I dozed on and off for about an hour, and Steve fell asleep.
By about 3 a.m., the cramps had gotten a little stronger, and were no longer so close together. I got up and heated my barley sock (literally, a sock filled with barley – makes a great heating compress!) in the microwave and lay in bed with it against my back – that helped a lot. By about 3:30, I couldn’t take the cramps lying in bed anymore – I would get up with each one and go into the bathroom and lean down against the countertop, then in between I’d rush back to bed to lie down and rest. By 3:45 I was really working hard to relax between contractions (they definitely weren’t cramps anymore!) and had decided that I would try to make it to 4 before waking Steve and calling the midwives. I was worried that things were getting a little tougher, but what if I was working this hard to relax through contractions, and nothing were happening still? Would I be able to make it all the way to 10 centimeters?
At 4, I woke Steve. Before calling the midwives, he ran me a hot bath, and helped me into the tub. I really thought that I would enjoy labouring in water, but while the hot water felt great and really helped me relax between contractions, I hated being in the tub during contractions. I wanted to be back in my standing bent-over position by the countertop! When Steve got off the phone, I had him help me out of the tub. Then I thought I’d try the shower. We have a bench in there that I could lean on, and I thought I’d really like the water beating on my back. And I did… until I had another contraction, and then I wanted nothing to do with it!
By the time I got out of the shower, it was 4:30, and Tracy and Sky had arrived again. They checked me – I was 3-4 cm dilated! The Cervadil had worked! I quickly found that the best way to labour was leaning over the bed, and it really helped to have someone putting pressure with a single hand on my lower back, right near the base of my spine. Anything else was distracting – I wanted no additional touching! In between contractions, having two hands on my back on either side of my spine helped me to relax. Steve got the hang of this “one hand, two hands” switch very quickly, and was great.
By 5, the contractions seemed to be pretty intense, so Sky examined me again. In that half hour, I had progressed to 7 cm! Time to think about getting to the hospital. It took a while to get organized between contractions, but eventually, I was dressed, down the stairs, and ready to get into the Jeep. I was pretty nervous about the ride to the hospital – I had been labouring standing up and leaning over, and was handling things pretty well, but I wasn’t looking forward to having to sit with my seatbelt on for the ride to the hospital! Steve was nervous for other reasons – my water hadn’t broken yet, and one of the last things Sky said before she got into her car to follow us was that if I felt the urge to push, not to! I’m sure he had visions of the baby coming in the Jeep!
The ride to the hospital was actually not as bad as I had been dreading. One of the books I had read had mentioned that the transfer to the hospital can sometimes slow labour down – it has to do with the body’s fight or flight response. If you’re on the move, your body doesn’t think it’s a good time to have a baby, and tries to slow things down. I’m not sure if that’s what really happened, but I found a few of my contractions were milder during the drive – I was just panting through them, rather than moaning and using my relaxation techniques.
We arrived at the hospital at 5:45. Sky put me in a wheelchair and took me up to the maternity ward while Tracy waited for Steve to park and brought him up. Before we left the house, Sky had called Joan to let her know we were on our way to the hospital, and she arrived shortly after we did. I had to get blood drawn just after we arrived, and one of the hardest things I’ve ever done was sit still through a contraction while the technician had the needle in my arm. (How does anyone sit still through a contraction while getting a needle in the back for an epidural??)
At about 6, I was really feeling pressure, and the urge to push was quite strong. Joan told me to go ahead and push with the next contraction, and pushing with the contraction made all the pain go away! It felt so good. They checked me out – 10 cm, definitely ready to go!
They decided to break my water, since it still hadn’t happened, and when they did, there was meconium in it (the baby had had his first bowel movement while still inside – not a huge deal, but there can be some concern if he breathes some of it in). Because of the meconium, they strapped the monitor to me to keep an eye on his heart rate.
I kept pushing with each contraction. There wasn’t time to break the bed down to get the squat bar set up, even though I had wanted to push in an upright squatting position. Instead, Sky supported me on one side, and Steve on the other, holding me in a squat on the bed between the two of them. When he was getting close, they had me lie back down, and Sky and Steve each held one of my legs. Steve had to remind me to breathe, I was concentrating so hard on pushing with each contraction!
I remember Sky telling me not to worry, but the baby’s heart rate was dropping a little with each contraction, so they’d like to get him out soon. She said that she might want to do an episiotomy if needed to get him out faster, and would that be okay, if he needed it? (One of the things we’d discussed previously was that I didn’t want an episiotomy unless it was absolutely necessary for the baby.) I said yes, if it was for him, she could do it. But I also found a little bit of extra strength to push even harder with the next contractions – my baby needed me to get him out!
And at 6:16 a.m., get him out I did! The episiotomy never happened – I got him out before they really got worried about him (although I did tear a little, and needed a few stitches). I remember them telling me that he was coming, and feeling him crowning (I remember thinking, oh, so this is the “ring of fire”. It’s not actually that bad… it’s definitely not excruciating…) and then Sky was telling me to reach down and grab my baby! I reached down, and there he was! They helped me lift him up to my chest, and covered us both with a sheet. He was here! He was finally here! I was so happy, I remember just looking up at Steve and saying, “He’s here!”
Owen Edward Howard was born at 6:16 a.m. on July 7, 2006. He weighed 8 lbs, 8 ozs and was 22 cm long. He had wispy brown hair, dark grey eyes, and long fingers and toes. He was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
It was an overwhelming moment. Lots of crazy thoughts ran through my head: “He’s finally HERE!”, “He doesn’t have a funny-shaped head!”, “He’s so little!”, “I DID IT!”, and “Wow, I feel really good now that he’s out!”
I held on to my little guy and snuggled him tightly while I delivered the placenta (when I had to push for the placenta, I didn’t even realize I was tense about more pain until Tracy said “It’s okay Cari, there’s no bones in the placenta”, and then I relaxed.) I remember saying to Steve, “Isn’t he beautiful?” and telling Steve that I loved him, and Steve telling me he loved me. We were finally a family of three!
Because of the meconium, they had to have the pediatrician on call check out our little guy. She did his APGARs (measurements out of 10 of how healthy the baby is at 1 and 5 minutes after birth) and he scored 9 and 9. While Sky gave me a few stitches, Steve dressed Owen in his first clothes, and snuggled him for a little bit, then brought him back to me.
We’d left our cell phone at home (on the charger!) in the rush to get to the hospital, but Joan found a phone for us to use, and we called our parents to tell them that our little guy was finally here. (We had to wait until we got home to call our friends, because we didn’t have a phone list – all the numbers were programmed in the cell!)
Then I was able to try to feed Owen for the first time, and he actually latched on right away! I was so happy, another reason I’d wanted to avoid the drugs was to help get breastfeeding off to a good start with an alert baby. I remember saying again at this point, “I did it! And without any drugs!” and Tracy said, “You sure did, and you didn’t even ask for them!” I was pretty proud of myself. Steve was proud of me too – I can be a bit of a suck around the house, if I hurt myself. I know he was pulling for me, but had his doubts about my pain tolerance.
After his first feeding, I gave the baby back to Steve and ate some breakfast. Then I got up and Joan helped me to the washroom to get cleaned up and dressed. Sky was just working on some paperwork, and we were nearly ready to go. Steve had to go back to the car to get Owen’s car seat (they don’t let you leave the hospital with your baby until they can see you have a proper car seat). Just before he left, his mom arrived, so she held Owen while Steve went to the car for his seat. Then we packed everything up, and headed down to the Jeep. Tracy had to leave for class that morning, so just Sky was coming home with us. We said goodbye to Steve’s mom in the lobby, and put our little guy in the Jeep. He cried a bit on the ride home – I think he wanted to be held some more.
We got home about 10 a.m. We’d spent more time in the hospital the day before than we had that morning having the baby! I was so happy to be able to come home right away. All three of us just got into bed together. Sky helped me feed Owen again, and when she was sure we were settled and comfortable, she headed out, letting us know she’d be back with Tracy later that evening to check in on us. We just snuggled down, the three of us, and Steve and I sang softly to Owen:
"A man and a woman had a little baby, yes they did. They had three in the family. It’s a magic number: three."
Saturday, July 29, 2006
At Long Last!
Wow, it's been a busy few weeks! After making us wait for nearly two extra weeks, Owen Edward Howard finally graced us with his presence on July 7, 2006. That's right, the JuneBug is actually a July Guy! But he's been well worth the wait. He weighed 8 lbs, 8 ozs, and was 22 inches long. I can't believe he's three weeks old already - he's up over 10 pounds, and 24 inches long now! From the beginning he's been such a great little guy, he makes this parenting thing really easy on us. He's great at nursing, he had a fantastic latch right from the start. He is an excellent sleeper, letting us get at least one four-hour stretch each night. As he gets bigger, he's only up once or twice through the night, so Steve and I are getting lots of sleep. And he's a pretty easy going guy too - only fusses when hungry, occasionally if his diaper is messy, and when he's hot. (The weather has been brutal the past week! We don't have central air, but thank goodness for our room air conditioners in our bedroom and family room. He's pretty comfy most of the time, we just let him lounge around in just his diaper. Some pics of our little prince:
More pictures and Owen's birth story to follow....cheers!
More pictures and Owen's birth story to follow....cheers!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Working Girl
Hmmm, here's a post I failed to publish - better late than never! :)
I have less than two weeks left at the office before I start my maternity leave. I am taking two weeks off before my "due date", hoping that if the JuneBug comes a little early, I'll have still gotten in some relaxation time. And if the JuneBug is a little late, well, we'll just be that much closer to the end of the school year, and will save some poor substitute teacher from trying to control Steve's class during the last few days of school. (Because as if those days aren't chaotic enough, without changing up the routine!)
People keep asking me if I'm going to miss being at work. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on right now, with our food waste pilot coming up. Since I started in Waste Management almost two years ago, I've been working towards this pilot. We got final approval from Council in January, and starting in October, we will begin collecting food waste and other organics at the curb from 5,000 pilot households. This project is kind of my "baby" at the moment. I'm very excited to see how things turn out. But since I won't be here, I'll just have to check in every once in a while. Of course, that's not to say that there won't be exciting stuff happening when I come back after a year either! That's when we make the decision to roll out Region-wide or not, and then the BIG plans start! So there will be more than enough to keep me busy. So, looking ahead to just the stuff I'm
going to miss at the office while I'm gone, sure I have some regrets about not being involved with my very own pilot right from the start. But look at what I'll get to be doing instead! The JuneBug will actually be here! So I'm sure that I really won't miss work at all.
And I plan to visit everyone too, and get the scoop on how things are going. Everyone I work with is so great - they held an office shower for me a few weeks ago, and it was just fantastic! Everyone I work with is so wonderful. It had a Dr. Seuss theme, and it was amazing the creative stuff they came up with! They decorated the room with red and blue balloons, and kites that look like the ones Thing 1 and Thing 2 play with in "The Cat in the Hat". There were all kinds of great nibblies, including Green (deviled) Eggs and Ham, Goldfish crackers (for the fish from Cat in the Hat), and a crazy, topsy-turvy Seussified cake! One of the girls had even found a Dr. Seuss video to play on the TV! Oh, and another had prepared a special beverage for me - apple juice with pieces of chocolate bar floating in it - served in a potty! Let me tell you, that "punch" just got better
and better looking as the afternoon went on!
We got many wonderful gifts (including a beautiful hand-knitted sweater from my friend Diann that I cannot wait to see on the JuneBug!) and a VERY generous gift card. So while I might not miss work over the next year, I can definitely see myself missing my wonderful co-workers. Cheers!
I have less than two weeks left at the office before I start my maternity leave. I am taking two weeks off before my "due date", hoping that if the JuneBug comes a little early, I'll have still gotten in some relaxation time. And if the JuneBug is a little late, well, we'll just be that much closer to the end of the school year, and will save some poor substitute teacher from trying to control Steve's class during the last few days of school. (Because as if those days aren't chaotic enough, without changing up the routine!)
People keep asking me if I'm going to miss being at work. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on right now, with our food waste pilot coming up. Since I started in Waste Management almost two years ago, I've been working towards this pilot. We got final approval from Council in January, and starting in October, we will begin collecting food waste and other organics at the curb from 5,000 pilot households. This project is kind of my "baby" at the moment. I'm very excited to see how things turn out. But since I won't be here, I'll just have to check in every once in a while. Of course, that's not to say that there won't be exciting stuff happening when I come back after a year either! That's when we make the decision to roll out Region-wide or not, and then the BIG plans start! So there will be more than enough to keep me busy. So, looking ahead to just the stuff I'm
going to miss at the office while I'm gone, sure I have some regrets about not being involved with my very own pilot right from the start. But look at what I'll get to be doing instead! The JuneBug will actually be here! So I'm sure that I really won't miss work at all.
And I plan to visit everyone too, and get the scoop on how things are going. Everyone I work with is so great - they held an office shower for me a few weeks ago, and it was just fantastic! Everyone I work with is so wonderful. It had a Dr. Seuss theme, and it was amazing the creative stuff they came up with! They decorated the room with red and blue balloons, and kites that look like the ones Thing 1 and Thing 2 play with in "The Cat in the Hat". There were all kinds of great nibblies, including Green (deviled) Eggs and Ham, Goldfish crackers (for the fish from Cat in the Hat), and a crazy, topsy-turvy Seussified cake! One of the girls had even found a Dr. Seuss video to play on the TV! Oh, and another had prepared a special beverage for me - apple juice with pieces of chocolate bar floating in it - served in a potty! Let me tell you, that "punch" just got better
and better looking as the afternoon went on!
We got many wonderful gifts (including a beautiful hand-knitted sweater from my friend Diann that I cannot wait to see on the JuneBug!) and a VERY generous gift card. So while I might not miss work over the next year, I can definitely see myself missing my wonderful co-workers. Cheers!
Friday, May 26, 2006
St. Jacob's Midwives
I haven't said much about my midwives yet, so let's do that. I am not seeing an OB for this pregnancy, instead, I'm in the care of the St. Jacob's Midwives, and I couldn't be happier. Midwives view pregnancy and birth as normal, healthy events in a woman's life, which is my philosophy as well. I am not sick, therefore, I don't need to see a doctor. For anyone unfamiliar with midwifery care, I strongly urge you to visit their website to learn more - I was leaning towards midwifery long before Steve and I were even trying for a baby, and hearing the stories of a few girlfriends who were with this practice sealed the deal for me.
Midwifery is covered by OHIP, so there aren't any extra out-of-pocket expenses. And I would say that the standard of care I get is even better than what I might receive through an OB's office. I spend maybe 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, and then 45 minutes to an hour with the midwife at each appointment. Many women have told me it's the opposite when they're seeing an OB. My primary care midwife is Sky, and my secondary midwife is Joan. All patients are assigned to two midwives. We mostly (yes, Steve comes to as many appointments as he can) see Sky, but we've also seen Joan a few times. We really like them both. And I just found out that Sky has a student midwife working with her now. Her name is Tracy, and that means we will actually have three midwives present at our birth. (Steve is very excited about this, because now there will be one midwife for me, one for the baby, and one for him!)
Sky (or another midwife) is also "on call" for me, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All I
have to do is page, and I get a phone call right back. Early in the pregnancy, when I knew Sky was going to be my midwife, but before I had even had my first appointment with her, I had some spotting, and even though I wasn't "officially" her patient yet, she spoke with me on the phone for half an hour, explaining my options, what could be causing the spotting, what I could do about it, and just generally helping to calm me down. I knew then and there I had definitely made the right decision!
At each appointment, I weigh myself, and I test my own urine to determine glucose and protein levels. (Women-centred care is the cornerstone of midwifery - I am not a "patient", I am an active participant in my own care.) Every appointment, we chat about something different - nutrition, pre-natal testing, our birth plan, etc. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat at every appointment too, and since I hit the second trimester, my belly gets measured every time to ensure the proper rate of growth is happening. Steve and I feel like we're being consulted on everything that is happening, and that we really have been in charge of our own pregnancy, and everything that will happen at the delivery. It's a great feeling to know that everything that happens is being done because of a decision we
made, and isn't something just being done "to" us or the baby.
Although it is perfectly safe to give birth at home with a midwife (remember, you can only be seen by a midwife if you are having an "uncomplicated" or "low-risk" pregnancy - if anything develops that places your pregnancy into a high risk category, the midwives would then transfer your care to an OB) Steve and I have chosen to birth at Grand River Hospital. Contrary to how most women feel, I think I'll be less inhibited in the hospital setting - able to make as much noise as I like, and walk the halls, and do whatever I feel like. They have gorgeous big rooms for labour and delivery, and that is also where you stay after having your baby. Each room has a bed with squatting bar (something I'm planning on using), a lazy-boy style chair or a bench/bed for your partner to sleep on, and a big, private bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. I'm looking forward to labouring in the jacuzzi tub too - ours at home is just a soaker. :)
When the JuneBug is ready to be born, we'll weather the early stages of labour at home. Sky (and now Tracy) will come to the house (my last appointment with Sky was actually at our house, so she knew how to get there ahead of time). When it looks like we're getting close, we'll transfer to the hospital. (Steve is very relieved that Sky will be making
that call, and he doesn't have to try and help me figure out if it's "time to go" or not.) When we're on our way to the hospital, Sky will call Joan to meet us there. We don't have to check in or anything, since the midwives have full hospital priviledges. We will go through the "secret back entrance" and right up to Labour and Delivery. Joan will assist Sky, helping her with anything she needs, and when the baby is born, Sky will continue to look after me, and Joan is there to look after the baby. If everything goes well, the baby will never be out of my arms once born. I'll get to try and breastfeed right away (the midwives are also lactation consultants, and fully prepared to help us get off to a great breastfeeding relationship) and any measuring and post-natal care will take place with
the baby in bed with me. With any luck, we'll be home and in our own beds before 24 hours have passed. (Depending on how I feel, they can get you home as soon as 6 hours after the birth. I'm looking forward to this too, because as much as I want to deliver in the hospital, I have absolutely NO desire to STAY in the hospital. Get me out of there!!)
Sky will come home from the hospital with us, and will stay with us until we are settled. For the first week or two after the baby is born, our post-natal appointments are at home, and Sky will come to see us, making sure breastfeeding is going well, and that the JuneBug is gaining weight, and that we're both recovering and healthy. We stay under her care until the JuneBug is 6 weeks old, at which time, she transfers our care back to our family doctor. (I'm actually getting a little sad thinking about that!)
Steve was not entirely sure how he felt about midwifery at the beginning of our pregnancy. All of his friends' wives were under the care of an OB for their pregnancies, and he didn't know anything different. And actually, the births he was most familiar with at the time, Jack's, Ella's, and Nathan's, ended up as c-sections, or required forceps ntervention, so that's a good thing that they had OBs! (If I do end up requiring a
c-section for any reason, Sky will transfer my care to an OB, but will stay with us as the baby's primary care person still. Same thing if I need an epidural for any reason.) The girls I knew who had been with the St. Jacob's midwives I knew from work, so he hadn't heard from anyone what it was like. I think he started to get less nervous when our family doctor said how happy he was to hear that we were going with midwifery care. (Steve and his mom both seemed to think that our family doctor delivers babies, but the first thing his assistant asked me when I called in for an appointment for them to confirm my pregnancy was whether I had thought about who I would "go with" for my pregnancy care. Um, to me, that makes me think he probably doesn't anymore!)
Although Steve is relieved we're delivering in the hospital (for different reasons than I am), he has definitely come around to midwifery care. He really likes Sky, and has enjoyed all of our appointments - his favourite part (and mine too!) is when we get to hear the JuneBug's heartbeat. I'm not sure how my parents feel about us being under a midwife's care instead of an OB, but I know Steve's mom is not comfortable with it. (Because she's asked me about four times during this pregnancy whether I "get" to see an OB at all even though I'm with a midwife.) The last time she asked, Steve totally jumped in and started explaining all the stuff that I've already told her again: no, we won't see an OB, we're having a low-risk pregnancy, if anything happens that requires intervention, we'll be transferred to an OB, but nothing's going to happen. We have access to all the same testing and everything through the midwives, and we actually probably spend more time with them than we would with an OB. Not to mention, an OB just comes in at the end to catch your baby - you labour with the hospital nurses, who, although I'm told they are fabulous, you've likely never met before that day. Plus they change when they go off shift. We'll have Sky, Joan and Tracy with us from start to finish. To me, that sounds like Steve is 100% on board now. :)
And I'm not knocking OBs. Most of my girlfriends have gone with OBs, and they've all be very happy with their experiences, and are looking forward to going back to them for their next baby. I certainly don't think that my decisions are "better" than theirs, because I've chosen to go with a midwife. I just feel that it's a better decision for me. I feel that for myself and the birth experience I am hoping to have, I have the very best chance of a low-to-no intervention birth being under a midwife's care. I'm looking forward to the birth, and seeing my body handle this new challenge that it was designed to do. There's something just very primal and natural about giving birth surrounded by caring women who will be taking their cues from me and what I want, instead of a team of "specialists" telling me what to do. It's the way millions of healthy babies have been making their way
into the world for centuries. And in just 4 more weeks, hopefully the JuneBug will too! Cheers!
Midwifery is covered by OHIP, so there aren't any extra out-of-pocket expenses. And I would say that the standard of care I get is even better than what I might receive through an OB's office. I spend maybe 5-10 minutes in the waiting room, and then 45 minutes to an hour with the midwife at each appointment. Many women have told me it's the opposite when they're seeing an OB. My primary care midwife is Sky, and my secondary midwife is Joan. All patients are assigned to two midwives. We mostly (yes, Steve comes to as many appointments as he can) see Sky, but we've also seen Joan a few times. We really like them both. And I just found out that Sky has a student midwife working with her now. Her name is Tracy, and that means we will actually have three midwives present at our birth. (Steve is very excited about this, because now there will be one midwife for me, one for the baby, and one for him!)
Sky (or another midwife) is also "on call" for me, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All I
have to do is page, and I get a phone call right back. Early in the pregnancy, when I knew Sky was going to be my midwife, but before I had even had my first appointment with her, I had some spotting, and even though I wasn't "officially" her patient yet, she spoke with me on the phone for half an hour, explaining my options, what could be causing the spotting, what I could do about it, and just generally helping to calm me down. I knew then and there I had definitely made the right decision!
At each appointment, I weigh myself, and I test my own urine to determine glucose and protein levels. (Women-centred care is the cornerstone of midwifery - I am not a "patient", I am an active participant in my own care.) Every appointment, we chat about something different - nutrition, pre-natal testing, our birth plan, etc. We get to hear the baby's heartbeat at every appointment too, and since I hit the second trimester, my belly gets measured every time to ensure the proper rate of growth is happening. Steve and I feel like we're being consulted on everything that is happening, and that we really have been in charge of our own pregnancy, and everything that will happen at the delivery. It's a great feeling to know that everything that happens is being done because of a decision we
made, and isn't something just being done "to" us or the baby.
Although it is perfectly safe to give birth at home with a midwife (remember, you can only be seen by a midwife if you are having an "uncomplicated" or "low-risk" pregnancy - if anything develops that places your pregnancy into a high risk category, the midwives would then transfer your care to an OB) Steve and I have chosen to birth at Grand River Hospital. Contrary to how most women feel, I think I'll be less inhibited in the hospital setting - able to make as much noise as I like, and walk the halls, and do whatever I feel like. They have gorgeous big rooms for labour and delivery, and that is also where you stay after having your baby. Each room has a bed with squatting bar (something I'm planning on using), a lazy-boy style chair or a bench/bed for your partner to sleep on, and a big, private bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. I'm looking forward to labouring in the jacuzzi tub too - ours at home is just a soaker. :)
When the JuneBug is ready to be born, we'll weather the early stages of labour at home. Sky (and now Tracy) will come to the house (my last appointment with Sky was actually at our house, so she knew how to get there ahead of time). When it looks like we're getting close, we'll transfer to the hospital. (Steve is very relieved that Sky will be making
that call, and he doesn't have to try and help me figure out if it's "time to go" or not.) When we're on our way to the hospital, Sky will call Joan to meet us there. We don't have to check in or anything, since the midwives have full hospital priviledges. We will go through the "secret back entrance" and right up to Labour and Delivery. Joan will assist Sky, helping her with anything she needs, and when the baby is born, Sky will continue to look after me, and Joan is there to look after the baby. If everything goes well, the baby will never be out of my arms once born. I'll get to try and breastfeed right away (the midwives are also lactation consultants, and fully prepared to help us get off to a great breastfeeding relationship) and any measuring and post-natal care will take place with
the baby in bed with me. With any luck, we'll be home and in our own beds before 24 hours have passed. (Depending on how I feel, they can get you home as soon as 6 hours after the birth. I'm looking forward to this too, because as much as I want to deliver in the hospital, I have absolutely NO desire to STAY in the hospital. Get me out of there!!)
Sky will come home from the hospital with us, and will stay with us until we are settled. For the first week or two after the baby is born, our post-natal appointments are at home, and Sky will come to see us, making sure breastfeeding is going well, and that the JuneBug is gaining weight, and that we're both recovering and healthy. We stay under her care until the JuneBug is 6 weeks old, at which time, she transfers our care back to our family doctor. (I'm actually getting a little sad thinking about that!)
Steve was not entirely sure how he felt about midwifery at the beginning of our pregnancy. All of his friends' wives were under the care of an OB for their pregnancies, and he didn't know anything different. And actually, the births he was most familiar with at the time, Jack's, Ella's, and Nathan's, ended up as c-sections, or required forceps ntervention, so that's a good thing that they had OBs! (If I do end up requiring a
c-section for any reason, Sky will transfer my care to an OB, but will stay with us as the baby's primary care person still. Same thing if I need an epidural for any reason.) The girls I knew who had been with the St. Jacob's midwives I knew from work, so he hadn't heard from anyone what it was like. I think he started to get less nervous when our family doctor said how happy he was to hear that we were going with midwifery care. (Steve and his mom both seemed to think that our family doctor delivers babies, but the first thing his assistant asked me when I called in for an appointment for them to confirm my pregnancy was whether I had thought about who I would "go with" for my pregnancy care. Um, to me, that makes me think he probably doesn't anymore!)
Although Steve is relieved we're delivering in the hospital (for different reasons than I am), he has definitely come around to midwifery care. He really likes Sky, and has enjoyed all of our appointments - his favourite part (and mine too!) is when we get to hear the JuneBug's heartbeat. I'm not sure how my parents feel about us being under a midwife's care instead of an OB, but I know Steve's mom is not comfortable with it. (Because she's asked me about four times during this pregnancy whether I "get" to see an OB at all even though I'm with a midwife.) The last time she asked, Steve totally jumped in and started explaining all the stuff that I've already told her again: no, we won't see an OB, we're having a low-risk pregnancy, if anything happens that requires intervention, we'll be transferred to an OB, but nothing's going to happen. We have access to all the same testing and everything through the midwives, and we actually probably spend more time with them than we would with an OB. Not to mention, an OB just comes in at the end to catch your baby - you labour with the hospital nurses, who, although I'm told they are fabulous, you've likely never met before that day. Plus they change when they go off shift. We'll have Sky, Joan and Tracy with us from start to finish. To me, that sounds like Steve is 100% on board now. :)
And I'm not knocking OBs. Most of my girlfriends have gone with OBs, and they've all be very happy with their experiences, and are looking forward to going back to them for their next baby. I certainly don't think that my decisions are "better" than theirs, because I've chosen to go with a midwife. I just feel that it's a better decision for me. I feel that for myself and the birth experience I am hoping to have, I have the very best chance of a low-to-no intervention birth being under a midwife's care. I'm looking forward to the birth, and seeing my body handle this new challenge that it was designed to do. There's something just very primal and natural about giving birth surrounded by caring women who will be taking their cues from me and what I want, instead of a team of "specialists" telling me what to do. It's the way millions of healthy babies have been making their way
into the world for centuries. And in just 4 more weeks, hopefully the JuneBug will too! Cheers!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Continuing the Adventure...
Well, things have been fairly quiet here in Howieland, which is by no means how things have been in our real lives. We've been very busy, seeing family for Easter, celebrating Steve's birthday (with a successful surprise party!) and generally trying to get ready for baby. So here's the latest update in a nutshell, complete with photos.
My family completely spoiled the JuneBug when Steve and I went to Barrie for Easter. There was a surprise family shower for us. All I can say is, it's a good thing we had completely emptied the Jeep before we drove down in order to bring my dad his tires, because otherwise, we never would have been able to bring everything home with us! My loving and generous Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents got together and got us this lovely high chair:
and a Pack 'n' Play:
which will double as the JuneBug's portable bed when we travel this summer. (And of course, as I think I mentioned in everyone's thank you cards, Steve could NOT wait to get them put together, so again, good thing there was lots of room in the Jeep!)
Geoff, Kris, and "hunkie Unkie Ryan" got the JuneBug's library off to a fabulous start with every Dr. Seuss book containing a character we've painted on the nursery walls, as well as a snuggly blanky that I just can't wait to wrap the baby in for
some cuddles. And my parents (doting grandparents to be!) not only had clothes, a snowsuit, little shoes, toys, a warm, hooded bath towel and a CD of lullabies for the baby, but also little gifts for Steve and I. Not to mention my parents' neighbour, who gave us a gift certificate for Toys R Us, and my sister's best friend Amie (who came by with her adorable little girl, Abbie) who gave us a basket full of "mom-tested" goodies, like baby lotion with baby massage instructions, gripe water, receiving blankets, and various other lotions and potions (including a can of beer, which she insisted was NOT for Steve, but for me, to help my milk come in.)
We felt very loved. Yes mom, I did send written thank you cards to everyone, but for anyone who is reading this here also: thank you again! You are all so wonderful to us, and we're so grateful to have such a loving family.
Steve's family has also been working to spoil the JuneBug. The grandparents-to-be on that side have gone together and gotten us our stroller:
We talked about it, and decided it would be silly to get multiple strollers - I really wanted a jogging stroller, and Steve really had no preference. Rather than get a typical "travel system" (stroller that comes with car-seat bucket attachment) AND a jogging stroller, we opted for just a really good jogging stroller. It doesn't come with the car-seat bucket, but one can be attached to it still, just
like a travel system, so we don't lose out on that benefit. And it handles really smoothly, and folds up quite easily, so I'm looking forward to being able to use it.
And here is the bucket car seat that fits on (kind of a blurry pic, but I'm not getting out the camera and uploading pictures again tonight!) More thank you cards need to be purchased and written out! :)
Painting in the nursery continues, we're nearly done. Now that the weather has finally gotten nice, we've started parking the car in the driveway. As soon as one of his buddies comes over and helps him carry it down to the garage, Steve will sand and paint our dresser/change table. And while he was on his "putting things together" kick, he put our crib together as well (no pics of that yet, I want to show the whole nursery when it's done.) But take my word for it, it's beautiful. All it needs now is the lovely crib bedding, which is another gift from my wonderful parents. Then we just have to get the blinds up in the windows, arrange everything in its place, and we'll be all set!
In the meantime, we're going to be celebrated and spoiled again, first by the folks in my office, and then by my other girlfriends (hosted by the lovely Auntie Erica) at the end of the month. (Note to family members who "showered" us at Easter: you were all sent invitations because we would really like to see you if there's any chance you could make it, and because they are just so cute:
but by no means are you expected to re-shower us in any way. You have all been so generous already, we just wanted to include you in the invites so you could have a keepsake.) And my good friend Rachelle, who will unfortunately be out of town at the end of the month, got the JuneBug some lovely gifts (also from her hubby Steve,
and little Ella) at the little tea party we had at Jill's house a few weekends ago.
Not to mention, we have been working hard on Jamie and Elaine's Stag and Doe for June 3, and Elaine's wedding shower is the day after my baby shower. Before you know it, June 9 will be here: my last day of work! Although my Director thinks I'll only last another week or so, (and my poor manager hyperventilates every time he hears it!) I plan to work up to the 9th, and then have two blissful weeks off (at least!) before the baby comes.
That's not all, but that's all for now. :) Cheers!
My family completely spoiled the JuneBug when Steve and I went to Barrie for Easter. There was a surprise family shower for us. All I can say is, it's a good thing we had completely emptied the Jeep before we drove down in order to bring my dad his tires, because otherwise, we never would have been able to bring everything home with us! My loving and generous Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents got together and got us this lovely high chair:
and a Pack 'n' Play:
which will double as the JuneBug's portable bed when we travel this summer. (And of course, as I think I mentioned in everyone's thank you cards, Steve could NOT wait to get them put together, so again, good thing there was lots of room in the Jeep!)
Geoff, Kris, and "hunkie Unkie Ryan" got the JuneBug's library off to a fabulous start with every Dr. Seuss book containing a character we've painted on the nursery walls, as well as a snuggly blanky that I just can't wait to wrap the baby in for
some cuddles. And my parents (doting grandparents to be!) not only had clothes, a snowsuit, little shoes, toys, a warm, hooded bath towel and a CD of lullabies for the baby, but also little gifts for Steve and I. Not to mention my parents' neighbour, who gave us a gift certificate for Toys R Us, and my sister's best friend Amie (who came by with her adorable little girl, Abbie) who gave us a basket full of "mom-tested" goodies, like baby lotion with baby massage instructions, gripe water, receiving blankets, and various other lotions and potions (including a can of beer, which she insisted was NOT for Steve, but for me, to help my milk come in.)
We felt very loved. Yes mom, I did send written thank you cards to everyone, but for anyone who is reading this here also: thank you again! You are all so wonderful to us, and we're so grateful to have such a loving family.
Steve's family has also been working to spoil the JuneBug. The grandparents-to-be on that side have gone together and gotten us our stroller:
We talked about it, and decided it would be silly to get multiple strollers - I really wanted a jogging stroller, and Steve really had no preference. Rather than get a typical "travel system" (stroller that comes with car-seat bucket attachment) AND a jogging stroller, we opted for just a really good jogging stroller. It doesn't come with the car-seat bucket, but one can be attached to it still, just
like a travel system, so we don't lose out on that benefit. And it handles really smoothly, and folds up quite easily, so I'm looking forward to being able to use it.
And here is the bucket car seat that fits on (kind of a blurry pic, but I'm not getting out the camera and uploading pictures again tonight!) More thank you cards need to be purchased and written out! :)
Painting in the nursery continues, we're nearly done. Now that the weather has finally gotten nice, we've started parking the car in the driveway. As soon as one of his buddies comes over and helps him carry it down to the garage, Steve will sand and paint our dresser/change table. And while he was on his "putting things together" kick, he put our crib together as well (no pics of that yet, I want to show the whole nursery when it's done.) But take my word for it, it's beautiful. All it needs now is the lovely crib bedding, which is another gift from my wonderful parents. Then we just have to get the blinds up in the windows, arrange everything in its place, and we'll be all set!
In the meantime, we're going to be celebrated and spoiled again, first by the folks in my office, and then by my other girlfriends (hosted by the lovely Auntie Erica) at the end of the month. (Note to family members who "showered" us at Easter: you were all sent invitations because we would really like to see you if there's any chance you could make it, and because they are just so cute:
but by no means are you expected to re-shower us in any way. You have all been so generous already, we just wanted to include you in the invites so you could have a keepsake.) And my good friend Rachelle, who will unfortunately be out of town at the end of the month, got the JuneBug some lovely gifts (also from her hubby Steve,
and little Ella) at the little tea party we had at Jill's house a few weekends ago.
Not to mention, we have been working hard on Jamie and Elaine's Stag and Doe for June 3, and Elaine's wedding shower is the day after my baby shower. Before you know it, June 9 will be here: my last day of work! Although my Director thinks I'll only last another week or so, (and my poor manager hyperventilates every time he hears it!) I plan to work up to the 9th, and then have two blissful weeks off (at least!) before the baby comes.
That's not all, but that's all for now. :) Cheers!
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