Eight days a week

I meant to write this yesterday, John's first full week on the outside, but such is life with a newborn. (I actually had to leave the computer for half an hour there to tend to the little guy).

Our first week has been surprisingly easier than I expected. Most likely because we've been through this before and Daniel's birth was by c-section. I am so happy that I was able to give birth vaginally this time. Recovery was/is a billion times easier. Other than peeing every 1/2 hour I'm not doing too bad.

John is a good eater. Monday, at his newborn assessment he had gained almost all his birth weight back. He is a nice shade of pink. And he did not have to suffer through jaundice blood tests like his older brother did.


What else can I say about a newborn? He sleeps, eats and pees and poops. And he's adorable.

Daniel is adjusting quite well. He does have his moments which is too be expected. We try to give him the attention he craves and help him to learn that his little brother needs us too. Luckily as long as John's needs are met he doesn't mind us spending lots of time chasing Dan around the house.

And its seems like almost over night Daniel's vocabulary has expanded a hundred fold. I am (pleasantly) shocked to hear some new words come out of his mouth. He still hasn't said John, but he has said "happy baby". He also said yes when I asked him if he likes John. That's a good sign.

He pats John's head when I ask him to be gentle.


I call this my Christmas miracle. One week after giving birth I fit into my (PMS) jeans. Non-maternity clothes already!


Although we won't know for sure until he's about a year old, I think John's eyes look rather blue already. Daniel's eyes were almost black at this age. So I'm thinking super cute brothers - one with light hair and dark eyes. The other dark hair with blue eyes. Watch out ladies!!

V for Victory

We avoided a c-section :D

Well it seems that the false labour I wrote about last entry was closely leading up to the big finale. December 7th at 4am I started having regular contractions about 10 to 15 minutes apart. Nothing killer but definitely noticeable. So much so that I called my mom at 8 that morning and had Aaron pick her up to be here for Daniel when/if we had to go to the hospital. Daniel was in heaven. Gogo was here at his beck and call. Gogo was in heaven too at least before Danny exhausted her.

Anyway, while Aaron drove to Richmond Hill to pick up my mom the contractions stopped and I felt bad that mom was coming for no reason and Aaron was missing work. They picked up again a couple of hours later. I couldn't help but ask mom, could it be soon? Or are they gonna disappear again and I'll have to wait another week for this kid to enter the world. There really is no way of knowing for sure and that was killing me. I'm a planner and this was something I couldn't plan!!

I spent the day chilling with mom. Timing contractions. Watching movies and tv. Wasn't such a bad day. Went to bed around 9:30 hoping for the best.

As soon as I lay down the contractions became more intense but they were still too far apart to go to the hospital. Finally at about 1am I called Triage just to make sure that they didn't want me to come in. No, I should wait!

I lay back down. About half hour later I had one doozy of a contraction and my water broke. I hoped out of bed waking Aaron "Ahhhh my water broke." I actually hopped in the shower and began experiencing the contractions that I had only heard about (I didn't feel a thing with Daniel's labour!). Made it out of the shower called triage back and confirmed that I should come in to be assessed.

I was 4cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital. My doctor had suggested I wait as long as possible for my epidural and I told the nurse this. They moved me to the delivery room and I began to demand my epidural - LOL! The nurse kept telling me not to push but I couldn't stop. They checked me out again and thankfully I was fully dilated. Pushing commenced and my little John was born at 4:34am on December 8th.

The date is very significant too. John is named for John Lennon. And December 8th, as a lot of you know is the date that he died.

(I sense I feeding coming on and I'm too tired for more at this moment. I know you want more pics and they will come as soon as I can get to it. Not to worry I am snapping lots!!)

One

So I have been having false labour contractions almost every morning at around 3am for the past four days or so. The cramping isn't so intense as to make me wake Aaron but enough to wake up myself and then get excited. I check the clock and then try to fall back to sleep. Of course a million thoughts run through my mind. Who should we call to watch Danny? How long should I wait to call the hospital? Should I bother waking up Aaron? Why won't Aaron stop snoring? Okay try to sleep...

Today I went to my weekly doctors appointment which wasn't scheduled until 3:20pm. God, I hate afternoon appointments. I wait around all day knowing there is somewhere I have to be at 3:20pm. Ya, big deal right? It bugs me!! Especially the anticipation of todays appointment. The doctor checked me out. I am now one whole centimeter dialated. Things are happening. She is quite sure I will not go past my due date. In fact we aren't even sure I will make it to next weeks appointment.

Oh the joy. The end is near. We will soon meet our newest family member. An extraordinary early Christmas present for sure!!!

15 Days to go

More or less. I went to the doctor on Tuesday. Normal checks for blood pressure et al. She asked if I'd had anything contractions yet. Since I've only had Braxton Hicks and nothing else significant she is waiting for our next appointment before doing an internal to check for effacement and dialation and all that fun stuff.

I am trying to rest as much as possible in preparation for this birth but I'm finding it very difficult. For one I am home with Daniel alone a lot right now as Aaron is working my job as well as his own. 2 year olds can be quite exhausting. Luck for me he's so sweet and cute.

And then there are the 101 things I'd like to get done before baby's arrival. Somethings with pregnancy brain I forget what those things are...until about 3am.

Which brings me to the insomnia. I fall to sleep just fine. Once I have to visit the bathroom at about 2 or 3am I cannot fall back to sleep thinking of a billion different things I have to do/look forward to/imagine.

Today though I think I will force myself to nap when Daniel does. Funny how it is sometimes easier to sleep in the afternoon than it is at 3am.

37 weeks

I really can't believe there's only 3 weeks left until the due date.


My personal Christmas tree inspector.

This little guy is excellent big brother material.

Lookin' Good

I saw my ob/gyn today. She says that I still look like a good condidate for a VBAC. I'm very happy to hear that. I had all my questions answered and I didn't even have to refer to my notes. Question one was about how things were looking for the VBAC.
Question two was how much time we would have to get to the hospital once labour starts. This was more a concern of Aaron's. We might have to wait for my M-I-L to drive a half hour to us to babysit Daniel and then it would take us another 20 to 30 minutes to get to the hospital ourselves. According to the doctor we likely have up to 8 hours of labour so we should be okay. If we are really freaked out we can just take Danny with us. Not my first choice but I guess if we were stuck...
And my last question was if and when she would check internally for what was going on in this baby making machine. And that will be at 38 weeks. So we just hope that this little guy stays head down and keeps on lowering like he's supposed to. Other than that we just wait for nature to take its course. Being a bit of a control freak I really do wish there was a way to predict labour. For now its a guessing game. And every little twinge is under speculation. ;)

I took this picture because I am sure I have dropped. This kid now sits in my lap fighting for space with his big brother.


And speaking of the big brother I couldn't resist a few updates about the big man.
His newest hobby is Playdoh. I'm glad I have some ideas for Santa this year.

Yesterday, Daniel and I put up the Christmas tree. I admit its a bit early however I'm not sure how much time I will have to do it later and I really wanted Dan to have a nice festive Christmas this year. Strangely though my Buzz Lightyear tree decoration has gone missing.


We have been trying to explain as best we can that Daniel will be getting a little brother soon. And that he currently resides in mommy's tummy. Today he said "Baby Brody" when I asked him to say Baby Brother. Too cute for words.


And speaking of hobbies. Here's another one. I caught Daniel adding some crayon colour to our tv room walls. Yes, he knows its wrong. But its just so fun.

Almost 36 weeks...

And getting impatient, even though I have a ton of things to do before baby's arrival.

I do not go to the doctor until this coming Monday but I would like to ask if we are still considering a scheduled c-section or if we will let nature take its course (my vote is for nature - fingers and toes are crossed).

I still have my nights of insomnia but not all the time. I've been forcing myself to at least rest, if not nap in the afternoon while Daniel snoozes (Thank God he still naps!!) I've been trying to explain to him that we will be bringing a baby home soon. I've gotten him to kiss the baby (my belly) but he is only two so I'm not so sure he knows what the heck mommy is talking about.

Since I stopped working a couple of weeks ago my back has been much better. I've also stopped picking up Daniel unless absolutely necessary (like when he tries to run out into the street when we go outside - another Thank God for the fact that we aren't on a busy street.) By the way, little D insisted on weighing himself at my last doctors visit. He's now a whopping 32Lbs and just under 3 feet tall.

I did have some cramping and contractions the other night but they went away. I almost got excited there for a moment, but I haven't packed my hospital bag yet. :-P

Yes I am tired and it shows.

I had to compare my pics from this time last time because I feel so much smaller (and I've gained less weight) but I think I look pretty much the same.

Two and a week

I actually remembered to bring and use my camera at Daniel's birthday party and this is the only good picture I got. I must ask some of the guests (Daniel's Papa and Uncle Jason) for some of their pics.
Daniel loves the bouncy castle at the play center. Especially if the older kids join him. They put the bounce in bouncy castle.
Lucky for Danny, his cousin is having her fourth birthday party today at the play center. Plenty of big kids bouncing him around the castle.

In the last two weeks I have noticed a lot of Daniel's motor and vocal skills accelerating. He is able to do so much like put his blocks together. And the words he can all of a sudden say. He's even counting - sort of. Yesterday, while building his blocks up he counted, "Two, Five...two, five".

He has figured out how to turn on the computers by himself. Luckily he hasn't figured out the password - yet!

It would seem the cats are still trying to find their place in the new house. Sadly, we've had to confine them to the basement until we get a handle on their flea problem. Something we didn't expect when taking in our stray Cupid.
This is Bee. She's at a loss as to where to sleep - away from the other cats, the fleas and the two year old.

As for me, at 33 weeks (plus 2 days) pregnant, I'm tired and a wee bit cranky. Work is starting to take its toll however I'm not so sure I want to give it up yet. Aaron is going to take my busy day this week and I will go in on Friday. I'm just going to play it by ear for now. Since agreeing to this arrangment I have been sleeping better.
I still have to sort out the baby's room. I've got newborn clothes scattered around the room. A dresser from Daniel's bedroom set lying is parts on the floor. A spare bed that must go back to Baba's house. And closet shelves in need of repair. Maybe I should let go of some of my control freak ways and get some help - LOL!

6 days left

and then my little guy will be 2. Seems like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and all he could say was "AHHH LAAAA" (which we translated to "I'm hungry"). This morning he said "Poo" as I chased him around trying to get him into a clean diaper.

And soon there will be two. I went for my 31 week doctors visit today which had me quite stunned. One of the things I love about pregnancy is the great dream recall. A few days ago I dreamt that I went for my appointment only I saw a doctor who wasn't mine. When I went to the office today in waking life she had a resident seeing patients with her. So dream prophecy fullfilled! Now to dream of the winning lottery numbers and we will truly be having a Merry Christmas.

The baby is doing well (of course - my guys are strong and smart!!). I had suspected he had flipped over because the shape of my belly changed. His head is down in my pelvic area getting ready for the big day. I thought it cool that I had figured this out on my own. Of course with the added pressure on my bladder I'd have to be pretty clueless. Doc is impressed with my weight (I'll give Daniel credit here. Chasing the little monkey around is a wonderful workout) and is still confident about the baby being small enough for a vaginal birth - yipee!!

And for a dose of cuteness. I asked Danny to say Cheese for the camera. Super cute result. (And yes he could probably use a hair cut. I can't bring myself to do it. When he gets a bit sweaty from running around the long piece up front curls and he looks like a little Superman!)

And me at 30 weeks pregnant just before heading off to a Thanksgiving get together. Yes once in awhile I will put an effort in and look somewhat refined. Being the thrifty girl I am - this dress is a maternity hand-me-down. I did however buy the stockings.

Early Birthday Present

I was having trouble deciding what to get Daniel for his second birthday. Similar to his clothing, he's kind of in-between sizes with toys too. Most are either to young for him or too advanced.
And since he doesn't string two words together (unless you can translate "mamo da") I couldn't really ask him what he wants. So we had to wing it.
We went to the store the other day for a rake and just to get out of the house and found Thomas.

The age restriction on this toy is from 2 to 6. Perfect! He comes with a "lantern" (flash light with a red sensor light) that Thomas the train with follow around.

Of course my dear son giggles until the train has run his course and then carries him back to me or his daddy to get him going again.

So the only trouble now is getting him to stop playing and go to bed without complaint. :D

29 Weeks and a Big Boy Bed

Hey, look I finally got a much needed hair cut!
I'm into the third trimester and still feeling reasonably good. A few aches and pains. Some Acid reflux. Oh and did I mention I get winded just sitting up? I'm pretty sure I felt/was bigger last time(Wow, I'm even wearing the same top). Maybe I'm just used to the idea this time. And I know that I have 11 weeks of growth left. I can't wait. Daniel has been so much joy to us.

And we are counting down to Daniel's 2nd birthday. This one seems even a bigger deal to me than the first. Maybe because he's not a baby any more and there are so many transitions he is going through.

Like getting a big boy bed.

He only fell out once last night. Aaron calmed him down and put him back in bed. And there he stayed until morning when he announced that he was awake. I thought it was a bit funny that he didn't climb out of bed until I went into his room.

23 Months

Almost 2 years old and I'm wondering where did the time go?

Daniel has started his reign of terror for independence. Meaning "NO" is his favourite word (even when he means yes he still says no). He pushes mommy and daddy away if he disapproves. Like when its nap time. (Of course he usually falls to sleep minutes after his bedroom door is closed.) He wants to drink from a big boy cup but when he pours it out onto the table and we take it away he gets quite upset.

Ahhhh the adjustment into the terrible twos. I'll just count my blessings that he's been such an easy baby to take care of. I'm hoping we will have it easier than some parents do with their little monsters toddlers.

One month to go my little man. Here comes potty training and big boy beds. Big brotherhood. A ton of learning (For you AND mommy and daddy). New words and experiences. And growing love.

I'm Perfect

At least my doctor thinks so. I went for my monthly visit today and everything is going well. My glucose test results were great. The doctor seemed particularly impressed with my blood count. Not sure what that means but its good. My blood pressure is normal. I've gained exactly as much weight as she wanted me to. And so far things are looking good for a VBAC. As long as this little guy doesn't decide to have an extreme growth spurt in the next 12-13 weeks and he gets into position when its time then its smooth sailing. Maybe I'm making labour and delivery sound too pleasant. But I do remember that C-SECTIONS SUCK!!!

I'm starting to get really excited about meeting this little guy and introducing him to his big brother.

27 Weeks

It's slowly coming together. Daniel is happy to finally have a seat at the big table. No more high chair for this guy.

At 27 weeks I finally feel pregnant. Meaning I can't breath. This kid is taking up quite a bit of real estate that used to be occupied by my lungs. And bladder. I'm thinking I might be more into the pregnancy now that I'm not concentrating on moving.

13 weeks to go. For some reason though I think we might meet the little guy sooner. Aaron and I both have a feeling that we are in for another c-section. And if memory serves me correct my doctor said that if scheduled we would probably do that a week before the due date. I'm starting to contemplate whether to just insist on a c-section now or wait it out. I would HATE for it to be another emergency c-section. Guess I've got a couple months to think about it.

One of the great things about the new house is our fenced in backyard. No more do we have to go away to play outside. And I get to watch my guys play from my kitchen window while I make dinner.

I think Daniel has the coolest dad!

Finally...Alone at Last

Don't get me wrong. I love my guys. I just haven't had a moment to myself since I don't know when.
So today I insisted that Aaron take Danny out to explore and leave Mama some time to do her thing.

This morning. At almost 27 weeks pregnant I finally have full length mirrors and I can finally see how pregnant I look.

It will be know problem getting back into shape after that baby is born. We came from a little house where we only lived on one floor. To this much bigger house with three levels.

I am still contemplating where to put the Windsor rocker my dad made for me. At the old house I had it in Danny's room where it was never used. Now that I have space I can show it off and use it on the main floor. But it might look nice in the baby's room. Lucky for Aaron it is a light piece of furniture.


So though I should be relaxing, I can't consider that when there is a whole kitchen that still needs organizing. Hey, to me that is relaxing. Aahhhh I love ME days.

King(s) of the Castle

Yes, we let our son run around outside in his diaper. It is his very own back yard after all.




I know of a couple of ladies who are probably looking at this big yard and plotting out a garden. That will have to wait until next year ladies. And I must leave enough room for a couple of young boys to play. I see a swing set in our near future :)

What I consider chaos!!!

The sentimental side of me wasn't around when more boxes lay in wait to be unpacked. So I didn't capture any pictures on my camera. My dad might have some I will have to steal. The OCD side of me took over and started putting things in their place almost immediately. Since I wasn't allowed to lift anything I had to do something to keep myself for going insane ;)

At my insistance Aaron and Dad set up the dining table (Oh My God! I HAVE A DINING ROOM!) on Friday. I do have a toddler to feed. They thought the table looked nice on that side of the room. I agree, but the light fixture is a safety hazard. Aaron will be moving it as soon as he has a moment.

Ready To Go

Daniel was ready to go on Friday morning. He didn't quite know what he was in for, but he's always up for an adventure.


Aaron managed to get a few important things to the house the night before when we gained possession of the key. You know, like the computers and TV.