Finally Pictures and a Name

Finally pictures of our little man Harrison Charlie. Elizabeth has been very set on naming him Charlie and might continue to do so but we have chosen Harrison as his first name. We have been home for a week now which has been great, we did need to stay a bit longer as his weight dropped below 11% but once my milk came him there is no problem with weight gain as he is now over his birth weight. He so far is a very easy baby during the day as he sleeps all day, I just wake him to feed every 2 hrs. Nighttime is a bit different we are not sure if he has a bit of reflux or am I eating some foods that cause him grief. He has a bit of a tendency to scream from 9:00pm to 3:00am which makes for a long night but I think it is getting better as we are figuring him out. Elizabeth gave a us a very quick crash course on infant reflux when she came home so we are armed to deal with his upset tummy.

Elizabeth really is enjoying him and is so helpful and sweet. She just has a hard time when he cries and she often ends up in tears too.

We are so immensly blessed to have him as part of our family.

He's Here

Our baby boy arrived safely Thursday morning. After having some back pain Wednesday night that would not go away we decided to go get checked out. I spent the early early hours of Thursday morning in labour with the OB resident vacillating between sending me home and or admitting me and once my OB came in at 8:00 am she finalized the decision and I was whisked off to the OR in 10 minutes flat. Knowing all the disasters that happened with Elizabeth when I laboured with her they took extra care this time and all went smoothly.

Our little baby boy arrived at 8:45 weighing 6 lbs 2 oz, we have still to agree on a name but have some idea as to what we both like. The lungs on this little guy are great he has been kicked out of the nursery for being disruptive and now continues his nightly parties with me in our room. This is a huge difference as Elizabeth never had enough reserve to cry or felt hungry, this fella wants be fed NOW.

We are having a bit of a prolonged stay as he keeps losing weight, for now we have had to add a bit of formula but hope we can continue with the plan to nurse.

Elizabeth has been in a couple of times but has a bit of a cold so I am keeping her at a distance which is hard as we are never apart. She can't wait to have him at home and hopefully that will happen tomorrow.

Reptile Party

We decided to have Elizabeth's birthday party early just in case the little guy plans to appear (and so far this is not the case). Elizabeth has wanted since last year for her birthday party to have a reptile party so we found a great place that you could go and visit the reptiles (having them at my house is not really a thought I wanted to consider). This party was everything she had hoped for; holding tarantula's, snakes, lizards and other small creatures was definitely to her liking. All her friends seemed to enjoy themselves and weren't too leery of these creatures.

Every time I looked at Elizabeth during her party she was beaming and it was great to see her with her classmates who all really enjoy being with her and sharing her odd interests.

In lieu of gifts this year we asked her friends to bring a small gift for a baby in the NICU as this year we want to continue the tradition and bring gifts for the babies in the NICU this Christmas. Elizabeth did luck out and received some pretty cool gifts for herself too; the dino poop, dino cookie cutters and dino crafts were certainly not unappreciated by her.

Booked for his Arrival

I am officially booked for my c-section. Depending on the day I wonder if I will get that far but now being 35 weeks I can relax knowing that the little guy is pretty safe to come at anytime now. I'd say I can now breathe easy but that is pretty hard to do seeing I am short of breath all the time now.

Pictures of me will be hard to find now as I am entering the 'not pretty' phase with 30 plus pounds on a 5 foot body I am looking a bit puffy and my ankles are definitely missing.

December 12 is the day I am booked for a c-section. This is a bit creepy for me as the day I should be going home is the day I came to the hospital 7 years ago in preterm labour with Elizabeth.

My c-section with Elizabeth was a not a typical incision as she was too far down and distressed so a t-incision was needed. This t-incision makes one high risk for rupture therefore I cannot go into labour at all and must get to the hospital right away. It is a bit unnerving as I contract all the time and am not too close to the high risk hospital. My contractions have not gotten worse but I can easily have a handful in an hour. I do feel a bit like a ticking time bomb so I don't go too far anymore without a chaperone.

So for now I am trying to get Christmas shopping done online before the little guy appears and hope to hang around for Elizabeth's birthday party this weekend. Elizabeth has been a great help getting things ready for the baby and asked if she can come to the Operating room to see the little dude being born; as much as she would really enjoy it I think she can come a bit later.

I'm Different

"I'm different" Elizabeth said to me as we were getting ready to leave a friends birthday party at a gymnastic center. "I can't walk right, that's why I'm different' she clarified. Me being totally caught off guard by her candid comment and a bit emotional due to my pregnancy lost my breath. What do you say to your child as your heart is breaking? I know it is not my fault that she was born so early but hearing her say that makes me feel I have failed her in so many ways. She is different she will always be different from her friends and everything will always be a struggle for her and I hate that she doesn't get a break from her life and all the work she does.

So for now we give her all the love, praise and acceptance we can and hope that she continues to have a positive outlook on life and her fierce will to be independent.

Belly Update

I can't believe it I am now 33 weeks pregnant, the little guy will soon be bigger than his sister was when she came home. I continue to feel great; I won't deny I have most of the aches, pains and discomforts of a third trimester Mom but I will not complain. I no longer have to have the invasive ultrasounds to measure cervical length which is lovely but it is unnerving as I have no idea what my cervix is doing and seeing that I am at a teaching hospital I have not offered myself for a peek with residents or the OB that was covering for my normal one. I have one more week of the Progesterone.

I have increased my activity a bit now and will go for a short walk and will venture out for more than my previous 1/2hr. It is so nice to walk around; to get fresh air and to move my aching hips. Elizabeth loves taking Mamma and 'little dude' for a walk and we make a great pair with me waddling and her odd gait but we take out time.

Another funny thing is I am now having braxton hicks contractions which are different from the ones that I normally have. I also have to check my blood sugars four times a day as I was dumping my sugars in the morning and failed that nasty glucose test. So far they are normal and the only I needed to change in my diet is to increase my protein consumption which will help stabilize my blood sugar. I am hoping that this will help my 3am snacking habit which really wreaks havoc with getting enough sleep.

I am packed and ready and most of the nursery is done. We just have to agree on a name which is not going too well; Elizabeth and I have our favourite name but Daddy is not on board.

Happy Halloween

Of course another great Halloween. Elizabeth went out with a new friend who lives close by. She continues to have a fierce love for candy (just like her Father). She reminded me of myself when she got home as she sorted, bagged and hid her candy (from Daddy).

Getting to know Elizabeth

Elizabeth really is enjoying being in grade 1 this year, I think last year she was a bit bored and now she is being challenged cognitively which she needed. This year there are no complaints about her not paying attention and urges for me to look into pharmaceutical help for her poor attention, instead she comes home telling me about science, religion and is reading chapter books. I cannot even begin to say how blessed we are to have the teachers and support staff she has this year, they have made this year so positive for her. She does have 1:1 assistance during the day to ensure her safety which is great as she has had some very off days and tons of falls lately.
Her teacher this year listened to my respetitive mantra 'if she is unhappy, naughty or edgy something is wrong' and will look into why she is not her normal happy self. Elizabeth has had some very off days and has done some very atypical things (spitting, being disrespectful and wanting to be on her own). Each time her teacher has problem solved why this is happening and calls me to discuss her concerns. She picked up on the edgy behavior and called me to bring pain medication as Elizabeth's legs were hurting, she has Elizabeth sitting on a chair instead of the floor at carpet time and the spitting stopped and Elizabeth announced 'I can now see Mrs. M.' and at recess she now has Elizabeth paired with classmates as when questioned Elizabeth stated 'that she cannot run with her friends so she plays alone'.
Instead of being told how miserable, distracted and defiant my child is her teacher is looking into why and we have a much more adjusted little girl which we are so pleased about.
We are having Elizabeth be accountable for her actions as well and with a written pact she knows that certain behaviors will cause her to lose her beloved Rexy for a couple of days and after his last vacation away she knows I do mean business.

Thankful

We just finished our whirlwind Thanksgiving long weekend. The weather was amazing for Daddy to garden and for Elizabeth to spend lots of time outside. Myself I waddled around everyone reading and trying to not do too much. We had our dinner at my brother's house and actually got to eat outside in the sun which has never happened before. Elizabeth loved all the activities they planned for her and her cousin's; from bobbing for apples, pumpkin bowling, relay races and a prize booth. The kids and adults had a ball.
This year we have so many things to be thankful for;
- for our health (despite Elizabeth's early arrival she is a very healthy kid)
- for me now being in my third trimester
- for a Daddy who is tolerating my increasing need to nest
- for family and friends who are helping me to run errands
- for Uncle Philly who stops by to cut our lawn to free up some of Daddy's time
- for friends who will come out with Elizabeth and I knowing that they will be chasing after a kid who knows no limits while I sit on my butt
- for Elizabeth's school who are working hard to ensure her success and safety
- for Elizabeth inheriting her Daddy's ability to draw (the turkey above is a prime example)
We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend.

She's Practicing / Third Trimester

Elizabeth has been busy getting ready for her new role as a big sister. I think she would much rather have a baby dino for a brother (or even name him Dino) but I think she will be happy with who's hiding in my expanding tummy. Her dino Rexy has became her official baby; she changes his diaper, tucks him in his crib, feeds him, takes him for walks and now he is often given the privilege of wearing her baby brother's outfits (which are mostly dinosaur print). She is really trying to help out at home and states 'don't worry Momma I know you can't bend down I 'll get that for you' quite frequently.

As for how things are going for me I feel great usual, I am definitely bigger than I was with Elizabeth but so far if is mostly belly, I still have never ending contractions and am happy to report no cervical changes. I still am hanging out at home most of the time but am allowed to be on my feet for 1/2hr at a time so I do allow myself a quick errand or will take Elizabeth to a nearby appointment, that 1/2 hr really flies so I must plan my adventure perfectly. A major milestone is now I am in my third trimester which is super cool.