I've been able to feel my baby moving for weeks and weeks but haven't actually had the chance to catch it on video yet. Tonight after I uploaded a bunch of photos from the camera, the baby was kicking up a storm. So much that I could see the kicks from the outside. Since the camera was right beside me, I was able to catch a couple of the jabs before he fell asleep again. The first one is around 7 seconds in and the rest happen about 15 seconds apart after that: at 22 seconds, 29 seconds, 41 seconds. Sorry for the up and down; I have to breathe you know. You'll be able to see my shirt rising around where the left side of the black stitching in the foreground meets the white vines. Gah, just watch carefully and you'll be able to catch them... I hope.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Finale
We came home yesterday from our last hurrah for this summer and our last vacation as a family of 4.
My family has a cottage that's a couple hours' drive away. It's hands-down our very favourite place to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Ironically, Craig cut down 2 trees while we were there and I washed the kitchen floor. Strange how we continue doing household chores while on vacation. I think it's partly because we don't have to do them, we do them because we want to. My Dad calls it Virtuous Work and I'm beginning to see it that way, too.
The boys had so much fun on the swing set. Shaun's old enough to be completely independent on it and was able to push Ian and himself on this little baby swing. I could hear them giggling from inside the cottage.
Shaun was so funny to watch when it came time to tidy up our beach toys and head back to the cottage. He would wash out the bucket in the foreground and then drop it in the sand before grabbing the other one to wash. Then when he'd return to pick up the first bucket he would realize it was covered in sand and throw the second bucket down then head back to the water to wash the first bucket again. He did this a couple times before I heard him getting frustrated that his buckets weren't staying clean. We talked about a solution (which included me holding the clean bucket with strict instructions to not place it in the sand) and he was much happier to see that it worked.
Fishing off the dock. They had worms as bait and Shaun's worm was even nibbled off but, alas, no fish for breakfast. Thankfully! I only had beer and pancake mix for batter. Not what I'd call ideal.
My family has a cottage that's a couple hours' drive away. It's hands-down our very favourite place to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Ironically, Craig cut down 2 trees while we were there and I washed the kitchen floor. Strange how we continue doing household chores while on vacation. I think it's partly because we don't have to do them, we do them because we want to. My Dad calls it Virtuous Work and I'm beginning to see it that way, too.
Enjoying a walk to the boat launch after dinner one night.
The boys had so much fun on the swing set. Shaun's old enough to be completely independent on it and was able to push Ian and himself on this little baby swing. I could hear them giggling from inside the cottage. 
Shaun was so funny to watch when it came time to tidy up our beach toys and head back to the cottage. He would wash out the bucket in the foreground and then drop it in the sand before grabbing the other one to wash. Then when he'd return to pick up the first bucket he would realize it was covered in sand and throw the second bucket down then head back to the water to wash the first bucket again. He did this a couple times before I heard him getting frustrated that his buckets weren't staying clean. We talked about a solution (which included me holding the clean bucket with strict instructions to not place it in the sand) and he was much happier to see that it worked. 
Fishing off the dock. They had worms as bait and Shaun's worm was even nibbled off but, alas, no fish for breakfast. Thankfully! I only had beer and pancake mix for batter. Not what I'd call ideal.Anyway, we're home now and while I love that we've been able to spend so much time together as a family this summer enjoying many, many different things, I'm happy to be home. All the laundry aside, it's a lot of work to pack up our whole life essentially for only a few days. And being pregnant and having 2 little men to keep busy during the day, it's been difficult to keep up with other things. Things like regular grocery lists, weeding the garden, and answering emails. We have about a week and a half before school starts and I can't be more relieved that we have nothing planned until October!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Swimming...
...in a puddle.
What camping experience would be complete without splashing in a few puddles? Unfortunately, our campsite was flooded when we arrived and though the rules were clearly stated that any splashing had to be done in bathing suits and barefeet, boys will be boys and they were all quickly doing the backstroke. Shaun's in the yellow shirt. I didn't get a picture of him swimming but he was right in there just like the other boys, along with the worms and ticks. Boy, did his feet STINK after that!!!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails
I'm a little behind in updating apparently. We found out last Tuesday - yes, almost a week ago - that we're having another boy!! Three boys will be a blast, we're very excited. Vacations will be much easier not having to do girl AND boy stuff, our house is already full of boy toys and clothes, I already know what to do with boys as far as diaper changes and playing, it's going to be lots of fun.
A third son. He actually looks a lot like Ian here. Probably because they're so close in age and Ian hasn't lost much of his baby-face yet.
A hand. We were able to watch the baby moving his fingers and opening and closing his fist.
The obligatory freaky shot of the face.Of course we were hoping for a girl, go figure with 2 boys already and a surprise pregnancy, but I had prepared myself all along for the possibility that I was pregnant with a boy. Even though I felt very strongly that I was having a girl. I guess Mother's Instinct can't be counted on in all situations!
I'm a little sad that now I'm sorely outnumbered, even with the 2 girl cats we have, but now I can treat the world to 3 handsome boys who grow up to be gentlemen. They'll be quite the catches when they're older! And I can look forward to lots of grand-daughters... I can only hope!
I'm a little sad that now I'm sorely outnumbered, even with the 2 girl cats we have, but now I can treat the world to 3 handsome boys who grow up to be gentlemen. They'll be quite the catches when they're older! And I can look forward to lots of grand-daughters... I can only hope!
Rock a Bye Baby
Tonight Ian had a rough time settling down for bed so I did something I haven't done in a very, very long time. I rocked him to sleep. He snuggled right into the nook of my tummy and turned his face into my arm and went right to sleep. He's such a great sleeper that I've never had to rock him to sleep, even as an infant. Tonight was a special treat and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. No wonder so many parents rock their babies to sleep on a regular basis.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
365 Days Old
Goodness I simply cannot believe that 365 days ago Ian was born into our family. I had a feeling all through the pregnancy that he would turn out to be a boy and my instinct was right.
I still remember so clearly hanging my swollen belly while doing the dishes that night. I had practiced that pose so many times during the countless times I went into false labor. I still believed it was false labor but also knew that every contraction was working to get my baby lower and prepare my cervix for the long job ahead. I had been walking around at 4cm dilated for weeks and never actually thought I'd even make it to my due date. Yet there I was, standing in the kitchen doing the dishes, my due date had nearly passed and I still hadn't delivered.
The contractions came slowly at first, perhaps 7 minutes apart. I would just pause what I was doing and let my belly hang while I closed my eyes and breathed slowly and smoothly. Then I'd continue with the dishes or folding laundry. After a few hours of contractions they started to get a little stronger and I wasn't able to talk through them anymore. I was starting to think I may be in labor but I'd been here before and didn't want to get all excited only to have everything peter out - once again.
Once they reached 5 minutes apart I had been contracting for only a couple of hours but decided it was time to tell Craig that I thought this was the real deal. No matter what I was doing they were continuing; a sign of true labor. But they still weren't nearly as intense as I was expecting them to be. Especially since doctors advise that once your contractions are at 5 minutes apart for an hour to head to the hospital. The hospital was the last place I wanted to be at that point. I was happy being able to surf the internet, casually timing a few contractions here and there. I pulled out some muffins from the freezer that I had made earlier in the week and watched some TV with Craig. It was just as casual and yet as intimate as I had imagined it would be.
An hour later it was nearing 10:30 and I realized that if my parents were to come and babysit Shaun while we went to the hospital, I would need to call them since it's an hour drive for them. Craig called and gave them the heads-up. They decided to pack their overnight stuff and come anyway. Once they said that I had to accept that this was true labor. Craig called my midwife and said tonight is the night and then he called his family and let them know that grandbaby #6 would be arriving very soon. Little did we know how soon.
The plan was to wait until contractions reached 3 minutes apart before heading to the hospital and then we'd call my midwife and she'd meet us there. My intention was to labor at home as long as possible. Who wants to be on the hospital's timeline for delivering a baby? Not me! I wanted to walk in the door, wait maybe an hour or two before pushing, rest and relax for a day and then head home.
My midwife called back a half hour later to say that she would be coming to the house. It was 11PM and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep with the nagging thought in her head that I was laboring. She needed to know how far dilated I was so she had a bit of a timeline in her head. She arrived around 11:30, checked me and I was completely dilated. She called the backup midwife, broke my bag of fluid and immediately I was plunged into intense labor. It took deep concentration to lay still enough and relax enough to allow my body to do the work it was designed to do. Pooja and Craig were scurrying around me setting up stuff for the inevitible homebirth while I silently said over and over to myself that I could do this at home. When my backup midwife arrived 20 minutes later she and Pooja quickly finished setting everything up. I had my eyes closed for much of the process because it really was scary but I remember Pooja clearing off the dresser and setting up a resuscitation station with an oxygen tank and infant mask and a hot water bottle along with blankets and gloves. It was clinical but still comforting at the same time. Sort of an oxymoron.
I pushed through only 3 contractions before Ian was born. Once they gave me the okay to go ahead I didn't mess around. Pushing felt so much better than trying to relax and breathe. No one said anything while I was working except Amanda would use the dopplar occasionally to check on Ian's heart rate. Craig was at my side holding my head and keeping the pillows piled up behind me. He had the camera on his hand; at the ready for those first photos. And the first words uttered after Ian was born were those of Craig's announcing that we had a son. Then the complete profanity sputtering from my mouth at the insurmountable task I had just completed. I was simply amazed that I was able to do what I did and that I had been growing that human inside me literally only 15 seconds before that point.
At 22 minutes after midnight on August 9, 2008, Ian joined our family. He was fashionably late for his August 8 due date. He weighed 8lbs 1oz. We woke up Shaun shortly after to introduce him to Ian by telling him it was August. He had been waiting for August to arrive for weeks because we had been telling him that the baby would come in August. As soon as I told him it was August he knew exactly what I was talking about and asked if the baby was here. It still puts tears in my eyes to remember his excited little face when he computed that he was officially a big brother.
Craig and my dad sat in the living room cheersing each other over a new son and grandson while my mom washed sheets and towels used for the birth. Only 2 hours after Ian was born and 7 hours after the first signs of contractions, Craig locked the front door, turned off the lights and made his rounds saying goodnight to his family. Including the newest member, only hours old, sleeping silently in my arms.
Ian, you have brought a whole new dimension to our family. You jazz up even the most mundane day. You love to wrinkle your nose when you're being silly and your eyes widen when you get your hands on something precious to your big brother, like his sword or his Lego. You love emptying baskets and buckets and bins and drawers. After getting your fingers pinched countless times you're getting better at removing them before the drawer closes. You don't mind shoes but really like pulling at the velcro straps. Eventually you'll figure out how to haul them off.
Mealtimes are always a breeze with you. You eat virtually anything but your favourites are fruit. Your poops are a testament to how much you love berries since they're always full of seeds. You get insulted if I put food on your tray but won't let you eat it until it's cut into little pieces. I have to cut it before you get it or offer you a larger chunk while the rest is getting cut. You love your Louie that Shaun bought you the day after you were born. He thought long and hard about that little guy and I'm so glad you've become so attached to that little monkey. Shaun named him Louie after King Louie from the Jungle Book. You've been crawling for just over a month and pulling up and cruising furniture for a few weeks. Nothing is safe anymore unless it's up on a counter. I learned that the hard way last week when you attacked my full cup of apple juice.
You say a few words but your favourite is still uh-oh. You use it properly but it's used for everything. Sometimes we'll hear you over the baby monitor chatting uh-oh to yourself. When I eventually head up to your room, you'll have emptied everything out of your crib and it will all be laying in a pile on the floor. You'll be standing at the end of your crib with a giant grin on your face, so proud of your work. You love to give kisses and Daddy and I will have competitions of who can get the most kisses out of you at a time. I'm sad to say that so far, Daddy's winning with 16 kisses. You and I will have to work on that. I think Daddy bribed you with a promise of a bite of his ice cream or something. Pokey and Kitty are constant sources of amusement for you. You get distracted when you're eating if they're anywhere close by and you chase them at full throttle if they happen to walk by while you're playing.
You love to dance by rocking front to back. Sometimes when you're in your highchair or carseat and don't have the complete range of motion, you'll move your butt cheeks and get your groove on that way. You enjoy stacking blocks but knocking them over is far more fun. Shaun gets so frustrated that you're not patient enough for him to stack more than 3 or 4 blocks at a time. You're fascinated by anything that belongs to Shaun. His big Bruder recycling truck is always lots of fun. You study it, trying to figure out how to get the treasure out from the back, and open and close the front doors, jamming your little fingers in the cab each time. You're learning how to complete the wooden animal puzzle. You haven't completely figured out the whole concept yet of sliding the piece in but you know how to roar like the lion and you laugh when I clap my hands together like the aligator snaps his teeth. *snap, snap, snap*
We waited so long for you Ian. I always knew I would have another boy so when you plopped onto your Daddy's side of the bed, I wasn't at all surprised. But the long wait was so worth it and I like to think that Someone was making sure the perfect baby was being grown for us. You fit right in with our goofy family and I can't think of what our life would be like if another baby would have been born to us instead of you. You're perfect and we love you. Happy Birthday Beaner.
I still remember so clearly hanging my swollen belly while doing the dishes that night. I had practiced that pose so many times during the countless times I went into false labor. I still believed it was false labor but also knew that every contraction was working to get my baby lower and prepare my cervix for the long job ahead. I had been walking around at 4cm dilated for weeks and never actually thought I'd even make it to my due date. Yet there I was, standing in the kitchen doing the dishes, my due date had nearly passed and I still hadn't delivered.
The contractions came slowly at first, perhaps 7 minutes apart. I would just pause what I was doing and let my belly hang while I closed my eyes and breathed slowly and smoothly. Then I'd continue with the dishes or folding laundry. After a few hours of contractions they started to get a little stronger and I wasn't able to talk through them anymore. I was starting to think I may be in labor but I'd been here before and didn't want to get all excited only to have everything peter out - once again.
Once they reached 5 minutes apart I had been contracting for only a couple of hours but decided it was time to tell Craig that I thought this was the real deal. No matter what I was doing they were continuing; a sign of true labor. But they still weren't nearly as intense as I was expecting them to be. Especially since doctors advise that once your contractions are at 5 minutes apart for an hour to head to the hospital. The hospital was the last place I wanted to be at that point. I was happy being able to surf the internet, casually timing a few contractions here and there. I pulled out some muffins from the freezer that I had made earlier in the week and watched some TV with Craig. It was just as casual and yet as intimate as I had imagined it would be.
An hour later it was nearing 10:30 and I realized that if my parents were to come and babysit Shaun while we went to the hospital, I would need to call them since it's an hour drive for them. Craig called and gave them the heads-up. They decided to pack their overnight stuff and come anyway. Once they said that I had to accept that this was true labor. Craig called my midwife and said tonight is the night and then he called his family and let them know that grandbaby #6 would be arriving very soon. Little did we know how soon.
The plan was to wait until contractions reached 3 minutes apart before heading to the hospital and then we'd call my midwife and she'd meet us there. My intention was to labor at home as long as possible. Who wants to be on the hospital's timeline for delivering a baby? Not me! I wanted to walk in the door, wait maybe an hour or two before pushing, rest and relax for a day and then head home.
My midwife called back a half hour later to say that she would be coming to the house. It was 11PM and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep with the nagging thought in her head that I was laboring. She needed to know how far dilated I was so she had a bit of a timeline in her head. She arrived around 11:30, checked me and I was completely dilated. She called the backup midwife, broke my bag of fluid and immediately I was plunged into intense labor. It took deep concentration to lay still enough and relax enough to allow my body to do the work it was designed to do. Pooja and Craig were scurrying around me setting up stuff for the inevitible homebirth while I silently said over and over to myself that I could do this at home. When my backup midwife arrived 20 minutes later she and Pooja quickly finished setting everything up. I had my eyes closed for much of the process because it really was scary but I remember Pooja clearing off the dresser and setting up a resuscitation station with an oxygen tank and infant mask and a hot water bottle along with blankets and gloves. It was clinical but still comforting at the same time. Sort of an oxymoron.
I pushed through only 3 contractions before Ian was born. Once they gave me the okay to go ahead I didn't mess around. Pushing felt so much better than trying to relax and breathe. No one said anything while I was working except Amanda would use the dopplar occasionally to check on Ian's heart rate. Craig was at my side holding my head and keeping the pillows piled up behind me. He had the camera on his hand; at the ready for those first photos. And the first words uttered after Ian was born were those of Craig's announcing that we had a son. Then the complete profanity sputtering from my mouth at the insurmountable task I had just completed. I was simply amazed that I was able to do what I did and that I had been growing that human inside me literally only 15 seconds before that point.
At 22 minutes after midnight on August 9, 2008, Ian joined our family. He was fashionably late for his August 8 due date. He weighed 8lbs 1oz. We woke up Shaun shortly after to introduce him to Ian by telling him it was August. He had been waiting for August to arrive for weeks because we had been telling him that the baby would come in August. As soon as I told him it was August he knew exactly what I was talking about and asked if the baby was here. It still puts tears in my eyes to remember his excited little face when he computed that he was officially a big brother.
Craig and my dad sat in the living room cheersing each other over a new son and grandson while my mom washed sheets and towels used for the birth. Only 2 hours after Ian was born and 7 hours after the first signs of contractions, Craig locked the front door, turned off the lights and made his rounds saying goodnight to his family. Including the newest member, only hours old, sleeping silently in my arms.
Ian, you have brought a whole new dimension to our family. You jazz up even the most mundane day. You love to wrinkle your nose when you're being silly and your eyes widen when you get your hands on something precious to your big brother, like his sword or his Lego. You love emptying baskets and buckets and bins and drawers. After getting your fingers pinched countless times you're getting better at removing them before the drawer closes. You don't mind shoes but really like pulling at the velcro straps. Eventually you'll figure out how to haul them off.
Mealtimes are always a breeze with you. You eat virtually anything but your favourites are fruit. Your poops are a testament to how much you love berries since they're always full of seeds. You get insulted if I put food on your tray but won't let you eat it until it's cut into little pieces. I have to cut it before you get it or offer you a larger chunk while the rest is getting cut. You love your Louie that Shaun bought you the day after you were born. He thought long and hard about that little guy and I'm so glad you've become so attached to that little monkey. Shaun named him Louie after King Louie from the Jungle Book. You've been crawling for just over a month and pulling up and cruising furniture for a few weeks. Nothing is safe anymore unless it's up on a counter. I learned that the hard way last week when you attacked my full cup of apple juice.
You say a few words but your favourite is still uh-oh. You use it properly but it's used for everything. Sometimes we'll hear you over the baby monitor chatting uh-oh to yourself. When I eventually head up to your room, you'll have emptied everything out of your crib and it will all be laying in a pile on the floor. You'll be standing at the end of your crib with a giant grin on your face, so proud of your work. You love to give kisses and Daddy and I will have competitions of who can get the most kisses out of you at a time. I'm sad to say that so far, Daddy's winning with 16 kisses. You and I will have to work on that. I think Daddy bribed you with a promise of a bite of his ice cream or something. Pokey and Kitty are constant sources of amusement for you. You get distracted when you're eating if they're anywhere close by and you chase them at full throttle if they happen to walk by while you're playing.
You love to dance by rocking front to back. Sometimes when you're in your highchair or carseat and don't have the complete range of motion, you'll move your butt cheeks and get your groove on that way. You enjoy stacking blocks but knocking them over is far more fun. Shaun gets so frustrated that you're not patient enough for him to stack more than 3 or 4 blocks at a time. You're fascinated by anything that belongs to Shaun. His big Bruder recycling truck is always lots of fun. You study it, trying to figure out how to get the treasure out from the back, and open and close the front doors, jamming your little fingers in the cab each time. You're learning how to complete the wooden animal puzzle. You haven't completely figured out the whole concept yet of sliding the piece in but you know how to roar like the lion and you laugh when I clap my hands together like the aligator snaps his teeth. *snap, snap, snap*
We waited so long for you Ian. I always knew I would have another boy so when you plopped onto your Daddy's side of the bed, I wasn't at all surprised. But the long wait was so worth it and I like to think that Someone was making sure the perfect baby was being grown for us. You fit right in with our goofy family and I can't think of what our life would be like if another baby would have been born to us instead of you. You're perfect and we love you. Happy Birthday Beaner.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
What is Done For One...
I just love this photo of my and Ian's feet. Little Piggies...
Since I posted a picture (sort of) of the new baby I thought I should probably be fair and post pictures of the big boys too. We were at Craig's uncle's cottage over the long weekend and spent a day down at the beach in town. Ian ate tons of sand and cried whenever we'd change his diaper the following day because the sand was scratching his little hiney and Shaun built a big sand castle with Craig complete with finger holes to represent the windows.
It was hot and sunny and we had a terrific time splashing in the waves even though the water was a little chilly for me. Hard to imagine next summer when we'll be a family of 5; out-numbered by the kids.
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