Free at last!

We had a check up for Katie with our pediatrician today - I didn't mention it earlier because honestly, these appointments scare the crap out of me. We've done the tests and we know there's nothing "wrong" with her. But she still is off the charts weight-wise (well, at least I thought so, more on that in a sec) and every time we have an appointment where her weight is being checked I get this sick feeling in my stomach, like people in white coats are going to come around the corner and take her away from me, because clearly I can't raise a child properly and why oh why can't she just gain like 3 pounds and get back in the 25th percentile so they'll just leave us alone?

*breathe*

Okay - so aside from my neurotic thoughts - our appointment went well. In fact, I'd even say swimmingly well. Katie is now at 16 pounds 12 ounces, she's happy, chunky(ish) looking and hitting all her milestones. In fact, she didn't shut up the entire appointment and flirted her ass off with the pediatrician. (Meh - I say well done girl, go for the doctors...) And her height registered in at 29.33 inches. That's almost 2 full inches taller than Maddie was at a year. It's also in the 75th percentile. So yeah... she's growing. Just tall and skinny, I guess.

The interesting part of the appointment was right at the end. I asked him to print out the growth chart with all Katie's plots that he was looking at on the computer. He did and then said, "But take this with a grain of salt - these are old growth charts."

Old growth charts.

So I've been sitting here, for the past 4 months, worrying my ass off, because my child isn't even registering on the chart, and I find out that really, these are old charts so not to worry so much (in fairness - there was a growth pattern problem - which has been resolved - so it's not like I'm saying there was nothing wrong) - but really? Why would it be so difficult to plot on the current growth charts? A bit speechless to that idiocy.

Of course I came home and googled the current charts. They put her solidly in the 3rd percentile for weight. Instead of not registering on the chart at all, she's right there, in a shaded little part. That made me feel so much more comfortable - my only question is why the hell it wouldn't just be mandatory for doctors everywhere to use the up-to-date charts? Silly.

All in all - it's good news. And we got the all-clear. Which means I don't have to have any more heart-palpitating pediatrician appointments anytime soon.

Yay Katie. Chunk that monk!

xxoo.S

Ma-ma

Katie spent yesterday and today pretty sick - fever of 104 type of sick. Not fun. No sleep. No keeping fluids down (until I started administering them by the 1/2 tsp via medicine dropper - never tried it before, will swear by this method forever, as it really worked at keeping her hydrated)....

Anyhoo - it meant she was Misery Incorporated. Wanted to be held. Then too hot to be held. Wanted to sleep. Too miserable to sleep. You know how it goes - and as Maddie would say, "She's just a baby Mommy, she doesn't know anything" --> I guess that would also go for the whole, doesn't even know why she's feeling so shitty, but she just wants Mama to make it all go away.

Apparently wants that to happen so bad, that she dug real deep and said "MA-MA" while I was cuddling her at one point today.

WOOT! Katie is on a roll, people! If this were hockey she'd be doing a double hat-trick or some other bullshit sports analogy...

xxoo.S

Milestone Mania

I've been feeling the crunch of guilt when I think of the future conversation I am destined to have with Katie that will go something like this, "Mom, why did you write five bloody paragraphs every time Maddie achieved a 'first' when she was a baby, and you didn't even write about it in my baby book when I did?"

Uh.. yeah. I'm tired of apologizing for not writing and saying it's been a tough week because that started getting old about four weeks ago. I don't like people who make excuses so I won't. Let's just leave it at: I just plain suck at keeping up with anything these days. You don't even want to see the state of my laundry. Trust me.

Instead, let's talk about some Katie milestones, shall we? Because she is like a little wonder baby these days. I already mentioned in a previous post about her first word (and subsequent more "official" first word that she repeats all the time now - tickle tickle - which she said on April 8th). Then, that same weekend (on Sun, Apr 10th), she started pulling up (mainly on Daddy) to a standing position. And the look of pride/happiness/"look at what I just did!" look on her face is super-awesome-fantastic!

The very next day (Mon, Apr 11th) she started officially cruising - and by cruising, I mean slowly shuffling her feet while making the slowest of slow process around our ottoman. She is by no means cruising around all helter skelter. Oh no, it's slow. And she complains and whines the entire time, reaching for my fingers so she can "walk" instead. But hey, a milestone is a milestone, right? Moving right along...

As the week went on, she started to do more and more of the whole crawling backwards thing when she was on her belly, which then turned into the backwards scoot into sitting position (Tues, Apr 12th). Which is when I started thinking, hmm, she may just crawl (because just before Maddie figured out the whole forward crawl thing, she figured out how to back herself up into a sitting position).

And then.... and theeeeennnnnnnnnnn..... Wed, April 13th - forward motion! Not technically a crawl (yet), but she definitely was army crawling/dragging herself forward if you put something super intriguing (like my blackberry) just out of reach in front of her. Progress! "She'll be crawling by the end of April!" I would brag to everyone I spoke to.

And then came Friday, April 15th. She was getting up on all fours so easily all day and doing that adorable rock-rock-rocking motion they do (you know what I'm talking about). So sometime after lunch, Katie decided she wanted to get at Maddie's Barbie (much to Maddie's dismay). I quickly grabbed the camera, straight-armed Maddie aside and commandeered her Barbie to use as bait. (Which means Katie's first crawl video has Maddie protesting the entire operation quite loudly in the background while I wrestle her into the background with my left arm - classy, all-the-way-classy).

So there you go future-Katie - your wonder-week of milestones has been documented! Guilt?? Go away now please...

xxoo.S

PS - I'd love to say we spent the weekend helping Katie perfect her newfound skill, except both kids have been sick with some nasty cold/flu/cough-type virus. And yes, by "kids" I'm including The Hubs.

Well, she hit that milestone

We (myself and the girls) spent the past week away visiting family in Kingston. As Maddie would say, "We visit lots of people's houses!" - yes, it was a busy visit, as it so often is, but luckily the kids didn't get totally wrang-y - as so often happens when we're sleeping at different houses, off schedule and such.

And... while we were away - although Katie didn't start the massive milestone of crawling, she did pop out her first "word"! (Yes, she's been saying da-da-da and ba-ba-ba and the rare ma-ma-ma - but really? I don't know if these really count).

This was clear. It was definitive. It was... "NO!" (in the face of being licked to death by my mom's overly zealous dog) - accompanied by a head shake and push away.

Well, we knew she was going to have some strong opinions, of course her first word is no.

(So was mine.)

I haven't heard a "NO" since (maybe that means she's been happy?) - but then I shared the "tickle tickle" game with her (a made-up game I play with Madds - tickling up her leg to a different body part each time, while you say, "tickle tickle tickle...... belly! [or whatever place you end up]" - yes, that does sound weird trying to explain it). Anyhoodle - she thought the game was bloody hilarious and belly-laughed her way through it. And now? Randomly, out of nowhere, she'll just start saying "tickle tickle". Yes, it's very mumbly and she sticks her tongue out whilst doing it (damn, I gotta get video of it because it's really the cutest thing ever) - but it's clear and she gets a massive grin if you say back to her, "tickle tickle!".

Yes, she's a flipping genius.


Of course she is. Was there any doubt?

xxoo.S

Sigh of relief

Wow it's been a while and I've been silent. I do that when I don't like life - just kind of hibernate and deal with the now and my energies don't extend to complaining quite as vocally. Which is in direct contrast as to how I deal with minor hiccups - I'm usually quite a loud, complainy, bitch.

But now I can talk to you again, because on Monday we received word back on Katie's test results (the doc's office actually called me to give me the results over the phone! How refreshingly helpful is that?)... she passed them all and we're in the clear. We have a final follow up appointment with the pediatrician to wrap up the assessment and I'm guessing for us to ask any final questions, but yeah, we're done with the worry.

She is, as we hoped, just a tiny little thing.

Which she makes up for in massive attitude. Totally my girl...

xxoo.S

PS - I have to add - all the tests were performed at Toronto Sick Kids and W.O.W. is all I can say. Yes, there's a LOT of money put into that hospital - but it was the employees that we encountered that made a stressful visit just so much easier. They were all brilliant with Katie, brilliant with me - encouraging, efficient, comforting - pretty much everything you could hope for in a situation like that. What an incredible hospital with incredible staff.

This isn't an easy post to write

We had our follow up pediatrician appointment yesterday - Katie is still not gaining weight at any progressive rate that makes the doctor happy. Our little 8 month old weighed in at 14 lbs 2 ounces - which is actually down 2 ounces from when we were at the doctor a few weeks ago when she was sick.

Awesome possum.

And so - now we have to do tests. Start ruling things out (hopefully). Start loading up her food with butter or full-fat cream. And offer formula only.

There's the rub for me. That little sentence, "Oh - and quit the breastfeeding, now's the time for formula only." cut through me like a knife.

And I know it's best for her. And it's not about me. And regardless I shouldn't feel guilty. And we breastfed for 8 months and thats something to be proud of. And. And. And...

I don't get it - that I could breastfeed my first so easily, without issues and while she was tiny, she was always roly-poly. Smack dab between the 10th and 25th percentiles, never a cause for concern. Always a great eater. It makes no sense that I have trouble breastfeeding my second. It's supposed to get easier over time, not harder.

And yet - that's the best I can hope for. That somehow my milk is nutritionally deficient and that I'm at the root of this, because the alternatives could be far worse and I'm not even going there yet, because we have visits to Sick Kids and tests to run and bottles to push and extra-caloric butter to add to mashed potatoes right now.

That's where my focus is and needs to be. The future will tell us what the future will hold. No point in worrying about it now.

The silver, ironic little lining?

We came home from the appointment, she was EXHAUSTED and drank a 4 ounce bottle before her nap like it was no big deal. Of course she did, right? Because we haven't been fighting with her to take a bottle for 5 months or anything. Maybe she saw the determination in my eye. Or pure panicking desperation...

Regardless - she's taken 4 bottles thus far - all 3-4 ounces at a time. So we are doing what we can do for now.

xxoo.S

Maybe she's just tiny

After our follow up appointment with our regular doctor re: Katie's weight we were referred to a pediatrician. Well, perhaps notsomuch referred as I bullied her into giving us the ability to get a second opinion...

To-may-to, tom-ah-to...

Our appointment with the pediatrician was yesterday - and he confirmed that yes, she was underweight. Or "not gaining as quickly as we would like to see her gain".

Before I go further, I just want to reiterate - this doc is goooood. As in - he takes concerns seriously, isn't (very) condescending, and very much loves kids (which is nice to see in a pediatrician I suppose).

After asking many family health history questions (Crone's, Celiac, allergies) and observing her, he came to the opinion that it's probably nothing. She looks good - she is growing (just slowly) - and she's hitting her developmental milestones (v good). He's of the opinion that perhaps my milk isn't as good (fatty) or plentiful as it should be (yes he said it much more nicely than that - but I'm boiling it down to what he meant) - he'd like to see her supplemented with formula more if possible - but is also all, meh - don't change your life over this, if she won't take a bottle, don't wreck your head about it.

I may be getting a prescription for domperidone. We will be trying more and more with formula and a bottle or sippy or anything she will bloody well drink out of. Solids are going to be pushed harder and more - but he's not suggesting we add butter or full-fat cream to her food... yet. (yes! this is actually something they suggest with underweight babies - crazy, non?)

We have another appointment in a month to check on how she's doing. He (awesomely) closed out the appointment by looking at me and (sincerely) saying - "I don't want you to worry about this. She's fine. F.I.N.E. She'll probably start gaining again just as suddenly as it dropped off and in the end, this won't matter - it won't affect her growth or development or anything. That's what I want you to take away from this - that she will be okay and not to worry more than necessary."

I love him a lot for doing that. Because clearly I'm freaking the fuck out. She's small - not registering on the growth charts small. Screams when you try to feed her baby food. Fights (as of today) and refuses to have a spoon  jammed in her mouth. Only really chews on a bottle and drinks nothing vigorously except for water from a sippy cup. All that scares the shit out of me. She doesn't look skinny. But she is petite. And doesn't seem to like eating.

And that's weird to me. And I'm not used to it. And that adds up to me getting freaked out. But I'm thankful there's no testing or official "concerns" for now.

Very thankful.

xxoo.S

This is our life - aka Snippets

• We had a follow up appointment to check Katie's weight progress today. In two weeks she's gained 4 ounces - which puts her at 13 lbs 13 oz as a 7 month old - still not even registering on the growth charts. Our "fantastic" (heavy, sarcastic air quotes being used here) family doc isn't worried - thinks all is fine, because you know, she looks okay. I requested quite strongly for a pediatrician referral and she finally gave up arguing with me and said okay. So now, we wait and see what he says...
• Maddie started ballet last Thursday - through the community rec program (meaning it was only $30 for 7 weeks - which suits my cheapass just f.i.n.e.). She loves it but is clearly the youngest and possibly least coordinated kid in there. I watch her clomp around the gym with a massive grin on her (and my) face... best $30 I ever spent.
• The Hubs was awarded with a 4 day holiday in Mexico in March from his employer and I'm.... not so much looking forward to it (yes, you can punch me in the face right now). It's not that I don't crave some sunshine and escape from the winter - but it also means 4 days away from my Kates (Maddie too - but let's face it - she'll probably barely notice we're gone). The Hubs refuses to even entertain the idea that we bring her along with us. Oh and it also means I need to find a bathing suit that covers, erm... EVERYTHING. I may pop over to 1928 and buy a suit from then.
• That being said - I am trying to make good on my resolution to lose weight - I even attended a spin class yesterday. It fucking hurt. At the time it hurt - you know how much it hurts the next day when it already hurts while you're doing it? Let's just say, going up or down stairs was tragic for me today. TRAGIC.

Yep - that's us in a nutshell right now...

xxoo.S

6 month stats

So Katie had her 6 month shots today - which she took like a champ (of course). All looks great - but a little concerning was her weight gain (or lack thereof). She weighed in at 13 lbs 9 oz. When you plot that on the chart that puts her off the graph - as in, she doesn't register on the growth charts... super. awesome.

Of course our fabulous family doctor is "not concerned" and suggested that we make an appointment in another 6 weeks to check on her weight gain.

Um, I'm no doctor, but that seems a bit late to be checking progress in my opinion... Especially as she's pooping about 6 times a day and it's all very mucousy and green and gross. Personally, I'm a little worried she may have a milk allergy (did you know dry milk powder is the 2nd ingredient in all baby cereals? I didn't even know to check until today, and there it is - hi milk!)... so we're avoiding the baby cereals and keeping to plain fruits, veg and some chicken for the next few days to see if it makes any difference. And if it doesn't, I'll be asking for a pediatrician referral. Because I'm neurotic like that...

In other (happier, more normal) news - she's 26-1/4 inches long - which puts her in the 25th percentile for height. Yay! Long, skinny bebe.

Gratuitous Katie pic doing tongue acrobatics

xxoo.S

It's a milestone day!

Playing around with Katie on her playmat today she decided to show me just how big she's getting as she nears her 6 month birthday... pushing up on her arms, hanging out on her belly without any of that screaming we had all gotten so used to. Looking at me - smiling, giggling, laughing - without making me work for it too hard.

And just as I'm about to get up and grab a glass of water she cranks her head to the left and over she goes. Rolling! Like it ain't no thang...

I'm pretty sure I spent a month trying to "show" Maddie how to roll. Tucking her little arm up and over and nudging her in the belly to get the idea.

Second child around I'm watching her learn this new skill all on her own.

(And no, it's not a classic case of second child neglect. More like, let's not encourage this independent movement - a baby that stays where she's put is quite handy.)

Katie had other ideas of course. Not surprising as she's been rocking/moving/kicking since the day she was born. It had to happen sometime...

Goooooo Katie!

xoS

4 month shots

Is there anything worse than this parenthood ritual? Having to watch their faces screw up and the silence before the massive earsplitting cry. Katie of course was a trooper (just like her sister always was) and I suspect (hope?) she'll sleep more than usual over the next couple of days.

Our doctor was just as horrible as usual - advising me that now she was four months, I was free to start trying solids any day now. I didn't even bother to try and argue that actually, no - conventional advice is to hold off until 6 months. Seriously, our doctor is a jackass (and yes, I'm trying to find a new one).

But in happy news, Katie is a happy healthy growing bebe - 12 lbs 4 oz and 25 inches in length. Longer than her sister was, but about 5 ounces lighter. Do we ever stop the comparison?

xxoo.S

This face?

This face makes me smile.

Laugh. Everyday.

xxoo.S

PS - apparently this face runs in the family. I mistakenly thought it was teething the first time 'round - now I get it - it's just a funny face, y'know?

Matching

I bought these matching dresses before Katie was even born - daydreaming of my radiant post-pg self with my two gorgeous girls in their matching sundresses enjoying the sunny summertime loveliness - very stress-free, very idyllic.

Um, right.

So a few weeks ago, realizing that summer has left us for well and good this year and they still haven't worn these dresses I bought back in the flush of spring, I thought we'd take advantage of the mid-afternoon sun in my bedroom for a... (say it with me) Photoshoot!

I'm ready for my close-up now Mr. DeMille...

Sharing her *bling*

This is called mauling in our house... as in, "Maddie! Stop mauling your sister!"

My attempt to be an artistic photog -- FAIL

Okay, got one smiling...

And now the other is smiling...

Okay, they're both so OVER this...

My beauties...

xxoo.S

Katie's Room

Hey! Remember when I droned on and on and on and bloody on about all the cool things I was doing to decorate my new baby girl's nursery? Well looky looky ... it's finally done (and she's only 10 weeks old).

Indulge me while I take you through a walk through...

She's all "Dude - come on in and take a boo around at the room my Slacker Mom finally finished. I'm partial to the pillows as you can probs tell."

The layout of the room and adding a daybed to the mix means that the only spot for the rocker is right here, jammed up against the crib. Not the biggest fan of the aesthetic, but wasn't about to lose the rocker. Also of note in the above pic, my ADORED wainscoting (we used a thin-thin-thin moulding to create the illusion of boxes as I wanted a dainty look in the room - end result is exactly what I had envisioned in my head - which is all kinds of awesome). I especially love the freshness of the white wainscoting against the blue painted walls - with the pops of cherry here and there, which just makes it kind of fun.

I love this rocker. It rocked me as a baby. Has since rocked many hours of Maddie's life in the wee hours. And now it helps me lull my Katiebear back to sleep when I'm not taking the short-cut and just crashing with her in the oh-so-available daybed.

My absolute favourite part of her room. This is a project Maddie and I tackled during our week together before Katie was due. I had purchased a pkg of 10 canvases from Michael's and over the course of a few days, I helped Maddie decorate them all and we chose the top 5 to use as the background for Katie's name. It was a great way to incorporate Maddie's efforts into the room, make her a part of the process and give her something to show off when visitors wanted to view the nursery.

This picture gives about zero credit to how cute this little corner of the room is (blame my photography skills). The little sock kitty on the antique children's chair (that I'm sure is covered in lead paint and is definitely on the project list before Katie can start gnawing on things) and of course my birdcage with my super-easy-to-sew bird softies (pattern courtesy of Spool).

This is my attempt for you to see the lovely birdcage in all it's adorable glory. Aaaaaand, another photography fail...

The bed in all it's glory without a distracting 2 month old to take away from all my fabulous-o pillows. I went a little crazy on fabric purchases (Pink Panda Fabric - it was my addiction) (Also? Ignore the monstrosity white pillows that I made, thinking I'd make some cool rectangular pillows to act almost as arm cushions out of my old bumper pad - they are an example of good idea... POOR execution. But they sit there until I can get up the energy to do more stitch ripping). Oh - and you can also see the wall decals in this pic that I purchased on Etsy the day I found out it was a girl! I think they play off the Amy Butler Lotus-patterned drapes very nicely.

Overall, a success. I love the colour scheme. I love how fresh everything feels. I love how (most of) the projects and small ideas worked out. And hey, she's sleeping in her crib fairly well at night these days (*knocking on wood frantically*) ... so I think she likes it too.

Thanks for indulging me...

xxoo.S

My first cute project

I recently acquired a new fantabulous sewing machine (because you know, I'm getting so crafty I just had to have something beyond the beginner setup I was dealing with before) ... it's so smooth and powerful and just plain loverly that I keep comparing it to how a new sports car must feel...

And wow - it must be fantastic as it inspired me to make this:

How did I make this adorable little frock you ask?

• Take a plain white onesie (purchased for 25 cents or something ridiculous at a garage sale earlier in the year)
• For fabric, scrounge up some jersey material from a fuchsia top that I've worn perhaps once in the past 3 years of owning it...
• Cut out a bunch of various sized circles of fabric for the front flower and some strips for the back ruffles
• Layer the circles and sew directly onto onesie using about a trillion stitches - making sure you stitch in some random beads (saved from a necklace Maddie broke recently) for the middle
• Add a few more stitches to the bottom layer of the flower to try and reinforce it a bit better - learn that this doesn't actually do much...

Beginner Crafter's Note: I probably should have used some kind of fabric or backing on the inside of the onesie to sew the flower to for reinforcement, instead of just to the garment itself, because all those petal layers makes the flower pretty heavy. Am I going to rip out the stiching and take my advice to fix this error? Hell to the no!

• For the ruffles just line up the first fabric strip, pin it in a few spots to gather it up and give you a guide for sewing... and then just sew the fabric sloooooowly - gathering it up bit by bit as you go.
• Voila! You have an easy-peasy (trust me this was easy as I'm no Martha) cuted-up onesie for your munchkin...

Katie loves it...

And now I just have to figure out how to make a similar shirt for Maddie, as she was mighty jealous watching me make this for her lil sister...

xxoo.S

Katie's Announcement

Don't you just love the birth announcement we just finalized courtesy of Momento Design? These will double as our thank you cards to all our thoughtful family and friends, but just had to share here first. A good friend suggested Daniela when I was looking for announcement options - she was fantastic to work with, she incorporated all my ideas and suggestions fluidly into a wonderful, one-of-a-kind design - and I love, love, love the result.

Stay tuned for actual pics of the finished nursery once I finally get this last bit of artwork on the walls!

xxoo.S

Why I'm a bit crusty today...

• She cut my lawn again. Yesterday. For the record? This time our lawn was actually shorter than hers - as we had recently cut it... so no, this is not a "they are sad pathetic lawn-keeper-uppers" and more "I'm a crazy neighbour that needs this particular patch of grass to match my lawn perfectly". And while I've spent the past 2 times turning the other cheek as so many of my good and wise fb friends suggested, this time? It will be discussed. The very next time I stalk see her.
• Maddie has taken to waking up and PLAYING in the very wee hours of the night. Why? I have no 'effing idea. And while Hubs is officially in charge of the monitor for Maddie's room, he has this one small fault: he could sleep through a tornado funnel being balanced on his nose. So the wee-hour parenting seems to fall to me a bit more.
• Last night was the 2nd night I spent (attempting to) get back to sleeping in my own bed. For the past five weeks I've either shared my bed with Katie while Hubs sleeps on the couch, or I've bunked out on the daybed in her room. Guess what I forgot? How incredibly much (and loudly) the Hubs snores. It's like sleeping next to a clunky 1930's freight train. Front, back, side -- he's perfected the art of snoring in any position. Suggestions as to actual tried-and-true remedies would be MOST appreciated!

Reason why I'm not taking today's crustiness out on my 5 week old?

• She's only a baby and of course doesn't deserve it.
• She's cute and adorable and even her poop smells sweet.
• She's started to smile at me more and more and more these days, and fuck me, those gummy smiles melt my heart.
• She slept like an 'EFFING CHAMPION all on her own, in her own crib, last night: 9-1am, then 1:15am-4:30am. Note this is particularly during the periods that I was mostly awake due to the 2 other ingrates I live with...
• When I gave up and decided to bunk in with her during the 4:30am feeding, she snuggled into me, belly to belly, and gave the happiest, most adorable, little snuffle-sigh as she latched on. And that? THAT is why I enjoy co-sleeping. That, and she doesn't snore.

xxoo.S

Peeking out from the cocoon

As I'm sure you've guessed by now, we have our new little addition to the family. Katharine (Katie) Jeananne was born on her due date - June 23rd at 10:22pm. Weighing in at 7lbs 12oz and a shorty-short 19-inches long. She looks like me, she looks like Maddie, she looks like her Daddy. She's ours alright...

It all started the day before with what I kept calling "pre-labour" pains. Crampy, irregular and nothing to write home about - but I did decide to start putting the Maddie babysitters on call, in case something did start to get a bit more advanced. After being in labour with Maddie for over 3 days, I figured I had some time to work with.

Turns out I was right - and got to enjoy full-on contractions (that weren't progressing) all through the night. By the next morning everything was about 10-12 minutes apart, so I told the Hubs to plan on working from home, but I expected we had until late afternoon or so. By about 11am everything started to go a little pear shaped - contractions got stronger, less tolerable, and faster in timing. At this stage, the Hubs was frantically trying to put out a few work fires that had cropped up, and I was unsuccessfully trying to "distract" myself with bad daytime tv.

A call was put in to the midwives around 2pm and based on what they could tell over the phone, they decided to forgo the at-home check-in visit and just meet us at the hospital for 3:30pm. I wish I could tell you that I got there and it just popped out like a greased watermelon - but yeah, I already gave away the time of birth. So fast-forward another 6 hours of labour - I did my best to go "au natural" but 7 centimeters and 4 hours later I broke down and begged for drugs. The epidural went in around 8pm, my water broke while the anesthesiologist was still in the room and I was ready to start pushing just before 10pm.

All in all? If I can compare labour with Maddie? It was same-same but different.

Long pre-labour contraction lead-up in both cases (granted it was much longer with Maddie, but I'm clearly not one of those girls that wakes up in the middle of the night, gently wakes the Hubs with a whispered "It's Time.").

With Maddie I got the epidural right away and spent almost 12 hours of labour laying on my side on a hospital bed, with a pitocin drip while everyone closely watched the fetal monitor which was slightly freaky. But painless. With Katie - well I tried everything humanely possible to get through labour without the epi - shower, jacuzzi, massage, walking, not walking, laying down, sitting on labour ball, nitrous oxide gas... only to breakdown and ask for it because I hadn't progressed a single centimeter in an hour and that my friends, is hella-deflating when you've battled through what you thought was "transition".

With Maddie, by the time the "pushing" stage got there, my epi drip had run out - so I did that part "au natural" and damn - it was painful. With Katie I was so numb that I had midwives on either side of me holding my legs up so I could actually attempt a push. I didn't feel her come out at all - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think that part could have gone faster if I could actually feel what I was doing at that stage. Not that I'm complaining...

Maddie came out not breathing, had to be suctioned and was whisked off to the warming tray before I could barely glimpse her. Katie came out wailing, was immediately put on my chest and started rooting for the breast almost immediately.

Hmm, now that I explain it like that, I'd say less same-same and more different-different is really how the two experiences stack up.

Big kudos go out to the midwives - if you are considering a pregnancy and haven't thought of a midwife - I would highly HIGHLY recommend it. They're not an added cost - completely covered by OHIP, and they're not all granola-touchy-feely. But it was really a more personal, private, considerate experience than I had before - which was a lot more "medicalized", I realize now.

And the bonus with midwives? You can check out of the hospital as early as 3 hours post-labour. We were home that night by 4am (because it took me 2 hours before I could pee on my own - and that is apparently a pre-requisite to get out of the hospital). It didn't feel strange to leave so early - in fact it was a relief. I got to sleep in my own bed, see Maddie before going to daycare that morning, eat my own food (and not have to eat hospital food!) and did I mention sleep? In my own, comfortable bed? Yep, that was sweet.

Katie has been a darling so far - she slept a tonne when we first got home. And then she wanted to eat. And Eat. And Eat. Andeatandeatandeatandeat. It got a little hairy and scary and teary and hormonal. And then I broke down and let the Hubs give her some formula... and that didn't make a difference. So she and I took to my bed and just ate and slept and ate and slept as much as she'd let me.

I realize we are making all the same mistakes we made before with Maddie - and we really do plan on getting her in her crib and sleeping on her own... in a week or so... Yes, I'm a total sucker...

I'll leave you with some pics. I'd love to show you the classic post-push baby shot with Mama, except the Hubs didn't notice my nipple-slip in every.single.shot. Classic.

Proud Daddy

Swaddled

Family shot (yes, she's totally on my boob in this picture)

Nekkid baby bum.

Me - looking like I've had zero sleep. Oh wait...

I will do my best to keep the pics and updates coming... we're still feeling very "new" over here and the days are still a bit of a blur. All the Grandparents have come for their visits and we are now on our own... luckily they left us with a rather massively-packed fridge. Which I am doing my best to currently eat my way through...

xxoo.S