Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Something I Love
I love the feeling of warm milky baby puke running down my cleavage. Thank you, Else, for giving me this gift nearly every time I burp you, you are the best.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Here's a lovely story
I had posted this on my Facebook page but I wanted to put it here, so it is easier to come back to. I just love the way Jesse wrote this, because I think it is so true.
Things Are Going To Be Different
Things Are Going To Be Different
The Internet Is My Mom Friend
So, I don't have any mom friends in Ottawa. I have LOTS of mom friends in Aylmer, and Peterborough, but none who I can go for a walk with, go to a matinee, or a coffee. I keep myself pretty busy but as summer comes on, I am feeling the pinch of loneliness that only a mom friend can unpinch. I am looking into taking Else to the mom and baby swimming classes, or doing some other crafty thing, but do not suggest Strollercize otherwise your life is over :) In the meantime, I have turned to the Internet. There are a lot of fun blogs to read about being a mom, lots of cute pictures to look at, stories to follow... yeah that's great, while I sit in front of the computer and nurse my forever hungry Else.
The internet is actually what keeps me in touch with my mom friends who live far far away, so that is a nice benefit. I feel at least somewhat connected to my peeps out there, cause we can still talk about the trials we are facing and the cute things our babies are doing. We can post pictures of our little ones as they grow up. But I wish I could reach out and hold that cute baby! I wish I could make friends with that mom blogger I've been following and we could go to the crappy Starbucks in the industrial park by my house! Or maybe step it up and go to one in the Glebe... oooh :) Too bad she lives in Oregon...
Anyways I was just thinking about how nice it was when I came home to see everybody. Maybe I'll have to make an extra effort to meet some sweet chick friends up here. And we'll be great forever friends, not just cause we're moms, but cause we're cool moms! And maybe we'll go to a patio and have a drink!! Take that!
The internet is actually what keeps me in touch with my mom friends who live far far away, so that is a nice benefit. I feel at least somewhat connected to my peeps out there, cause we can still talk about the trials we are facing and the cute things our babies are doing. We can post pictures of our little ones as they grow up. But I wish I could reach out and hold that cute baby! I wish I could make friends with that mom blogger I've been following and we could go to the crappy Starbucks in the industrial park by my house! Or maybe step it up and go to one in the Glebe... oooh :) Too bad she lives in Oregon...
Anyways I was just thinking about how nice it was when I came home to see everybody. Maybe I'll have to make an extra effort to meet some sweet chick friends up here. And we'll be great forever friends, not just cause we're moms, but cause we're cool moms! And maybe we'll go to a patio and have a drink!! Take that!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Week Nine
Else is now nine weeks old. Technically, she had her 2 month birthaversary on Thursday. We went shopping to celebrate!! I am having a SERIOUSLY hard time keeping money in my wallet when it comes to the kid's clothes. I don't know how people can resist. Especially when everything is one SALE. Dang!!! I spent some good money, and while I got some nice things, did Else really need another dress/shirt?? Probably not. But it was so cute! And on sale! Damn you Baby Gap!!
Anyways, Else also got her first round of immunizations to celebrate. That was WAY LESS EXCITING let me tell you!! She cried like she's never cried before, even after being birthed. It was horrible. I cried. I couldn't help it!! The nurse was sympathetic thankfully. Also we were lucky and there was a nurse in training so they each got a leg and poked at the same time, making it a faster process. I am not looking forward to taking her back in 2 month's time. She ran a fever that day and the next, so she had some Tempra and felt better. It was a good excuse to stay in for a few days and not run errands. I am getting tired too so it was a nice break.
Greg went camping this weekend with some dudes, so Else and I were faced with the prospect of having a long weekend to ourselves. I wasn't looking forward to it. To my surprise, my sister Jehna and her BF Will decided to come up for a visit, so they got here on Saturday morning and just left. We had a very nice visit! I took them around to see some of the sites. The Fish House on Marier, the rich houses of Rockcliffe, my favourite restaurant Ahora, to name but a few. We talked about real estate and how stupidly expensive houses can be, for no apparent reason. I think Jehna and Will enjoyed being able to spend some time with Else while she is still a little baby. I am sure they won't mind if I ship her to Calgary for summer visits when she's older, either! ha ha ha
In other news, I have eaten about 6 slices of bread slathered with Nutella this afternoon. I feel like I might puke. But I also feel like I want another one. Weight loss be damned. Me want chocolate!!! Maybe I should go write some thank you cards instead.....
Peace.
Anyways, Else also got her first round of immunizations to celebrate. That was WAY LESS EXCITING let me tell you!! She cried like she's never cried before, even after being birthed. It was horrible. I cried. I couldn't help it!! The nurse was sympathetic thankfully. Also we were lucky and there was a nurse in training so they each got a leg and poked at the same time, making it a faster process. I am not looking forward to taking her back in 2 month's time. She ran a fever that day and the next, so she had some Tempra and felt better. It was a good excuse to stay in for a few days and not run errands. I am getting tired too so it was a nice break.
Greg went camping this weekend with some dudes, so Else and I were faced with the prospect of having a long weekend to ourselves. I wasn't looking forward to it. To my surprise, my sister Jehna and her BF Will decided to come up for a visit, so they got here on Saturday morning and just left. We had a very nice visit! I took them around to see some of the sites. The Fish House on Marier, the rich houses of Rockcliffe, my favourite restaurant Ahora, to name but a few. We talked about real estate and how stupidly expensive houses can be, for no apparent reason. I think Jehna and Will enjoyed being able to spend some time with Else while she is still a little baby. I am sure they won't mind if I ship her to Calgary for summer visits when she's older, either! ha ha ha
In other news, I have eaten about 6 slices of bread slathered with Nutella this afternoon. I feel like I might puke. But I also feel like I want another one. Weight loss be damned. Me want chocolate!!! Maybe I should go write some thank you cards instead.....
Peace.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Welcome!
This is my first ever blog post. I thought about starting this up a while ago, but just never got around to it. Then I went and had a baby, and I got to reading other people's blogs as they followed the growth of their little ones. I thought, what a good way to keep a journal that I can look back on, years from now, and remember the things I had forgotten? Those little things... when Else started cooing, when she pulled the cat's tail and got a good scratch, maybe her first playdate? So, seeing as she is now 2 months old and has started doing stuff, what better time??
So, as you may or may not remember, I had ICP, or Obstetric Cholestasis, while I was pregnant. I started itching when I was 33 weeks. I got some good drugs that took the itch away after a week, however I had to get induced at 38 weeks. I was VERY UPSET at the prospect of loosing the natural childbirth I had envisioned. People kept saying, "but you'll have a healthy baby and that's what matters". People who are actually faced with this quandary will agree, that that statement is of little consolation. It's like, "it's going to rain on your wedding day, and the food is going to suck, but you'll be married and that's the important thing!". See... no consolation.
I was terribly lucky to be supported by my midwife Stephanie Arsenault, and the entire staff of the Ottawa Midwifery Collective. I cannot say enough good things about them. Sometimes there were frustrations, as other ladies had to give birth (geeze.. the nerve) so I'd end up seeing someone else, but that is how I met Denise who is great! Now, I had to go on the induction list at the Monfort Hospital here in Ottawa. It took 4 days of horrible waiting for them to call me. Greg and I had our things packed so we were able to scoot out of the house, leaving the poor cats behind to wonder when we'd be home this time.
At 7:30, they put Cervadil up my ying yang, and let me go to bed. They said they would leave it in for 12 hours and then see how I was doing. They cautioned that it usually took 2 or three goes before the cervix was ready to get going. So I thought, great. Another couple days of waiting. Well, I woke up at 5:30 the next morning and thought I was having little contractions. Turns out, I was!! So, at 9:30, when the contractions were still small and irregular, the OB on call came in, Dr Aubin, and checked me out. 3cm! So she broke my water. That is when all hell broke loose as well!
My blood pressure went waaaay down, and the baby's heart rate did too. I had to get an oxygen mask, and IV, and they put the heart rate monitor right on the baby's head while she was still in the womb. THAT FELT REALLY NICE. The OB told me that if that happened again I would be getting an emergency C Section. RED FLAG!! ALARM ALARM!!! Those are bad words to use around me. I was lucky though, and I went back to normal. That is what happens any time I get a needle. I should have warned them. Oops.
4 hours later, little Else was born. I was able to do it without pain meds, and in the position that felt good to me. I am so thankful that I was able to do it that way, because I was able to move and get Else to where she needed to be so I could get her out. That was some crazy assed shit, though, let me tell you. the contractions hurt but not in a way you can imagine unless you've felt it... kind of like hot molten lead being poured on your abdomen. But that part is the shortest part of labour, so thank god it was over soon. I got to show the OB and the resident what an on-the-knees birth was like, as none of them had seen that before. She definitely didn't want me in that position, why? I do not know. It makes sense to me. But I guess they can't see that well when the mom is up like that. Whatever. She came right when the head was coming out anyways..... an earthquake couldn't have moved me. My midwife Jackie Whitehead, who I didn't meet until that day, was AWESOME. She totally helped me feel comfortable during contractions and helped me get up off my back to where I felt good. What a way to meet someone, eh?
Now little Else is growing like a weed and I can't really remember how much the contraction actually hurt, and I can envision doing it again without shaking my head and telling myself I am crazy.
The first few months have been great. Else is a very good baby, and totally complacent. I can take her out anywhere, and she is happy. We have gone to lunch lots of times, yard saled, grocery shopped, clothes shopped, even a 9 hour train trip to Aylmer and back. People said I was brave to do that, but I knew she would be OK. I am SO GLAD that she was... otherwise I would have made a train full of enemies!!!
This week Else is 8 weeks old. Someone has turned on the lights in her little head. In the last week she has started smiling, started "talking", rolled over a few times, and has gotten even better at holding up her head! She can hold it up really well when I am holding her in my arms, but when she is on her tummy she is still practicing. She is getting stronger every day. I feel sad that she is getting so big so fast, but we are only in month 2 so I guess I should get used to that!! It used to make me cry when I thought about how she was going to grow up and start going to school, or when she would be 12 and hateful, or when she would be going off to university... I think my hormones were still out of whack cause it doesn't make me cry so much anymore :)
Stay tuned for more Else updates and my thoughts on life. I am thinking of introducing you all to my hopeful radio station segment entitled, Traffic Tips with Sara Dee... or maybe it should be called Road Rage with Sara Dee. Heh.
So, as you may or may not remember, I had ICP, or Obstetric Cholestasis, while I was pregnant. I started itching when I was 33 weeks. I got some good drugs that took the itch away after a week, however I had to get induced at 38 weeks. I was VERY UPSET at the prospect of loosing the natural childbirth I had envisioned. People kept saying, "but you'll have a healthy baby and that's what matters". People who are actually faced with this quandary will agree, that that statement is of little consolation. It's like, "it's going to rain on your wedding day, and the food is going to suck, but you'll be married and that's the important thing!". See... no consolation.
I was terribly lucky to be supported by my midwife Stephanie Arsenault, and the entire staff of the Ottawa Midwifery Collective. I cannot say enough good things about them. Sometimes there were frustrations, as other ladies had to give birth (geeze.. the nerve) so I'd end up seeing someone else, but that is how I met Denise who is great! Now, I had to go on the induction list at the Monfort Hospital here in Ottawa. It took 4 days of horrible waiting for them to call me. Greg and I had our things packed so we were able to scoot out of the house, leaving the poor cats behind to wonder when we'd be home this time.
At 7:30, they put Cervadil up my ying yang, and let me go to bed. They said they would leave it in for 12 hours and then see how I was doing. They cautioned that it usually took 2 or three goes before the cervix was ready to get going. So I thought, great. Another couple days of waiting. Well, I woke up at 5:30 the next morning and thought I was having little contractions. Turns out, I was!! So, at 9:30, when the contractions were still small and irregular, the OB on call came in, Dr Aubin, and checked me out. 3cm! So she broke my water. That is when all hell broke loose as well!
My blood pressure went waaaay down, and the baby's heart rate did too. I had to get an oxygen mask, and IV, and they put the heart rate monitor right on the baby's head while she was still in the womb. THAT FELT REALLY NICE. The OB told me that if that happened again I would be getting an emergency C Section. RED FLAG!! ALARM ALARM!!! Those are bad words to use around me. I was lucky though, and I went back to normal. That is what happens any time I get a needle. I should have warned them. Oops.
4 hours later, little Else was born. I was able to do it without pain meds, and in the position that felt good to me. I am so thankful that I was able to do it that way, because I was able to move and get Else to where she needed to be so I could get her out. That was some crazy assed shit, though, let me tell you. the contractions hurt but not in a way you can imagine unless you've felt it... kind of like hot molten lead being poured on your abdomen. But that part is the shortest part of labour, so thank god it was over soon. I got to show the OB and the resident what an on-the-knees birth was like, as none of them had seen that before. She definitely didn't want me in that position, why? I do not know. It makes sense to me. But I guess they can't see that well when the mom is up like that. Whatever. She came right when the head was coming out anyways..... an earthquake couldn't have moved me. My midwife Jackie Whitehead, who I didn't meet until that day, was AWESOME. She totally helped me feel comfortable during contractions and helped me get up off my back to where I felt good. What a way to meet someone, eh?
Now little Else is growing like a weed and I can't really remember how much the contraction actually hurt, and I can envision doing it again without shaking my head and telling myself I am crazy.
The first few months have been great. Else is a very good baby, and totally complacent. I can take her out anywhere, and she is happy. We have gone to lunch lots of times, yard saled, grocery shopped, clothes shopped, even a 9 hour train trip to Aylmer and back. People said I was brave to do that, but I knew she would be OK. I am SO GLAD that she was... otherwise I would have made a train full of enemies!!!
This week Else is 8 weeks old. Someone has turned on the lights in her little head. In the last week she has started smiling, started "talking", rolled over a few times, and has gotten even better at holding up her head! She can hold it up really well when I am holding her in my arms, but when she is on her tummy she is still practicing. She is getting stronger every day. I feel sad that she is getting so big so fast, but we are only in month 2 so I guess I should get used to that!! It used to make me cry when I thought about how she was going to grow up and start going to school, or when she would be 12 and hateful, or when she would be going off to university... I think my hormones were still out of whack cause it doesn't make me cry so much anymore :)
Stay tuned for more Else updates and my thoughts on life. I am thinking of introducing you all to my hopeful radio station segment entitled, Traffic Tips with Sara Dee... or maybe it should be called Road Rage with Sara Dee. Heh.
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