Today is my hubby's 31st birthday! I have booked my mom to babysit Julie so that Carlos and I can go out on a date. I can't wait! I'm going to get all dressed up for a night out with my man ;)
Julie is amazing! The last 2 nights, she has slept for 8 hours - wow! I couldn't ask for a better baby! :)
I went to the bank yesterday and set up an RESP for Julie. For any babies born after 2004, the government contributes at least 20% of how much you contribute (could be up to 40% based on your income). So, that is too good of a deal to pass up on! A minimum 20% return on your investment plus whatever return you get on the money invested (ours is invested in a specific mutual fund called the "Target 2025 fund" which means for the first several years is it invested in mostly equity (high risk, but high potential for return) and then as it matures, it slowly decreases the portion of equity and increases the portion of guaranteed funds so that by close to the time you need the money, it is invested very low risk. Right now we are just starting with a low monthly amount, but we can always increase it when we have more money. And if we have any more children, we can add them to the same plan too.
Today I am making phone calls to try to get some estimates to have our soffit, fascia, and eaves replaced on our house. It will be an expensive thing to have done, but it is long overdue and we figured now would be the time to do it with the new "2009 Home Reno Tax Credit". We are also flirting with the idea of upgrading our kitchen... but again, an expensive job. We will definitely price things out though.
Baby Age Ticker
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Busy girls!
Mom and I finished the wedding invitations for my brothers wedding yesterday. They look amazing! For some reason, my brothers fiance who is usually incredibly organized, is being a somewhat disorganized bride, which really surprised me. Good thing she has me to get things in order! I really think I should be a wedding planner in my next career, I really enjoy it. I guess the only downside would be working with bridezillas ;)
Last night we had a little birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is today. So that was nice. We gave her a little engraved photo frame with this photo in it:
I took my mom out for lunch yesterday in honour of her birthday (since she is fully booked for today), and that was the first time I went to a restaurant with Julie. She was an angel! She slept for most of it and when she was awake, she was happy in grandmas arms. Not a peep out of her the whole time!
Other good news: for the second night in a row, Julie slept for 7.5 hours - awesome! I really couldn't ask for a better baby! She's so happy and smiley 99% of the time she's awake, and she's such a great sleeper!
Last night we had a little birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is today. So that was nice. We gave her a little engraved photo frame with this photo in it:
I took my mom out for lunch yesterday in honour of her birthday (since she is fully booked for today), and that was the first time I went to a restaurant with Julie. She was an angel! She slept for most of it and when she was awake, she was happy in grandmas arms. Not a peep out of her the whole time!
Other good news: for the second night in a row, Julie slept for 7.5 hours - awesome! I really couldn't ask for a better baby! She's so happy and smiley 99% of the time she's awake, and she's such a great sleeper!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Julie = jumbo jet!
Today's appointment went very well. Julie now weighs 11 pounds, 5 ounces! So she gained 18 ounces since her last appointment 2 weeks ago. Little piglet! Carlos calls her a jumbo jet since her initials are JET and she is growing like a weed!
They also did her measurements and she is now 61 cm long (vs 51cm at birth), head circumference is 38 cm (vs 33.5 cm at birth), and chest circumference is 40.5 cm (vs 34 cm at birth). So, she is growing well! The midwife gave her a good look over and said she looks great and she has no concerns at all. She even took her footprints and put them on a certificate for us. She gave me a big hug when we left and encouraged me to drop in whenever I liked; they would love to see me and Julie again.
So, we are now officially discharged from the midwives care. They were absolutely amazing and we will definitely use them again! I cannot say enough good things about them; I am so glad we decided to use them!
They also did her measurements and she is now 61 cm long (vs 51cm at birth), head circumference is 38 cm (vs 33.5 cm at birth), and chest circumference is 40.5 cm (vs 34 cm at birth). So, she is growing well! The midwife gave her a good look over and said she looks great and she has no concerns at all. She even took her footprints and put them on a certificate for us. She gave me a big hug when we left and encouraged me to drop in whenever I liked; they would love to see me and Julie again.
So, we are now officially discharged from the midwives care. They were absolutely amazing and we will definitely use them again! I cannot say enough good things about them; I am so glad we decided to use them!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Love the new ride!
We picked up the new car last night when Carlos was done work. Since my mom was happily babysitting, we decided to go out for dinner to celebrate. That was the first time we've been to a restaurant since Julie was born, so it was nice to get out just the 2 of us.
Our car is awesome! Lots of power! It has about 10 hp more than Zeke, so it can really move!!! And I love the tinted windows, it was worth the extra $200. And we also got roof racks which I don't think were supposed to come on the car we paid for, so that was a free bonus! I drove the car home from dinner and we took a bit of a detour so I could spend some more time driving the car.
We ordered a second base for Julie's carseat, so that will be nice to have. That way, we have one in each vehicle, so it will be easy to trade back and forth since I want to drive the new car sometimes too ;)
Oh, and I am already about 1/3 of the way through "Twilight"... it's good so far!
Our car is awesome! Lots of power! It has about 10 hp more than Zeke, so it can really move!!! And I love the tinted windows, it was worth the extra $200. And we also got roof racks which I don't think were supposed to come on the car we paid for, so that was a free bonus! I drove the car home from dinner and we took a bit of a detour so I could spend some more time driving the car.
We ordered a second base for Julie's carseat, so that will be nice to have. That way, we have one in each vehicle, so it will be easy to trade back and forth since I want to drive the new car sometimes too ;)
Oh, and I am already about 1/3 of the way through "Twilight"... it's good so far!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
YAY!
We just got the call that our car is in! They will do the rust and fabric protection tomorrow and we get to pick it up tomorrow evening! YAY!!!!
Twilight has arrived!
My Twilight books arrived this morning, so I am excited to start reading them. Are they ever long! That's good though, should keep me entertained for awhile ;)
Looks like we won't be getting the car until Thursday now. The AWD models have been selling like hotcakes and there were 3 available in Ontario going into Saturday, 2 sold on Saturday, so we got the very last one. And it's coming from the Niagara region, so it will take a little longer to get here. The only thing is it has tinted windows, which they are charging an extra $200 for. We tried to get them to throw that in for free, but no luck. Oh well. Tinted windows might be a nice thing to have in case I have to nurse Julie in the car or something. So, I think it's a good thing. And $200 is only an extra $5 per month, so no biggie. Funny that we got the very last silver AWD one in Ontario! All other colours were sold out except white. And we didn't want white. Guess lots of people took advantage of the 0% financing deal!
We should find out today whether we are approved for the financing loan, so then it will be all official - yay!
Looks like we won't be getting the car until Thursday now. The AWD models have been selling like hotcakes and there were 3 available in Ontario going into Saturday, 2 sold on Saturday, so we got the very last one. And it's coming from the Niagara region, so it will take a little longer to get here. The only thing is it has tinted windows, which they are charging an extra $200 for. We tried to get them to throw that in for free, but no luck. Oh well. Tinted windows might be a nice thing to have in case I have to nurse Julie in the car or something. So, I think it's a good thing. And $200 is only an extra $5 per month, so no biggie. Funny that we got the very last silver AWD one in Ontario! All other colours were sold out except white. And we didn't want white. Guess lots of people took advantage of the 0% financing deal!
We should find out today whether we are approved for the financing loan, so then it will be all official - yay!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
We fell in love...
...with the Matrix! We went to Toyota yesterday and had a look at both the 2009 Matrix and the 2009 Corolla. We test drove them both, and I definitely liked the Matrix better; it has an all wheel drive option and I just like the look of it better. Since we will be keeping it for a long time (we tend to drive our cars forever until something happens like the engine threatens to fall out), I really wanted to get a good car that will last us a long time and I really wanted all wheel drive. I absolutely love Zeke and I have never once gotten stuck or lost control while driving him and I have had him for almost 8 years. So, AWD was important to me, especially now that we have Julie. I honestly could not think of another car besides the Matrix that I like that has an AWD option.
We both drove it and I absolutely love it! Once we went back into the dealership and crunched all the numbers, we said we would have to go for lunch and think about it, and they offered that we could take the Matrix with us when we went. So, we took it back to my parents house to show them. I wanted my brothers' opinions since they are both car guys. They both think it is a really good car.
Since the 0% financing deal was only on 2009 models (since they are selling them off to get ready for the 2010), there is only a finite number of them in Ontario since they are no longer making the 2009 model. So, if we wanted to get the 0% financing (which is only on until March 31), we decided to get one yesterday so that we would be sure to get one. The AWD ones are really popular and they are running out quickly. They only had 3 colours left in Ontario: one dark grey (which would be extra money to get since it was hours away), silver, and white. So, we thought about it for while, and we decided to get a silver one. The one we test drove was silver and it tooks awesome. And we figured silver won't show scratches as easily as something darker.
We were able to get a $700 discount through Carlos' connections, which was awesome! And they offered us $1000 trade in value for the 98 Corolla, so we were very happy with that; we thought we would be lucky to get $500 considering all the problems it has.
Here are the deets: 2009 Toyota Matrix XR AWD, Silver, 2.4L 4 cyl engine, 158 hp, automatic (the AWD only availabe in Automatic), 17" Alloy wheels (yay!), and all the bells and whistles like AC, cruise, power windows, doorlocks, and mirrors, keyless entry, heated mirrors, CD/MP3 player, 6 speakers, input jack for ipod (which I think is awesome), audio controls in the steering wheel, outside temperature gauge (sweet; I've never had that before), the rear seats and front passenger seat fold down flat which is handy if we have something large to fit in, etc.
We are very excited! We get to pick it up on Wednesday likely. Which gives us a couple days to figure out insurance. Carlos and I have been meaning to get on the same car insurance policy for awhile, so this is the perfect time. We'll get quotes from both of our current companies and go with whatever is cheaper. Carlos deals with a broker, so they should be able to get us a good price.
We both drove it and I absolutely love it! Once we went back into the dealership and crunched all the numbers, we said we would have to go for lunch and think about it, and they offered that we could take the Matrix with us when we went. So, we took it back to my parents house to show them. I wanted my brothers' opinions since they are both car guys. They both think it is a really good car.
Since the 0% financing deal was only on 2009 models (since they are selling them off to get ready for the 2010), there is only a finite number of them in Ontario since they are no longer making the 2009 model. So, if we wanted to get the 0% financing (which is only on until March 31), we decided to get one yesterday so that we would be sure to get one. The AWD ones are really popular and they are running out quickly. They only had 3 colours left in Ontario: one dark grey (which would be extra money to get since it was hours away), silver, and white. So, we thought about it for while, and we decided to get a silver one. The one we test drove was silver and it tooks awesome. And we figured silver won't show scratches as easily as something darker.
We were able to get a $700 discount through Carlos' connections, which was awesome! And they offered us $1000 trade in value for the 98 Corolla, so we were very happy with that; we thought we would be lucky to get $500 considering all the problems it has.
Here are the deets: 2009 Toyota Matrix XR AWD, Silver, 2.4L 4 cyl engine, 158 hp, automatic (the AWD only availabe in Automatic), 17" Alloy wheels (yay!), and all the bells and whistles like AC, cruise, power windows, doorlocks, and mirrors, keyless entry, heated mirrors, CD/MP3 player, 6 speakers, input jack for ipod (which I think is awesome), audio controls in the steering wheel, outside temperature gauge (sweet; I've never had that before), the rear seats and front passenger seat fold down flat which is handy if we have something large to fit in, etc.
We are very excited! We get to pick it up on Wednesday likely. Which gives us a couple days to figure out insurance. Carlos and I have been meaning to get on the same car insurance policy for awhile, so this is the perfect time. We'll get quotes from both of our current companies and go with whatever is cheaper. Carlos deals with a broker, so they should be able to get us a good price.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Lost in the matrix...
The Toyota Matrix has caught our attention. We are going to go to Toyota on Saturday to check them out. For the month of March, Toyota has a 0% financing on the 2009 Matrix (and a few other cars). I think many dealerships are doing this actually because of the recession we are in. But, for people in the market for car... you can't beat 0% financing! So, in addition to looking at used cars, we will also check out a new one for comparison.
Carlos' workplace does the ads for Toyota, so we have some connections... Hopefully we can use those connections to get a good deal if we decide to go that route ;)
I have my mom lined up to babysit on Saturday so we can spend the day car shopping and going to a few places in town... should be fun!
Carlos' workplace does the ads for Toyota, so we have some connections... Hopefully we can use those connections to get a good deal if we decide to go that route ;)
I have my mom lined up to babysit on Saturday so we can spend the day car shopping and going to a few places in town... should be fun!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The search begins...
Carlos took his car to the shop yesterday since it has been having some issues. Well, turns out the engine mount is completely rotten, so basically the engine could fall out of the car at any time. Yikes! They can't say how long it would be before this happens, could be tomorrow or could be several months. But it is a safety issue, so I think we should drive that car as little as possible. Since the car is 11 years old, I don't think it's worth putting a lot of money in it at this point. So, we're going to begin the search for a new vehicle. The good thing is I'm on mat leave right now, so we can get by with only 1 vehicle for awhile. So, we're going to use my car primarily for now and then only use Carlos' car on days when we both need a vehicle. That way, we can prolong the life of his car while we look for a new one.
So, now we're trying to think about what would be best. Do we get a used car that we could get for a good price that would do us for a few years? Or should we spend a little more money and get something larger like a minivan in planning for the future? My car Zeke really isn't the best for putting a carseat in. It's a bit of a pain actually since there isn't a lot of room in the backseat, so whenever I put the carseat back there, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to make space. It would be much easier in a minivan and it would be nice to have a vehicle with more space. Minivans are expensive though, so we would definitely be looking at getting a used one. The good thing is we have time now. So, we can look at vans and cars and see what good deals we can find.
So, now we're trying to think about what would be best. Do we get a used car that we could get for a good price that would do us for a few years? Or should we spend a little more money and get something larger like a minivan in planning for the future? My car Zeke really isn't the best for putting a carseat in. It's a bit of a pain actually since there isn't a lot of room in the backseat, so whenever I put the carseat back there, I have to move the front passenger seat all the way forward to make space. It would be much easier in a minivan and it would be nice to have a vehicle with more space. Minivans are expensive though, so we would definitely be looking at getting a used one. The good thing is we have time now. So, we can look at vans and cars and see what good deals we can find.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Julie is a piglet!
The appointment with the midwife this morning went very well. Julie had her hearing test, and everything is normal. Her weight today was 10 lbs, 3 oz, so she gained 20 oz in the last 2 weeks - wow! I guess she's eating well, which is great since I can't tell how much she's eating since she's exclusively breastfed. Our next appointment is on the 27th and that will be our last one with the midwives, we will be discharged from their care. They have been absolutely amazing and we will definitely use them again for any future children we may have.
I did ask her about vaccinations and she already had a brochure in the info packet she was planning to give me at today's appointment, so it was already a topic for discussion at today's appointment, hows that for timing?!? Basically, it is outside the scope of their practice and they are not supposed to give opinions about it. It is recommended by Health Canada to follow the vaccination schedule, but it is not mandatory. Parents need to make the decision for themselves. It is illegal for a child to be suspended from school, etc. because they are not vaccinated. Parents just need to provide a letter indicating the child is not vaccinated.
She did say that vaccines for children in Canada no longer contain mercury. The midwife said to do some research and make sure to get recent and Canadian information. We need to weigh the risks of Julie getting a disease that she could have been vaccinated for against the risks of the vaccine itself and make our decision based on that. She did say that MOST people get their children vaccinated and stick to the recommended schedule. Another option would be to delay the schedule a bit and have her first vaccine later than 2 months.
I will do some research and Carlos and I will make the decision once we feel we have the information we need.
I did ask her about vaccinations and she already had a brochure in the info packet she was planning to give me at today's appointment, so it was already a topic for discussion at today's appointment, hows that for timing?!? Basically, it is outside the scope of their practice and they are not supposed to give opinions about it. It is recommended by Health Canada to follow the vaccination schedule, but it is not mandatory. Parents need to make the decision for themselves. It is illegal for a child to be suspended from school, etc. because they are not vaccinated. Parents just need to provide a letter indicating the child is not vaccinated.
She did say that vaccines for children in Canada no longer contain mercury. The midwife said to do some research and make sure to get recent and Canadian information. We need to weigh the risks of Julie getting a disease that she could have been vaccinated for against the risks of the vaccine itself and make our decision based on that. She did say that MOST people get their children vaccinated and stick to the recommended schedule. Another option would be to delay the schedule a bit and have her first vaccine later than 2 months.
I will do some research and Carlos and I will make the decision once we feel we have the information we need.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Vaccine debate
We have to decide soon whether we want Julie to be vaccinated as the first round of vaccines starts at 2 months of age. I am really on the fence on this one since there is so much info out there about why vaccines are unsafe, unnecessary, can cause illnesses and damage, and may be linked to autism and learning and developmental disabilities.
But, I would hate to choose not to get Julie vaccinated and then have her get one of the illnesses she would have been protected against. I guess I have to do some research and figure this out soon!
Any thoughts on this issue?
But, I would hate to choose not to get Julie vaccinated and then have her get one of the illnesses she would have been protected against. I guess I have to do some research and figure this out soon!
Any thoughts on this issue?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Happy birthday Smoke
My mom and sister-in-law-to-be hosted a baby shower for baby Julie on Saturday - was it ever nice! I was overwhelmed with everyone's generosity; Julie got so many amazing and adorable things! Lots of cute outfits that I can't wait to put her in ;)
Today is Smokey's 3rd birthday! I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we almost lost him to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Poor little guy! That's behind us though, he has been doing great since then! We have found that since we've had Julie, Smokey has become a lot more affectionate. I guess he's not getting as much attention, so he decides he better come to us ;) One annoying thing is I think he has figured out that when I'm nursing, I can't get up to discipline him, so he uses that time to be a total trouble maker and climb on thing he shouldn't, scratch things he shouldn't, etc... sometimes I feel it's like having a toddler to look after while I am trying to look after a newborn too! But I still love him anyway ;)
Today is Smokey's 3rd birthday! I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we almost lost him to Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Poor little guy! That's behind us though, he has been doing great since then! We have found that since we've had Julie, Smokey has become a lot more affectionate. I guess he's not getting as much attention, so he decides he better come to us ;) One annoying thing is I think he has figured out that when I'm nursing, I can't get up to discipline him, so he uses that time to be a total trouble maker and climb on thing he shouldn't, scratch things he shouldn't, etc... sometimes I feel it's like having a toddler to look after while I am trying to look after a newborn too! But I still love him anyway ;)
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Wedding Invitation Making Extravaganza
Yesterday, mom and I helped my brother's fiance make her wedding invitations. We didn't get them done, but we certainly made good progress! It was fun to focus my attention on something other than my adorable baby ;) My brother's wedding is coming up in 3 months... coming up quickly! They just recently bought a house, which is exciting. Closing date of May 1st, which gives them a month before the wedding to paint and fix things up before they move in.
This week has been a good one. Julie is a little angel! I just love looking at all her little facial expressions - she is smiling now, which is amazing to see!
This week has been a good one. Julie is a little angel! I just love looking at all her little facial expressions - she is smiling now, which is amazing to see!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Morning out and about
Julie and I had a good morning of being out and about. I had to take her to the midwife clinic since they needed to take another blood sample from Julie for a routine test. They had to repeat it since the first time they tried, they didn't get enough blood. While we were at the clinic, they weighed Julie and she now weighs 8 lbs, 15 oz, so she is gaining weight well and is a healthy girl :)
When we were done at the clinic, I took Julie into Carlos' workplace so she could meet his coworkers, so that was fun. Everyone keeps saying how beautiful she is, and of course I agree :)
We don't have much planned for this weekend, although we are planning to take Julie on her first trip to Costco... hopefully she likes it ;)
When we were done at the clinic, I took Julie into Carlos' workplace so she could meet his coworkers, so that was fun. Everyone keeps saying how beautiful she is, and of course I agree :)
We don't have much planned for this weekend, although we are planning to take Julie on her first trip to Costco... hopefully she likes it ;)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Julie is amazing!
Julie is now 16 days old and I am falling more and more in love with her every day (if that's possible)!!! She is such an amazing girl! I just love to sit and look at her explore the world. She's already changed so much since she was born. She is a lot more alert now and opens her eyes really wide to take in the world around her.
She seems to be a pretty content baby. She doesn't cry too much, just when she needs something. Although, on Saturday we had a pretty rough day. She cried off and on all afternoon and evening. It took me awhile to catch on that she was just hungry all the time - I think she was going through her first growth spurt; I was feeding her pretty much every hour! The first growth spurt usually happens at about 2 weeks, so she was right on... our little 'textbook' baby ;)
We are at the end of our home visits with the midwife now. We now take Julie to their clinic on March 6th and then again at 6 weeks and then we will be discharged from their care. They have been absolutely wonderful! I am so glad we decided to go with midwives instead of a doctor - the level of care we received has been phenomenal! They came to visit us pretty much every day for the first week and then a couple times the second week. The support I received with breastfeeding made all the difference; I'm sure I would have given up if I hadn't had their help. Breastfeeding was very difficult in the beginning, but we have the hang of it now ;) And I am so thankful that I can page the midwives whenever I have a concern. They have been amazing and I highly recommend midwives to anyone having a baby!
This afternoon, Julie and I are planning to go to my office for a little visit so my coworkers can meet her. I am looking forward to the outing!
She seems to be a pretty content baby. She doesn't cry too much, just when she needs something. Although, on Saturday we had a pretty rough day. She cried off and on all afternoon and evening. It took me awhile to catch on that she was just hungry all the time - I think she was going through her first growth spurt; I was feeding her pretty much every hour! The first growth spurt usually happens at about 2 weeks, so she was right on... our little 'textbook' baby ;)
We are at the end of our home visits with the midwife now. We now take Julie to their clinic on March 6th and then again at 6 weeks and then we will be discharged from their care. They have been absolutely wonderful! I am so glad we decided to go with midwives instead of a doctor - the level of care we received has been phenomenal! They came to visit us pretty much every day for the first week and then a couple times the second week. The support I received with breastfeeding made all the difference; I'm sure I would have given up if I hadn't had their help. Breastfeeding was very difficult in the beginning, but we have the hang of it now ;) And I am so thankful that I can page the midwives whenever I have a concern. They have been amazing and I highly recommend midwives to anyone having a baby!
This afternoon, Julie and I are planning to go to my office for a little visit so my coworkers can meet her. I am looking forward to the outing!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Julie Erika’s Birth Story
It started on Thursday, February 5th. During the afternoon, I started feeling crampy and started bleeding a little bit (which is one sign that labour is imminent). So, I started thinking that I would be going into labour soon and was very excited!
Friday morning, I had an appointment with my midwife, where she checked me and my cervix was 2 cm dilated and 50 to 75% effaced (thinned out). So, it was looking like I was right with my prediction that I would have the baby on the weekend! So, I went home very excited.
I had cramps all afternoon and around 4pm I started thinking they were getting worse than just cramps and were the start of contractions. I timed a couple of them and they were about 20 minutes apart at this point and only 30 to 45 seconds long.
The contractions kept getting a little more intense and longer and closer together throughout the evening. At about 8:30pm, my mom showed up (her and Carlos were my 2 support people). By about 9pm, they were 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. This is the point we called our midwife. We first paged our primary midwife (the student), but she was off call for the weekend since she was sick. So, we paged our other primary midwife, but she was going off call in 5 minutes for the weekend. CRAP! I started crying at this point since neither of the 2 midwives we really liked would be present at the birth. We were stuck with the 2 we didn’t like as much. Now, in the end, I didn’t care about this, but at this moment, I was quite upset. It actually turned out that the midwives we had were WONDERFUL; I can’t say enough good things about them.
The midwife showed up at our house around 10pm to check my progress. I was 4 cm dilated at this point and officially in active labour – yay! The contractions were getting more intense, I could no longer talk through them. Carlos was wonderful. We would walk around the house and every time I had a contraction, we would “slow dance” and he would rub my back. I had a nice bath at home sometime around midnight, which felt awesome.
The midwife checked my progress again around 1:30am and I was at 6cm. She said at this point we could go to the hospital, or we could wait a little longer. She had already called ahead to the hospital to see how busy they were. Turns out it was a busy night because they only had 1 labour and delivery room left! So, my midwife asked the hospital to hold the room for us and we headed to the hospital. The midwife went a few minutes ahead of us so she had all the paperwork done by the time we got there. She took care of everything, which was amazing.
So by the time I got to the room, it was around 2am. I laboured in the room for quite awhile trying all sorts of positions. Everyone was so impressed with me that I would be cheerful and smiling in between contractions. I sat in the shower for awhile which felt great. At around 4am the second midwife showed up (there are 2 present for the pushing stage) and they checked me again and I was 7cm dilated and they broke my water at this point. At around 7am, I was 8cm dilated and was getting very uncomfortable, so I laboured in the tub for a couple of hours. This was the most intense part of the labour (this is what they call “transition” and is from 8 to 10cm). I was so glad to be in the tub at this point since it made it a lot more bearable. There were a few contractions that I thought I couldn’t do it anymore, but there was never a point where I seriously considered drugs. I just took it one contraction at a time. Carlos, my mom, and the midwives were amazing support!
At around 9am, I got out of the tub and was checked again. I only had a small rim of cervix left, so it was almost time to start pushing! We sent my mom to the waiting room at this point, since I wanted it to just be Carlos and me for the actual birth. I started pushing shortly after this point and they brought in a mirror so I could see the progress. I pushed until 11:30am with some progress, but it seemed that baby was stuck in the birth canal. She would make a TINY bit of progress with each contraction, but not much. After 2 hours of pushing with no baby, the midwives are required to consult with the OB on call. The baby was also showing signs of distress at this point, so it became apparent that they had to help get baby out; they couldn’t just let me keep pushing considering how slow the progress was. I was absolutely exhausted at this point, so I was glad for the help.
The OB came in at about 11:45am and watched me push for one contraction. Since I didn’t have an epidural, he didn’t want to use forceps. So, he decided a vacuum would be best, although I think most people have pain meds for that too! It was so close to the end, I certainly didn’t want any meds at this point. It was too late anyways, they really wanted to get baby out. It only took 2 or 3 contractions with the vacuum before she was born. I did need a small episiotomy, which makes sense since she is such a big girl! The OB was amazing; he said that he didn’t even need to tug very hard; I did most of the work.
Baby’s head was out at 12:04pm and entire baby born at 12:05pm. Turns out she was in the birth canal off-centre, which totally explains why I couldn’t push her out on my own – she wasn’t coming down straight, her head was tilted to one side. It was such an amazing moment when she was born – the most special moment in my entire life. And I was so glad to have the mirror there so I could actually watch her being born – what a miracle!!!
As soon as she was born, they put her on my chest. The funny part was they didn’t tell us whether she was a boy or girl – I had to ask! After about 10 seconds of holding her, I asked the nurse “Is it a boy of girl” and she said “I didn’t even check!” but then responded with the words I was waiting 9 months to hear “It’s a girl!” All along I was hoping for a girl. I would have been happy with a boy, but I really wanted a girl. Carlos and I both shed a few tears at this point; just totally and completely in love with our new daughter.
They took her away to do some checking and measurements on her and it turns out they weren’t completely satisfied with the way she was crying (it was more like grunting). So, after about 20 minutes or so, they decided to take her to the special care nursery to be put on oxygen and monitoring. She ended up being on oxygen for about 12 hours, which was really hard. All sorts of family started showing up, and baby wasn’t in the room with me! Carlos had to take them one at a time to the nursery to see Julie. This was not the way I wanted it. I wanted to get started on breastfeeding right after the birth, but I couldn’t. I HATED not having her in the room with me that first night. I had to get up every 3 hours and walk to the nursery to try to feed her. This was hard, but luckily, she was fine by the morning and we got to take her home.
Here are her stats at birth:
Name: Julie Erika T. (Julie just because we like the name and Erika is after my grandmother).
Date and Time of birth: February 7, 2009 at 12:05pm
Weight: 8 pounds, 11.4 oz
Length: 51 cm (20 inches)
Head circumference: 33.5 cm
Chest circumference: 34 cm
Friday morning, I had an appointment with my midwife, where she checked me and my cervix was 2 cm dilated and 50 to 75% effaced (thinned out). So, it was looking like I was right with my prediction that I would have the baby on the weekend! So, I went home very excited.
I had cramps all afternoon and around 4pm I started thinking they were getting worse than just cramps and were the start of contractions. I timed a couple of them and they were about 20 minutes apart at this point and only 30 to 45 seconds long.
The contractions kept getting a little more intense and longer and closer together throughout the evening. At about 8:30pm, my mom showed up (her and Carlos were my 2 support people). By about 9pm, they were 5 minutes apart and lasting about a minute. This is the point we called our midwife. We first paged our primary midwife (the student), but she was off call for the weekend since she was sick. So, we paged our other primary midwife, but she was going off call in 5 minutes for the weekend. CRAP! I started crying at this point since neither of the 2 midwives we really liked would be present at the birth. We were stuck with the 2 we didn’t like as much. Now, in the end, I didn’t care about this, but at this moment, I was quite upset. It actually turned out that the midwives we had were WONDERFUL; I can’t say enough good things about them.
The midwife showed up at our house around 10pm to check my progress. I was 4 cm dilated at this point and officially in active labour – yay! The contractions were getting more intense, I could no longer talk through them. Carlos was wonderful. We would walk around the house and every time I had a contraction, we would “slow dance” and he would rub my back. I had a nice bath at home sometime around midnight, which felt awesome.
The midwife checked my progress again around 1:30am and I was at 6cm. She said at this point we could go to the hospital, or we could wait a little longer. She had already called ahead to the hospital to see how busy they were. Turns out it was a busy night because they only had 1 labour and delivery room left! So, my midwife asked the hospital to hold the room for us and we headed to the hospital. The midwife went a few minutes ahead of us so she had all the paperwork done by the time we got there. She took care of everything, which was amazing.
So by the time I got to the room, it was around 2am. I laboured in the room for quite awhile trying all sorts of positions. Everyone was so impressed with me that I would be cheerful and smiling in between contractions. I sat in the shower for awhile which felt great. At around 4am the second midwife showed up (there are 2 present for the pushing stage) and they checked me again and I was 7cm dilated and they broke my water at this point. At around 7am, I was 8cm dilated and was getting very uncomfortable, so I laboured in the tub for a couple of hours. This was the most intense part of the labour (this is what they call “transition” and is from 8 to 10cm). I was so glad to be in the tub at this point since it made it a lot more bearable. There were a few contractions that I thought I couldn’t do it anymore, but there was never a point where I seriously considered drugs. I just took it one contraction at a time. Carlos, my mom, and the midwives were amazing support!
At around 9am, I got out of the tub and was checked again. I only had a small rim of cervix left, so it was almost time to start pushing! We sent my mom to the waiting room at this point, since I wanted it to just be Carlos and me for the actual birth. I started pushing shortly after this point and they brought in a mirror so I could see the progress. I pushed until 11:30am with some progress, but it seemed that baby was stuck in the birth canal. She would make a TINY bit of progress with each contraction, but not much. After 2 hours of pushing with no baby, the midwives are required to consult with the OB on call. The baby was also showing signs of distress at this point, so it became apparent that they had to help get baby out; they couldn’t just let me keep pushing considering how slow the progress was. I was absolutely exhausted at this point, so I was glad for the help.
The OB came in at about 11:45am and watched me push for one contraction. Since I didn’t have an epidural, he didn’t want to use forceps. So, he decided a vacuum would be best, although I think most people have pain meds for that too! It was so close to the end, I certainly didn’t want any meds at this point. It was too late anyways, they really wanted to get baby out. It only took 2 or 3 contractions with the vacuum before she was born. I did need a small episiotomy, which makes sense since she is such a big girl! The OB was amazing; he said that he didn’t even need to tug very hard; I did most of the work.
Baby’s head was out at 12:04pm and entire baby born at 12:05pm. Turns out she was in the birth canal off-centre, which totally explains why I couldn’t push her out on my own – she wasn’t coming down straight, her head was tilted to one side. It was such an amazing moment when she was born – the most special moment in my entire life. And I was so glad to have the mirror there so I could actually watch her being born – what a miracle!!!
As soon as she was born, they put her on my chest. The funny part was they didn’t tell us whether she was a boy or girl – I had to ask! After about 10 seconds of holding her, I asked the nurse “Is it a boy of girl” and she said “I didn’t even check!” but then responded with the words I was waiting 9 months to hear “It’s a girl!” All along I was hoping for a girl. I would have been happy with a boy, but I really wanted a girl. Carlos and I both shed a few tears at this point; just totally and completely in love with our new daughter.
They took her away to do some checking and measurements on her and it turns out they weren’t completely satisfied with the way she was crying (it was more like grunting). So, after about 20 minutes or so, they decided to take her to the special care nursery to be put on oxygen and monitoring. She ended up being on oxygen for about 12 hours, which was really hard. All sorts of family started showing up, and baby wasn’t in the room with me! Carlos had to take them one at a time to the nursery to see Julie. This was not the way I wanted it. I wanted to get started on breastfeeding right after the birth, but I couldn’t. I HATED not having her in the room with me that first night. I had to get up every 3 hours and walk to the nursery to try to feed her. This was hard, but luckily, she was fine by the morning and we got to take her home.
Here are her stats at birth:
Name: Julie Erika T. (Julie just because we like the name and Erika is after my grandmother).
Date and Time of birth: February 7, 2009 at 12:05pm
Weight: 8 pounds, 11.4 oz
Length: 51 cm (20 inches)
Head circumference: 33.5 cm
Chest circumference: 34 cm
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Julie Erika is here!
The last week has been a complete whirlwind! I will post a more detailed birth story in the coming days, but here is the readers digest version.
- Friday afternoon around 4pm, started having contractions.
- She was born at 12:05pm on Saturday. So, total labour was 20 hours.
- In the end, she was delivered with the help of a vacuum extractor since she was not making much progress down the birth canal and she was starting to show signs of distress. So, a doctor came and did the assisted delivery, but he said that I did most of the work, he only needed to help a little.
- I did need a small episiotomy, but everything is healing up nicely.
And, I did this all with no drugs of any kind. I think that gives me the right to brag ;)
Details: Julie Erika T., born 12:05pm, weighing 8 lbs, 11.4 oz, 20 inches long. She is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen in my life!!!! Completely love at first sight!
Because she was delivered by vacuum, she has a cranial hematoma on her head, which is nothing to be concerned about, she just looks a little funny. It will go away in 2-3 months, which is a long time to wait!
We were having a bit of a rough start breastfeeding since my milk didn't come in until yesterday. So, she was severaly dehydrated. She had lost almost an entire pound! Luckily, we caught this early. The dehydration in combination with the hematoma caused some severe jaundace and we had to take her back to the hospital on Tuesday evening where she underwent phototherapy. They put her under special lights to clear the jaundace. Apparently jaundace is very common, but her case was quite severe. But, they caught it in time and she is just great now. She went off the lights at 8pm last night and we were able to bing her home around 11am this morning.
I hated having to take her back to the hospital, but at least we had a private room and Carlos and I were able to stay right in the room with her (they brought in 2 cots for us). So, that was amazing... I literally did not leave the room except for a half hour yesterday morning to go to the caf to get some breakfast. Other than that, Carlos went down and brought me food.
It was really scary to have to take her back to the hospital. Especially when I was watching them try to put in an IV, they tried many times and all over her body before they finally got one in. That was too hard for me to watch, so the midwife took me out of the room and calmed me down a bit. But, she is doing great now, so I am VERY relieved.
- Friday afternoon around 4pm, started having contractions.
- She was born at 12:05pm on Saturday. So, total labour was 20 hours.
- In the end, she was delivered with the help of a vacuum extractor since she was not making much progress down the birth canal and she was starting to show signs of distress. So, a doctor came and did the assisted delivery, but he said that I did most of the work, he only needed to help a little.
- I did need a small episiotomy, but everything is healing up nicely.
And, I did this all with no drugs of any kind. I think that gives me the right to brag ;)
Details: Julie Erika T., born 12:05pm, weighing 8 lbs, 11.4 oz, 20 inches long. She is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen in my life!!!! Completely love at first sight!
Because she was delivered by vacuum, she has a cranial hematoma on her head, which is nothing to be concerned about, she just looks a little funny. It will go away in 2-3 months, which is a long time to wait!
We were having a bit of a rough start breastfeeding since my milk didn't come in until yesterday. So, she was severaly dehydrated. She had lost almost an entire pound! Luckily, we caught this early. The dehydration in combination with the hematoma caused some severe jaundace and we had to take her back to the hospital on Tuesday evening where she underwent phototherapy. They put her under special lights to clear the jaundace. Apparently jaundace is very common, but her case was quite severe. But, they caught it in time and she is just great now. She went off the lights at 8pm last night and we were able to bing her home around 11am this morning.
I hated having to take her back to the hospital, but at least we had a private room and Carlos and I were able to stay right in the room with her (they brought in 2 cots for us). So, that was amazing... I literally did not leave the room except for a half hour yesterday morning to go to the caf to get some breakfast. Other than that, Carlos went down and brought me food.
It was really scary to have to take her back to the hospital. Especially when I was watching them try to put in an IV, they tried many times and all over her body before they finally got one in. That was too hard for me to watch, so the midwife took me out of the room and calmed me down a bit. But, she is doing great now, so I am VERY relieved.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Things are starting to happen!
I have a feeling baby will be arriving within the next few days! I have been feeling very "crampy" for the last day or so, which is a sign that labour could start soon. I had an appointment with the midwife this morning, and she checked to see if my cervix has been opening. I am currently 1.5 to 2 cm dilated and about 50 to 75% effaced (thinned out). And baby's head is at -1 station, which means only 1 cm above a certain point in my pelvic bones, so that is a great position to be in just before labour. So, all signs point to going into labour within a few days! Although she couldn't say for sure since some women are dilated for weeks before labour.
So now we just wait. If I don't go into labour on my own over the next several days, here is the plan:
- Monday, 12noon - Non Stress Test at the hospital
- Wednesday - specialized ultrasound at the hospital
- Thursday 8am - induction
It was our choice whether we would want the induction on Thursday or wait until the following week (they don't do them over the weekend and she recommends staying away from Fridays since the OB on call on Fridays doesn't like midwives and doesn't allow them to be as involved). Thursdays the OB that we saw for one of our ultrasounds is on call, and he is much more receptive of midwives, and will still let them be very involved. So, that made the choice easy since we of course would still want our midwives involved! So, induction on Thursday the 12th unless I have the baby before then, which all signs point to that I will have the baby within a few days - exciting!
So, it was a very positive appointment and she seemed very encouraging that it's looking like I will go into labour on my own in the next few days. But, of course, she can't say for sure. But who knows! Very exciting!!!!!!
So now we just wait. If I don't go into labour on my own over the next several days, here is the plan:
- Monday, 12noon - Non Stress Test at the hospital
- Wednesday - specialized ultrasound at the hospital
- Thursday 8am - induction
It was our choice whether we would want the induction on Thursday or wait until the following week (they don't do them over the weekend and she recommends staying away from Fridays since the OB on call on Fridays doesn't like midwives and doesn't allow them to be as involved). Thursdays the OB that we saw for one of our ultrasounds is on call, and he is much more receptive of midwives, and will still let them be very involved. So, that made the choice easy since we of course would still want our midwives involved! So, induction on Thursday the 12th unless I have the baby before then, which all signs point to that I will have the baby within a few days - exciting!
So, it was a very positive appointment and she seemed very encouraging that it's looking like I will go into labour on my own in the next few days. But, of course, she can't say for sure. But who knows! Very exciting!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Special Day Today
Today marks exactly 3 years that Carlos and I have been together. I am so thankful to have him; he really is the best man I could ever ask for.
We were both hoping baby would arrive today since it is a special day for Carlos and I, but no sign of baby yet. I keep telling myself that baby will come when good and ready, so I just have to keep being patient. So, I spend my days relaxing, catching up on some reading, and watching some good daytime TLC (mostly Baby Story these days!). Yesterday, I went out for lunch with mom and Oma and then hung out at my parents house for the afternoon, so that was a nice outing to keep me distracted for awhile.
We were both hoping baby would arrive today since it is a special day for Carlos and I, but no sign of baby yet. I keep telling myself that baby will come when good and ready, so I just have to keep being patient. So, I spend my days relaxing, catching up on some reading, and watching some good daytime TLC (mostly Baby Story these days!). Yesterday, I went out for lunch with mom and Oma and then hung out at my parents house for the afternoon, so that was a nice outing to keep me distracted for awhile.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Due date is finally here
The due date I have been counting down to for months and months has finally arrived! No sign of baby arriving yet though, so it could still be awhile. Could be only a matter of hours before something happens or a couple weeks. I'm trying hard to be patient, but it's difficult. Especially since we have been getting a phone call from my mother-in-law almost every day for the last 2 weeks asking if the baby is here yet. We keep telling her we'll call her when something happens... it's getting quite frustrating that she keeps calling to ask. I just let Carlos field all the phone calls since I think it would just stress me out at this point. I know she's just excited, but it's not like I can do anything to speed this along! We all just have to wait until baby is ready and of course we're going to call her the minute there is any news. Sheesh! I guess I was bound to complain about my mother-in-law eventually ;)
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