Our first visit to the pool!

Daddy didn't bathe Henry last night, well not technically at least. Danny did however, take Henry in to the pool. He was a little anxious at first, Henry not Danny, but seemed to settle down quickly and perhaps even enjoy himself. He got a little too cold so he wasn't in there for long, but we wrapped him up quickly and stuck him on my belly naked to warm up. We seem to be full of 'firsts' lately!

Our first bath!

Today my little man's belly button thingy fell off, so we took a real bath! Up until now we had been struggling with the sponge bath, which Henry hated. So you can imagine how happy I was to find out how much he enjoyed being dunked in the bath with Mummy this morning! Tonight its Daddy's turn as we try to establish a bedtime routine.

Funny and Sad...

Funny
Danny has become obsessed with downloading childrens music!

Sad
My little man just had his first two tears. Why? Because Mummy chose to change his nappy before feeding him and he was starvin marvin, how could I deprive my child so!?

The real world

We have no routine at all, but that's ok. Today we went to the coffee shop in town; Henry was a model child. He ate twice, so I am getting better at breastfeeding in public and not exposing myself to the world, though Danny said he saw boob the second time, so I guess I have to get better. It was really nice to take a hot shower, wash my hair, get dressed into some nice clothes and enter into society. I read my book a little and Danny read his magazine. Henry LOVED the noises and colours and was wide eyed the entire time we were there. Tomorrow we have to make ourselves scarce for a few hours as we found a brown recluse teetering over Henry's bed Saturday and have called out the pest control folks to bomb the house. So perhaps we will go to the coffee shop again tomorrow. I suppose I should eat some lunch before the kid needs to feed again...

Henry Parker Klimetz

That's what all this fuss was about!?!

Henry Parker Klimetz
Tuesday, July 13th 2010, 8:58pm
6lbs 13 oz
20.5 inches long

48 hours of labour...
No drugs!

Visit Captured Photography's fantastic blog for awesome pictures of the little fellow.

He is the most beautiful little man I have ever laid my eyes on, and I would do nothing but hold him and stare at him all day long, if I only could!

As a couple, Danny and I try our hardest not to take medicines. In the five years that I have been married to Danny, I could probably count on one hand the number of times Ive seen him take an Ibuprofen; so it seemed a logical progression that we wouldn't use any drugs for the birth of our baby. Though as every one kept reminding me, I had never known the pain of child birth.

All day Sunday I had mild pains that we didn't attribute to anything much. We played cards (I lost), watched TV and generally chilled out. Danny drove to the airport to get my parents in the evening, who arrived much later than planned due to a storm in Canada. When they got here we ate a simple pasta of spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella and that's when I started noticing the pains. We started timing them around 10pm ish, roughly 5 minutes apart. I was determined not to go to the hospital too early for fear of having drugs forced on me, so we waited. We called our Doula, Alison, around 130am as the pains had been 3 minutes apart for 90 minutes. Getting everything ready and into the car we saw my mum who was exceptionally worried when we told her how frequent the contractions were and for how long they had been that way, she thought we had left it too late. Ha. Little did we all know.

The first thing they do when you get to the hospital is check your cervix; 2cm. You have to be kidding me. 30% effacement and -2 station. I was disappointed, to say the least. Danny brought all of our 'coping' mechanisms up, the soothing music, the birthing ball, our over night bags and what not. Next piece of bad news was that despite knowing that my Doctor got back from vacation on Saturday, he was not 'available' until Monday morning, so I had to have a stand in doctor. Its incredible how the mind rules the body; the contractions slowed, I believe with the knowledge that I had to have a different doctor. We laboured together through the night, Danny and Alison were great and helped me cope well. The nurses coming in periodically asking if I wanted drugs yet, were some what annoying, but the answer was always no. I became so so tired, falling asleep between 2 and 3 minute contractions. Some contractions were on top of each other for a minute at a time, often giving up to 4 consecutive minutes of contractions with no break. In the morning I had stomach cramps, but none of the hospital staff believed me, they all thought it was back labour, but I know that it was not. Then standing over the bed in my hospital gown, Im sure with my arse hanging out, I hear the voice of my doctor asking me what was wrong. Ha! He was back at work, of course the contractions came closer together again! Though by lunch time they checked me again and not much was going on, despite all of the pain. The nurse was actually mean enough to say that had she measured me, she would have put me at 1 cm. So they discharged me. I cried and I cried and I cried. I had now been in labour well over 14 hours and are you telling me my cervix has re-gressed? Seriously. To make matters worse, I was now confused about when we would come back to the hospital, since we came when 3 minute contractions had been occurring for well over an hour. So I asked the nurse, how will we know when to return to the hospital. Her reply, "Real labour is intense". Oh, so please, tell me again with a straight face that the agony I have been in for the past thousand hours is not intense. To add insult to injury, she then said I will need to reschedule my doctors appointment for next Monday. Next Monday! What a b-atch.

So we went home. I don't really remember, but Im sure I cried all the way home.

Danny ran me a bath, and yes, I was still having regular contractions between 3 and 5 minutes apart. He tried to make me eat, since I hadn't eaten since Sunday evening, but as I took a mouthful of bread I had another contraction and nearly choked on it. About this time, I seem to remember crying to Danny that if I could be in that much pain and not dilate at all but just efface from 30 to 100%, I was not going to be able to do it, I was going to need the drugs. Of course he tried to reassure me, but convincing a sleep-deprived, hungry woman in pain that she can manage whatever comes her way, is no easy task. So I took the first drugs I had taken in my entire pregnancy; two Tylenol and Two Benadryl. Neither of us had slept Sunday night, so I dealt with my continual contractions as quietly as possible so that Danny could sleep. I managed to sleep 3-6 minutes between contractions. I noticed that I was loosing the mucus plug.

Tuesday morning, Danny went to work. I attempted to make blackberry muffins but had to stop every 2-3 minutes for contractions and eventually after at least two hours of trying to bake some simple muffins, I gave up and had Dave finish them. Alison came by to check on me around lunchtime. Then everyone left me. My parents went out for lunch and Danny picked his brother up from camp. Those were the worst contractions I had and I had them alone. When my mum came back she tried to tell me I was in Transition and that I needed to go to the hospital but I cried out that I wasn't going to the hospital as they would only send me home again. In the end they convinced me to go to the doctors who consented to check me. We parked away from the door and walked into the surgery, having contractions all the while. 6cm!!! Time to go to Labour and Delivery!!! So we walked! It was a great idea, whoever suggested it, and did wonders for my morale. We even walked around the car park before going into the ER.

Everything was different this time when we got to the hospital - everyone was rushing around in a hurry. They asked the all important question "Do you want the Epidural"; No, I would rather not, but I don't know how painful childbirth is.

8cm

10cm

Waters broke.

The nurses were fantastic.

Pushing was hard. Im not going to lie. You just don't know what to push. And it hurt. And they wouldn't let me sit up. And there was an oxygen mask on my face, oh and I was hungry, suddenly really hungry and I realised I hadn't eaten or slept since Sunday - it was Tuesday, night.

The baby's heart rate was dropping dangerously low. The doctor looked me directly in the eye, "Lauren, baby's heart rate has been below 60 for over two minutes, it is not recovering from the contractions. Two more contractions and we are going to do a C-Section". Panic. He told me to rest the next contraction, but it was actually the first one that I had really wanted to push. So I pushed and then I could see a little head! Then the doctor was holding the rest of him!!! I cried as they placed him on my belly! He cried and cried! Such a wonderful sound after so long! Danny held him after they had cleaned my little Henry, it was a beautiful sight! Breast feeding went well straight off the bat, such a wonderful feeling! The second time we went to the hospital we were there 3 hours before we had a baby. We didn't have any of our stuff; no camera, no music, no birthing ball, I even forgot my wallet and my glasses. It seems impromptu may have worked better for us!

There was no recovery, since I didn't have the drugs - I felt great straight away. One small tear, but no stitches.

The shower I took the next morning was the loveliest shower of my life!

He is asleep on my chest in his little froggy pose, in his little froggy outfit, as I type one handed, my beautiful Henry. Such a good young fellow. I cherish his naps on my chest in his post-feeding mini-coma, partly because I know it wont last for long and because I know he is going to grow up quickly and be getting married before I know it.

I found a bad thing about being pregnant

Ive been wandering around my garden, surveying my land as it were, and everything looks like crap. Crap I tell you. There are weeds everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There is grass growing in flower beds, flowers dying, things that need dead heading, things that have obviously needed watering for some time. Crap. This is the only thing I can think of that is truly awful about being pregnant, the inability to work hard in ones garden, and I only recently quit working out there, so it could be much worse.

Mixed feelings about the doc visit tomorrow morning. He is obviously going to tell me off because he was adamant that I needed to see a stand-in doc Friday, which I had an appointment for, but then they cancelled as she was sick, so its not really my fault. Also anxious because Im sure he is going to say nothing is happening, still, and we move that little bit closer to getting induced. Though I have been having contractions on and off (we think) all day, so fingers crossed something is going on, though it really is hard to know what something is, when you have never felt it before.

Things I am grateful for...

Well, blogging will probably be few and far between here shortly... my mum gets here tomorrow (so excited!) and then there is of course the imminent arrival of the noise-maker/sleep-depriver. So even though I am not at the end, I sure am close. So Im going to share all of the ways that I have had a fantastic pregnancy and all of the things I have been grateful for... be ware, there is probably too much information below for most!

I did not vomit. Not once. Yes, the first trimester was tiring and I felt nauseous from about 3pm until 6am, and I took afternoon naps and still went to be around 730pm, but I did not vomit!

For the most part, I have slept through the night well. There were a few weeks there when I didnt sleep half the week, but they were definitely the exception rather than the rule.

I did not get constipation. Unfortunately I did have the opposite problem, but that somehow doesnt seem as bad!

I have not once accidentally peed myself! And yes, this seems to be a common problem during pregnancy for the majority of women, so I count myself very lucky!

I didnt crave any weird and wonderful food combinations or go psycho because I couldnt eat the exact thing I wanted. I did want fast food a couple of times a month during the first trimester, but I think that was a salt issue because I also went through a jar of pickles and olives a week. I know, super unusual for me to eat food like this, but thankfully that ended with the first trimester and I went back to my usual healthy self.

I have not (yet) got stretch marks and the brown line that extends below my belly button is very very faint.

I have gained just 35 lbs and I wasnt even watching what I ate. Yes, it was in a strange order with 15 lbs going on my hips within the first three months, but I still feel like myself rather than a huge blob.

I only had very few and mild nose bleeds and bleeding sore gums the first trimester.

I have been fit and healthy and full of energy and have pretty much been ordered to sit down in this last week or two by my very concerned husband. I have been able to keep up with lots of exercise and still at 40 weeks walk my dogs each morning and only just this week quit swimming 60 lengths a day. I have been able to garden, though at a reduced capacity and have the best tomato crop I have ever had.

I havent had to buy clothes since early Spring. Things are almost desperate, but thanks to the generosity of my friends I have a couple of dresses that I simply rotate at this late stage. I really didnt buy that much for myself and love everything I did buy.

Contrary to what everyone else says, I have really enjoyed being pregnant in the summer. As high as my overall body temperature and nausea was in the first trimester, I was really grateful to be going through that in the middle of winter so that I could have my office window open and get my office down to about 60-65F so that I didnt feel the overwhelming need to vomit. And now that Im huge and should be uncomfortable, instead I get to eat fantastic fresh summer fare and float around in a pool in the sun. Best of both worlds!

My mood and spirits have been high the whole time! I cried at a few commercials in the beginning, probably even snapped at Danny a few times, but overall Ive managed not to be too hormonal (and I confirmed this with him before writing this!).

Very few people have touched my stomach and certainly no strangers!

My feet and ankles do not swell. Ive noticed a little swelling on about two occasions, but that's about it.

Im grateful for the best advice given to me: Everyone is going to give you advice, smile nicely and listen, then process in your own time. Thanks Megan and random Life Insurance lady who was probably the third person to know that we were pregnant!

Im grateful for our 'babymoon' to the Florida Keys. It really was so nice to get away on holiday together for the last time in twenty years.

Im especially grateful for my wonderful husband who has rubbed my feet and back whenever I asked, carried out all of the chores without even having to be asked, getting the house ready without too much fuss and basically just doted on me as I got big and supported me in any way that he can.



Illogical things I am still concerned about:
C-Sections
That the baby isnt big enough
The fact that I still cannot visualise us having a baby


No horn worms killed again today. Is this a good sign? Could they really all be gone so easily??

Aren't there enough Crittiers?

Seriously! Do I not have enough troubles protecting my tomatoes and other vegetables from deer, rabbits, caterpillars and hornworms? I guess not. Now it seems that the squirrels are stealing the tomatoes, both red and green, going up into a particular tree, eating half of it and dropping the rest on the floor to taunt me.

Its a wonder I can successfully grow and actually eat myself, anything in this place. That being said, I currently have 10 lbs of tomatoes sitting on my counter top waiting to be eaten! 10 lbs! Danny keeps asking me what Im going to do with them all, and I have no idea! I have honestly never had such a bountiful crop of tomatoes! Yeay for composting and leaf mulching! The extra work is worth it I guess! I know for sure I want to show my mum and Dave next week so that they can be impressed with my gardening skills. Ill probably oven dry some as Danny keeps asking for those. Other than that, I continue to have either tomato and cheese sandwiches for lunch or scrambled eggs and fried tomatoes for a late breakfast. I even supplemented my piece of pizza dinner last night with sliced sauted zucchini and squash and a tomato, far far better than the piece of pizza, for which the crust didnt seem to rise like normal for some strange reason. Please don't tell me Im losing my cooking skills too, that would just be too much for me to cope with.

No hornworm deaths this morning, which could either be good that I got so many yesterday, or more likely, bad that I didn't look hard enough and they are out there feasting on my tender new tomato shoots now.

40 weeks 1 day. No baby on the outside. Did a little weeding and trimming of bushes out back. Actually took a shower today as Im leaving the house! Celebrations! Think I might go to the grocery store now and then to the pool, then for Ice Cream on the square with the girlies! What a little socialite I am! So exciting!

40 Weeks today!

40 weeks today and baby is still on the inside and showing no evidence of wanting to come out!

As I await the delivery of my Jelly (Jello) and Ice Cream over which my dutiful husband is slaving right now in the kitchen, I will share what is probably our last belly shoot! The next pics may very well be of the little one! Beware, they all show skin!






OH! and he topped it with Cool Whip; the Jelly and Ice cream that is! Man he knows how to make a girl happy!

With one victory, comes a loss...

I know, bad form to post twice in one day, but there was a loss today far far greater than the PetSmart victory. The battle of Lauren Vs the Hornworm has begun for 2010. Current death toll, 17. I am so distraught right now, as I just know that the carnage out there cannot have been created by a mere 17 hornworms, but my eyes hurt so much from staring, I had to give up.

Then there is the problem of going into the hospital for a couple of days.

Therefore I have a very serious and time consuming favour to ask. This favour is very very important to me. Very important. So please consider whether you are willing to take up the responsibility, because I really do need commitment.

My vegetables will not need watering after just two days, but I will need someone to come over each evening to cut up unsuspecting hornworms. An evening death toll really will improve my mood of being stuck in the hospital. This seemingly short time period is long enough for an army of hornworms to totally decimate a tomato patch as beautiful as mine. The biggest problem is the sheer number and density of my tomato plants. You almost have to pick up each branch, or even each leaf, to study its underside closely. This is not an easy task, so really, think very hard before agreeing to it. If you feel that you can commit about 30 minutes each evening to this very worthy task, or if you could just take one evening, that would be great since any defense is better than none. If you are up to the challenge, please come over Thursday or Friday evening to learn how to spot the crafty buggers. It is really hard to spot them as they are the exact same colour as the plant, but there are tell-tale signs to learn.

I dont ask this lightly, as I know how busy everyone is with their own lives, but this is really really important to me. If I dont go into labour until after Sunday, its not a big deal as my parents will be here and Im sure my mother will happily chop the horrid creatures in half for me. I do not anticipate going into labour before then, but you really have no clue what's going on in there and I have to take every precaution to protect my beauties that I have put so much effort into already.

I can pay you in tomatoes or with dinner, and you know I am good to my word.

Please, please help me.

In your debt

Lauren

PS just went back out there and killed 5 more, so feeling a little more positive about it all...

Victory!

Let's hold our breaths until we actually see some form of outcome... but I got an email from PetSmart today! I might be getting reimbursed, just got to pop to the store and find out how much all the stuff is that I threw away!

Awesome...

Dear Lauren,

Thank you for contacting PetSmart regarding an infested purchase of Milk Bone product. We are very sorry for the inconvenience you have experienced.

Occasionally pet food, because it is grain based can become contaminated by insects in the product shipping and handling process, especially if the product packaging is not robust. We are restricted as to the use of chemicals in our store, because we operate in a sensitive environment with the foods we sell and the animals that are in our care. We do have pest control measures in place to guard against this, but occasionally a problem will occur.

I researched this incident with our store and our management team advised that they offered you a 36 lb bag of food at a discounted price of 50%, as well as the offer to bring your pets in for an exam at the Banfield Clinic if your dogs became ill. How are your pets doing? Did you need us to arrange a home visit by Orkin for pest control?

Can you provide me a list of the items you threw away in the cleaning process - tin foil, cling film and Ziploc bags - and their approximate cost?

Upon receiving this information, I would be glad to continue my research. Again we do apologize for your unsatisfactory experience. I'd also like to extend best wishes on the new addition to your family.

Tuesday July 5th

No baby.

First day at home when I would usually be at work, and what have I done today!? I walked my dogs at 645am, started some bread and climbed back into bed with my husband for a cuddle! I have to confess, this is the life, though I realise its very temporary! I made the bread and started to tidy the kitchen (how does our kitchen always become such a tip, so quickly?), talked to my mum sitting outside watching the hummingbird flit around, until the sun came over the trees. Then I talked to my mum eating a delicious blackberry muffin I made yesterday with the blackberries I picked friday, sitting at the kitchen table. Finished cleaning the kitchen and am now waiting on the bread to bake. Following that I may go for a swim, then probably a nap! Then it is Bruce Butler's 40th birthday party tonight and its at a very reasonable 7pm, unlike most gatherings in Oxford, so I actually get to go!

This is the life!

I leave you this to ponder...

Mondays child is fair of face,

Tuesdays child is full of grace,

Wednesdays child is full of woe,

Thursdays child has far to go,

Fridays child is loving and giving,

Saturdays child works hard for his living,

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day

Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

I was born on a Tuesday, my sister and Dave on a Sunday, my husband and father on a Saturday and my mum on a Wednesday, and she was very amused by the dictionary definitions of woe! So she has put in a request that we have a baby on any day but a Wednesday! Mind you, since my doctor informed me Friday that he is now away until Saturday, Im going to vote for no baby before Monday please!

39 Weeks

39 Weeks today and I still feel great! I really am so grateful for such a wonderfully happy, healthy pregnancy.

The clothes situation is almost desperate, but Im not buying new clothes for just a few weeks.

Ate 7 more blueberries from my blueberry bushes and they were the most delicious, succulent, tasty blueberries I have ever had! I hope they are still producing when my parents get here next weekend...

And if my parents get here next weekend, then Im going to be having a baby very soon! duh duh duuuuuh!

Started sleeping with the bassinet next to the bed last night to get the dogs ready. Small changes are better for them than shocking them into major new realities. Really its just Tux who I think will be bothered at night, because he sleeps on Danny's side of the bed and then gets up during the night and wants to switch to my side of the bed. Sometimes this is possible as Mojo occassionally sleeps under the bed, leaving the other dog bed free. But more often than not lately, probably old age, he is sleeping on his dog bed. So when Tux comes round to try and sleep next to my side, there is no where for him to sleep and he whines until I bring the other dog bed round to my side of the bed. Well if there is a baby sleeping right there, I cant be bringing the other bed round for him, so I want him to start dealing with that now rather than when I am sleep deprived and he is upset with night time baby crying, as is inevitably going to happen.