Baby Makes FOUR!
We are so pleased to welcome our delicious Miss Margot
Born at 38 weeks - 7lb, 51 cm
June 1, 2010
September 20, 2008
Almost One
One year minus two hours and nine minutes ago, I went into labour! My goodness, my little boy is already one. What a wonderful year it's been - not always the easiest, but definitely the most fulfilling. He was thoroughly spoiled rotten today and the celebrations shall continue tomorrow.
Here's Peter, eyeing his first birthday cake critically.
September 11, 2008
Big Changes
What is up in the life of the littlest boy? Well, he is almost one! I can't quite believe it - my baby is almost-not-quite-a-baby. He is a very happy and easy-going child, which is such a change from how he used to be. He was always happy, but not always easy-going. I'd like to think he has finally reached that pinnacle of attachment parenting - security in us and his life, and the confidence of knowing he'll always be taken care of.
He regularly sleeps through the night - sometimes he doesn't, but mostly he does. He is up very early though... we are still working on the early morning wake-ups. This morning it was because he was soaked through - pour soul. He was half-heartedly wailing at 5:15 so we looked in and we found him curled up in a ball trying to stay warm - we changed him and he went right back to sleep.
He also gets up to all kinds of mischief. We haven't bothered with kitchen-proofing. We just put all the really dangerous stuff up high, and although he's jammed his finger in the drawers once or twice, he learns pretty quickly. Plus it entertains him to take out the pots and pans and tupperware, and it's much easier to make meals when is entertained. We did forget to move the flour though - that has since been done.
The biggest change has been that he has started daycare! Here he is on his first day, with both of us getting ready. He has fared very well with that change. He doesn't cry when we leave him, and he seems to enjoy the other children. It hasn't been as hard as I thought - I find I still have lots of quality time with him when I get home - 3 or 4 hours. There have been some exhausting nights when I've had to work several hours after he goes to sleep, but that will become more manageable once it's part of our routine.
However I do find that by the end of the day he really needs me. I leave at 4:30 or 5 and then I really focus on him after work. He comes home pretty tired out. He nurses and we cuddle and he often dozes off for a moment in my arms.
I love this little boy SO much.
August 27, 2008
HE DID IT!
He slept through the night! 10 hours straight - from 8 to 6. I must admit I did not even wake up once. The night before he did a six hour stretch and after five hours Julian had to go check on him. Not me - I was catching up on a year and I was out cold! So when I heard that cry and saw the clock, I just about fainted! We are beyond thrilled - fingers crossed he can do it again!
August 24, 2008
Some Updates at 11 Months
I feel sort of negligent that I haven't been tracking the ages when Peter hit all his milestones. I know that I will forget these things and then kick myself for not remembering. So here are a few that spring to mind:
- first tooth: 8 months
- second tooth: 8.5 months
- pulling up to standing: before 9 months, maybe 8.5?
- consistently looking/moving towards the appropriate person when we ask "Where's Daddy, Grandma, Georgie?": 9 months
- putting items into slots (e.g. putting ball through hole etc.): 10 months
- clapping enthusiastically for himself: 10 months
- identifying pictures in book: 10.5 months (e.g. where's X? and turning to the page)
- real crawling: 9.5 months
- standing in crib: 9.5-10 months
- third tooth: 10 months
- fourth tooth: 10.5 months
- giving us things: 11 months
- feeding us with spoon: 11 months
- sleeping through the night: ????
Anyway now my guilt is somewhat alleviated.
Peter is becoming more and more of a person and less of a baby, but he's still my little baby boy. He is very funny and loves to clap for himself and to give you things. He is also clearly struggling with his inability to communicate. When he wants something and I either can't figure it out, or have to refuse it, he screams and cries. Previously he could be easily distracted with another object of affection, but he is growing more and more determined. I am generally a pretty easy-going mother, which is why Peter is often seen eating Cheerios he found under the sofa, sucking on keys or crank-calling people on my cellphone. But I can't let him eat crayons, or play with forks or hold mugs of hot coffee. Even I have some boundaries. I have been signing with him for quite a while, but he has not really taken to it yet; still I am hoping that teaching him the sign/word "help" might assist in reducing the yelling so I am working on that.
This past month has also been my last month of maternity leave, and we enjoyed it by taking two trips: one to Toronto, where he was left with a nanny - he did very well! I was okay too, although by day three I was missing him terribly. Still, it was a nice transition for us as we both adjust to me going back to work full-time. We also saw all his cousins, although trying to get a picture of them together in which no one was crying proved extremely difficult! There are even more hilarious photos than this one, but I am saving them for blackmail purposes when the kids are older.
We also spent a week on Galiano, resting and relaxing. Peter slept very well, which meant he napped for more than 40 minutes at a time and had some four hour stretches in his Pack-and-Play. It was very relaxing and heavenly (although maybe not for Grandma - she traded in her nosy condo neighbours who are up at all hours for a noisy baby who is up at all hours.)
Unfortunately, one area where we still struggle is sleep. On a given night, Peter can be up seven or eight times. Because of his frequent wakings, we have had him in our bed for much of the night now as it is much easier for me to function if I don't have to physically get up each time he wakes. I also really enjoy having him there with me. However at my job I need to be able to concentrate and think clearly and I need a lot more sleep than I am getting.
I don't have a problem with him not sleeping through the night - if he just woke up once at 2 a.m. and came to bed and slept through that would be perfect. But as it is every evening is unpredictable because he is up multiple times and we are afraid to leave him with anyone because he can wake up and be inconsolable. So we have decided to get some outside help. We are slowly weaning him off his night feeds and getting him used to remaining in his crib consistently. We still comfort him touch him and do what we can to stop him crying. Unfortunately the program is not compatible with him sleeping in our bed, but after 11 months of bed-sharing, I think I am ready to let go of that aspect if it means I might get a bit more sleep. Eleven months of fractured sleep is beginning to age me.
The goal is to get him to sleep from 7:30 to 6:30 or thereabouts without waking. We are on Night Four tonight and wakings so far have been:
Night 1: 7 times
Night 2: 4 times
Night 3: 3 times (but very hard to console, so in some ways worse than the other two nights where he fell asleep quite quickly.)
Tonight will be his first night without eating, and we are also decreasing our involvement in helping him fall asleep - we cannot rock him down although we can still comfort and touch him (increasingly, that's all he needs.) Who knows what Night 4 will bring but hopefully things will gradually improve and we'll all be happier and better-rested as a result. (Okay, just better-rested since as you can see below we are actually already very happy.)
August 10, 2008
Peter Channels Alfred J. Prufrock
August 3, 2008
Swimming at Killarney
Now that we are East-siders, Julian, Peter and I are trying to check out some of the facilities in our new neighbourhood; we're getting to know the shops, the cool places to eat and the funky neighbourhoods. This weekend we decided to check out a community centre that has a large and newly renovated pool.
It is amazing. The place is like a waterpark, but the cost of entry for our whole family was just over $5! There's an enormous slide, a "lazy river", tonnes of little spraying gadgets and falling waters, a hose that small children can spray at unsuspecting swimmers (got hit a few times), a baby slide, and various depths from a few inches to several feet. You can do laps there too, but we didn't venture into the grown-up pool.
You also get an amazing view: one wall of the pool area is entirely glass overlooking a large grassy area and the mountains; the picture I took doesn't quite do it justice, and I wasn't able to reshoot since the lifeguard was a little skittish about us pointing our lens at anything other than Peter - privacy concerns. I guess some people don't want photos of them in their swimsuits on the Internet. Weird!
And one of the best features is the universal change room! Yes there are separate men's and women's for those who want to bare all, but there's also a place for families (it has small changing booths when you need to get nakkers) so Julian and I could deal with Peter together and share a locker.
Peter was a little overwhelmed when we first entered the pool; he had just woken from his nap and was a little upset when we tried to put him into the spray. But he soon got into the spirit of things and got quite excited as we took him on the slide, played "London Bridge" under falling water, got him to crawl to us across rubber floating mats, and generally had loads of fun.
July 24, 2008
Day at the Park
Since I last wrote here, Peter has become officially mobile. He finally has the strength/will/ambition to crawl all around, exploring each nook and cranny of the room. He likes to do all sorts of things like fireplace inspections and investigating the heating and ventilation system of our home. While I was quite anxious for Peter to crawl, and am very glad he has finally decided to do it, I must admit that I am quite thankful he waited until now. Still, it is very cute. Yesterday he crawled over to the coffee table, pulled himself up, and happily helped himself to a plate of fruit on top of it.
Today he chased after a dog - unfortunately the dog was not so excited about him and snapped at him - so that is something I will have to be careful about. Peter has a great love of animals and we'd like to preserve that love. He also made another friend at the park - luckily this one was more enthusiastic. Seeing the two of them race towards each other with gleeful expressions on their face was one of the highlights of the day.
The next stage will likely be walking, though I expect it's quite a few months off still. In preparation for that, Peter took some lessons in cruising from his friend Aurora as she stood and walked around her stroller. He first did the same with his own stroller (well, he didn't walk around it - he doesn't really 'cruise' yet; but he stood by it). Eventually he joined Aurora at her stroller and observed. Another lovely thing about this age is that he is starting to really interact with other kids his age, smiling and talking to them (and occasionally attempting to gouge their eyes out). Here are Peter and Aurora enjoying a laugh over some secret joke! Aurora's also the only other baby he knows with her own blog. Likely they were discussing their next postings.
July 17, 2008
Man's Best Friend?
Man's best friend...
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Or just another fickle feline?
July 3, 2008
Summer Photos
I got a new camera for my birthday; I have a lot of reading and research to do in order to really do justice to it, but in the meantime, I have certainly found my muse!
June 21, 2008
Nine Months: Out As Long As He Was In
My little man has now been out in the world for as long as he was in my belly - longer in fact! It's his nine-month birthday, and in honour of that I thought we'd do a little photo retrospective.
One Year Ago
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
June 14, 2008
Peter's Swimming Lesson
June 13, 2008
Peter Does Some Downloading
Peter must have heard about the upcoming changes to the Copyright Act - he decided to do some downloading before it comes into force.
But Peter - don't you know the new act means that even owning pirated media will be prohibited.
Oh - that's why you're using Daddy's computer!
June 6, 2008
Peter Loves the Phone
Peter absolutely loves the phone. I can't remember exactly when it started but I found this photo of him clutching it when he was not even four months old, so it's been a love affair for over half his lifetime.
At not even four months
In those early days it was just a general fascination, but now he will actually hold it and babble away as if he is talking to someone. It entertains him for a good 15 minutes. He also lights up when he hears the dial tone. There are no substitutions. He has a toy phone that we borrowed with bright buttons that cheerily yelps out "it's A-B-C time!" and other such gems, but it holds his interest for only a fraction of the time. But another person's real phone will do. When we were out with him and he was six months old, he spotted portable phones immediately.
I must admit to letting him play with it every now and then as a distraction. So far he has only accidentally called someone once. But still, it is a little insulting when you're singing "Patty-Cake" to your baby and he's distractedly looking behind you because, "oh my god, the phone is there, and it's been at least four minutes since Mummy let me touch it!"
At eight and a half months
May 24, 2008
Eight Months
This month has been full of milestones!
First of all, we did of Peter's first plane travel. On his first ride, he had two 20-minute long screaming episodes and lots of pitying glances. By the last ride, he was smiling and entertaining himself the whole way - people commented on what a happy baby he was, and people even thanked me afterwards. I consider those trips emblematic of how much he has mellowed and chilled out in the past few weeks.
Visiting his Uncle Tony and Auntie Shae
Aside from travel, lots of other things have happened, even in just the past few days. First of all, we tried finger foods on Peter's eight-month birthday. I was very nervous about this, and with good reason. Peter has inherited his mother's easy gag reflex and at first he threw up after almost everything he ate. But now he is getting used to things, and enjoys cereal puffs, grapes (quartered), and banana pieces. He can really gum them down.
Playing with cousin Taylor!
Second of all, Peter got his first tooth - more or less. I say more or less because it's not even totally in yet, it's more of a process. First there was the bump, which appeared to cause great discomfort. Then the bump went away, and he recovered. Then his tooth broke the skin, but was still just a jagged ridge. It has slowly moved upwards, but I think today is the first day I can officially say it's a tooth - I can see it when his mouth is open and I'd say it's about 50% in. Either that, or he has very short teeth.
Playing with his cousins
Another exciting thing to happen in the last week was that Peter figured out how to crawl backwards. As you can see this led to him getting caught under various pieces of furniture.
For those eager for a longer viewing of how frustrating it can be when you're trying to move in one direction, and you inadvertently go the opposite way, check out this video:
After that, he figured out how to move from sitting to lying down - he did that about two days ago. And then tonight - eek, he army crawled forwards! I have a feeling it'll only be a few more days before he is motoring around, and to be honest, it frightens me a little bit! He is fascinated by everything - especially the cat dishes, the plants, and the light sockets. I think it will get way more exhausting in the next few days.
And then of course there is standing. In the past month he learned that he could stand, and would often hold himself completely rigid when we tried to seat him somewhere. He also started flinging himself backwards (occasionally knocking his head) in what I assume was an attempt to go from sitting to standing by straightening himself. Luckily he figured out that wasn't a good idea, but most recently he has clued into pulling himself up. He hasn't yet mastered that, but he's trying and he pulls on things that are highly unstable and or dirty - cat dishes, planters, the toilet - you name it.
Anyway, it's all a lot of fun to watch and experience... and I'm only covering his physical milestones here! He's becoming such a personality as well; he still loves animals and gets excited by them. He loves to watch me brush my teeth. He smiles when we're smiling and mimics our serious face when we stop. And a few times I think he has tried to sign - the most cool time was when I was signing "Daddy" and he seemed to be mimicking me and looking back and forth from me to Julian.
All in all, this gig just keeps getting better and better. Coming soon: Peter moves forward and Mum has a heart attack!
May 1, 2008
Pre-Crawling?
I think Peter may be crawling within a few weeks... then again, I thought he was teething at three months and four months later we still have nothing! Let's hope he can hold off until we move in June, as it would be a pain to have to babyproof a month before we leave!
April 13, 2008
Way Past Six Months
I can't believe Peter is almost seven months old, and my maternity leave is more than half over!
The last few weeks have been a lot of fun - so many new experiences. One of them is solid foods. So far he likes things that can be pureed very smooth - apples, pears, sweet potatoes and so on. He's got a sweet tooth like his mummy! He does not like squash, carrots or yams. I think he has something against orange.
Peter went to the beach this weekend for the first time, at least the first time that he could really take it in - that was a lot of fun. He was quite befuddled by the sand, picking it up and dropping it. Silly me let him lie on his back though and soon he had dumped a handful right into his mouth and eyes. Woops! It was a little chilly for an ocean dip, so we will postpone that experience.
He is sitting up quite solidly now. He does wobble a bit, so I try not to go too far from him, but at other times he can sit for a good five or six minutes straight. He is also starting, just in the past couple of days, to mobilize a little bit. He does this two ways - on his tummy, he is starting to do a little bit of an army crawl. Now Peter is an easily frustrated guy so he does start to cry a bit when he does this, particularly as he often manages to maneuver himself backwards rather than forwards. The other thing he has started doing is scooting a tiny bit on his hands. He can push himself a little bit while sitting and he moves a centimetre or too. He is experimenting a lot with balancing himself in a tripod position and wiggling around from there - leaning over to get things and so on.
He has some new mannerisms as well - he has discovered his ear, and he tends to tug on it when he's tired. He is also looking at his hands more these days - I am hoping that he may clap soon, or make some other sort of sign. That would be a lot of fun. I am still doing some sign language with him, and he does seem to understand some. When I sign "Up" or "All done" he will often lift his arms in preparation for being picked up.
Now this may be too much information for some, but there are some disadvantages to a baby who eats solids. As a result, I have been occasionally putting him on the potty when I notice he is pooping. I'd say he manages to go in the toilet about 50% of the time - and that's a win/win for everyone! I haven't tried with pees yet - I'm not quite that ambitious.
March 8, 2008
Fun
I'm telling you, this baby thing just keeps getting more and more fun! Five and a half months is very exciting. Peter is starting to recognise what's important in our world - for example, he loves to "talk" on the phone. He can be sitting in his exersaucer surrounded by brightly-coloured toys, but they are no comparison to a big black plastic phone. His face will light up if he sees it. If he hears Julian's voice on the speaker he smiles and reaches for it. Of course he also smiles when he hears the dial tone... but don't tell Daddy.
He definitely recognises voices now; the other day I was watching a short video I took the night before when Julian came home. Julian was saying "Hi Peter!" and Peter smiled and looked around expectantly. As well, I find that I can now calm him down a bit by saying "Peter, I'm right here!" Or "I'll be back in a moment" when he starts to fuss because I'm out of sight.
We have been taking Baby Sign for a while now and he is definitely starting to recognise some signs. For example, if I do the "up" sign he'll wiggle or even reach out if he wants up. And when I do the "breastfeeding" sign he gets quite excited if he is hungry, although that one's a bit more hit and miss, probably because I've been less consistent with it. I also use some signs and words to tell him what we are doing next, i.e. "diaper change" or "bath" and it seems to register. When I give him warning he doesn't seem as peeved when he is stripped from the waist down.
He continues to like animals. The other day we spent several hours in a house with a golden lab. That night he spent quite a while looking looking at a picture of an identical lab on his exersaucer and smiled when he first noticed it.
Another big development has been that he has taken milk from a sippy cup - that's exciting as it means I don't have to worry so much if I leave him for a couple of hours. He still needs help holding the cup up though he'd prefer to do it himself. At this rate he'll be feeding himself before long! What's next - making bacon and eggs for Mum and Dad?
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February 28, 2008
Five Months
February has been a big month for us. Peter has developed so much personality and more sophisticated wants and desires. He will fuss when a toy is taken away now, whereas before it was very much out of sight, out of mind. He is fascinated by the "things" that we use in our lives. Few things bring him greater joy than chewing on the portable phone, or on a set of keys. (Mmmm...)
He absolutely loves his Dad and Grandma and gets very excited he sees them, giving them lots of smiles. If he is feeding, he will keep looking up to make sure they are still nearby. It makes for a rather prolonged feeding session! He reaches out to people and tries to touch them and grab their face or hair. He even reaches out to his own reflection. "Hmmm..." he must be thinking, "why is that baby so cold and hard?" When he wakes up from a nap fussy and at odds with the world, he will pause when he catches a glimpse of himself and he'll smile at his friend in the mirror. He also reaches out for the cat. Unfortunately "gentle" is not a concept he has mastered yet, so he likes to grab her fur and bring it towards his mouth.
He keeps me in view at all times - if I go out of sight for too long, he kicks up quite a fuss unless there is someone else around to entertain him. He is not one to play contentedly on his mat for very long. But part of that (I think) is because he is still not very good at being able to get what he wants on his own. He has been rolling for two months now, but he is still not a roll-y baby. He will go a week or more without rolling before he does it again. He does not really move around very much on his own and hasn't quite figured out that he could actually get closer to a toy if he just rolled a bit.
It's funny because he will roll on his change mat, reaching for the spray bottle or other items nearby. I have to strap him in now. Ah yes - roll when you're four feet off the floor, but not when lying on a padded surface designed for that very purpose. Who knows - maybe that big heavy diaper weighs him down.
Another big milestone is that he has started to sit unsupported. He has done it before for a second here or there, but today he did it for a prolonged time. He is certainly still at high risk for toppling, but I think that in another week or two he will be able to sit up nicely. I am hoping that once he gets the hang of sitting he will be more content as he will be able to reach for things that are nearby. I live in hope!
One of the best things that he does is laugh when you're laughing. He is not fooled by fake laughter either - I know, I've tried. But if someone is laughing, he will laugh as well - even looking at the same thing. He totally pretends that he gets the joke! It's so cute.
One area where we are still struggling is sleep. Peter naps quite well now, but he just cannot seem to stay down for a good stretch at night. All I can say is that I am thankful that I live in a country where I have time off - I can nap during the day. I cannot imagine trying to function in a full-time job given my current sleep schedule, which rarely involves more than a two or three hour stretch. Ouch. But I guess a little sleep deprivation is a small price to pay.
February 26, 2008
Peter Laughs
This was shot a week or so ago... he doesn't laugh very often yet, but I can't wait until he does.
February 8, 2008
Hilarity
It's official: dogs are the most hilarious thing on the planet. Peter has a sort of hoarse little "haw-haw" that he's been whipping out lately - mostly when being tossed in their air or kissed on his tummy. But today I was at someone's house and Peter saw a dog; the dog was 'talking', asking for food. Peter took one look at it and burst out in a full-on throaty chuckle!
Another thing he does lately is try to make people laugh. When Grandma started laughing at him as he did his funny little wiggle (he arches his back ramrod straight and tucks his chin down into his neck), he smiled, paused, then repeated it. The more she laughed, the more he did it, over and over.
January 31, 2008
Cat
So in the past few days Peter has discovered the cat! He seems to recognise that she is a real live creature and he smiles at her and reaches out to touch her fur. He even laughs a little. She is still giving him the death glare and muttering "usurper" under her breath. But today she actually came and sat next to him, so despite her sour look she may come around to his charms.
January 22, 2008
Four Months!
Another month... little boy's getting so big!
Just hanging:
"Hmm... how can I get these in my mouth?"
"Hey Mum? Dad says it's okay if I go out tonight..."
"Obama won Iowa? Cool!"
As for the rest, here's a summary of Peter's fourth month of life on video...
December 9, 2007
Because the Children Are Our Future...
so their opinions matter!
December 2, 2007
Time to Stop Swaddling
Like a lot of women, I got a touch of baby blues after Peter was born. Mine manifested itself as extreme anxiety about him - everything in the house seemed like a potential hazard. Anything on a ledge might fall, every piece of furniture seemed unstable. One of my big fears was suffocation, maybe because it's drilled into you in so many baby books and websites. I even got freaked out about a t-shirt he had with a hood on it in case he choked on it. I never let a blanket near him. But after a little while the anxiety eased and we started swaddling him in a receiving blanket since it seemed to help him sleep. Lately he has gotten to be a bit of a Houdini in wriggling out of them but I've still been doing it. Needless to say, I am very relieved that the emotional person I was eight weeks ago never saw this:
November 19, 2007
Smiling...
In attending events where there are infants of a similar age, I've noticed that Peter is somewhat more vocal in expressing his discontent than some other babies. He is definitely not a colicky baby, but he is a rather opinionated guy and if something is bothering him at all, he will definitely let me know! However, to balance all that out, we've started to see lots of smiles! for Mum, Dad, Grandma and lately even the wooden caterpillar that hangs from the bouncy chair. Here's the story of how it all happened...
November 6, 2007
How Lame Am I?
Wow - I finally get the baby napping in a place other than my lap, and what do I do? I log onto Facebook and watch a video I just recorded of him. Man, I am too lame. :-)
November 4, 2007
Six Weeks
So my challenge this week is to try and write an entry that doesn't start with "Wow, I can't believe it's been _________."
Peter is now officially no longer a newborn - six weeks old and life is good. Here he is crashed out in his chair after coming home from a walk outside.
In the past couple of weeks he had the chance to meet his paternal grandmother and grandfather, and even graced the former with a smile! He also met his uncle Tony, who he was quite charmed with.
Other than that, life is pretty simple - Peter and I went to Movies for Mommies for the second time, where he was quite well-behaved, or maybe it's just that you don't notice when you're in a theatre full of crying babies. He still sleeps for the lion's share of the day and becomes quite cranky if he doesn't, but he fights sleep! As I speak, I have a very loud little boy being bounced on a ball by his Dad. He does occasionally fall asleep on his own, but he then wakes up as soon as he senses that we have strayed out of a six-foot radius. But night time is better; he is getting to bed a bit earlier at night and doesn't stay awake for very long when he feeds, so that's been a good development. At night he often sleeps four-hour stretches, which has meant a world of difference for me, because for a while he was up every two hours and neither of us back to sleep again right away. His weight gain continues apace and I weighed him on Thursday at a mum's group - he was 12 lb 3 oz.
Yesterday he smiled at both Julian and me; not just the sort of random smiles that babies get, but a genuine "Hey! How's it going?" smile. He has also started to coo a little bit. He is definitely very responsive to people. Today we had some photographers over to get some nice photos of him. Three women shook toys in his direction and smiled and clicked their cameras at him. He was soaking up the attention and remained wide-eyed and happy for almost two hours - an eternity in newborn time! He even showed off by holding his head up for a really long time, which is kind of funny since tummy time hasn't been too successful around here. Anyway, I will post some photos of him when we get them.
He is also starting to be able to entertain himself a little bit more as the video below demonstrates.
This entry took me about two hours to write because Peter woke up several times throughout (no, that's not hyperbole), so I'm off now to try and settle him for a good long stretch.
October 20, 2007
A Month of Firsts!
I can't believe that Peter will be one whole month old tomorrow. The time has flown by. I will say that I underestimated how involved it is taking care of a little one. I pictured myself lazing around, watching daytime television and occasionally rocking his bassinette. However, most of my morning is spent waiting for him to nod off long enough for me to dash into the shower, and cook some breakfast. He might have a bath, or maybe some tummy time, and before you know it, it's noon. Then we try and get out for a walk or to the store. I did manage to get somewhere by 10 one day, however I forewent my breakfast that day. He really prefers to be on me, which makes it kind of difficult to get much done.
He is thriving is already up to 10 lb 9 oz, which is weight gain of 1 lb a week in the past three weeks. It doesn't sound like that much, but when you consider that's around a 40% weight gain, well, I'd say that's pretty good! I think most of it has gone to his cheeks. He is definitely filling out and looking more baby-like.
He can be a bit of high-maintenance guy, but he is quite portable. He screams bloody murder as we exit the building, but once I get the car moving he nods off and we are able to get a few things done. He also does pretty well being wrapped up and carried in a sling or wrap, which means that I can go for walks.
He's pretty good at letting us know what he doesn't like. For example, here is he is telling Julian that water in the face = bad.
He's sure to turn on the charm for his visitors though. Here he is with his uncle Tony. His Nana and Grand-Dad are arriving in town tomorrow and I'm sure they'll be charmed by him.
September 27, 2007
Almost One Week
I can't believe that it has been almost one week since Peter was born! Lots has happened so far. I had a lot of energy for the first two or three days, but after that the dropping hormone levels have meant I am a bit more tired.
Feeding is going very well. He is a hearty eater and is already just 3 ounces away from his birth weight (Babies lose weight after birth and are expected to regain it by 2 weeks of age.) His cord fell off today, which was rather momentous.
In his first week he also developed a bit of jaundice and a blocked tear duct, both rather worrisome to new parents, but the midwives were able to give us advice, help us monitor things and both are clearing up quickly. We were so grateful to be able to call the midwife at 11 at night when his eye got all goopy and to be told what to do.
Mostly he is a very easy little fellow, and just fusses when he is hungry or needs something. It usually does not take us too long to figure it out and then he relaxes again. However, he does NOT like having his diaper changed. You would think he would want to be changed out of a soaking wet diaper, but he would much rather keep it on!
September 25, 2007
Birth Day
Peter Alan has arrived! He was born at home after an eight-hour labour. I went into labour at 12:30 on Friday morning. I woke Julian at 2:30 to let him know things were happening. We went for a nice long walk around the neighbourhood. By the time we got back, I was very focussed on the contractions. I lay on the floor clutching the exercise ball. Julian called our doula and midwife. They arrived about an hour later and watched my contractions. I was able to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was a big relief to me, as I just wanted to know s/he was doing okay during that time.
After a while, the midwife offered an exam, which I accepted. I was hoping to be at least 5 centimetres as I didn't want to get in the bath before then, but I knew some hot water would offer a lot of pain relief. Much to my amazement, she said I was just shy of 10 centimetres dilated! None of us could believe it. I got in the bathtub and kept labouring.
I was still relatively coherent between contractions, though I was nauseous. The doula and Julian were extraordinary at that point. I even threw up on our doula! After a while I got out to sit for a while and labour some more. My water finally broke, as it had remained intact the entire time. At that point I really felt the urge to push, so I did. I could feel the baby's head, so I got back in the bath. One great push later and the head was fully out. His cord was wrapped loosely around his neck (I didn't see this, but Julian told me). The student midwife quickly unlooped him. I pushed again he was born!
He was passed through the water to me and I held him up to my chest. We did not know the gender, so I looked and saw that we'd had a little boy! I had to check again a few minutes later as I had been so sure it would be a girl. Nope, still there! After a little bonding, he was passed to Julian to hold him and get his cord taken care of.
I was helped to bed, and they brought the beautiful little baby to me. It took me a few moments, maybe even hours, to realise he was really ours but we both feel like the luckiest people in the world. He really is the sweetest baby, and every finger twitch or grimace inspires a fresh and overwhelming surge of love.
Peter Alan is named after his two grandpas. He was 7lb 7oz and almost 21 inches long.