Just a taste of things to come!
We're very fortunate that Ava is a healthy and happy baby. She loves to eat and loves to sleep much to the delight of mummy and daddy! We love her to pieces.
So far, being a dad is AMAZING!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
She's here!
The story goes kinda like this...
After 41 long weeks of pregnancy, we finally had an induction date - Friday March 27th. But life being as unpredictable as it is, things did not go as planned!
That Thursday night at around 11:30, labor began. We went to the hospital, they confirmed that labor had begun and sent us home. We went to bed excited (it felt like Christmas Eve) knowing that we'd have a baby sometime within the next few hours. All was well until about 5:15 AM when Erin's water broke.
Now, for the whole pregnancy she'd been saying the one thing she didn't want to have happen was for her water to break while she was in bed. Outside, fine. In a shopping mall - so be it. But in bed? At the expense of a new mattress? No freakin' way!
So early Friday morning around 5:15, Erin feels her water breaking. She springs out of bed faster than I've ever seen her spring (pregnant or not) and zips to the bathroom where her she politely expels the waters. "At least it didn't break in bed!" she yells victoriously.
It's off to the hospital we go. Erin is in full-on labor and I'm trying not to drive like a madman. We manage to make the two minute trip in 47 seconds. After we're checked in, we're whisked off to the labor room, Erin gets hooked up to monitors and we wait. Erin's labor is progressing well at this point. Regular contractions and the baby seems fine. But a few hours later, the doctors feel while Erin's contractions are normal, the baby is under some kind of stress. Every time Erin has a contraction, the baby's heart rate dips. A sure sign of the umbilical chord wrapped around baby's neck. They decide to perform a c-section while the baby is still doing well as opposed to waiting until she's having trouble. Smart move. That's why they get paid the big bucks.
Erin's off being prepped and I'm in the recovery room waiting...waiting...waiting...trying not to be stressed. Finally, a nurse comes to collect me and I'm escorted into the operating room. This is it! The baby is really coming! I take my place at Erin's head, hold her hand and before long the doctors remove little Ava Lynn Graham from the womb. From the quick glimpse I get of her as she's passed off to the paediatrician I can tell she's a beauty. 8 lbs 13 oz of pink, pudgy gorgeousness! The doctor and nurses clean her up and ask me to follow as they put her in a plastic bassinet to roll her out of the room to the "special care" nursery. I know Erin is in the capable hands of the doctors so I go with the kid.
Ava is in the "special care" nursery because she was stressed during labor. It's tough not to hold her right away and see her go through a battery of tests but I know she's better off than some of the kids in the nursery. Luckily the nurses and doctors at the Queensway Carleton are fantastic and it's not long before they determine Ava is a picture of health and is ready to spend time with mom and dad in their hospital room.
I just wanted to mention the incredible job done by the amazing nurses we had during our stay at the hospital. They were the most caring, nurturing and positive group of people. We were very lucky to be under their care. They treated us as people not as numbers and took the time to answer all of our questions no matter how silly. There were a couple of nurses who specifically took care of us and our biggest thanks go to them. You guys are the best!
After a few days at the hospital, we've made our transition home and to our new life as a wee family. Mom and baby afre doing great and I feel like the luckiest man alive. Overjoyed to have such beautiful girls in my life. Ava's birthday was definitely one of the best days of my life.
After 41 long weeks of pregnancy, we finally had an induction date - Friday March 27th. But life being as unpredictable as it is, things did not go as planned!
That Thursday night at around 11:30, labor began. We went to the hospital, they confirmed that labor had begun and sent us home. We went to bed excited (it felt like Christmas Eve) knowing that we'd have a baby sometime within the next few hours. All was well until about 5:15 AM when Erin's water broke.
Now, for the whole pregnancy she'd been saying the one thing she didn't want to have happen was for her water to break while she was in bed. Outside, fine. In a shopping mall - so be it. But in bed? At the expense of a new mattress? No freakin' way!
So early Friday morning around 5:15, Erin feels her water breaking. She springs out of bed faster than I've ever seen her spring (pregnant or not) and zips to the bathroom where her she politely expels the waters. "At least it didn't break in bed!" she yells victoriously.
It's off to the hospital we go. Erin is in full-on labor and I'm trying not to drive like a madman. We manage to make the two minute trip in 47 seconds. After we're checked in, we're whisked off to the labor room, Erin gets hooked up to monitors and we wait. Erin's labor is progressing well at this point. Regular contractions and the baby seems fine. But a few hours later, the doctors feel while Erin's contractions are normal, the baby is under some kind of stress. Every time Erin has a contraction, the baby's heart rate dips. A sure sign of the umbilical chord wrapped around baby's neck. They decide to perform a c-section while the baby is still doing well as opposed to waiting until she's having trouble. Smart move. That's why they get paid the big bucks.
Erin's off being prepped and I'm in the recovery room waiting...waiting...waiting...trying not to be stressed. Finally, a nurse comes to collect me and I'm escorted into the operating room. This is it! The baby is really coming! I take my place at Erin's head, hold her hand and before long the doctors remove little Ava Lynn Graham from the womb. From the quick glimpse I get of her as she's passed off to the paediatrician I can tell she's a beauty. 8 lbs 13 oz of pink, pudgy gorgeousness! The doctor and nurses clean her up and ask me to follow as they put her in a plastic bassinet to roll her out of the room to the "special care" nursery. I know Erin is in the capable hands of the doctors so I go with the kid.
Ava is in the "special care" nursery because she was stressed during labor. It's tough not to hold her right away and see her go through a battery of tests but I know she's better off than some of the kids in the nursery. Luckily the nurses and doctors at the Queensway Carleton are fantastic and it's not long before they determine Ava is a picture of health and is ready to spend time with mom and dad in their hospital room.
I just wanted to mention the incredible job done by the amazing nurses we had during our stay at the hospital. They were the most caring, nurturing and positive group of people. We were very lucky to be under their care. They treated us as people not as numbers and took the time to answer all of our questions no matter how silly. There were a couple of nurses who specifically took care of us and our biggest thanks go to them. You guys are the best!
After a few days at the hospital, we've made our transition home and to our new life as a wee family. Mom and baby afre doing great and I feel like the luckiest man alive. Overjoyed to have such beautiful girls in my life. Ava's birthday was definitely one of the best days of my life.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
This is it!
I can't believe this is it! It's really baby time!
Tomorrow morning we'll check in with the hospital at 6:30 to see if they have a bed available for our induction. If they do, we go in. If they don't, we wait and they call us when they have one. But, the chances are real good that we'll be at the Queensway Carleton tomorrow waiting for our little bundle of joy. I'm totally going to bawl when she's born too. I couldn't keep it together at the ultrasound when we found out she was a "she"! Happy tears, happy tears (welling up now, dammit!).
Big thanks to Dr. Sunita Lal and her wonderful staff. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better OBGYN. She took he time to explain everything to a couple of newbie parents and was very friendly and caring. She's a real human being not just a "doctor".
Wow.
I'll be a dad by the weekend. Cool.
Tomorrow morning we'll check in with the hospital at 6:30 to see if they have a bed available for our induction. If they do, we go in. If they don't, we wait and they call us when they have one. But, the chances are real good that we'll be at the Queensway Carleton tomorrow waiting for our little bundle of joy. I'm totally going to bawl when she's born too. I couldn't keep it together at the ultrasound when we found out she was a "she"! Happy tears, happy tears (welling up now, dammit!).
Big thanks to Dr. Sunita Lal and her wonderful staff. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better OBGYN. She took he time to explain everything to a couple of newbie parents and was very friendly and caring. She's a real human being not just a "doctor".
Wow.
I'll be a dad by the weekend. Cool.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Me? A parent?
"Parent" still isn’t a word I can use to comfortably describe myself. It really hasn’t technically happened yet but being a few days off from becoming a "parent" feels a little surreal. I mean, My mom is a "parent"! "Parents" have toddlers to chase after or teenagers to keep an eye on. "Parents" get up early on a Saturday morning for hockey practice. "Parents" help their kids with their homework. "Parents" offer unsolicited advice. "Parents" never really fall asleep when their kid is out at night. "Parents" are a shoulder to cry on after a skinned knee or a broken heart. "Parents" change poopy diapers. “Parents” are the ride into school after a missed bus. "Parents" sacrifice everything and would do anything for their kids - no matter what and no matter when. "Parents" are unconditional love.
Y’know, I may not be a parent yet…but I can’t wait to become one!
Y’know, I may not be a parent yet…but I can’t wait to become one!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Finally...PICTURES!
Ok! Here are some long promised pictures of the baby's room. We went with a pale green on the walls with an Espresso dark wood finish on the crib and change table/dresser. We've got a ladybug theme running through the room but it's not over-the-top. Not shown in the picture are a huge cabinet (also Espresso finish) and one of those cool Ikea Poang chairs. Erin and I aren't professional designers but I think the room turned out great! Exactly the way we wanted it. And in the end, that's what counts, right?
I couldn't resist taking a few pictures some of her clothes. She already has a better wardrobe than I do and she's not even born! Apparently that's something I'll have to get used to. Just check out those bunny slippers and the little shoes! Too precious! How could we not buy them?
If the amount of clothes in this closet is a sign of things to come then I think I might have to adapt to being "financially under-burdened" - aka "broke". Thank goodness I have the kind of wife who has the talent to seek out and lock onto the best deals in town. There ain't nothing wrong with cutting coupons to maximize your shopping experience. You go, girl! Every season is deal hunting season.
Love those Jeans! We went the cloth diaper route too. We hooked up with a great service called The Diaper Sevice Company and it's like magic! One day you put the soiled diapers out and next thing you know, clean ones are in their place! I can't imagine someone washing poop-filled diapers for a living but hey, who am I to judge? I just know there was no way I was going to wash those poopy diapers. No-freakin'-way.
An added plus of cloth diapers (besides the whole environment, hug-a-tree thing) is that the covers are real cute. They come in all sorts of patterns and colors. I figure if you're going to crap your pants, you may as well look stylish doing it.
Pictures coming soon!
I know it's been a while since I updated the blog...let alone promised baby's room pictures...but they'll be up soon! I took them last night myself and I'll put them up tonight. At least I hope to.
It's been very busy at work lately. Sadly, because of the current economic climate and the nature of the business we're in, we've recently let a couple of people go. So that means extra work for everyone...including lazy afternoon announcers. I'm now acting Music Director at Kiss FM - a job I'd like to make permanent so I basically have a few months to prove myself and not screw it up!
Wish me luck!
It's been very busy at work lately. Sadly, because of the current economic climate and the nature of the business we're in, we've recently let a couple of people go. So that means extra work for everyone...including lazy afternoon announcers. I'm now acting Music Director at Kiss FM - a job I'd like to make permanent so I basically have a few months to prove myself and not screw it up!
Wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)