Guess how much my baby weighs!

The midwife came over today and weighed Emma, she was 11 pounds 10 ounces!

4 Weeks Old!

Emma is four weeks old today. So I thought I'd post a few pics for you to enjoy.
Also wanted to include pics of her brothers at 4 weeks for comparison.

Check out the rolls on her legs!

And now her brothers...

LUKE
4 weeks
(one week away from going home from the hospital and 2 weeks after his surgery)

NOAH
4 weeks

So you can decide who she looks more like.

Here is Luke holding his Emma and his Sonny
They have matching overalls

Here's Emma and Sonny on their own, cute couple.

Auntie Rachie came to visit from Washington
Emma's shirt say "My first Caps T-Shirt"


Here's the other side of Luke, which we have seen a lot of lately



This one's a bit blurry but I think you'll get the idea
I went through three changes of clothes that day for both myself and her

And finally, the first smile caught in a picture.
Still mostly sleep grins, but you do get to see the start of a smile when she's awake sometimes.

Emma's Second Week

So there's a new look to the blog. I'm still not totally happy with it, but it's all I have time for now.
I just want to get a couple of pictures up and then I gotta go warm up supper. We have been really blessed by friends bringing meals over and I haven't had to cook any suppers yet! It has been such a great help!

This week has been busy with Nath going back to work on Weds. and a trip to WInkler on the weekend for Emma to meet her Great-Grandparents and to have her first photo shoot with her Opa. I made my first outing with all three on my own this week, and it went pretty well. The boys are such great helpers.

Emma had her 1 week weight check last week and she was back at her birth weight. She has been eating and sleeping well. She has been such a good baby!

Great-Grandma Marie with Emma Kate Marie

Great-Grandpa Bill

Great-Grandma Nettie

Nice purple T-Shirt!
Thanks Uncle Joel and Auntie Tanis!

Emma with her proud brother Luke

Noah and Emma

Emma's first five days

Here are just a few pics of Emma's first days.


Before...

After!

Emma being weighed. 9lbs 5-3/4 oz.


Our lovely midwife Toni- she's been at the births of all 3 kids!

Daddy and Emma

Oma getting the perfect shot of their first grand daughter

Joel and Tannis taking Emma's pictures
(sorry I know it's blurry)

Looking around

Holding her soother

Auntie Jess and Caleb checking out Emma

Big Brother kissing his little sis

On another note I really do need to change the name of the blog now, so if anyone has any clever suggestions please let me know.

Emma has been doing really well. Eating lots and doing everything she's supposed to. At 2 days old she was 8lb 12 oz and at 4 days she was 9lb 2oz. So she shouldn't take long to get back to her birth weight.

Emma! And my home birth experience.

The story of Emma's birth

It was Weds, Nov 29 when I decided to take the castor oil. I've had success with it, when I was overdue with Noah, and since the stretch and sweeps that the midwife had been doing, weren't resulting in any labor. I thought I'd try the oil again. My due date according to my period was Nov.1, we had added a couple of extra days because I tend to have longer cycles, resulting in the Nov.5 date, but I always kinda stuck to Nov.1 in my head. So I was only 4 days from my due date.

I ran to Superstore with the boys in the morning to get a couple of last minute things, knowing that I didn't want to be out and about after taking the oil. Then when I got home at 11am I mixed up 3 oz of castor oil and 3oz of OJ with 1/2 tsp of baking soda. The oil, for those who haven't tried it, is VERY thick, and doesn't actually "mix" so well, but more like chunks floating around in the OJ with most of it sitting on the bottom. The baking soda was supposed to make it fizzy and help it go down, but I'm not sure it was beneficial. Drinking the stuff is really quite nasty, and once you do get it down, results in castor oil burps!

So then I waited, it says it will take about 2-4 hours for it's laxativing action to take place. This in turn is supposed to stimulate the uterus to contract. Well nothing happened for me. So around 4 pm I gave up on it and made some soup for supper. I was quite disappointed. Nath came home and we sat down around 5 to eat. It was then that I noticed I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. We started timing them and they were almost every 2 or 3 minutes, but not painful at all. After half an hour I called my midwife and she said she'd check back in half an hour to see if there was any change. When she called back they were still coming every couple of minutes but still no pain or discomfort with them. Maybe a little achiness in my back. So she decided to come over and check to see if there was any change in my cervix.

She arrived shortly after 6, and checked me, she said I was 3-4 cm dilated, which was a slight change from the day before when I was 2-3. She did another stretch, and suggested we go for a walk. So after playing a game of Uno with the boys, we all went out for a walk around the block. Still no changes- contractions still coming but not painful. So she said she didn't think I was in labor right then, but that it was possible once we settled into bed that it might start up. So we put the boys to bed, and then went to bed ourselves.

Shortly after 11pm I woke up needing to go to the bathroom. When I sat up I noticed the pain. I didn't wake Nath immediately because I wanted to make sure it was the real thing before disturbing anyone else's sleep. But these were clear contractions, with the pain focused on my back and bum. I woke Nath around 11:30, then he made all the phone calls to the midwife, my mom, and my brother. (Joel and Tannis came to stay at the house until my mom arrived, just incase we needed to leave). He then moved the boys, still sleeping, to the basement bedroom.

I sat on the exercise ball near the end of our bed and stayed there. The midwife arrived around midnight and got everything set up. She didn't need to check me again because she could see this was the real thing now. She got all her stuff set up. She checked the baby's heartbeat with the doppler, and my blood pressure between contractions and around 12:30 when she was checking the heart beat again. Nath asked her "So how long does this usually last before the pushing starts?" She just kinda laughed and said "not too much longer" I was wondering what he was so concerned about. He wasn't the one having the contractions, but anyhow with the next contraction I felt the pressure and said I had to push.

So I moved onto the bed. We had protected the bed with a vinyl picnic tablecloth. Then a sheet over that. I moved onto my hands and knees because I was feeling so much pain in my back this is what felt most comfortable to me. They moved the exercise ball to the top of the bed where I could lean forward onto it. Then I started to push. I could feel her head coming down, and tried not to push too hard, because I really didn't want to tear this time. And then felt the relief as her head came out and was surprised to hear her cry. Then I pushed out the rest of her body. They moved her to be in front of me and I sat down on my knees and held her. It was very surreal. Having this baby in my arms and not in my tummy. It took a minute for it all to sink in. I had to check to make sure it was a girl. And it was!

I had to lay down then to deliver the placenta, and so they could check for tears. Hallelujah, only one small tear, that required only 3 little stitches! Daddy got to cut the cord, which always makes him nervous, but he did just fine. And we got to cuddle with our little Emma for the first time. After they were done fixing me up, they checked her out. She was 9lbs 5-3/4oz, 21.5 inches long. Our smallest baby yet! (Noah: 9lbs 9-1/2oz, 22.5in, Luke: 10lb7oz 23in)

The midwives were really impressed with how quickly it all went. Apparently I only pushed for 7 minutes, and she was in a posterior position. Which means her face was facing my stomach, which usually slows down the process a lot. This is also why I was feeling the pain in my back and bum.

I got in the shower to clean up, while they changed the bedding. Nath served the midwives chocolate pie that I had made for supper. My mom arrived just after 1am. After getting cleaned up, I got back into my own bed and nursed my baby. It is so amazing that they know exactly what to do. The midwife left around 3, and we got back to sleep by 4 am. She didn't wake up til 7am. So a pretty good first night.

Nath had moved the boys back into their beds before we went to sleep. The didn't wake up until morning when they had a brand new baby sister. They came into the bedroom all smiles and Noah wanted to hold her right away. They were very taken with her. They even wanted to read her books.

The homebirth experience was wonderful. It was so great being in your own environment and not having to drive anywhere. (It would have been pretty tight getting to a hospital in time) And being able to sleep in my own bed and wake up with the boys here was really great. The midwife comes within the next 24 hours to check up on her and again 2 days later. And of course we can call her anytime if we have any concerns. She will look after Emma and me for 6 weeks after the birth. It's always so sad when that six weeks is up. She has been there for all 3 of our babies now.

I'll post again soon with pictures of Emma.

Opinions needed

Luke and I had crafty afternoon last week. I was feeling bad that I was just using Noah's preschool afternoons as time to run errands. Not that Luke seemed to mind but I thought I'd have some fun with just Luke this afternoon while we can.

Here's the proud boy with one of his pumpkins

Okay, so here's where I need your help. I'm trying to finish up the nursery, and need some opinions on this dresser. I'm not sure if I should put the mirror on or leave it off. So here are the the pics of both. Please let me know which you think looks better.

With Mirror

Without mirror


I found a slipcover for the nursery chair yesterday, which makes me very happy. It' just a solid brown and makes the chair look a little retro but it's definitely better than the orange crushed velvet. It just needs a couple of cute throw pillows. Now I just need to hang a few things and I think I'm done.

We've been having a few issues with Luke lately. He is very sensitive and over reacting to a lot of things. His lip can stick out and quiver in no time flat over the simplest of things, like not getting into the right side of the van. I'm having a lot of flashbacks to his toddler tantrums. In talking with other moms this seems to be a normal reaction for 3 year olds prior to a new baby. I'm just hoping that he will get it out of his system before baby comes. And in the meantime we're trying to be sensitive to him but still trying to keep a reasonable balance of discipline for unreasonable reactions. Does that even make sense?

On an unrelated note, I am done Christmas shopping for my nephews. Which I'm happy about. I only have 2 though so technically it's not that significant an accomplishment, but it still makes me happy.

Don't forget to register your opinion on the dresser!

S

Luke's Appointment

So we were back at VCHC today for Luke's annual Cardiology check up. Where he had an EKG, BP, and Echo done. He is always so good for his appts! He sits (or lays) so still, and has never had to be sedated (which is apparently common). Dr. Soni came in to tell us all the results and said that everything looked good and that there was no constriction at the site of the surgery. But there was one vessel around the surgery site that was slightly enlarged. Nothing to be too concerned about right now, just something to continue to watch. If it got worse it would be something that would require surgery to replace it with a tube, but that is very unlikely. So all in all a good appointment, and just one more thing to be thankful for this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Activities

So Fall has felt busy, good busy, and it has taken a toll on the boys, they are needing naps where as they didn't before. Here's our little Luke fast asleep on the couch. They look so innocent when they're sleeping...

One of our favorite fall treats is Apple Chips. We spent an evening with our new apple peeler which peels, slices and cores all at once, and loaded up our dehydrator. We can dehydrate 25 apples at once in this baby. We had a nice little assembly line going. Noah would crank them through the peeler, Nath would cut them in half and put them in the lemon water, and then Luke and I would put them onto the trays and sprinkle with cinnamon.

We spent one evening having a supper picnic and then playing at St.V park.

The boys have a new love for games. So the other day we splurged and bought Snakes and Ladders as well as UNO. We have been playing them constantly ever since. I was surprised to find that UNO suggested age was 7years +. I'm not sure why you would need to be 7 when my 3 year old isn't having much trouble with it. Anyhow we've been playing a LOT of Uno lately.

And finally here's a sneak peak of baby stuff. We got a dresser from my Mom and Dad, actually the dresser that I had as a little girl. And I had wanted to paint it white, but I didn't have any at home, and I did have pink at home, so it got painted pink. There is also a mirror that goes on top, I'm jut not sure if I'm going to put it on or not. The camera doesn't do a great job of the wall color, because it looks darker than it actually is. But I love the color combination.

And yes I am nesting now, I officially have less than 5 weeks left, and a lot that needs to be done before then. I still need to get general fall cleaning done, but babywise, I think we're ready for her. Check out this drawer full of pink! I finally got everything washed and ready.

So I really hope it is a girl. Because there aren't any neutrals in there. I have been having my doubts with the number of boys being born in our church, it's hard to believe it is actually a girl. We do actually have a boys name just in case. And I think I have a girls name figured out. But I don't think I'll tell Nath til she arrives so he can't veto this one. It'll be a surprise for everyone.

Overall I'm feeling pretty good, been having lots of Braxton Hicks and retaining a lot of water, my fingers go numb very easily. And still battling a cold with this nagging cough which makes for less than restful nights along with my numerous bathroom breaks. But I can usually get in a little nap if I need it. The boys are being pretty patient waiting. I wonder if they think it's actually going to happen, we've been talking about this baby since February! That's a long time when you're only 3 and 4 years old.

Noah felt her kick for the first time last week. We were talking about what to name her at the supper table and Luke suggested "sharky" I think, and I said "I think she likes that one she just kicked". So Noah ran over and put his had on my belly and it was so sweet because she kicked again and you could just see his eyes light up. He had never held his hand there long enough or still enough to actually feel it. I can't wait to see their reactions when they actually do get to meet her!

September!

So we are officially into the September activities. The weather has been a little more forgiving, with a week of nice warm temperatures, which has put me in a better mood and made me want to blog again. So the biggest new activity for fall is that Noah has started PreSchool! He's going Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. He is loving it, and asks to almost everyday. I think it's going to be a good transition for Kindergarten, if not for him, for me and Luke! Our fridge is slowly filling with his new artwork and projects. It really is fun.

Here he is on his first day!

Noah mixing some whipped cream

Luke mixing some chocolate pudding
Notice the marker on his face

The boys and I went to the Zoo with these two little boys along with their mom who is expecting another baby boy a couple days after our little girl. They loved watching the fish and turtles in the Tropical House.

Noah and Luke with the Polar Bear

All the little boys with the Polar Bear.
I can't believe our two families will make up 6 kids under 5 in a couple of weeks!

In other fall news, we harvested all the carrots out of our garden this weekend. We only had 3 rows and we've been eating from them most of the summer. But Nath weighed them after they were washed and we had almost 22 pounds of carrots! So if anyone has great carrot recipes please pass them on.
We couldn't believe how well our little garden did this year! I've picked 6 little sugar pumpkins already and there's atleast 3 or 4 more green ones in there. (and we didn't even plant pumpkins!)
While we were cleaning out the garden, Luke found a little striped catepillar, which became his pet. He carried it around and gave it rides on the wagon and put it down the slide. It was really cute, and unfortunately I couldn't find the camera to take a picture of it. The catepillar survived all of his loving, and crawled away when we went inside.

The pregnancy is going well, I'm taking iron supplements now which is making a big difference in my energy level. I've started my nesting I guess, because I am making a lot of lists. Lists of what I need to get done before baby comes, possible baby name lists, lists of food to put in the freezer, lists of people to call when I go into labor, lists of people to call after the baby, lists of lists etc...
So that's right our baby girl still does not have a name. We have never had an easy time finding names for our kids and I think it's harder with the third because you've kinda set a trend with your first two kids' names. So not only do you have to find a name you like but it has to flow with the boys names. Noah, Luke and ______. And it has to work with the last name Wiebe. So if anyone has any suggestions, please share them!