no drugs and the halloween baby.

so here we are, just over a week later and one baby added to our little family.  late in the evening of october 30th, just after a morning appointment with my OB, where she said i was only about 2cms dilated and mcbaby nowhere to be seen, i went into fast and crazy labor at home.  the husband and i quickly put our well rehearsed plan into action - the mini went to grandma and grandpa's, the bags went into the car - but quickly we realized that that was going to be the extent of the control we were going to have over the whole situation.  we didn't even pull the car out of the parking lot before the husband realized that if he drove us to our downtown hospital, we weren't going to make it.  plus, i am sure driving with an almost hysterical wife in the passenger seat was not going to be very pleasant at all.  so he called 911, and i went back into the house where i most likely screamed bloody murder.  once the EMS guys got here, things seemed to move fast and slow at the same time - i got some well placed punches in and called some people some very bad names - and once we got to the closest hospital (thankfully only 3 minutes away via ambulance) mcbaby was here within seconds.  no drugs.  yeah.  NICE.

let me tell you, natural childbirth is INSANE compared to the dreamy epidural i had with the mini.  however, the recovery time was so much quicker, and within 24 hours, we were all home, warm and toasty in our beds.  the mini has had some adjusting to do now that the attention of mom and dad has to be shared, and the fact that mcbaby cannot play tea party at ALL, but we are settling in.  kind of.  mcbaby is a very pensive, zen sort of baby so far, watching and tolerating the affections of the bigger people around her.  except when she's hungry or poopy.  there are going to be lots of adjusting and growing pains - plus we are eating ourselves out of house and home LOL - but i think we're getting a little pattern to our days.  and now we cannot imagine our home without this little one.

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bittersweet birthday.

it was hard to feel like celebrating today.  i was at court this morning - yes, i worked on my birthday - and ended up being an observer at a police funeral.  constable garrett styles had been killed in the line of duty last week and thousands of police officers, as well as fire and EMS personnel, descended on newmarket, ontario, to pay their last respects.  i found myself teary-eyed as i watched by the side of the road as the uniformed men and women marched by in silent formation, to the beat of the police drummers and the melancholy bagpipe melody.  the husband asked me why i felt so emotional in regards to this police officer's death - no, i didn't know him or his family - but it is just so sad to know that sometimes life takes a tragic turn and your entire existence is extinguished.  i know that i should have some compassion for the young man who's rash and impulsive choices led to the devastating circumstances of this officer's death, but i cannot help but feel immense, overwhelming sadness for the family he is leaving behind and the law enforcement community.  the media has also jumped on the bandwagon and sensationalized the whole story, right down to someone releasing the audio clip of styles' last radio call - but what shines through is this policeman's bravery and concern for the others involved in this accident.  RIP, Constable Styles.  God bless you, wherever you are.

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Happy Birthday to Me... and Yay To ArtfulGoodies!!!

so now i'm officially closer to 40 than i am to 30... and i can honestly admit that i definitely DON'T feel that way! well, maybe on those nights where i don't get any sleep, but otherwise, i feel great!!! i woke up this morning to feed the baby and there was a birthday card and present waiting for me in her crib! even though i had told the husband that he had already bought me a present - the fabulous, exquisite Bella Twilight bag from stitchandswash here on etsy (yes, i know i'm on maternity benefits, so shoot me for treating myself! LOL), he snuck out and bought me perfume with the loveliest card. i'm a very lucky gal!!!

to make things even better, shortly after i blogged about the mini's "witching hour", it miraculously began to subside. i didn't want to say anything in case i jinxed myself, but over the past couple of weeks, she has been fussing less at bedtime, and we haven't needed to dance/sway/rock/swing so much!!! hmmmm. either she's growing up, or we just got better at our nighttime routine! she's also been sleeping for 3-5 hour stretches at night between feedings, which feels luxurious! so, knock wood - i'm hoping we'll be able to keep this up! thanks for all the advice and tips!

now onto the next fun part - ArtfulGoodies is the winner of my skinny ring giveaway!! yay! thanks to everyone who entered and added their advice - i love you guys!!! this giveaway was so much fun i think i'll do it again soon - so watch this space!!! (April - i'll send you a message with the details! )

xoxo

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