Welcoming Lucas

On saturday 6th July, in the wee hours of the morning we welcomed little Lucas into our family.  His birth was completely different to that of his sister yet the experience was just amazing and I can't help but feel so lucky to have another perfect baby to care for.

I started to have a bloody show on the thursday morning much to my shock.  I guess any time you see blood during pregnancy you immediately assume that something must be wrong (or maybe it's just me being paranoid).  I called the midwife at the hospital just to get some advice and they said just to sit tight and that everything was normal.  I cried.

Tim went to work as normal on thursday and my mum came over to stay with me in case anything did eventuate.  We went to the shops and got some last minute groceries and bits and pieces - I wanted to try to walk around as much as possible to try and bring on the labour but thursday came and went without any further signs of labour.

In the early hours of friday morning I started to feel achy but still nothing significant which would indicate that anything might happen any time soon.  Tim didn't go to work that day, instead we decided to spend the day out and about.  It was beautiful and sunny so we took Ella to a fun play park and as we sat in the sun watching her I began to feel more regular tightening sensations in my belly and knew that soon enough I would have my baby in my arms.  We ate hamburgers for lunch followed by churros and hot chocolate and with full bellies we went home and all three of us had an afternoon sleep.

After dinner that evening I started to have more painful contractions and at around 8pm we started timing them.  Again, I called the hospital to let them know what was happening and they suggested that I take some panadol and try to rest as much as possible.  I went upstairs to get the panadol and was hit with a wave of really painful contractions and knew that I would not be able to rest, baby was on his way.

I had forgotten what contractions were like.  I've always thought of myself as very tolerant of pain but the ferocity of these pains during what is known as 'early labour' had me worried about what it would be like later on.  With each contraction I had to get down on all fours and try to breathe as calmly as possible while Tim ran around trying to get the dog ready to take to my parents house and put everything in the car.

At around 10pm Tim woke Ella and we packed her into the car - it was time to go.  As I sat in the front seat moaning and swearing with each contraction, I'm not sure what Ella thought her mama was doing. She didn't say much, except at each traffic light (we seemed to get every red light) the minute it turned green she would yell out "gween, gween, go daddy go!"  I gripped the head rest of my seat tightly and as we rounded each corner and my body tensed the pain was excruciating.

Soon enough we had arrived at my parents house.  Quickly we let the dog out and my mum took Ella.  As we pulled straight out of the driveway to go to the hospital I heard her say "love you mama" and I cried.

We pulled into the emergency department and I was immediately placed in a wheel chair and taken up to the delivery suite.  The contractions were coming so fast that I didn't feel like I was having any break in between.  I tried to remember the breathing techniques from my hypnobirthing CD but all that had just gone out the window.

The nurse handed me the gas to help ease the pain and I immediately brought up my dinner.  I didn't feel like the gas was helping with the pain but it did help me take big deep breaths.  The pain was becoming unbearable and I told the nurse I wanted to have an epidural because I was only 5cm dilated and I wasn't sure how long I could put up with it any more. She explained that she could call the anaesthetist but she felt like the baby would be here before he would.  I was scared and tried to tell myself that I could do this, all the while squeezing Tim's hand so tight that it was sore the next day.

The obstetrician arrived not long after and it was then that my body just started to take over.  I had absolutely no control over what it was doing.  I was 8cm dilated and everything was happening quickly now.  I sucked on the gas with my eyes tightly shut.  I could hear everybody in the room and the calm voice of my doctor telling me what to do.  Every muscle in my body was tense and the urge to push was overwhelming.  I screamed and grunted guttural sounds from deep within me and in my mind I could visualise the baby coming out.

My body continued to keel over and my muscles constrict when the doctor told me to open my eyes and look down and I saw my babies head.  The doctor told me not to push again until he said to and it took everything in me not to, but the minute he said the word I pushed as hard as I possibly could and then my baby boy was warm on my chest.  His cry was so soft and his skin so smooth.  I stroked him as tears ran down my cheeks.  He looked just like Tim.  It was 12:52am.

Reading back over this I realise I can never do the story justice, there simply are no words to convey fully what the experience was like.  The full extent of it is and always will just remain a feeling I have inside of me.  A feeling I will never forget.

Two weeks exactly have passed now and he has already put on 500 grams.  He is growing like a champ and has fit into our family perfectly.  Each day I can see him looking a little more like Ella as he fills out.

Tim has had two weeks off work which has been amazing (and we have another week with him at home).  I have been able to rest and heal (although I do still have signs of popped bloody vessels in my eye from pushing so hard!)  We have spent unhurried days together as a family of four, all getting to know one another.

Lucas, you're just beautiful and we love you so much.  Welcome to our family.

The waiting game

We've been playing the waiting game around here lately.  Waiting for the sun to come out after two weeks of rain, and of course waiting for the new addition to our family to make his entrance.

I am happy to say our old friend, sunshine, has finally returned.  After two weeks of rain and overcast weather I am so pleased to see the sun and feel a little bit of warmth during the day.  

The first day of sunshine we had was on sunday afternoon.  We took Ella bowling on sunday morning as it was raining...again... and we were trying to think of something fun we could do with her to get us all out of the house.  I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how bowling would go - it could be really fun, or turn out to be a disaster if Ella wasn't into it.  Thankfully she had a great time.  From the moment she put her special bowling shoes I could tell she was going to have fun (her shoes were so tiny and she looked so cute in them!!).  It kept her amused for a whole game and she had such a look of pride on her face when she knocked the pins over.  She even beat Tim!!  I couldn't stop laughing at that one because Tim takes his bowling very seriously.

When we emerged from the bowling alley, the sun was out and the clouds had all but disappeared so we decided to go for a drive to get some lunch at Pie in the Sky before Ella was due for a sleep.  Yum!  A lamb, honey and rosemary pie later and an apricot takeaway pie later and this mama was a happy lady!  We went home and all had a nice afternoon nap and then decided that we would go for a long walk to the park to take advantage of the weather.  It was such a simple but nice family day.

They say that doing lots of walking can bring on labour but our long walk didn't do a thing.  My due date has been and gone and I am just feeling like I am in a stuck in some sort of limbo which is extremely annoying.  The upside however is that I have a final date to work towards - I have been booked in to be induced on Tuesday next week if nothing happens sooner.  So, at some point within the next 5 days I will have a beautiful baby boy in my arms.  So very exciting!

Rainy Days

Things have been very quiet in our household lately.  Apart from the fact that I have been recovering from a really bad cold (which I'm glad to say is almost completely gone) it has been raining basically non stop for the last week or so which means that we have been stuck inside most of the time.  This isn't all bad because it means that I have been able to rest a lot which is just what I need these days (I am 39 weeks pregnant this week and feeling every bit of it too).

We've been doing lots of baking, playing games, reading, colouring and there has been lots of lounging around on the couch in our pj's watching television and snuggling.  It's been so nice to have this quiet time with Ella before the new baby arrives.

I have to say that I am very much over the rain and cold though.  I don't do winter very well and I am already dreaming of sunshine and short sleeves again.

Tim and I celebrated ten years of being together not so long ago (oh how young we look in the pic above!).  That milestone, coupled with the fact that we felt like it might be the last time we would have some quality time together for some time, called for a date day (my first outing in over a week!).

Nanna kindly looked after Ella while we set off for a nice lunch at an Italian restaurant where I ate what was quite possibly the best garlic pizza I've ever tasted, followed by a movie.  We very rarely go to the movies but for Christmas we received some Gold Class tickets which had been gathering dust so we decided to use them otherwise they would have just expired (and those things aren't cheap!).

During lunch we reminiced about the days when we were free to do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted since we had no real responsibilities.  We talked about our first date which coincidently was dinner and a movie, how Tim ate lasagne and I ate a burger and then we sat in the cinema holding hands watching the Matrix.  Ten years later, a few more wrinkles and both now with more grey hairs than we'd like, I can happily say that I am still not sick of looking into those blue eyes of Tim's.

We saw World War Z in 3D which wasn't too bad for a zombie movie, ate chocolate sundaes and churros and laughed when we reclined our big leather chairs which made farting noises, just like we would have if we were 23 again.

Despite the fact that we say we wish we could be as carefree as we were when we were younger, our conversation always led back to Ella and the new arrival we are expecting and we wouldn't wish for anything different.  Sleepless nights included, because in the morning we always get to wake up to that beautiful smile and cheeky little girl who is the sunshine of our lives.

PS she has worn those 3D glasses that we got at the movies since we brought them home.  Five days and counting.

A very uneventful week

Last time I posted I was starting to come down with a bug and unfortunately it got worse.  I spent most of saturday in bed (which I never do) and didn't even venture out of the house once.  Sunday was pretty much the same.  The rest of the week until now has been very uneventful too - I've been keeping a very low profile.  Resting as much as possible.

Having the flu is bad at the best of times, but when you are only two weeks away from giving birth it feels like I've been hit by a tonne of bricks.  I haven't been this sick in a long time and I'm still not 100%, but definitely on my way to getting back to my normal self.

The only thing I could think about when I was at my lowest was that I really didn't want to go into labour feeling like this.  So far I haven't had any more niggling pains or anything to suggest that labour may happen any time soon.  A few weeks ago I was adamant that I felt like the baby was going to come early, but now I think I am in for the long haul and that I'll go over just like I did with Ella.  As long as I have time to recover fully before baby comes I'll be happy though.

The worst thing about being sick when pregnant is that you can't take any good drugs!  Give me pseudo-ephedrine any day if I have the flu under normal circumstances.  Panadol is just not cutting it.

Speaking of drugs, my obstetrician goes on holidays next tuesday so my next appointment is with his partner (who is a very reputable obstetrician also) and I am actually a little bit nervous now as I've heard that he is quite anti epidural.  I tried to go natural with Ella but it didn't happen and I opted to have an epidural which I definitely don't regret, and this time around I certainly don't want to be made to feel bad for choosing this option if indeed I do.

My saving grace this week has been my little BFF.  She's been such a good girl even though most of the time we've been stuck inside at home.  Her smile melts my heart and lifts my spirits and her singing and rambling chatter keeps me entertained to no end.

Gosh I love her.

Maternity Leave

Yesterday was officially my last day of work for a year as I go on maternity leave.  Yesterday I was over the moon but this morning I have woken up with a sore throat and runny nose and my little sidekick has also got a cold.  I feel like a train has hit me, Ella however seems to be in better spirits thankfully and is giving me a bit of a break.

It's not even 8.30am yet and this is what I am faced with:

A dog who has pulled apart  his bed in the middle of the night.  There is fluff all over the lounge room!

A very messy house.  Books and paperwork strewn everywhere!

A kitchen that looks like a bomb hit it

Toast for breakfast that I actually had to pick tiny bits of mould off because I haven't had a chance to go to the shops

Washing up galore complete with dead flowers to be disposed of

Swollen feet and I haven't even been on them for an hour!

All of a sudden going to work seems like such an easier option.  I am not going to be hard on myself today though.  This stuff can wait because quite frankly I can't be bothered.  Right now a cup of tea is my only saving grace and in all likelihood it will probably go cold before I even get to touch it.  I am just hanging out for 12.30pm when Ella has her nap so I can go back to bed myself!  And I pray to God that she sleeps for at least 2 hours!

37 Weeks Pregnant

My appointment with the obstetrician this week was pretty much just the same as usual.  Everything seems to be coming along nicely.  Baby is in position and could come at any minute.  At my last visit the obstetrician mentioned that he may induce me, however we've decided against this now and will just play the waiting game.  The main reason this was suggested originally was because the baby had had two major growth spurts over two weeks and the doc was worried that if he continued to grow so rapidly it may have been hard for me to deliver, which could be particularly dangerous when I have a lot of scarring on my uterus from previous fibroid removal surgery.

This week though, bub had slowed down in terms of growth so he felt that there was no need to take matters into our own hands and that we would just wait for bubs to take the lead.  I have to admit I was a little excited when he first mentioned induction because I am at the point now where I just want it all to happen, but at the same time I was having second thoughts and strongly believed that we should just wait for things to happen naturally, even if that means that my obstetrician may not be there to deliver the baby himself since he is due to go on leave when the baby is due.

I had to do the standard 37 week Strep test which was interesting considering I had a toddler in tow.  I'm sure that when I had the test when pregnant with Ella the obstetrician actually performed it but this time he handed me a little kit and a discreet bag, explaining that I simply needed to go to the bathroom, pop the top off the test tube, remove the cotton bud looking device and take a swab from the "lower vagina".  I was a little surprised that it was considered a lower vaginal test considering the length of the thing!  I am carrying so low at the moment and feel so much pressure between my legs that sometimes it feels like the baby is literally so close to just falling out, so I was sure that inserting that thing was going to poke the babies eyes out or something!

Off I waddled to the bathroom with Ella and my discreet little bag (that really wasn't very discreet).  We entered a cubicle and I had a job trying to get Ella not to put her hands into the toilet bowl or touch anything else while I had my pants around my ankles, trying to do the test.  "What are you doing mama?" she chirped whilst simultaneously unlocking the door so it swung open.  Thank God nobody else was in the bathroom otherwise they would have received a nasty shock!  I don't think she was too scarred by the experience because she immediately just went on singing Incy Wincy Spider as if it was all completely normal.

***

On friday night Tim went out for drinks with a work mate who had been made redundant during the week.  I knew he would be having a few drinks but was hoping that he would be home just after dinner - at least that's the impression he gave me.  However, dinner time came and went and there was no sign of him so I knew he must have been having a bit of a big night.

I went to bed late (9.30pm is considered late for me right now!!) and after a little while laying there I started feeling dull aches and cramps and could feel the beginning of contractions.  I lay there for a while and the pain didn't ease and I quietly panicked.  If I went into labor, what would I do?  My mum and dad were away for the long weekend so couldn't take care of Ella if I had to go to hospital which means that I would have to ring Tim's parents in the middle of the night to get them to come over and then I'd have to drive myself to the hospital since Tim most likely wouldn't be able to drive because he would have been over the limit.  As I lay there in the foetal position myself trying to ease the cramping and aching it all suddenly seemed so real...and I did not feel ready at all!

Tim eventually came home and I fell asleep as the cramping eased and I was able to rest.  The following morning I decided that it was definitely time to get my butt into gear.  I packed my hospital bag and tidied myself up - I have to admit that I had let myself go in terms of grooming since it's been so cold and my legs haven't seen the light of day in quite some time.  Two razor blades and a full tank of hot water later, my legs and armpits were clean shaven and I had managed to hack at my bikini line to make it look a little more respectable as well - it's incredibly hard to maintain anything going on down there with a massive belly in the way.  Although nothing progressed in terms of labor, at least Tim can't call me a wookie any more!

I can't say that I really feel any more ready now than I did on friday.  Every night since then I have had the same cramping/achey sensations but so far it hasn't turned into anything.  Ready or not though, this baby is coming.

Chocolate Buttermilk Cake with Vanilla Butter Cream Icing & Salted Caramel Sauce

Have I mentioned that I love my new kitchen?  Well... I do!  I decided to give the oven a workout over the long weekend because I have so missed being able to bake, not having a functional oven in months.  I'm sure it also has something to do with the fact that I am a crazy hungry pregnant woman who is craving sweet like nothing else as well.

I saw a recipe for a delicious looking chocolate cake with a twist on the Raspberri Cupcakes blog which I just couldn't resist.  Although the earl grey icing didn't really appeal to me the cake and the salted caramel sauce was just calling my name.

It's a relatively easy recipe to follow.  Instead of the earl grey icing I just used a standard buttercream icing recipe that I always use (I don't even measure it these days) with some vanilla bean paste for extra flavour.  

I then made the salted caramel sauce to drizzle on top and it is to die for.  The recipe on Raspberri Cupcakes says to only make half the quantity for the cake (which would be more then enough) but I didn't halve it and subsequently have bottles of it left over in my fridge.  Lucky it tastes delicious!  It's just like liquid Coloumbine lollies (an old time favourite of mine).  We've been having left over caramel on just about everything - fruit, ice cream, I even made hot milk with a spoonful in.  It's really that good...

The cake was absolutely delicious and nice and moist. The icing and the caramel sauce made it even better.  We took it to Tim's family's house for lunch on saturday and the whole thing almost went in one go!  Definitely a recipe to keep.