My Giving Birth Story #2

Today was not what I expected. 

With Oliver's birth I had no contractions until the morning he was born. They came regularly and increased in intensity over time until my water broke, I went to the hospital, and he was out in 10 minutes of pushing. It was 3 days before his due date. 

(This photo is called ready to go!)

So naturally I assumed I would go early and easy with my next baby. Thursday after lunch (4 days ago) my contractions had picked up to painful minute long ones consistently every 3-4 minutes. So Cal left work early, our parents congregated (my Dad was in Edmonton on business) and I called the midwifery clinic. Then nothing happened. For almost four days.

(Notice in the photos I go from happy to what-the-heck?)

Contractions continued, but infrequently with no pattern and the intensity was inconsistent. 

My due date came and went. My dad arrived back in town safely (so did my little sister, my other one is still in Barbados working on her masters studies). My primary midwife was now the one on duty. And nothing happened. 

(In these photos I am a} doing laps at the indoor BMO track and b} at an out of town pizzeria, hoping the exercise or bumpy drive would knock me back into consistent contractions.)

Today, the 27th, is a day after my due date and also my dad's birthday. I woke up at 5am with the same old frustrating story but these contractions were intense! I realized even if they are 13 minutes apart I need to do something. I called my midwife Hayley and she came over. 

We have mostly planned to give birth at the hospital with a back up plan of home birth. Hayley said if we wanted to go, it was time. So we did. And met my parents and sister and Calvin's parents. 

(Upside down bathroom floor selfie.)

We checked in around 7am and I walked all around the hospital to get labour going harder. Eventually Hayley asked if she could break my water and I said yes and she realized it was already broken. I hadn't noticed! I laboured all around the room, and the hospital, with the help of my family - and even Oliver - until I realized I had to push. I excused everyone except Calvin and Hayley, and our 2nd midwife Karen. 

Pushing felt great because at this point contractions hurt badly. I pushed and pushed and pushed, and was confused by baby wasn't out in 10 minutes like Oliver had been. 

Apparently baby's head was stuck behind my cervix. The midwives had tons of suggestions for how to get past it but I was so tired and uncomfortable I just curled up in fetal position and braced myself for the next onslaught of pain. 

Finally at 10am we were getting somewhere. Cal and I joke because it's obviously when baby is near because I start making noise. Until this point I was almost silent. Just a "coconut water please" here and there. I pushed my heart out and finally 11 minutes later our baby was born. She was immediately placed on my chest. 

Cal said - it's a girl - and I made him check 5 times. As much as every mother says they have no preference, to hear I have a daughter was music to my ears. 

Next I breast fed, Calvin cut the cord, he announced the news to our waiting family, we weighed her (6 lbs 12 oz: Oliver's exact birth weight) and I showered. The usual. 

We named her Dakota which is a Native American word for friend or ally. We gave her the middle name Forrest because on the weekend we drove to that very town to get our favourite pizza and there was such a huge blizzard we were almost stuck there. And we thought it'd be funny to give birth in a small town pizzeria. 

She is happy and beautiful and loves breast feeding and sleeping (so far). Oliver is as in love with her as we are and calls her Koko. When we drove up the driveway he said Please Ollie show sister house? And he introduced her to her new home. He gives her lots of kisses. 

It's already a clear challenge having a newborn and a toddler but we are up for it and excited knowing we have the support of family and friends. We couldn't be happier with our family of four! 

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

I have never been a hot cereal person. I claim to like "practically every food on the planet" but if I hit a breakfast bar in a hotel I will scoop myself oatmeal 0% of the time. In fact, as part of my job at the hospital I make the final call on patient's meal trays that seem to be incomplete or have issues and whenever I see one with the issue "doesn't contain a hot cereal" I want to say-- Approved! Save this poor person the torture of hot cereal! (Fear not, I don't force the patients to bend to my likings.)

I will admit, it gives me some nutritionist guilt everytime I see a "healthiest foods ever list" and oatmeal makes the breakfast category everytime. Plus it's a hard challenge to leave a bowl of cold granola in front of a toddler and hope your floor won't be a train wreck in 10 minutes. 

So recently when my friend Bethany offered me a late night homemade porridge at her house I said yes. I watched her scoop some secret mix from a storage container and then add boiled water. 

It was delicious. 

Not the failed-attempt, way-too-healthy oatmeal I had myself in the past with good intentions. But not the mystery-ingredient-laden sugar junk that's sold in grocery stores. It was simply filling and yummy. 

So I suppose you could say I've been converted to an oatmeal-making, oatmeal-liking mama, and for that reason I will share the recipe. It's been tweaked slightly. 

In a large storage container mix:

3 cups oats (instant is the least healthy but most convenient-- if you want to simply add hot water and eat you'll need this kind but you can always choose fibrous add-ins to make up for it; p.s. Try to find gluten free oats if you need those)

1/2 cup raw sugar -- you can use sucanat, turbinado, even regular brown sugar, add more or less to taste 

1 tablespoon cinnamon -- you could try different spices too

1 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup flax seed -- for even more health benefits add chia or hemp seeds or wheat germ

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup crushed cashews

Optional mix ins: other dried or dehydrated fruit like mango or blueberries, shredded coconut, candied ginger, peanut butter powder, cocoa powder, maple sugar, slivered almonds...

The list goes on. 

This dry mix should last for a long time! To make a bowl just scoop out 1/3 cup and pour about 1/3 cup boiled water over, then stir.  Use more water for runnier oatmeal. You can also add your choice of dairy at the end (or some people add dry milk powder right to their mix). This mix would be portioned out into individual servings in ziplock bags so it's a true on-the-go or in-a-packed-lunch treat. 

Oliver Update

With so much about pregnancy and the new baby coming I thought it might be nice to post an update about what's new in the life of Oliver.

Here is Oliver at my staff Christmas party eating a candy cane. He insisted on helping as an elf for the Secret Santa giveaway. On stage, without my prompting. So, a real ham.

Age: Almost 2 1/2 years old! His half birthday is on Feb 5th.

Clothes: He wears basically all 2T. Sometimes I'll randomly find an 18M shirt or pants in his drawer and it often fits. Most of his jeans need a belt because he's a skinny little bird. His shoes are 9's I think. And his undies are 2T/3T which surprises me.Favourite Foods: I think tomatoes and cherry tomatoes will eternally be his favourite since he has personally grown them in "his" garden since birth. He calls them 'matos'. On the healthier side he loves all fruit - especially apples, clementines, halved grapes, bananas (unpeeled only, don't even think of cutting them for him unless it's going in a smoothie) and so much more. He is hesitant about kiwi if it doesn't have honey drizzled on it, which is only fair. Blueberries ('blues') and blackberries ('blacks') are popular right now. He likes every vegetable too - he had a giant serving of Brussels sprouts last night, he eats salad like a champion. He likes meat but calls it all "meat" unless I tell him it's chicken. Beef, pork, etc. is just "meat". He often asks for "dipper please" which means vinaigrette, mustard, ketchup, BBQ sauce or yogurt (if it's something sweet). He does love yogurt. He drinks only water unless he's in the mood for "hot cocoa" which he can practically make himself -- makes tea too (with ice cubes - "tea, cold, please"). What else? He always wants daddy's chips. He recently tried a pb+j and loves it. And just cheese all the time. 

Favourite Words: I'd have to go with "mess" and "turn". He loves to point out when he's spilled something or tracked snow on the hard wood, or if someone else has. If he leaves his trucks out in his bedroom he'll come notify me: oh no mommy mess! And telling us it's his turn for a TV show is a more frequent thing than I'd like to admit. Beyond that, he asks to call my mom a hundred times a day "Phone Maamo?" That and "Oh MAAM" instead of oh man.

Favourite Activities: Playing trucks or tractors could easily take up the entire day. He likes his new play kitchen and making me eggies and noodles. Train set, for hours. He really likes bubble baths. He will colour for a new minutes. Reading books for a while too. Smashing things with his play tools. And actually, I'd say "helping". He loves helping -- with laundry, with putting away dishes, with picking his clothes, tidying up... He is an amazing helper.

Favourite Things: His favourite things would have to be Fireman Sam episodes, Tobblerone bars, his best friend Abigail, when daddy hugs him and pretends they're "stuck", when he gets to stay up and "party" with the boys in daddy's band ("Mama, party please?"), asking for refills on his water sippy cup, the days when I don't go to work ("gerk"), talking on the phone, and wearing jeans ("please Mommy, no jammies.") 

Signature Moves: He has a mean twerk when he hears "booty booty booty booty rockin' everywhere" or that new Drake song. He likes to hop around and say he's hoppy instead of happy.
 

Mom's Proudest Moment: A very short lived one... we had friends over for dinner and our salad had cherry tomatoes in it. He had finished all of his and asked if he could eat one of mine. I said yes but I said: darn, it was my last one! So right before he put it in his mouth he said, "ok, mommy eat" and gave it back to me. I thought it was terribly sweet and generous, but as soon as I swallowed it he realized he'd made a terrible mistake and demanded I check the fridge for more tomatoes. I've also been very proud of his eating habits, his using "please" and "thank you" constantly, his new words every day, and so much more.

Dad's Proudest Moment: I'd have to ask him... Probably when we were watching a Leafs game and Ollie yelled JOFFREY! to something that Lupul did -- it was actually unreal.

Other Milestones: I can successfully feed him chicken drumsticks, tossed salad, and oranges without being scared he'll choke. He can properly pronounce the name Thomas (his train). He is fine to have a bath by himself while I do other things in the bathroom (hair, makeup) - until recently he always wanted me to come in and play. He can put his socks on. What else? He can choose and close tv shows on Netflix (not proud), count to who knows what (depends on how he's feeling, most days he just says 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3) and say the alphabet in his own special way (A B C D O E O P Q S O yay!) He's cool to go on the potty as long as we sing every song from his Elmo book and he's promised chocolate after, but he rarely follows through and asks me to give him the chocolate, very weird. He is okay to wake up, and be told it's not morning yet, so go back to sleep - huge milestone! And he's just been overall really mature the past little bit, as we see him interact with his friend Abby who is younger than him he know he's going to do his best to be an awesome and caring big brother.

Lastly, here's the monkey with his Maamo (upper) and me (lower) as we drove home from the Farmers Market.

THE GREAT WIPES GIVEAWAY

It’s giveaway time.

Today I have something to offer that will be great for parents. You guys are mostly parents right? See, some fancy-pants blogs have this analysis ability to find out cool information about who reads their posts – me, I just get a number of page views and a rough listing of what countries you guys might be from. I am using my intuition in assuming you would be interested in something that all parents of young ones need…

Wipes - for kids!

Only the classiest here at My Idea of Happiness. It’s true, I will be giving away 2 packs of 30-count Boogie Wipes (choose from fresh, grape, menthol, or unscented; or go for a combo) as well as a separate prize of 1 pack of 42-count Kandoo-brand flushable wipes with a Kandoo Hand Sanitizer or Hand Soap.

Wanna know more?



Boogie Wipes are awesome for cold and flu season. Older kids love to have their own pack so they can feel grown up when, well, the need for a boogie wipe arises. No one likes that scratchy feeling of an over-tissued nose so using something gentle and moisturizing can make all the difference for this season of sickness.

Oliver loves his pack so much that we have a new going conversation in the house:
Oliver: Mama, Ollie boogie. Wipe?
Me: Truth?
Oliver: Yes mama, truth! Boogie!
Me: Okay, take a wipe.
Or, he says: no truth mommy. Sorry. (Honest kid.)

Click to enter the Boogie Wipes giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Open to readers in the US, Canada and Australia.

Check out their Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest or their website: www.boogiewipes.com. 

And Kandoo's bum wipes are equally great for a child's independence. Because they are safe for septic-systems and therefore flushable they are a perfect option for potty trainers. Not quite ready to be trusted to do a thorough job with toilet paper, and also the same concept of using something moisturizing for these oh-so-sensitive areas of the body.

Oliver loved his pack of them one day that came with customizable stickers to write his name and add some animals to the container. He still uses it for collecting wood clothes pins (he has inherited my sense is awesome.) 

You can enter this one by clicking here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 
Open to readers in the US and Canada.

Check out Kandoo on Facebook.

Another Pregnancy Update

I happened upon this fun pregnancy survey and I DID just get back from a midwife appointment, so really I'm almost obligated to do this for you.

How did you find out you were pregnant?  A pink-style Dollar Store pregnancy test, at about 6 in the morning in my bathroom.

What kind of Pregnancy test did you take?  Ah darn it, I already answered this above! I will add that I paid the $1.07 in basically nickels.

How many?  One! I was already quite far along, the hormones were buzzing!

What were your 1st symptoms?  Feeling grossed out by a number of foods, and feeling queasy in the morning.

Who did you tell first?  My Calvin. Then no one for a week or two. Then our families and close friends.

Who was with you when you found out?  By myself for the first view of the 2 lines, but I walked over and told Calvin (who was sleeping) about 15 seconds later.

My 1st reaction:  Hurray!

Was your baby planned?  More by God than us, but I had just gotten my lady-cycles back after a long bout of pregnancy & breastfeeding.

When was the baby conceived?  I should not be the one to explain this to you! But it was early May and I don't know any specifics.

How far were you when you found out?  I actually think I was almost done the first trimester!

How did your parents react?  They were so happy. We were eating at a Thai restaurant and we wrote it in a card to my sister.

My baby

Due Date:  January 26th, 2014.

Do you know the sex?  Nope! Not even a faint idea.

Any names?  We know his or her last name will be Harrison.

Any Ultrasounds?  Two -- early one for dating since I didn't know how far along I might be. Another one around 18 weeks for anatomy scan.

Have you heard the heart beat?  Many times. Today the heart rate was about 160.

Who do you think it will look like?  Likey Oliver.  

Will the baby have siblings?  At least one.

Have you felt the baby move?  Dumb question.

Miscellaneous

Did you have morning sickness?  "Sickness" seems like an over-exaggeration. I never threw up.

Did you have any cravings?  I've been kind of thinking I haven't had many cravings but when I really think about it: yes. Very tart/sour apples, condiments, salty anything but especially pickles, vinegar even when it's not appropriate, smoothies, peanut butter, buttered toast... Okay, this is just a list of things I always crave even when I'm not pregnant.

Did you have any mood swings?  Calvin would say yes. My best and most memorable is when I called over to the kitchen "Hey do you wanna stop at Arby's before we get on the highway? I'd really love a roast beef sandwich." and he said "Oh, I just started making us lunch. Maybe another day." and I burst out crying. Like sobbing.

Are you a high risk pregnancy?  Nope.

Any complications?  Nope.

Formula or Breastfeeding?  Breastfeeding all the way! I actually think if I medically couldn't do it I would hire one of my friends to do it for me.

Have you bought anything for the baby yet?  Bedroom paint? That's pretty much it.

When did you start to show?  I think around 14, I don't know.

How long could you wear your regular clothes?  I am wearing all regular clothes today but it's hit or miss. Tights always work.

Will you keep the baby’s clothes?  Here's the plan: everything that gets stained becomes a quilt patch. I'll save babe's clothes until Cal and I have a good chance to chat about whether we'll try for a 3rd or be done. If we decide our family is complete, I'll give them all away. Or if we decide right away that 2's enough and this one is a girl I'll get rid of Ollie's real boy-ish stuff (or, again, quilt-ify).

Home or Hospital?  A mix, ha ha. I don't wanna explain.

Natural or Medicated birth?  Mega-uber-natural.

Who will be in the delivery room with you?  Calvino, midwife, and our moms and my sisters are welcome to come visit if they want.

Do you think you will need a C-section?  No!

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the 1st time?  I'm not sure! I didn't the first time but I think I was in shock or not fully present. I'm not a crier but I do think I might.

What’s the 1st thing you might say to the baby?  Hello little one! 

Will you let anyone video tape the birth?  It would be really cool to have some videos to look at. I don't want like a full-view National Geographic one though.

Are you excited?  I really am!

Who will help you with the baby after the birth?  Every person ever, right guys? I'm putting in my requests now: I want all my pals to bring me freezer meals!

What is your favorite thing about being pregnant?  People feeding me extra.

What is the worst thing about being pregnant?  The discomfort.

What’s one thing you miss doing since being pregnant?  Amaretto, raw tuna sushi, normal jeans.  

Any days you wish you were not pregnant?  Sometimes I wish I was already at my due date.

Are you ready for a baby?  There are a few things that would make me more ready: finishing the packing of my hospital bag, buying newborn diapers, putting the crib back together, picking a name, installing the car seat base.

Do you have insurance?  Yes.

How many kids do you want?  Two or three.

Do you talk to the baby?  Yep.

Do you still feel attractive?  In a different way, but yes I do!

Have you had your baby shower yet?  There isn't one planned.

Do you like kids?  Yes, but I really, really, really like my own kids.

How far along are you now?  Full term this weekend!