So I am a Picture Happy Mom

Finally! A picture of Alex and I that I like!


Pictures using my cell phone

Tractor Ron Butt

Too cute diaper cover! I wish it were a green and yellow tractor though, but oh well. I hope his tractor loving Papa approves


Here is Papa and Grandma Awww!

Duuuude!--Babies are Such Chick Magnets!

When M, Alex and I go out grocery shopping or running errands, I wear Alex in one of the 4 carrier wraps that I made. Today M asked if he could have the wrap on and carry Alex around while we went out shopping. So I put the black wrap on him, popped Alex in and away we went. M was surprised at how snug and secure the wrap felt, and Alex just snuggled down and went to sleep nearly right away--aww!

While we were out, M got a lot of looks from people, mostly accompanied by smiles, but some were quizzical, and some were downright confused (Why is that bloke actually carrying his baby rather than putting the babe in a proper pushchair/buggy/pram?) THEN there were the looks from the young women that looked my Hubby up and down, and had I not been there, M figures that he'd have gotten some phone numbers (Yeah ladies, I know he's HAWT, and he is a WONDERFUL Daddy, and he's ALL mine!!!)

Here is Alex all snuggled up in the wrap---he loves to be in the wrap and it is almost instant naptime when he's in it!


See! Sleeping baby! Awww!

I wish I had know about wrap carriers when I had Z and L. They are so cheap to make and once I practiced once or twice, they were super easy to put on. Here is where I learned--http://www.mamatoto.org/

Why I Love Cloth Diapering

Isn't this diaper wrap just THEE CUTEST EVER!?! We just got this in the mail today and within minutes of M opening up the package, Dudy Dog was on Alex. <3 <3 <3 It is so soft and fluffy and Dudy's ears are floppy. Wraps like this are what made me want to cloth diaper my baby in the first place.


Alex's Daddy was holding him and one foot slipped out of the blanket, and I just *had* to take a picture of the foot cuteness!
Daddy and Alex spending some quality time together <3 <3 <3

Reason One Bazillion and One Why I am Glad I Breastfeed

The night before last night, one of my brilliant neighbors decided to dry her clothes in front of a high heat output electric heater and set her livingroom on fire. We were woken up at 3 am by a fireman knocking at our door saying that there was a fire in the building. We rushed to get dressed, as we only wear underwear to bed, get the cats in the pet carriers, I put a wrap on and put Alex in it, grabbed the diaper bag and blanket and our coats and got out. We were allowed to stay inside on the ground floor because the firefighters believed that they had the fire contained to the original apartment on one of the upper floors (we live in a 9 storey building). So we waited to hear what was going on.

In the mean time, Alexander was ready to eat, so I found a quiet corner, sat down and fed him. It was then that I realized that had I chosen to formula feed, we would have been in a world of hurt--I would have never remembered to grab the formula, water and bottles! I told M that I was so glad that I was breastfeeding and he wholeheartedly agreed.

Within the hour, we were given the all clear to return to our apartments. Ours was a teeny tiny bit smokey but all right after having the windows open to air out for a bit. Alex nursed to sleep, and M and I soon went back to sleep as well.

Whew! Crisis averted!

Ahhh Smiles! ~15 days old~

This morning at 4:30, Alex gave Daddy and I some genuine smiles! I had told Daddy ages ago that the first 2 weeks of Baby's life tends to be pretty tough with establishing breastfeeding and figuring out sleeping patterns and what soothes and what isn't liked at all. Then around the 4 to 6 week mark, they tend to start smiling and cooing, and it makes all the sleepless night just melt away. We got our reward a bit early at 15 days. We both felt the sleepless nights go M'Buh bye now as soon as Alex smiled at us. We slept the rest of the night(morning) very soundly and restfully :)

And because I love giving baby love, more pictures! (if it works)

10 Days and some Baby Love

Some of my favorite pictures of Alex so far, plus the true knot in his umbilical cord (the bio-geek in me loves this picture)

I am typing one handed right now, so not a long post. Enjoy the pics of our Squeaker Squeaker'ums!

Bouncing Baby Boy!!

Alex M was born at 4:27pm GMT Saturday Jan 5th (11:27am eastern, 10:27am central, 9:27am mountain, 8:27am pacific) 9pounds 10 ounces, 21 1/2 inches long. He was born into his Daddy's loving arms. He had a true knot in his umbilical cord. He has long thick brown hair and blue eyes that we think might turn green later. He looks just like Daddy with some of new Grandma H's features mixed in. He is breastfeeding like a champ, and surprisingly enough after how active he was in utero, he is so calm and quiet.

Daddy is so proud and (I think, more than I) in love with his new son. Alex is cute and squishy and adorable. He even has the dimple in his chin that I find so adorable in his Daddy.

Unfortunately, due to the pre-eclamptic sysmptoms that we tried for over a week to get rid of were still present when I was in labor and we ended up transferring to the hospital instead of having Alex at home like I had wanted. HOWEVER, Jan, our midwife, made special concessions for us and stayed with us for the entire labor and birth rather than the usual hand-off to hospital personel. She made sure that all interventions that we didn't want were not done to me or Alex. With my superhero Husband's help and support, I did it pain-med free, standing up, and after 3 pushes, Alexander slid into his Daddy's waiting and loving arms at 4:27pm into a low lit, quiet room. Daddy and Jan handed Alex to me through my legs, and I held him skin to skin right away and wrapped him in a soft receiving blanket that we brought from home. Alex barely even wimpered after he was born. All in all, minus being at home, we had exactly the birth that we wanted, and were back home by the time Alex was 7 hours old, and we all cuddled up safe and snug in our own bed for a good night's sleep.

Ahhh. Bliss!

41 and 3

Still here, hanging by a thread.... We went in for monitoring, bp, blood and urine tests. Baby's movements and heartrate are excellent, my urine and blood came back normal-no protein spillage, but my bp remained a bit high and the swelling/edema in my lower legs remained as well, but I chalk that up to sitting for nearly 6 hours in chairs waiting for results. The doctor thought that I should stay in overnight for bp monitoring every hour with a 70% of them squeezing me in for an induction. I got the deer-in-the-headlights-look on my face, and M and I discussed it, and we both knew from previous experience that there was no way that I'd sleep at all in the hospital and then go into a possible induction that we were setting me up for big time failure. We reasoned with the doc and her higher-upper person that it would be best that we just go home and get some sleep, and we would call back in the morning with the proviso that any blurry vision/headaches/chest pain that we'd return immediately.

We went home, ate, and went to bed and I had an emotional melt-down. Not for mourning the loss of my UC/homebirth, but of the SHEAR TERROR of having to go through that special kind of hell (for me, that is) called induction. My first-born was induced at 41+3, and that is what I am today. By the time I finally asked for the epidural, I wanted to claw my face and belly off, and was pleading for the L&D nurses to knock me out under general anesthesia and c-section me.

I got about 5 hours of sleep. It is amazing to me how nackered I get when I have been crying. I got up and took a bath to try to come to grips with the induction, and had a complete break-down again. M called the hospital to see if they had space for me and they wanted me in pronto. I got out of the bath and curled up on the bed and sobbed. I could not come to grips with an induction. My intelligent mind told me that I *should* go in, but emotional mind wouldn't let me. I was too emotionally fragile, and I knew then and still know now, that if I had gone in that I'd end up resenting myself, my dear sweet M, and even my innocent unborn. What would be a fix for one day would become years of what needed to be fixed. We called in, and they tried to persuade us into coming in today because they had room today (barely), but we asked if a community midwife could just be sent out for a bp and doppler tones later, and a reschedule of induction. We are asked to call in Friday morning to see if there is any room, otherwise Monday morning, or we go in if something drastic happens as a spike in BP, blurry vision, headaches, and/or chest pain.

So hopefully my water breaks before then, and labor starts before then--otherwise it is induction hell for me.