Chris, Michelle, and Baby Boy

Emmett’s First Move

2010-04-23T22:33:00.001-07:00

Well, this is our last night in our apartment. I have really enjoyed it here – our apartment was a decent size, and it was fairly new and quite nice inside (plus I actually spent some time in “decorating” it). I am going to miss our lake to walk around. I’m going to miss all the ducks and the turtles too. Today Emmett and I got to see a mama duck with all her sweet little ducklings, and also got to see about 30 turtles sun-baking on the side of the lake. I like to see how many turtles jump back into the lake when we walk by – usually only 1 or 2 are brave enough to stick it out on the shore! I am certainly going to miss having a pool….but I can always come back for a visit during the summer! Plus, I plan to get that kiddie pool for our backyard, and maybe some fun sprinklers (if I can convince Chris that we definitely need them!). But with all this said, I am so excited to be moving back into a house, and even move excited that we’re moving into a house that we now own!! Chris and I bought a house! That’s just crazy. It’s so beautiful – I can’t wait to post pictures. The apartment is almost all packed and we moved a few things today, but tomorrow is the official moving day. I actually think that tomorrow will go quite smoothly since we’ve got most of our things ready to go!

As Emmett is an experienced crawler now, I can’t wait to move into the house so that we can babyproof simply by closing doors to rooms. In our apartment, the computers are in the living room, and Emmett LOVES to head straight for all the wires. I am constantly having to keep him away from them.

At 8 and 1/2 months, Emmett has been acting a little clingy. Some days he plays nicely with his toys, other days he follows me around all day long trying to pull up on my legs. Around the 8 month mark, he stopped loving the change table and actually became quite difficult to change – always squirming and trying to turn over and sit up. I’ve had to have Chris come and distract him quite a few times just so that I can get his pajamas on. Oh my! And he’s a strong kid too.

As I’ve already mentioned, he’s got the crawling thing down, and also pulls up on everything! He loves to bang his hand on walls and doors and chew on everything he can get his hands on. One of the cutest things I’ve noticed is that Emmett loves playing with other kids. He loves his friend Bristol and his other friends at our (almost) weekly playdates. He sees Bristol a little more than his other friends because I’ve babysat him a couple of times for my friend. Emmett follows Bristol around everywhere, and when we’re at our place, all Emmett’s toys are suddenly way more interesting to him because Bristol is playing with them!

The move for Emmett has actually been a little upsetting so far. Thankfully I’ve had a lot of help with packing, because I’ve not been able to do as much as I thought I could while looking after a baby!! Don’t really know why that was surprising to me. But Emmett has been having a hard time because he hates the sound of the tape dispenser when we’re putting the boxes together. He cries a real real cry – not a whiney cry – but one of those heartbreaking cries. So we’ve tried to make the boxes in the other room with the door closed to muffle the sound a little! Poor thing. And then today while at the new house moving some things in, Emmett would not let me put him down. If I did put him down to try to help move boxes, he cried that cry. So so sad. I understand that the house is unfamiliar, and is almost completely empty and obviously a little scary for him, but we weren’t there for long and I was still in sight. He really didn’t want to be there today! Tomorrow, we have Chris’s family helping us, and I’m sure Emmett’s Ouma will LOVE the job of watching Emmett for us and making him feel loved!!

Anyway. This whole buying a house thing went really smoothly and quite quickly for us. We asked a friend to be our realtor, and she really helped us out a lot. I’ll be taking photos of the house pretty soon, but may not get them on here for a little while since there will be a couple of days without internet. Plus I’ll be quite busy unpacking at the new house and cleaning the apartment.

I know I said Emmett’s been clingy lately, but he really is a happy baby….and sometimes a completely crazy little baby! I can’t help feeling partly responsible for the silliness of this little boy!!! :)

And here’s Emmett in April 201o – 8 months old

Emmett and Bristol

First hair cut!!! ….well, just trimming the hair around his ears!!

Having so much fun with an Elmo costume we found while packing….

And the silliness continues!!! :)

Sitting’s a Cinch!

2010-04-02T12:57:00.001-07:00

In 11 days, Emmett will be 8 months old. Wow time flies! I know that I will probably always be saying that, but it’s always going to be true…..especially when you’re talking about babies growing up.

I’m not sure how many teeth we were up to last post, but we are now at 8….that’s right, 8 teeth. Just when he’s done sprouting a couple of new teeth and we think we’re done for a while, he goes ahead a sprouts a few more. And for some reason, I don’t instantly expect teething to be the problem, since we only just got over the last couple of teeth. Anyway, Emmett has 4 teeth on top, and 4 on the bottom.

In one of the videos from the last post, Emmett accidentally sat up….well, he’s very serious about it now. He’s also very serious about crawling and pulling up on things. He’s still a little wobbly, but he’s really getting there! In one video, you can hopefully hear Chris comparing Emmett’s crawling to that of a zombie baby and a frog. I agreed to him looking like a frog….and picturing a frog actually made Emmett’s crawling even cuter!

March did bring us one last snow storm – Emmett’s 6th(?) snow storm – but I think I can say that winter is finally over. The weather has been lovely and warm (even hot the other day), so we’ve been going out for walks around our lake, at the park, and to the shops. Unfortunately, the last couple of days have been incredibly windy….but Emmett is surviving. Just being outside is good enough for him! I let him taste some grass and some willow tree branches, so he was perfectly happy!

Emmett now loves banana, avocado, pear, and yoghurt. He was starting to get a little sick of his veggie dinners, but Cath suggested I add a little cheese, and that worked wonders! I even sneak in a little broccoli and he gobbles it all up…thanks Cath and cheese! Emmett got to eat his first Vegemite sandwich a couple of days ago, and now enjoys vegemite on toast for breakfast! And also had his first ice block/popsicle the day that it was actually kind of hot!

I bought Emmett 2 sippy cups to start transitioning from his bottles, and I finally started offering them to him the other day. I put water in them so that I don’t have to clean him up every time he tries to drink from them. He’s getting the hang of it though!!

Other than all the teething that’s been going on, he’s been a happy chappy. He really loves to read his TRUCKS book, and loves to play peek-a-boo even more now that he can move himself around. And I was just going to mention that I’ve had to go through all his clothes and put away outfits he’s outgrown, when I remembered that I had not yet mentioned that we BOUGHT A HOUSE! So we’ll be moving again around the last week of April. We are obviously very excited to be getting our own place! It’s really beautiful! And I’m excited to be getting a backyard again – just in time for summer, and perfect for little kiddie pools! Just wait for pictures of Emmett and his mummy sitting in the kiddie pool and eating ice blocks! :)

OK…now for what you might have just skipped all the above to see!!…. ;)

This video is a little long, so I don’t mind if you don’t make it to the end. But you need to see the first minute or so, because Emmett very clearly says, “Hello Dad!” :) Funny boy. Oh and it was finally warm enough to let Emmett play clothes-free!

Our little frog….or zombie baby!

Emmett played with this paper for ages. Clearly his mother doesn’t normally let him have paper!

He’s always been extremely vocal!!

Snack time…..and building up those fine motor skills!

Time for some water!

Clapping hands!

A good friend took these next set of photos for us while at their place for dinner! She did an amazing job….and she was just snapping away for fun! Please remember to click on the photos to see the originals.

And here are my photos from March 2010….

And I’ve been meaning to get this photo to Miranda for a while now. Here it is, Miranda! Sorry it took me so long.

Guess Who Managed to Sit Up??!!

2010-02-21T09:57:00.001-08:00

Just after reaching 6 months, Emmett started teething again, which kept him (and us) up at night. Every time he woke up he would start crying and not stop until we came and got him. That was not too fun. Then he became congested and couldn’t breath through his nose. Because he couldn’t breathe very well through his nose, he took fewer bottles and ate less in general. Then we had his 6 month checkup, and since he hadn’t had a fever with his congestion, I went ahead and had them give him his vaccinations/shots. So, back at home, I had a teething, congested, and freshly vaccinated baby to deal with! Poor thing. He wasn’t too happy, and has taken a couple of days to start feeling better. He is still a little congested, but he is starting to eat more…..which always makes me feel better!

And at 6 months, the official weight and height are as follows: 20.8 pounds/9.5 kgs, 28.5 inches/72.4 cms.

I really don’t think it will be long before Emmett starts crawling since he now gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. He sometimes rocks so much that he launches himself forward and bonks his head on stuff. He also goes backwards a little, and has an easy time spinning around in circles to reach his toys.

This video shows him up on his hands and knees and how he managed to get himself up to a sitting position!! He probably won’t do that again for some time, but it was exciting to see!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made baby food last weekend. We’ve now tried sweet potato, butternut squash, pear, apple, and banana. He’s very happy eating the sweet potato, but he’s taking a little longer to get used to the butternut squash. Sometimes he eats it, sometimes not! He eats his pears, and is not minding the apple. But he did not like the bananas at all!!! even when I mixed them with some cereal!

Emmett’s Ouma made us some food as well, so we’ve also got the freezer packed full of carrots, squash, green beans, and broccoli!

And here’s a fun video of Emmett being silly with his Uncle Les and Aunty Jackie!

First Fruit

2010-02-11T15:43:00.001-08:00

After trying sweet potato for a couple of days, it was time to try some fruit. I started Emmett on pears, and this was his reaction!!! :)

And I went to the store today and bought carrots, butternut squash, more sweet potato, bananas, apples, and more pears! This weekend I’m making baby food!!

Latest Developments

2010-02-07T20:49:00.001-08:00

Emmett is 6 days from being 6 months old! He has his 6 month checkup on the 15th February, so we’ll be able to get all the “official” measurements then, but as of a couple of days ago, he weighs 21.5 lbs / 9.8 kgs.

Putting away some of Emmett’s little clothes. Current pajamas on left!!!

Emmett on the 24th September 2009, and then the 24th January 2010.

He’s got the wiggles: Emmett has recently developed a new wiggling technique where his arms and legs are all up in the air wiggling (it looks like he’s trying to swim). He seems to do this when he wants to move – at least that’s what we’ve decided. Instead of keeping his hands on the floor to help him move, he throws all limbs up! Very funny. It is sad at the same time because he’s getting a little frustrated by the lack of moving that’s happening when he’s clearly trying so hard.

We have seen Emmett get up on his hands and knees a couple times (for a few seconds each time), and we have also witnessed him moving backwards (a little…). We are obviously very proud of our little man!!

Supported Sitting: At the end of January I got out the Boppy pillow and had Emmett practice his sitting in it. To my surprise, he was already quite good at it, and very ready for some supported sitting! He now lasts much longer playing with his toys on the floor because he’s sitting up and not laying down. He does occasionally fall back or roll sideways out of the pillow, but as long as he doesn’t roll onto some of the harder toys, he’s fine for a while in the new position.

Solid Food:
I had Emmett eating a little rice cereal once a day for a week, then decided that I didn’t need to rush the fruits and vegetables (since he wasn’t quite 6 months), and started him on baby oatmeal once a day for the next week. Then I decided that we’d waited long enough and tried some sweet potato on the 2nd February. He took the first couple of spoonfuls OK, but then started doing these funny full body shivers so I stopped and gave him a bottle!! :) It was really quite funny to see his reaction to the new (and strong) taste. After a few days and thinning the sweet potato a little more with formula, he started eating all his food no problem.

Eating some oatmeal… (and being a little silly with Daddy’s hat on!)

Eating all his sweet potato….

Tomorrow I’ll prepare some pear for him to try next.

And some more photos (just because I can)…
…Sitting up

…Playing with his friend

And…what happens when his Dad watches him for a few seconds! :) He loves it!

Lastly, I want to mention that I finally bought Emmett his first toothbrush. Just like at mealtimes, I sit Emmett in the Bumbo seat to have his teeth brushed. He is such a good boy and only tries to bite the toothbrush a little! He actually lets me brush his two teeth and even some of his gums! Chris helped me get a video of the teeth brushing. I didn’t realise I was getting my big head in most of the picture though – sorry!

Solid Food for a Solid Boy

2010-01-23T21:15:00.001-08:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I started Emmett on rice cereal this week, and he is enjoying it so far! We’re taking it nice and easy and having the cereal once a day, but I think I’ll increase that next week. Then pretty soon we’ll get more exciting with some fruit and veggies! That sounds nice and messy!!

This video is day 3 of “solid” food. I made it thicker than the first day and he still did really well. He definitely prefers his bottles and food to be quite warm!

And here is a bonus video. He thinks we’re crazy when we blow our nose!

5 Months

2010-01-18T18:00:00.001-08:00

The last couple of days Emmett has been practicing his D sounds! We’ve heard sounds like dadadda deedee over and over and it’s adorable.

Emmett is going to have his first mush (or “solid” food) this week. I have everything prepared – plastic bib, little spoons, rice cereal mix, formula to mix with it…..and of course, a hungry little boy who wants to chomp on everything! We don’t have a highchair yet, but I think the bumbo seat will do for now.

He’s now an expert at rolling over and when I tried to take a video of it (below), I had to hold him in place so I would have a chance to start the camera before he rolled over!! He hasn’t actually rolled the other way – front to back – so once on his tummy he gets a little frustrated because he can’t move anywhere from there!

For a few weeks now he’s been able to pull his dummy out of his mouth (not just spit it out), but the last week or so he can find it again, pick it up, put it in his mouth, and actually leave it there! What a clever boy.

I love my boys!

Edit: We got to try the rice cereal today. I followed the instructions on the box for a first time feeding, and the cereal was much runnier than I thought. I stuck with it, because I knew it wouldn’t hurt, and Emmett got to experience eating (slurping) from a spoon!

All ready to eat!

Meeting the Grandparents

2010-01-08T22:17:00.001-08:00

Well, my parents have come and gone and we really enjoyed having them here. Emmett loved meeting his grandparents, of course! And he definitely loved having them look after him while I was at work!

I feel like it’s been so long since I posted last because Emmett is just about 5 months now. December was such a busy month for him! He learned to roll from his back to his front, he sprouted his 2 bottom teeth, he definitely found his feet and hasn’t lost them since, he loves to grab his toys and put them all straight into his mouth, and he had his first taste of formula (which understandably takes some getting used to).

Here’s some rolling practice with lots of help from me. He can do it by himself though, I promise!

He plays so well in his exersaucer by himself now! Which means that he’s giving us some breaks every now and then! He’s also had a few loves already. First, there was his Octopus on his activity mat – which he would have staring competitions with. Then he fell in love with his Lion – which he would chew on until the whole toy was drenched (that gave me a surprise when I picked it up one day! I seriously had to hang it out to dry). And now, his favourite is his plastic squishy book which his Great Grandparents gave him. He’ll be standing there (in the exersaucer) playing away and then I’ll hold the book close to him and he gets so excited he starts wobbling and opens his mouth and holds out his hands, and then when he grabs it he tries so desperately to put it into his mouth! It’s quite hilarious and I may even have to try to catch it on video!

Here he is grabbing his toys and getting a hold of his Lion:

I can make Emmett laugh just fine, but he thinks his Dad is absolutely hilarious! I crack up laughing just hearing Emmett laughing with Chris. I love it. It’s such a fun, happy time.

But back to my parents’ visit. We spent the weekend before Christmas in Tulsa with Chris’s family. Emmett had both sets of Grandparents there to spoil him. It was wonderful and I’m not sure when that will happen next. Then we had the Christmas weekend at our place and it was quite an experience! Emmett’s first Christmas and first white Christmas. I’m pretty sure it was also my Mum and Dad’s first white Christmas. And since Oklahomans are not exactly prepared for the weather we had, we were basically snowed in for a few days!!! Thankfully we had all we needed (basically I mean we had enough yummy food) that we didn’t need to go out for anything and enjoyed a few relaxing days inside away from the freezing cold.

Thanks again for coming to visit us, Mum and Dad. Emmett really did enjoy having you here. And Chris and I did too! We love you. Enjoy the rest of your summer in Oz while we completely FREEZE over here in OK!!! :)

And to finish off this “Emmett meets his Aussie Grandparents” post, see the video below for a bit of silliness!! ;)

2010-01-08T21:50:00.001-08:00

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Quick Update…

2009-12-06T20:32:00.001-08:00

Emmett: Almost 4 months old, and almost 18 pounds (just over 8kgs). Has had his first Thanksgiving, and is meeting his Grandparents for the first time on Wednesday. We’re all very excited!!

Some photos from Thanksgiving:

Emmett with his cousin Ben

Emmett with his Ouma

And some videos, of course!!!!

You don’t need to be able to see this last one, just hear it!! :)

Now we just have to wait for Wednesday to pick up the Grandparents from the airport!!!

3 Months

2009-11-13T18:39:00.001-08:00

This is just too cute. I love him!

A Working Mum

2009-11-08T20:46:00.001-08:00

Let me just say that being a stay-at-home mum is wonderful. Firstly, for the obvious reason of being able to look after my baby all day. Secondly, being able to do all the housework during the week and save weekends to play with baby and husband. Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, visits to the bank and post office (or any place only open during the week), etc. are all so much easier to do when you have all day to do them. Now I’m back to doing all my housework on the weekends (like everyone else). I know this is what I had to do before, but it really is quite different having to work, find time to do all the regular stuff, and have a baby! I think there will be a few frozen pizzas in our future – at least until we get used to the new routine! I know it’s obvious, but I definitely prefer to be a full time mum.

So now I am about to start my 3rd week back at work. My hours are back to 8:30am – 5:30pm, but that means I leave at 8:00am and get back at 6:00pm. The days seem quite long – getting up during the night for baby, feeding baby in the morning, getting myself and pumping supplies ready for work, working with 16 2-year olds all day, coming home, spending 2 hours with my baby, putting him to bed and then “relaxing” and then getting ready for the next day again! Thankfully we had Kay stay with us these first 2 weeks and she was a huge help! Emmett was taken care of during the day and dinner was ready for us when I got home! From now until my parents get here on the 9th of December, my friend is taking care of Emmett during the day. So tomorrow we start a whole new routine and I hope Emmett adjusts to it OK.

Work is not too bad. This time I knew what to expect so it hasn’t been as tough as when I first started – plus I’m not 9 months pregnant in 100F/40C degree heat!! I have had some issues with my break schedule but I think we may have worked it out – or I am just going to do the best with what they’re giving me.

Emmett is almost 3 months and is doing great. He loves his Ouma and he can’t wait to meet his Aussie Grandma and Grandad in December. He hates the wind (which has really been picking up lately), he loves bath time, he loves to sleep in his big boy cot/crib, he loves to wiggle like crazy, he loves to smile and make adorable noises, he loves sitting or standing so he can look around – he doesn’t like to miss things, and he still loves his octopus.

Here is Emmett in his carrier at 2 days old and at 12 weeks!!

2.5 weeks and 12 weeks

In 5 days I’m going to be the mother of a 3 month old!!!!

Tummy Time

2009-10-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

Yep! Another video. I can’t help but take photos and record videos of my little man, and if I’ve got him on camera, I may as well share right?! Right.

2 Months

2009-10-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 months, baby Emmett!

At 2 months, Emmett loves to hold his head up like a champ, kick like crazy, talk up a storm, smile like he knows he’s loved, blow bubbles with the best of them, stare like he’s never seen something so interesting, and fart like he’s one of the boys!

Seriously, his smiles are so cute and make me smile and laugh every time, and our conversations are the best – he has such a sweet little voice and talks so much! He is getting pretty good at telling the difference between day and night and is sleeping really well, and he is obviously eating just fine and now goes about 3-4 hours between feedings.

As of the 7th of October (8 weeks), Emmett weighs 14.4 lbs / 6.5 kgs, and when we last tried to measure him on the 15th September, he was 62.2cms / 24.5in. His next doctor’s appointment is on the 19th of October.

He is growing so quickly!! Here are some photos to see how far he’s come:

At 2 days….and at 7 weeks

At 4 days….and at 5 weeks

3 days….6 weeks

These next lot of photos date from the 30th August to the 11th of October…

4 weeks

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks

8 weeks

The time has almost come for me to go back to work – I only have 2 weeks left at home with my baby. We have decided that Emmett will not be coming with me to work for now, and Kay – Emmett’s Ouma – will be taking care of him until I can work out being home with him myself. In preparation for my return to work, we have been replacing one of Emmett’s regular feedings each day with a bottle feeding, which Chris gets to give to him, and I have been trying to store up some extra breast milk. Thankfully, Emmett has no problems drinking from his bottle, so hopefully feedings won’t be too hard for him during the day with me not there.

I am so thankful that Kay is able to help us out for a bit – since I really didn’t want Emmett to have to go to daycare so young. Obviously, I would stay home with him myself if I could – but that can’t happen until I find different employment (somehow working from home!!) or we get green cards.

Anyway, I’ll go back to work for now, Emmett will stay as cute as ever and probably get even cuter, my parents will come to visit us in December (Emmett is their 6th grandchild, with their 7th arriving while they’re over here in December), and we’ll continue to try to figure things out!! And I think that’s about all for now!

And, as I said before, happy 2 months Emmett! It has been absolutely wonderful! You are such a beautiful boy, and we love you so much. xx

7 Weeks

2009-10-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

I’m hoping to edit this later to describe what Emmett is up to these days, but I’m in a rush and I really wanted to post this video before it gets out-dated!

I’m sorry to make you listen to me, but it’s the only way you’re going to listen to him!! :) He’s a sweet kid with a sweet little voice!! Enjoy.

Videos of our Little Man

2009-09-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

Emmett was 4 weeks old yesterday! He weighs a little over 11 pounds (about 5.2kgs) and is still doing really well. I’ve now had 5 weeks off work and still have 7 weeks left!!! :) I know that it is going to go by too quickly.

Anyway, just a short post as I mainly wanted to share a few videos of our little guy. Enjoy!!!

This last one is a bit long – but if you can make it, he talks a lot towards the end of the video! :)

Our Little (Big) Overachiever

2009-08-27T18:04:00.001-07:00

Our little man is 2 weeks old today…but it turns out that he is not as little as we thought!! I took Emmett to his 2 week check up today and the little guy weighed in at 9lbs 15 1/2 oz!!! He is almost 10 pounds! The doctor said he would have been happy if Emmett had at least reached his birth weight of 9lbs 1oz!! So I don’t think I need to worry about Emmett not getting enough to eat!!

Emmett and I had a wonderful day today. We went to the doctor, we went grocery shopping, we came home and “talked” and read books, we went for a walk around the lake, we had some tummy time, and we ate a lot without overeating. I was worried the other day because he spat up a couple times after being fed. I was concerned, obviously because I hated seeing him throw up all his food, but we decided that he was probably just overeating. I asked the doctor about it and he was not concerned as Emmett was still gaining weight and wasn’t upset after spitting up etc.

I don’t have much else to say, so here’s a video of Emmett’s tummy time. Once again, he’s our little overachiever. By about the end of Emmett’s first week, we noticed that he could lift and turn his head while propped up on Chris’s shoulder. He was still occasionally pretty floppy, but had surprisingly good control of his head and neck. Now, by 2 weeks, he can lift his head while lying face down on the floor!! What a clever boy.

And some photos of our beautiful boy:

We probably shouldn’t try to take photos of a hungry boy!

First real bath – he looks concerned in this photo, but he didn’t cry at all and seemed to enjoy it! What a good boy.

It’s a little hard to see because of the light, but here are the curtains that Kay made for Emmett’s room. They are beautiful and go perfectly with the room.

These next two photos were not in older posts because they would have revealed Emmett’s name to those not wanting to find out.

Kay made these cupcakes for the baby shower!

And now since my sister has received these in the mail, I would like to share my second attempt at bitty booties! And of course, my niece needed her own nappy bag!!!

That’s all for now! But you know it won’t be long before I have more photos to share of Emmett!

Emmett Ian

2009-08-19T22:08:00.001-07:00

He is here!! And will be a week old tomorrow!!!

Emmett Ian was born on Thursday the 13th of August, 2009 at 2:53pm. He weighed 9lbs 1oz and was 22.5 in (57cms). He was also born with a full head of blonde hair – adorable. I gave him this middle name after his Australian Grandad!! I love you, Dad.

The rest of the post is mostly for my own records – but also for my wonderful family in Australia as it’s hard to get all the details when only communicating by phone.

Here is a fairly detailed description of the labour and delivery of Emmett Ian:

On my last doctor’s appointment before my due date, I set up another appointment just in case I went over. Sure enough, my due date comes and goes and I end up going to yet another doctor’s appointment. At my last appointment I was 1 & 1/2 cms dilated. At this next appointment it was my understanding that we would talk about inducing.

On the 12th August at 1pm I went and saw my doctor. She told me that if I was more than 1 & 1/2 cms dilated I could go to the hospital the next morning. But if there was no change, then she had already made arrangements for me to go to the hospital that night. The examination showed no change, so I was to go to the hospital at 8pm that night. I went home and made sure I had everything ready to go.

At 8pm on Wednesday, the 12th August I was admitted into Mercy Health Centre in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to be induced overnight and seen by my doctor in the morning. Once settled into our room, I was started on a drug to thin out and dilate the cervix and cause uterine contractions. This drug is usually given once every 4 hours, but I was very sensitive to it – it caused me to have too many contractions – so they stopped at only one dose. The rest of the night was ours, so we watched a couple of episodes of Heroes (TV show) and then tried to get some sleep. My contractions weren’t very bad, but I had a hard time getting any sleep. At 4:30 the next morning I was given Pitocin to increase the intensity of the contractions. At this point I was only at 2cms dilated. The Pitocin did it’s job, but again, I was super sensitive to this drug and they had to decrease the amount given. On the level of Pitocin that they started me on, my uterus was not getting enough rest in between contractions – so they had to slow things down. From 4:30-8:00am I think I dilated to 3.5cms. Again I got very little sleep.

At 8am on Thursday, 13th August, my doctor broke my water. Even before she finished her exam I was in so much pain, and my contractions were now extremely intense. My doctor said that I could now get an epidural whenever I felt like I needed it. I told her that it wouldn’t be long before I’d be asking for it!

Contractions from then on were so so painful. After the first couple of contractions Chris convinced me to use the breathing techniques we’d practiced at our birth class. I felt silly at first but then gave in. Chris helped me breathe through all my contractions – he was a champ. I was so grateful because I was in no position to distract myself from the pain. For this particular breathing method, he would tell me a number of breaths to take and we would breathe that number together. I was surprised at how well this got me through all the contractions.

Now, by the time I told the nurse that I was ready for an epidural, the anesthesiologist was taken away to an emergency caesarean. Around 9:15am the nurse offered me some pain medication that would “take the edge off” and I accepted. The nurse told me that I should feel light-headed pretty much straight away. She was right, and I felt pretty funny and a little out-of-it. I still remember the contractions being painful though. It wasn’t until 10am that I finally got that epidural! That meant 2 hours of breathing through painful contractions! I was proud of myself and very thankful for my extremely supportive husband!

By the time I got the epidural, I was at about 4cms. Let me just say that the epidural was absolutely amazing. I could now look at the monitor, see that I was having a contraction, and relax because I couldn’t feel it. I was so completely exhausted from very little sleep and 2 hours of contractions, that I basically slept the next couple of hours. Nurses were in and out and I can hardly remember because I was having the best sleep ever!! Eventually, I started noticing the epidural wearing off in one little spot on my left side. The anesthesiologist had told me that if that happened, he could “top me off” to numb that spot again. I could now tell once again when I was having a contraction and I was somewhat uncomfortable. Since I now knew what it was like to experience pain-free contractions, I wanted that again, especially since I had no idea how much longer this would take. At that time, however, the anesthesiologist was once again rushed off to another emergency caesarean (we found out later that 3 of the 4 births up to that point in the day were emergency caesareans). I can’t remember what time the epidural started to wear off in that one spot, but by approximately 12 noon I was at 6cms. Then around 2:30pm my nurse came in to check my progress. After examining me, she said, “Oh my, you’re ready to push! I need to go call your doctor! You’re at 10cms.” She was so surprised that things had moved along so quickly. The delivery room was then quickly set up, and my doctor arrived. I pushed from approximately 2:30pm until obviously 2:53pm when Emmett was born – all 9lbs 1oz of him!!! The doctor and nurses were completely surprised by the size of him, and at how quickly this first time mum laboured and delivered!!! Yay! I did end up having a “small” episiotomy, so the doctor then stitched me up and in no time I was holding my baby. It was all so quick and strangely surreal. Now, since I had not received that epidural top up, I was up and about not too long after that (I believe I did anyway, can’t remember exactly). Not long after I was mobile, we were moved to our new room where we stayed until being discharged.

I really had quite a good experience all round, and I am so thankful that everything went so well. Not including the overnight stay at the hospital (as not much happened), it took 7 hours from breaking my water to holding my baby! And so there was Emmett Ian. Born the 13th August and home on the 15th August. He is doing really well at home and we couldn’t be happier! He is such a sweetie and isn’t too fussy (yet). I think we only had one really tough night where there was very little sleep, but the other nights have not been too bad. And he sleeps so much better now that he is actually getting milk! Oh and just for the record: Engorgement is one of the worst things I’ve experienced….and I just gave birth!

Emmett had his first trip to the pediatrician on the 18th August. We were happy to hear that Emmett is already gaining weight – when we left the hospital, Emmett had lost 6% of his birth weight and weighed 8lbs 9oz. At our appointment, 5 days after birth, he weighed 8lbs 13oz.

As expected, we’ve already taken approximately 1 million photos – as he is quite simply the cutest baby ever. We cannot get over how cute his is. Chris comments on his cuteness every time he looks at Emmett – it’s so lovely seeing Chris with him too. We are thrilled to be the parents of this little guy. He’s wonderful and perfect and I couldn’t be happier right now.

And now it’s photo time. I have so many to choose from – so I’m just going to go ahead and go crazy!

Emmett with Aunty Adrienne and cousin Ben

A very proud Daddy.

Emmett with Uncle Les and Aunty Jackie

About to have a sponge bath…..he has no idea what’s about to happen!!!

Wait for it!!!……

Emmett with Uncle Damien

Emmett with Aunty Jackie

Asleep with Daddy

“Look at me holding my head up!”

He’s perfect and we love him so much. Welcome to our family, baby Emmett!!!

Still Pregnant…

2009-08-01T21:15:00.001-07:00

I am now almost 39 weeks pregnant – I can’t believe we’re here already!! I have finished work and am now officially on maternity leave. My 2nd last doctor’s appointment was the 30th of July and I was told that I am 1cm dilated!! I was really happy to hear that something is happening! I’ve also been told that my belly has dropped a little (see the last photo to judge for yourselves). I still have one more appointment scheduled for next Wednesday – which I may or may not need to go to!! Chris and I feel like we are ready for this baby boy to arrive, and don’t really want to have to wait until the 10th or later. I wouldn’t mind if he came earlier than the 10th, but I would like a couple of days off work first before he comes!!! I hope I’m not asking for too much. ;)

I still need a little more time before baby because I only just started making curtains for our living room. I cut out the material today and will probably end up sewing the curtains when Chris goes back to work on Monday.

I am pleased to say that I actually finished knitting my little boy’s blanket before he arrived, and also finished some other projects for myself and friends…see below.

You can either call this one below a “Nursing Cover-up” or a “Hooter Hider”!! I prefer the latter. I bought enough material to make one for a friend and one for me! :) This Hooter Hider comes with an adjustable neck strap and boning in between the straps so that hopefully you are the only one who can see what’s happening!!

My first attempt at Bitty Booties for a friend. Hopefully in my week off work I will get to make some more!!! They’re adorable.

And here I am almost at 39 weeks. The Belly doesn’t get to see much sun, and I think I need to put those feet up!!!! I’m definitely happy to be replacing 16 2-year-olds with one new born!! (Oh I hope I don’t have to eat my words!!!)

I’m a happy girl – no more work for 12 weeks – all I need to do now is have myself a baby! :)

Not Long Now

2009-07-20T19:44:00.001-07:00

By the way I’m going on this blog (posting once a month), I’ll have a baby before the next post! I am 37 weeks pregnant and my doctor said that I am allowed to have him any time now – since I’ve reached full-term status. I have my next 3 doctor’s appointments set up, and if he doesn’t come before, I only have 2 weeks left at work. Due date is August 10th, but I start my leave on the 3rd of August….I cannot wait!!!! Everything is still going well, and I have a very active little boy inside me. I am really starting to slow down and it’s getting hard to move around – especially at work, since I’m either standing all day or sitting in tiny plastic 2-year-old chairs, and the temperature has been in the 100s/40s for about 3 weeks now. My feet sometimes get a little swollen, but thankfully don’t always stay that way. I’m mostly packed for the hospital, and I even have a bag of snacks to take with us (for Chris mostly, and if he hasn’t finished them, for me after I’ve had the baby). I still need to purchase some nursing tops etc to pack in my hospital bag and we still need to install the car seat. The baby room is set up, thanks to Kay, Joy, Jackie, and Adrienne, and is absolutely beautiful. I’m so happy it’s set up and so happy with how it turned out. This past weekend we went out and bought some material to make curtains, and Kay and Joy will be working on them for me! :) Here are some photos of the room, minus our little boy’s name for those who are wanting to find out later!!!

Chris and baby are sharing a closet!!

The room’s not completely finished – waiting for baby before making the bed, and still needing to hang some pictures up!

Work is actually a little better than before because I’m organising all my own activities for the kids and not waiting to see if the other teacher has prepared anything (she has not prepared anything for the kids to do since I’ve been there). The kids now actually look forward to and enjoy being read to – and even ask me to read certain books!! This is a huge improvement to when I first started – where I couldn’t even get them to sit and listen to any stories.

Chris and I have now been to the baby classes I signed us up for. The birth class on Saturday 11th that went from 9-5 was long but worth it. Chris actually found it helpful and told me that he was glad that we went. His feelings toward the baby feeding class, on the other hand, were not as positive – but I made him go anyway so that I wouldn’t have to repeat all the information!! I may be a terrible wife, but I figured that we wouldn’t have to go to any more baby classes ever again! :)

I keep telling my wonderful parents that I’d love to show them where we live now. It really is a lovely place – great for walking, close to shops, nice pools to swim in, etc. Here we are walking around our lake on the 19th July – Chris’s birthday – before going for a swim in one of our pools!!! And me at 37 weeks!

The next post may just be a welcome baby post!! I’m excited.

Life after ch-ch-ch-changes...

2009-06-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Here's where we're at: 33 weeks pregnant, 3 weeks since the change of address, and a month since changing jobs.

I believe that in my last post I said that I was ready to leave my old work. Boy was I wrong about that one. I hate that my old daycare is closing. I so wish it wasn't - mainly because it really was a nice place and doesn't deserve to be closed down, but also because it would have been so much easier for me at this particular pregnant time in my life. But I really need to stop myself from thinking about how nice things would be if it wasn't closing.
I don't want to go into too much detail about the new place, but one of the main things I need to say is that I was blessed with an amazing co-teacher at my old work. We worked so well together and everything went rather smoothly....we alternated weeks for lesson planning, and we each fully prepared for our lessons etc etc. We really helped each other to make things work. When leaving, I told her that I would probably not find anyone like her, but I didn't expect to be so right.
I also have to tell myself that I'm doing this for the baby. I decided to transfer to this work to keep my insurance, to be entitled to maternity leave (have to be somewhere for at least 12 months), to ensure a full time position and make things less complicated while on the work visa....etc etc. I will say that work is getting a little better and the kids are finally starting to listen to me, but it has been so hard and I've really not been having any fun. And I also have to keep telling myself that I really don't have much longer before I get to have a baby and be a stay-at-home mum for a couple of months at least. Oh and don't even get me started on being told I can only have 6 weeks off work for baby....when the FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) tells me I can have up to 12 weeks. Chris has read the entire Act and is confident that I can take 12 weeks if I want to. When I sat down with the HR person at my work and was told that I could have 6 weeks off and could come back earlier if I wanted, or if I needed more than 6 weeks I had to have a note from my doctor, I wanted to cry. 6-week-old babies are not very big....this makes me very sad. If there are any more problems, I think I'll have my work talk directly to Chris!! :) See! I told you not to get me started!!!

Now for something I like talking about! My pregnancy is still going really well. With that said, I'm actually a lot more achey than I was before, and sleep really is getting harder....but I'm still enjoying it. Sleeping on my side is actually painful at times!! I now have 3 pillows around me, and 4 sleeping bags under me for extra padding!! :) I get up at least 3 times during the night. I feel sorry for Chris as I'm constantly moving around to get comfortable or getting up, and have taken up way more than 1/2 of the bed!!
I love summer and it is definitely my favourite season....however, summer officially started on the 21st of June and the temperatures have since been in the 100s F/40s C. Now, working with kids from 8:30-5:30 everyday and only sitting about 2 of those hours, I'm definitely feeling the heat and am absolutely exhausted and sore at the end of each day. I have noticed some swelling in my ankles, but some days aren't so bad and it comes and goes. I try to drink as much water as I can and hope for the best! I always hear stories about women needing to remove their rings due to their hands swelling, but for some reason I didn't really believe that I would ever have to remove mine! However, I decided (maybe a little too late, since removal was slightly painful) to remove my wedding rings about 2 days ago! It is a strange feeling not wearing them, but definitely more comfortable during the day!
Even though we still need to set up the baby room, I can say that I have washed and sorted all things baby - clothes, blankets, etc. It's a great feeling having all that done, but I get the strangest feeling that this is only the beginning of something very big...and the next time I wash those clothes they won't be so nice before washing!! :)

We had the baby shower on Saturday, the 2oth of June, and it was absolutely beautiful! The ladies in my family (on this side of the world) did an amazing job. Everything was beach-themed and adorable! And I have some pretty great friends!! Thanks to all for the beautiful gifts!
Here are a few pics:

The blue punch

Chocolates made by Chris's grandmother. So delicious.

One of my diaper/nappy cakes!

My beautiful sisters-in-law

There doesn't seem to be too much rest in sight until the baby gets here (and after, of course!!). On top of working everyday and going to doctor's appointments, here's what's happening the next couple of weeks:

Saturday, 27th June: Michelle goes to a childcare training seminar from 8-3 to get required training hours for work.

Saturday, 4th July: Kay comes to help set up the baby room. I'm excited about this because it's been driving me a little crazy not having it set up!!! :) I'd like to feel a little more ready for baby!

Saturday, 11th July: Michelle enrolled her husband and herself in a birthing class! I actually think it goes from 9-5!!! Don't tell Chris. Only tell him that I was thinking of him when I chose the one day class, instead of the 4 week class.

Tuesday, 14th July: Michelle also enrolled her husband and herself in a baby feeding class! I think this is only 2 hours...hehe.

I also know that sometime in July I have to renew my CPR/first aid stuff with work (which is going to be interesting with a huge pregnant belly), and I have so many crafty, knitty, sewy projects I really want to do before the baby comes!!

As usual, a belly shot to end with:

Me on the 17th of June - 32 weeks pregnant

27th June 2009 - almost 34 weeks

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2009-05-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if updating this blog once a month is going to be good enough....but it will have to do for now!

I left off last time at 25 weeks, and am now 29 weeks along with my baby boy. He is so much stronger than before, it's amazing. I am constantly wondering if this boy ever gets any rest! I can now simply sit and watch my belly move all over the place. And of course, Chris gets to feel the movements much more frequently now.

Since my last post, I've had 2 doctor's appointments. At the most recent appointment (20th May) I had my 28 week blood sugar test. I've not heard back from the doctor yet, so I'm hoping everything went well with that. I got to hear the heartbeat again, like all the other appointments, but this time it was so loud and strong! It really is amazing.

On the 14th May, the director at my work very kindly held a baby shower for me! Teachers and parents were invited to my classroom at 4pm for cake and punch. I was overwhelmed by the gifts that I received from both parents and other teachers. I have been extremely spoiled!

As most of you know, my work is closing on the 2nd of July. This means that 1oo-something kids have had to find other schools/daycares etc, and I don't know how many teachers have had to find other jobs. I pretty much had to decide what to do as soon as we found out the daycare was closing because I already knew I was pregnant and I needed insurance and to keep a full-time position to keep my work visa. I couldn't simply work up until we closed because then I'd have a baby but no job etc etc. So a couple of months ago I decided it best to simply transfer to the daycare down in Oklahoma City which is also run by the YMCA. Other than having a little extra travel, this seemed like the best option as nothing would have to change on my work visa, and I would be able to keep my insurance. They were also fine with the fact that by the time I would transfer down there, I'd only work a couple of months before having a baby.

When I met with the director downtown, she said that I would probably transfer sometime in June. She was great because she didn't want to take me away from my current job until my director was ready for me to leave, and she was willing to take me any time my director needed to let me go!

My last day at OPUBCO Child Development Centre was Friday, 22nd May, 2009. I had been there since April 2007 and I am happy and sad to be leaving. I'm OK with leaving now because we've had a couple of months to think about it and because things have been a little more difficult since we found out the daycare was closing (teachers needing to take their time off - which they'd lose if they don't take them before we close, not enough teachers when someone calls in sick, longer hours because our part-time afternoon teachers have left, combining classes and having 2s, 3s, and 4s in the one room, etc etc). I'm sad to go, but I'm ready. I start downtown this coming Tuesday, 26th May. It's nice because I get the long weekend in between the two jobs.

In other news, Chris and I will be moving from our house to an apartment. The owner of the house wasn't willing to negotiate a shorter lease (only offering 1 year lease), even though we've been here for a year and would like another 7 months or so. I'm not unhappy with the move because the apartments are very nice and we'll still have enough space for a little family. Most importantly, the apartments still have a pool! and they also have washer and dryer hook-ups inside, so we won't be sharing a laundry room with anybody else!! :) We'll be moving on the 6th of June.

It seems like a lot of big changes. Start new job on Tuesday, move the weekend after next, and get ready to have a baby. I really want the move to happen now so that I can start setting up the baby room! Oh and my doctor's appointment are now every 2 weeks, which means it's getting closer.

And, here are a couple of belly shots to end with!

13th May 2009 - 27 weeks

24th May 2009 - almost 29 weeks

Let's Start From The Very Beginning

2009-04-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

When setting up this new blog, I was going to make the first post about the good news I got in December (and it will still mostly be about that), but then I remembered xanga and when and what I last posted. I graduated from OC a year ago (the 25th April 2008) and it has obviously been a whole year since I blogged anything! So here's to a new beginning because now I really do have an excuse to keep my family and friends updated on the wonderful things that are happening in my life right now.

A quick look back:

In May 2008, we moved out of the horrid old OC apartments into a 3-bedroom rental house (we are still here and it is still amazing). I started working full time at my child development centre with the 2 and 3 year olds. I basically spent the entire summer working and swimming in the pool, and I decided again that I definitely prefer to work full-time than be a student. Definitely.

Chris started a Masters program in September - in Organisational Development. The program is amazing and I am so glad that he had this chance to be a part of it. He has had to travel every couple of months for it, but that has worked out really well.

THEN I got to go home to see my family for the entire month of December! We decided that I really needed to go by myself for various reasons: money, work, and Chris needing a visa just to visit. A quick-ish side note: a couple of weeks before my trip I got strep throat (a bacterial infection in the throat and the tonsils)- which I blamed the kids at my work for! I went to the doctor and got antibiotics. After I finished the medication, the strep came right back. I repeated the above step with the doctor and antibiotics but the strep came back a third time. It was getting really annoying because I could not get rid of the infection even with medication and the third time it came back was right before my trip. I joked about having to leave the country and my husband to get better - since either someone at work (kids or teachers) or Chris were carriers of the infection. Sure enough, once in Australia and once finished with the 3rd dose of antibiotics, the strep had gone! I never did find out who the carrier was, but was so thankful to be rid of the stupid strep.

I spent December 2008 with my family in Australia. I met more nieces and nephews and had an amazing time! When I went back to Oz in August 2006 my first nephew and niece were 9 months and 2 months respectively - this time they were 3 and 2&1/2! And they each had a new sibling for me to meet. They were all a lot of fun - and I hope that they still remember me!

While spending a week with my sister, I found out that I was pregnant!!!! I also found out that my sister was pregnant too (she already has 2 children). It was a fun way to find out! As soon as I could, I hopped on skype with the web-cam set up and called Chris to tell him our news! :) It was strange having to tell him from so far away, but it was nice that we had the web-cam and I could see his reaction!! He said, "Are you sure?" and I said, "Yes, because I'm with Cath, and she knows!" I thought it was pretty funny.

I loved that I was with my family when I found out - because I could actually tell them in person. It was very special. I waited until I was back in the U.S. so that I could also tell Chris's family in person.

I don't want to spend much time on my weight, but I will say that I was fully prepared to pack on the pounds while in Australia (eating all the things that I miss) - and so finding out that I was pregnant definitely didn't help things!!! So the weight gain began straight away and obviously hasn't stopped yet!!! :)

Fortunately, I really didn't experience much morning sickness. Unfortunately, back in the U.S., I pretty much went straight back to working 8 hours a day and felt extremely tired for weeks! Other than that, my pregnancy really has been smooth so far.

So, on the 7th of December, 2008 I went with my sister and bought a home pregnancy test that showed up as positive! For some reason, I just took the one test - maybe I was very happy with the result and needed no further convincing. Speaking with a couple of friends recently, I found out that some people take numerous tests (some as many as 8) to make sure the results are consistent or correct!!

The following week (still in Australia) I scheduled a doctors appointment and had a blood test to find out that everything seemed "normal." I also found out my blood type for the first time in my life.

I had my first U.S. doctors appointment on the 15th January, 2009. Chris came with me and we got to see the tiny baby and it's little heart beating on the screen. The doctor dated the pregnancy at 10 weeks and 3 days. The baby was about 3.5 cms long.

At my next appointment on the 5th February, I got to hear the little heart beating! At such an early stage of pregnancy, it really seems like forever between appointments since it was way too early to feel the baby or know for sure that things were still OK.

At another regular check-up on the 5th of March, Chris got to hear the heartbeat.

Finally, on the 10th of March, we got to find out what we were having! I was so excited to find out, and I really felt relieved once I knew! The doctor said, "It looks like a BOY!" I still really hope she is right!!! :)
I really didn't mind what we were having - I just really love knowing and not having to think/worry about it any more.

I had my next appointment on the 2nd of April and that brings me up-to-date. I'm not quite sure when I start having check-ups every 2 weeks, but at the moment they are still once a month.

Oh, I did note that I had become aware of feeling movement around the 16th of March - when I was around 19 weeks along. Feeling a baby move inside you is very strange and very cool. Now at 25 weeks, I feel him all the time! Mostly when I'm sitting. Chris has felt him too, which was very special. It's strange that I get to feel him move all the time, and not miss a single movement, but Chris has to wait patiently with his hand on my belly, sometimes not feeling anything. Then as soon as he takes his hand away, the baby moves, of course! :) I realise that as the baby gets bigger and bigger, it will be easier for Chris to see and feel him move.

So, here I am just about to enter my 25th week of pregnancy. People can definitely tell that I'm preggas now without me having to say anything. It is kind of strange being so obvious - but nice that I don't have to explain myself! :)

After getting past some annoying seasonal allergies (with constant congestion) and some achey back muscles, I'm really feeling great right now.

We have a name picked out but some people (not mentioning any names, Mum) would like that to be a surprise!! So, if you don't know and would like to, ask me next time we talk/email/facebook, etc.

I could go on and talk about my work situation, but I think I've said enough for now! I've had to do a lot of thinking and it's been really quite stressful trying to figure out what to do. I'll explain later. In the meantime, please pray that we get green cards! :)

Please don't expect each post to be this size!! I had a lot to catch up on. Finally, here are some photos of the pregnancy so far!

10th March 2009, 18 weeks

21st March 2009, almost 20 weeks

18th April 2009, 24 weeks!