First Snuggles

Today your Grandma got to hold you for the first time.  She was so excited.  I was too.  There will be lots of snuggles in the future, but the first time is always special.

Movin on up!

Today our wee Rob graduated and moved up to the Cardiac Ward.  This is exciting as it means he's doing well.  He didn't get quite moved before I left for the day, but when we go tomorrow we get to go to a different floor.

Today was a good cuddle day too.  We had some nice long snuggles.  It's amazing how time flies when you are cuddling your wee one.

We didn't read a story today because the story I brought kept making me cry.  It was the book "Love you Forever" by Robert Munsch.  I don't think we can quite read it together yet.  Tomorrow I will bring another book.  I am such a sap.

It's so hard to leave the little guy when I go home at night.  He is such a sweet guy.

Rob's First Story

Today I read our wee man his first story while we had cuddle time.

It was The Story of Ferdinand.  When I was a small child it was my favorite book.  I had to go out and buy a new copy to read to him as my copy won't survive it is so battered and loved.

Tomorrow I'll be bringing another one of the books we have to read to him.  I figure starting early is a good thing.

He's doing pretty well.  He's still breathing a little fast for our taste, but he's generally doing well.

He's also growing and is up to 5 pounds 11 ounces which is really good.  If he keeps growing well it means he'll be having his surgery soon.

He has eyes!

My wee guy decided that today was the day that he really wanted to start opening his eyes.

They are such beautiful eyes.  He did look kind of confused most of the time though.  Kind of that  "where am i?" look on his wee face.

He was so alert and wiggly today.  I had lots of fun hanging out with him.  And he really seemed to focus on the sound of my voice.  I had to talk him to sleep after he had his dinner.  He just wanted to fuss.

Also, he got rid of another tube today.  No more extra oxygen.  You can actually see his face now.

Yay for Snuggles

Today was a really good day.  Last night they took out his breathing tube and he's been doing really well without it.

This of course means I got to have cuddles with him today.  I love being able to hold him in my arms and see his sweet little face.

It is also super encouraging that as each day passes little Rob has less and less tubes going into him.  He's down to a couple, an oxygen tube and his monitoring leads.  The less tubes the healthier he is.

It was also quite cool that he actually opened his eyes a couple of times.  He's pretty much been a "I'm going to keep my eyes closed" type of guy.

His wee nose is a little smushed still from the breathing tube, but it should go back to normal soon.  

And Live Action Snuggles!

Happy 2 Week Birthday

I can't believe that my little man has been here for 2 weeks already.  He's such a sweet sweet guy and I love him more than anything.

Your First Christmas

Dear Rob,

Today was our first Christmas together.  It wasn't quite what I had envisioned for our first Christmas, but it was good all the same.  Your Dad and I came to see you at the hospital and you looked so cute in the little Santa hat they dressed you in.

Santa and his elf dropped by the hospital and brought you some presents and took a picture with you.

Look at your haul from Santa this year:

Next year will be even better because you will be at home with us.  

And there are a bunch of presents from your your family and friends waiting for you at home.  We opened them for you and we think you'll like them.  

I wish we could have had snuggles today, but you are still on your breathing tube which meant we couldn't have our snuggles.  Hopefully soon you'll  be able to have snuggles with me.  I miss them and I'm sure you do too.  

Love Mom

Moving on up in the world

As I type this, my wee Rob should be on his way up in the world.  Well up one floor anyway.  He's off to the NICU tonight where he's going to do some growing and get weaned off his breathing tube.  That way he can hopefully have his surgery that much sooner.

We did a little hand holding again today and will continue with that again tomorrow.  And hopefully Santa will be good to him this year.

I hope to have a picture of him with Santa tomorrow too!

The nursing staff in the CCU are going to miss our little guy.

Sick Kids really is a wonderful place

Today when I was hanging out at the hospital with my wee guy, one of the nurses told me about all the doings that happen on Christmas Day for the kidlets.

Apparently Santa comes around and visits all of the kids and has a picture done with each wee one.  And each child gets a present.  The hospital also organizes a Christmas lunch or dinner for the parents should they be around at mealtime.

We Rob isn't going to remember this, but I definitely will.  And I'm quite sure it will be a really wonderful thing for the older children who have to be in the hospital over the holidays.

And update - with Video!!

Today our wee Rob got his PICC line in which should make life much easier for him.  There won't be as many tubes going into him with the line.  This is a very good thing.

And now I present you with little Rob's "I want my diaper changed" dance.  It's not the best video, but we caught some on tape.  He did have some wilder "I want my diaper changed" dances earlier in the day.  Right now he can't cry out loud due to the breathing tube so he's come up with this little dance.  It's closer to the end of the video.

And speaking of diapers.  I got to change his diaper for the first time today.  Up until now all I've really been able to do is give him snuggles and put some milk into his feeding tube.  I'm quite certain I'll get super tired of changing diapers, but it was kind of nice to actually be able to do something for him.  

We're still waiting for a spot for him in the NICU, but that's ok for now as everyone in the CCU really enjoys having him around.  They don't usually get such tiny babies.  

The Daily Rob Update

No much new today.  The wee guy was just hanging out and working on getting weaned off the respirator.  He's not quite ready yet, but hopefully in the next couple of days he will be.  He also seems to be a little less yellow as well which is good.  So no cool face mask for him today.

Since he's still on the breathing tube we couldn't have snuggles, but we did do some hand holding again.

He is a funny little guy.  He keeps searching around  to see if he can pull off leads and bits of tape and things.  The other day I actually had to stick his ECG lead back on about 4 or 5 times while I was there.

Of course, I must post a picture

Breathing tubes and no PICC Line

No photo today.  I didn't take one.  It just kind of slipped my mind.

So our wee guy didn't have such a great night.  He wasn't breathing so well and it was bringing his heart rate up a bit too high so they decided to but the breathing tube back in.  Since they did that this morning, they didn't put the PICC line in.  They thought he might want the day off to relax and recover from having the tube put back in.  So they will be doing the PICC line tomorrow morning instead.  Then after that they want to transfer him to the NICU while he grows big enough for his surgery.  So they will be just waiting for a bed then.

They are investigating to make sure he doesn't have any infections in his lungs or anything, but they all seem to think that it's just his little lungs not being quite developed enough yet. So the breathing tube should help with that.

The bad thing about having the breathing tube in is that I can't have him for snuggles.  So we spent part of our afternoon together holding hands instead.

Also, the Genetics Doctor came by and had a poke at him.  He doesn't think there is anything wrong with him genetically which is good.  He's still waiting on all the test results though.


But in general they think he's doing well and should start fattening up for surgery.  

Tears

I don't think I have ever cried so much in my entire life as I have cried in the past week since my wee guy was born.  I don't cry very often at all and now I'm tearing up multiple times a day.

I love this little guy so much and it kills me that he has to be be in the hospital all alone without his Mom or Dad.  Every day when it's time for me to go home, I don't want to leave him.

He is the light of my life and if there was anything I could do or sacrifice to keep him from having to be in pain or suffer any more than he has already I would do it.

I was in a toy store yesterday picking up a couple of gifts for my cousins and something for my wee guy and the clerk was asking about the kids and I almost burst into tears at the cash register.

Even just thinking about him can set me off.  I just want him to be able to come home with us.

Today was a pretty low key day with my wee little Rob.  I got some cuddle time with him all wrapped up in a blanket right after his bath.  The picture I've attached is him right after his bath before his Sipap machine was put back on.  This boy does not like taking baths.  The crying wailing and flailing this wee boy did was mighty!  

Tomorrow he's going to get a PICC line put in to make all the blood tests etc....  a little easier on him.  He also might get a new room tomorrow.  He may get moved up to the NICU tomorrow sometime so he can grow and get ready for the surgery.  The doctors were saying today that the surgery isn't likely until January and they are hoping he will graduate to the 4D ward before that.  

That's all I"ve got for now.  He's still a little on the yellow side.  

Happy 1 Week Birthday!

Well today our wee Rob is a whole week old.  I can hardly believe all that's happened in this one week.  I think I'm still a little in surprised mode.  

It seems he was a really good boy last night and didn't have to go back onto the breathing tube.  He's still on the Sipap though.  But given the choice of one or the other I would choose the Sipap.

I'm hoping in the next few days they will be able to take him off that too.  That would be fantastic because we could feed him with a bottle then or if he goes upstairs to the ward I could breasfeed him.  So that would be super awesome.  

Today was a day of snuggles.  Pretty much the whole time I was there today was spent snuggling.  He was super flaked out in my lap when I got the nurse to take this picture of us.  

Caffeinated Little Boy

When we called the CCU this morning we had a bit of good news.  Little Rob seems to be doing better which is good.  He didn't have to have the tube put back in and he's a little more on the alert side as he was given a shot of caffeine to make him a bit more alert.  So this bodes well I hope for some cuddle time today.

Not so much with the cuddles today

Well today our wee guy was having a lethargic day.  That and he kept holding his breath scaring his Mom. If he keeps up with the holding the breath dealie he's going to have to go back on the breathing tube.

The sad thing about that was that I didn't get to have any snuggles with him today.  I did get to hold his wee hand.  And when it was time for me to go he didn't seem to want to let go.

All of this is pretty normal for the preemie types, but it's scary for Bruce and I.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

And as a side note, they were considering giving the wee guy a little bit of caffeine to make him wake up a bit.  He's also still a bit on the yellow side so there should be some more tanning for him.

More Cuddles Today

Today was a day of more cuddles!!!!  More cuddles are always good.
Bruce got to cuddle his wee guy today for the first time.

I too got to have more cuddles with my wee guy.  

We sat in the rocking chair for about an hour and then got to feed him his dinner.  

Yay for defrosted Breast Milk!

He's still a little on the yellow side so he gets to continue on in the tanning booth.  And he was having a little trouble with breathing all on his own so they put him on the Sipap machine (it's like the ones people use for sleep apnea) to help him out for a bit.  That is far better than having the tube back in.  

Hopefully tomorrow he won't need to be on it.  

The man with glowing red hands

Right now our wee little one has these little sensors taped to his hands that happen to be red glowing lights.  So you'll probably see in the next little while pictures of him with these little glowing fists.

It kind of makes me imagine him having superpowers of some sort.

Rob was Tanning Today

When we got into Sick Kids today to see our little guy, we found him in a tanning bed.  Apparently overnight they decided he was a little jaundiced and got him under the UV lights to help him out.

So here's our little guy in his tanning bed:

Today Was a Banner Day!

Dear Munchkin,


Today was an awesome day to hang out with you.  Today you came off the ventilator and are doing a pretty good job of breathing on your own.  It means one less machine which is really great.  Every day you seem to have less and less in the way of machines helping you out.  


Your personality is shining through too now that you aren't on the muscle relaxants anymore.  You are such a cute little wiggle monster.  And you've started to have an audible cry.  Which is the sweetest sound to me.  


Also, I got to hold you for the very first time today.  That was one of the most special moments of my life.  The nurse decided that it would ok that I hold you.  So I was able to snuggle with you for a whole 15 minutes.  When the nurse was getting you over to me you stared fussing.  I don't imagine it's fun getting moved around and getting out in the cooler air to get to me.  But as soon as you were put in my arms, you snuggled right in, stopped fussing and got this super content look on our face.  Then you fell asleep in my arms.  You were so warm and soft and special that I didn't want to put you back.  But I did so you can grow and be well.  
I hope we can do that again tomorrow and the next day and every day after that.  And I hope that your Dad can hold you too tomorrow.  


Love


Mom

Rob is 3 days old!

Today I got to spend a chunk of the day with my wee little boy.  I forgot to take pictures of him, but it was an exciting day!

He seems to be doing really well.  They are thinking of taking him off the intubation tube since he's doing so well with breathing on his own.  This would be a fantastic thing.  They've also stopped giving him muscle relaxants and the morphine so he's more alert and with it. He's quite the wiggle monster.

They are pretty happy with his progress so far and so are we.

He got to have a little sponge bath and get his hair washed.  He wasn't so impressed with that. He doesn't really make a crying sound yet, but he winkles his face up and flails about and tries to push your hand away.

He also tries to get rid of his IV already and managed to flail off one of the leads that he had on his wee hand.

It was amazing how the time slipped by.  I was there all afternoon and it felt like no time at all had passed by.

Tomorrow I'm going to read him a story.  I was going to today but there just didn't seem to be time.

Barber Shop

Just putting this in the blog for a memory's sake.  

This is the barber shop Bruce was in when I called him to come home and take me to the hospital.  Thankfully he wasn't in the chair yet 

More Family to Meet

Dear Rob,

Today you got to meet some more of your family.  Your other Grandmother (Bruce's Mom) came to meet you today.  She was very happy to meet you.

So you only have a few more people to meet, your Uncle Ron & Aunt Christine, Aunt Shauna

and your other Grandfather.

Your Grandfather lives in Victoria and won't be in Ontario until closer to the day 

you were supposed to get here.

They are all excited to meet you as soon as they can.

I'm home now

Today they let me go from the hospital.  It's funny, they kept me in a wee bit longer than I think they normally do, but perhaps that's so I could make the trip over to Sick Kids a few times to see my little guy.  It was certainly an adventure getting over to Sick Kids from Mount Sinai through the steam tunnels.  My Mom and I got lost a couple of times on the way there, but found the most efficient way to get back.

It's very strange to be home without my little guy.  I really do wish he could be here, but I know that they are making him well over at Sick Kids.

At the moment it looks like they are going to wait a couple of weeks for him to grow a bitt bigger before doing the surgery.  So I guess all we can do is wait.

Today we got our first family portrait together when I brought him a little stuffed bunny rabbit I bought him last night when I was coming back from Sick Kids.....There is a little monkey buddy for him too, but we didn't think there was a enough room in his bed yet.

I think the bunny rabbit is almost bigger than he is at the moment.  But he will grow.  

I wasn't sure if they were going to let me leave the bunny with him yet but I thought I would at least bring it with me to show it to him.  And the nurse saw the bunny and asked if we wanted to leave him in the crib with him.  I almost completely lost it at that point.  

Meeting the Family

Dear Rob,

Today you are 1 day old and a bunch of your family came by to meet you!  They are so excited that you are here.

This is your Grandma (my Mom)

She told me she had to stuff her hands in her pockets because she 

just wanted to pick you up and hug you.

This is your Grandpa (my Dad)

He thinks you're pretty nifty and you'll have to watch out when you are a little older

because he will tease you a bit.  

This is your Aunt Jo (my sister)

I had to include the two pictures.  The expression on her face was priceless in the first picture as she looked like she was a afraid to touch you (not true as she touched you before that)

This is your Uncle Kirk (Jo's Husband)

He thinks you're pretty nifty.

Also, your Uncle Rich (Bruce's Brother) came by as well.  

For some reason we didn't get a picture of him with you, but we'll get one with him soon.  

No Real Belly Pictures

Dear Munchkin,

We don't really have any pictures of you inside my tummy.  You Dad an I were going to take some pictures really soon as we figured we had some time.  But nope, you decided to get here early.  That's ok though we don't mind.  You Dad did take a couple while we were waiting for you to get here in the delivery room.

Wow that happened fast

Well, last night I went to bed in the hospital thinking I was going to hopefully get a good night's rest and start figuring everything out in the morning.  Bruce went home to pack me a bag of stuff to keep me entertained while in the hospital and start on the baby's room.

Somehow I didn't get that good night's sleep.  I dozed off around 11 pm and was woken up a little after midnight by my roommate being returned after a procedure.  Then I slept in that kind of half sleep you have in a hospital with all the comings and goings.

Then somewhere around three in the morning I started feeling cramps that were a little suspicious to me.  So I waited a bit and spoke with the nurse, then the doctor on call who figured I was in the very beginnings of labour and not to worry I should get some sleep since the contractions were about 15 minutes or so apart and nothing was likely to happen for a good long time yet.  So I did as instructed, but wow......try and sleep during contractions?  No way. Doze off perhaps but not really.

I guess in that doze state things were moving along and somewhere around 8 I was getting to the swearing state of pain.  I had kind of lost track of when contractions were happening and they were a lot more intense than they had been before.  So I called the nurse again who put me on the monitor again and grabbed the doctor on call fairly quickly who checked me out and said that we should get ourselves off to the delivery room and get Bruce to get there.  I had mentioned he said he was coming by around 9 (and it was about 9 then).  So just as they were loading me on the gurney to move and get ready to call him, he walked in.  So it was kind of "Surprise Honey!  We're having our baby now!"

So off we trundled to the labour and delivery room.

Shortly after we got settled I decided that maybe I was going to rethink this no pain drugs dealie.  So I asked about what we could do and it was decided that I was too far along to think about an epidural (and I'm actually glad about that now), but I could have some laughing gas if I wanted.  So I took the gas.  It didn't kill the pain, but it did take the edge off.

Then very quickly, it seem that the doctor said I could start pushing.  It seemed like a long time, but then not so much time had really passed.  It was funny to be able to start pushing.  I had been concentrating so hard on not pushing that it was a bit odd to be able to start doing it.

Then 24 minutes later, out popped this cute wee little guy.  It seemed like forever and that all of my efforts weren't doing much, but apparently they were.  Then Bruce got to cut the cord.

Sadly I didn't get to hold him right then and there.  They had to whisk him away to make sure he was all right and get him ready for the trip to Sick Kids.  But they did bring him by for a few minutes so I could see him and touch him through the isolette they were transporting him in.

So my labour and delivery seemed to only last about 7.5 hours total.  It was a bit of a surprise and a whirlwind.

Throughout all of it I was so glad that Bruce was there.  He was a rock and amazing.  It was a bit of a shock to show up to visit your wife thinking you were going to go home and work on the baby's room all day, and find that your little one was imminently arriving.

Surprise you're here!

Welcome to the world Mr. Robert William Parker!!

Born December 12, 2010 at 10:34 AM and at 4.5 pounds

Your Dad and I are so happy to meet you.

A little sooner than we thought

Well things seem to have taken a turn. This afternoon I was going to go on a brief shopping excursion with M. That kind of got stopped when My water broke just as we were getting out the door. So I called Bruce home from getting a haircut and called our Midwife who met us at Mount Sinai.

And indeed my water has broken. So I am now in the hospital hoping to keep our Munchkin in for as long as possible. I don't seem to have started labour yet, but that is probably only a matter of time.

So we will have a December Baby instead of a January one.

Wow this 2010 year has been super life changing.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Mount Siani

Another visit to the midwife

Well today was another Midwife appointment day.  According to the nice midwives Munchkin and I are right on schedule and everything is great.

Munchkin has his/her butt in the air and likes to stick it out at me all the time.  Tonight Bruce gave Munchkin a little pat to on the bum.  It was kind of funny.

Your Furry Buddies

Dear Munchkin,

I thought you might like to know who your furry buddies are.  We have to cats that we love very much and hope that you will too.

This is Cranberry

She's our grumpy older girl.  And she may be a little jealous of you for awhile since she loves nothing more than to than to sit on me.  And lately she's been draping herself across my stomach and purring.  So  you are probably very familiar with that sound.  

This is Tabitha

Tabitha is our youngest.  She's only 1.5 yeas old and is full of energy and mischief.  She's not so big on cuddling, but she is super curious and will I'm quite sure be super interested in you.  Perhaps not when you're crying, but she will come and see you.

Love,

Mom

Sick Kids Hospital

I must say, so far the Sick Kids Hospital team has been fantastic.  They have been  super reassuring and open to all of our questions and such.

Yesterday when we were there for the Echo Cardiogram, the nurse coordinator gave us a tour of all the areas we would need when we have to be there.

It was quite informative and reassuring.  I also like how they want you to spend as much time as is healthy with your child.  There are three "rooms" the wee one gets to be in while it's there.  The Critical Care Room, the Step Down Room and then a Private room.

In the first two rooms we can have pretty much 24 hour a day access.  We can't sleep there, but we can come and go as much as we want.  There are a few instances where we can't be in the room, but those are all procedure related is totally reasonable.

Then once Munchkin gets to the private room, which will be after surgery and a bit of recovery, we can stay as much as we want.  There is a bed in the room and a shower as well.  And they encourage you to spend as much time as possible with your little one.

A Munchkin Checkup Day

I was too sleepy last night to post about this.  After having dinner out with a friend, I got home at 8:30, had a bath and passed out for the night.  I think I slept about 10 and a half hours.  I'm still a little sleepy, that's ok.

So yesterday was a follow up Fetal Echocardiogram for our little Munchkin.  That went well.  Everything seems to be growing just fine.  And the good new is that there are no extra issues around the heart.  Apparently there can be.
So that's great.  We also got a tour of Sick Kids which will be in another post on it's own.

Little one of course decided that this was an opportune time to have a wiggle, dance and kick fest.  Morning is usually quiet time, but not yesterday.

Then we were off to Mount Siani to check in with the special pregnancy program.  That took us a year and a half.  Well it felt like it.  And, we didn't get to see the third group of doctors that we were supposed to because of mix up.

We had an ultrasound and Munchkin is doing just fine.  Apparently our little Munchkin has some hair and is busy practicing breathing.  We got to watch that on the screen, that was kind of cool.

But the waiting was terrible.  We got to the place at 11 and didn't get out of there until well after 2.

Only 9 weeks left

Wow,  only 9 weeks left until we can meet our wee Munchkin.  It seems so far and yet so close.

I keep wondering how the cats will feel

Every so often I end up thinking about how well the cats will adjust to having our little Munchkin around.

I think Tabitha will be curious and possibly playful.  She'll probably be a little on the fearful side once Munchkin starts moving around.  I have a feeling there will be an awful lot of giggle moments there.


Cranberry on the other hand I think might be a little on the jealous side.  I mean she gets jealous of the laptop.  And since a bunch of her cuddle time will be taken up by our wee Munchkin it could be a bit of a problem.  But I think she'll adjust.  At least I hope so.

My Winter Coat

I just want to say that the super nifty coat I bought in July is still wonderful.  I've just noticed one thing.  Now that I 'm visibly pregnant, I feel like I look like a teepee in it.

Just sayin.  I'll see if I can get a picture of me in it at some point.

All sorts of gifties for you

Dear Munchkin,

Today your three Aunties (my sister, and my two very closest friends) threw a baby shower for you.  They are awesome people you will love them.  They are lots of fun and they love you already.

A bunch of my friends, your Grandma, one of my Aunts and your cousin all came out to wish you well and bring you stuff.

You got some toys, lots of clothes, some really cool hand made stuff (I have crafty friends and relatives) and lots and lots of well wishes.

Love

Mom

Munchkin's New Talent

Munchkin has learned a new talent.  Our little one seems to be exploring the world by pushing now.  Before it was just kicks and hiccups.  Now I'll be sitting there and all of a sudden I'll feel a hand or a foot pushing my stomach out visibly.  It's kind of neat.

We've also discovered (well confirmed really) that Muchkin is shy.  Munchkin will be kicking away and having a great time, then as soon as someone puts their hand on my tummy to feel it, Munchkin stops moving.

Getting there

So tomorrow I'll be 29 weeks along.  Time is slipping by so quickly.  The end of January seems so far away yet so close.

I've noticed in the past week I've become fairly clumsy and my centre of balance has changed.  It's a little difficult get used to.  I think the hardest part right now is the fact that all of my joints have started aching.  Well that and I've developed a distinct waddle.

On the nifty side, Munchkin has been kicking up a storm and seems to be moving about a fair bit.  Actually Munchkin loves to push at Cranberry when she's draped herself all over me.  Cranberry gets a really funny look on her face when it happens.

My midwife thinks that all is going well which is good.  I've graduated from seeing her once a  month to every too weeks.

Now back to my quiet night on the couch.

Well that makes me feel better

Today was the day I got to see the special/high risk obstetrician. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I figured this might be the point where I'm told I have to have a c-section or be induced, not be able to have my midwife etc....

But that wasn't the case. They had a look at Munchkin with on the ultrasound (I got to watch the little one hiccup) took the history etc... Then they basically said that except for some extra visits we should be able to proceed normally and let nature take it's course. Yay!

This makes me feel a lot better. 


In other news, I now have winter boots that look like slippers, but they were cheap and warm and can handle my swollen feet.

Munchkin is Getting Old

We're getting there fast yet slow. Yesterday marked the 26 week mark. This past week I think has been the hardest yet. Munchkin decided that I should be exhausted and achy most of the week. Hopefully I won't be quite so tired this coming week.

Today especially off. I will preface this with I'm just fine and dandy and all is good. I went to the midwife today just to make sure.

This morning I woke up with a very sore lower back and what seemed to be horrid gas pains that did not want to go away. After a chunk of time I decided that I was waaaaaaaaay to uncomfortable (read super owie). So I called the midwife who had us come into the office so she could monitor me for a bit. Of course by the time we were heading in I was starting to feel better. But still better to be safe than sorry. I really wanted to make sure it wasn't something like premature labour because that would have been very bad.

But it was probably something I ate or occasionally Munchkins can be too active in there and irritate the uterus apparently. 

So yeah, I did not accomplish anything today, had to cancel some plans and felt a little guilty about bugging the midwife. Yes I am the type to feel guilty about that even thought that is part of the job. 

Now I feel fine except on the tired tired side. It was a bit on the scary side too.

Munchkin is Super Shy it would seem

So Munchkin has started kicking up a storm.   Lots of wiggling, kicking and the like.  And there are lots of people who would like to feel the kicking.  Sadly Munchkin seems to be super shy.  Every time someone goes to feel a kick, Munchkin stops right away. Even with Dad.

Just a super shy baby I guess.  I hope the little one gets over the shy.

Munchkin's Heart Problem explained

Dear Munchkin,

We found out this week what exactly is wrong with your heart and what we can do about it.

It turns out that you have a Transposition of the Great vessels in your heart.  What that basically means is the arteries going into you heart grew in backwards.  If we don't get is fixed, you won't get enough oxygen in your blood to keep you alive.  So right after you are born, you'll have to go on a little trip from the hospital you will be born in (Mount Siani) to the Hospital for Sick Kids.  There they are going to take good care of you and get a Pediatric Cardiac surgeon to switch the two vessels back to where they are supposed to be after you get a little stronger.   Then after you heal up for a couple of weeks you get to come home with us.

This is one of the best places out there to go if you're sick so you are one lucky wee one.  They tell us that you should be just fine once all of this is done and you can live just like every other kid out there, but you'll have a cool scar to show off.

And don't worry we will be with you.

We would much rather be able to take you home with us right away.

Love

Mom

A Scary Scary Day

Dear Munchkin,

Today has been a very scary day for your Dad and I.  Today I went for our followup ultrasound since you wouldn't cooperate and show the technician your heart at the last ultrasound.

Today we found out that you have a little problem with your heart.  We are so scared for you.  You seem to have a congenital heart defect called the transposition of the great vessels.

It looks like you're going to have an operation soon after you're born and we really don't want you to have to go through it.  But it has to be done if we want to keep you with us.

We don't know all the details yet, but we will next week.  I hope that it won't be too hard on you.  And we will be with you every step of the way.

Love

Mom

Munchkin's First Kicks

So for the past week or so I've been getting those little "Flutters" they tell you that you feel before you really feel your baby moving around in there. 

But last night as I went to bed last night, I was lying there and felt a distinct kick. It was quite nifty. There were a couple more of them before little munchkin settled down for the night. 

It was cool.

The Big Ultrasound

Wednesday we had our "Big" Ultrasound. It was pretty cool. My hubby got to see the whole thing. I only got to see a bit at the end. Funny, the walk in ultrasound place I went to had a screen for me to watch. Mount Sinai doesn't seem to.

We do have a bit of an uncooperative baby though. Munchkin wouldn't let them get a good picture of the heart. So I have to go back in a couple of weeks to see if they can get a better look. All sorts of poking and prodding wouldn't move baby.
Other than that all the scans came back awesome. And they're certain the heart should be fine too, they just didn't get the view they wanted. 

Munchkin's First Picture

Shopping for winter clothing in July

Today I went shopping for a winter coat. Yes, I know the heatwave just broke and winter is still far away. There is this winter jacket/coat out there that is convertible so you can wear it while not pregnant, pregnant and wearing your child. All with the addition or subtraction of a nifty panel. Anyhoo, these nifty coats are of course on the expensive side. So I decided to find one to try on and hope like heck ebay or something has one at a more reasonable price before I need it. 

In my search I came across a store in the Beaches that actually had the jackets on for %35 off the regular price. So off I trucked this afternoon. They had to pull the jacket out of the basement for me. So I've got one now. And from my conversation with the nice store clerk, probably a wise thing I did come in when I did besides the discount. Apparently these coat fly off the shelves as soon as any hint of winter gets here

You'll be a surprise

Dear Munchkin,

We decided that we didn't want to find out if you are a boy or a girl as it would be a nice surprise when you get here.

We don't really care if you are a boy or a girl.  We love you either way.

I'm sure the curiosity will be huge, but worth the surprise in the end.

Love,

Mom

We told your grandparents this weekend

Dear Munchkin,

We decided that this was a very good weekend to tell all the grandparents that you are on your way.  Two of your four grandparents had their birthdays.

We thought that would be a good time to tell them.  Needless to say all four of your grandparents are very excited that you are joining us.

My parents are especially excited as you are the first wee grandkid and they have been waiting a long time for you to come along.

They were so excited that they could hardly contain themselves and pretty much were doing the dance of joy.

Your Dad's parents are super excited too.  In fact pretty much all of both our families are very excited.

Love

Mom

Feeling Pretty Good

So far so good with feeling good with this wee baby inside me.  Haven't really had any morning sickness which is good.  Mostly I've felt super tired and passed out a lot on the couch.

Here's hoping I will feel this good for the rest of my pregnancy.

Telling your Dad

Dear Munchkin,

I told your Dad about you tonight.  It was pretty much torture waiting all day until we both got home to tell him.  I have yoga classes on Tuesday and your Dad wasn't getting back from New Orleans until a little before I got home.  It just not something you tell someone over the phone or by text or email.

I gave him an early Fathers Day card in order to tell him.  He looked a little stunned as it sank in and then got this super happy look on his face and grabbed me in a big hug.

He's ever so pleased about you.  As I mentioned in the the previous note, we weren't sure if we would be having you at all.

Love,

Mom

Wow!

Dear Munchkin,

Tonight I found out that you're going to be here in about 9 months.  I'm so pleased, excited and scared all at that same time that I can hardly stand it.

And I can't share it with anyone yet.  Your Dad needs to be the first one to know and he's still in New Orleans.  We went down there for the weekend on a bit of a spur of the moment trip because he had to work in a town near there today.  I came back today as I have to go to work tomorrow and he won't be back until tomorrow night.  He is going to be so surprised and happy.

I want you to know that you are a wonderful surprise.  We thought you wouldn't be coming along for at least another 6 months or so.  In fact we weren't so sure we if we could have you.

I can't wait to meet you when you get here.

Love

Mom