To my sweet, sweet little boy who brings me joy and makes me smile every minutes…. I love you.

Noah’s Birth Story:

Noah Matthew Quinn made his appearance on March 10th @ 12:08 AM weighing in at 6lbs 8oz, 20 inches with apgars of 9 and 9.

The Birth Story

It all started with my blood pressure which has been elevated a few times over the last little bit. I was under the impression we would be going in Saturday morning and, if I wasn’t in labour or, able to be induced, they would do a C-section. Well, it turns out the dr. on cal that day had different plans and, since BP, urine and blood all came back OK, baby was happy, healthy etc. he sent us home (in a snowstorm BTW). We decided to leave Syd at my mom’s house for the evening since the weather was bad and, we were hoping labour would start that day still. Well, at about 7ish, I started having some contractions that were MORE regularish. However, after a short time, I also had this pain in my chest/upper abdomen that didn’t go away and was constant. Pat checked my BP at the time and it was 160/100 so, I put my feet up and decided to check again in an hour to see if it persisted. By the time 10pm rolled around, I was in serious pain but, mostly from the chest pain since the contractions had become more irregular and, my blood pressure check showed a BP of 170/110! We got right in the car and made our way to the hospital AGAIN. We arrived at 11pm (storm was STILL raging) and, were put into a triage room for monitoring. The gave me something for heartburn (even though I insisted I had had plenty of that and this was COMPLETELY different) and we waited and watched the heartburn medication do NOTHING and, my blood pressure stay mostly up at the 150/90 range (in hindsight, I am betting the contractions made the BP higher when we were at home). I was miserable but, “stable” so, we kept watching and kept waiting. At about 4am, they decided to finally “admit” me. Now, during all of this, the leg was slightly MORE swollen than usual so, they went into the crazy “blood clot” mode again at this point. I mentioned to the doctor that at this point, could we not just DO a C-section and get this over with since I was suffering for nothing? He agreed but, wanted to get the results back from the leg doppler before they did. So, of course with it being 4am, it was the on-call guy servicing 3 hospitals that we were waiting on and, you I am sure won’t be surprised to hear that I didn’t have the scan done until about 10am. It was NEGATIVE (shocking) and so, since my blood work was also starting to change for the worse, they decided to go ahead with the section that day. Now, here is where it gets fun because apparently, they did 8 sections that Sunday and, I was the least “at risk” of all of them so, that was the reason for the wait. At 9pm, they FINALLY came and got me for the section and, we were wheeled over. I was wheeled into the operating room and, Pat was outside waiting to get gloved up and come in once all the prep was done. We were only in a few minutes and the doc was JUST getting prepped to do the spinal when a nurse came rushing in and, advised that we needed to be bumped as, there was a mom in labour and, baby was in fetal distressed. Obviously, I agreed and, was brought to a room to wait. They used the time to get some of the prep work done for the spinal and, get the IV in etc. so, when my time FINALLY came at 11pm, we were good. The next part SHOULD have been quick but, the anaesthesiologist decided he wanted an arterial line since my blood pressure was elevated. Well, I have been having vein issued since my infection in December (from being poked and prodded constantly) so, I knew this was going to be a challenge. It took a good 1/2 hour before he gave up and moved onto the spinal. That was relatively easy and painless and, when I laid back on the table, the anestesist was looking at my right wrist which I only assumed meant he wanted to give the arterial line another go. At this point, I had had enough and told him I didn’t want it and was refusing. I was tired of waiting for the section, tired of being poked with needles and, unless he could give me some EARTH shattering reason why it was necessary, I wanted nothing to do with it. He couldn’t so, we FINALLY got the show on the road!

The spinal was perfect and, although I could feel my legs and lower body, I could feel no pain pretty much from my chest down. The OB team came in and got everything underway and, Pat was by my side shortly after that. I was extremely nervous about feeling pain because of my last C-section ordeal so, I was a bit panicked until I knew they had started cutting and I knew I was feeling SQAT! LOL Pat kept me busy while they worked away and, we wondered if Noah would be a March 9th or 10th baby since we were nearing close to midnight. When they neared the end, I was warned I would feel some more pressure (which was nothing) and, I heard the doctor said, “squirmy little munchkin” and, two second later, we heard the cry and, they brought Noah around so that we could see him before taking him to get cleaned up. They cut the cord longer so, Pat got to cut it again which was something he was REALLY looking forward to and, the got him all cleaned up.

More pics can be found here .

So, this is to my darling, sweet little girl who, I have have had the pleasure of watching grow from Day 1 to Day 1825! It has been amazing to see her personality form.

Sydney’s Birth Announcement (that was so loving posted by Aunt Sandra):

It is my pleasure and honour to announce that Suzanne and Patrick Quinn are the proud parents of Miss Sydney Jordan Quinn born on Saturday, June 25, 2005 at 2:20pm in Markham-Stouffville Hospital. She weighs 6lbs 9oz and measures 51 cm in length.

With visions of shopping dancing around in Miss Sydney’s head, she had her hand up by her ear contemplating all the shopping she would do. Of course, this didn’t help the natural childbirth plans Suzie had, and so the decision was made that Sydney would have to arrive by c-section.

Sue is doing fine, although she is somewhat sore and groggy from the c-section and the drugs. Pat expects that she will be allowed to come Monday or Tuesday depending on how her recovery is going. Both parents are happy and healthy, although tired, and can I just say that little Miss Sydney has a set of lungs on her? As Pat was relaying the birth story, Miss Sydney was crying and making use of her lungs in the background, and she sounds absolutely adorable!

From what I could make out, she was listing off the things she wants to buy with the $350 she won from Sears for being born today!

So the waiting is over, a happy, healthy little Miss Sydney has joined our world and a tired but happy Patrick and Sue have months of happy but sleepless nights ahead as the love affair with the daughter begins.

Congratulations Pat and Sue from me and Tony and all your family and friends, and welcome Miss Sydney, we’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival and so glad you’re finally here!

Sydney’s Birth Story:

On June 23rd I had my weekly midwife appointment after having what I thought were irregular contractions for the last 3 days. However, according to an internal exam, I was not in labour and although I was fully effaced (my cervix had thinned completely), I had not dilated at all. The next morning I had my weekly non stress test and biophysical profile ultrasound that my mom drove me to since Pat was working at noon. The test was started shortly after 9AM and after 30 minutes of testing; the nurse could not pass me as although Syd’s heartbeat was steady at around 155, we weren’t seeing it rise significantly (to at least 165) with her movements. So, I was instructed to go for my ultrasound at 10:30 and then take the results over to labour and delivery for further monitoring. The nurse suggested I eat something on my way over as I could very well be induced in the afternoon. There was a HUGE delay in diagnostic imaging and I did not get in for my ultrasound until 11:15 or so. The ultrasound was great but my fluid levels were still low (same level as last week so no decrease). The tech gave me my report and I was OFF to labour and delivery. After my non-stress test, I had called Pat with an update and let him know that although he didn’t have to rush right over, it was possible that they would get the ball rolling that day.

They were expecting me at L & D and once I arrived, they put me in a room and hooked me up to the monitors to see if there had been a change from the morning’s non stress test. They called my midwife at this point so she could make her way in for a consultation. The nurse came back 40 minutes later and advised that my midwife was on her way. They were going to unhook me from the machines for now but that the consensus was that they were going to induce!! I called Pat, who was 45 minutes into starting his class, and gave him the thumbs up to leave work and make his way to the hospital. The instructor that he was teaching with told him to just leave and that he would take care of packing up his stuff and putting it away at the end of the day. So, Pat was able to go to the condo to pick up our bags and make it to the hospital in less than an hour.

Our midwife arrived shortly thereafter and explained our options to us. We agreed that the induction was the way to go and that we wanted to get the show on the road! So, the drugs were ordered and the drip was introduced at approximately 4PM. Unfortunately, because I was being induced, I had to remain on the monitors at all times so my thoughts of walking and showering through labour went out the window as I was stuck in bed. The fetal heart monitor was being a pain because of the baby’s position so my midwife decided to break my water and use an internal fetal monitor, which was basically an electrode that they attached to the top of the babies head and provides a more accurate, and up to the second monitoring. The doctor arrived for a consult and they did their thing. [TMI warning]It is amazing how quickly a women in labour loses all of her modesty but when you have somebody come in and say “Hi, my name is Dr. X, can I get you to pull your ankles up to your bum and spread your legs.” modesty completely goes out the window! [/TMI warning]

The contractions started at about 5PM and I was amazed at how intense they were! Pat’s poor fingers took quite a beating from being SQUEEZED to the extreme. My coach and wonderful husband did a fantastic job in keeping me focused and breathing through the contractions. However, an hour and half into them and not being able to get up and about to get my mind off of it, I asked my midwife to arrange for the epidural. I think if I had been mobile during my labour, it would have been much easier but, being stuck in bed, I had nothing to do but sit and wait for the next contraction.

My god arrived about 15 minutes later and I call him a god because all I felt was a small prick like a bee sting and then a cold sensation. I got back into bed and 5 minutes later, I felt NO pain! I could still feel the contractions in terms of tightening but they had no bite! Life was gooooood! At this point, I got some much-needed sleep and woke just in time for the changing of the guards. My midwife who was with me from the start was calling in a back-up as she had been up the prior night for a birth and needed a few hours sleep as she had a family wedding the following day. The midwife that arrived was not my primary or secondary midwife so I had yet to meet her. She was taking the shift through the night, as my secondary midwife was unable to arrive until morning. At this point, I started being able to feel the contractions again but only on the left hand side. Not wanting to ask for a top up, I suffered through the rest of the night feeling each one and having to breath through it. By morning, I was exhausted and this is when I started to fall apart a bit. I remember crying to my husband that I just could not go on any longer and that I was exhausted and didn’t understand why I wasn’t progressing faster (at this point I think I was about 7cm dilated which had not changed since I was checked the last time. I begged my midwife to find out about getting the anesthesiologist in to give me a top up and some relief from the pain. Thankfully, he was only minutes away and the good man arrived and took away all of the pain! LOL My secondary midwife arrived and was able to deal with a much happier and rational lady since I was again no longer feeling the pain of the contractions. I slept again and hoped to wake up to some good news at my next check and was happy to find out that I was 9-10 cm dilated.

After another few hours, I was starting to feel the pain of contractions again but this time, it was only that of minor cramping and nothing as severe as what I had dealt with the night before. My midwife checked me again and we were disappointed to find that although I was 10cm dilated, I had a small lip on one side that would not dilate further. My midwife called for an OB consult and at this point, it was decided that the best course of action would be a c-section as Syd was in a bad position and it was unlikely that she would move further into the birth canal.

Things moved quickly at this point and I was taken into the ER within 5 minutes from when the decision was made. Basically, they would take me in, prepare me, start the incision and then once they were down to the uterus, Pat would be brought in so he would be present for the birth. However, things do not always go as planned. They brought me into the ER and started the prep. My epidural was almost worn off so the anesthesiologist started the spinal. After about 5 minutes, I could still feel pain and not just pressure. Now, as I found out later, the doctor had already started and had made the incision through the skin. We think that the tube for the epi had come out slightly so, the spinal froze the outer layers but did not freeze the inside. So, at one point, I started actually feeling the doctor cutting me and freaked out a bit. The pain made me jump a few times on the table and I just kept telling them that I felt everything! At this point, the anesthesiologist bent over and said to me “You will feel some pressure and that is normal. You just need to think of something else and get through this!” If I could have moved at this point, I probably would have punched him out! LMAO I finally had to speak up and begged the doctor to stop because it was not pressure but actual pain that I was feeling and I could not take it anymore.

I was then given the mask for the general anesthesia and I took deep breaths as at that point as all I wanted to do was drift off and be blissfully pain free. It felt like FOREVER before I went under and the next thing I remember is waking up to Patrick being brought into the room with our daughter. I was still groggy and could not really keep my eyes open for very long but I remember that she was crying when he brought her in and then he put her on my chest and the minute I said “Hello baby!” she stopped crying. I don’t remember seeing her at this point but I knew she was ok and that was the important thing.

Sydney was born at 2:16PM on June 25th weighing in at 6lbs, 9oz and I still feel sad that I missed the first 2 hours of her life. Her apgars were 8 and 9 and she had no complications or problems. Once I was settled into my room and more “aware” of my surroundings, I got to hold my daughter for the first time and fell in love instantly. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on and I am still in awe that Patrick and I were able to create something so perfect. It certainly tops the list of our achievements in life.

Where has the time gone?  My little angel is TWO…when did that happen?

Noah is a pleasure.  He has that mix of adorable angel and, sparkly eyed trouble maker and he knows JUST how to work his charm on me.  It probably helps that he is a mamma’s boy through and through.  Just the other day, Patrick was hugging me and, Noah climed up on the bed, came over to us and, grabbed me, said, “nnnooooooooooo MINE” and pushed his daddy away! HA HA HA  I’m sure it won’t be as cute when he’s 30 but, for now it suits me JUST FINE! LMAO

He also never ceases to AMAZE us with how sharp he is.  Patrick always tells me, “Uhh, I think you should have layed off on the fish oil” LOL  because he is almost too smart for his own good!  He is loving, snuggly and, such a happy little guy.  His giggle lights up our home every day and, it is one of those things you hear that just instantly makes you smile.  At this very moment I cannot wait for him to wake up so I can shower that sweet little face with Birthday KISSES!!

And finally, as always, can’t have a birthday post without relfecting on how it all started:

Noah’s Birth Story:

Noah Matthew Quinn made his appearance on March 10th @ 12:08 AM weighing in at 6lbs 8oz, 20 inches with apgars of 9 and 9.

The Birth Story

It all started with my blood pressure which has been elevated a few times over the last little bit. I was under the impression we would be going in Saturday morning and, if I wasn’t in labour or, able to be induced, they would do a C-section. Well, it turns out the dr. on cal that day had different plans and, since BP, urine and blood all came back OK, baby was happy, healthy etc. he sent us home (in a snowstorm BTW). We decided to leave Syd at my mom’s house for the evening since the weather was bad and, we were hoping labour would start that day still. Well, at about 7ish, I started having some contractions that were MORE regularish. However, after a short time, I also had this pain in my chest/upper abdomen that didn’t go away and was constant. Pat checked my BP at the time and it was 160/100 so, I put my feet up and decided to check again in an hour to see if it persisted. By the time 10pm rolled around, I was in serious pain but, mostly from the chest pain since the contractions had become more irregular and, my blood pressure check showed a BP of 170/110! We got right in the car and made our way to the hospital AGAIN. We arrived at 11pm (storm was STILL raging) and, were put into a triage room for monitoring. The gave me something for heartburn (even though I insisted I had had plenty of that and this was COMPLETELY different) and we waited and watched the heartburn medication do NOTHING and, my blood pressure stay mostly up at the 150/90 range (in hindsight, I am betting the contractions made the BP higher when we were at home). I was miserable but, “stable” so, we kept watching and kept waiting. At about 4am, they decided to finally “admit” me. Now, during all of this, the leg was slightly MORE swollen than usual so, they went into the crazy “blood clot” mode again at this point. I mentioned to the doctor that at this point, could we not just DO a C-section and get this over with since I was suffering for nothing? He agreed but, wanted to get the results back from the leg doppler before they did. So, of course with it being 4am, it was the on-call guy servicing 3 hospitals that we were waiting on and, you I am sure won’t be surprised to hear that I didn’t have the scan done until about 10am. It was NEGATIVE (shocking) and so, since my blood work was also starting to change for the worse, they decided to go ahead with the section that day. Now, here is where it gets fun because apparently, they did 8 sections that Sunday and, I was the least “at risk” of all of them so, that was the reason for the wait. At 9pm, they FINALLY came and got me for the section and, we were wheeled over. I was wheeled into the operating room and, Pat was outside waiting to get gloved up and come in once all the prep was done. We were only in a few minutes and the doc was JUST getting prepped to do the spinal when a nurse came rushing in and, advised that we needed to be bumped as, there was a mom in labour and, baby was in fetal distressed. Obviously, I agreed and, was brought to a room to wait. They used the time to get some of the prep work done for the spinal and, get the IV in etc. so, when my time FINALLY came at 11pm, we were good. The next part SHOULD have been quick but, the anaesthesiologist decided he wanted an arterial line since my blood pressure was elevated. Well, I have been having vein issued since my infection in December (from being poked and prodded constantly) so, I knew this was going to be a challenge. It took a good 1/2 hour before he gave up and moved onto the spinal. That was relatively easy and painless and, when I laid back on the table, the anestesist was looking at my right wrist which I only assumed meant he wanted to give the arterial line another go. At this point, I had had enough and told him I didn’t want it and was refusing. I was tired of waiting for the section, tired of being poked with needles and, unless he could give me some EARTH shattering reason why it was necessary, I wanted nothing to do with it. He couldn’t so, we FINALLY got the show on the road!

The spinal was perfect and, although I could feel my legs and lower body, I could feel no pain pretty much from my chest down. The OB team came in and got everything underway and, Pat was by my side shortly after that. I was extremely nervous about feeling pain because of my last C-section ordeal so, I was a bit panicked until I knew they had started cutting and I knew I was feeling SQAT! LOL Pat kept me busy while they worked away and, we wondered if Noah would be a March 9th or 10th baby since we were nearing close to midnight. When they neared the end, I was warned I would feel some more pressure (which was nothing) and, I heard the doctor said, “squirmy little munchkin” and, two second later, we heard the cry and, they brought Noah around so that we could see him before taking him to get cleaned up. They cut the cord longer so, Pat got to cut it again which was something he was REALLY looking forward to and, the got him all cleaned up.

More pics can be found here .

Happy Holiday from our Family to yours!

Our appointment was at 12:30 but, we arrived at noon which usually serves us well in getting us IN and OUT but, not so much today.  We went into the Baby Room right away and, both the kids were weighed and measured but, we then had to sit in the room for an hour and a half before seeing the doctor.  All I have to say is…thank goodness for tongue depressors! LOL

On to the stats:

Noah’s appointment was a late 15 month appointment:

Weight:  26 lbs (55th percentile)

Height: 2 feet, 8 inches (72nd percentile)

He was such a good boy and, had us all laughing.  When our doc walked in, he gave her the once over and, then flashed his patented Noah smile…complete with twinkle eyes.  Then, he layed perfectly still while she poked, prodded and listened just watching her every move.  When she took the stethoscope off of his chest, he grabbed it and put it back on! HA  She was happy with everything but, did note that every time she has checked him, his testicles have been up in the canal.  She isn’t too concerned since she is able to feel them/find them and, move them into place but, she still noted it for future follow up if necessary.

Sydney had her 4 year check up:

Weight:  30lbs (which shocked me) and she moved up from her usual 5th percentile to the 10th percentile

Height:  3 feet, 3 inches (32nd percentile)

Once the checks were all done, the doc went off to prep the shots.  I had told Sydney about the needles in the morning on the way to swimming class and, she told me she was going to be brave for Noah! LMAO   However, she had prepped for her needle (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) to be in her thigh so, was a bit taken a back when she was told it was going in her arm.  But, she quickly got past that and, didn’t even cry…except she did say OUCH when I kissed it better! LMAO  Noah on the other hand was VERY distraught over his needles (Pneumococcal and Varicella – chickenpox).  However, distraught quickly turned to hapiness when he got his sucker! LOL

I gave both kids some Tempra before their needles and, again just before bed but, they had no problems at all.  Sydney is all done till Grade 7 but, poor Noah will be back in a few months for his follow up MMR, D-Tap and HIB.  That should be fun since todays visit could still be fresh in his memory by then.

Other than that, things have been good..just SUPER busy.  Sydney has swim classes this week and, over the summer, our rec centre runs the classes 5 days straight instead of 1 day per week for 5 weeks so, we have been out of the house by 9am every morning.  Tomorrow is her final class and, I have to say, I am amazed at how much she has learned in just a week!  She can now swim front and back unassisted and, with her head completely submerged for the forward swim.   The course she is completing now is Sunfish and, we will probably do the Whale course towards the end of the summer which, should have her in a good place to start her levels when she turns five.  I think with the prep, she should be able to enter into her levels at 2 or 3 which will give her a nice start.

I was hoping to start Noah as well this summer but, they don’t have the Sunfish or Whale at the same time as the parented classes for babies so, I couldn’t logistically do it without having Sydney out of the water watching and waiting for us which, I wouldn’t be comfortable with.  So, I might get him registered for the fall when they return to 1 day per week for 5 weeks which would make it easier to have Patrick schedule around it so he can stay home with Sydney.  Or, schedule it for a day when Sydney is in school and, we can go after we drop her off.

Well, I am beat and, ready to head to bed!

Sydney’s Birth Announcement (that was so loving posted by Aunt Sandra):

It is my pleasure and honour to announce that Suzanne and Patrick Quinn are the proud parents of Miss Sydney Jordan Quinn born on Saturday, June 25, 2005 at 2:20pm in Markham-Stouffville Hospital. She weighs 6lbs 9oz and measures 51 cm in length.

With visions of shopping dancing around in Miss Sydney’s head, she had her hand up by her ear contemplating all the shopping she would do. Of course, this didn’t help the natural childbirth plans Suzie had, and so the decision was made that Sydney would have to arrive by c-section.

Sue is doing fine, although she is somewhat sore and groggy from the c-section and the drugs. Pat expects that she will be allowed to come Monday or Tuesday depending on how her recovery is going. Both parents are happy and healthy, although tired, and can I just say that little Miss Sydney has a set of lungs on her? As Pat was relaying the birth story, Miss Sydney was crying and making use of her lungs in the background, and she sounds absolutely adorable!

From what I could make out, she was listing off the things she wants to buy with the $350 she won from Sears for being born today!

So the waiting is over, a happy, healthy little Miss Sydney has joined our world and a tired but happy Patrick and Sue have months of happy but sleepless nights ahead as the love affair with the daughter begins.

Congratulations Pat and Sue from me and Tony and all your family and friends, and welcome Miss Sydney, we’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival and so glad you’re finally here!

Sydney’s Birth Story:

On June 23rd I had my weekly midwife appointment after having what I thought were irregular contractions for the last 3 days. However, according to an internal exam, I was not in labour and although I was fully effaced (my cervix had thinned completely), I had not dilated at all. The next morning I had my weekly non stress test and biophysical profile ultrasound that my mom drove me to since Pat was working at noon. The test was started shortly after 9AM and after 30 minutes of testing; the nurse could not pass me as although Syd’s heartbeat was steady at around 155, we weren’t seeing it rise significantly (to at least 165) with her movements. So, I was instructed to go for my ultrasound at 10:30 and then take the results over to labour and delivery for further monitoring. The nurse suggested I eat something on my way over as I could very well be induced in the afternoon. There was a HUGE delay in diagnostic imaging and I did not get in for my ultrasound until 11:15 or so. The ultrasound was great but my fluid levels were still low (same level as last week so no decrease). The tech gave me my report and I was OFF to labour and delivery. After my non-stress test, I had called Pat with an update and let him know that although he didn’t have to rush right over, it was possible that they would get the ball rolling that day.

They were expecting me at L & D and once I arrived, they put me in a room and hooked me up to the monitors to see if there had been a change from the morning’s non stress test. They called my midwife at this point so she could make her way in for a consultation. The nurse came back 40 minutes later and advised that my midwife was on her way. They were going to unhook me from the machines for now but that the consensus was that they were going to induce!! I called Pat, who was 45 minutes into starting his class, and gave him the thumbs up to leave work and make his way to the hospital. The instructor that he was teaching with told him to just leave and that he would take care of packing up his stuff and putting it away at the end of the day. So, Pat was able to go to the condo to pick up our bags and make it to the hospital in less than an hour.

Our midwife arrived shortly thereafter and explained our options to us. We agreed that the induction was the way to go and that we wanted to get the show on the road! So, the drugs were ordered and the drip was introduced at approximately 4PM. Unfortunately, because I was being induced, I had to remain on the monitors at all times so my thoughts of walking and showering through labour went out the window as I was stuck in bed. The fetal heart monitor was being a pain because of the baby’s position so my midwife decided to break my water and use an internal fetal monitor, which was basically an electrode that they attached to the top of the babies head and provides a more accurate, and up to the second monitoring. The doctor arrived for a consult and they did their thing. [TMI warning]It is amazing how quickly a women in labour loses all of her modesty but when you have somebody come in and say “Hi, my name is Dr. X, can I get you to pull your ankles up to your bum and spread your legs.” modesty completely goes out the window! [/TMI warning]

The contractions started at about 5PM and I was amazed at how intense they were! Pat’s poor fingers took quite a beating from being SQUEEZED to the extreme. My coach and wonderful husband did a fantastic job in keeping me focused and breathing through the contractions. However, an hour and half into them and not being able to get up and about to get my mind off of it, I asked my midwife to arrange for the epidural. I think if I had been mobile during my labour, it would have been much easier but, being stuck in bed, I had nothing to do but sit and wait for the next contraction.

My god arrived about 15 minutes later and I call him a god because all I felt was a small prick like a bee sting and then a cold sensation. I got back into bed and 5 minutes later, I felt NO pain! I could still feel the contractions in terms of tightening but they had no bite! Life was gooooood! At this point, I got some much-needed sleep and woke just in time for the changing of the guards. My midwife who was with me from the start was calling in a back-up as she had been up the prior night for a birth and needed a few hours sleep as she had a family wedding the following day. The midwife that arrived was not my primary or secondary midwife so I had yet to meet her. She was taking the shift through the night, as my secondary midwife was unable to arrive until morning. At this point, I started being able to feel the contractions again but only on the left hand side. Not wanting to ask for a top up, I suffered through the rest of the night feeling each one and having to breath through it. By morning, I was exhausted and this is when I started to fall apart a bit. I remember crying to my husband that I just could not go on any longer and that I was exhausted and didn’t understand why I wasn’t progressing faster (at this point I think I was about 7cm dilated which had not changed since I was checked the last time. I begged my midwife to find out about getting the anesthesiologist in to give me a top up and some relief from the pain. Thankfully, he was only minutes away and the good man arrived and took away all of the pain! LOL My secondary midwife arrived and was able to deal with a much happier and rational lady since I was again no longer feeling the pain of the contractions. I slept again and hoped to wake up to some good news at my next check and was happy to find out that I was 9-10 cm dilated.

After another few hours, I was starting to feel the pain of contractions again but this time, it was only that of minor cramping and nothing as severe as what I had dealt with the night before. My midwife checked me again and we were disappointed to find that although I was 10cm dilated, I had a small lip on one side that would not dilate further. My midwife called for an OB consult and at this point, it was decided that the best course of action would be a c-section as Syd was in a bad position and it was unlikely that she would move further into the birth canal.

Things moved quickly at this point and I was taken into the ER within 5 minutes from when the decision was made. Basically, they would take me in, prepare me, start the incision and then once they were down to the uterus, Pat would be brought in so he would be present for the birth. However, things do not always go as planned. They brought me into the ER and started the prep. My epidural was almost worn off so the anesthesiologist started the spinal. After about 5 minutes, I could still feel pain and not just pressure. Now, as I found out later, the doctor had already started and had made the incision through the skin. We think that the tube for the epi had come out slightly so, the spinal froze the outer layers but did not freeze the inside. So, at one point, I started actually feeling the doctor cutting me and freaked out a bit. The pain made me jump a few times on the table and I just kept telling them that I felt everything! At this point, the anesthesiologist bent over and said to me “You will feel some pressure and that is normal. You just need to think of something else and get through this!” If I could have moved at this point, I probably would have punched him out! LMAO I finally had to speak up and begged the doctor to stop because it was not pressure but actual pain that I was feeling and I could not take it anymore.

I was then given the mask for the general anesthesia and I took deep breaths as at that point as all I wanted to do was drift off and be blissfully pain free. It felt like FOREVER before I went under and the next thing I remember is waking up to Patrick being brought into the room with our daughter. I was still groggy and could not really keep my eyes open for very long but I remember that she was crying when he brought her in and then he put her on my chest and the minute I said “Hello baby!” she stopped crying. I don’t remember seeing her at this point but I knew she was ok and that was the important thing.

Sydney was born at 2:16PM on June 25th weighing in at 6lbs, 9oz and I still feel sad that I missed the first 2 hours of her life. Her apgars were 8 and 9 and she had no complications or problems. Once I was settled into my room and more “aware” of my surroundings, I got to hold my daughter for the first time and fell in love instantly. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on and I am still in awe that Patrick and I were able to create something so perfect. It certainly tops the list of our achievements in life.

Just wanted to post and say I haven’t FORGOTTEN about my blog just, finding the time to sit still for 10-15 minutes and get it all together is TOUGH!

And, it will probably get tougher still as today, Sydney and I started her 26 week preparatory curriculum. She already knows her letters, numbers, shapes, colors etc. but, I figured it couldn’t hurt to go through the course with her as, it gives us a nice thing to do together every day. I have been finding lately she has been purposefully acting out….nothing TOO horrible but, little things like, if I say, “Sydney, if you squirt your brother in the face with that water one more time, you are done with the bath and it will be straight to bed for you!” She will look RIGHT at me and squirt him in the face with water! LOL I am sure that most of it is the age but, I decided anyway to make a concious effort to ensure she gets her fair share of ME time without Noah.

So, that is all the time I have for now but, I will be back soon with Easter pictures (which if you get tired of waiting for me to blog, you can always access on the sidebar via Flickr).

Sydney the drummer:  http://www.dropshots.com/SQuinnP2009#date/2009-03-24/16:18:50

That would be her singing Hollaback Girl (or Back Girl as she says it) as she drums on her assembled drum kit.

Noah the dancer:  http://www.dropshots.com/SQuinnP2009#date/2009-03-27/18:00:42

Shaking it to Hinder’s Up All Night

Sydney not knowing that I was taping her: http://www.dropshots.com/SQuinnP2009#date/2009-03-28/15:07:21

Singing a version of So What by Pink and the Alphabet Song! LOL  She was looking at herself in the full length mirror while just SINGING her little heart out.

I cannot stop laughing at those.

But, I newly added Twitter which I can update from my cell phone.  I am still learning and trying to figure it all out but, looks like it might be a great way to update/keep in touch with everyone.

I am not sure EXACTLY what the future holds but, for now, I am going to get caught up on my laundry and housework, play with my kids and enjoy every minute of them. One of the other “tasks” I will be taking on is getting a bit more involved in our business. As you all know, Patrick is a first aid/CPR instructor/medic/etc. etc. etc and, has provided his services now for the past 6 years. Over those years, he has been adding to his repetoire so, we have finally gotten it all together, registered a website and, the company should have a web presence listing all of our products and services in the very near future:

www.code4emts.com
Code 4 Emergency Medical Training Services offers a variety of medical training in addition to First Aid and CPR as well as event medical coverage, stretcher maintenance, workplace safety inspections, sale of first aid/CPR and AED products.  I am also excited to start working on my third “baby” which is a First Aid/CPR Workshop which will focus on child and infants and, be geared towards parents who do not necessarily need to be “certified” (which is two days and about $100) but, want to be prepared in case of emergency.  The workshop will be about 2 hours, cost about $20, and will cover Child/Infant CPR, choking, wounds and bleeding and various other child/infant related injuries.  So far, based on conversations that I have had, there seems to be a really positive response to the idea so, over the next few months I will be working with Patrick to firm up the workshop time-line, run a few focus group workshops, etc.  So, it promises to be a very busy summer.

While I am busy with that, Patrick is focused on expanding our corporate client base so that he can be teaching more during the week and freeing up our family time on the weekends.  He has been in talks with some security companies, school boards, nursing homes, property management, etc. etc.

Now that we have our “plan” a bit more organized, I am really excited for the next few years and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

In the interim while we work to get our website up and running, if anyone reading this is interested in more information about any of the things I mentioned, feel free to contact me/us and, I would be more than happy to send out a price list/course offering. (was that a plug? LOL)

Now, on to the reason most of you come….LOL….the CHILDREN:

Noah had his 1 year doctor check up and, did great.  He was a trooper through his shots (with minimal crying) and, was amazing the doctor with his antics/personality.  He weighed in at 7.3KG (20 1/2lbs) and, was given the green light to switch from formula to milk (which he LOVES).  He met and exceeded all of his milestones and, is now also good to be forward facing in the car (which I have to admit I already had done a few weeks before his appointment).  He also FINALLY got his two top front teeth (cannot remember if I already mentioned it) so, he has 4 in total which is such a change from Sydney who at this age had all her teeth and was working on her 1 year molars.  So, I am thinking the toothy grin will be around for a while!

Sydney is also doing well.  She is SUPER excited to start school and, REALLY happy to have me home (again).  I think the last week was probably hardest on her.  In preperation for school, I think I might get started on a bit more structure for her so that she is well prepared.  I would welcome any feedback from other moms on what they did (especially with the oldest) and what works/doesn’t work.

Well, that is all the time I have for now since my laundry load is done so, I want to get the next one in because before I know it, Noah will be up from his nap.  I do have more to blog about (aka the Birthday Party) but, I have yet to download any of the pictures from my camera so, that will have to wait!