Blog Changes

You'll notice I've been changing my blog around again. I found a new site that does free backgrounds (Look in the top left corner to link to that site. I've also made changes to add more of the blogs I read and deleted blogs that I have chosen not to read anymore. I've also added 3 blogs of people that I know. I've also added a few more new songs and I'm always on the look out for new songs...If you are like some "my" blog readers and link to the page to listen to the music and you would like to hear a song put on let me know by leaving a comment...I'll have a listen and it might make it onto the list *smile*


I've also added a link to my youtube page. I'll be updating photo's as well so look out for them.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Silence, Observation & Marshmallows

***This weeks blog hop theme is to list three things about you that no one would really know. Here are my three:

1. I enjoy being alone in silence just thinking about things.

2. I come from a single parent home and when I was younger my mom used to park the car in a busy parking lot at shopping centres and encourage us to observe the people. I guess that is what made me into the observant person I am today.

3. Barry's nick name for me is Marshmallow because that is my favorite sweet.

HAVE FUN!!***

The Other Blog

I am part of a team of ladies that contributes to a recipe blog. There are some great recipies there...Go have a look.

I just posted something! http://recipeasy.blogspot.com/

Not Me Monday

This is the first time I'm joining in with the mania of NMM. I don't know if I'll be doing it every week but I just had to share this moment that did not happen because I would never, ever do this...no NOT ME!!

On Saturday we were on our way back from shopping when Seth declared with urgency that he needed to wee. Usually we tell him to "hold it in" and that is enough but not on Saturday. He repeated a few times "I need to make a wee wee" the last time he said it there were tears in his eyes - I guess that's what it means when someone says they need the toilet so bad their eyeballs are swimming!!

Out of desperation to help him I DID NOT whip out one of Joshua's nappies and I DID NOT put it on him. I DID NOT put it on him in such a way that he looked like Super Man gone wrong. Enjoy the image of what I DID NOT DO!!

Toast for Breakfast

One morning this week I heard this conversation happening between Barry and Seth.

Barry: Seth please sit down for breakfast.

Seth: No, I not eat breakfast, I eat toast.

Barry: Seth toast is breakfast.

Seth: No I eat toast not breakfast, Josh eat breakfast.

Well Barry and I being the loving and compassionate parents took the micky out of him by telling him that he was having breakfast for a few more minutes and then explained the concept. He eats "breakfast" now.

"Stop! Acts 2:38"

A woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church
services, when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the
act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled: 'Stop! Acts 2:38!'
(Repent and be Baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ , so that your sins may be forgiven.)

The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and
explained what she had done.

As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar: 'Why
did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you.'

'Scripture?' replied the burglar. 'She said she had an Ax and Two 38s!'

Some Food for Thought

I know that this is not based on scripture but it does give this generation something to think about.

Play Time

This is one of the ways Elijah spends some of his play time. I have these black and white printed out pictures stuck all over the house.

I also had much better photos than these but my camera was flung into the air when I was about 28 weeks pregnant because I slipped and I had Joshua in my arms, so it was Josh or the Camera that had to go. Then in this past week my camera dropped again and it didn't seem like any major damage was done until I tried to download photos...Half of them won't download :(

I love Elijah's toes that are so long they almost look like fingers. He also has really long fingers, which he flexes when he's really enjoying something.

E began to smile at about 4,5 weeks. He's getting better and better at it each day. The first person he smiled at was Joshua.

He feeds every two hours round the clock which is limiting so we have introduced one formula bottle at 5 am which Barry gives him so that i can try and get between 2 - 4 straight hours of sleep.

He is being treated by a friend who's a Chiropractor. He had a locked right hip, his lumber spine was out and his neck was in a bad spasm. We think this is because as he was delivered I was turned from my side to my back and that could have twisted him slightly.

He has the tiniest cry. I can have the monitor on full volume and will still battle to hear him cry at his full volume.

Seth & Josh love E to bits. They are always asking to hold him and even fight over who's brother he is. I must try and get on video how Josh greets E.

Elijah has just started doing the "gn" sound when he speaks to me.

When I put him on his side for a feed he kicks his left leg up and down.

When someone new holds him he stares at them wide eyed.

When I put E on his stomach he can already push himself up and over on his side.

He still has his hair from birth which is amazing for me because Seth and Joshua were baldies by this age.

He loves his baths which I'm glad about because it's winter and I was worried the cold would bother him.

When he's feeding or in pain it seems as if he intentionally reaches for my finger to hold.

He's the first baby I've had that loves to sleep on my chest.

I have also ordered a Meeup and can't wait for it to arrive!

Six Weeks Ago...

Early that morning we were at a friends house dropping off Seth and Joshua. I was all teary knowing that this was the last time I would see Joshua as the baby. I was teary because I knew there would be some changes to the relationships with my boys that I didn't want to happen. Teary because I knew what was going to be required of me and was I going to be able to give it or was I going to rob my children in an effort to cope?

We got to the hospital around 7 and, around 8, I got given the "gel". About 20 min later the contractions started. They were so minor that I had to lift my shirt to see if they were really happening. I was already 2cm dilated when I arrived but apparently that's nothing unusual for a 3rd pregnancy, to be dilated up to 2 cm a few weeks before delivery.

About an hour later they came and checked on me and hooked me up to the monitor because the contractions seemed to be regular. I was hooked up for about 20 min and they checked on us again. Elijah's heart activity was showing that he was either in distress or hypoglycemic. They asked me to drink some coke, which I did and I ate some Super C's. When they checked back in 15 mins, his heart rate showed that he'd been hypoglycemic and they removed the monitor and put me onto a glucose drip. I also got moving by pacing, bouncing on the ball and swaying to try and get this labour going so that I wouldn't need to have a cintocin drip.

The contractions were starting to build but I was still only a loose 2 cm. At this point I realised that I was fighting the contractions by tensing my whole body instead of focusing the energy of the contraction. This was the turning point. They brought me some soup for lunch which I devoured because even though I was on the drip I was shaking and it felt like my sugar was dropping again. I barley finished my soup and started to feel a very gentle urge to push. Even though I had been through this twice before I thought this is what natural labour must feel like (without the drip that is). I asked Barry to call for the sister to check and see if I'd dilated any further. She said she was going to hook me up again and call the Dr to check.

I had 3 contractions in very close succession while the sister was still in the room and she was shocked. She asked me how long I've been having contractions like this and I replied "Since the beginning of lunch". Barry's 2c worth was "If you think these are active labour contractions you need to get the doctor here quickly because my wife has very short labours". She just smiled and said she was going to call the Dr.

When he arrived he said I was a loose 3-4 cm and he also had a look at the contractions and they had a conversation in private. He told me to take it easy and enjoy it. The Dr left and the urge to push was getting scary so I went to the bathroom. 3 contractions later I realised I wasn't getting off this lavatory.

I called for Barry and yanked the help cord. The attending sister came and checked on me and they tried to help me up. We didn't succeed and they then wheeled in a delivery bed and got 2 more sisters to lift me onto the bed. After another check I was 6 - 7 cm dilated but the urge to push was overwhelming. I kept asking,"Why do I want to push if my cervix is not properly dilated?" To this day I cannot remember the answer but I do remember them telling me I was not allowed to push at all. The sisters were not sure if they should get the equipment ready. Barry said that they should and that they should call the Dr. which they did.

When he arrived I was a loose 7-8 cm. And he once again told me not to push and I once again asked why I was not allowed to push but can't remember the answer. He suggested I lay on my side and shout if I needed but I must not push or I'll tear my cervix. So I turned on my side and brought my knees up and cried to God for help, really I did. I'm sure he thought I was cursing though. The contractions were so strong that I was pulling on the bed rail and pushing the bed board with my feet. Dr did another check and I was 8-9cm. At the end of the contraction that followed the 8-9cm check something felt different and I told Barry this and suddenly my waters broke. The Dr wanted to see the water and seemed concerned. He allowed another 2 contractions and then he said those words I was longing to hear, "With your next contraction push". Before he could finish saying that, I had my next contraction. The only problem was that I was still on my side...the Dr helped Elijah out because even though I was dilating I was not thinning out enough...that doesn't make any sense. I pushed with all my might while the Dr and sisters turned me onto my back. Out he slipped still in his amniotic sack. There were shouts of joy from the sisters, my Dr. repeating: "he's going to be rich because he's born in his sack" and Barry saying (through the tears) "He's beautiful, he's beautiful". I could at this stage only see his back and I was thinking "boy is he covered in thick vernix!"

Somewhere along the line I was given a muscle relaxant which made me so sleepy.

I was also the only lady that day to not have any pain meds. I read an article about women in African villages who don't go to hospitals to have their babies because they do not have the money. The opening paragraph of the article described a birth and when it came to the part for the actual delivery it described it as something like this,"The mother is able to endure the pain of labour and delivery because she knows in the silence of the night that pain gives way to complete joy which is comforting". That's exactly it. My labour took 5 hours to get going but once I hit active labour it was 50 min. A vicious labour but the joy, peace and exhaustion that follows IS comforting. Hearing those little grunts and groans as they make their efforts to breath. The suckling noises, seeing those eyes still slightly stuck together with vernix trying eagerly to see mommy, almost as if this day of meeting had been as excitedly awaited by him as well.

Wordless Wednesday (Batman)