Pet-troductions

Randi recently posted an introduction to Kobe and Lewis on her blog and I thought it was so cute I wanted to do the same for Toby and Bane! This blog just started out as a place to keep track of my pregnancy (I would like to find a way to print all of my posts for Sloan's scrapbook), and has evolved into a blog about Sloan mainly, but we can't forget about our other family members! So here it goes...welcome to the furry members (or non-hairless members) of the Murphy family!


Toby, March 8, 2004, "Mutt-butt, Bud, Dog-head, Dooter-head, and the original Noodle-head":


This little mutt-butt came to me as a sort-of graduation present. When I was on my way home with all of my earthly possessions packed into my Dad's truck from Laurier after finishing my last exam we stopped in Cambridge for some Timmies and to call my Mum from *gasp* a pay phone! When I was on the phone with her she told me that she saw an ad for Pug cross Boston Terrier puppies and was going to get me one. I was SO excited! Now, every time we drive past that pay phone on the way to or from Brantford I point it out to Matt.


Toby was the cutest little puppy of the litter of 8 and had such a cute little pot-belly. Initially I was looking at another little pup, but Toby came right to me and was quite the little snuggler! We got to meet who we were told was Toby's Dad - a HUGE Boston Terrier...but we have since decided that the lady who we got Toby from must have been delusional as he is clearly a Pug, Beagle cross! A Puggle if you will! Toby came home with us in May of 2004.

When Toby first came home we were living at my parents house for the summer so he got LOTS of attention and loved every minute of it! I wanted to crate train him, but I couldn't stand his whimpers and gave in to letting him sleep in bed with us "just this once" and he has been there ever since (I seem to have taken a similar approach with Sloan! oops!).

We moved to Waterloo in September of 2004 and Toby and Matt and I had our first real home together. We lived in the top story of an old house which had a horrible set of outside steps to get to our door. They decided to replace these steps for us shortly after we moved in and we only had a ladder to access our apartment for a little over a week....so Toby had to take all of his trips in and out of the house under an arm while we climbed the ladder...SO safe! haha Toby didn't take the move too well, he was used to lots of attention and was suddenly home alone a lot more. He ate a hole in our area rug, tore open the backs of our couch and chair, ate the heal off my new leather boot and tried to dig his way out of the front door! He grew out of this chewing phase though and quickly became a well behaved little buddy!

We made two more moves while we were in K/W, each time choosing a place with a park near by for Toby. He adjusted much better with these moves.

Finally in September of 2007 we bought Toby his first house. The main thing we were looking for in a house was a big fenced yard for Toby to have! He has escaped a few times, but for the most part he loves his yard!

Toby had another big adjustment to tackle when Sloan came home...and so far he is just ignoring her. We're hoping that they become best of friends once Sloan is on the move and can actually play with him, but for now, he just acts like he would prefer if she just went back to where ever sh came from!

Bane, November 2, 2007 , "Bane-er (said in a very high-pitched voice), Crazy-Kitty":
I have never been a cat person, so getting a cat was a big deal for me. Matt was the one that really wanted a cat, which surprises most people. I don't have as much of a story for Bane, since he seems to act toward me, the way Toby acts to Sloan...unless he want more food!

I found Bane online through petfinder and we adopted him from the local humane society. I thought if we were going to get a cat, I wanted a big fluffy flat-nosed one, but couldn't fathom the idea of spending hundreds of dollars on a cat, so I opted for the $50 adoption fee...oh, and the idea of saving a cat seemed like a good idea. I thought Bane looked pretty cute and he was described as polydactyl - he has thumbs! Bane came home with us in February of '08.

Bane was a pretty cute kitten, and I warmed up to the idea of having a cat. It helped that Matt had agreed to change the litter box EVERY time since a cat was his idea! Matt changed the first litter box and put on the most dramatic acting job I'm surprised we don't have an Oscar sitting on our mantle (actually we don't even have a mantle...). There was coughing and gagging and a drywall mask and all. After that I pretty much had to take over the litter box duties! I took advantage of the rumour that you can't be near a litter box when you're pregnant and Matt braved the box for a whole 9 months! I think the first thing he said to me when we got home with Sloan was that it was my turn to change the box! lol

Our $50 cat soon became our $580 cat when Bane got a bad bladder infection and had to stay the night at the vets office and have some testing done. He is now on a diet to keep future bladder infections away. I keep telling him he really owes me now!



Bane has only ever known this house and I'm a little worried about what he will be like when we inevitably move. He doesn't do well with change! Toby is quite the guard dog and barks every time someone comes into our driveway, which is Bane's cue to RUN downstairs and hide under the bed.



Surprisingly, Bane has taken to Sloan more than Toby. He comes to sniff her head every time I nurse her and often comes to look at her when she is crying. It's actually pretty cute!





So there we go....I think that pretty much brings you up to speed with the non-hairless members of the fam!


And now, here are Toby & Bane's baby pictures:

Toby looking teeny-tiny in Matt's arms:
Smaller than a work boot!
Toby discovering his new little brother:

Little fluff-head! This pic shows off Bane's extra toes nicely!

xo JBM

Girly Getaway

Sloan, Nana and I got back last night from our first girly getaway - we had a great time!

It was time for the annual steering committee meeting for my work, so I thought it would be the perfect time to go to Toronto so everyone could meet Sloan and I could show her off! I plotted with our executive assistant and made plans to surprise everyone, as well as arrange a room at the hotel (which they generously supplied us with!).

So Tuesday morning we finally (about an hour after we had planned) loaded up the car with just about everything we own and dropped off Toby and picked up Nana and got on the road to Toronto. Sloan is a very good traveller and slept all the way to Waterloo where we stopped for breakfast and then went on to Cambridge and stopped at the Once Upon A Child. We spent quite a while at the shop, picking out lots of adorable outfits for Sloan - I can't wait for summer so she can wear the adorable dresses we got! Sloan went back to sleep and we were back on the road! We got checked into the Novotel and then headed out for a little shopping at the St. Lawrence Market before I jumped into the meeting to surprise everyone. Of course, just leaving the hotel we ran into someone from work who was out for a smoke break, but I swore him to secrecy! ;)

Everyone loved meeting Sloan and were super surprised to see us there! Sloan got passed around a bit and was quiet as a mouse!

We were lucky enough to get together with Laura K and Laura R for dinner at Ichiban...YUMMMM. I stuffed myself with sushi and tempura veggies and had to change Sloan on the bench in the restaurant...FUN! I really do think it should be mandatory for all restaurants to have change stations in them!

Sloan enjoyed her first night in a hotel:

She looked so tiny in the big white bed!

Yesterday we got up and had breakfast with the work group and then headed out for more shopping at the market...but I couldn't take it in there too long - the smell of all the raw meat and seafood was making me sick. We headed to Mavis road for some more shopping and then made the trek home. The roads weren't bad until we got to about Wingham and then we hit some snow and Sloan started to get fussy...but who can blame her, she was in the "bucket" for so long!

All in all, it was a great trip and I'm so glad Nana was able to come with us! It was also nice to get away because it helped to take our minds off missing Matt so much while he is away at trade school.

xo JBM

Moooo!

I am loving breastfeeding. I've always assumed I would breastfeed, I assumed it would come naturally to me, but I didn't realize I would love it so much! I love it as much as I loved being pregnant and I'm sure I'll miss it as well when it is over (not for a long time).

In the first couple of days things were a bit rough, neither Sloan or I knew how to get her to latch properly, we struggled and I became very engorged which made it harder for her to latch, which made it very painful and I ended up with pretty sore nipples - it was a rough cycle and I could see at this point how some women turn to formula. But I had done a lot of research and felt prepared for this, so on went the cabbage and lanolin and we pushed through. On day 5 we had a midwife visit that changed everything! She taught me the perfect way to get Sloan latched and breastfeeding has been a cinch since!

I've been lucky that I have an excellent supply, but this brings me to my least favorite thing about breastfeeding...the leaking! I've tried a few different types of pads, but nothing seems to hold the floodgates for long! I've been using diaper inserts since the thought of disposable pads piling up was a little much! Any suggestions? I have some microfiber and fleece so I may try to sew up a few of my own.

We've mastered the art of nursing lying down and we both often fall asleep right after so Sloan frequently wakes up with a little dried up milk mustache/beard/sideburn....SO cute!

Just in the past couple of weeks Sloan has begun to realize that it's me feeing her, not just some magical tap for her convenience. During the day while I am nursing her she will often look up at me and smile...thus getting milk everywhere, but it is just so cute! She will also hold my hand while she eats and searches at night for this comfort.

I also LOVE how easy it is to just leave the house with Sloan, my purse stuffed with a couple diapers and a backup outfit and my boobs...which were coming anyway. Babies seem to have enough "stuff" so it's nice to not have to lug around a bunch more...and to not have to worry about the extra washing - I HATE doing dishes!

I guess the only real thing that I dislike about breastfeeding is that Matt can't share it with us. Sure he can sit with us and talk to Sloan while I feed her, but he doesn't really get to experience it, and I wish he could.

xo JBM

Dear Sloan: One Month

A while back I stumbled upon a blog where a mother was writing a newsletter to her little one each month telling him all about what had happened that month in his life. I thought this was a great idea and wanted to do the same for you Sloan, so here we go.

This first month has absolutely flown by, it's hard to believe this day is here already. Everyone says to cherish this time because it goes by so quickly...I knew you wouldn't be tiny forever, but this is just too fast! In just one month you have changed so much, I have already started putting clothes away that you have outgrown! In the first couple of days we were off to a slow start with the nursing, but we both quickly got the hang of it and you are now a nursing champ! Your first few weeks of life were mainly spent sleeping, but you liked to be awake most at night...a little backwards! However, this meant travelling with you was easy! You were a breeze to take anywhere! We packed you up and went out for dinner, and for breakfast...and for lunch...I didn't feel much like cooking and we quickly went through the meals I had made and frozen before you made your appearance. You travelled to Nana and Papa's house quite a bit and loved the snuggles near the fireplace.

On December 8th you went for your first walk. Toby was so excited to get out with you, but I think he is really looking forward to when you can throw the ball for him!

The next day you had your first real bath (your stinky bellybutton stump had fallen off, yay!) and LOVED it! You kicked your legs lots and kept your hands out of the water the same way I do when I have a bath!

On December 12th we packed you up and went to the Palmateer family Christmas at cuz'n Krista's house. We were SO excited to show you off and were glad you came in time to make it! We thought you would get passed around quite a bit, but Nana and Papa hogged you quite a bit!
On December 19th we took advantage of your excellent (daytime) sleeping habits and hopped in the car with Nana and Papa and went to Toronto to pick up your Uncle David - he was so surprised to see us there! You wanted to show off your nursing skills so I walked through the airport nursing you in your sling, which you love! We went out for dinner on the way home and Uncle David got to hold you for the first time.

On Christmas Eve you finally got to meet the Murphy/Stewart clan! Nanny Murphy couldn't get enough of you!Your Great-Nanny Stewart thought you were pretty cute too!

After leaving Brantford we went to Listowel to spend the night waiting for Santa at your Great-Noni's house. You had slept most of the day in the car on the way to and from Brantford and got passed around quite a bit so you had a restless night, but we were still up bright and early on Christmas day. Here we are, our new little family on Christmas morning:


Of course you slept through most of Christmas day. Nana and Papa spoiled you of course! We were surrounded in gifts, many of them for you...but you just slept and slept!


You also slept through your first New Year Eve. We spent the night at Nana and Papa's house eating way too much Chinese take-out and watching a funny movie (The Hangover). You didn't even wake up for the ball dropping! The next day, I got one more year older and celebrated my first Birthday as a Mama! It was great!

Oddly enough, despite the fact that we called you Fawn throughout my pregnancy to keep your name a secret, the nickname didn't stick. Instead, you have a couple new nicknames....Noodle and Scraggle to be exact! You also get Noodle-head, Noodle-butt and Noodleeenee (pronunced Noodle-e-knee) and when you look especially cute and I want to eat you all up you are a Noodle-tini! Scraggle can also take these forms, buy is mainly reserved for when you are being fussy. One night when you were being especially fussy and nothing seemed to sooth you, your Dad went so far as to call you "the ultimate scrag"!

So that brings us to today, you're 1 month today!


Your Daddy and I love you SO much and couldn't imagine our lives without you now. I've always wanted to be a Mum, but being YOUR Mum has been the greatest! Yes, it can be hard when you are being scraggely and waking up all night, but seeing your little noodle-head looking for me makes it all worth while!

xo Mama

Birth Story...finally...

Sloan Beverly Aislin Murphy
December 2nd, 2009 10:32 pm
8lbs 14oz 54cm long

I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now, but stealing away a moment of time has been difficult – I just can’t stop snuggling our new little lady! Hopefully this makes sense since I had to write it in a few different chunks of time!

**WARNING** There are some slightly graphic pictures below…so don’t scroll all the way to the bottom of the post if you don’t want to see some blood. Also, I’ve kept all the details of the birth story in…so don’t read if you don’t want to hear about my cervix! lol
ALSO – this is WAY longer than I had initially thought it would be

So...

On December 1st (my due date) I had a midwife appointment which I kept telling them would be my last one, despite their booking me in for another appointment on the 8th, which I told them there would be no way I would still be pregnant then! The future Nana (my Mum) and I went up to Owen Sound for the appointment and I thought my feet would explode with swelling! Previously Whitney had told me that she would do a stretch and sweep (s&s) at this appointment depending on a few things going on. I was REALLY hoping that she would do it, as I was feeling quite ready. I had been taking Evening Primrose Oil, Red Raspberry Leaf tea and some tiny homeopathic pills that tasted like just a sugar pill (caulophyllum thalictroides is whats on the bottle) with hopes that it would help my body prepare, but not push it before it was ready. Whitney said everything was a go for the s&s (there weren’t a bunch of other Women in labour and they hadn’t been up for hours the night before), but that she was secretly hoping that I wouldn’t go into labour until Thursday when she was back on call. So…during the s&s Whitney said I was already 2cm dilated and my cervix was soft, but still thick. I also got the most hilarious compliment I’ve ever received – apparently I have a “great cervix”! I started bleeding pretty much right away which got my hopes up a bit, but I didn’t want to get too excited!

After my appointment we went up to WalMart to get some last few things for the hospital bag and the walking seemed to keep things going. I had a few stronger contractions (stronger than the Braxton hicks I had been having for the last 20 weeks or so), but nothing major. Whitney had suggested that I take an Advil and a Gravol that night to keep the cramping to a minimum while I tried to get some sleep. I’ve never taken Gravol before, so I just took an Advil and went to bed that night. I was up my usually insane number of times in the night to pee, but also noticed that a few of the contractions I was having were a lot stronger and actually getting a little painful.

When I got up at 5am on the 2nd with Matt while he got ready for work I told him to be sure to keep his pager close by as I thought she was going to come that day. I also called Laura to tell her to start faking sick when she got into work, just incase she had to leave during the day. Finally, I called my Mum to tell her I thought something was happening, but that nothing was too consistent yet. I had tried timing a few contractions, but they were all over the place – some 8 min apart, some 5 min apart, some an hour apart. I decided to take a Gravol with the hopes that I would get some sleep just incase it was “the” day and went back to bed.

The majority of the day is a blur – I slept for most of the day off and on, getting up a few times to let Toby out, check my email and answer the phone…oh, and to pee about a million times! I kept waking up with contractions here and there, and noticed that they were worse when I was standing up, but quite bearable while lying down so I didn’t think it was anything too exciting yet.

I decided it might be something around 3pm and decided to page Matt. When he called back I didn’t say I was in labour, but rather just asked him to come home right after work rather than going to the gym or anything which he said was his plan all day since I had told him in the morning that I thought she was coming that day. I still just felt crampy, so I just sat around until Matt got home at 5pm – he was shocked to see me just laying around and thought I would be ready to go then. I wasn’t even really finished packing and wasn’t ready to go to the birth centre at all. I decided that I wasn’t sure if it was real labour or not, so I wanted to go get in the jacuzzi at my parent’s house to see if the crampy feeling went away. There was no way I wanted to drive over to Walkerton if it was going to be nothing.

I had called my Mum to tell her we were going to go over to get in the tub and she said she would get home to meet us there (coincidentally, she was in Home Hardware buying Sloan’s Christmas stocking). We ran around throwing things in the suit case and packing food for Toby, I was convinced that it was still going to be a while, so we packed up the laptop and some movies incase we were at the birth centre for a while. We left the house around 5:30pm and when we got to my parents I got in the tub right away (which thoughtfully my Mum had filled and had waiting for me with lots of candles) and Matt started timing the contractions to see where we were at incase we had to page Whitney – the first timed contraction was at 5:43. This is when things started to get real – I finally was convinced that I was actually in labour! After about an hour of contractions that were about 4-6min apart, that I actually had to breath and focus through, Matt finally convinced me that we had to page someone and that we really should get to the birth centre, so I had my Mum page Whitney – I wasn’t even thinking that she wasn’t on call yet so the recording had her page Michelle…someone I had never even met! Michelle wanted to talk to me and this annoyed me as I thought she should know that I couldn’t chat right then! After though I realized she was trying to get a better idea of how I was actually feeling. Michelle encouraged me to eat something (she suggested bacon and eggs and I thought she was insane) to keep my energy up and we agreed to meet at the birth centre at 8pm. I then realized that I was starving and ate about 4 pieces of delicious crunchy peanut butter toast while trying not to get crumbs in the bath.

Starting at 7pm Matt kept trying to tell me we had to go, but I wanted to wait because I didn’t think it would take us that long to get to Walkerton and I wanted to stay in the bath for as long as possible, but the contractions were getting much more intense and I knew we needed to go soon. My Mum called Laura at this point to tell her we were going to go over to Walkerton but that she had no idea how far along I was or what was going on. I wasn’t sure if Laura should come or not because we were only allowed to have 2 support people in the room (stupid H1N1 ruining my birth plan). The last timed contraction was at 7:16 and then I got out of the tub… and OW! I felt like I needed to pee, so I sat on the toilet and didn’t want to get up…OW! I didn’t say it at the time, but I was a little worried we had waited too long at this point – the contractions were really intense now and I felt like I couldn’t get up. I actually considered going to Walkerton naked for a moment just to avoid having to get dressed! I made it all the way to the livingroom and then had to lay down – there was so much pressure when I was standing. Matt and my Dad had prepared the car – the seat was wrapped in a giant garbage bag and loaded with towels as my water still hadn’t broken.

As soon as we got out of the neighborhood I knew we had left it too long…I didn’t think I was going to make it. It seemed like the contractions were coming one on top of the other and I couldn’t get comfortable. Of course it was raining and we were behind a transport truck that Matt couldn’t seem to get a clear spot to pass. I kept telling him to go faster and to just hurry and to pass asap! Matt was the perfect partner – he kept reminding me to breath and held my hand when I wanted him to and kept putting the window up and down as I requested! With the window down I was too cold and getting rained on, with it up I was too hot – nothing was working for me! I had put the seat down and I couldn’t get back up!

About half way to Walkerton I started to feel the urge to push, I felt like I was going to have her right then and there, of course I was yelling this to Matt with each contraction and that was the only time that I saw him a little worried – he told me I had to wait because he didn’t even know where we were or how much longer it was. When we finally got in to Walkerton the entrance to the birth centre was under construction so we had to go in another way and I directed Matt the wrong way and we wound up at the parking lot for the retirement home next door…I thought I wasn’t going to make it if Matt didn’t hurry up at this point. So, we quickly got to the emergency entrance and I directed Matt to park in the ambulance entrance – I didn’t care what we were blocking!

While Matt went to tell them we were there and get a wheelchair, I went into the bathroom, and again felt like I couldn’t get up off the toilet because of the pressure when I was standing up. Matt wheeled me up to the birth centre and when we got up there a nurse was waiting for us. I stood up out of the wheelchair and told her to show me which room we were in because I needed to use the washroom asap (still really felt like I needed to pee…even though I didn’t). I was horribly annoyed with her and the lack of urgency she seemed to have when she was asking how I was – couldn’t she tell I was dying!?!?! When we got to the room (which felt like miles away, when it was actually probably just a few feet) I sat on the toilet right away and still couldn’t pee when that was all I wanted to do. The nurse told me Michelle wasn’t there yet and I remember looking at the clock and it was 8:20 and again I was annoyed because we were supposed to meet at 8pm. Moments later in came Michelle. Because I had tested positive for Group B Strep they had to start an IV, which had I known how fast everything would have gone, I wouldn’t have concented to. I have told Whitney about how I was more scared of the IV going in than actual child birth and she assured me that she would find the nurse with the most experience to do the IV so I wouldn’t need to worry. Well, wouldn’t you know, there was a student nurse on that night and they wanted her to start the IV. After fishing around for what seemed like forever, the other nurse stepped in and did it. I begged Michelle to check me at this point – I needed some reassurance that this pain was coming to an end soon. She checked me and said there was just a small lip left, but I wanted a number! I remember saying I didn’t know what she meant and asked how far that meant and when she said I was fully dilated and at TEN I wanted to hug her! At this point I asked for the gas and it was there before I knew it. I really hulled on it during the contractions, but it wasn’t taking the pain away – it was just making my lips dry and my eyes heavy, but it did make me feel like I could get a break and a good rest between contractions. Michelle wanted me to lay on my side to help the lip to go away and at this point we talked about the fact that the baby could be born in the cull (still in the sac if my water didn’t break) and how it’s not that uncommon. With a few contractions in this side position I felt the urge to push and Michelle wanted me to wait for a bit, but I couldn’t, it just seemed to be happening. Barb arrived then – she was going to be the secondary midwife and take care of little Fawn – another midwife I hadn’t met before that night – what are the odds! It seemed like once she arrived Michelle told me I could push if I really felt like I needed to. Barb checked the baby’s heartbeat quite a few times with the Doppler, while Michelle kept applying warm compresses which felt so good. Matt was still by my side, applying chapstick, and holding my water as needed and reminding me to breath! I felt the urge to push again and on the second contraction I did push and pop went my water…ALL over! Matt said it looked like Michelle had to dive out of the way and suddenly my foot was really wet and warm – there must have been a lot! Finally that pressure feeling of needing to pee was gone! Michelle said the baby was so low and the bag of water was resting right on my bladder so that was the needing to pee feeling. After my water broke it seemed like that feeling of wanting to push was even stronger with each contraction and Michelle told me I could push whenever I wanted, that little lip of cervix was gone and we were good to go. At first they wanted me to try pushing on my side with Barb holding up my left leg, but I felt like my leg was so heavy and wasn’t being supported enough and I was using all of my strength to hold up my leg and couldn’t’ get enough power behind the pushes so I moved onto my back. With my Mum on my left and Matt on my right and my eyes closed I started pushing with almost each contraction. Two things I remember most – I remember thinking it was so not like TV, my legs weren’t pulled behind my head and there wasn’t anyone counting to 10 yelling at me to push, and Michelle asking me if I wanted a mirror to see and saying no because I didn’t want her to have to leave the room to go get one! My Mum told me she could see the head and that was the greatest thing to hear – I was making progress! When Michelle asked if I wanted to reach down and feel her head I was surprised, it wasn’t that painful so I didn’t think there could possibly be much to feel, but sure enough I could feel her slimy little head! Only a couple pushes later Michelle was telling me to reach down and pull up my baby and next thing I knew, Sloan was on my chest and starting to cry almost right away! She was so perfect looking and ours!

We got to have a good snuggle, Matt cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating, and she laid on my chest while I delivered the placenta (which felt more painful than Sloan!). Then I noticed that there was blood ALL over my right side – somehow my IV had been pulled out which was my biggest fear in getting the stupid thing (my hand was still bruised a week after!)! We also noticed that there was poop ALL over! Sloan had managed to poop on me, herself and her Dad! We attempted to get her latched on, but she didn’t seem interested in eating so she had her exam from Barb at the end of my bed and got rave reviews!

Shortly after, things settled down and I realized that she was born at 10:32 just two short hours after we arrived at the hospital. It seemed so easy and fast! I knew then what people say about forgetting about the pain! I remember it was painful, but it’s so hard to describe! Nana got to have a snuggle with Sloan and I tried to pee…but still couldn’t! It wasn’t until about 1:30 that I finally peed and it was the greatest feeling ever! By about midnight everyone was on their way out and we were alone. Matt fell asleep quite quickly on the couch and I realized that basically everything we brought with us was unnecessary! I tried to get some sleep but couldn’t – I couldn’t stop looking at Sloan and making sure she was still breathing! She ate a couple times in the night, but only for a moment. By about 4:30 a nurse came in and brought me some toast as I realized that maybe I couldn’t sleep because I was starving!

I finally fell asleep around 5 and was up again at 7 with Matt. I said we were lucky we didn't want to stay or sleep in because shortly after 7am the construction started outside our room! We got up and Matt watched Sloan while I showered then we packed up and headed home - we were on the road and stopping for breakfast by 9am! It felt so crazy to just leave with Sloan…like someone should have told us we weren’t allowed to just leave with that baby!

The first couple of days at home were a little insane – we couldn’t get Sloan to latch too well, so she wasn’t eating a lot at each feed, so she was nursing a lot and up a lot at night, but we got it down and now she has been nursing like a champ! At her 3 day visit she was 8lbs5oz, and one week later she was 9lbs3oz...now...at 4 weeks she hasn't been weighed by the midwives yet, but I would guess she is about 12lbs almost!

All in all it was a great experience and I couldn’t have asked for it to go better! I think we’ll plan a homebirth for the next little one just incase things go as fast or faster!

And now for the pictures...

Ready to push!!!

She's here!

Our new family (Sloan really likes to keep her hands up by her face!):

Her previous home (scroll quickly if you don't want to see the placenta):

First kiss from Nana:

First snuggle from Daddy:
Getting examined by Barb:

With Barb and Michelle:

All snuggled up for the ride home:And now, our little noodle today, all smiles!

xo JBM

Development...

** I post-dated this post so that it will always stay at the top of the page, so if you're looking for a new post, scroll on down :) **

Quick Update

We're in the home stretch now!!! Matt and I are getting so excited and can't wait for Fawn to be here! Everything is pretty much ready for her - we just need her now! I ordered her basinette for in our room the other day and it has already been delivered to Aunt Bev's sisters house in Michigan where she will pick it up next week. Once that is set up, we are good to go - she can come any time! Although I keep telling her if she wants to come now we will figure something out for sleeping - no worries!

I had a midwife appointment yesterday (they are weekly now) and we got to meet with Angela who is our secondary midwife - we both like her SO much better than the crabby older lady that I met with who basically only gave me bad news last week. Angela said Fawn is right on track and is head down and pretty locked in there - she couldn't move her head around at all. Matt and I asked if she could tell how big she was at all and she said she thinks she is a good size (they won't give a weight estimate) and that she is going to be long (even though her head is down VERY low, her butt and feet are still high and in my ribs), and that she has a nice little butt that isn't boney!

Only problem yesterday was that my blood pressure was high, which was the first time this whole pregnancy. I wasn't supposed to go back again until the 1st because I told them I wanted to only meet with Whitney or Angela and that was the first I was able to get in with them, but because it is high she scheduled me in for a quick check on Tuesday to see if it has come down. I was thinking it would be good because my puffyness had actually gone down a lot - I actually had ankles and my feet fit into my shoes! AND it wasn't just my imagination that the puffyness went down because I actually LOST 4lbs from last week to this - must have been all the extra water I was carrying around!

I'm off to get ready now to go to another shower for Fawn with all the family - she sure is loved and she isn't even here yet!

xo JBM