Smiling and cooing

Alligator tears

Poor Calum. This afternoon he started getting fussy and it only got worse for him. He has a stuffy nose and sounds a little congested. He was restless all afternoon and wanted only to be held and quick access to his milk. We finally got him asleep at about 8:30 but I expect it will be a long and tiring night. Luckily, it's not that bad and he has no fever. It's hard though, seeing the little guy uncomfortable, especially when he cries and you see the little tears in his eyes. Wish us a quick recovery because we do have a trip to make at the end of the week.

The big trip

Well, we will be going up to Kamloops and Merritt this coming weekend. It will be Calum's first big trip. We are going to introduce him to Desiree and Dakota's family in Kamloops and he will get a visit in with all of our relatives in Merritt. I expect that a certain grandma and aunt will be spoiling him rotten. I only hope that I get the chance to hold the little guy for a few minutes because I think it will take a lot to pry him away from everyone else.

Calum is really growing. He's almost out of his smaller sleepers and t-shirts. We have finally graduated into the size 1 diapers - the newborn ones were getting tight around his legs but as he has a small bum the larger size was just too big. It's getting harder to fit him on my lap and I can only imagine the fun we will have as he grows. He's getting strong too. He can hold his head up a bit and has very strong legs. I knew he was nicknamed the Little Kicker for a reason.

As we were out looking for gifts for mothers day I realized that this year I am officially a mom. Being a step mom has been wonderful but until you go through the whole experience of pregnancy and giving birth I don't think you get the official title. While it will be awhile before I get hand made cards from Calum and presents with strange bits of pasta and glitter glued on I must say that I am looking forward to it all. I am eagerly awaiting his first finger painting and am contemplating how soon I can give him some paint and a brush for our first abstract. You can bet that it will be framed and put into my office.

All else is going well. Calum still sleeps in our bed, when he sleeps that is. He is a night owl and I am more than familiar with late night t.v. and the nightly schedules of our neighbours. I bet I can tell you everyone on our block that has insomnia and those who get up before the birds. Calum and I spend our days cuddling, reading books and playing. He sleeps a bit after mid-morning so I have a small window of opportunity to do some chores or get some sleep myself. He is really starting to smile and today I was sure I heard him say "Hi!". He's almost cooing now and we are really looking forward to when he starts laughing. Yeah, our boy is growing up already. I almost miss the little guy we took home from the hospital.

We will have more pictures after our trip so check back next week. Until then, take care.

Grandma!

Uncle Grant is funny...Auntie Jen agrees

Don't wake me!

Oh Grandpa!

Amanda saying hello

Miles of Smiles

Calum is a very happy boy this morning [except for when he had to take a bath]. He's been especially generous with the smiles. It's going to be a good day! Look for more pictures next week.

He's Official

We received Calum's birth certificates last week. We ordered two - the large certificate for official purposes and the smaller wallet size one. The small one is getting really cheap looking. The paper quality is even worse than it used to be and forget about the plastic coverings we had on ours when we were born. It now comes with a little paper sleeve that you can use as a protective covering. I'm not impressed. It is neat seeing Calum's name in print though. He's stuck with it now. So much for changing it to "Sal". Guess he can blame his dad if he doesn't like it because he mailed off the registration information.

Next month we will apply for a passport for him. I need a new one and the girls need their first ones too. With new border restrictions for US travel it would be a good idea to get used to the idea of always having a passport around. We hope to make Calum into a little globe trotter so we may need one before he gets too old. He took his first bigger trip yesterday - to IKEA. Look out world, once you've conquered IKEA [dodging shoppers with the blank IKEA stare, navigating over-crowded aisles, and found your 3-box furniture in a box] you are ready for anything!

I'm supposed to be busy on my GST returns today while Don watches Calum so I'd better get to it. Now all I've got to do is find a few months worth of receipts on my very messy desk. The sad part is that I'm not figuring out how much I will get back from the government but rather how much I get to pay them. Tax time coming up too - the fun never ends.

A nervous disposition

We have discovered that our tough little guy has a bit of a nervous disposition. He startles very easily, gets very concerned if he is not being cuddled "just so" and needs lots of snuggles. Today, he got very upset when we opened the door to let the cat in and out because there was a bit of a breeze that came in. It's not a nice thing, that breeze. At night, he gets a little lip quiver going and a leg shaking thing when I pick him up and take him into the living room so we don't disturb Don. It's almost as though he is a bit afraid of the dark. Oh, and don't even mention a bath. He's not happy unless I have him held to my chest, soaking myself in the process, as I gently [but quickly] wash him. He has a look that Don calls his Far Side Look - it's a little O-shaped pursing of the lips with a hint of concern in his eyes. I just think that it's funny.

I'm sure he will grow out of this, and he does have his more mischievous side, but it's nice to know we don't have a little bruiser this early in the game. As much as I am unable to get anything else done during the day because I am too busy cuddling, already I am learning to appreciate how quickly things will change. As you can see from our photos, he is growing up so much already and I'm sure it won't be long before he will be pushing me away. I guess that I'd better enjoy it while I can.

Tomorrow we may venture to the VPL book sale. I suspect all of the kids books are gone but you can usually get some good local histories. It will all depend on whether or not we get any sleep tonight. Last night we were awake from 2 am on and while Calum got in some naps today, I did not. Let's hope he sleeps a bit better tonight.

I'm more alert and stronger!

Look what happens when I'm left with my sisters!

More tests

Calum had his hearing test yesterday with mixed results. He is really too young to test his hearing but you can test to see if his ears are working properly. There were two tests - one to test for response to different frequencies and one to test the response of the ear drum to different pressures. His right ear didn't respond to changes in frequencies. When we tried the second test to determine if it was an inner or middle ear problem we couldn't get the machine to test properly so we aren't entirely sure about the results but the audiologist thinks it could be a middle ear problem - likely fluid build up - in which case it would be a temporary thing. We have to go back on May 6th for more tests and go in on Monday to see if his doctor can see anything in the ear canal. It's not easy to test him at this age because his ears are so small and it's hard to get good results. When he gets older, they can do behavioural tests but that won't be till he can respond to sound.

This poor little guy sure has to go to see the doctor a lot. I guess all babies do but it seems like we go from appointment to appointment sometimes. Oh well, he was, as usual, a very well behaved little boy during his check up despite the fact that he had things shoved in his ear over and over again. Now last night, on the otherhand, he kept me up from about 1 am on. We were only in our bed for a total of 45 minutes. He has been napping nicely all afternoon and I have been grumpily trying to get things done while he sleeps. It looks like I will have to wait till Don gets back before I get any sleep because Dakota has just told me he is awake again. She wants to help by holding him but for her, that usually means picking him up for 5 minutes then passing him back to me. I love my little guy but sure could use some sleep today.

Happy rest-filled weekend everyone. Look for more pictures of Calum next week.

Under fire

It's happened to all of us and Calum is only three weeks old. The fact is the little guy has let loose on Angie, Desiree, Dakota and I...it is at the moment in the midst of that diaper change when it happens. Yes you guessed it, he lets loose a nice arcing flow of pee which has an uncanny ability to always hit the shirt you just put on! Angie is right, Calum is a little trickster and it is only going to get better.

Growning Boy

Calum now weighs 8lbs, 7oz. He gained 1lb in 9 days! I thought that he was getting a bit heavier. His check up went well and his doctor is very pleased with his growth. He won't have to go back to see her for 2 months. We did postpone the hearing test though because he wasn't a happy boy that day so we will have an appointment next week. This poor boy must be tired of all the doctors visits.

Because he was such a good boy yesterday we stopped at the new Bear Workshop store in the mall before going home. We made a new teddy bear for him but have yet to name it. Don and Dakota had some suggestions and I'm thinking it's a good thing I asked them otherwise the poor bear would have gotten one of Calum's other nicknames. I was thinking "Little Lovely" (can you guess who Big Lovely is?) or "Sweetie Baby". Yup, I don't think Calum is going to like the nicknames I've given him when he gets older. Mind you, I can always fall back on the "I-was-sick-for-eight-months" line and he will just have to accept it.

Calum and I had a busy week of sleeping and playing. He is much more alert now and stays awake for hours at a time. To keep him entertained we read books, practice sign language [only the words Calum and Mom right now], listen to music, make funny noises and our new favorite is to pretend that the exercise ball is a horse and to bounce, bounce, bounce. I know that they say that baby's don't smile when they are this young but I am convinced that he does. He has a very mischievous look about him a lot of the time so I know we will have a little trouble maker when he grows up. Mostly, he still likes to cuddle. As my sister and mom have told me, we have spoilt him already because he is only happy when he is in someone's arms. No crib for this kid, if he is napping he has to be held. I enjoy it most of the time but it sure makes it hard to get anything done.

No other news this week. Have a good weekend everyone.

Birth Announcement Publications

This posting is really for the grandparents because I'm not sure who else might care but we are publishing the birth announcement in the Prince George Citizen [Thurs, March 31 edition], the Vancouver Sun and Vancouver Province [Mon, April 4 editions] and the next editions of the Merritt Herald and Surrey News Leader [Wed. Apr 6 and Friday, April 1]. Collect them all for your scrapbooking pleasure!

Calum and Mom have a quiet day

Calum and I are just sitting here cuddling today. I still have to finish my invoices but I don't know if I'll get much done before Don gets home. My little one doesn't want to take a nap and doesn't want to be put down again. He had a good night last night, waking up only a couple of times. He did a good job of getting Don and I up in the morning too. We have both slept through the alarm and Calum made sure we got up when he gave out a big cry. Right now he is telling me stories and demanding attention. He's really got me wrapped around his little fingers.

Tomorrow we have an appointment with an audiologist to get his hearing checked. I think everything is fine but we want to make sure. It's to be about a half hour test and the doctor said that it would be best if he was a little sleepy when we went. I don't know about that but we can always hope, right? On Friday Calum also has his next appointment with his doctor. It will just be a check up but we will get to see how much weight the little guy has gained. I'm guessing that he will be close to 8 pounds now. He certainly is feeling a lot heavier.

Other items on are agenda today are a walk this afternoon and a trip to the mailbox to send off Calum's registration materials - we can't register him with Don's Band until we have the birth certificate so we have to send that off soon. Yes, we decided to register him with Don's band but he will always have the option of switching to mine if they don't treat him right. Oh, I also have to follow up on with several newspapers about placing his birth announcement. We are going to plaster the newspapers to get the word out [not that his dad hasn't already done a good job of this]. Well, better go and try to work on those invoices, Calum has decided he needs a short nap and has passed out next to me. He'll be up in an hour to eat again so I have a very narrow window to get anything else done.

Take care!

My big sister Dakota is going to teach me to skate!

I have to be kept warm when I go outside...yes Mom likes my little ears.

Bath time - just keep me in this towel

Yes, my Mom got me this Ralph Lauren Polo shirt!

Oh Uncle, I'm so sleepy!

Just looking around

Another sleepless night

Calum was not at all sleepy last night. This of course, meant that I could not be sleepy either. We had a nap just before going to bed and wouldn't you know it but he woke up as soon as we climbed in bed and decided to feed for 2 hours. When he still wouldn't settle, Calum and I got in and out of bed for a few hours then decided to just get up and go to the living room. Another old episode of X-Files, several movies, a couple of stories, two diaper changes, and several attempts of filling his belly later we finally dozed off for awhile. All told, I think we only got about 1 hour of sleep. Though the nurse recommended that I wait awhile before expressing milk I think I'm going to be doing it sooner rather than later. It's time Don got to share in the fun of the late night feedings, pacings, and generally entertainings. Or maybe I just need a nap today.

We had a nice dinner at home yesterday with Don's family. Don's mom did most of the cooking and even brought paper plates and cups. The girls were pleased with this because helping with the dishes would have fallen to them. Don and I had very little to do and Calum was being passed from person to person so he got all the cuddles he wanted. He was particularly good for his grandma and grandpa. We had another little incident while changing him and he ended up going through 4 outfits over the course of the day. I've nicknamed him the "soggy bottom boy" on days such as those. Oh, we also found out that he is getting used to his baths but hates to have his bottom washed.

Don thinks that Calum is going to be a real little story teller. He makes the cutest little noises when he wants to get your attention. It sounds something like a little lion. It's hard to describe but he is constantly doing it so we are convinced that he is trying to tell us something already. What a funny boy he is.

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. I've just learned that the girls have tomorrow off from school too. Just how many days off do kids get these days?

7lbs, 7oz

Wow, Calum is growing. We took him into see his new doctor today and found out that he now weighs 7lbs, 7 oz. That's a gain of about 1 oz a day. I thought his little cheeks were filling out a lot. His doctor checked him over and declared him a very healthy baby boy. We were able to show him off to Dr. Ross and the nurses too.

Dakota and I took him to the mall after his appointment. He was such a good boy today. He barely complained the whole 3 hours we were away from home. It sure was nice to get out too. Tomorrow we are planning a nice long walk if the weather holds out. He seems happy in his stroller or in his Baby Bjorn. He likes to be cuddled the best though so Dakota and I have spent a few hours this afternoon just holding him. He's so warm and soft that he lulls me to sleep everytime.

Don asked me last night what else I was wishing for. I wanted a cuddle bunny and we got one. I wanted a boy and we got one. Maybe if my luck holds out we will have a book loving, computer programming, music loving boy! If not, well, he's just too cute the way that he is now so I'm happy.

a soft smile

A quiet moment

Mom's snuggle-bug

Sleeping away

Hi Calum

You can't see it but Calum is exercising his lungs by crying very loud.

Very much in need of exercise

Yesterday, Dakota and I decided to take Calum for a small walk. We didn't go far, just down to the corner store for ice cream. Mind you, the way back was a bit of a walk. It's uphill and while not overly far, it was a bit taxing for me. I guess I'm a bit off from being totally recovered. I had to stop a few times just to make it up the hill. Calum and I are really going to have to start taking daily walks just so I can be ready to start chasing him around when he hits the toddler stage.

In other news, we experimented last night with having Calum sleep with us rather than in his crib. It was more out of desperation on my part - I needed some sleep and Calum wouldn't settle in his crib. He only woke up a few times - 2:30, 5:30 and 7:30 - and only then for a quick snack then back to sleep. I'm feeling so much better today because of it but will have to find another way to get him to settle in his crib. Afterall, his poor dad did work hard to get it put together for him. Right now he is napping with Dakota on the couch. Our little guy sure likes to snuggle.

We've got some more pictures that we will be posting soon - these from the 35mm that Don had scanned onto CD-Rom. Look for an update soon.

Huzzah for Baby Bjorn!

Okay, decided to try out the Baby Bjorn carrier today so I could strap my snuggle bunny to me and still get something done. Wonder of wonders, it works and Calum is sleeping peacefully at the moment. It also has the added bonus that we are both warm and toasty.

I love my little guy but he sure doesn't like sleeping in his crib at night. Last night we got up at 1:30 and didn't get back to bed till 5am. I watched a movie between his snacking and even an old episode of X-Files. That sure brought back some memories. Also, Calum was fussy last night so somehow he ended up in our bed. We were all nice and cozy, even after Don got up and left for work. Calum and I slept in till 8:30 then got up for breakfast and our baths. Well, Calum fell back asleep and didn't actually have his bath till 11:30 but it gave me the chance to get caught up on some email.

Don's back at work today but is feeling pretty bad. Dakota has got a cough but is keeping herself busy planning the purchase of some new Chucks (some kinda shoe) and watching movies she has seen over a dozen times. Desiree is off at the mall then going over to visit her boyfriend. All is quiet and work seems many miles away. I've got a few invoices to submit though so I'll have to think about it sometime today. For now, I'm just going to sit and enjoy the snuggling. Happy Monday all.

What? A week already!

Yup, I was sitting at home last night holding Calum and thinking about what I was doing around the same time last week. It's hard to believe that the first week has passed so quickly. Dad was sleeping, Desiree was out with friends and Dakota was watching t.v. so Calum and I observed the occassion of his first week together. He celebrated with milk, I just stuck with water. For such a little guy he sure sucks up the love and attention. I must admit that I do have a tough time letting him sleep quietly in his crib. I too often want to cuddle him.

This morning he lost his umbilical cord stump. We had been warned that it could get to smelling rather foul so we are very happy to be done with it. We had a visit from the community health nurse yesterday and she helped clean it and predicted it would fall off today. Oh, we got to weigh him too and are happy to report he has regained his birth weight plus an ounce. He should be growing an extra ounce a day now so in a month or two he will be a very healthy little boy.

Don's feeling a bit under the weather today and the girls have started spring break. Next Wednesday Calum and I visit his new doctor. Dr. Ross is so busy that she can only take on new prenatal patients but the other doctor is one of two others that share her office so I think it will go well. All you book lovers out there will be happy to know that Calum and I have started our story time. I've read him his first books as we lay down for a nap today and he just went right to sleep. Let's hope it continues because it is a trick I may need at night. Last night, Calum decided he wanted to be wide awake at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 am. Finally I gave in and we had a small nap together in the living room until I got up for a shower. Calum made sure to wake Don and Dakota up while I was otherwise occupied. That's my boy!

Calum's Grand Day Out

I've gotta make this a quick post because one thing that you learn with little ones is that there is very little time for anything but quickness. Calum had his first outing yesterday. Don and I took him down to his office to show him off. Don tried to convince me that we were going down to drop off some film for development but I knew he had to get into the office before the weekend just to stay in touch. Fair enough, afterall, he has been so busy taking care of us at home that I'm sure his staff are missing him very much.

We also managed a visit to a friend's house to pick up more baby stuff. Calum now has lots of toys and even more clothes. They sure go through those little t-shirts and sleepers - not to mention the many diaper changes.

Dakota and I have both been christened by him this week. Word of warning - watch which end of the baby you are sitting at during all diaper changes. I told Dakota that it is good luck to be the first target so it made her feel a little better. I must have the mom gene kicking in because it didn't bother me at all. Either that or I'm pretty sleepy.

Health-wise, we are all doing well. Calum will meet his new doctor soon and we have to schedule a home visit with the community health nurse. I'm feeling loads better, especially since Don and the girls took over this morning and let me get a 2 hour nap in after they all got up. Calum gets very alert at night and doesn't like to be put down in his crib. There is no way I want to try sleeping with him in our bed so I fight sleep throughout the nightly feeding/play session while he happily cuddles and learns more about the world around him.

Oh, gotta go. Someone sounds hungry again. I'm sure it's been a whole hour since he had his last meal. It's a lucky thing he is so cute. Happy weekend all.

I don't like baths!

Calum shaking hands with Uncle Grant

Emily, Simon and Graham..."Look Simon, it's Baby Calum"

First cute hat of many

Cool Sister Two

Cool Sister One

Auntie Jen..."Grant you made him cry!"

Uncle Grant meets Calum

Life according to Calum

Day 5 and our boy is adjusting well to life outside of the womb. We are all still easily amused by his every expression and sound.

Calum and I have spent the last few nights at home trying to establish some sort of feeding/sleeping schedule. Don is off this week helping at home but as I'm the one with the milk, I get to do the feeding shifts. The first night, as can be expected, was very tiring and I think neither baby nor I got more than 3-4 hours of sleep. One thing I've learned is that feeding baby is an art form that is constantly evolving. Sometimes it's very easy to get him to eat his fill and others I'm constantly trying to wake him up enough to make sure that he finishes eating. Our record to date is a 2 hour long struggle to make sure his little belly was full enough for him to go back to sleep. Of course, he was up an hour later for the next meal too.

We had a bit of concern regarding bilirubin or jaundice. We had to take him in for tests both yesterday and today but all is well. I hated the thought of him going back to the hospital and the tech who was drawing blood for the test was awfully inexperienced and he was crying throughout. I'm glad that is over with. We also had him circumcised at my doctor's office. Don and I were told to leave for a few minutes while they did it. My blood pressure is coming down but they didn't want it to skyrocket again so out we went. When we came back they told us that he was a real little man and did very well.

Don and I are starting to get into a flow of never ending laundry. How can a little guy make so much? It's all so cute though and I think even Don is convinced that some of those little outfits really are adorable. His uncle brought him back some really styling little shoes from his recent trip to the US. I'm sure that Don will have some new pictures soon. Speaking of which, I've got to go cuddle someone really cute now. If I don't go now I won't get to hold him again until the girls go to sleep.

We're HOME...but my husband still has that dang camera!

We are home at last

Wow! What can I say to describe the last few days? Everyone said that having a baby is a life changing experience and I must say that while I understood this all on the theoretical level, it sure is something difficult to understand until you acutally live it.

Where can I begin to describe it all? As you probably know from either Don's blog updates or phone calls, it was not an easy birth. Our little one was not all that eager to come as early as we needed him to. The induction started Thursday night in preparation for the delivery on Friday. It was a long, long process. While it was the most painful experience of my life, all I remember about it all now is how tired Don and I were just before they told me to start pushing and how much of a difference it made for me having him there by my side. I'm sure that I don't have to tell anyone just how wonderful he is. I was sorry that I couldn't have more of my family in the room with us - they were just too concerned about my blood pressure to allow it but it was also very reassuring knowing they were all waiting to greet our little one. Even my 5 year old niece, Nicola, was there till the end [but she fell asleep just 1/2 hour before Calum arrived].

The moment Calum arrived and the days that have followed have been amazing. I dream about him at night, hold him close during the day and am delighted [though more than a little sleep deprived already] by his every movement and sound. I got my wish, we have a little snuggle bunny! Desiree and Dakota have been great big sisters. You should see them with him, it's so amazing. This kid is not ever going to want for attention. Well I have so much more to share and tell you all, I think I'll let Don's pictures speak for themselves. We are all home, happy and loved. Calum is upstairs with Dad and his sisters but I still don't like to be too far away from him so I'm going to head back up.

Before I go though, I wanted to thank everyone who gave us their support before, during and after the whole process. Don and I agree that we have some pretty amazing friends and family and even though we have been so wrapped up in how our little world has changed we want everyone to know we do appreciate you all. Now I'm off to cuddle with our little guy if I can get him away from his dad.

Sleeping away

Dad

Three-person diaper change

Dakota, Auntie Tabitha and Uncle Larry

Mom

Caught in mid-yawn

My husband with that dang camera!

Don't mess with my little brother

Grandma, Dakota and Des

Grandpa and Grandma Bain

Uncle Rob

The family waiting patiently in the hall waiting for Calum to appear!

Mom, Dad and Calum

The family saying hello to Calum

Calum already laughing at Dad's witty jokes

The great nurses of Burnaby General!

Dr. Ross with Calum

A more serene Calum

Calum saying hello

Mom saying hello to Calum Elias Bain. Born March 11, 2005 at 10:14 PM, weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 20 1/2 inches.

Baby Calum on Schedule

Angie checked into Burnaby General at 7:30 am this morning. As you can read in Angie's post below, they have started the inducing/induction of Baby Calum. In other words, we sat around all day! I did my best to entertain Angie with my witty jokes (and retorts) and my detailed stories of lore (note: she likes my stories). We had visitors during the day (thanks for the flowers UBCIC), talked on our cells (the hospital allows the use of cell phones - call us!) and in general just tried to relax.

Angie's family arrived late this afternoon to be here for the Calum's big day tomorrow.

Angie's blood pressure is still a concern and tonight she had to take some medication for it. Angie asked about side-effects and the nurse brought a huge reference book so Angie could read what this particular drug would do and its side-effects. The nurses and doctors at Burnaby General are great.

It's 9:00 pm, Angie kicked me out and told me to get some sleep.

A sincere thank you to all of you for calling, texting, emailing and for your thoughts of support.

SPECIAL ADVISORY - NEW ETA FOR BABY CALUM

Okay,

Let's hope that this is the last time we have to change the ETA for our little one. Don and I have just returned from the latest round of tests. We had another stress test and blood test and had my blood pressure checked once again. Guess what? The darn thing is still too high. I was afraid that they would keep me at the hospital again but after the nurse talked to my doctor we decided to bump up another of my appointments and I was to see her at her office first thing in the morning. On our way home, we were told to page my doctor and she said she now wants me to check into the hospital tomorrow morning so we can begin preparing for the induction.

I don't know what the whole process involves but I do know it involves the insertion of a catheter into my cervix to start the dilation. I'm thinking that there are going to be some drugs involved somewhere along the way too and an IV drip. This will all lead up to a scheduled birth for Friday! That's right, Friday, March 11 will be the day our new bundle arrives. Is it okay to get a little scared now? I'm trying to keep my excitement down but you know this little guy isn't making it easy. Yesh, we haven't even set up the crib yet.

So, we now go into blog silence mode until we have more news to report. I'll be in Burnaby General Hospital as of tomorrow morning. Let the real adventure begin.

Here's Calum!

New moms and their babies

Okay, I'm trying my best to rest but it's not easy. I just wanted to share a little more news and more of the experience with everyone. One thing that I forgot to mention about my brief hospital stay was that I was put into the maternity ward with all of the new moms and babies. I had a private room but with 8 babies in my wing it was hard not to know they were around. It was an interesting experience and I learned a lot. Mostly, I got used to hearing all 8 of the babies crying at different times of the day and night. Some of them were pretty vocal while others had very distinct cries - the "I am hungry" and "Change me" type. It was the new moms that were the most amusing. You know those call bells people have to summon the nurses? Well, you could definitely tell the new moms from those more experienced. I had a new mom in the room next to me and I lost track of the number of times she used her call bell. At night the sound really carried so I got to hear all sorts of things like "Why is my baby still crying?", "Is she eating enough?" and "Is this normal?" I wonder if I will be like that when Calum comes?

On the news front, I've got appointments most of the week. We have another stress test at the hospital, an ultrasound, a blood test and another visit with my doctor. Don's working from home as much as possible this week so we don't have a repeat of last Friday. If the baby doesn't come earlier, my doctor has scheduled us for an induction next Monday for sure. Baby will soon be on the way! I'm going back to rest now - next week our lives will be turned upside down.

A trial run

What can I say? As you can see from Don's post we had a real adventure since Friday afternoon. It all started innocently enough. I went to my regular weekly check up and it quickly went downhill from there. As Don so nicely explained, my high blood pressure and protein spill were not good signs so I was immediately sent to the hospital for a stress test and consultation with a specialist.

It was just our luck that it happened to be the one day that Don was out of town at a meeting. To make a long story short, my husband is amazing and managed to leave the meeting, arrange a plane ride back to Vancouver, have my future sister-in-law pick him up and take him to the hospital and to contact our family to make sure someone was at my side just in case we had to do an emergency delivery. My wonderful brother-in-law, Rob, was at the hospital before I even finished my tests and was ready [though nervous] to be there for me in the delivery room.

At that point I was feeling a bit more relaxed and was more concerned that Desiree and Dakota have someone to pick them up so Rob went off to take care of them and to rescue our poor cat that I had left outside just before leaving to see my doctor. He also managed to pick up our truck that was out at the ferry terminal. Don and Jen arrived shortly afterwards and we quickly learned that I was being admitted to the hospital for more tests and monitoring.

The rest of the weekend passed with us not knowing if we would have to have the baby within the hour or within days. It seems that the doctors wanted us to hold out for as long as possible as long as my health didn't decline. My blood pressure remained high all day Saturday but went down during the night and was looking good, well, better, today. I am now home resting in bed. My doctor will continue to monitor my condition and as long as things don't take a drastic turn we will try to hold out for another week. I do get my wish though, baby will indeed be coming early!

Though it was a bit of a frightening weekend, we did get a good trial run in. We all know our way around the hospital now. We know a lot of the staff, have seen the birthing suite and found out that you can now use cell phones at the hospital so we will be able to keep in touch with everyone on the day of the real adventure. Our son already has earned himself a nickname with one of the nurses. She called him a little stinker because he wouldn't remain still enough for us to set up the stress monitoring test. Another called him a little angel because he seemed to behave for her. I think that we are going to get a very healthy mix of both. Oh, we also got another ultrasound done and Dakota and Don got to have a good look at our baby. You will be happy to know he no longer looks like a blob. I also had plenty of time to finish that 800 page book!

For all of our family and friends who offered us support over the weekend we thank you. Sorry for the scare but this kid doesn't seem to want to do anything the easy way. Expect more news within a week or so. While my doctor wants to induce a week from Monday I'm starting to think the baby may make that decision for us before then. Be assured that baby and I are getting the best possible care and much TLC from Don and the girls. It won't be long now! Also, FYI, I was able to be admitted under Angie Bain, instead of Shuter so if you are trying to track us down at the hospital at some point give them my married name.

I'm off for more bed rest before Don comes down and carries me back upstairs. I promised my doctor not to do much this week so if you don't hear from us for awhile it's just because we are being good and obeying orders.

Whew!

Angie just called, she is coming home with the strict order of bed rest. Doctor Ross will keep an eye on her as she has scheduled regular appointments and tests.

I am sure Angie will be online soon enough to tell you all about it.