Here she is telling him not t0 touch her baby! She will be the bossy one of the two!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Proud big sister
From the time we brought Zach home, Alyssa has been better than we imagined with him. She behaves as if he has always been part of our family. On Friday, we finally let her hold him. She was so gentle and caring with him. He was awake and staring at her. She was looking at him attempting to talk to him. It was so precious! From that point on she will calmly ask him what his problem is when he's crying and attempt to give him his soother.
Here she is telling him not t0 touch her baby! She will be the bossy one of the two!
Here she is telling him not t0 touch her baby! She will be the bossy one of the two!
Home from the hospital
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Introducing....
As July 3rd passed, I was getting anxious to meet this new baby. I have been off work since June 8th, so this last month of the pregnancy seemed to last forever. We moved Alyssa over to the other room, so the baby's room was ready (minus a coat of paint). The clothes were sorted. We were ready!
9:45 am - I had a doctor's appointment with my OB Monday July 4th. She checked and I was still 1-2 cm, which is what I was the previous week. She did a swipe and sweep of my cervix (TMI????). This basically thins the cervix and statistically is more effective than oxytocin to kick start labour. When she was finished, my cervix was 3-4 cm. After the appointment, I dropped Craig back off at work and decided to walk around London. I wasn't going to go through what she did and go home and just sit.
While eating lunch at Subway I get a text from my friend Katherine asking if I wanted to go for a pedicure with her. Funny, because I had just said to Craig that if I'm going to be starting at my feet for hours on end, I'd like to have something pretty to look at. I have never gone for a pedicure before, so it was an experience for me. We met Craig for supper and I was feeling crampy. Nothing overly concerning, but definitely more crampy than I have all week.
At home, I went to town on the house. Alyssa was with Grandma and Grandpa M and so I could attack the house completely. Amazing how much dog hair can accumulate in a few days without vacuuming! All the while I am experiencing cramps but I think I was too busy cleaning to take note. Craig was outside cleaning up the gardens. He edged all the gardens and cleaned up the yard until about 9pm. I was downstairs scrapbooking and around 8:30pm I noticed a somewhat more painful cramp. Then a few minutes later I had another one. I mentioned it to Craig and then went to lay down to see if they went away (this has happened twice before). They didn't go away and they were getting quite regular. At 10:30pm I decided to go in! This time I knew it was for real! So we called my mom to make her way down, and put everyone else on standby. I of course had to shower and blow dry my hair (who knows the next opportunity I would have had to shower).
We arrived at 12am and registered at triage. After being checked, I was still 3-4 cm. The told me to go walk for 30 mins and come back. After that Dr. Natale came in to talk to me. He said I've had enough doubt in this pregnancy that they likely wont send me home. A feeling of excitement came over me as I realized that this was it!
Doug, Wendy and Rick were waiting in the hallway when I came out for my first walk. Went back to the room, nurse checked me and off we went again. Mom, Craig and I walked the halls until 3am. All the while I was feeling pains every 2 or 3 minutes, but nothing that would make me stop and freak out. I was thinking I could handle this if this is all it was. They sent me over to a delivery room at 3am as I am now a good 4cm.
Walking the halls at 3am
The delivery room was beautiful. Big windows, a pull out bed, a jacuzzi tub (that I couldn't use because I was a VBAC) and lots of room for all of us! Life was pretty uneventful. They were monitoring me continuously for contractions and the heart rate. After a second attempt, I had an IV put in at 5am. At 6am, Dr. Kelly the resident broke my water. Hard contractions followed. The baby's heart rate had a few dips and they were starting to get concerned and kept switching sides to bring the heart rate back up. I requested the epidural at 7am and got it at 7:30. It was so incredibly difficult to sit completely 100% still while getting an epidural. But once it went in, I was able to relax and it definitely made the experience much more enjoyable for everyone! Doug, Rose and Alyssa arrived at 8:30am followed by Wendy. They checked mat at 9am and I was a good 6cm dilated. Dad arrived at 10am to take Alyssa home after looking after the dogs. At 11am I was checked and I was fully dilated! I couldn't believe it. It was actually happening. Or was going to happen real soon. The nurse suggested I rest for an hour while the baby descended. Craig and Mom left to get something to eat and were asked to come back at 12pm. I got a few minutes of sleep all the while I could feel the baby moving down with pressure. It was so neat to feel.
At 12:10pm I was put into the stirrups, nice toenails I must add! I could still feel the need to push. I know it wasn't as strong as it would have been without epidural, but I was able to focus on pushing and not on the pain. While I was pushing, the NICU team was brought in because of the dips in the heart rate. I look at the one who came in and there was a parent of some kids I used to teach! I knew there wasn't an issue with the baby, but seeing someone I know gave me a huge sense of relief.
At 12:38 pm Zachary Douglas McCulloch is born weighing 8lbs 15oz and is 21 inches with a head circumference of 36.5cm. He received an Apgar score of 9/9. He was quite blue coming out as he had the cord around his neck and that was probably the reason his heart rate kept dipping a few times.
After a few minutes everyone came in to meet little Zach. I had some bleeding issues after delivery and so stayed in the delivery room for quite a while. Good thing I liked my nurse! Shannon was awesome! I was given two rounds of oxytocin to help the uterus contract, and the second was for the bleeding.
Dad brought Alyssa into the room in the afternoon. I wish I had a camera when she came into the room. Her mouth opened as she saw me laying there with a baby in my arms. She wanted down and was so excited to come to me to see the baby. She'll be a fantastic big sister!
I finally get moved to the postpartum room around 4:30pm and Craig heads out to get something to eat and shower at his Dad's. I had a chance to spend one-on-one time with Zach. He is such a beautiful boy who is perfect in every sense. He has Alyssa's nose and her long fingers. What a different experience this whole pregnancy and delivery was. Amazing how having a newborn back in your life puts everything into perspective! I love my little perfect family. The struggles we've had will still continue to be there as we think of how our family could have been a family of five. But having Zach in the house seems to have rejuvenated us all. I am blessed!
9:45 am - I had a doctor's appointment with my OB Monday July 4th. She checked and I was still 1-2 cm, which is what I was the previous week. She did a swipe and sweep of my cervix (TMI????). This basically thins the cervix and statistically is more effective than oxytocin to kick start labour. When she was finished, my cervix was 3-4 cm. After the appointment, I dropped Craig back off at work and decided to walk around London. I wasn't going to go through what she did and go home and just sit.
While eating lunch at Subway I get a text from my friend Katherine asking if I wanted to go for a pedicure with her. Funny, because I had just said to Craig that if I'm going to be starting at my feet for hours on end, I'd like to have something pretty to look at. I have never gone for a pedicure before, so it was an experience for me. We met Craig for supper and I was feeling crampy. Nothing overly concerning, but definitely more crampy than I have all week.
At home, I went to town on the house. Alyssa was with Grandma and Grandpa M and so I could attack the house completely. Amazing how much dog hair can accumulate in a few days without vacuuming! All the while I am experiencing cramps but I think I was too busy cleaning to take note. Craig was outside cleaning up the gardens. He edged all the gardens and cleaned up the yard until about 9pm. I was downstairs scrapbooking and around 8:30pm I noticed a somewhat more painful cramp. Then a few minutes later I had another one. I mentioned it to Craig and then went to lay down to see if they went away (this has happened twice before). They didn't go away and they were getting quite regular. At 10:30pm I decided to go in! This time I knew it was for real! So we called my mom to make her way down, and put everyone else on standby. I of course had to shower and blow dry my hair (who knows the next opportunity I would have had to shower).
We arrived at 12am and registered at triage. After being checked, I was still 3-4 cm. The told me to go walk for 30 mins and come back. After that Dr. Natale came in to talk to me. He said I've had enough doubt in this pregnancy that they likely wont send me home. A feeling of excitement came over me as I realized that this was it!
Doug, Wendy and Rick were waiting in the hallway when I came out for my first walk. Went back to the room, nurse checked me and off we went again. Mom, Craig and I walked the halls until 3am. All the while I was feeling pains every 2 or 3 minutes, but nothing that would make me stop and freak out. I was thinking I could handle this if this is all it was. They sent me over to a delivery room at 3am as I am now a good 4cm.
Walking the halls at 3am
The delivery room was beautiful. Big windows, a pull out bed, a jacuzzi tub (that I couldn't use because I was a VBAC) and lots of room for all of us! Life was pretty uneventful. They were monitoring me continuously for contractions and the heart rate. After a second attempt, I had an IV put in at 5am. At 6am, Dr. Kelly the resident broke my water. Hard contractions followed. The baby's heart rate had a few dips and they were starting to get concerned and kept switching sides to bring the heart rate back up. I requested the epidural at 7am and got it at 7:30. It was so incredibly difficult to sit completely 100% still while getting an epidural. But once it went in, I was able to relax and it definitely made the experience much more enjoyable for everyone! Doug, Rose and Alyssa arrived at 8:30am followed by Wendy. They checked mat at 9am and I was a good 6cm dilated. Dad arrived at 10am to take Alyssa home after looking after the dogs. At 11am I was checked and I was fully dilated! I couldn't believe it. It was actually happening. Or was going to happen real soon. The nurse suggested I rest for an hour while the baby descended. Craig and Mom left to get something to eat and were asked to come back at 12pm. I got a few minutes of sleep all the while I could feel the baby moving down with pressure. It was so neat to feel.
At 12:10pm I was put into the stirrups, nice toenails I must add! I could still feel the need to push. I know it wasn't as strong as it would have been without epidural, but I was able to focus on pushing and not on the pain. While I was pushing, the NICU team was brought in because of the dips in the heart rate. I look at the one who came in and there was a parent of some kids I used to teach! I knew there wasn't an issue with the baby, but seeing someone I know gave me a huge sense of relief.
At 12:38 pm Zachary Douglas McCulloch is born weighing 8lbs 15oz and is 21 inches with a head circumference of 36.5cm. He received an Apgar score of 9/9. He was quite blue coming out as he had the cord around his neck and that was probably the reason his heart rate kept dipping a few times.
After a few minutes everyone came in to meet little Zach. I had some bleeding issues after delivery and so stayed in the delivery room for quite a while. Good thing I liked my nurse! Shannon was awesome! I was given two rounds of oxytocin to help the uterus contract, and the second was for the bleeding.
Dad brought Alyssa into the room in the afternoon. I wish I had a camera when she came into the room. Her mouth opened as she saw me laying there with a baby in my arms. She wanted down and was so excited to come to me to see the baby. She'll be a fantastic big sister!
I finally get moved to the postpartum room around 4:30pm and Craig heads out to get something to eat and shower at his Dad's. I had a chance to spend one-on-one time with Zach. He is such a beautiful boy who is perfect in every sense. He has Alyssa's nose and her long fingers. What a different experience this whole pregnancy and delivery was. Amazing how having a newborn back in your life puts everything into perspective! I love my little perfect family. The struggles we've had will still continue to be there as we think of how our family could have been a family of five. But having Zach in the house seems to have rejuvenated us all. I am blessed!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
First Triathlon
Craig's first triathlon was in Woodstock on June 11th, 2011. Alyssa, Wendy and I were there to witness another amazing display of athleticism. He did a fantastic job and surprised us all when he crossed the finish line before Dustin. I'm so honoured to have found such great friends in Dustin and Christy and their goals are shared by Craig (and maybe eventually me). It's so great to have people in our lives that share the same passion. You guys are great role models for Alyssa! I'm so proud of all of you. I know you've caught the bug! We will be on the sidelines at every one cheering you on! I can't believe how far you have come, Craig! Keep going strong!
Getting ready...putting on wetsuit.
Some pre-race discussions!
And a good luck kiss for daddy!
Craig waiting for his wave to start at 9:05am. Dustin's around there somewhere!
And they're off! They're the one's wearing red caps! :)
Christy's turn at 9:13am.
Craig stripping the wetsuit as fast as possible. This Transition was just over a minute and the bike-run transition was 30sec! Great job!
Still smiling! That's a good sign!
Looking good off the bike. Off to the run.
Some healthy competition :) Note gun times on left hand side of photo!
All smiles after they have completed their first triathlon!
Showing off their tri-ink :)
Sorry there aren't more pictures of you, Dustin. You seemed to be caught in the middle of when I was traveling. As a spectator, it was a much more busier race to watch. Much more engaging than the running races! Can't wait until Bracebridge (or whatever Tri you find in between!)
Getting ready...putting on wetsuit.
Some pre-race discussions!
And a good luck kiss for daddy!
Craig waiting for his wave to start at 9:05am. Dustin's around there somewhere!
And they're off! They're the one's wearing red caps! :)
Christy's turn at 9:13am. 
Craig stripping the wetsuit as fast as possible. This Transition was just over a minute and the bike-run transition was 30sec! Great job!
Still smiling! That's a good sign!
Looking good off the bike. Off to the run.
Some healthy competition :) Note gun times on left hand side of photo!
All smiles after they have completed their first triathlon! 
Showing off their tri-ink :)
Sorry there aren't more pictures of you, Dustin. You seemed to be caught in the middle of when I was traveling. As a spectator, it was a much more busier race to watch. Much more engaging than the running races! Can't wait until Bracebridge (or whatever Tri you find in between!)
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