Home Is Where the Heart Is: May 2008

I'm getting so excited to work again... pick up my camera and capture something special for someone else :) June is only a few days away and I am looking forward to the dates I have booked. I am really looking forward to photographing the weddings this summer, taking my next course, working with my blog winners, photographing newborns, my first Trash The Dress session (SOOO LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT!) and my best friend is pregnant and will hopefully allow me to capture something special for her in the months prior to her due date! I can't wait to capture the beauty of summer and random camping pictures. I look forward to working with my new photo editing software, and my new lens! I love photography, and can't wait to go back to learning something new every day!

Here are 2 shots of Jaden and Cohen. I am going to attempt these again this week when Rene is home to help hold the little one, so I can get down on the floor and take the shot I really want to get :) More to come!!

Here is the short version: Name: Cohen Alexander Ulliac Weight: 8lbs 4oz Length: 19inches Born at the St. Albert Sturgeon Hospital on Tuesday May 6, 2008. Healthy and happy! We are doing well!

Here is the LONG version:

As many of you know, I was a week overdue and going somewhat crazy waiting to see my baby! I went to the hospital Monday morning to do a non stress test and to make a plan about what happens next. Because of the Nowalk virus in the Whitecourt Hospital, my Doctor was not able to book me in for an induction. My choice was to wait another week OR wait for it to just happen and then they would have to deliver the baby there OR go to the city. I was so ready, so to the city it was. We packed up our bags and the kids and headed for St.Albert. At this point I felt so much better already knowing that the baby was actually going to come out of me the next day :) We stayed at the St.Albert Inn, and enjoyed the night together. Took the kids to the pool and went for supper with my mom and dad who met us in the city.

At 6:30 Tuesday morning my cell phone rings and I am told to pack up, get ready and head to the hospital so they can start the induction. We brought the kids to my aunty's house, where my parents would be able to keep them for the day.

By 10:00am I was hooked up to the I.V. (after being poked several times!) and the oxcytocen (spelling?) was being fed to me through the I.V. I met the Doctor and was told she would be back in an hour to break my water. They weren't wasting any time, which made me happy! Early that morning I did start having some contractions on my own. After the Doctor broke my water the contractions started to come on stronger and more consistantly. It had occured to me on the way into St.Albert that I could have an epidural which sounded really good! Whitecourt doesn't offer them. So when the contractions were getting pretty bad, and I was ready for *anything* to help with the pain I asked for the epidural. WOW!!! THIS IS ONE THING THAT I REALLY WANT TO CALL A MIRACLE!!! SERIOUSLY! Having contractions, being in 'hard' labour and it not hurting!??!!?!? I had Jaden and Avery with little and no pain meds and I can not believe what the epidural does! Rene was in awe too, his fingers weren't being broken in half from my squeezing them so hard! I have to say if it's something you ever thought of doing, DO IT! :) I'm crazy, but between 6-8 cm dialated, I was updating my status on facebook on my cell phone. There is NO way I would have been feeling so well without the epidural.

At 1:45 I asked Rene if he wanted to go for a bit, that I was doing just fine. He had wanted to go a few blocks over to Riverside Yamaha with Jaden to look at biking gear, so my dad picked him up and away he went. The nurse came into the room just after he left, to check me....just as I noticed on the machine that I was having one contraction after another....and I had dialted to 9, 9 1/2, and that I should really phone my husband and get him to come back!!! AHHH! I couldn't get through on his or my dad's cell so called my mom to keep trying. The Doctor said she'd be back in a bit to deliver the baby!

Rene came back (phewph) and we took some video in the room. The clock says 2:15. Took a picture of Rene next to the clock around that time as well. WELL, amazingly enough..... the baby was born at 2:28pm! We didn't have a name right away, but we strongly felt like it was going to be a boy, and it was :)

Just as Cohen was coming out I reached over and grabbed the camera from Rene and held my arms up and took 3 quick pictures. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm so glad I did it :) :) :)

Name: Cohen Alexander (middle name is the same as my brother Sam's, and my sisters name is Alix)Weight 8lbs 4oz (which is smaller then I expected) and 19 inches long.

He is a healthy and happy baby, and slept so well in the hospital. He was calming himself down and nursing very well. We were expecting a difficult newborn like Jaden and Avery but he surprised us. It was a very LONG pregnancy but so worth it, he is beautiful and I am so in love with him!

Jaden and Avery are excited and happy to have him around for the most part. They are always asking to hold him, and Avery is more then willing to get things for me, which is really a BIG help! There is definately some adjusting, but I think that with routine we should be able to get through this transition of 2 kids to 3.

Sorry for the long post!! We chose not to phone everyone because we wanted to really enjoy the time with the kids and with Cohen. Rene was only home for 2 days and had to go back to work, and my mom was only able to spend one night with us, so it's been pretty busy.

Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and congratulations our way!! :)