The Christmas pictures are in!

So Ihope to find all of you stuffed with turkey and gravey and hopefully if you are very lucky you are eating a warm turkey sandwich right now (mind the keyboard). Natalie had a wonderful premiere Christmas and as you can tell by the photos she was dressed for the season (thanks to aunt Sarah for the santa baby outfit). We enjoyed Christmas eve (or Wigilia) at the Derkowski house and ate a lot of pierogies and cabbage rolls. Then it was off to the Whelans for an all night marathon session of the board game "The Settlers of Cattan" (I highly reccomend checking this game out!). Then we went off to The Whitneys for a truly amazing feast. There is a good picture of Uncle Conrad with the baby and one of me and Diava with a very festive bison. On to more settling of Cattan and then us weary three headed back to our home and slept untill very very late on boxing day. Tommorrow we are off to Narnia, cheers all! and have a happy and safe new year!!!!!

christmas is almost here

Merry Christmas everybody. The baby she sleeps now and I have pictures to share, I will have more pictures to share with you early next week. The funny looking one where she has ner head turned she is staring intently at some Christmas lights.

twas the second week before christmas

I had promised myself that I would update this blog at leat once a week so that you my faithful readers would not abandon my blog out of sheer annoyance. It is now wednesday night, over a week since my last update, and I decided to get my butt moving and sit down at the computer. Since there was no new "Lost" episode on tonight I had some extra time to take some pictures. We tried really hard to get one of her smiling but she was more in a staring and drooling mood.

The Christmas season is upon us again and with it comes the inevitable guilt of overeating chocolate and spending too much or not enough on christmas gifts. Then of course there are the christmas cards. I have already recieved a few and the chances of me actually sending out cards this year are not looking to good right now. I have never been one for sending out christmas cards and I feel really bad about it now that I could be sending out some really cute Natalie-themed christmas cards....maybe some delayed cards may arrive in January but don't hold your breath. As for christmas gifts we decided a couple years ago to parse down our shopping to stocking stuffers only. This has saved me the chore of fighting the crowds at the malls and the racking up of my visa unnecessarily. I remember many years ago my Grandma and Grandpa Wiggans sent out the cutest card explaining why they would no longer be buying christmas gifts for everyone. There was a poem and the last line said "please no gifts for us two for God has given us the lot of you" and I love this so much because there is no gift that is as good as being with your family and friends at Christmas. Lastly as for the overeating of chocolate all I can say is that I got a head start with a costco sized box of nanimo bars, never again will I allow these tasty little bars into my home, its just too much temptation and I am weak, so very very weak.

Thaks to all our guests who came to our christmas party on Saturday we had so much fun that we just may be crazy enough to do it again.

cold cold monday

Its really cold outside. Its the kind of cold windy weather that makes one wan to cuddle up inside with a warm cuppa something and read a book. Natalie is sleeping and I am taking this precious time to update the blog. Just to note the post from last monday was made by Chirs and I have already expressed my displesure with his "sour milk" comment. Now onto business...I have some more pictures to share the last one was taken only a few minutes ago so its as current as you can get. Natalie has grown out of many sleepers and she is getting really heavy, so heavy in fact that my wrist is sore form the repeated motion of supporting her head. I really hope that she gets full neck control soon. She is smiling a lot more these days and like to coo at you when you sing to her. She is completly fascinated with the Christmas tree and anything else that is lighted up. Grandma Whelan has a Santa Claus that dances and sings "jingle bells" and this was the most amazing thing in the world to her, she was staring at is with her mouth open for about five minutes smiling and drooling.
There is also a picture of Chris holding her in what we refer to as the puppy hold (because she bears a strong resemblence to a four-legged puppy). In this particular photo it looks like she is trying to knaw Chris's arm off, in reality she was just drooling all over him. well it sounds liek the badger is stiring and its daddys turn to change the diaper. So take care all and stay warm!

vaccination thursday

So today was Natalies first innoculations. At two months they get three shots: diptheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio and haemophilus influenzae type b; meningococcal; and pneumococcol. I couldn't let her go through the experience alone so Chris and I also updated our DPT vaccinations and we got the flu shot to boot. So between the three of us thats seven shots. Natalie is doing well she cried very loudly when they gave the needles. Chris had to hold her I was too upset to hold her for her shots, no one like to her their baby scream like that. She has been sleeping well since we got back and has just woken up. She weighed 12lbs 2oz and was 24inches. That puts her in the 95th percentile for hight and 75th percentile for weight.

The wailing whelan

Well, its been a while. NED has been quite cranky the last few days. Maybe the "tooth" is bothering her, maybe its the little mushrooms also known as thrush growing on her tongue...or the medicine she is taking to eradicate them. It could be the diper rash....
Maybe its something else she won't tell us about, like the milk going sour from or busy neglected
diet. Whatever the case, she needs a lot of comforting and cradling. I sure hope that she goes back to being her old cheerful self soon. Like the time of her first bath with daddy. Here are some pics.

a very tooth-like cyst

Ok false alarm Natalie does not have a tooth she has a cyst (something called Bohn's nodules). This was something that was not in my baby books so how was I to know? Thank google we have that issue cleared up. I feel rather foolish with my toothy assumption. Here are more pictures just for fun.

baby group pics and a toothy tale

So my last post was saturday and shortly after the post Natalie was crying very loudly and activly when I noticed something in her mouth, I pulled back her upper lip and I saw a tooth! Whats more is that another tooth in the same position on the other side is also on the way. I know, I know 6 week old babies don't get teeth but apparently Natalie has decided to forgo the normal waiting period of 5-8 months and grow her first tooth now. We had a doctors appointment today and she said it was uncommon but nothing to worry about just to keep an eye on. My theory is that she is like her father and just can't wait to eat solid food. Has anyone out there has experience with such early teething? Was it something I ate while pregnant? I am just praying that these teeth don't cause her too much discomfort. She is really such a trooper and there is no indicationt that she is in serious pain, although the pacifier is used much more often. Fortunatly they are situated on the front of the gum so she can't really bite me, which is good news for nursing. I would have posted a picture but as you can imagine its not easy to get a good photo because she screams when you pull back her lip (I hate doing that to her) and she won't hold still (understandably).

The babies in this photo from left to right are Rowan, Natalie, Lauren, Erin, Connor and Vincent (great hair!). After taking this picture I have a new appreciation of Anne Geddes work.

six weeks already!

So Natalie is already celebratign her 6 week birthday, ah she is growing up ..too fast. already there are a couple sleepres that are a wee bit too snug on her. I never appreciated how much work went into raising a newborn. To all the moms out there I salute you! Speaking of moms we are going to visit with some other mommies and babies this afternoon. We have been in contact with the other moms from out prenatal group and meet with them every wednesday, but today the daddies get to join in the fun. I am sure you can see the cute pictureof Natalie and her buddy Connor. As I took the picture She was looking at me and Connor was looking at his mom so they are both staring off in different directions.

Fortunatly she is sleeping right now and that means that I am running around the house like a mad woman cleaning, doing laundry and making dessert squares for the party this afternoon. The baby books all say to sleep when the baby is sleeping but I need to use that time to get stuff done around the house. You try and take a nap on demand and tell how that works for you. Anyways she is pretty good at sleeping during the night, and by pretty good I mean she wakes up every 4 hours and feeding and diapering and getting back to sleep usually takes 30-40 minutes. Feeding her is what takes up a lot of time. She had a growth spurt last week and had to be fed every 2-2.5 hours, luckly we are back to 4 hours. Take acare and enjoy this gorgeous November weather that we are having.

the Halloween update

Here for your enjoyment are more Natalie pics! Including some rather cute bath pictures. I have noticed that there are very few pictures of me and Natalie together, I will have to remedy this. Right now NED is sleeping in the baby sling that I have draped over my left sholder and it is making it really hard to type but I know that if I put her down I have 5 minutes tops before she wakes up and starts screaming.
Everythig has been going well , she is putting on weight and is sleeping better through the night. She opens her eyes for longer and I think she is starting to recognize objects, especially faces. More updates to come right now I need to quickly grab lunch while I can.

the Banff trip

It was so beautiful outside yesterday that I convinced Chris to take the day off of work and go to Banff. The drive there was spectacular and we had the good fortune of seening a whole bunch (50 or more) of bighorn sheep! There is a really good picture of Natalie asleep in her car seat while eight of the sheep stand just meters away from the car. When we got to Banff we had lunch and then hit the candy stores. Call me old fashioned but I don't think a trip to Banff is complete without a caramel apple or two (or three or four...). Natalie traveled in style in a harness strapped to Chris. I figured I carried her for nine months so now Chris can carry her for a while. Included is another picture of Natalie and Chris in front of the best candy store in the world. After we had consumed enough chocolate to feed a small army we headed off to the gondola and went for a nice ride to the top of Sulphur mountain. Again Natalie remained snuggley strapped to Chris's chest and covered in many warm blankets. We stayed at the top of the mountain for a short while enjoying the view but then I had the terrible feeling that I left the car unlocked. I tried to use the remote keyless lock but I was pretty sure that our car was out of range. So down we went and then we had to feed and change Natalie. I must be getting better at this diaper change thing because now I can easily change her from the backseat of the car. We drove back home and Natalie and Chris had a nap on the couch. What a great day, and I still have a caramel apple waiting for me in the fridge. Who could ask for more.

pictures from our Banff trip

Lunchtime with the baby group

So today Natalie and I had lunch with all the other mommies and babies from our prenatal group. It was a lot of fun we got to compare baby stories and offer advice for all other things baby related. There was a lot of "have you tried this...." or "I found this works well...." stories. She was the largest at birth for the small group that had gathered there but you have to figure in that she is 25% potato chip. Things were going great untill she woke up and got hungry, and I tried to feed her but she was so fussy that we came back home to eat. We traveled to the lunch with her boyfriend Connor (aka the baby from next door) and his mommy. We are so lucky to have a group of mommies and babies to interact with, otherwise I may get cabin fever this winter from staying home with her all day long.
Her sleeping at night is improving, or else my tolerance for the 3:00am feeds is getting better. Her body is like a mini symphony when she goes to bed. There are grunts, hiccups, sneezes, bigger grunts, cries, sobs, heavy breathing, and smacking. My favourite baby noise are the muffled sobs she makes just after you pick her up when she has been crying. Its likes she knows she does not have to cry anymore but she is so worked up she gives these little fake cries before she becomes silent. She is sleeping now but she is liek a ticking time bomb waiting to go off when she is hungry and I am running out of time. Take care and I will post more pics next week.

And finally some pictures

A good nights sleep

Last night we had the closest to a good nights sleep in a week. She only woke up every 3 hours (vs every 2-2.5 hours) and she went back to bed without too much fussing. I have been meaning to update this blog but the combination of sleep deprevation and a slow server conection to blogger has delayed my posts. Hopefully I will be able to share a couple pictures from the thanksgiving long weekend with you. Meanwhile here are a couple of things I have learned so far: If you want a sleeper to stay clean remove it and set it aside before any diaper changes; for nightime feedings never leave the diaper change last, this will only annoy her; spitup is stickier than I thought; she does not like her arms to be swaddled, she likes to throw them over her head; When she has fallen asleep for real nothing can wake her; she does not like her vibrating chair but quickly falls asleep for car rides; she grunts a lot, this is ok; her hiccups (chris calls them mini heart attacks) probably bother the parents more than they bother her; the sizes they give for babys clothing does not really mean anything (kinda like womens clothes); when she is hungry nothing will calm her except a good feed; she seems to like it when you make faces at her; and she seems to be hungry right now so I better finnish this post.

I am sorry I tried deveral times to get the photos uploaded but it just wasn't working I will try again soon.

Daddys little girl

Yesterday was Natalie’s first doctor’s appointment. Everything went very well and she is slowly gaining her weight back. She had been slightly jaundiced, which is really common for newborns, but it seems to have cleared up by now. Chris and I are discovering Natalie’s little quirks and her signals. She definitely lets us know when she is hungry because she will start smacking her lips and sticking out her tongue. She tried to gnaw Chris’s arm off this morning while I was in the shower. I did not anticipate exactly how hungry breastfeeding would make me. For the first time in our relationship I am finishing the food off of Chris’s plate! At night I try to let Chris sleep while I feed and change her because if he is sleepy then there is nobody else to make my breakfast in the morning.

Yesterday was her first bath at home and I have to say she seemed to fuss much less then when the nurse at the hospital gave her a bath. Then she had some tummy time on daddys chest (she loves that).

Back home and doing well

Hello everyone thank you for your posts, Chris and I have enjoyed reading them. We got back from the hospital yesterday at noon and we are so happy to be back here with Natalie. The first night in the hospital was hard because Chris could not be there with me but Natalie and I managed to do OK. I changed my very first diaper on saturday and I am still an amateur at the baby care thing but I don't think Natalie has noticed yet. For anyone who has ever had to spend a night in a hopital you know how anxious a person can get to leave, there is jsut no comparing the comforts and warm shower of home.
The labour was an unbelievable experience and I was so thankful for the epidural and I have not a single regret for taking it. It wasn't just a relief from the paing and nausea but also from the fatigue. I was able to rest and so was Chris and we even flipped through the baby name book for girls names (because we already had a boy name picked out). I was really rooting for Matilda but Chris and many others were not so keen on the name. We sort of happened upon Natalie and it just seemed to fit. The middle name Evelyn is for my great grandmother Evelyn Parks who was born on October 1, 1900.
Anyway the pushing stage was for me the most difficult because I was working so hard and I felt that no progress was being made. I had that moment that most labouring women experience where I thought I can't do this, but Chris and the nurse really tried to help me focus on contractions and the breathing. Enevitably (3 hours later) she did come out and Chris cut the cord. He was looking pretty good up until the delivery then I thought he was going to pass out or something, but he managed to stay on his feet and was very eager to be given the task of going to get me a glass of ice water.
The rest of the day flew by and I tried to sleep whenever she slept, last night she was pretty fussy for a few hours but eventually we managed to get her to sleep. Chirs is making food for me and doing all the laundry ;) which works well for me. She seems to like sleeping in the afternoon and not much seems to phase her during these hours. But I can hear her starting to wake up so I am going to go and feed her. Right now she is swaddled like a cabbage roll in her little wooden cradle (see picture).

Its a girl :)

Hi all I'm filling in for Heather again. Both baby and mommy are doing great but its standard procedure to keep them under close watch for the next 24 hours so they are still at Rocky view.
Mom is looking forward to giving all the details so I will try to be as brief as I can. The water broke at 5:20 friday morning, by 7am we were at the
hospital but contractions weren't regular enough to warrant admitance so we were send back home. We came back to Rocky view at 5pm. contractions were still scarce and sporadic but since after the water breaks there is an increased probability of an infection they strongly recommend labour to be induced hormonally. Heather was put on 2ccs of pitosin at about 7pm with x2 increments in dosage every hours until she gets regular active labour contractions. By 8pm she was still only 2cm dialated but with 80% effacement(how thin cervix is, 100% effacement means thin and labour ready). At about 10pm ,I think, maybe shortly after , she had the epidural. Incredible what a difference that made, she went from barely choking back tears to near comfort, she actually slept for the large part of her cervix dilation. At about midnight she was still only 4 cm but with 100% effacement. From 12 to 2am saturday she went from 4cm to 10 cm. The really hard part started from about 3am to 6am the pushing out of the baby. The cutest little baby girl was born at 6:15am, saturday october 1st. She weighed in at a full 3.8kg (8.7lbs) and measured 52cm. Although not yet official her name is Natalie Evelyn Derkowski, we'll just call her NED. You will get more details from heather, and will hear more of NED and her stories in the days to come. I just have to post a few pictures before I fall asleep on the keyboard.