Settling in at home

We were finally discharged from the hospital on Friday afternoon. The morning was very long, because we were essentially sitting around and waiting. One of my doctors wanted to do one more test, but the frustrating part was that it was very unlikely that anything would change as a result of the test- but still we had to wait. Finally all results were in, Jason & I were both given clearance, our set-up of him in the car seat was approved & Brad had made several trips to the car to load our belongings.

We exposed Jason to his first shopping trip on the way home. We needed some groceries & I had to get my prescription filled at the pharmacy. He did very well. When we got home we introduced Logan to our newest member, then immediately had to feed Jason. As you can see, Logan was not too far away.

Grandma & Grandpa were watching Sydney for us, so they brought her home & stayed for supper. Sydney has been very good this week & I don't think we could have asked for her to behave any better through this transistion. She is very good with Jason & she is so far doing very well when she has to "wait" for anything or cannot do anything to Jason that she chooses.

Friday night I got a bit of a fever again, but my milk also started to come in- so I am not sure if the two were related. Now my temp is back to normal & I am waiting for my rock hard breasts to disappear. Prior to Jason being born I had finally made the decision that I was going to breastfeed. It was not an easy decision for me because my experience with Sydney was not very successful for either one of us & caused a great deal of "emotion" in our house which meant that it could not have been fun for Daddy either. But, I knew that I would not be happy with myself if I did not take this opportunity with the new baby.

However, on the Monday night when they came to me in ICU to see if I wanted to breastfeed & they would arrange for someone to come an pump for me every three hours it was more than I could bare. I decided then that with everything that my body had been through & that I still had to go through I was not going to add my emotional rollercoaster of breastfeeding to it. So, I said no & am sticking with that decision. It is not what I planned before the baby, but feel it is the best decision for all of us now that Jason is here.

So on Friday night, while I was "nursing" my temperature Jason and I had a nap on the couch. Essentially he was very good all day, went to bed at about 9pm & was up about every 3.5 hours through the night. I have trouble getting out of bed, so Brad was doing the night feedings & things went smoothly until 4am. At this wee hour of the morning Jason gave us a pretty good scare. We heard this loud coughing noise come from Jason's room, then silence, then he started to scream. When we went in it looked like he was having trouble breathing because he was so congested & "phlegmy" in his throat. It took awhile to soothe him & get him calm, but finally we managed it. However, I knew I was not going to get any sleep with him in his room so I went to the couch with him so that I could have him sleeping in a reclined postion with me. He slept until 7am & then was good all day.

Nana is here for the week to help us out & I am very thankful that she is going to help us. On Sunday, Aunt Kim, Uncle Pete & Regan are coming to meet Jason so we are looking forward to seeing them too.

The story of Jason's birth...

Well, I am home now & many of you may be wondering "how did it go" since Brad's posts did not include any details. Long story short, not easy & if you are in the mood for a longer read, here you go.

Things started off well, we called first thing in the morning & they told us we could come for 8am. We had breakfast, got ready, spent a small amount of time with Sydney & Nana and headed out the door. Before leaving, Sydney said her good bye to my belly.

Brad & I arrived promptly at the hospital, but not without first having a "quarrel" in the parking garage. Brad says it wasn't a fight because both of us weren't talking, but he was driving around & around- and almost around again- looking for a parking spot for the van. Granted, the parking garage is not conducive to large vehicles- but when you are arriving with a pregnant woman to have a baby- don't DICKER AROUND!

Rather than give you all the details the short facts are this:
1- had to sit around for 2 hours while they first pumped antibiotics into me before getting the show on the road
2- giving me my FIRST epidural after that before they would break my water
3- started the drugs to induce labour & broke my water around noon
4- with the contractions- the baby does not want to come down- at one time "he" was actually moving up. The nurse joked with Brad that it must be a boy, because he does not know which way to go & will not ask directions.
5- contractions started to come pretty strong & realized that the epidural was "patchy" and the only thing that was frozen was my right leg- by this time I am 7 cm dialated
6- called in the anaesthetist to give me another epidural- which frankly scared the hell out of me- because now they are about to stick a needle in my back while I try to control contractions. Thankfully a senior doctor arrived to do it & did a fabulous job & it took no time at all to do or for me to feel much, much better
7- This is where the day starts to go really bad
8- shortly after the epidural starts working, the baby's heart rate drops & they want to take me into the OR in case they need to do an emergency C-section (approx 4:30 pm)
9- they give Brad scrubs to change into while they wheel me into the OR
10- there are LOTS of people there, I can't even begin to tell you the number or all of what went on in the first few minutes- essentially it was decided that they were going to do a C-section so the anaesthetist was going to complete the epidural so that I was completely numb. I'm crying, Brad is pale but reassuring & then all of a sudden they take him from the room because they need to put me under because the epidural "boost" is not taking fast enough & the baby's heart is dropping
11- the next parts I only know from what I am told
12- Brad is in the hallway & hears them say "It's a boy!"(5:03 pm) & then my cardiologist comes out and delivers the news to him & that they will let Brad see him shortly
13- She goes back in, Brad has no idea what is going on, but eventually he is told that I am stable
14- My OB comes out & tells Brad that I am losing a lot of blood & that the only thing she can recommend is to remove my uterus- he needs to consent- so what choice does he have? She goes back in & they finish surgery
15- Brad calls our parents to give them the good news about the baby & the bad news that I was in surgery

While I was in surgery, Brad went with the baby to the nursery to see him be weighed & bathed. Our parents got there to meet Jason & spend time with Brad. Thankfully he did not need to spend all that time alone. I was in surgery until around 7pm & then once I was situated in ICU, they let Brad & Mom into see me which was around 9pm.

When I woke in ICU, I had no idea where I was & people were talking all around me- they told me that I had a beautiful healthy little boy- which truthfully seemed such a foreign concept to grab at the moment. The nurse also kept reassuring me that what I was feeling was normal that I just had major surgery. While he is saying this, I keep thinking...women have C-sections all the time, what is he talking about? Well that discovery came later when I was just talking with Brad. Brad & I always planned on having 2 kids, so when we were sitting there I said to him that he needed to call the doctor's the next day. He asked what I was talking about & I told him he needed to get snipped because I was not going to have any more children. He didn't say anything for a moment & just looked at me. That's when he told me that I had had a hysterectomy. Silence.

I couldn't believe it, my first thought was that I was not even 35 years old & was going to be slammed into menopause right after having a baby- could not grasp it. Then he explained what had happened & why they had to do it & then I cried.

The next morning my OB came in & talked to me about what had happened. She explained to me that after Jason was born that my uterus just said "I quit". There was a great deal of bleeding that they could not stop & they could not get my uterus to contract. She said it was a freak thing & she could not explain it. If I had been a woman in labour for days or maybe an "old" woman, what happened could make sense- but there is no reason it should have happened to me. The best news she gave me is that I still have my ovaries, therefore menopause is not in my immediate future nor is hormone replacement therapy required- the two things I was most upset about. She said that I still have my cervice & some uterine tissue- therefore I may still have some light periods. Doesn't that suck??? You would think that after all that I would at least get to enjoy being period-free for the rest of my life!!!

So all in all, things are not that bad- because they could be much worse. The only "true" impact to my life moving forward is that I can not have any more children- which I did not plan to anyway. So I am thankful that if this was going to happen to me, it happened after we had two beautiful healthy children. Any other time would result in a very different manner of "dealing" with what happened.

Funny, I was going to a high risk clinic due to my heart issues & I sailed through everything in that area- my cardiologist could not have been happier. I am just happy that I was at one of the best hospitals for all this to happen, because I was in the best of hands for care.

That's enough emotional unload for right now- here are a couple of my favourite pictures from the first few days for you.

Jason Patrick Taylor, weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces

Support Person #1
Nana & Jason, the night he was born.
Thank you for also being there for Brad.















Support Persons #2 & #3
Grandma & Jason and Papa & Jason, night he was born.
Thank you both for being there for Brad.

My first picture with Jason- I finally got to see him mid-morning on Tuesday.

Daddy & Jason

Big sister & little brother

For anyone who actually made it to the bottom of this entry, thanks for taking the time to read & please accept any spelling errors as I did not have the energy to read through it again.

Jason Patrick Taylor

Last day for our family of three

Well tomorrow, Brad & I become the parents of two. The question waiting to be answered is, will Brad be sentenced to live in an estrogen only home or will the arrival of Baby T2 add some testosterone to the household? Hopefully this time tomorrow we will know.

Sydney will be spending the day with Nana & hopefully her sibling arrives in good time for Nana, Grandma & Papa to come to the hospital to meet the new little one. Sydney will then go home to spend the night at Grandma & Papa's. Tuesday she will then go to daycare as usual, but Daddy will pick her up early to come to the hospital for a visit. Our game plan for the week is to try and keep as much of her routine as possible in hopes of making the transition period smoother.

Logan too is going to be spending the night away from home at our neighbours' & when she sees that we have brought another pink monkey home she will likely want to pack her bags & stay there. I have a feeling that this transition will be tougher on Logan than on Sydney.

Well, I am off to make sure all bags are packed & to get some rest. I am also going to say my prayers asking that tonight is not a big night for Moms to go into labour. I am counting on us being able to show up at the hospital in the morning at 8am.

Happy Birthday Wendy & Ellie

Today is Ellie's 2nd birthday & on the weekend we went to her party. As will likely be the case for many years to come, Wendy was so busy preparing for Ellie's birthday, that she forgot about her own. So to be sure that you are not forgotten, HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY!!!

Thanks for the great loot bags for the kids, Emma seemed to enjoy her Dora snacks at the party & Sydney LOVED her smarties last night.

Yup, I think the Dora treats were a hit.

The kids did well to keep their hats on for the picture, but Evelyn is no fool. She knows that the hat isn't making her look too cool.

Six more days

I had my appointment with the obstetrician today & my cervix is "ripe" & 3 centimeters dilated, so it looks like we are good to go for Monday. Things are all ready at home too...

Bags are packed

Dresser is stocked, but if this is a boy there are a lot of pink items that will need to come out & go to a new home

Change table is stocked, baby's bed is made, & the shelves are cleared of Sydney's things to make room for new things for this baby

Now we just have to wait & see who we bringing home to this room. Will it be Jason or Patrick or will it be Lauren or Nicole? Apparently it won't be a Nathan because Brad vetoed it last night- even though it was originally his name.

The "value" of a second opinion

My cardiologist (Dr. G.) has been on holidays for the month of July & returns next Monday. In her absence she wanted me to meet with her collegue (Dr. S) in the event I went into labour early. Although I appreciated her consideration & the time that her collegue spent with me, I am not a big fan of his "opinion" of my condition.

At my appointment today, Dr. S stated that he has one small disagreement with Dr. G's opinion of my "activity" during labour. Like with Sydney, Dr. G states that I should push for no more than half an hour before they assist the delivery. Dr. S does not think I should push at all & that my uterus should move the baby down & then have it delivered with the use of forceps. He says this like it is no big deal!!! He obviously is not the one who has had large metal tongs shoved where it is not comfy!!!

Before allowing myself to get too upset about this little "change" in plan, I waited to discuss the difference of opinion with my obstetrician. Since there has been no change in my health since Dr. G last saw me & Dr. S's plan is just a difference of opinion, whose will they go with??? She assured me that they will follow-up with Dr. G on Monday to see if she agrees with Dr. S's plan or if we can continue with her original plan.

I recognize that all advice is given with the consideration of my health & the baby's health in mind, but when it comes to a forcep delivery...I would prefer to give it a go (at least a few pushes) & try to avoid that avenue.

Dr. G & Dr. S seem to have two different opinions & I am hoping that we can continue on the understanding of the one who knows my history better. However I am thankful to Dr. S for signing off on doing my "bedrest" at home this weekend rather than the hospital. I won't be calling people begging them to come hang out at Mac with me this weekend.

Is it time for Daddy to close the door???

Last week something rather funny happened that Brad said he would rather not have posted on the blog, so I respected his wishes. Then we go to a party on Saturday & he starts telling the story, so I figure it is fair game for the blog- especially when a funnier "event" happened at the party. But I remarkably forgot to add it until I just saw Becky's reminder- so here we go.

Last week we were all in bathroom getting ready for our day. Brad steps out of the shower & Sydney points at his [insert name for male organ here- note to readers I'm afraid of the Google search] & says "Daddy's tail". Once it registered what she was referring to I laughed & then of course we corrected her with the proper name. Although it was very funny & I still laugh thinking about it, it has made me wonder at what point/age do we restrict Sydney's access to the bathroom when Daddy is naked? In our house we don't tend to shower with the door closed, unless of course there is company in the house. So this is a change to our routine that results in a "steamy" bathroom, which is a pain. I'm still thinking that she is still pretty young to worry about this, but am I wrong?

The second funny event occurred at the party. Brad had taken Sydney in to go to the bathroom & when she was finished he needed to go. The bathroom they were in is long & narrow & when Sydney turned around and saw Daddy going pee, she came running towards him with her hand outstretched yelling, "Me too! Me too!". She was thinking that she should help Daddy hold it. I also find this very funny, but again it begs the question- Should Daddy now close the door?

To be invited or to invite yourself...

Over the past week or so, my husband has teased me many times about the fact that I invited ourselves to Kim & Pete's on the weekend. Well, to my defense my request for our attendance to be pool side in Tottenham on Sunday morning was not completely out of the blue. Kim had previously invitated us for the weekend because my brother & his kids were also to come. Originally Craig said he could not make it, so the plan was falling flat until I invited us to come anyways & as it turns out Craig & the girls also came up for the day too.

Due to the hot, hot weather the pool was a "refreshing" 87 degrees! Which for exercising is not an ideal temp, but when you have little kiddies splashing about it is pretty good & it is definitely better than sitting out in the hot, hot sun!

So thank you Kim & Pete for hosting us for the afternoon, we loved it & I think all the kids did too.

Sydney enjoying her time with our little hostess Regan.

Brooke, I think. It is much harder to tell her & Bailey apart when they are wearing the same suit & getting wet in the water.

Bailey, I'm pretty sure on this one.

Sydney has pretty much mastered the ability to get from her back float to her front float.

But sometimes she gets water up her nose which ends with...Aaa..choo!

Slip, sliding fun!!!

Baby T2 Update...

Well it is only 13 more sleeps until we go into to the hospital to encourage Baby T2 to reveal himself/herself to the world. I must say that I am starting to get anxious for the day to get here. Although, I know the days will fly by because there is still a lot I want to do. I still haven't got Sydney's scrapbook up to date, visited my friend & her now 2 month old baby, baby clothes are washed, but still need to be put away, get my hair cut (and highlighted?) and of course there is the all important pedicure that I still need to schedule. Add into these items the requirement to rest for at least half an hour 3 times a day & you would be surprised how quickly time is slipping away.

Today I had an ultrasound & an appointment with my obstetrician. The ultrasound showed that Baby T2 already weighs in at 7.2 pounds! Sydney was only 7 lbs when born. Although, I am thankful that no one has commented on this baby having a big head which was a comment often made for Sydney. I am having another ultrasound next week due to the amniotic fluid level "looking" low- even though it measures normal- they just want to be sure. I know one thing, I will be asking the weight at that visit!

Big Sister in Training

This is a baby that I essentially got for free at a garage sale last weekend & you rarely see Sydney at home without the baby in her arms or by her side. Definitely confirmation that our biggest concern with her & her new sibling is to be sure that she does not try to pick her/him up.

Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes...

You may think that I am talking about having the baby or the emotions that you feel when you first hold your child in your arms, BUT I'M NOT!!! I looked at the long range weather forecast this morning & see that for the weekend they are calling for 32 degree highs with a humidex of 41-42 degrees Celcius!!!! Thinking about it literally brings tears to my eyes.

When I was pregnant with Sydney I was lucky, it was a cool summer. This summer has been much warmer & I do OK as long as the humidity isn't too bad. However in the last couple of weeks we have some consistent patches of high humidity. I am afraid that the forecasted weather will make me long for the humidity of the past.

So what am I doing in preparation? I've got a pool lined up for Saturday morning for a cooling off period, warned Brad that we may not be staying at the barbeque we are going to in the afternoon for very long & did what any girl would do...sent an email to my loving sister, begging her for an invite to her pool for Sunday morning.

As long as all these plans work out, I should be fine.

Happy Birthday Tara!

Unlike Max, I won't share your age. However, I do apologize for the cleavage shot- the picture from after you blew your candles out is a little hazy due to all the candle smoke!

Happy 3rd Birthday Max!

On Friday Max turned three & today Robb & Michele had his party. The birthday boy was in good form and did not play to the tune, "It's my party & I'll cry if I want to!" Although, it was a close call when his cake came out. There was a sparkler candle in the shape of a 3 & Max was not too sure if he liked that, but was quite happy when it was done!

Splish, Splash

Yesterday one of the Mom's from the Parent Group I used to go to coordinated a private rental of a wading pool/splash pad at LaSalle Park. We could not have asked for better weather because it was an absolutely great morning. The only "bad" thing that happened was that I had to go running through the pool to Sydney who tripped on the deck & in the process soaked my shorts- which I then had to wear to my doctor's appointment. Denim was not a smart choice- cotton would have dried much faster.


Will really liked it, but sure wished he could get around on his feet. The bottom was a little bumpy for his poor little knees. I think all the kids had fun & I now have an idea of what to do for one of Sydney's or Baby T2's birthdays in the next couple of years.

Visit to the prettiest town in Canada

Sydney & I returned today from a visit to Goderich. We went to visit my friend Sherry & enjoy a couple days of her company and the luxury of her pool. Unfortunately Sherry had to get a babysitter for her dogs because one, Abe, does not understand that a child is not up for his type of play & the other, Faith, had to go because two peas in a pod are happier when together. I was thankful for this consideration, but do feel bad that we were the reason a dog was sent from his home.

I personally love Goderich & I always have...this visit did nothing to diminish that love. Especially when I compare the size of Sherry's yard and her sister's new yard to the size of ours- there really is no comparison. Also, you can turn left onto a highway without waiting for five minutes to get a good opening & you regularly run into people you know. I truly think I am a small town girl at heart.

Whenever you visit someone's home, you pray for good behaviour from your child. I must say that Sydney did well on most fronts. The exception being the process of putting her to bed. The picture above is her when she is supposed to be napping & proof that I just gave up. She was screaming to get out of her play pen, she would not lie with me, would not comply with my "no talking" rule, and just completely missed the window of having any chance of getting her to nap. Of course we then take a 5 minute drive to Wal-Mart & she completely crashes in the van & I had to carry her through Wal-Mart while she took a cat nap on my shoulder.

Sherry's nephew, Wade, is exactly a year older than Sydney & I think she is in love. She actually did a very good job of sharing her toys with him, got excited when he came over, and wanted to be just like him in the pool. Right before we were leaving Sydney & Wade were playing their version of hide & seek when all of a sudden Sydney was running after Wade with her arms outstretched yelling, "Wade, want hug!" Being the gentleman that he is, he obliged & she then went on her tip toes and requested "kiss kiss". Again, he was a more than willing participant & I was wishing I had a video camera because it really was too cute. Of course, now as I write this I wonder...how does this action represent what our future may hold?

Sherry, Wade, & Sydney

We tried water wings for Sydney & she did really well. Both the life jacket & the tube thing kept forcing he on her tummy which frustrated her & resulted in her taking in too much water. I think if we keep at it with her using the wings she may be able to move around on her own by the end of the summer. That of course means that Daddy will need to take her swimming after the baby is born.

Thank you Sherry for having us! We had a lot of fun. I have to wonder if you will welcome me back next summer when I will be carting around two kids!

Thank you Ed

This is Sydney's styling new car, courtesy of Ed & the last of the line of Wee Play toys. Based on our time outside today, I think Sydney really likes her new car.

Thank you very much Ed.

Happy Birthday Canada!

This is our Canada Day picture of Sydney & Logan last year.

I was hoping to have another picture like it this year, but it was not quite so easy. The "requested" picture was not agreed to, so Brad had to snap a picture of Sydney when she decided she was ready to oblige, but you will note there is no Logan allowed in the picture.

To celebrate the holiday we had friends over for a barbeque. I was worried we were off on a rough road when Sydney did not want to share her toys with our first arrival, Alina. But things progressed from there and I think Sydney was more than happy to share her pool with the kids. Emily was the oldest "kid" & I think she was Sydney's favourite new friend. Everything that Emily did in the pool, Sydney "needed" to copy & this was not always the safest thing for her to do.

Sydney is showing signs of being like her Mom...last one out of the pool.

Here are some more pictures from our day.
Emily decided to see if our cherry tree had any "good" fruit. I think she found them to be a little sour.
Matthew & Alana playing in the background on the slide while Sydney & Evelyn hang out at the table. I'm sure years from now they will have much to say to one another.
Macie, Emily & Matthew enjoy their ice cream & Macie is very happy that it is not raining.
Alina thinks the ice cream is pretty good too.
Our youngest guest for the day, Julia. She went for a slide ride with her sister, Evelyn, but I think her Daddy learned that wasn't the best idea. So, she just sat back & enjoyed the rest of the festivities.

[Note...Ian and Rachele, sorry I am not sure what happened to the picture I took of Brandon]