Today is my Birthday.

In honor of my 32nd Birthday I decided to try something a little different. Who other to tell you about the day that I was born then my the woman who birthed me herself. So without further a due I present to you the story of my birth as told by my mom.

......................................................................................................................................

Let me introduce myself, I am Christy’s mom and she has asked me to do a guest blog for her. Why you ask? Well today is her birthday and she would like my take on the day she was born but it’s not that easy where do I start…

You have to understand it was the 70’s, late 70’s to be exact, and what was then is not now... So here is the “full story” from MY VIEWPOINT ONLY and only the parts I remember.

LABOUR PAINS AND ALL THAT STUFF

Monday, July 30, 1979 started out like any other day. Would today be the day? I was already overdue and getting use to this. Your Dad was getting ready for work and I remember standing in the hallway on the way to the bathroom and thought I’d peed my pants. Then I moved – and no, way too much for that. Go figure, you know what it is and you still say “ I think my water broke” and you look for confirmation.

I know we got ready, we grabbed the overnight bag, and I had what they called “my walking papers”. I don’t remember the car ride to the hospital but I do remember it seemed to take forever to fill in the papers so I could go to the labour room. Your Dad got me there and then he went back to work with the assurance he would be called when the “time” got closer. Again that was a sign of the times. As a matter of fact, fathers being in the delivery room was still relatively new and not many were brave enough to take the opportunity. We had talked about it but your Dad was very hesitant to go in and had not really planned on it.

So what I remember about the labour... my mom was there for a part of it, your Dad’s mom was there for a part of it and I was on my own for a part of it. I did believe in the panting during the contractions and to this day would strongly advise people to use that method. Oh I forgot, these days epidurals are easily available and the norm – no need to pant.

I entered the hospital shortly after 8 am and things did not progress that quickly until around 2 pm. Once I started dilating, I don’t think it stopped. You had a similar experience with Grady which is why I remember telling her nurse, “she needs to be checked right now!”.

DELIVERY

So someone (again wasn’t me) called your dad and I think they had already wheeled me down to the delivery room. I remember someone telling me when your Dad arrived and asked where I was. They suited him up in those classic blue booties, a gown and a mask and voila – he was in the delivery room. They allowed him to sit close to my shoulder so he didn’t have to watch anything. They asked if it was okay if some interns watched the delivery. At this point I didn't care. I think they were behind me as I was never really conscience of them being there. I guess they were expected to watch in the mirror as all the nurses and the doctors were at the other end.

The delivery - well I pushed harder than I ever have and when you came out I remember for a minute I was so scared as I thought you weren’t breathing. You were a beautiful but big baby girl, born at 4:30 pm, weighing in at 9lbs 4 oz.and 22 inches long. And then I got to hold you for the first time and you cannot find words to express how you feel. So much love and joy and pride you might explode. Despite what I know, being pregnant and giving birth remains a miracle to me.

I remember when they wheeled me out of the delivery room both grandmas were there and then it hit me and I cried for happiness and got uncontrollable shakes (I remember this happened to you when Cooper was born). Grandma Rice was especially happy as this was her first grandchild and a girl to boot. She had 2 boys so I think it was extra special for her.

HOSPITAL STAY

Here are the first pictures taken of you the day you were born around 7pm with a polaroid camera (Remember, develops before your eyes in 60 seconds).

I believe to finish the story off you need to realize that we did not get discharged and let home right away. Oh no it was 5 days and I was so ready to go home by then. What I remember about the hospital stay is that you were allowed to stay in the bassinet during the day but had to go back in the nursery for the night, although they did make rounds with the babies and I would be woken up in the middle of the night so I could feed you.

I was asked if they could use you for the bath demonstration which we had to attend. At first I was flattered but watching was a bit harder than I had anticipated. They wanted to use you as you were such a large baby and so much easier to handle. You looked like a giant next to a 7lb baby.

You were taken home in some big white bucket seat that sat in the front seat and was rented for free for a 6 month period from the YWCA.

MEMORY LANE

Christy, it is difficult to know how to end this story. And they lived happily ever after……….

No - life is a journey and I have been honored to take that journey with you. What a privilege to be there and play a part in the birth story of both your boys. Who would know that I could make it all the way there both times and not miss a thing.

I look at your baby picture and think how could I know then what I know now. I leave you with my words written in your baby book.

As I write this Christy is 3 weeks old. She sure has changed since her birth. She keeps me busy all day long but she is as good as gold at night. At this point, I think we are finally getting use to each other. Daddy has been working up north for the last two weeks so I must admit I do spend a lot of time at my mom’s. She has been a great help, I hope that I will be as much help to my daughter when she is older.

A later entry in her baby book read:

As I bring this book up to date I must write here that at 2 years old, Christy is a very independent little girl. She is learning to talk quickly now, she just loves books. Her favourite sayings have been “go away” and “No way” which she uses a lot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTY – I LOVE YOU
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Let's hear it for my Mom!

{{Applause}}
Thank you so much for taking the time to document my birth story. And most of all for birthing all 9 pounds and 4 ounces of me without an epidural. I owe you big time.

Cooper's Army Crawl

Breaking News: Cooper started crawling this week!

And by that I mean he drags his body across the floor using only his right foot. See for yourself.

Password: cooper

He was a bit cranky as the video was tken just before bed time but it shows he actually moved. For a pen. My favorite part is when Grady tells Cooper to do it again....

Soccer

I played soccer growing up. James played soccer growing up. So it was only natural that we wanted to put Grady in soccer as soon as we could. We looked into the community soccer that played every Saturday morning in May and June and you had to be born in 2007. Grady was born in 2008. So it was back to the drawing board.

Grady did a program called Sportball last year and towards the end of the last session I overheard them talking about an outdoor soccer soccer program. I looked into it when I got home and sure enough Grady was eligible to play! The Sportball version was different than the community soccer program. First off, it is in the evening, and second, it runs through July and August. We decided to give it a go and we are sure glad we did.

Grady is very lucky to have a friend on his team.

We don't actually play 'games'. The kids essentially wear their jerseys and do drills for 45 minutes with their parents and do a little obstacle course. And don't forget about the water break. Here we are lined up at the magic line.

James was out of town earlier this week so I got to play soccer with Grady. I was very excited about it. Being that Cooper was so young, James did the Sportball sessions last fall and spring and Cooper and I would watch. It was so much fun to run around the field kicking the ball with him.

This particular week the kids weren't as interested in playing soccer as they had been in weeks past. There was a certain distraction that kept the kids attention. We managed to keep them on the field until the end. Here they are during the obstacle course portion.

Nana and Cooper were watching from the sidelines. Cooper has been having some separation anxiety issues so about half way through Cooper started screaming for me so I ended up with both kids on my lap. I looked at this picture and was like wow, I have 2 boys.

Here is Grady in action doing a pass to Mommy.

Here is the distraction.

We managed to get the kids to wait until after the game to head over to the adjacent ball diamond to play in the big pile of shale right in the middle. A little boy's (and girl's) dream! Which led to a bath and late bedtime later that night.

We are having so much fun visiting friends, enjoying the sunshine, playing at the park, and of course playing soccer!

Wordless Wednesday

Any Question Who Picked Out Cooper's PJs?

Take a closer look.

I didn't think so.

Ice Cream

Nothing

screams

summer

like

an ice cream cone.

Rub-a-dub-dub

Two brothers in a tub!

We have officially ditched the bath seat. Grady refuses to bath with Cooper in the seat because he claims Cooper splashes him. So for ease of bathing together the seat is out!

This is how bath time generally starts.

Cooper puts everything in his mouth.

Grady is his goofy self.

Then something like this happens.

And bath time ends like this.

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Food Making 101

Me make baby food?

If you would have asked me 3 years ago I would have told you in your dreams! Grady was..... how should I put it.... more high maintenance than Cooper. He liked to be held often and liked to sleep infrequently leaving me little time with my hands free to make food. That left me with purchased food which I was absolutely fine with. Nana made Grady a few tasty items that Grady loved and has already made some of these favorites for Cooper as well.

With Cooper being such an independent happy baby I started to consider making his food. A friend emailed me and said the Baby Bullets were buy one get one free and she asked if I was interested in splitting the cost. It was like the universe telling me that I should give the whole baby making food a try.

What I didn't realize was that I needed a steamer.

I picked this one up at Zellers but it goes on sale at Canadian Tire for $20. I was seriously mad when I saw the ad less than a week after I purchased the exact same steamer for $35. I had already used it and I threw away the receipt so I had to eat the cost. When will I learn to keep the receipts around for more than 2 minutes after I open the box? Probably never.

I decided that I was going to make a few different foods at once to cut down time and quantity of each food in case cooper didn't like it. That and storage room in the freezer is low. Not to mention that each time I use the steamer and baby bullet I have to run the dishwasher as all the components take up the entire top rack of the dishwasher.

Here is my steamer working hard on the asparagus, cauliflower, and asparagus tucked away in the back.

Note: Always remember to put water in. The vegetables to not cook without water. I know this from experience.

Introducing the Baby Bullet:

Enter Asparagus.

Our family loves asparagus. It is one of few veggies that Grady will sometimes eat. Anyone who eats asparagus knows it is not the cheapest of vegetables but well worth it if it is eaten. I steamed about a 1/3 of the asparagus stock, so about 10 asparagus sticks. This is all I got.

Seriously it made 4 cubes. Had I known that I would have just eaten it myself.

Next up was was the cauliflower and one asparagus that was missed.

It looked a little bland to me.

So I spiced it up with some cheese. Everything is better with cheese.

After I poured the cauliflower into the ice cube tray I ate the remaining puree out of the baby bullet. It was that good.

I through these bad boys in the freezer so my young man could enjoy at a later date. I decided to keep the carrots whole and mash them up as needed. Cooper loves things he can eat on his own.

The best part is the taste test....

... and it passed with flying colors!

The Pool

When summer weather first hit about 2 weeks ago, we headed out to find a pool for the backyard. The last one we had was the summer Grady was 1 and boy was it small. Plus, it had an inflated top to it so this year he couldn't even get in it. We were in need of a pool big enough for Grady and a few friends. And that we did find. Grady had a great idea of moving the slide into the pool. And that we did.

Although the slide was his idea, he wasn't too fond of it at first. His friend Marley was over and she loved it. Up and Down, Up and Down. Grady watched. The kids were out of their wet clothes and into the bouncy house for a change and then back into swimsuits after that. The second time around Grady was all over it. He was upset when Marley no longer wanted to slide. Can you blame him? Everything is more fun with a friend!

Grady also reminded us that there is more than one purpose for a pool. It made for a great car wash for his trucks. Both big and small.

And what fun would it be if we didn't try climbing up the slide at least once?

The pool was a great purchase and we can't wait to use it more over the summer.

And I am pretty sure his friends have enjoyed it to!

I love summer!

Wordless Wednesday - James' Angels Edition

KPMG Christmas Party more than 8 years ago.
From left: Me, Gina, Cheryne
Center: A very young, scared looking James

Funny Things Kids Say - Part 3

-See you next time alligator! I am pretty sure he meant see you later alligator!

-This is a train but some people call it a monorail. huh?? Did he just say that? The things you can learn from the Ipad.....

-My p*nis isn't full yet. We can't figure out where this one came from. I certainly don't say that!

- I can't help you Grandma, I am too busy. He gets this one from me. Each night when I tuck him in he asks me to stay with all night. He wants me to sleep with him. I tell him I am really busy cleaning the kitchen so I can't stay with him. He is apparently listening.

-Are you sure I am not wearing pants Mom? I responded 'Yes, Grady' as I looked my pantless little boy.

-While we were in NYC, Grandma took Grady to his last swimming lesson. After the lesson he asked if they were going to Starbucks. We have not once gone to Starbucks after swimming. Maybe the young lad needed some caffeine post swimming!

- Too bad, So sad. I asked him where he learned that from and he told me Grandpa.

-Grady was playing with me one day and turned and hit me. I told him we don't hit people. He told me it was a love tap. Who told him that? Grandma. Gotta love the things kids tell you after a few days with G&G!

-Grady and James were headed out to mow the lawn together and I asked him what I should do. He told me to clean the dishes. It isn't all apparent who does the housework around here.

-Happy to see you, Mommy (or Daddy, or Nana, or Grandma etc etc) He says this all. the. time. It is just so darn cute.

- Take a picture of me Mom. This is usually said as he sits behind Cooper. Or on top of him, or beside him....

- Hello top of trees or I have tickles in my belly. You may hear either of these out of his mouth while riding the ferris wheel over and over with Nana.

-I hear a little fluffy! He got this one from Nana and James rolls his eyes each and every time as that was Nana's word for fart even when James was a little guy. And around this house you hear 'fluffy' alot. I do live with 3 boys after all :)

-Ouchy! No idea where he got this one from.

Yahoo!

Notice that this is a Calgary Stampede truck. Not just any truck. Although Grady wouldn't have cared.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2011 Calgary Stampede! While many families were taking in the famous parade... we went to Calaway Park! This morning we went to a free breakfast near our house. We put on our stampede wear and off we went. To me stampede week is like Halloween. Everyone in the city turns in their suit and business attire for jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hats. Some days it really does feel like dress up except everyone is dressed as the same thing - cowboys and cowgirls!

James is busy stampeding with work this week so this breakfast is sadly the only event that I will be doing this year. Cooper is still too young to go to the grounds and I am not ready to go out drinking for the night when a certain young boy does not yet sleep through the night. Maybe next year I will partake a little more. In the meantime it is fun to introduce the boys to something that is Calgary through and through. This is our second year at the breakfast and I am sure it will become a yearly tradition.

The breakfast started at 9am but we were there early. The line up was already long so Cooper and I waited in line while Grady and Dad played a few games.

After a relatively short wait we got our pancakes and sausages. Grady was a big fan.

This stampede thing is OK.

Cooper and I are sharing the pancakes loaded in syrup. No wonder he liked it!

Note 1: Notice I am wearing my white leggings under my skirt. I haven't gotten as much use out of them as I hoped but I through them on today as I thought I would be cold. AND when you go anywhere with kids you never know when you will be sitting on the ground. I prefer to not give anyone a free show.

Note 2: This is the only picture of me from the breakfast. Does anyone else have a husband that doesn't take pictures unless asked and then doesn't look at the picture after he takes it to make sure it is OK. The one good thing about the picture is you can get a good view of my new glasses.

Cooper was less than impressed that the breakfast was during nap time. He did well all things considered.

Finally we were done eating and got ready to head home.

Happy Stampeding Everyone!

Cooper - 8 Months

Dear Cooper,

It is is July and summer has finally arrived! We have taken out the pool, been in the bouncy house, had numerous trips to the park, and many ice cream cones! We've been to Calaway Park, the zoo, and the mountains. I can not even express how happy I am that we have emerged into sunshine. The question now is how long will it stay? July is our quieter summer month where we have no company and no big plans... except to spend as much time outside as possible. So far we are off to a great start!

-You finally got your first tooth. After a horrible non-sleeping day this week you popped your bottom right tooth on July 6th!

-This month brought your first haircut. Although Grandma had a big laugh as she claims that you can't even tell you got it cut. I could, but no so much anymore. So this month will likely bring your second shorter haircut.

-You are a big eater. I have said many times how many comments we get on your eyelashes... and your thighs! There is a good reason for those rolls my dear! You love sweet potatoes, prunes, bananas, bread, puffs and the list could go on.

-With all the eating brings 'solid poops'. Now any parent will know what that is. For those of you that have forgotten, it is when the poop goes from the more pleasant smelling 'milk' poop to 'what is that smell' awful kind of poop. Since you are eating, and eating more, you are pooping, and pooping more. Like 5 times a day. After every time you eat or drink. Lucky me.

-You don't like diaper changes anymore. Every time I put you on your back you immediately try to roll. You even cry when I change your diaper now. I guess I can't blame you given all the diapers we are changing now. See point above.

-We (and you) survived our first 4 nights apart. I am sure it was harder on us then it was on you. No matter how far away or how long I am gone, my little men are never far from my mind. I didn't leave Grady for a night until he was well over 9 months so this just confirms you do everything sooner with your second child. It does work to your advantage sometimes as you have already had ice cream and Grady did not get that until well over a year! Keep in mind you mostly wanted to put your fingers in it rather than put it in your mouth.

-This past week you have developed a rash. The doctor suggested that it may be from the grass so we are applying Benadryl cream in hopes that it will help. It doesn't seem itchy but it looks awful. You have it on your core and it is starting on your limbs and on your face. If it doesn't clear up soon it will be another trip to the doctor!

-You still bath with your brother and you love it. Grady... I. You love to splash and kick and Grady gets mildly irritated and tries to hold your feet down then you get mad and scream.

-You and Grady had your first fight last week. I couldn't help but laugh.. it was over the napkin holder. You were sitting on the table and Grady was in his chair. You were holding the napkin holder and apparently your brother wanted to hold it too. He took it away and you screamed. I took it and gave it back to you and he screamed. Before I knew it I had both of you screaming and crying. I couldn't help but laugh as I know the fights will be getting more often and more intense. Can't wait.

-Every night we put you with you head facing the door. Every night we find you with your head at the window. Not sure what is up with that.

-You have been on all fours in the crawling position. I worded that carefully because you do not actually get onto all 4's you fall onto them. You start in a sitting position, you start to reach for a toy and you slowly guide yourself down on to your knees. Well, one of your legs usually gets stuck underneath but you eventually pull it out. Some days I wonder if you will ever crawl. I secretly am not too upset about that as I know how my life will change again when you start to move. For now I like to find you where I left you.

-In the past week you have finally started getting up once a night instead of twice. You go to bed about 7 and get up between 6 and 7. Ironically, most days it is within minutes of your brother. I read your Grady's 8 month post and at the same age your brother was sleeping through the night but getting up shortly after 5am. I can't decide which I prefer. If we can keep it at 1 wake up a night and sleeping until 7am I will take it. If you go back to waking up twice I may have to rethink that decision. Your Mommy is getting very tired.

-You nap 2 times a day and now prefer to be at home. You used to sleep on the car which made it easier to take you out in the morning. Now that is not so much the case. Even when you do fall asleep in the car it is short lived. There are pros and cons to this. The con is that we now have to go out between naps instead of just before. It has really cut down the free time we have to be out and about. But.. you are a great napper. You nap 1.5 to 2 hours twice a day. It gives me a chance to spend some time with your brother outside or in the basement doing 'big boy' things. Like trains.

-You drink 3 - 6oz bottles during the day and 1 bottle at night. Knock on wood.

-You wear a size 4 diaper in the day and a size 5 diaper at night.

-You wear 6-12 months or 12-18 months in clothes.

Your first year is just going by so fast. I love having you little so I can hold you in my arms and give you kisses. I love hearing you giggle and play with your brother. I am trying to take a few moments here and there to watch you and Grady so I will always remember this stage of our lives. I hope in years to come I will still remember things like the way you snuggle into my neck and the way you smell.

Love,
Mommy

Wordless Wednesday

Class of 1997

I had a bad morning.

Cooper and I had plans of going to Heritage Park with Nana and Grady on this beautiful summer morning. Instead I spent the better park of my morning, ahem 2 hours, trying to put Cooper to sleep. At 10:30 I pulled the plug on going to HP when Cooper was still awake. Good thing I did as he didn't fall asleep until noon. I was upset. Upset with Cooper for not sleeping and upset that I disappointed Grady by not going to meet him when I told him I would.

I was wallowing in self pity when I checked my Google Reader and saw a post from one of my favorite bloggers Kelly from Kelly's Korner. Today she posted about her 20th high school reunion. I read the top 20 songs from her graduating year of 1991 and it brought a smile to my face. I knew most of them. I have always believed that music can bring back memories more than anything else and this reinforced it. Immediately I wanted to google my own graduating year of 1997 and look at the list. So I did.

Then I thought about how fun it would be to write a post about my graduation 14 years ago. I started thinking about all the pictures I could scan and the things that have changed and just like that my mood changed for the better.

Here I am, seated outside with my lunch and a beer, taking a walk down memory lane in hopes remembering things I may have forgotten and bringing smiles to the face of some of the people in the pictures that remember the same things that I do.

Here I am in 1997 ready to take on the world.

I cannot believe I just posted this picture on the internet.

Some things we did not have in high school that will age me significantly:

-an email address. We wrote notes on paper and passed them around. Paper. I mailed letters to my friends because there were no long distance packages to make talking on the phone cheap.

-a computer. Well we had a very big and slow computer, but all it was good for was playing Typing Tutor and typing essays. It was not fun.

-Internet. We did our research in Encyclopedias. Do they even make those anymore?

-cell phones. I got my first cell phone from my Dad when I was 18 I believe. It was the size of a banana. I seriously wish I would have kept that thing. So needless to say we had no texting. We had to find out where the party of the night was before we left school on Friday.

-Facebook. This is one I am actually glad I didn't have in high school. I really don't think I would have gotten anything done.

-digital cameras. We used film ones. Good thing we didn't have facebook - we wouldn't have had any pictures to post anyway.

-Ipods. We had mixed tapes and maybe a few CDs.

-GPS. With no internet and no GPS I am not sure how we got places. Maybe we asked for verbal directions. Or read a paper map?

-electronic notes. We had to hand write notes from the chalk board.

I am sure there are more I have forgotten.

Back to the pictures.

Here are my friends that I still talk to regularly 14 years ago. All but one. That is a whole other story.

I hope we remain friends after posting this picture.

Here is that same group of friends at the Cap and Gown ceremony.

I can't forget about Deena. Deena and I have been BFF's since the first day of Kindergarten but we attended different high schools. She came to my graduation as a guest anyway.

Me and my Mom.

My siblings.

Just the other month Kolby and I went to see the movie Bridesmaids. For those that have seen the movie you will know that they talk about the band Wilson Phillips. My friend Sara and I loved them and brought them back to life in high school when we found an old cassette. Yes, cassette. I was loving the reference and thought it was so funny to hear and see them again. After the movie I asked my 20 year old sister if she knew who they were and she laughed and said no.. Do you? We had a good laugh about the fact that I did. Thank you for bringing your older sister to the movie anyway Kolbs!

And finally the girls dressed pretty in their gowns.

Look at all those ringlets.

Looking at and pulling out pictures from that time of my life brought a smile to my face. The days where my biggest concern was how we were going to get booze and where we were going to drink it. The days where we spent hours talking about boys, what to wear, and how to style our hair. Sometimes I miss those days. Especially when I hear a song on the radio that reminds me of high school and all the fun things we managed to do behind our parents backs (sorry mom). So that brings us on to the top 20 songs of 1997.

1. Candle in the Wind, Elton John

2. Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me, Jewel

3. I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans

4. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton

5. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Puff Daddy

6. I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly

7. Don't Let Go (Love), En Vogue

8. Return of the Mack, Mark Morrison

9. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes

10. Wannabe, Spice Girls

11. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys

12. MMMBop, Hanson

13. For You I Will, Monica

14. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher

15. Bitch, Meredith Brooks

16. Nobody, Keith Sweat

17. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind

18. Barely Breathing, Duncan Sheik

19. Hard to Say I'm Sorry, Az Yet Featuring Peter Cetera

20. Mo Money Mo Problems, Notorious B.I.G.

Don't try to tell me you weren't singing along with the songs as you read the list. I know I was.

Thank you 1997 for making my day today just a little better and for bringing a smile to my face on a day that I was feeling a little down. I don't want to relive you by any means but the memories that we shared will last a life time!

PS - Cooper is still sleeping my lunch is done and my glass is empty. This afternoon is turing out to be much better than my morning.

Updated - We woke up on Wednesday morning to Cooper's first tooth! The culprit behind the non-sleeping was teething. Let the teething season begin!