2 Weeks...

Can you believe Ethan is already 2 weeks old... I sure can't! He is still the most calm and placid little boy and is such a joy to us. Cade is still totally smitten and wants to shower with him constantly, is trying to carry him everywhere (which is not so pleasing)and is just loving him to bits. Ethan has become more vocal this week. He grunts and talks himself to sleep most nights and it is just lovely to hear.

We had his 2 week appointment today and he has put on a whole pound since birth. He is now 8lb 12.5oz (hasn't even reached Camryn's birth weight yet Mel!!). He is a great little feeder and sleeper and I seem to have oddles of milk so he gets done nursing in about 15 minutes which is great. He goes about 3-4 hours between feeds and is having a little more awake time each day.

I am feeling ok. I seem to be frustrated at myself, wanting to recover much quicker this time round which is just not possible. I have had a few tears about it. Just want to get out and about without hurting and Cade has so been on my nerves as he is demanding and bossy and I have to be on him constantly or he will rule the roost - this has nothing to do with Ethan coming into the picture, we have been contending with this for a little bit now but now that my mum is here and he is a dead set turd to her at times it has come to a head. I feel bad for him, he has cabin fever and so do I so that really doesn't help either. Cade is a wonderful little boy, one that just knows what he wants and he is very much a leader and that is hard when I want to take charge!! He has had some little friends come over this week and had some play time which he so needed and so loved so we'll see. He is getting better with me though... if I stay on him. I just love my Cade and want to bring out the best in him and not allow the tendancys of a 2 year old to take the forefront. ARGH... I have just pulled said child out of Ethan's cradle for the umpteenth time today and he is bawling!! Oh dear!! Better go love the boy's tears away!

What Would Have Been...

MY DUE DATE!! Today was my 'official' due date. I had mentioned before we had 2 due dates (the 28th or the 31st) but we ran with the latter.

Today my beautiful boy is 1 week and 1 day old. Ethan is a wonderful baby. I hope this sticks around, but he is so placid and content. He doesn't fuss unless naked and doesn't cry even when he has wind. He is an impressive sleeper and an even more impressive eater. He is quieter than Cade, doesn't make as many little baby noises. But he makes up for it with a louder cry than Cade! Not that you hear it much, both my boys aren't much of criers (so far...)

Cade is smitten. He is a smother but so tender. He says, "Cute!" all the time and wants to hold him, bring him to me, hold his hand and constantly is trying to wake him up. If he anywhere remotely close to Ethan he is rubbing his head, can't keep his hands off his little head. Ethan is handling it like a pro though, nothing fazes him at this stage. Just today I was on the phone with Cory and had to leave the room for a minute and when I returned to the room, Cade was in the cradle with Ethan! I would have got a photo but I freaked out, he had to climb over Ethan to lay by him so I had to make sure poor Ethan was ok. He didn't move a muscle, was sound asleep.

This morning Cade came into bed with us at some stage and I didn't know. Ethan woke for a feed and I sat up and got him out of the cradle and Cade woke and asked what I was doing and I told him just feeding little bubba and later I just lay down and held Ethan and Cade snuggled over and was touching heads with him and rubbing his head. It was so endearing. Cade is a beautiful child. He is caring and sweet (unless he is busy bossing you about and then all loveliness goes..) My poor mum has been chastised by Cade more than I can count and I am hoping he snaps out of this quick smart or it will be cause for some serious time outs to say the least!

I am doing ok. I was great yesterday but today I am back to hurting again. My incission just burns sometimes, well most of the time and it bugs me. My milk came in while in the hospital and it didn't hurt near as much as it did with Cade but my back KILLED from it. That has eased a tonne though so I can not complain. My mum is a fantastic second set of hands and feet I tell ya!! We have had some wonderful meals from wonderful friends, thank you so much and some great visitors drop by. It has been so nice as I am still house bound for a little bit.

Here are some pictures for you all to enjoy, hopefully as much as I do!!

Ethan... 1 Day Old

Ethan... 1st day home

Ethan... 1 week old

Ethan's Birth

Well I thought it about time I sat and collected my thoughts and recorded the events that made for Ethan's Birthday.

The night before my scheduled c-section was a sleepless one to say the least. For the longest time I have felt like me talking about the impending surgery was as if I was talking about someone else and even up until I was getting hooked up to the IV and having bloods taken it hadn't hit me. Cory's mom came to be with us at the hospital and arrived Sunday evening. I was awake from about 1:30am and Cade woke at 3am and did not go back to sleep. He too knew something was happening in his little world.

We arrived at the hospital just after 5am and got settled in a monitoring room and they took my vitals and listened and monitored bub, got me hooked up to the IV and bloods taken and then it was change of shift so we cat napped between people coming and going. At this stage, I had a freak out session. It hit me! I had a mild panic attack and Cory just reinterated all that I already knew and tried his hardest to change the subject of thought. I think I just realised that I was in for a full on day of poking and proding and the IV bleeding all over my hand was the least of my happenings...

Dr Keeler came in and gave me the run down of what was to happen and when and then the anesthesiologist came in and gave me his run down. After peeing for the 10,000th time since having the IV in I was taken back to surgery and sat on the side of the bed for the anesthesiologist to do his magic and magic it was. I had mentioned to others that I was slightly worried about the spinal as my epidural hurt when I had it administered, felt like someone was kicking my kidneys and putting complete pressure on my hips (but the epidural was heaven). Well, the same thing happened this time, that pressure but it was the local not the spinal and my Dr literally took 2 minutes to do my spinal. He was AWESOME!! I must say I think I like the spinal more, it seemed to take longer to wear off as I felt I was in recovery longer but it was well worth it. The anxiety I was experiencing pre surgery was totally gone when in surgery, I was smiling and talking the whole time. It was really special as I totally felt the spirit and taken care of. Dr Keeler removed my old scar so that took a little longer. He said, "Let's have a baby now Kathryn" and with that he states, "I see a hand and a foot AND a head of hair Kathryn!" Then I think it was Cory said "Kathryn he has a head of dark hair!" I was so pleased!! They were able to show me Ethan over the curtain when he was born which is something I didn't get with Cade and made for an extra special experience. Ethan was crying out the whole time, it was so cute.

Cory went with Ethan and it seemed to go much faster being stitched up this time. I think my anesthesiologist said it was about 45 minutes. My mother in law was able to come between Ethan and me in recovery and that was so nice. I just so appreciated her being there. Ethan fed right away and knew exactly what he was doing. What a blessing.

Cory was SO exhausted. Once I was in my room and settled he and my mother-in-law and Cade all left to have a much needed sleep. I was tired but just couldn't sleep. I took power naps here and there but by 10:30pm I was exhausted. Ethan really didn't feed during the night at the hospital, especially that first night which concerned me but they told me not to worry and I needn't have had any concern as he is putting on the weight perfectly.

Our stay at the hospital was good. My nurses were great, Dr Keeler was fantastic, Cade's Dr's were too. I didn't see much of Cory as he was so busy with assignments and presentations and juggling me and work was hard too but we got there. I missed him and Cade alot. Cade ended up going home with my mother-in-law for Wednesday and Thursday and he was TOTALLY Grammies boy I tell ya. It was a good stay for him.

What a blessing to have a baby in our home. Ethan is a fantastic baby. We love him to bits!

Introducing.....

Ethan Cory Benjamin
Born on Monday March 23rd, 2009 at 8:02am
weighing in at 7lb 12oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long


I will have to share all the details with you in the next day or so, but can I just say what a delight it is having Ethan in our home. He is a wonderful little baby and we are all totally smitten!

The Countdown Is On...

This week has been quite an emotional and stressful one to say the least but we have been blessed with some happy news... MY MUM IS COMING!! yay is all I can say! I am super excited that she is able to come. We did not think that this would happen as she has been dealing with the settlement of her insurance case with her car accident she was in just before she was due to come for Cades birth, but things have worked out so she can swing it. What a blessing to me. She arrives as I check out of the hospital and my mother-in-law will be here with us at the hospital and I am SO thankful for that. I found it hard to be alone when in surgery when Cory went with Cade so I am glad my mother-in-law can step in. She is such a great help and I am thankful for her willingness to come. My mum will be here for 4 weeks and it is such a relief to me and to Cory to not have to worry about the adjustment and recovery. He can come and go as usual knowing I have constant support with my mum here.
Life has been so busy and stressful for Cory and this weekend is more of the same. He has a major presentation due this next week and with all of his group away on spring break and me in the hospital next week it makes for some cramming and stressful days. Here's hoping it all comes together for him. That he gets the grades he needs and we can all remain healthy and well with all the stress about.

But the countdown is indeed on... I got the call from the hospital this evening and we have to be there at 5am. Hello early!! We are having our good friend watch Cade and I wanted to wake him and take him on over to her so he wouldn't freak out when he woke and we were not here but I am hoping that perhaps we can keep him asleep or having my mother-in-law stay with him until he wakes and then jet on up to the hospital once she has dropped him off. I am hopeful he is calm and things work out as he is SUPER clingy for me of late and just tonight when I was talking to him about what is coming up he told me I need to be "home to sleep" and that "Cade stay here!" I am stressed about it but there is nothing I can do so I need to let it go.

I am praying my little heart out that things come together well and we are ALL happy, healthy and taken care of. I am a control freak and when I can not control the situation I stress about it, so now is when I need to show faith and trust in the Lord, knowing all is well and that I will be fine, baby boy will be healthy, Cade will be fine, Cory's work and school schedule will be fine, things will be fine!!

Ob Appointment

Today was my last ob appointment for this lovely pregnancy. I love my visits so it makes me somewhat sad but oh so excited at the same time. My blood pressure was back to normal and I am measuring perfectly and babies heart beat was fast and strong. I love that! I am not dilated at all and although I am softening I am not thinning so that is a relief to me that I will make it to Monday!!
Everyone I have been pregnant with seems to be going early or having their babies so it is getting very real to me now. It hasn't 'hit me' yet so to speak, but I am not sure if it really will before our little man arrives. I am busy tying up loose ends and doing that last minute 'spring cleaning' and that combined with entertaining a 2 year old is keeping my mind and body busy. I am so excited to see this little boy though! Yay to be in the all clear to go on Monday and welcome another happy, healthy baby boy Anderson!

1 week

I can not believe this time in a week I will be in recovery with a new little one in my arms!
This pregnancy has simply gone way too fast. I just hope life does not go so fast once a new little one is here. I am really uncomfortable though so I am looking forward to not aching when I move and me not feeling like I want to throw up after eating because this little boy is taking up every itty bitty space available in there. Although it's an all new pain after bub is here....with a c-section...can't think about that... need to focus on the good things like snuggling and kissing and long naps with 2 little boys!
We are still without a name for bub. I am a person that needs to see the baby to feel good with the name I have my heart set on. We have narrowed it down to 3, which is what we did with Cade also, with a couple of throw in spares if those narrowed down names just don't 'fit'. I am excited to see him, I wonder a lot if he will look like Cade. It amazes me how much you can come to know and love a baby before he is even here. I personally think he may be a little calmer than Cade, not that Cade is not calm, he just seems a little less aggressive in utero than Cade did. Cade was seriously the perfect baby though, I always said if I could be guaranteed to have infants like Cade I would have 100! Here's to the wishful thinking paying off. I am just so in love with this little boy already. His movements are so deliberate now and I can feel full on foot prints and a little fist in my side and a little bum protruding... love it! I know I will miss his movements, I did with Cade almost immediately.

Here's to a week of catching up, cleaning up and preparation...

37 Weeks

Well I made it! I am officially full term. I am almost over this cruddy cold thing that I had going on and the coughing is easing slowly but surely. I am hoping we keep any other sickness that maybe lurking around away and remain happy and healthy at the Anderson house.

The last 3 Friday nights I have had BAD contractions that I have thought would land me in the hospital to be monitored but because I don't want to get there and get hooked up and them just turn around and send me home, I just try and fall asleep and if I stay asleep then that is my answer. Thankfully this little strategy is working thus far! I just do not remember contractions at all with Cade. Not like this anyway. Sometimes I can barely breath through them. But we made it! Little boy is kicking and squirming and I am loving that reassurance.

I had my ob appointment last Tuesday and because my Dr is on vacation this next week, it was to be my last ob appointment with him before the c-section. I asked him if it was worth it to have my cervix checked by him before he left (just in case something needed to happen) and he said we by all means could but I had stressed I wanted to be well before surgery as the coughing alone would hurt like no other with a surgical incision, so he said that if he checked me and I was at a 4 or a 5 I would be on complete bed rest and he would want me to remain that way until well or until our scheduled date. So I said, no thanks, don't check me, ignorance is bliss in this situation. My blood pressure was slightly up, which happened last pregnancy too at this time but it wasn't high at all, just up a little to my normal, but still in the normal range.

This week I had a week of pampering. I went and got a pedicure with one of my girlfriends, her hubby and Cory both got us a gift certificate at a spa for Valentines Day so we went and did that. I LOVE pedicures, so relaxing. I also got my hair done last night and it feels SO good to have a fresh cut and colour I tell ya. It had been 4 months since I had my hair done as I was holding out, thinking I might grow it but nope, got it chopped off again. It is just so much easier to do I think.

This last week I have had 3 friends have babies and it is getting exciting, everyone is popping! Ahhh, I can wait another week though until my Dr gets back!!

The Cuteness That Is Cade

Today I have had to find some cuteness in this little boy that is being a little naughty and bossy for him mummy!! I am still not over this head cold/sinus/coughing junk and my patience is not quite at it's prime either. This is a bad combination for Cade and I!!

He is so cheeky sometimes and we clash and butt heads at those times as I won't have him speak to me in such a way, when really I should probably just ignore it. He is trying his hardest to be expressive it is just in a yell or a shout or scream... not fun. I feel like alot of this is stemming from the fact that it looks so nice outside and we so want to get out while we can but with my sickness lingering and the fact that although it looks oh so lovely outside, it is still quite cold.

I was trying to upload my 37 weeks pregnant belly when I seem to have misplaced the USB cord... so annoyed so I went to our other camera that seems to be doing a shonky job these days and found some lovely cuteness that is Cade on them from last week that I forgot to upload.

He really is a delightful child. I asked him this afternoon, "Cade, can mummy have a kiss?" and he says, "No mumma, it broken!" I laughed out loud!!

Cade absolutely is into anything that is 'babys'. Yesterday he leans over the cradle and says, "Baby where are you?" too cute. As you can see he LOVES to sneek into the cradle.


After 700 attempts of trying to keep him out of said cradle, I made him his own for his 'baby' (his puppy bear) and he crawled in there with puppy.

Kallan a bit of a celebrity

For those that have been following the treatment and recovery of my wonderful nephew Kallan, here is some happy news....

Kallan is the face of the Bandaged Bear Appeal. He has somewhat of a little celebrity status going on at the hospital he is in with big posters around and was in our local paper in Maitland yesterday. Check it out at http://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/news/local/news/general/face-of-the-bandaged-bear-appeal/1455791.aspx
He is also going to be on TV this week promoting the appeal.

I just love Kallan. He is such a strong little man and just makes us all so proud. He has had some ups and downs with his treatment which is be expected but thankfully has always come out on top. He has such a good sense of humour and I remember when he was first diagnosed they told him and his parents that his sense of humour would carry him through. We call this little funnys of Kallan's Kallanisms and they make us smile through all this! I love you Kal Pal, save an autograph for me ya spunk!!