Welsh Family Blog

Evan Gets a Big Boy Bed!

2011-07-23T14:45:00.005-04:00

Evan wowed a very tired Mommy and Daddy 2 nights ago with his sudden skills in climbing over his crib gate. We had been thinking about transitioning him into a toddler bed for a little while now so we took this as a sign that he was ready for the big step. Mommy went onto Kijiji and found a great deal on a blue car bed. Evan helped Mommy clean and put the bed together. Daddy surprised us with a new Cars 2 comforter, pillow and curtains to complete the look! Evan has been trying to get used to his new bed for the past 2 nights, waking every few hours. Hopefully he'll get used to his new big-boy bed soon!

Sweet dreams Evan!

African Lion Safari

2011-06-11T15:55:00.010-04:00

We went on our first trip to African Lion Safari today. The weatherman threatened rain, but we thought we would take the chance. Luckily the rain held off and so did the crowds so we had a very comfortable bus tour throughout the different game ranges at the Park. We saw lots of different animals although we think the part that Evan was most excited about was riding in the big bus itself.

We saw Lions. This lioness casually cross in front of the bus. She knows she's the boss around here.

There was one male lion in this pride. I like this picture below mostly because of the single lion in the left background who is sizing up lunch behind the fence!

Next we saw some cheetahs. These were mommy's favorites on this trip. They are in a word, very sleek animals!

Next we saw the baboons. These are very mischievous and cheeky animals. Many of them hitched a ride on the cars driving through this part of the range.

Next we saw zebras. I think it is very interesting that it is not possible to domesticate them. They are wild to the core.

A baby zebra!

Ostritch - their eggs are the size of a small soccer ball.

And of course, giraffes. African Lion Safari has one of the largest pack of giraffes in North America! These are for you, Grandma!

Lots of different types of deer and bison rounded out the last range.

Then we went on a train ride!

Yep, a pretty fun trip all in all. We went to the gift shop to pick out an animal for Evan. Do you know what he chose? A BUS!

Evan's 2nd Birthday!

2011-04-20T22:18:00.006-04:00

Andrew and Evan celebrated their birthday's together this year. We had a party at home to celebrate!

The party was a Disney Cars theme!

Eating icing off of Lightening McQueen the Racing Car! Yum!

Evan is very lucky to have so many people to share in his special day!

Evan LOVES this soft little lemur from Davis and Kaye. He sleeps with it at night time now.

Mommy helping opening presents.

OMG!!!
Evan gets help opening gifts from his gal pal, Sasha.

Fun and games!

Quiet time with Mack the Truck.

Sweater

2011-01-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

Thank you great aunt Denise for this fun Olympic sweater! It looks great even without pants!...

...and features an alpine hood!

Green bean and apple sauce face!

Snow Day!

2011-01-28T20:49:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures of Evan and Liam playing in the newly fallen snow in the backyard.

It takes a lot of effort to get around in toddler knee-deep snow!

Liam was born to be a snow whippet...

He can find a lost frisbee hidden under the snow like no other dog we know.

Early training in the snow shoveling department.

This white stuff is pretty neat!

But its a touch frosty out here!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2011-01-16T23:45:00.000-05:00

We love you!

Christmas

2010-12-25T23:12:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics of Christmas at the Lavoie-Welsh home!

The Little Drummer Boy

2010-12-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

More pics of Santa and the Golden Hawk!

2010-12-12T19:14:00.004-05:00

Remember we talked about Santa?

The Golden Hawk sneaks in for the photo op (unbeknowenst to little Evey)

Imagine his surprise when he turned around... (we don't have any photos of that...)

Eating Santa's cookies...

courtesy of Kevin - thanks!

Evan meets Santa! (and the Golden Hawk!)

2010-12-11T19:42:00.004-05:00

Evan met Santa at the opening of Laurier-Brantford's new bookstore today! We first caught a glimpse of Santa when we were walking to the bookstore. Santa gave Evan a wave and then disappeared into the bookstore. We were lucky in that we arrived during a lull in the day, so that Evan got to play with Santa all by himself! When we got inside the spectacular new bookstore and Brantford Research Centre-West, Evan was in joyful spirits and immediately ran up to the Associate Dean and gave her a hug (thanks Evan!). He was all smiles when he ran up to Santa, who was jingling his sleigh bells to coax Evan to come over. Evan sat on Santa's knee for a few minutes and then let Mommy hold him for the picture with Santa. The Golden Hawk snuck in for the photo. Evan recognized the hawk, but decided that he was a bit scary. Evan got a cookie and then socialized with the group before his pal, Fischer arrived. The boys had the run of the place for about an hour, running up and down the ramps and hanging out with Santa, who was nice enough to get down on the floor to play with Evey. Here is a video of Evan with Santa (and subsequently being scared by the golden hawk). Evan slept very well during his nap, no doubt dreaming about his adventures with Santa!

Gingerbread Boy

2010-12-05T23:23:00.006-05:00

After a fun, but brisk walk with Liam and family on the trail this morning, Evan set out to help mommy decorate his first gingerbread train! Here is how it all went down!

Ooooooooooh, mommy, what do we have here?

Testing the candy to make sure it's OK for general consumption!

Here is Evan's seat after his industrious afternoon!

The finished product - great job Evan!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T21:19:00.007-04:00

Evan showed curiosity very early on regarding the strangely dressed strangers knocking on the door asking for candy....

He decided that he wanted to get in on the candy action too, so he gathered together a few supplies, such as some Halloween glow sticks and a trusty trick-or-treating jack-o-lantern...

Then he donned his tiger costume...

And called up is favorite gal-pal!

Watching and waiting for just the right moment...

They headed out on a candy adventure!

The kids got the hang of the trick-or-treating routine after about 4 houses...

So they decided to pack it in - Evan ran all the way down to the end of the sidewalk, then back to the house.

Trick or treat Daddy and Liam!Time to warm up inside and stick some Halloween cupcakes into our mouths, stat!

Orange icing is the TASTIEST!

Time to count the loot and head off to bed! That was fun Mommy!

Halloween

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T19:44:00.001-04:00

Evan helped with the pumpkin carving prep this year. He especially liked poking the innards of the pumpkin with a spoon.

Peeking inside...

Holy cow! Did you SEE that?

I've decided that pumpkins are pretty neat.

Time to get cleaned up though!

Bubble beard!

Waterford Pumpkin Festival

2010-10-16T23:03:00.000-04:00

Laughing and running through the leaves!

The parade is beginning, mama!

Evan LOVES bouncing to the drums in the pipe bands - there were 3 pipe bands in the parade.

Cute little ghoul.
Pumpkins!

Notice the dog sitting on a pillow by the steering wheel...

Best. Float. Ever.

Moments after a clown handed Evan fist first fistful of candy...

Let the sugar addiction begin...

Thanksgiving in North Bay

2010-10-11T14:16:00.003-04:00

We traveled up to North Bay the celebrate Thanksgiving with Andrew's family. It was a warm sunny day and the leaves were turning beautiful colours everywhere. Evan had fun running up the driveway, riding in the wagon and throwing rocks into the lake. Liam enjoyed himself running through the leaves to chase squirrels. Evan fed a horse at Great-great Uncle Sandy's farm (while Liam lunged at her-the horse didn't flinch, though). We had a lot of fun!

Nova Scotia

2010-10-07T19:34:00.009-04:00

We visited the South Shore of Nova Scotia just before the university term started. We rented a little private chalet right on the ocean. We were actually in the same chalet that Andrew and I stayed in during our honeymoon 4 years ago. After a long flight Evan spent the first day exploring the chalet.

and pushing his stroller around the living room.

Evan was mastering walking on this trip. Daddy helped Evan get his shoes on so that he could explore outside and see the water.

Here is the yard that we enjoyed. Evan discovered some flowers growing by the beach.

The yard was equipped with a firepit and muskoka chairs. After Evan went to sleep we opened a bottle of local L'Acadie red wine and watched the full moon over the ocean.

There were some pretty sunrises too.

Despite the gloomy weather forecast, we ventured to Lunenburg, the home of the Bluenose. The famous sailing ship was out to celebrate in Halifax, but we admired the colourful houses, shops coast, and enjoyed the local sea fare. Luckily the rain held off too!

We also took many day trips into Mahone Bay, a pretty little town between Oak Island and Lunenburg. We had the best lobster sandwiches (with strawberries!) here. YUM!

Evan was tuckered out with our many walks and the fresh sea air.

We had a great trip and look forward to visiting the East coast again soon!

End of Summer

2010-09-16T00:02:00.007-04:00

Its the end of summer and the beginning of new fall adventures. Here are some pictures of what little Evan has been up to since mid-July. Evan has been quite a water baby. Here are some pics of him the first time he played in his private inflatable pool in the backyard. He enjoyed plating with the yellow sunshade especially.

The next few pictures are from a trip with friends to Mohawk park. This was the first time mommy and daddy had been to this park and they were very impressed. Evan sat by a small sprinkler fountain on the splashpad before hanging out with mom and dad in the grass to have some snacks.

These last pictures are goofy pics of Evan at the end of August just before (and after) his epic haircut at the summer's end.

Pics of our trip to Nova Scotia and a video of Evan walking coming soon, grandma!!!

MACCA!!!

2010-08-08T23:45:00.001-04:00

Andrew and I rocked out with Paul McCartney tonight! It was an AMAZING show! We are both a little star-stuck, being life long fans of the Beatles. We were astounded by Paul's strong, crisp vocals through his almost 3 hour performance. He played 3 dozen songs from his solo career (e.g, Dance Tonight), and Wings (e.g., Jet), but mostly sang songs from the Beatles. FAB!

Summer Time!

2010-08-05T11:25:00.004-04:00

Here are some photo's of our visit to Ottawa! We visited Grandma and Grandpa Lavoie, Aunt Angie, Uncle Kevin and Cousin Layla.

We also had dinner with great-grandpa Lavoie and Isabel and a yummy seafood lunch with great-grandma Charbonneau!! Mommy celebrated her birthday with fireworks and Evan took his first (half) step during this trip!

Evan had fun playing on Layla's play structure especially playing on the slide with Grandma.

Evan looking dapper in his straw sun hat...

Evan thoroughly enjoyed being pulled in the red wagon around the yard several dozen times too :)Whoa! Slow down daddy!

Evan also caught pink-eye for the first time during our visit which he then passed on to mommy (twice)! Aren't toddlers wonderful! We had a wonderful trip that was over too quickly. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun time!

Evan with his sassy new lid

2010-05-31T22:14:00.003-04:00

Swimming!

2010-05-30T20:01:00.005-04:00

Evan was invited over to Sasha's to play in her kiddie pool this afternoon as we have been having unusually hot weather. Since Evan has never been in in a pool, kiddie or otherwise, we were game!

And I'm spent!

Up North

2010-05-30T09:23:00.004-04:00

Up at Grandpa and Grandma's cottage in North Bay-Powassan area.

Liam resting from chipmunk patrol

Showing Grandpa how to drive the ATV

Playing with Daddy's beer can (modeled behavior, anyone?)

Tuckered out on the couch

I had fun!

At the Firestation with Ashley!

2010-05-18T15:13:00.000-04:00

Ashley took me to the Fire Station to meet the brave firefighters and to climb on the big red truck!

Mother Nature's Son

2010-05-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Evan enjoyed some time in the spring sun! He likes to cruise on the gazebo frame and pick up sticks and poke at the ant hills. We're going to have a lot of fun in the backyard this year!

Evan's 1st Birthday

2010-04-21T22:41:00.004-04:00

Evan turned 1 on April 18th, two days after his Daddy's birthday. My parents came to visit for a few days to help us celebrate this enormous milestone. Here are some pictures of Evan on his big day!

Mommy get's her PhD!

2010-03-25T10:59:00.004-04:00

We traveled to Vancouver from Sunday March 16th to Sunday March 22nd. Mommy defended her dissertation on March 16th and did really well! Uncle Jeff came by to visit us at our hotel and brought some yummy sushi!

Uncle Jeff tried to get me with chopsticks!

Peek-a-boo! I'm standing in a table frame!

Pretty food! Let me have some!

Celebrating with port after the defence!

In front of the Olympic Flame during the Paralymic Games in Vancouver.

A family photo at Coal Harbour on a beautiful March day!

Evan's First Haircut

2010-03-13T14:29:00.004-05:00

Well, Evan's hair was getting a little unruly, especially the curls in the back, so it was time to head out and get his first haircut before flying out to Vancouver tomorrow.

We stopped by our local First Choice Hair Cutters. Evan sat on my lap for his cut. He was pretty impressed with his little cape, but did not know what to make of the strange lady with the scissors who kept touching his head. He kept turning around to see who was touching him!

All in all, he seemed pretty happy with his freshly styled lid.

After playing with his hair some more at home, he felt that the style would work for him...

Off to Vancouver tomorrow! More on our adventures out West soon!

Evan is 10 months old!

2010-02-20T19:18:00.006-05:00

Here is a photo update of our little boy at 10 months! He's currently cutting his 2nd tooth! Notice Evan's Olympic gear that we picked up during our trip to Vancouver last fall. He likes to play the "Ski Jump" game with mommy.

Jolly Jumper

2010-01-23T21:31:00.003-05:00

We got Evan The *Original* Jolly Jumper because he is outgrowing his excersaucer. He wasn't too sure what to make of it at first, but once mommy helped him bounce a few times, he was on his way!

Here is a video of Evan's FIRST Jolly Jumper experience! What a jelly bean!

Speaking of jelly beans, Evan had his 9 month check-up this week. He weights 17lbs12oz, is growing symmetrically (head circumference, length, and weight), and has met all of his developmental milestones! Evan remains just barely inside the "normal" range on the growth chart - but we think he's doing marvelously! He's a great eater - chowing down banana chucks and Cheerios along with stained foods. His sleeping has also evened out - we read and applied the principles in Weissbluth's "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" last week to correct his habit of waking for night feedings (and staying awake). Now he sleeps for 12 consecutive hours and naps pretty well too!

The Hairbrush Sessions

2010-01-23T10:01:00.005-05:00

Evan is REALLY into playing with his little blue hairbrush these days. Here is some post-bath hairbrush action with the little man.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T11:34:00.002-05:00

Olympic Torch Comes to Brantford!

2009-12-21T22:08:00.007-05:00

We got a little taste of Olympic Fever tonight as the Olympic Torch Relay made it's way to Brantford around 7pm to stay the night before continuing West toward the Games in Vancouver. Mommy took Evan to the festivities! Here is Evan playing with some Olymipc swag - the Coke bottle illuminated in different colours and looked really neat. RCB also handed out noise-maker tamborines. As you can imagine, Evan was THRILLED with both!

The show before the torch arrived was very entertaining and included drummers (below on the screen), dancers, artists and bands! The turnout was incredible!

Here is a picture of a local Olympic athlete who would be receiving the flame next for the relay.

Quatchi and the girls were out and about greeting the crowd.

Finally the Olympic Torch runner arrived! Here he is on stage igniting the cauldron for Brantford !

And waving to the crowd!

The city of Brantford will keep the flame alive over night so that it can continue tomorrow morning on its 106 day journey to Vancouver. Unbelievably, this is the same fire that was lit in Greece and brought to Canada! We're looking forward to tracking the relay Westward!

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

2009-12-13T22:23:00.005-05:00

On the morning of our last day in Van City we were visited by a very friendly (read hungry) seagull at our hotel window. Evan was very curious about his new feathered friend.

After visiting with the bird we headed out for a day trip, seeing many more beautiful birds on the way.

We headed out to the seabus to cross Burrhard Inlet to reach North Van. We spent the afternoon at the Lonsdale Quay Market.

Mom had dinner with her supervisor and labmates. Evan had a great time meeting everyone and had the giggles for much of the night. Ashley ran out for one more yummy crepe on Robson. Then we caught an early flight out the following morning back to Hamilton. Evan travelled very well on the way back to Ontario. We were all glad to get home safe and sound! What an adventure!

English Bay!

2009-12-11T00:53:00.005-05:00

Evan's first trip to the ocean! It was a little cold on this day, so no dipping of fingers or toes in the water occurred - we've saved that for another adventure.
It was super sunny, though!

The last time I was on this beach was to watch the Celebration of Light fireworks with my twin brother, Jeff shortly before I moved away from Vancouver. And now for some Palm trees!

We stopped in at a Starbucks Coffeehouse (of course) to get a warm beverage!

Here's a great pic of Evan and Ashley!

One last post to come on our last day in Vancouver!

Night Life on Robson Street

2009-12-07T17:31:00.004-05:00

Evan enjoyed a very exciting night life with mommy, Ashley and friends from out west, hitting the famous Robson street shops and restaurants almost every day of our visit in Vancouver. Evan is getting ready for a night on the town here...

Here is Evan with mommy bundled up warmly for an evening walk to see the sparkle of Robson Street! (Evan shunned his new BOB Revolution jogging stroller for most of this trip preferring to be carried in his Ergo Baby Carrier). Mom's legs and back got an awesome workout this week!

Robson features some very amusing window advertising - very creative!

One place that we frequented fairly regularly was Cafe Crepe! Mom liked the spinach, chicken and feta crepe (and the Nutella and strawberry crepe for a treat). Ashley's favorite was the chicken, mushroom and egg crepe). Soooo delicious! A nice feature of this cafe was that they had a street window where food could be ordered by "walk-through" as oppsed to being seated. A great option for folks on-the-go, those with unwieldy strollers, or people who wanted to enjoy the night air!

Evan invented a new game which consisted of bending over backwards in his baby carrier and laughing his brains out. A funny, yet heart-stopping game for mom... here is our daredevil child doing his thing...

More soon on our spectacular trip out West!

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

2009-12-06T23:19:00.006-05:00

We stayed at the FHV - a pretty cushy hotel for Evey's first hotel visit!
The hotel staff were very accomodating - they had a beautiful crib for the baby and brought in a fridge and microwave for us as well! They had a neat ginderbread mock-up of the hotel in the main lobby as seen here...
which lit up at night...
like the real thing!
Here is a view from our window on the tenth floor looking north towards the mountains- we stayed in Room 1000 - a very easy room # to remember indeed...

The hotel featured some terrifying gargoyles on the corners of the hotel as well as two beautiful golden retrievers, Mavis and Beau, who greeted the kiddies and were available for walks!

A jet-lagged boy pontificating...
We had a lovely dinner on Sunday night with Greg and Charlene who treated us to a fantastic meal at the Thai House on Robson Street. Uncle Jeff joined us for dinner and CUPCAKES for dessert (we got a lemon cupcake - soooo delicious!). More tomorrow on our adventures out West!

First Day in Vancouver

2009-12-05T21:21:00.005-05:00

For our first day in Vancouver, Evey got all dressed up!

Then we went down to look at the Christmas tree downstairs

We met Uncle Jeff and went to the Vancouver Aquarium

We saw beluga whales, giant sea turtles, starfish and jellies! What a fun day!

Evan's Trip to Vancouver

2009-12-04T16:22:00.005-05:00

Evan, mommy and Ashley took a trip out to Vancouver from Nov 27-Dec 3rd so that mommy could attend an important conference and Evey could meet some of mommy and daddy's friends from out West. Evan did pretty well on the trip out on his first airplane ride.

Evan liked to play with the crinkly snack bags and loved taking off and landing!

It was a long 6 hour trip (we touched down in Calgary to pick up a few more passengers) and were relieved to get into our hotel so that we could nap. We tried out the new Canada Line part of the SkyTrain line running between the airport and the downtown that opened in time for the Olympics. Very cool. More tomorrow on Evan's first days in downtown Vancouver!

Sunny Fall Days

2009-11-09T22:44:00.005-05:00

We have been very lucky to have such spectacular, sunny and warm fall days this week. We made sure to take advantage of the weather and got out for some relaxing family walks!

tRiCk oR tReAt!

2009-10-31T19:13:00.003-04:00

The Pumpkin King

2009-10-31T10:51:00.007-04:00

Here are pics of little Evey discovering a pumpkin! Photos of his costume to come tonight after Trick-or-Treating!

and for a special Hallowe'en trick....Ghost Boy!

On the Importance of Car Seat Comfort

2009-10-20T23:15:00.001-04:00

'nuff said...

Homecoming at Laurier-Brantford

2009-10-20T23:08:00.003-04:00

Laurier-Brantford celebrated its 10 year anniversary and 1st homecoming this past week. Andrew, Evan and I went to campus to volunteer and participate in the celebration with our colleagues. Here are pics of Evey with his pal, Fischer - both offspring of faculty at Laurier. Here comes the class of 2026!

Evan is 6 months old!

2009-10-18T22:50:00.005-04:00

Our little boy is half a year old today! His current interests are watching football with daddy.

He got his 6 month immunizations on Friday and handled the 2 injections like a trooper. He weighed in at just over 14 pounds (apparently his clothes weighed 2 extra pounds when we had him on the scale last week - so we were a little surprised at his weight at this check-up when he was measured sans clothing - but we're rolling with it). We got the go- ahead to start semi-solids - there is some research literature that suggests that starting food too early in preemies can be hard on the liver, however, Evan has been showing interest in food for weeks now, including snatching a cheesie out of mommy's hand and generally being fascinated by watching grown-ups eat, AND he can also sit supported, so the doc and I are in agreement that he's ready to start. We have a high chair on order that we are hoping will arrive soon because our boy is M-E-S-S-Y (like daddy :) Luckily, Mommy found a bib with SLEEVES to reduce the clean-up!

Evan's reaction to his introduction to rice cereal a few weeks ago was pretty good - Daddy introduced his first vegetable tonight - butternut squash - and this went over pretty good as well.

The "Arctic Bundle Me"

2009-10-06T22:45:00.003-04:00

We thought we'd get Evan ready for the cooler weather and had been trying to decide between getting a snowsuit or a bunting bag. We decided to go with JJ Cole's Arctic Bundle Me - a very versatile (and warm!) bunting bag that has adjustments in the back so that it is compatible with the baby's car seat.
We took it for a trial spin on our walk on the trail this evening. Evan seems pleased with the purchase.

Evan's First Meal

2009-10-02T22:32:00.003-04:00

Evan started solids this evening for the first time. His first meal consisted of Nestle Baby Rice Cereal mixed with formula - yum! Evan wasn't too sure at first, but after having his regular bottle he was more open to trying the cereal again. After his first spoonful, he grabbed the spoon himself so that he could feed himself! What a smart little guy!

Giggles McGee

2009-10-02T09:43:00.004-04:00

Evan has been a very happy boy these past few weeks, smiling and laughing for much of the time. Its been a parent's dream, let me tell you!

We had him weighed yesterday and he is 16 pounds, so it appears that our 5 and a half month old preemie is catching up to his full term peers. An average full term 6 month old is 17.6 pounds, so we are curious to see how well Evan will tip the scales in two weeks. Evan has transitioned fully to formula now - we had been weaning him very slowly since mid-August, knowing that time was running out as I had been flaring off and on with RA. I had a very crippling full blown flare last Wednesday and knew that it was time to get back on stronger medication ASAP. Last Friday was the last time Evan was nursed and I'm very sad to have had to say goodbye to such a wonderful bonding experience with my baby boy. On the bright side, I was really fortunate to give him the best nutrition he could have for the first 5 months. Now he needs a healthy mom with strong joints to take care of him. Fingers crossed (figuratively, for now :) that I start feeling better in a few weeks after the Enbrel kicks in!

Below is a video of a happy boy playing with his mommy.

All Fired Up!

2009-09-08T19:52:00.003-04:00

Evan and his nanny, Ashley, have been participating in programming at the Early Childhood Education Centre in Brantford (its never too early to start, you know!). Today they visited the Fire Station where Evan had his picture taken in front of a fire engine with a new friend.

This one's for you, grandma!

2009-09-05T11:47:00.006-04:00

Evan finally fit into the cutest giraffe outfit from his grandma. Thank goodness we are experiencing the best days of summer at the end of the season! Evan went to the doctor for his 4 month check-up and second set of immunizations. He took the shots like a trooper - we were very impressed with his composure - he also weighed in just a touch under 13 pounds - way to go little man!

Teething? No way!!!

2009-09-01T17:26:00.002-04:00

Here is a pic of little Evey cutting his first tooth (bottom left incisor). Munching away on his fist seems to relieve the discomfort... unfortunately this was a feeding cue for us, so we're trying to distinguish when our boy is hungry ... or just working on a tooth!

A boy and his bug

2009-08-28T06:27:00.009-04:00

Evan is learning to grab and hold onto things, including one of his favorite toys at the moment... a lady bug!

"First I shake it!"

"Then I use it as a punching bag so they know who's boss!"

"Next I give mom an ultra cute face..."

" I would like to thank the academy for this award...."

Hoodies with Ears

2009-08-22T10:39:00.001-04:00

I just can't resist them!

Evan is Four Months!

2009-08-20T20:40:00.003-04:00

This week Evan turned four months old. We weighed him last week and he was just over 12 pounds, so he has tripled in size since his birth, way to go! This past month he learned to flip over from front to back (he did this for the first time at Grandma and Grandpa Lavoie's), squeal and laugh out loud, say ah-goo, hold his head up continuously and bear weight on his legs. This past month Evan's hair-saga continued - having gone bald, and then recently re-growing blond (top) and brown (sides) hair. We're not quite sure which one is gonna stick yet :) Either way, our little boy is growing up before our very eyes!

Miracle Blanket

2009-08-20T20:36:00.003-04:00

The Miracle Blanket (or baby straight-jacket) has been essential in Evan's transition from his bassinet to his crib in early August. He is a gratuitous arm-flailer and tends to wake himself up if not tightly bound. As you can see, he's pretty happy to be swaddled up. These days we swaddle him with one arm out and this seems to work very well. Thank you Sage for the suggestion!

Cottage Country

2009-08-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

We traveled up to North Bay in the beginning of August to visit Andrew's Dad and family. Evan did pretty well on the drive up, but always seems to have a major meltdown when we're driving through Toronto and there is no where to pull over, ack! Andrew has nerves of steel navigating the expressway with a wailing infant and a wife who's freaking out in the back seat of the car, I tell you! It was worth it, though - cottage country is extremely relaxing!

Aunt Katie spent a lot of time getting to know little Evan, while Mommy spent time with her nephew, Jacob jumping on the trampoline (no pics, sorry) and wading into the lake.

We also went for lots of walks, ate great food, and had fun riding the AVT.

As always, it was a super fun visit and we can't wait to travel up North again!

Ottawa Visit

2009-07-30T20:24:00.002-04:00

Wow, the summer is whipping by very quickly and I see it has been quite some time since I lasted posted an update. We traveled to Ottawa Wed July 15th-Sunday July 19th to visit Grandma and Grandpa Lavoie. It is always relaxing to visit my hometown of Greely, ON, but Evey gave us a bit of a run for our money! He was still recovering from his surgery and was a little fussier than usual. Nonetheless, I think he was easily able to charm his way into his Grandma's heart! (Who could resist that red hair, blue eyes and winning smile???).

Evan also met his Great-Grandma Charbonneau as well as his great aunts Laurie and Denise. We had a lovely dinner - it was a very special visit for everyone and we can't wait to visit again soon.

On Saturday, Evan was visited by his Great-Grandfather Lavoie who marveled at his disbelief in having the chance to meet his 4th great-grandchild! Evan also met his great-uncle John and great-aunt Helene. Lots and lots of new people!

We took some nice walks around the old neighbourhood and enjoyed some of mom's *homemade* pizza. We decided to make the trek home at night instead of the following morning so that Evan could sleep most of the way through and also to avoid traffic - this plan worked out beautifully and we made good time home with little unhappiness from Big E. We're looking forward to our next trip up to meet Auntie Angie, Uncle Kevin and cousin Layla who are returning from Calgary - yay!

Recovery

2009-07-12T23:19:00.004-04:00

Evan continued to recover well over the weekend from his surgery despite the fact that he is on a nursing strike. Hopefully Mommy's persistence will pay off as we'd like to hold off on formula for as long as possible. Evan has a post-op check-up scheduled with his surgeon tomorrow. We're sure she'll agree that he's mending beautifully.

After this check-up we can turn our attention to our trip to Ottawa. We'll be heading out this Wednesday to stay for a few days at Grandma and Grandpa Lavoie's house. This is an extra special trip since Evan will be meeting his Grandma Lavoie for the first time. Very Exciting!

Evan's Surgery

2009-07-09T15:41:00.010-04:00

Evan had his surgery at McMaster Children's Hospital to repair his inguinal hernia yesterday. His surgery started at 8am and took an hour and 10 minutes. Poor Evan wasn't allowed to have anything to eat/drink after 2am so we had a pretty hungry boy on our hands by the time we got to the hospital at 6:30am. Luckily we were able to soothe him to sleep and handed off a sleeping baby to the OR nurse (she was pretty excited.... we were simply relieved). Throughout this whole experience we felt that Evan was in excellent hands. All 3 members of the surgical team came to talk with us before they took Evan in. The anesthesiologist explained that he would be put to sleep with a mask, then intebated with a breathing tube, have an IV inserted and then receive a "coch-block", similar to an epidural, where he would get an injection of anesthetic in the base of his spine.

In the waiting room the hospital has a volunteer that works with the families to help us locate the things we need and put us at ease. After the surgeon came out to discuss how the operation had gone I was led to the PACU (Pediatric Anesthetic Care Unit) to help care for Evan as he was awaking from the anesthetic. Evan must have charmed the nurses because when I walked in there were 3 nurses holding him and huddled around him cooing. I guess he IS a pretty cute little guy. After about an hour in the PACU we collected Daddy from the waiting room and Evan was wheeled to Ward 3C in the Children's Hospital to recover and be monitored for apnea. We were very fortunate to get a private room. Mommy stayed overnight to help take care of Evan who was understandably fussy.

Evan continues to have a good recovery. He didn't have any respitory problems so he was discharged this afternoon. His incision (about 1.5 inches in his lower ab) should heal in about 5 days. We hope he's feeling better soon!

Mommy's Birthday and Canada Day

2009-07-01T15:33:00.003-04:00

We celebrated the birthdays of Mommy and the nation today. Daddy made a delicious and, er, lovely cake for us. Evan got dressed up in his Canada Day onesie that his Grandma Murphy gave to him and then we went to a family BBQ to meet some of Andrew's family. Daddy made a delicious birthday dinner (Wild Coho steaks - yum!) to cap off the day. What a year to celebrate!

Personality Development

2009-06-29T09:01:00.001-04:00

Let's hope little Evey turns out to be a little kinder than this young gentleman. Hilar!

The Beauty of Owning a Yard....is maintaining it!

2009-06-27T18:30:00.003-04:00

Well, we finally broke down and purchased a gas lawn mower. We had been using a push mower for the last year or so. Despite the benefits to the environment, the push mower ended up being a lot of work for a very poor result at the end of the day. The grass always ended up being cut unevenly despite numerous adjustments to the wheels.
After consulting with the Greely guru of yard maintenance (aka Dad) we settled on the Yard Works 158cc 2-in-1 mower from Canadian Tire. Assembly was pretty simple. The lesson learned with this new acquisition is to always remember to screw on the cap to the fuel tank before starting the job... whoops! Our yard and front lawn look fantastic and I'm sure our neighbours are just as happy as we are :)

Wimbledon

2009-06-25T00:34:00.003-04:00

It was a very humid day here in Brantford, so Evan and I spent the day cooling off indoors with the AC turned up and caught a few tennis matches now that Wimbledon is on. We are both hoping that Federer will win his 15th grand slam title, and it will be interesting to see if the home-grown favorite, Andy Murray, will live up to the hype and join Roger in the final. We shall see!
Evan was very alert for most of the day and has been particularily enamored with the activity bar on his bouncer as of late. Its amazing to watch him grow and become aware of the world around him!

Hernia Boy

2009-06-23T10:12:00.006-04:00

As some of you might know, little Evan has been diagnosed with having two hernias. We noticed that something was a little unusual with Evan last Wednesday, and at his 2 month check up the following day, the doctor suspected that something was up and told us that we would be getting a referral sometime soon to see a pediatrician. A few hours after our appointment on Thursday, little Evey wasn't looking too well, so we took him to the ER at BGH. There he was seen by an on-call ped who diagnosed him with an umbilical hernia and an inguinal hernia.

The umbilical hernia is of little consequence, is sort of endearing (looks like a cabbage patch doll belly button), and should resolve on its own over the next few months. The inguinal hernia is a different story and needs to be surgically closed very soon since they never close on their own and there is a risk that part of the bowel can become entrapped. We met with a pediatric surgeon at McMaster Children's Hospital yesterday for a consult. She said that 25% of preemie boys get inguinal hernias. Evan surgery's will be scheduled for sometime in the next 2 weeks. We're just waiting for the call.

LOL

2009-06-21T20:58:00.003-04:00

Perhaps the funniest pic I've seen in a long time...

Andrew's 1st Father's Day!

2009-06-21T19:57:00.003-04:00

Our family celebrated Father's Day for the first time today. We went for a nice walk on the Grand River trail this afternoon. Evan got his daddy an ERGO organic cotton baby carrier (in chocolate brown) - very West Coast - so that they can do walks, hikes and housework together. All in all, we had a wonderful day!

The Preterm Growth Chart

2009-06-19T21:46:00.002-04:00

Some simple digging turned up an adjusted growth chart for preterm babies. I'm not sure why we aren't comparing Evan to THIS chart as opposed to the growth chart for full term babies that our GP's office is currently using. According to this, Evan, who weighs 3.9 kgs, is precisely at the 50th percentile for preterm babies at 42 weeks gestational age.
Thus, our kid is average for growth.
Let's use the right tools, people! It saves new parents a lot of anguish and despair!

Evan is 2 Months Today

2009-06-18T15:06:00.001-04:00

Evan turned 2 months today! Which means that he had his 2 month check up today as well as his first set of immunizations. We had him sufficiently drowsy on Infant Tylenol before we brought him in. He did well with the needles (one in each thigh), crying only during the injection but then settling right down afterward (thank goodness, it just makes you want to cry when they are in discomfort or pain). Poor little guy.

Evan weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz which we thought was pretty darn good! The nurse, however, put his weight and length measurements on a percentile chart and announced that he was not even on the chart yet for a child 2 months of age and that he hasn't caught up yet. This revelation sort of dashed our optimism - I mean he was born 6 weeks early and he's already doubled his weight - what do they want?!?! To make matters worse, when the nurse loudly clapped her hands to test Evan's hearing he didn't startle - so the nurse thought that he was deaf as well as underweight. We, of course, know that Evan can hear just fine, having passed his hearing tests in the hospital and responding to sound at home. He was probably drowsy from the Tylenol and he's pretty used to noise having spent half of his life in a noisy hospital. So, in a nutshell, our appointment did not go the way we thought it would, but we're all for giving Evan the time and encouragement he needs to "catch up " his own time. Take THAT medical profession!

2009-06-12T12:35:00.003-04:00

Sorry so long since the last post! Its been a very busy time at the Welsh household. Laurier-Brantford University held its convocation ceremony this past Wednesday. Andrew was asked to carry the mace to lead the academic procession. He was very honoured and excited to be the "Bedel". Andrew says the mace was tremendously heavy and was glad that everything went smoothly since he had to hold it in front of a couple hundred people for a loooong time. :)

Being a beautiful sunny afternnon, Evan and I joined Andrew for the outdoor reception in Victoria Park after the ceremony concluded. It is so rewarding to see the students that we taught graduate, especially for Andrew who has taught so many of the students, sometimes several times! Many of the students were excited to meet Evan (and of course we were delighted to show him off). Evan was a good boy and slept in his stoller the entire time.

After the reception we joined our dear friends Carrie and Erin to go for a Sushi lunch . This was Evan's first visit to a restaurant and he was precious. I just put him in his sling and he slept through lunch (I was very careful not to drop any wasabi on the little guy).

Outside of our big day on Wednesday, Evan surpirsed us during tummy time this week when he, out of no where, suddenly demonstrated his ability to push his head and chest up using his arms to get a good look around the room. For a little guy, he is a very strong!

We're planning a trip to Ottawa very soon, once Evan get's his immunizations. We'll keep you updated once we firm up some plans!

Amazing How Far We've Come

2009-05-30T20:59:00.003-04:00

Just got these pics developed (they were taken with a disposable camera at the hospital - we didn't pack a camera because we were caught so off guard by Evan's early arrival). These are Evan's very first photos ever taken. He was under the Billi lights for a day having developed jaundice. Here he is about 3 days old. Looking at these pictures makes me amazed at how far Evan has truly come - what a little trooper!

Evan is Term Today!

2009-05-30T15:20:00.008-04:00

We have been waiting a long time for today! This is the day that Evan was due to be born, so now we can consider him a "newborn" - with this milestone comes all the developmental skills that a newborn typically has - rooting reflexes, etc that we have come to appreciate very much. Today Evan is a full 6 weeks old and continues thrive at home. Our appointment with the lactation consultant on Thursday proved to be very effective and now that we have been consistently applying the tips at home little Evey is almost exclusively breastfeeding and only takes a bottle for his 1am feeding (thank you daddy for doing that feeding!). We are SO excited that his feeding transition has gone so smoothly. Here are some pics to mark the occasion - note his chubby little rolls! Yay!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a 7 Pounder!

2009-05-28T22:42:00.003-04:00

We visited the Women's Wellness Centre in Brantford today for our appointment with our Lactation Consultant (LC). There, little Evan was measured on the scale to be a whopping 7 pounds! We were very excited! Our consultation also went very, very well. We have decided to take Evan off the bottle now that he is "term" as of May 30th. Because he was pre-term, Evan had difficuty breastfeeding (and we were also restricted from breastfeeding him more than twice a day because he was too weak to take much more than that). As a result, we were forced to rely on bottle feeding in order to get Evan out of the hospital sooner. Now that we have a strapping 7 pounder, however, Evan should be able to co-ordinate himself much better!

The Bouncer - A Godsend

2009-05-26T09:12:00.004-04:00

We were able to get a really functional and interactive bouncer from Sears the other day courtesy of the generous gift cards that we received from family and friends (THANK YOU!). As most parents know, the bouncer is a key piece in the arsenal of equipment needed to keep baby safe and content - particularly 30 minutes post-feeding when Daddy's arms are sore from holding baby Welsh, Jr. The bouncer came with an incredibly cool activity bar that Evan can play with and learn from when he gets a little bigger. For now we use the bouncer in the "lounger' setting - judging from the pic, I think Evan is pretty pleased with his new chair!

Tummy time!

2009-05-23T16:00:00.002-04:00

Evan has been putting in some time to work out his neck muscles on his floor exerciser (check out those traps)! He is able to raise his head pretty well now. Our pets like to use this time to venture up a little closer to our son to get a closer look and sniff at "the new guy who makes all that noise!" Of course, Evan also finds "tummy time" to be a great opportunity to sleep and make cute faces too. Thanks Nancy!

A First Outing - Wilfrid Laurier University!

2009-05-19T15:53:00.001-04:00

We took Evan for his first outing today, appropriately, to Laurier University where daddy and mommy work. It was a beautiful day to walk around campus and we've almost got packing the diaper bag and folding up the stoller down to a science. Evan got to meet many of our friends and colleagues who have been so incredibly supportive throughout our pregnancy and Evan's arrival. We're looking forward to bringing him back for a visit during convocation in June.

One Month Old Today!

2009-05-18T12:09:00.003-04:00

Evan is one month old today and continues to thrive here at home. He is packing on the weight and fits (almost!) into the "newborn" size clothing that we have here for him. He's also big enough to safely hang out in his baby swing.

Last night we experienced the joy of "cluster-feeding", when the baby wants several feedings very close together (i.e., every 1-2hrs). This makes for a very cranky baby, a tired mommy and daddy, and a dazed dog in the morning. Nonetheless, cluster feeding is a sign the Evan is going through a growth spurt so we welcome the experience.

We plan to celebrate Evan's one month milestone by taking him out for a nice walk outside when it gets a little warmer this afternoon.

Evan sends out a big happy birthday to Grandpa who turns 60 today! We miss you from your visit already!

Meeting Grandpa

2009-05-16T12:24:00.000-04:00

Evan met his grandpappy this past week while dad was in town to work..., er, I mean, visit! Here is a photo of their first meeting!

Awwwww!

First Week Home

2009-05-15T10:43:00.002-04:00

We have had quite a busy week having our son home and there have been many "firsts"! We have (almost!) adjusted to the night-time meals. Andrew has been very good at helping out with the early morning bottle-feeding while I try to get a few extra zzzzs. Evan enjoyed his first stroll around the block. He wasn't too sure about the stroller at first, however, once we got moving he really did seem to enjoy the gentle vibration of the stroller bumping along the sidewalk. He also used his swing for the first time but needs to get a little bigger to use it more regularly. Evan and mommy celebrated our first Mother’s Day this past weekend. As you can imagine, it was incredibly special. Andrew made breakfast (i.e., picked up some Egg McMuffins – yum!) and mommy received her favourite children’s book “I love you forever” by Robert Munch as well as a few other goodies.

Evan had his first doctor’s appointment on Monday. He weighed in at 5lbs 10oz and is now “on the charts for weight. He’s still off the charts for length but he’s getting there! We’ve noticed that Evan’s face changes a little every day as he puts on more weight – he’s developing a healthy pair of cheeks! The doctors said that Evan’s muscles were very strong – something we had noted over the past few days as he’s been lifting his head to look around his new house.

My dad “ aka Grandpa L” arrived on Tuesday to meet his grandson and to help us with some backyard projects. He has been certainly earning his keep helping us to assemble our new patio furniture and build our gazebo! Tuesday was particularly special because Andrew’s dad (aka Grandpa Welsh) met Evan for the first time on that day too! Grandpa L brought down the family bottle of scotch to toast the occasion. Both grandpa’s brought many wonderful gifts from our family and friends– we are blessed to have such a thoughtful and amazing family – THANK YOU!

Evan Comes Home

2009-05-07T17:29:00.003-04:00

Our stay over was a success last night and Evan passed his car sear test with flying colours so our son was discharged from BGH just before noon and has finally come home! We are ecstatic!

His first car ride went well and Evan is already settling into a routine at home. He's eating well, had his first bath at home, and seems to like his little bassinet very much. He has also met all of our pets. Liam, our whippet, is especially interested in Evan and is staying very close to him today. It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops over the next few years!

A big thank you to the nursing staff at the Constant Care Nursery at BGH!!!

The "Stay Over"

2009-05-06T17:18:00.003-04:00

After Andrew and I got in from some shopping there was a phone message waiting for us from the Constant Care Nursery at BGH. They wanted to know if I would like to do my "stay over" tonight. I said "YES!". So I packed up an overnight bag and prepared to spend my first night rooming in with Evan. They also asked us to bring a car seat so that Evan could do his car seat test where he is placed in the seat for 90 minutes and his saturation rates are monitored to make sure that they don't fall below a certain threshold.
This is all very exciting news. If all goes well Evan will be discharged from the hospital!

A Surprise for Daddy!

2009-05-06T10:08:00.002-04:00

Well it had to happen sooner or later...! When Andrew and I went in to see Evan last night, Daddy was kind enough to offer to change Evan. About midway through the process, I heard Andrew cry out - Evan had torpedoed Andrew all over his hand, arm and fresh diaper. It was HYSTERICAL! The nurses said that they always get a kick out of Daddys getting hit like that for the first time...

I was still chuckling about that this morning when I went in to BGH extra early (8am) to see our little guy. He weighed in at 5lbs 3oz this am, did well nursing, and was supplemented by bottle. The nurses said that Evan *might* be able to come home at the end of this week. We're keeping positive that his feedings and growth will continue to improve!

"The Growers"

2009-05-05T11:06:00.002-04:00

Little Evan is 5lbs 1oz this morning. Daddy came with mommy to the hospital this am to help feed the wee one. The nurses told us that for the second day in a row Evan had been impatiently waiting for his mom, so I'm going to re-adjust my schedule and come in 20 minutes earlier so that he's not waiting (and crying) so long - we need that energy for eating after all! One of Evan's first nurses at BGH just returned from a week long vacation and said that Evan looks great and has grown a lot since she's seen him last - it's nice to hear that he is improving! The other day during hospital rounds I heard a nurse refer to Evan and another little preemie as "growers", a term to describe low birth weight babys who have no medical complications, but just need to put on body fat.

Our dear friends Dan and Allison delivered a little boy yesterday, Grayden Joseph Daniel, who weighed in at just over 8lbs. Can't wait to set up a playdate for the boys when they get a little older!

5 Pounds, Baby!

2009-05-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

Our little man weighed in at a whopping 5 pounds this morning! Woot! I think the nurses were as excited as I was when I saw his weight on his chart. Evan did very well nursing again today, getting 20 ccs this am, so we are going to increase to 3 times a day (8:30am, 2:30 pm & 8:30pm) and see how he does. We were limited to nursing only twice a day, you might recall, because it just consumes too many calories for a preemie to try any more than that. Here's hoping Evan is awake and alert this afternoon!

Laughter

2009-05-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

Went into the hospital at 8:30 am to find an alert and heartily crying wee boy. Evan weighed in at 4 pounds 14 ounces this morning. I changed him into his cute new `whale` themed outfit and then we nursed. Evan was able to get 15 ccs of milk this time before we supplemented the other 30 by bottle. Evan`s biggest hurdle with feeding is his propensity to fall asleep very quickly, but he seems more and more alert every day.
When I was burping him after his breakfast, Evan gave me a big smile and giggled. His first laugh was priceless and I`m sure there will be many more to come.
Andrew and I will be going into the hospital at 2pm this afternoon to give Evan a bath. This will be the first time that we will be able to give him one on our own (of course, under the watchful eyes of the nursing staff - they have been very helpful in giving us pointers).

A few hours later...

After buying Andrew his belated Birthday running shoes we headed back to the hospital get a lesson on bathing a newborn. Because mommy wasn't feeling well, the nurse did all the dirty work, so we'll have to wait until next time to try it on our own. Evan virtually gulped down his bottle this afternoon. Hopefully he'll be just as hungry when I return to nurse him this evening.

Another day at BGH

2009-05-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

Evan had another great night last night, nursing for about 20 minutes (and getting about 5ccs of milk) and then taking a full bottle. He certainly is working very hard and needs to sleep a lot after these feedings to regain his energy. He also likes to chat a lot when he eats. This morning Evan weighed 4 pounds 12.5 ounces. Andrew and I recently re-discovered that there are 16 ounces in a pound, not 12 as we previously thought....who knew? At his current rate, Evan should make 5 pounds in a few days.

Andrew and I went in to visit Evan this afternoon. We took the opportunity to get a good look at his hair in the natural light coming through the window ... I can`t say for certain, but I think our boy might be a `ginger`... oh no!!!!

Nursing Success!

2009-05-01T12:07:00.000-04:00

This morning Evan nursed 5 ccs of milk for the first time! His muscles are starting to get stronger now which is very exciting! He's still trying to figure out the breathing/swallowing sequence with the bottle (he is a VERY messy eater...like his dad!) but we're convinced he'll figure it out soon!

No More Feeding Tube! April 30th

2009-05-01T11:51:00.001-04:00

Evan had his permanent feeding tube taken out today. We are working on nursing and bottle feeding and have to use a temporary tube still about 75% of the time to feed since Evan is still a very sleepy boy! Evan did really well tonight, was super alert, and finished a whole bottle on his own!

Transfer to Brantford General Hospital, April 24th

2009-05-01T11:50:00.001-04:00

Evan was discharged on April 24rd to Brantford General Hospital. He has been here for the last few days and has hit some major milestones such as re-gaining his birth weight on April 24rd, moving to an open bassinet on April 29th, and starting bottle feeding on the same day. To celebrate, I went out and bought some preemie outfits at Sears so that he would have his own clothes to wear. Very cute!

Level 2 Nursery, McMaster University Hospital, April 22nd

2009-05-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

Andrew and I were visiting Evan on the evening of April 22nd in the NICU when a nurse burst in and told us that Evan was being transferred to the Level 2 Nursery to make room for a new baby. We were amazed at how fast the nursing staff worked to get Evan packed up and moved down the hall to his new home.

This photo was taken the following morning, on April 23rd. Here you can see the Gavange tube used to feed milk to him directly. He became known for notoriously pulling out the tube on his own!

Evan's Story

2009-05-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

Evan Andrew Robert was born 6 weeks early on April 18, 2009 at 7:22am at McMaster University Hospital (34 weeks gestational age). He weighed 4 pounds, 2.9 ounces.

How it all went down...

After my water broke on April 15th (while proctoring a final exam...good times) and regular contractions started later the next morning at 2am, we headed out to McMaster hospital. I was admitted around 5am on April 16th (Andrew's birthday). The doctor told us that I would be in hospital until the end of my pregnancy. I then received my first IV. The doctors did their best to stop the labour since we were more than 6 weeks early by using blood pressure medication. I started steroid injections right away to help mature the baby's lungs - this treatment takes 24 hours to be effective - so we knew we needed to hold on until April 18th.

I was moved to a nice private room and started antibiotics. Over the next 2 days labour started and stopped three times. Andrew came in during the day to spend time with me and do some marking. It was difficult to sleep at night because I could hear all the other ladies struggling during their labours - and I was left thinking "God, what I am I going to be like when that time comes for me?" Andrew bought me ear plugs after the first night after I shared this with him and I slept much more soundly.

When Andrew visited on April 17th I was allowed to have a Subway sandwich instead of hospital food. We got a TV and VCR (old school!) brought into our room and watched True Lies - a classic Schartzeneggar film. It was nice to get our minds off of things for a while. Earlier that day, my water conclusively broke and continued to break every few hours - a very strange experience.

Around 2am on April 18th, I requested an epidural after the contractions became too strong. I got a great 6 hours of sleep after that and was well rested for a busy morning ahead. When I woke up, I was pretty sure that delivery was imminent since the epidural wasn't masking the pain anymore (I have a new found respect for women who deliver naturally). Because I had sent Andrew home since we weren't sure when the baby was going to arrive, I called him and asked him to come to the hospital right away.

The third stage of labour started after I hung up the phone, and after 30 minutes, Evan was born and was whisked away for assessment. Andrew arrived about 10 minutes later to my room. I told him that the baby had been born and he was taken immediately to see Evan. Andrew came back to my room and let me know Evan was doing fine, and then the nurses brought Evan in so that I could hold him for a few minutes before he was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

I was transferred to another private room on unit 4B (we were very lucky to get a private room since it's first come, first serve and let me tell you it was B-U-S-Y on the maternity ward). The nurses on this unit were incredibly caring and supportive. My nurse, Heather, got me set up with pumping right away and then Andrew wheeled me down to the NICU to see Evan.

Evan was placed in a cosy heated isolette in Pod A-9. To our relief, he didn't have any respiratory problems. His glucose levels were low, so he received an IV through his hand and resolved these levels within a day. He was also fitted with a feeding tube. The following day he developed mild jaundice and was placed under the Billi lights (photo-therapy) for a day. Evan was fitted with some eye protection that wrapped around his head like a cloth helmet. I put my hands in the isolette to comfort Evan when I went to visit him and noticed later that I had actually burnt the tops of my hands - these lights are powerful!

I was discharged on April 21st. I started driving into Hamilton and stayed at the hospital for 12 hours. There were a lot of resources for family - a private TV lounge, kitchen, pumping stations, phone, computer, you name it. I mostly worked in the uber large cafeteria to finish grading final exams and then visiting Evan every 3 hours on the threes (9am, 12, 3, 6, ect..).