Updating

My last post was April 20, which was about two months ago, so it's time for an update!
On April 21, friends came over for dessert and we all had some great sweets and shared a bottle of wine. I threw what little caution I possess to the wind and had a big glass myself. At about 2:15 a.m., I started to feel cramps and, I have to admit, sat there questioning whether this was labour or did I just have to use the bathroom... Well, it was labour and I was full blown into it at 3 a.m. when I woke Al and told him to call his mom and have her come up. We called at 3:15 as the contractions were between five and six minutes apart. Mom B got here at 4 a.m. and Alan and I were at the door waiting to go as the contractions were now two minutes apart.
We got to the hospital at about 4:20 and they started to lie me down and strap a fetal monitor on, but I was so darn huge that they couldn't, and I was rolling around in agony anyway, so I was not making it easy to try. The doctor on call had gone home for a nap, but luckily the family doctor who saw me through my pregnancy with Olivia was there and he came to do a quick check on me.
Well, I was more than seven centimeters dilated and the urge to push was strong! Unfortunately, the baby was breach, so they had to start prepping me for surgery and I had to resist the urge to push - which it turns out I am NO GOOD AT! So Alan is saying, "go ahead and cry, crying means you're not pushing" and "breathe" and I am telling him to stop talking. The nurses seem to be battling over "hee hee hoo" and "hee hee hah" as one on each side is telling me to do one or the other, and I am failing miserably at the task and I think probably looking at them like they are insane, when I am not looking absolutely terrified. And i am strongly resisting the urge to bite Alan's hand which he has trustingly put in mine.
Please remember Olivia took 20 hours from the five minutes apart point to get here. Time check as I am rolled into surgery and the obstetrician arrives is 4:40.
Daniel Jackson Berry was born at 5:12 a.m. on April 22, weighing in at 7 lbs 11oz.
This was a completely amazing and incredibly different experience from my time with Olivia. Daniel was in the room with us right away, whereas Olivia was in the special care nursery and they more or less just brought her to me for feedings every three hours for the first two days. Daniel was jaundiced and we had to keep waking him up every three hours to feed and he was in the room with me from the start. I lost some blood during the birth, so we ended up in the hospital for six days, at which point I checked myself out.
Friends and family have been wonderful - helping out, bringing food. It's been amazing. We are truly truly blessed.
Dan the man is coming along fine, gaining weight like mad - about a pound every two weeks so far (post hospital check out weight of 7.7). He is way more vocal than Olivia was - if he is hungry, tired, frustrated or needs to poop, we know it.
We are starting to get into our routines, although the true test comes in the next few weeks when Olivia's day care status drops to part time and I have the two at home with me - Ack!
The house unpacking and sorting and pitching and shifting battles on at a snail's pace, but we know we have years, so no real rush. Alan's dad has built us what Olivia calls "wall furniture", and what we would call a built-in for the living room. I cannot wait to get it in place and stop using my buffet as a TV stand. (not that I have room for the buffet anywhere else, but still...)
Sleep is still catch as catch can, but Daniel tends to do a long stretch in the night, so I can't complain about that. Nursing is certainly a re-learning experience - the kid's a fiend!
Olivia is doing really well at being the-mostly-gentle-and-caring big sister. She likes to kiss and pet him and give his head bear hugs, and she is quite the proud little miss when she shows him off to her friends.
Oh, and she has stopped telling people that his name is Donut and he is finally Daniel!
Take care,
V