salmon dude and family

diedre gives ezekiel a kiss (man, kisses are hard to capture with digital cameras because of the delay!)

diedre plays happily with the airplane that ezekiel gave her as a gift.

me and my little dude

diedre loves to hold ezekiel.

just dont try to take him away before she's ready!

a close-up of the wide-eyed wonderboy

diedre got some big-girl undies and had to try them all on. we had a family Christmas celebration the morning before the Salmon's flew home to Ontario.

Grammy & Grampa gave diedre another baby. now she has two babies and carries them with her everywhere. its really cute to watch her feed each one a bottle.

saying goodbye at the airport

daddy was getting some good looks from ezekiel

ezekiel's first bath went pretty well as you can see.

relaxing in the lifesaver sleeper that has made the rounds among many of my friends' boys.

ezekiel bruce salmon

we went in for the Non-Stress Test and they told us we would probably not make it in until Monday. I was pretty sad and discouraged about the whole thing but we really wanted our doctor to be there.

while i was hooked up to the machine, the nurse came in and said they could induce me but only if we did it right away (and it would be by another doctor). we had a few minutes to discuss it and decide we would go ahead with getting my water broken and have the baby, mostly because i did not want to have to wait until monday! they tried to call our doctor but said they couldnt get ahold of him. they admitted me to a wonderful room with a great view and then more twists and turns began...

the doctor came in and said the baby's head was not low enough and i was not dialated enough to break my waters. exactly the opposite news that our doctor had said on wednesday (when he was prepared to break my water if they had room at the hospital). so he decided to give me cervical gel (prostin) to start my labour.

at around 5.30pm on saturday nov 25 i started having really strong and too long contractions with very little breaks. i was able to cope with them but it was very physically taxing because of the lack of breaks. they hooked me back up to an IV for hydration and gave me a pill for relaxation (like a sleeping pill). i was hooked up to the monitoring strips for a long time because the contractions were too long and if they didnt shorten they would have to give me drugs to stop the contractions completely. thankfully the iv and the pill helped relax me enough to give me regular hard but properly spaced contractions!

at 6.45pm i had an internal exam. the nurse was really nice until the internal exam that was totally killing me and would not stop and i was having hard contractions during it and it sent me into sobs. i have NEVER cried that hard. it took a long time to settle down from that. AND she said i was only 1 cm dialated, so all that pain for nothing.

things continued from there like normal hard labour. a new nurse came on and she was really good. she got me labouring in some better positions and really helped me work with the contractions. she asked if we could plan for another internal at 9.30pm. i said, "how about 10? there's no harm waiting until 10 right?"

so at 9.45pm i said, "ok, i just have to pee." and went to the washroom. then i said "oh nooooo." and derek came in and i was having a contraction, but then a push and i peed and they said "we better get you back in bed to check you." then more pushes came, and they said "do you want to feel the baby's head" and i did, and then a few more pushes and he was out by 9.54pm, delivered by nurse Jan :D

crazy!

ezekiel bruce salmon
born saturday november 25 2006
at 9.54pm
weight 7lb 11oz
length 22 inches

diedre comes by for a late night visit on nov 25

we missed our firstborn during the whole ordeal.

well, the hetzlers have a great picture of ezekiel from yesterday.

me and ezekiel on nov 26

our family of four on nov 27

here's the view from our room today. there was a crazy snowstorm the last three days. i'm glad we were indoors and not trying to make it to the hospital in that weather. i feel totally exhausted from the drive home from the hospital. it was so stressful and bad traffic and road conditions. thanks to God that we are home safe! all of us!

its a...

gonna be a few more days unless my body goes into labour on its own!

i called in to check in about my induction appointment at 6.30am, they said call back at 8am and the day charge nurse would let me know if they could see me today.

i called back at 8am, they said they are concerned about having enough staff because of icy road conditions. and to please call back at 8.30am.

i called back at 8.30am, they said they have four inductions on the list and were not sure yet how many doctors or nurses they had coming in. they needed more time to figure out if everything would be covered. this time, they said they'd call me back once they had everything figured out.

they called 2.5 hours later to say that i would be moved to tomorrow's list. my doctor would not be available to deliver after around 4pm today so from talking with him, they decided i should get moved to tomorrow but that i should be aware that i might still get bumped to Monday. there are two people on the list for Sunday but Monday's totally clear.

they requested that i would come in for a Non-Stress Test today around 3pm (maybe) but that i have to call first.

ahhh...what a crazy situation this has been. its a tough business getting a baby out of me apparently! i just wish my body would go into labour. what is the deal?!

so i decorated for Christmas today (except for the tree) and am enjoying listening to carols while my mother-in-law bakes cookies and the turkey :)

we are planning to have our Christmas dinner tonight with the slight chance that i might go into labour, or have a Stressed baby and need to be induced today anyway. but we all said we'd rather the turkey not go bad (we were planning to wait until Monday, but with everything STILL up in the air, we decided we better just go ahead tonight) and that leftover turkey is just as good.

my little Christmas village with a home-made lake.

carollers, nativity scene, and other festive decor. 

swim and dinner

hanging with grampa at the pool

trying out the hottub, just a little bit on the feet.

grammy and grampa


the very over-expectant parents 

several stages of "cheese"

diedre learned to say "cheese" for pictures on Halloween night. here she is putting it to good use:





and now me...ugh, no baby yet. we are now 9 days overdue and people are starting to say "don't even think about your due date. just think, i'm due sometime near the end of november." :D ha ha

so we are on track to go in on Saturday for induction.

however, we went in for a little sojourn last night; i was having contractions 10 minutes apart for an hour, then 5 or less minutes apart for the next hour--so we excitedly headed into the hospital. my contractions slowed down on the drive there and i was quickly losing momentum emotionally and mentally that labour was ACTUALLY happening...they pretty much stopped once we were at the hospital. they were so busy at the hospital last night that they didn't come and give me an assessment until close to an hour of waiting. and by then i had so few contractions that they didn't even bother to do an internal.

but we know the baby is healthy.

they also said, if they are too busy on Saturday they might not have me in there until noon or maybe not at all (the info i thought i had from the doctor was that i would call in at 6.30am and probably head in at about 7.30am unless things were too busy...but he made it sound much more likely whereas the nurse last night made it sound like i'd be fine to go until next week without induction).

other good news is that my inlaws are extending there visit by two and a half days so they will definitely still be here when we get home with baby. hopefully baby comes on his/her own but if not, we'll see how tomorrow goes.

this has been a crazy experience/trial in faith and trust--its so easy to lose heart and think its just not going to happen but God knows. He's got a plan and i just need to trust and live these days as i would any other and enjoy visiting with family and especially the time with my little girl :D 

lil' momma

she was playing with her baby and my purse and talking to herself in the mirror in her room. she kept wanting her baby wrapped up nicely so she could walk around with her. 

some may consider this news...

the doctor said i was 1-2 cm dialated and he was able to 'strip the membranes' and thinks that from what he did, i could very well go into labour on my own "soon."

i am scheduled for induction on Saturday morning at 7.30am. He also said that the only induction they need to do is to break my waters so it won't be induction by drugs (which i'm quite happy about).

he also said he would try to get me in today to have my waters broken, but that things are too full over there and it would be a pretty slim chance. Its nearly 5pm so i'm figuring my slim chance is now over and it won't be today unless i go into good old fashioned "natural" labour.

there's still a chance that i can get into maternity before Saturday if a spot opens up for me. its all very vague and not that hopeful...but i have had some doozies of contractions today so we'll see.

c'mon baby, c'mon baby, c'mon baby! :D

(i think i'm just too healthy this pregnancy or something, i can do jumping jacks and run around and clean for hours...this baby just doesn't want to leave my safe haven of a body).

so my inlaws fly out on Monday at 6.30am, if i'm induced Saturday i may or may not be home by Sunday. AND another not so good thing is that the Doctor's birthday is on Saturday and he can only deliver up to 4pm because he has to be at his party at 5pm...so, baby, you should come today :D

41 weeks today!

c'mon baby! 

New Friends

Diedre met a lifesized (to her) Raggedy Ann doll (pictured) and Raggedy Andy doll (not pictured) that my mom won at her work. Diedre really enjoyed pointing out the nose and eyes on the dolls while Grandma and Grandpa Gagne babysat her on Saturday and Sunday. 

doctor's appointment at 41 weeks

i'll be one week overdue tomorrow. i have a doctor's appointment at 10am and i would not be surprised if he sends me over to the hospital for a non-stress test since i will be one week overdue. at least i hope we can just go right over, rather than having to come back another day.

and then there's still hoping that i will go into labour tonight (just in time for ben's birthday tomorrow :D).

Grammy and Grampa Salmon arrived today so i should be ready to go now. c'mon baby! let's meet you!

nesting in overdrive

well, we've got the time for it, so we are continuing to do our home improvements for us and baby's arrival. when its all done, i will hopefully post some pictures of our new improved room.

Grandma and Grandpa took Diedre home yesterday afternoon for a sleepover with Miles at their house. we have gotten so much accomplished but we miss our girl. we both got good rest and lots of sleep although i got up more last night than i have in awhile.

we also watched a matinee, Stranger Than Fiction, which we both enjoyed. it was really nice to have a date and get so much done around here.

our little songbird

VIDEO of Diedre composing songs on the spot

sorry for my singing...but here are the lyrics i was trying to sing, without really knowing them...i was pretty close!

also, i was VERY tired since Diedre got up at 5am (as well as 1.30am) with a bad cough and needing mommy cuddles.

Lady and the Tramp Soundtrack Lyrics
George Givot - Bella Notte Lyrics

Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte
Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one,
You'll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell,
When the one you love is near!
Oh this is the night, and the heavens are right!
On this lovely bella notte!

bath time fun

happy diedre gets a bath with a friend

she loves the bath and her daddy! (he was taking pictures)

hoisting up my baby girl

could not get her to pose for a decent mom/daughter picture...oh well 

Estimated Due Date

40 weeks today

i've still been feeling pretty good lately. the dr. says i'm ready to go "anytime." i did have some harder contractions through the night for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, at about 10 minutes or more between; then a couple hours break, then similar patterns again. i definitely need to sit in different positions at times to relieve my discomfort but all in all, i'm doing fine.

at 10pm last night i was so tired and was worried that i might be going into labour. i'm not feeling particularly rested today, but i'm glad it didn't happen last night.

plans for today are to go to MOPS (yes, even though i wrote off going there, i am going to go and just keep diedre in the main room with me. she does fine with all the ladies and just plays quietly or wanders around and shares my snacks--many of the kids in her age group stay in the room with their mom's because of similar issues). MOPS ends at naptime, so we can return home for a nice nap and see how the rest of the day goes.

derek's coworkers are all having the day off today, but derek will still do estimates since he might be taking days off anytime soon (well, hopefully this baby comes at some point ha ha).

diedre and i have been spending lots of time with my mom lately as we went there Sunday night to sleep (as a family) and spent all day Monday, then returned Tuesday morning after the dr.'s appointment and stayed all day. its a good thing Grandma and Grandpa live so close to the hospital, it adds peace of mind to know we can stay there if we need to.

silly toddler

chillin' with daddy on the couch

what a great smile!

VIDEO: Diedre discusses tails

nov 13 woulda been great

its mom & richard's anniversary today
derek and i were both born on 13s
diedre was born on the 26th, thats two 13s

oh well...i went in for an assessment last night after having contractions 5 minutes apart for an hour (but not the take-my-breath-away type just yet). the nurse still wanted to check me out since its my second baby and all.

i was not even one centimetre dialated! i was sooo disappointed. the only good things about it are more days with our darling Diedre :) and that i got to see what i missed in the packing of my hospital bag and at least we know how long it will take us to pack up and leave for langley when it really happens.

its so hard not to be a big baby about the whole thing and whine and complain...i've been in alot of pain. i was up most of the night two nights ago with contraction pain, constant but not severe, but at times very painful, and then all day yesterday. i was walking lots and moving around trying to keep labour going. today i took a different approach, relaxing and seeing how many contractions i had. i still had many, but nothing consistent or progressive.

it is great to have more time with diedre. she is quite sick with a chest infection (she's been on treatment for a day now) so it would be better for her to be healthy before baby2 arrives. we were also able to pick up a "from baby" gift and my mom got a good start on the "i'm a big sister" shirt for her (we just have to iron on the design).

diedre has really developed a love of dancing, with or without music, so thats been fun, to cheer her on and watch her dance around. she's so cute :D

we have a dr.'s appointment tomorrow morning so if i'm at least a cm, he might try stripping membranes...we'll see what he says i guess.

its so weird, it really felt like i could feel myself dialating with the pain i was in...i guess i don't know my body like i hoped i would!

ciao

more time for preparations

just wanted to say that i had 2 days of 2 hours of contractions in the evenings and one evening of one hour contractions that were really very painful (more intense than Braxton Hicks but not the "real" take-your-breath-away contractions.) yesterday i had maybe 4 contractions. things have really slowed down, so i guess we have a bit more time to wait yet. more time for housecleaning and general reorganization! yay!

yesterday afternoon and evening were great. i'm glad i was around to enjoy it. i had a "new mom to be" gift from my friend Karley, she cut and highlighted my hair. i love how it turned out and i feel very perked up from it!

then we went over to the Hetzlers' for a much awaited roast beef dinner (we've been trying to get together on a Thursday night for several weeks but Derek either had worship team practice or work or renos to do). it was sooo yummy!

then we had a family photo shoot with Ben which we are excited to see the results of. Ben has become such an avid photographer and we are so happy he was willing to do some family shots with the big belly. if we're still at home tonight, he's going to come over here for another photo session.

i totally felt like a princess last night, a tired princess, but pampered :) ahhhh how nice!

more outdoor cleanup

looking at a dog walk by



cuddles with daddy


helping to rake up sawdust

VIDEO of diedre helping her silly parents

VIDEO of diedre having fun with the animals

39 weeks pregnant

i had a doctor's appointment yesterday. he said everythings ready to go and it could happen anytime. baby is in a great position and my cervix is very soft apparently but still closed. i had about 2 hours of contractions in the evening last night, but nothing too consistent. same with tonight.

i feel really good and have been in hyper-nesting mode. lots of energy and getting lots of things done around here. we got the front yard all tidied up, i just need to sell our washer and dryer to get them out of the side of the house and there are some items other people are supposed to pick up soon that will help further tidying.

diedre has really changed this week. she seems more interactive in group settings. she is constantly impressing us with her new words and we are having so much fun with her!

diedre's first night in a big girl bed

nov 6 06
getting ready for bed in her new room. we moved diedre into our old room so the baby will have her old room (its the smallest room). we decided to try her out in the new bed tonight.

getting pajamas on with daddy

not too sure about actually sleeping in this daybed...she has played on it, read books on it, and pretended to sleep on it...but tonight, she cried alot and was very upset to be in that bed in that room. it took 15 minutes for her to calm down. we were both with her for 10 minutes or so, then i left for a few minutes and she continued to be upset with derek, so i went back in and said "we should probably just give her a hug and say goodnight and go." so we did, and within 2-3 minutes she was quiet. she did fall out of bed at one point and i went and put her back in. she did not wake up from it. she slept until 7.15am (which is very late for her, she's usually up by 5.50am).

nov 7 06
i told diedre to go to her room, and she went straight to the new room :)
we tried again to put her to bed, several hours earlier (it was 10pm the first night, 8 pm the second night). she went right to bed without crying and slept all night until close to 6.30am. yay! she did not fall off all night. but she seems to think she is really high off the ground now with our bed, her bed and the couch (she will back off the furniture like normal, but then ask for help to get down when her feet are an inch off the floor).

nov 8 06
i put her down for her first nap in the new room/bed and she cried all the way to the room but went to sleep after a minute. we'll see how long she naps for. she naps on a single mattress on the floor at grandma's and always sleeps for 2-3 hours!!!