April 13, 2014 A New Life Begins

I am in my early forties and was settling into mid-life with our two girls ages 8 and 4. Life is easy at this age -no diapers, no baby bags and we can go places and do things easily. Given this, we finally bought a boat last summer to really enjoy the many lakes and rivers around here. There is nothing more disheartening than spending summer after summer waving to passing boaters from the dock. 

But, life is funny that way. Just when you think you've moved into a new phase and accept you are getting older, it throws you a curve ball. Our curve ball came in the form of an overnight trip to Montreal last July long weekend. The girls and grandma in one room, Hunter and I alone in another. We normally have one of the girls in our bed on any given night, and with Grandma living far away, this was a real treat and we enjoyed ourselves! Don't really need to say more do I?

Fast forward to March of this year.....and we are the proud parents of a new baby boy! Unexpected but no less cherished. He is adorable and of course fawned over by his sisters and us. I think three times is the charm. Being pregnant and more than just a little over 40, I was concerned how this pregnancy would go. My OB told me to stay in shape, my family doctor told my husband and I that pregnancy is tough at my age and she wouldn't want to be pregnant at 40. However it was my best pregnany of all three. Yes, I needed some Diclectin early on for nausea but I don't think I threw up once. Now with my girls, the morning sickness was horrendous and long-lived. Yet here I was and 40+, 9 months pregnant and I can't tell you how many people told me how good I looked! 

The delivery was slick....I was at 2cm which I had been for a few days.  I was napping just before my nurse went on morning break. While she was gone, my contractions became progressively closer together until I felt his head moving down. Another nurse who was watching my monitor came in and checked me - fully dilated! When my nurse came back from coffee break, I was already pushing. Ten minutes later and baby was in my arms.

It was been three weeks since we transitioned to a Family of 5 and it has gone smoothly. I have learned to appreciate and relish every moment of babyhood (our first baby just celebrated her 8th birthday!). Sure we may not get out on the boat much this summer, if at all, but he'll be outfishing his Dad before you know it.

Life is good!