Marcus' Birth Story

Its been almost two months since we welcomed Marcus into our family, and its not been without its ups and downs; but the one constant is how he's made our family feel so complete since his arrival.  I feel like his pregnancy flew right by me in the blink of an eye.  I'm sure having an active toddler and filling the summer with a slew of fun activities with him so as to soak in the last days of being an only child, really contributed to the speed in which September came upon us.  Marcus' birth went off with not a lot of incident, but I just wanted to jot down some highlights for posterity.

We had a scheduled C-section this time around, and knowing what day we had to be at the hospital, and avoiding the hassle that Lucas' induction turned out to be really helped ebb some of the anxiety that I had leading up to little brother's arrival.  This way we made arrangements for Lucas for the day, and planned how I would be managing our stay at the hospital post partum.  Being able to plan for me was a huge bonus, since I'm definitely a planner at heart, and like everything in neat little lists.  I had some pretty bad insomnia the last two months of my pregnancy brought on by a the obvious constant need to pee coupled with just a huge amount of anxiety that would keep me up most of the night, so to say that sleep didn't really come the night before surgery was a forgone conclusion.  We dropped Lucas off at his grandparents on the way to this hospital, and as we drove off I had a huge rush of emotion take over me and balled the whole half an hour drive.  This would be the first time I was leaving Lucas overnight, and for any real extended period of time, and the weight of that hit me like a ton of bricks.  The fact that his world was about to be rocked to the core didn't really help my overload of emotions.  I'm sad to say that it didn't ease up any after Marcus' birth, but that is an entirely other story. 

We were bumped an hour after getting to the hospital due to another emergency surgery, and the waiting was absolutely killing me.  I was so ready to have my baby.  We were finally admitted to a communal room with three other moms awaiting surgery, given the required pre-meds, and waited a little longer.  Finally at 12pm they took me to the operating room to administer the spinal tap, I wasn't really worried about it, I was fine the last time; however this time the doctor had a rough time getting the right spot and it took what felt like forever to get me numb.  I had a different OB this time around, and I loved her.  My main OB is a little rough around the edges, and he has the worse bedside manners for a doctor who deals with hormonal pregnant women, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a woman this time who was just so caring and overall put me at ease throughout the whole process.  She was actually the one who held me while the spinal tap was being administered and talked me through it the whole time, and really helped ease my anxiety.  Unfortunately just before the hubby was let into the room I had an adverse reaction to the spinal tap and ended up being sick all over the table.  I felt better afterwards but it was definitely something I could have done without.  Shortly after Gianni came in the team got things moving pretty quickly.

Unlike with Lucas my water was not broken prior to surgery, so Marcus was happily unaware of what was coming, and as a result he was awake and alert the whole time.  I could actually feel him moving inside of me as the doctors opened me and started the surgery, and they were even quick to comment how active he was, which isn't really surprising considering how much I felt him throughout the pregnancy.  The first words out of the doctor's mouth when she got her first glimpse of him was of the size of his ample cheeks, and I knew without seeing him he was going to be a chunker just like his brother. 

Marcus came into the world at 12:30pm, wailing from being ripped out of his cozy little temporary home, and quickly proceeded to pee all over the floor, making his displeasure quite apparent.  Sure enough he weighed in at a healthy 9 pounds 8 ounces, slightly bigger than his big brother, and with the biggest cheeks I just wanted to kiss forever.  They swaddled him and he was quickly placed in the waiting arms of his daddy who was just as smitten.  It felt much quicker this time around the wait to be stitched up and then getting to hold my newest baby, which I'm so grateful for, since the downside of having a C-section is not being able to have that instant touching and connection.  Once in recovery, we breastfed, and waited until my oxygen levels were back to normal before being transferred to our room for the duration of my stay.

We spent the rest afternoon basking in the glow of our new bundle, breastfeeding on demand, and checking his sugars regularly since I have a history of gestational diabetes.  I cannot really put into words how you just fall in love instantly with your baby, and I'm still in amazement when I look at both my children for the miracle that is a woman's body who makes and grows these tiny humans.

Although I was grateful that my mom came to spend the first night with me in the hospital so that Gianni could get Lucas and have him sleep at home, and therefore not disrupting his routine too much, I was really emotional and sad to see my husband leave that night.  He's my best friend, and truly my rock and not having him by my side was a lot harder than I expected it to be, especially the second night when I was all alone.  I'm really grateful for the nursing staff at the hospital, they were extra helpful knowing that I was alone, and I got some great women who made the stay all that more bearable.  On the flip side I truly enjoyed the one on one time I had with my newborn, knowing that the moment I got home I would soon start the precarious dance of learning to divide my time between my two sons. 

Marcus passed all his tests the next day, and I benefitted from a class with a lactation consultant, even though my milk did indeed never come in as it didn't with Lucas.  It was just as disheartening as the first time, but I'm learning to deal with that disappointment.  I am glad for the breastfeeding time we had in the hospital though, and feel that it helped him as much as it could, especially since his sugar levels came up a lot quicker than they did with Lucas. 

We left the hospital early afternoon after two days in the hospital, still really sore on my part, but I was just dying to get home to my own surroundings and to my other two boys, so I dealt with the hard recovery that was coming my way.  I want to detail the meeting of the brothers, and my own recovery in a separate post.  So I leave with that, a pretty standard delivery if I say so myself. 

I'm back

I took a little break from blogging, but recently I have found that I've been missing this little corner of the blogshpere that I called my own.  I have continued to journal on my own time cause sometimes you just need to write down your thoughts, or put into words things that cannot be said out loud.  I'm going to ease back gently and gradually since life has and will continue to be hectic around these parts, I had a baby recently after all!

That's right everyone Marcus Guliano made his debut on September 8th, in a planned C-section.  Everything went pretty smoothly, although my own recovery and adjustment has left much to be desired.  He's everything I didn't know was missing in our lives, and he has completed our family in more ways than one.  He's a pretty relaxed baby, and his big brother is completely smitten with him, as are we all.

Life with two is as to be expected.  Chaotic on its best days.  Having a toddler at home, one who is in the throes of the terrible twos makes for interesting days, especially if he tag teams it with his brother for fussiness.  I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that its all heaven, some days I want to lock myself in the bathroom just to get two minutes to myself, other days I'm counting down the minutes until daddy gets home and high tail it upstairs just for five minutes of peace.  But I'm also going to tell you that there are days when the big brother cuddles the baby just because, and I see into their future.  There are days when we survive a grocery run and everyone was in a good mood, and that for me is a total win.

Its not always bliss around here, but lately I'm feeling more blessed than words can say.

For now here's a sneak peak of our newest addition, and I'm hoping to bring back some more updates soon.

About Me

Hi I'm Sylvie. 

I'm married to my best friend, I know most women say that but for me it really is 100% true.  He's the one I go to for advice, he's seen me at my worse and best, he's the yin to my yang, complete opposites in so many things, and yet we see eye to eye on the most essential things in our lives.  We met in the most random way on facebook, and we knew after our first date that we had inexplicably found The One.  Fast forward, three years later and we married on an unseasonably warm April day in 2010, and started a life that continues to exceed any expectations we had. 

After changing our original plans, we decided to start a family soon after the honeymoon, only to have our world turned upside down when we were faced with fertility issues.  Countless months trying, finally seeking professional help, and being told that there were so many obstacles in our way we conceived at a fertility clinic in the winter of 2012 and welcomed our miracle baby, our son Lucas in September of that year.  Growing up in a household of sisters, and having predominantly girl cousins I was faced with a future of raising a boy, a tiny little man that stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on him, and who has taught me more about myself that I ever could have imagined. 

Knowing the trials we faced the first time around, shortly after Lucas' first birthday we paid a visit to our doctor and started what we assumed would be the long process of attempting to conceive another child; only to be pleasantly surprised with a pregnancy 3 months later, almost exactly at the same time of year as last time.  We welcomed Marcus this past September, almost exactly two years after his brother. 

To welcome another son into my life has brought me more joy and excitement for the future than I ever imagined.  I always knew I wanted to be a mother, and having sisters I always dreamed of a life of little girls playing dress up, but this life that I have been blessed with is even better, its one unexpected and for that so much more exhilarating.  I am queen of my castle, and really who could complain about that. 

I'm living my dream of being a stay at home mom.  Some days are boring.  Some days are filled with a routine I set for my boys.  Some days we spend doing crafts, playing at the park, visits to the library or play groups.  Other days we stay in our pajamas all day long.  It may not be fascinating to anyone else, and it may just be ordinary, but for me that's what makes it special, its the everyday joys.

Raising a Man

I have mentioned this before, but prior to having Lucas little boys were a foreign entity to me, having grown up solely with sisters, and having mostly girl cousins to boot.  I was equal amounts excited and scared for what the future held for me when I found out I was expecting a baby boy.  I didn't really know what to expect, but figured that a lifetime of cars, trucks, and anything that revolved around a ball and sports would be running my life forever.  I wasn't really far off on that prediction.

But you want to know something.  I have loved every single minute of being a boy mom, and I can't wait to double that when this little guy arrives in 6 short weeks!

Boys seem to always have an endless amount of energy, pretty much only stop when they are sleeping, I never have a moment of peace until bedtime, and I know far more about trucks and cars than I ever thought was imaginable.  Scrapes and bruises are a common occurrence around these parts, and death defying climbing has already started giving me heart attacks on a regular basis.  Boys are also to a large extent so much more low maintenance than girls; he falls down yells out I'm ok and is on to the next adventure; starts having a tantrum most often than not a snack changes his mood (which reminds me boys are ALWAYS hungry); and daddy may be his hero and teach him all about hot wheels but its to mommy's arms that he always runs to in pretty much any situation.

I am raising boys, who will be teens, and one day men in their own right, and I don't have to look very far for a model in which to raise them.

I lucked out in the husband/father of my children department.  He is a kind man, puts his family's needs always first, is compassionate when necessary, fiercely loyal and protective of the ones he loves.  He can use a washing machine, show the kitchen whose boss, and never complains about vacuuming for me.  He's a provider, but never once makes me feel like my work at home is less than his own, and if anything helps me more than most men who are working all day.  He is an amazing role model for our sons on how to be a modern man.

I want nothing more in life than to raise our sons in that emulation.  I am completely aware and conscious that one day they will also be husbands and fathers, and I want them to be just as hands on as their father, and I have this innate responsibility to ensure that they are strong and purposeful men in their futures.  I never shy away from the stereotypical gender roles that my parent's generation grew up with, knowing that girls were raised to take care of the home, and boys to provide for their families; however I am a firm believer that those traditional roles have no place in the world that I am raising my sons.

I want them to learn to cook, clean after themselves, and be aware that they should be fulfilling those roles at home just as much as their future wives.  I want them to grow up respecting a woman, and provide a safe and happy home just as their father is doing everyday.  I want them to learn to fend for themselves and to never live in a world that teaches men that women should be putting the food on the table and keeping the house clean and organized.

I love that Lucas loves to be in the kitchen with father and I, that he is keen on helping me switch the laundry (which has been a blessing in disguise during this pregnancy lol), or that he knows exactly what a vacuum is supposed to do.  This also makes for learning experiences with him, and lord knows I can actually get some stuff done around the house if Lucas thinks its a game, which is what I do; make it fun for him.

 I'm not encouraging any child labour around these parts, just encouraging a little boy to a man one day.  I'm sure his future wife will thank me one day.

Niagara Family Getaway {June 2014}

Its been well over a month since we went on a little family vacay to Niagara Falls.  We wanted to just get away for some family down time before the hubby moved to a new job site that I knew would eventually be taking a lot of his time, plus we are saving the bulk of his time off for when the other little mister makes his debut in September.  We have actually never gone away with Lucas before, due to time and financial reasons and we weren't really sure how he would handle a new environment for naps and bedtime since he is a pretty routine kid.  We learned a few things on this trip but I must say that overall he was amazing.

 

The trips is a mere hour and half for us, and we decided to time our departure during Lucas' naptime to avoid any shenanigans and upsets from the little guy who for now still hates extended periods of time in the car.  We arrived in the city literally just as he was waking up from him nap, so I'm calling that one success so far.  We checked in, got settled in our room, and let Lucas explore the new surroundings.  We had no plans for that evening, since the real purpose of the trip was our plans for the water park the next day.  We headed to an arcade style area across the street where thankfully Lucas was happy just walking around and exploring the different "rides" without insisting on wanting to partake in any of them, score for mommy and daddy since those things are pricey! 

 

We headed to the Rainforest Café for dinner.  Lucas was in love with the scenery since he loves animals and being in "nature".  The waitress had advised us that there would be periodical "thunder storms" and we thought Lucas would get a kick out it, yup not so much.  The first time it happened he looked all around in such concern that you thought he was sure that some apocalyptic downpour was going to ensue.  Thankfully he got used to them eventually even if he was never a fan.  We never really have too many problems dining out with Lucas, he's pretty happy walking around for a little bit, or stays entertained with a video on our phones until his dinner arrives.  Then he will sit through his whole meal no problem.  Kid was hungry that night!  We finished our meals well before Lucas did, and while we usually take leftovers of his meal home, he cleaned his plate of pasta clean!

 

Before heading back to the hotel for bedtime Gianni took Lucas to the glow in the dark mini put.  While Lucas has no concept of the game, he loved running around the ball, and since the hubby has not enjoyed his usual golf game since Lucas was born, I'm pretty sure he was enjoying himself as well.

 

We pushed bedtime an hour later to avoid any antics, and Lucas went down no problem.  He did wake up in the middle of the night and transferred to our bed with us, but I'm blaming myself entirely for this problem.  First I didn't bring a night light, so even though the bathroom light remained open with the door slightly ajar, it was definitely darker than what he is used to.  Also I should have brought his aquarium with us, for some sort of comfort.  Finally our child is so tall, that the crib provided by the hotel, while appreciated was so small for him; and I really should have just asked for a small fold out bed and I'm sure he would have been much more comfortable. 

 

 



The next morning after breakfast we headed to the Fallsview Water Park that was connected to our hotel through a large skyline bridge.  There are really no words how much fun we all had at the park.. Lucas has always loved water and the pool since we introduced him to it at six months.  I have always believed that paying for tot lessons at such a young age is kind of a waste of money but I am a firm believer in making sure that he would not be afraid of the water, so I put the onus on the hubby and I to take him to the pool regularly, and it has certainly paid off.  He was not allowed down any of the big slides, but our little fearless one would have gladly gone down them had he met the height requirement.  We had brought lunch fixings with us so that we could have a quick lunch in our room, and then head back to the park, and let Lucas skip his nap for some more quality enjoyment in the water; but he wasn't having it.  After lunch he snuggled against me in the large king and just fell asleep for almost two hours.  Hey who was I to complain and deny the kid a family nap time!

We enjoyed a great dinner that evening, where Lucas walked the whole half an hour to the restaurant, and then again all the way to the falls!  He's so independent, and while by the end he was asking to be put in the stroller for a break, I sometimes find it lucky that he likes to walk on his own, always requesting that we hold hands. 

The last time the hubby and I were at the Falls was for our first dating anniversary and we have an identical picture to this one.  I actually recently found an old journal entry of mine from that trip, and wrote about how I knew that it was only a matter of time before him and I started planning a future together, getting married and having children, so its kind of nostalgic and beautiful to come back indeed together still and with our son.

We ended up leaving early the next morning, since there was little else we wanted to do in the area with a little one in tow.  For our first time away with a little one, I think we all did ok, and I am already planning, and looking forward to a big week long family trip next April with both my little boys! 

Birthday and Family Fun Weekend

Today is technically our Monday, as we are coming off of a long weekend celebrating Canada Day, and the hubby was fortunate enough to get both Monday and Tuesday off, for a much deserved break.  It was one of those epic summer weekends, where we spent 95% of our time outside, in the sweltering heat, but blissfully happy nonetheless.

Saturday the hubby took advantage to get some more work done on our kitchen ceiling renovation with his dad, so Lucas and I took off for the morning and spent it with my sister and niece.  They live about 45 minutes away from us, so its not always easy to see each other regularly, add to that busy lifestyles well it had been a while since we had hung out, and we were all missing each other.  We headed to the farmers market near my sisters house which conveniently has a splash pad that helped everyone cool down considerably.  Seeing the two cousins play and interact with each other is by far one of my favourite things to see.  They are about 18 months apart, and my niece Emily is such a doll with her cousin, while Lucas "plays" with her but still wants nothing to do with her per say, what a typical boy.

I can't get over how they are almost the same height in this picture!  The hubby is a pretty tall guy and clearly Lucas has taken after his father, which just means with baby boy number 2 on the way, I will be a look like a little munchkin in the middle of them by the time they reach their teens!

We headed out to dinner just me and the boys later that night to begin the celebrations for the hubby's birthday on Sunday.

Is there any better way to begin your birthday morning than snuggled up to this cup of sunshine!  The look of love and contentment on the little man's face is to die for, and it really seemed that he understood that it was daddy's birthday cause he was all snuggles and kisses for his hero.

We had breakfast with Gianni's family that morning, and then we took Lucas to a splash pad near my in laws.  I wish I had pictures, but this place was a lot larger than the ones near our place, and Lucas was just so overwhelmed and in absolute heaven that the two of us spent most of the time just keeping up with him and chasing him through the water.  It was a pretty hot day so after a few hours even the little man had had enough, so we headed back to my in laws for some lunch and a glorious two hour nap.  Glorious nap for Lucas that is!  I'm always worried about napping elsewhere with Lucas cause he is such a creature of habit when it comes to sleeping and rests much better in his crib, but I guess the combination of the heat and the morning activities had him easily passed out in bed with me, and on top of me!  I slept for half an hour and then I really needed to turn around since my hips are always in pain when I'm sleeping lately, but there was no way I was moving, kid was firmly ensconced on my arms and against me...oh well at least he got to rest.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out with family and enjoying a lovely BBQ.

Monday, since Gianni had the day off we decided to have a family birthday celebration just the three of us, so we took Lucas to Downey Farms just north of our house, strawberry picking, and for some farm fun.  Funnily enough Lucas is not a fan of berries, he enjoys the taste of them in smoothies, but won't touch the actual fruit, so he literally could care less about picking the fruit.  We spent the rest of the morning just enjoying the farm activities, until the heat started getting too unbearable.  After another nice nap we headed out to dinner and a walk, capping off the birthday celebrations with a movie in bed!

Tuesday was Canada Day, and since we had spent the whole weekend doing lots of outdoor activities we had planned to tackle some home projects before heading to my sister in law's for BBQ.  Instead we vegged for most of the day since Lucas had an awful night, spending more than three hours up in the middle of the night alternating between laying with Gianni and I.  After he finally got back to sleep at 4:30am, it took forever for the hubby and I to actually settle ourselves.  So needless to say we were tired, and doing nothing sounded a lot more appealing.  

Here's my little cutie before heading out to dinner yesterday, sporting some obligatory red!  His new favourite thing to say when I take pictures is CHEESE, its too cute for words. 

Hope everyone else was out enjoying the wonderful weather this weekend!

A Boring Life

I wish there was a better reason for being absent from the blog this long, but we have just been living, tackling my ever growing list of pre-baby things to do, and enjoying the weather when it graces us with sunshine.  I got pretty sick at the end of May, and it made for a week of pure survival mode.  Luckily Lucas just got the sniffles but the illness hit me like a ton of bricks, and for you fellow mommies, we all know too well there is no break for us when we are sick, they really should invent something to help us moms avoid illness!  Thankfully the hubby was as helpful as he could be the moment he would get home, and during the day I have to say that it felt that Lucas sensed I was definitely not myself, and he was overall a champ at entertaining himself for extended periods of time, or was happy with an educational video while I watched from the couch stretched out in miserable head cold gloominess.  With all that said blogging was far from my mind that week and I found it difficult in the weeks after to write, especially since sometimes life seems a little boring around these parts.

During this time away I've been reflecting a lot on how life will be changing all too soon with baby number two's arrival, and my overall decision to stay home and raise my children.  I had visions of play dates every week, taking the kids to educational excursions, basking in the joy of watching every milestone with my own eyes, and activities galore that I could partake in with him.  The truth is being a stay at home mom is work, more work than I ever tackled in my professional career before babies.  It sure isn't glamorous, unless living in yoga pants is is your idea of glamour, if so then I'm living the life.  There are days that we don't leave the house because someone decided to wake up on the wrong side of the bed and I cannot fathom dealing with a tantrum mid shopping trip or in the middle of a play date (lets be real sometimes that person who woke up cranky is me).  Some weeks go by and the most interesting thing we did was go to the park every day to play with the neighourhood children. My life is ruled by a routine that I have created myself, a routine that I consciously try to pepper with trips to Chapters to play with other children, play dates, and yes I try at least once a week to fit in that all allusive education excursion.

Some would say its a boring life, but you want to know the real truth.  I wouldn't trade my boring, ordinary existence right now for anything in the world.  I don't miss the office gossip over morning coffee, I don't miss the deadlines, other people's expectations, or dressing up for meetings at all.  Sometimes I crave more adult conversation, one that doesn't revolve around us moms discussing the latest sleep problems, or what food our children this week has decided is no longer part of his diet.  But nothing beats the little conversations I have with my every growing son, and learning to decipher his "language".  I do sometimes miss having a little more me time in the week, I'm not going to lie, one that doesn't involve running to the grocery store to get 15 minutes to myself, or taking an extra long bathroom break when the hubby gets home (admit it you have ALL done this!).  But then in the middle of the day when I'm exhausted from running after a toddler, and I just want five minutes of peace, he grabs my hand and a book and sits in my lap, and its pure bliss.

There are days when Lucas decides to tackle and finish a difficult puzzle, or he cuddles up to me on the floor for no apparent reason, or he cries out mommy the moment he wakes up from his nap; and I realize that I wouldn't want to miss any of that for anything in this world.  Would it be nice to have a little more money in the bank for bigger vacations, sure but we aren't struggling with our everyday expenses and that's all that matters.  There really is no money that could buy this time with my children while they are young and are completely dependent on me for their every need.  I will take every single ordinary day with my children any day.  You may call it boring, I call it experiencing my children's every firsts with my own eyes.  I'm off to have a boring day with the little guy, but let's be real with smiles like this its far from ordinary.