6 weeks in...

Oh the things that have been going on around here these days!  Eowyn is now 6 weeks old.  I find that pretty incredible and definitely hard to believe.  There's so much to try and remember these days, with both her and Liam, and I'm finding it hard to have the time to make note of the precious little moments, which is disappointing.  I guess I should be grateful to get anything down at this time.

Eowyn had her 1 month check up 2 weeks ago and had gained an impressive 1.010kg!  Dr Bucher was suitably impressed and of course it explains how chunky she has become.  Somehow with Liam he never went through the really chubby stage that most infants go through - Eowyn is definitely not missing out!  Although she is happily growing she is still a rather challenged sleeper.  There was the suggestion that she might have some reflux issues, but besides the grunting noises we have found she just isn't a fan of being asleep for too long.  Mostly we end up with her on our chests and James has spent many hours sleeping with her on the couch as I have had her on me in the bed.  We have found it almost impossible to get to her sleep for any significant length of time on her back, and so, despite the doctors warnings we have ended up putting her down on her belly, but not until she has slept at least 20 mins on us, so that she might stay asleep through the transfer.  Otherwise, even though we have every chair, swing and bassinet available for her use, we end up being the mattress most times.

The sleep thing is definitely a challenge, but my goodness is she a sweet thing!  We have been seeing a lot more smiles this past week even though she can come across as a really serious little girl.  She loves to look intensely into your eyes and more often than not, that's when we get the biggest smiles.  Unlike Liam, she also seems to be able to go for ages without pooping.  We were certainly concerned for a few days, but it seems like this happens to some babies.  So far the longest she's gone is about 5 days, which sounds just dreadful to me, but hopefully isn't too troublesome for her.  Pacifiers are our friends with her - we'll deal with the repercussions later!  And at least the spit up has reduced to some extent.

As for Liam, he has been so very amusing in his speech lately.  I'm so glad for Shirin's visit, because having outside perspective made us more aware of how comical he can be, and also because she managed to capture him in videos, audio recordings and photos more than we normally get a chance to.  He is also a very loving and curious big brother whose first interest in the morning now is seeing Eowyn.  He loves giving her kisses, eskimo kisses and chatting to her.  We often hear him saying "hey sweetie girl, hey fwoppy head!" and other such endearing greetings.  I see all the signs of a great big brother in the making.  The challenges of no longer being the only baby in the house have come out in other ways - mostly a greater sensitivity to things.  We see a lot more tears over little and big things than in the past, and he's sometimes more resistant to requests from us.  Sharing with his friends has become a bit more challenging at times too, though it does seem to depend which friend it is.  Stirling seems to be just fine, but Drake and him have had a few more run-ins than normal.

I've loved discovering how many words he really knows and how bold he is in trying out new language.  Recently he's been all about singing with us.  He knows "blessed is the spot" by heart, and every bed time sings it with me along with twinkle twinkle and "Oh God, make me a hollow reed".  Shirin managed to get a recording of him even singing some of James' favorites with him like sandman and rockin' robin.  He is as active as can be and I'm just thankful that the naps have continued, though there were a few hairy days when he pretty much refused to nap.  Sarah, our au pair/babysitter, has been helping out more now that Eowyn is here, and it has been a real Godsend.  I imagine if Eowyn was a little more independent a baby, or slept longer and better on her own, that things might be ok with just me, but since those things aren't happening it has basically just allowed me to make sure that both kids are getting what they need.  Sarah plays so well with Liam and he really enjoys her, and I like that I can still be around and in and out of what's happening and still handle Eowyn.  It has also allowed me to get back to teaching a couple of private yoga classes a week, and doing a few massages here and there.  I'm not giving up my maternity leave this time, but doing a small amount has been good just for the earning of some money as well as a reminder that I exist outside of the house.

The other ongoing excitement is Liam's interest in the potty.  His use of it has increased in the last month and it is an every evening/night occurrence for him to pee in the potty.  It's funny to me that it only happens at night or around bath time, but I guess it makes sense since it's a time when other games and activities are not there to distract him the same way.  He now wakes up in the night just to pee, which is less fun for us, but I guess really great in the long term project of potty training.  Oh, and I totally forgot that we also took him to the barber for the first time ever.  He wasn't too happy in the chair and I was sad to see how much older he looked when the hair was cut, but I guess it was going to happen at some point...

Many thanks to Shirin for most of the photos before.  As I said before, she's the only reason a whole lot of stuff has been recorded.

Liam's favorite place to be - the sand box with a big truck!

Liam's first haircut

A typical Eowyn nap

First smiles!  such sweet sweet moments

My little Buddha belly!

Mama and baby love

Sibling love - Liam loves giving kisses

More sibling love - fun visit with Shiri

Child's pose

She's definitely enjoying baths more these days

Family portrait

Auntie Shirin with the two loves

Hanging out downtown

Carona azalea gardens

The Arrival of Eowyn Nola

In true new parent fashion, sleep deprivation and the ensuing fog leaves me a little less than coherent and a little delayed on posting.  In fact it seems to me that it was just moment ago that I gave birth and somehow based on the calendar we are now 21 days into having 2 children.  My hope is to abbreviate the birth story of little Eowyn so it can go down for posterity, though by now who's to say how much I may have forgotten!  Here goes! (feel free to skip to the pictures if the birth story is not of interest! This is also for us to remember it).

Introducing Eowyn Nola Madjzoub Lemmon

I was certainly getting more and more uncomfortable and anxious as days ticked by and there was still no baby, but thankfully 3 days past her due date, she decided to make her grand entrance on February 27th.  I had a dr's appointment in the afternoon, and after a quick check he said I was already 2cm dilated so labor was probably soon to follow.  We came home after the fact and I almost immediately began to feel much more discomfort and had a sense that things were moving along.  Unfortunately it was 4:30pm and we had a dinner guest coming over at 5:30pm, I had to finish cooking, and of course Liam was wide awake.  So, in the way of Amish women, I think I psychologically put off labor to get through the early evening routine.  Somehow, despite some strong-ish contractions here and there and general discomfort, I managed to get through dinner, and bath time with Liam.  James did bed time and when he came out I knew I was heading into labor.  It was 7:55pm and I had him call Iris (our home birth midwife) and Sabine (our doula).

As for the home birth, it was truly exactly the right thing for me.  The labor was about the same length as with Liam (2 hours and 40 mins this time around), and not having to go some place and deal with other people and medical checks etc was perfect.  I felt so supported and the overall sense of the space and experience was quiet calm, despite the turbulence of birth itself.  I was able to labor exactly as I wanted and everything and everyone present was focussed on me and getting me through it.  There were no distractions and nothing jarring to go through.  I feel very lucky to have had this experience, and to be able to look back on both my birth experiences and feel that they both were truly remarkable and precious moments.  I am grateful for the support of Iris and Sabine and their expertise, and ongoing support after the birth as well, and I am so thankful for James and his ability to be calm and supportive in those moments, so that we really entered into this new phase of parenting together.  My mom needs also to be mentioned with all the gratitude as she made sure Liam was sleeping throughout, and beyond that, has spent the last 3 and half weeks making our lives easier in so many ways.

So Eowyn arrived at 10:37pm.  She didn't cry at all when she came out and was just alert and had her eyes open taking everything in.  I was able to hold her for quite a long time before she was weighed and dressed etc.  She came out a healthy 3.760kg, 51cm and 35.5cm head circumference.  She passed her initial tests with flying colors and was a natural at breast-feeding right away.

Just a few minutes after Eowyn was born

The only small glitch in the whole ideal experience was having to go to the hospital after the fact to get stitches.  We had asked my Dr if he would come and he had previously said yes, but at the time the clinic told us he wouldn't come.  So it was slightly unfortunate that we had to get ready and leave the house, but at least we did so at our leisure and after a few hours of just being at home.  It was a long night after all, with not a whole lot of sleep, but with a new tiny one to brighten our time it hardly seemed to matter.

12 hours old

Proud Papa the morning after

Liam and Eowyn - he is already proving to be a caring big brother!

Happy mom and dad with 4 day old

Eowyn's first bath - about as happy as Liam was the first time!

Still not happy after the first bath!

 We had a lovely first week together as a family, with James home from work, my mom around, and Iris and Sabine checking in on us daily.  Eowyn is a real sweety and reminds us so much of how Liam looked when he was born.  We have no rhythm or patterns of sleep and feeding established yet, but give us a little more time and hopefully we'll get there some time soon.  We were sad to say good bye to "grandma Gail", especially knowing how attached Liam has gotten to her, as well as how dependent James and I had gotten on her meals and constant quiet help!  Still, we'll figure it out and meanwhile our hearts are overflowing with more love than we could imagine possible.  Truly there is nothing like the adoring love a parent has for a child.

Grandma Gail and Eowyn

Grandma Gail with Eowyn at our mom and tots get together

Sabine (our doula) comes by a few days after the birth to see how we are all doing

Iris (our midwife) came every day the first week to check on us

Jen comes to visit moments after returning from academic travel

Liam eats Snow

Here's a video of Liam munching on the snow!

First Snow of the Year!

I honestly thought we were going to get through this entire winter without snow.  But yesterday it started with a little sprinkle and we ended up with probably close to a foot of snow by this morning.  Everything looks beautiful and coated in white, and the best part is that we can finally make use of all the snow gear we got for Liam.  I felt so prepared this year, getting his long underwear, snow pants, gloves and even snow boots - it would have been a shame for it all to go unused.  Lucky for us, despite it being January 29th, we can be out and about and enjoy the snow.

Liam has had an absolute blast in it.  From stomping  in it, to flopping down, to being thrown into a pile, even eating it.  We made a snow man and in the back yard and he enjoyed digging with his shovel and filling buckets full of it.

Getting ready!

Ready to head out with Daddy

Having a snow snack!

Sort of snow angel?

Working on the snow man

View from the backyard

Daddy and Liam with Mr. Snowman (soon to be knocked down)

Mummy and Liam and Mr. Snowman

Mostly Liam's Second Birthday and some other random bits

We got back from Istanbul on Christmas Eve and it was really great to have a few weeks at home before James had to return to work.  James couldn't have been more pleased with a Christmas present from Christy and family, of a Jets jersey.  He also managed to convince him to wear it one of the last few days the jets were playing this season.  Too bad they are such a losing team! 

Go Jets!

Sonja and Sham came to visit on the 26th but were off for a few days, returning on the 31st for a good week and a couple of days to just hang out with us.  I'm sorry to say I didn't get a lot of pictures of their time here, mostly because perhaps it would be less than exciting have photos of them at the gym or us all watching Top Chef, or Sonja baking something yet again - we were not terribly adventurous!

We did manage one excursion to Como on Liam's actual birthday, and it turned out to be a chilly but enjoyable day out.  We wandered the streets a while and then headed to our favorite pizzeria place for lunch.  (Sonja and sham did manage to find some paleo friendly fodder too!)

Sonja, Liam and Sham in Como

Liam literally ate almost the whole plate of pasta! Birthday lunch in Como

Sham and I 

Liam laughing after lunch

On our way back to the car after a good day in Como

Stirling and Leigh came by after nap time to wish Liam a happy birthday.  They also brought a couple of exciting presents, one of which was a noisy digger book - clearly a winner for Liam.  The rest of the afternoon was spent on skype with family, and hanging out at home with a few new gifts.  The funniest thing about his birthday was every time someone wished him a happy birthday he'd say " no, no happy birthday!"  In fact it was amusing how right around the actual 2nd birthday "NO" became a big deal to say.  Thankfully it has worn off a little, but we had a few days of "No, I don't want..."  followed by whatever you just said.

Reading the new noisy digger book together

As part of his birthday celebration Sonja also whipped up a sugarless, carb-less cake.  It was quite delicious and a real success with Liam since it was all about the berries on top.

Me after eating the whole pie - just kidding - this is randomly here to mark my 33rd week of Pregnancy

And back to the main event - Liam and co celebrating with the tart/cake!

All set to dig in!

We have also been meaning to cut Liam's hair for some time, and unfortunately we only got to it after his birthday.  Here's a shot of a freshly trimmed Liam.  I feel like I did a slightly better job this time around, probably because I had James assist me with distraction videos of trains and diggers on youtube.

Cutey-pie!

Other major accomplishments over the break were the application of the wall art decals for Liam's room. Baby 2's is not finished yet - I hope to get there before she comes!  But Liam now has a really sweet set-up in his room, and it feels much more like a finished product.  He's enjoying his 3 monkeys!

Liam with his big boy bed and wall of monkeys!

A week and a day after his actual birthday we had a birthday brunch so we could celebrate a little with his friends.  Since everyone was away on his actual day it just made sense to wait, so we had a lovely Sunday brunch here with all the people nearest and dearest to Liam here in Lugano.  We had lots of little peoples running around, but chaos was minimal and I think everyone had a good time.  I didn't get to take any photos so James managed just a couple to at least capture the day.

Liam, Sam, Stirling and Drake playing legos downstairs

A few of the adults - Josh, Kat, Carolyn hanging out with the small people

After all the birthday stuff I am happy to have things quiet down a bit.  I think my hosting days are numbered, at least till after the birth.  I think making 2 dozen bagels was enough for a while.  So we're now back in the swing of things - Liam is getting to know his new babysitter Sarah, and I am testing out how long I can be back at work.  In all of that, Liam has become curious again about the whole potty thing.  He asked to sit on it a few times last week, and even twice sat on it with his pants and diaper off.  Then this past Sat (Jan 21st), James was using the bathroom and Liam decided he would too.  And he really did!  I think we all were surprised to see the poop at the bottom of the potty, but we had a little celebration and Liam felt pretty pleased with himself.  Nothing since then, but little by little we may just get there!

Istanbul - Christmas 2011

After being in Europe for almost 5 years and having Istanbul as one of our "need to see" places, we finally made it there.  Perhaps it wasn't the most perfect timing given that we were traveling with an almost 2 year old and a 30 week pregnant me, but who knows what we'll be able to do once we have 2 little ones to worry about, so it seemed as good a time as any.

Something that made our lives easier was definitely getting a flight from Lugano on Swiss Air and not dealing with delays, major airport waiting times and shoddy baggage issue airlines.  Unfortunately where we have always had really good luck with apartments in foreign cities, we landed a dud in Istanbul.  Without rehashing the whole thing, the place was actually lovely looking and clean, but the smell of cigarette smoke kind of seemed to seep out of the ventilation, and we only noticed it after we got back from dinner on the first night.  We also were not expecting a rowdy party to be taking place just across the street and going until 3am.  The combination led to a bad first night and a decision to move the following morning.  We booked into the Doubletree by Hilton right in the Old Town, and splurged on a suite to allow Liam his own sleeping space.  Breakfast was included, and the location and space were perfect.  We could either walk or hop on the tram to get to all the major sights that one needs to see, and it was easy as can be to pop back to the hotel for Liam's nap times.

Weather was also not on our side, though the prediction of rain every day was a slight exaggeration and we managed to have a glimpse of sunshine on a day or two and a good amount of half days without any rain.  In the short 5 days we had we managed to fit in the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace, Spice bazaar, grand bazaar and a walk from Taksim square down the main pedestrian drag one evening.  That included finding the second best food of the trip - a deliciously delectable Belgian waffle with ice cream and fruit.  Yum.  Best meal of the trip was definitely the Turkish food we had with a former student of James'.  He took us to a fancy place past Taksim somewhere and picked out his favorites.  It was definitely heavy on the meat items but everything was absolutely delicious!

One of our favorite little areas to walk around in was behind the blue mosque in the sultanamet neighborhood.  They had some very sweet shops and boutiques as well as the most curious wood sided buildings that looked straight out of some town in the USA.  Our pictures aren't great because with the rain and my general tiredness I wasn't able to get a lot of fantastic shots.  I guess our memories will have to serve us!

Liam and me inside the Hagia Sofia

Hagia Sofia

James and Liam near the spice bazaar

At the spice market

Just a cute picture in some rare sunshine

The Hagia Sofia in sunshine (not the day we actually went in)

The Blue Mosque

Liam and the Bosphorus taken at Topkapi Palace

Buffet breakfast at the hotel - Liam held out for olives as often as possible

Our souvenirs from the trip included two modern styled kilim rugs (one small for the wall and a slightly bigger one), and 2 hanging mobiles for the kids.