Siblings in Spring

"Sweety little Girl"

  Lately I have been calling Liam my little comedian.  The things he is saying these days truly crack me up.  I love hearing him practice and try out new turns of phrase, and I'm always finding myself surprised at things he says that I just don't expect him to know.  I wish I could keep better track of all the funny moments, but some have already come and gone.  During Shirin's visit she made a big deal about the fact that he said "ockitopter" instead of Hellicopter.  Since then I have heard him say more than once that it is a HELIcopter.  He is so aware of everything we say including an old favorite of mine - "Oh shoot" - which he says in context, but which has recently been replaced with James' favorite "dang it!", which he also uses in the appropriate way.  I'll admit these aren't our proudest moments, but it is also kind of funny to see how quickly they catch on to things.  

In the last few weeks he has been practising talking about liking and loving things and especially people.  Recently he told me the he loves Drake and Stirling, but he doesn't like Sam.  And he proceeded to recount a time when Sam emptied out a dump truck full of sand. He has also listed James, me and Eowyn as people he loves (what a relief!).  Sometimes he begins a sentence with Actually, or Probably, which I find quite amusing.  He often asks to have his door half open, and he always requests just 6 mins to finish playing or doing what he's doing.  A few days ago I found him looking down on Eowyn who was crying on the mat, saying: "don't cry Eowyn, mummy's going to come and feed you quickly."  She is still "Floppy head" to him, and we hear his tone of voice mimic ours as he calls her "tiny little girl!"

Liam and best bud Stirling at the playground in the middle of a bush

Hanging out at the playground

Our first dinner at a restaurant since Eowyn arrived!  Enjoying pizza with Leigh, Stirling and Grayson at Bellavista.  It actually went really well and we went early enough to make it to bed almost on time!

I am loving seeing Liam and Eowyn's relationship begin to develop.  I know these are just the first moments, but they are so very precious.  It's the little smile she gives him when he looks at her, and his sweet pats on the head or belly, and all the eskimo and real kisses a baby sister could want, that warms my heart.  He is desperate for her to get more involved and often tells her to look at the game he's playing.  He'll call me if she topples over from sitting, or if she starts crying, and he'll rush past me to be the one who puts the pacifier back in her mouth if needed.  I just love it!

To clarify, that is not blood coming out of her head, it's the stitching on the diaper changing pad!

As for Eowyn, she is so big. I can't get over it myself and I'm her mother and seeing her every day all day!  Still she just seems to already be so big.  We laugh to ourselves at how we hoped for a better sleeper than Liam, and didn't get one.  Poor thing, I am sure she would be a whole lot better if it wasn't for the reflux or whatever it is that makes it difficult for her to be on her back.  The good news is that after a while of trying to make her work in the way one assumes a baby should, we finally figured out how to work around her special needs and still get some rest and some things done.  So we have resorted to letting her fall asleep on our chests most times at night, and then after anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour we transfer her, belly down of course, onto the bed.  This way we get on average 3 hours sleep at a time out of her.  The last few days we have managed to get her to sleep in the swing for the first bit of her night time (normally starting around 9pm or so) and that's made it a bit easier for us.  She is feeding another couple of times during the night, usually around 3.5 to 4 hours in between.  So although our backs are buggered from bad sleeping positions, at least we are getting some kind of rest.  Of course we look forward to that getting better some time too, but meanwhile it's better than nothing.  Naps during the day are very often 10-25 mins long, especially the ones in her crib on her back.  I really do think it's the position that doesn't allow her to stay asleep.  Recently she has taken a few very short naps during the day, and then a longer one at some point in the afternoon, and that is either in the swing, or on me and then transfered after an hour or so.  Hey, we do a lot to try and make sure she gets her rest!  

We also now have a passport for her, so we are free to travel, though that will be an event in and of itself!

James and Eowyn on the way back from Zurich - passport mission complete!

Me and Liam on our way home from a thankfully uneventful, and fairly easy trip to Zurich

 SLEEP UPDATE!

Since I wrote this a few days ago things have started to shift towards some kind of a vague rhythm with Eowyn, which is very exciting indeed.  For the last week we have had a much fuller night's sleep.  The pattern I mentioned above seems to be sticking, and now we have been bathing them together around 6:30pm and then getting both ready for bed so that somewhere closer to 8pm she's going to sleep in the swing.  She'll sleep in there till her next feed around 11pm or so, and from then on we put her belly down between us after feeds (she no longer seems to need quite so much time on us, so after 10 or 15 mins she's often fine to be transferred).  She is also taking a short nap in the morning - around 30 mins, one long one in the early afternoon (2-3 hours!) and another short one around 5pm.  Or something close to that.  I'm really excited about this development but not so excited when we have to start taking away the crutches - like the swing!

Some cute pictures of Eowyn smiling and such!  These are all from the last week or so.

A farm trip

My doula Sabine invited us to visit her at her farm about 45 mins from Lugano.  So we spent Easter monday afternoon in the mountains, enjoying sunshine and incredible views.  Sabine and her family have been there for 19 years now and they raise pigs and sheep, make their own cheese, and grow a lot of their own produce.  We had a lovely visit and got to see some really beautiful mountain views.  Liam also had a chance to see lambs and piglets just a few weeks old!  He was slightly nervous of the sheep for some reason, but didn't seem bothered at all by the pigs, even the big ones.  Of course the highlight for him was probably riding in the wheelbarrow!

Sabine, Liam and James and a gorgeous view from the sheep pen 

Swiss mountain views

Liam wasn't quite brave enough to touch the lamb

The adorable piglets - this is a wilder older breed of pigs that supposedly is quite a delicacy

Liam gets a wheelbarrow ride!

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