baby wearing

I really LOVE my Rockin' Baby ring sling. I love that Micah loves it just as much as I do and will calm down within minutes (usually falls asleep within 5 minutes too) I love having him close to me, but it also allows me to have my hands free to do other things ( like do laundry, take photos at my brother's wedding, stamp, be on the computer, eat, play games, etc) I always knew that I wanted to be a baby wearing mama but never realized how much I would love it!

 I love that with the sling Ronel (or anyone else) can also use it and wear Micah.

I also like that we can go for walks and not have to take the stroller. It is also a great workout - especially as Micah continues to get bigger!

Oh - and something wonderful about Rockin' Baby slings is that they have a special Mother to Mother movement and for every sling that is purchased, they give a sling to a mother in Haiti.

photos from my brother's wedding

October 1st, 2011 was my brother's wedding. 

The wedding was great and the reception was a new experience. The reception was a traditional Chinese reception held at a Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Each of the 10 dishes were chosen for their meaning and each was served one at a time. There were quite a few dishes that were very different for us. I tried to have a taste of everything but there were some items that I didn't/couldn't try. Marshalla & Curtis had 3 different outfits - the traditional North American outfits for the ceremony & the beginning of the reception, then they changed into traditional Chinese outfits and then later on changed again - her into a red evening gown and him into a red vest & tie. All 3 outfits looked great on both of them! The reception was long and we headed home just after midnight. We got home just before 1am - over 15 hours after we left home that morning!!

The Newlyweds!

The sisters and the 2 youngest nephews. This was the first time my older sister Tanya met Micah (She's holding Micah in this photo)

Micah did great - he spent all of the ceremony on me in the sling asleep. I had to wake him up after the ceremony to feed him. He did great at the reception as well, I fed him right when we arrived (we were early to help set out favours) and he was passed around the table to hang out with his aunties and then he went back into the sling when he got tired. I had a couple people mention that they were surprised how little noise they heard him make. He was a little upset that we put him in his carseat and drove home -- he woke up on the drive home and wanted to eat and he wasn't so happy that he had to wait till we got home! He ate and went right back to sleep as soon as we got home and slept straight through 9am when he woke us up.

The day was just great and we are happy that we got to celebrate in their special day! That was the last of my siblings to get married!

8 weeks

Micah is 8 weeks old!!Wow - where did the time go?

He has his 6 week checkup last week and was 12 lbs 1.5 oz  and 23 1/2 inches long. Feeding is going well and Micah has started cooing. He loves to be worn in the ring sling and very quickly falls asleep when he is being worn in the sling. Both Ronel & I can use the sling so it is great. Micah spends a lot of time in the sling as it allows me to have him close, he loves it and also have my hands free to do other things that need to get done. This past week Micah has also started sleeping 6-7 hours straight at night. He normally sleeps from 11 or 12 at night until 6 or 7 in the morning. This works out well for me because I get my second wind around 9 and don't want to go to bed until 11:30 or so anyway so it means I am awake for his last feeding before bed and then we both get a good chunk of sleep. Ronel leaves for work most days at 6am so it also means I am up to say goodbye to him.

This weekend my oldest sister will get to meet Micah as she is coming over from Vancouver Island for my brother's wedding. He will also get to meet some other relatives he has yet to meet.


It is currently 12:16 am and Micah is very much awake and alert! I am hoping he has plans to go to sleep soon and that he continues with the 7 hour sleep as tomorrow is a busy day and I won't get to have a nap!

Off to walk him around the house in his sling in an effort to help him fall asleep!
(there are photos but they need to wait till I have more than one hand free!!)

I just got this photo from my mom. It was taken while when she came to visit her newest grandson in the hospital. I was sad when I realized that we hadn't had any photos taken of the three of us after Micah was born. Thankfully someone else thought of it!!

This photo was taken about 7 hours after Micah was born. Those smiles on Ronel & I's faces are pure adrenaline and joy! This was 13 hours after I went into labour and after a long night with no sleep!

Micah's dimple

Micah has the cutest little dimples and I've been trying to capture them in a picture but hadn't had any luck. Tonight Micah was lying on the bed beside Ronel and I sat in front of him and asked him to smile for me and he kindly smiled for me and allowed me to capture his cute dimple for all to see! He also has a dimple on the other side. 

flashback...

I was playing around tonight with my picasa web albums and found some old photos of Ronel & I that I thought I didn't have any more (due to computers & external hard drives dying) and thought I would play around with them on picnik.com. These are the results.   

photos

hard to believe

I was going through photos and found this on Ronel's camera. This was taken only 5 days before Micah was born. Hard to believe there was a 9lb baby hiding in there.
  
That is also me 26lbs heavier than I am today. I am so amazed and blessed that I am healthier today than I was 11 months ago before I got pregnant. I currently weigh 37lbs less than I did when I got pregnant, without a huge change in my lifestyle, but smaller meals (mainly due to a much smaller appetite), less "junk" snacks and an increase in physical activity (mainly walking more). Ronel & I endeavoured to get out and be active more to help us both be in better shape for our son. It wasn't difficult as BC is beautiful and there are lots of gorgeous places to go for walk. Even just walking around the block gets you up & moving. I am so thankful for a relatively easy pregnancy that allowed me to keep active and also to keep working up until 39 weeks.

just for fun

milestones

Two years ago today Ronel & I landed on Canadian soil together. One more year till we can start the process of making him a Canadian citizen! 5 weeks ago today we welcomed our son into this world.

updating...

thought it was time to update the blog, especially the header photos. I'm under the weather and not feeling up to much and I have a gorgeous baby sleeping on me, so what better way to pass the time!!

hope you enjoy it!


(the photos are in order -- Ronel & I engaged in Haiti, our wedding, Micah at 12 days old and our family photo taken when he was 16 days old)

where did the time go...?

I can't believe that Micah is almost 5 weeks old already! It has already been over a month since he was born! In so many ways it seems like only last week! He is growing and last Thursday at his 4 week checkup he weighed in at 10lbs 12.5 oz, which means he gained 1lb 12.1 oz since he was born (not counting the weight he had to gain to get back up to his birth weight!)

He is a great baby and has even been sleeping 4-6 hours in a stretch at night which Mommy loves! (though it often starts earlier than I am wanting to go to sleep so I am still not getting quite that much sleep at a time) We are slowly reducing the amount of formula he is getting as a supplement as my milk supply is increasing. He still often gets a 1-2 ounces of formula at one of his nighttime feedings which I think helps with the longer stretches of sleep.

Yesterday, the three of us headed out along with my mom for our first extended outing. We headed out to Deer Lake in Burnaby to do some letterboxing. (see here for more info on letterboxing) We had a great time and look forward to many more letterboxing outings with Micah! It was a day of many firsts for us - first letterboxing outing with Micah, first time changing Micah in the stroller on the side of the path!, first time nursing while walking!!, and for me, the first LONG walk since having Micah (we were walking for probably close to 3 hours)

I have some photos to add to this, but it is harder to do with only one hand so they will have to wait till later.

preview...

Click here to go see a preview of our photo shoot with Kendra of Bullfrogs and Butterflies Photography.

The photoshoot was a Christmas gift from my sister & her family.

clarification...

so I found out yesterday that the nurse who told us that Micah weighed 9lbs 4oz misread the scale... he only weighed 9lbs 0.4oz. - just a small difference! I was at a br*ast feeding clinic that my midwife referred me to and they weighed him in grams and when she was looking at the chart to convert it for me, I noticed that it was more in grams than he was at birth but less in pounds and figured something had to be wrong. In this day of internet, I used an online grams to pounds calculator and figured out that Micah's birth weight of 4093 grams equals 9 pounds 0.4 ounces. Then when we were looking at photos from the hospital, I noticed that the scale says 9 0.4!!
He is currently just above 9lbs 3oz, which means he has regained his birth weight plus 3 ounces. Which may not seem like a lot, but when they were using 9lbs 4oz as the starting weight, it meant he hadn't regained his birth weight back. I don't know if this will change anything, but I will be making sure to mention it to the doctor next week at the BF clinic that his birth weight was wrong as I think it may change what they are wanting to do in regards to his eating plan.

Family Photo

The Cledomins - -a family of three! We had a family barbeque today with lots of family and took some "extended family" photos (a yearly tradition when we all gather) and this year, we also took a Cledomin family portrait. This is us... 16 days after Micah's arrival.

day 8...

wow, it has been 8 days since Micah joined our family. The past week has flown by, but at the same time seems like it has been much longer than a week! Micah & I have both finally caught onto to the whole feeding thing... it took till Tuesday or Wednesday for my milk to come in, and until then we were supplementing his feedings with formula, which wasn't what I wanted, but was what was best for Micah. He was a trooper though and did great with switching between the bottle & bre*st - which was part of my concern with formula supplementing.  His weight was fluctuating and he lost weight again after a small gain after starting the formula. Today at our home visit with our midwife, he gained a small bit since yesterday's visit and she was happy with that, so we get to continue trying only bre*stfeeding and see if he gains again weight over the weekend.

It is so much fun to have Micah around. His expressions are constantly changing and it is so hard to not just stare and watch him all day! He is often wide-eyed and so alert - looking at the world around him.

It is so amazing being a parent. I know that I spent 9 months preparing for his arrival, but nothing can actually prepare you for that moment when they place your child on your chest. It is totally surreal and something I can't fully describe. I love being Micah's mother and am truly amazed that this precious bundle of joy came from my body... that this wonderful baby boy is part of Ronel & I. He is a precious gift from God.

getting a kiss from big cousin Ethan

My nephew Ethan is totally cute with Micah. It will be so neat to watch him as a big brother when his baby sister arrives in December. It will be so neat having a cousin so close to Micah's age. (he will have 2 that are fairly close. Ethan is only 16 months old and Micah will only be 4 1/2 months old when my sister has her baby just before Christmas. )

Mommy & Micah taking a nap snuggled up with Mommy's baby blanket. (the knitted green & yellow blanket)

Daddy loving on Micah.

I love watching Ronel with Micah. I've always know that he loves kids, but to see him with his own son is something special. 

Well, my son is requiring my attention so I will leave you for now......

Introducing......

Micah Jeremiah Clédomin 

 

(minutes after he was born) 

He was born at 5:05am on August 4th, 2011 (his due date!!) weighing 9lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long.

Proud Daddy holding his son

The labour and delivery went fantastic. I was in active labour for only 3.5 hours and pushed for about 25-30 minutes before he was born. I did have 2.5 hours of "non-active" labour that was quite intense but still only 6 hours of contractions is NOTHING to complain about. My midwife said I did a fantastic job.

We are enjoying life with Micah.

More photos and stories to come.....

38 weeks + 2 days

Here is a photo that we took at my nephew's birthday party yesterday.

We're all still doing great. Baby is growing and we had an ultrasound done that confirmed that he is head down and ready to go! Now for him to wait till I'm done with work next week before he decides to make his arrival. We put the car seat in today and got a few things that I needed for while we're at the hospital (will also help when we're at home) Need to pack my hospital bag and then it is just waiting till it's time!

catch up .... week 37!!

So, it's been a while since I've posted. Sorry, life has been busy! I'm still doing great and baby is growing...

Today I'm 37 weeks and considered full term so baby can show up at any time now. I still feel great and he's been moving ALOT lately and it is such a weird feeling and I can't wait till he's in my arms, not just in my belly! We've been arranging things around the house and making sure that things are ready for his arrival.  We've got his name picked out and I can't wait to see his little face. I have been having weekly appointments with my midwife so I get to hear his hearbeat weekly and that always makes it even more real. They are scheduling me for another ultrasound to double check fetal position as the midwives haven't been able to definitely tell his position by feel and they just want to make sure he is head down. I'm still working, but have been moved to desk duty instead of doing fieldtrips.

Ronel started working in the middle of June and that has been an adjustment for both of us... He's working in the warehouse at a Canadian Tire and while he is still adjusting, it is good for him to be working and getting used to the work environment and having the extra money coming in definitely helps.

I will make sure that I let you know as soon as I can when baby decides to make his arrival in case I don't get a chance to post before then!

so it's been a while!

We are now at 29 1/2 weeks and the countdown is on!!  I started having some "not so fun" pregnancy moments... at 26 weeks I started experiencing nausea in the evenings and also started experiencing heartburn. The heartburn is really the big problem... it seems to just keep getting worse and not a whole lot helps, I did discover that it was worse during the day, but lately it is ALL THE TIME!  The baby is kicking/moving a lot lately and I can't wait till Ronel gets to also feel all the movement.

On the weight side of things, I have started putting on weight but barely.. my last checkup had me a +1 from my previous checkup 3 weeks prior and the one before that was +2, but my midwives are happy and so was the OB/GYN I had a consult with. This still puts me at -14 lbs from before I was pregnant and if everything continues like it has, I should still be below my pre-pregnancy weight when I deliver!!

Ten and half weeks and we should be meeting our son!!!

25 weeks and happy news!!

Saturday I had my Gestational Diabetes testing done. I had the LONG 2 hour test done first instead of having a 1 hour test and then going back for a 2 hour test if the first one had abnormal results...

Well today I checked online for the results (A wonderful new thing from BC Biomedical Labs - an online place for people to check their own results instead of having to wait to see if the doctor calls with bad news!) and was delighted to read the following


Gestational Tolerance
Glucose Load     75g
                          Results     Reference Range
Fasting Glucose   4.5           < 5.1   mmol/L
Glucose 1h          5.8           < 10.0 mmol/L
Glucose 2h          5.5           < 8.5   mmol/L
  
PATHOLOGIST'S COMMENT: Normal Glucose Tolerance.

I had kind of worked myself up to accept a result of having Gestational Diabetes because of my family history of diabetes and my weight. I said I would love to find out I didn't have it, but wouldn't be totally shocked or upset that I did.... well, I am very happy to know that I don't have it and don't have to deal with this! I know that I have had ladies in my church praying specifically that I would get a normal result so I am thankful for their prayers and happy to let them know the results!

Baby is growing and my belly is continuing to grow harder which is so weird to me!! Thursday will be 26 weeks and I am feeling the baby move all the time now, it still catches me by surprise sometimes!

Next week Tuesday I have a consultation appointment with an OB-GYN from the hospital where I will deliver, my midwife wants me to meet with this doctor just so that I am prepared in case I have to deliver by caesarean. That way I also am not having a stranger come in and deliver my baby. We're praying that I can deliver naturally (and so are the ladies from my church mentioned above) but I also figure it can not hurt to meet with the OB and atleast be informed.

I am still not really gaining weight - I gained 2 lbs at my last appointment (form the previous appointment 3 weeks prior) but that still puts me 16 lbs lighter than I was before getting pregnant! My appetite is still on and off and right now fruit seems to be my big staple - lots of strawberries, grapes and pineapple. I don't always want to eat at lunch and dinner, but I do eat something as I know that my body needs that nutrition. My portions are definitely smaller than before but I feel full and don't often get hungry between meals.

On Good Friday after our church's Good Friday service in the morning, Ronel & I headed to West Vancouver and went to Lighthouse Park where we took a hike through the park and got to see some amazing views from the lookout stops. After that, we headed into Vancouver and went to Chinatown & Granville Island. It was a wonderful sunny day which we haven't seen in a while and it was just nice to spend time outdoors with my hubby! I enjoyed strolling through the children's stores in Granville Island's Kids Market and looking at all the baby stuff, especially the boy stuff!! We didn't buy anything but it was lots of fun to look.

I hoped you guys all had a great Easter weekend remembering and celebrating what Jesus did for you & I.


ps I have photos to add but my computer is being a pain and won't let me add them! Will try again later!

got the call

Thursday while we were running some errands I got a call from my midwife asking if I still wanted to know the gender of our baby. I said YES!! and she told us that we are having a BOY!!! I was super excited cause I was wanting a boy and really thinking it was a boy while Ronel, my mom & sisters all wanted a girl (in my family, so far the grandkids are 4 boys and only 1 girl (the oldest), plus with Neil's grandkids it is 1 of each so the boys greatly out number the girls) The midwife also mentioned that the ultrasound lab had asked me to come back in for a "urgent" follow-up ultrasound as they were unable to get clear photos/measurements of certain parts of the baby so I will be heading back for another ultrasound on April 6th. While I'm not excited about having to drink that much water and hold it again or that they couldn't see certain things last time, I am excited about seeing our son again!!!

We are just over 21 weeks now and I am definitely starting to feel and notice the changes in my body. I am excited to feel HIM kick/move for the first time.

Halfway point!!! 20 Weeks

Wow - can't believe that we're at the halfway point for this pregnancy!
I have started to notice differences in my body and am now wearing maternity pants as my regular pants are a bit snug around the waist.  I have lost 9lbs since finding out I was pregnant  - part of that is due to healthier eating, part is due to a total lack of appetite.

My appetite is slowly coming back now that I'm on the mend from the pneumonia (the dr & midwife both said it could be 6 weeks before I'm completely better). We had our ultrasound last Wednesday and got to see our baby again. It was so cool! The baby was moving all around and the ultrasound technician was so great at pointing out everything to us and got us some great photos (I'll try and figure out a way to get them online) No profile photos which the technician tried really hard to get but baby wouldn't cooperate. Hopefully in the next week or 2 we will find out if I'm carrying our son or daughter, then we can start saying he or she and look a little harder on finding names!

Baby's now the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies respond best to tastes they've already had via amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you'd like your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

event filled week 16

so we've had an eventful week 16. We're supposed to be moving this week, my birthday was this past Monday and my mom is getting married on Saturday and what does the doctor tell me today... I have PNEUMONIA! I got what I thought was a cold on Saturday - running nose, etc. Then Sunday I went good to bad and spent the day in bed coughing and I've tried to work the past 2 days but haven't made a full shift yet and now I'm not allowed to go to work for the rest of the week. I'm stuck at home (in bed, coughing up a lung!) thankfully I'm on antibiotics (which are safe for the baby - Dr said these are antibiotics he would prescribe to an infant) so I am praying I start to feel better soon, but currently feel horrible - no strength to do anything (barely enough to be on the computer for more than 10 mins) and coughing CONSTANTLY. I'm glad I went to the Dr and didn't think it was just a cold (lots of people told me it would be a waste of my time as the dr wouldn't give me anything for a cold, but after being up ALL last night coughing (Poor Ronel - I felt so bad for him but he was so good, rubbing my back and praying me through it) Ronel & I both felt I should be on the safe side and go get checked out. And I'm glad I did.

On baby news, I don't think the baby is loving all my coughing, must be like a roller coaster in there when I cough! I can feel my uterus contracting when I cough and I thought I might have felt the baby move this week but wasn't a 100% positive. Can't wait till I feel the baby move and now it is really the baby!

Oh and on top of all that, we've had record breaking cold temperatures  (not as bad as back east but still!) and we've had light snow flurries daily since Monday! Spring, please hurry and bring the sun back!

week 16

Baby's now the size of an avocado!
Watch what you say...tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean she can now pick up your voice. A few more minuscule changes: Eyebrows, lashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming.





This week I had a midwife appointment and for the first time I got to hear the baby's heartbeat and also got to hear the baby kicking! It almost made me cried! I booked our next ultrasound for March 16th and we'll get to see the baby again and hopefully find out the gender! Still feeling great and my midwife told me that I needed to move into maternity pants... I was hesitant cause I have only lost weight and my pants are mostly loose on me, but she said the waistbands were too constricting for the baby, so I'm in maternity pants and I'm enjoying the benefits of no buttons and zippers when I need to make a quick bathroom stop!

Week 15!

Baby's now the size of a naval orange!
Continuing the march toward normal proportions, baby's legs now out-measure his arms. And, finally, all four limbs have functional joints. Your fetus is squirming and wiggling like crazy down in the womb, though you probably can't feel the movements just yet.






Wow - I can't believe that we are already at week 15! I've still been feeling good, starting to notice small changes in my body. Since getting pregnant, I haven't gained any weight, only lost it, which isn't a bad thing in my case! I've been eating healthier (mainly just less junk food cause we weren't eating that unhealthy before)  and I am not as hungry as I was pre-pregnancy so less snacking.

We're getting prepared to move over the next week and a half. We will be housesitting for my mom and soon to be step-dad. (Yes, my mom is getting remarried on the 26th of this month to a guy we all really like!) for April - June but because we've been having some small issues with our landlords, Neil (Mom's fiance) said why don't you guys move in a month early. So we'll be living with them for March which will allow us to lean about the house and also help my mom figure out her new laptop before their 3 month journey across the US.  Then we'll look for a place for us & baby late June and have a month to settle in before baby arrives in August.


I hope you guys are all doing well!

finishing up the first trimester

This week we hit the 3 month mark! It is amazing to believe that I am already 1/3 way through this pregnancy! I have made it through the first 12 weeks with NO morning sickness and I've been feeling great. We had our dating ultrasound on the 30th of December and got to see the itty bitty baby. I loved watching Ronel's face as the technician pointed out the heartbeat (really just a flutter on the screen) and the baby. I can't wait till the next ultrasound when we'll be able to see the baby much clearer.  Just after the New Year, I came down with some bug and got stuck in bed for a week - NOT the way I wanted to start off 2011!!

I haven't started showing yet but my clothes are definitely getting tighter around the waist!!

Happy New Year to you all!!