Exploring the Neighbourhood

We took Simon on his first trip around the neighbourhood today - it seems like the nice weather that we are finally having has inspired everyone to get out and do the same. Initially we tried to take Gus and Brutus with us but Gus was ballistic due to all the other people out and about so he got to go home while we took Brutus with us. We criss-crossed the neighbourhood a few times, introduced Simon to some neighbours, and just generally overdid it on my part. I was feeling great before we went out and not bad throughout but by time we got back, I was suffering.

Tummy Time

Today is one of the first days that I have seen Simon awake and alert for a significant period of time during the day. We decided to take advantage and try out some "tummy time". Simon cooperated for the first few minutes and seemed to enjoy it but after awhile he got really frustrated and started to protest. I tried rolling up a blanket to elevate him a bit but that only aggravated him further! Oxford loved having him on the floor and took full advantage and gave Simon a giant lick upside the head. We got a few photos and I'll upload them once I get them from Nanna B and Granddad.

Simon's First Official Photo

Here's a link to Simon's photo shoot that he had in the hospital ... more pics and update posts to come when Mum and Dad have gotten a little more sleep.

www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID
=8A3E4X4Y2S

Password: Fuller

First Pediatrician Appointment

Simon had his first appointment with the pediatrician today. It was my first trip out with the baby to somewhere other than to visit family and it took a lot more out of me than expected. I had no idea how long it would take to get the two of us out of the house so I was a little late arriving. I quickly learned that carrying a purse and a diaper bag is not feasible - thankfully my Mum was there with me to help carry some of my load. We had hoped to get some photos but the nurse didn't seem overly thrilled with the excitement of a new parent so we didn't manage to get many photos of the actual weighing, etc. The pediatrician is super nice and we really lucked out with getting one - courtesy of my Mother-in-Law who had the pediatrician promise to take on her grandchildren before she retired. He confirmed that all is well with Simon - the initial signs of jaundice had disappeared and aside from the expected weight loss, there were no major issues. We have a follow-up appointment on Thursday to monitor Simon's weight and I am already a little more prepared with a combined diaper bag/purse and more organized paperwork for Simon.

So Thankful for Family

We are so lucky to have family close by - especially since they are so willing to do whatever they can to help. The first week was pretty rough on Matt and myself. I'm dealing with fatigue from the long labour, baby blues and a case of anemia as a result of blood loss during the delivery. Needless to say, sleep is a very precious and limited commodity. Thankfully, Matt and I received relief on Wednesday and Thursday night compliments of the Moms. I slept at my parents on Wednesday and Matt's parents on Thursday to get some sleep and to give Matt a chance to catch up since he still has to go to his French language training. The Moms kept Simon for sleeping and settling and I was essentially just a wet nurse. Simon actually slept a little on his own (which he hadn't been doing for me and Matt) and I got a few consecutive hours of sleep. I am so glad that the Moms were willing to sacrifice their sleep to help me regain some sanity!

Simon's First Night at Home

I couldn't wait to leave the hospital because I couldn't sleep with all of the interruptions and it was hard to manage Simon on my own since it wasn't practical for Matt to sleep in the chairs that they had in the room! Thursday night was horrible and I managed only 1 hour of sleep and that was only because one of the nurses took pity on me and took Simon for a hour. Beyond that, there was no sleeping because people are checking in constantly. We were relieved to be home at about 3:00pm Friday. Unfortunately, things weren't much better for us on our first night home. Simon was inconsolable and we couldn't get him to settle. Finally at almost midnight, I was inconsolable as well and Matt's Mum came over to help us manage. Simon was struggling with feeding and the more he fussed the more frantic I became so Matt went out in search of a 24 hour grocery store to pick up some formula. This gave me a bit of a reprieve and we survived the first night. Simon finally settled at about 5 a.m. and remained that way until 9 a.m.

Meeting the Barkers and the Fullers

Well it didn't take long for Simon to meet the grandparents and the aunts and uncles. My parents arrived first and you could tell that they were excited to meet Simon since they were 15 minutes early which is quite substantial considering they only live that far away from the hospital! Granddad was the first to grab him and made all the right comments about what a cutie Simon is. Nanna B then took over and didn't relinquish her hold on him for the remainder of the visit much to my Dad's chagrin. We got lots of photos along with the dismal hospital lighting and Matt and my terrible photography skills, they didn't turn out great They didn't bring their gift with them but I've been told that Simon will be getting my favourite painting that I always jokingly sticker every time I come over to my parents! Needless to say the memory of childbirth is already fading :)

Next in was Grandma and Grandpa who were the first to receive the news. We split up the visits to make it easier for everyone to get adequate cuddling time. They remembered to bring my favourite flowers and the yellow Gerbera daisies certainly brightened up the dismal hospital room. Jacquie couldn't wait to get her hands on her grandson especially knowing that all of her colleagues had already gotten a sneak peak before her! Grandpa was happy to finally get to hold his first grandchild and we got plenty of photos. Simon decided half way through the visit that he was hungry so Bill and Jacquie went in search of a donut for me and some coffee to fortify Matt. They stayed until just after visiting hours were over and then left Matt and I to have a much needed nap.

The evening visiting hours were equally busy. My sisters and their partners showed up to meet their newest nephew. Debbie and Eric were surprisingly on time and Lynsey and Shawn followed shortly after. Simon was passed from Aunt to Uncle and was perfectly behaved. Bill showed up for the second shift and thankfully brought along with him some real food - Swiss Chalet never tasted so good.

Simon Reid Fuller

After a long labour and delivery, we are finally recovered enough to send out an email annoucing the birth of our first child, Simon Reid Fuller. Simon was a little indecisive about which date to come on, so he kept his Mum and Dad up Monday and Tuesday night before finally arriving 42 minutes short of his due date at 11:18pm Wednesday, March 14th weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs. 4 oz.. Eighteen hours were spent labouring at the Queensway Carleton hospital with the assistance of four shifts of labour and delivery nurses! The plan for natural childbirth didn't pan out and the epidural was welcome relief after so many sleepless 'practice' nights. The only unfortunate side effect was almost being shot across the delivery room during the pushing phase as one of the stirups detached from the table.

Our little boy has decided that he doesn't need to sleep at night so needless to say, Matt and I are still pretty exhausted so we're hoping to hold off visitors for at least a week until Simon is a bit more settled.

There are also some shots of Simon meeting the Barkers on the family website at www.thebarkers.tzo.com - for some reason I didn't make the cut but hopefully soon, there will be more posted :)