Quick fotie post

Well, it was back to reality today for us all as Lee headed off to work after a week looking after us. We got through it ok actually, thank God! I even got some washing dry ☼ It was a beautiful sunny day, so we had to get out and about: baby in the sling and the two busters in the buggy.

Here are some pictures from our lovely week with Lee:

Eddie Rocket's Knickerbocker Glory.... yummmee. At least I think he liked it...

Holy fish, Batman! Look closely.

A different kind of milking machine. At the milk market, of course. You bring your own bottle and fill it with creamy milk here.

Swordfish outside Rene Cusack's.

Digging the praties.

Sweetie. Lee said he was a great help. Brought back memories of his big budda 2 years ago.

He's here! (short version)

Our third little boy has arrived! He weighed in at 7lb 50z, in between Roo and Poonch, which was appropriate, because he looked like a mixture of the two of them. We beat the dastardly induction date by 3 days, hooray! and we came home on Sunday, just like we did with our previous two babies, stopping for celebration cake on the way.

He's here! (the long version)

Well, today was scheduled to be Induction Day for me and the Babycake: the consultant booked us in last week as I was overdue. But me and the Babycake had other ideas and I started getting funny twinges on Friday evening after a walk across Benny's fields feather-hunting with the two lads, Granny and her dog. We came home with our pockets stuffed with fluffy white feathers which we decided had fallen off some angels' wings.

Around 5am the twinges were getting more powerful and regular so I woke Lee to tell him we might need to go to the hospital soon. By the time we'd had something to eat, the lads were awake and the contractions were getting less frequent. Lee had phoned his business partner to tell him he couldn't work and so was getting a bit 'quiet' about my disappearing labour. In the absence of any contractions, we decided to stay busy and go into the village. Mum and I went to Mass and afterwards the priest said a lovely blessing over my bump. We bought some homemade cakes and went home. Lee left us to do a call and so of course, the contractions resumed their pattern!

So I rang the hospital and in we went. We arrived at 3.25pm and after examining me, checking out the baby's heart rate and movements and discussing baby names, the admissions midwife packed us off to the delivery ward, at 6 cms! Things moved quickly once they ruptured the membranes and our little fella was born just under an hour and a half after we arrived in the hospital.

As with the other lads, I used my yoga breathing to get through the contractions. This automatically placed me in Nora the midwife's 'hippy weirdo' category of patient, because she looked at me like I was a nutter when I said I was going to try and get through it as naturally as I could. Then, after our little baba was delivered, she asked us if we wanted to bring the placenta home with us and bury it in the garden....! It's not that I'm super-brave or anything. In fact probably the opposite- the list of possible side effects/ disadvantages from epidurals and the like is pretty scary to me. (Not least an increased chance of having more interventions including Caesarean section, which to name just one thing, puts you out of action for 6 weeks: not a good idea when you have two busy boisterous buachaillí at home.)

We came home next day after an excited, relieved, sleepless night. Thank you everyone for your good wishes, prayers and kind words.

Our next mission.... to find a name for the little babe! Aren't we terrible?

Waiting

Just sending a little picture of some roses and freesias I bought the other day while pushing the two lads and a trolley (a miraculously unwonky one) round Tesco, the day after my due date had come and gone. I don't normally buy flowers for myself, but I LOVE freesias and they cheer me up no end when I'm doing the washing up, which to my mind, makes them worth the price, once in a while.
That's Poonch's little hand reaching up to pick one. He and Roo have been passing the time and making me laugh by blowing raspberries on my tummy for the Baby.

Babycake Update and thank you

Just a little update on what we've been up to lately. The short answer is, 'not much', and it's wonderful. I have been able to stay out of hospital so far, although my GP and obstetrician keep talking about 'taking me in early' even though I have no symptoms of the Obstetric Cholestasis that I was supposed to have had when I was pregnant with Poonch. So far all blood results have come back normal and I'm not itchy, so they really should leave us alone!

When not sitting like a condemned prisoner in some doctor's waiting room, I have been taking it fairly easy and enjoying life with Lee and the two lads. This includes several trips to the fabulous new Milk Market in Limerick city, (including a solo trip to the first monthly craft market, which almost made waiting 4 hours for last week's Dr Nicey appointment worthwhile), lying in the grass absorbing Vitamin D while being climbed on by Poonch and Roo, playing 'runny tubby', making aeroplane noises, baking fairy cakes for Mum's birthday and just because, mixing up 'mah-tee latte' as in the picture, (that's tomato food, in case you're wondering) and trying to complete the blanket I rashly started knitting for the baby a few weeks ago.

The Babycake is due on the 15th, the Feast of the Assumption, and still remains nameless. I promised St Raphael I would name the baby after him if he kept me well, so we have a middle name. I love the name, but couldn't imagine calling him it at toddler group in front of the other mums.

I would like to thank you for your prayers. It is lovely to think there are people I've never met wishing me well, thanks to the blogosphere. So a big 'tah-tee', as Poonch would say, to you all and God bless you.