The greatest reward

First smiles at 5 weeks old

10 lbs of joy!

For being so little, newborns sure are a lot of work! It is a 24 hour job where you devote all of your self, time and energy to making this tiny person adjust to being in the world. I don't have much memory of Cale's first few weeks, but Odin seems to be a bit fussier than I remember Cale ever being. For the first 4 weeks of his life Odin whined and cried if he was not sleeping, sucking (still only on someone's finger - no soothers for this guy), bouncing or walking.  He hates getting his diaper changed and screams at the top of his lungs during bath time. I wouldn't say he is colicky, but we were constantly pulling out all of our tricks in an attempt to keep him happy and calm. As my dear friend Amy said, 'He is cute, but he still seems a bit shell-shocked'. It was so true! Odin seemed very unsure of the world, and after months of being in the womb, I can completely empathize with that. 

This week, however, it feels like we've turned a bit of a corner. One week can make a big difference, and Odin is now much more alert and has longer stretches of being relaxed and content. Today we received the greatest reward for all of our hard work - he greeted us with his first real smiles. It is truly the best moment as a new parent. A small but beautiful and powerful sign of recognition for all that we've given him. I know that he is going to be just fine and I'll happily continue to give him everything I've got, as long as he keeps being so darn adorable!

Drunken sailor smile

Another treat this week - Odin wore his Tom Brady jersey and the Patriots had their best game of the season. Coincidence? I think not!

Brotherly love and motherly musings

Sleeping beauty (thanks to Aunt Sarah for these great shots)

Three weeks in and Odin's life has been filled with family love. Being back in New Brunswick means being surrounded by family, and it is wonderful.  We spent last weekend at Aunt Teresa's farm with 3 cousins, 5 aunts, an uncle and Grammie Jeffries. We get to see more cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents nearly every day. Watching Odin grow is a special time for all of us.

Caleb received his very own guitar as a big brother gift from his Aunts Nancy and Joan. He was incredibly impressed and has been playing his first original tunes for us - "I lost my pick" and "Cat in the dingle"

Gearing up for his first concert with cousin Monica. Caleb couldn't believe it when we all threw coins in his guitar case after the show!!

Cousins stopping to chat while on a solo stroll

Several things about having a newborn are coming back to me:

-  always remember check to make sure the shoulders of your shirts are free of spit-up before leaving the house
- babies tend to wake up the moment you sit down to eat a meal
- hands-free time is a hot commodity and it is amazing what a new mom can get done in only 5 minutes without a baby in their arms
- I, and maybe all breastfeeding moms, tend to feel like a human soother most of the time. It's tough when a baby wants to feed all the time. I remember having a lot of doubts with Caleb (am I feeding him too much? Is he getting enough to eat? Do I use feeding too quickly as a way to soothe him?). This time around I'm trying not to worry about it so much and am instead just doing what feels most natural to me and to Odin. Which seems to be feed. A lot.

And now for some big brother love:

Life with a newborn

Well, hello there!

It's been awhile since we've had a baby in our home. There are some things about life with a newborn that have come completely naturally and others that I totally forgot about.

Newborn babies need stuff. Lots of stuff that seems to be taking over every corner of my folks house where we are staying. Receiving blankets, wipes, diapers, blankets, onesies....there is no way to avoid serious sprawl once the newborn arrives. And don't forget to pack all of the above in a diaper bag whenever you leave the house! Traveling light is not something that applies to new parents.

Babies take time to get ready. No more quick 'get up and go' for us! We definitely need an extra 45 minutes of prep time to feed the baby, change his diaper, change his clothes, find the diaper bag, blanket and car seat and then try to get out the door before you need to feed or change him again!

Babies want to be held. All the time. I guess there is no more comforting place to be than in the arms of the one you love, or in Odin's case in anyone's arms at all, as long as they are warm.

Newborns are soothed by sucking. The 'sucking reflex' is their first primal instinct. Odin hasn't really taken to a soother yet, so for now a baby finger seems to work best. It is such a great way to calm him quickly and it keeps me from jumping in to breastfeed every hour.

Nap time

Newborns literally sleep, eat and poop. That is it. They open their eyes and make hilarious facial expressions and unintentionally smile often enough to make you to fall madly in love with them, then they go back to sleeping, eating and pooping. I forgot just how much babies need to breastfeed during the first few weeks - up to 12 times in a 24 hour period! That is a lot of time where I can do nothing more than sit down, relax and feed Odin.

Life with two is tough! Sleep when baby sleeps? Sounds great, but doesn't really work when there is a 4 year old by your side wanting to make 'inventions' or play baseball. We really don't want Caleb to feel like he is being ignored or develop any jealousy towards the baby, so playing with Caleb is a definite priority for us. Thankfully we have family here to help out and devote 1 on 1 time with Caleb so we can enjoy the baby and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Serenade

Odin Alistair Jeffries

Born in Kentville, Nova Scotia at 6:30 am on September 1, 2014. 6 lbs 14.99 oz

My family

He is here. Our little Labour Day baby has arrived.  The birth was incredibly quick. After days of waiting and 12 hours of contractions, Odin finally decided the time was right and he was born before the doctor could even make it to the delivery room. Thankfully the nurses were amazing and Alan was my steady rock through the chaos, even while I was attempting to tear his fingers off.

We are madly in love and are starting to settle into our new life in Fredericton as a family of 4. Caleb is an incredible big brother, as I knew he would be.  So gentle, loving, independent and proud. I couldn't believe how enormous Caleb seemed after being away from him for a few days following Odin's birth. His hands seemed giant and his body so thick and strong. It was like he had completely grown up over a 48 hour period. Now to rest, recover and try to enjoy every moment of watching this tiny baby grow. 

Maiden Voyage across the Bay of Fundy on the Princess of Acadia at 60 hours old.

Brothers!

Leisure suit (Thanks Grampie John!)

First family portrait by Caleb. Can you guess which one I am??!!

Overdue

I'm now 40 weeks and 4 days and I don't know how much longer I can waddle around this town.
Overdue??!! This was the last thing I was expecting. Caleb was born 5 days early and I had myself convinced that our new little one would follow his lead. The doctors had told me that Caleb's early birth was a good indicator, and after one ultrasound I was told that the baby was 5 days larger than expected. So I knew that there was no way I'd make it to my due date...and yet, here we are!

I've had 2 membrane sweeps, numerous long walks and drives on bumpy roads. So far I've had only an hour of very mild contractions last night, but nothing labourish today at all. Tonight I'm turning to the spicy curry and labour inducing pressure points! I'm feeling enormous, sore and impatient. How is it that 4 days can seem longer than an entire 9 months. But deep down I know that he has to come one of these days, right?

If nothing happens over the weekend, I'll be induced on Monday (which also happens to be Labour Day). Maybe this baby just has a sense of humour and really appreciates the irony of our situation.

Come on baby, your family is waiting to meet you....and we won't hold your tardiness against you! Unless I'm writing a similar blog post in a week from now!!!

Final countdown

39 weeks and I'm feeling....

• so excited to meet this little person who I will love deeply for the rest of my life
• very slow and very large (Caleb asked if my belly was going to explode the other day)
• happy and thankful that both Alan and I are done work and are able to enjoy a few lazy days together 
• emotional, as became evident when I found myself weeping during an elimination of Amazing Race Canada!
• an overwhelming urge to pee!
• ready to be a mom again

Last days as a family of 3

Father and one son

 It's been 4.5 wonderful years since our journey as parents began. Everything I could say about how wonderful it has been seems so cliche, but it is all true. Being a mother has been the most wonderful, rewarding, fulfilling, and at times challenging thing I've ever done and very soon I'm about to do it all over again. I'm so excited for our family to grow but I'm also feeling a bit nostalgic as well. Life as a family of 3 has been so great and Caleb has been such an amazing son, I just can't quite imagine adding another little person to our lives and loving him as much as I love Cale.

It will be great, of course, and I hope it will be a smooth transition for all of us. We have fallen into a great, simple routine with Cale. Life with a 4 year old is great! No diapers, no naps, no preparing special meals, great conversations, family adventures we can all enjoy....and the list goes on. It is tough, however, being a constant playmate to an only child, so I think having a little brother will make life a lot easier in many ways....a few years down the road, that is. My biggest fear is that Caleb is too attached to me and it will be hard for him to see so much of my attention devoted to someone else. Hopefully, we'll all handle it well and I know there will be enough love to go around. I just hope my heart doesn't explode when I finally get to hold my two boys in my arms.

And now for some summer shots!

All grown up...

...almost!

Presenting...Caleb Jeffries and the Humpbacks!
Whale watching off of Digby Neck! We also saw a 25 foot basking shark right beside the boat. Amazing!

Captain Cale

Family of 3!

Family Vacation!

We had a wonderful vacation last week, but being nearly 37 weeks pregnant, I am moving in slow motion theses days and am only getting around to writing about our adventures now. We kicked off our vacation at the Kempt Shore music festival where I slept in a tent for the last time during this pregnancy and made Alan promise that next year we would travel in a trailer (true bluegrass style). The music was great, Caleb surprised me by remembering Valdy lyrics 4 days later and even though I didn't get much sleep it was a really fun time.

Next up was a visit from the Spragues. Adam, Ang, Aly, Ava, Greg and Linda all made it to Annapolis Royal. The kids spent a day at Upper Clements Park, which I was incredibly impressed by. I drive past the park and old wooden roller coaster everyday on my way to work and I have been imagining it as an run down ghost town. But not so! It is incredibly well maintained with lots of tourists and a great selection of rides. Caleb thought he should go on the roller coaster for his very first ride and I'm afraid the little guy had no idea what he was getting into. Alan said he was completely silent and didn't budge during the rickety ride, and afterwards as he climbed off in a stunned state he let one single tear roll down his cheek before saying he wasn't going to do that again! He stuck with the 'kiddie' rides from then on and had a fantastic time.

We then headed to White Point Beach Resort on the South Shore and spent 2 days enjoying the beach, pools, bunnies, bonfires, amazing buffets and everything else the resort had to offer. Taking a family vacation with all of  us was on my mom's bucket list and I'm so glad that we were able to make it happen. Thanks, Lin!!

From there Alan, Caleb and I trekked on to our house in Bayside where we hosted a 'Good Vibes bonfire' and even conducted a smudging ceremony to put some positive energy back into the home we love so much. And I think it worked! We can't wait to get a new tenant in there starting in Sept and begin a new chapter as landlords!

And we weren't done from there. Next stop was Truro for a bluegrass festival and a celebration with the Jeffries side of the family for cousin Jack's 1st birthday party! More music (but no tenting!), reconnecting with great friends, dancing, sprinklers and sunshine made for a wonderful weekend. A bluegrass fan asked Caleb if he would be a guitar player when he grew up and he responded very seriously by saying 'No, actually I am going to be an astronaut!'.

 The theme for Jack's birthday was 'A Teddy Bears Picnic' and Anne Murray definitely won over a new fan. Caleb  fell in love with the song which he told me 'is just singing in his head all day long'. See the results in the video below!!

Let's play farmer!

Pony ride on Max

This week we all got to play farmer. Our neighbours were away and we were left in charge of 2 cows, 1 pony, 9 hens, 1 rooster, 7 chicks, 1 dog and 1 cat! Phew! We went from 0 to 22 pets, and we had a blast. Cale was an excellent egg collector and was up especially early each day to let the chickens out of their coop. We learned a ton and it was a great experience for all of us - but we are not rushing into the farm life just yet...although I am determined to get a cat when we finally settle in one place for more than 3 months...and maybe even a few chicks to raise.  

He does go up higher than just the first branch

New best friends playing in 'Acorn Cottage'  (photo by Greggy)

Tree swing (photo by Greggy)

Belly shot - 34 weeks and counting!

Finding calm among chaos

Happy Canada Day!

I've been going through a lot these days. It seems that stress has been waiting for me around every corner. For the past few months I've been worrying about the health of the baby, situations have arisen at work, we had to pack up, find a new place to live and move, and most recently we have had to evict our tenant in Halifax. This week has been especially chaotic- trying to repair damage to the home, set up viewings and find new, suitable tenants for the home we love so much. All while being over 30 weeks pregnant. Thankfully, Alan has made it his mission to take charge of the negative situations, fix what was broken and shield me and our baby from the stress. 

Amongst this chaos I have been so fortunate to have friends, family and an amazing husband to turn to. Having a hilarious 4 year old running around also helps. I've been trying to keep things in perspective and see the big picture - we are healthy, happy and going to get through this. AND we are going to welcome a new baby into our lives very soon. Finally, in the past couple of days things are starting to look up again. The dark cloud that seemed to be perpetually hanging over my head has lifted. We have found great new tenants, good vibes are being restored to our beautiful home, and now I can try to relax and enjoy the final few weeks of my pregnancy. The only stress now is finding a boy name that Alan and I both like!!

I did manage to have a great time this weekend with several close friends during our 3rd annual Moms and Tots camping trip! This year we had 6 moms and 8 babies camping out at beautiful Blomidon Provincial Park. The weather was perfect, the kids were great and it was just what I needed to clear my head a bit. 

We did it! Moms and kids (Elias, Daniel, Annabelle, Gus, Lia, Tommy, Kai and Caleb)

Sparklers were a big hit especially for Caleb, who as the last child to go to bed (surprise), was able to play with them in the dark.

The shores of beautiful Blomidon Park on the Bay of Fundy

Waterfall walker

Dad's day

Alan wore his homemade tie all day!

I'm hitting the road for a conference in Halifax today, so yesterday was our day to celebrate Father's Day. Cale and I made a menu of fun activities for dad to choose from and despite the weather calling for rain, the day was clear enough for us to cross off most things on our list. Geocaching, go-kart racing, market, brownie baking, family movie on the pull out couch and still lots of time leftover to play with the girls on the farm. It's still hard to believe that this time next year Alan will be a father of two!!

Caleb came home from daycare on Friday armed with pictures and crafts for dad

I have to tell the story of how we ended up go-kart racing this weekend. On the first Friday of each month, Annapolis Royal celebrates with 'First Friday' an evening where there the shops stay open later and there is free entertainment around town. My parents were here last week, so even though it was raining, we stopped by to check out the fun. My neighbour, Dan, owns a photography studio in town and he pointed out two contests that were going on that night- the local newspaper had a 'match the photo game' where you had to find photos in the paper that were taken in local shops. Write down where each photo was taken and you win a prize. The second contest was a name draw for a beautiful print from Dan's shop. So mom and I put our names in the draw then set off finding the photos in different stores. And sure enough at the end of the evening I had won, not one but both contests!! It was quite hilarious. I don't think anyone else completed the newspaper contest and only 2 people had their names in for the photo, so my chances were pretty good - but it was a great small town moment none the less! And the prize from the newspaper included a bunch of gift certificates for things around town including a free go-kart race at Action Jax!

Farmhouse

Barefoot bandit

Our year of transition has begun. We have moved into our new home - a beautiful farmhouse in Moschelle, only 3 km outside of Annapolis Royal. We are renting one side of the house owned by a young family with 3 little girls aged 6 and under. Cale is in heaven. Chickens, cows, dogs, a cat and a pony PLUS a trampoline, tree swing, playhouse and tons of space to run. In our first 24 hours, Cale has stopped wearing shoes, climbed his first tree, learned to check for ticks and held a newborn chick! He refers to the mom and dad next door as 'the farmers' and loves playing with his new best buddies. I think we have a great summer to look forward to.

We also received some positive news about our baby during our latest visit to the IWK's Fetal Assessment Clinic. The echogenic bowel (which appears as bright white in an ultrasound) has faded to the point where the specialists would no longer say the soft marker is present. It was such an enormous and unexpected and relief to hear some reassuring results. I definitely cried a few tears of happiness. It felt so good to know that things will very likely be ok with our little boy.