Chapter Ten – Harriet

Meet Hattie – my sweet little bean – welcomed into the world on the morning of Friday, April 27 at 9:24am.

I’ve been itching to get back on the blog and back into developing and photographing new recipes (I’ve got SO many ideas!) but this little girl of mine basically holds me hostage 24 hours a day. It’ll be a couple more months until I’m able to carve out a few hours a day again to dedicate to LIMO. Until then, I’ll use the sporadic hours that I’m given to do what I can – starting with this post!

Harriet’s entry into the world started with a visit to the doctor’s office on that Thursday, April 26. As most of you know, I was getting pretty anxious to meet her! The doctor performed a routine procedure that morning to help things along, and that was all I needed. I started having some regular contractions that afternoon, but they weren’t close enough together to go to the hospital until 1 in the morning. Etienne’s parents were on standby, and true to their word, they were at our house within 10 minutes to wait for the boys to wake up and whisk them off to their place.

Etienne and I got to the hospital, and much to my disappointment, I was only 4-5 cm dilated. The nurse suggested we go for a 2 hour walk – let me remind you – it was now about 2am. So, we walked. And we walked. We walked to the Tim Hortons near the hospital – and what a walk it was! We had to stop every 2-3 minutes so I could have a contraction. What a sight we must have been: me holding onto Etienne, doubled over and breathing heavily. We had to time the lights at the intersection just right so I could make it across without having to stop in the middle of the road. We made it to Tim’s, and I sat in a chair while Etienne ordered us some snacks. There was a group of construction workers sitting nearby who were trying very hard not to stare at the pregnant lady breathing heavily and moaning every few minutes….

Anyway, we made our way back to the hospital, and although I had progressed a little, it was not enough. The nurse suggested another walk. There was no way that was happening, so I rested in a bed while my dear husband sat in a chair next to me and awkwardly slept for 2 hours, slumped over with his chin resting on his fist.

Finally, FINALLY I was given a room. They broke my water, and she was out 25 minutes later!

Her name has no story behind it, but I have loved the name since I first heard it on the show Parenthood – anyone else miss that show?! One of the character’s names was Hattie, and I thought it was so neat!

Hattie’s middle name, Doreen, was my Grandmother’s name, and it just so happens that Etienne’s Grandmother also shares the name.

So – how has it been so far?

The first few days/nights are a hazy blur. I decided to co-sleep with Hattie right from the beginning, so I’m using the bed downstairs for now. As much as I miss being upstairs in my own bed, I have to say this decision has made ALL the difference in sleep. There’s all sorts of opinions on co-sleeping, but for me, it works. She doesn’t sleep for long periods at a time, so I’m awake a lot at night, but I’m at least IN BED. I can nurse her laying down! My plan is to transition her to her crib upstairs over the next little while, but for now, this is working!

What about the boys?

They LOVE their little sister. I fully anticipated having two jealous little monsters, but they have totally surprised me. They mostly just want to kiss and hug her! I’m so grateful that they have each other to play with – it’s made for a much different experience than when it was just Oscar and newborn Wally! I spent most of my days during that period in time trying to keep Oscar from smacking his brother on the head with Hot Wheels.

My life now…?

It’s nuts. Bananas. I don’t even know how else to explain it. From the minute we get up in the morning, I’m going, going, going. Getting kids dressed, fed, cleaned, out the door….packing snacks, making food, cleaning up. It’s exhausting. One child is crying while I’m wiping another’s bum, and the other is throwing an entire box of Shreddies on the floor. When I go somewhere I’m constantly looking around like a frantic mother duck to make sure I have all of my ducklings with me. Going ANYWHERE requires a couple of hours of preparation. I cook dinner while breastfeeding. I am barking at the boys like a drill sergeant to get in their chairs, eat their food, put their shoes on, you name it.

After the boys go to bed, it’s just Hattie and I, and we spend the next couple of hours nursing, before retiring to our room in the basement for a broken sleep. This is why it’s taken so long to get this one post out!

But you know what?

I love it. I may not love the particular brand of craziness that having a newborn brings, but I LOVE my kids. I know that it won’t be quite this level of nuttiness forever; Hattie will get bigger, start sleeping longer, and I will be able to take a shower at a normal time – and maybe even go get my hair cut! Oh, and spend some time on the blog!

I’ve got a couple blog posts planned over the next couple of months; one is a partnership with a company that I’m super excited about, and another is part of a summer blog hop. I will be feeling pretty good if I get one post out a month this summer!

My friends, this is where I’m at. Thank you for following along, and thank you for your patience. I can’t imagine life getting any crazier than this, so it can only get better from here, right?!

I can’t wait to start posting and sharing regularly again – but for now – I’m just surviving 🙂

Much love!

Katherine