Fun with Grandma!

Having two kids is hard work!  After Elly was born Charlie got a lot more whiney and disobedient... I think he was feeling sad about me having to feed Elly when he wanted me to play with him, and having to hold her all the time etc.  Charlie apparently doesn't like sharing his mom!  It's gotten quite a bit better in the last while, but it was tough there for a bit!  Luckily we could usually distract him with my mom!  It was SO SO SO nice to have her here for so long!  And after I came home from the hospital people from our ward brought us dinner for a whole week, which was also SO SO SO nice.  Since this was my moms first time to Australia, I felt like we needed to do some fun things while she was here!  So dragging two kids around we managed just that - fun! 

We came home Saturday night and Sunday was Australian Fathers Day!  So we had pancakes and whipped cream and strawberries!  Elly was Andrews present...!

Elly lives in the living room, and Charlie likes to watch her!

The Sunday before my mom left Andrew blessed Elly at church - Family picture!

I can't believe we have two kids!

We drove out to Wivenhoe Dam and saw some kangaroos in the wild!  A true Australian experience for Grandma!

And on the way to the dam we stopped to get meat pies - so delicious!

Charlie loved spending over an hour throwing rocks into the water

We also spent a day driving out to the Sunshine Coast - this was a little stop at the Glasshouse Mountains on the way

Caloundra - Charlie had a blast digging holes and chasing and running away from waves with Grandma!

Ellys first trip to the beach! 

Nima came downstairs and took some pictures of Elly - I LOVE THIS ONE!

 Elly was NOT co-operative so we didn't get many!

Heading along the little boardwalk to the park!  After this we headed to Costco - My mom is a Costco addict!

Of course we had to go to Southbank!  I love that place...

And I love this kid!

Grandma had never seen such large bacon before!

I had a Groupon for a drive in movie - this was the first time Charlie did well and paid attention!  For the first half at least... we saw Minions

I know it's a drive in movie but we like to set up on the lawn!  And funny story, so before the show starts they had a little market and if you go around and get stamps from all the stalls you're entered into a draw to win a night at the movies with entry and a family meal deal.  Well my mom went and got all the stamps while I was with Charlie at the park and we entered the draw.  We do it every time and never win.  Anyways, the draw is in-between the first and second movies, which we weren't staying for.  As Andrew was driving away I said "but what if we won" and he said "do you want me to stop?" and I said "I never win" so he kept driving, but then I was like "but what if I win?" and he said "do you want me to pull over?" (in a very exasperated tone I might add) And I said "yes!" and so he did and two seconds later my name flashed on the screen as the winner!  It was pretty funny and we were all quite surprised.  Thanks mom for getting all of those stamps - you were good luck!

Grandma - Momma - Baby

This kid doesn't like getting his hands dirty!  He needs to wash his hands as soon as they get dirty, so finger painting was not thrilling for him!  I had to show him it could be fun

Charlie's favourite outdoor pastime is washing out his water table!

I'm so glad my mom got to come for so long!

I hate how the pictures get loaded out of order!  This one is from Wivenhoe Dam

There are huge pelican type birds all around!  They are huge

Grandma and Charlie eating Lamingtons!

On the drive back there were even more kangaroos!  This one has a joey sticking out of its pouch (well the feet anyways!)

Charlie likes to drive his cars on Elly - I have to remind him all the time "not on the head!"

Elly looks almost as big as Charlie here!

Because I use a neck pillow sometimes when I sit with Elly, Charlie likes to use his neck pillow when he hold Elly!

One day we checked out Springfield Lakes Orion Lagoon - it just recently opened and is quite nice!

Charlie liked it at least.... it wasn't the warmest of days!  After this we headed to IKEA as well, it was a long day!

I don't have very many pictures of Elly when she was newborn!  Just some bad selfies...

We also spent some time at the art galley!  Charlie loved playing here

Another (out of order) Southbank picture

Ready for some time out and about

We had a little early birthday party for Charlie so my mom could be there - this is his awesome digger cake!

The day before my mom left we went to Colleges Crossing where Charlie again spent ages throwing rocks into the water!

Aussie Burger - so good!

Before taking my mom to the airport - it was a sad day...

Ellyria's Blessing Day!

Blue Steel

Introducing Ellyria Edna Cahoon

Tuesday September 1, 2015 was a regular old day of me feeling like this baby was never going to come!  Went to playgroup in the morning, chased after Charlie, went to the park that afternoon, etc.  I did have a doctors appointment earlier that afternoon though, and at it she checked me and I was 5cm dilated, which still boggles my mind since I hadn't had any contractions or cramping at all!  (I was admitted at 3cm with Charlie, and that was after having contractions for like 16 hours - although they were more like cramps and less like contractions... ok this isn't about Charlie's birth I know!)  

I had been 4cm at my appointment on Friday though, and all the ladies at the office were like "oh we'll see you on the weekend to have this baby!" and nothing had happened (which was actually quite annoying - they had gotten my hopes up!)  I was beginning to think being dilated that much meant nothing....  

Until 11:45pm that night!  I had been asleep for at least an hour and had been having dreams of contracting, until I woke up and realized they weren't dreams!  And things were a little wet... so I thought my water had broken. (Which I found out later was my hind water not my actual water)  I started timing them and they started getting faster and closer, by the time we got to the hospital (at around 12:30ish) they were getting pretty bad - way worse than they ever were with Charlie because at this point with him I had an epidural in!  Anyways, the nurse hooks me up to the machine to monitor my contractions to make sure I was "really in labour" and I said "give me an epidural now! I was already 5cm this afternoon!!!"  

So then she had to call my obstetrician to verify who would then call the anesthesiologist in... that's one bad thing about a private hospital - no doctors are there during the night!  So I had to wait for what felt like forever for the OB to call the Anesthetist who had to wake up and get dressed and drive to the hospital to come and give me the epidural.... luckily I had some gas to keep me company while I waited.  And can I just say I love gas... it didn't take the pain away at all, but it just made me not care about it.  Anyways, I'm getting long-winded here.  So the guy came (he looked like Santa by the way, huge white beard - I'm surprised I didn't tell him so in my gas-induced state!)

I love Epidurals and my advice to everyone is to get one as soon as they let you!  Andrew and I both got to have a little nap (about an hour long) and my real water broke while I was sleeping.  

By this time the midwife thought I was ready to start pushing and the OB was on her way.  So I did a couple of pushes and I guess baby didn't like that because she started freaking out and her heart rate dropped, and the midwife started throwing around words like "emergency c-section" and "get the on-call dr up here now in case something happens!"  So that was a little worrisome...!!!!  But things calmed down a few minutes later and the OB arrived and a few rounds of (weird) pushing later Andrew got to deliver Elly! (With the doctors direct supervision of course - they wanted to give him the experience since he's a medical student and all, which I thought was really nice!)  I say weird pushing because with Charlie, I could feel all the pressure so I could tell how I was supposed to be pushing.  With Elly I was completely numb, could feel nothing, so even though they were telling me to push I was trying but couldn't tell at all what I was doing!  I eventually figured out a way they said was working, but it was so odd...

Ellyria Edna Cahoon
September 2, 2015
5:01am
8lbs 5oz
3790 grams

Elly and I were both in a bit of shock here...

So cute!

First bath!  She did not approve...

post-bath

Charlie meeting Elly for the first time!  He was a little unsure...

So cute!  Love these two

You can't see it very well but Charlie is giving Elly a kiss!

Grandma and Elly

Newborn!

Hanging out at the hospital

The Friday after Elly was born Charlie had a special father-son playgroup session where they played soccer!  Everyone got a medal and Charlie loved it! (or so I heard...!)

Charlie liked hanging out in the closet and looking at himself in the mirror!

Charlie loved bringing his car mat to play with!

SO we had some visitors!  Shazra visited, and earlier that day so did Nima and Sibgat!  It was really nice to have visitors, and Nima brought his camera to take some better pictures than our phones were taking!

I seriously love his smile!

Nima

Sibgat

Charlie's favourite thing to do - eat my food!

She makes the funniest faces

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                                        Leaving the hospital