dale's thoughts

Annabelle Julie King

Good thing I didn't stay up any later last Friday night, because 7pm Saturday Annie 'popped out' as Callum would say.

The short and simple 'man' version of events:

• ~ half past midnight: bedtime :D
• 2am Cassandra started having contractions but didn't tell me (again)
• 4am-ish I was up minding Callum as he had food poisoning or a virus and was losing liquid 'at both ends'. Cassandra asks if she should call her mum because her contractions were strong and regular.
• 5am-ish Cass' mum arrives to stay and look after Callum - we drive into hospital - contractions 5mins apart
• 6am-ish I realise I should have gone to bed earlier - Cassandra is felling sick and wants to come home
• 8am-ish The contractions die right down and they consider sending us home.
• 10am-ish we leave the hospital to come home.
• ...seconds later: contractions start again - we continue home, contractions 5mins apart - Cassandra trying to rest.
• 3pm-ish we head back in because the contractions are strong and painful - we head back in.
• 3.30pm-ish Action time! Marilein our midwife says the baby is coming today.
• ... it all goes hazy around here ... lots of screaming and requests for the gas to go higher than the maximum setting.
• 7pm Annie pops out!

++ I reserve the right to edit this after Cassandra reads it, if I can still type.

She came out rather blue which surprised me - those around didn't seem too concerned and suctioned her airways and I could see she was breathing. She then started turning baby pink - it took a few hours before she looked a normal colour. I don't recall that with Callum as he was whisked away quickly after birth to get cleaned and wrapped. I don't think he was that blue - I wonder if Annie's colour was normal or if she was in trouble? In any case it doesn't matter now, the paedeotrician has checked and counted her and she's fine.

Our midwife was really nice and nearly had to deliver Annie without our obstetrician (he was only seconds away from missing the delivery). She was calming and very in control of the situation. It's nice to have someone competent and experienced - ahh the benefits of private health insurance in Australia!

Here are her vitals:

• Name: Annabelle Julie King (Julie is Cass' mother's name).
• Birthday: 2007-12-15 19:00 on the dot
• Birth weight: 3.95kg - die imperial system die!
• Length: 51cm
• HC: 36cm - watching the head come out is cool - it's not spherical, more like half a discus to start with, turning into an oval.
• Birthplace: Figtree Private Hospital, N.S.W., Australia

Photo:

During the week I've been acting as taxi service between home and the hospital - about a 25 minute drive. Looking after Callum and being on holidays has been great. He's very sensitive at the moment due to emotion overload of us having a second child. We've done the best we can to spoil him and make sure he understands that he's still loved and an important part of the family. He washed Annie's hair when we gave her a bath, which was nice, and he is happy to hold her even when she is crying. He is proud to be a big brother and says he likes Annie. Even still, the smallest things upset him and set him off into a sulk. It's obvious it will take him time to adjust and that we need to be extra sensitive to his feelings.

Today Callum and I met Isaac at Tiger putt-putt (Isaac also became a 'big brother' last week). We played a round of golf then the kids played in the play area while Mark and I sat for a hot drink. It seems like Isaac is reacting similarly to Callum lately so it's good they got to spend some time together. After putt-putt Isaac had to go home and since I had promised Callum we would go ten-pin bowling today off we went. He had fun even though one game is pretty short - I ended up letting him finish half my game as I could tell it was going to finish too early for him. Towards the end I noticed big welts on his arms, mostly where he was holding the bowling ball but all over the rest of his arms as well. I think that could have been from his citrus intolerance, since I'd stupidly let him finish a bottle of non-watered down apple juice at putt-putt (we always water it down for him). It had added vitamin C which I think is part of the cause. The other thing it might have been is the oil from the lanes at bowling. I'll have to take him back there and let him bowl again for a game to rule that out. In any case the welts were gone by an hour later and after some water to drink.

When leaving the hospital tonight, he wanted me to carry him (we'd parked a fair way away). I took a load of stuff to the car then came back to get him. I gave him a piggy back ride back to the car because he looked tired. We drove home and he was fairly quiet in the car. When we got home, he wanted me to carry him up the stairs. As I did I cuddled him and since it had just clicked what was going on I said to him rhetorically: 'You're still Daddy's little baby aren't you?' to which he both sulkily nodded and grinned.

On TV tonight, since I'd let him stay up for a bit of 'Daddy TV' I foolishly left it on 'Air Crash Investigations' for a few minutes since he seemed to be enjoying it. The narrator then pointed out that 'The fire left 147 men dead' which caused no end of questions from him, which I tried to explain as best as I could. About 10 minutes after tucking him in to bed, he called out for me and when I went in he said: 'Daddy, I don't want the fire to make me dead'. I tried to comfort him as best I could and he seemed happy that I wouldn't let that happen to him (with the caveat in my head: 'not if I can help it'). He might still be my little baby but he is growing up fast.