Welcome, Scarlett!

Scarlett arrived very early, and in a hurry, on June 22 at 6:27am. Although the days seem long to two sleep deprived parents, the first five weeks with our little one have flown by.

Tom's version of my second labour experience, which I've copied below, is succinct, and I can (now) laugh at it... So, enjoy!

"Amanda's water broke at 2:30am and we were at the hospital by 3. They sent us back home around 4:30 telling us to come back when her contractions became longer and more intense - which the doctor thought would be in about 12 hours. By 5:45 things had changed dramatically and the longer and more intense contractions hit Amanda like a freight train and I'm sure the whole neighborhood heard her screaming via the open window in our bedroom. I sped to the Rockyview, threw Amanda in a wheel chair and raced to the maternity ward. After twenty mins of pushing, Scarlett was born."

To quote the doctor who sent us home, "Oh... I see things have progressed VERY quickly."

Things have seemed a lot easier this time around. Scarlett doesn't seem as fussy--or maybe we just know what we're doing this time. I've physically healed a lot faster, which allowed us to get out and about more. During our time off we were able to go to the zoo twice, for a walk in Griffith Woods, for a picnic on Prince's Island, for a walk on St. Patrick Island and to the Riley Park Splash Park. I won't claim these outings were smooth. It was hectic, and no easy feat getting both kids out the door, but with team work, we managed!

Scarlett is thriving, and Lacey is figuring out how to share the attention that was once solely focused on her. She's very affectionate with her baby sister, and rushes into the house after a day at daycare to say hello to her and give her a kiss. But she also acts out when we can't immediately focus our attention on her. Overall, I'd say everything about her transition into big sisterhood has been pretty typical for a two year old.

There have been a few bumps-- we all had a cold the first week home from the hospital, and I managed to get mastitis this last weekend (which was the devil). But our little village of family and friends have pulled together to offer us support, and we have gladly accepted.

Life is sweet, and so are our little girls!