The Great Day Has Come At Last

7:45am - Mom Tolley just woke me up via phone wondering if I was going to make it to rehearsal. I told her that I had not heard from Caitlin yet, and I wasn't going anywhere until she called. In retrospect it was similiar to a scene in School of Rock, where Jack Black's character gets an abrupt waking from his roommate, demanding rent money. His response, "Aw man, you woke me up for that? You know I don't have it." My response to mom Tolley's question, "You woke me up for that? You know I'm not coming."

8:00am - Just got a call from Caitlin. They're putting her on the IV drip now. Time for me to get out of bed I think.

9:20am - After a breakfast of Shreddies and Cheerios, I went off to catch the bus. When I got to Staidium station, I didn't go out to the stop immediately. When it's cold out, you tend to prefer to look at the schedule that is located indoors. A quick check at the posted Saturday schedule told me that I had a fifteen minute wait ahead of me. Thirty seconds later, I saw the bus leave. Oops. I started walking because I didn't want to wait half an hour!

10:00am - Caitlin told me about a dream she had last night. This is the second time she's dreamt about a black kitten with blue eyes.

10:30am - Nurse came and dropped off some presents, if you call a full IV bag and some medication presents. One of then was Ranitidine, something to keep the level of stomach acid down. The other is some odourless, colourless liquid that they're going to give her right before she goes in for the Caeserean. I'm pretty sure it's not iocaine powder.

11:10am - The iocaine powder, or whatever it is, is down the hatch. Caitlin has been summoned to appear in the theatre. This is really happening!

11:20am - Turns out the "iocaine powder" was sodium citrate. Something they give to everyone before they go in for a C-section. Not deadly, but it's good for mommy, since it semi-neutralizes stomach fluids.

12:00pm - Now it's my turn. I had to change into some scrubs and put on a mask. I thought the mask was the biggest pain, until I learned I could clamp the metal bit over my nose so that my glasses didn't fog up. I was sitting next to Caitlin, holding her hand, and making small talk with the anesthesiologist. Partially as something to do, and also to keep myself, and Caitlin, calm. I tried to get a view of what was going on, and I kept hoping that it wasn't going to be something truly grotesque like I've heard described by others. At one point I saw the surgeons poking about with some leads that we causing smoke to arise for my wife's abdomen. I later found out that was cauterization. At the time, I was content to sit back and trust these folks knew what they were doing. Especially after I got a glimpse of the doctor tucking his hand into the incision. I just sat behind the blue veil, even when the anesthesiologist got up and gave us a play by play of what was coming out. "One foot, two feet..." and then everyone in the OR announced...


12:20pm - IT'S A GIRL! We got a quick view of baby before she was taken over to get inspected by the ICU personnel on hand. Dr. Litchfield will probably come by some time this evening to put his stamp of approval on Erini. I was about ready to take her out to see Grammie and Grandpa, but she hadn't been weighed yet!


12:40pm - In the nursery. Erini is quite the tough baby. She didn't fuss much, even when she got her Vitamin K shot. She complained when she was pushed and prodded as she had her first bath, but she calmed down as I talked to her explaining how my mind is like a sieve, and the definition of a sieve. I just kept talking, trying to soothe her, calm her, and help her get used to my voice. The nurse said she was listening to everything I was saying. I don't doubt it.

End of Days

I can't help but think that I'm approaching the end of my manhood. Although, this is not a bad thing, for it marks the beginning of something else. Fatherhood. Exciting and terrifying all at once.

I received word that Caitlin was being prepped for c -section around 3 o'clock. I was still at work, but Jon understood the importance of being with my wife at this critical time. Sometimes I hate being short staffed. The added sales are nice, but you wind up doing a lot more. For instance, I'm going to miss the Oscars, because I have to help with inventory. Massive suckitude, but there are only 4 people on staff right now, and everyone will be needed for inventory count.

At first, I was a little surprised at myself for thinking of the birth of my first child as a time of death. That's the thing. I don't view death as an end. It's merely a transition from one state of existence to another.

I still worry about what kind of parent I'll be. "Hey baby! Guess what! Your daddy is a psycho!" That's my number one worry, that I'll have another episode. Then there's the issue of being an adequate breadwinner for my family. Do your best, apply for everything, and get yourself known. Is it enough though?

Time will tell.

At the moment, I lie alone at home waiting for a call from Caitlin to let me know what and when things will happen. The operation won't be until the morning at the earliest, so I should get some sleep. I hope that Caitlin is okay by herself at the hospital. I would be there right now, but I was kicked out at 9pm, when visiting hours ended.

I don't know if I'll get to rehearsal tomorrow, but we'll play it by ear.

38 Weeks Precisely

Any day now I could be a daddy. This is starting to really freak me out. Caitlin just had a bit of a labour pain, but in retrospect it probably had something to do with the fact that she had just gone up some stairs to get to our apartment. Plus there was the delayed stress reaction to most everyone's attitude towards the costumes at rehearsal.

On the same note, added stress can trigger labour. We can be grateful that the placenta didn't seperate, or else we would be in the ER right now.
As you may have noticed, the picture of Caitlin is not in the kitchen, or the family room. This is because I won a Nokia 5300 phone at work, and it has a 1.3 Megapixel camera/videocamera embedded in it! When I found out that I had won, I thought, I hope I get that phone before baby comes! Now that I have the phone, I'd like to think that we're ready for baby now. We have diapers, Pampers Swaddlers, and the crib is near ready to go. Plus we got a baby change table from mom and dad Tolley. That was a heap of fun to put together. We had everything assembled, and the last thing was to put the drawer in. That's when I realized I had put them on backwards. Good thing we have that drill. It took about 5 minutes to fix the drawers. If it had been by hand, probably would have been half an hour.

I'll post some pictures of baby's room once we get the crib sheets put on. Basically once it's presentable.

Fake out

The most pivotal moment of our lives has been postponed. Baby did not turn today, therefore Caitlin was not induced. Reason being, there was not enough amniotic fluid for Erini to swim around and reorient herself.

From here on in, until I get word otherwise, I'm going to follow my wife's intuition that we are having a girl. The ultrasound Caitlin had today also seemed to lean in that direction. Knowing the sex of the baby is one thing, but the big thing we're looking forward to is finding our her eye colour. Hoping for blue, but will be just as pleased if they are brown.

Back to the matters of the day, Caitlin is still pregnant, Erini is still breached, and there was another appointment made for next Friday at 2pm. At that time we are going to see whether there is sufficient fluid to move our daughter into position. Also at this point in time, we are going to have weekly appointments with our doctor to monitor baby's progress.

In other news, my name was drawn as the winner of the Nokia 5300 contest at work. Some time next week I'll receive my new phone, which is very handy, because not only is it a phone, but it also has picture and video capability. Alright, so we don't have a camcorder, but a video phone is a sight better than nothing! Plus, the phone is small enough that I can film and still make eye contact with baby. I've heard that it's not the best idea to film baby at birth, because to baby it would be a bit disorienting.

Can't you see it? "This is mommy. She has bright eyes, a wonderful smile, gorgeous hair, and a splendid complexion. Everyone says I look like her. I can live with that. And this is... daddy? I see a hand waving at me, but there's this huge dark... thing coming out of his neck! Now it's talking to me. 'Look at the camera! Look at daddy!' A camera. Okay. So, my daddy is a camera? At least I have a normal mommy."

I found out about the lack of delivery when I was heading to the hospital. At that point I thought that I should go back to work, but then I realized I need to spend some time with my wife. So the decision was set in my mind. I'll head home, and if Jon needs me to come in to close, I'll do it. When I got home, I laid down on the bed beside my resting wife, and I didn't want to get up. I really didn't. All my energy left me, and I don't think I had the strength to even desire to think.

And to think, baby's not even here yet.

Valentine Presents

Lots of pictures today. Partly because I have to head out to rehearsal pretty quick, and I have to get back to making phone calls. As you might have guessed, that necklace Caitlin is wearing was her Valentine's Day gift from me, and I worked two weeks on that. Chewed a lot of gum, and every one of my coworkers a piece of Trident, and I even went next door and offer gum to the people who worked there! I didn't count how many I have in the end, but I think it was somewhere in the vicinity of 32. Not enough to make a necklace that could be worn without a clasp, I motored over to Fabricland on a break, and picked up some barrel clasps. They were easier to attach than I thought! And since the necklace is so light, there's not a lot of worry of the clasp breaking under stress.

Aside from the wonderful gift, and cuteness that excudes from it (I mean Caitlin, not the necklace :P), I realized that it could also be something for baby to play with. It's made of paper and thread, so if baby sucks on it, there won't be any detrimental damage to baby.

I'm going to be glad when baby is born, and I can refer to him/her by their name. And on that note, I might get that chance tomorrow!

When we went to the doctor's today, we found that baby was breech. Not exactly news, because that's how baby has been sitting for the past three months. I know that the head is supposed to be in the pelvis, but I guess baby has other ideas. Nevertheless, this has qualified us to participate in a medical study at the Royal Alexandria Hospital to try and reposition baby to the birthing position. If the procedure is sucessful, whatever it may be, Caitlin will be immediately induced. Or at least that's what our doctor told us. Forget deer in the headlights, it was like a frying pan to the face.

My mind was reeling. I texted my manager, told him the circumstances, and we changed my shift to 9:30a-2p, so that I would be able to be there later on in the day.

We then went to my bi-polar clinic and told them my circumstances. Thankfully they didn't think that I needed anything more than the Epival that I've been taking for months. Nevertheless, we made another appointment for March 15 just to make sure that everything is moving along.

Then we went and got a crib mattress, completely oblivious that Caitlin's boss had offered to give us one that she had. Oops. Ah well, we have one that fits well, and now we just need to worry about diapers. And formula (aka backup). And a stroller, preferablely a Chariot because you can also use it as a bike trailer. I know I'm forgetting something, or another. But right now I'm still in shock that as of tomorrow I could be a daddy.

We're going to be okay. At least I hope so!

Deadline looming

Today was a bit of a charge for me. When I got to rehearsal tonight, I was informed that Caitlin thought she was going into labour. However, since she has no previous experience with what this feels like, she contacted the person most versed in it that she felt comfortable speaking to about it. Her mother. I was a little surprised, yet at the same time I was a little spooked. It could happen at any moment now. Any moment. To make myself seems more incompetent, I haven't thought about how we're going to get her to the hospital. I haven't contacted anyone who could help us out at a moment's notice to get Caitlin to the hospital. I don't know how long we'll have once labour starts. Plus, we don't have a stroller, or a car seat, or a bassinet, or a crib mattress, or diapers!

Saturday we are going to devote to adding a bit of sanity to our mental health. Baby is coming, and Caitlin can't wait for it. Yes it will be wonderful to have another member to our family, but more importantly, baby will be able to annoy me and not just mommy, as the situation is right now.

Some other things we need is a vacuum. The Electrolux we have right now is over 30 years old. It's seen it's days, and they were many. The time has come to retire it, and find another to take its place. I did some price comparison, and taken the advise of some people too. I've heard that Sears has some exceptional cleaners, and for a very affordable price too. I was hoping to pay no more than $200, and some of the Kenmore vacuums are $165. We'll have to look into it on Saturday.

Cha-cha-changes

I don't know how often people change their minds about baby names, but after I read an article in the Edmonton Journal on Tuesday (30 Jan 2007) about the most popular baby names in Edmonton, I talked with Caitlin about our name choices. It said that for a boy, the trend is heading away from harsher, more masucline names like Chuck or Rick, and going for names that end in "n" because they have a softer, more feminine tone to them. Ethan was the #1 choice, and Nathan was in the top ten. I believe Brandon was in there as well, but I'm not so sure. For girls, coincidentally enough, the stronger names ending in "a" are all the rage. Diana, Ava, and Olivia are some of the top choices. Abigail was another popular choice, and in 2006 there was 21 different spellings of the name! Abbygail, Abygale, and Abbiegayle are a few of the variations. Maybe people read my post awhile back and took it to heart. It's the idea that people are trying to imagine a name for a judge or a lawyer, instead of a cheerleader. Debbie, Susie, and Patti are peppy, zippy names that tend to be shunned these days. I'm still holding for Erini, and so is Caitlin, but we've been pondering using Bronwyn.

But wait! That's a Welsh name, and my roots are Scottish! Um... so? Erini is a Greek word, and I chose that name because that's where I served my mission. I don't think that you need to name your child something that has direct connections to your family roots in the past four Generations. Yet I contradict myself with the names we have selected for a boy, Joseph Brandon. The name Joseph is because, a) that's my mother's grandfather's name, and b) my middle name is Joseph, and that's keeping with the tradition of giving the son his father's middle name. My dad's name is Larry Steven, and my Grandfather's name is Lester... Hmmm. Don't remember his middle name, but I'm not sure if it was Lawrence or not. I'm banking on not, and if I'm right that would mean this is a second gen tradition. Ah well, getting married in the temple is a second gen tradition that I plan to carry on, why not the naming as well? As for the name Brandon? Caitlin likes it. She was considering Robin, after her brother, but she's a bit more partial to Brandon. For all I know, we'll change our minds the minute baby is born.

Another change we have is the size of baby!
Baby is filling out mommy's tummy, and quite frankly, Caitlin is running out of room. I used to hear the complaints about how baby is punching kindeys and stomach. Now, it's ribs and bladder.

One thing you might notice in the picture is the background. It's actually clean! Grandma-to-be (Caitlin's mom) came by and helped us (ie. Caitlin, I've either been at work, or at rehersal) organize our apartment. I knew we had a lot of room, but I never quite realized how much junk we have! I wish that I could have done before and after shots. Then again, no I don't. Those who have seen the disaster area we call home will be able to judge for themselves and recognize some of the changes that we've made. One of them being the new dining room table. (Thanks again mom!) The reason we didn't set it up sooner is because we had too much junk on the old table! It will also be a treat to have people over, and we won't have to clear chairs for people to sit on. I told our hometeacher that he's not going to recongize the apartment when comes to visit next time! I say next time, because we met up with him today at the temple. We hadn't gone for so long, Caitlin said it was sometime around August '06 last time we went. Woof. Don't know how many oppurtunities we'll have to go to the temple in the future, but Dustin goes every week, Friday or Saturday, and he invited us to come along. I had rented a car today, so we didn't need a ride, but he wouldn't have any problems giving us a lift in the future. Caitlin only has a couple more weeks until her Materity Leave kicks in, and then we don't need to worry as much about having the time off. Her last offical day of work is Valentine's Day, 14 Feb 2007. I say this because I have Saturday's off until "The Mikado" is done, but Caitlin does not. I'm going to try to get the temple every weekend, because once baby comes, schedule is going to be in upheval.

Another tradition I would like to continue is blood donation. That is kind of a tradition, because both my dad and my grandpa have donated blood. Grandpa can't donate anymore, but dad is approaching his 75th whole blood phlebotomy. One of the reasons I wanted to donate was because dad donates. (The other was that I got to skip class since the clinic was at my high school.) They took my 37th pint today, and I surprised quite a few people with that. Mind you, some of the older donors are a little jealous, because I have it easy to catch up and get more donations. Back in the day, the waiting period was 150 days or something, then it was 120, then 90, and then I think it went to 60 days before it was set to the current period of 56 days (8 weeks). Today, you can potentially donate six times a year, whereas in years previous you could do three pints annually. Max. And yet, not many people donate. The stat is in the neighbourhood of 3% of the Canadian population. Hopefully, baby will decide to add to that percentage of Canadians who do. Hmmm.... If I keep up a good donation schedule, I might get my 100th donation by the time baby is of age to donate, maybe sooner. If I keep at a max schedule of six per year, I could get 50 by March 2009, and 100 by July 2017. Doable.