Lapse

Apparently having three kids and a full time job plus various volunteering responsibilities means that you are quite neglectful with blog posts.  As always, I will try and do better, we will see if I can get one post a month, which could be a good target.

We have done a mediocre job keeping our photoblog up to date:  https://seaborns.shutterfly.com/

It includes pictures and also some of the photo books that we have created for our parents.

To see the photobooks, you can go here: https://seaborns.shutterfly.com/photobooks

Connor is now in Grade 3 and reading books like they are going out of style.  He has discovered the author: Rick Riordan and has finished two 5-book series and is now reading a trilogy.  I think we will try the Harry Potter books next, but if anyone has any suggestions, you know where to reach us.  Connor is also playing his second year of novice hockey.  He has progressed up to a B team after playing a year of C.  His goal is to play for the Montreal Canadiens, so has some work to do over the next few years.  If they count heart as one of the conditions to get into the NHL, he is a shoe-in.

Wyatt is now in Grade 1.  He is adapting well to the new routine.  He really enjoys math and asks to play a math game on the iPad constantly.  Wyatt is looking forward to trying cross-country skiing this winter.  After a morning of downhill skiing at Mont Ste-Marie last March, he decided that maybe cross-country skiing would be a good start.  We are patiently awaiting the snow to fall so that he can begin his lessons.  He is also loving being a Beaver.  He has many friends in the colony which makes it that much more fun.

Dallin is in his last year at daycare.  He is now the "big boy" there.  He can't wait to join his big brothers at school.  He is our most adventurous son and will not back down if his brothers has something that he wants, but is very gentle with other kids (which is good).  Dallin is making tiny steps in his swimming lessons.  He is very excited to attend, but not so excited to get in the water.  This last session he made great strides and enjoyed jumping into the pool after much prodding.

Julie is still working at Sport Canada and recently was able to attend the Parapan Am Games in Toronto as part of the Sport Canada delegation.  As the election was called just before her departure, the Ministers did not attend, but she was able to accompany Senior Officials from the Department of Canadian Heritage at various sporting events at the Games.  The plan is that she will have a similar role at the Rio 2016 Paralympics in September.

Geofford recently was laid off from his job at CAE, but he is actively seeking employment.  In between applying for jobs, he has had the opportunity to get a few projects completed around the house.

First Cross-Country Family Vacation

With two weddings within a week of each other out in BC, the Seaborns decided to head out west in mid July to meet up with some of Julie's west coast relatives. We would have also met up with some of Geofford's cousins, but the two that live out there weren't there at the time. Charlie was in Ontario and Eliza is still out adventuring in Australia.

Here is our photobook from the trip: https://seaborns.shutterfly.com/photobooks/6

April-November 2012 update

Halloween 2012 - Cowboy, Monkey & Ninja

So I keep trying to update the blog on a more regular basis, but life keeps me busy.  I have definitely enjoyed my maternity leave with Dallin and am only half looking forward to going back to work at the end of February.  So much has happened over the past 9 months and it would be quite difficult to recall all the events and it would probably be pretty boring to read about it, so I would recommend just looking through our flickr photo stream to see what we've been up to.

Dallin is now pulling himself up on EVERYTHING.  He is a little bit of a menace to our furniture as he is either pulling things over or trying to gnaw on the edge of things: tables, couches and my personal favourite the garbage can.  I am a little worried about what he will do with the Christmas tree, I'm thinking of leaving the breakable items off the tree this year, just in case.  He is very curious about "solid" food as he is very interested in what we are eating.  He is still trying out pureed food, but eats a wider variety of vegetables and meats than his middle brother.  We have made a few visits to daycare and he loves his big brothers so I hope the transition will be easier on him than it will be on me.

Wyatt is enjoying being the middle child, but I think sometimes he would prefer to be the only child with mom and dad's undivided attention.  He is the most stubborn and is still quite limited in his food preferences, but we have added a few over the months: broccoli, carrots, rice.  The only meat he eats is pork in bbq pork buns from Yangtze restaurant.  Maybe in 2013 he will grow out of this?  Our poor little dude has had an exciting year full of medical fun :D  He had hernia surgery at the end of May and he was admitted to CHEO in September as he had another asthma exacerbation.  This time he spent 5 nights at the hospital (including our anniversary).  We were able to do some allergy testing as a result of this visit and it turns out he is allergic to cats and dust mites.  He is also on medication to help him get through the cold season and hopefully we will be able to avoid another admission to the hospital.  Wyatt is also enjoying his time at home.  He is only attending daycare part-time, but he is truly a home body and loves the "stay-home" days.

Connor is relishing being the oldest brother.  He adores his baby brother and Dallin squeals with excitement whenever he sees Connor.  Connor is no longer the smallest kid at school.  He is now one of the "big" kids in his class.  He seems to really enjoy going to school and learning.  He is quite strong at math and is just starting to read words on his own.  I know some of it is just memorization or trying to guess the words based on the pictures, but he when he feels like it he is quite good at sounding out all of the letters.  Connor also played "soccer" for the first time this summer.  He really enjoyed running around and kicking the ball occasionally.  Connor (and Wyatt) also started skating lessons this year.  Connor was quite shaky at the beginning but by the end of the session he is able to move around on his own.  We can't wait until the local rink freezes over so that we can practice skating there.  Connor is also going to Beavers and enjoying his time there.

Julie is really enjoying her time off (as I mentioned before).  This has been my first full year of maternity leave and I am very grateful that I had this opportunity.  Being home during the day has allowed me to be involved more at school (I am the School Council Chair) which has allowed me to get to know some of the other parents at the school.  Although I was hoping to get a lot more done around the house, being able to spend time with kids when we aren't exhausted after school/daycare/work has been quite the fun experience.  I also joined the Athletic Club which has helped me achieve a bit of balance as they have a great play room for the kids which allows me to focus on my fitness while the kids are being cared for by wonderful staff members.  I completed my first 5km post-baby with a chip time of 28:48 which was under my goal of 30 minutes.  I have also been enjoying the hot yoga room and am starting to regain some of my flexibility.  In addition to working out at the Athletic Club, I am playing indoor soccer with my brother Francis on Sunday afternoons. I forgot how much I loved playing soccer and am quite thankful that Francis asked me to play.

Geofford had to un-retire from ultimate as this was the last year that his division (Masters) would be competing in Sarasota at the UPA Championships.  His team, GLUM, only competed in the Fall Series which freed up our summer.  It was a nice compromise as he was still able to enjoy some summer pursuits (cottages, Cawaja beach) while still playing ultimate at a high level.  He has also been busy outside of ultimate with our house.  He completed the renovations on our bathroom just after Dallin was born.  As I am on maternity leave, he has been able to leave for work earlier which means he also returns home from work earlier which gives us a bit more time together as a family in the evenings.

My goal for 2013 is to post on a semi-regular basis (ideally once a month, but who knows, the next post may be next December....)

And now we are 5...

The past few weeks have been very exciting for the Seaborn family.  We welcomed our third baby boy: Dallin Kwok-Yan Seaborn into the world on Friday, March 9th at 12:47pm at the Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus.  At birth, he weighed 3850g (8lbs 8oz) and measured 53.5cm (21") long.

Our first family picture (taken by the anesthesiologist) 

Despite the repeated trips to the hospital, I actually made it to the scheduled c-section date and was quite happy that I did, as the surgery was more complicated and thus took longer than anticipated (due to my insides looking like chewing gum between saran wrap due to the previous "emergency" c-sections) so I was glad to have had my obstetrician perform the procedure.

Unfortunately (or fortunately - depends on how you look at it), Geofford got quite sick (fever and very sore throat) while Dallin and I were at the hospital, so he wasn't able to spend as much time at the hospital with us, but fortunately I was at the hospital, so the nurses were able to help me out.

My parents were a huge help though and took care of Connor and Wyatt while I was in hospital and Geofford was fighting his sickness.  They brought the boys to the hospital so that they could meet their baby brother.  It's very cute, they call him Baby Dallin (to differentiate from all of the other Dallins that they know...).  I wonder how long he will have to keep that moniker...

Mom and her three boys

On Monday, March 12th, Geofford did manage to get himself out of bed and to the Toyota Dealership to pick up our new "mini-van" which isn't really all that mini.  We are now proud owners of a red Toyota Sienna.  He then came to the hospital to pick Dallin and I up to bring us home.  I had to make a few concessions as Dallin was dangerously close to the 10% maximum weight loss limit (his weight dropped to 7 lbs 11 oz), but I agreed to supplement with formula so that we would be allowed to leave.  At that point, I would have agreed to almost anything to go home :)

Since we have been home, Dallin and I have been quite busy trying to avoid getting sick.  Both Connor and Wyatt got sick once Geofford got better and then once they were better, Geofford got sick again.  I am hoping that the cycle does not repeat again.

Dallin has been a good baby thus far.  He has grown quite a bit in the last two weeks despite his initial loss of weight.  At his appointment earlier this week, he weighed in at 9lbs 15oz and measured 58cm, so there is no longer a concern regarding his weight.  We are now trying to figure out our routine now that I am a little more mobile.  My next big milestone will be to try and drive somewhere that is more than 5 minutes away.

Dallin in my tummy (-19 days) and outside (16 days old)...how did he fit in there?

36 weeks and a false alarm.

So I have reached the 36 week threshold and the past couple of weeks have been very exciting.

We celebrated Wyatt's 3rd birthday the weekend before his birthday and it was a great time as both sets of his grandparents were able to make it as well as some close family friends.  It was a surprisingly smooth brunch (at our house) considering that there were 10 kids in the house.

The next day, Geofford somehow injured his back which was a little stressful for the family as I have been quite restricted in what I am supposed to do around the house.  We were able to balance things but he was completely out of commission for a couple of days dealing with the painful back spasms.  Just as Geofford started feeling better, we had to take Wyatt to the hospital Thursday night (the day after his actual birthday) as he could potentially have a hernia and he had a high fever and started vomiting.  The doctors felt that the fever and vomiting were not related to the hernia, but just as a precaution we had an ultrasound to check out the hernia.  We will be meeting with the pediatric surgeon to discuss the results Tuesday, February 28th, so hopefully everything turns out ok from that.

We also celebrated our niece's first birthday which was very special.  She is not going to the baby in the extended family for long, so it was nice to celebrate her special day.  Family Day was quite uneventful, but we were happy to be able to spend time together as our family of 4.  We were also able to get some cute photos with me and the boys.

Mom with her two boys

Now to the false alarm part - I started feeling contractions last night (Feb 23) at about 10pm.  They weren't super uncomfortable yet, but at the same time the doctor didn't want me to labour so I was trying to avoid going to the hospital for as long as possible.  Finally, I called the triage at the hospital and they recommended that I come in just to get checked out.  After we had made arrangements for my mom to come and take care of the boys, Geofford and I headed to the hospital at around midnight.  The nurse and doctors did determine that I was having contractions but not enough to trigger having the c-section especially since the baby is still technically pre-term.  Also, since I had two previous c-sections this next surgery will be a little more complicated as there will be more scar tissue so it would be better to have the surgery during the day when there are more doctors around in case of any complications (eek!).  We ended up leaving the hospital at around 5:30am with instructions to return if the contractions became more painful or if I started experiencing other symptoms of labour (water breaking, etc.).  So far, I am still having contractions about every 7-10 minutes, but they are not yet painful enough to return to the hospital.  I am hoping that things don't progress tonight as there is currently a snowfall warning in effect and things will be really messy outside....but we shall see, this baby seems to have a mind of his/her own.

From the Environment Canada website

The countdown is on!

My c-section date and time has been set for March 9th at noon.  This means (in my head) that the baby will be born sometime between now and March 9th.  I would like to have faith in my OB and believe that the baby will be born on March 9th, but that is 38 weeks and 1 day.  Historically (with only a sample of 2), I have never made it past 37 weeks 2 days (Connor) and Wyatt was scheduled for 38 weeks, but was born a week and day early (36 weeks 6 days - which apparently is pre-term, which is funny because he weighed 8 lbs 2 oz).  With both boys I had emergency c-sections and I have a feeling that Baby #3 will be no different, but I am still hoping for a March baby.

Although I want the baby the baby to come out (selfishly because I am getting quite uncomfortable), I know that it is still too early as I am only 33 weeks and 4 days, but it is still a vast improvement of 25 weeks 4 days when I was admitted into the hospital.  The next milestone that we have set for the baby is to make it past Valentine's Day and Wyatt's 3rd Birthday (Feb 15th).

As I am setting milestones for the baby, I realize that we have to start getting ready for the baby's arrival.  My labour bag and the baby's bag are ready for the hospital and we have a room with a crib in it, but it is not ready for the baby yet as it has become a dumping ground for things without a home.  My biggest frustration at this point is that I can't really do anything, except make lists for Geofford.  I would like reorganize the baby's room so it is set-up a little differently than it was when Wyatt was living in that room.  My mother in law has kindly sorted through all of our kids clothes, so the baby's dresser is already fully stocked and ready to go, so that is done.  

The other big thing that we have to do is purchase a mini-van.  Geofford had to be convinced that it was the right thing to do because although it is theoretically possible to put three carseats in a Honda Civic, it really isn't all that practical (especially for a woman who will be having a c-section).  We have narrowed down the van selection to the Toyota Sienna.  It has all of the features that we want and the dealership is close by so servicing the vehicle will be convenient.

One of the things that I am able to do is surf the internet.  A friend of mine invited me to join Pinterest in the fall (let me know if you want to join...it's addictive), which is a place to view other people's Pins or find cool things on the internet and Pin it.  It's a virtual bulletin board to post up things that you think are interesting.  Some of the "boards" that I have created are: Recipes, DIY crafts, Home improvement, Places that I want to visit, etc.  Through this site, I have been able to come up some ideas for the kids' rooms, crafts for them to do and recipes that I want to try.  I have also started planning Wyatt's birthday party using the site from recipes for the food, to decorations for the house.  We shall see if I can actually follow through with any of the ideas...

Another thing that I have been looking out for is potential poses for the portraits of the new baby with the kids.  Below is a practice of a baby portrait that I found.  The boys were pretty excited to try, but it will be interesting to see if we can actually pull it off once the baby is born.

Connor and Wyatt practicing a baby portrait pose (with Mirabel - my cabbage patch kid who is "standing in" for the baby.  I found the pose on Pinterest, but you can see the inspiration here on the Shanna Michelle Photography website...the picture on the site are stunning!

As the title of this post indicates, the countdown is on.  The baby will be born in 32 days (or less), so in just over a month we will be a family of five!  That will definitely be a new adventure :)

Chinese New Year...and a little regression.

Happy Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year for all of those Asians that also celebrate the Lunar Year).  It is officially the start of the year of the Dragon.  Although there has been some debate that the start is February 4th, which is technically in the Lunar Calendar the first day of spring, but in all of my google searches, I have not found any reference to the year of the dragon starting February 4th....if someone can provide evidence to the Feb 4th switch, then I will change my opinion.

Geofford had set a milestone for us to have a dragon baby (he is a little biased as he is a dragon himself) and now we have reached that milestone.  The next milestone is to make it past the Superbowl (on Feb 5th for those non-NFL fans out there).  :)

Our Chinese New Year eve dinner was special this year as my cousin Evelyn was here for the weekend (she was on her cross-country interview tour for her medical residency), so she was able to join us for dinner (since she was staying with my parents, it wasn't a big stretch).  She even made a lantern out of a pomelo (even though it technically isn't Chinese Lantern season, but it was still pretty cool).

In my previous post, I stated that we made it to 32 weeks, but I was mistaken.  Last Thursday was only 31 weeks.  I blame the baby brain for the mistake, but 32 weeks will be on Thursday...so we are getting there.  I noticed my error, not from the journal that I have been writing in that clearly states that this week is 31 weeks, but from the screen at my ultrasound this afternoon.  The screen said 31 weeks 4 days, which was confusing to me since I honestly believed that I reached the 32 week milestone last week.  Oh well...31 weeks is still better than 25 weeks and 4 days which is when I was admitted to the hospital.

Back to my ultrasound, the technician was able to take some measurements to try and estimate the size of the baby and also looked at the kidneys.  The kidneys appeared to be of normal size from my non-technician eyes, but I verified with the technician and she confirmed my hypothesis.  She also told me that the baby weighs approximately 4 lbs 10 oz based on the size of the head, torso and femur.