February Update

Hello ,

We have been busy in the last few weeks. With Kaleb now on a more predictable schedule, we now have the courage and confidence to do different activities. Kaleb went skiing last weekend and for a jog with papa. The weekend previous we all went to Grotto Canyon and hiked to the frozen waterfalls. This weekend he and mom went to a trade fair and then went for lunch with friends. Its been wonderful to watch him grow and develop in the last two weeks. He now grabs stuff, he smiles a lot, sucks on his hands and holds his head very well.

As usual there is photos on our Picassa web site.

Life of babies - The magical number 6.

We went to our weekly doctors appointment on Friday (his 6th week birthday) and we had the usual questions regarding food, crying and gas. All books and classes point to a simple fact, babies change drastically at the 6th week of life. We read about this and yet we had a hard time believing that the crying would stop and be replaced with laughter.

A week went by and we were downtown at the weekly doctors visit and as we were leaving Stacey made a bold suggestion. `Lets go for Vietnamese food`. I was shocked she even suggested this. I mean Kaleb usually starts fussing every 10 minutes and it takes a good 20 minutes of bouncing and rocking to sooth him. We`ll lets give it a try. We drove 2 blocks and found our favorite noodle house Pho Kim. We went in, left our jackets on (we might have to leave in a hurry we thought) and ordered. We asked the waiter if we could have Take out dishes at the ready in case we had to leave. We ate, he quietly watched us and then to our amazement he stayed quiet throughout the whole meal. Stacey paid, I packed him up and we left. As we drove away, we high fived each other and couldn`t believe we pulled it of. Life has taken a turn for the best. Some photos from this past week HERE.

Here is the proof we went out.

Kaleb Michael Bourgeois

Good morning. As I am writting this a whole week (almost to the minute) has gone by since Kaleb was born December 4th at 10:44 AM. We are in the wonderful (and tiring) proces of figuring out how to meet every need of our baby boy. He sleeps, he eats, he burps and he poops his pants (down to his toes this morning). Sounds simple yet he has managed to bring us to tears both of joy and of exhaustion however, he smiles and grins once he finishes a good feed and that is what makes it all worth it. Slowly we are getting a handle on things, yesterday we had our routine doctor visit which was our first outing, then we got brave and went to the store to pick up a garbage pail (for his poop filled diapers). Excitement enough for new parents. This morning I took him and Sky for a walk, Sky also seems very fond of him. Life is getting back on track.

Enjoy the pictures, I will be adding more to this link so check again for daily updates. Kaleb Michael Bourgeois Photos (proud parent alert, lots and lots of photos).


Mathieu, Stacey and Kaleb

A labour of love.

At 10:44AM December 4th 2009, Kaleb Michael Bourgeois was born. Here is the story of our journey to bring him to this world.

Over the last 2 weeks of my pregnancy, we made frequent trips to the doctors office and the hospital because my blood pressure was getting high. We had many recommendation to induce the labor early because of hypertension caused by pregnancy. But Mathieu and I decided to give our baby the best chance to come to this world naturally and as safely as possible. Close to the due date, we had an ultrasound to see how the little guy was doing in there. He was measured at 10lbs 9oz. From there we decided that it was time to go the hospital and induce the labour.

On Thursday December 3rd we were admitted to the labour and delivery unit (Unit 51) of the Foothills Medical Centre, where they used medication called Oxytocin to make me go into labour. Mathieu and I laboured all day and all through the night, he was an incredible support to me, standing by my bed for 20 hours. He helped with every step of the way. We also asked a good friend of ours (Deborah Bobrow) who has tremendous experience as a midwife and labour/delivery nurse to spend time with us during the labour and help us stay relaxed and focused.

Through the night we had challenges, at 3AM the baby heart rate started dipping a bit low on occasion. A couple of epidurals and an aminionic infusions where done to protect the baby and get me ready if a emergency C-section was required to get him out fast. I was also having difficulty finding the balance for my pain. The doctors and nurses where very caring and kind thrue it all. After spending 6 hours at 9cm and experiencing every part of labour including transition, we agreed with the doctors and nurses that it was time to go the operating room and get the baby out safely via C-section. Within an hour, we heard the first cries of our beautiful baby boy and we met our son, Kaleb.

We were filled with joy but our challenge wasn't over yet. Later that day, I had a post partum hemorrhage and lost a lot of blood. I stayed a couple extra days in the hospital where the nurses and Mathieu by my side, helped me recover. We came home on Monday December 7 th and introduced or dog Sky to the new member of the family. From here our world will change, we are on the journey of learning how to become parents. The basic tasks are to feed our baby, keep him warm, and provide love. So far, it has been a complete roller coaster ride of ups and downs but we are so happy to be on the ride and are growing as people every step of the way.

A special thank you to Donelle, Jackie and Karina, 3 wonderful nurses who made this journey a wonderfull human experience for all 3 of us.

Stacey

Parenting first step - Reorganize your life

The last two weeks have been busy with house re-organization in anticipation for the arrival in early December. I painted the room, change table and night stand. Stacey got the clothes and other necessities ready. Finally on thankgiving monday, all the pieces are in place. Check out the photos.

2009, the year of Big News

Well this year has been quite a year.

First the engagement and the wedding and just 5 days after the wedding, I did my final exam to be certified as an Alberta Land Surveyor. This has been my work in progress for the last 5 years. It is quite an accomplishment to have finally finished this and on August 7th I stood in front of a judge and swore my oath of office. This certification now provides me with countless opportunities in Alberta and in every province in the country.

And now on to the biggest news of our lives. In early December 2009 , we are expecting a new addition to our family. That's right we are pregnant with a (99% confirmed) baby boy. Over the last few months Stacey has been working extra hard and is carrying our baby. She did very well in the first trimester and we are now in the 5th month of pregnancy. All the ultrasound have proved to be positive and we are preparing for the arrival by taking baby classes and reading all sorts of literature. We have allready received wonderful gifts from our family and have found all our basic necessities at discount prices thanks to neighborhood garage sales.

Here is a little picture of our newest addition, we think he has his dad's nose...