Alice makes her arrival, January 5th 2011

I had been having contractions off and on for a week, and started on January 4th at 5:45 AM to have them. I had them fairly steady, but far apart until 9 AM, then they were sporadic at best until 4 PM. At that point I was having them at 6-25 minute intervals, not intensifying or steady. At 9 PM we went to bed, thinking it would be a long night and maybe it would pick up. They were still sporadic and I dozed here and there, and breathed through the contractions and focused on staying relaxed. I had one bad one around midnight and decided to get in the bathtub to relax, so Stefan filled it and I got in. Then after about a half hour the bath wasn't helping much and it was starting to hurt, so I decided to call Sofia, the doula we had hired to help us for the birth, at 12:48 AM. Right after that I decided it was time to go in to the hospital soon, so Stefan called them to warn them that we would be on our way. Stefan tried to help me out of the bath, and dry me off, but suddenly I was having intense contractions and we didn't get much done between each one. He told my parents that we would be leaving and tried to dress me. Sofia came and at the same time she walked in, I started feeling pressure and nausea. I told them to call an ambulance because I didn't think we were going to make it, but Stefan said that it would be faster if we went ourselves. Everyone made a mad rush to get us out the door. Sofia supported me, Stefan packed the stuff in the car, my dad shoveled and started the car, and then they got me dressed somehow and out the door. I managed to walk to the car between contractions and ended up in the passenger seat, facing backwards with my head in the backseat. We took off as fast at Stefan could drive during a bad snowstorm, with Sofia in the backseat. I was pushing and yelling during each contraction, whether I wanted to or not. I still had pauses between contractions and breathed through them with some reminding from Sofia and Stefan. He drove all the way to Visby in 4th gear since my leg was in the way of 5th. I was crowning as we got to Visby, and the head was out on the way down the hill to the hospital. The water broke at the same time. Stefan parked right outside the labor and delivery entrance, mostly on the sidewalk, and Sofia rang the bell. Stefan said they came with a wheelchair but he told them it was too late for that. I told them to take my pants off because the baby was out, so he pulled them down, and Sofia caught the baby during the next contraction. She was born at about 1:40 AM. Stefan rushed to get a blanket from the trunk and the nurses came with some towels. The midwife cut the cord there in the car, and they brought the baby in. Then I got out and onto a gurney and they wheeled me in too, into the same room where we had Haylie. The staff all expected us to be shocked, but I was just totally relieved that everything had gone so fast and so easily. I never thought I would be glad to give birth in the front seat of a Saab. I felt great right away after, had no tearing or stitches, and Alice started nursing almost right away (after she warmed up a little). A totally different experience than when Haylie was born.

Here is the rally driver with Alice somewhere in all those blankets.

Here I am, about 30 minutes after she was born.

Alice Kally, who just wanted to nurse all night long. We got our own room since it was pretty empty, so Stefan got to stay with us. We called home after about an hour or so and talked to Haylie and my parents. Haylie had amazingly not woken up to me screaming in the bathroom and hall.

Little Alice in the morning, about 8 AM.

Alice and a tired mom who didn't sleep much, but thankfully got a good nap in when dad went to get Haylie, Grandma and Grandpa.

Big sister and little sister

A very proud big sister Haylie, who was greatly impressed that Alice was born in the car, and plans on telling all her friends when school starts on Monday after Christmas break.

Haylie, Alice, and Grandma Taryn

Alice came just in the nick of time to meet Grandma and Grandpa, who flew home the same afternoon.

Dinner was Christmas food, which didn't appeal to me, so Stefan and Haylie picked up some McDonald's when they dropped Grandma and Grandpa off at the airport. After that, we headed home.

Home again, after just 16 hours.

New Year's Eve and Linda's 30th birthday party

Here I was on New Year's Eve, 39 weeks 4 days.

The three of us

My dad, mom, me and Stefan at Stefan's sister Linda's 30th birthday party at her house.

This is how I spent most of the evening. I had lots of swelling in my legs and feet at the end and was quite uncomfortable.

Linda is in the blue.

The girl cousins had a nice show - they were singing Waka waka by Shakira for all the party guests. We left at eleven and were home to watch fireworks in our neighborhood. Haylie fell asleep in the car and couldn't be woken up.

Christmas 2010

Our Christmas tree this year - Stefan's dad got it for us. It is about 270 cm tall after we trimmed it some. Good thing we have a high ceiling. This was on the 22nd when we put it up.

Here was Haylie on Christmas Eve morning, after breakfast and ready to open presents.

After presents, Haylie, Grandma and Grandpa went out and played in the snow.

Then we got ready, and after the traditional cartoons at 3 PM went to Stefan's sister's house for Christmas Eve dinner.

This is what 39 weeks pregnant looks like. And probably the most put-together I have been for over a month.

Here we are with my parents at Camilla's house.

My ankles swelled horrendously so I had to sit with my feet up. Fortunately, they decided to put the candy table right next to me. Stefan had made knäck and kola, and I made Grasshopper squares.

Here are the cousins, being forced to pose for pictures before getting to open presents. They played really nicely all evening and didn't even nag to open gifts. We started to wonder what was wrong with them. Henrik found out that night that the baby will be a girl, but I think he is beyond being disappointed at this point and has resigned himself to the fact that he is perpetually surrounded by girls at family gatherings.

Haylie and Cornelia

Tindra and Emely

Henrik

Emely read the tags and the other girls passed out gifts.

Here is Haylie with her pile of loot.

She was hugging whoever the presents were from after each one she opened this year.

Here was today, December 30th, after an afternoon in Visby doing a little shopping.

Stefan had won the grand prize of a 32 inch flat-screen LED TV in an online drawing on Christmas Eve. It came today, so he and my dad went to pick it up.

Now he has some reading material anyway - he always has to read the instructions everytime we get something new. Good thing someone does.

Birthday party weekend #2

On Saturday, Haylie had her birthday party with friends from school.

Present opening - it is always hard to tell who is most excited, the kid getting the presents or the rest of them living vicariously.

There I am, looking heavy, pale and anemic. Which I am. Or in other words, 36 1/2 weeks pregnant in December. Stefan had to do all the work. Good thing he is good at taking directions.

The girls played quite nicely, for the most part. Haylie is in the pink bean bag on the left, under her guitar. I only know this because those are her pink socks with white spots. I didn't venture into her room during the party. They weren't too quiet or screaming bloody murder, so no need to intervene.

At the end of the party, we made ice cream sundaes, which were very popular. Then we sent them home, hyperactive and full of sugar, with a little bag of candy each to keep them hyperactive for the rest of the day.

We even managed to clean up the sticky mess on the table and the crumby mess under the table before all the parents came to pick them up. The house didn't look that much worse for the wear afterwards.

6 years old!

We woke up Haylie this morning by singing to her, and bringing her cake and presents in bed. This was the outfit she got from us today, so she wanted to have her picture taken in it on her birthday. We also gave her books and some Littlest Pet Shop animals.

I went with her to school from 8-10 this morning and hung out.

Birthday party weekend #1

Haylie and Stefan had put up our recently purchased birdfeeder and suet balls this week, so as I was eating breakfast on Saturday I got to watch all sorts of little birds coming and going. As I was eating breakfast, Stefan went out to shovel and Haylie went out to play in the snow in her new snowsuit that she is quite fond of. She flopped around all over the yard, and ended up getting stuck in a big pile of snow at one point. We have one sledding hill (i.e. pile of dirt) left in the backyard, so she had her snow racer out and took a ride down it.

This was my view from the breakfast table, but the little birds made themselves scarce when Haylie was out there.

Today was Haylie's family birthday party, with her cousins, Stefan's parents and siblings, and her friend Hilda. She had a really good time.

Haylie and her youngest cousin Elina, who is 17 months.

Isabelle, Cornelia, Tindra, Elina, and Haylie.

Haylie ordered a purple marzipan-topped cake with a pink rose from one of the local bakeries, plus picked out purple glitter candles. This kind of cake is called a Princesstårta, a princess cake, and is usually green.

Tuesday is her actual birthday. She turns 6, and I am going to go with her to school for a while, plus she has decided we are going out for pizza that night. Next Saturday is her birthday party with her friends from school. Now I am on vacation until the baby shows up, and then start my year or so of maternity leave. It will be nice to have a few weeks to take it easy.