Last Wednesday, I did something I’d never done before, in a way that went in a totally different way to how I had roughly planned it.
Kind of like blindly climbing Mt Bromo in Indonesia at dawn, with the thick sulphur mists obscuring everything until you’re right at the lip of the volcano, or maybe hopping on a bus with everything written in Chinese and really hoping that you’re going to end up in the right place even though you’re not entirely certain where that place is or if you’re even pronouncing it correctly.
I had a baby.
Whoa! Did I do this?
Guys, this is Oscar, named after the esteemed Wilde, Peterson, Schindler and The Grouch. He emerged into the world with a level of enthusiasm and gusto and keen appreciation for the element of surprise that bodes well for future endeavours.
After planning out a crunchy granola home birth (a lovely NHS option for uncomplicated pregnancies), complete with a rented purple birthing pool, a supply of HobNobs and Haribo sours, books by Ina May Gaskin and various hypnobirthers, and an iTunes soundtrack that included The Ramones (um, yeah- I Wanna Be Sedated made it onto the list) and the Cramps and Miles Davis, he ended up nearly being born in the elevator at the hospital when we went in for a routine check at the beginning of my labour  (‘We’ll send you back home after,” they said…).
Was it a Schindler brand lift? I wouldn’t doubt it.
But like a mad journey that utterly derails and ends up taking you on an alternate route never even contemplated before setting off, he took off running and was out within two rather intense hours (uncushioned by painkillers as it was too late by the time we got a room at the hospital), a mighty 4 kilogram burrito with a proper Paul Weller mod haircut who was welcomed with a little John Coltrane on the iPhone in a hastily cleared room at the hospital.
He came home with us in a taxi six hours later, dressed up in his finest Canadian moose suit.
You know you want a moose suit.
It’s going to be an interesting year.
20 Responses
He has a moose suit. Clearly Sweden should be tops on the list.
Duly noted. Must pack the suit…
6 hours after?! Kudos to all of you, what a great start!
Ebriel recently posted..Beijing: Black as Coal
6 hours is standard here unless there are complications. It was actually really nice to go home to my own bed instead of being in a hospital room. They send midwives and doctors round to your house every day afterward for check ups so you can stay in, hibernate and recover in privacy and comfort.
Yayayayayayayay! Congrats! What a cutie. So excited for you three!
Sally recently posted..Mitten List: South Haven Lighthouse
Yaaaayyy! Thank you!
Congratulations! He’s adorable! As much as I love Italy, I vote you take him to Spain. They love, love, love babies there. I’ve never seen so many strollers out at 11pm before.
Kristina recently posted..Otranto and the Salentine Coast
Spain is currently at the top of our list! He’s a very nocturnal baby and I think he’d groove on late night strolls…
The adventure begins…. 😉
A two-hour labour?!- That is amazing for your first child (mine was 11.5 hours with no meds). Well done!
Oscar is beautiful….Enjoy! 🙂
P.S. Denmark = LEGOLAND.
Love,
Stacey
Yep, 2 hours from waters breaking to Oscar emerging! No warning at all! I went from just feeling big and heavy and tired to having intense contractions 40 seconds apart in just minutes… Rather surprising!
And yes, Legoland is definitely on the list!
I second Sweden. We can meet you there in July!
Heather recently posted..Exploring the Cultural Quirks of Japan
So far there have been two votes for Sweden… hmmm…
*pencilling it onto list*
When are you guys moving?
The end of June. I’ll just need a few weeks to settle in and get my bearings, then we’ll be ready for visitors!
Heather recently posted..Exploring the Cultural Quirks of Japan
BELGIUM
Kirstin recently posted..Dear February
Duly noted! I can finally have a proper beer again and Belgium certainly ticks that box! 🙂
Yayy!! Congrats! This is kind of one of those perfect just past birth photos.
So yes, looking forward to seeing how this adventure continues.
Leigh recently posted..Home has many meanings; home floats
It should be an interesting adventure! Really liking it so far…
Congratulations!
love the moose suit and so totally ADORABLE!
lisa recently posted..early mornings.
Dear MaryAnne,
It’s been a few weeks since I first introduced myself (Feb 11 to be exact) and in this time I have moved to Brazil and you had a beautiful baby! Congratulations. What a wonderful time for you and your husband! We were also discussing haircuts and languages at the time. And no I have not learned enough Portuguese to get a good or bad haircut but I have been smart enough to schedule a visit back home that coincides with my 7 week hair color need. Looking forward to following your new adventure into parenthood!
Hi again! And thank you! The baby is now 18 days old and we are adjusting to our new life with him. So far so good. I’m still mentally working on what to write next- it’s all pretty muddled and busy in my head these days (sleeplessness doesn’t help!).
Good luck with your future hair cuts!