I can’t say that I’m not a little envious of all our friends and family jetting off to fun and exciting places, especially those heading to Spain, you know who you are! But, it’s REALLY nice to just do nothing and enjoy our wonderful city of Vancouver this summer.  After the whirlwind traveling we did last late Summer and most of the Fall we were ready for a bit of relaxing at home.  We’ve been a tourist in our own backyard.  Walks in Stanley Park, weekend visits to Granville Island to buy food for dinner and feed the little duckies, BBQs on the beach with friends, and happy hour on our roofdeck complete with a dip in the blow-up kiddie pool!

Sometimes doing nothing for vacation is a vacation.  It’s the first time in a long time I’ve looked at Justin on Monday and said, “Wow, we have nothing planned for next weekend.  So nice.  What do you want to do? ”

And on top of all that I feel a little bit like maybe I’m making up for all those summers I was jetting off here and there on the environment front…not so bad for the bank account either!

We’ve been adjusting to life with 2 babies (2 under 2 up until last week when our Stella turned 2).  Sebby was a bit of a handful at first as he was having some tummy issues but the past 2 weeks he’s been really developing a little personality.  Laughs and smiles if you say the littlest thing to him and is VERY talkative.  He’s also huge… 14 lbs. 6 oz. today at his 2 month check-up.

Stella is growing up so quickly.  She’s such a kind and sweet little girl (most of the time).  Even last night I mentioned that my foot was hurting and she quietly got up from the middle of her snack walked over, bent down and kissed my foot and said “kiss it make it better.”  I was obviously bursting with love and also incredibly blown away by her show of kindness and intellect in picking up on a conversation that wasn’t even directed at her.

We aren’t staying at home all summer.  We are going for a quiet road trip to Whistler next weekend for the BBQ festival.  Should be a nice get-a-way and an easy way to ease back into traveling now that we have 2.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

Sebby weighed in at 13 lbs. 5 oz. at his 6 weeks check-up.

We sadly said goodbye to our midwives as after 6 weeks they turn over our care to our GP. I felt really sad leaving the office yesterday and I really enjoyed everyone who worked at Pacific Midwifery and felt a bond/friendship with everyone there. I told them sadly that I probably won’t be seeing them again as I believe this is our last baby.

We also got a final visit from our doula, Roxanne Waite. She was with us at both Stella and Sebby’s birth’s and I can say without question she helped me naturally birth a very big boy the second go round. If you are looking for a midwife in Vancouver I highly recommend Pacific Midwifery in Leg and Boot Square in Vancouver. And if you want to have a doula at your birth I also recommend Roxanne Waite.

Roxanne was very nice to write up Sebby’s birth story from her perspective. She also did this for Stella and it was such a nice thing to have.

Below is Roxanne’s story of Sebby’s birth.

Sebastian’s Birth Story
A Very Different Journey
May 18th, 2009

After travelling abroad with their daughter Stella, Dreama and Justin Lee arrived back in Vancouver with a wonderful souvineer. They were expecting their second baby…you! Mom did not expect to be pregnant while travelling but she was very excited. They contacted me (their doula) to see if we could work together again. I was delighted to be there after helping with your big sister’s birth. Mom went to the same midwifery clinic even though there were some new midwives she would be working with. Dad seemed thrilled but as always a little nervous about the process. I thought he would be an expert after Stella. Everyone was looking forward to your arrival and hoping for a positive experience for a second time.

On the morning of May 17th Mom’s water broke! This came with mixed emotions. A few weeks earlier Mom tested positive for Strep B so this meant Mom and Dad would make their first of many trips to the hospital for an IV with antibiotics. Labour seemed to start then stop all day. Stella was being looked after by your grandparents so Mom and Dad could concentrate on getting labour going. We spoke a few times though out the day and I could hear the frustration in Mom’s voice. She felt like the trips back and forth to the hospital kept interrupting her labour from progressing naturally.

Labour seemed to pick up shortly before the third trip to BC Women’s. Dad phoned me just after 1am (May 18th). I arrived at the hospital and met them in the admitting room by 2am. Mom was standing by the bed wanting to pace and move around. She needed more room. She bent over the bed and breathed deeply with each contraction. About twenty minutes later we got good news…a room of our own. Dad and I packed all of our things into room #10 where we met our male nurse. A first time for everything! Shannon the midwife arrived shortly after still going after two previous deliveries that same day. Things were picking up and you sounded healthy and happy. Mom needed some fresh air. All three of us stepped outside to get away from the recycled hospital air. It felt great. We joked and made small talk between contractions.

Soon enough we walked the halls back to the room. At 3:30am Mom’s cervix was dilated to 6cm and your head was nice and low. At this point Mom looked at the clock and told us you would be born by 5am. Dad liked the sounds of this! The intensity was growing. Mom tried the shower but she didn’t stay in there for too long. She struggled with “letting go”. Mom couldn’t stay still. She paced, kneeled, squatted and spent time on her hands and knees. Mom knew exactly what herbody was doing and let us know when you were getting very close.

As predicted at 4:50am Mom began to push. The excitement in the room was felt by all. Mom got in the bed and Dad stayed by her right side. He seemed almost giddy…it was beautiful. Shannon assisted Mom while I helped her with her leg. Mom wanted to stay in control and avoid tearing so Shannon had Mom place her hand on your head shile she pushed. This gave Mom the advantage of pushing you out as slowly as she could. Mom did a beautiful job! At exactly 5:10am you emerged and went straight onto Mom’s chest. Dad was elated to find out he had a big baby boy! At first Mom thought you may have been smaller than your sister but when you hit the scale we were all shocked to see 9lbs 10oz. Mom was relived you came just before and not after your due date. Dad made some phone calls while Mom started feeding you. Your family welcomed you with love and appreciation.