Niamh's 2nd birthday

Niamh turned 2 today Clanettes!
We have had a lovely day filled with bubbles, cake and lots of pressies - she has been truly spoilt (And Bebe particularly, is loving the fall out!). I thought this year I would reminisce on each of the kidlets birth, when I write about their current birthdays. So I'll show you some pics, and then put Niamhs birth story at the end.

Photo's from today:

 Early morning crooning with backing singers.. annoyingly loud new microphone toy!

 A visit from Rae Rae

 Rae Rae brings the funniest toys! LOVE this shot, I'm using it for thank you's.

 The Christie Clan are officially all biked up! No stopping us now!

 Vikki and Livvi

 Louise and Bethan

 Niamh and Bethan enjoying the bubbles

 Lucy came to say Happy Birthday

Elle had made Niamh some amazing leg warmers

Vikki, amongst other generous gifts, had baked. The Kidlets loved these - we saved them til after swimming and they each had 'NAMH' and I got the 'I's'!

Taking my inspiration for an easy cake - when in doubt, wrap it! I flipped it upside down to make the top smooth and it was a nice easy ice using wrapping paper for the edge.

Thank you so much to everyone who sent gifts and happy birthday wishes today, Niamh had a great day.

Slipping back 2 years.. This is written by Lucy, she sent it to me immediately after Niamh was born.. Thank you Lucy, I love you x x

The birth of Niamh Hara Christie

13^th February 2011

Sarah sent me a text at around 5.30pm 11^th Feb to say she felt her Braxton Hicks contractions were becoming more regular and her parents were collecting the children.

I gathered my things and Paul and Sarah collected me. Sarah and I bumbled around the house for a while before settling down for a foot massage. Her contractions were approximately 10 minutes apart but manageable. A little later we decided to walk around the park to try and speed things along but by this time the contractions had slowed to every 20mins. At around 1am Sarah had become tired and decided to try and sleep, we all went to bed. Sarah rose again at three and got a drink, she felt her contractions had become harder but still as far apart. We returned to bed and got up when my alarm went off at 6am, the contractions hadn’t altered and Sarah was very despondent.

Although the hardest thing I have ever done, I left Sarah at 7.20am to drive to Worcester. Other than text message contact I heard little more except a few details from Jill, her midwife’s visit.

At 5.30pm I text Sarah to tell her I would be on my way home after I had eaten.

My predicted arrival would be around 9pm; somewhere in this time Sarah’s contractions picked up speed and were coming every 10 mins.

Paul picked me up at 10.20pm and we went back to Sarah, we had a chat about my day and looked through a photo album I had received for my birthday. Paul was insistent that Sarah called the midwife to keep her updated on the regularity of her contractions, which Sarah did.

Sarah spent much of her time in-between weeing, bouncing on her birth ball. She was incredibly buoyant and relaxed between her contractions and bounced away on her ball watching Michael McIntyre on TV. With each contraction Sarah went to her knees, upper body supported by the couch and held Paul’s hand while I applied a counter pressure massage to her lower back. Contractions remained at 10 min intervals and lasted for 1min each. We began watching the Rocky Horror Show.

The following three contractions were much sharper but Sarah sailed through them in the same way she had all the others before. One of the three came during a bite of bagel, which was promptly thrown in my direction so she could make her way to the floor.

Sarah decided at this point to stop bouncing, have a wee and start cleaning her fireplace! I suggested that she had a little lay down on the sofa. As soon as she managed this, another very powerful contraction came and went before she resumed her reclined position. She rested for a few minutes before announcing the breaking of her waters, with jubilation of getting to experience this sensation came trepidation that the new carpets may be damaged.

There was no need for her concern as everything was contained, and Paul got to press the blue button on his i phone app. Paul also called the midwife, it was 1.10am

As soon as the contraction had passed Sarah wanted to go upstairs to sort her wet clothes. Whilst sitting on the toilet she decided she had the urge to push, Sarah became very agitated and wanted most desperately to reach her birthing pool.

Paul tried to assist her down the stairs, and once at the bottom Sarah literally pole vaulted into the pool and ran off a list of her requirements, I held her hand and head as Paul attended to the drink, water level, the dimming of the lights and the item to bite on that Sarah requested. Sarah asked if the midwife was coming, then during a short contraction stated that she was crowning, she did this as she held the babies head herself. Very shortly after this Paul was able to touch the baby’s body as it was born, Sarah sat back and brought the baby to the surface of the water.

Her disbelief was beautiful and honest as she pondered on actually having had a baby inside her, as she looked to Paul and shouted, ‘what time is it?’ It was 1.20am

Sarah sat back and asked us to remove her top so the baby could have close skin-to-skin contact. Using a jug I poured warm water over the baby and Paul turned the hose back on. The midwife rang to say she was on her way. Sarah suddenly realised that she didn’t know if it was a boy or girl, we discovered that the baby was most certainly a girl! Paul rang Jane, Sarah’s mum and his Dad.

The midwife arrived at 1.45 and Sarah continued to sit in the pool nursing the baby.

We all helped in moving Sarah and the baby (still attached) to her couch, where I had the great honour of cutting the cord and Paul was able to hold the baby. Sarah then went with Paul to the toilet to deliver the placenta and have a shower and I got a cuddle with the new arrival.

Paul took the baby to put a nappy on, Sarah came back down and took pain relief for her after pains and settled on the couch announcing that the baby would be called Niamh Hara Christie.

At this point Paul offered to take me home, it was around 3.30am, and I left the newest member of the family to get to know everyone.

It doesn't seem like two years had passed!!  Re-reading Lucy's dialogue, I realised that during that crazy time when Niamh was a newborn and I juggled to make being a mother of three work, I thought to myself how I would feel when Niamh was 2. What it would be like to have a 2, 5 and 6 year old, rather than a 4, 3 and newborn.. Funny how the time passes and you don't realise until you look up and 2 years has gone by.. You don't notice things change, and get easier, but they do and then you can look back and wonder at the madness that is newborn love. I look back with fondness and also glee  - glee that I am out of that stage of life. Love a new baby.. Love handing it back!

Thanks for reading xxx