Generally about Reagan

Although there will be more posts about our trip my thoughts now are only about the heartbreak of leaving and how sad it makes everyone feel because we live so far away. When we started this whole adventure we thought these feelings were for Jamie’s leaving party at the end of 2008 Little did we realise that we spend our whole lives saying goodbye and seeing tears flow down the cheeks of the one’s we love as we leave each others arms.

Tonight Pam did bath time and it was a very emotional experience for her as we all realised it was our last night here for while and that the fun we have had was coming to an end…

We will spend the next few hours together and have fun, play some Yatzee and maybe forget for a while our emotions knowing that tomorrow they will all come out as we board the plane home.

Our lives will continue as will the blog, a new arrival in September will make our family complete and new trip will be planned and it will all start over again. We joke about the lottery and what we would do if we won the house in Denver and the one in Middlewich the first class flights and the holidays together but for now Jamie and Pam will talk on the phone and everyone will read the blog but one thing is certain in our hearts we will have the memories of our times together and the photo’s to remind us!

I have the urge to apologise but I know what reaction I would get…so I will say I love you all and we will see you soon!

"I love you Grandma"

Now Pam I know you’re at work reading this so you need to dry your eyes and get some work done dude “Ta very much!”

Off to Chester zoo for the day as a special treat for the birthday girl which she really really enjoyed and was very aware of the animals and was most excited to see “phants!” I heard her say once.

Fantastic weather and a lovely day out, great family time a the perfect way to celebrate a first birthday!

Reagans day began with a lie in until 8am when mom and dad could wait no longer lol

Any way the plan was for me to go down stairs and film Reagan crawl into the living room which mommy had spent all last night lovingly preparing with pink balloons and beautifully wrapped presents.

Once she had taken it all in she set about opening presents playing with balloons and wondering just what on earth it was all about, not worrying at all because it was soooo much fun. Mommy and Daddy just loved her excited smiles srhrieks and screams which lasted all day….

A present from Alfie

Lego for building stuff (Note to self must consult uncle Karl for guidance)

O.M.G! It’s Waybaloo!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY

We treasure every moment we have with Reagan but there comes a point when mommy and daddy need to recharge their batteries and if that doesn’t coincide with Reagan needing to recharge her batteries it can get tough!

Bedtime routine works 99% of the time we have tea we go upstairs to run a bath and loads of splashing time while she gets washed and then it’s calm time and hopefully drift off while drinking a bottle

Tonight she was asleep as I put her down and we get our time and all we want to do is sleep lol but resist until bedtime.

When you go to bed you creep upstairs praying that she sleeps all night lol treasuring the moment your head hits the pillow and the complete elation of waking and looking at the clock and it’s 07:30 and she didn’t wake at all

We treasure sleep now…lol

OMG WE’RE HAVING ANOTHER ONE WHAT THE HELL WERE WE THINKING?

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hummm note to self, must buy BIG box of washing powder!

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Our First Family Photo!

What colour was it? What was the consistency? Has she done a weewee yet? Did you drink any of it? lol (I added the last one) but apart that one they are all questions I never thought I’d ever be asked!

Now knocking on for 13 hours old I finally got to meet our lovely daughter again after the trauma or should I say excitment of last night and it was great to kiss my wife and see her sitting up in bed looking a bit uncomfortable but happy. I was able to take Reagan for a while so Jamie could have a shower and clean herself up which was getting her down a little because she had been kept awake a lot in the night by al the other babies on the ward as well as Reagan

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Refreshed from her shower she smiled as she saw me sat there with Reagan asleep in me arms and apart from having to share her I would have let her sleep there and stare at her all day! Jamie then sat and told me all about memories of the day and what she went through (I will ask her to write that and add it to a later blog though)
One thing she did say is that she was the talk of the Hospital “the American lady who attempted every kind of labour that Leighton Hospital has to offer” and that even with a faulty epidural (that fact wasn’t mentioned yesterday?) went through to C section pushing better than anyone has ever done! She was Fantastic I knew that already but…..wow!
My mum came and met Reagan today as did my brother and sister in law which made me feel very proud. They called me dad…
I rang the Denver Post to see if I could get a copy of yesterdays edition posted to us here in England they offered a complimentary copy hand delivered to Pam’s house for free so she can bring it with her in May. We have all the newspapers from England and wanted that to give to Reagan so in a few years she can see what was in the news when she was born, Pam had alread got a wall street journal so we are newpapered up!
Feelings:
I have no idea how to be a dad, I have never been as happy as I was last night, Jamie is THE best person I know in every way, Reagan wins cutest baby contest every-time (slightly biassed here), you don’t need money to be rich, WTF….? Wow!, and I suppose Jeez! oh and YAY!
Had to leave them again at the hospital oh man that’s hard to do even if I did leave Reagan bawling the place down I would still rather her be here bawling the place down. I have since heard that she has eaten (mommy boob taste good, Reagan likey!!!) and both are a sleep now!

I may read this back tomorrow and wish I’d written it differently but I’m tired too and need to sleep, and you should thin yourselves lucky my blog began this morning with:

Ok today began with rather a spiffing hangover induced by celebrating into the early hours with a bottle of red wine while I wrote this blog. Not the best thing to do on a very tired brain (I’m 40 you know!) and an empty stomach!
…but I changed me mind!
Nighty night!

I was woken by Jamie on all fours gripping the headboard!

Now that’s an opening line 😉 but unfortunately “that’s how we got into this predicament in the first place!
We spent all yesterday pissed off with latent labour since Sunday and all the mis information we were given about, definitely not in labour, only a matter of time though, you need to calm down and all that shit “Fuck Off” So last night we ended the day with dare I say it on here a whole bottle of wine each a fabulously spicy tea and 3 helium filled balloons, there’s just something so funny about that squeaky voice you get… So we went to bed relaxed and happy
05:16 Woken by Jamie in labour maybe?

05:55 Waters broke possibly?
06:00 Hot bath definately!
06:13 Rings mommy!
06:55 Off to hospital
We get to the hospital and were put in the birthing pool room (the last room available on a very busy morning) this made Jamie sooo happy because it was her plan for a water birth but the first thing we had to tell them did not bode well for that to happen, green discharge!
They see that immediately as a distressed baby and insist on monitoring it all the time so we had to accept straight away that the pool was a no go and were moved to room 7 (now etched on me mind) where we set up camp for the duration.
Jamie settled into a good routine of contraction-breath-rest using gas and air but it was apparent to me that this was not going to be easy for her and Jamie realised this too!
IF MY TIMINGS ARE OFF HERE IT IS BECAUSE I WAS CONCENTRATING ON OTHER THINGS
Jamie asked for an epidural around noon when she had been in a lot of discomfort for 8 hours (labour began at 4am, apparently?) our plan was for me to whole heartedly discourage her from this as her birthing partner as this was probably her being weak but, I had witnessed upto this point THEE strongest woman I will ever know dilate to 8cm on her own using only gas and air and she was knackered and in pain (lower back, to be specific) caused by the baby being back to back which is the hardest to deliver! So we (Jamie) decided to have the epidural.
The woman I love had done nothing but labour upto this point and even before the epidural kicked in a smile came onto her face a realisation that what she’d done to this point on gas and air and excruciating agony would soon be over… All of a sudden Jamie was sat there in bed eating a cereal bar laughing and joking and pointing out that the last contraction was massive while still chewing on the cereal bar. Labour had become bareable!
The next 7+ hours her dialation progressed as well as the labour to the point where we could push OMG this was it… this is what you see on the telly SCREAM THE FUCKING PLACE DOWN full on we are about to become parents!
19:30 Jamie was told to PUSH! 3 x per contraction then rest!
She did this relentlessly and better than anybody could have asked of her, she was fantastic!
A back to back delivery is apparently the worst\hardest delivery but Jamie gave it everything she had and then gave the same again for an hour and a half and was still sat there preparing to go again when they (NOT HER!!!) decided enough was enough they needed to try forceps and then C Section after that!
She was prepped for both and taken down to Theatre where they tried to deliver vaginally using forceps and Jamie again PUSHED until they THEY stopped her and moved straight to C Section!
REAGAN GRACE FORSTER was born at 22:07
My Jamie will forever be my hero for what she did today I love her but no longer with all my heart (I am crying as I write this) because a little girl has stolen some of it away….
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I LOVE YOU BOTH JAMIE & REAGAN, FOREVER!
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REAGAN GRACE FORSTER