IT'S A GIRL!!!

So my granddaughter is already a week old! It has been a crazy roller coaster week, hence, why I have not written about this sooner.  

Last Friday and Saturday I helped Tamika, Guy and Chester move into their townhouse. Late Saturday night I was very tired and bruised, as Tamika drove me home I jokingly said "please don't have the bub tonight or tomorrow I am too tired."

Well Bub did not listen.

At 4.15am Sunday morning Tamika had her first show. She called me, and woke Guy. Then called the midwife.... Yep that was all to plan. But the next hour was not.

Tamika knew with the very first contraction something was not right, that this bub was in a hurry. She called back the midwife, who told her to call an ambulance. Guy, was like, no need I will just pack and we can drive.

Lucky Tamika followed her intuition. A with just two pushes, bub was born in the back of the ambulance in Tamika's driveway at 5.47, just over one hour and half from her first show.

It was an extremely hard birth for all of us. For me to be inside the apartment playing trains with Chester, hearing my daughter screaming for me. For Guy to see Tamika go through the birth and then begin to hemorrhage. And obviously it was the hardest for Tamika.

Tamika lost a LOT of blood and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital. The rest of the story is not mine to tell, it is Tamika's

But the drama continued for a few days... culminating in another ambulance ride Tuesday night back to the hospital for emergency surgery. (The hospital had only discharged her a couple of hours before against my better judgment).

But, now a week later I can finally say Mum and baby are good when I tell people Tamika had her baby.

Welcome to the world, Lola Ruby Lietzow-Chinn. You certainly know how to make a dramatic entrance!

ONE THING BECAME ANOTHER

So yesterday started off one way and ended in another. The morning was a productive hive of energy in the garden, Dad came over, and while I mowed and whipper sniped, He dug up garden beds and re-arranged planters. Jarvis got in on the act with his wheel barrow and pottered around collecting thing. Tamika sat on the door step drinking tea and taking photos.

It was a beautiful sunny autumn day, we discussed what we were going to plant and where. Dad wants to build even more garden beds as he thinks we have grown way too many seedlings. We were over near the passionfruit vine discussing how full of fruit it was, Jarvis was beside us digging in the dirt, an activity he loves, when our day changed.

(For those who have a squimsh tummy may want to stop reading)

Jarvis feel off the garden bed, not a big fall about twenty centimetres, but he fell face first into a metal garden spike. He was silent when I picked him up, I am not sure if it was my scream that made him cry, or the pain had set in. But I could not help myself, when I picked up my baby his face was covered in blood and it was spurting out of his face.

I ran upstairs with Jarvis in my arms, to get a clean cloth to put pressure on the bleed, and to try to wipe away some of the blood. By the time I got upstairs I was covered in blood and it was dripping off my arm. When I saw my baby’s blood dripping off me in a puddle on the bathroom floor I lost it a little.

This is Jarvis, after we had washed away the blood, This wash blood that was fresh and would not stop. This is the 'best' photo we have, as in the least amount of blood.

Tamika was amazing; she called the ambulance and helped Jarvis into the bath. The triple 000 operator told us to wash him down to find out where the source of blood was coming from and to apply firm pressure to the site. While Tamika was on the phone to triple 000, I called Justin. I do not want to think of how fast he rode his bike from the Valley to Camp Hill, but he arrived about the same time as the ambulance.

They were amazing, I have always said I could never ever be an ambulance worker, these two were so good. As soon as they, and Justin, arrived I felt calmer. I held Jarvis while they tapped his nose back together, and then dressed him as quickly and as gently as I could. I then turned to the ambulance lady and said we were ready to go. She gently told me to go wash myself up a bit and change my clothes. Tamika and I looked at each other and both realised we were covered in blood and looked like something from a horror show,

The ride to the Mater Children’s was so quick, but once there it was a long long wait. On arrival we were assessed and told Jarvis would need a plastic surgeon. Jarvis was such a good boy, no tears, no misbehaving, the only time he got cranky was when he saw other people eating. How do you tell your starving 16 month old they cannot have anything to drink or eat because they may have to have surgery?

Finally we see the surgeon, it was only a three hour wait but it felt like forever. I think we got the nicest doctor ever. She was so gentle and calm. Her assessment: Jarvis’s cut was extremely deep, however because it was such a clean cut and he did not chip into the bone, plus because he was so well behaved she thought she could get away with gluing his face back together rather than having to put him under and stitch his face.

So end of the story we have a little man with a glued face. Who came home and climbed the furniture as if nothing had happened.

I want to say a huge thank you to the two ambulance drivers, (I did ask their names, but cannot remember) the staff at the Mater Children’s Emergency Department, and to the amazing doctor. Thank you for helping a woman covered in blood, mud, and cow poo remain calm, and most of all thank for looking after my little Man. Jarvis you were so well behaved yesterday, I am so proud of you.

Photos were all taken by Tamika.