Well the second week without Chad ends tonight he is on his way home right now! I can't wait it has been a really tough week. Anna was very good but I was sick with a high fever for two days (turns out I have a throat infection). I also had 5 weddings and there is always stress with that. So on Friday I caved and went over to Joan and Denis's (Chad's mom and dad) and had dinner... and stayed over night...I didn't leave until Sunday afternoon. It was so nice to be taken care of and to have some help with Anna and most importantly have some company.

On Sunday I felt better because the fever went down so I went to the ball field and watched my friends play baseball and then we ended up at Jeff's house for a BBQ. Everyone loved Anna so much even the guys. I don't even think I held her for the first hour I was there. I had such a good time. And so did Anna apparently...

Chad has the day off tomorrow so I can't wait to be able to spend the day together.

Hello from San Jose...

Hi Gals, I miss you two. This trip as been a little quieter than the last, so I have had way too much time to sit around and think about home. I can't wait to get back, I saw the last post and it reminded me of last weekend. I had a great time being home and having a nice three and a half days off to spend with you two.

Jen, I hope you feel better baby, I can tell the stress is getting to you. I hope you understand that I do need to travel for work...and it finally paid off with the news I told you about earlier. I am so happy and I hope this will mean a bit more of a standardized schedule at work for me, and possibly a bit less stress to bring home at the end of the day. I am excited for the future and I hope it will make things a bit easier for all of us.

Anna, daddy misses you hun, I hope your teeth aren't bothering you as much as they were when I left. Mom said you were finally eating full meals again, keep it up, it is hot outside and you need to stay hydrated.

Not sure if Jen mentioned it, but Anna had her first tooth come through the last weekend, and now she is full on teething with the other bottom tooth coming in right next to it. When I left, she wasn't eating much, she was very irritable and her cheeks were very rosey. This wen't on the two days prior to me leaving and at least one and a half days after I left. The second one hasn't broken through yet, but I think it may come soon. I just want her to get these two out as soon as possible so she can feel a little better for a while before anymore start to come.

I miss both of you very much, hugs and kisses,

Dad

so it has been a busy week my aunt Sandra and my 5 year old cousin Patrick came in from Ottawa on Monday the 10th and we were on the go pretty much from that moment on. Tuesday we went to the Aquarium and my mom joined us we had so much fun! Anna was mezmorized by the fish in the tanks for the first little bit then she pretty much slept for the rest of the day. There was a huge Sea Lion that was showing off and swimming right at Patrick and then swooping up he would shriek in excitement. It was so cute, I can't wait for Anna to be able to experience things like that when she gets older.



















On Wednesday we took the ferry to Victoria and we went to the Sratch Patch in Sydney and panned for gold and got to pick out shells and stones etc. Then we went back to my mom and dad's house in Sooke. Thursday we went down to Victoria and went to the wax museum and saw the downtown sights...again Anna slept through all of it. We picked Chad up that afternoon!!!! It was neat to see Anna's reaction...at first she was like "who the hell are you?" and within a short time she was smiling and giggling and cooing for her daddy. That day was my mom's birthday and Anna decided she wanted to give grandma a birthday gift...her first tooth! it is on the bottom (I would take a picture but she won't open her mouth wide enough to see it). I cannot believe that she has a tooth already.























On Saturday we went to China beach, it was so windy and awkward with Anna but it was beautiful, and she loved the hike from the car to the beach in the baby carrier with Chad.

Since we got home on Sunday Anna has been very cranky crying a lot more than usual, and she has totally lost her appetite. When she finally wants to eat it hurts too bad to suck on the bottle so she pushes it away and crys...I wish the other tooth would just come through already so that she will not be in pain any more.

Chad left for San Jose this morning...I hate being at home alone especially at night. It is especially hard because Anna is so cranky, it is going to take everything out of me to keep the stress level down this weekend, especially since I have 4 weddings to worry about as well.

Chad: I miss you already, I just pray that this week will go by fast, call me tomorrow when you get a chance, good night, I love you.

Daddy: Wuv you, hugs and drools xox

Hey Anna and Jen,

So it has been just over half of my trip to Indianna. I can't believe how much I miss both of you. The only upside is that I have been working non stop 12-14 hour shifts with no time for breaks, so it has kept my mind occupied for at least some of the time. I can't wait to come home, this trip is a bit much for me, I have been missing you two since the minute I left. I can't wait to come back for a nice three days off to relax and see both of you. I have a bunch of kisses that I have been saving! I will see you girls on Thursday evening...looks like I won't get a ferry until 4pm if there even is one, if not 5pm.

Jen,

I hope things get a bit easier when you have your mom and Aunt Sandra around. At least they can take Anna for a couple hours so you can get a bit of rest. I wish you wouldn't push yourself so hard...but I guess it is hard to resist (and sometimes hard to avoid). Love you!

Anna,

I Love you so much honey, I hope you haven't missed me too much! I know I can handle it because I know I am coming back, but you wouldn't understand at your age, so I hope you haven't noticed. I just don't want you to be sad, ever. You deserve the world and I want to be sure that you are always happy. I can't wait to see you again. I just want to let you know, that I check the blog everyday, not to just read new posts from mom, but to see all the lovely pictures of you. I love you.

Dad

We had a fun day today Anna, my mom and I went up to Fury Creek to do a wedding. Anna was so good she just laughed and talked the whole car ride up (and back). The we went to earls on Robson for some sun and lunch on the patio. Everyone loved Anna she was awake the whole time and just kicked back and enjoyed herself. Then Anna and I went and got a couple of movies and came home.

I spoke to Chad tonight and he was asking if Anna was acting any differently (like if she missed him) well I didn't think she was acting any differently...that was until I got off the phone. She was really cranky and didn't want to be in her swing or exer saucer or anything she didn't even want to play. So I put her in my arms and she just lay there staring up at me with this...look. I can't explain it but it was like she just wanted to be cuddled because she missed her daddy. It was the most amazing look I have ever seen in my life, I wish I could have captured it on camera (the picture above is not "the look" that was from earlier ) but even then it wouldn't have been the same as the real thing. It was such a loving gaze, if I could be in that moment forever it wouldn't be long enough. I just told her I loved her and she eventually closed her eyes and fell asleep in my arms, I kept her like that for a couple of hours because I just couldn't put her down. Tonight I am full of emotions because I miss Chad so much and can't even believe I have to wait 6 more days until I see him again, I know Anna misses him and that makes me sad because I wish she could understand that he has just gone away for a few days and he will be back, and because I feel like the luckiest woman on the face of the earth to have such an amazing family. I have to say that I am the happiest I have ever been in my entire life...thank you Chad and Anna I love you both so much.

After about 11 hours of travel I finally made it to Indianna. I got my rental car and checked it to the hotel. All I could think about all day is that this is the first time I have been away from Anna since she was born. I miss her already and I can't wait to get home, even though it will only be for a week before I leave yet again. Anna and Jen, I know you gals probably miss me already. I just wanted to say how much I love both of you and that I miss you too!! Hopefully I will be really busy on this trip to help take my mind off of it. I have had butterflies in my stomach all day just thinking about how much more I will miss both of you each day.

Anna,

Be good to mommy, she deserves a rest while I am gone. It will be very hard for her so please be sure to smile and giggle lots for her...and to sleep in each morning. I hope you don't miss me too much. I will sure miss you!

Jen,

I will call you later tonight to say goodnight. I hope you remember to set the alarm everynight...and more importantly, to disarm it before you open the window or door in the morning :)

Love you both and see you next Thursday.

Dad.

It is so fun to play with Anna in her crib right before we give her a bath she is usually in really good spirits and will giggle and talk (baby talk) and just have a great time with her mommy and daddy.














Anna got her first hair cut yesterday...I have been putting it off because Chad did not want me to cut it but it was getting so long and stragely looking so my mom just trimmed it up a bit. Chad ended up loving it as I knew he would. We kept a few pieces of hair for her baby book.

We also went to visit Chad at work yesterday it was Anna's (and mine) first time there and everyone loved her and thought she was so cute. While we were there she wanted to try out her daddy's desk...you know swivel in the chair a bit, tap on the keyboard, try on his head set...

Chad told me yesterday that he has to go away to Indiana for 1 week for work and then he will be home for 6 days before he takes off to San Jose for work (7 days again). It is going to be really hard becuase I rely so much on Chad's help when he gets home from work and on weekends when I am working. We will miss him very much, it will be his first time away from Anna I'm sure he will miss her like crazy.

Just thought I would post Anna's birth story that I had written on March 5th for memories sake.

Anna Makenzie Dupuis Due March 9th: born March 2nd 2006 9:18 am 7pounds 9 ounces Here is my beautiful girls birth story:

On Wednesday March 1st I called my doctor to tell her that I was up the night before because I felt itchy all over my body (but I didn't have a rash). She told me to come in that afternoon. I went in and she was concerned about my liver not working properly (which happens to alot of women near the end of their pregnancy) She sent me upstairs to L&D to have a non stress test and some blood work done. So I went upstairs and soon found out that one of the couples from my prenatal class was in the middle of labor and she was having a natural birth. I got hooked up to the monitor and continued to listen to the horrifying sounds coming from the room next door!!! As I was there I noticed mild period like cramps but didn't think much of it until the nurse told me they were actually contractions. I thought of people who have these for days so I didn't think anything of it. My doctor came in and told me that she was thinking of inducing me the following morning because she was concerned about my liver. She then did and internal exam and decided to strip my membranes very hard. It hurt like hell! Within minutes my "mild" contractions became a little stronger. I asked if I could go home as I thought it would be a long night. I was given sleeping pills and sent home. Within 30 minutes of being home I decided the pain was now too much to handle so we went back to the hospital. From there I was given gas to help with the pain and then a shot of morphine (which I didn't want but apparantly you are forced to get these pain reducers before they will even consider giving you an epidural). I made it up to 6 centimeters and didn't feel that either of these pain relivers helped one bit. I started to beg for the epidural and was having a hard time convincing the nurses to get my doctor to wake up to put in the order. (the doctor was on a 24 hour shift and was having a snooze)During all of this another couple (Erin and Brian) from my prenatal class checked in as well!!! We both wanted the epidural so bad that I actually ended up threatening the nurses that I would leave and go to another hospital if I didn't get it. Finally they got the message and I had the epidural within the hour (and so did Erin). From then on it was great, no pain whatsoever. I tried to sleep most of the night but I ended up talking with my husband, mom, and best friend who were all in the delivery room with me (and my mother inlaw who arrived at around 5am). By 7:30 am I was fully dialated and ready to go and so was the my prenatal class friend Erin. They delivered Anna's boyfriend Evan first as there were some complications . Once they were done we were next. We did some practice pushes and soon realized that I felt nothing because of the epidural. The nurse turned my epidural down a bit and was going to give me oxitocin to bring on stronger contractions but I begged her not to. She decided to give me a chance and try without. A few practice pushes turned the baby completely around and brought her head from -1 to +1. When it came time to push my husband had one leg my mother inlaw the other, my mom was behind my head pushing me forward and counting and my best friend was videotaping the whole thing. I could only feel a tiny bit of the contractions so I would know when to push but I couldn't feel anything but pressure when she was born. I had the best team and we pushed her out in 48 minutes with only a small tear the did not require stiches. She was perfect very healthy and so strong! I was very sick right after delivery I was throwing up, had high blood pressure, and a fever. I was given antibiotics and gravol and was soon feeling better but I missed out only seeing my baby for the first few minutes of her life as I was so ill. I went home after 24 hours and the first couple of days have been hard but are getting better every day. Giving birth was my biggest fear and I conqured it and it was the most beautiful and empowering experience I have ever had. Breastfeeding on the other hand has been so difficult and i have been pumping and bottle feeding because we are having such a difficult time with it.

Anna had her shots on Thursday morning and Erin and Evan came over for moral support. Evan just hung out in Anna's swing and exer saucer and chilled while Anna screamed and cried from the needles! Later we went over to Erin's place and went for a swim in their pool. The water was a bit cold for Anna especially since she is used to the warm water at the YMCA. Evan went in the pool for the first time and he did really well.



On Saturday (Canada Day) we went to Brian and Erins for a BBQ with all of the other babies and friends. I can't believe how big they are all getting. I love that Anna has friends the same age, here she is with her boyfriend Evan we tried to get them to kiss but Anna was a bit of a freeze and would cry when Evan got to close!

Today we went over to Auntie Erika's house and suntanned and swam in her pool. Anna lounged on a blanket in the shade and went for a snooze. Erika's pets loved her and the two dogs were giving her kisses and laying beside her while the cat sat on a chair just above Anna. It was so cute. Then we went to visit Baba and Pepere for dinner and Anna played with them.

Anna is talking and giggling more every day it is so cute. She likes to pull her blanket up to her face and we play peek-a-boo. She is just such a happy baby! Our milestone this week is...Anna has been sleeping through the night!!! The first full night without waking up at all was Thursday June 29th I hope she keeps it up it is so nice to have uninterrupted sleep.

(check out the maple leaf tattoo)