Baby Gaga was Born This Way!

Here are the details of the happiest (and longest!) day of our lives!


Tuesday, January 3
3:00pm - My water breaks at home. No big deal, but we all realized that things were now set in motion and there was no turning back! The doctor checked and confirmed, then sent me home. :( She said if nothing happens on its own by 8:00am the next morning, we are to go to the hospital to be induced. "Try and get some sleep," she says. Right-o!


Wednesday, January 4
4:30am - Good morning, contractions!
8:00am - Head to the hospital to find out that I am dilated at a whopping 1cm! Bring on the morphene/gravol shot please!
4:00pm - After hours of painful contractions, lower back ache and throwing up, I get checked again, only to find out that we have progressed to 2cm! Oxytocin is ordered and we start talking Epidural. Harder, faster, stronger contractions... more puking... ok, I'm ready to stop feeling now!
8:00pm - Epidural Heaven! (Except for when she asked me to stop moving during a contraction so she could put the needle in!)
10:00pm - So relaxed that I am finally fully dilated! Let's get this show on the road! After 18 hours of contractions, the pushing was really not that bad... it's all relative, right?
11:21pm - After one hour of pushing, our B-E-A-utiful baby girl is born! Simone Joy Dumas weighed in at 7lbs, 9oz, measured 51cm long and all fingers and toes arrive in perfect form.


I could not have done it without my incredible support team. They coached my breathing, cleaned my puke (off their shoes and shirts!) and let me squeeze the heck out of their hands!

Simone showed her incredibly calm temperament right from the start... until she got her first bath at the hospital!

Auntie Shilo flew in from Calgary and made it to the hospital at 11:00pm! Here she is holding her one-hour-old niece!

Proud Grandpa!
Tired Daddy!

Mommy and Simone curled up in the hospital bed together

Mimi (French for "Grandma") after a restful sleep at home!

Simone's first visitors! Jenny, Debbie and Car come to meet her when she is just 12 hours old!

Great Auntie Leigh dropped by to have her first hold!

Daddy practices his Heisman pose!

A big thanks to Auntie Robyn for the adorable Baby Gaga onesie! Even though it's a bit big, it had to be Simone's coming-home-from-the-hospital outfit!

First time in the car seat!

Welcome home, Simone!

Here is a close-up of our baby girl during her first snuggle with Daddy at home! I guess we should cut the hospital bracelet off now!

This Chinese New Year is the year of the dragon and the lucky number is five. It looks like it's going to be our year...
January 4: 1+4 = 5
2012: 2+0+1+2 = 5
11:21pm: 1+1+2+1 = 5
To top it all off, this August marks our fifth wedding anniversary! Here's to an amazing year!

Thank you to all of our family and friends that have sent their well wishes! Stay tuned for more pictures of the sweetest addition to our family!