Introducing Caitlin Elisabeth
So the Hots & Dots blog has been very quiet of late! For those of you who have been following us over the last few months, you would most likely know that I have been getting more and more heavily pregnant and my playtime slowed down this year considerably. On top of this, Cass posted about a week ago that our home town of Brisbane, Australia had been declared a Natural Disaster Zone leaving me without power and Cass’s place flooded out. In amongst the Christmas and New Year festivities and flooding mayhem my beautiful baby girl decided to make an early entrance into the world!
I believe I’m very lucky – the entire labor was relatively stress and trauma free (aside from being 8cm dilated by the time I got to the hospital – just a tad further along than I wanted to be!) and lasted about 6.5 hours in total. My partner and I named our little girl Caitlin Elisabeth, and she was born on the 5th January 2011 at 11:11pm. She weighed in at 3350 grams (7.2 pounds for those of you not using the metric system) and was 50cm long with a 34cm head circumference which is nice and healthy for a bubby born a teeny bit early.
So far motherhood has been a truly wonderful experience, she is a happy baby who sleeps and feeds beautifully and while bringing her home from hospital a day before our city flooded and going without power for 5 days was a challenge (think cold showers, nappy changes by torchlight, working out breastfeeding in the dark etc etc) it made both myself and my partner confident that if we could handle that, we could handle anything. While parenting has been a life changing experience, it has been nowhere near as stressful, sleep depriving or exhausting as I had built it up to be and here’s hoping it continues that way!
Now that we’re back with power and she’s starting to get into a little bit more of a feeding/sleeping routine, I’m hoping to be back online and in WoW shortly, albeit in a very casual fashion. I have vaguely heard that resto druids got buffed (I guess I really should read up on that at some point) and I’m sure there are many other things to catch up on too. Here’s hoping all your entertaining blog articles accumulating in my feed reader will have me back up to speed in no time!
A quick update on Cass: Cass will hopefully be back at her place and with power in about a fortnight – until then her internet access is limited so probably no posts from either of us for a while!
Caitlin Cradled in Daddy's Hands
Aw Lath, she’s gorgeous
Congratulations to you and Dad, and I’m glad to hear that you guys got through the flood okay too.
<3
Angelya’s last post: Sand Drift
Cheers Ang
Before you know it you’ll have your own bundle of cuteness too!
Lath’s last post: My Adorable Real Life Sproutling
Welcome, Caitlin!
*clucks*
Keeva’s last post: Ghostcrawler blog- We’re watching healing
Can death knights be broody because if so my ovaries hurt from the crazy beautifulness of your baby girl. Congratulations to you both and I’m happy that Brisbane and Cass are recovering from their ordeal.
Okay, I am a photographer – I take portraits of babies all the time. And DAMN your baby is gorgeous! *snuggles you both* She’s beautiful, Lath, grats x10000 on getting your “New Arrival” achieve.
Glad to hear parenting is treating you and your partner well.
Apple’s last post: A letter home
Awww thank you! The photographer that did these pictures actually told us we should think about doing baby modeling because she was so well behaved through out the shoot – I could just imagine though that as soon as there was a paid job she would turn into a little terror!
Lath’s last post: My Adorable Real Life Sproutling
Oh wow. Broody, broody, broody! She is so gorgeous. Congratulations to you all
I hope all continues to go well for you. May your nights be full of sleep and your days full of smiles and happiness. Hugs, Seph xx
Congratulations Lath, and best wishes for your new family.
Those photos are great, too.
Aw, such a sweetie!
And she seems to me making up for all of the grief she gave you while she was goofing around inside you, too!
My wife said she loves the smile on the pic on the right (of the first three) up above.
I’m just amazed at all the hair she has. Our three were baldies coming out, and our oldest especially didn’t start growing her hair until she was about three.
Boy, will you have stories to tell her about when she was born!
Redbeard’s last post: Under the Sea Plaguelands
Tell me about it! Its so funny, so many people were telling me that pregnancy is a breeze compared to looking after a newborn, I so don’t agree!
Maybe its because I had such an easy labor and didn’t have any tearing or anything but as soon as I got up the next morning after delivery and had a shower I just felt so much better – like myself again, it was a great feeling!
I put down the finding this stage of parenting a breeze because I’ve always been a natural cat napper – means I can easily drift off for some zzzz during the day when shes also sleeping, some of my friends who were set 8 hours a night sleepers really struggled with day sleeping!
Lath’s last post: My Adorable Real Life Sproutling
Oh and her hair is growing at a rate of knots! The little tuft at the front is turning into a full blown mohawk its hilarious!
Lath’s last post: My Adorable Real Life Sproutling
Oh, what a charmer! The little triptych looks like it should read “At first I was like… but then I lolled.” Congratulations, and I’m glad to hear you’re both coping okay with the flooding and aftermath.
She’s beautiful! Congratulations, and I’m glad to hear you’re all okay.
Aw… congratulations!
Congratulations. She is beautiful! Love the picture of her being held by her daddy.
Gratz! She is quite beautiful. =)
Dawwwwwww! Congrats on such a purty sproutling!
1/5/11 @ 11:11 — that’s magical, ain’t it?
She is absolutely beautiful!
Congratulations! What a beautiful baby! I love that series of three at the top — especially the last two, she’s adorable.
As a father of three (!), I’ve gotten good balancing the kids and WoW. Many a time, I’ve been rocking a baby in my lap, them falling asleep, while I’m healing my fool head off. =D
All the best to you and your family!
I’m hoping that when the weather here cools down a bit (its between 27 – 32 degrees most days!) I can’t put her in the baby bjorne carrier and play
will have to make sure I don’t squish her though!
Lath’s last post: My Adorable Real Life Sproutling
She’s gorgeous! And so peaceful. Congratulations!
Ophelie’s last post: What does your relationship with your guild remind you of
Congrats on the baby! And I’m glad to hear you’re pulling through after the disaster! Enjoy your little one! They grow up way to quick.
Jess (The Cozy Reader)’s last post: 20 Amazoncom Gift Card for only 10!
Congratulations! She’s just precious.
Glad to hear you and Cass are both doing well post-flood. I’ve got some friends there and a cousin there too, but looks like everyone’s just fine. Whew.
Kurn’s last post: Exit Maloriak- Enter Chimaeron
congratulations! very adorable photo’s
Moonra’s last post: Irony And Warcraft Tis A Btch
Congratulations, and welcome Caitlin!
Hope the baby care isn’t too hard in the disaster zone, but it sounds like you’ve got its measure
Great photos! My favorite is the one on the far right of the sequence, where you can just see her start to smile.
I was wasting away on twitter trying to find something to cure my boredom – and BLAM – someone I follow tweeted this post. Now, I am not quite as bored. Thanks for posting awesome material. – Frisbee
congrats on the baby!
lissanna’s last post: Pretty birdy
She is adorable
Big congratulations! – and hope the cleanup is going ok to
Congratulations, she is beautiful (and smiling in the third picture). Glad to see everything turned out alright.
My wife was back raiding relatively soon after having our child and it worked fairly well, we just scheduled 15 minute breaks every hour and a half for feeding. You CAN have it all, it just takes a little more planning.
I started reading you for no reason at all and now I can’t stop, good luck on this little inkling of life sprouting!
The best companion there is!
Late congratulations from everyone at Unreal Realities on your beautiful daughter in the midst of such a hectic month!
Hoping the rebuild/recovery is going well.
OMG CUTE ALERT! <3 hugs to you and the kiddo
Cheers,
Gina