Adventures with Cat

The last three months (started this post six weeks ago) have been full of the most amazing and surprising experiences of my life thus far with many more to come.

Labour was long, but went beautifully and we made it the hour+ to the hospital slightly faster than that. Again, Dad says he was driving fast, but after my water broke, he drove even faster. As it turns out, we had lots of time.

Shelagh Catriona Gustavison made her way into the world on June 21, 2009 at first light of the summer solstice, and Father's Day, at Canmore General Hospital. She weighed in at 7 lb 14 oz, 20 inches long. Practically perfect in every way as Dad likes to say.



Since her arrival we have spent time getting to know Cat, and discovering the wonderful world of parenthood. There are fleeting moments of frustration, followed by intense periods of love. Our adventures are only beginning!

Oh so glad to be home

I don't think I have ever been more glad to arrive home than after 3 weeks of being away. I was so happy to be back that I almost cried.

Spring arrived while I was gone - no more snow or wet patches, shrubs just about to burst, hummingbirds and songbirds flitting about. And of course, a subadult grizzly bear lurking at the far end of one our dog-walking trails. One of the sure signs of spring in the mountains is the calypso orchids sprouting up in damp coniferous forest areas - they tend to grow in clumps. Here's a quick shot:



This is my favorite time of year as the temperature starts to rise, the air has a soft, gentle quality and it is sunny out forever as we move closer to solstice. Also trails and campground not quite full with the rush of summer visitors, but a few more around than in winter.

And we have walked most of his favorite walks, allowing him to "read the newspaper" and mark everything with a "I live here stamp" again. Sadly for him, I am not able to walk as fast as he would like, and it is the time of year when he is on a leash due to bears. Our good friends took him for a walk on the weekend and really tired him out so he appreciated that and slept soundly that night. He too is enjoying the spring weather, relaxing outside in the shade as I work away on my remaining assignments:



In some ways, I too am resting up and getting ready for our most exciting arrival. Car seat is installed, furniture is ready, clothes need to get washed and the house tidied up, but all that happens between naps and eating!

Country mouse in the city

Being in an actual city has been quite novel. It is weird to be at a store in about 20 minutes or less. Yet I still find myself planning - where the store is, what it might have in stock and on sale. Old habits die hard. Could also be that when you do 2 grad courses in three weeks, there's not a lot of spare time...or energy when over 34 weeks pregnant.

Highlights included the Old Stratchcona Farmer's Market, wished I had a bigger fridge to take home more delicacies, fresh veggies and some bison meat. Also a very strategic trip to West Edmonton Mall in search of comfortable shoes without laces - had success on that score, and have been very happy with them. The Mall is big enough you have to have a map, and know where you want to go, and remember which entrance you came in to find your car. I walked by the skating rink, but it had just been flooded so no one was out skating. And of course a couple of trips to baby stores and grocery stores.

Also weekend time spent in my favorite cafe, Good Earth (also in Calgary) drinking Red Vanilla Lattes or Frappe. Essentially Rooibos tea and milk. Breakfast paninis and the occasional treat. And I can't forget the gelateria downstairs from our classes that had 79!! flavours of gelato on offer - I managed to sample about 6 or so, and another gelateria 2 blocks from residence - sampled 4 of their flavours. Definitely will miss the gelato.

Things that took adjusting to included city noises - garbage pick ups at 6 am on the weekend, sirens all night (not far from downtown), fluorescent lights, not much outdoor time, public transit to get to classes. Though I did enjoy the view from the LRT of the North Saskatchewan River, and the High Level Bridge. Check out the picture from flickr. I never did manage to get one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/one42chrisp/136399807/

Brainiac adventures

So, this is less a physical adventure and more of an intellectual one... I have officially started required courses for my Masters in Communications and Technology(MACT) at University of Alberta. In Edmonton. Staying in residence.

Classes run every day from 8:30 to 4:30 with a 2 hour break, but there is usually reading or group work to do. Always reading, though we do get the occasional video, and both instructors do use podcasting as an extra resource.

I have completed 9 days of 14 days. Getting a little bit uncomfortable at 35 weeks pregnant, but my brain is still functioning, and barely keeping up with assignments.

One rough day this week, and I felt like this:


but those moments of self-doubt are nothing that a flash of insight or a good night's sleep can't fix.

A version of this video was showed in class, demonstrating the concept of mash ups in a remix culture, and it reminded me of this one I had seen a long time ago at work. The power of youtube, I found it, and then showed it to some of my colleagues, and it turns out the creator of this video got hired by PIXAR. The power of the web, mash-ups and network connections - exactly what we are discussing in that class.

What keeps me going despite exhaustion is the learning I am doing, and knowing that it will eventually sink in. And as one of my colleagues pointed out, maybe baby is getting smart by listening to class every day too! At least I hope I am setting a good example for the little one.

Rufus is our hero after a (mis)adventure

A couple of weeks ago, I had a little misadventure trying to get to Calgary in bad weather and very icy road conditions. Seems I got sideways and went off the road in my SUV. Rufus was sitting on the side of the highway waiting for someone to help when the RCMP drove by looking for another accident. They stopped, and he led them right to my vehicle.

I was driver side down in the ditch before Sunshine ski area, trying to cut the seat belt as it was pushing on my 32 week pregnant belly, and call for help, when the RCMP were at my window asking if I was OK, and anyone in the vehicle. I had no idea where Rufus was, or even that he had left the car, or that he got help for me.

I cut the seatbelt with the RCMP’s knife, and then waited for extrication by fire and EMS. It is a bit disconcerting to hear power tools starting up when you have to be covered by a blanket in case of broken glass. Within the hour, I was in Banff Mineral Springs Hospital listening to the heartbeat and looking at an ultrasound. We were kept under observation for the day in Canmore and sent home the same day, with nothing except a shiner on my right eye that is slowly disappearing.

Rufus was not injured in any way, and spent the morning entertaining the RCMP members & staff in Banff, and was sent away with my husband with an “evidence bag” of dog treats.

I have learned that just because we are used to poor road conditions living here, that we should always head out. Plans can always be changed, and no matter what we do, we should always be mindful of weather and road conditions.

I feel very fortunate to have walked away from the incident, and incredibly grateful to RCMP, Banff Fire and EMS, Banff Mineral Springs ER, Dr Jane Fowke and the hospital staff in Canmore for the quick response and the high quality care baby and I received. Also my colleagues who phoned or stopped by and our friends who visited with a flying squirrel for Rufus, a dinky truck for us and some flowers.

He really is our hero after that! And as you can see, he didn't miss a beat enjoying his hero toy.

Our dog just wants to have fun

Living in a special place means that the views people drive hours to see are just a short car ride away for us residents. I sometimes take it for granted, but most days be absolutely blessed to have the privilege.

While I haven't been able to go on many ski adventures this winter due to our June bundle of joy, I do enjoy taking our 6 year old Golden Retriever for walks, and he loves a walk where there is lots of snow. Bow Lake was our destination just a couple of weekends ago - it is about half an hour from our house, and in fact, where we got married just over two years ago now. So it always fun to go back, and as you can see, Rufus had a great time.



Having a dog sometimes brings the unexpected - my husband looked after a visiting three year old chocolate lab called George just last week. These people arrived in Lake Louise under the impression there was a dogsitting service - we stepped in so they could enjoy a wonderful afternoon at the ski hill. Turns out this couple runs ecoadventures and SURFING! in Costa Rica, so a great connection to make as I still have the surfing bug in me, and plan to try it again when my body has recovered, and our family is ready to travel again.

Basic health services in a resort town

I am always intrigued by how organizations handle community relations - the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital is a case in point. A small group held a rally outside the hospital on Monday. About 30 people, on an island in front of the hospital. Babies, toddlers, dogs, expectant moms and dads, all gathering to remind the hospital how much we want baby deliveries back. Check out the link to see what happened:

http://www.banffcragandcanyon.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1513948

If the link is dead, the on duty manager decided to call the RCMP as he felt we were blocking access.

Allow me to back up a bit: In late February, we found out through our prenatal classes that the hospital was considering not allowing baby deliveries until more nurses could be recruited.
In short order, pregnant moms, our partners, my doctor and other concerned community members organized a Facebook group (almost 750 strong), a march to the hospital, a rally/sit-in at the hospital and a letter-writing campaign to the powers that be.

Due to the staff shortage and concerns for the safety of mothers and babies, on March 6, the hospital has suspended obstetrics until more nurses can be found. The hospital did a presentation to council in early March asking for community support - they already had it since the community has rallied around. Monday's rally was about getting an update from the hospital as there has been no progress reports or information about when the service might be restored.

Obviously, I don't want to do anything that could harm me or my baby, so we have accepted that we will be travelling another 20 minutes to the next hospital.

The long term concern is not just obstetrics - it's about community access to the hospital. Anyone who has had to use the services of the Mineral Springs Hospital knows how welcoming, and spa-like it feels for a medical facility. During this time, the Banff hospital has not cut any elective or cosmetic surgeries...and our government is looking at consolidating rural health services, and is always only a step away from privatization. If that ever happened, Banff hospital could very well turn its back on the local community other than for emergency room access.

We are all doing what we can to recruit obstetrics nurses and to help the hospital find solutions to their staffing woes. So if you know a nurse that would love to do a working holiday in Banff, or even consider moving to Banff, please have them check out the job postings at the hospital's website:

http://www.banffmineralspringshospital.ca/bmsh/e_employment.htm

Or contact

Human Resources
Mineral Springs Hospital
P.O. Box 1050
305 Lynx Street
Banff, AB, T1L 1H7
Phone 403-760-7203
FAX: (403) 760-7221
hr@banffmineralspringshospital.ca

A whole winter without posts

No posts this winter - I had good intentions of writing about our daily ski trips out our back door, and other types of experiences. However... It seems that Hawaii left us with more than sand in our bags, and lots of lovely memories... We returned with a little bundle of joy that will put in an appearance in the world sometime in June!

Early winter was good for skiing, then it got cold, and we visited my family, and our delightful nephew and niece for Christmas:




After Christmas, I fit in a few short skis, nothing noteworthy. I expanded out of my ski clothes, and ran out of energy. Dogwalking, yoga, family visits and trips to Calgary for baby have taken up our winter.

I will endeavour to post more regularly from here on in.