4my11kids.com

Kaneihana Aleot Tinui Fuimaono

Its only appropriate that this post be to my beautiful daughter Kaneihana who turned 12 on Monday, May 3, 2010. Nicknamed Pretty within our family, it only goes to show how well Nicknames work.

Kaneihana

I remember the day when Kaneihana was born, it was a day like any other but Kaneihana was the first of my children to be born in daylight hours, 9.30am to be exact and what a beautiful birth it was.

I had gone into labour early on a Sunday morning and it was a birth that we had all anticipated eagerly as I had travelled from Australia while 7 months pregnant due to a family emergency.

Kaneihana was delivered by Chris Hannah, a midwife that I have great respect for due to her proactive and truly caring manner for both Mother and child. Chris had delivered 2 of my previous children and so I knew that I was getting nothing but the best in terms of pre-natal, delivery and after birth care! I have delivered all my babies semi-reclined but Kaneihana was just that little bit more special, she was my first experience in using a birthing seat and what initially proved to be a stressful delivery soon faded into a nothingness once I sat on that seat, supported by Hoani and bought my daughter into the world after one push in 5-7 minutes.

The stages of ages

My beautiful girl has grown into a mature and intelligent young lady. She is not without faults as she is naturally outspoken and this can sometimes lead to some heated sibling rivalry moments, but it reassures me that Kaneihana will not be pushed around in her adult years.

At a few weeks old we returned to Australia and Kaneihana thrived, reaching most of her milestones at an early age. She was adored by all and showed early signs of a stubborn temper but this was soon tempered by her older brothers and sisters.

Puti puti Kaneihana

Over the years Pretty has become an absolute gem and is always eager to please in most things she does, from her studies to chores, and helping out with her siblings young and old alike.

Kaneihana has a great future ahead of her and with the birth of her nephew LeSiah she continues to show that she is one family oriented young lady.

Intelligent, caring and beautiful

Our little lady has even appeared in her own advertisement with Oscar Kightley for VTNZ – VTNZ the Safety Experts

We named Kaneihana after her Grandmother, one of the most amazing women I have met in my life. She was a rare beauty in this world, honest, humble and so very wise. Kaneihana is Maori for Carnation so I believe she has her beauty from both her Grandmother and the flower that bares the same name.

Our girl has been very lucky to have grown up with many influences from her cousins, Aunties and step-Mum – she is a reflection of all those very special people!

Im looking forward to the coming years with our motivated young Kaneihana, if her namesake is anything to go by, she will have some big shoes to fill but I know, shes up for the challenge and making her own mark on her beautiful name – Kaneihana.

Kaneihana and her nephew LeSiah

Danii Malu’aute

Moving right along, here is baby number 8, the vibrant and energetic DanII Malu’aute.

Her name is infact spelt DanII because she is named after her Uncle Danny, that would make her DanII.  We havent been too fussed with the appearance of her name so everyone spells it Danii, same difference, DanII is just that bit more symbolic to us.

Our Precious Number Eight...Danii Maluaute Tuivaiti

As for Malu’aute, my Father named her this, it is a historical family name of which I am not clear on the origins but would love to delve into the history of the name in the near future, purely because I believe that names build character and whoever had this name before my daughter could possibly have characteristics that my daughter has.  Isnt that why we name our children after people?   Both my Father and my Mother were such a big part of Danii Malu’aute’s first year of life and doted on her in the first precious months.

My first few months of pregnancy with Danii Malu’aute were fraught with tears.  I was initially worried because I had just started a new job and as I had not been there 12 months prior to this pregnancy I didnt at the time qualify for paid maternity leave.  The other high stress factor was because my midwife was having difficulties finding the heart beat of my baby.  I anguished over this until finally my big sister concerned with the fact that I was clearly stressed over this situation arranged for an ultrasound.  This is an unusual request in early pregnancy, especially prior to 12 weeks, but she insisted and thankfully helped to put my mind at ease.  I remember waiting patiently at the Sonographers office, unaware of what the outcome would be.  There was my sister Caroline, her partner Danny, Ieremia and I, when Danny piped up and asked, “so whats babys name going to be?  You should name your kid Danny”, I believe this was in jest but Ieremia and I both admire the man that Danny is and the qualities he has, hes such a generous man and is one of the most wittiest men I have ever met in my life.  Why wouldnt I want to call my child after such a person!

DanII being lovingly cuddled by her eldest brothers Isiah and Leoititi

Ieremia and I were both working at the time, both for banks and so we were juggling daycare and school for 7 children, it was challenging, incredibly challenging but we managed.

Towards the end of my pregnancy I had so many false alarms it was unbelieveable and I was so on edge due to the fact that I thought I was going to deliver within minutes and not make it to the hospital.  I stayed home in the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy and Ieremia must have driven home at the speed of light every 2nd day or so because I thought I was in labour.  It must have been incredibly stressful for Ieremia and I think his work mustve been coming to the end of their tether with the repeated trips home that Ieremia would have to make home.

I finally went into labour with Danii Malu’aute, early one morning after I had spent another long night reading the Harry Potter series.  I had got myself completely frazzled over giving birth before arriving at the hospital that I hardly slept in the last weeks.  I have a routine when I go into labour and almost every labour delivery has gone through my routine.  So into the shower I went, I finished getting packed and dressed and Ieremia and I were off to town.  We stopped off briefly at Hoani’s place (the big 5s Dad) and told him to hurry along to our house, a 3-5 minute drive from his place at the time and then it was a straight shot into town for Ieremia and I.

DanII being held by her grandfather and grandmother and parents

We arrived at the Hospital, our midwife waiting and she went through the normal checks only to find that I was barely dialated and so she decided to send us home.  My younger brother Tuna at the time lived minutes away from the hospital as it was a 20 minute drive from our home, so I decided to take another shower before leaving for breakfast at Tuna’s house.

Everything happened so fast after this.

I couldnt get out of the shower, I became immobilised and just started crying, not knowing what was happening to me.  Finally I realised that I was in full labour.

So, Ieremia helped me out of the shower and we told the midwife.  She was at first unconvinced, as she had just checked me before going into the shower.

Enter the Registrar and the ultrasound machine.

The ultrasound showed the baby lying quite high and thought that I still had some time left but being my 8th child I insisted that I was very near to delivery.  The Registrar decided to manually check and luckily she did, because she soon found that I was fully dilated and ready to push.

Danii Malu’aute was born within 10 to 15 minutes from when the Registrar checking and came into this world with a loud scream.   The Registrar says to me, “If you like to give a little push”, to which I said, “No!!”, but a little while later, Danii, a little blue from such a quick delivery, but healthy and beautiful.

Danii Maul’aute is now 6 years old and although as a infant she had terrible facial eczema, you would not know to look at her today with her smooth porcelain skin.  She is an extremely bright and vivacious little girl and loves to push the limits.

DanII

I like a girl with spunk and this girl has plenty of that!!

Miah Caroline

Still working backwards to move forwards, here is number 9, Miah Caroline … my totally smoke free baby.

As I do with all my children, I especially marvel at Miah Caroline, she is a giant baby and has been since her birth in 2005.

She wouldnt like to hear me calling her my baby, especially since shes all grown up now, attending Kindy and about to be an even bigger school girl next year.

The sweetest thing ... Miah Caroline

Prior to Miah Caroline’s birth I had hit a bit of a health stint, decided to try the Atkins, get an exercise plan together and quit smoking all at the same time.  Infact I was more focused on the exercise and Atkins but  I just happened to quit smoking while reading a book to pass the time while smoking in my garage.  But thats another post.

About 13kgs and a month later I found out I was pregnant, it was a surprise, as most if not all my pregnancies were.  I had initially thought that I had missed my period due to the weight loss and changes to my usual day … wrong … I was full on pregnant with Miah Caroline.

I had a different pregnancy with my girl compared to the others due to the mere size of her, I also developed health issues due to the number of pregnancies I had had and now with such a big bubba this added to the strain on my bones and nerves, causing some great discomfort in the latter days of my pregnancy.

Before I knew it delivery day had arrived.  At that time we lived about 20 minutes from the hospital, a short drive really in little to no traffic but I went into labour at 7am … by the time we left at 7.45am we were heading into peak hour traffic to the hospital!

Thankfully for us Ieremia has navigated his way through the worst of traffic, Ieremia barely bats an eyelash with Wellington traffic in comparision to the Los Angeles peak hour traffic that he is accustomed to.  Bonus point for the new Daddy to be.

Another special girl ... Miah Caroline

We arrived at the hospital about 8.20am and casually walked to the delivery suite to prepare for the arrival of our baby.  As with all our children we have prepared a CD of our favourite tunes at the time and played them during the birthing process.  Music is incredibly soothing for me and one of the biggest reasons that I deliver so easily and quickly.

After our midwife went through the necessary checks to ensure that my labour was progressing as it should and that baby was safe.  We relaxed awaiting the arrival of our baby and listening to the mellow tunes of Che Fu, Stevie Wonder, Maze and many others, handpicked by Ieremia in the last weeks of my pregnancy.

Without a doubt there is one thing that I fear in childbirth and usually start to panic over in the pending weeks prior to birth and that is the actual pushing and crowning of my babys head.  Ieremia spends many days and hours in the preceding weeks to delivery ensuring me that everything will be fine.

As the contractions became more intense and closer together I started to go through the lyrics of each song in my head.

Miah Caroline arrived into this world at 9.11am, I had been ready to push for quite some time but because of my fear had held back until I heard a lyric in a song by Snoop Dogg of all artists.  It was number 7 on our “Miah Caroline Birthing” CD and as soon as I heard the words “my lifes a natural high”, I pushed my baby Miah Caroline into this world prompted by the lilting lyrics and sounds of Snoops, ” No Thang on Me” .

Our girl came into this world so quickly that she had slight bruising to her face but I didnt notice, for she had arrived, she was alive, she was safe and she was big and beautiful.  Miah Caroline weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 11 ounces, and to this day is as much as 2 pounds heavier then all of her siblings at birth.

Thanks to the Non Smoking, no doubt.

Fast Tube by Casper

We named our daughter after her Aunty Caroline and her Dad.  Ieremia’s name in English is Jeremiah, so we gave our girl Miah from her Dads name.

Today Miah Caroline is a delight.  She has her over-sensitive moments but all in all she is a blessing to have and raise.

Troy Atamai

My next little ray of sunshine is Troy … aptly named after 2 of his Papa’s favourite things … the USC  (University of Southern California)Trojans and Troy Polamalu from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Before being named Troy, he had a few other front runners for his first name, the kids wanted him to be called LaDanian, I considered Taliu or Darius, of which he was named for a while.  And I had a real liking to the name Callum.

At the end of the day our little man was called Troy.

He came into the world not without drama, infact he has been the most heart pumping birth that I have had.

The first minutes of Troys life

I was watching the television, Return of the Sith I believe and I started to feel a little strange, no pain, just a little off kilter.  I just kept watching the TV until my body started to shake and as I stood up it started to shake uncontrollably.  Still no pain just a shaking sensation.  Well, from previous experience, I knew that this was a sign of my labour being quite advanced.  I started this type of labour with number 6 and have had similar painless contractions since that birth.

Also, because I have had only drug free births I had on number 10 wanted to experience some type of pain relief, in hope of making some type of comparision to previous births and whether an epidural did infact numb what little discomfort I do have during delivery, especially the crowning of the babies head … that is and has always been my one greatest hurdle when delivering.

Mum and Troy on Troys birth day

I called Ieremia and told him, its time to go, we rang the hospital, they asked the same questions, how far apart are the contractions, I told them, I have none and that I knew I would be delivering soon and that we would be arriving within the next 10 minutes, I wanted to alert them to the fact that I wanted an epidural.  Yes, I was becoming obsessive about the whole epidural experience.  We didnt wait for a reply, more often times than not, I have known better then the medical staff of my impending delivery.  That would seem obvious to me, as I am the one having the experience, not the medical staff!

We arrived within 7-10 minutes, BUT because of my calmness we werent assessed straight away until I gave the “I can feel pressure” statement, which prompted a midwife to be sent in and then not long after a specialist and a large medical team.  I was nearly fully dilated and ready to push but when they broke my water Troy was showing signs of fetal distress and the water was green coloured.  This is an indication of the baby having a bowel movement due to the stress of the labour.  Within minutes of their discovery I was wheeled into theatre.  As soon as I was told to push, I pushed with all my might, fearful for my unborn child, I just wanted him to arrive as quickly into the world as possible so that he could receive medical attention.

On the 2nd push, our Troy boy was born, and within minutes of his delivery he was cooing to the medical staff, talking baby style … unique and so special considering the drama that preceeded his delivery.

Fast Tube by Casper

Arrival at the hospital to out in the big ole world … 45 minutes.

Today Troy is a dynamo.  Full of energy and plenty of beans!!  He’s a absolute delight and although his first breathes into this world indicated he may be an early speaker, he still does not quite have his tongue around the verbal word.  Not to worry … it might not happen over night … but it will happen!

A well travelled young man is our Troy, he’s been to the South Island, twice, overseas to Samoa and on a number of trips to Auckland and the Coromandel.  Infact, he and his sister Tiana have travelled quite a bit for babies!  Incidentally, Troy was born in January, 2008 and Tiana was born in December, 2008.  Yes, Ieremia and I didnt lose any time over reacquainting ourselves after Troys birth!!

Troy taking a bath

But for now this jetsetter is happy to fuss over matching up clothes and shoes to wear.  Interchanging his outfits and being a shadow to his Papa.

Another adored child of mine.

Tiana Roseanne

Usually the introductions go from the top to the bottom but i’ve decided to go from the bottom up, which would be our darling little Nana girl, Tiana Roseanne.

Little Nana girl playing in the bath

She’s such a character and absolutely charming. At only 18 months old she knows all the tricks to get whatever she wants her very own way.

A little smile, a coy look, a few tears, a full on tantrum … this girl has it all under control, alongwith the the other 12 people that she lives with.

Tiana is absolutely adored 24/7 by 12 sets of eyes, unless of course you get her in a mirror and then her eyes meet her own adoringly, making a total of 13 sets of eyes oohing and aahing over Tiana!

Our little princess, shes a big girl compared to those of her own age. Ieremia believes that is because she was a partly smoke free baby. I gave up smoking while carrying Tiana, the last 3 months of my pregnancy.

Tiana's birth ... minutes after delivery

My little bundle of joy is also my first c-section (Cesarean) and the very last addition to our brood. I had my tubes tied during my c-section.

I had a real time when I was pregnant with Tiana. My spirit just gave up on me during the last weeks of my pregnancy. I think it was my bodys way of saying enough is enough!

Due to the number of births I had already delivered there was alot more discomfort then in my previous births and my weight gain over the years didn’t help with this difficult pregnancy. I had so much going on when I carried Tiana.

I worked up until my last 6 weeks and then stayed at home to get some much needed rest. I ended up watching every Greys Anatomy that was ever made in the run up to my birth.

Somewhere between the discomfort of my pregnancy, Greys Anatomy and the pain of crowning during delivery, I convinced myself that I had to have a c-section. I anguished over the decision but towards the last couple of weeks was persistent and insistent on having a c-section. Even after weighing up the potential fatality due to the number of my previous births, I still insisted on the c-section. I was not in a good space during the last weeks of my pregnancy with Tiana.

I feared going into labour prior to my c-section and poor Ieremia, constantly and consistently spent his time consoling me and reassuring me that we would reach the delivery date of Monday, 24 December. And we did!! But not without many sleepless nights and false numerous false alarms, with 2 trips to the hospital.

But our girl arrived safely and she is the absolute apple of my eye! That is of course until she starts to hit the terrible 2s *giggles*

Fast Tube by Casper

As my fingers type away, Tiana sits on my desk, smiling, laughing and squealing at the top of her lungs, she has an extremely piercing pitch.

Im absolutely positive that because she is our golden child (the youngest) she will be spoilt rotten!!

But like I often say to Ieremia, there’s nothing wrong with spoiling a child, as long as its consistent

Tiana is bound to bring many tears and laughter to us all as she grows. Ive got the feeling that she may make a phenomenol child actress.

So for anyone looking for the next top baby model … look no further.

Our poster girl ... Tiana