Alexa was born last Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 inches long. I can't believe she was so small!! She has a head of black hair which is straight right now, not sure if it will be curly like JoElle's??
The delivery was a piece of cake this time around! It only took me 16 minutes to push; I only had to push through 4 contractions. The nurse started yelling at me "STOP PUSHING!" and then called for the Dr (who was in the hallway waiting for us to be ready for him to deliver). I thought something was wrong, but instead it was just that she was about to come out without the dr in the room. It seemed like it took Dr. Atkins an eternity to get ready to deliver her, and I didn't push through the next contraction but by the look on his face, she was almost born! I told him "I was not pushing!" and he told me "Continue to not push then" A few minutes later she was born.
The Dr. held her up and said "Look how little she is!" The nurses were saying she is not little! But compared to JoElle, at 9 lbs, she was very small! Dr. Atkins told Alexa "You gave your mommy such a hard time"
I was so excited that it was such an easy delivery this time, what a blessing!!
Alexa is such a calm baby; she loves to sleep. I can't believe a baby can sleep this much. I know it is normal, but JoElle didn't sleep very much when she was born and she was so sick from the milk that she cried in pain all of the time, Alexa falls asleep eating!!! She is so precious and beautiful, we love her so very much!!!
As for me, the only problem I had was that the anesthesiologist accidentally messed up my epidural and gave me a spinal tap instead, he went a little too far past my epidural space and put a hole where the spinal fluid is. Then he had to do my epidural two more times b/c it fell out the second time. I immediately started having a headache, but it wasn't as bad as everyone said it would be if it were a spinal headache, so I didn't think it was a result of the spinal. Then the neck pain kicked it. I was wondering why only 16 minutes of pushing would give me such a horrendous headache, when 2 1/2 hours of pushing with JoElle did not, but I just figured that is what it was. I was in so much pain that night from my neck. On Saturday the pain continued and the nurse was telling me she thought it was from the spinal, but my sister wasn't so sure and neither was I. By Sunday morning it was obvious. I stood up to pick Alexa up to feed her only to be knocked back down flat on my back by the headache pain. We got another anesthesiologist to see me and he did a blood patch, where they take your blood and stick it in your spine to clot up the hole. It seemed to work pretty well.
I felt great on Monday , but that night the pain came back and I couldn't take care of Alexa again. All day Tuesday and Wednesday I couldn't even sit up, let alone take care of the baby. So Tim has been doing all of the baby care. He has been wonderful!I did go back to the hospital on Wednesday to have a second blood patch, and I had to lay flat for another 24 hours. I am now feeling better and I am hopeful that it worked this time.
The doctors were in my spine 5 times since last Friday and I am really really sore. Plus I am scared that the blood clot will come loose again...
Please pray for continued improvement for me so I can care for baby Alexa! It was so very hard not to be able to take care of her, I couldn't even hold her because I had to lay flat, she didn't like laying flat!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Several posts...
Alexa Danielle is here!
She was born Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 p.m.
Alexa weighed only 7 lbs. 5 oz. and is 19 inches long!
Alexa_Feb_ 2008
Dear My Baby Alexa, I love you with all of my heart. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I know that you will be beautiful just like your mommy, and big sister. I love you my little girl.
Love,
Daddy
February 19th, 2008 To Alexa Dear Alexa,I can't believe you are almost here! I can't wait to "meet you", I know you are pretty much out of room in my belly! I am just as uncomfortable as you seem to be all the time! You move a lot, you love the sound of your big sister's voice and the sound of the bath tub. I keep wondering what you will look like? Will you look like your sister? I can't help but think you will look like her, but like yourself, too! Your room is very pretty with pink everywhere, I know you will like it! So many people are eager for your birth! I know your Daddy can't wait either, he is a little worried that you won't know his voice, but I know you will know him as soon as you hear him talk to you! I love you, Alexa! Love,Mommy
February 18th, 2008 39 weeks... 4 days to go!This pregnancy is drawing to a close....I am so relieved because I have been so sick the entire time.JoElle is very anxious, I am very anxious, Tim is very anxious. They have both been helping me with so much around the house. Again tonight JoElle asked me why Alexa is not out of my tummy yet. We are trying to keep her schedule consistent this week until Thursday, when Tim is off and it will be our last day as a family of 3!At school this week JoElle is learning about pets; she told her teacher she doesn't have any pets, but Uncle Aaron took her to the zoo!One of her best friends, Sandra, did something at school she wasn't supposed to do, so JoElle apparently spanked her. Sandra told Ms. Carrie, I did (whatever it was) and JoElle spanked me. She wasn't upset that JoElle spanked her. Crazy kids.Last night, JoElle couldn't go to sleep, so we were watching Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals around 10:00, and she told us she doesn't like boys cooking, she only likes Daddy's cooking! (and she added that she likes Mommy's cooking too). Last week, JoElle wanted to ride with Daddy after we got something to eat, we were in separate cars because we had a dr appt that Tim had met me at. When we got home I asked her why she wanted to ride with Daddy, and she told us "Because I love Daddy!"
Feb. 15th, 2008 JoElle spent the night at Granny'sThis is only the second time in her life, but JoElle spent the night at Granny's and Grandad's! Her cousins were over there and we went over because JoElle wanted to see Granny and when she heard that they were staying the night, she wanted to as well.Tim and I couldn't believe she actually stayed! She asked the next morning where we were and asked Tim when he picked her up why we didn't stay the night. She did great though.She has been super clingy to Tim and to me lately, so I was suprised she wanted to stay away from the house!At school lately, she has been up to her same silly antics.Some of the things she has done lately at school:-she painted her face and arms blue and told Ms. Carrie "Look, I'm a blueberry!" - she put soap and water in her hair after nap time because she needed to fix it -she got upset with the director when the director told her they needed to give her crackers instead of pudding (due to the lactose); she told Ms. Suzanne "NO! My mommy said I could have it!" (JoElle was right, I told her she could start eating milk products at school) - she tells Ms. Carrie at nap time " I can't calm down!" (in a crazy, deep voice)
February 8, 2008 (almost) 38 weeks
We set a tentative date to induce: Friday February 22 nd (in two weeks!). I am excited that this is FINALLY drawing to an end, I am so tired of being nauseous all the time and throwing up every day..... plus on Monday I hit that point where I cannot sleep at night because I can't get comfortable sitting down, laying down, whatever.
I told JoElle her sister will be born in two weeks, if not earlier. She told me "I want her to come out now!" She has been very patient with how long it takes for a baby to grow, it probably seems like an eternity to her. JoElle is very excited to be a big sister and she loves to look at all of the baby's gifts. She loves all the baby clothes; she was telling me the other day "how cute" this dress was for Alexa, and every time she puts on a piece of clothing that no longer fits, she tells me "this is for my sister now."
Earlier this month, the Dr. reduce my work hours to 32 per week, and this has helped me out tremendously; some days I don't come in to work until 10! JoElle has learned to sleep in late, 'til 8:15 or later. If she does wake up earlier, I tell her to get her milk out of the fridge and then she asks for me to turn the t.v. on so she can watch t.v. in the bed with me.
So, now we are just counting down the days.......!
January 19, 2008 JoElle's Birthday Party!
JoElle celebrated her birthday today with her friends and family. When we first got there, it was only her, Peyton, Madison, and two friends from school. They ran around like crazy and had a blast! Her best friends from school were there, Sandra and Zoey.
Mr. Jeremy had them tell their names and do a trick and they did flips and jumps for him. All the kids love JoElle's teacher. We didn't have to do anything because the kids were listening to Mr. Jeremy and having fun. Even Madison (she is just over 1 year old) was walking around and playing. They loved bouncing on the Jumbotrak and clibming all over the place.
JoElle didn't look very happy when we sang to her and she didn't want to blow out the candles after what happened the other night at home (she burnt a small piece of her hair, but thought she burned her eye!) As soon as we sang she asked "Where are my presents!??"
Her cousin Isaiah was trying to give her a hug when her best friend Sandra was standing there and she grabbed JoElle and told Isaiah "NO! She's MY best friend!" Sandra is very prtoective of JoElle.
At the end of the party, they sang in a circle, JoElle, Zoey and Sandra sat right in front of Mr. Jeremy and I could hear JoElle singing very loudly "If Your Happy and You Know It"
Thanks to everyone who came!
January 17th, 2008 JoElle's 3rd Birthday
JoElle turned three today and she was very excited! I had to work a few hours, so when she got up, Daddy made a huge deal out of her birthday and sang to her. But she asked him "Why isn't anybody coming to see me?" so he took her to see Grandad.
We attempted to take her to two different Japanese hibachi grills, both were closed; we drove all the way to Dallas to Benihana to find out they were closed for renovations. The whole time we were driving, she was singing and making up silly songs. We settled on Cuba Libre since we were in the area; she liked the way the restaurant is decorated, she told us "This place is cool!"
Later we made cupcakes together and she blew out her candles. She accidentally burnt a small piece of her hair and it really scared her! She also had her Little Gym class; it was the last of the winter semester, so they got to show off what they had learned. It was cute watching her, she was a foot or two shorter than the other kids, who are 4-5 years old.
January 17, 2008 JoElle is 3!
JoElle now weighs 28.5 lbs (she gained 4 lbs this past year) and is now 35.5 inches tall- almost 3 feet! (about 2-3 inches, since they now measure her standing up, the spine is compressed versus when they measure kids laying down like before). She is obviously petite, she is in the 10th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. (dr vist was Jan 22, 2008)
January 12, 2007 Dry all night
We ran out of pull ups last night and so we figured we would let JoElle go all night in panties. We probably should have done this a long time ago, but we were too lazy. Since I am not getting any sleep now anyways, the baby kicks me all night long...we figured, why not?
So, this morning she was (for the most part) dry. Her sheets were completely dry, she was very excited about this and pointed it out to Daddy. JoElle has been fully potty trained since she turned 2 (so basically for a year), but we never really tried night time.
She was born Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 p.m.
Alexa weighed only 7 lbs. 5 oz. and is 19 inches long!
Alexa_Feb_ 2008
Dear My Baby Alexa, I love you with all of my heart. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I know that you will be beautiful just like your mommy, and big sister. I love you my little girl.
Love,
Daddy
February 19th, 2008 To Alexa Dear Alexa,I can't believe you are almost here! I can't wait to "meet you", I know you are pretty much out of room in my belly! I am just as uncomfortable as you seem to be all the time! You move a lot, you love the sound of your big sister's voice and the sound of the bath tub. I keep wondering what you will look like? Will you look like your sister? I can't help but think you will look like her, but like yourself, too! Your room is very pretty with pink everywhere, I know you will like it! So many people are eager for your birth! I know your Daddy can't wait either, he is a little worried that you won't know his voice, but I know you will know him as soon as you hear him talk to you! I love you, Alexa! Love,Mommy
February 18th, 2008 39 weeks... 4 days to go!This pregnancy is drawing to a close....I am so relieved because I have been so sick the entire time.JoElle is very anxious, I am very anxious, Tim is very anxious. They have both been helping me with so much around the house. Again tonight JoElle asked me why Alexa is not out of my tummy yet. We are trying to keep her schedule consistent this week until Thursday, when Tim is off and it will be our last day as a family of 3!At school this week JoElle is learning about pets; she told her teacher she doesn't have any pets, but Uncle Aaron took her to the zoo!One of her best friends, Sandra, did something at school she wasn't supposed to do, so JoElle apparently spanked her. Sandra told Ms. Carrie, I did (whatever it was) and JoElle spanked me. She wasn't upset that JoElle spanked her. Crazy kids.Last night, JoElle couldn't go to sleep, so we were watching Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals around 10:00, and she told us she doesn't like boys cooking, she only likes Daddy's cooking! (and she added that she likes Mommy's cooking too). Last week, JoElle wanted to ride with Daddy after we got something to eat, we were in separate cars because we had a dr appt that Tim had met me at. When we got home I asked her why she wanted to ride with Daddy, and she told us "Because I love Daddy!"
Feb. 15th, 2008 JoElle spent the night at Granny'sThis is only the second time in her life, but JoElle spent the night at Granny's and Grandad's! Her cousins were over there and we went over because JoElle wanted to see Granny and when she heard that they were staying the night, she wanted to as well.Tim and I couldn't believe she actually stayed! She asked the next morning where we were and asked Tim when he picked her up why we didn't stay the night. She did great though.She has been super clingy to Tim and to me lately, so I was suprised she wanted to stay away from the house!At school lately, she has been up to her same silly antics.Some of the things she has done lately at school:-she painted her face and arms blue and told Ms. Carrie "Look, I'm a blueberry!" - she put soap and water in her hair after nap time because she needed to fix it -she got upset with the director when the director told her they needed to give her crackers instead of pudding (due to the lactose); she told Ms. Suzanne "NO! My mommy said I could have it!" (JoElle was right, I told her she could start eating milk products at school) - she tells Ms. Carrie at nap time " I can't calm down!" (in a crazy, deep voice)
February 8, 2008 (almost) 38 weeks
We set a tentative date to induce: Friday February 22 nd (in two weeks!). I am excited that this is FINALLY drawing to an end, I am so tired of being nauseous all the time and throwing up every day..... plus on Monday I hit that point where I cannot sleep at night because I can't get comfortable sitting down, laying down, whatever.
I told JoElle her sister will be born in two weeks, if not earlier. She told me "I want her to come out now!" She has been very patient with how long it takes for a baby to grow, it probably seems like an eternity to her. JoElle is very excited to be a big sister and she loves to look at all of the baby's gifts. She loves all the baby clothes; she was telling me the other day "how cute" this dress was for Alexa, and every time she puts on a piece of clothing that no longer fits, she tells me "this is for my sister now."
Earlier this month, the Dr. reduce my work hours to 32 per week, and this has helped me out tremendously; some days I don't come in to work until 10! JoElle has learned to sleep in late, 'til 8:15 or later. If she does wake up earlier, I tell her to get her milk out of the fridge and then she asks for me to turn the t.v. on so she can watch t.v. in the bed with me.
So, now we are just counting down the days.......!
January 19, 2008 JoElle's Birthday Party!
JoElle celebrated her birthday today with her friends and family. When we first got there, it was only her, Peyton, Madison, and two friends from school. They ran around like crazy and had a blast! Her best friends from school were there, Sandra and Zoey.
Mr. Jeremy had them tell their names and do a trick and they did flips and jumps for him. All the kids love JoElle's teacher. We didn't have to do anything because the kids were listening to Mr. Jeremy and having fun. Even Madison (she is just over 1 year old) was walking around and playing. They loved bouncing on the Jumbotrak and clibming all over the place.
JoElle didn't look very happy when we sang to her and she didn't want to blow out the candles after what happened the other night at home (she burnt a small piece of her hair, but thought she burned her eye!) As soon as we sang she asked "Where are my presents!??"
Her cousin Isaiah was trying to give her a hug when her best friend Sandra was standing there and she grabbed JoElle and told Isaiah "NO! She's MY best friend!" Sandra is very prtoective of JoElle.
At the end of the party, they sang in a circle, JoElle, Zoey and Sandra sat right in front of Mr. Jeremy and I could hear JoElle singing very loudly "If Your Happy and You Know It"
Thanks to everyone who came!
January 17th, 2008 JoElle's 3rd Birthday
JoElle turned three today and she was very excited! I had to work a few hours, so when she got up, Daddy made a huge deal out of her birthday and sang to her. But she asked him "Why isn't anybody coming to see me?" so he took her to see Grandad.
We attempted to take her to two different Japanese hibachi grills, both were closed; we drove all the way to Dallas to Benihana to find out they were closed for renovations. The whole time we were driving, she was singing and making up silly songs. We settled on Cuba Libre since we were in the area; she liked the way the restaurant is decorated, she told us "This place is cool!"
Later we made cupcakes together and she blew out her candles. She accidentally burnt a small piece of her hair and it really scared her! She also had her Little Gym class; it was the last of the winter semester, so they got to show off what they had learned. It was cute watching her, she was a foot or two shorter than the other kids, who are 4-5 years old.
January 17, 2008 JoElle is 3!
JoElle now weighs 28.5 lbs (she gained 4 lbs this past year) and is now 35.5 inches tall- almost 3 feet! (about 2-3 inches, since they now measure her standing up, the spine is compressed versus when they measure kids laying down like before). She is obviously petite, she is in the 10th percentile for weight and 25th percentile for height. (dr vist was Jan 22, 2008)
January 12, 2007 Dry all night
We ran out of pull ups last night and so we figured we would let JoElle go all night in panties. We probably should have done this a long time ago, but we were too lazy. Since I am not getting any sleep now anyways, the baby kicks me all night long...we figured, why not?
So, this morning she was (for the most part) dry. Her sheets were completely dry, she was very excited about this and pointed it out to Daddy. JoElle has been fully potty trained since she turned 2 (so basically for a year), but we never really tried night time.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Four days to go!
Wow, we are getting closer and closer!
Last night I was having painful contractions, but not bad enough to go to the hospital. They lasted for several hours, then completely stopped. And, I am still pregnant!
I guess my body is practicing for the real thing on Friday!
Today was President's Day, Tim had the day off since the bank is closed. He took JoElle to daycare and we ate out together alone. We also did a little shopping at Target. It was very nice to spend time just the two of us. We don't get to do this often. In fact, Friday night, JoElle spent all night with Tim's parents, so we even had an entire night and morning off!
JoElle told her teacher that Mommy and Daddy are both picking her up, so she was excited Tim could pick her up, and I was with him.
We put up a ton of laundry today, trying to get the house ready for a new little baby and all of the chaos that goes along with it!
I am still sick, but what can you do, only got a few more days now....
Our small group from church has set up days to bring meals by after Alexa is born, so we are excited to have their support; plus my sister is going to come over after we deliver and go grocery shopping for us to stock us up! We are very blessed to have all the support and love that we have. Tonight, Tim's parents brought us by some beef stew and cornbread to eat on for the next few days. JoElle was excited to see them at our house and was showing off for them!
Last night I was having painful contractions, but not bad enough to go to the hospital. They lasted for several hours, then completely stopped. And, I am still pregnant!
I guess my body is practicing for the real thing on Friday!
Today was President's Day, Tim had the day off since the bank is closed. He took JoElle to daycare and we ate out together alone. We also did a little shopping at Target. It was very nice to spend time just the two of us. We don't get to do this often. In fact, Friday night, JoElle spent all night with Tim's parents, so we even had an entire night and morning off!
JoElle told her teacher that Mommy and Daddy are both picking her up, so she was excited Tim could pick her up, and I was with him.
We put up a ton of laundry today, trying to get the house ready for a new little baby and all of the chaos that goes along with it!
I am still sick, but what can you do, only got a few more days now....
Our small group from church has set up days to bring meals by after Alexa is born, so we are excited to have their support; plus my sister is going to come over after we deliver and go grocery shopping for us to stock us up! We are very blessed to have all the support and love that we have. Tonight, Tim's parents brought us by some beef stew and cornbread to eat on for the next few days. JoElle was excited to see them at our house and was showing off for them!
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