Happy Squeals!

I've never tried posting a video!

Hopefully this works.

Poop faces!

Grandparents!

Well Lexi,

It didn't take long for all the grandparents to stop by and check you out!

I hear Grandpa Jim says you're a keeper!

Grandma Linda is still here helping me take care of you while I recover from the C-section!

Grandpa Gene asks daily for pictures of Lexi!

Yup, Lexi, you and your cousin Addie totally have him wrapped around your little fingers.

Can't see the resemblance...

Darren doesn't think Lexi looks like him,

but I totally see the resemblance... 

Late night... or early morning?

It's not a great picture,

but I snapped it on the sly.

I just want you to know, Lexi,

your Daddy is awesome,

and takes such good care of both of us.

In the hosptial

We were in the hospital from Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon...

here are a few things that happened while we were there!

We got some really pretty flowers and super cute little Star Wars figures from the Morse clan...

... and Adam (haha)

We learned how to burp Lexi most effectively

(aka, burp technique that will yield most embarrassing photo to bring out when she's a teenager)

We got her temporary birth certificate with her cute little foot prints on it!

We also had a lovely visit from my parents
(I don't seem to have any of the pictures of them from the hospital though!)

As well as a visit from my brother and his wife, and their little munchkin.

Their 9 month old did NOT like my brother holding Lexi!

Friday the 13th of March, 2015

It was a dark and stormy night.

Wait, no... it was Wednesday, March 11th at 5 pm.

I had an OB/GYN appointment earlier that day where they did an ultrasound,

and they didn't like the amount of fluid around little Lexi,

so they sent us in to be induced.

We were quickly checked in and assigned a room...

and then we waited.

At 9 pm they finally started inducing.

At 4:30 am on March 12th, my water broke.

(at which point they said the ultrasound technician obviously measured wrong,

and there had been plenty of liquid around Lexi)

Then... we waited,

and waited,

and waited.

Darren had brought along his laptop and some DVDs, so we watched those and dozed off...

and waited.

They kept upping the Pitocin, 

but every time we got to 5 (on a scale of 0 to I have no idea), 

Lexi's little heartbeat would slow down dangerously...

so they had to stop the Pitocin and start all over again.

This. Took. Hours.

They did this three times.

My Epidural started to wear off on one side, 

and the doctor said "You can't push that button that gives you more epidural juice, because you won't be able to push hard enough when it's time to push"

I pushed the button.

I also pushed hard enough to wedge Lexi in well enough to give them a tough time getting her out.

After 2 hours of pushing,

they decided Lexi wasn't coming out the natural way.

So yeah, ladies,

PUSH THE BUTTON.

At 3:30 am, Friday the 13th,

Alexis Deanna 

was born!

Here are some of the very first images

of her tiny life!

This was our very first view of Alexis...

we couldn't see her at all!

I guess she came out not breathing, and had to be jump-started.

Darren, when he saw they had her, asked "How much does she weigh?"

Because that was the first thing that came to mind,

and they told him, "First we need to get her to breathe, then we'll find that out."

Uhm... scary.

They got her breathing quickly though,

and then had to suck the gunk out of her...

because evidently C-section babies are filled with gunk.

I feel like there's a joke to be made for this next picture...

Then they finally weighed her :)

What they don't tell you is that newborns have freaky colored hands and feet.

They put some goop in her eyes (she's not crying),

and then got her little footprints!!

They even gave Darren Lexi arm tats with the excess ink from her toes!

Then one of the nurses kindly took some pictures of our new little family!

Here's the first pic of Darren and Lexi together!

Here's one of all three of us!

(I was still being operated on! 0_0)

Yup, we all had fancy hats... important to look dapper for that first family portrait!

Happy Birthday, Lexi!

Lexi's first baby pic

It seems like so very, very long ago that we got to see you on the Ultrasound screen...

Alas...

People say that more babies are born on a full moon.

Heck, when Darren and I went to do our tour of the hospital, it was 8pm on the night of a full moon,

and the place was packed to overflowing!

We almost weren't able to see a birthing room because they were all in use!

(One cleared out just in time for our group to check it out)

So, when we found out last night was a full moon,

we were hopeful!

Other than some cramp-like pain that didn't last and a few chills, though,

nothing much happened.

So much for the full moon!

March 1st came and went...

I hear only 5% of babies are actually born on their due date, though,

so I guess it's ok.

Anyways!

My coworker didn't have anyone coming in to the portrait studio today

(and she's got to sit there for half an hour either way)

So she offered to let me use my morning break to get some pre-baby pictures done.

Had I known... I might not have worn Christmas socks today... LOL!