I'm in Love....Again

Words just can't describe this love that I have for Lexi. It is amazing and so deep. I just stare at her and kiss on her every chance I get. I am so in love again and I am so thankful. Last night Tia came home from school. This is the first time she saw Lexi since her visit in the hospital. I wondered how it would go. Would Tia be jealous, say 'my mommy' or become possessive? But she was really excited and loved looking at Lexi, rubbing her head, and kissing her. She kept bring her toys and saying 'here you go baby'. She seemed okay that I was holding her. The look Tia gave me when she saw me breastfeed Lexi was priceless...a look of absolute confusion. Tia is going to be a big sister and it made me see Tia in a whole new light. She looked so grown up, she looked like she had grown inches over the weekend, she looked so mature, and I just kept staring at her as if it was for the first time again. I just love Tia so much and love watching her get big. I can't wait to see the girls interact with each other and in a couple years become best of friends. I sat while holding Lexi and stared at Tia in awe. I am so in love with these two little girls and I LOVE it. I know Chris and I are just so happy with our little growing family. Proud parents just doesn't describe it!

Lexi Has Jaundice

We weren't really surprised that Lexi has jaundice. Since both Chris and myself had jaundice when we were born and Tia had it when she was born - we figured that Lexi may have it too. Of course we want to do everything we can do help her get over it, but we dreaded the bili bed that comes with her recovery. But, she is getting used to it and when she screams because she hates we continue to say that we just want to make sure she gets as much as she can before her next bill test on Thursday to see if she is better or has to continue treatment. I pray all of our effort with putting her on this bill bed for 3 to 4 days does the trick. I want my little bundle of joy to get used to a normal routine in her first week of life.

Our Little Miracle

So now that Lexi is here, it just all seemed like a bit of a blur when she came into this world. I remember all of the events but I am more focused on 'wow, she's arrived' than I was 'wow, that all happened during her birth'. Thankfully, she came early and thankfully I only pushed for a short time (10 minutes), because the doctor came in to say goodbye on our last day in the hospital. He started out normal with how everything is going great. Then he sort of got a melancholy look on his face and his tone changed. He said 'I don't like to bring this stuff up, but I do want to say that she is a miracle baby...having an umbilical cord wrapped around your neck happens, but having it wrapped around twice is very rare, in fact, it was the first time I've seen it...then she had it wrapped around her leg, then around her back. It could have been bad. Some babies with one loop around the neck end up with problems, but twice around...it could have been very bad. Thankfully, everything worked out perfectly and she was not affected, so I am considering her a miracle baby." After he said this to us, Chris and I looked at each other with sad eyes because it really didn't hit us until we heard it from the doctor. We were thankful to hear this because it does make us appreciate the lord watching over us and Lexi. Chris and I had a few moments to bond over these words from doc and ended up smiling because she is here and she is perfect. I really don't know what I would have done if something bad would have happened. I'd like to think I'd be strong, but knowing she has ailments because of this would have torn me up....and worse if we weren't able to watch her grow up - I think I'd never recover from this. The point though is that she is a MIRACLE BABY and we are so thankful and blessed to have her. Already, she has amazed us with her presence and we just can't imagine our life without her now. With having Tia and now Lexi - we could not ask for more! Thank you God for your grace!!!

Lexi Adriana Norris

She's finally arrived! Or should I say she pleasantly surprised us with her presence a few days early. Due on Super Bowl Sunday, but then planned for inducement on Monday, January 30th - Lexi decided to make her presence known on Friday, January 27th. I was at work and it was to be my last day of work before maternity leave. Started out as a normal day and finishing up final projects at work and the day was going great. Went to lunch with my friend Stephanie and had some Mexican food. When we got back to the office around 1, I started to work on my final things before I was going to leave for home to officially start maternity leave around 4ish. My friend Donna was in my office chatting to me about some work stuff when I felt a small amount of liquid pop in my baby making area...I didn't initially think it was my water breaking but I wanted to find out for sure. I told Donna I'd be right back and I ran to the bathroom. As I approached the bathroom, I felt more small trickles and I was amazed that I wasn't able to 'hold my pee' because that is what it felt like I was doing. My water never broke with Tia so I had never experienced the sensation before. I got to the stall and as I pulled down my pants, some of the liquid went on the floor. I went to wipe it up and as I bent over, a gush of liquid came out. I realized at that moment I was starting labor. I walked back to my office and didn't think it was the amount that officially marked water breaking so I went to ask some ladies if they had ever experienced that before. When I started asking, more fluid starting coming out and as these ladies made me laugh, more gushes happened. By this time, my jeans were drenched and I knew for a fact that it meant Lexi was coming sooner than later. I was trying to close down my computer, but the ladies started being louder with excitement and I just kept gushing every time I'd laugh. Some were just cracking me up. I hadn't experienced a contraction yet, so I was just going to drive myself to the hospital, but they were all adamant that I shouldn't and to let someone drive me. So Donna drove me in my car and Stephanie drove behind and we headed to St. Lukes hospital. I tried to call Chris but he didn't answer. I had already sent him a text before I left the office, but when he didn't answer his cell phone, I called his work phone. I just couldn't bear if he missed being there, so I called the main line at his work and they paged him. After many attempts, they finally tracked him down in a meeting. He left as soon as he could and met me at the hospital. By this time, I still had no had any contractions that I knew of. There was some cramping, but nothing to be fearful of. As the next couple hours unfolded, the pains started getting stronger and they administered the epidermal...which is the way to go! From this point, it was just a waiting game for me to fully dilate. My doctor came in and said, we can get this baby out in a few pushes and that is exactly what we did. They said I delivered within 10 minutes of pushing. Just before, they couldn't hear her heartbeat and decided to put in a monitor that attaches to her head, while putting in more amniotic fluid because I was still gushing fluid even hours after my water initially broke. The final push, a ton of amniotic fluid squirted out and hit the doctor in the face, soaked the nurse and went everywhere. Then I looked down because I had pushed her out and saw the blue ring around her neck. The doctor untwirled the umbilical cord that was wrapped twice around her neck and once around her back - then she let out a big cry. He plopped her on my belly and it was heaven all over again. I was just so excited she was healthy. And she is just so perfect that I can thank God enough for blessing me with such a beautiful angel (again). I just love her so much!

Less Than A Week

Went to the doctor today. I measured 2.5 cm dilated and still 100% effaced. The doctor decided to 'help' things along by stripping the membranes. He said that 50% of women who have this done go into labor within the following 3 days. However, he set a date to be induced for Monday morning, January 30th at 7:30am. So little Lexi will be here within the next 5 days. How exciting is that! I just can't wait to meet her!

Thoughtful Gift

I received a couple thoughtful gifts the past week. One is the sweetest frame from my coworker and friend Donna. She had it engraved with the girls names. Love it. I have sitting in my office at work with Lexi's ultrasound pics displayed.

I also received a hoodie towel and two burp clothes that are absolutely adorable from the ladies over at Promise Christian Academy. I have the honor of helping them with invitations, postcards, artwork, and posters for their annual fundraiser among other fun graphics projects the past few years. They sent over this sweet, and unnecessary gift. But little Lexi will love them.

I'm so blessed by so many... Thanks everyone!

38 Weeks & Counting

Lexi is officially full term and any day could walk right out! I am planning to work another week and see how it goes this week. On Wednesday, my doctor will set a date to be induced for the following week. Most likely, it will be the 30th, 31st, or the 1st. The past three weeks, I have been 1.5 cm dilated and two weeks ago, I was 50% effaced and this past week I was 100% effaced. So I'm completely thinned and now it is just a matter of the dilation continuing. Lexi has been head down for months now and there was a month there where she was extremely low. Many people thought I'd go sooner than later. But after the first time my doctor measured my cervix. Lexi moved up a bit and wasn't as low in my belly. Guess she didn't like being poked in the head. I would say that this third trimester has been a great one. With Tia had a lot of things I remember that I didn't like. For one, my hands would go numb at night and I'd wake up to them being brittlely, then I got trigger thumb where my thumbs would get locked into place and boy was that painful to wake up to every morning. I would tape them and sleep like a mummy to ease the pain. It wasn't until over a month after that I finally went to a doctor who gave me a cortisone shot that helped. I had gained a lot more weight with Tia. I know they say with the first babies, most women make the mistake of eating for two - in excess. I was definitely one of them. This time, I've eased back and have tried to be a bit better. Although, I have still gained a lot of weight, but just not as much. I just want to bounce back easier this time than last time. I'm 34 and it is hard enough to lose weight after age 30, let alone after pregnancy. But I'm excited to get back to the park and do some running after Lexi is born and I'm back to work. I have had 95% energy in this last trimester. I remember with Tia, I was in bed by 6 most nights. With Lexi, I am walking around as if I'm not even pregnant. I have had more people say that I don't act pregnant than I can count and of course I have to agree. Although, I will say this week, I've started to feel bigger and my stomach feels tighter. I'm starting to waddle more and I have more pregnancy pains than I did before. Either way, this has been a great pregnancy at the end. It was still by far the worst first 3.5 months in the beginning, but after that was all said and done with, I've felt like a million bucks the rest of the time. Now let's just pray I have an easy delivery like with Tia. I can't wait to see what little Lexi looks like and compare her to Tia. So sweet - my two little girls!

Allergic to Soap?

We have known since Tia was a baby that she has some allergies, but we aren't 100% sure to what, yet. The doctor's really can't say anything for sure until she turned 2 and the minute she did, they said she has some allergies. So we are going to set up an appointment to take her in so we can find out what allergies she may have. Until then, we have our guesses. I know every time Chris is affected by high allergy season, so is Tia among other things. Chris has a lot of allergies, but nothing that is too over the top. He is allergic to cats and candles and certain things. We were told by the doctor to not give her a bath every day and to not use soap most of the time. She has skin allergies and she gets affected in certain areas. Some times when it gets really bad, behind her knees and on her elbows get really dry and she scratches until it bleeds. We have this ointment that we put on her when she starts to itch and we hope it will help. The other night, I used a new bubble bath and when I got her out of the bath, she had tons of red welts. At first, I wasn't sure if they were there before the shower, but I would have noticed. Plus Tia was saying 'owie' and pointing to them. So we put on the ointment. Then the next night and decided to put the bubble bath through the test and sure enough, the welts showed up again. So no more bubble bath for Tia. The welts did go away by the time she went to bed. So I am wondering if she gets hives in certain situations? Either way, I hate that she has allergies, but there could be far worse things. I know she'll deal with them accordingly and take some pointers from her daddy.

Worry

I think in the dictionary, next to Parent, it should say Worry. Don't you agree? I have lived a life of 'everything is going to be okay' until I had Tia. Then the worry started from the time I got pregnant. I was worried I had a little too much to drink before I knew I was pregnant and was praying that she wouldn't have any affects at birth or later. Then when she was born, it was the worry of sleeping through the night...holding the mirror up to her nose to make sure she was breathing. Then it was just trying to be a good mom to her. Then leaving her at daycare...will she be okay. And the list goes on and on. I have heard from parents that the worry never stops and as they grow into adulthood, the list just gets bigger on the worry because you aren't there to protect them like you did when they were little. But with the worry comes great satisfaction and joy in being a parent that makes it all worthwhile. The past couple weeks, my worry meter went up on a couple occasions. Once was when it snowed a few inches here and I had a big event at work that required me to get into the office one way or another. I got ready as usual, scooped up Tia, and we were on our way. My car (BMW X5) has the all wheel drive out right now, so when I hit icy patches, I become a very heavy roller-skate. Traffic was horrible and it was evident from the moment I left the house that my hour commute was going to be much longer. I wasn't even able to get up our subdivision hill. I was slipping and my AWD was grinding because it doesn't work. I had to turn around and go down the other way. Then all the roads leading to the HWY were treacherous. I even came a few feet away from an accident less than a mile from the house. An oncoming car was turning and the two cars in front of me where sliding out of the way. The car behind me was trying not to hit me and me, well, I was just trying to come to a complete stop which was not going very well. Luckily, everyone was okay. pfew. Then the highway proved to be a parking lot and pretty much the entire way was horrible. I got to Tia's daycare an hour and a half later, which usually takes about 30 minutes. She was getting stir crazy and her movie that was playing was not entertaining her for that long. She is just not used to it. It was the first time she cried out for 'School' in a good way. After dropping her off, it took me another hour to get to work. So in total, it was 2.5 hour drive. The entire way I was worried for my babies. Here I am 9 months pregnant and Tia in the backseat too. I just kept repeating 'Precious Cargo' 'Precious Cargo' and praying to the Lord to watch over us and all of the other people out that day. We made it and I didn't mind how long it took, just how safe was the important thing. Then two nights ago, I woke up to sleet hitting the window. It was a crazy thunderstorm and it wasn't consistent. The wind would howl, then there would be silence, then I'd hear the sleet again, and the rolling thunder. It was creepy. Then, the sirens started going off. I woke Chris up and said, 'honey, there are sirens' and right then we hear the siren say 'Take Shelter Now' and so we jumped up, put some clothes on, I went in and grabbed Tia, woke my mom up, and we all headed downstairs. I hated waking Tia up, but I was worried about her and Lexi. Before kids, I would have just stayed in bed. But after the sad Joplin tornadoes that took lives and me driving through a tornado not too long ago, I did not want to take any chances. I pray almost everyday that my girls live long, happy, and fruitful lives....that they have all the wonderful things I've been blessed with throughout my life, and more. I know all parents feel this way. I know Chris and I certainly do!

Build-a-Bear

Tia's first visit to Build-a-Bear was two years in the making. Tia received a $25 gift certificate from a friend from work named Sheri when work had a baby shower for me a month or so before I had Tia. Then a few weeks after Tia was born, her cousin Drew (my first cousin...my Aunt Kina's son) wanted to get her a bear from Build-a-Bear that she could stuff when she was ready. I also bought a recorder from Build-a-Bear and recorded Tia's heartbeat when she was still in my belly. We wanted to wait until we felt Tia could appreciate going and getting her bear done and so we decided to wait until she was two. Other signs she was ready is how much she loves bears. My younger sister was visiting from college and had a Build-a-Bear that Tia kept stealing and hugging. So once she had her 2 year birthday, we decided to take her up to the actual shop when we found an open day. So today we took her up to Build-a-Bear and had some fun. Tia was a bit overwhelmed by the mall and people. She wanted Daddy to hold her most of the time. In the store, she didn't want to give up her bear to get stuffed. We had to promise her that she'd get her bear back. So we had her bear stuffed, heartbeat recorder put in, fluffed her, and then bought her two cute outfits that Tia helped pick out. Well, she picked out the cute pink dress and shoes. I picked out the cute pink Cardinal's outfit. When getting the bear's certificate ready, I asked Tia 'what do you want to name her' and she said 'bear', so that is her name. It was really fun. So thanks Sheri, Kina, and Drew for the gift - Tia loves her Bear!

Temper Tantrum

This is Tia the other night when she didn't get the snack she wanted. It just makes me laugh. She is pretty good tempered but every now and then she does have her moments. I know all kids have this and we hope it subsides over time. Doesn't she look so big!

So Sweet!

I am normally not surprised by many things because I have a sense of when things are going on around me and I can figure things out. However, my coworkers really surprised me in the sweet sense. I had my ultrasound the other day and then I met all of the girls for our monthly Corporate staff luncheon. We were celebrating 2 birthdays and we of course said happy birthday to them. But then, out of the blue, they gave me a gift basket and card. I was shocked. It was a basket with a bottle of tequila and a gift certificate for $200 towards a hotel stay. This is perfect because Chris and I were planning a baby moon anyways for March. I had been checking into the Hidden Lake Winery's cabins so we could plan a night away from the girls. So this is even better. I was surprised and excited! The card was filled with sweet sayings from all of my great co-workers who are my friends. Then back at the office, they had a cake for me. Again, just so sweet. Thanks so much Yolanda, Lisa, Donna, Stephanie, Christy, Esther, Effie, Katie, Caryn, Karry, Jenny, Annie, and Allie, you girls are the best!!!!

36 Week Doctor's Appointment/Ultrasound

Went to the doctor on Wednesday and had an ultrasound.  Are these pictures so cute?  So unbelievable how we can see little Lexi's face...wow.  She is measuring at about 5 lbs which seems to be the same as with Tia, so I just have small babies.  Everything looks good though. Everything is the same from last week in regards to dialation and effacement. I feel really good and all seems well with baby.  If he induces me a week before, then I have about 2 and a half weeks left to go...it will be here before we know it!

I Make People

I think everyone knows I'm a pretty creative person who has some craft skills under my belt as well.  I love this graphic - it is so me!

Pregnant Barbie

This cracks me up. Barbie who is pregnant. I have never seen this in person, but I have to admit with a baby in my belly right now, I think this picture is so funny....

My Sister Sam

I love this picture because it reminds me of when Sam was Tia's age. I was 17 and I watched Sam for a summer while my mom took care of funeral arrangements for my grandma in Thailand and Sam's grandma here, etc. Ironically, both of Sam's blood grandma's died within 24 hours of each other. Sam was about 2 and I was taking her around here and there and boy was she a ham. I carried her around and showed her off. Now that I have a daughter of my own who is 2 and with Sam staying with us for a week or so while home for Christmas break from college, Sam gets to spoil Tia the way I spoiled her. Sam has a bear that Tia just loves as you can see in the picture. Tia will give Sam her prized Bebe bear and take Sam's bear in its place. Some times Tia won't trade back. It is pretty cute that Tia won't leave Sam empty handed. She says 'Share' and it is adorable. Sam always said she wanted me to have a daughter so she could spoil her the way I did with her and now she has that.

It's Started!

Went to the doctor on Wednesday. I am 1.5 centimeters dialated and 50% effaced. So the process has started, now it is just a waiting game to see how quickly or slowly we progress. Last week the cervix was still closed so we'll see if there is any change next week. We also have the 36 week ultrasound next week. Fun times ahead!

Mini Me

What is so cute yet dangerous about Tia's age is she is a little copy cat. She repeats everything, does everything, and wants everything we do! In fact Chris and Tia shoot hoops in Tia's room on her little Tykes basketball hoop that Aunt Jenny and Uncle Dave got her. Chris screams out 'Michael' before every shot (every single time). What is cute and so funny is that Tia will say 'Kichael' before she shoots.we all love Michael Jordan and so ahead of Tia's time but now she'll know who he is because of daddy.

But Tia does so much more that we do, we really have to watch ourselves. She picked up 'stop it' at daycare and says it all the time in a condescending way to her dolls. She'll put her baby in the time out chair and say 'stop it.. No no' and we actually don't like it because she sounds so mean. We hope that goes away quickly.

Most if the time her copy cat stuff is so darn cute and we just laugh all the time.

What a Great Year!

I can't believe it is 2012. It just seems like time is flying by like the speed of light. I am definitely taking as much time as I can to appreciate all of the wonderful family, friends, loved ones, and memories that I can take with me from 2011 to 2012. Of course, I can't wait to make more special memories in 2012 as we have another big chapter starting when baby Lexi arrive this month. We had a few options last night for New Year's Eve parties and we decided to wait until the last minute to decide. We ended up renting a ton of movies and ordering pizza. It was nice and relaxing and we got to stay in our PJs. Tia went to bed at her normal time and the new feat was to see if I'd be able to make it until midnight. There was a moment where I was going to head in to lay down, but I decided, you know what - I'm going to splurge and have something I haven't had in almost 9 months. A coke! So I went and drank down a big glass of coke and hoped for the best. We watched some movies and before we knew it, it was midnight. We turned on the Time Square celebrating, kissed, listened to all the neighbor's fireworks, and then finished the movie. I was actually not tired at all, surprisingly. I was missing my wine and/or dirty martini - OR champagne, but I know the caffeine was probably already too much for little Lexi in there. We enjoyed our night in and I was happy I made it to midnight.

New Year’s Reflections
Looking back on the months gone by,
As a new year starts and an old one ends,
We contemplate what brought us joy,
And we think of our loved ones and our friends.
Recalling all the happy times,
Remembering how they enriched our lives,
We reflect upon who really counts,
As the fresh and bright new year arrives.
And when I/we ponder those who do,
I/we immediately think of you.
Thanks for being one of the reasons I'll/We'll have a Happy New Year!
By Joanna Fuchs