The 6 week smile makes it all worth while!

There is just something so awesome about the first smiles.  It's kind of like they are saying to you, "thanks for putting up with me the past month and a half".  It makes it all worth while, and you feel a little bit more appreciated as a parent.  It's awesome! I love sweet sweet baby smiles. 

Leading up to these smiles, we've had a great few last weeks.  Alexis seriously sleeps ALL the time.  I thought Austin slept a lot as a baby, at like 20 hours a day, but it seems you somehow have him beat. Not only do you sleep all day, but you sleep all night.  Doing 4-5 hour chunks, and even when you do wake up, it is just to nurse and fall instantly back asleep.  We have yet to have a night you've been awake or confused that it is time to sleep.  The pediatrician is convinced you are conditioning me for a 4th, but I think otherwise:). 

Ashlyn and Austin can't get enough of you still. Wanting to help give you a bottle, lay with you, hold you, kiss you.  The acting out has gotten better, and at least the two of them are entertaining each other better while mommy is preoccupied feeding or caring for you. The only frustrating thing is that i swear Austin always has to pee the minute I start nursing.  I've certainly mastered the one arm depantsing while holding a baby on my boob.  As the Spring weather blooms, we are trying to be outside as much as possible, and continue to adjust to our new routine. 

My Little Nugget at 1 Month 

Batting practice in ballet attire!

Sleeping, as usual

Big Sister Snuggles

Brotherly kisses

Getting along, well at least in this moment

Mommy in Training

Alexis just stares at Ashlyn, already idolizes her big sister! 

The tender moments my kids share loving on Alexis make it all worth while. We've tackled running errands with 3, going to practices, school, ect. I got this, right.....I got this!!

Meeting Noelle Elizabeth

The exciting thing about having a baby the same month as your sister is that you can talk and have someone who is going through the exact same things you are day to day.  The negative, having my own small child means I couldn't be there for Noelle's birth or her transition back home.  Although i am the younger sister, having had children first makes me feel maternal in wanting to be there for Ashley, especially since mom isn't here. 

Luckily, we are blessed by amazing parents who are willing to help out.  So as quick as I could work it out, Matt and I jumped in the car and headed off to chicago (with only Alexis) to baby bond. Matt worked in the car on the way there, and baby girl slept the WHOLE way.  We stopped at Arby's for me to nurse her about 4 hours in, but otherwise it was a quick/and quiet trip.

The weekend was perfect, we did NOTHING! We sat around for a whole day+ just holding our baby girls, talking, relaxing, and feeling exhausted together.  It really stinks that we don't live closer. Now than Nick and Ashley have a baby they are living a similar, no personal time, life.  Luckily they are always a phone call away.....and hopefully we will both make enough trips back and forth over the years that Noelle and Alexis will be bestie cousins, especially being 12 days apart in age. 

Daddy working hard on the way to Chicago

OH-IO!! 

Alexis checking out her new cousin

Justen called them "Asian and Jamaican"

Double Duty

Instant Friends

*We are a bit jealous of Noelle's hair, but we still LOVE her:)  Mom would be beyond smitten with these two sweet, adorable, baby girls! 

2 Week Challenge

I really wish my 2 week challenge was something awesome, like a diet plan I tackled or a wardrobe makeover....but rather my challenge is our first 2 weeks at home with Alexis.  I knew it was going to be a transition, but sheesh, change is rough!

And by rough, I don't mean the baby......

If you look at a checklist of what behaviors your toddler child "may" exhibit after bringing a new baby home, I could check off the whole list. I get that my lap had belonged to Austin, and he is very attached to me (and my hair), but didn't expect the anger.

(Learning to share mommy, and love Alexis)

Austin started fighting, more than normal, with Ashlyn.  Was peeing his pants, after being potty trained for 2 months. Would cry in his bed and say "nobody loves me". Yeah, that last one was a heart breaker. He was only saying it because that is what Ashlyn says when she is in trouble, but it still made my heart hurt for him.  I went from being able to lay with him at nap and bedtime till he fell asleep, so just snuggling for a minute before having to get up to get Alexis, or laying with both of them.  His teachers also said he "didn't listen" for the first time all year at school.

Mommy certainly is taking lots of deep breaths, and thankful that daddy was off work for a week.  And, why is it that toddlers don't have to pee till the minute you sit down to nurse a baby. Glad I am skilled one handed helper/nurser.

Thankful many of our visitors brought presents for the "big" kids too.  Keeps the older two excited even though focus is on the baby.  Alexis by the way, is a Saint! I have been sent a baby angel.  She sleeps 3 hours, nurses, then right back to sleep......all day long.  This girl probably sleeps 22 hours a day. I'd be worried something is wrong, but Austin was similar, so i'm just enjoying it.  We've had tons of snuggle time, it's awesome. My favorite time of the day is when I sit down for 20 minutes to nurse. It's just "our" time and it forces me to slow down, i LOVE it!

Ashlyn on the other hand CAN NOT get enough of her baby sister. She is soooo proud to have a new little girl in the house, and wants to help out as much as possible.  She's had her fair share of tears and fighting with Austin too, but mostly it's over who gets to sit next to the baby or mommy while she nurses.

Sisterly Love

First time holding his baby sister at home

My 3 little monkies

I forgot how small they are. 

Lots of love from her cousins

Alexis is sure to love Uncle Larry as much as her siblings

Helping mommy burp the baby

Rocking Alexis while we get ready for school

Entertaining Alexis with silly faces

Helping put in her paci

My teeny tiny monkey #3

My helpers for the first bath

Sleeping, again!

Sunbathing to help with the jaundice

My new reality, and it's certainly a challenge. But one that I am happily ready to tackle! 

Four becomes five

Matt and I were a little smarter this time around, and decided to take full advantage of our hospital stay. With Austin we were so anxious to get home, and our first night was rough! This time we figured we'd use the nursery both nights and get as much sleep as we could. Added perk that we had the most humongous room ever! Left plenty of room for visitors. Being dad's daughter gets perks, like the massive corner suite. 

The kids actually got to our room before we did, so we greeted them in the hallway. They looked so adorable in their big bro and bigger sis tshirts. They brought alexis drawings and a pink puppy dog paci clip and stuffed animal. 

Ashlyn was SMITTEN with her baby sister!

The Bogards were some of the first visitors

Mimi and Alexis

Papa and Alexis

Aunt Mitzi, who brought more soft and fluffy burp clothes

Snuggling with Great Grandma England

Lots of love from Jiji

Another bayer girl, Mimi can't get enough

Austin was very concerned that I was in a wheelchair and that i needed help to get into the bed and use the restroom.  He wasn't very interested in the baby, more with getting mommy hugs and playing with my hair.

Ashlyn lookalike, such a sweet lovable face! 

First family photo!

Our family went from 4 to 5 and we couldn't be happier!

What....It's a girl?!?!?!

I was due March 15th, but since Dr. Shie was going on a cruise on the 9th, he induced me on the 8th. This was something I was totally on board with considering I was also induced with Austin at 39 weeks, and was OVER being pregnant. 

Got to Kettering Hospital at 6:00am. Got my hand IV (my least favorite part of the whole process, youch). They checked me and I was almost at 3. Told my nurse, Melinda, I wanted a pain free day and requested my epidural. Got my epidural at 7:30, then Dr. Shie broke my water immediately after. I then proceeded to puke my brains out, which i've done with my other two, likely from getting the epidural then laying on my back. 

For some reason my epidural always makes me way more numb on the right side, so they have my lay on my left to even it out. It was a low key morning really. Sarah got there around 9:30, which I'm beyond thankful that she could be a part of my delivery again. Then dad arrived around 11:30 to be his usual antsy self. I dozed off a little, but mostly just chatted with everyone.

They checked me at 12:30 and I was about 5 cm. I got really nauseous around this time and proceeded to puke a lot, again. Around 1:30 I was having a lot of cramping pain in my back. They flipped me to the other side and I was at about 7. About 25 minutes later I felt a lot of pressure and she said I was ready to push.  Jill arrived just as they were getting me set up to push. 

Started pushing at 2:00, and Alexis Katherine Bayer was born at 2:09. No pain, no problems! Literally a pain free day. I held her in my arms awhile before they took her to clean her up, all I could think was...WOW, she looks exactly like Ashlyn! Alexis was my largest baby at 7 lbs 15.3 oz, and 21.5 inches long. A perfect, healthy, gorgeous baby girl!!! 

Only real shock was that we were convinced it would be a boy. Matt was so convinced, he had me thinking it had to be. I did have 2 dreams it was a girl though. Plus, we couldn't agree on a boys name till that week, which made me think boy. If it would have been a boy, his name would have been Jacob Matthew (gasp, not an A name, haha). 

Other names we were considering:
Emily for a girl. I liked Andrew for boy, and Matt loved Max or Tyler.

Hard to believe, I had 3 children (we are done) and have NEVER felt a painful contraction or been in labor. Guess that makes me lucky, at least I think so!

We will most likely abbreviate her name to either Alex or Lexi, not sure yet which one will stick. I love both equally. 

Another girl, wow, another girl! Welcome to our chaotic family baby Alexis!