Put your big girl panties on...

...and deal with it!!

I have said this to myself over a hundred time

Maternity Leave

Ava-isms

Ava is changing everyday! Her vocabulary is incredible, and she is always saying something that makes me smirk or laugh! Here are a few things that she has done or said lately that I feel like I need to document...

• A few days ago, Paul was changing Lexi in the morning before Ava was going to school, Lexi was screaming and Ava said, "Uh-oh, Uh-oh...Daddy, I'll go get Mommy!" Paul then said not to get me because Lexi just cries with diaper changes. It was so cute though that she felt like he needed my help.
• Same day, Ava said, "You can take me to school, Mommy, because you can walk now!" (I couldn't walk in the hospital the first day and that was very strange to her!
• One night we were watching Clifford, her favorite, and she started biting her big toe, not the nail, just the toe. We told her it was gross and not to do it, but she kept on. On Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, the girl, said "That was a great story, Clifford!" and Ava then said, "That was a great biting, Ava." So silly...
• Last night we went to my sister-in-laws to watch the Super Bowl, and it was the first time that Ava and Lexi were in the car together. Ava said, "Why is my baby in this car?"

It's definitely a novelty to Ava to have a baby. She's very sweet about Lexi and very, very helpful. We have tried to include Ava as much as possible, which I think has helped!

Nickname Change, sleepless nights, and doctor appointment

So, there is NO big story to why we changed from calling Alexandria "Alex" to "Lexi". But here is how we decided...

First off, if anyone knows about us and finding a name for a girl, you know it was a difficult experience! I had a list of 30 names for Paul to look at, and he had a difficult time liking any of them. He actually was having a difficult time accepting that it was a girl and not a boy. We had pretty much decided this baby would be our last, so when we found out it was a girl, we were both in shock. We just KNEW it was a boy, but God had a different plan for us, a better one!

Paul finally decided on a name he would be ok with, Alexandria. That name had one big problem for me...it didn't meet my "2-syllable rule" for names. I like 2-syllable names. So, we talked about nicknames. I loved Lexi or Allie, he liked Alex. I decided that since we weren't having a boy and that I named Ava Grace, he could have this name. So, we went for Alex.

Once we had her, we kept calling her "Ava" because she looks just like Ava and because of the "A" names. My mom kept saying how cute "Lexi" would be and easier for us to say. I didn't think Paul would go for it, but he decided that, yes, it was hard to not call her Ava. We just thought it would be easier. We've had great feed-back. I like it because it's more girlie, so it's now "Lexi". She's still Alexandria Faith, but we will call her Lexi!=)

We have had some sleepless nights...one night, Lexi screamed for 4-5 hours straight because she needed a good burp. How can a baby cry that long?! It was the worst night of my life (other than Ava's first night home!). We had my mom helping us and then we called Paul's mom to help us. Paul had to go to work the next day, so it was hard for him. That was only one night and hopefully won't happen again. She was not able to be soothed at all that night.

Now she is sleeping 2-3 hours after she eats, but when she wakes up after an hour or so, she is easy to console and calm down. No screaming nights again!! (I hope!) My nights are not normal, of course, but at least she hasn't screamed in two nights.

Today, Lexi had her first appt. with the dr. It was great! My mother in law took us since I can't drive or carry the car seat. Lexi has gained 5 oz. since leaving the hospital, she is now 7 lbs. 6 oz. The dr. was impressed with her weight gain! I nursed Ava for a year and plan to do the same with Lexi. Lexi is a great nursing baby. I am more confident this time, so it makes it easier. I have had some normal "bumps in the road" with nursing, but all in all, we are in a good place. Obviously she's doing well, because she's gaining weight really well! The doctor gave me great advice in a few areas I was concerned over, and I feel much more confident about how Lexi is doing.

She is a sweet baby! I had NO idea I could love my second daughter this much, but I do! Here are my precious girls! Ava loves holding her sister and simply adores "her baby" as she calls Lexi!

A surprise beginning!

So, many of you know I had a planned C-section time of 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning. The plan was to get up at 4:45 am and be at the hospital by 6 am. We were worried about the snow being an issue, so we planned to leave early!

Well, around 1 am, I started feeling contractions. I thought they were just uncomfortable and not extremely painful. I had these off and on for an hour. I tried to sleep, but just couldn't get comfortable. At 2 am, I felt like I was sweaty. Now, let me say...I sweat a lot at night, so this wouldn't have been abnormal. I got up to go to the bathroom because I was so hot and started to feel dripping down my legs. It was weird. I thought, "there's no way that's my water breaking!" But, it was...I got Paul up and told him, called Dr. K to see what she thought. She said to go ahead and get to the hospital. On the way, my contractions got worse and more consistant. Now, with Ava I never felt contractions, so feeling them was not fun! I wanted drugs!!! We got to the hospital, the nursing staff checked my contractions, then called my Dr. to come in. Dr. K came in, talked to me about the surgery, and then we got started. I was so nervous about this surgery. Last time with Ava, I labored for 12 hrs., then had a c section. I was so ready to get Ava out that I didn't have time to think about surgery. Well, I was anxious, but Dr. K was so great. The surgery went well, and Alexandria came out great! She had to actually be suctioned out, though because of my pelvic bone. (which is why I had to have a c sec with both) She came out and screamed and cried so loudly! I was so proud of her strong lungs!

When she was out and screaming, I was crying so much. I had so many emotions running through. I first felt incredibly blessed! I thought, "God, you are SO good to us!" I thought about how God's plan is always perfect. I didn't want to be pregnant this time around, but when she came out, I loved her so much, that there was no question that God had a better plan than we did. I thought about how many babies we know that have not been healthy and how truly it was a miracle for Alex to be so healthy. While they were finishing sewing me up, I layed there thinking about my life the past 3 1/2 years with Ava. I have been through the hardest time in my life for 3 years because of my parents splitting up after 35 years. I layed there thinking that this daughter's first 3 years will not be surrounded my her mommy's sadness and anxiety. That she would have a happier mommy, and I felt full of joy thinking about that. What a blessing she is!

So, everything is going so well. Alexandria Faith is precious. She is just beautiful and sweet. She is nursing so well, and now that my milk has come in, she is doing well even on that. I am thankful for my milk coming in during my stay at the hospital so I could have help! With Ava, my milk came in at home and it was horrible!!! I didn't know what to do and felt miserable! BUT-Alex is doing so well! I am SOOO less stressed with the 2nd one...I feel like things have gone smoothly, and I feel totally overwhelmed and blessed. I have cried so much from feeling blessed! (of course, my hormones are out of whack!)

Big Sister, Ava, loves Alexandria!

[ps-This is what is on the door at the hospital! I asked my mother-in-law, aka Saint Janis, to bring a little something to put on the door. I just wanted something that said, "Alexandria" on it so visitors would know it was her room. My wonderful mother in law went above and beyond, as she always does, and made this sign. We are blessed to have such amazing parents!

Closing a Chapter...

I have been thinking all morning about doing this blog post. I have always valued reflection. I think it's important to look at the past to see how far we've come. We are on the brink of closing a major chapter in our lives. Ava will not be our only child anymore. For 3 1/2 years, she's been what our world has revolved around, and now she will be sharing us with Baby Alex. I am excited and starting to feel anxious. I have cried off and on all morning thinking about how much I love Ava and how proud of her I am. She wears us out like crazy, but the love we have for her is like nothing I can even describe! How are we going to love another child this much?! I am getting nervous about that, but I know that God will give us the love we need for this new child.

We are closing a chapter and opening a new one soon...here's how this chapter of Ava's life began:

The kitty, lovey that Ava has with her name on it was given to her in the hospital by The Pullen family from our church. She loves this kitty and sleeps with her every night! I can't believe how brand new kitty looks in these pictures! The pink "blankie" was given to her by her "Auntie Lori" and she also sleeps every night with that! Ava was a wonderful newborn. She slept well, and ate well (after the first, stressful week home). She started sleeping 5-7 hours when she was 5 weeks old. It was great! She was such a blessing to our home.

Ava grew to be a BIG baby! People always thought she was older than she was because of her size. She was a chunky baby, and we loved it! She was very healthy and we were so proud to show her off! Here is Ava at 6 months old at Christmas time, with her BCF (best cousin forever), Alana! Look how little Alana looks! She's 2 here.

Once Ava turned a year old we started really seeing her personality! She loved to play, laugh, and smile with people. She was very social with people whether she knew them or not. That really made us laugh. Here she is in Michigan at a year old. She loved to swing then and still would rather swing than play on a playground even now! At one and half, it was Christmas time. She loved her kitty and added Elmo (after we took her passy away!).


Ava was in her first wedding, my best friend, Lindi's when she was almost 2. She was beautiful! She loved wearing the dress, the wings, and walking down the aisle. She did really well walking down, but once she was down the aisle, she was a loose canon. My mom took her during the wedding because I was the matron of honor and couldn't leave.

Ava was a spunky 2 year old! She soon taught us that things should be "her" way, not "our" way. We learned how truly strong-willed she was during her 2nd year.

Here is Ava and Daddy at Christmas. Ava was 2.5 years old. She was in the Christmas program at church that year and stole the show! She was very animated and loved being the center of attention.

Ava and Daddy dug a huge hole in the sand this summer at Hilton Head. It was our first (and probably only) trip with just the 3 of us. I was pregnant and feeling sick, but Ava had a blast. It was fun watching the joy on her face at digging in the sand and playing in the water!

Ava is 3 now and just beautiful (I must say!). She makes me laugh harder than anyone else, and sometimes she makes me want to pull my hair out more than anyone else. She pushes buttons that I never thought I had, but I love this girl so much! Ava is thrilled at becoming a big sister. It will be a new adventure for all of us. All we can do now is pray for strength and guidance during this new chapter we are all about to embark on.

I love you, Ava Grace Morel!

Red Robin fiasco!

Yesterday we went to see "Yogi Bear" with Ava. We are trying to have some special "Ava" time before Alexandria is here. Our families joined us for the movie, including Alana (Ava's sweet cousin!), my dad, and my father and mother in law. It was fun! Ava loved the movie and ate a ton of popcorn, like me. I just can't get enough of movie popcorn.

After the movie, we all went to Red Robin where John, Janna, and baby James met us. We had a great dinner. The big Red Robin came out to greet us and Ava was extremely excited! Alana was a little freaked out as some children are of big characters. We enjoyed the wonderful campfire sauce with our fries and good company. At the end of the meal, our sweet servers and the manager brought me and dessert and present for my upcoming arrival. It was so nice of them! I haven't had a lot of "special" things for this baby, so it made me feel really happy for me and for Alexandria. I got a huge piece of icecream cake, which I shared with Alana and Ava and others at the table.

The whole night was wonderful until we walked outside...

Alana walked down the sidewalk away from Ava and turned around to realize she hadn't said good bye. Very similiar to a slow motion scene in a movie, Ava and Alana ran to each other with arms wide open to say good bye to each other. (we all find this so sweet, but now we will be more careful) With the heavy winter coats the girls had on and with the strong force, they hugged hard and fell hard to the ground. They both hit their heads very hard on the concrete! They were screaming crying after that. We got Ava in the car and tried calming her down, while John and Janna got Alana in the car and took her and James home. When we got Ava in the car, she couldn't calm down, she was literally hysterically crying and got so worked up, she threw up all the chocolate icecream she had just eaten.

My mother in law ran in the restaurant to get towels and I tried helping Paul clean Ava up with baby wipes. (BAD IDEA!)

I got one smell of the throw up and lost it!!! I started to dry heave thinking that's all it would be. Well, let me just be honest...I ate too much popcorn at the movies, fries, and then the dessert. It all came up. I threw up so much right in front of Red Robin. My father in law helped me to the side of the restaurant so I wouldn't be seen by customers as much. I continued to throw up non-stop. Then, my dad came over and rubbed my back and asked if I was ok. I was laughing the whole time because of the craziness of the evening! It was like a scene from a movie! My dad and father in law weren't sure what to do about me, but I think they felt better when I started laughing. I haven't thrown up that much in over a year when I had a stomach bug.

The evening was really great until the craziness in the Red Robin parking lot!