Alexa...3 months

Here is our beautiful baby girl at 3 months. She is so much fun...talking and smiling at us now.

She's Here!

Alexa Faith Sweet was welcomed to the world on February 21, 2009 at 3:23am. She is beautiful...and healthy! We thank God everyday for our three beautiful girls.

My birth story (if your interested & read with caution)...

Started off with a nice 2 1/2 mile walk with my friends Nicole and Leah (thank you guys for slowing down for me a few times during contractions). Steve then picked me up for a lovely dinner at Applebees with his parents and Chris & Lisa. Later into the dinner I was having back labor, but didn't want to tell anyone because of my false alarm on Monday night. Anyways...everyone came over to our house afterwards to play the Wii.....this is when I decided I better tell them....

After Chris & Lisa left we decided it would be best for Rick & Gayle to spend the night with the girls so Rick went home to get a few things. I called my mom to give her the details and she said she was on her way over.

By the time Rick got back with their things I decided to walk around the house to see if my contractions would get closer together (they were about every 5 minutes apart). I stood up and decided it was time to go. My mom and Gayle went to the hospital with us.

We arrived at the hospital at 11:50pm on my due date (Feb 20) and they got me into triage where they checked me and I was a 5-6cm and had "bulging water". So they hooked me up with an IV right away and got me into a room. I then got an epidural (which hurt really bad...never did before ...must of got the wrong doctor). The epidural did help with my contractions, but that was it.

Dr. Cadena (the doctor on call) came in to check me once in a while and I was progressing really well. It got to the point where I knew I had to push so my mom went to get the nurse/doctor. I still had a 'lip' on my cervix so they had me lay on my left side...this is when I thought the world was going to end. My body started pushing by itself. All I remember is people rushing everywhere to get their gowns on, tearing my bed down, getting the nursery nurse, etc. Then they wanted me to get on my back and scooch down...yeah right....I really thought I was going to die....I remember yelling to Steve "HELP ME....."

Well Alexa Faith was pushed out in about 5 minutes, the most painful 5 minutes of my entire life (worse than Brooke & Tara). Dr. Cadena said it was because I went from hardly no pain to lots of pain within seconds. I'm already forgetting about the pain and as soon as I seen my little girl, it was worth it! She has some dark brown hair (like Brooke) and looks like Steve (a combination of Brooke & Tara when they were born).

Luckily I only got 2nd degree tears and was stiched up in no time.

Then the storm came (both Tara and Alexa were born after having Applebees for dinner and right before a storm).

Welcome Alexa Faith.

7lbs 8oz

20 1/2 inches long

The girls love her. Brooke is my little helper and Tara is sometimes too busy to realize we have a baby in the house, but will stop for a couple seconds to see whats going on with Alexa.

Since my last blog...

I haven't been very efficient on my blog...sorry!

Since my last blog the girls both got tubes in their ears (Brooke also got her adnoids out). They recovered very well and were running around by the night of the surgery.

Lately I have been waiting to go in labor (with a false alarm on Monday night). We actually went to the hospital monday night with contractions every 2 1/2 minutes apart. I never progressed (was dialated at a 3cm) and they sent me home. After I got home and went to bed my contractions slowly stopped and by the morning they were gone...since then just waiting to go in labor. I have been taking 2 1/2 mile walks at night and yesterday I cleaned the house...vaccuuming and mopping the floor on all fours...hoping to go in labor...but nothing.

They are right when they say every labor and delivery is different...I went early with my other two and the stripping the membrane thing always worked before..but not this time. Tomorrow is my due date, but I'm guessing I may have this baby on Saturday because my other girls were born on Saturday....

Anyways if I don't have this baby by Tuesday I am getting induced at 7:30am Tuesday morning....never done that before. I heard its better to go into labor on your own, so I am still praying for that to happen.

Whenever this little girl comes, I just pray that she will be nice and healthy and the labor and delivery process goes well.

I can't believe it...

I am so thankful...I got a call from the nurse today. Tara had had bloodwork done per NIH study earlier this week. We had to do bloodwork 1 week after we got back from Washington DC and then one month (I know it was a little over a month). Anyways....all of Tara's bloodwork came back NORMAL! The drug she is on is working! Her SED rate, iron levels, and inflammation is all in the normal range. I am so excited to hear that news....because her levels have either been too high or too low since she has been born...it only took 2 years to figure all this out, but I am thankful!

Get a load of this belly!

Going in the right direction....

Well I'm officially 1 cm dialated. The doctor feels like I will be having this baby early...even before Valentines Day. Yikes...almost my whole family will be in Mexico. What timing! We'll have to wait and see...I'm excited, but I also remember that this will be my last baby so I'm trying to cherish every kick and roll that she's doing right now.

Tubes and more tubes

Well we went back to the ENT with Tara after getting yet another ear infection. We scheduled for her to get tubes in her ears on February 9. While we were there Brooke wanted him to look in her ears. Of course she had fluid in both her ears and he said it looks likes its been there for awhile, plus she just had another ear injection when Tara did. So...Brooke will be getting another set of tubes put in her ears on February 9 as well. Brooke may also be getting her adnoids out. He won't know until she is gassed up and he looks at them with a scope.

I remember when Brooke got her first set of tubes, the surgery is fast...However....I remember also when she came out of the surgery room and was starting to wake up and she was so inconsolable for at least 10-15 minutes...it was the longest 10-15 minutes in my life. I'm hoping this time will go better especially having them both done in one day. Yikes...all I can do is pray that everything will go okay and that I won't have my baby the same day!