7.4.13 Independence Day

For the second year in a row, we celebrated the 4th of July by going to see the fireworks in downtown Midland with friends.  And once again it was hot, crowded, and the live music was way too loud.  However, the fireworks were great and the festivities made it feel like a holiday.

This year they had a kids activity area inside the convention building (yay for air conditioning).  Ezra got a temporary tattoo he wasn't too sure about and some stickers he enjoyed sticking all over himself.  They also had some carnival games (including one where you had to throw fake poop into a toilet?) where he won the star sunglasses that were in most of the photos in my last post.  He wore them constantly for about a week.

We ate snow cones and talked with friends while waiting for the fireworks to start.  Somehow, Louisa managed to fall asleep despite the very loud live music.

Last year, Ezra was terrified of the fireworks, but we thought he would enjoy them being a year older.  We were wrong.  Once they started he only wanted to get in the stroller, probably hoping we would leave.  After about ten minutes, he was brave enough to get out and watch them, but he still didn't look very happy about it.

What we've been up to this past month...

 Louisa has been smiling lots.

Ezra loves hanging out with his baby sister.

This is what I find when Ezra wakes up from his nap...

Louisa loves sitting in the Bumbo chair.

Ezra calls the Bumbo "baby's chair." He likes to sit in his chair when Louisa is sitting in hers.

Ezra has figured out how to use the camera.

And Louisa just spends a lot of time being cute.

Lousia @ One and Two Months

Louisa at 1 Month...

and Louisa at 2 months...

Doesn't look like that much of a difference, but she is growing!

At two months old, Louisa...

...weighs 9 lb 4 oz (14th percentile).

...is 21 3/4 inches long (28th percentile).

...still wears size Newborn diapers.

...has grown out of most of her newborn size clothes, 

but 0-3 months still seems to drown her (like the onesie in the photo).

...smiles a lot and talks to us when she is happy.

...but is still pretty fussy a majority of the time.

...only wakes up once a night to eat.  She's even slept from 11 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. a couple of times.

I've loved watching her become more socially aware.  It's almost like having a new baby.  She has such a beautiful smile, but I can't seem to catch it on camera.  Ezra still loves his little sister and likes to give her "knuckles" (or what he calls "elbow").

Louisa's Birth Announcement

Sweet And Modern Girl Birth Announcement

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A Crazy First Week

Actually, considering everything the first week with Louisa was not all that crazy.  She is such a good baby--sleeps a lot and is feeding very well.  In fact, she gained 3 oz.  between Sunday when she left the hospital and Tuesday when we had her weight check at the pediatrician.  This explained why she had been spitting up so much--she was getting too much milk!

Here's a glance at our eventful week at home with Louisa...

Sunday:  We came home from the hospital a family of four...Louisa looked so tiny in the car seat and was much lighter than I remember Ezra being the last time I carried him in it at 9 months.

Monday:  My mom arrived in Midland a week earlier than she originally planned.  I've been so grateful to have her here this week.  I don't know what I'd do without her!

Tuesday:  Ezra woke up with a rash, which I assumed was from swimming in our apartment pool the night before.  I took Louisa to the pediatrician for her weight check and asked a nurse about the rash.  She said to bring him in the next day if it hadn't gone away.

Wednesday:  Ezra's rash was even worse that morning, so I took a trip to the pediatrician's office for the second day in a row.  The doctor diagnosed him with hand, foot, and mouth disease (a virus) as well as a bacterial infection on certain areas of his body.

Hand, foot, and mouth is extremely contagious and causes small red bumps on the feet, hands, legs, and inside the mouth.  Those bumps somehow became infected (I'm guessing from the pool), which really is the worst part because of the sores around his mouth and in his nose.

I was worried that I might have to send Ezra and my mom to a hotel to keep Louisa safe, but the doctor said that it was not life threatening if she got it and that we should just keep him away from her and wash our hands before holding Louisa.

So poor little Ezra has had to take a mega dose of antibiotics twice a day (which we have to force feed after trying every other covert way to get hime to take it willingly), and we have to treat him like a leper when he's around Louisa.  But he's been in a good mood for the most part, considering he's been sick.

These pictures really don't do justice to how bad the infection was around his little mouth and nose.

But thankfully it is clearing up.  The hand, foot, and mouth, should be gone around Tuesday and only 5 more days of force feeding antibiotics.  Yay!

The other sad thing is that because of Ezra, three other families in our ward have come down with the virus.  I think nursery was a little empty at church today.

















So other than that drama, life has gone pretty smooth with two little ones.  It has definitely been an easier transition the second time around since I'm already used to being at home with a child and having someone who is completely dependent on me.  My mom and Marc have definitely made it easier as well.  And we're all loving our little Louisa...even Ezra who has been a very good boy about not touching the baby.

Louisa's ballet slippers are still a little too big.

Her hands and feet seem way too big for her little body.

Look at all that dark hair!

4.26.13 Louisa is Born!

Our little Louisa Elaine was born on Friday at 3:58 in the morning.

I wasn't expecting her until the end of next week at the earliest.  At my doctor appointment Thursday morning I had been able to talk my OB into scheduling an inducement date for May 8 instead of May 2 as I really was hoping to let her come on her own and was sure she would be just as late as Ezra was.  I guess I got my wish even if I was wrong about the timing.

On Thursday I just so happened to be wearing the same maternity shirt I wore in the photos I took of myself when I was 40 weeks pregnant with Ezra.  I was thinking I should have Marc take my picture when he got home so we could compare the two because I was so much bigger with Ezra.  That didn't happen, so when we got to the hospital I had Marc take a final pregnancy picture.

This labor and delivery went so much better than the first.  We arrived at the hospital just before midnight. I got an epidural by 2 AM.  By 3:30 she was ready to come out to the surprise of my nurse.  Thankfully my water had not broken, which gave my doctor time to arrive.  Four or five short rounds of pushing and she was born at 3:58 AM wide awake and without so much of a cry.  When I delivered Ezra the delivery room was hectic and full of people and I was completely out of it.  This time it was calm and comparatively quiet and I was actually a part of the moment physically and mentally.

Our little girl weighed 6 lbs 5 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long.  When she was first born we thought she looked so much like Ezra did as a newborn, but since the swelling has gone down we've discovered she definitely has a look all her own.

 We were able to spend the first two hours together, just the 3 of us, in the delivery room.  After we transfered to the recovery floor, they took her to the nursery, and unlike UVRMC, they don't allow the parents to go with the baby for their bath and immunizations.  So I sent Marc home to get some sleep and tried to get some rest myself.

Louisa had some trouble keeping her oxygen up at first, so they had to keep her in the nursery on an oxygen mask until 5 pm.  I should have just slept that whole morning and afternoon, but I was anxious to be with my little girl and so spent the day going between the nursery and my room.

Marc came back to the hospital with Ezra just before Louisa was ready to leave the nursery.  We introduced her to Ezra through the nursery windows.  He kept pointing and saying "baby" and "sister".  Back in our room Ezra was much more interested in his new surroundings than his baby sister, but at least he didn't act jealous or mad at her.

Louisa is doing very well now and is as healthy as can be.  She is a tiny little girl but she has big hands and feet just like Ezra did.

And so we are a family of four.  It wil take some adjusting but she is so worth it all! I can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Hi! My name is Ezra!

We have an amazing ward here in Midland.  The women throw a baby shower for every expecting mother no matter what number of child it is.  And even though there is at least one baby shower a month (at least lately), everyone is always so generous.

My wonderful visiting teachers are hosting a baby shower for me next week and I wanted to share the invitation because I think it is a cute idea.

Usually these invitations are just passed out in Relief Society, but it just so happened that last Sunday we had 5th Sunday discussion with ALL the adults, so my photo got passed around to everyone.  It was a little embarrassing.