Happy 3 Weeks Lexi!!!

Time seems to be flying by so quickly! I canno believe how big she seems to be getting!! We went to the Peditrician last Friday for her 2 week check up and she is up to 7 pounds 11.6 ounces! She is bigger than her birth weight now! She is also up to 20 inches! We go back to the doctor on the 16th for her 1 month check up and I am curious to see how big she is then! Especially since she is eating 4 ounces of formula a feeding!

We did have to switch her formula to sensitive formula because she was developing bad gas and some fussiness. It seems to be helping. Her nights are actually pretty good. She sleeps for about 2 1/2 -3 hours and then wants to get up and eat and have her diaper changed. Last night she had a really good night of sleep.

This week she got to see where mommy worked and got to meet several of mommy's work friends. She did really well! Last Sunday we spent several hours at Linnie and Pop's house while daddy was working. She did great on the car ride and enjoyed spending time there!

Here are just a couple of pictures from her 3rd week in our lives. I was a little slacker on taking pictures this week! I am still trying to get video to actually load on this site...once I do, I will post a few videos.

Happy 2 Weeks Alexis!!!

Wow...has it really been 2 weeks already! Happy 2 Week Birthday Baby Girl! I really can't get over how fast it is going. It saddens me to think that in about 4 1/2 weeks I have to leave her at home and go back to work. This past week Alexis has done really well. She sleeps a lot during the day and actually does pretty good at night. She is up to a little over 3 ounces of food at each feeding! We head to the Pediatrician this Friday for her 2 week check up. I am curious as to how much she will weigh! I am guessing 7 pounds 11 ounces. I do think that she is heavier than her birth weight but we will see!

This past weekend she took her first long car ride (45 mins) to the Stuntz Grandparents' house. She did pretty well! She slept the whole way there. We have determined that she does well when the car is moving, but gets very grumpy when the car is stopped at a light or in traffic! Here is a picture of her all set for her first car ride: Jingles, our younger cat, has become Alexis' buddy/pal/protector. For the past few nights when I do Alexis' evening feeding, Jingles comes and lies on my lap once Alexis is done eating. It is the cutest thing. John was here last night to capture the moment in a picture! The cat is so silly!

Below are some other pictures from Alexis' 2nd week. The first one is right after a feeding. She is just lying on the floor all wide eyed! Little did I know that she was working on some lovely spit up to get all over me when I picked her up :) The second one is her still lying on the floor only this time she is snuggling with her new blanket that Aunt Peg and Uncle CJ gave to her. She loves it! It is so soft and warm.This is one of my favorite pictures of Alexis! She is smiling...I think it is gas though :) But I still think it is cute! She just looks so happy in this picture :)

Overall I can't be more happy. I wouldn't change anything for the world and feel absolutely blessed that she is here with us now. Now if we could just get her to sleep in her pack and play or crib so she could use her bouncy for fun we would be all set. That is our next goal :)

First Bath for Alexis and a Few Extra Pics

We managed to give Alexis her first sponge bath today (no full bath yet because of the umbilical cord --- which is close to falling off). Amazingly she did reall well. She din't like it once we took the diaper off, but she seemed to really enjoy the water. Now my little girl is all clean! Her clean hair is so beautiful!!!

We will just end this blog with a few random shots taken today...her 1 week birthday. I absolutely love the pic of John kissing her head. He is so smitten with her! She is quite the sweatheart! I love the pic of her little feet too. When I was pregnant with her the ultrasound techs use to give me pics of her feet because they knew I LOVED them!!! I must say that they are even cuter in person!

A Week Old Already!

Alexis has definitely become the light of our life around here since coming home! It is amazing how much you can love someone so quickly! She is such a sweet little baby. I cannot believe that she is ours! We were in the hospital for 48 hours and were discharged Friday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. It was so great to be able to finally walk out of that hospital with a baby in our arms. We had been there so many times and walked out with her still in my belly! She did really well in her car seat...once we figured out how to actually operate it!! Haha! Guess we should have practiced. Guess we thought we had more time.

Here are some of her first pictures right after delivery:

Mommy and Alexis after getting all of her measurements done:

The happy Stuntz Grandparents - such a great picture:
Grandpa Shedd and Lena seeing Alexis for the first time:

Alexis' first week home was overall pretty good. The first couple of nights our sleep wasn't all that great. She didn't want to sleep in her crib or pack and play so we ended up taking turns holding her all night. We weren't quite sure what to do...so I reached out to friends who gave us tons of suggestions. We swaddled her like the hospital did and she was a little Houdini! She broke out of the swaddle every time...even using the actual swaddle blankets! So we have determined that she really isn't fond of it.

Saturday she had her first visit with the Pediatrician and she did really well. She was down to 7 pounds 0.4 ounces but that was to be expected. When we went back on Tuesday for a weight check she was up to 7 pounds 2.2 ounces. So she is gaining weight like she should :) Both times she did really well in the car! That is a good sign.

Sunday night John's mom came and pulled the night shift for us so we could catch up on some much needed sleep. We were so very grateful for that! Then the next night I pulled the night shift almost entirely on my own...gave me some much needed confidence. We have now gotten her to sleep in her boppy bouncer from anywhere to 2-4 hours at a time!!! That has made the nights a little bit more tolerable. Last night at one point, John and I got 3 solid hours of sleep! Not too shabby for being the first week!

Mom Stuntz and I took Alexis on her first walk outside on Tuesday. She really enjoyed it! I am hoping John and I can take her on a walk tomorrow in the evening when it is cooler out. She didn't fuss at all on the ride.

Overall I am feeling pretty good. I was running a fever of 102.2 last night due to the flu mist vaccination I received and it was so hard because I couldn't even eat, let alone care for my baby. I was so frustrated. But after many treatments of Tylenol and tons of water, my fever broke around 9:00 p.m. and today I am feeling much better! So today Alexis and I are hanging out together watching some tv...waiting for our visitors to come this afternoon!

Below are some pictures from her first week! Enjoy!

Using the boppy to relax her first day home from the hospital:Having a little tumm time after dinner. She really enjoys tummy time:Daddy and Alexis post-tummy time:

Alexis all ready for her first doctors appointment! She did really well in the car:

Rare sleeping moment her 2nd day home:

This was when we discovered she loves sleeping in the changing table part of the pack and play...this might have been a turning point in our sleeping:

Tummy time on her Einstein mat on Sunday night after mommy and daddy ate dinner:

Daddy and Alexis after Einstein mat tummy time

First good picture of mommy and Alexis...for once I actually look presentable:

Getting ready for our first stroll around the neighborhood in our stroller! She really enjoyed it:

Welcome Alexis Noelle!!!

Alexis Noelle Stuntz

arrived in our lives on

Wednesday September 16th, 2009

at 2:26 p.m.

She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces

and was 19 3/4 inches long!

She is absolutely perfect and loved by

both mommy and daddy very much!

More pictures and information to follow...

Full-Term! So Unbelievable!!!

Well we finally hit the milestone no one thought we would...not even the doctors! I hit full-term yesterday! I still cannot believe it! We are now down to 20 days until our due date. Although, at our regular OB visit this past Wednesday, the doctor submitted the paperwork for me to be induced anytime after this coming Friday (the 18th)! We are now just waiting to hear back on an official date! Hard to believe that this could possibly be the last weekend we have no baby! That seems so surreal! At that visit I was about 2 cm dilated and between 75% and 90% effaced. She said I was really thin and that Alexis could possibly arrive even before we do the induction. I go back to the regular OB on Tuesday and they may scrape my membraines to help promote labor. I am all for that! We have been doing a ton of walking in hopes of getting her to come out before induction.

Yesterday we went to our last visit with the high risk doctor. Alexis is still a girl :) Which is a huge relief! She is doing really well. Had a great heartbeat...as usual right around the 150's. They meausred her and she again is measuring big. She is measuring in at 7 lbs 13 ozs. Guess I should think about bringing a 0-3 months outfit to the hospital just in case! Haha! I am just glad that she is doing good. The high risk doctor doesn't expect her to be in there much longer! I sure hope not since my due date is so close :)

Today I am going to hang up the letters in Alexis' room. They are all painted and we got the hangers for them yesterday. They will be the great finishing touch to her room. Now we just need the baby :) I am also going to try and work on her cross-stitch today as I haven't touched it in a long time. I will do that while John watches football.

36 Weeks and Halloween Outfit!

WE MADE IT!! We have hit 36 weeks! I cannot believe it! It feels so amazing to have my freedom back. Although, I have been walking around the house and let me tell you...it isn't as amazing as I say it is! My feet and legs are not happy. After not walking much for 21 weeks, my body is sure going to need some time adjusting to being "normal" again. That is probably why my doctor said more than likely I will be up for a couple of hours and then want to lie back down for a couple of hours. She knows what she is talking about!! My body is in shock right now I think!

I did manage to stand long enough to make a homemade dinner tonight. I made homemade beef stew in the slow cooker. It was amazing. John was very happy to have a nice home cooked meal. I really enjoyed being back in the kitchen. I am not sure what I will make tomorrow night. Maybe I will make some baked salmon and some au gratin potatoes. Tomorrow for lunch we are having hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill since John's parents are coming for lunch :) I am looking forward to seeing them!! So glad they are coming over.

Yesterday, my friend Katie brought a little surprise over for Alexis! She got her the cutest little Halloween outfit! It is sooooo adorable!!! Here are a couple of pictures of it:I cannot wait to see Alexis in it! We got her some cute orange socks today to go with it too! It was John's idea :) He loves her already!

Wednesday night we ended up back in L&D again because I was contracting about every 6 minutes. It ended up being false labor, but we did manage to get the pessary out that night!! We also found out I am already 2 cm dilated, 75% and in a -2 position! We are hoping for more progression when we go to the doctor this Wednesday...or a delivery this weekend. We are really ready for her to be here! We should have an induction date this Wednesday after our appointment as well!!! That will be so exciting!

We love you Alexis!!