A Rewind of Sorts

As of this morning, our parents have returned home, so Damon and I are left to our own devices with the two girls.  We will definitely miss the extra hands (not to mention Alexa's love for her very captive audience), but it signals a return to a life we've been missing for the past fourteen months.

Alexa had the day off of school for the MLK holiday, so it was the perfect opportunity to reintroduce all of us to a life where Alexa's not the only child.  I think all of us welcomed this return - even though it does require a little more patience on Alexa's part, as I am not 100-percent at her beck and call.  She had to wait patiently for me to feed Ani this morning before I could help her assemble some of the Valentine's Day crafts we purchased yesterday.  However, we settled into the new normal rather well, taking full advantage of the beautiful weather to bring Ani outside while Alexa jumped on the trampoline and rode her bike in the driveway.  Keeping true to her form, Alexa would instantly stop what she was doing if Ani began to cry or squawk; she's definitely a doting big sister.

As crazy as it sounds (and I may speak differently a few months from now), it felt great to be a mom juggling more than one child's needs.  I multi-task in every other aspect of my life, so it is nice to have that consistency on the homefront too.  Tonight I was happy to see that I was able to hold a baby in one arm while preparing dinner with the other hand; I've still got it! :)

Happy to help me take care of her baby sister this morning....

Voicing Her Displeasue

Although the physical similarities between the three Hovey kiddos are undeniable, it will be interesting to see how their personalities develop.  Ani had no problem differentiating herself from her older siblings today as we gave her the first official bath.  Unlike Grant, Ani absolutely hated the experience and was extremely vocal with her opinion.

We made Ani's first bath a family affair, as Damon, Alexa and I teamed up to wash the five-pound munchkin.  She is not a happy camper when I change her clothes and diaper, so I had a feeling it was not going to be a blissful experience for the peanut.  Sure enough - it did not take long for Ani to express her displeasure with the situation, as she howled and screamed louder than I've ever heard her.  Alexa was taken aback, as her only previous experience was with Granty, who absolutely loved the water and would coo happily during his baths.  She never expected to see a baby scream hysterically.  Needless to say, I rushed through the bathing experience as quickly as I could to end the "torture."

I figure I have three years to acclimate Ani to water....I will do anything to avoid a round of swim lessons like I used to endure with Alexa!

Not exactly a water baby.
Alexa didn't know what to do...she thought all babies loved baths.

Still hating it - even after being swaddled in a warm towel.

A Little 'Cray Cray'

The experience of having a newborn again brings back so many memories of Alexa as a baby; it's amazing the little things you forget.  My little Alexa seems to be growing up faster than ever....

Alexa was in a fantastic mood when I picked her up from Aftercare today, so she happily agreed to accompany me for a quick trip to the grocery store.  Lately she has been very curious about the origin of meat (i.e. ham comes from a pig), so I couldn't help but laugh as she skipped through the meat aisle and asked me from what animal each product was derived.  The whole chickens stopped her dead in her tracks, especially when she saw some blood in the package.  I thought she might convert to being a vegetarian immediately, but the display case of desserts caught her attention and erased the "traumatic" images from her mind.

Our adventure at the grocery store only became more entertaining as we made our way to frozen foods.  NeNe had spoiled us with desserts when she was in town, so I allowed Alexa to pick out an ice cream (Skinny Cow) treat for her after-dinner sweet.  I was a little sleep-deprived today (Ani could not get comfortable last night), and I mistakenly referred to caramel as butterscotch.  Alexa immediately noticed my misstatement and said, "Mommy, I think you're going 'cray cray'."  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry that my not even five year-old daughter was using slang terminology.  I asked but didn't receive a definite answer as to where she had learned the term 'cray cray' (slang for crazy).  Something tells me this little girl is going to contribute to me becoming a little crazy over the next thirteen years.....

Not such a little girl anymore.....

Picture Perfect (with a couple of outtakes)

For the past few months, I have hemmed and hawed over the decision to have a newborn photo shoot of Ani.  I did not have professional photos taken of Alexa until she was three months-old, so I was envisioning arguments of favoritism fifteen years from now if Ani had newborn photos but Alexa did not.  (Yes, you can tell I am one of four girls....)  I had firmly settled in my decision that I would wait for her first pictures until she was three months-old; however once the little peanut arrived, I soon changed my mind....  Even a week after her arrival, I am still captivated with her diminutive, perfectly proportioned frame.

I am fortunate to have a friend who is a wonderful photographer, so when I texted her last night to inquire about her availability, I was thrilled when she mentioned she had time for the shoot today.  I had no idea of the expertise and patience required for these newborn sessions - not to mention the added complexity of Alexa's appearance for some pictures of the two Hovey girls.  Newborn sessions are quite the ordeal!  Thankfully Lindsay was up to the task (she also shares my proclivity for meticulous attention to detail), even enduring a 'marking' from Ani.  The little peanut was doing everything in her power to stay awake, but she finally succumbed to her heavy eyelids so Lindsay could work her magic.  I too could have curled up for a nap....it was an exhausting process!

I am looking forward to seeing the outcome of today's session.  Lindsay was kind enough to send me a couple of previews - - there are definitely some hilarious shots - - and I can attest that I am happy with my decision to have this newborn session.  I figure I have fifteen years to derive my explanation for Alexa as to why her little sister had an extra photo session as a baby.

'Don't Mess With My Baby Sister'
One of the hilarious 'outtakes' from today's shoot....I could not
stop laughing when Lindsay sent me this comical photo.
Alexa was trying not to laugh/smile, which translated into
a 'tough girl' look.  A protective older sister with a petrified Ani. ;)
[Thankfully this was an outtake - - Lindsay did get some cute shots.]

A Sigh of Relief

Today represented a significant day - more for peace of mind for Damon and myself as opposed to a milestone for Ani.  She turned six days-old, which was exactly Grant's age when we had to rush him to the pediatric ER for a 103-degree fever.  That ER visit led to his first PICU stay (6-days long) for what was initially diagnosed as viral meningitis.  In hindsight, we know the elevated white blood cell count reading from the lumbar puncture was the first indicator of the brain tumor.  As illogical it is to think that history would precisely repeat itself, it was reassuring to Damon and myself to make it through the day with a healthy little girl.

For as many challenges as we faced with Granty, I think someone was smiling down upon us with Ani...she has been, by far, the easiest of my three kiddos.  Her digestive system had to adapt to a formula switch (the pediatrician put her on higher calorie preemie formula), but aside from that adjustment period, she has been a very low-key newborn.  She's definitely my daughter, as she has adopted a consistent four-hour regimen of feedings and diaper changes.  This routine has helped me to be able to plan my days accordingly, not to mention allowing me to get a decent night's sleep with only one middle of the night feeding.  I'm actually sleeping better now than I was when I was pregnant...go figure :)

There are moments, especially on a pseudo-milestone day like today, that it's impossible not to look at Ani and think about Granty.  However, the pangs of sadness are offset by the joy this little girl is bringing to our family coupled with the knowledge that Granty is watching over all of us.  We couldn't ask for a better guardian angel....

Putting things in perspective.
No, Alstott is not a giant dog...Ani is just that tiny.

Embracing Change

I was very curious to see how Alexa would adjust to having a sibling (again), as there's a significant difference between ages three and five.  Thankfully, Alexa adores her baby sister and is very protective of Ani.  She has positioned her step stool by Ani's changing table and a chair by the crib so she can be involved as much as possible in the care of her baby sister.  She's already coined Ani as "her baby" - a natural big sister.

While my parents are in-town, Damon and I decided to take advantage of their assistance and planned a special morning with Alexa - breakfast followed by a morning matinee showing of 'Frozen.'  I am not a moviegoer; the last time I saw a movie in the theater was when I was pregnant with Alexa (yes, it had been that long...).  Damon, however, loves going to the movies, so I don't know if he or Alexa was more excited for this morning.

The morning worked out perfectly; it's not too often that the three of us get to hang out together (even pre-Ani).  It's a good day for a four year-old when you begin the day with a Mickey Mouse pancake followed by a Disney movie.  During the movie, several scenes centered upon the topic of death, so I wasn't too surprised when Alexa said, "I miss Granty," as we sat in the theater.  Thankfully her sadness was short-lived, as Alexa was a very happy girl as we walked out of the movie theater, despite my unwillingness to buy her buttery movie theater popcorn.

The rest of the day continued on a high note; I think Alexa really appreciated her quality time with Mommy and Daddy this morning.  I think we'll have to find a way to continue these 'Alexa only' outings in the future.  I don't think it will be too hard to convince Damon of this either...especially if it means I go the the movies more than once every five years!

Holding Ani was a "must" before she went to gymnastics yesterday.

Back Home

I spent enough time in hospitals during 2012 to last a lifetime, so I was hopeful this hospital stay would be extremely brief.  My prior hospital experience was evident to a couple of the nurses, as one remarked I was the most prepared patient she's ever seen - - apparently it's not too common for patients to bring their own power strip for plugging in a multitude of electronic devices.  Today we had to wait for Ani to pass some of the 36-hour newborn tests, but as soon as the pediatrician conducting rounds mentioned that she had passed everything with flying colors, we were ready to bolt for the exit.  Thankfully the process was quick - my wheelchair was at the door within five minutes of making the call - and we were home this afternoon.  Yeah!

There was a little bit of humor as I reviewed the discharge paperwork.  I asked the nurse about Ani's blood type, and she reviewed her chart and noted she was A-negative.  Wait a minute....I stopped her immediately, as I knew I was O-negative and Damon thought he was O-blood type as well.  Amazingly I remembered Punnett squares from my biology courses and knew that we had a little problem - either Damon wasn't O-blood type or Ani's paternity is questionable.  Thankfully Damon called his mother on the drive home and confirmed the former...lol.

It was wonderful to come home - the cliche 'there's no place like home' is very true.  It will be nice to sleep in my own bed with the only interruption being a crying baby as opposed to the parade of nurses and technicians who seemed to have a knack for entering the room just as I closed my eyes.  Ani finally is wearing clothes and diapers that fit (preemie for right now), as I think the shirts in which they dressed her at the hospital were designed for babies four-times her size.  The other great part about being home is being able to return (somewhat) to normal routine.  It was awesome to see Alexa's face light up when I picked her up from school this afternoon - I think she appreciates the normalcy just as much as I do.

Leaving the confines of our hospital room...freedom!