Bringing Home Baby

I've never been more ready in my life to go home. Home, Sweet, Home. I'll save my hospital experience for another post. But it involves jack hammers, saws, horrid nurses and carpet cleaning at 2 in the morning. None of which should be in a birth story. I was wheeled out of the recovery ward, down the elevator, through the long hospital floor, all the while Alexie screaming at the top of her lungs in my lap. The girl has a nice set of lungs. I believe she shared my sentiment with that hospital as she hasn't cried like that since we've been home.







We arrived Wednesday morning to three very excited kids! They insisted on wearing their big sister and big brother shirts that they wore to the hospital again. I told Chris with the birth of Taylor that for whatever reason coming home celebrations were important to me. I can say this one was the best. The kids had decorated our driveway and pathway to our door with chalk drawings.







This one was a double blessing as Taylor and I have been working hard on her cursive.


Coming home with Alexie was much different then the others because the kids are older. A far cry from when I brought Rylee home to a 15 month old & 4 year old. It was madness back then. Fun. But this was so much different. It has been so peaceful here at home. Each kid has surprised me with their gentleness, tenderness, their lack of fighting over who gets to hold her. And again their patience while they hold her. They have all surprised me with their longevity in holding her. I think Taylor has the record of 45 minutes.
















We have so enjoyed this little girl. She is the sweetest thing. Since being home, she has hardly let out a cry. Of course she has a mom and three little people tending to her every possible need all day but she really has a sweet, peaceful demeanor. I can't believe it's already been a week since she's been in this world and on the other hand it feels like she's always been here. I am so unbelievably blessed!

Alexie Jane Is Here!

After a whirlwind of a night, water breaking at midnight. Lexie was born at 8:58am 10.11.10, weighing 7 lbs even. She is beautiful, healthy and we are in love all over again. Thank you my love for your support and taking these beautiful pictures this morning!

IT'S A.....

Baby Daukas #4 is a girl. A healthy little girl. It took me by surprise as I've been convinced it was a boy for the past couple of months. The first trimester I got a bunch of migraines and the only time I've ever got a migraine while pregnant was with Trevor. Then, at my 15 week appointment, the heart rate was at 148. My girls were always in the high 150's. Except for Trevor who hung out in the 140's, low 150's. So take all of that, combined with my desire for Trevor to have a little brother, and it was a boy! I just knew it. I didn't need the ultrasound.

We took all three with us to my ultrasound appointment. They were so cute and super excited. Originally we had brought in my journal and asked my dr. to not tell us but to just write it secertly in the journal. We were going to take the kids out to breakfast after the appointment and find out together as Chris told us the news. It was a great plan. Apparently we didn't make that clear enough to her. She asked Trevor if he wanted to squirt the jelly on my belly. He thought that was pretty cool. Instantly the kids begin asking, "is it a boy or girl? Is it a boy or girl?" I don't think they got our plan either. She mentioned something like, "Well lets take a look cause that's really why you're all are here!" That should've been my cue to remind her... but it was to late. The words "It's most definitely a girl!" came out before we could stop her. I held back tears. Still not sure why. It could've been cause she messed up my perfect plan, or maybe it was Trevor's "ah man" or maybe, for just a split second, I was ever so slightly disappointed.

She quickly moved on from there to check the heart and the four chambers. She let the kids listen a couple of times to her, still at 148, heartbeat. What a peaceful sound those babies heartbeats are in the womb. We looked at her perfectly forming spine. She focused in on her face and we saw her lift her hand with five fingers up to her head. Then as if she was looking right at us, she yawned. It was truly amazing! No disappointment at all. Just wonder at the miracle of life, gratefulness and a heightened eagerness to meet my new daughter!

A West Side Baby

The last 3 1/2 years can be summed up like this:

We're most definitely done having children.
Well maybe not definitely.
Let's just pray about it for awhile.
Let's go ahead and give it to the Lord and see if we get pregnant.
Not pregnant, not pregnant, not pregnant...
Let's stop trying for awhile. We have peace we tried and his answer was no.
We're done. Yep done.
uh, babe, we're pregnant.

It was quite the surprise for the both of us. Maybe more so for Chris. I had five days to wonder but I didn't bring him in on my wondering. It's taken 4 pregnancies to learn that my husband prefers to be brought in on the wondering. Rather then my, "Surprise".

The week itself was crazy. It started off with a bad case of the stomach flu. I was in bed Monday & Tuesday. And yes it really was the stomach flu and not the pregnancy. We went to a block party and a little kid there had it the night before and consequently almost everyone on the block got some form of it. Wednesday, I get a call from my mom who left her scheduled heart dr. appointment. She called with some less then great news. Her Doctor was talking seriously about open heart surgery. Something that has kind of loomed in her future for quite some time now. But this time in addition to her three vales needing replaced, her aorta was enlarged too. More tests needed to be done to confirm. So I prayed, cried, begged with God for his will for her life to be done. And that at the end of the day that his will would be for her to be healed and live. Then, what served as a beautiful distraction from it all, I was throwing a large bridal shower for my friend Luz. In the back of my mind I knew I was late. Each passing day had me wondering. But I'd been late before and I knew that there was no reason why I would be pregnant. We weren't trying. On a whim I bought a test. I took it in the afternoon, walked away and fully expected to come back and confirm that I was indeed not pregnant. I was wrong. There were two lines, clear as day. Looking back I think I would've been better served to have waited till after the weekend was over. After I had a chance to recover a little more from the flu and catch up on life. After I knew that the next test would reveal my mom's aorta isn't in as bad shape as they originally thought and they would wait another year before discussing surgery again. There probably would've been less tears.

All of that being said, we are truly excited to have another child! What the pregnancy has revealed more then anything these past couple of weeks is my selfishness. Upon the confirmed test I was quickly aware of how life would change and how easy life had become having children who sleep through the night, dress themselves and wipe themselves :) I use the word easy loosely. There's nothing easy about staying home with three kids AND homeschooling. But having done it before I also know how fast babies grow. I am purposing myself to treasure each and every moment. Every kick, hiccup, the delivery, first smile, laugh and all the things that are gone before you know it. In a blink of an eye this child will join the older three in doing big kid things! Of course this nausea and tiredness could go away just a tad bit faster...

It's strange to think that this child might grow up only knowing this house and this side of Phoenix. Of course we will quickly introduce him or her to all of our friends and special places we love on the east side but this child will forever be our west side baby.