Our new normal...

I've sat down at my computer several times since Sydney's arrival and have tried to blog. Each and every time I end up stopping to nurse, change a diaper, do a load of laundry, have a tea party, take a nap if both girls are sleeping, etc. It's our new normal...at least for now. :) Our days are flying by. Amelia loves Sydney and wants to help with her. She loves on her constantly. I feel like she has handled this huge change in the very best way, but I still see she has a need for one-on-one time. She asked me over the weekend if I was all better so I could carry her. Bless her heart. I want nothing more than to pick her up and carry her around the house like I do Sydney. 2 more weeks, baby...2 more weeks!! She used to get every single minute of my day...all to herself. We would play all day, have lunch dates, take a nap, run errands, and then cook dinner together. Needless to say, things have changed. So when I do have a moment to have a tea party, color, play with play-doh, or just watch a cartoon with her - I'm making it a priority to do it.



Just about every time we get in the car - I'm reminded that we're a family of four now and I'll look at Alex and say, "we have two kids!" For some reason I don't think about it when we're home - it's just when we're going somewhere. Maybe because it takes so much time and energy to get ready and go somewhere these days. :)

I have SO MANY PICTURES to post from our hospital stay, Sydney's newborn pics, pics of the girls since coming home from the hospital, etc. I'll slowly but surely get them posted. I know it will take a little more effort to blog but I want to have record of these sweet days/nights with Sydney, just like I did with Amelia. I love this newborn stage. LOVE IT. Despite being sleep deprived, it only lasts for a very short time and I enjoy every minute of it.



I can't believe Easter is in less than a week! I love Easter Sunday. Easter was the one holiday as a child that we received a new dress and can I just say - my 35 year old self still feels the need to buy a new outfit! But as an adult, it's more than just the new outfit and Easter baskets that make it such an important day. I get very emotional when I stop and think about what Jesus did for me on that cross.

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff’ring and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

-The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard, 1913

I started picking things up for the girls' baskets months ago - they're hidden in the closet and ready to go for Easter morning, but I'm most excited to do the resurrection eggs with Amelia again this year. It's a great way to explain the Easter story to her. Not that she understands fully but she does ask lots of questions when we talk about Jesus dying on the cross. I have no doubt that she (and Sydney) will understand one day and my prayer is that on that very day they surrender their lives to Christ and accept His precious gift of life. ETERNAL LIFE. Praise His Name....HE IS RISEN!!

Love to all,

Sydney Faith's Arrival...

After being on bedrest for a month, my doctor decided it was time to schedule my c-section. My blood pressure and swelling were only getting worse. I was gaining at least a pound a day from the preeclampsia and was getting to the point of being miserable. I was happy when he said he was calling L&D to schedule my c-section for March 7th at 4:00pm! He told me not to eat anything starting at 6am that morning. So what did I do?

I got up at 5am and ate breakfast! :) By 10am I was shaking and so hungry. I called L&D and they told me I could have a light snack but nothing after that. I ate some graham crackers and peanut butter and felt much better.

My Mom and Dad came into town that morning to be with us at the hospital and Joy came over to watch Amelia until time to bring her to the hospital.

Here's my 36 week belly shot before heading to the hospital.



Here's our last picture as a family of three.



Leaving Amelia was SO HARD. I wanted to cry all the way to the hospital. She's never been away from both of us at the same time for an extended period of time and I just wanted her to be okay throughout all of the this. She had no idea how her life was about to change. It was important to us that she stay at our home and be able to sleep in her bed and have her things around her. We just wanted as much normalcy as possible for her. We were thankful our families were here to help us make that happen.

Me with Daddy and Mama.



Alex and Mama getting ready to go back with me.



I wasn't nervous until they rolled me into the OR. I started shaking as soon as they started trying to put in the epidural. Unfortunately, they weren't able to put in the epidural because of my scoliosis, so I just had a spinal. I was hoping for the epidural so they could give me pain meds through it afterwards. No such luck.

Before starting the surgery, my OB peeked over the curtain and led the entire OR in prayer. Once again, this is why I LOVE my doctor.



Mom and Alex could see everything. They had to use forceps to get Sydney out. Mom said she was trying to cry before they even had her entire body out. And boy did she cry once she was out! It was so weird hearing her cry. It was complete silence when Amelia was born because she wasn't breathing. I started crying as soon as I heard Sydney's precious cry. It was music to my ears.



She was born on March 7th, 2012 at 4:59PM. They initially put the wrong time on her paperwork and said she was born at 4:49PM. Alex went back and showed them all of the pictures he took in the OR and they changed it to the correct time. :)

It seemed to take forever for them to clean her up and let me hold her. She did not like being messed with...she cried the entire time. Bless her heart.



I seriously didn't know how I could love another baby as much as I love Amelia but like everyone told me, your heart just instantly grows. It was love at first sight.



They rolled us back into the room with her on my chest and then weighed her in our room. She weighed 6 lbs - 8 ounces and was 19 3/4" long.



They also gave her a bath while in our room. I loved that they did all of this right in our room vs. taking her to the nursery.



Sydney was having a little trouble with her breathing, so we could only have a couple of visitors at a time in the room and no one was allowed to hold her but me. Amelia was the first person we brought back to meet her. To say Amelia loves her baby sister is an understatement. She has adjusted so well to having a new baby and wants to do nothing but cover her in kisses, hold her, and help take care of her.



Here's me and my baby girl. I think she looks more like me as a baby. Amelia looked just like Alex but I told him that Sydney looks like her Mama. :) She breastfed within a few minutes of coming out of the OR and has done SO WELL ever since. I didn't get to experience this with Amelia so quickly after delivery, due to her being in the NICU. I can't believe how easy it has been this time around...she's eating every 4 hours and I'm having to wake her up to eat that often! She's very laid back just like Amelia was as a newborn. We're so thankful for the newest addition to our family...Sydney Faith Averitt!

Love to all,

Sydney's first doctor's appointment...

Here are pictures from Sydney's first doctor's appointment. She was a week old! I like to take pictures of the girls on the scale at every doctor's appointment for the first year. There's no way I would remember how much they weighed at every visit. This is a good way to document it and I love seeing how much they've grown from month to month. As you can see, Sydney loved it. ;)

She was up to 6 lbs - 2.5 ounces at her one week appointment. Almost back to her original birth weight! She was 19" long and head circumference was 13".



Dr. A checking out our baby girl. She said she was just PERFECT. :)



Sydney with Dr. A. We love our pediatrician!



Love to all,

It's Time...

I'm 36 weeks and had a doctor's appointment today. I left with a scheduled c-section date. We'll be meeting our sweet Sydney Faith very soon! I've been on bedrest for 30 days this week and have made it one week longer than I did with Amelia. They did an ultrasound to make sure Sydney is ready. As far as we can tell - she is. They can't guarantee she won't need to be in the NICU but they believe if she does, her time there will be very short. Ultrasound actually shows her to be 6 lbs - 4 ounces, so it will be interesting to see how accurate it is. My doctor stopped and gave me a hug as I was leaving today. He said, "I'm going to miss you." I about started crying. He is such a kind, Godly man. He has been so careful to not let my preeclampsia get to the point that it did with Amelia. He has prayed with me through this entire pregnancy (and especially over the last month) and I'm so thankful he's my doctor.

Though I would have loved to have been able to go to church, work on Sydney's room, do special things with Amelia, or just able to "nest" over the past month - this was God's plan for me. Bedrest. I've had so many breakdown moments and even at one point said aloud, "I hate this!!!" But I must say, I'm beyond thankful for the family and friends that have helped us through this. We've had meals brought to us for a full month. I've had blog friends sending "care packages" in the mail filled with things for Amelia and I to do while on bedrest. We had friends out of state that mailed us a gift card to have dinner since they couldn't be here to cook us a meal. Family that has watched Amelia for my many doctor's appointments. Such thoughtfulness. So even though I had moments of being overwhelmed and just tired of this...I've had even more moments of thankfulness. Thankful for the people we share life with - they've loved us well over the past 30 days.

So it's time!! The next post you see from me will be announcing our baby girl's arrival! I appreciate all of you that have been praying for Sydney and me. Means more than you'll ever know.

Love to all,