Our Family

Our Family

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Alexis 3 Weeks

This morning Alexis was wide awake so I decided to take a few pictures of her.

3 weeks old




Alexis has been holding her head up like this since she was in the hospital. Even the nurses in the nursery talked about her head control so early. 



Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Update

We had a busy weekend with some special visitors. Friday night, Kevin's uncle came over with his girlfriend to visit. My good friend, Lindsey, was in Columbia visiting her sister and brother-in-law, and she came down Saturday and spent the day with us. She brought some of my favorite bagels and smears as a treat. It was nice to get to just sit and talk; however, I was so worn out when she left. It's amazing how much energy you can use just sitting and talking. Sunday, my dad came down for the day and brought my aunt Susan (his sister). She brought us a delicious meal that we all enjoyed together and visited for the afternoon. My dad also brought me some special treats that you can only get in Greenville....Tanner's orange juice and chocolate chip cookies made by The Chocolate Shoppe...two of my favorite things. It was a nice weekend and fun to have some "Greenville" people visiting in Blackville. :0) Yesterday, one of Kevin's aunts came by for a visit. So Alexis has had many visitors over the past few days.

Alexis is 3 weeks old today! Yesterday morning, we headed to Aiken with Alexis for a weight check at the doctor's office. Baby girl has gained a pound! She was 7 pounds 8 oz. at her last weigh in and yesterday morning she was 8 pounds 9 oz. So she was back up and past her birth weight which was good. So unless something changes, she won't have to go to the doctor until her 2 month check up. We finally got her straight on the kind of formula she can take and how much to give her and she seems happier. However, she still has times when after her bottle she's still acting like she's hungry.  She's still getting up every 3 hours during the night to eat and during the day too.

Madalyn is starting to pay more attention to Alexis. She normally checks on her when she first comes in from preschool or when she gets up in the morning. She will help with diapers, changing, cleaning bottles, etc. sometimes. Amazingly, Madalyn can sleep through Alexis crying during the night and Alexis can sleep through all the noise Madalyn makes during the day.

Each day I am getting better, I think, or hope. The medicine seems to be keeping my blood pressure down. It's been 3 weeks since the c-section and I have started driving again. I drove to and from Aiken yesterday. We did a little shopping..it was nice to get out of the house and to drive again, however I was so worn out when I got home. But I think I'm starting to get back to normal. It's just taking time for my body to heal and recover from not only my surgery but the pregnancy as well.  However, we are enjoying out time with our sweet baby girl and wouldn't change anything to have her here!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Carolina Girls

Back in the fall, Madalyn and Alexis were given matching Carolina Gamecock outfits. Madalyn has worn her's a few times since then, but I put on Alexis' outfit today for the first time.  Kevin, of course, was very proud of his girls dressed in his team's colors. I took the pictures after Alexis had her bottle thinking she would be satisfied and be awake for a few pictures. Nope! She decided to sleep through the mini photo session this morning. Oh well, what can you do?








This was basically how Alexis felt about taking pictures. She had rather me leave her alone and let her sleep.




Tuesday, January 20, 2015

2 Week Update

Alexis went to her 2 week check up this morning. The doctor said all looked good for the most part. We had one concerned that Alexis wasn't back up to her birth weight yet. She has gained only 2 ounces since the last time she went. So, we have upped her bottle to 3 ounces instead of 2, and we take her back Monday morning for a weight check.


I went for my 2 week visit this afternoon. Surgery wise, all was doing good. My blood pressure was staying down at home but it was up at the office today. He told me to stay on my medicine and I go back in 4 weeks. At time, he will decide if I can come off the blood pressure medicine then or not. He said that you can have high blood pressure due to a pregnancy up to 6 weeks post baby. So, I hope that by then I will be able to come off the medicine, but if not then we will deal with it then. I can start driving again, but I'm not to do any heavy lifting yet.


Before Madalyn went to school this morning and before we headed to the doctor with Alexis, I grabbed a quick picture of my girls. (I took these on my cell phone and it was like 7:30 this morning so the picture quality isn't what it normally is. :0)





Monday, January 19, 2015

Bath Time

Alexis got a bath this morning and this was her second bath we have given her. I forgot to get pictures for her first bath. Madalyn likes to watch her get a bath and she's a good helper.

I'm not sure why Madalyn wore her sunglasses to help us give Alexis a bath but that's just her silly personality. :0)












A Special Visit

Saturday, my uncle Keith, aunt Felicia, cousin Emily, and my Papa came down to see Alexis and to visit for a few hours. Papa will be 91 years old in March, and he came three hours to see his second great grandbaby. It was a sunny day and nice weather. I was glad that they came down. I have felt better with my blood pressure the past few days. Alexis had now seen all her great grandparents..she has one great grandpa and two great grandmothers. Some children don't have grandparents let alone great grands, my two girls are blessed to get to know them.


Alexis decided to wear something special besides her sleeper for her Greenville visitors.



Alexis and her great grandpa, Papa


Papa and his two great grandchildren


Papa and all his grandchildren...all GIRLS!
Emily (17 yrs.), Jill (33 yrs.)
Madalyn ( 31/2 yrs.) and Alexis (12 days old)



Kevin's grandma, Ms. Kitty came by to see Alexis







Thursday, January 15, 2015

One Week Already

Wow! Alexis was one week old on Tuesday. She is doing really good. I was nursing, but my body wasn't producing enough milk to satisfy her, so I've had to switch completely to formula now. But she's sleeping much better at night now, which is a blessing.

I have been having some trouble still with my blood pressure and some other things going on with me. Tuesday and Wednesday, I didn't feel good at all. Yesterday I started taking my blood pressure again and it was up. Each time I took it, it continued to go up. When I was on bed rest, the longer I rested the lower it got but not this time. I called my doctor yesterday afternoon and he told me to keep  up with my readings call in the morning. But last night I was feeding Alexis and I started feeling funny. I took my blood pressure and it was way up. So I called my doctor  he wanted me to go to the hospital and get some blood work done and get my blood pressure monitored. So Kevin and I got to the hospital at 11:00 last night and we were there for about an hour and a half. They tested me for postpartum preeclampsia.  My blood work came back normal. So they gave me some blood pressure medicine and told me to take it easy. I see my doctor on Tuesday for my first post baby visit and he will look at me then and see if the medicine is working. Hopefully it will. It has been so frustrating to me because I came home feeling good and things were going well, minus the lack of sleep. I'm so tired of feeling bad and something being wrong with me. I want to get back to my normal self so I can take care of my family. Maybe I over did it when I first came home. The nurse said that I was still in the window of this blood pressure issue being caused from the pregnancy. Then again, this could be a new problem that I have to deal with.  This pregnancy had it's challenges and I have felt bad for a long time, especially the last 6 weeks. I am so thankful to have the blessing of a precious baby girl. I just want to  be able to feel good to be able to take care of her and enjoy her, along with my other big girl. Please keep me in your prayers that we can get my blood pressure under control and I will start to feel better and get well soon. I know surgery takes some time to get over, but that part is going good.


Alexis 1 Week Old





Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Alexis Ann McCormick's Birth Story

Tuesday, January 6, 2015, Kevin and I welcomed our second baby girl, Alexis Ann McCormick. It's been a busy week since then and she's already a week old! Here's her birth story:

We got to University Hospital in Augusta, GA at 8:00am Tuesday, January 6th.  We walked in and checked into the front desk. One of the ladies standing there asked me if I was ready for my make over today. I said "yes, how much do you think I will lose today". She said, "oh about 7 or 8 pounds.". (We found later on that she was right on the money.) I was having a scheduled c-section and it was so nice this time to not have to be in a rush to the hospital and to walk in calmly. However, I had noticed during the night that I was starting to have contractions and by the time we had reached the hospital they were coming closer together. I didn't tell Kevin until we were on the way to the hospital because we were going anyway and until my water broke, what would be the hurry. I told the nurse when she took me back to the Prep room that I was having contractions. My scheduled time for the OR was 10:25 am, but at 9:00 am, my water broke in the Prep room. My doctor and the nurses were so surprised that my water broke because they said that it's very rare for a scheduled c-section to have their water break. But leave it to me to do that. :0) So, both my girls broke their own water, which I'm glad because it meant that was definitely the day they were ready to come. Since my water broke, they got me back to the OR room around 9:30 am and Miss Alexis was born at 10:24 am.  The baby nurse for the OR, her name was Connie, she took the camera from Kevin and got so many wonderful pictures that we didn't have a chance to get with Madalyn.  Things were so different than the emergency situation with Madalyn and it was nice.  We came home Friday, January 9th from the hospital and Alexis is doing good. She doesn't sleep too well from the hours of 12 am to 6 am, but each night gets a little better. She had her newborn check up yesterday and the doctor was pleased with her and said all was good. She had lost some weight, she weighed 7 pounds 6 oz.  I am doing much better this time than I did last with recovering from a c-section , but still having pain on my right side and a good bit of pulling when I move. My neck has also been really hurting me since I came home. Each day gets a little better.  You forget what it's like having  a newborn, no sleep at night. But hopefully, we can soon get her on a better schedule at night. She acts like she's hungry and once you feed her, she will go to sleep, but as soon as you lay her down, she's awake again, wanting to eat.  During the day, she sleeps like a champ. So, my goal to start today is to try to keep her awake more so she will sleep better at night.

Alexis' Birth Story
It's time for me to go to the OR.

Kevin is getting ready to be a daddy for the second time.


We are ready to be parents again. 

She's here! I could feel all this tugging and pressure and then a sudden release of pressure. I asked Kevin if she was out yet, he said no not yet, but then the next thing we heard was her crying.


Our baby girl





I think this picture is so funny...because it shows the grandparents all trying to take a picture of Alexis on their phones.

My parents and Kevin's mom.

Kevin ringing the "birth" door bell before entering the nursery.

She weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces...just almost 8 pounds. 
Me being on bed rest allowed her two weeks to really pack on the pounds.

She was 21 1/4 inches long.

We were so surprised at her dark hair and how much she had. It may not look like much but compared to Madalyn who didn't have much hair and her hair was reddish blonde, it was a surprise. We were also surprised at her size, but she was born at 39 weeks and Madalyn came at 38 weeks.


Madalyn is ready to meet her little sister.

Madalyn and Alexis meeting for the first time.

Pop and Meme with Alexis

Nana and G-Dad with Alexis




First picture with her eyes open.

Pictures from our days in the hospital




She's already got Daddy wrapped around her finger.



Sweet baby girl

Aunt Tori and Alexis

On our way home.


It was quite the journey home (thankfully Alexis slept the whole way), but we finally got there.


3 Generations: Kevin, Madalyn, Grandma Thelma, and Alexis

Alexis (Jan.6th ) and Kinsley (Dec. 15th) meeting for the first time. Cousins- 3 weeks apart.

Sisters
Madalyn is doing pretty well. She didn't pay much attention to her in the hospital, but she has more at home. She's not all over her, but she helps hands me stuff, she will talk to Alexis, and she doesn't like it when she cries. She wants me to help her feel better when she cries. 

Alexis decided to show out when we got home and broke out in what the doctor called "newborn rash".




So everyone has their opinion to who Alexis looks like. At first everyone said Kevin because she was swollen when she first came out and the way they wrapped her up, all you could see was her chubby cheeks. And most people are still saying Kevin. But to Kevin and myself, we see Madalyn. 

Madalyn

Madalyn

Alexis