Double Digits

Today, Alexis turns 10! Wow! She is so excited, but I am feeling a little bit sad, and nostalgic. I still remember clearly the day she was born. Brandon and I were so young. I was 19, he had just turned 21. We were so excited and anxious for her to arrive. We had no idea what to expect, but we were ready for anything. I remember starting to have contractions around 5:30 in the morning on Sunday June 10. I woke up Brandon, and we started timing them. Over the course of the morning they started getting stronger and stronger. I remember taking a shower so I could feel nice and clean when I went to the hospital. Around noon we decided to head to the hospital. But not before Brandon stopped at McDonald's to get some food! We stopped by Brandon's parents house first to see if they thought I was really in labor. Jana took one look at me and said, Oh yeah! When we got to the hospital we had to check in at the ER department because it was a Sunday. Although I had preregistered months before, they didn't have our information so we had to fill out a bunch of paperwork. After we were done they asked me if I wanted a wheel chair. I said no. I have no idea why! I would never turn down a wheelchair now! I remember walking through the hall towards labor and delivery and having to stop quite frequently because I was having a contraction. When we got there, they got us situated in a room and when they checked me I was at a 3. I was so excited!! I couldn't believe this was really happening! My labor progressed quickly at first and so we called our families and they all came down. They were there the whole day and late into the night until she finally arrived at 1:15 am on June 11th. At one point they thought that I might need a C-section because she wasn't progressing down the birth canal, and with every contraction her heart rate would go down. I was able to get a priesthood blessing and shortly after, she started to progress. It was a long and hard labor, and by the end Brandon and another nurse had to hold me up so I could push. After an hour and a half of pushing they decided she was going to need some help out and decided to use forceps. I didn't really know what that meant but all I knew was I wanted her out! When she was born she had a cut right next to her eye from the forceps. That really scared me to think that it was so close to her eye. I remember when they placed her on my stomach I could not believe how perfect she looked. She looked like a real person! And she came out of me! I remember thinking. It was so surreal. A few minutes later the huge group of family that had been sitting in the hall for hours, got to come and see our precious baby girl. Everyone was so excited to see her. When we finally got moved up to a room we were so exhausted. The nurse said that she would take Alexis to the nursery so that I could get some rest, and that they would bring her in when she needed to nurse. I fell asleep and didn't wake up until 8:30 am. I wondered why they had never brought her back to me, and so I called the nurses station. They told me that shortly after she had come back to the nursery, she started turning blue and they had to rush her down to the nicu where she still was (why they didn't come get us when this happened still baffles us) Brandon rushed down there right away to find her hooked up to all sorts of tubes and machines. It turned out that she had some apnea and would need to be monitored closely until they could get her breathing under control. She ended up needing to stay in the hospital for 5 days. They were so nice to let me stay in a room on the nicu floor even after I was discharged from the hospital. It was a scary few days, and we were so excited when we finally got the OK to bring her home. That was the beginning of a whole new life. I remember when we got home from the hospital, sitting on the couch and having the thought that my life would never be the same, and it sure hasn't, but that is fine with me! Alexis has been such a joy, and we love her so much. As she turns 10 this year here are some things I want to remember about her:

~ She has a smile that will light up a room. Her teacher this past year told me that she looked forward every day to seeing Alexis's smiling face =)
~ Recently she is loving learning how to cook different things.
~ She loves to tell jokes. She knows a ton of really long ones =)
~ She loves to read, and is currently reading the Babysitters Club Little Sister books that her aunt Katie gave her.
~ She is my least picky eater.
~She is still just a teeny little thing. We keep telling her that it is a good thing and someday she will love it.
~She loves to ride her bike.
~She loves to listen to any kind of story that anyone wants to tell her.
~ She loves hugs, and will often come up and ask for a hug.
~She loves when we read the scriptures and comprehends them really well.
~She just got glasses and is very excited. She said everything looks so clear! She keeps pointing out all of the dirty spots all over the house that she never saw before, lol

~When she sees that I am stressed she asks what she can do to help (most of the time)

~She is loving her musical theatre class, and loves to sing.

~She is starting 5th grade in the fall, and so excited to start at a new school

~She loves animals and says when she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian

~She loves little stuffed animals

~She is so good with little kids. She is such a great helper to me when I am watching daycare kiddos and was great with Lyla when she was here visiting recently

~ She thinks about things really in deptly and has a lot of great insight

~She is always saying, "It's like....." and then going off on a huge tangent about something that might happen.

~She loves giving our little dog misty a bath.

~She is a great creative writer. She wrote some really good stories at school this past year.

~She is really good at spelling words backwards, which a lot of people can't do very easily.

~She loves playing games, and making up games

~She loves to sew, and loves making outfits for her stuffed animals

~We love her so much and can't imagine life without her!

Happy Birthday Alexis!!! =)