FINISH! UGH.

I'm so upset with my team.  I get that you're losing by three possessions in the fourth quarter, but you DO NOT just give up!  We had five minutes remaining and Tom Brady sits out the game and lets out backup quarterback finish it up???  What the hell is up with that!!! Ugh.  For one of the first times ever, I am so incredibly disgusted by the choice.  Finish the damn game.  We're always saying how its a 60 minute game, and then they give up?!  I am starting to see what it feels like to see your great team become not so great - not because of lack of talent, but lack of commitment to finish the game.  We've overcome a three possession deficit with so little time remaining.  What is wrong with this picture?

Sincerely,

Frustrated Patriots Fan

Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for everyone in my life.  All of my family, friends, and everyone who does good things for good reasons.  I'm thankful for all of the food we were able to consume, the warmth of our home and our hearts, and the ability to celebrate freely.

Thanksgiving was great.  It was a little stressful but all in all, a great day spent with family.  I took my little sister to see New Moon yesterday and she loved it.  I really am glad I was able to share that with her since I know she wouldn't have gone to see it otherwise.  All of our food was fantastic and celebrating my Kort's family and mine made things even better.

Black Friday - we slept in and did absolutely nothing but watch New Moon and enjoy the company of family.  No shopping, no headache.  It was great.

Today we are setting up our Christmas tree and getting the lights up on the house.  It's a lazy day, watching movies, hanging out with Alexis, taking Matt to the airport and just enjoying the company of my husband.  I really am a fortunate person! :)

Hosting? What Am I Thinking!

Kort and I thought it would be a lot of fun to have all of our families over for Thanksgiving dinner at our new home.  We thought it would be a great way to have everyone together for the holiday and to have our first holiday with Alexis here.
    
What we didn't factor in was that we would have a newborn baby girl who doesn't allow us to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time, much less pick up a messy house, do laundry, wash dishes, go to the store and buy all the products we need, prepare a dinner and host an event as big as Thanksgiving!  Honestly...what were we thinking?!

In my attempts to get ready to go to the store and buy the items we need, I was getting Alexis ready and she just looked so darn cute I had to take some pictures of her.  So needless to say, my blog is full of pictures of Alexis.  I don't think I will ever stop taking pictures :) she's my world.

Fight Face.

Hahahahaha....

I just can't help but take pictures of Alexis.  She makes the funniest faces.  I keep trying to take a picture of her when she smiles but she does it at the most random times.  I never get to the camera fast enough.  Then when I do get it she gives me these looks that are so funny.  She definitely has my nose - poor girl.  But even with that little bit of misfortune, she's still so cute!

Proud Mama

Sleep. What is it like?

My sweetheart hasn't been feeling well. She's been so gassy and she cries and it breaks my heart.  She tries so hard to pass gas but just can't get it out and I try to help but it's not been working as well as I would've hoped.  My pediatrician told me to alter my diet and see if that helps.  I may be eating foods that are making it worse for her.  So I'm buying some medicine to help her out and altering my diet.  Since she doesn't feel well she doesn't sleep very much which means I sleep even less and I've forgotten what it feels like not to be exhausted.  I need her to feel better so we can both get some sleep.

Fun Day Out.

Today was a great day.  We took Alexis to her Aunt Tracie's house and Kort, Me, Senia, and Lionel went to see New Moon.  It was a fun day out and the movie was good too.  Of course I knew I would like it even before I saw it because I love the books.  And I still think Edward is so handsome and rugged :) and did I mention hot?? Kort was such a good sport watching me ogle the gorgeous men in the movie.  I do have to say, throughout the whole movie, I couldn't stop thinking about my little girl, if she was okay, hungry, if I packed everything she needed, etc...  It just gets me thinking, what occupied my mind before she was here?!?

Thursday was my Mother-in-Law's birthday so today we took her out for dinner at Famous Dave's.  It was so yummy and we had a great time hanging out and letting Grandma visit with Alexis.  She smelled so good because this morning she took her first shower with her Daddy.  Her umbilical cord finally came off and her belly is healed so we decided to take her a shower and let her and Daddy have some bonding time.  She loved it!  And its funny how curly her hair is when she gets out of the shower but as soon as I comb  it out, it goes straight.

My Baby Doll is doing so well breastfeeding now that we finally introduced the bottle.  I liked having Kort give her food while I cleaned up the kitchen.  It's been such a long time since I've actually been able to clean my house.  The last time I vacuumed was exactly one week ago and I've been having a bit of a fit about it.  So tonight, I was able to run to the store, get diapers, come back, clean up the kitchen, take a shower, and straighten up the house a bit while Kort loved on Lexi and fed her.  It was very nice.  Of course I still had to pump the milk but it was nice to get some stuff done.

2 Weeks Old.

My Baby Doll turned two weeks old yesterday, so we had to take her to the pediatrician to get her check-up.  She has gained almost a pound in one week and grown a whole inch!  She weighs 7 pounds, 15 ounces and is 22" long.  She's in the 35th percentile.  She's doing so good. :)  Funny story too...I took off her diaper to put her on the scale and while I was getting her a new one, she peed all over the table and the nurse had to clean it all up.  The worse part was that she kept on peeing and we couldn't get a diaper on quick enough, lol.  I felt so awful but thought it was funny too.  Needless to say I had to bathe her when we got home because there was pee all up her back.  My little girl.

This morning she lost the remaining piece of her umbilical cord!  We were so excited.  Although in all the excitement I, again, didn't get her diaper on quick enough and she peed on our bed!  I always use the changing table too but I was talking to Kort as he got ready for work to finalize our plans for the day, so I thought it would be fine to "quickly" change her diaper since its just pee.  Geez.  She's finally fitting into the little newborn outfits we have for her and she's exceeded the 100th diaper.  Such milestones! :)

Well, that's all for now.  Here's some pictures of Lexi with both Mommy and Daddy.  And one picture that I thought would be cute and go with her "accident" stories.  We couldn't be prouder!

2 Year Anniversary.

  Yesterday was our two year anniversary and we celebrated by going out for dinner.  Grandma Pam drove out here to take care of Lexi while we went to Olive Garden.  As usual it was delicious and it was nice spending a couple of hours with my husband.  We talked and looked at pictures of Baby Doll on the Ipod and just thanked our lucky stars that we've been able to achieve so much in so little time.  We've been together for almost four years and really it seems like its only been one.  We usually go out to the Melting Pot for our special events but because I am breastfeeding Lexi and we haven't introduced a bottle, we could only be gone for two hours before we had to be back.  The Melting Pot always takes our entire evening so we decided to stick with one of our favorites that was a bit closer to home.  We didn't get each other anniversary gifts, instead we settled on going to the Metallica concert as our gifts even though we bought the tickets in April.  It was weird being away from Lexi for even that short time.  I missed her and couldn't wait to come home and be with her.  We ended our evening with a little family time, talked, and cuddled.  It was a great way to spend our day.

So Darn Cute!

Alexis has been so fussy lately but Grandma Pam holds her and she's in heaven and sleeps for 3+ hours! Thank goodness for families help.  She's also been so darn cute too.  She makes the most beautiful faces and puckering of the lips.  Yesterday I took some pictures in the outfit that Abuelita got her.  She was so good and let me position her and would smile for about five minutes then she was done.  I just can't get enough of my sweetheart!

Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary and we always make reservations at the Melting Pot for special events, but this year because I can't leave Alexis, we are just staying home.  I'm just starting to do okay with breastfeeding so introducing a bottle and leaving her with family may not be the best idea.  Plus I think she is getting sick or something because one of her eyes is all gummed up all the time and she sounds like she's congested.  Her two week checkup is on Wednesday so if she doesn't get worse, I'll just have her checked then.  I've taken her temp and she's good there, she's eating fine and sleeps well, and her eye is less gummy too, so I'm not too worried anymore.  Man time flies, it definitely doesn't feel like we've been married for two years!  We're so excited!

Breastfeeding. Ouch.

I have heard that breastfeeding can hurt if you don't do it right, but never, EVER, did I think it would hurt this bad.  Baby Doll and me and have been working on latching and getting it down, but man are my nipples sore.  They bleed and just when they start to get better, she starts suckling the nipple again and it hurts!  I am going to be going to breastfeeding classes and see if there's something more that I can do to help me and her get it right.  It just hurts so much at this point that I'm contemplating just bottle feeding her my breast milk.  I just bought the Ameda Double Electric Pump and I've been pumping after her feedings so that I can keep up my milk production for her since she keeps falling asleep and only gets enough to make her happy for the moment.  

I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but never did I think it was going to be this painful.  I guess that's just the sacrifice you make for having such a beautiful little princess to love on.  She's almost lost her umbilical cord too so that's really exciting.  I can't wait until we can take a shower with her and she and Daddy can have some bonding time :) too.  

One Week Old.

Yesterday Alexis turned 1 week old.  Already! We have been so busy trying to get a routine going and its been really tough. Turns out breastfeeding is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Tuesday was her first doctors appointment and she did so well!  She now weighs 7 pounds!  She's still 21" but her head grew, lol.  We also had to pay the lactation consultant a visit yesterday because every time I would try and feed her my nipples would bleed and I was so sore that I would start to cry from the pain.  I knew I was doing something wrong so we went to get help.  The lactation nurse said she's a "sleepy baby" and doesn't suck properly so we would have to teach her.  She worked with us for an hour and Alexis did so good!  She caught on to what she's supposed to be doing and I learned how to hold her properly so she doesn't tug on my breasts and hurt me.  Of course last night was pretty frustrating because we are still learning but already I've stopped bleeding and I feel a lot better. Lansinoth ointment has been my best friend these last couple of days.  It does such a great soothing job.  Kort also was so supportive and has been helping me stay motivated and tries to calm me when I break down and cry.  He's been with me to all the appointments and is doing everything he can on his end to make sure I'mm as comfortable as I can be and that Alexis getting enough to eat.  He's been making all the meals and taking over when I need a break.  It's been so great to have that support.  I can't imagine it any other way.  But I will say this, kids are HARD work.  Pregnancy for me was an ordeal, labor stunk, tearing and the subsequent bathroom drama is awful and now my issues trying to breastfeed just tops off my list of why one kid is enough for me.  I sure hope I come back and read this blog if I ever think of having another! : ) But I sure wouldn't trade having her here even if I had to do it all several times again.  She's perfect.

First Bath.

We took Alexis a bath and she was so good! I couldn't stop laughing at her little expressions. She purses her lips when we try to wake her up and she's not ready to and she gives you this face that is just adorable. She sure has a cute little personality already.  Getting to know your baby is such an experience.  You start catching on to all of their needs by their touch, the look on their face and their cry.  Like, out of nowhere she just starts wailing and suddenly stops.  It's only for a few seconds and it usually means she's ready to be fed and her way of letting me know.  But its the cry itself that's distinctive.  If I don't pick her up within a few seconds after that and feed her, she really starts crying as if someone just pinched her arm and won't let go.  Already I hate hearing her cry like that.  It just breaks my heart when her chin starts to quiver and she screams that particular scream.  Other than that, she usually doesn't cry or fuss too much.  And so far she's a great sleeper!  She wakes up three times, once around 12am, 3:30am, and 7:30am.  I'm glad we're getting a routine going because now I know what to expect a little more and I don't wake up every half hour to check on her and make sure she's okay!  

After the long weekend of visitors it was nice to have a day to ourselves, well mostly. We were able to really play with her and love on her.  It was great.  I feel like I can't get enough of her!  Kort says the same thing.  We just love our Baby Girl so much!

Family Pictures - will continue to update.

 

Family Visits.

Today we are so excited to have my family come up from St. Anthony and visit our baby girl.  All of my siblings were able to make it except my little brother but even he was able to see her after the weekend, so it was great.  Kort's family came over as well and the ones that haven't been able to come see her we've sent lots of pictures.  It has been so exciting being with everyone and showing off our new home and Alexis.  Of course my Mom was super happy to hold her and immediately sang her the same lullaby that she used to sing to us when we were kids.  It was such a touching moment for me.  Grandpa was also very happy to hold his first granddaughter and play with her.  We had the football game on in the morning (and we won!) and then my Grandma and Aunt Senia made soups and yummy food and arroz con leche which was so delicious.  We all played Texas Hold'em for fun and of course a nice little family argument ensued which wasn't unexpected, lol, while Senia, Mona, Christina, Camren and Anthony played Scene It in the living room.  Grandpa Perry was also able to make it to see Alexis and he stayed for a bit, but then had to get back to work.  The next day we played Blackjack as a family again, this time for pennies :), and we had an awesome time just being together and being loud!  It was an amazing weekend and at the end of Sunday night, Aunt Tracie, Great Grandma Bettie and Grandma Pam came to see Alexis, too.  They brought pizza for dinner and spent the evening with us.  Alexis is GG's 48th grandchild!  Crazy huh?! Well, all in all a great weekend, and the best part was that we had our baby girl meet everyone and we were able to share our first moments with all of our families.  We are so happy.

Baby Pictures!

Alexis Yesenia Haws. Hooray!!!

Kort and I had our beautiful baby girl on November 4, 2009 at 6:42pm. She weighs 6 pounds 13 ounces and is 21" tall. So much for the big baby girl we thought we were having. She's so little and adorable. Turns out most of the "weight" was a lot of water and a whole lot of blood. I had to get some medicine because after she came out I guess a whole lot of blood came out too which caught Dr. King and the floor by surprise :) We thought she had brown hair and eyes but it turns out she has daddy's hair color! And not to mention a head full of curls. We're not sure about her eyes yet. It seems they are blue with some brown around the iris. She has mommy's nose and her aunt Yesenia's eyes.

It's amazing how you feel once your little one is born. It doesn't erase how I felt during labor but it dulls the memory, because you have this amazing little girl clutching your finger and loving on you. She is so wonderful and alert. She hasn't been too fussy and rarely cries. It's funny because she'll cry out and you don't have to pick her up, she just wants you to maintain eye contact and talk to her and she's content. I have also found that she loves you to play with her feet! Last night she had bubbles and was uncomfortable so I laid her on her back and played with her toes for a long time while I talked to her and soothed her. It was amazing, she calmed down and made little sighs and kept looking at me for just under an hour. We are so blessed to have our angel here.

We will be home all weekend so feel free to stop by and visit if you're not sick or think you're getting sick. Thanks so much again to everyone for you're best wishes and congratulations. It makes us feel wonderful to have so many people that love and care about us. :)

Love,

Kort, Marbella and Alexis Haws

No Visitors. Bummer :(

I got a call from Labor & Delivery for pre-admittance stuff and they let me know that now, not only can friends not come to the hospital to see us and Alexis, immediate family other than grandparents can't either.  That means that Kort can be there, his mom and dad, and my mom and dad and that's it.  None of our siblings can come.  If Alexis had a sibling over the age of 14 he/she could come, but thats it.  I was kind of bummed, but I do understand all of the hospital regulations and preventative measures regarding the H1N1 virus.  It was just kind of a bummer.  I am glad that they're doing everything they can to make sure that all their patients and babies stay as healthy as possible and stop the spread of the virus, it just stinks its happening when I'm delivering.

I will email/text/call everyone when we're home and settled to have you come and see us here at our home.  We do ask that if you're sick or even feel like you might be getting sick, please wait to come until you're feeling 100% better.  I would hate to expose our baby girl to any sickness so soon after arriving.  Thanks for understanding and I love you all!  Thanks to everyone for the good luck wishes too :) we really appreciate it!

Induction. Preeclampsia.

I had my doctor's appointment today and Dr. King said I have preeclampsia. My blood pressure is too high and I have protein in my urine.  I've been feeling nauseous for several weeks but haven't thought anything of it and of course I'm swollen like crazy, but again, I thought it was all part of being pregnant.

Turns out I am going to be induced tomorrow and we were advised that there's a 50% chance I may need a C-Section because I've still not dilated further.  She said if I did dilate it was only slightly which isn't good enough.  They are applying a gel to get things going and then pitocin intravenously. She said look for about 8-12 hours of labor first.  This pregnancy sure has been hard but now with her being so close to being with us, I feel like the last 41 weeks were a breeze.  I don't really care that I was sick for the first 4 months, and miserable from the 6th month up until a few weeks ago.  She's so worth it!

Kort and I are extremely excited that we are going to have Alexis with us tomorrow, however she arrives.  I will do everything and anything the doctors/nurses tell me to, to ensure my baby girl is safe and healthy!  We just can't wait and are going to be in bed early tonight because we have to be at the hospital by 6:50am, and that's a 40 minute drive.  Ah! So super excited :) :) :)

Feeling Great.

I've been feeling so good lately! I have stopped having the really close contractions and only had three really painful ones last night, but other than that its been easy breezy.  Kind of makes you wonder what my body is thinking and what my baby girl is doing in there?! But all in good time I guess.  Well, just wanted to give an update.  I hope I "pop" soon :)