Scootin and Sunbathin

Well, Brian and I have been home for 24 hours and I don't like it at all!! I thought I knew what to expect, knowing that we might go early, but being hormonal and leaving my baby don't mix too well. Maybe it is just all the hormones, I don't know, but I hate that she is still there and we have to come and go through out the day. I can't stop crying! Like I said yesterday, I know this is where she should be, but this is way harder than I thought it would be! I love her so much!

She is jaundice so they have her under special lamps. I like to call it sunbathing, she's already just like her momma. As sad as it looks, I think she still looks cute and I also know it is perfectly normal! She even has her sunglasses on. The following pictures of her in her tanning bed.

She has the cutest little feet!

Alexis and her sunglasses! We were up there this morning and she seemed perfectly content. I would talk to her and touch her and she just kept sunbathing! I pray she knows who I am!

Yep, that's my Daddy! I just hate to see her arm all bandaged up because of her IV. I had to leave yesterday before they put it in because I couldn't handle seeing her having to go through it. Call me a wimp, but I just couldn't do it!

Another view of her feet!!

Daddy was so excited to get to kangaroo yesterday and when he got there, they told him that he couldn't. Again, that made me cry! He was so disappointed but he understood! We might not get to do it again until she gets her tanning bed removed.

How flipping cute is this? She is such a strong little girl! She came out fighting and she is still fighting to get home to her Mommy and her Daddy. The nurse said that we are going to have to watch her during tummy time because she is going to be all over the place! I can't wait! I will watch her all day long if she gets to come home soon!

Mommy got to kangaroo one time! It was so nice to hold her against my chest. But, she ended up getting cold, so I'm going to have to use a robe next time. The blankets weren't enough to keep her warm. She is truly the best thing in the world!

Mommy gets to hold me

Wednesday was a much better day. I felt 100% better and I couldn't wait to get my hands on my little one! I woke up, ate, showered and limped down to the NICU where they welcomed me by letting me hold her for the first time! You can see that I was so excited! Our first family picture isn't the best, but I was trying to keep her warm. She is so calm and quite when she is in my arms, I just want to hold her all day.

Alexis had so many visitors the last two days and this time I actually got to enjoy being the one to show her off for the first time. Her aunt Melissa, Deanna and Tracy all paid her a visit and they just couldn't be more excited to see her. I will post more pictures later, it is way too hard and I am way too tired!

Right now, the hardest thing is having to pump and give it away, knowing that I should be feeding her myself. However, I know it is for the best. Soon enough I will be feeding her at night, it is just a weird feeling knowing that I'm getting up in the middle of the night to "feed" my angel when she isn't even with me.

That is all I have the energy for tonight. Stay tuned for Mommy and Daddy's first Kangaroo experience and Alexis begins scooting up on her nest! She even lifted her head on her own! Pictures to come tomorrow! I said it before, and I will say it again, Alexis is a rock star! She is fighting her way out of the NICU so she can get home to her Mommy and her Daddy!

Thanks to both Grandmas who have been cooking, cleaning and shopping for us! It sure made coming home much more comfortable having these things taken care of for us.

This is my favorite picture of her! She just can't keep her hands out of her face even though she is out of my tummy! Today was supposed to be our 2nd chance to get a 4d ultrasound, but she just wasn't having it, she needed us to see her in real time!

I'm so excited to see her and be able touch her without a wheel chair or feeling like I wasn't going to make it! She is just so precious!!

Alexis's 2nd Day

Day 2 was a nightmare for Mommy! As soon as she was born, she was swept away and I was told that I couldn't see her for 24 hours. Because of the preeclampsia, I had to be on a magnesium drip for 24 hours and couldn't get out of bed. The doctors warned me that I might feel hot and nauseated. I was determined to prove them wrong so I could see my baby girl. Apparently, it doesn't work that way. I didn't sleep much because I was so excited to see Alexis. The first 15 hours went smoothly, other than me just dying to see her and feeling fine. Then the nausea started and it only got worse. For the next 6 hours I was vomiting what little I had in my stomach and could barely keep my eyes open. Visitors came and went and I could barely hold a conversation, mostly I just slept through them. Poor Grant and Kenzie got to see me throw up, right before they were going to eat at Babbins. (I truly am sorry about that!)

Daddy was an amazing host and an even better husband. He was taking such great care of me and keeping me updated the best he could. At one point when I was once again feeling "fine" they snuck me into see her. She is in her own VIP room where she will remain until it is time to leave. Nothing but the best for Alexis! She is being such a great trooper, and doesn't even need oxygen. They are still feeding her through a tube but that will continue for a couple of weeks until I can breast feed. But for a 32 week preemie, she is rocking her way through the NICU. She calms down when I touch her or talk to her. She is just the most precious thing in the world and we are so proud of her!

Her first Birthday Cake

The first time we saw her eyeballs

Holding Mommy's hand for the first time

Alexis Hope Mannion's Whirlwind Debut

Since this pregnancy has been nothing but intense, Alexis made her debut in the same dramatic style. We have said all along she was going to be a Drama Queen and she has proved us right, but she is a fighter!

Sunday night, May 23rd, my BP once again increased. It took about an hour but after an early does of medicine, I finally got it down. I decided to pack my toiletries, just to be prepared, call it Mommy's intuition. I woke up again on Monday with the same problem. I showered and prepared for my doctor's appointment. I had to turn in my 24 hour urine and do another ultrasound and stress test. I have been telling the Dr. the last week or so that I just hadn't been feeling her move as much as she had been. The ultrasound showed the same results, she wasn't moving a whole lot and she still wasn't getting her two points for breathing, so back to the hospital we went.

Again, my mother's intuition must of kicked in because I was getting nervous and my BP went up and wouldn't come down. According to the ultrasound tech, she got her 8 out of 8 on this ultrasound and my blood work came back good. All we were waiting for was the results from the urine. With all the good results we had just received, we sent Grandma and Grandpa Mannion off for their 35th Anniversary dinner and I called my parents and told them to go about their evening and morning and we would talk them on Tuesday.

Here comes the dreaded phone call...Everything looks great, but my proteine is over 1000 grams. "We are going to go ahead and take her tonight. We're going to have a baby in an hour." From this point on, my room fills with nurses and family. But I couldn't get my parents here in time and I just started bawling. My mom wasn't answering either of her phones and I was panicking, so by the time I get to my dad the water works are flowing because I knew I wouldn't get to see them and I was afraid they were going to miss the whole thing. Then I begin to freak out that they are going to speed and get in a wreck. I gave my aunt orders to call them and make sure they are careful, then I was gone! Everything else went so fast and then we were blessed with one true fighter.

Alexis Hope arrived at 9:00 p.m. May 24th 2010, just in time to make it for Grandma and Grandpa Mannion's 35th anniversary and Aunt Melissa and Uncle Nathan's 7th Anniversary. May is an amazing month for the Ford/Mannion family and Alexis just had to be part of the May celebration. She is doing awesome and breathing on her own. Stay tuned for the rest of the week for her updates.

Thanks for all the prayers! Please keep them coming so we can bring her home safe and soundly in just a few weeks.

Alexis, Mommy and Daddy love you more than we could ever say. You have truly blessed our lives and made them whole. We can't wait till your safe and sound in your own crib! Keep fighting and stay strong!

One Proud Daddy

Mommy's First kiss and the last time I saw her till 6 the next afternoon.

The only picture you are getting of me before delivery. It didn't look good!!

The proudest Grandma's in Katy!!

One Stubborn Girl

All I can say is that we have one stubborn girl on our hands! She has definitely kept us on our toes during this pregnancy and she just LOVES to cover her face! Today was our 4D ultrasound and she wasn't willing to show us her all! She kept her hands in front of her face the whole time! I had to get up and walk around, talk to the doctor and come back, in hopes that she would move her arm. These are the best pictures we got! We scheduled another one for two weeks. I'm not sure we are going to go through with it, unless it's free. It was the technician's request, so I'm hoping that she felt so bad that she wants to do it again, free of charge. Brian doesn't really want to pay for another arm shot!

We went to the specialist after the appointment and he said all looks well. She is now weighing 3 pounds and 10 ounces, give or take. I feel much better knowing that she could be at least 4 pounds if she decides to come early. He now wants to see me every two weeks.

I've been on complete bed rest for the last three days, and as along as I'm lying down my BP is low, but if I get up and take it, it spikes, but goes back down as soon as I lay down. It is a good thing that we started the bed rest, it seems my body knew it was time.

On a funnier note, Brian was totally that guy in the movies at the gynecologist today! He can't keep his hands to his self when we get into the room. He is always playing with something. Last week he kept bending and turning on the the lamp, this week, he decided to play with the model vagina and Nu-Va ring! He pulled the Nu-Va ring out and couldn't get it back in! So the nurse walks in and asks him if he is playing with her stuff. He said, "I think I broke it." She then shows him how it works, all the while, dying laughing. This perplexed my husband. So when we walked back into the second part of our ultrasound he says to the tech, "I feel like I can talk to you about this, I just don't get how a little ring prevents you from getting pregnant." She explains it's the hormones in the ring that stop you from getting pregnant. That's my husband always making people laugh!

So all is well in the world of Alexis Hope, maybe next time we will get better pictures.

Hospital Take Three

I had relatively high blood pressures for the majority of this past weekend, so when I went in for my doctor's visit yesterday, she sent me back to the hospital for an over night stay. She was once again talking about keeping me until Alexis arrives. But, once we go got there the protein in my urine had actually gone down even though the BPs were still pretty high. The specialist recommended me stay in the hospital, but now that the BPs and the protein aren't exactly matching up, she increased my medicine and said there was no justification to keep me right now since the BPs went down over night. I do need to stay off my feet and she said it's a good thing that we decided to take me out of work when we did.

We did another ultrasound and she is still looking good. She is weighing at least 3 pounds and could possibly be as much as 4 pounds. I am going back to the specialist on Thursday after we get our 4D ultrasound, so I will feel better when he gives me a weight. I tend to trust him with a more accurate measurement. Bottom line, she has not stopped growing, so that is good. However she still scored a 6 out of 8 on her breathing, which has not shown improvement over the last 2 weeks. No need for major alarm since she is still only 30 weeks, but we do need to be prepared for her early arrival.

Right now, I'm on limited activity and having to constantly watch my BPs. If it goes up, I need to call and not wait, if it doesn't go back down with in 20 minutes. I am playing it day by day. My brother is getting married this weekend and I pray that I can make it, but right now, we will see how it goes. I would hate to miss it, but I know I need to do what's best for Alexis and myself. I would also hate to be in Conroe if I needed to go to the hospital.

On another note, this weekend we celebrated Deanna and Ryder. Ryder is going to be Alexis's BFF! Deanna and I have been BFFs since elementary school, so we couldn't be more excited to be pregnant together. She got tons of goodies and the shower was so much fun.

Alexis is going to have the best aunts! They were taking care of me all weekend while Daddy was fishing. We are a unique group of girls who have known each other for what seems like our whole lives. None of us have sisters, so really we aren't friends, we are more like sisters. These aunts are so excited to meet Alexis but they are definitely the bed rest police!! Aunt Michelle wouldn't leave me alone until Aunt Tracy got home and Aunt Tracy wouldn't let me do a thing! Michelle was stuffing pillows under me and no one would let me get up. I've even been warned to leave messages when I go somewhere. Heaven forbid I don't answer my phone. You will find out soon enough how close we are and how much love your aunts have for you. Once again, we can't wait to love on you, but really want you to stay cooking!

T Minus 24 Hours till Maternity Leave

I went for my weekly ultrasound today and all looks great. I of course, couldn't tell what I was looking at, but Brian was for sure he saw a face. There was another trace of protein in my urine but the BP was good this time. I am going to have to do another 24 hour urine on Sunday and go back in every Monday and Thursday until Alexis makes her arrival.

BUT starting tomorrow afternoon, I'm on maternity leave! With all the scares we have been having and the high BP, I decided to go on bed rest. Work is getting crazier and crazier, so I spent all week preparing to make this my last. I have mixed feelings because I had only planned on taking 6 weeks, I had 5 saved up. Now, I will be taking ten and be docked from my pay check. But, when I'm holding my precious baby girl and she is all safe and sound, I won't even care.

Last Saturday was my first shower at my aunt's Tea House and I must say, everyone out did theirselves. We were blessed to get both of our strollers, one of our car seats, pack and play, swing, our video monitor and tons of goodies! I was overwhelmed with how lucky this little girl is! Yesterday I had my second shower at school and it was awesome! The girls fixed Mexican food and mock margaritas in honor of Cinco De Mayo. I had enough margaritas to get sugar drunk and the food was great! Everyone was so genorous! I must say between these last two showers, Alexis is going to be one spiffy little girl. I can't wait to play dress up with Alexis. Thank you to everyone who has made this so special for Brian, Alexis and myself. We couldn't be more thankful to have ya'll in our lives! We can't wait for our last shower that our friends are throwing. It's either going to be a baby shower or a meet Alexis party! Either way, it is going to be a blast!