Invitations Ordered

But not sent out! What's that old saying? Better late than never? Yep, that pretty much sums up this Mommy right now! I have no excuse what's so ever. I could tell you how busy I have been, or how lazy I have been. A little bit of both, I guess. Whatever my excuse, I LOVE this invitation and I can't believe it has been 11 months. I'm still one weepy Mommy! I hope I can make it through her birthday with out big ole tears!

All About A

One more month? Really? That is all I have until my baby is no longer a baby? I thought the crazy hormones went away a couple weeks after giving birth? But, let me just tell you, I've been crying at the drop of a hat lately. Maybe it was my precious niece's premature birth bringing it all back, but I'm crying at everything! I can't even think of her first birthday. I guess that is why I haven't even ordered the invitations! If I don't order them does that mean her birthday won't come?

I just know Alexis is going to walk any week now! She is dying to stand up. She tries so hard and she has even let go and stood for a couple of seconds with out even realizing it. She has also become super cuddly and kissy lately! She is talking so much these days. We've been having some really great "conversations" lately; unfortunately she's really good at telling me no.

She is definitely ready to feed herself but I am so scared to try bigger foods. I guess it is time, but is so scary! It just makes me nervous since she only has two teeth. Her gums have been swollen for months now and still NOTHING!!
I wonder what she is thinking??

So we haven't quite mastered the spoon, but we'll get it sooner or later.

She wants to stand so badly but she just can't figure out how to get her head off the ground.

This might be one of my favorite pictures ever. I can't tell you how many times a day we look in the mirror. It's the first thing we do when we get out of the bathtub and it just cracks her up.

Alexis has had an upset stomach since last Thursday. We've been going through a ton of diapers and ruining a lot of clothes every day. Today she even ran a slight fever. The nurses say that there is nothing we can do about it. Her appetite hasn't changed much. Other than the fact that she hates being put in her highchair and she wants only puffs! If it weren't for the dirty diapers, you wouldn't even know she didn't feel well because she is still relatively herself. Hopefully she fells better soon.

Happy Easter

This weekend was perfect! It was just like Easter from my childhood. We swam, BBQed, dyed some awesome Easter Eggs, went to Brunch and of course we went to the hospital. The latter doesn't occur all that often, but when it does, you can bet the Ford bunch can fill up a hospital room. The only thing missing was the Moulder clan. Next year everyone will be healthy and the 3rd generations will carry on Maw Maw's favorite holiday gatherings. All she ever wanted was to have all her grandkids together. Jamie, Rachel and I are on a mission to carry on all our favorite traditions while making new ones of our owns so we can make sure our kids grow up as close we all were.

I can't believe I forgot to add Alexis with all her Easter goodies! She was super cute on Easter morning. Alexis loves her Mimi and her Pappa
Jamie and Laureli We had brunch at the House of Blues. The food was amazing and the Gospel show gave you goose bumps. We will definitely be going back. Bryce and Alexis even made it on stage to dance to "There aint no Party Like the Holy Ghost Party, and the Holy Ghost don't Stop." It was awesome! A was mesmerized by the beautiful ladies and their gospel music. She stared in amazement the whole time. She even danced and clapped with Mommy. Year 1 of our renewed Easter tradition. I think these pictures turned out pretty cute considering you are dealing with 8, 9, and 10 year old boys as well a 3 month old and an 11 month old. Notice Alexis is trying to share her eggs with Laureli and she even holds her hand! Alexis is getting so cuddly lately. She is kissing and hugging on everyone! Pretty cute kids if you ask me. But I'm pretty biased. I love all of them so much and I'm really looking forward to redoing all of our big family holidays with all the kids! The Easter Bunny issued a challenge to the boys. He left three eggs, two silver and 1 golden. Eli collected the most eggs and won 9 dollars, Brody came in 2nd and received 6 dollars. Even Bryce with the fewest eggs came out with 3 dollars. Laureli was such a great baby all weekend. Look at how precious she is sleeping! Dying Easter Eggs! I really can't tell you who had more fun, the kids or the adults! All of our eggs turned out really cool looking! I was pretty impressed with the Easter Bunny! He decorated the table just like I would. HEHEHE. Check out our cool eggs. Baby Kynlee even had an Easter basket even though she couldn't join us this year. We just thank God that her and Rachel are going to be OK and we can't wait till they are both home so we can spoil them. They are telling us that Kynlee won't be able to go home until her original due date, July 14th. Please continue to pray for Rachel, Trey and baby Kynlee as they go through this. God is definitely listening to all of our prayers. She's a fighter just like her older cousin. Alexis and Laureli can't wait to play with her.

Pool Season is Here

We had a blast this weekend! We were very busy going back and forth from the airport to the hospital, so Saturday afternoon we had some fun in the sun!! The boys enjoyed rough housing with Brian and Alexis just looked cute sporting her bikini and bows! William and Ryder stopped by for some fun too. William had a great time with the boys and I think it is safe to say that Ryder could care less about Alexis. However, she was SMITTEN! He got in the pool and she was giddy with excitement! She was literally jumping and squealing. Unfortunately he didn't share her enthusiasm. Alexis is loving the pool just as much as her Mommy does! She likes to stand on the side and she even stood straight up for the first time all by herself for a few seconds. I got so excited and she plopped down and knocked Ryder into the water. Needless to say pool time was over for him after that!

Look at my beautiful niece! I love her so much! Jamie and I were so excited to spend Easter together this year! We are looking forward to so many more holidays together with all the kids and next year Kynlee can join us!

Three boys...Really, do I need to say anymore?

Look at how happy she is!! Alexis made every attempt, as you can see, to get his attention, but he just wasn't having it at all. She is even trying to console him after she knocked him down. He just didn't care at all!

William tried to comfort him too. It didn't work so he went back to swimming. He did really well for his first time back in the pool. It is going to be a great summer!

Kynlee Rae's Good Friday

Welcome baby Kynlee! Aunt Deidra is a little late, but it was a hectic Easter Weekend. Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers sent Rachel’s way! Kynlee was born Friday, Good Friday, April 22, 2011 at 9:52 a.m. She weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces and was 13 and 7/8 inches long! She was breathing on her own for half the day before they intubated her. They do this with all preemies this early, but especially because her oxygen count was low and babies this young don’t quite know how to breathe consistently on their own. Thank God Rachel was able to get the steroid shot; this definitely helped our newest miracle. Kynlee is doing great and she is so itty bitty but oh so cute! Every time I see her my heart just melts, she is just so sweet! I can’t wait until we get to hold her. More importantly, I can’t wait until her Mommy gets to hold her.

Rachel has developed HELP syndrome. Before she delivered she had spent the early part of the morning having severe chest pains. After several painful and tearful hours they finally took her seriously and the doctor came in and said it was time! Rachel’s liver was showing early signs of failure, HELP syndrome. This is common in women who have preeclampsia during their pregnancy. Her blood pressure is still relatively high and her platelets aren’t coming back so she still has the epidural in. They can’t take it out until her platelets come back because she could bleed out. And then her enzymes are low which could cause liver damage, if not failure. So, because she is still so unstable she hasn’t even been able to hold her beautiful baby girl’s hand! She has however been able to Skype with her. You can only imagine how hard this is for Rachel! Her husband, Trey had to leave to go back to work and she so desperately wanted to see Kynlee with Trey. Even with her motherly breakdowns, Rachel still remains the positive person she always is. Please continue praying for this family.

I just found out that Rachel has been moved to a normal room and it has a view! Her shoe box was quite dark and small, especially when it is crowded with our bunch! Her labs are increasing so Rachel will finally get to see her baby girl this afternoon! I know she knows what to expect, but it is still going to be very hard to see in person. But Rachel knows that Kynlee is safe and just needs to grow.

So very sweet! This is truly a miracle.

Holding Daddy's hand.

Her itty bitty feet and Aunt Jamie's finger!

Ray Ray's Update

Good news, I guess! Rachel is still in the hospital. Permanent hospital bed rest until her Preeclampsia increases to the point of forced delivery. Her protein is really high, higher than mine was when I delivered. But, here is the good news, her blood pressure has leveled out and her enzymes are at a constant level. So, while her protein is still high, as long as her BP and enzyme levels stay constant then we can keep Kynlee cooking for at least a couple days if not a week or so! And even better news, she was able to get her 2nd steroid shot for Kynlee's lungs, so when the time comes for her to arrive, we can feel better knowing that her lungs have had a chance to develop more!

Thank you all for your continued prayers! They are much needed and they are definitely being heard!

Happy Easter!

Traditions Run Deep

It's Easter! And what does that mean for the Ford family? The hospital!! So, it isn't the typical place where families go to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but in our family its a tradition that runs deep. Let's see, Granny had a stroke on Christmas, Bryce was born on Easter, Maw Maw died on July 4th, Aunt Kim had kidney stones on Easter and, bringing it all back to Easter, Kynlee Rae should join the clan sometime this Easter weekend! I admit it isn't all that normal, nor is it something to brag about, but it is a tradition nonetheless! I wouldn't mind breaking it to be honest, or at least starting some new fun traditions of our own!

Rachel spent the night at St. Lukes and has had several tests run since signing into her lush accommodations at the gorgeous hospital. After reviewing the ultrasound they determined that there is hardly any fluid around the baby. There is still a small amount, but with the onset of Toxemia increasing quickly that is sure to go down. The good news is her enzymes did not decrease. As long as those stay at a constant level they can hold of delivery, hopefully until after she receives her 2nd steroid shot this afternoon to help build Kynlee's lungs. The doctors are most worried about this. Her new specialist has estimated the baby's weight to be around 2 pounds. Kynlee's lungs and heart looked good, so with the help of this second steroid shot, hopefully Kynlee will just need some time to grow at Texas Children's Hospital. They are assuring Rachel that everything will be just fine, the neonatal unit from TCH will be in the room with her and Kynlee will be sent just down the hall to TCH to grow and be nurtured!

My heart hurts for my baby cousin because I know what it is like to have to leave your baby, it is something that no mother should ever have to go through. But, Rachel being a preemie herself, knows that she is in God's hands and her precious baby will be just fine. Rachel was born at 26 weeks, so we are all prepared, having been through this only 11 months ago, for the next couple of weeks.

An interesting fact though. Her specialist said that this IS hereditary! Duuuuhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Both my doctor and her original OB said that there is no evidence to prove that it is. Her specialist said that there are tons of doctors that believe it is not, but he has seen too many cases of women who have this same family history and end up developing Preeclampsia/Toxemia. He said with just one aspirin a day from the time they find out they are pregnant he has been able to carry babies all the way up to 39 weeks! Lesson learned! I will be popping an aspirin daily with baby number two to help increase the blood supply to the baby. He also said that it will happen again with Rachel's second, with her little sister, who was also a preemie, and most likely in my next pregnancy! Just goes to show that science is still a work and progress!

Thank you for your continued prayers. I know Kynlee Rae will be brought into this world by the best doctors in the country and will be cared for by the best nurses.

Lots of Prayers Please

Today my friends and family are in desperate need of prayers. My cousin is 28 weeks pregnant and is on her way to St. Lukes Downtown. I'm praying that she will be able to stay in the hospital for at least a week or two. Her swelling has been horrific for a couple of weeks and her blood pressure has been gradually increasing over the last two weeks. But the main concern is her protein, which has jumped significally. I'm so glad that they are able to be proactive and head to the med center. Fortunately for the Ford family, we are used to these irregularities in our pregnancies but it is still all very scary each time it happens! Please pray for Rachel's piece of mind and for sweet baby Kynlee to keep cooking, even if it is for a little while longer. Also pray for the doctors and nurses that will be looking out for them.

Secondly, one of my best friends nephew, Blake, is going in for a procedure on his heart today. This is actually a prequel to the open heart surgery that Blake will be having this Summer. Please pray for the doctors, nurses, Blakey and the Galligan family, especially Tiffany and Brian as they prepare for another surgery on sweet Blake. I know he is in good hands! Tiffany will be posting updates, so please read more about Blake and his procedures here.

Thanks for all your prayers! They are truly appreciated!

Anna is FIVE

I can't believe it! It is so hard to look at Anna these days and not think about that baby girl whose "cheese face" made us crack up. She is so tall and, oh so beautiful. And she is every bit GIRL! She loves her dresses, bows and SKATING!! We had a blast at this party and I LOVED taking the photos of all the kids! Anna looked so stinking cute it wasn't even funny!

Soooo Big!!

Can she be any cuter?

Mel did a GREAT job on the cake! Not only did it taste amazing, but the skates were perfect!

Aunt Tracy and Alexis

Aunt Kristi and A

Don't worry, Mr. Grumpy Pants made an appearance too. But I think he had a blast too!!

Uncle Brian had a great time reliving the old days. Well, actually all the adults had a great time trying to bring it back! I can't wait for the next skate party!!

Bluebonnets and Fun

We've had a great weekend! It's beginning to look a lot like Summer and it's only the first weekend in April! I'm already getting Spring fever and am desperately waiting for Summer vacation. We had a rough week at work and unfortunately, it isn't over yet. Many people I know may lose their job. While I'm pretty sure I will have a job, I'm just not sure what it will be. The uncertainty is very scary and I'm sad for the thousands of teachers across the state that will be losing theirs and even more importantly the children that will be losing great teachers and missing out on many learning opportunities. So, this weekend was just what the doctor ordered; fun in the sun! We got up early Saturday morning and headed to Chappel Hill for the Bluebonnet Festival. The bluebonnets this year are very disappointing since we've had virtually no rain since last year sometime. But Aunt Deanna still got some great shots, even if we had semi-permission to trespass!

I can't believe she is 6 weeks away from a year! I'm so sad!

I love these boys!

A is growing up so fast. Her personality is starting to show through and unfortunately, not only is she very smart, but man she is one stubborn little girl. This comes from both her Mommy and her Daddy, so we are definitely in for some trouble! She LOVES her blackberry. I had to give her my old one because she pitches a huge fit when she sees mine. It even has a pink case just like Mommy's. It is only a slightly different shade of pink than mine and she knows when I don't give her the real one! She is enjoying her pool crawling ALL OVER the house. This week we also have officially started holding our bottle! However, in her stubborn manner, she only holds it when SHE wants to!

She has also developed a mild case of anxiety when it comes to her bedroom! I hope this is normal since she has always been so easy to put down. But, when we walk into her room, she starts to wimper and cry, even if we are just going to change her diaper or take a bath! Nap times and bed times are getting much harder to go down. I thought they were supposed to be easier after we set up this routine?

Alexis on her first pony ride! Daddy was hardly holding her and she had the best time. She laughed and smiled the whole time.

Her pony had a bow just like Alex, at least for the two seconds she lets me put it on her.

William and Ryder loved their first pony ride too!

William had a a blast in the petting zoo and the water ball! As usual, he put on quite the show for the crowd!