Time with Grandpa

Andy's grandma died last month so we headed up to Indiana for the funeral and to spend time with family. Rest in peace Patsy.

The Last Month and a Half

Bye bye Ainsley. On our way to the hospital.

All packed and ready to go!

Just got home from the hospital. 2 days old.

Daddy and his girls (2 of them anyway!).

Cute little strawberry outfit from Heidi.

First bath!

Helping wash her little sister.

What a little cutie patootie!

First ride in the double stroller.

My little baking assistant taking a break to eat some batter.

Ainsley and Jasper reunited. :)

Sarah, Soren (4 months younger than Ains) and Joseph (4 mos. older than Alexandra).

One month old.

How cute.

There's a little smile.

Picnic with the family. Now here's ALL of daddy's girls! :)

Propped on the couch.

I love the swimsuit!

First bottle. Go daddy!

Baby Story

Well, 6 weeks have passed since Alexandra joined the Odle family. I cannot believe it! I was so uncomfortable and had such a tough pregnancy that I could not wait for the birth day to arrive. She was due April 25th and on the 29th I was induced. Thankfully Andy's parents arrived the day before so they took care of Ainsley for us while we were at the hospital, etc. They stayed for a week and were a HUGE help to us the whole time. Now, on to the story... At 8am I got an IV, at 8:50 the doctor checked me and broke my water, at 10:30 I got an epidural, at 10:45 I was 5cm dilated and at 11:15 I was fully dilated. They actually asked if I could hold off pushing for about 20 minutes because I went so fast that the head wasn't as far down as they'd like. So every time I felt the pressure I would kind of suck in. It was crazy. Around 11:45am I started pushing and Alexandra was born at 12:20pm. The doctor had to give me an epesiotomy but thankfully there was no extra tearing. Although this pregnancy was much more difficult, the labor and delivery were much easier. Maybe next time (if there is a next time) the pregnancy and birth will both be easy! Wishful thinking right?
Alex, Lexi, Alexandra (we're not sure what we're going to call her) is a sweet little girl. She loves to cuddle and be held. Of course I LOVE this but also find it very frustrating at times because she often cries soon after you set her down. Since we have another child to pay attention to and stuff around the house that needs done it can be difficult. Alexandra is a good eater and sleeper and she's growing like a weed! At birth she was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and at 5 weeks old she weighed 10 lbs. even. That's pretty good but the real kicker is this... Birth: 20 3/4 inches, 5 weeks: 23 inches! She's grown 2 1/4 inches in a month which puts her in the 95th percentile for her height.
Ainsley is a very sweet big sister. She LOVES to hug and kiss Alexandra and help mommy and daddy with her too. She doesn't like it very much when she cries but we try to explain to her that's just what babies do sometimes. I'll be in the kitchen or something and Alexandra will start crying and I hear Ainsley going, "Patience honey, patience. Mommy's coming." or "It's okay little girl, it's okay." It is so cute! I wish I had a video camera on at all times to capture the moments. Of course there are times, too, where Ainsley goes, "UGH! She's crying AGAIN!" or "Mommy can you just get her? She's crying." I love watching Ainsley with her. We're already gathering memories. I love my beautiful girls.
I had my post pardum checkup last week and everything looks great. I got the clear to exercise and do whatever I want now which is good because although I've lost 30 pounds already I still have a bit to go (only 6 pounds until my pre pregnancy weight but hoping to lose about 10-12 more).

Welcome to the World!

Alexandra Eve Odle

Born 4.29.10

7 lbs. 7 oz.

20 3/4 inches

We're in love!

D Day- April 25th

Well, my due date came and went. This is seeming all too familiar as Ainsley was 7 days late. I got checked yesterday and am only 1cm dilated. Going back tomorrow to be checked again and we'll take it from there. These pictures were taken on my due date. Ainsley is so sweet, always wanting to kiss my belly and asking when baby sister will be here. Tonight was the first time she actually said to me, "I don't want a baby sister". It broke my heart. I don't know if she is just finally realizing that she won't be the only one anymore or if she realized for the first time that I'm going to have to be away from her for a couple days at the hospital or what the deal is. But, I hope it passes because soon she will have no choice but to have a baby sister! Wish us luck. :)

Mommy Daughter Day

A couple weeks ago Ainsley and I went for a morning at the zoo. Because Ainsley likes to ride the "up and down" and play on the playground and I have not been getting around the best these days we spent all of our time in these two places (although we did manage to make it over to pet the goats too). We have an annual membership there so I didn't feel bad that we saw very few live animals since we are able to go as often as we'd like. We rode the "up and down" 3 times (yes, I managed to hoist myself up on one of those animals...don't ask me how!) and had lots of fun. I love my big girl!

Happy Easter

Ainsley found her first Easter basket and had her first Easter egg hunt this year. It was very fun to watch. We had a great day.

Monkey George Live!

We have been trying to do a few fun, memorable things with Ainsley recently before her baby sister arrives. She LOVES Curious George (Monkey George she calls him) so when we saw that Monkey George was going to be in Atlanta live at the Fox Theatre we decided to get tickets to the show. She was so excited. We got a little dressed up for the Friday morning show and walked to the theatre (it's only a few blocks away). Ainsley had a great time. She was talking to Monkey George throughout the show at one point yelling, "Monkey George...see my shoes?!" She then turned to me and said with a big smile on her face, nodding her head, "Mommy, Monkey George likes my shoes." It was very cute. She also wanted to try the "big lollipop on the man's tray" that she saw for sale. That actually turned out to be blue cotton candy so we got it and she decided that she liked it until it got her fingers sticky and dirty. Then she didn't want anymore and she still talks about how she doesn't like it. Of course that's fine with us since it's PURE sugar! We'd rather her not like it but we think it's funny how she doesn't like it because it makes her sticky and dirty. Not a normal reaction for a 2 year old (I don't think). I'm happy she loves her fruits and veggies though!!