The Birth of Alexandrea Lee Wright

Hey, All! I know! Two posts in ONE day? Must mean Alex is napping well! Here are the pictures that Mom promised from Alex's Birth. There were TONS of pictures, and Mom tried to pick out some of the best ones. They tell the story of Alex's delivery, and we hope you enjoy them! It was pure luck that Shannon was able to make it in time to catch so many great pictures.
Mom's nurse that was the first to assess her in triage:

Getting Dr. Baiza ready to go!


Mom pushed for a total of 8 minutes. EIGHT minutes.




Dr. Baiza working hard:

Mom's nurse coaching her along:


She's here! Dad cutting the cord:

Dr. Baiza raising Alex up moments after she was born:

A fresh and brand new baby girl!

Mom and Dad admiring my new baby sister:






The nurse looking over Alex:


Her LOOOONG feet!


This is when they started to sense that she was having difficulty breathing:

Mom and Dr. Baiza getting in a couple quick pictures:

Baby Alex, all wrapped up:

Mom got in a quick snuggle before Dad walked Alex down to the NICU:

Mom was super worried, but knew Alex was in great hands:

Dad taking Alex down to the NICU so she could have X-Rays taken:

Here is Alex in her Oxygen Hood. Mom has her hand on Alex' belly helping calming her down:

Alex's stats:

Another picture taken in the NICU:

We are so grateful that her stay in the NICU was short, and that the nurses and doctor's that cared for her did such a great job making her stay so short:

And that was it! Mom and Dad were at the hospital just shy of 2 hours before Alex was born. As Mom mentioned, Shannon made it just in time. 10 minutes later, and she would have missed it all.

What's Been Going On?

Hi, All! Hope all is well! We have been doing great! Alex turned TWO WEEKS old last Friday! Whoa! How has two weeks gone by already? Here is a picture of her hanging out at one of her favorite hang-out places (besides Mom)...the Boppy!

On Sunday morning, we decided to get adventurous...and went out for a casual breakfast at Einstein Bagels, and then ran some errands as a family of four. It went pretty darn smooth if I do say so myself.
Dad cuddling Alex after enjoying his bagel:

I also enjoyed my bagel and some fresh fruit:

I actually woke up Sunday morning asking Dad about some Spiderman shoes (Spiderman is my most recent obsession). So, Dad hopped online and located some on CLEARANCE at the Sears allll the waaaaay down on the opposite side of town. Lucky for me, Mom and Dad love me sooo much, that they decided I was worth the drive. So, I totally scored some new Spiderman shoes that even light up! I LOVE THEM.
On Monday afternoon, Alex and Mom made a trip up to Monument to visit Ms. GG and Baby Kay (Daniel's Baby Sister). The mama's got to hang out and enjoy lunch together while the girls napped. They both decided to wake up around the same time, and didn't waste any time getting in a good gossip session:


"Hmmm...I see..."

Baby Kay telling Baby Alex all about it!


Alex has been having more frequent "awake" sessions now that she is getting a little older. She will still take a couple 2-3 hour naps during the day, and then she will stay awake for up to 2-3 hours at a time. She is still having some issues in the reflux department. Mom called a lactation consultant today, and they are going to try and work a few more things so that Alex isn't eating from what essentially is a fire hydrant (just too much milk for her WAY to fast). Her little belly just can't handle it, and it all comes right back up with some magnificent force behind it! Let's just say that there is quite a bit of laundry going on here at The Wright Household.
Alex snoozin in Mom's arms:

Dad caught this picture of her surrounded by pink!

I have been doing well! Talking up a storm here lately and letting Mom and Dad know exactly what I want or don't want. For example, I want chocolate for dinner...not sghetti. I want to watch Spiderman...not the news! I want to wear my hoodie...not my choo choo shirt! Yes...I am one opinionated little toddler!

Update Time!

Hey, All! Hope all is well! We have just been cruising right along. I have been in daycare all week, and Dad went back to work today. On Tuesday Alex had her PKU test done at the hospital...and GET THIS. When they stuck my sister with the needle in her foot? She DIDN'T EVEN BLINK. Nope. Not a single tear. Mom was worried that maybe something was wrong, but by the time they were done squeezing her little heal...she was NOT happy about it. She wasn't really crying, but she was red-faced and angry. So, that made Mom feel a little better. After her PKU they ended up taking her into see Dr. Reich. She has had quite a bit of spit-up after she eats here recently. Mom and Dad weren’t too worried, but Dr. Reich wanted to make sure that she is gaining weight like she should be. Well, no issues there! Dr. Reich explained that they would like to see her back at her birth weight by two weeks of age (that would be tomorrow). That little porker had already exceeded her birth weight by 7 ounces! So, Dr. Reich was not at all concerned that she isn't getting enough food to eat. Mom elevated her bed last night, and she slept much better without spitting up. Alex sleeps for about 2.5-3 hours at night, then wants to eat...and *usually* goes back to sleep. Mom claims she is MUCH more rested than she ever was with me. Heh. I have been doing very well the past few days...very few meltdowns and little time spent in time-out. So this is all good!

Here are some pics from the past few days to enjoy....
Everyone but Mom piled on the love seat...poor Dad (Molly is buried in their also):

Out to frozen yogurt! Yum:

A special food delivery dropped off by Grandma and Grandpa. We ended up getting 8 meals out of all this wonderful food from Boston Market!

Alex napping on Dad:

Not much else to report!

OH! Mom did get Alex's Birth Photos from Shannon in the mail. Some of the photos are REALLY amazing. Mom is in the process of loading them on her computer and will be sure to share them here soon, so stay tuned! There is one photo that almost put Mom into tears (happy tears, of course). Can't wait for you to see them!

Guess Who is Here? The Birth of Alexandrea Lee Wright!

Hi, All! Whoa. Do I have some news and updating for YOU!


Guess who decided to join us on the afternoon of Friday, January 13th? Yep! You guessed correctly. Baby Alexandrea Lee Wright, born on her EXACT due date! We wanted to capture the details of her birth story here, so you may find this a bit long...with PLENTY of pictures. She was born at 3:28, PM and weighed an exact 7 pounds, 19 3/4 inches long.

So, Thursday evening after we booked a ticket for Nanny to come visit...Mom started feeling some cramps. She wasn't sure if she should think much of them, but they definitely caught her attention. We carried on the rest of the evening as usual, and around Mom's bedtime...the contractions really started to get a little more intense. Around 2:00 AM, Mom even came down stairs...ate some cereal and PB toast...and decided to call the hospital to see what they thought. They agreed that if Mom was in labor...she was still in VERY early labor. So, she decided NOT to alarm Grandma and Grandpa, and went and laid down and tried to get some rest. When she got up in the morning, she was still having some pretty frequent contractions...but nothing time-able at this point. Dad got up and we got ready, and figured Dad would drop me off at daycare and then head on in to work. By the time I was dropped off at daycare, Mom and Dad both decided it would be best if Dad didn't go to work...and just came home for the day...just in case. They figured they could spend the day relaxing, if nothing else (hahahah). Mom spent the morning relaxing and even took a nap! A couple of REALLY intense contractions promptly woke her up from her nap, and she then decided to put the last of her items in the hospital bag...and head down stairs to wake Dad (who was also napping at the time). OH, but wait...she decided to balance the checking account and do a few more odds and ends before sitting down on the couch where she decided it was time to start "timing her contractions." They were still all over the place...some were 5 minutes apart...some 4 minutes apart...some 8 minutes apart...and they just weren’t fitting any specific pattern. Dad decided to heat up some lunch, and made Mom some Macaroni and Cheese. She downed that between some REALLY intense contractions, and together they made the decision it was time to go to the hospital. At around 1:30, they left for the hospital. Thank goodness for valet parking! Mom had to stop multiple times along the way to catch her bearings before making it to the triage area of Labor and Delivery at Penrose St. Francis Hospital. The super nice nurse was able to get Mom all hooked up to the monitors, and decided that Mom was about 5-6 cm dilated. Yay! She made it MUCH further than she thought she would be. Later, the nurse told Mom that she was actually closer to 8 cm dialted, but didn't want to scare her. They wasted no time shuffling her around the corner where the anesthesiologist was waiting for her. 20 minutes after that...her epidural was in. Ahhh. Instant relief, and it only took him TWO tries (vs. the FOUR tries it took with me). Not long after that, our family photographer Shannon Coker showed up...and not long after that...Dr. Baiza arrived. Dr. Baiza broke Mom's bag of waters...and decided it was time to deliver my baby sister! Mom started pushing at 3:20 PM, and Alexandrea was born 8 minutes later. Everything was moving right along, until the nurses realized that Alex wasn't breathing quite as she should. Her lungs were working extra hard, and she was grunting. Mom's head was spinning so fast, and they quickly hooked Alex up to some oxygen...let Mom get in a quick cuddle and a kiss, and then Dad joined the nurses as they whisked her away to the NICU. This was definitely NOT part of the plan, and Mom felt helpless as she laid in her hospital bed left talking to Shannon about what had just happened. Well, it turns out after a few X-Rays that Alex had what they call a Pneumothorax. I will spare you all the details, but Alex had to be hooked up to an oxygen hood. She also inhaled some amniotic fluid, so they had to put a tube in her mouth that went down to her belly. It was all very scary for Mom and Dad, but the doctors and nurses were all very reassuring that she was going to be just fine, and that this was a fairly common condition that takes place when a baby sometimes takes their first breath of air. Grandma and Grandpa had picked me up from daycare on Friday afternoon, and we went to dinner at Panera. After dinner we came up to the hospital to visit Mom. They decided that it would be best if I not meet my sister in the NICU while she was trying to rest and get better. They were also worried that I would find the NICU rather scary.
Mom and Dr. Baiza shortly after Alex's delivery:

This is a picture of Alex under the Oxygen hood...just looking around checking out the scenery:

The next day she was able to come off the Oxygen hood, and was put on an Oxygen cannula:

Mom was so happy we she finally was able to hold Alex in her arms and snuggle her nice and close (and she may have snuck a few pictures while she was in the NICU):

I did have fun making a few important phone calls from Mom's hospital bed:

Nanny came in early on Saturday morning from Fort Worth, and her timing was perfect. She was able to help entertain me and keep Dad company while Mom was spending time with Alex in the hospital.
More snuggle time with Alex:

Dad sent quite a few pictures of me to Mom. Mom missed me BIG TIME.

Thank goodness for FaceTime on the iPhone! We got to chat multiple times throughout the day and visit with each other.

This picture was taken on Sunday when Alex was completely weaned off of her Oxygen. She had no problems at all, and the X-Ray that took placed on Sunday morning proved that the Pneumothorax had completely healed with the Oxygen treatment. Alex's doctors and nurses were VERY pleased, and when we heard the news we were estatic.

Alex snoozin away!

Dad came up for lunch on Sunday and visited with Mom. They may or may not have pigged out on hospital cafeteria food (LOL).

On Sunday night, Alex's doctors allowed Alex to stay in Mom's hospital room with her. They had slowly weaned her off of her IV's all day Sunday, so they wanted to make 100% sure that her blood sugars were doing what they needed to be doing on their own. So, they decided to keep her one extra night.

Alex's STATS!

My beautiful baby sister wide awake and very alert:

On Monday morning, the doctors and nurses agreed that it was time for Alex to go home! Mom and Dad spent the morning waiting around for her discharge paperwork, and off they went!
Alex all set for her journey home:

Mom and Dad got settled in at home rather quickly...just in time for me to come home from daycare and finally meet my new baby sister.

We had LOTS OF visitors the first few nights when Alex was home. Here is Auntie K holding Alex for the first time:

Auntie Amber and Alex:

Mom holding a very awake and alert baby:

Oh! Not for long!

And she's...OUT.

Grandpa admiring his newest Granddaughter:

Grandma holding Alex:

On Wednesday morning, Alex had her first check-up with Dr. Reich. Mom and Dad took her to breakfast with them at Chick Fil A (her official first public appearance) before her appointment.

Dad snuggling Alex close before Dr. Reich checked her out.

Dr. Reich was very pleased with her health and statistics. She was surprised to see that Alex was only down 3 ounces from her birth weight:
Weight: 6 pounds. 13 oz (20% percentile)
Height: 20 1/2 inches (75% percentile)
Head Circumference: 13 3/4 inches (30% percentile).
Turns out Alex has a MUCH smaller head then me. This allowed for a very fast delivery and recovery for Mom.

Oh, and turns out Alex has gas that could make a truck driver proud:

Here I am holding and snuggling Alex. I had held her quite a few times before, but Mom was always too slow to get a picture. I'm VERY sweet with her. I always want to kiss her on her head, and I ask about her first thing when I get up in the morning.

"Hello there, Baby sister! I will be here to watch over you through the years."

Baby Alex hanging out:

I have been sticking to my daycare routine during the week, except for Thursday when I got to stay home to hang out with Nanny before she returned back to Texas. We decided to take Alex to Chuck E. Cheese’s! Dad and Nanny having a great time:

Here I am driving Chuck E. Cheese around town:

Playing my first game of air hockey with a nice little girl:

Dad and I having fun riding a race horse:

Back at home, Baby Alex doing what she does best...SLEEP (except for these past few nights).

Nanny holding Alex:

Relaxing on the couch:

Although this past week has just zoomed by, we have all been taking it easy and enjoying the new addition to our family. Alex seems to be a VERY content and easy-going baby. In fact, Dad has NEVER heard her cry...and Mom has only really heard her cry one time...when she was in the NICU and Mom wasn't fast enough at getting her the snack bar. She has her brief moments throughout the day where she is wide awake and alert, but she rarely EVER complains. The past few nights she has been wanting to nurse every couple of hours, so Mom has been a bit sleepy. She seems to have no problems getting in a couple 4 hour naps during the day! I have had a little bit of an adjustment period, that is clear. I'm quick to throw a tantrum if I don't get my way, and have spent quite a bit of time in "Recovery Time." It will be take a little bit before we get our new routine down, but as of now...I don't mind having Alex around at all.

I will be sure to keep you posted on how Alex is doing! She has her newborn photo shoot and is due for her PKU test at the hospital on Monday. We are just hanging out this weekend!