Happy Birthday, Lexie!

My daughter, Lexie, turns 19 today.

She was born in Minnestota 11 days over due and she was my easiest delivery. I wasn't in labor but I had an appointment for a stress test and a possible induction.  We first stopped at the radio station where my husband was moonlighting as a DJ and they let him get on the air. He announced to the world (as far as the radio waves would go anyway) that we were on our way to the hospital to have our baby and his wife was outside in the truck.  He said he'd better go and get her to the hospital, but he neglected to mention that I was not in labor! I'm sure people thought I was out in the truck moaning and groaning with labor pain! What a goof.  We got to the hospital and they so kindly offered to let me go home and wait it out and I said "I am not leaving her without a baby in my arms!"  My good friend pitocin convinced her to be born that afternoon. After she was born, Keith called the radio station and they put him on the air. He announced all the details: Girl, 7 lbs 2oz, jet black hair, cries like a champ.  It was June 6th when we finally named her.  She was just "Baby Girl" for a while.


Her first year was rough, she had colic and food allergies. She was really cute! She had a whole bunch of hair. A mouthful of teeth at 5 months, they all came in at once, fast and furious. She walked at 10 months and talked early too.

When she was three, she saw her first movie at the theater. Lion King. She wanted to know why the mommy lion couldn't be the king. I knew I had a budding feminist on my hands. She rode her tricycle into the ground that year too when she rode in a trike-a-thon and wore out the axel. She got a prize for that. At six, she started kindergarten and got her first ice cream cone. When she was eleven, a kid in her class took his scissors and cut off a lock of her hair in class. From then on out it seemed like her life revolved around her hair. Teen years were spent dying it, straightening it, spending all kinds of time on it.

Lexie's baby is due Aug 5th. She decided to name her baby Charlie Matthew. I'm really excited for her and hope her delivery is easy like she was. I sure hope Charlie sleeps better than she ever did. She didn't figure out the sleeping thing until she was a teenager and then she overcompensated.

She was a great kid. Although this last year, the 18th year, by far my hardest one as her mom. So freaking happy that the 18th year is over! Welcome, 19!!! So happy that Lexie's birthday is here and a new year of her life begins! Hope its a good one! 

Just to get this 19th year off to a great start, I spent the day with her and it was so nice! We took the little girls to the park, went out for lunch and had Pazookies!  (warm cookie with a scoop of ice cream on top). After that we took Lexie to get a pedicure which she just loved and then we went shopping for a birthday outfit for her. She got a skirt and two tank tops. Gracie and Libby love their big sis so much, it was a nice day for all of us. I'm so happy that we celebrated her birthday together.

Happy Birthday, Lexie!

18 years ago...

Way back in the olden days, before every home had 3 PCs and a laptop, before cell phones, before the ipod, before dvd, before dvr, before flat screen tv, before Hannah Montana, before we moved to California.... yes, on this day way back in 1991... Lexie was born!

We didn't know if she would be a boy or a girl, but we assumed that a boy was coming along since the pregnancy was very different. This kid gave me morning sickness for months, and didn't even limit it to mornings. She had the hiccups all the time! And the doc promised me that she was going to break my tailbone during delivery. A rebel before she was even born!

She was due to arrive May 23rd. Her big sister asked ten times a day for weeks and weeks "Is it May 23rd yet?" Even after that day came and went, I still told her, no, not yet.

On June 3rd, I woke up still hopelessly pregnant with no signs that this would ever end. Luckily, this was induction day! Yippeee! We all piled in the truck, Katie sat in the jump seat in the king cab part, and we headed out of town a couple of miles to the radio station. I forgot the call letters, hmmm... KPHR? They called it Pow-Pow-Power 104FM. Keith ran in and they put him on the air. He said "I just stopped in to say that we are on our way to the hospital to have our baby. My wife is out in the truck. Well, I suppose I should get going". He neglected to mention that I wasn't out there screaming in agonizing labor pains! Hahahaha!

After dropping Katie off at daycare, we crossed the border got to the hospital on the other side. We had our first daughter in South Dakota, this one was going to be a Minnesotan. First thing they did was a stress test; baby was fine. I could either go home or start the pitocin. Go home? Are you nuts? I'm sick of being pregnant! The doc said it would be anytime ever since I was 8 mths along back in April and now I'm 10 mths along with no end in sight - I wasn't leaving!


Lexie was born at 4pm. Well, she wasn't actually "Lexie" yet. She was "Girl". We were so excited that our daughter got a baby sister! Two girls! Now, we had the task of trying to name this cutie little girl. Honestly, that was the hard part! She got her name on June 5th.

And that is how it happened a long long time ago, back in the olden days before satellite radio and GPS in your car, 18 long years ago.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Lexie!

Birth Story! She's Here!

Elizabeth August "Libby" was born Sept 30, 2:46am. 7lbs 4oz, 19.5 inches.

I was having contractions since 2am on the 29th, but I knew they had to be 5 mins apart for an hour before going to the hospital. They were 15 mins apart by 2 in the afternoon and stronger. Still tolerable. By evening they were almost 5 mins apart but sometimes 3, sometimes 10... still not regular enough. Late night they were still pretty irregular, but averaging 5 mins and they were pretty painful. At 1am, my husband said "we're going now". Took me a while to get down the stairs and out the door, but I made it to the van in the driveway. I told the teens to come in the morning after taking Gracie to the babysitter, it would be a long long day ahead. I figured the teens didn't need to be there till they started the pitocin and I know that doesn't happen for hours.

Again, I think I am planning this birth. Ha!

By the time we were in the van backing out of the driveway it was 1:40 am. As we were backing out, my water broke. Ugh, I knew we should have taken his truck! Got to the ER at 1:45.

Admissions lost my file and made my husband fill everything out all over again. Contractions were strong and on top of each other and I was pouring water down my legs. So, paperwork had to be quick, but not necessarily correct. Plus, there was a little kid projectile vomiting in the waiting area too. Other people waiting got to be stuck in the middle of me screaming and that kid puking. I felt bad for them.

Got through the ER doors and whisked down to L&D in a wheelchair. They quickly got me in a gown and on the delivery bed and I was prepped all at once while having strong contrax. I was 7cm. The doc was called and it took her 15 mins to get there.

My husband called the teens and said "NOW!!!!" They hurried and got the toddler to the sitter and arrived in the delivery room at 2:45. Just in the nick of time!

I was being told not to push. I wasn't pushing. Breathing. Breathing. Fighting the urge because the doc wasn't there yet and even though I was at 10cm, the nurse said there was a lip of cervix in the way and she didn't want me to rip my cervix. No matter how hard I tried not to push, the baby shot right out! No pushing! She was born so fast that my husband missed seeing her arrive because he was looking at me and didn't turn his head fast enough. She was out, cried, and the doc walked in. Just missed it!

Delivery of the placenta did not go well. I'll be somewhat vague since the details are ugly. Stop reading if you don't want to know any more!

Still reading? ok.. the placenta refused to dislodge and the umbilical cord broke after the baby was delivered. The doc ordered the nurse to put nubaine in my iv since I hadn't had any pain meds and I was going to need it. Then she performed a procedure to deliver the placenta. I'll give you one detail to give you an idea... elbow deep.

I heard you wince. I told you not to read that!

Anyway, I only got 5 stitches and none internally. I am feeling wonderful. I have no idea how I could be, but I am. The baby is perfect and lovely. I am so lucky! I can't believe the delivery was so fast, but my whole family was there and my doc was there when I needed her. I knew I wanted my doc to deliver me and it turns out, the specialized care that I needed was something she was skilled at performing. Even at 3am.

Libby and I are home now. She's breastfeeding like a champ and her big sisters all adore her. You can see photos on the hospital site or on our family website.

Thank you all so much for the support and messages and posts and phone calls and emails and packages and everything!