Alexis Nathalie Beeston - August 5, 2016

I figured I should write Alexis' birth story sooner rather than later, since it's still fresh in my mind...
I had been feeling mild contractions for weeks, but on Thursday, August 4, one day after my due date, my mucus plug broke (sometime in the afternoon). It wasn't until later that night, around 7 that my contractions started becoming stronger and more painful. They still weren't super close together, but they were regular. And since I was overdue, I knew they wouldn't turn me away, so William and I went for it and drove to the hospital. It was actually the perfect time to go because Lily and Ellie were here to help out with the kiddos. They had booked their flight to arrive on my due date, thinking that I'd have the baby by then. Honestly, I thought I'd have had the baby by mid-July. It was great to have Lily and Ellie put the kids to bed that night. They were able to stay in their routine and even go to school the next day.
Anyway, in triage, they said my contractions were about 10 minutes apart, and I was still only 2 cm dilated. But since I was overdue, they admitted me anyway. They took me to an individual room where I continued to have contractions every 9 minutes. At that point, it was still too early to get an epidural, so I waited, and waited, for changes to happen, for things to progress. The contractions didn't come closer together, but I started dilating more and more, until finally, at 3 am, on August 5, I had dilated to a 6 and was able to get an epidural. Life was so much better after that. They also gave me some stuff to make things progress a little faster. And I actually got some sleep, although I was woken up every hour to get checked. At about 10 am, I was dilated to a 10, and my contractions were less than 2 minutes apart. They called the doctor in, I pushed through 2 contractions (3 pushes with each), and there she was! She was beautiful and her head was covered with dark, black hair. They immediately placed her on me, and it was wonderful. I never got to hold my other babies, due to C-section and other complications. I am so happy that I got to hold her, that I was the first person to hold her, and the first person she saw when she opened her eyes.
Alexis Nathalie Beeston was born at 10:35 am, on Friday, August 5, 2016. She weighed in at 7lb 11oz (I had guessed 6lb 2oz). She measured at 19-3/4. And her Apgar scores were 9 and 9. By far the biggest and healthiest baby in our family. From then on, she stayed with me and hasn't left my side.
Lily, Ellie, Paul, Leilani, Luke, and Eli came to visit us just a couple of hours after the delivery. Then later that day, after Lily picked up the kids from school, she brought Logan, Taylor, and Kendall to the hospital to meet their new baby sister. When they came into the room, they went straight to the baby, like I didn't even exist. LOL That's okay. Babies are cute. And especially Alexis. They all took turns holding her and Logan pointed out that my belly was still big, and that maybe there was still a baby in there. LOL
That first night with Alexis in my room was actually not too bad. Nurses occasionally came in to check on us and make sure she was being fed every 2-3 hours, or on demand. They also checked my blood pressure and her temperature multiple times throughout the night. They also gave her her first bath that night.
The next day was pretty uneventful. We were ready to come home, but we had to wait most of the day for someone to collect my blood, for someone to check Alexis' hearing, for someone to give her her shots, for someone to collect the birth certificate and social security number papers, for someone to take her pictures, etc. It was 4:30 by the time they had gathered everything and we could come home.
Did I mention that Grandma Beeston was super excited that Alexis waited until her birthday to come? That's right, of the 365 days that there are in 1 year, Alexis picked Grandma Beeston's birthday to make her debut. Grandma Beeston is over-the-moon about sharing her birthday with one of her grandchild.

Logan and Taylor are 7!!!

Logan and Taylor are 7. They're 7! Holy crap, when did that happen? I still remember the day the doctor took them out of me. I remember their first bottle, their first diaper change, their first bath, their first night at home. 

Sure, there are days when I have to put myself in time-out, so that I don't completely lose it. But they are such good boys! They are so sweet, and cute, and loving, and they'll forever be my babies.

Logan is smart, athletic, helpful, determined, and confident. He's also kind of a smart a$$. He likes to (nicely) argue with me, just to prove a point, or to prove me wrong. Sometimes, I forget that he's still a kid, a 7 year-old kid. But I love the way his brain is already so wired and so full of logic.

He loves Nerf guns and playing on the iPad. When he grows up, he wants to be a chef or a scientist (who makes potions).

Taylor is smart, snuggly, silly, sensitive, and imaginative. He likes to make up spooky stories and make people laugh. He often tells me how much he loves to snuggle with me and play with daddy. He likes to play with other kids, but mostly, he enjoys entertaining himself with just his imagination. He loves scary stuff (like everything Halloween), playing with Legos, and collecting treasures (aka junk). When he grows up, he wants to be an engineer and invent scary but really fun roller coasters.

I am so thankful Heavenly Father trusted me enough to take care of these sweet little angels. They bless my life every day. They mostly make me a better person, although I feel like I fall short a lot. I make many mistakes. I have many regrets. But somehow, they always forgive me. Somehow, they still accept me the way I am. Somehow, they love me no matter what.

First day of school

I didn't think I would get the First Day Jitters, but I totally did. I was nervous for them! I was anxious for them! I was scared for them!

This is a BIG deal. All 3 kids are now in school, all day, every day, 8:30-3:00. I miss them a bunch, but it is crazy how much I can get accomplished when I am not interrupted every 10 minutes.

The first day went really well, though. Their favorite part was the snack, and they got to know some kids already. They like their teachers, and the kids are nice. SUCCESS!!!

4th of July

With my cousins leaving on the morning of the 4th, we didn't exactly make plans for the 4th of July. We considered going to the Tempe Lake to watch the fireworks, but it was so dang hot, and so dang busy, that we decided against it. Then we got a call from Paul, asking us if we wanted to get together, have a barbecue, and have some fireworks. It was the perfect 4th of July celebration. The kids had a blast together, and so did the grown-ups. (And I am so glad I was able to talk Kendall into wearing the rompers, which she looked totally cute in, because at first she was refusing to wear them.)

  

  

July summer fun

We've had so much fun this summer. Between the weekly trips to the movie theater, the science center, and the swimming pool, by ourselves, with the cousins, and with friends, we've managed to stay busy all summer, which is great. And I'm glad I was able to keep up with all the fun without putting myself in early labor.

 

Visit D'Heijgere/Beaumont

Holy moly, these last 4 days flew by! They were busy, but at the same time really fun and relaxing (for me). 

Day 1: Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain took Logan, Taylor, and Kendall hiking up South Mountain, right behind our house. It gave me at least 2 hours to chill and do absolutely nothing.

That afternoon, it was actually kind of cloudy, which was perfect for spending some time outdoors at the Botanical Gardens. It was a lot of walking, but it didn't put me into labor, so that's good. We also went to Papago Park to see the hole in the rock. I was a nervous-wreck the whole time, because I'm not very fast these days, and relying on other people to save my kids from falling off the mountain was not easy, even if they are family. That night, Marraine, Marine, and Romain went back to see some demonstrations, while Billy and Geoffrey spent hours on end arguing about politics, and the kids and I went to bed at a decent time (9:30 was decent in comparison to 11:00).

Day 2: Sunsplash. Well, obviously, I couldn't go on any slides, or carry big floaties up 8 flights of stairs, so I stayed down and took pictures and videos. I loved seeing how much fun everybody was having, though. The kids had been wanting to go back to Sunsplash since we went last year with Marine. I did go into the wave pool with the kids, though, while the family went on rides that the kids were too small to go on. At one point, Marine and Geoffrey came to the wave pool to meet Marraine, Romain, and the rest of us, and Marine told us how she was concerned that she wouldn't find us in this big waterpark, but Geoffrey had put her mind to ease by telling her that finding a bald woman and a pregnant woman couldn't be too hard. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Day 3: It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Sedona, 3 hours to come back, and I think we spent about 2 hours there, but Slide Rock did not disappoint. Why did we only stay 2 hours, considering all the traveling time? We got hit by hail! The sky was clear and blue when we got there. Then all of a sudden, clouds started to appear. Then I noticed rain covering the top of the mountain. Not even 3 minutes later, that rain had reached us and was coming down so hard that it scared the kids. It took us 15 minutes to walk back to the car, because everybody was leaving at once. No one wanted to take the risk of being in the water if a storm hit or if the river flooded. Still, the kids had fun sliding on the rocks, but mostly playing with mud. And I was appreciative of the many genuinely-concerned people who warned me that the rocks were very slippery. Such nice people :-) That evening, we ate at Cafe Rio, and I think Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain will be craving it until next year.

Day 4: Marraine, Marine, Geoffrey, and Romain went to climb Camelback while the rest of us slept in. The kids needed that rest, after the last 3 days. That afternoon, we went to a public swimming pool in Chandler. Once again, everyone took care of the kids while I just hung out, mostly in the pool, but occasionally outside of it, too. That evening, everyone hung out with one hand on my belly while baby had her nightly 10 pm party. We also played games, but Kendall passed out on the couch, and Geoffrey was so sweet to pick her up and put her in the bed.

I wish they could have stayed longer, but they had a long trip ahead of them, visiting the west. From Arizona, to Nevada, to Utah, back to Nevada, to California. I hope they create some unforgettable memories. I know we did!