Sleeping Babies

I realized this week as I was uploading pictures that nearly all of the pictures of Alora this week are of her sleeping.  So, prepare yourself for some sweet sleeping baby pictures :)

We had a nice quiet week at home for the most part.  Saturday was our busy day, filled with tons of firsts for Alora.  Ezri, Alora and I went to Carter's to get some clothes for Alora with my mom (Grandma).  This was Alora's first shopping trip (which she pretty much slept through).  It was also her first visit to Grandpa and Grandma's house.  Later that afternoon we headed to Opa and Oma's, another first visit for Alora.  Sunday, we made it to church again.  Alora slept through the entire service, even the loud music :)

Our week at home was "quiet", as in no places to go or things to do, not  referring to the noise level :)  Alora is quite good at sleeping through most of the chaos, yelling, playing, jumping, crying, etc. that Ezri can dish out.

On those occasions when Alora is upset and awake crying for whatever reason, big sister Ezri is right there to help out.  This week I caught her sharing her "Barky" with Alora during one of those times that Alora was crying... aww!

While Daddy works the afternoons away, Ezri, Alora and I have been able to get in some good long naps most days.  I love nap time!

In the evenings, after Ezri has been read to, sung to, prayed with, tucked in, etc., Alora and I have been spending time cuddling together and watching some TV with Daddy or just hanging out if Daddy is working.  She loves to sleep in the boppy, all cuddled up nice and snug :)

Ezri discovered the joy of "painting" this week.  This past weekend we picked up a piggy bank for Alora, which I painted and personalized for her just as I had done for Ezri.  During my painting time
(which lasted all day and came in short bursts), Ezri was very interested in being crafty as well, so we got out one of her Christmas gifts, a painting book.  Throw on an old t-shirt of Daddy's and we're all set to go!  She had a blast :)

Ezri experienced some firsts this week as well.  Daddy has been taking her on some "Daddy dates" while Mommy and Alora nap or during the evening when Alora needs some extra attention and so does Ezri.  One night, they went to a car wash with the truck.  This was the first time she had been to a car wash.  She came home to tell me "Scary, mommy!"  Apparently she was pretty frightened by the whole experience, so Daddy held her hand, played some music and set her up to watch "Monkey TV" (Curious George) on his phone during the process :)  She and Daddy have also spent some time outside playing on one of the nice days before the snow returned as well as a trip or two to the gas station in town... where she talks Daddy into candy:)  We also got Ezri to wear a "pretty" in her hair for the first time.  While it only lasted a few minutes, the hair clip did stay in, which has never happened before, and she was quite proud!

Ezri is becoming a little Mommy of sorts, wanting to hold the baby more and more and for longer lengths of time.  She even tries to get Alora out of the swing or any other location when she decides it is time for her to be held...

Ezri also loves to help me give Alora her bath.  While most of the time the table, her pj's, the chair and floor end up wetter than Alora by her hand, she is always so proud to go get two wash cloths and take part in the process.

 Such a great big sister!  She is quite proud of her job as big sis and loves to help out and share lots of love with Alora.  We are so glad she has adjusted so well to having a baby in the house.  It is difficult to believe we ever had a house without two little girls in it!

As this week comes to an end, we see a very busy weekend in our future.  Our little Ezri turns 2 on Sunday and Alora will hit the 4 week mark on Saturday!

Princesses in the Country Castle

Another week has come and gone at our little country castle where the princesses Ezri and Alora reside :)  Mommy is feeling pretty much back to normal for the most part, so long as nap time is maintained and I am able to re-gain some energy in the afternoon, I am doing pretty well.  Alex continued to fight a cold this week and Ezri has been fighting off another stomach virus of some sort.  Thankfully, Alora seems to be doing well health wise outside of a cough which we continue to question as to whether it is a cold or still newborn stuff. 

Saturday was a busy day for us here as we spent the morning with Aunt Kerri, Aubrey and Wesley, some time with Opa and Oma in the afternoon and the evening with my cousin Liz and her boyfriend Nick.  I was surely ready to sleep that night - we all were!  Sunday brought Alora's first visit to church, which was a bit overwhelming at times.  She did great, sleeping through all of the lout music and waking to eat and look around during the message.  Much like Ezri, she is apparently used to the noise from my singing in band all those months I was carrying her, and it does not even startle her :)  Ezri also did great at church, not a bit phased by people talking to her about the new baby.. she was more interested in getting up to Little K to play with the toys :)

Despite the stomach bug, Ezri has been her usual self for the most part this week, full of energy and antics enough to keep us all hopping.  She found a diaper box and has been dragging it around all week, refusing to allow me to put it in the recycling.  She has colored in the box, hidden in the box, taken rides in the box from daddy, etc.  Oh to be so easily entertained by a cardboard box!  As I write this post, she is again playing with the box, adding some more decoration to the inside and placing some choice toys inside it.

 Alora is changing so quickly!  She is becoming more alert and having longer wake times during the day.  Nights continue to be resytful for all of us as she consistently sleeps most, if not all of the night, waking only once if at all.  Once she is snuggled up in her swaddle and cuddled up in bed, she's out for the night.  While I know this could change at any time, we are so grateful for these weeks of rest beyond expectation.  Days are then spent eating more often, which I can surely deal with as opposed to nighttime waking :)  We are beginning to see some more expression as well from our little bundle of joy.  Nearly stretched out of one piece newborn clothes, we have discovered that I do need to do some clothes shopping for this girl as I have few 0-3 or 3 month sleepers that are not light weight, nor do I have many clothes in the smaller sizes that are not intended for warmer weather.  As Ezri wore them longer and was a month later than Alora, seasons are off and what do have is just not warm enough or not the right size for this time.

 Ezri continues to love on her little sister, with less times of her wanting the baby put down or in another room and more times of wanting to pick her up and hold her.  She again helped me give Alora a bath this week and chatters on about Alora being tiny and talking and so on.  We're so glad she has taken to Alora so easily and so well!

Tuesday of this week brought Valentine's Day.  While we've never really been into celebrating this holiday here, Ezri and I got busy making a card for Daddy while he was gone for the day to Fremont again.  Ezri spent a good hour and a half on and off throughout the day working on that card!  She especially loved adding stickers to it and probably put a sheet and half worth of stickers all over the card.  She also added her own special touches and artwork with crayon and colored pencil.  She was quite proud of that card :)

 When Daddy came home that night, he brought a card for Ezri and chocolates for Mommy.  Once Ezri had opened her card, she turned her full attention to that box of chocolates, claiming them for her own, opening it by herself and sitting by the open box gazing into it with hopes of a treat.  Of course I shared one with my little valentine :)  Quite the little candy lover, I do believe Ezri has inherited my sweet tooth.

We got a visit from Great Grandma on Wednesday afternoon and were able to share dinner with her along with the chaos of our home.  The remainder of the week we kept busy as usual chasing kids and trying to find time to get out of pajamas before dinner :)

Falling more in love with Alora and Ezri each day, the camera is rarely off :)  So, as we say goodbye to another week and find our baby nearly 3 weeks old already, we find a week ahead bringing us nearer to Ezri's 2nd birthday - next Sunday already!  Time is surely not enchanted here in our country castle, at least not in the manner of being slow, so we soak up the moments as best we can and thank God for these little blessings that make our lives so much fuller and more complete.

Best In The World!

We have had a week of recovery and rest here.  After Ezri's battle with the stomach virus late last week, Alex also got a visit from the virus to a lesser extent on Saturday night into Sunday and then I ended up not feeling well with a severe headachefor part of Sunday.  Aunt Becky got to meet Alora for a few moments on Saturday evening, before the second round of illness set in for us.  Fortunately and in answer to fervent prayer, Alora remained healthy and un-affected through it all!

Sunday afternoon, Alex and I were able to rest while Andy played with Ezri.  She was, as always, very excited for this time with Andy :)  She even got to go outside to play for a while as the weather has been so mild and snow free as of late.  After we got some rest, we were able to enjoy some time with our friends while we "watched" the Super Bowl.  As I had no idea who was even playing, I was in it for the commercials, which were pretty disappointing this year.  Towards the end, I missed more than I watched as I kept falling asleep :)  Oh well... it was nice to be able to spend time with Andy, Scott, Dawn, Kenny and again.

Monday, Ezri, Alora and I spent some time together adjusting to the new way of life around here while Alex got back into the swing of work.  Alora became more acquainted with the camera...

 Ezri has been handling the big sister role pretty well, all things considered.  She has her moments when she wants Alora to be put into the bouncy seat or swing so she can have full attention, but mostly she is helpful, wanting to pick Alora up and help if she is crying.  In preparation for Alora's arrival, I had purchased several small little gifts for Ezri in case of need for distraction.  We got out a couple of these gifts throughout this week when things got a little testy for Ezri.  One of those gifts was a pack of stickers which kept Ezri occupied for quite some time.  Even Tucker got to wear some of her stickers... whether he wanted to or not :)

Tucker has been so great with both girls.  Just as he was with Ezri, he has taken to protecting Alora and letting us know if she cries.  I often find him napping with her or curled up next to where she is currently laying or sitting.  He has been extra tolerant of Ezri as well as of late.

Alora remains an excellent sleeper.  Most nights she wakes only once, or not at all, for feedings.  This means more feedings during the day, but I will gladly embrace that!  She is affording us a lot of night time rest, which helps so much with the recovery process.  Outside of dealing with the random projectile vomiting, much like we did with Ezri, Alora has no troubles and is nearly always happy, rarely crying unless needing to be fed or wanting to be held.  A truly sweet baby!  Alora changes so much from day to day!  We are seeing more expression from her when she is awake and lots of smiles while she sleeps.  So irresistible to sit and watch!

I felt especially special this week when one morning, after Alex let Alora and I sleep in while he got Ezri up, I came down the stairs to hear her tell me I was the "best in world" :)  Alex commented to her that I was the best Mommy in the world for having re-filled her cereal container, and since that point, she has been talking about each of her family members and pets with this endearing statement.  It makes me melt every time!

Ezri has been pretty loving and learning to be more careful with Alora.  She has wanted to hold her a lot more as time goes on and loves giving her kisses.  She also likes to help me give Alora her bath :)  We're so glad she has this attitude instead of choosing to throw toys at her or something of the like...

One day Ezri decided she wanted to have Alora take her picture with the hat and the horse... this without my suggestion or guidance, she went and pulled out the blanket, hat and horse and made it clear what her intentions were... so we did!

Ezri has also been spending a lot of time playing with the baby toys that have made a re-appearance.  She is especially into the play mat and likes to lay on it playing with the toys.  She decided Alora should also lay on it with her this week.  I was a little hesitant as Ezri's sit still is not very functional, but she did really great when Alora was next to her :)

Thursday afternoon, Alora and I had our first outing together as we headed to the doctor for her almost 2 week checkup.  She is a sleeper on car rides (unlike Ezri).  At the doctor, all was well, as we expected.  She is growing better than expected, up to 9 pounds 15 ounces already!  Obviously she has no problems with nursing :)  While we were waiting for the doctor to come in and check her over, I caught one of those super sweet sleeping smiles and about melted into tears right there!

Our bedtime routine for Ezri includes reading books.  This week, Ezri shared this time with Alora one night.  While it was a bit of a handful, I thoroughly enjoyed cuddling up with both of my girls and sharing a book :)  Alora even seemed to be a little interested in the books herself!

We are absolutely loving life with two little girls in the house!  Less than two weeks old and I already cannot imagine our home or lives without little Alora in it.  We're all pretty attached to and in love with her!  We are feeling pretty well adjusted to our new life and loving it!

Blessed Beyond Measure

With much joy and excitement, we can Finally announce the birth of our new little one - a girl!  Alora Mae (aka Fig) Westrate was born on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 11:30 AM at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids.  She weighed 9 pounds 5 ounces and measured 23 1/2 inches long!  Sister Ezri was right in her declarations that the baby in Mommy's tummy was a sister :)

Born, like her sister, at 42 weeks exactly, we were so close to another induction after our visit to the Dr. Friday morning and a Non-Stress Test as things were beginning to get worrisome with baby taking so long to arrive on her own.  Apparently the serious threat of induction finally got Alora moving on her own.  Alex and I headed in to the hospital early Saturday morning (1 AM) after no sleep while my mom came to our house to stay with a sleeping Ezri.  We waited through the night and most of the morning to finally meet and discover who our little Fig was.

After Alora was born, we were able to have almost 2 hours of un-interrupted skin-to-skin time.  Then we had Alora weighed, measured and bathed and were shocked at her size :)  We then moved to a recovery room for a few hours where we started to receive some visitors.  Big Sister Ezri met her new little sister around 3:30 PM.  We had her come in first and alone to get in some family time and allow her a chance to meet baby without distraction.  She was curious, wanting to see Alora and kissing her.  Still not quite understanding the idea that Alora was now part of our family, she was happy to be near the baby, saying things like ,"Awww", "tiny baby" and doing a great job with saying "Alora".

Ezri was happy to hold the baby and pretty excited to do so, loving the chance to give kisses and hugs to her new baby sister, but only for a short time.  Once she was done, she was done right now and off to explore :)

Alora gave her a Big Sister gift, which Ezri just loved... a stuffed kitty :)  We tried to get a family picture, but by that point Ezri was ready to move on and explore, so we allowed the grandparents a chance to meet Alora for a time and then Ezri headed back home with Grandpa and Grandma until we were ready to get back home later that night.

We got visits from Aunt Kerri and Uncle Mike as well as our pastor and his wife.  Then Alex and I had some time to rest and enjoy little Alora while we waited to be discharged.  Our doctor agreed to send us home the same night so long as Mommy and Alora were doing well, which we were.  Daddy took the time to get to know his new little princess!

Around 8 PM on Saturday night, we dressed Alora in her new outfit and bundled her up to head home for some rest and to be with Ezri again.  It had snowed and become quite slippery during the day while we were at the hospital, so it was a cold trip from the hospital to the car, but thankfully, the roads were fairly clear for our ride home.

 Alora's first night home, she allowed us over 6 hours of un-interrupted sleep! Wanting to be warm and snuggled, she spent the first night in the swing rocking and swaddled for comfort. 

Sunday, Alora got to meet Andy as well as Great Grandma, Great Aunt Nancy and cousin Tara in addition to visiting with Grandpa, Grandma, Opa and Oma.  Alex and my dad took Alora back to the hospital in the morning to complete a test as we left before the 24 -36 hour time period it needed to be done in.  It had snowed and become quite icky on the roads.  Alora slept most of the time and was a trooper.  It was a busy day!

Monday we headed out yet again with Alora to go to the doctor so he could check her out.  All was well and we soon headed back home to rest.  My mom was able to come and stay with us all day Monday and Tuesday, half days Wednesday and Thursday, affording us all rest and Ezri a great play mate while this Mommy got some recovery time.  The hardest part was not being able to pick up and carry Ezri as she wanted a lot of Mommy time.  For the most part she was good about Alora, but at times she wanted the baby put back in the bouncy seat or in the other room...  Quite often when Alora cries, Ezri will alert one of us or try to comfort her by hugging and attempting to pick her up.

The highlight of Ezri's week were the balls Grandma brought down for her to play in.  For a day or so, they got kicked around the living room floor.  Then, Daddy blew up her swimming pool and we filled it up with balls, where Ezri spent lots of time jumping, swimming, etc. :)  Suddenly Alex is making plans for a ball bin for our basement ! :)

On Wednesday, Alora got her first bath, which she cried through as expected.  Ezri was right there helping, even giving her baby a bath when we were done with Alora :)

Our first week home together was a good one overall, with lots of time to just enjoy Alora and Ezri! Alora is a great sleeper, going 5-6 hour stretches, sometimes more and taking to feedings without a problem, nursing lika a pro already! We are so blessed with these treasures, overwhelmed by God's love and fully in love with both girls...  Daddy is loving his princess filled house, even if he is outnumbered.  Tucker is just as protective with Aloa as he was and is with Ezri, and Tobi doesn't really care...

Unfortunately, as our week ends, and the biggest reason our blog post is late, is that Ezri came down with a stomach virus late Thursday night that had us all (except Alora) awake the entire night with a very sick little girl that continued to vomit nearly every 20 minutes from 10:30 PM until almost 4 AM before stopping briefly and then resuming a few more times between then and 1PM Friday.  Thankfully, Alex's mom was able to be with us for the day to help with Ezri and Alora so we could try to get some sleep and work done while caring for our sick little girl.  Our biggest prayer now that Ezri has started to snap back is that Alora remains healthy and protected from this illness! 

We look ahead to a weekend of rest and recovery for Ezri and ourselves and continued health for Alora, Daddy and Mommy (hopefully).  Despite the rough spots, we are feeling so completely blessed and grateful for what God has done for us in this last week.  Difficult to believe that just a short week ago we were just getting ready to meet little Alora - oh how our lives have changed for the better since that first breath!