Happy Fall 2012

Stationery card

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Bebe's Birthday - 3 years old at the Daly Mansion in Hamilton, Montana. July 14, 2012.

Photo taken by Daddy Paxson May 23, 2012 - Bebe's 1st Dance Recital

Oct 25, 2011 (Bebe's 1st Dance Studio)

The many faces of Bebe Paxson

Late Night Write

This past Christmas was the first we had together in our new home and with our new daughter! We miss my father terribly, I don't think I'll ever get over not having him here with us, but we definitely felt his spirit. Bebe was so much fun on Christmas and as cliche as this may sound, she truly is the greatest gift we have ever received for Christmas.

It's 230 in the morning and I'm going to make this brief... all my time since the day Bebe was born has been consumed by the wonderful time I am having with my daughter! The only time that I have the time to blog is around this time! I need my sleep, but this night, I chose to stay up to work on adding to the blog.

Real quick: Bebe's now 6 months and 10 days old and she's so much fun! Even moreso now than ever and I hear it only continues to get better and better! She's sitting up on her own, but we have to assist her, of course, into the sit-position. She's doing complete rollovers and we thought that she would have trouble getting over that beautifully chubby arm of hers, but we were wrong! She's right on target with all the milestones typical to that of her age thus far. She's been trying to walk when we have her in the stand position! She has always loved to stand, however, since I believe even within her first month!

Bebe weighs 26lbs and is close to 28 inches long! She is such a happy baby and is really teething now, too! She's been teething for awhile, but now it's more noticeable. She's drinking water, but to avoid water intoxication, we only give her a few ounces. She's not really downing it like she does the breastmilk, but I think she enjoys the coldness of the water and is able to grind on the bottle's nipple. Thank God she's not doing that to mine! But, I hear that it is most likely going to happen! Ouch!

She babbles alot and even says Mama and Dada, but I don't think she is identifying us as such and is more likely just practicing her sounds! She squeals alot, too, sometimes for joy, sometimes because she wants something or perhaps because her teeth are hurting her! She is going to other people more easily now, too. Before at 3 months, that was a challenge, but things have gotten better.

So much to share, but for now, I must go! I have church in the morning and a long day with Bebe.

Growing Up Too Fast

I have heard it so many times now - "They grow up so fast," and it's so true. Bebe is so big and is about to outgrow her carseat. Already, after 8 weeks of life, Bebe has grown up so fast. I know this sounds corny, and it could be the hormones, but it makes me cry. I think God should've made our childhood last longer, maybe even double its time, especially now that people are living well into their 80s now. I mean, think about it... adulthood is way longer than childhood, does that make any sense? :)

Bebe is really starting to make new sounds now. Instead of the sound of crying similar to what we heard when she came out of the womb, now it's shorter spurts of cries. Then there's the coo'g, of course. Thinking back on when we first brought her home, it definitely has gotten easier, just like everyone who's done this before said it would.


The Night Before Bebe's Birth Day
On the evening of July 13th, my water broke. Catherine, Mom-n-law, came on July 11th to help us and I definitely would not have been able to get through it all without her. Dr. Stubbs told us that we would have to have an emergency cesarian due to shoulder dystocia since Bebe's size was above average throughout the pregnancy. He scheduled it for July 14th. On the night before, I got everything packed and ready to go before laying down to sleep. It was after midnight when I laid next to Mike and turned on the light to read a little before dozing off. Not minutes later, I felt a "gush" and immediately thought, "My water broke!" I got up quickly and gasped as I ran for the bathroom. Mike woke up and asked me if I was ok. I told him, "I think my water broke!" I sat calmly on the toilet seat and showed Mike the "plug" that we're supposed to look for when a woman's water breaks. As I sat there, Mike walked over to Catherine's room and woke her up. She came in and calmly talked to me. We then called the doctor's office.

The nurse on the phone told us to go to the hospital. I must have gone back to the toilet three times because the water came out in spurts. We got into the 4-runner and I sat in the front seat, Mike drove, Catherine in the backseat. I had a pad on underneath me to catch the water and I even loaded it with a couple of hand towels. Half way there, it really started to come out and thankfully, although very soaked, the towels helped tremendously! We just couldn't believe that Dr. Stubbs guessed the right date of Bebe's arrival. Mike was driving so slow, Catherine commented on his driving because he slowed down at a yellow light in the middle of the night! Catherine was like, "Run that!" I wasn't in any pain, felt some contractions, but it was nothing really painful, so I told Mike not to worry. Dr. Stubbs even told us a long time ago that even though we lived in Lehigh, 45 minutes away from the hospital, it wouldn't be a problem.

We got to the hospital (Health Park of Ft. Myers) at about 230AM and at first, we weren't sure of where to go. Mom was nervous because she talked to Ethyl, Mike's grandmother (who's formerly a OBGYN Nurse and has delivered her fair share of babies!), and whatever Ethyl explained to her really had her worried. I signed us in and sat in a room. The nurse checked to see how dilated I was. It was about 3 cm, I think. She said that another doctor other than Dr. Stubbs would be delivering the baby. I wasn't happy to hear that at all because our scheduled appointment was at 730AM. I asked if there was any chance that we could wait until Stubbs was available. I already knew of women being in labor for hours, sometimes days, before actually having to push. I also knew that after one's water breaks, you have 24 hours to get the baby out or otherwise face the risk of infection to the baby. The nurse left, and when she came back, she said that they were going to move me to a room where I would wait until my scheduled time and Stubbs would be the doctor. I was happy to hear that. The nurse gave me something to slow down the contractions. I felt really relaxed.

I could see that Mike was really tired, he needs his sleep. We went from sleeping 8-10 hour nights and now, our lives would change forever, especially our sleep schedule. Looking back on that night, I remember it as if it was last night. I'll never forget it. Mike was so supportive and loving. He did everything he could for me. They moved me from the 'registration' room to another room where another nurse would attach my IV and draw blood for the Cord Blood Registry package. Yes, we signed up for CBR. After what we went through with my father and his neurological disorder, I told myself that I would store the cord blood for its stem cells. Speaking of my father, I thought about my Dad the entire time. Everything I went through, I reflected back and thought about what my father went through. I really, really miss him terribly. I still cry daily.

Well, that's it for now. I will try to pick up where I left off. I want to type this down somewhere so I can print it out and show it to my daughter. I love my life. I love my daughter. I love my husband. God has truly blessed us tremendously and I am so grateful. I don't take anything for granted and cherish every second I have with my family.