Alexa Louise

It's been a week now that our hearts have doubled in size!  On Monday morning at 2:25am we welcomed our sweet girl, Alexa.  Everyone told me that the 2nd baby always comes faster, but I guess I didn't think she would ever come as fast as she did!!!!  I had a 32 hour labor (induction) with Quinn so I was thinking maybe several hours of labor in the hospital, not several minutes!

Friday night I started having contractions that were timed out pretty consistently.  After 3 hours, they went away.  Same thing happened Saturday night and again Sunday afternoon.  They progressively got worse on Sunday afternoon, so Tony & I decided to go in and see where I was progressing to, only to be sent home 2 hours later. We had a typical night at home, I went to bed at 8pm that night (thankfully) only to wake with very intense contractions at 12:15am.  I waited an hour or so and when it was unbearable we decided to head to the hospital.  Thankfully it was 1:15am and traffic was slim to none.  We ran every red light on the way to the hospital.  I was proud of Tony for breaking the rules.  He had no choice, but still.  Earlier that day when we went to the hospital it took us about 45 minutes to get there when it should take about 20-25.  It was Golden Week in Japan which is a week that they celebrate children with tons of events.  Traffic was horrible.  So again, SO glad I went into labor when I did!  We finally arrived to the hospital with a wheel chair waiting at 1:40am, 45 minutes later we were holding Alexa in our arms!!!  My doctor was great, although I had no idea who she was.  There were so many nurses doing so many things to prep me that I didn't even know who the doctor was until I asked.  They had to use the vacuum on Lex since her heart rate and oxygen were dropping fairly fast.  Poor girl had quite the bruise the first few days, but it's cleared up now.

Things at home have been going pretty well.  Quinn was great the first few days, but now has been having some behavior issues we'd rather do without.  I think it's a cumulation of everything going on. I stay patient and just pray it's a short phase ;)  Overall, she's a great big sis.  She's very gentle with Alexa and takes her anger out on her dad.  Rather that I guess :)

We are set to leave island in just 25 more days.  I can't believe it.

Here are a few pictures of our girls!

7lbs 7oz & 20inches of sweetness!

VISITORS! 

Jen and her son, Lukas

 Avi & Alexa.  

This was the view from our room.  It was SO peaceful.  Even in the thick of things, it was so pleasant to look out the huge window and see this view.  My aunt Mary told me how much she enjoyed having her daughter Kelsey in the wee hours of the night and now I know why.  It was cozy. After having Alexa, there was something so special about knowing everyone else in the city was sleeping and we just had our baby girl.  The lights were dim, the sound of Lex breathing, and just having that over with was a feeling I'll never forget.  

Heading home!

10 Things We Love About You

Although I prefer not to pause my pregnancy right now at 38 weeks, I do wish I could press "pause" on Quinn!  Each day I tell myself that I never want to forget this or that, so what better way than to write about it!

10.  She is stubborn.  She doesn't want us to help her hold the racquet correctly, hold her hand when she jumps off something, or hold the bat the right way.  "NO! ME!" is a typical response.

9.  "MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA MAMA" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY" all. day. long.  98% of the time I love it because I've always dreamt of being a mom and hearing those exact words, but there's that 2% when I just want to scream and say "WHAT DO YOU WANT CHILD!!!!!".

8.  Full of "saw-yee" for sorry.  She will try to scare us with her lion imitation and before we can even react she will say "Oh, saw-yee, saw-yee" as if she didn't even want us to be scared.  It's probably my favorite thing right now.

7.  Nighttime.  Each night after laying her in bed she'll grab her "nigh-y" (blanket) and say "das you mama/daddy" as if she was thanking us for all of our hard work we did with her that day.  I'll take what I can get!

6.  She's a lazy eater.  I admit, if there isn't a show on the TV, there is food on the floor.  If there is a show on the TV, she wants us to feed her most of her meal.  I try to ignore her as much as I can and simply keep reminding her to eat, but she finds me wherever I am in the room and reaches out with her fork or spoon so I come over and help her.  Lazy, lazy, lazy.

5.  LOVES TO RUN.  Need I say more?  Mom and Dad are pretty happy about this :)  The last couple weekends we've actually gone for a jog outside and put her new running shoes on.  She thinks she's pretty cool, but so do we ;)

4.  Hats, barretts, pony tails.  Who would have ever thought she'd like these things!

3.  Tic-Tac's.  About 3 weeks ago my back was killing me.  It was to the point I couldn't go outside with Quinn without another adult because I couldn't keep up with her.  So when I had to go to the store or wherever, I started giving her a tic-tac.  She did exactly what I would tell her and it was a life-saver!

2.  "Paxy".  Her best bud, Paxton always seems to be on Quinn's mind.  She has started to call all of her friends, "Paxy".  It happens after breakfast and immediately after her nap.  Love that she loves her friends - and we will sure miss all of them!

1.  She's scared of planes all of a sudden.  We hear the slightest sound of a plane and she runs to us so scared.  I think she's just in the phase of acting scared and likes to see our reaction.  Granted, some of the planes around here are startling to me and I plug my own ears.. so when those go by I for sure grab her and put my hands over her ears!  But most of the time she's just being a little bit of a wimp looking for some attention ;)

36 weeks and then some..

WHAT A MONTH!

We have been super busy the last few weeks!  I won't bore you with all the details, but here's a rundown.  We closed on our Decorah house last Thursday, we bought a house in Temecula, California and close on that next Tuesday, I'm 36 weeks with our baby girl today, Quinn is a talking machine who is a whole lot of work and the same amount of fun, Tony has his big inspection at work the next 2 weeks that he has been preparing for A LOT the last month, we have been approved to leave island June 4th, scheduling movers to come mid May, and the list goes on!  Luckily I have been able to sleep at night for the most part despite all that has to be done and planned for.  Sometimes the more you have, the more you just throw your hands up and trust that it will all get done.  It has to, right?

We are so excited about our place in California. It's on a quiet street with a nice backyard for the girls with parks nearby, running trails - and my favorite?  It's one story!  I'm looking forward to carrying laundry across the house, not up the stairs :)

Tony is very excited to start our Iowa house project when we get back in June!  He has warned me how much he will be there during the month we are home.  I will be forcing him to stop working some afternoons I'm sure!  The more we get done the better though, so we will use our time wisely!  In the meantime, I am thinking of what colors to paint, cabinets, etc.  All the fun stuff.  Won't be for awhile until we do the floors, cabinets, but hopefully we can get the outside painted while the weather is nice!

Quinn is 21 months now and has quite the little personality.  She is all about running these days ("wun") and demands that her new running shoes are on for awhile before she goes to bed and when right when she wakes. She does laps around the couch and we are not complaining!  Her favorite foods continue to be noodles and sauce, cheese, hummus, blueberries, strawberries, and finally coming around to bananas.  What kid won't eat bananas!!!??  She isn't a big vegetable eater, but she will do peas and cucumbers without a fight.  Still won't eat meat which is driving me bonkers...
She likes to help me at the grocery store to the point that it's REALLY nice when I don't have to take her.  Her idea of helping isn't quite the same as mine :)  She refuses to sit in the cart, but insists on riding ON the cart.  So I am that mom (when it's crowded) that has a very unhappy toddler strapped and trapped in the seat.  :)

We go to the beach or park daily and she always seems to meet a new friend to play with.  I've realized she's pretty shy around a group of kids, but when it's a few, she loves the attention and is very sweet to them.  Yesterday we went to the park with my good friend, Jen and her boys Lukas (8) and Nolan (20 months). Quinn adooorrrres Lukas.  He is so sweet to her and treats her like she is 6, which of course Quinn eats up.  Anyways, Yesterday I asked Quinn if I could have a sip of her water (that Lukas kindly bought her from the infamous Okinawa vending machine) and she looked at me and said "NO, ME" with a scowl.  Lukas piped in and said "Hey, Quinn - can your mama have a drink?" and without any hesitation she looked at me, handed me the water.  CAN HE LIVE WITH ME PLEASE!!! :) 

Her new friend we see at the park often.  This girl could be a GAP baby model!

Lately Quinn has been leading me to her friend Nolan's house.  Hey, when a girl wants her friends - she WANTS her friends!

My good friend, Natalie and Quinn

Quinn + Lukas

Quinn + Gabriel

"Here's how you eat a donut, Quinn"

As for me - I am doing well and very much ready for this sweet girl to make her appearance.  We've been so busy with everything I feel like I haven't had the proper time to think of her and connect like I did with Quinn.  Guess that's how it is when you're chasing a toddler around all day!  All is in place for Quinn's care when Tony and I head to the hospital.  Bags are packed.  Car seat is in tact.  I am ready.

Happy SPRING to all of you!
We will be in Decorah June 8 - July 15 or so.  Come visit :)

What's Up With Us!

Spring is almost here and we couldn't be more excited!  The weeks are flying by and soon enough we will meet our sweet little girl.  Yesterday I was 30 weeks and still feeling pretty good!  I have crazy indigestion that is far from comfortable, but overall things are great.  I have been craving a Chipotle wrap for quite some time now.  I don't love Japanese food, so not being near a Chipotle or Panera type place for 2 pregnancies has been rough.  Tony and I thought we had a name picked out for the little peanut, but I've changed my mind. (Sorry, Tony!)  Hopefully in the next 10 weeks we can agree on something ;)

Tony has been very busy at work lately.  Thankfully he is home on the weekends and has nothing on the calendar that would require him to travel.  Although I text him every night asking when he's coming home, I am very thankful he comes home every night!  He puts up with my annoying texts daily :)  He has a big inspection April 15th right before the baby comes and once that inspection is over, things will be quiet for him.  MUCH deserved.  He'll have 10-14 days off for paternal leave and then we will be packing things up, rushing that passport for the baby, and leaving island!

We have our official orders in hand and will be moving to SoCal.  We are looking for houses online now and if something comes up we love, we will buy from here and hope the closing date lines up somewhat with our arrival back home.  All part of the game.  Speaking of houses, we have exciting news to share!  We bought a very small home back in Decorah last month!  It is a complete gut that Tony is so excited about!  His parents will be helping a lot with it and we are incredibly grateful.  We are heading back to Iowa after Okinawa for about a month so we can work on it!  It'll be a fun vacation home for us when we fly back to visit family.  It's close to the bike trails and downtown.  In fact, walking distance to a few of our favorite bar/restaurants.  We are in no hurry to get it renovated, but once we do we plan to rent it out, as well.  Hopefully by next Spring! 

Quinn is growing up very fast.  She has new words everyday and continuously makes me smile, throw my hands up in the air, and challenges me in new ways all day long!  I wouldn't want it any other way.  The one word she won't really say (or can't yet) is "mommy" or "mama"  She does say "ma" but when I ask her to say it, she will say "monkey".  No Quinn, my name isn't monkey.  

She is full of energy and her 2's are beginning to shine (lets stay positive shall we?) through.  She is taking a gymnastics class that is pretty fun for her.  Learning to do cartwheels, somersaults, hanging, balancing, climbing, etc.  All right up her alley.  I've been pretty impressed with how much she can stay focused in the class, but they are constantly doing something different which helps a lot.  We go once a week for 45 minutes.  Her favorite person these days is my friend Natalie.  When Natalie is around, she could care less where I am!  It's pretty cute.  I need a picture of them together!

In case you all were wondering, here's the countdown ;)

68 days until baby girl brown is due

106 days until we leave island.

Ma 'n Pa in Okinawa

Well, I think I can finally start to write this post without crying!  My mom and dad made the long trip out to Okinawa beginning of January and we had such a great time.  Before I start in on all our fun endeavors, I have to say they were A+ travelers.  My sister and I were quite worried about mom traveling this far, sitting that long, and not getting normal sleep.  Turns out, dad was the one we should have worried about!  Although he was fine, but required a long nap the first 3 days he was here, mom didn't even take one!  She had NO jet lag whatsoever.  I know, I couldn't believe it either.  All-star traveler.

I picked them up from the airport on Thursday night Jan 6th.  I left the house incredibly early (Tony thought I was nuts) but I was pacing in the house and couldn't stand waiting anymore.  I would rather wait at the airport!  I didn't sleep the night before in anticipation for their arrival and always wondering where they were on their flight at that moment...so I was a bit tired on Thursday before picking them up, but realized i wasn't the one that should be complaining!  They were the 1st ones off the plane and the 1st ones to the door.  I forgot that they didn't check any bags coming (highly recommend by the way) so when they poked their heads through the door, I was so shocked!  They looked pretty darn good for traveling 26 hours at that point.  And we still had 40mns to go for the drive back to my house.  Tony was waiting for us back home since Quinn was sleeping and of course we all had to have a drink when we got home at 10:45pm!  :)

Can't even explain how happy I was at this moment.

It was pretty tough for both mom and dad to go to bed and not see Quinn!  But it sure made for a very special morning when they did see her.  Quinn wasn't too sure right away what was going on, but it didn't take long for her to remember Grandma, especially from FaceTime and Grandpa who came to visit just 6 months prior.  I'm not sure how to post videos yet, but I have a pretty good one of Quinn's reaction to them coming down the stairs.  Here are a few pictures that don't really do it justice, but it was a cool moment for all of us :)

Waiting for them to come downstairs

Still a little unsure/shocked... 

We had perfect weather that first weekend, but then it turned gray, cold (relatively speaking), and a little rainy here and there.  It didn't stop us from getting outside and seeing all that I wanted them to see!  Tony worked the first day they were here, so while Quinn napped, mom and I went out to explore my old neighborhood in Yomitan a little bit.  She was happy to see where we lived for the first year and half while in Okinawa- and nice for her to put a picture to all the stories I've told her the last couple of years!  

Morning breakfast with Gramps

Cute coffee shop with mom!  Love these mugs!

A chapel near our old house.  Overlooks the ocean.

Every night after Quinn went to bed, the 4 of us played cards.  We had our routine down pretty good! Quinn goes to bed, cards are dealt, snacks and drinks are poured, clean up, go to bed.  We were all in bed before 10pm each night which was kind of funny :)  Tony and Dad were able to play a lot of tennis while Mom and I did some shopping!  We went out to eat a few times which, of course, meant we took them to Minami Sushi.  Best sushi on island!  My sister and her husband, Chris went with us when they visited December 2013.  They loved it, too!

All in all we had a fantastic week and I so enjoyed a break from motherhood.  Quinn was all about Grandma and although she loved playing with Grandpa, she didn't necessarily like when he would hold her for too long ;).  I am so grateful that they came and will always remember the special week we had!  It was pretty tough taking them back to the airport, but knowing we only had 4.5 months left until we were back in the USA for good ... that helped.  Here are a few more pictures from our week.

Yup, that's Grandma going down the slide.  Probably one of my favorite moments of the week :0)

Quinn clapping for Grandma

My mom had a fun idea to have a beer tasting one night.  Wish I could have participated!  We drove down to the family mart (convenience store) and bought all sorts of single japanese beers that we had no clue what to expect.  It was fun to see all their reactions to the different beers!

At Minami

At the banana stand.  Quinn loves to help pick out some fruit to buy :)

This would be our lovely "yard".  We can't WAIT to get some grass at our next place.  

At Pottery Village

THANKS FOR COMING TO VISIT US GRAMMY & GRAMPS!  WE LOVE YOU!