Audrey Grace

Tuesday afternoon my sister and her husband welcomed their first baby into the world! I still remember when they came over to our house at the beginning of January to tell us they were expecting and now she's here! Having my sister be pregnant and having a baby feels like I get to enjoy the perks of a baby without all the work! :) Julie went to the hospital over the weekend before Audrey came because her blood pressure was high. On Monday when she went for her doctor's appointment her fluid level was getting a little low so that in combination with her blood pressure made the doctor HIGHLY recommend her getting induced. That made Tuesday a really fun day for me! It was our first MOPS meeting that morning and then after Ryan got home from work and Karys got out of school we headed to Dallas to meet our new niece/cousin. We got to the hospital about an hour after Audrey was born. When we got into the room my parents were there as well as Michel's parents. Audrey is Michel's parents' first grandchild and the first girl for their family. I only got to hold her for a couple of minutes that evening because she had to be taken to the nursery for all that newborn testing, etc. It was okay though, because we knew we'd come back for the weekend. We ended up leaving the hospital about 8:50 and headed back home so that Ryan could go to work the next day and Karys could go to school! It was about 11:00 when we got home...thankfully everyone woke up in good moods the next day!

Me and Audrey in the hospital

The cousins in the hospital

Friday after Ryan got home from work and Karys got out of school we headed back to Dallas for the weekend. I had asked my sister if it would be okay for me to come to their house for the evening by myself. I really wanted some quality Audrey time by myself. I told her that if she and Michel wanted to go out to dinner or something I could stay at their house with Audrey. Later that day she asked me if (instead of me doing that for them) I'd be willing to stay at their house overnight to help with Audrey so she and Michel could get some sleep. After getting the okay from Ryan I told her I'd definitely be okay with that! They were just so sleep-deprived after being at the hospital 3 nights and then having their first night at home with a newborn who didn't want to be put down! I know all about that after having Zane who refused to sleep if I wasn't holding him for his first few nights at home. So Friday night Audrey and I settled in on the couch for the night. She did so well! My sister got up at 1 and fed her and then I gave her a bottle at 4 and Julie got up and fed her again at 7. But in between those feedings she just slept on my arm like a champ!

The girl cousins :)

Zane giving Audrey a kiss :)

On Saturday my parents, Ryan, and the kids came over to their house. We had lunch together and then Ryan, Dad, Michel, and the kids went swimming at the pool in their neighborhood. I had asked Julie beforehand if their pool was still open because I knew that Karys and Zane would get bored being at their house without much to do. Plus I didn't want them to spend their whole time at my sister's house getting in trouble for things they really didn't understand. Especially Zane with things like being gentle, being quiet, etc. Then after getting the okay from Ryan again, I offered to stay at their house again Saturday night and help out. Julie and Michel said if I was offering they wouldn't say no! :) For that night I decided to sleep in their queen sized guest bed to give me a little more room to sleep. It also gave me the chance to try some things out with Audrey. We started out with her sleeping on my arm like we'd done on the couch. Then sometime in the night she started getting a little wiggly so I tried taking my arm out from under her and letting her lay on the bed beside me and she totally did it! My sister went to bed around 9:20 but unfortunately Audrey got hungry soon after so my sister had to spend from 9:45-10:15 feeding her. Afterward Julie was emotionally and physically exhausted so I took over and told Julie that Audrey would be fine and for her to go to sleep. Unfortunately, Audrey was extra hungry at that time and when I tried to go to bed with her she was not having it! So in order to help my sister get a little extra rest I made the executive decision to give her a bottle. Once she got about an additional ounce in her she was good to go and fell right to sleep. My sister said she didn't want her to go longer than 4 hours without eating so I set a timer on my phone. Around 2:00 she started stirring so I decided to go ahead and give her a bottle before she got too upset and hungry. I left her on the bed while I went and made the bottle and got the TV on. :) We got back to bed at 2:40 or so and I set another timer so I could take her to my sister when it was time. Around 5:00 I woke up to her stirring around again and then she pooped! I knew I couldn't leave her like that for an hour but I was really hoping she'd make it until 6:00 (for a feeding) for my sister's sake. I decided to get up and change her and hope for the best. I changed her and she didn't even wake up!! So back to the bed we went. A couple of minutes before my timer went off my sister came into the room and said she was going to take her to feed her. I showed Julie how Audrey was just laying on the bed beside me without being held which excited us both! So Julie took her out and I went back to sleep until 9:15. :)

I was really glad to be able to spend this time with my sister and enjoy some bonding time with my niece. It's funny how when you don't have a newborn anymore you really treasure the time you get to spend with one more than you do when you have one! Mostly because when you don't have one you're not as sleep-deprived! :)

Me and Audrey :)