first and last

Alexis' first Halloween! We had a really fun weekend. Ryan, Alanna, John, and Marian came down. We had a lot of fun and Alexis got plenty of attention (as did Lacey--thanks Alanna!).

We went on many walks/runs--even the pups got tired out. Of course, there were also many Starbucks trips to satisfy the caffeine addictions.

On Saturday evening, Ryan, Alexis and I went over to the Moser's for an amazing dinner and pumpkin carving. John and Marian went to a Halloween party--can you guess who they were (answer is at the bottom of this post if you don't know :)?

On Halloween, Ryan, Alanna, and the Butlers came over for chili and cornbread. Alexis did not have a costume but had on Halloween colors--Ryan said she was a pumpkin ninja. Alanna worked hard to get Alexis to sleep! That night we did get quite a few trick-or-treaters (which is unusual for us--we even ran out of candy). Alex and Arlo weren't too sure about the whole Halloween experience! It was sad to see the last day of October to go...now winter begins.

Jerry Seinfeld and Elaine (puffy shirt)

back to school

John, Marian, Alexis, and I took a trip back to U of P (where we all went to school). We took a stroll around campus to see all the fall colors. It was a beautiful day!

little houdini

Alex will not go to sleep without being swaddled--tightly. Her arms constantly startle her as she moves them through the air ("Yikes! What are these?!"). We've tried blankets, swaddlers with velcro, etc. One of Ryan's coworkers, Whitney, taught him a special swaddle--that worked well. The problem was the I could never do it right--it only takes her 1-2 hours to get out of it when I do it where as it takes 6-8 hours for her to houdini her way out when Ryan does it. Then I found a swaddle blanket online that made swaddling easy--The Miracle Blanket. It has been great! She can not worm her way out and I can do it quickly in the middle of the night--yaaaaaaaah! Now we just can't wait for her to not need swaddling (cut down on the middle-of-the-night work!).

we've learned...

It is fun to see Alexis's personality start to come out. We have definitely learned a lot about her over the past 2 months. She has things that always make her happy and things she is sure she does not like (she is not shy about letting us know--takes after her dad that way :) We've learned Alexis:

• loves taking baths

• has a long tongue (like her mom)

• loves to cuddle (especially after a good meal)

• prefers to be awake rather than sleep

(but once she is asleep she does NOT like to wake up)

• loves to be on the move...in a stroller, our arms, a car, etc

• loves to eat (this should have been the first one listed)

• likes to stare at the black frames on our wall

• likes to hold conversations

• loves being worn and carried where ever mom and dad go

• likes white noise

(we have graduated from sleeping with the vacuum on to a fan--

much easier on mom and dad)

• has a favorite place--the changing table!

• is camera shy

• smiles when she is kissed by Lacey

alexis' 2 month well-check

Alexis turned 2 months yesterday. We had her 2 month well-check today and these are her stats:

Weight: 12 pounds 10 oz

Height: 23.5 in

Head: 15.5 in

Everything looked great. She was not happy about her vaccinations--she came home and slept the whole afternoon.

2 months!

Alex is 2 months old today! She seems to be settling into life outside the womb more--sleeping longer (a little), more playful, smiles a lot, easier to calm...She loves taking baths, getting her diaper changed, eating, cuddling, and moving! We've loved every minute of it so far (well almost :) Here are some highlights of her first weeks of life.

alexis quinn jacobson

It all started at midnight on 8/18/10. No later than 30 seconds after I tucked myself into the covers my water broke (however, I was not having contractions). We packed up our belongings and headed off to the hospital. The quick version of what happened next is as follows:

0100: check in at the hospital (luckily I was already 3 cm dilated)

0130-0800: walk, walk, walk--trying to get contractions started (unsuccessful)

0800: Pitocin started

1200: contractions really kick-in

1600: 5 cm dilated--epidural requested

1630: epidural placed

1645: 7 cm dilated

1730: Alex is on the way out--md is called

1800: md arrives--6 pushes

1812: Alexis is born!

Then there was 40 minutes of stitching! But during this time I got to hold and feed our baby girl. It was a truly amazing experience--holding her for the first time. Ryan and I couldn't have been happier--she was (is) perfect!

weight: 6 lb 14 oz

height: 20.5 in

head: 13.75 in