BLONDE AGAIN!! THANK YOU JOY!

I don't have a good picture yet...unless you check out the link to our family photo shoot (see post '3 weeks old')...but thanks to my awesome friend Joy--I am blonde again. I can actually count the number of times on one hand how many times I have highlighted/colored my hair (ok, I admit it, I was a snob and thought that was wanna-be blondes) but I think that it may actually become a habit now. (Yes, I am a fake blonde now!! AHHH!) I know, I know, I always said I would age gracefully but I am 25 years old and each time I have had a child, my hair gets darker and darker and well, gosh if feels good to be blonde again. :) And although I did not think it would make a great difference--it has. The old adage, Blonds have more fun, is definitely true--just ask my husband! ;) Ahh, thanks Joy!

3 Weeks Old

(WARNING: If these thoughts are not coherent, it is because I am delirious from a lack of sleep. But since everyone is wondering...)

Boy would I love to say that time has just flown by! But it hasn't really. We have been so busy the past few weeks that Eliza just seems like she's been here forever. Her first 3 weeks have already been more difficult than Xanders first 6 months as she caught a cold and has been miserable. There were lots of sleepless nights, nights on the coach sleeping with her on our chests so she could breath, a couple trips to the doctor & lots of worrying. It is finally going away now--just in time for daddy to go back to school. Despite the cold, she continues to eat about every 2 hours, round the clock. At her 2 week check-up she measured 9.5 lbs. She has grown soo much! As you can see from this picture--we're still learning how to use the headbands!!

Other than that, life is good. Xander still loves his sister--although he really hates in when she cries. If he doesn't yell "Eliza, happy!" he starts crying himself. I knew my son was tenderhearted but is that going too far?? Eliza is the most happy when she is being held or in the bath. Her first bath wasn't a great success but subsequent ones have been. She got to meet Grandma and Papa, who flew out here to help and she smiled at Nana on the webcam. We are all excited to be able to go home in March to see the rest of our loved ones!

And finally, on being a mom of 2? Well, I still don't know. Ben starts school today--so we'll see! :) If you'd like more pictures check out our family shots at: https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0652105737JCP (customer name: Brenda Webster)

Eliza Joy Webster

Eliza Joy joined our family this week on Sunday January 6, 2008 at 1:34 AM! She weighed in at 7lbs 14 oz and was 21.25 inches long.

Birth Story: Having decided not to have the doctor induce me, we did however ask that she stripe my membranes on Friday. Then on Saturday morning, just like I did with Xander, I took a dose of Castor Oil. After some random contractions, starting around 4pm, they were 5 minutes apart by 9:30pm. When we finally made it into hospital around 10:45 and I was checked, I was only a 3. The nurses decided to monitor me though because my contractions were not taking breaks--I would peak around 100, go to a 60 or 80 and then have another contractions at 100. Within 40 minutes I moved to a 4 and was being admitted. By the time they admitted me and moved me from triage I had gone from that 4 to a 7.5! (Good thing they didn't send me home or Ben would have delivered the baby!) And then at 1:34 AM, after only 2 1/2 pushes, Eliza was in my arms. It seemed very surreal as it all happened so fast. Once again, my husband supported me in having a 'natural' delivery and this time we didn't even use a narcotic--haha, there was no time to administer one. :) In fact, the nurse had to get some back-up to prepare the room quickly enough. And because I have tested positive for Group B Strep, I have to have an anti-biotic during delivery and well, because the contractions were so on top of each other, the nurse had a really hard time getting my vein and well, I have some nice bruises from her attempts. :)

Updates: At Eliza's 2 day appt she had already surpassed the 8lb mark--so she is doing fantastic! She eats every 2-3 hours. My recovery has been fantastic--I'm so glad Ben is still on winter break. I have to remind myself that I need to take it easy because I feel so great--maybe it's the fact that I lost a whole bunch of weight this weekend?

Anyways, we are completely enamored by the littlest angel in our family and are so thankful the Lord placed her in our arms.

PS. Here is the pic of baby Wendy that reminds us of Eliza so much: