"2 weeks old"...

Our sweet Ellison is 2 1/2 weeks old. It seems like she has been here forever, so it really is difficult to believe that it has only been 2 weeks. She has already brought so much joy to our family. So far, she is a laid back, docile little girl who is only fretful when she is tired or hungry, or has the hiccups!  Other than that, she is quite content. She is a champion eater and already weighs 10lbs 3oz!  She is a snuggler and cuddler, and LOVES being up on my shoulder with her head nuzzled under my neck. She also loves her big brother as much as he loves her. She has become so much more alert, and tonight she was following Elijah Brooks all around the room with her eyes. Her daytime naps are kind of all over the place right now, and she is still really sleepy during the day. Her nights are beginning to regulate some though, and she will usually go anywhere between 3 and 4 hour stretches between feedings (usually 3 1/2), but has pulled several 4 hour stretches recently. She always goes back to sleep immediately and that has been so nice. 

Elijah Brooks has far exceeded our expectations in how he would react to his little sister and having to share his Mommy and Daddy - but Mommy in particular. I honestly don't even have the words to describe how amazing he has done. He has not shown one second of jealousy towards her. God must have been preparing his heart to welcome Ellison into his life, because he has welcomed her with outstretched arms - literally!  I have fallen in love with him all over again just watching him interact with her. He is such a nurturer with a tender heart, and has such a genuine affection for her. I always find him sitting right beside her, talking to her, rubbing her head with his head, kissing her head, and comforting her if she is upset. He never leaves the house without telling her goodbye and never comes home without running up to her and saying how much he missed her while he was gone. I already think these two are going to have a special relationship and be the best of friends. 

Last night, I was nursing her before bed and had Elijah Brooks on the other side of me in the rocking chair. The tears just began to fall down my cheeks as I looked at her so peacefully nursing against my chest, and then I looked at him snuggled next to me rubbing her back, loving her so tenderly. I whispered a prayer of thanksgiving and humble gratitude to the Lord, who has blessed me far beyond what I deserve in giving me the privilege of being the mother of these two most precious children. 

"Introducing".....

ELLISON ANNE JOYE
Born Thursday January 5, 2012 at 12:56pm
8lbs 13oz and 21 1/2 inches long

Our sweet angel entered the world 1 week ago, and our lives are forever changed. I never dreamed I could love another child as much as I do Elijah Brooks, but Ellison has captured my heart, my mind, my soul, and my affections, and I am in love with her. God has given her to our family at just the perfect time. I could have never dreamed that she would enter the world at such a time as this, but God has blessed us in countless ways through her birth.  God has created something so beautiful in the midst of something very ugly like cancer, and He is already using our baby girl's life to bring healing, joy, and hope to our family. I feel so humbled and so blessed to be a part of this miracle.

Her birth story is quite different from her big brother's. They say that every pregnancy, delivery, and baby are different. While my pregnancies were almost identical, my labor and deliveries were far from similar. Elijah Brooks' entrance into the world was very difficult and long (36 hours), and my recovery was extremely difficult. By God's amazing grace (and we prayed hard), Ellison's delivery was quite smooth and so far my recovery has been too (with the exception of my tendonitis having flared back up already and I am back in the braces I had to wear with Elijah Brooks).

I was induced exactly 1 week before my due date, 39 weeks on the dot. It has been determined that Ellison was growing quickly and my doctor was concerned about letting me go to 40 weeks because of her size. As it turned out, he was exactly right, as she was 8lbs 13oz at 39 weeks!  I was very anxious the night before my induction simply because of my experience with Elijah Brooks. We prayed so hard about all of the details of my delivery and God was in every, single detail. It was so apparent that He was in the room with us, guiding every doctor and nurse and every decision.  After not sleeping the night before due to anxiety, my parents arrived at our house at 4:45am and Jay and I left for the hospital at 5:00am. When we arrived on the labor/delivery floor, I discovered that my 1st nurse was actually the mom of a little girl that Elijah Brooks takes gymnastics with!  That made me feel very comfortable, knowing that we would be in good hands. She was only with me for about 2 hours until she went off shift. Since I went in already dilated 3cm, I didn't have to wait too long to get my epidural. I waited for about 2 hours or so, so it wasn't too bad. Definitely better than waiting 24 hours like last time! I did have a pretty significant drop in blood pressure about half and hour after my epidural so I felt pretty bad for a few minutes, but the nurse gave me something in my IV and within minutes my blood pressure was rising and I was feeling better. My water broke about 10:30am and I just had to wait at that point. I was so thankful to the Lord that all of my family was able to be with me, as they were supposed to be in Houston for my sister's big CT scan and chemotherapy. But, her appointments by God's grace has been postponed due to doctor's schedules so they were all able to be with me. We had prayed specifically for that detail, and God answered our prayers and it was so wonderful. Elliot wanted more than anything in the world not to miss her birth, and God was so gracious in allowing her to be there.  My doctor came up to check on me sometime shortly thereafter and he said a prayer with us. My doctor, 2 nurses, Mom and sister all gathered around my bed, held hands, and he prayed over us. By the time the prayer was over, every one of us was crying. It was such a beautiful time and something I will remember forever. He also opened up with us and shared with us about how his very own daughter had cancer when she was a toddler and how he too had to walk a really difficult road like we are. God was surely in our midst that morning. I was checked about 11:30am and was at 5cm so the doctor said I had several hours most likely before Ellison would be born.  I told Jay a few minutes later to go ahead on to lunch and that I would be fine by myself. So, I was left alone to rest. About 12:00, I begin having pretty big pains and was noticing that I was breathing through every contraction alone - even with an epidural. I begin to get alittle nervous, thinking my epidural had slipped out and knowing I was only at 5cm and had a long way to go.  I breathed through contractions alone for 30 minutes before deciding to call the nurse and see what was going on. Jay was still at lunch!  The nurse came in about 12:40 and checked me and said, "Well, it makes sense why you are hurting so bad. We're having a baby NOW"!!  I was shocked that I had transitioned so quickly. Before I realized it, they were breaking down the bed and paging the doctor and I keep saying, "Get Jay"!  One of my 2 nurses was actually the girl who is out youth intern at church. She is a labor and delivery nurse and really wanted to be a part of the birth if we were comfortable with that. I was more than fine with that because I knew I would have someone watching the monitors very closely and not let anything happen to either of us.  She called Jay on his cell phone and said, "Jay, you need to get back in here NOW, the baby is coming"!  My doctor told the nurse that he had 3 stitches to put in his patient who was in surgery and he would be right up, and told me not to push until he got there!  At 12:50, my doctor and Jay came flying in the room, both winded, but smiling huge. I was so thankful that they both got there in time.  I pushed 2 big pushes and 2 tiny pushes, and my sweet Ellison Anne was ushered safely into our arms.  It all happened so fast, it almost seems surreal. From the time I started pushing to the time she was born, it was a total of 6 minutes.  She entered the world screaming, which was exactly what we all wanted to hear. She was perfect, and so unbelievably beautiful. She was immediately placed on me and I sobbed and marveled at God's goodness and His grace to us once again.  What a privilege to bring a child into the world. It is truly one of God's greatest gifts and miracles. 

Introducing, Ellison Anne Joye

Night before induction having dinner at Outback

Leaving for the hospital at 5:00am

ELLISON ANNE JOYE'S first picture!

Mommy's 1st embrace

This is how Elijah Brooks likes to watch his show in the mornings!

He truly loves her. I award him the "best big brother of the year" award. He has not shown one minute of jealousy towards her. He is my biggest helper and servant (besides Jay of course)!