In May of 2006, we had our first baby. Anna.

She was tiny.

Now, in May of 2015, we have had what we know to be our last baby. Alexa.

She, too, is tiny. And I mean tiny.


Hi. I’m Alexa Joyce. One of the smallest humans on this planet.


Just like Anna, she was a five pounder. The nurses would come in and start freaking out over the cuteness of her miniature body. (I can understand that, because they are used to seeing her counterparts. Turns out a five pound baby looks a lot tinier than a nine pound baby. Weird.) 
She also looks tiny being held by a 9-year-old. To wit:
Nine years separate these two. And now our family is complete(ly full of little girls).

As was promised in a blessing years ago, the delivery was incredibly easy. As in, the doctor who delivered the baby actually remarked “this was the easiest delivery I’ve ever done.” There was a nursing student there witnessing her first birth, and everyone there was like “Uh, don’t get used to this. This is not what labor and delivery is usually like . . .” There was no duress. Lolly didn’t even have to push once. They put her in the stirrups, and suddenly, we were looking at a tiny human being. It was fast and  crazy and joy-filled and such a blessing. We all laughed with amazement and joy at her arrival, partly because it was so sudden and shocking.
Alternative Captions: 
“Mother and daughter meet for the first time”
or
Hi Mommy! I just came out of your vagina!” 
The nicknames have started in earnest. Here are just a few:
Alexithymia
Lexi J
Rexi
AJ
LJ
Lexapro
Lexicon
Rexburg
Lexus
Lexington
Lextation Specialist
(Nickname which will never ever ever ever be okay: Sexy Lexi)
Alexa is truly a joy. She is our first “easy” baby (though of course, no baby is easy). But she rarely cries, and she sleeps well, and is generally content. 
And she eats. A LOT.
Which makes me sad, because every ounce she gains is one less day to see her be this teeny, tiny, adorable version of herself:

 Can you get over that bow? I can’t.

We are so happy and are doing so well. 
And now I have to go get ready for work, because turns out, when you’re self-employed, you can’t take months off for paternity leave. Which was poor planning on my part. Because how can you leave this much cuteness behind every day?
In closing, here is a poem I wrote after Anna was born almost ten years ago. It couldn’t be more applicable to my life for the last couple of weeks.
Like I said: full circle.