Born at the Gatineau Hospital at 2:07 a.m., weighing seven pounds and two ounces, Lexi-Anne Helmer is the newest daughter of Quyon-native Tyler Helmer and his wife Fanie and they couldn’t be more excited.

According to Tyler, Lexi-Anne’s birth has brought him a sense of unmatched jubilation, noting that he couldn’t get any happier in life.

“My adrenaline is still pumping right now,” Tyler said.

For Fanie, Lexi-Anne’s birth came as pleasant surprise since she was initially due on Jan. 17.

Nonetheless, she was thrilled to be able to hold her new child and see her five-year-old son Mayson become a big brother.

“It was actually a shock,” she said. “She wanted to be out. She wanted to be there for the New Year.”

Fortunately, the labour process was relatively quick and it didn’t hurt that the couple live less than a kilometer from the hospital, Fanie said.

“It was pretty convenient because honest to God, I think if we would’ve been in Quyon, I wouldn’t have made it,” she said.

They arrived at the hospital at midnight, got admitted right away and by 1:50 a.m., Fanie started to push. By 2:07 a.m. little Lexi-Anne was welcomed to the world.

“It was a pretty easy labour,” she said. “She wanted to be out. She was pretty quick and easy. Labour with Mayson was less painful, but a little longer.”

After spending just over 24 hours at the hospital, Fanie, Tyler and Lexi-Anne finally went home where they were congratulated by scores of visitors.

Fanie explained that she and Tyler picked the name Lexi-Anne because of a connection to her now-godmother, noting that it’s a combination of names that she’s had in mind for quite some time.

“When I was pregnant with Mayson, we had the name Lexi in mind,” she said. “My 16-year-old niece’s name is Carrie-Anne and she’s the only girl on my side of the family. She’s now Lexi’s godmother. So, when I got pregnant again, we wanted Lexi, but we wanted a composed name, so I thought, ‘Oh well, Lexi-Anne like Carrie-Anne’.”

Fanie explained that since Mayson is on the autism spectrum, it wasn’t easy, at first, to explain to him that he was going to have a little sister around the house.

But now, that the thought has become reality, little Mayson couldn’t be more excited to take care of his baby sibling, Fanie said.

“We got him really more involved with the pregnancy and all that for him to feel really part of it because it was really important,” she said. “From the moment he’s seen his sister he’s been in love.”

“He wants to help with his sister, be there and touch her,” she added. “He tells her he loves her all the time and he’s so amazed by the fact the she’s so small. She’s the size of a doll. He looks at her and, in his eyes, you see the stars. He’s so amazed.”

For Fanie, the birth of her second child provided a feeling of ultimate joy and satisfaction, noting that her family is now complete.

While life with a second child will require some form of adjustment, she noted that they’ll do their best to enjoy every day one moment at a time.

“Just seeing both of them together, it’s just the best feeling on earth,” she said. “We’re a pretty easy-going family. Our son’s condition really makes us live day by day. We are just looking forward to having a nice new year with new adventures with Lexi and we’ll see how everything goes.”

Moving forward, Tyler said he plans on saving money to support his family and eventually move into a house in the country. Now with a secure job, a loving wife and two young children, he said his main focus is taking care of them above all else.

“I’m there to support them 100 per cent,” he said.

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