Settling into a routine

Ava and I have been getting into a bit of a routine now during the week. It's not exactly a schedule, but I do have an idea of how our day is going to go, when she will eat, nap, and play. I am a very routine type of person so it is nice getting Ava on board early!

I usually feed Ava last around 9, then we swaddle her, James reads to get, we rock her, and put her down to sleep for the night. She sleeps anywhere from 6 to 8 hours, then wakes up, eats, and goes down for her morning nap. This first nap she sleeps 3-4 hours usually. The rest of our day is filled with feeding, a bit of play, and naps. She eats about every 3-4 hours during the day. And we repeat the next day!

Ava seems to be growing every day! It really is amazing. It seems to be the concensus that she is starting to look more and more like her daddy every day! And I think she is going to get her daddy's length too! I put away all her newborn clothes last weekend because she is too long for evetything! We go for her 2 month check up next week and I can't wait to see how she has grown!

Ava still HATES taking bathes! We think she knows when it is bath time- she starts screaming even before getting into the tub! But I'm sure she will love it one day! Ava loves sitting in our laps or in her rocking chair and looking around! She turns her head toward light or toward people talking. She is starting to jabber a little bit too, especially when she's on her changing table and you're talking to her. You can just tell that she is taking everything in and noticing more every day! It is amazing to see her learning already!

And now here are some pictures from the last week or so! Enjoy and check back in next week for her updated stats!

Taking a nap in her rocker

Giving Mommy the stink eye...  She's really good at it!

Sitting up in her rocking chair in her bedroom

Looking pretty in blue!  There will be lots more blue clothing in her future;)

Hanging out with Granddad!  Granddad and Nana came for a nice weekend visit!

Ava's first time sitting up in the big girl's stroller!  She loved it! 

Father's Day

Yesterday was James's first father's day as a father! As many of you know I like to try to be crafty every now and then. So for James's first father's day, of course I had to turn to pinterest to see what I could come up with that would be cheap and easy! I ended up doing a photo shoot with Ava holding the letters D-A-D and put them in a 3 photo picture frame. Then on father's day me, James, Ava, and Toby each put a painted handprint on on photo mat and I had a picture of us to put in the frame once it dried! They turned out awesome and super cheap! I cooked some special food for James for lunch and supper. He spent time with his girl and even got to take a nap! I think first father's day was a success!

While it was a wonderful day for James, father's day was also bittersweet. James's dad, Mike, passed away a year ago last Friday. Mike was a wonderful and loving father, and I know he is looking down on James with such pride at the man and father he is becoming. I know James misses his dad terribly, especially in this new season of life as a father. But he carries on Mike's memory each day by being an amazing and loving husband and father.



James and Mike



I am so thankful for all of the paternal influences that have been in my life, James's life, and now in Ava's life. I was blessed with a wonderful father and step-father who have both always been there for me my entire life and now love my daughter dearly! I have also been fortunate to have amazing grandfathers who have headed our families with love and support. James also had a wonderful father and step-father who loved and always supported him. And while they have both passed away, I know their spirit remains in James and I see it everyday as he is with Ava.

Me, Bill and my Dad on my wedding day

A loving and Godly father is something that I know I have taken for granted in my life. But now that I have a child to raise, I am so fortunate that Ava has just that in her own father and am so proud of my husband and the amazing father he is becoming! Ava and I love you James! I could not ask for a better partner to go through parenthood with!

And now, what you all are here for... more cute pictures of Ava! Enjoy!

1 month down!

Our first month as a family of 4 (including our dog Toby- you know, the first child...) went relatively smoothly.  We all kind of settled into a routine Ava's routine and it really felt very natural, like Ava had always been there.  James and I have commented that it's already hard to remember life without her.  Here's a brief recap of Ava's first month.

When we left the hospital Ava weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces, but we knew newborns lost some weight in the first couple days.  She also was a little jaundiced.  We went to the doctor the day after we left the hospital to have a weight check, check her bilirubin, and see how the nursing was going.  At that check she had not lost any more weight!  Yay!  But because she was under 6 pounds they wanted her back in 2 days for another check and another bilirubin blood draw.  When we returned she weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and her bilirubin was steady.  Because she was making progress we didn't have to come back for another week, which would be her 2 week check-up.  At that time they wanted to see her back up to her birth weight.  And she exceeded it!  She weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces!  Big girl!  And we got the ok to just come back for her one month check-up. 

James had taken 2 weeks off from work to be with me and Ava and to help us all adjust to life with a newborn.  And I honestly don't know what I would have done without him!  Even though I had to do all of the feedings, it was just nice to have another set of hands to change her, help clean the house, rock her if she gets fussy, or watch her while I took a nap.  After he went back to work my mom came down for several days to help us with this new adjustment.  Then Ava and I were on our own!  But we quickly settled into a routine and everything has gone very smoothly! 

Daddy reads her a story every night

We had lots of visitors Ava's first moth of life!  She met her Aunt Tiffany (Ti-Ti) and Uncle Jeff, her Aunt Tasha, many of our friends here in town, her Waits family aunts, uncles, and cousins, and her Papa and Grandma Carol, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Patty even came down to visit her!  And of course she was visited by her Grandma and Granpa, Kiki, Aunt Jessica, Uncle John, and cousin Henry, and Yaya Ninny many times!  She is a very lucky little girl to have so many people who love her.  And we are so blessed to have so many amazing people in our lives that want to help us and love on our little girl!

Ava and Grandma

Everyone asks if we have been getting any sleep with a newborn.  And surprisingly it has not been as bad as expected!  James and I decided to take shifts on who gets up with her if she wakes up in the middle of the night.  We put the pack n play in our guest bedroom (because there wasn't room in our room) and whoever had the shift would sleep in there.  And it really worked out pretty well.  It ensured that both of us were getting some good sleep each night.  And Ava really has been a pretty good sleeper.  Even from the beginning she would give us at least 3 hours in between feedings.  As the month went on she would sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours at night in between feedings.  We really can't complain too much!  One of the things we did that I would recommend to any new parent was swaddling her at night.  At first we did it with just a blanket, but she was so strong that she could get out of it and wake herself up.  So we got the velcro swaddlers and they were a lifesaver!  We even swaddle her sometimes if she gets so upset she won't settle down and the swaddle does the trick!

Developmentally there's not too much Ava can do besides eat, sleep, and fill her diaper!  Towards the end of the month she was beginning to be comforted by the sound of James or my voice, and to try to turn or look toward sounds.  She is a very strong girl and has a really strong grip!  Ava enjoyed being in her swing, being in her rocker seat, going outside, and any kind of rocking motion.  While she hates being buckled in to her car seat, she loves riding in the car and going on walks in her stroller.  She's a girl on the move!

At her one month check Ava weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces (10th percentile), was 21 1/2 inches long (50-75th percentile), and had a 14 inch head circumference (10-25th percentile).  She was starting out long and skinny just like her Daddy!  And everything else looked perfect!  She got her first shots and did great with it- cried when they gave it to her but quieted when I picked her up.  And mommy and daddy didn't even cry! 

James and I feel so blessed by our precious Ava, and can't believe she's been here over a month now!  She brings us joy every day.  And now for random pictures!  Now that I am just about caught up to where we are now, stay tuned for random updates about our day-to-day life!  Have a blessed day!

Hates bath time!

She has the sweetest smile!

Welcome to the world

On Friday May 4 I was going about my day just as I had been, convinced that I wasn't going to go into labor on my own and they were going to have to smoke Ava out of there!

I went to the grocery store that morning to get a bunch of food for the following week and stuff to make for a Derby party the following day. When I got home I was starving so I made myself a little lunch and sat down to watch some coverage about the Oaks (for non-Louisvillians it is a horse race the day before Derby). After I ate I was cleaning up a bit and felt like my underwear was wet. I went to the bathroom and changed thinking it was just one of those wonderful things that happens during pregnancy! But about 10 minutes later I felt wet again. So I changed again and decided to call my doctor just in case. I was ever so hopeful that water had broken but wasn't really convinced considering there wasn't a big gush nor was there a constant trickle.

When the nurse practitioner for my doctor called back she said she wasn't sure if my water had broken or if I was just have some incontinent episodes but to go to labor and delivery to get checked out just in case. So I called James at work and told him what was going on and he was on his way to get me.

We got to the Labor and Delivery unit at Baptist Hospital East about 2 PM, which was about an hour after I first noticed the wetness. They put me in a room, checked me in (I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced), put the baby on the monitor, and checked the fluid I was leaking. If it was a certain pH level it would indicate that my water had broken. Unfortunately at that time it came back inconclusive:/. Seriously. So they kept me on the monitor for a couple hours to see how the baby was doing and how my contractions were. I also went ahead and called my parents just in case to kind of give them a head start since they had a two and a half hour drive to get here.

After two hours on the monitor the doctor wanted me to walk around for 30 minutes to see if I leaked any more. Then they would check me again and go from there. At that point I was convinced we were going back home. When we returned from our walk I got settled back in bed and felt kinda wet again, but the same as I had been. The nurse came to check me and sure enough I was sitting on a pile water! It was determined my water had broken and I was staying to have this baby!!!

At 5:30 I got my IV and got started on fluids and pitocin, a medication to help my contractions. We let the rest of our family and friends know that Ava would be here soon! We were so excited when our patents started coming in to wish us luck and share in our excitement! After a couple hours on the pitocin though l was starting to feel it and starting to get grumpy! I got a shot of pain medicine and took a nap, but a couple hours later it was wearing off so around 11 I got my epidural. And I must say that epidurals are fantastic and miraculous!

After my epidural the nurse checked me again and I was 4 cm dilated and about 70% effaced.  James and I decided to try to catch a cat nap while we could before all the fun started!  At 2 AM on May 5 my nurse came in to check on me because Ava was having some decelerations in her heart rate with each contraction.  I had been feeling some pressure so I was thinking I was making some progress.  And indeed I had!  I was fully dilated and 100% effaced and Ava was VERY low in the birth canal- almost crowning!  James woke up at that time with all the hubub going on.  I told him I was 10 cm dilated and, in his sleepy state, he said "you're 10 inches already?"  He will not live it down! 

My nurse had me do a practice push to see how i would do, but after 1 push she told me to stop so the doctor could get there to deliver her!  The doctor got there about 2:35 AM and got all her gear on and everything ready for Ava's arrival!  I pushed 1 time once the doctor got ready, just in time for Ava's head to come out and 1 more time and Ava was officially here!  She was born May 5, 2012 at 2:48 AM.  She was 19 inches long and weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces.  And she was perfect! 

After some skin on skin kangaroo care and some time alone with her mommy and daddy, Ava met everyone who had been in the waiting room all evening.  And of course everyone fell in love with her!  We spent a couple nights in the hospital and then we were able to head home with a precious bundle of joy!  Stay tuned for more on our first month as a family of three!

It's positive!

When you are trying to get pregnant those are the two greatest words to see!  James and I decided in January 2011 that we were ready to add to our family, but it wasn't until September that we finally saw those two wonderful words!!  At that time I had a feeling I was pregnant, but had been wrong before!  I took the test and it was positive!  I was so excited and couldn't wait to tell James.  I decided to surprise him at work that afternoon with a sweet tea and brought the pregnancy test with me to show him.  He was so surprised and happy when I showed it to him, he told me that night that he couldn't stop smiling:). 

We decided to wait a couple weeks to tell our parents, just to make sure everything was ok.  However my mom called me a couple days after we found out I was pregnant and asked me point blank if I was pregnant!!  She apparently h ad been having dreams that something was going on with me and even dreamed that I was going to have a baby!  We have a very strong bond apparently!  I had no choice but to confirm that, indeed, she was going to be a grandmother, but to please keep her mouth shut so we could share our good news.  A couple weeks later we did tell the rest of our parents and grandparents that we would be adding to our little family.

Not long after I found out I was pregnant I started feeling very nauseas and started vomiting.  The dreaded morning sickness hit me and hit me hard!  Except it was like morning, noon, and night sickness.  My first doctor's appointment wasn't scheduled until the beginning of September, but I was feeling so weak and ill by the end of October that I made an appontment then to see if I could get some medications to help.  I was found to be quite dehydrated and was sent home with home health to start on IV fluids and IV anit-nausea medications.  This was certianly a sign of things to come.  I ended up back on IV fluids in the beginning of December, and in February.  My nausea and vomiting was not letting up after the normal 3 months, and I continued to lose weight.  By February after 3 rounds of dehydration so severe I needed IV fluids and continued nausea, vomiting, and weight loss despite medication, my doctor took me off work until delivery and sent me to a GI doctor to evaluate my nutritional status and to see if I needed IV nutrition.

My GI doctor discovered that I had a few gallstones (that could have contributed to my nausea and vomiting) but that my nutritional status was not severe enough to outweigh the risks of IV nutrition.  So I continued on!  The condition I had was called hyperemesis gravidarum.  It is extreme, persistant nausea and vomiting and is not the same thing as morning sickness!  It can lead to dehydration and weight loss (check and check) and can be very debilitating and make you extremely weak.  During the dark days of my sickness I probably didn't even take in 500 calories a day.  Before I got pregnant, I had never heard of this condition before.  The first several months when I was going through this I continued to try to work and all the while just thought I was being a big baby and tried to snap myself out of it.  I thought I was just going crazy!  But this is an actual medical condition, and you can't just make yourself not have it. 

Eventually, with medication and an extremely limited diet, I started feeling a bit better by mid-March.  And the last month of my pregnancy I actually started to eat a bit more and actually had two doctor visits where I gained weight!  Granted it was one pound and four pounds, but still!  It was the first and only weight gains I had had through my pregnancy!  I ended up with a net weight loss of about 35 pounds.  Who knew after all those years of dieting that all I needed to do was get pregnant!

The last few weeks of my pregnancy I was feeling better but a few other complications were arising during my doctors visits. My blood pressure started to go up a bit and I started having protein in my urine, which can indicate preeclampsia. I started going to the doctor twice a week and got weekly ultrasounds on the baby. On the ultrasounds Ava was measuring on the small side and the amniotic fluid was also borderline low. All of the time I was sick and worried about me i thought "at least Ava is doing ok". It was quite stressful to think that something may be going on with her! But in the end everything turned out fine and Ava decided to make her appearance ten days before her due date, on May 5 and was absolutely perfect! That story will be continued on the next post!

A New Adventure!

I have wanted to start a blog for a while now, and I'm finally getting around to doing it! I have many friends and family members who live quite a distance from us and wanted to have a way for everyone to see how James, myself, and our sweet baby Ava are doing.  This is indeed a new adventure for me into the blogging world, and I will most likely be blogging mainly about my new adventure into mommyhood (which I'm sure is the reason most of you are reading this anyway)!  Over the next couple posts I will recap the last several months that have led James and I into parenthood, and of course bring everyone up to date on our beautiful daughter's first weeks of life!  Thank you for checking in on us, more to come very soon!