Showing posts with label day to day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label day to day. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

Public Debut

***Don't forget to click on "older posts" when you get to the bottom of this page to get all the way back to week one... I posted too many pictures to fit on one page!***

I can't believe Ava is 4 weeks old already!  She made her "debut" at church this Sunday and I have to admit - it was really fun putting a dress on her!  She only wore her hairbow for pictures (am I the only one who thinks these things look terribly UNCOMFORTABLE on babies?) but it was so fun to play dress up with her.  Oh the fun we will have I think =).

The boys also got "grown up" shirts and ties and were super proud of their new ensemble.  I think they look handsome, but they are growing up sooooo fast it makes me wince.





 






And a few pictures from today, just because I LOVE this outfit.  Orange is my favorite color, and it looks good on Ava =). 



 A few moments of JOY that make it all worth it... I get warm and glowy inside just looking at these.  I always wanted a big brother when I was growing up... now my daughter has TWO.  What a lucky girl!




Babymoon Weeks 3 and 4

Week 3 (though week 3 means Ava was two weeks old) was probably one of the roughest as I was totally on my own with our old routine.  Monday morning I got up bright and early and got Eli to school, took Owen and Ava to the library, picked Eli back up and took Ava to her 2 week Dr. appointment.  Grandma Betty took the boys out to her daughter's farm while I took Ava in for her appointment. Well, the day pooped me out for the rest of the week!  Thankfully Grandma Betty rescued me and took Eli to school Weds, and Brad was able to go in late and take him on Friday.   It's hard to stay energetic when you are up at night feeding a newborn... and Ava was having a two-hour period EVERY night where she was awake and gassy/fussy.  By the time I got back to sleep it was usually an hour or so before I was supposed to get up for the day, so it was like I was waking up for the day at 3 or 4am after only getting to sleep at 11pm and waking at 1am for a feeding.  Craziness!  She is doing a little better at night now thank goodness!  

Ava girl is growing like a weed.  At her two week check up that I mentioned, she was up a full pound to 9lbs 10ozs - 90th percentile for weight, 92nd percentile for height, and 97th percentile for head circumference (gotta love the big ol' Benson heads!).  A week later I had her weighed at a breastfeeding mother's group at my Dr.'s office and she was 10lbs 15 ozs!!!  A pound and a half in a WEEK!  So I'm sure she's over 12 pounds by now...  Anyway, she gets cuter and chunkier by the day... we just love her!













We borrowed this swing from a friend out of desperation.  I got rid of ours when we moved last time as both the boys outgrew it before they liked being in it... but miss Ava does NOT like to be set down for any length of time.  It buys me a few minutes here and there to get dressed, or go potty, or try and fix lunch (not enough time to sit and eat a meal though, lol!).  
  Ah, family story time!

And lots of brother snuggles of course! 




The boys are my official "babysitters."  Here, Eli was holding her so I could get dressed.  This morning they rocked her in her bouncy seat and sang to her so I could get ready.  Eli and Owen are both really great with her, though Eli has a longer attention span and patience for her.  She is definitely loved around here!




Babymoon Week 2

Babymoon week 2 was just more loveliness.  Brad had to go back to work, which was SAD.  But Grandma B. was here with us and thankfully she took Eli to and from school, and watched the boys when I needed a nap.  My milk came in with a ferocity the first week, so I spent a lot of this week still resting, recovering, and trying to get breastfeeding figured out again.  You'd think with FOUR YEARS of breastfeeding experience that I'd have it down... but every newborn is a new person, and it was new for me all over again.  But by the end of the week everything was feeling better... and Ava just got cuter and cuter by the day!

First bath with brothers was super fun!


Rocking with Daddy was also a favorite activity.  I think it might have even been more painful for him than for me when he had to leave us to go back to work... as soon as he got home he would head straight for Ava and scoop her up... even if she was sleeping peacefully somewhere!  Awww...

   

And of course more brother snuggles. 

 Grandma had a big sewing project to work on while she was here, and the boys had some fun cutting fabric with her while she worked. 

Ava enjoyed modeling the rag quilt that Grandma made for her with fabric Mommy picked out... it's so pretty in person!  Grandma did a great job!  Hopefully I will get to use these colors in her room in our "future" home.  For now, she shares with us.  

The boys LOVE their Daddy in general, but this week they really ate up any and all attention he could give them when he got home from work.  They insisted on Daddy snuggles to get to sleep... and it worked just as well on tired Daddy!  (pic taken in darkness ...  I have a good flash!)

Of course I had to fit a modeling session in for Ava Jean this week! A pink cloth diaper, and hat/headband that I crocheted during the last two weeks of pregnancy countdown.











Wrapped around her little finger already....


Snoozing in the co-sleeper... I always intend for my babies to spend more time in here than they do... they learn very early on that they prefer sleeping right next to Mommy's warm body and milk, haha.  

Another baby of mine needed some adoration this week, so I wrapped him up and put him to bed and "ooohed" and "ahhhed" over what a cute baby he was!  After a couple of minutes he was ready to be a big brother again.  

Brad is the magic bedtime man... he is best at soothing Ava when she gets the evening fussies...and usually gets her to sleep with less fuss than I can!


We had crazy, crazy weather this week!  It went from being super hot (in the 80's for Feb!) to being rainy and cold.  Thankfully the boys took advantage of the warm day, and did what they do best - got dirty! 

Grandpa came back for another day before they had to head back to Utah, and I was finally feeling up to leaving the house.  Grandma and Grandpa took Eli to school and spent the morning with Owen, then Ava and I joined them to pick Eli up from school and head to gymnastics.  Eli and Owen got a kick out of having such a large fan club to watch them perform.  We later met up with Brad and drove up into Amish country to enjoy the scenery and buy some yummy baked goods from the Amish bakery.  We even went to dinner that night!  It was a loooong day out for Ava (and me!) but she was a champ!  So far, she is an excellent car passenger... I just hope it stays that way!

Saturday morning a friend of mine came over to take Ava's newborn pictures.  Grandma and Grandpa played with the boys while we were occupied with that (of course Grandpa had to build more aircraft out of Tinker Toys), but then they had to head to the airport.  The boys were so sad to see them go, but when Grandpa gave them some toy airplanes (like the ones he builds parts for) they were so excited they forgot to be sad.  Everyone really enjoyed the visit.  




I didn't end up wrapping Ava much during the second week since Grandma was always free to hold her when I needed my hands.... but on Sunday (exactly two weeks old) I got some precious wrap snuggles in with her while Brad and the boys went to church.  Gotta love that newborn hair, and those chubby cheeks!