It's Official....

Check out the Pediatric Dental Residents page for the University of Florida...

When I loose all this water weight...I'll be retaking that picture! :)

Ooops...

I didn't want to take any credit away from Ava...I forgot to mention....she also grew an entire INCH!!! So, now she's 19 inches long!

Here are a few pics for your enjoyment....(I'll add an album this weekend for her 3rd week)! :) But here are a few to hold you over!

Here's a sweet pair of preemie jammies from Bobbi....Ava was so cozy!
Check out those cute little frog feet! Adorable!
Ava's pretty bored with my picture taking! Here she is trying to fit into this "0-3 months" outfit. Not quite yet...but we're getting there! Isn't it cute, though?!
Yet again....more feet....I just couldn't resisit!
More pics to come later....

She grows!!!

We had our 2 week pediatrician check today! Well, she wasn't labeled "failure to thrive!" In fact, she's gained 8 oz since the last time we were there, weighing in at a whopping 6lbs 11oz!!! So, we've finally surpassed her birth weight, so officially, we don't have to wake her every 3 hours for feedings! (Although, I hadn't been waking her for about the past 4 days....I was just letting her wake herself up). But, it's nice to know I'm no longer breaking any rules! She's in the 10th % for height and weight and the 25th % for head circumference. The doc said this it completely normal, and in fact, is would be atypical for her to be in the exact same % across the board. Our next check isn't for another 6 weeks (she'll be 2 months old then). If Ava follows the same percentile that she has been...the doc predicted that, at 2 months old, she would/should weight about 9lbs 3oz. Of course, this can vary and still be considered normal. So, that's the word. And, of course, she's always leaving her mark there! We were changing and re-dressing her....and, yep, you guessed it....pooped right there on the table....went right through her blanket too! Yuck! But, she just laid there innocently...looking oh so sweet...so, what can you do?! :) We just love our pooping, growing girl!

Gift from Daddy....

Patrick went shopping yesterday and bought Ava a little outfit....first thing he's bought for her! It was a little preemie outfit....fits just perfectly! He had to find it in the little boy section, but we figured our Ava could pull it off....and just look at her!!

Two Weeks Old!

So, I feel like she's been with us for more than two weeks....I think that may be because my days have all of a sudden gotten much, much longer....with much more awake time! :) Every one day feels like two! So, anyway...she's two weeks old now! It was a busy week! We took our first walk around the neighborhood in her stroller, she had her first real bath, and we went on our first road trip (already)! Ava loves her stroller and going for rides in the car! Good thing, cause we drove 3 hours and 45 mins to Katie and Cameron's wedding yesterday! (Two of my dental school classmates)! She did great! She ate right before we left, and she slept the entire way! At the wedding, she was a hit! Everyone (of course!) thought she was so cute! We had a great time, and it was really, really good to see many of my dental school friends. Made me realize how much I really miss everyone. They are all such wonderful people, and it was so much fun getting to hang out again! Bobbi (Patrick's mom) actually met us there...she was our personal babysitter! She was around to help with Ava so Patrick and I could stay a little longer and hang out with our friends. It was great having her! The night wouldn't have been so relaxing if she wasn't there...so, thanks Bobbi! Here's Ava being such an angel on the way to the wedding....she was perfect!
Ava got a new dress (thanks Bobbi) just for the wedding. Bobbi found a preemie dress that fit her perfectly! Everything else she has is still just a touch too big! Isn't she adorable?!? :)The family at the wedding....she was just so good!
Ava did great on the way home too! We stayed the night in a hotel (which I was a little worried about...you know...just being out of our element with a new baby)....but she was fantastic! And she slept the entire way home too! Here she is all ready to get back on the road....OH! Just so cute!

Ava basically slept through her first bath! Until the very end, she was pretty much just sleeping! She did great. Man, does it hurt my back, though! It hurt for the first 2 hours of the car ride right after her bath! I've got to find a better way....otherwise, my back wont survive. Dentistry is supposed to be bad on your back....but what about babies!?! Here's Ava all fresh and clean! Ava and I are getting much better at this whole nursing thing, too! And what a relief! She still isn't super consistent, but she's actually eating for a while before falling asleep! So, that makes me much happier! Plus, I think I can tell she's gained a little weight...her cheeks look a little fatter than they used to! We've got our 2 week doc check this Wednesday, so I'll keep you updated!

Here's Ava just looking cute! I love it when she maker her kissey face!


Alright, alright....I'll stop blabbing...here are some pics of Ava's second week. There are a lot, but it's been a while since I posted pics! Things were busy this week!! Hopefully, I'll have time to fill you in on the doc appointment on Wednesday! Talk soon....

More pictures....

Our sweet little pumpkin....
Dad's getting very good at feeding Baby Ava.

Michee got me a sling to carry Baby Ava around...and Dad tried it out first! I think purple suites him! :) He really liked it; I think he may get his very own! ....maybe in a more manly color!
This is a close up of Ava in the sling...doesn't she look so snug?!
Click here for a few more pics of Baby Ava!

One week old!

Well, yesterday was Ava's one week birthday! :) Can you believe it?! Already 7 days old! You can click on any of these pictures to get to more pictures of Baby Ava! (I just know you're dying for more)!

Ava and Daddy took a little nap together. She did have a blanket on her (don't worry Bobbi), I just had to take it off for a minute to show you how teeny tiny she is! No wonder she fit so well in my belly! Oh...isn't it just the cutest?!?!

Ava wanted Daddy to know just how much she loves him...I mean...the cuteness factor is through the roof!!
Salsa all of a sudden decided that she's Ava's protector now. I looked down and saw only her hind legs sticking out from under the crib...she was doing a shimmy to get under there! She finally made it and got quite comfy! Very cute!

Being a mom is hard....

Something I've learning in the past week is that while finally being able to be with my sweet baby is amazing, being a mom is hard, man! I guess sometimes you just have bad days...but it can just be so frustrating. Trying to figure out just what Ava wants is sometimes really hard. And nursing makes everything a little harder...I don't really know how much she's eating. She'll eat, and 20 mins later, she'll be irritable and fussy (this mostly happened yesterday....but it was several times, which became tiring). So, I'd feed her again...and again. Like 3 times in 2 hours! She finally gets down, but how the heck do you know if she's hungry, overly tired, has an upset stomach, etc!? She's typically easy to sooth, thank goodness!! I'd be way crazier than I am now if she just fussed and fussed. And the night time feedings are killer. Depending on what schedule we happen to be on that day, I could be getting up 3 times during the night. Last night was 12:30, 2:30, and 5:50...just so tiring...especially if she's having one of those I-want-to-eat-then-sleep-for-20-mins-then-eat-again nights. She really is such a wonderful and easy going baby. She just has regular, expected mild fussiness when she's hungry....but even with a good baby....being a mom is hard.

Although, how bad can it be when you wake up to this perfect little face....

Pediatrician

Well, we had another weight check appointment today. The timing was really bad, because we were leaving for her appointment right as she would normally be eating. So, we decided to just pack her right up and get in the car...no changing diapers or anything...(she was ready to eat but was still pretty calm, and we didn't want to irritate her and put her into a downward spin with those cold wipes)! So, anyway, we got there, and she weighed the same!!! Ugh!!! Well...pound/ounce wise, she didn't change- she still weighed 6lbs even (it rounds up or down to the nearest ounce). However, she did gain 20 grams since Friday (28 grams in an ounce), but they really want her to be gaining about 20-30 oz. per day! So, since she hadn't eaten in 5 hours (she's used to eating every 3) and I had just changed a heavy, dirty diaper...the doc recommended I feed her and weigh her again. So, I did....we weighed her again...(I'm thinking...what's the point?...there's no way she gained a significant amount of weight with one feeding). Well, I was wrong. She got up to 6 lbs 3 oz!! This obviously doesn't mean she actually gained 3 oz. of body fat and muscle, but at least we know that she got a significant amount of milk at that feeding! ....which is great, cause it's so hard to tell how much she's getting with breast feeding. So, way to go Ava! We're so proud!

The latest...

It's been a fun and exciting weekend so far! Michee was here for the last week, although she had to head back to Alpharetta today. She was sad to leave, but she'll be back in a few weeks to hang out for a while. We also had a last minute visit from Bobbi (Patrick's mom) and Aunt Sarah. They got in really late Friday night....almost 2am. They have enjoyed hanging out with and getting to know Ava. Also, my brother, Uncle Pat, came for a visit as well! It is a house full! So, Ava has had such an exciting day with her Bobbi, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Pat! Patrick fired up the grill, and we had burgers and hotdogs for dinner. We all sat outside and ate around our (kinda) new outdoor furniture! It was lovely!
We gave Ava her first bath today! It was really just a sponge bath since her umbilical cord hasn't fallen off yet. She did such a good job. She slept right through washing her hair. Although, she wasn't as fond of the remaining 2/3 of her body! But she did great!
Aunt Sarah's birthday is tomorrow, but she chose to drive to Florida and visit with her new niece! So, we had some cake and sang Happy Birthday! What a fun filled day! She just keeps getting cuter and cuter! We are just having such a wonderful time with her! Click here for more pictures from today!

Ava Update

Well, we went to another pediatrician appointment today for another weight check. Our perfect angel weighs a whopping SIX POUNDS now!!!!! :) Yahhhoooo! We're so proud! We've all been working so hard at being more successful with nursing, and it's paying off! They have you strip them down to nothing to get weighed, and I warned the nurse that she has a habit of peeing when you take her diaper off. Well....I put her on that scale, took her diaper off....she wailed, and there it went...it was like a small fountain-pee went everywhere! Then that "6 lbs" popped up on the screen...and I was just so proud of my peeing girl! :) So, that's great news! Everything else is going pretty well. I feel like we're starting to get more in the swing of things. I'm pretty drowsy though. I really notice it when I'm sitting still or nursing Ava. And when I wake up for Ava's morning feeding, my eyes burn. I'm usually up for about 1.5 hours at her night feedings...so the morning (which is 3 hours later) comes way too fast! She's just such a slow nurser, nothing is quick!

Michee went and bought some things for Ava today...one of them was a really cute, girly dress which we (of course) had to take 300 pictures of.
This next onsie was given to Ava by Bobbi. Don 't know it you can tell what it says...."Nothing's wrong. I'm just testing you." Super cute! It's one of the only onsies that is actually small enough to fit her right now!
Here we have 3 generations of red-headed girls!

So, this is our baby monitor....2007 style! We've got a little video monitor, but you can hook it up to the TV! This is the greatest thing going! Patrick actually rigged it so that the channel you have to put it on is "AVA." So, Ava actually has her own channel. And shouldn't she!!

For more pictures of Ava on Day 4, click here!
For more pictures of Ava on Day 5, click here!

A few favorites....

So, I went a little overboard....but like I promised before, here are some of my favorite Ava pictures. Of course, I really have about 250 favorites....but these are just a few!

She's so strong holding her head up already at just one day old!

Our little Baby Bulldog...sung as a bug in a rug!

Mezmorized by Michee!

A NYC girl at heart! Just like her Mommy!

I mean, just the cutest thing ever! :)

Brand spankin' new with her proud Papa!

Daddy sneaking a kiss...he had no idea he'd feel this way!

I am so in love.

That pacifier is HUMONGOUS! (That spelling looks really weird)!

More snugness and bugness! Look at those sweet little paws...I mean hands!

In her car seat on the way back from the pediatrician! I mean....just LOOK at her!

We just can't get enough of her....look at that face! Do you think we're cuddling her too much?!?..... No way! :)
Happy as a clam! ...or maybe it's gas....but, it's super cute either way!

Just to clarify....

There has been a little confusion about Ava's weight gain/loss. So, I'll try to clear it up a bit. At birth, she weighed 6lbs 6oz. Since I'm breastfeeding, she was expected to lose a little weight since I didn't have milk for a few days (just colostrum- which there's not much of). However, she lost 8% of her body weight (which for her was 12oz.). It was a little more than they wanted her to lose (10% is the max they'll let her lose and still allow her to go home from the hospital). So, she left the hospital weighing 5lbs 12.5oz. They let her leave but wanted me to see the pediatrician the next day for a weight check. So, anyway, we were on a mission to get this child to gain weight. So, we worked really hard on getting her to eat! She's just not very hungry! (She didn't get that from me)! So, we've had to really coax her to keep eating...we've had to (and still have to) strip her down to just her diaper to make her a little irritated so she doesn't get so comfy and just fall asleep (which is what she usually does). So, we've been nursing...and I've been pumping like crazy. So, that's why we were SO excited and very proud that she gained a whopping 3 oz (really 2.5oz) in only 24 hours!! So, now she's up to 5lbs 15oz!! What a big girl!! :) We'll go in tomorrow for another weight check....we at least want to make sure she's not losing weight! She's been a little booger with the nursing thing! She's interested in getting there.....but once she's there, she's perfectly content with just hanging out!

....We're working on it! I'm going to try to post some of my favorite pics later....there are SO MANY!!! :) She keeps getting cuter....I can't help it...

First Pediatrician Visit!

We took Ava to her very first Pediatrician appointment yesterday for a weight check. She tipped the scales at 5lbs 15oz!! Thats almost 3oz gained since we left the hospital. The doctor was very pleased with her progress and said everything looks great!!

Click on pic for more!!!

Blog Stats

Thanks to everyone for following the birth of Baby Ava on our blog. As you can see, we had a lot of action!!

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Baby Ava Comes Home

Click pic for more...