6 months old!

Going back to work was extremely difficult for me. I suffered from post partum depression. Learning how to balance our new life was a challenge, especially with having family so far away.

Since my last post Josh has completed his first year of grad school, yay!!!! He has been staying home over the summer and taking care of Ava while I work. Supporting a family of three is a very different experience than a family of two but it is such a joy to be able to do so.

Ava is now 6 1/2 months old. She got another set of shots at her 6 month check up :( We also found out that she now weighs 17lbs 2 oz and is measuring 26 1/4 inches long. Both are in the 75%. Her head on the other hand is still in the 97%, but we knew that was going to be the case. Having 60 stitches from childbirth, i knew her head was going to be on the.... bigger than average size.

1 month checkup

Ava had a very busy weekend. On Friday, we had family day. Josh took a break from school work and we ran errands all three of us. Ava christened us with her first diaper blowout and I ended up having to change her in the car, that was an experience. On Saturday, Ava went to her first church service and stayed awake the entire time. I am guessing she loved hearing about David and Goliath. On Sunday, we went to Carters and got a ton of great deals on their clearance items. I was also able to use a coupon I got off of facebook. Ava also attended her first party. We went over to one of Josh's classmates apartment for a Super Bowl party. The party wore Ava out so much that she slept for 8 hours that night!

This morning Ava had her 1 month checkup, although she is already 6 weeks. Our little girl now weighs 9lbs. 10oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long. She is in the 50 percentile for her weight and height. She has been cooing and shouting alot. I think she just loves to hear her voice. She smiles at me when she gets up in the morning and is working hard to focusing on things. She is doing really well at holding up her head. She also laughs in her sleep, most adorable thing ever. I wonder what she is laughing at and what kind of dreams she is having. We go back to the doctor on March 2 and this time there will be shots :(

I can't believe how fast she has grown already, newborn clothes are slowly making their way out of her drawers and into storage bins.

shhh, she's asleep

I am finally adjusting to the "mommy" schedule. Before Ava was born people kept telling me to get as much sleep as I could before she arrived, then when she arrived they told me to make sure that I slept when she did. Well, we had numerous guests the first 3 weeks that Ava was home, sleeping when she did? I think not. I was an emotional wreak, I felt like I just could not get myself together. I cried a lot and was always exhausted.....wonder why. As the guests fizzled out and Josh started back to school I didn't see any reason why I couldn't sleep when Ava did and stay in my pajamas all day. I was able to do this for about a week and then I was ready to get Ava onto a schedule so that I could get myself back together before heading back to work in a couple of weeks. Schedule? yeah, right. Newborns don't have a schedule, they make one and it is completely unpredictable. The past few nights have been great though, Ava has slept for 6 hours at a time. I think she is getting the hang of things. It has been so great that after Josh left for school this morning, I was able to take a shower, fix my hair and get dressed, in something other than yoga pants.
I love my new lifestyle of being a mom, there is nothing else in the world like it. I have learned new things about myself. How much stress I can truly handle. Just how little sleep you can get and still function. I have a new purpose. The hardest thing ever is having the nagging realization in the back of my head that soon I will have to go back to work.

first birthday as a mommy

I always remember my parents acting like their birthday was not a big deal. As a little girl I could never understand this, birthdays are ALWAYS a big deal or at least they made me feel like mine was. 2 years ago it finally hit me that "it's just another birthday." Sometimes I forget how old I am because the years smush together and I know they are going to do much more smushing because there is someone else that I am constantly thinking about. But, my husband and daughter still gave me a fabulous day/weekend.

 my birthday flowers from josh and ava

 my card

 my beautiful coat from josh

 and 2 new necklaces :)

it won't be like this for long......

This is the current theme song in our house and I'm sure it will be for years to come. It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5zCaRaJ-kE

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

Ava Marie, has arrived

Well, it has been almost a full 2 weeks since my baby girl was brought into the world. It has been such an amazing experience thus far. Josh expressed this perfectly when he said it is like a void that I never knew I had has been filled.

2 weeks ago in the early morning hours I began having contractions. Josh and I were not very convinced if they were the real deal or not and I was afraid that if we went to the hospital again they would send me home. Josh went ahead and fell asleep. I attempted to take a show to dull the pain, lay down on the couch, drink lots of water... all of the things they told me to do when I was discharged from the hospital for just having signs of early labor. After dealing with contractions coming 2-5 minutes apart for 2 hours my mom advised me to go ahead and call the Dr. I woke up Josh and explained that this time was the real deal. We headed over to the hospital and I was admitted around 4:00am I was sent over to labor and delivery at 4:30am, I was 3cm and 70%.

40 weeks and 4 days

Ice chips became the only food/drink I was able to have. I had informed the nurses that I wanted to hold off on the epidural as long as I could afraid that it may slow the progress of dilating. Around 7:00 am the doctor decided to go ahead and start Pitocin because although I was having regular contractions they were not causing anything to happen, and if they were going to give me Pitocin then I was ready for my epidural. It was not painful at all and right as everything became numb and I was ready to take a little nap, my water broke. I began pushing at 12:30pm and as Ava traveled further down the birth canal she became stuck which caused her heart rate to increase and for me to quit pushing until the doctor could come in and explain what we needed to do next. Ava was facing sideways instead of facing my back and her head couldn't work its way around my pelvic bone. She was delivered by vacuum assistance. It was hard to stop crying long enough to get a good look at her once they pulled her out and placed her on my tummy. So many emotions filled the room at 2:13pm on December 28, 2011.

She is already growing and changing so fast.... we have never been so in love <3

Ava's eviction notice

At my doctor's appointment today, we discussed induction. We came out successful! My induction is scheduled for this Thursday morning at 6am. I can't wait to see my daughter!!!