That's right, Ava slept throughout the night last night! Unfortunately, I did not. She went down at 10:30, falling asleep on her own around 11:00. I didn't hear a peep from her until 5:15 this morning. I on the other hand was up at 4:00, wondering when she was going to wake up (as I went to make sure she was still breathing, like any good mother would) and if my boobs were going to explode. I went and pumped a little and then tried to go back to sleep but was unsuccessful. Then Ava was ready to eat at 5:15. She's getting all rested up for her many visitors that are coming this weekend.
Hope you have a great weekend!
PS-I forgot to mention yesterday that my little chunky monkey is now wearing some 6 month clothes at the age of 7 weeks...does this mean we have childhood obesity in our future?!?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
7 Weeks Old
Today Ava turns 7 weeks old. She began the celebration at 4:00 this morning when she had a major blow out that went all over my pajama pants during the middle of her feeding. It was such a mess that we had to call Daddy in for reinforcements for the clean-up process (since I had to go and change). Other than that small issue she had a very good night of sleep, and we woke her at 7:10 for breakfast. I'm hoping that she'll soon drop that night time feeding. I can't imagine how wonderful 8 hours of sleep feels!
Below are some pictures from over the past week.
Her determined look...determined to keep that head up during tummy time
Searching for that thumb...it's under your fingers honey
Just chill'n. This is one of her 7 week old pictures, we decided to forgo the sign this week.
Ava's classic cross-eyed look. I keep telling her if she continues doing that they're going to stick that way!
HAPPY!!!
Sleepy
So serious (yes, she has a double chin and big cheeks)
Jane, Ava, & Grandma Veldman before the shower on Sat. morningTuesday, April 13, 2010
Where did those rolls come from?
Where did those rolls come from? That is what I thought when I was giving Miss Ava her bath the other day. I swear that they were not there the day before. Our little girl is packing on the pounds. We went to the new parent's connection group today and she tipped the scale at 12 lbs 14 oz. That was with her diaper and clothes on, but it was a clean diaper and very light weight clothing. She has her Dr. appt. on Monday (at which time she'll be getting her immunizations) so we'll get an official weight then. I guess her double chin should have been a good indication that she's been gaining a bit. I guess I shouldn't worry if she's getting enough to eat when I nurse her.
We had a busy weekend. Saturday morning we headed over to Grandma & Grandpa Veldman's so that I could feed Ava before her shower. It was held at Terri's which is just a few doors down from Grandma & Grandpa's so that was very nice. The shower was wonderful. It was a small group of Grandma's friends and we had a wonderful time and got some very nice gifts. Ava slept soundly as she was adored by all the ladies. We made a short shopping trip after Ava had lunch and then I left her with Grandma so that I could go to a fundraiser being put on be a friend of mine to support her organization in Cameroon. Daddy returned home from the cabin not too long after I left and was able to feed her a bottle. Ava hung out with them for awhile and we all returned home by 9:30 so that I could feed her before her bedtime. She's still sleeping well, going down around 10:30 and getting up between 2:30 and 3:30, and then again around 6:30. Going to that support group makes me really appreciate what a good baby Ava is...we are SO lucky!!! Sunday was a pretty low key day. We went to church in the morning and then ran a few errands afterwards. We spent the afternoon at home and were able to go for a nice family walk and enjoy the beautiful weather. What a gorgeous weekend we had!
Grandma Veldman is coming over tomorrow afternoon to watch Ava so that I can once again go to the eye Dr. I don't think my eye is 100% back to normal but it is SO much better. I can actually read things with my right eye now. Other than that, we're just getting ready for baptism this weekend. We are very much looking forward to all the family that will be coming in to town to celebrate this very important day. We are blessed to have such a supportive family who is willing to make the long drive to be a part of Ava's life.
We had a busy weekend. Saturday morning we headed over to Grandma & Grandpa Veldman's so that I could feed Ava before her shower. It was held at Terri's which is just a few doors down from Grandma & Grandpa's so that was very nice. The shower was wonderful. It was a small group of Grandma's friends and we had a wonderful time and got some very nice gifts. Ava slept soundly as she was adored by all the ladies. We made a short shopping trip after Ava had lunch and then I left her with Grandma so that I could go to a fundraiser being put on be a friend of mine to support her organization in Cameroon. Daddy returned home from the cabin not too long after I left and was able to feed her a bottle. Ava hung out with them for awhile and we all returned home by 9:30 so that I could feed her before her bedtime. She's still sleeping well, going down around 10:30 and getting up between 2:30 and 3:30, and then again around 6:30. Going to that support group makes me really appreciate what a good baby Ava is...we are SO lucky!!! Sunday was a pretty low key day. We went to church in the morning and then ran a few errands afterwards. We spent the afternoon at home and were able to go for a nice family walk and enjoy the beautiful weather. What a gorgeous weekend we had!
Grandma Veldman is coming over tomorrow afternoon to watch Ava so that I can once again go to the eye Dr. I don't think my eye is 100% back to normal but it is SO much better. I can actually read things with my right eye now. Other than that, we're just getting ready for baptism this weekend. We are very much looking forward to all the family that will be coming in to town to celebrate this very important day. We are blessed to have such a supportive family who is willing to make the long drive to be a part of Ava's life.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Locked Out
Yup, that's right. Ava and I got locked out of the house today. We have a lock key pad on our garage door that I always use when we go for walks. It was beautiful outside today so we headed out. For some reason I thought to myself, "I should take the garage door opener just in case that key pad doesn't work for some reason". Well I didn't because it has always worked in the past. We got back from a wonderful walk and I went to open the door...the key pad just flashed at me and the door did not open. I tried it for about 15 minutes and then finally got ahold of Nate at work. Luckily it was about lunch time so Ava and I hung out for another hour (thankfully she was sleeping) until Nate got home to let us in. Thanks Daddy for saving the day!!!
Another week has quickly passed and Ava turned 6 weeks yesterday. She is getting to be such a big girl. I'm anxious to see how much she weighs and how long she is. I'm hoping to go to that support group next Tuesday at the hospital so that I can weigh her. I had my 6 week postpartum check-up yesterday. Everything is great and the Dr. said I'm ready to have another baby...I think not! :) We stopped by and saw my boss to see about the date that I return to work, and stopped to see a few co-workers. I'm returning a week earlier than I had thought, I guess I'm scheduled the 20th. My boss said I could take more time off if I wanted, but I think I'll just go back. I need to save my vacation for later, and I can't just keep putting it off. Luckily Grandma Veldman has some time that she can take off of work and she has volunteered to watch Ava some of the days that I have to work. That will keep her out of daycare, save us money, give them time together, and allow me to call many times a day to see how she's doing since it will be my first time away from her for more than a few hours. :) We are very grateful that she's willing to do this!!!
Ava and Daddy got to spend a couple extra hours together on Wednesday. I had another eye appointment so Nate got off work an hour early and met me at the clinic to pick up Ava. My eye is improving but is not back to baseline. I have another appointment next week. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by then! Wednesday evening Uncle Wes and cousin Maggie came over to visit and have dinner. Ava was a bit fussy that night and wasn't real kind to her company. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed the company and appreciated them visiting. We hope that they come again soon, and hope that Ava is a little happier to see them.
We have a busy weekend planned yet again. Tomorrow morning Ava has another baby shower, her fourth and last one. We have been very blessed to have such generous and kind people in our lives that want to do these things for us. So, we will be having a "girls day" with Grandma Veldman and her friends while Daddy has a "guys days". He will be heading up to the cabin with Grandpa Veldman and Uncle Wes. They have more tile to take up and want to get the docks in the water. I don't think that the docks have ever been put in this early, the weather has been so warm. It will be great for Nate to see the cabin as well, neither of us have been up there to see it since they started the construction. I will be anxious to go up in May! Tomorrow evening I have a fundraiser to go to so Ava and Daddy will be on their own (with the help of Grandma and Grandpa Veldman most likely). Sunday morning we'll head to church and make some final arrangements for Ava's baptism which is only a week away. We are looking forward to seeing everybody who will be making the trip up here for this special occasion!
Below are Ava's 6 week pictures (as if you can't tell by the sign). She was a bit tired and not in the mood to take pictures so they aren't the best but I'm posting them anyway. They were taken after her bath, which Daddy gave her. It was his first time giving her a bath and he did very good. She seemed to enjoy it and was even nice enough to keep all bodily fluids inside!
Thanks for checking in. We hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
Daddy & Ava after bath time
Another week has quickly passed and Ava turned 6 weeks yesterday. She is getting to be such a big girl. I'm anxious to see how much she weighs and how long she is. I'm hoping to go to that support group next Tuesday at the hospital so that I can weigh her. I had my 6 week postpartum check-up yesterday. Everything is great and the Dr. said I'm ready to have another baby...I think not! :) We stopped by and saw my boss to see about the date that I return to work, and stopped to see a few co-workers. I'm returning a week earlier than I had thought, I guess I'm scheduled the 20th. My boss said I could take more time off if I wanted, but I think I'll just go back. I need to save my vacation for later, and I can't just keep putting it off. Luckily Grandma Veldman has some time that she can take off of work and she has volunteered to watch Ava some of the days that I have to work. That will keep her out of daycare, save us money, give them time together, and allow me to call many times a day to see how she's doing since it will be my first time away from her for more than a few hours. :) We are very grateful that she's willing to do this!!!
Ava and Daddy got to spend a couple extra hours together on Wednesday. I had another eye appointment so Nate got off work an hour early and met me at the clinic to pick up Ava. My eye is improving but is not back to baseline. I have another appointment next week. Hopefully everything will be back to normal by then! Wednesday evening Uncle Wes and cousin Maggie came over to visit and have dinner. Ava was a bit fussy that night and wasn't real kind to her company. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed the company and appreciated them visiting. We hope that they come again soon, and hope that Ava is a little happier to see them.
We have a busy weekend planned yet again. Tomorrow morning Ava has another baby shower, her fourth and last one. We have been very blessed to have such generous and kind people in our lives that want to do these things for us. So, we will be having a "girls day" with Grandma Veldman and her friends while Daddy has a "guys days". He will be heading up to the cabin with Grandpa Veldman and Uncle Wes. They have more tile to take up and want to get the docks in the water. I don't think that the docks have ever been put in this early, the weather has been so warm. It will be great for Nate to see the cabin as well, neither of us have been up there to see it since they started the construction. I will be anxious to go up in May! Tomorrow evening I have a fundraiser to go to so Ava and Daddy will be on their own (with the help of Grandma and Grandpa Veldman most likely). Sunday morning we'll head to church and make some final arrangements for Ava's baptism which is only a week away. We are looking forward to seeing everybody who will be making the trip up here for this special occasion!
Below are Ava's 6 week pictures (as if you can't tell by the sign). She was a bit tired and not in the mood to take pictures so they aren't the best but I'm posting them anyway. They were taken after her bath, which Daddy gave her. It was his first time giving her a bath and he did very good. She seemed to enjoy it and was even nice enough to keep all bodily fluids inside!
Thanks for checking in. We hope that you have a wonderful weekend!
Daddy & Ava after bath time
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Easter Weekend
We had our first big road trip to Iowa this weekend to visit my family for Easter. It was a huge success, as Ava was a great little traveler. She slept the entire way down to IA, stopping only in Clear Lake to eat and change a diaper. We thought this was great until we arrived at Grandma & Grandpa Beckers at 10:00 and then Ava was up until 2:00 am. Oops! It was ok though, I would have much rather had her up crying at the house than in the car for 5 hours. Saturday she was back on schedule and went down at her usual 10:15 and was up at 3:00 and 6:45. She likes to stay on schedule just like her mommy!
Saturday was a busy day for Ava. She got up and ate, played with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lisa, and cousins Reece and Zackery for awhile. Then she and I went and picked up Aunt Darlene and cousin Sara and went up to Hopes Bridal so that I could get fitted for a bridesmaid dress. We headed back home to decorate Easter cookies. Ava wasn't really interested so Daddy decorated instead (he decorated some beautiful cookies, it just took him a long time to do one masterpiece at a time). Ava had lots of visitors. She got to meet Karen and Linda in the morning. After we got back from Hopes she got to meet Grandma Great and Great Aunt Lori for the first time. Grandma Schutterle, Virginia, Marilyn, Kristin, Carl, and Matt also came to visit on Sat. You can see in the pictures below that people didn't mind holding her, as she was very seldom put down!
Sunday morning Miss Ava put on her beautiful Easter dress (which lasted the whole day with no blowouts) and went down to see what the Easter bunny brought her. We then headed off to church and came home to look for our Easter baskets that were hidden outside at Grandma and Grandpa's. Everybody came over at noon so that we could have lunch. Then we had our big annual Easter egg hunt put on by Aunt Darlene. Thank you very much Aunt Darlene for another wonderful hunt (too bad the younger kids had to help me find my last egg yet again). That afternoon we headed up to Grandma Great's. Ava had yet another Easter basket up there. We had dinner there and then headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Becker's, as it was time for Ava's dinner. Uncle Rick stopped down to meet Ava that night before headed off to work. By the end of the day Mommy, Daddy, and Ava were exhausted!
We headed back home Monday around 11:00. Once again Ava slept almost all the way to Hollandale where we stopped to see Nana and eat lunch. She enjoyed her time with Nana and even managed to stay awake and look at her for awhile. We got home around 6:00 last evening. Ava was a bit fussy as her schedule was once again all messed up due to the long drive. She was asleep again at 10:00 and up at 3:00 so I'm glad she was able to sleep last night!
I think it will be a pretty low key day today. The weather is supposed to be kind of yucky so I think we'll stay in for the day. We have plenty of stuff to do with things to put away and what not. We hope that you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Jakob, Ava, Angie, & Anna
Great Grandma Schutterle
Cousin Carl putting Ava to sleep
Aunt Darlene
Grandma Great holding Ava for the first time
Ava & Mommy with one of her three Easter baskets
A family pictures after church
Grandma & Grandpa Becker with all of Ava's cousins
Sleeping bunny
Saturday was a busy day for Ava. She got up and ate, played with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Lisa, and cousins Reece and Zackery for awhile. Then she and I went and picked up Aunt Darlene and cousin Sara and went up to Hopes Bridal so that I could get fitted for a bridesmaid dress. We headed back home to decorate Easter cookies. Ava wasn't really interested so Daddy decorated instead (he decorated some beautiful cookies, it just took him a long time to do one masterpiece at a time). Ava had lots of visitors. She got to meet Karen and Linda in the morning. After we got back from Hopes she got to meet Grandma Great and Great Aunt Lori for the first time. Grandma Schutterle, Virginia, Marilyn, Kristin, Carl, and Matt also came to visit on Sat. You can see in the pictures below that people didn't mind holding her, as she was very seldom put down!
Sunday morning Miss Ava put on her beautiful Easter dress (which lasted the whole day with no blowouts) and went down to see what the Easter bunny brought her. We then headed off to church and came home to look for our Easter baskets that were hidden outside at Grandma and Grandpa's. Everybody came over at noon so that we could have lunch. Then we had our big annual Easter egg hunt put on by Aunt Darlene. Thank you very much Aunt Darlene for another wonderful hunt (too bad the younger kids had to help me find my last egg yet again). That afternoon we headed up to Grandma Great's. Ava had yet another Easter basket up there. We had dinner there and then headed back to Grandma and Grandpa Becker's, as it was time for Ava's dinner. Uncle Rick stopped down to meet Ava that night before headed off to work. By the end of the day Mommy, Daddy, and Ava were exhausted!
We headed back home Monday around 11:00. Once again Ava slept almost all the way to Hollandale where we stopped to see Nana and eat lunch. She enjoyed her time with Nana and even managed to stay awake and look at her for awhile. We got home around 6:00 last evening. Ava was a bit fussy as her schedule was once again all messed up due to the long drive. She was asleep again at 10:00 and up at 3:00 so I'm glad she was able to sleep last night!
I think it will be a pretty low key day today. The weather is supposed to be kind of yucky so I think we'll stay in for the day. We have plenty of stuff to do with things to put away and what not. We hope that you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Jakob, Ava, Angie, & Anna
Great Grandma Schutterle
Cousin Carl putting Ava to sleep
Aunt Darlene
Grandma Great holding Ava for the first time
Ava & Mommy with one of her three Easter baskets
A family pictures after church
Grandma & Grandpa Becker with all of Ava's cousins
Sleeping bunnyFriday, April 2, 2010
Happy Easter!!!
Wishing you all a Happy Easter!
(I took this on my cell phone at Target, there will be more bunny ear pictures to come despite what Nate and Uncle Wes think)
(I took this on my cell phone at Target, there will be more bunny ear pictures to come despite what Nate and Uncle Wes think)Thursday, April 1, 2010
Smiles
Today Ava turns 5 weeks old. She is really filling out and becoming more animated. The last few days she has been giving us even more smiles. Last night I was getting ready to put her in bed and Nate was just looking at her. She smiled and then she started to giggle. It was the funniest thing (at least to us). We could just sit and look at her all day, amused by the faces she makes and trying to get her to smile at us.
Ava has been quite the social butterfly this week. Like I said in the last post, Grandma Veldman came over to play with Ava Tuesday morning while I went to the eye Dr. Good news, I'm not going blind. Because of the hormone changes and dryness of my eyes, my cornea is reshaping causing me to have an astigmatism, hence the blurry vision in my right eye. The Dr. gave me some eye drops, told me to wear my glasses for a while, and I should see some improvement. I have to follow-up next week at the clinic. I haven't noticed any improvement yet, but hopefully soon! Tuesday evening we went out to dinner with Karina, Molly, and Beth. It was great to see them and catch up. It was nice to also have some adult conversation, not just somebody who looks back at me when I talk to them. Then last night we had dinner with Mo and Kate. It was Ava's first time meeting Kate and she snuggled right into her and fell asleep.
For the past three nights Ava has been a super sleeper at night. We have put her down between 10 and 11 and she sleeps until around 3:00. I put her back down in her crib around 4:00 after I feed her and she puts herself right back to sleep until around 6:30 or 7:00. We are so lucky that she is one of those babies that I can put down in the crib and she goes right to sleep after her middle of the night feeding (she falls asleep like her father). I'm really hoping this sleep trend continues!!!
Tomorrow afternoon we head out for our first big road trip. We will be heading to IA to spend Easter with my family. Hopefully Ava sleeps in the car like she normally does. It will take us about 6 hours to get down there since we have to stop and feed her. I'm excited to see everybody and I know that there are many people that will be excited to see Ava again. Hopefully the weather holds out for her 1st Easter egg hunt, which is a big deal for our family every year. Yes, I am now 29 and I still hunt for my eggs and love it!
Wishing you all a Wonderful Easter!
Snuggled up taking a nap on Grandpa (check out the bunny tail on her butt)
Who has the bigger yawn?
Ava has been quite the social butterfly this week. Like I said in the last post, Grandma Veldman came over to play with Ava Tuesday morning while I went to the eye Dr. Good news, I'm not going blind. Because of the hormone changes and dryness of my eyes, my cornea is reshaping causing me to have an astigmatism, hence the blurry vision in my right eye. The Dr. gave me some eye drops, told me to wear my glasses for a while, and I should see some improvement. I have to follow-up next week at the clinic. I haven't noticed any improvement yet, but hopefully soon! Tuesday evening we went out to dinner with Karina, Molly, and Beth. It was great to see them and catch up. It was nice to also have some adult conversation, not just somebody who looks back at me when I talk to them. Then last night we had dinner with Mo and Kate. It was Ava's first time meeting Kate and she snuggled right into her and fell asleep.
For the past three nights Ava has been a super sleeper at night. We have put her down between 10 and 11 and she sleeps until around 3:00. I put her back down in her crib around 4:00 after I feed her and she puts herself right back to sleep until around 6:30 or 7:00. We are so lucky that she is one of those babies that I can put down in the crib and she goes right to sleep after her middle of the night feeding (she falls asleep like her father). I'm really hoping this sleep trend continues!!!
Tomorrow afternoon we head out for our first big road trip. We will be heading to IA to spend Easter with my family. Hopefully Ava sleeps in the car like she normally does. It will take us about 6 hours to get down there since we have to stop and feed her. I'm excited to see everybody and I know that there are many people that will be excited to see Ava again. Hopefully the weather holds out for her 1st Easter egg hunt, which is a big deal for our family every year. Yes, I am now 29 and I still hunt for my eggs and love it!
Wishing you all a Wonderful Easter!
Snuggled up taking a nap on Grandpa (check out the bunny tail on her butt)
Who has the bigger yawn?
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