Ava: Five Months Old! :)

 Five months of cuteness!

I love this little bundle of pure joy! This month has been so much fun watching her grow and learn. Here are her stats:

Weight: *

Length: *

Diaper size: 1

Clothes: 3-6 month; 6 month pajamas

Holy Cow. What a month! She has changed SO much! She is sitting in her bumbo every day, holding her sweet head up, and interacting with anyone who passes by! She is a people watcher and that makes it so much easier to take her places. She faces forward in her stroller now, and she is experiencing a whole new world (cue Aladdin soundtrack). 

Tummy time is still one of her least favorite times. It's better because her belly doesn't hurt as much anymore but I don't think she looks forward to it. :) She can hold her head up and move it from side to side... and she's oh-so-close to rolling over. I'm in no rush whatsoever. She's my baby and I am okay keeping her that way for a little while longer. It won't be long before she's moving everywhere. Eek! :)

This skill has changed her life! ha :) Ava loves to grab! If you put it in front of her, consider it hers. She always ends up with clumps of Mama's hair in her hands by the end of every day! She is so much more coordinated now when she holds her toys and pacifier.

Bath time = Fun time!

Ava loves this time with her Daddy and Sister. Eric gets home just in time for dinner most nights, so he gets to play with them during bath time. They have so much fun! Addie is such a helper and loves to read stories to Ava and share her bath toys. 

Miss Personality.

Seriously, she is the happiest baby now that we got her tummy issues figured out. She is still nursing and has started solids (more on that next month). I cut out dairy and it made a HUGE difference in her quality of life. She is way more comfortable after her meals and she sleeps much better these days. According to her pediatrician, she's not allergic to dairy, but she just is super sensitive to it. He said we'll gradually work it back into her diet as she grows. For now, I'm staying away from it... especially since she's teething. That's enough pain for a baby in itself. :(

Speaking of eating... Ava is quite the fan of solids! We started with rice cereal, and her tummy couldn't handle it. I switched her to oatmeal and she LOVED it! I mean, I could not get it to her mouth fast enough. We tried a couple of veggies and she really just preferred the oatmeal and she kept it in her mouth easier.

Two things about this pic:

1. Ava loves the exersaucer. Her sweet little feet finally reach the bottom and she has figured out almost all of the toys. 

2. She always, always, always makes sure Addie is close by. It is so sweet to see how much these girls love each other. I know they'll go through phases like all siblings do, but for now, I am soaking up every moment.

Ava,

You are our sunshine.

We love you more and more each day! We thank God for you!

Mama, Daddy, and Addie

Ava: Four Months Old! :)

Here is our little punkin at 4 months:

Seriously. Can't get enough of her.

I'll have official stats after her well visit, but here are my guesses:

Weight: around 12 1/2 pounds

Length: 23 inches

Clothes: 3 months (starting some 6 months if they run small); all pajamas are 6 months for baby long legs :)

Diapers: size 1

This month has been so much fun! Ava has really started to get into a great routine and a PRECIOUS personality! She wakes up between 6 and 7 these days... and she just wakes up happy! I love that! We hear her on the monitor just talking away and when we go in, she is so excited! :) She has breakfast and plays for about an hour or so and takes a good nap in the morning. She wakes up for lunch around 11:30 or 12 and is up for a few hours. This is her best play time. Usually, she goes down for an afternoon nap by 2, but here lately she has just been taking little cat naps throughout the afternoon. That could be because we are always on the go so it's hard to get a good afternoon nap... or I think it may be her teeth bothering her. Either way, she's usually fine to be awake as long as she still has her Zantac for her reflux. Don't ever forget that stuff. Oye. I made that mistake the other night and we were gone longer than expected. Epic Mom Fail. Never again. We are putting a serving of her medicine in my purse so we can avoid that situation if at all possible! :) Anyway, she takes her bath between 8-9 and is usually out shortly after that. She either wakes up once to eat or not at all. She is sleeping really well lately considering the teething...

Speaking of teething... Ava constantly has her hands in her mouth just grabbing her gums. I honestly hate this for her just like I did with Addie. I mean, it has to hurt! :( Now that Ava can hold things, that has helped. She can grab some things and get them to her mouth (teethers, toys, etc.) and when she can't, she will let us hold it so she can chew on it for a while. God love her. I know this phase will last a long time... I just pray that we can find something to make her feel better through it all. :)

Ava loves to laugh now! Quite possibly the cutest thing you've ever seen... she's doing very well following objects and voices and she always watch you walk away or walk into the room. She can focus on her videos for about 20 minutes these days and she loves playing on her playmat, too. Tummy time is not her favorite, but it's getting better! No rolling yet, but plenty of holding that big ole melon up and looking around! :)

Her exersaucer has helped a lot with head control! She loves looking up at the toys and pressing the buttons. I can't believe she's already big enough for it! :( Time is flying!

Check out that concentration! :)

This month, Ava went on her first road trip. We drove to Mississippi for the week of the Fourth of July, and Ava did great! We only had to stop a couple of times each way, so in my book, it was a win! I sat in the back with the girls and entertained them. :) I love the pics in this collage. She was in a happy mood!

The trip was fun for both girls! Addie had a blast since her cousins were there and she was spoiled by my mom and dad... and Ava seemed to love being there, as well. :) We did a lot of relaxing since it rained all but one day we were there. We did get some swimming and boat riding in, too. Very fun! :) Most of our pics are on my mom's camera. I'll have to do a separate post. :)

I did get some pics of her at 3 months in one of my favorite outfits of Addie's. :) Love this girl.

Happy baby!

Grabby Grabberson.

Sweet Ava...

Love you more than words, sister.

Ava: Three Months Old!

Hard to believe our little peanut is already three months old!

Here she is with her signature head tilt. :) We're working on head control. ha :)

Weight: TBD

Length: TBD

Clothes size: 0-3 month

Diaper: size 1

This child is becoming so much fun these days! Her sweet smile will light up any room. She loves to see people and hear them talk. She follows your voice and watches you walk away... and even whimpers when she can't see you anymore. :( One of her favorite voices is Addie's. I LOVE listening to Addie say things to her that we say... "Hey there pretty girl..." "You are just precious!" "Aw, it's okay Sissy." "I just love you, Sister!" :)

Ava's absolute favorite place is her changing table. She loves being in her room and some days her demeanor changes as soon as we walk in there! Speaking of, here are some pics of her nursery since I haven't posted any.

When we found out we were pregnant this time, I knew that I wanted to incorporate my favorite color (blue) into the nursery in some way... whether we had a boy or a girl. When we found out about Ava, I found this bedding and fell in love with it! It's called My Baby Sam: Pixie in Aqua. I love the combination of colors and the paisley/polka dot combo. My girls got me the mobile and the hamper (not shown). I'm so glad they did. Ava loves that mobile!

Took me a while to decide on her letters, but Hobby Lobby had these aqua ones that were just the right color. I added the little ribbons and they really stand out on the brown walls (we left the walls the color that was in this room before we turned it into the nursery. So glad we did! It looks fab with the colors of her bedding). Thankfully, she has a short name, so three letters were super cheap!

A friend of mine, Brooke, hand painted these for me! I LOVE these... so special!

This is a work in progress. All of the furniture was Addie's, so she still loves to use all of these books. We haven't found a good bookshelf for her room, but when we do, a lot of these will move to her room. For now, it works because she loves to read to Ava while Ava plays on her playmat. :) My mom found those little baskets at Hobby Lobby. Perfect match!

We made a shadow box of Addie's NICU things, and we liked it so much that we decided to make one for Ava. :) Her's contains her coming home dress, her hat from the hospital, her first diaper size, her "sunglasses" from her day under the billiruben light, her bracelet and crib sign, and a picture of her as Thursday's Baby. All I need to add is a picture of the Thursday's Baby display in the hospital.

My favorite part of the nursery: the curtains! I saw ruffled curtains on Pinterest a while back and my mom said she would make them for me... but we searched the internet to see if they were carried anywhere, and Pottery Barn Kids had them on clearance! Score! They were cheaper than she could have made them, so we went with them and LOVE them! I am probably going to get them in purple for Addie's big girl room! That rocker was my parents' that they used for my brother and me. We've used it for both girls. Love.

There are a few other things I'm working on in her room that I'll post later when I get pictures. :)

Ok, back to Ava. :)

She eats about every three-four hours during the day... and on average, she goes about 5.5 hours at night. We're having more nights at 6 hours, so that is super nice! One night we even went 8 hours! Holla! To be honest, I'm okay getting up with her. I think because it's our last baby I am savoring every second with her as a baby. She depends on me to eat and survive... and, selfishly, I love that. :) She takes simethicone (gas drops) with just about every feeding, and she lets me know when I forget to give them to her! :( She is still taking Zantac twice a day for her reflux.

Ava is just the sweetest thing... have I mentioned that yet? ha :) She still enjoys her Baby Einstein movies, looking at her "friends" in her carseat, napping in the swing, looking at her mobile, playing on the playmat, and being outside (when it's not too hot!). She also loves to be held facing forward so she can see what is going on around her. :)

My little love,

You literally light up our life. Your name, Ava, means "life" so that is not surprising at all. :) We all look forward to your smiles each day and how you are learning more and more all the time. You have the BEST big sister! She loves you and is always making sure you are okay. I am so happy that you will have her to grow up with and learn from... You'll learn to love her like we do. :)

We love you so much!

Mama and Daddy (and Addie :)

Ava: Two Months Old! :)

Thankfully, I'm posting this before she is 3 months old. :) Mom of the Year.

Weight: 10 pounds, 10 ounces

Length: 21 inches

Clothes: 0-3 month

Diaper: size 1

Ava is the sweetest baby! She is happy about 90 percent of the time... she will let you know if she's tired or she needs her gas drops and/or reflux medicine. :) She was diagnosed with reflux at 6 weeks, so we started her on Zantac and it has made a world of difference! Thankfully, she wasn't spitting up... but she was, however, swallowing it back down, so it was hurting her twice. :( No wonder she was in such pain! Breaks my heart to think about it, but I'm so grateful that we found something that helps her! PTL.

As you can tell, Big Sister still loves her! She always checks on her, gives her hugs and kisses, and loves trying to make her laugh and smile! Ava has really started smiling a lot lately and Addie just thinks it is hilarious when Ava smiles at her... Addie usually says, 
"You just love me, don't you, Ava?" :)

One of my favorite sister pics :)

Ava's sleep habits during the night were put on hold with the reflux. We were up nearly every hour/two hours for a while before we started the medicine, so we basically started over when it came to sleeping at night. :( Stinks, yes, but ironically, I look back now and really enjoyed sleeping with her and holding her a lot more during those days. We had to feed more often and hold her upright for a while after to help her digest the food better, etc., so I made the best of it and bonded very well with my girl. :) These days, Ava is sleeping anywhere from 5-7 hours during the night. Then she wakes up to eat and goes back down for a few more hours. She takes a good nap in the morning, wakes up to play for a couple of hours around lunchtime and goes back down for a good 2.5-3 hour nap. We play for a few hours in the evening around dinner time and the time when Eric gets home, and she's ready for bath/bed time around 8:30. I usually do a dream feed around 11 which is when we finally get to sleep most nights.

To be honest, one of the most difficult things for me with baby #2 is the schedule. It is very difficult for me to be as strict as I was with Addie because we are always on the go! Whether it is a play date, taking a walk, going to the library, going to the gym, running to the grocery store, or some other weekly errand, it is hard to really just sit at home and get her on a strict schedule when I have a 3 year old who is very active and needs to be doing things during the summer. Thankfully, I have finally just let it go. :) I do the best I can to get Ava to sleep when she needs to be... even if it is in her car seat or her stroller. She definitely eats on a normal schedule, and thankfully, since we are nursing, I'm always prepared for that one. :) ha  Once I realized that both of my girls are happy and healthy and that they are being exposed to so many great things, I forgave myself for not being so regimented... and it's kinda nice. :)

As for nursing, we are doing it full time and I love it. I was worried at first because I exclusively pumped with Addie since she spent so long in the NICU... we were in such a routine that we just kept it going. I would love to continue nursing Ava through her first year. I do pump at least once every other day and I've built up a pretty good frozen supply for when I go back to work. We're also able to have a bottle ready if I am not home or if we are out somewhere when nursing is not a great option. So thankful that she is able to nurse and that she is okay taking a bottle if necessary. :)

This month, Ava is smiling SO much more and it is precious! She is happy, happy, happy when she wakes up from a cat nap and sees you... and when she finishes eating. :) She can see you and notices when you walk away... she'll whine when you walk off, and when you come back, she's back to smiling. :) Little stinker. She loves to be in her swing, on her play mat, in her bouncy seat, cuddling with Mommy or Daddy, and on her changing table. We have started watching a Baby Einstein video while she sits in her bouncy seat, and she does really well focusing while Mommy gets a few things done around the house. :) She also does fairly well when we go places. She is starting to be more content to look around and just take it all in. She also enjoys bathing with Big Sister (once the initial shock of the water wears off :). 
Her only dislikes are gas bubbles and tummy time. :(

Ava Rae,

I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be your Mommy. You have made these last two months so much brighter by just being here. I love your bright eyes, your sweet gummy smile, your chubby cheeks, and every other little thing about you! 

I just love you, sweet baby!

Mommy

Ava: One Month Old!

Time is flying by with two girls! Wow!

 So, now my baby girl is one month old!

Weight: close to 9 pounds

Clothes: Newborn

Diapers: Newborn

Food: Mama's milk :)

 Miss Ava is an amazing baby! She is content about 90% of the time! The only times she fusses are when she's being changed and when she's hungry/wet. **Update: at around 6 weeks, she started being super fussy after feedings. We also noticed that she could kinda cough up some milk when she burped, but it would go back down... so no spit up (which is what we would first look for with reflux). Turns out, after a doctor visit, that she does have reflux. She just swallows it again, so it was super, super painful for her---thus all of the crying fits. We have started Zantac and it seems to be making a big difference for her! We are praying that this trend continues! :)

 Ava is starting to focus her eyes a lot more these days! It is so much fun to see her notice you and follow you with her eyes. She follows any noisy toy that you put in front of her, her mobile, and her animals on her swing! She has even started fussing when they stop moving or the music stops! :)

 To say that Addie loves her baby sister is an understatement! She told me the other day that she likes to call her "Sissy" and that Ava loves when she calls her that. :) Every time someone talks about her, Addie will say something like, "She's so cute, isn't she?!" I also love that when people come over and are holding Ava, Addie will be sure to tell them that they have to leave her with us. No swiping our baby, people. :) I love that Addie is so protective!

 Addie loves to hold Ava's hand...  I love this picture SO much! :)

Ava's favorite places to sleep are her swing, her bouncy seat, her car seat, and on Mama's chest or Daddy's chest. :) We assume this is thanks to the reflux. We are slowly starting to get back to the bassinet on one of those groovy inclined sleep positioners. Naturally, I don't mind that she wants to sleep with me... I love every minute!

 I was able to get some pictures of Ava one afternoon when she was bright-eyed! :) I love her sweet little rolls in this one! :)

 Pretty girl in her bassinet :)
This bassinet was my mom's, my uncle's, my brother's, and mine, and it was also used by my nieces and Addie... now it's Ava's turn! I love family heirlooms!

 I love that this one shows her name!

Not long after our photo shoot... sweet sleepy girl. :)

Ava,

We didn't know how much we were going to love you! We love how much you love us and need us. We love how you let your sister love on you all of the time. :) We thank God every single day for bringing you to us!

Mama and Daddy