Update

Once again, I have been scolded for not updating my blog, so here we go...

Ava is now over 4 months old. I can't believe how fast she is growing. At her 4 month check-up, she weighed 11 lbs. 6 oz. and was 24 1/4 in. long. On the 4 month chart, she was 10% on weight and 50% on height. They said she is doing so well that there is no need to move her back to the 3 month chart. She is meeting all of the developmental milestones for a 4 month old and is even doing great with her neck and back muscles. The doctor said she doesn't think Ava is going to need physical therapy, but we are continuing with the evaluation process just in case. Apparently, Mommy's baby boot camp is working! We were very excited to finally get a good report.

Now for some cute stories about Ava...

When we took Ava for her check-up, we were still very concerned about her neck muscles. We had never seen this doctor before, so I was filling her in on Ava's issues. She said she would take a look at Ava's head control. First, she sits Ava on the table while holding her at the waist. Ava just sat there looking at the doctor and did not bobble her head one time! She had never done that before. Naturally, I start explaining that she really does have a problem and if she would put her on her stomach she would see that Ava is not able to lift her head off the table. So, the doctor puts Ava down on the tummy and Ava not only lifts her head, but she puts both elbows underneath her, raises her chest off the table, and starts looking around. Kurt and I just looked at each other in disbelief. Once again, she had never done that before. She was just showing off for the doctor. The doctor now thinks we are crazy. Oh well... at least Ava is doing better.

This is actually a cute story about Daddy(Kurt). A week before Ava turned 4 months, Kurt and I decided that it was time Ava moved to her own room. She had been sleeping in a cradle right beside our bed since she came home. So, we went through our before bed routine and put Ava down in her own room around 10:00pm (this was actually early for her). She went right down and fell asleep immediately. Of course, Kurt and I checked on her a million times and watched her with our video monitor from our room. Around midnight, we were turning off the lights to go to bed when Kurt jumped out of bed and said, "I'm not ready for this." A few seconds later, he was walking back into our room with Ava in his arms explaining to me that Ava was not ready either. He said we moved too fast moving her from right beside me to her own room. He then moved the cradle a few feet away to the wall and said Ava will sleep there until they are both ready. Almost three weeks later, Ava is still in our room. Apparently, she will be ready after our vacation in the middle of June. We may have her out by the time she is 5 months!!

I was going to tell a few more stories, but this has already turned into a novel. I will get to the part people really want to see...pictures and video. I finally got around to uploading video to our computer, so I will post several more videos once I find the time to edit them. The one I am posting today is of Ava laughing. She thinks Daddy is soooo funny.




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This is Ava sitting in her bumbo. Once again, she can actually sit better than this, but Mommy is not very quick with the camera.

Yesterday, I put Ava under her play gym while I did the dishes. She must have played really hard because when I went back in a couple of minutes to check on her, this is what I found.

I promise to post more often. These last few weeks have been very hectic. Grandma and Poppa are coming this weekend, so I am sure I will have more pictures to post.

Pictures

We have received several requests for new pictures of Ava, so here they are. Several people have also asked to see pictures of her holding her head up, so those are included also. She can actually hold her head up better than she is in the pictures, but Mommy and Daddy are just not very quick with the camera.

Ava in her Easter dress

Kurt, Ava, and I on Easter

Ava in her original coming home outfit

Ava before church

Ava holding her head up

10 Pounds!

Ava is officially over 10 pounds. We weighed her at the doctor today and she weighed 10 lbs. 4 oz. Our little girl is getting so big.

Unfortunately, Ava is sick. We took her to a new pediatrician today because we really disliked our old one. Anyway, Ava is running a fever and just acts like she doesn't feel well. The doctor said it looks like she just has a normal childhood virus. We finally get to start taking her out and she gets sick! I guess it had to happen eventually.

I mentioned to our doctor that I didn't think Ava was holding her head up as well as she should. The doctor took a look at her and said she should be a lot farther along with her muscle tone than she is right now. She suggested an Early Childhood Intervention program. The program comes to our house for an evaluation and then sets the child up with an in-home physical therapy program if Ava qualifies. I really hope we don't need any of their services, but I will feel better once we get Ava checked out. If the therapy doesn't work or she isn't accepted into the program, the doctor wants Ava to be seen by a neurologist. I feel like we can't catch a break!!!

Anyway, that's enough for today. I am emotionally exhausted. I just want to be done with all of this and have a normal, healthy, strong baby.

Stay-at-Home Mom

As of last Monday, I am officially a stay-at-home mom. My maternity leave ran out on Friday (the 13th), so I resigned from my position on Monday, April 16th. Even though I haven 't been working for the last three months, it still feels a little strange to not have a job anymore. I am very excited though. Ava and I are very fortunate that Kurt's job allows me to stay home. I realize that staying home with your children is a personal decision and is not right for everyone, but I couldn't imagine taking Ava to daycare every day. I think it would be the hardest thing I would ever have to do.

I wrote the paragraph above last week and never got around to publishing it, so that's why it sounds so weird with the dates. I had to make a few modifications. :)

Ava is now 3 months old. Can you believe it??? The time has really flown by. She is close to 10 pounds now and really starting to act grown up. She is getting so strong now too. She is holding her head up most of the time on her own, smiling like crazy, has laughed a couple of times, tries to stand up in my lap, and is starting to grab things. I miss my little baby!

Ava went to our church for the first time yesterday. It was so nice to get out of the house and be back at church. Of course, Ava wanted to eat right in the middle of church, so I missed most of it. It was still nice though. It was so good to see everyone and feel like a normal person again.

We are very fortunate that Ava sleeps all night, but she definitely keeps me on my toes during the day. She has days (like today) where she doesn't want to sleep at all. She is not in a bad mood, but she wants mommy to entertain her all day long. It is days like today that Kurt comes home from work and it looks like I just rolled out of bed. Today he said, "I'm glad you got dressed up for me." We just didn't make it that far today. Oh well!

I am amazed every day by how much I love this little girl. I loved her from the beginning, but I think I love her more each day. She is so sweet and is developing such a cute little personality. I really don't think you can understand how much parents love their children until you have one of your own. She better watch out because I can already tell that I am going to be just a tad overprotective! :)

I need to post new pictures of Ava. I will try to upload some new ones later today or tomorrow. I really need to post Easter pics. She looked so cute!

Quick Update

I don't have much time before Ava needs to eat again, but I wanted to post a quick update and some new pictures. Ava is doing really well. We weighed her last night and she weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. Our pediatrician does not seem to think this is very good progress, but that is another story. I think she's doing great.

She is really developing a little personality. Morning is her favorite time of day. She is in such a good mood and smiles at everything. She also loves her Baby Einstein play gym. She loves to look at herself in the mirror. We may be in trouble. :)

Here are some pictures we took this weekend...

Ava smiling at Boompa (her great-grandfather)

Ava and Aunt Kirby

6 Week Pictures

These are a few of the pictures we had taken when Ava was 6 weeks old. They didn't scan in as well as I had hoped, but here they are.

Progress!!!

Wow, I can't tell you how much Ava has accomplished since my last post. I am warning you now that this post may be a little too much information about breastfeeding, so if that makes you uncomfortable, stop reading now. :)

At Ava's last doctor's appointment, he agreed to let me start nursing Ava full time. I wrote all about this in my last post. It has been so nice to not sterilize and fix bottles every night!!! At that time, I was still pumping every other feeding until I could make sure Ava was getting enough milk. She is doing great, so now I only pump once every couple of days when I am feeling too full! I was so excited to get rid of that part. Now I can actually just sit and hold Ava after she eats instead of putting her down to pump. Ava had only one last obstacle to overcome.

When I started nursing Ava in the NICU, her mouth was too small to latch on properly, so I had to use nipple shields. I hated using them. It took all the convenience out of breastfeeding. I had to make sure I had one with me and water to seal it on properly. Once I got settled, attached the nipple shield, and was ready to feed Ava, she would reach up and pull it off. Of course, she would be screaming from hunger at this point. Finally, she reached the point where she was big enough for me to start weaning her off of them. This was more difficult that I had ever imagined. I had no idea where to start, so I started looking in my breastfeeding books. The only thing they wrote about them was to try not to start using them because it can be difficult to wean from them. Thanks a lot!! I did contact a lactation consultant, but they weren't much help either. Apparently, every child weans from these differently. I started weaning Ava from the shields over two weeks ago. At first she would scream if I didn't give her the shield because she didn't like the texture of the breast. Then, I would get excited if she would latch on and suck twice. This would only happen once a day or so. She finally got to where she would latch on for ten minutes a couple times a day. Both Ava and I were extremely frustrated during this time. Then, this weekend it seemed like it just clicked with her. She really wanted to take the breast, but I was still having a hard time getting her to latch on properly. We went to see a lactation consultant on Monday. She showed me a trick to get preemies to latch on and Ava has been doing it ever since. Since yesterday she has latched on the first time I offer her the breast and we have not used a nipple shield in over 24 hours!!! I know this does not seem like a big deal, but it is a huge accomplishment for Ava and I. I was beginning to worry that I would never be able to breastfeed her naturally. It only took us 7 weeks, but we finally got it!

I am so thankful to have a husband and family who are so supportive of my efforts to breastfeed Ava. It has definitely been a challenge, but we finally figured it out. My sister has been a huge help through all of this. It is so nice to have someone who was successful breastfeeding to talk to about all of this.

Ava went to the doctor today for a weight check and she is now 6 lbs. 9 oz. She gained a 1/2 oz. per day during the last two weeks. I am very happy with this since she was not only breastfeeding full time, but learning to nurse without the nipple shields. At our lactation appointment on Monday, they said Ava was very efficient at the breast. She nursed for about ten minutes on one side and got over 3 oz. They weighed her before and after she ate. Then, she latched on and ate some more.

We are so proud of our little girl. She has overcome so much in 7 weeks!!!

We had professional pictures of Ava taken last week. I will try to scan them in and post them here soon.

6 Pounds!!!

We took Ava to the doctor on Tuesday and she weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. We were so excited! The doctor was very happy with her weight gain. He even allowed me to start nursing her full time!!! We still have to feed her every three hours and pump every other time, but no more bottles!!! I was hoping we could at least cut one thing out of our day. We now feel like we have a normal newborn.

I'm not sure if I posted it here before, but the neonatologist had told us we were not allowed to take Ava out of the house for two months. We were fine with that. Ava will be six weeks on Friday, so we thought we were getting close. At our appointment on Tuesday, her pediatrician said we cannot take her out of the house for another two months! He said we could start taking her places in May. We are so torn about this. We don't want to do anything to hurt Ava, but I am not sure I can stay in the house for another two months. Ava will be 3 1/2 months old by then. I do understand that it is flu and RSV season, but I would like to have a little bit of a normal life. We will definitely keep her in for another month, but I think we may have to make our own decisions after that. Any advice on this subject would be appreciated.

Ava is enjoying another first at the moment. She is taking a nap in her crib for the first time. I am a nervous wreck. I usually put her in the pack 'n play downstairs with me or carry her around in the moses basket. Needless to say I have an eye on her at all times. Right now I am in the room next to her nursery with the monitor on full blast and I keep running in there with every little sound she makes. I now know that I am definitely not ready to move her to her nursery at night. She may be in our room for several more months.

Last weekend my cousin, Melissa, her husband, Dan, and their daughter, Claire, came to see us. Claire and Ava were born exactly one week apart. It was my first time to see Claire in person. She is beautiful. Don't worry, I will post pictures at the end. It was so good to see them. I really wish they lived closer since Claire and Ava are so close in age. I can't wait to see them grow up together. Hopefully, Ava will catch up in size soon. I didn't realize how tiny Ava is until I saw Claire.

My grandmother also saw Ava for the first time last weekend. It was killing her that she wasn't able to see Ava sooner. My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were here too. Needless to say, we had a full house. We had a great time though. We really appreciate everyone coming to see us since we aren't allowed to travel with Ava. I should rephrase that. People don't come to see Kurt and I anymore. They are definitely here for Ava. We're lucky if we get a hello at the door before they grab Ava from us. That's okay though. We're glad Ava is so loved. I guess this is our first taste of being "Ava's parents" not Kurt and Kimberly for at least the next 18 years.

Okay, now for the pictures.

Ava and Claire

Left to Right: Melissa with Claire, Jennifer with Caleb, and me with Ava

Nana with Ava (her great-grandmother)

This is one of my favorite pictures. It looks like Ava is pulling Claire's hair and Claire is screaming.

Melissa with Ava

Ava and I

Ava

Caleb sitting in Ava's infant seat.

Thank You!

I was in such a rush to post my last entry that I realized I had forgotten to thank all of you for your prayers and sweet comments during Ava's first few weeks. I can't tell you all how much it means to Kurt and I that so many people were praying for our sweet baby. It's amazing that so many people we have never met in person were praying for all of us. I am printing all of the comments from this blog to put in Ava's baby book. I want her to know how many people were praying for her to get well. I feel like my words are very inadequate, but thank you again.

Update

Ava is now over 5 pounds! We went to the doctor on Tuesday and she weighed 5 lbs. 1 oz. She had gained 6 oz. in a week. She is doing great. We go back to the doctor two weeks from our last appointment. We are hoping Ava will be close to 6 lbs. by then. The doctor said that once we get to 6 lbs. we can reevaluate our feeding schedule. I really hope this means he will let me nurse her for full feedings. I can't wait to get to the point where I just have to pump occasionally!

We are starting to get a taste of what it is like to have a normal newborn. For the first three weeks or so, Ava slept almost all day and never cried. She is now starting to cry when she is hungry, gets her diaper changed, or is put down when she wants to be held. The last part is new. She wants to be held all the time. If you put her down, she will grunt until you pick her up again. I love to hold her, but when am I going to get things done??? The last two nights she has spent sleeping on either my chest or her grandmother's. I really hope this is just a phase. Again, I really can't complain too much. She really is a very good baby.

It's time to feed Ava again, but here are a few of her newest pictures.

Ava with Boompa (her great-grandfather)

Ava with Aunt Donna

Ava is Home!

I have tried to post three times since Ava came home last Friday, but blogger has erased my post before it published all three times. I don't have as much time to post all of the details this time, but I want to give a quick update.

Ava is doing great. She came home on Friday, February 2. That is actually the day I was supposed to start my maternity leave. I thought I would have a couple of weeks to get everything ready before our little one arrived. Of course, Ava had different plans. She has definitely let us know that she runs the show. Anyway, we took Ava for her first appointment with the pediatrician last Tuesday. She had gained one ounce making her 4 lbs. 11 oz. We go back on Tuesday, so we are hoping she has gained this week.

The pediatrician didn't like the feeding plan we were on from the NICU, so he changed it once again. He said that her breastfeeding for full feedings is like her running a marathon at this point. He is now only letting me nurse her for 20 minutes and then we give her a bottle of breastmilk supplemented with neosure. We also have to feed her every three hours. That makes nights very long. I have to get up, change her diaper, breastfeed her for 20 minutes, warm up a bottle, give her the bottle which usually takes her 30-45 minutes to finish, put her back in bed, and pump for 20 minutes. That usually gives me an hour to an hour and a half of sleep before it is time to do it all over again.

I really shouldn't complain though. Ava is a great baby. The only time she cries is when she is hungry and that isn't very often. She definitely warns us that she is hungry before she begins to cry. She loves to get a bath which makes our job very easy.

Well, it's almost time for her to eat again, so I better finish up. I will try to post more often now that we are getting into a routine. I will definitely try to post again after her appointment on Tuesday.

Everyone has been asking me for pictures, so here are just a few. These pictures are a little over a week old, so I will try to post more current pictures soon. She is changing every day.

Ava's original coming home outfit. Of course, it was huge on her.

Ava's new coming home outfit.

Ava and Daddy coming home from the hospital.

Ava with Poppa and Grandma (my parents)

Ava with Gigi (Kurt's mom), Uncle David (Kurt's uncle), Pops (Kurt's dad), and Aunt Olivette (Kurt's aunt is holding Ava)

Ava with Aunt Jennifer and Caleb

Another Update...as Requested

It's Jennifer again. Kimberly hasn't been near a computer lately and doesn't have time to breathe, let alone update her blog. So, she asked me to do it for her.

First, pictures of Ava I know you all want to see. These are preemie clothes that are swallowing her!



Doing what she does best...sleeping!:


Ava and her proud daddy:



(Kimberly and Kurt were staying at the hospital, but about a week ago there were a bunch of babies born at the hospital and they kicked Kimberly and Kurt out of their room. So now they are driving back and forth multiple times a day for feedings!)

Ava is doing SO well these days! She was able to regulate her own temperature in just a couple of days. They weaned her off the heated bed and now she's wearing her own clothes. They wre swaddling her with two blankets, but they had to take one off because she got too hot! That is good news. :-) She's still in the incubator bed because they didn't have any open-air cribs, but the top is lifted and the heater is not on.

They have started letting Kimberly breastfeed Ava for any feeding she can be at the hospital, and the nurses feed her at night. She still has the feeding tube, which is what they have been using to feed her, but as of last night, they are trying to go solo on breastfeeding during the day and bottle feeds at night. If Ava can gain weight over the next two days doing this, then she may be able to go home on Friday! Kimberly is excited about that possibility, but she is also very aware that things can change and doesn't want to get her hopes up. If the night went well, they will probably remove the feeding tube today!

Kimberly is exhausted! I wish there was something that we could do for her, but since she's the only one who can feed her baby, there's not much to do. Her schedule for the last week has been:

be at the hospital around 8am for feed
feed for 30-45 minutes
drive 15-20 minutes home
pump for 30 minutes
wash and sterilize pump supplies
take a shower, run errands, try to rest, etc.

be at the hospital around 11am for feed
feed for 30-45 minutes
drive 15-20 minutes home
pump for 30 minutes
wash and sterilize pump supplies
eat lunch

be at the hospital around 2pm for feed...you get the picture.

She's been doing the feedings at 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm. By the time she gets Ava to feed well, which last night took an hour because Miss Ava apparently can't multi-task (she needed to dirty her diaper and refused to feed until that happened!), she doesn't have much time before she has to be there for the next feed. She is looking forward to getting Ava home and not having to run back and forth to the hospital. Anyone who spends time with Kimberly feels like Kurt's parents did yesterday when they said, "After spending two days with you, we're exhausted!" That is the truth. Watching Kimberly juggle all of this is tiring and amazing. I wrote a letter to Kimberly on my blog because I am so proud of the job she's doing as a mom! (I know she hasn't read it since she doesn't have time to sit at a computer.)

Doing Better

Ava is doing GREAT! Her IV was removed last night, and they took her oxygen/room air off today. You can now see her little face, and it's absolutely beautiful! They expect to be able to take the light off tomorrow, so her sunglasses will go away, too. Kimberly said she feels like a "real" mom now since she's getting to change Ava's diapers! They are letting Kimberly nurse her two feedings a day and they will work up to all feedings eventually. No more bottles for Ava! The rest of her feedings will still be through the feeding tube. Now Kimberly is just concerned that Ava will never learn to breastfeed, but it will just take some time for her to learn.

Thank you all for your prayers! They have definitely been answered.

More Pictures

Here are some pictures of Ava from today.

Ava getting her feeding:


Wearing her cool sunglasses under the light:


Looking at her Aunt Jennifer suspiciously:


Relaxing:

Looking at her mommy:

The nurse let me (Jennifer) in to see her, even though only parents and grandparents are allowed; it was so good to see her! Kimberly got to hold her for about an hour and a half, and Ava did great the whole time. They have decreased her air flow and her last few feedings today were all breast milk. She's getting a little better each day.

Update on Ava

this is Jennifer again...

First, some pictures. :-)




Ok, Kimberly gave me lots of information to pass on to everyone, so here goes:

-Ava will have to remain in the NICU for 2-3 weeks, her size and regulating her own temperature will keep her in the hospital.
-Even though she was born at 36 weeks, they say she's a 34-week baby developmentally (lungs and all)
-Her lungs are still a little wet, so they are giving her antibiotics through her IV to prevent pneumonia
-If she does well tonight and tomorrow, finishes her antibiotics, and doesn't show signs of infection, they will take her off the IV tomorrow (YAY!!). Kurt is especially eager to get rid of the IV. They had to move her IV to her head (poor girl!).
-She is breathing a little better, and they hope to take her off the oxygen by the end of the week, as long as she doesn't get an infection. She still works hard to breathe, though.
-She still has the feeding tube in, and will continue to until her respirations slow down so she can bottle and/or breastfeed again. They think Kimberly can nurse her again in the middle of the week. I know Kimberly is looking forward to that.
-When they take out her IV, they expect her to lose a little weight.
-Her jaundice is better, but they are keeping the light on in order to get her levels down do a really good number, so that if she goes back up a little they won't have to put the light back on.
-In order to go home, Ava has to take all of her feedings by bottle (or breast, we're not sure how much she'll be able to nurse, but they are able to use Kimberly's milk) and regulate her own temperature in the crib.

Kimberly asked everyone to pray that Ava's breathing continues to get better and she will not get an infection so the IV and oxygen tubes can be removed soon. Pray also for Kimberly and Kurt as they deal with all the stress of being new parents and having Ava in NICU.

She's Here

this is Jennifer, Kimberly's sister...

I just wanted to let everyone know that Miss Ava Grace arrived early! She was born yesterday, January 19, at 3:14pm, 4 weeks early. She weighs 4 lbs. 6oz., and is 18.5 in. long. She has RED hair, long fingers, and long feet! Ava is TINY and BEAUTIFUL!!!

Ava is in NICU, and will be for at least a week. Kimberly went in for a routine doctor's appointment on Thursday and Ava's heart rate dropped (on top of an ultrasound that showed she was smaller than they wanted her to be), so the doctor induced her about 4am Friday morning.

Kimberly and Kurt are still getting used to the fact that they are parents (!) and have a baby in NICU. Kimberly is very tired, so we're hoping she'll get some good rest tonight. She will probably be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, but she can stay in her room while Ava is in the NICU so she doesn't have to go back and forth to the hospital every few hours.

Please pray that Ava's lungs will heal completely and that she will be able to hold fluids so she can gain the weight she needs.

Ava holding her Poppa's finger. She is SO small!

Ava and her Poppa:

All stretched out...

If you leave comments for Kimberly, I will print them out and take them to the hospital tomorrow when I go. I know she would love to hear from you all.