Look what I got today!

We took a walk in the stroller today to get the mail (the mailbox is half-way up the street) and look what we got! The cute hair bow from Kayli! I was so excited, I opened it and put it on her in the stroller right away. Then I took her picure, but she doesn't know how to look at me and say "cheese" yet. Anyway, thanks Kayli! It is really cute! We love it!







So, this is what I got to do this afternoon while the kids were napping. I made my cards for the card exchange, and played around with some others. I made the Birthday card for the card exchange. I wanted to use the bright colors, so I played around with this and came up with this card. It isn't my usual style, so I am not 100% pleased with it, but I do like it. It is bright and cheery. The other cards are more my style, so I like them better. It's more me. I want to make more in different colors. I am going to go crazy making all the same card in many different color combinations. It's been a while since I have been able to sit down and create. I had fun.

Well, it is storming once again, so we will see if I get any sleep tonight. I hope we are safe! I was talking to my neighbor the other day about tornados, and she told me that I should be more worried about lightning than tornados. She said that they rarely touch down in the cities...it has something to do with the electricity or something like that. I am willing to believe it if it helps me feel more safe and calm about tornados. So, I guess I won't stay outside in a lightning storm.

Avery's Blessing Day

What a week-end it has been! It started of Thursday evening with my parents and my grandma flying in. Friday afternoon, Tony's parents drove in. My parents slept in my stamp room, Tony's parents slept in Avery's room, and Grandma Avery slept in Logan's room. Logan and Avery slept in our room with Tony, and I slept on the couch! I actually slept much better there than I would if I had stayed in my bed. Not that I could because Logan commandeered my pillow, as well as my side of the bed, so it left me no other choice. We had actually gotten Logan his very own Lightning McQueen bed to sleep in, but he preferred our bed after a while.

Saturday, I ran some errands with my mom and left the baby home with Grandma Black, and Great Grandma Avery. Logan supervised my dad and FIL fixing the hole in our driveway. They broke up the broken concrete, and then filled in the hole with cement. I am lucky to have handy-men for fathers...and a husband as well! Saturday evening we all went out to dinner for some Kansas City Barbecue. It was Avery's first time going out to dinner! She was lucky to have many hands to hold her, and she was very good.

Sunday was a beautiful day, just like I was hoping for! It was 78 degrees! I think Avery knew it was her special day, because she was so happy and smiley all morning before church. I think she was excited to get dressed up all pretty in her beautiful white dress. She was so pretty. Tony did a good job giving her blessing. He said some very wonderful things. My grandma wrote some things down, but I am afraid I threw the paper away on accident. I am a bit worried now. I hope I can find it. He blessed her to develop normally, to be close to her mother, and be able to confide in her, and to develop a strong testimony of the gospel and especially of Joseph Smith. Avery was so good during the whole thing, and didn't even make a peep. I think she liked being held and getting all that attention. She is a social little thing already! The men in the blessing circle consisted of Tony, Grandpa Bowden(my dad), Grandpa Black (Tony's dad), Brother Drake (in the bishopric) and President Giles (Elder's Quorum president). After church, we all came home to have our pink dinner. I say pink, because my mom helped me decorate the table all in pink! We had a pink tablecloth and napkins, and pink tulle bows tied around the backs of the chairs. The napkins had pink flowers tied around them as napkin rings. The centerpiece was a vase of pink and white tulips and snapdragons. It was so pretty, and of course I didn't get a picture of it. My mom did though, so I hope she sends me a copy. We had ham, baked potatoes, layered salad, rolls, and Pavlova for dessert. It was yummy.

Monday we hung around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and each other before the grandparents had to leave. My dad and FIL moved the swingset out of the mud pit and onto the grass. I like it much better now. I never wanted to let Logan play on the swingset because of the dirt and mud. My dad also helped Logan catch butterflies in his new butterfly net that my mom got for him. He was sooo excited to actually catch one! My dad helped him, but then it flew away. We were surprised to even see one in the first place. Tony's parents left around 3:30, and then my parents flight left at 7. Grandma Avery left today, so we got to spend a little more time with her. It was nice. She and Logan both had red "kajmmies", so we had to get a picture of them in them. Grandma is little enought that she could sit by Logan on his little blue couch. So cute! We were so glad she could be here. She is a sweet grandma, and we love her very much.

Craziness!

Today my parents and my grandma are flying in. I have to go pick them up at the airport later today.So, as you can imagine, I have been trying to get some house cleaning done, to get ready for them. Tony's parents are coming tomorrow.

I hardly got any sleep last night. I had an enrichment board meeting and I didn't get home until 9. i then had to feed my starving baby and put her to bed. That took an hour. At 10 pm, I got online to send out some emails, and type up some notes from our meeting while it was fresh in my head. At 11, Logan woke up crying. Tony had already gone to bed, so I had to go put Logan back in bed. I was then up until 12 finishing my email stuff. My ear has been hurting for who knows why, so I couldn't fall asleep right away. I am not sure if I was ever asleep or not, but around 1:15, Logan woke up crying again. I put him back to bed again. Again, not sure if I had really slept, but around 3:30, Logan woke up crying again. This time I asked Tony if he could take care of him. Just when I thought I could snuggle back down in my covers, Avery decided to wake up. So, of course I had to feed her and put her back to bed. By this time it was 4:30 a.m. I managed to sleep this time, I am pretty sure because I remember dreaming. Tony got up to get ready for work, and while he was in the shower, Avery woke up again. This was a little after 7 a.m. I fed her, and put her back to sleep by around 7:45. No sooner had I layed her back down in her crib that I heard Logan waking up. He was a soggy bottom boy, and it had leaked out and wet the bed, so i had to change his clothes, and strip the bed. that was ok because I was going to have to do it anyway to get ready for my grandma to sleep there. I managed to convince Logan to come lay by me for a while. That lasted about 10 minutes. Then it was downstairs to have breakfast and watch Peter Pan. I was able to go back to bed for about an hour or so while Peter Pan was on. Then Cinderella was next.I couldn't sleep anymore this time, so I was finally up at around 9:40 a.m. I had just barely finished my cereal when Avery was awake again for her breakfast. No breaks for me!

I have managed to vacuum, clean my room and the kids rooms, do a load of laundry, tidy up the kitchen, do a load of dishes, put together the dinner for tonight so it is ready to pop in the oven later on, make a jello salad to set in the fridge for tonight, clean out a few items from the fridge, feed myself and the kids, and put them down for naps. Logan didn't sleep for long as he is sick and has been crying all afternoon. He is now watching Peter Pan again with his pillow and blankie. Avery is happy in her bouncy seat for the moment, so I have a break to blog about my crazy day.

I have an hour and a half to finish some odds and ends before I have to go to the airport. I am excited to have family coming. They can tend the kids and I can have some breaks. This week-end won't be long enough! I just hope that Logan feels better tomorrow, and that Avery won't get sick, and neither will anyone else. I am also crossing my fingers and hoping for a nice spring day on Sunday for Avery's blessing. The forecast isn't always acuurate, you know.

Boy am I tired!

The past few days have really given me a taste of what being a Mother is all about. Tony has been out of commission, so I have had to take care of Logan, Avery and Tony all at once! I haven't even been able to do much for myself until now. The other night I didn't even get a chance to eat dinner until almost 10 p.m.! If it wasn't one person, it was another! And then of course, both kids woke up at the same time at 4:40 in the morning, so I had to take care of them both by myself. Now, I know this may not sound unusual for a mother of 2, but when Tony was unable to get out of bed to help in any way, it was a lot harder! Today was the 4th day of this and I am exhausted! Tony is feeling better, and able to help a bit more, but still not much. I don't know how single mothers do it, but I am soooo grateful that I don't have to deal with this all on my own on a regular basis.

We didn't go to church today because I didn't think I could handle 3 hours of church on my own with the kids. I knew I could sit by someone who would be willing to occupy Logan in case I needed to step out with the baby, but the thought of juggling the diaper bag, car seat, 2 yearold and baby was making me tired. Plus, Logan has had a stuffy nose for a while and I thought I better keep him home from nursery just in case he is sick. I did toy with the idea of just dropping Logan off for nursery and then going back to pick him up after church. Ok, I know that wasn't wise, but still very tempting.

Logan is still funny with Avery. Some times he is very good and sweet with her, and other times he is so mean! He insists on screaming "da bee doh" really loud in her ear when she is sleeping. That is deserving of time out. He has been there a few times now because of it. he also tells me " I want to eat her and drink her and kiss her". Today we were laying on the floor on each side of Avery, just talking to her and being cute. I was distracted for a second only to realize that he had poked her in the face and made her cry, and once I calmed her down from that, he had her hand in his mouth and bit her. She didn't really cry that time, so he must not have bit her too hard, but she did make a sad face. Mean brother! But he does try to pick her up and bundle her in her blanket when she is crying. So helpful....

And now for my song choice for the day. I chose "Adiemus" because it reminds me of my BYU Folk Dance days. I will always think of watching fireworks each night after our performance at the Folk Dance Festival in Drummondville, Canada. That will be my first memory when I hear this song. I love it for the memories as well as the song itself.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

So, Logan has been saying this lately. I had no idea where he learned it, so I asked him. He told me daddy sang it to him on his horn. What???? Where does he come up with these things? So, I asked Tony later if he sang that to Logan, and Tony said he didn't even know what it was. Well, we were watching tv later on, and there is a commercial that sings that Happy Happy Joy Joy song. So, we determined that he must have heard it from the tv, but there is nothing about daddy and a horn.

Anyway...this is how I am feeling these days anyway. The weather was soooo nice again today. 80 degrees! We met some friends at the park this morning to get out and enjoy it. We came home briefly for lunch, and then I dropped Logan off at a friends house and I went to my doctor appoinment for my 6 week check-up. I can't believe that it has already been 6 weeks! Time sure flies! I now have the green light to exercise, so I am whipping out my new Pilates DVD so I can get my biscuit in shape! (I just read in a magazine at the doctor's office that when asked how Jennifer Garner lost the baby weight, she replied by saying she got her biscuit on the treadmill like everybody else. I thought that was funny, so I am going to adopt that word now.)

It's amazing what a beautiful spring day can do for your sanity. Growing up in San Diego, beautiful spring days were the norm, so I guess I took them for granted. Now after having lived through 5 Utah winters, 5 Indiana winters, and now 1 Kansas winter, you better believe I am anxiously waiting for these beautiful spring days just like everyone else! my nurse today had bright pink nail polish on, and it made me want to go buy some fun new color to paint my toes!

Well, I better get dinner ready while the kidlets are napping!

My song for the day is "Forever and Always" by Shania Twain. This song makes me happy, and makes me think of sunny, breezy, happy days with my family (Tony, Logan, and Avery).

I am boring, but happy!

I really am I think. I did discover how to add a counter to my blog, and a song as well! I wanted something pretty and relaxing, but I chose this instead. This was seriously my favorite song in High School at one point. I went on a trip to Disneyland with some friends and made them listen to it over and over almost the whole way. I am surprised they didn't throw me out of the car!

Anyway...there is No Rain today, and I am loving the Spring weather! Yesterday Logan told me the Spring was looking at me. Hmmm...maybe it is impacting me? For the good I must say! Bring it on! I am feeling good. My baby sleeps all night, so I am getting plenty of rest. My parents, Tony's parents, Tony's sister and daughter, and my grandma are all coming next week-end for Avery's blessing. I am happy for company! I bought a bright cheery rug for the front door, and I am getting really excited about buying a hanging flower basket for the front door as well.

While I do have a sink full of dirty dishes, I am feeling rather chipper today and I love it. I might stamp, or something! Actually, I need to write thank you cards instead. I better not put it off any longer!

Happy Spring! Let's hope it is here to stay!

What Did You Do All Day?

I love this! I have read this before, but came across it again today. I had to post it on my blog because I think it is hilarious.

What Did You Do All Day?

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still In their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

Service, phones, baby girl and dinner

Wow! This week has started off very interesting. We will see how it ends!

I spent Monday and Tuesday getting all the last minute things ready for my very first Enrichment meeting as the enrichment leader. Tuesday night we had our meeting to celebrate the Relief Society Birthday and had a service auction. We were able to get an auctioneer to volunteer to do it for us, and it was a big hit. The women really had a good time, and they all want to do it again next year. It was a really good turn-out, and we ended up having about 58 services donated, so everyone was able to get something.I ended up donating 4 items. A card tote with about 10 birthday cards, a covered notebook and matching pen, a time to come stamp and make cards with me, and a lunch date with me. Now I have to start planning the rest of the activities and meetings for the year. It's fun though. I really enjoy planning events. Tonight I have a meeting with two other enrichment leaders to brainstorm ideas for a Super Saturday activity in July. Feel free to leave me any ideas in my comments...by tonight!

(Here's the card tote I donated for the service auction.)

So...Tuesday morning I went to make some phone calls about enrichment, and lo and behold my phone didn't work! The neighbors are having sprinklers installed, so they did something to our line. The phone company didn't come until yesterday morning to fix it. Our line had been cut in several places apparently.Our phone does work now, but I had to go 24 hours without it! And I was without internet as well for that long! Yikes! I guess it was a good thing though, because then I didn't spend my time online instead of getting ready for my activity!

Last night I fed Avery at 9 p.m. and she didn't wake up to eat in the night! I woke up at 6 and woke her up because I was a bit sore. What a great night's sleep we all got! I love it! What a good baby! I love her! She will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. She seems so much bigger than that already. We are blessing her on March 25th, and expect to have quite a few family here for it. I didn't expect it at all, but it seems we might have a houseful. Both my parents and Tony's parents are coming for sure, and we just got a call from Tony's sister last night saying that she is coming with her little girl. My sister and her little girl might come, and my grandma Avery might come. That will be nice to have Avery's Great-Grandma Avery be here...after all, she is her namesake. So...now I need to think about how to accomodate all our company, and what to feed that many people! Yikes! But I am excited to have all that company. You all know how sad I am to be away from family, so I am really excited to have them all come. I ordered her blessing dress the other day. I did like some others that were a little fancier, but I couldn't justify spending any more money. She will be so pretty!

I better go and try to be productive today. By the way...I have to mention again how much I am loving the menus4moms website! It takes the dinner stress away completely! I love it! Yesterday I cooked a ham in the crockpot! Who knew? It was so tender and yummy! I never would have thought of making ham for dinner on an ordinary day. I always think of ham for easter, or New Year's or Christmas or something. Not just dinner on a Wednesday. I love it! If planning and making dinner is a stress for any of you, you have got to try this site! It's the best!

Pet Peeves

I have two pet peeves that I can instantly think of. The first is about milk. I cannot stand milk being left out for longer than it takes to pour it in your glass, cereal bowl, or measuring cup. I don't know why I am so uptight about it, but I am. I cannot stand the thought of warm milk! It is sick and wrong. Like people who put the milk jug on the table and leave it there during the meal. I can't take it! Even if I am not the one drinking it, I cannot let milk sit out. Maybe it stems back to my childhood days of visiting my grandparents on my mom's side (Grandma and Grandpa Avery) who had milk cows. I remember the barn and the certain smell it had of milk straight from the cow. I also have very vivid memories of watching my grandpa eat his cereal using milk that he just brought in from the barn. I recall tasting it too, and being repulsed. That must be an acquired taste, and one that I do not wish to have. Maybe this is why I am not a huge milk drinker.

Well, just a while ago, Logan came in the room drinking out of a sippy cup.I didn't think anything of it until he brought it to me saying he wanted more milk. I looked at this cup and was very confused about where he had gotten it since I know I hadn't given him any milk today. Well, I then realized it was his milk from dinner last night! He had taken it in the other room and we never noticed! Gross! Sick! Nasty! He better not get sick from it. Oh disgusting...I might puke myself.

The other pet peeve I have is when perfect strangers call me "hun", "sweetie", or any other term of endearment. Excuse me, but do I know you? It drives me nuts.We went out to dinner to Texas Roadhouse before Avery was born, and the waitress kept calling Tony"hun". Ummm...hello? He is with his pregnant wife and child! Don't you be calling him "hun"!

Anyway...there you have it. Let's hear yours!

There's no place like home!

And it's not Kansas I am referring to! I HATE tornado weather! It scares me to pieces! I have serious anxiety, panic, heart, and whatever other kind of attacks you can have. I used to love thunder storms. I remember watching the lightning with my dad from our living room window when I was young. I also remember how much I loved the thunder storms in Utah when I was at BYU. For some reason, my favorite was listening to the soundtrack from "Last of the Mohicans" during a thunderstorm in Provo. Loved it! I would even open the windows sometimes to listen to the rain. My innocent thunderstorm loving days are over!

Ever since we lived in Indiana, and now Kansas, I cannot enjoy a thunderstorm without an intense fear that there will be a tornado. I am constantly terrified! I can't sleep at all during a storm now. It is 11:40 p.m. currently, and everyone else in my house is asleep except for me. It is hailing right now...big hail too!
It is so loud! It sounds like someone is dumping huge bags of marbles on my house.I hate it! Wow! It's soooo loud! I just went upstairs to check on the kids, and Logan was wide awake. I took him in my room and put him in bed with Tony for now. I think the sever storms are supposed to be over soon, but it will be raining with thinder and lightning all night. Just no more hail, and no tornados...so they say. It's just so darn loud! I am not going to get any sleep tonight.

The crazy thing is that this afternoon was sooo beautiful...it was 71 degrees! We totally went for a walk and played outside. And now this. I think it is supposed to be 38 degrees tomorrow. Crazy. Give me my warm, sunny San Diego any day! There's no place like that home!

Ramblings on my week so far

Just a few thoughts about my week....

My baby girl is awesome! She consistently goes about 6-7 hours between feedings at night. It makes such a difference to be able to be a bit more rested. Last night I fed her at 9:30, and she didn't wake up until almost 5 a.m.! I have gotten into the habit of waking up around 4-ish, and it almost makes me worried when she has't woken up yet. This time around I am not as paranoid as I was with Logan, and I just enjoy my sleep while I can! She is a big girl, and I know she isn't starving, so it doesn't worry me that she sleeps so well at night at this early of an age. She will be 1 month (4 weeks) old on Friday. I can't believe how fast time flies!

I have started using a website called menus4moms. I have already made 3 meals this week from it, and it has been great! The meals are good, and easy to make. They are also usually something that I will eat too...nothing weird or strange sounding. I love that it has the grocery list, and all the menus as well. I feel like this could be a huge time-saver for me. I love to look through recipes, but I have a really hard time narrowing it down, and choosing side dishes as well. I am hoping this will help me save money at the store, and help me prepare more well-rounded meals as well.

So, the other day Logan went to mutual with Tony. They went to the mall for a mall scavenger hunt. I had an enrichment board meeting, so I took Avery with me to that. One of the boys gave Logan a little red plastic duck. Well, Logan has named his duck Chuppy. I have no idea where he came up with that name, but it is funny. So, last night at dinner, Tony was holding Avery to keep her from fussing. He was talking to her and asking her if she was chubby, and if she had chubby cheeks. Tony asked Logan if Avery was chubby. Apparently Logan had a different idea. He said, "Chuppy? Is she a duck?" It was hilarious. Of course we all laughed about that one.He is a funny kid these days. His latest thing has been to throw things down the basement stairs,usually via the cat door, but sometimes he opens the door to throw things down. The past few days he has taken off one sock to throw down the stairs. Only one sock...not both. I have no idea...whatever floats his boat I guess.Who knows what goes on in the mind of a 2 1/2 year old?

We have Avery's blessing planned for the 25th of March. Both my parents and Tony's parents are planning on coming. My sister wants to come as well, so we will see if she is able to. It will be nice to have company again. I love to have people around to talk to. It gets a bit lonely during the day with just me and the kids, and no family to visit with. Again, I have to comment on how much I don't enjoy being so far from family.

I guess that's all for now!

First Day at Church

Today was Avery's first day at church! It was so fun to dress her all cute in her little dress, and her cute headband. She had tights on too...but they were so baggy, it was cute! Of course I had to take her picture in her church clothes. She is just too cute! It is fun to have a girl to dress up! We love her!

Poll: Strollers

So, I really need to get a double stroller. With Spring right around the corner, I am getting the itch to go for walks. Of course I will have to do this with 2 kids, so I really need to get myself some kid transportation. I am in a bind because I am not sure the best route to go in the double stroller department. I am hoping to get some input from moms of several kids, and even anyone else who has an opinion!

#1. option. The standard front/ back type double stroller. My thoughts on this are that it is narrow enough to maneuver in the stores, and both seats recline, for napping purposes.

#2. option.The sit and stand stroller. We have tried it out in the store and Logan really enjoyed sitting on the platform. The only drawbacks, are that the normal stroller seat doesn't recline except like an inch, and if Logan gets tired, he can't lay down to nap. But I have heard great reviews for this version.

#3 option. The side by side. I am not leaning towards this one at all, but would still like input. I just know it can be difficult to maneuver in the mall stores, and I don't know if I want Logan to be able to easily access the baby that way.

I would love everyone's advice, since I am having a really hard time making a decision!
* Just a note to add that the links I provided aren't necessarily the brands I am leaning towards. Just examples!

I miss my mom

This picture is of Grandma, Logan, and Avery. I think it is cute that it looks like Avery is smiling! I wonder who she is looking at?

So, today was the first official day without my mom here to help me. Since it is Sunday, I was going to stay home from church again, and let Tony take Logan so I could have a few hours alone with just the baby. Well, that plan backfired when Logan threw up this morning. So, we all stayed home. I was able to have a nap this morning, and then this afternoon, Tony, Logan and Avery all took naps and I just enjoyed the quiet. Logan felt better after he puked, so I am glad it wasn't anything more serious. But I sure am glad that it happened today when Tony was home to help take care of him and clean him up! Tomorrow will be the real test.

On another note...last night Tony and I watched "The Illusionist". I thought it was a really good movie! It didn't need the love scene to be portrayed that way, but otherwise it was a very intriguing movie. I almost want to watch it again now that I have seen it once, but we had to return it already. Anyway...I think it was based on a book, or something, so it might be interesting to read.

I miss my mom already. She was great to have to help with the kids, and it was nice to have the company on a 24/7 basis. I don't know what I will miss the most...the help, or the conversation. Both I am sure, but it is hard to be all alone in the boonies of America. I wish I was closer to family. I hate being the only ones so far away.

To the doctor we go...

So, in the past two weeks since baby Avery was born, we have been to the doctor 4 times. The first time was last Wednesday when I had to take her to have her weight checked. Then, I made an appointment for Monday the 12th for Logan to see the doctor because he had been limping for the past two weeks and it seemed like it was getting worse. We had no idea why he was limping, and he never complained about anything hurting. So, Monday we went to the doctor for Logan, and she couldn't see anything obvious, so she sent us to get an x-ray. Logan was so good for the x-ray. He held so still, and didn't fuss at all. The bummer was that I told him he could see a picture of his bones, and then the lady wouldn't show them to him. She said she had already given them to the radiologist to look at, and couldn't get them back. So I was bummed for him. He didn't seem to care, so that was good. He got chicken, french fries and chocolate milk so he was happy. Well, the x-ray was normal, so that was a relief, but still no answers to why he was limping. I didn't notice him limping today, so maybe all is well. Weird.

So, yesterday I had to go to the doctor for my incision to be checked. And then today Avery had her two week appointment. Whew! I made her 2 month appointment, and I have my 6 week appointment scheduled, so hopefully we won't have any more doctor visits until then. Craziness! The good thing is that Avery now weighs 9 lbs. 6 oz. And they say she now is 22 inches long. I am not sure she has really grown 1 1/2 inches in two weeks. Is the way they measure really that accurate? I am not so sure.

I feel very lucky that Avery has been such a great sleeper! In fact, last night I fed her around 9:30 p.m., and I had to wake her up a little before 5 a.m. this morning to nurse again because I was about to explode! She didn't fall asleep until after midnight, but she still went that long between feedings! I told her doctor, and she said that was fine since she is eating so well, and gaining weight. As long as she doesn't go that long during the day, it is great. I am not complaining one bit about being able to get some sleep.It is fabulous! Anyway...she is growing great. She is in the 90% for her weight, 95% for length, and 75% for her head. Logan was this way too...he started off big, and grew quite fast, but then tapered off. He is almost 3, but 3T clothes are still too big for him, and he only wears a size 6 shoe. So...I am sure that will be the case with Avery too.

I have a lot to say about Logan, but that will be a blog for another day.

More pictures and updates

This was Avery's first outing. I know the picture is a bit blurry.We went to the doctor to get her weighed. She had lost a bit of weight in the hospital, so they wanted to check her weight a few days later to see if she was gaining some back. She was! She is a good eater! I love this little outfit she is wearing!




Grandma took this picture of Avery when she was laying on the table at the doctor's office. She just looked so cute and big in her cute little outfit. It's one of the only things she has to wear that isn't pink.


Grandma made a little curl on the top of her head after her first bath at home. She is just too cute for words!


We always have to take pictures of Avery when she is in her little bouncy seat. Here is just another one!

I have decided that it is way easier to take care of a newborn baby the second time around. The hard part this time is dealing with the 2 year old! He has his moments where he loves baby Avery and wants to hold her and kiss her. And then, he is trying to feed her weird things, and give her drinks of water, etc. He is also starting to act out in weird ways. For example...I was feeding the baby last night, and Logan came up to me and hit me right in the middle of the forehead. I was like..."what was that for?" He just looked at me and smiled really big, like he was just wanting a reaction from me. Good grief! I am very lucky that so far sweet little Avery has been such a good baby. I have also had my mom here to help, so I am in for it when she leaves. I don't want her to go!

I have also noticed how much faster I am recovering this time after the c-section. I have been feeling pretty good, and almost don't notice that I just had surgery. I haven't taken pain meds since Sunday, and my incision is healing really well. With Logan, my incision got infected, so this time it is nice to not have to worry about that. I think I was also able to be up and moving around a lot easier and faster this time than with Logan. Maybe it is because I knew what to expect? I don't know.

For Valentine's Day today, I hadn't obviously been able to get any little gifts for Logan. I had my 2 week appointment with my doctor to check my incision, and since I was at the hospital, I decided I would check out the hospital gift shop. I bought Logan a little stuffed puppy. When I brought it home for him and gave it to him, he was soooo happy! It was the cutest thing ever! He kept giving me hugs and saying that the new puppy made Logan happy. It made me happy too. I guess I did win points in the mom department for that. Logan also helped me make cookies. That was fun. Overall, I think he had a Happy Valentine's Day.

More pictures soon to come....

Sweet Baby

More pictures of my sweet baby. Just had to be a proud mom and show her off! I hope you don't get tired of seeing her little face on my blog! I love her! She will be 1 week old tomorrow! Time flies!

Today...

Well, my sweet little one who wasn't so little at birth, lost quite a bit of weight before we left the hospital. She went from 8 lbs. 15 oz. to 8 lbs. 2.8 oz. I had to take her to the doctor today just to have her weighed. Amazingly enough, she was back up to 8 lbs. 10 oz! She must be getting plenty of food these days. She gained over 7 ozs. in under 2 days. Good girl!

About our first outing. I definitely need to start getting ready about an hour before we need to leave the house...at least! I guess as long as I am ready, and Logan is ready, then it is o.k. if I have to spend extra time getting Avery fed, diapered, changed, etc. And another interesting observation. I can tell the big difference between the first baby and the second. With Logan I had the diaper bag packed with every possible item that might be needed. Today I left the house with nothing.It was my mom's insight to grab a few diapers and throw them in my purse, but no wipes, or extra clothes or anything. Hmmm...slight brain loss from the wonderful pain meds I am on? Or is it truly just a second, and subsequent child thing? Wow this is fun! I have two kids. I am a real mom now!

Avery Noelle Black has arrived!

I have no idea what will happen with these pictures. I am feeling a bit computer challenged right now.

Well, our sweet little baby girl has finally arrived. It sure was rough getting her here, but I suppose it is worth it in the end. We love her so much, and she is so cute and sweet.

Now for the story. I woke up at around 3:45 a.m. on Thursday February 1st (which was my actual due date) with contractions. This was new to me since my water broke first with Logan and I didn't really start having contractions until I was at the hospital. We dropped Logan off at my friend Hillary's house around 6:45 a.m. and headed to the hospital. My contractions were 5 minutes apart. When they checked me I was still only dilated to a 1, and only about 30% effaced. Very frustrating. At around 1 or so they broke my water and hooked me up to pitocin. By 3 p.m., I was dilated to a 3 and thinned out more. I was able to get an epidural at this time too. From there on I continued to progress about a cm an hour for several hours. I was very excited when I actually passed a 6! I got stuck at a 6 with Logan, so it was very exciting to venture into uncharted territory.Well, I reached an 8...and that was very exciting! However, things went downhill from there. I stayed at an 8 for about 4 hours, and the last time they checked me, at about 12:15, I had actually gone back to a 7. I cried when I realized I wasn't going to be able to have a VBAC, and that c-sections are my only option now. I was so hopeful! Things were going so well, and I knew I had so many people praying for me, and cheering me on. I just knew for sure I was going to be able to do it...especially after getting to an 8! I was so disappointed and let down. I am crying even now as I am typing this because I am still so disappointed. It's hard to know that for every other child we want to have, i have to go through this experience. It isn't pleasant, and it will take a lot of preparation to be ready to go through this again.

Anyway...back into familiar territory. I had the c-section (which is another story for another day) and baby Avery Noelle was delivered at 1:14 a.m. on Friday February 2. I missed her due date by just a few hours. The doctors and nurses all had to comment (and it sounded like surprise) about what a big girl she was! A whopping 8 pounds 15 oz.! She beat her big brother Logan by 3 ounces. He was 8 lbs. 12 oz. She was 20 1/2 inches long, and apparently had a head circumference of 15 cm. That's my birthing problem right there. A small pelvis, meets a big head equals no exit. She has light hair...more strawberry blond than anything, but definitely more like my hair color. She has a sweet little face, with delicate little features.

The whole day after she was born I was sick and nauseous again. I couldn't hardly move my eyes without the room spinning. It wasn't until about 5 in the evening that I started to feel pretty normal and could actually talk and not puke.

I stayed in the hospital until Monday morning, Feb.5th. I got home around 1 in the afternoon. My mom is here to help take care of all if us, so I am very grateful for that. Already my hormones have caused a few emotional breakdowns. I am having a hard time getting comfy...I need the hospital bed that I can push the buttons to move me up and down. That's the hardest part for me.

I will try and post more pictures later. For now...go to the hospital website to see her pictures. Here is the link:

http://www.growingfamily.com/webnursery/babypage_view.asp?URLID=3C4X4F5J1H

* We chose to name her Avery because it is my mom's maiden name. I picked Noelle for a middle name because I liked it and it sounded pretty with Avery. And most importantly, it felt like it was the right name for her!

Today is the day!

Well, I thought I would post one last post. It looks like I could very well have a due date baby. I have been having contractions for the past 2 hours, so I am guessing I will be heading for the hospital pretty soon. I need to go finish getting ready. I don't want to be having this baby at home! Wish me luck! And let's hope it does come today....