34 and Counting

Weeks. Not years. Though I am coming up on that too... yikes.

So I was checked into the hospital with Ava at 33 and a half weeks. I'm now 34 and a half weeks with this one, and everything is looking good. My blood pressure is a nice healthy 108/60. (With Ava, at it's peak it reached 186/108. Normal is considered about 120/80). My doctor is pleased.

My belly is enormous, but measuring normal, so I guess enormous is normal. Looks like I'm going to get to experience that dreaded last month of pregnancy that everyone complains about. I'll let you know which is better—the last month of pregnancy or driving 25 minutes to the NICU one to three times a day for three weeks. I'm a little nervous to experience "real" labor this time around, seeing as this baby will probably be more than twice the size of Ava.

I'm hoping he'll come at 37 weeks, not 40. Or 42. Or 35. Can I be any more specific? "Dear Baby, please be a good boy and do as your mother asks."

It's a...

BOY!
And unmistakably so. Good thing we wanted to know, because it was pretty darn obvious before they even said anything. Time to start prepping the nursery!

Voting Time

Next week we get to have our ultrasound to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Time to vote! What do you think? I've probably already biased some of you with our own ideas, but I'm still interested to see what everyone says, so leave a comment!

Jason (2 mo.) & Ava (7 mo.)

Here are Jason (Cousin Heidi's baby) and Ava.

Jason--2 months; Ava--7 months.

Jason weight at last checkup: 14lbs. Ava's weight at last checkup: just under 13lbs.

Jason's birthweight: 8.10 (I think). Ava's birthweight: 3.6.

And Ava wins by a foot! (A baby foot).

Miracle of Miracles!

Amazing! Incredible! Stupendous! Last night, Ava slept through the night! (Don't hate us, Ike).
She slept from 9:45 pm until 6:30 am. When I got up at 5:00 I checked to make sure she was still alive! Hopefully it wasn't a fluke. Hopefully this is the start of something beautiful.

I've read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and currently I'm reading Baby Wise, and I think both have helped. I've been trying to implement some of their theories and I think it may be what made this happen. I realized that I've made Ava too dependent upon me for soothing, and that somehow, gradually, I need to help her learn to soothe herself and get herself back to sleep. I didn't think it was possible with all her gas and reflux, but in Baby Wise they say even those babies can do it (and at 9 weeks even!)

Wow. I am still amazed. And excited!

Ava Weeks 7-8

Here are some recent photos of Ava. Some day we'll get some pics of us with her. By her due date she is 2 weeks old (developmentally). By her birth date she is now 8 weeks old. She's starting to be able to hold eye contact a little longer now. And the other day she slept for 4 hours straight! A new record! I hope it will be oft repeated.
She hates having her arms bundled down. Anytime she sleeps, she manages to pull them free of the blanket, and keeps them as far up as possible.

Ava Week Six: Due Tomorrow

So today marks 6 weeks since Ava's birth, and tomorrow was her official due date. In celebration we graduated her to her first Newborn sized clothes. They are still a little big, but she's now 19.5" long and 5lbs 9oz (as of Monday). Her doctor was impressed. She's outgrowing her Premie sized clothes.

Ava Week 5

So I've been trying to get some more photos of Ava, but she's not cooperating. So I have to sneak them in while she's sleeping, and sometimes the lighting isn't good. Oh well. You can see in these photos how she is filling out a bit. She's getting cheeks (both kinds).
Not the most flattering shot... I'll try to do better next time.This is her paparazzi shot. "Get that camera out of my face!" She's gonna love this one when she's older. But see how she's getting a double chin now? That's a good thing in her case!

Binky Baby

Is that how you spell Binky? I really have no idea.
Ryan took this little video of our tiny little lady, whose face is being consumed by the pacifier. No this is not an oversized pacifier, it is just an undersized baby.