The Summerfords

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T22:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Summerford Crew!

Genetics Appointment

2012-02-11T23:58:00.000-06:00

Owen had a follow up genetics appointment a few weeks ago. We're continuing to do these appointments at the Lowell clinic every 3-6 months. Our geneticist, Dr. Kahler, is still not traveling to Lowell so we saw Dr. Garnica again.

Appointment Stats:

Weight - 33 lbs 1 oz

Height - 37 inches tall

Head Circumference - 30

The appointment went as usual...we met with the geneticist, a nutritionist, and then had labs drawn. Dr. Garnica was a little concerned about Owen's labs from August. Apparently two of his labs were high, but only slightly too high. This was news to us and kinda frustrating since the report we got in August was that everything looked good. After talking with our crew at ACH, it was explained that the increase could have been due to a number of things and that they weren't too concerned because they were only 1-2 points too high....which made us feel a lot better. The lab results came back about 1.5 weeks after the appointment and both were 30 points less than the labs in August, indicating that his liver is functioning normally...or "normal" for Owen. Yay!

Josh and I have been a little concerned about Owen's excessive sweating, so we mentioned it to Dr. Garnica. Owen frequently wakes up with a large circle of sweat on his pillow and completely drenched. He also seems to sweat excessively, to the point that his head is soaked, with minimal activity. This is not necessarily a new thing, but we've noticed it a lot more lately and thought it was worth mentioning. So....after some thought, Dr. Garnica seems to think that Owen might be hypoglycemic during these times of excessive sweating...and now wants us to start checking his blood sugar during the night for a few weeks. They sent us home with everything we need....but we have not started the testing. Everything with Owen is kind of an experiment. He's still the only one is Arkansas with VLCAD and Dr. Kahler is the only geneticist in Arkansas that has seen VLCAD patients other than Owen. So...we decided to hold off on testing until we were able to talk everything over with Dr. Kahler. We just really don't want to put Owen through anything else, unless it is completely necessary. Hopefully Dr. Kahler will get back with us in the next week or so and have a plan for us moving forward.

First Day of School....

2012-02-09T00:31:00.003-06:00

The kids started daycare last Monday (January 30th). I don't know if the chaos of juggling childcare for the past month or the fact that it's my second child/ second go around of daycare....but leaving them that morning was comforting. I was at easy and not upset or nervous like I was when I dropped Owen off for the first time! I did, however, stop in for a visit mid-day and have Josh pick them up a little early.

And of course I had to document with a few

...First Day of School Pics

Ava Kate has one of the same teachers Owen had when he was in the baby room, which made the whole transition a lot easier. Ms. Toshia was also super sweet and text me pictures and updates throughout the day! Ava Kate had a pretty good first day...other than only taking a few short naps. When she got home that night she could barely hold her eyes open....baby girl was completely exhausted!!

Ava Kate and her teacher Ms. Toshia

Ava Kate is quite the social butterfly! This is what she was doing when I went to pick her up on thursday afternoon...

She's also quite the artist!

First day back to daycare for Owen....He was sooooo excited to see Emmie! That's all he talk about all morning! He started in a new classroom (the 3 year old class) and Emmie was pretty much the only one he knew. So...he had new teachers, a new classroom, and new friends....which made for a long and difficult transition. He was excited about Emmie, the new toys, and playing BUT he wanted mommy to stay! So....we met his teachers together, filled up his cubby together, explored the classroom together, and played together for about 30-40 minutes before he decided that it was okay for me to go. When I left, he and Emmie were heading to the play kitchen (holding hands) to make breakfast. I wish I had gotten a picture...it was so cute!

"Bye mommy"

Ava Kate - 4 months

2012-02-06T23:39:00.003-06:00

Ava Kate was 4 months old on January 27th! I don't know if it's lack of sleep or that we're chasing after two....but time really flies with the second kid! I can't believe that Miss Ava Kate has already been with us for 4 months!!!

The things you are doing now:

You weigh around 14 lbs! We're not use to having a baby with "rolls" but we are absolutely lovin' it!!

You're still wearing 0-3 month clothes but not for too much longer

You have moved up to size 2 diapers but are continuing to have "blow out". Apparently the size of the diaper has no bearing on this situation. We've tried different brands and different sizes, but the "blow outs" continue! Ha!

You're 4.5 oz bottles of breast milk during the day and nursing at night

You're still not really on a schedule. You eat about every three hours during the day and about 2 times at night.

You are becoming a better sleeper, but you still get up at least 2 times per night. You usually eat for about 10 minutes and go right back to sleep.

You typically get up around 7:30 or 8:00, take about 3 naps per day, and go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00....but this all depends on your mood of the day

You still sleep best in your car seat and I truly believe that you would sleep through the night if we would let you sleep in your car seat

Current sleeping arrangements: Co-sleeper at night and your swing or your rock-n-play sleeper

You have become such a happy baby. You typically only cry when you're hungry, tired, or have a tummy ache

You smile all the time!

You've laughed out loud 1 time for you daddy...mommy is still working on hearing those sweet giggles

You LOVE your big brother! You're always watching him and smiling at him.

Owen is sooo sweet with you. He loves to bring you all your toys (even through you can't play with most of them and they just pile up on top of you) and he's always giving you kisses

You have started "playing" with Owen more and ya'll love to play in your crib. It just warms my heart to see ya"ll playing together

You have found you hands and love to stare at them and hold them together like you're praying

You've also started eating you fist and batting at your toy

Bath time is still your absolute favorite...you kick and splash the entire time

You've started cooing and mommy and daddy just love your sweet voice. I'm certain that you already have your daddy wrapped around your finger!!

You've lost most of your hair and are looking pretty bald these days! Mommy tries to keep bows and headbands on you so everyone knows you're a girl!!

You are loving your paci more and more each day... but still not as much as your bother!

Keeping your paci in is quiet the chore... you seem to be trying to launch it as far as you can each time. We've started using your lovey to help you keep it in!!

You've really started to enjoy your toys! You now bat at your toys hanging from the play mat and have managed to push a few buttons on your exasaucer!

Owen also seems to enjoy all your toys (aka his old toys) and loves to "help" you play!

You still hate tummy time and always start crying after about 2 minutes!

You have a mild case of torticollis, so mommy and daddy have started stretching you and making you look to the right even though you don't like it.

Another comparison:

Ava Kate and Owen at 4 months

....And I couldn't end this post without a pic of my little man

Back to work...

2012-01-22T21:00:00.001-06:00

My maternity leave has come to an end! I was blessed with 14 weeks at home with the kids, but I officially started back to work on January 2nd. The kids have been home with family for now and will be starting daycare at the end of the month. I enjoyed my time home but I also love my job...so starting back to work was bitter sweet! Here's a picture of Ava Kate and I on my first day back....

3 months...

2012-01-22T20:25:00.000-06:00

I can't believe you are already 3 months old and I'll be going back to work soon! Time is just flying by!

Ava Kate at 3 months....

Things you're doing now....

You weigh 12.2 lbs and are wearing size 1 diapers
You are finally wearing 0-3 month clothes, which means you're finally getting to wear some of those cute outfits that we got before you were born

You're still not really on a schedule, but you tend to wake up around 7:30/8:00 to eat and then tay awake for a while before taking a morning nap. That is about the only predicable thing about your day! Ha!
You're taking more bottles, do mommy is able to leave for longer periods. You drink about 4 oz at a time.

We've tired ALOT of different sleeping arrangements and you are now sleeping in a co-sleeper in mommy and daddy's room.
You weren't a big fan of being swaddled, so we've modified it a bit....you are now swaddled with a light blanket with your hands by your face and your feet free

You're still waking up around 2 times per night. You always want to nurse, but I'm beginning to think that you nurse to go back to sleep rather than to fill your belly. You're usually only awake for about 10-15 minutes and then go back to sleep for 2-3 hours before waking again

You've become a much happier baby. Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas you just flipped a switch and went from crying ALOT to being content except for when you are hungry.
You've also started smiling all the time!

You love to lay flat on your back! You're favorite place to lay is on your changing table. We haven't figured out why, but you absolutely LOVE it!!!
You also really like to kick your feet! You really get going when mommy says "go, go,go" and moves your legs through the motion

We've let you try out a few new toys...the exersaucer and bumbo. You're still not quit ready for them but you love being up and seeing everything thing, so we thought we'd give it a try.

You love to be carried facing out so you can see everything
You're getting better at holding your head up, but still get tired pretty quickly

You love bath time so much and splashing that we moved you to the big bath tube. You just lay there kicking your feet the entire time!!

You HATE tummy time and cry every time we try it....which is the complete opposite of your brother. You tolerate it best when you're laying on mommy, but even then get upset.

You're definitely a mommy's girl these days...mainly because of how much time we spend together nursing
Your spitting up has gotten a lot better, but just when we least expect it, you start back up again
You're starting to get a sweet little personality...and it just melts our hearts (especially your daddy's)!

Another little comparison....

Ava at 3 months Owen at 3 months

Ava Kate - 2 months

2012-01-22T17:37:00.000-06:00

Playing catch-up again! Ava Kate is almost 4 months but I'm just now getting around to posting her 2 and 3 month updates. I started the post a while back but never got around to finishing them. That seems to be a common thing with me since becoming a mother of two! Ha! Maybe one day I'll get it all together...but I wouldn't count on it!

Ava Kate at 2 months...

Things you're doing now....

You weigh about 8 lbs
You're still wearing newborn diapers but not for too much longer
You are wearing mostly newborn clothes, but I keep trying on all your cute 0-3 month clothes and you're almost big enough

You're still nursing most of the time, but you've starting taking a few bottles of breast milk!! This is really exciting for mom!
You're drinking about 3-3.5 oz at each bottle
You are not on any type of schedule
You still like to eat every 2-3 hours
You still wake up 2-3 times per night and the longest you've slept is 4 hours

You're still a pretty fussy baby and like things done a certain way...such a diva already!!
You love your car seat and I'm positive you would sleep all night if we would let you sleep in it
You getting a little more head control, but you still have a ways to go!

You're a lot more alert now
You love watching your brother and he is so sweet with you. He loves to give you hugs and kisses

You started smiling just a few days before Thanksgiving, but you still make us work really hard for it!
You really like laying in Owen's bed while he's getting ready for bed at night...you're alway so content there

You like you're paci, but not near as much as your brother did. You still have a hard time keeping it in and get mad when it falls out.
You absolutely LOVE your lovies! You love to hold it with both hands and sleep best when it's over your face!
You've started laying on your play mat and in your bounce seat, but you're not to sure about them yet. You just lay there and stare

Bath time is one of your favorite things. It wears you out and you always take a nap afterwards, but you absolutely love it.
You also really enjoy your massage after bath time. It's great bonding time with mommy!
You are starting to lose your hair just like your brother did at this age. And it's always so spiky after bath!
You don't look a lot like your brother, but there are a few pictures where ya'll look very similar because of your expressions. Here's one of you both at 2 months. Ava Kate on the left and Owen on the right.

Cotton Bowl

2012-01-16T21:58:00.001-06:00

Our little Hog Fans...

....cheering the Razorbacks to victory!!

Woo Pig Sooie!!

Cotton Bowl watch party...

little HOG fans in the making...

Harper and Owen...watching the game and snacking

Happy New Year

2012-01-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

Our first new years eve as a family of four....

New Years Eve celebrations sure have changed over the years, but I wouldn't change a thing. We spent the day hanging out at the house and enjoying the abnormally nice weather!

Owen rockin' out with his new drums...for some reason he thinks he has to make this "rock" face every time he plays (love it!). I'm not sure how the safari hat ties in...Ha!

After breakfast and a concert from Owen, we headed outside for a stroll around the block...

getting pretty good at the bike thing...

more fun outside...

It was so nice that we decided to have lunch outside...

playing in the floor....my new favorite pic!

After dinner we made brownies to celebrate the new year...

a little nap before the new year...

Owen was really confused about why we were staying up late and watching a countdown. We tried to explain but he just kept asking why...he's new favorite question!

watching the countdown...

Christmas - Take 2

2012-01-15T17:42:00.000-06:00

Christmas Continued....

We got to West Memphis around 8:30 on Christmas night. Both kids slept on the drive from Mineral Springs and were ready to go when we got to Gigi's and Papa Bart's. Owen was soooo excited to show them all of the new toys!!

Showing Ava her new puppy...

Buzz Light Year to the rescue....

By the end of the night, Gigi's living room was covered with toys. Owen played and played all night until we finally made him go to bed so we could get up and do Christmas again the next day!

happy baby girl....

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Monday. We all slept in (as late a Miss Ava Kate would let us), had coffee and breakfast, and then Owen started passing out the presents.

Owen had to play with each gift for a while before moving onto the next....

He also helped Ava Kate open her presents

showing Ava her new toy....

....And Memaw too

opening presents wore Ava Kate out...

Josh's new toy... Santa must have known that mommy doesn't get to park in the garage anymore!

Owen was really excited that mommy got a new Iphone...so he could have her old one to himself!!

One of Ava's favorite toys....a peek-a-boo bear

Learning to ride his bike with a little help from Papa Bart....

Owen had a great time playing with Watson and Emma Gayle! The Hero Box and the Geo Track were a BIG hit!!

Ava's first pedicure!! How cute are those little toes?!?

Ava Kate and Memaw

Christmas was fun, relaxing, chaotic, and exciting! We are so blessed to have been able to celebrate with all our friends and family!!

Christmas- Take 1

2012-01-15T17:38:00.000-06:00

Christmas at Daddy Feck's!

We went down a few days before Christmas to hang out and relax. Owen's favorite part was checking out all the animals on the farm with Daddy Feck!!

Baby Girl in her Christmas Eve outfit...

Miss Ava Kate wasn't too happy...but I love this pic! Owen is always lovin' on his baby sister....so sweet!

Keeping with tradition....we made a ginger bread house! Owen had been looking forward to this for a few days and was sooooo excited about eating the candy!

Making cookies for Santa....

We let the kids open one present each on Christmas Eve night. It was their Christmas pajamas!!

Our attempt to get a picture of them in their Christmas pjs...

having a few of Santa's cookies....

reading "T'was the Night before Christmas" and the story of Jesus's birth before bed....

Buddy the elf must have reported all good things to Santa....

This was the first year that Owen understood the whole Santa thing....so we were anxious and excited to see his reaction on Christmas morning! I'm not sure he understood exactly what was going on but when but when he saw all the toys,he got excited and ran straight to Ava's gifts from Santa! Ha! It was priceless! We have video that I'll upload whenever I figure out how!

Santa brought Owen a Hero Box with all kinds of costumes... a chef, Buzz Light Year, Fireman, construction worker, doctor, and super hero cape and mask!

how Ava Kate spent Christmas morning....

trying out his new bike....his favorite gift from Santa!

Our little Buzz Light Year...

After checking out all the things Santa brought, we moved on to opening presents. Owen was very particular when it came to unwrapping his presents and had to make sure every piece of paper was removed before opening the box. ha! He also wanted to play with every toy after opening it!

helping daddy open presents...

Family pics...

the girls...

Taking his bike out for a spin....

After Santa, playing, opening Christmas presents, more playing, eating, and playing again...the kids were exhausted, so we loaded up (just in time for a nap) and heading to West Memphis for Christmas with my family!

A New Look for Christmas....

2012-01-01T21:27:00.000-06:00

Thursday night before Christmas, Owen had a little accident that landed us in the ER! He was ruff housing with daddy and hit his head. Apparently he ran and dove for Josh, but missed and hit the foot peg of his Razorback Rocking horse instead!

We knew immediately that it was going to require a trip to the ER! It was just over a year ago when we were at the same ER for his other eye... but he ended up with stitches instead of glue this time!

The stitches weren't too bad, but the shots of local anesthetic were terrible. It took 3 of us to hold him down while the doctor stitched him up. Luckily we were in and out of the ER in less than 45 minutes and headed home for an Ice Cream Sandwich! It broke our hearts to see him like that, so he could have requested anything at that point and would probably have gotten it!

They put a bandage over it that night but said we could remove it the next day. Owen was ready to get the bandaid off first thing the next morning, but was not as excited about me cleaning it and applying medicine.

This was just 3 days before Christmas, so we'll have a ton a pictures to document his first stitches!

Christmas Festivities...

2011-12-31T23:45:00.000-06:00

Well....our Elf's arrival was a little late, but Santa decided that Owen really needed his own elf this Christmas!!

We had recorded Elf on the Shelf and Owen had watched it a few times, so when our elf arrived Owen knew exactly what it was! We read the "Elf on the Shelf" book and then worked on naming him. Owen tried to name him Chippy (from the Elf on the Shelf movie), Christie, and Owen....so we decided to give him a few options and let him choose. In the end, he chose to name him Buddy!

Buddy watched Owen throughout day and then flew back to the North Pole each night to report to Santa. It's amazing how well this worked! All I had to say was "remember Buddy's watching you" and Owen would immediately start saying "I want to be on the Nice List". And each morning Owen would go hunting to find where Buddy had landed and get sooo excited when he found him!

Owen's daycare had a Christmas Party so we decide to join the fun. Owen was so excited to see all of his friends, especially EMMIE!

A pic before we left for the party...Love this pic!!

Huggin' on Emmie

Making ornaments...

We also got together with the Childers and Gearharts just before Christmas. We all met for dinner and then headed to the Square to see the lights and partake in all the activities.

Owen and Charley at dinner....playing games

We attempted to get a picture of them with the lights...

And the most fun thing of the night....the camel ride! Owen wasn't too sure about this, but decided he would give it a try since Charley was all about it! Drew was the lucky one that got to ride along!!

TEAM Christmas

2011-12-31T21:30:00.000-06:00

We kicked off Christmas at TEAM with TEAM Talent's play.

The kids worked hard all semester and were quite the little stars!! They even made a TV debute on KNWA....you can check it out here or at the following link.

http://nwahomepage.com/fulltext-news/?nxd_id=291437&shr=addthis

We had our annual TEAM employee Christmas party at the Springdale Country Club. It was a great time with good food, friends, and of course dancing!! I love my TEAM family and couldn't imagine a better group of people to work with!!

A delicious TEAM cake from Rick's

Amber, me, and Danielle...

the physical therapist...

A group pic....our group gets bigger and bigger every year!!

Christmas Fun...

2011-12-29T23:14:00.000-06:00

Our big Christmas craft project....an Advent Chain! This was quite the project. We started just after Thanksgiving with Owen cutting each strip of paper. I drew lines for him to cut along and held the paper and...after a lot of mini cutting sessions we finally had 25 strips of paper!

I added bible verses to each piece of paper and then we started the gluing process.

It was a long process but totally worth it!! Owen absolutely loved tearing off a chain each night and reading the bible verse aloud with mommy and daddy. Josh would read a few words, then Owen and I would repeat, and at the end Josh would read the whole verse again. It was so sweet to hear him reading God's word! It was also really helpful with the countdown to Christmas. He knew that when we got to the star it would be Christmas and Jesus's (or baby Jesus's according to Owen) Birthday! He was so excited about getting to play with the STAR! Ha!

We also enjoyed a lot of family movie nights over the holidays. I think we watched every kid's Christmas move! Owen's favorites were Elf on the Self, Elf, Ice Age Christmas, and Rudolph.

Another craft project: A Christmas tree!

The glitter was Owen's favorite!

The finished product...

Check ups...

2011-12-23T15:04:00.000-06:00

Ava had her 2 month check up on December 9th. She was really about 2.5 months old, but it was he earliest we could get an appointment.

She weighed in at 10 lbs and was 22 inches long which put her in the 25th percentile for both. She also got her first shot and oral vaccination.

Owen was due for shots (well over due) so I made him an appointment at the same time. We saw a new doctor, so he had to get a full exam as well.

Owen was right on target for all his fine and gross motor skills...and apparently talks (putting 10-15 words together) more than the typically 2.5 year old. Ha! I guess thats why we think he talks ALL the time!

He weighed in at 32 lbs and was 36 inches tall, which put him just above the 50th percentile for both.

Owen also got 2 shots which he was NOT a fan of. It's soooo much harder when they get older. I felt really bad for him and as the night went on, I felt even worse. He was hurting so bad that he just laid on the couch crying and wouldn't walk. At first I thought he was just doing it for attention, but we soon realized he was really hurting. Ava was also extra fussy from her shots. So....lesson learned....don't get both kids shots on the same day....even if it does save a trip to the doctor!

Pictures...

2011-12-23T14:47:00.001-06:00

We had family pictures/ Ava's newborn pictures done right before Thanksgiving. Jennifer did a great job and was so patient with my children. Here are a few of our favorites!!!

Mini Vacation...

2011-12-23T10:33:00.000-06:00

The week after Thanksgiving, we decided to take a short trip to Branson, MO to see the Christmas lights and parade at Silver Dollar City...and do a little shopping!

Owen loved Silver Dollar City last year mainly because of all of the Christmas lights and the parade...but this year he loved everything! The rides were his absolute favorite, especially the kid roller coaster! He would ride and then get off and run back to the line to ride again!

Owen got car sick on the ride from Fayetteville to Branson (I think because he was looking out the window at all the cows), so we weren't sure how he would do with all the rides....but they didn't seem to phase him at all!

We got to see the Frosty show again this year. Owen really enjoyed it but wanted nothing to do with going on stage with all the other kids!

Dumbo ride with daddy...

Checking out baby Jesus!! We also went to the Living Nativity and Owen fascinated but kept wanting to know where baby Jesus went when he wasn't on stage.

Hugs from Frosty...

Waiting in line to see Santa. Owen so excited he kept waving at him....

A little fun in the hotel...

On Friday morning we went to the Branson Landing for a little shopping and another picture with Santa. If you look closely at the first picture, you'll see that Ava left a little present on Santa's arm...Ha! He wasn't too excited about it!

I'm not a huge fan of rides, so I stuck to the small/slow kiddy rides and let Josh ride the roller coaster with him...

My boys! I love this pic...

waving to Santa...

Ava all bundled up watching the parade...she loved the lights!

Owen also really enjoyed the train ride around the park and seeing the train pass by every 20 minutes!! I somehow forgot to get a picture of this.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-22T18:04:00.000-06:00

So I'm really behind on posting but I wanted to try and recap the last few weeks before Christmas....

We started decorating for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving. We always try to get started that weekend so we can get everything up and enjoy it for a few weeks before having to take it all back down again. Owen was so excited about getting everything out and wanted to help with EVERYTHING!

Out of all the Christmas decorations, the Little People Nativity was Owens favorite....which completely warms my heart! It's so important to us that our children understand the true meaning of Christmas and now that Owen is older he's really getting into it!!

He loves putting everyone in their correct place and baby Jesus is his favorite! Every time we're somewhere with a nativity he has to go see baby Jesus...ie Hobby Lobby, Silver Dollar City, etc. I guess we've been to Hobby Lobby a lot this holiday season, because every time we pull in the parking lot he starts saying "We're at Hobby Lobby, I want to go see baby Jesus!"

Owen was also a BIG help when it came to decorating the Christmas trees! He wanted to do it all by himself! The only problem was that he wanted to hang them all in one spot on the tree! Ha! After he was done doing it "by himself"I convinced him to let me help him spread them out all over the tree.

Ornaments have been moved daily and a few have been broken, but this was our finished product....

Josh and I bought a tree from Big Lots the first year we were married (when we were still living in an apartment)....we like to call it our "Charlie Brown Tree". Even though it's a sad looking tree, we still put it up each year. Here are a few pictures of Owen decorating it! He says this is his favorite tree!!

And the decorating wouldn't be complete without a Christmas tree in Owen's room! We stuck with the "razorback theme" in his room and got a black tree and decorated it with red and white ornaments. Owen loved decorating his own tree!

And finally...the outside of the house! Thanks to Josh, we have fun Christmas lights all around the house along with Santa in his sleigh and a reindeer! I think this is Owen's favorite part! He loves to turn them on and off every night!

Thanksgiving Craft Project....

2011-12-21T23:37:00.000-06:00

Thankful....is a hard concept for kids to understand! We've taught Owen (and continue to teach him) to use his manners and say Please and Thank You, but asking him what he was thankful for was entirely different. Before Thanksgiving, I started talking with him about the holiday and what it meant to be thankful and decided to make a Thanksgiving turkey with all the things he was thankful for....

It was kind of a long project...

Step 1: painting

Step 2: Tracking hands and cutting them out

Step 3: Constructing the Turkey's body on a paper towel roll

Step 4: (the fun part) Coming up with a list of things Owen was thankful for...

This was Owen's list that he came up with on his own and in this order:

1. Chips

2. Pumpkins

3. Freedom (I have no idea where this one came from)

4. Pop Tarts

5. Friends

6. Mater

7. Daddy, Mommy, Ava

8. Toys

9. Family

10. Turkey

Step 5: Writing everything he was thankful for on the feathers and gluing them on the turkey

The finished product...

Thanksgiving...

2011-12-12T21:22:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving in West Memphis....

It was nice to be home again surrounded by friends and family. And...since I was still on maternity leave we were able to squeeze in a few extra days.

Ava got to meet both of her great grandmothers...Nean and Memaw

Nean and Ava

This was our first attempt at traveling with 2 kids. We packed way too much and tried to plan traveling around nap times (which totally didn't work), but overall, I would say it was a success. We were most worried about Ava and it turned out that Owen was the more difficult traveler.

Emma Gayle lovin' on Ava Kate...

Owen and Papa Bart making Owen's Thanksgiving dessert....Strawberry Jello!

(I have no idea why Owen is shirtless)

Enjoying breakfast while he watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. He loved it and was soooo excited when he saw Buzz and Santa!

Ava Kate doing what she does best....sleeping during the day! ha! This was actually one of the few times she got put down the entire time we were there. Lets just say she got a lot of snuggling in and got completely spoiled in the meantime.

Owen and Aunt Anna

Josh carving the Turducken!

Owen helping Gigi with the rolls!

The group minus me...

We all ate way too much (as usual) and then crashed! Since Black Friday actually started on Thursday night, we (mom, Anna, and I) headed to Toys-R-Us around 9 on Thanksgiving night! Yes...we're crazy! Mom and I have done Black Friday (when it was actually on Friday) every year, but this was Anna's first go at it!

group pic before we headed out to the craziness...

We got back home Friday morning in time to take a little nap before the Arkansas/LSU game. Sadly, it wasn't really a game worth getting up for!

game time...

Ava Kate supporting the HOGS in her adorable outfit...

We were all lazy on Saturday and spent the day in our pjs. Owen loved it! He kept running outside, laying on the couch, and saying "I'm just relaxin"

Being silly...

We also got to spend some time with the Allison's....Brandy, Jason, Emma Gayle, and Watson. It was so fun to see/watch our kids playing together. Games on the iphone were a BIG hit!!

Emma Gayle was such a little momma....

Lights of the Ozark

2011-12-04T21:07:00.001-06:00

We kicked off the Christmas season with the lighting of the Fayetteville square! Keeping with tradition, we met the Watkins family at Tiny Tim's for pizza and fun before the parade. Our group has definitely grown over the years....we've gone from a group of 6 to a group of 9!

Ava Kate was really excited about the lights and the parade!

Chris and Cohen

Santa!!

Waving at Santa...

Aunt Anna hung out with Ava while we let Owen enjoy all the festivities...

The Watkins crew

And the night wouldn't be complete without a glowing sword!

The Watkins' kids...

Owen was really excited about seeing Santa this year...until it came time to sit in his lap!

Owen was also a little confused about the whole Santa thing. He didn't tell him what he wanted until we were walking off and then he only yelled "toys". About 10 minutes after we left Santa, he started telling me he wanted toys from Santa...apparently he thought Santa was going to give him toys that night! Ha! So we had to explain Santa, and Christmas, and telling Santa what he wanted, and being good, and so on...

Owen's favorite parts of the night....the ponies and

...the music

Family pic minus one...

Ava was snoozin' in the stroller so we decided not to disturb her.

Halloween...

2011-11-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

Our handsome Cowboy...

....and our precious baby girl

We kept with tradition and started our trick-or-treating with "Trick-or-Treat" on the Square. All the businesses on the Fayetteville Town Square hand out candy for a few hours each Halloween. It's always fun to see all the costumes and visit with everyone. In the years past, we've only gone to a few businesses trick-or-treating and then sat and visited with friends....BUT this year, Owen was all about Trick-or-Treating!!

Heading to the square...

Choosing...such a hard decision! The winner.... A Sucker!

The best thing about "Trick-or-Treat" on the Square is that you get to see everyone!! Here are a few friends in their adorable costumes....

Hannah and Emma

Erin and Mackenzie

Harper

Judd

After the square, we had a few friends over for dinner and trick-or-treating. Our neighborhood is a pretty popular place on Halloween, so we thought it would be fun for everyone to join in the fun.

Danielle with the kiddos...

Our attempt and getting a group picture!

Owen, Mackenzie, and Charlie

Charley and Owen

The kids had so much fun playing at the house and handing out candy that they almost missed trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Ha! They really didn't care much about Halloween; they just enjoyed playing together!

Halloween 2010

Charley and Owen

Halloween 2011

Owen, Charley, and Mackenzie

After trick-or-treating at a few houses, we headed to the backyard for some s'mores!

Waiting patiently...

Ava even bundled up and joined the fun...

Halloween Festivities....

2011-11-15T16:00:00.001-06:00

Once again....I'm way behind on posting! But better late than never....

We kicked off Halloween with a trip to daycare. They always have Spirit Week the week before Halloween and Friday was Costume Day. Owen was so excited to get all dressed up and go see his friends. He was most excited to see Emmie and kept saying that Emmie was going to be dressed up like a "CowGirl"!

Dressed up and ready to go....

Owen and Emmie....they were sooooo excited to see each other!

Owen had so much fun playing with his friends. Everyone was excited to see Owen and loved showing me all their costumes!

Heading out to the playground...

That night Gigi came in town for a visit. Owen was so excited about his cowboy costume that he couldn't wait to show Gigi....so he put it on with his pajamas! It was so cute (and hilarious) that I had to take a few pictures!

Pumpkin Carving...

2011-10-31T00:21:00.002-05:00

We spent the afternoon carving pumpkins....

Owen liked scraping the top of the pumpkin, but...

....wanted nothing to do with the guts!

Owen was really excited about the Cars pumpkin carving kit and decided to put Mater on his pumpkin...

He liked helping but the process took a little too long....so mommy and daddy did most of the carving!

Mater!

Ava was too little to be a part of the pumpkin carving, so we had a pumpkin activity just for her! We didn't want her to feel left out of all the pumpkin fun...

Proud of his pumpkin...

Owen's favorite part...

Happy Birthday Ava!

2011-10-27T23:26:00.000-05:00

Ava is 1 month old!!

It's hard to believe that we've had her with us for the past 4 weeks when her due date was this Tuesday! She has changed so much in such a short time and we are so grateful for all her progress! We're lovin' our family of four and seeing how much Owen already loves his baby sister!

A little comparison....

Owen Ava

The things you're doing now:

You weigh 6 lbs 11 oz.

You're wearing newborn diapers (pampers swaddlers) which are still too big.

You're wearing mostly premie clothes, but not for too much longer.

You're not on any kind of schedule!

You like to "snack", so you typically like to eat every 2 hours. If you eat well, you'll go about 3 hours before eating again.

You're still only breastfeeding! We've tried a bottle but you can't seem to keep it down. We're going to get you a different/slower nipple and try again.

You have started spitting up a couple of times after almost every feed. Sometimes it even comes out of your nose! Owen is always on spit up alert and runs to get your burp cloth (but has no part of actually cleaning it up!)

You sleep great during the day but not so much at night. We've moved you from the pack-n-play to the rock-n-play sleeper and you're sleeping about 2 hours at a time.

In the last couple of days, you've started being awake more.

You really like bath time and getting you're hair washed is your favorite.

You're a pretty happy baby....you typically only cry when you're hungry.

You are a really loud baby. You are constantly grunting and squeaking...which wakes your daddy up at night!

You're starting to get a little spoiled! You want to be held most of the time...but we love all the snuggling!

You've smiled a few times while you were awake but smile ALL the time when you're sleeping.

Pumpkins....

2011-10-23T21:04:00.002-05:00

Our annual trip to the pumpkin patch....

We finally got ready and out of the house around 11:45 (at least an hour later than we had hoped), but we were all dressed and ready for some fun at the pumpkin patch!

We picked up Beema and we were on our way! THEN, I googled directions (just to make sure we remembered correctly) only to find out that it didn't open til 1:00! Ha! All that rushing around for nothing! We decided to head that direction anyway and just stop along the way...

Family pic...

We ended up stopping at Ranalli Farms with the intentions of buying a few pumpkins before heading to the Dickey Farms pumpkin patch. Little did we know....Ranalli Farms had a pumpkin patch of their own!

It was small, shaded, and had cut-outs, which Owen loves! We ended up spending a lot of time there and took a ton of pictures...imagine that!

my sweet little boy....I just love him to pieces!!

We ran, and played, and ran some more!

Throwing hay at mommy...

Getting a good family pic (of all 4 of us) is quite the chore....

Lovin' on Miss Ava Kate....

It was hard to get pictures of Ava with all the pumpkins....but we attempted!

Daddy's little girl...

After we picked out a few pumpkins, we loaded up and headed to the Dickey Farms pumpkin patch. This was our third annual trip to this pumpkin patch, but it's was definitely the hottest!!

Owen and Josh choosing the best pumpkins...

Weighing in....

So now that it's a week before Halloween, we finally have fall decorations! Better late than never!!

Woo Pig!!!

2011-10-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

It's all things Razorback at the Summerford house today!!

Go Hog Go!

Calling the HOGS!

We're #1!!

Beat Ole Miss!!

I love Ava's pink Razorback hat....a special thank you to the Hogues! It's adorable!

So Sweet....

Exciting News...

2011-10-20T17:35:00.002-05:00

After what seems like the longest wait ever...we finally got the results from Ava's Newborn Screening test!

Everything came back NORMAL, which means she does not have VLCAD like Owen!!

We're still waiting on her genetic testing results, but should know something in the next week or so. These results will tell us weather or not Ava is a carrier of VLCAD like Josh and I.

We are so excited about this news! Thank you for all your prayers!

Sunday...

2011-10-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

Another photo shoot...

It was so hot outside that we decided to go play at my work...plus I had had a few things I needed to work on. Owen had a blast playing with EVERYTHING! I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but he loved matching up the spots and stars...

Ava pretty much slept the whole time, so Owen got a lot of one on one time with mommy...

fun on the swing...

and slide...

Beema was out of town, so "family dinner'' got moved to our house with two new chefs: Aunt Amanda and Parker. The menu: Homemade Pizza (sort of). Owen loved all the attention from Parker , Aunt Amanda, and Papa Joe!

The pizza turned out great and they even made strawberry cake for dessert! Thank you Aunt Amanda and Parker!

Getting out...

2011-10-17T22:00:00.001-05:00

Ava is really lovin' her big brother...and Owen can't get enough of his baby sister! He's always right beside her and is the first one to "check" on her when she cries.

We had gorgeous whether on Saturday, so we decided to get out and enjoy it!!

jumping...

He's new favorite thing is to attempt seat drops. He jumps and lands on his bottom with no problem, but getting back up is a totally different story....Ha! I'll have to get it on video sometime!

Ava smiling about being outside...

Trying out her new play-mat...

Playing a little ball....

I see little league in our future...

Change...

2011-10-17T21:48:00.000-05:00

After a lot of thought....we decided to pull Owen out of daycare while I'm on maternity leave. Owen loves daycare (mostly because he wants to see Emmie), but he's been upset everyday that I've dropped him off since having Ava. He asks me every morning if Ava is going to daycare too...AND I always explain that Ava is too little and that she will go to daycare when she's big like him....BUT it doesn't really help. All he knows is that he has to go to daycare and Ava gets to stay with mommy. This may be temporary (depending on my sanity), but for now it's me and the kids!

Owen being silly before daycare...

I tried to get a few pictures of Owen and his friends when I dropped him off, but you can tell from the first picture that he wanted nothing to do with it! All his friends gathered around but he kept running back up to me....so much for a group picture. Ha!

Owen, Emmie, Fletcher, Breen, and Brooklyn

After Owen realized I wasn't leaving, he and Emmie started chasing each other around the playground...

...and Fletcher joined in

Owen's class gave him a hand made going away card...it was so sweet! I was a little sad about the whole thing (I'm not sure why...I'll just blame it on hormones!), but Owen seemed fine and really didn't understand that it was his last day.

That night we had our first "Movie Night" as a family of four! Aladdin and popcorn in our pajamas...life doesn't get much better than that!

Our baby girl is really taking to her paci....just like her brother!

2 weeks old...

2011-10-13T22:24:00.000-05:00

Our baby girl was two weeks old on Tuesday! Wow, the past 2 weeks have flown by....

Miss Ava Kate,

the things you're doing now....

You spend most of your day sleeping, but you're starting to stay awake for longer periods...especially about the time mommy and daddy are ready for bed

You're breastfeeding every 2 to 3 hours during the day and every 30 to 60 minutes at night....I'm not sure why you like to "snack" at night but we're definitely going to have to work on this!

You're still learning how to take a bottle...you've actually taken 1 oz, but you weren't able to keep it down. This is another thing we'll be working on!

You're back up to your birth weight of 5 lbs 8 oz

You are wearing premie clothes and premie diapers (that still need to be folded)

You're 19" long which makes dressing you a little tricky. You need to wear premie clothes because you're so little, but you can't wear footed premie clothes because you're too long.....so you typically wear gowns or onesies

You also have the tiniest little head, which is the complete opposite of your big brother. Lets just say... you have a lot of head bands and hats to grow into!

You only cry (which is still pretty quiet) when you're hungry, but you're a pretty loud baby. You are always grunting and squeaking!

Owen at 13 days old and Ava at 7 days old...

See any similarities???

Ava also had her 2 week well child appointment on Tuesday. Over all it was a great appointment. Her bilirubin dropped from 12.2 to 11.7 in a weeks time and she had gained weight!! Yay!

our little wiggle worm....

Ava weighed in at 5 lbs 8 oz....she is officially back up to her birth weight!!

Dr. Froman called about Ava's newborn screen results that were still not in. She was unable to get any additional information, but we are still hopefully that we'll know something by Friday. At this point, it's looking like we might find out the results from the cord blood before the newborn screen....

Oct 10th...

2011-10-13T20:54:00.002-05:00

Monday....Today was our first day completely on our own. Josh went to work, so it was just me and the kids. Once again, it was 11:00 before everyone was fed, dressed, and ready for the day!!

A few pics of the kids before taking Owen to daycare...

Ava has been doing well...but I think she has her days and nights mixed up. She sleeps great during the day and eats every 2.5 to 3 hours. BUT at night she wakes up every 30 to 90 minutes wanting to eat....which makes for one tired mama!!

Owen is doing great with Ava. He's so sweet and loving...always wanting to hold her and give her kisses! He also likes to help change her diapers, by giving me a new diaper and wipe. So...he's doing great with Ava, BUT he has started acting out and whining all the time. I think it's a combo of being with the grandparents for so long, being without Josh and I for that week, and all the attention Ava is getting from mommy and daddy. We've tried really hard to spend a lot of one on one time with Owen as well as include Ava in things like story time....but he definitely has some adjusting to do! We're making baby steps but we still have a ways to go!

Laying in bed together before story time....

So sweet...

October 9th...

2011-10-12T15:36:00.001-05:00

Sunday....Another morning with Papa Bart and Gigi which meant Josh and I got a little extra sleep! Yay!

Our sweet baby girl snoozing so soundly after waking up every 30-60 minutes during the night to eat!

Check out this handsome guy sporting his "big brothers RULE" shirt....

Since Papa Bart and Gigi were here, I decided to spend a little extra time with Owen while we still had help. After Ava was fed and snuggling with Gigi, we went to my work to borrow a tricylce....but ended up playing with all the toys at the clinic!

We finally made it home with the tricycle and enjoyed some time outside before heading to the park....

Owen really liked the tricycle but needs some practice propelling and steering...we were in the grass more than on the sidewalk!

It was a gorgeous day for the park and Owen ran off most of his energy before nap time....

Ava snuggling with Gigi...

Owen really likes to hold Ava....

....and kiss Ava

....and hug Ava

such a sweet and loving big brother...

After nap time, we headed to Beema and Papa Joe's for "Sunday Night" dinner. This was Ava's first Sunday Night Dinner and Owen was excited that she got to go with us...I don't think he quite gets that she's staying with us forever!

Owen sporting his new backpack (from Ava) that was loaded down with all his cars....

Aunt Amanda, Ava, and Owen....

Owen was a little jealous of all the attention Ava was getting, so he thought it would be funny to get all of our attention by stuffing marshmallows in his mouth....Ha!

October 8th...

2011-10-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday...Owen woke up to a surprise, Papa Bart and Gigi. He was so excited, but not as excited as Josh and I. After I fed Ava, Papa Bart and Gigi took both the kids so we could get a little extra sleep!! It was only 1.5 hours but it was GREAT!

That morning, Owen helped me give Ava a sponge bath. He was so sweet and helpful! He's such a loving Big Brother!

So sweet....

Ready to call the HOGS!

The boys (Josh, Owen, and Papa Bart) went to the game...Arkansas vs. Auburn. It was a gorgeous day and perfect weather for a football game! Owen was so excited! He went to the first football game this season and loved it....He's been wanting to watch the Razorbacks "outside" every since! aka not on TV!

my boys....

Calling the HOGS!!

The girls (me, Ava, Gigi, and Aunt Anna) hung out at the house and watched the game on TV. It was a nice and relaxing night...

A few pics of the boys at the tailgate and game...

Owen made it though the entire game and had a blast cheering for the Razorbacks. Apparently, the "ARKANSAS" "RAZORBACKS" chant was his favorite! Josh said he was yelling it at the top of his lungs...AND after it was over, he waited a few minutes and then yelled "ARKANSAS" as loud as he could! Ha! Everyone around them thought it was hilarious and yelled back "RAZORBACKS"!! So fun... my baby boy is growing up too fast!

October 7th...

2011-10-10T22:39:00.002-05:00

Friday...Our first attempt at some kind of routine. I got up (skipped a shower), got both kids feed and ready to go by 11:00. Ha! I'm really going to have to speed up our morning routine if I'm ever going to make it back to work!

This was the first time both of the kids were in the car at the same time. Owen was so excited that Ava was sitting right beside him. He held her hand the whole way to daycare...so sweet!!

After we dropped Owen off at daycare, Ava and I ran a few errands....the bank, my work, and then back home. It felt good to get out and about!

Ava Kate...10 days old

We were hoping to find out the results of Ava's new born screening by today but that didn't happen. After a few phone calls back and forth with Dr. Froman, we were closer to understanding the problem. Apparently, the results were in and "normal"....BUT they were invalid. Washington Regional drew the labs before Ava was 24 hours old, so they were considered invalid. According to Dr. Froman, labs have to be drawn after 24 hours age to ensure the test does not include the mothers blood. So....Dr. Froman spent that afternoon collecting all the paper work and orders needed for Washington Regional to re-draw the blood for a "New" newborn screen. She faxed me the necessary paperwork and off we went for more blood work. Hopefully we'll know something more definitive by this Friday...

Baby girl was not a fan of having more blood work...

It was such a nice day that we decided to go to the neighborhood park. Owen had a blast and ran off a lot of energy!! Ava snoozed the entire time!

Josh and Ava hanging out at the park...

such a silly boy...

October 6th...

2011-10-10T22:04:00.001-05:00

Thursday...we had breakfast together as a family and then got Owen ready and off to daycare for some fun with friends.

It was a big day for Ava...her first sponge bath at home. We were expecting her to scream her head off like Owen did during his first bath (at home), but she actually seemed to enjoy it. Josh videoed it so this is the only picture we got...

Dressed and clean with no where to go...so of course mommy had to have a photo-shoot!

A quick trip to the pond to feed the ducks... Owen was soooo excited that Ava got to go with him to feed the ducks! Such a proud big brother....

After dinner and bath time, I went to the clinic to help TEAMworks pack for Ukraine.... So Josh was on his own with both kids for the first time. I was only gone for about 1.5 hours because Ava is still only breastfeeding, but when I got home she actually took her first bottle! BUT as Josh and I were celebrating her success, she spit it ALL up!! So...I guess she's still not ready for a bottle.

Our first day home....Oct 5th

2011-10-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

Owen woke up Wednesday morning asking "where's Ava?" Josh was up with Owen and I was up with Ava during the night, so we opted to spend some family time in bed watching cartoons! If you can't tell, Owen was more interested in Ava than cartoons...

After spending the morning together as a family, we took Owen to daycare....just to add a little normalize to his life.

A little photo shoot with Ava before her doctor's appointment...

Trying out one of her new seats...

I absolutely love this, it's definitely been used a lot since we've been home!

Dressed and ready to go...

One of our conditions when being discharged from the hospital was that we would follow up with our pediatrician the next day. So we made an appointment with Dr. Froman for a weight check and re-assessment!

I think Josh and I were both holding our breath at this point, but Miss Ava Kate pulled it off and weighted in at 5 lbs 3 oz!!! Yay!

Ava's billirubin was 12.2 (up from 10.5 the day before), but Dr. Froman was not concerned. We knew that her levels were going to increase again after stopping phototherapy, but as long as she's eating and pooping there are no concerns.

We're still waiting on the results from Ava's new born screening test. These results will give us a good indication of whether Ava will have VLCAD like Owen. Hopefully we will have the results by Friday. We also had cord blood drawn at birth and sent to Cincinnati to be processed. They will use the cord blood to run her DNA and give us a definitive diagnosis. The test results should be back in ~ 3 weeks. There is a 25% chance she will have VLCAD like Owen, a 50% chance she will be a carrier like Josh and I, and a 25% chance she wont have anything. We are anxiously awaiting the results!

We had some visitors after Ava's doctor's appointment....Amelia and Audrey

We're Home!!

2011-10-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

Ava was finally discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, October 4th around 12:30. We were so excited!!

Holding Ava for the first time without lines or tubes....it's was amazing!!

lovin' on my baby girl....

A little photo shoot in her going home outfit...

One proud daddy...

Pink and zebra looks good on Josh....

This was Owen's first time to meet Ava and he was sooooo excited!! He was waiting out front and ran to the car as soon as we pulled up...It's was so cute!

He wasn't quite sure what to think about Miss Ava at first. He just stood there staring at her with out talking for the longest time.....then he finally said "I want to touch her".

Checking out his baby sister...

Helping daddy carry Ava inside.....such a big helper!!

Lovin' on Ava...

Owen picked out a few gifts (on his own) for Ava and was so excited to give them to her. He really wanted her to hold them and kept putting them right on top of her.

Giving Ava a prayer bear...

helping Ava try out her Razorback sippy cup....he really wanted her to drink out of it!!

Opening gifts from Ava...

We went to show Ava her room and Owen insisted that she needed to lay in her bed...

Once he warmed up to Ava, he was ready to hold her! He did pretty good, but when he was done he just started getting up! Ha!

Love this pic....

Family pic...

Already a daddy's girl

Owen has been so sweet....he loves hugin' and kissin' on his baby sister...

Ava - October 4th

2011-10-04T11:19:00.001-05:00

Ava has responded well to the phototherapy! Her bilirubin went from 17.5 to 10.5 in the past 24 hours. We've also seen a big change in her alertness. Before phototherapy she could barely hold her eyes open...and now she's looking around everywhere and staying awake during feeds. Apparently, increased bilirubin really affects alertness.

Dr. Lightburn re-assessed Ava this morning around 9:00. Her weight has dropped to 5 lbs 1 oz, which is not a huge concern but we definitely want it to start going the other direction. The hope is that her feedings will improve now that her bilirubin has decreased and she awake more. Everything else looked good. Ava has one last step before she can be discharged.... a car seat test. She has to sit in the car seat for 1.5 hours while hooked up to the monitors. If everything goes well, she will be approved for discharge. She's about an hour into the test now....so hopefully we'll be going home soon!!

The car seat test...

Just snoozing through it...

We had a little photo shoot while we were waiting to start the car seat test! Apparently Miss Ava has her own plan for EVERYTHING....because just after I put on her going home outfit, she spit up all over it! If all of this is any indication of Ava Kate's personality, we are definitely going to have our hands full!! Ha!

Ava - October 3rd

2011-10-03T14:41:00.001-05:00

Ava had her NG tube removed last night around 9:15. One more thing eliminated....Yay!! We were so excited to see our baby girl with out any lines/tubes attached to her face. So of course we had to document it with a few photos! She's still hooked up to the monitor, but those were hidden under her gown. Here are a few of our first "normal" baby photos...

Last night didn't go as well as we had hoped. Ava decided she would rather sleep than eat. We spent about 1.5 hours at each feed just to get 15 minutes of actual eating. We tried everything...changing her diaper, rubbing her foot, back, ribs, checks, etc, cold wash clothes, you name it we tried it. We even tried two different bottles, but she didn't take to that either. Needless to say, we all worked really hard to get our baby girl to eat. Her 12:00 am feed was the best...she ate for 16 minutes in about a 30 minute time period.

Dr. Lightburn came in around 9:00 this morning to re-assess Miss Ava. Her respiration rates continue to be good, so no issues there. Ava has lost some weight since birth...her birth weight was 5 lbs 8 oz, yesterday she was 5 lbs 4 oz, and today she weighed in at 5 lbs 2 oz. They are not super concerned about the weight loss because she hasn't lost more that 10% of her birth weight. The main concern/issue now is her bilirubin levels. They have been increasing gradually over the past few days, but they peaked this morning at 17.5. Because of this increased bilirubin level, Ava now requires phototherapy for the next 24 hours....which means she's not getting discharged today. Dr. Lightburn feels that her levels will be low enough after 24 hours of phototherapy and that she will be able to discharge tomorrow. This is not exactly what we were hoping for but we're glad everything is being addressed before she's discharged.

putting her shades on before starting phototherapy... I thought this would upset her, but she really didn't seem to mind

Sunbathing...

Once we got Ava going on her phototherapy, we ran home to see Owen. He's really been missing his mommy and daddy. We only had 1.5 hours, but we played with cars, had lots of races, and got dressed and ready for the day. Papa Bart and Gigi took him and Honey to the park just as we were heading back to the hospital, so he really didn't care that we were leaving. He still hasn't been able to meet Ava, so he's having a hard time understanding why mommy and daddy are gone all the time....but he's definitely getting tons of attention and being completely spoiled by the grandparents.

ready to go...

This is how we found Ava when we got back to the hospital...just snoozing!

Ava - October 2nd

2011-10-02T18:08:00.001-05:00

We started our day at 5:30 with Miss Ava Kate's first bath. It was definitely needed...her hair was so oily! I was expecting her to cry the whole time, but she actually seemed to like it. We bathed her in her bed under the nice, warm heat, so that helped!

Getting ready for her bath...

Washing her hair...I think this was her favorite part!

Chilling after bath time...

Look at that wild hair...

Hanging out under the warmer...

Swaddled and ready for the day...

We had another good feed at 6:00 am and didn't need a supplemental tube feeding. Yay! When we returned for the 9:00 feeding, Dr. Lightburn was assessing Ava and gave us the most exciting news...We were ready for "rooming in"!!! So we've moved back into the hospital and are doing most of Ava's care. She's still hooked up to the monitors and the nurses are coming in periodically, but it's definitely progress. If everything goes well, Ava will be discharged tomorrow!!

Our new room....It's connected to the NICU and you still have to check in through the NICU, but we have a bed, TV, bathroom, and our own space.

A little photo shoot in her new outfit...

Dr. Froman and Renee came by for a visit! Love them...

Papa Bart holding Ava for the first time...

Ava had 3 good feeds in a row, so they are planning to remove her NG tube before our next feed. Pictures to come...

Ava - October 1st

2011-10-02T00:10:00.003-05:00

Today was a very exciting and successful day!! We got a good 5 hours of sleep last night that helped tremendously....along with a few cups of coffee!

This was our surprise when we went in for our 9:00 feed...notice anything different??? She was off her oxygen and her last umbilical line had been removed!! This picture was taken just before they replaced her NG tube for feeding...but it was great to get a few pictures of her without any lines.

If she does good without the oxygen, then the only thing keeping her there is feeding!

Josh also got to change his first diaper. Lucky for him it was a REALLY poopy one! Ha!

Now that her lines are gone, Miss Ava was ready to get dressed and swaddled! I loved seeing her in clothes and looking more like a "normal" baby. She just looked so cute and little!!

her pouty lip...

Our little photographer....thanks to Charley (one of Owen's best friends) Owen now has his own camera and absolutely loves it!

Calling the HOGS!!

Go Hogs!!

Beema and Aunt Amanda holding Ava for the first time....

Our little hog fan...

Ava's feeding schedule was about the same as yesterday....every three hours around the clock. She's definitely showing improvement with a few increased feeding times. She was able to feed for over 5 minutes each time which meant that she only required 1/2 a supplemental feed. Yay! At 12:00 she breastfed for 13 minutes and then tonight at her 9:00 feed she feed for 17.5 minutes!!! So we've had our 1st successful feed without any supplemental tube feeding. They have also increased her feeds to 45ml/1.5 oz, so she'll be this amount tonight at her 12:00 and 3:00 tube feedings.

In order for Ava to be discharged she has to be feeding for over 15 minutes at each feed. Once this is happening, we'll be required to "room in" at the hospital to make sure we can do everything ourselves before discharge. Hopefully we'll have more "successes" tomorrow and be closer to bringing our baby girl home!

Ava - September 30th

2011-10-01T23:27:00.001-05:00

Today was an exhausting day with progress! We spent most of the day at the hospital attempting to feed Ava every 3 hours....

Snuggling with my baby girl

We decided to make her bed a little more homey with a blanket from home. We also thought she needed a little head accessory. Pink, pink, and more pink!!

Ava's feeding progress for 9/30/11:

She has to have a supplemental tube feeding after each breast feeding attempt until she makes it to 15 minutes. If she feeds for less than 5 minutes, they do a 15 ml supplemental tube feeding. If she feeds more than 5 minutes, she gets 1/2 a supplemental feed.

Her feeding schedule: 12:30 am, 3:30 am - we skipped this feeding and the nurse tube feed her, 6:00 am,9:00 am, 12:00 pm

3:00, 6:00, and 9:00.

By this point, we were so tired that we decided to get some sleep and let the nurses feed her at 12:00 and 3:00...and then be back for the 6:00 am feed

Gigi holding Ava for the first time...

Our sweet baby girl already posing for the camera...