Week 2 and 3

AJ is back at work now, so I have been on my own. Just me, Ava, and Luckie at home every day. My mom took 3 days off work and has spent them with us, so that has been wonderful! We even took Ava out and went shopping one day! I don't know what I would do without my family so close. My sister Emily living down the street has been great too. I am so thankful for having them nearby. My church has a volunteer group called "meals for moms" which provides families with new babies 2 meals a week for a month! It has been such a treat. It's amazing how generous people are and how helpful it is just to have meal prepared and delivered to you without having to worry about anything. Here are some of the latest pics...

Babies are such a nice way to start people. ~Don Herrold

First Bathtub Bath

First Week Home

Our first week home went well! I am starting to have less pain from the c-section incision although I will have activity and lifting restrictions for 5 more weeks, I am feeling pretty good. Breast feeding continues to be a challenge...

AJ has been working from home all week, it's been great to have him home.

Our first "sponge bath" attempt was a train wreck. Poor Ava was freezing cold, and mommy and daddy just couldn't pull it all together quick enough... we will work on finding a new technique for this.

Bella Baby Pictures

Edward hospital offers a new photography service to their patients in labor and delivery... a photographer called "Bella Baby Photography". So there is a photographer on the floor that you stay on after you deliver, and they come by your room and ask if you'd like them to take pictures. I had seen their website before I went into the hospital, and was going to arrange to have them come anyway. So they just snapped these pics in our hospital room, right on my bed. I was amazed how beautiful they turned out.

She's finally here!

After 36+ hours of contractions every 5-6 minutes, I was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 1st. We were so excited that this was it... finally our little angel was going to enter the world! I was given an epidural and thankfully able to get some sleep. I had been awake for the past 2 nights with contractions, so with some pain relief I went right to sleep, knowing that when I woke up we would be that much closer to meeting our baby. AJ made himself comfortable in the guest bed in our delivery room. We knew we still had a long road ahead with the rest of the labor and delivery. Not soon after we fell asleep, I was awoken to my nurse explaining that the fetal heart rate was slower than they would like. Dr. Martin explained he thought it was necessary to do a c-section and get Ava out as soon as we could. With that we were rolled into the OR, and within 10 minutes, we heard Ava's first cries. Everything was perfect, she was a healthy baby. I will never forget seeing her for the first time when they held her up over the curtain so I could see her. She had great big eyes that were wide open, arms outstretched as far as they would go, and a cry that assured me she had a good set of lungs. She was finally here!