Two Months

It's official, my baby girl is growing up way too fast. She turned two months old today and is quickly going from my cuddly little newborn to my feisty, independent baby girl. Sometimes Luke and I look at her and are simply amazed that we created this perfect little girl!

Over the past month, Avery has learned a lot of new things:

• She loves to smile and coo.
• When we put Avery in her car seat or swing, she likes to hold onto a blanket.
• She follows people and objects with her eyes.
• She smiles when she sees her mommy and daddy.
• Her hands are her new favorite toys. Sometimes she just holds them in front of her eyes and stares at them in amazement.
• She loves playing under her play gym and has started kicking and batting at the toys.

Right now, Miss Avery is sleeping on my lap while Luke and I watch Boston Legal and play on our laptops. I couldn't ask for a better life!

Rotavirus, Swimming and Random Thoughts

Avery had her one-month well child check last week. At the visit, she weighed 8 lbs, 8 oz (50%), was 20.75" (50%) and her head measured 38.5 cm (75-90%). This means that in less than six weeks, Miss. Avery has gained 2.5 lbs. Wow! The doctor said that most babies gain between a half ounce to an ounce a day. I guess Avery is just an overachiever. I guess I don't need to be worrying about whether I am producing enough milk!

During the appointment, we found out that Avery likely had rotavirus. We called the doctor early last week because Avery was having a lot of diarrhea. This was not just normal baby bowel movements that she was having. This was the most explosive, foul smelling stuff I have ever encountered. Avery and I went to Omaha and Kansas City with Luke last week and Avery managed to soil every outfit we brought. She had to go home in her last clean pair of pajamas. The good news of the illness was that Avery wanted to eat nonstop while she was sick. This kept her from getting dehydrated and out of the hospital. The even better news is that she is all better now. How I wish she had been vaccinated at birth instead of during her upcoming two-month appointment.

Luke and I have learned that we strongly prefer Pampers newborn diapers to Huggies newborn diapers. While both brands of diapers leaked with the rotavirus, the Pampers blocked the leaks much better. We found that Huggies diapers even leak when the diaper is just wet.

The miracle blanket might be the world's best baby sleep tool. I realize it is just a fancy swaddling blanket, but it really works. (Thanks, Aunt Sherry!) When wrapped up in this contraption, Avery doesn't wriggle around and sleeps really well. Avery is a really strong baby and manages to get herself unwrapped when we just use a regular receiving blanket. She then ends up with the blanket covering her face and I fear suffocation. With the miracle blanket, it is virtually impossible for Avery to free herself.

As I write this post, we are driving to Minnesota for a friend's wedding. Luke is driving and my angel is sleeping. Aside from the speeding ticket Luke managed to get after only an hour of driving, life is good. Avery's personality seems to develop more and more each day. She has started to smile a lot, but still pouts when she is angry. She loves playing on the floor, taking baths, dancing with her mom, playing silly games with daddy and listening to music or mommy and daddy singing to her.

As you can see, I took Avery "swimming" in the bathtub. She wanted to test out her bikini, but swim diapers aren't small enough so I couldn't take her to our neighborhood pool. The next best option was the bathtub.

We recently started putting Avery in the Bumbo seat. I think babies look silly in the seat, but I gave in and bought one anyway. She seems indifferent to it.

One Month

Our baby is one month old today! I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She amazes me more and more each day. Being Avery's mom is so much better than I could have ever imagined. While I am a little sad with how fast time is passing, I look forward to continuing to watch her learn and grow.

The Chamberlain's Come To Town

Luke's grandparents made the long trip from Michigan to Columbia to meet Avery this past weekend. It meant a lot to us to have Avery meet her great grandparents. They loved meeting her and great grandma Marilyn couldn't put her down. It was really sweet to see them together. We just wish we didn't live so far away from all of our extended family.

On Sunday, Avery finally lost her cord stump. We celebrated by giving Avery her first bath. She loved it and I loved being able to have a clean baby. It was a win, win situation!

Luke is out of town this week. It's the first time Avery and I are alone for a few days. Since Luke travels so much for work, we are going to have to get used to it. Aside from Avery not wanting to sleep, things have been going pretty well. She has finally given in to tummy time. I think she realizes mommy will win that war.

Life is very busy...

Since Avery was born, life has become much busier. It seems crazy that such a little girl can change your world in such a big way. Most days, Luke and I think of her as our little angel, but she does have her moments where we think just the opposite. She's funny these days. Her personality develops more with each passing day. When Avery used to have a wet diaper, she didn't care at all, but now she throws a fit and must be changed immediately. I'm hoping this will be a good thing when it comes time for potty training. She used to hate having her diaper changed, but I think she now realizes that it is a good thing and seems to almost enjoy it. When Avery was first born, she didn't want to have anything to do with the pacifier. She now loves it! To me this is both a blessing and a curse. I'm sure I will hate it when I try to wean her in about a year. This week, Avery has started to hold her pacifier with her hands. She has also become somewhat modest when eating as she likes to cover her face while she feeds. It's really cute and a welcome change from scratching me the entire time like she used to do. On another note, Avery has not lost her cord stump. We virtually douse it in alcohol when we change her, but that thing just doesn't want to fall off. It frustrates me because I really want to give Avery a "real" bath. She hates the washcloth baths because she gets cold so quickly. Luckily, the cord stump does look like it is getting close. Maybe by her 4-week birthday on Tuesday...

Walking on the MU campus with G & G Musselman

This is how tummy time started...and ended. She doesn't love it.

Two Weeks

Avery hit the two-week mark this week. She is actually closer to three weeks, but as I haven't had much time to write, this post is coming a little late. I feel like Avery changes everyday. It makes me a little sad because I know that my cuddly little newborn will only want to cuddle with her mom for so long. She is quickly developing a personality of her own. It is so much fun to watch her change and grow!

Since Avery was born, our lives have changed dramatically. Most of the changes have been incredible, but a few are not so great. Our lack of sleep is one of the most difficult things to get used to. Luckily, Luke and I have developed a decent sleep system. I get up with Avery throughout the night and Luke takes the morning shift to give me a couple hours of sleep. My biggest complaint is that, no matter what, I have to get up every two to three hours to either feed Avery or pump. If I don't do this, things are terribly uncomfortable for me. On that note, I keep telling Luke that I feel like a cow. My sole purpose in life right now seems to be supplying milk. It's very odd.

Luke had to go back to work this week. It was a rough transition as Avery and I missed Luke a lot. He had to go to Oklahoma and was gone Monday through Thursday. Fortunately, my mom came to help out. It definitely made things easier, but the reality of Luke's job is that he travels A LOT and I won't always have my mom here to help. Avery and I are just going to have to get used to being on our own during the week. Oh, well! At least we both have jobs. I know a lot of people are not so fortunate right now.

We had our first little scare this week. Avery developed thrush. I feel so bad for her. The doctor said it is incredibly itchy and painful for her. I can't imagine! I know it is painful for me so it must be a lot worse for her. We hope the medicine kicks in quickly. On a positive note, as of Thursday, Avery weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz. She is doing such a good job gaining weight.

If you look closely, you can see the thrush.

Avery's Newborn Pictures

The following is a link to Avery's newborn pictures. Enjoy!

One Week

Avery is one week old today. I can't believe how quickly time is passing. We had her first doctor's appointment yesterday and she is doing really well. She now weighs 6 lbs, 7 oz and is 19.75" tall. She is in the 10th-25th percentile for weight, 50th percentile for height and her head is in the 50th percentile. The pediatrician was very pleased with her weight gain. She is a big eater!

Today, we took Avery to get her newborn pictures taken. She was such a good girl. I think we were able to get a lot of good pictures of her.

Luke and I fall more in love with our little girl each day. The feeling is incredible! I never thought I could love someone as much as I love Avery. It seems there is nothing she can do wrong. Although I am completely sleep deprived, I cherish every second I get to spend with her. I even enjoy the late night/early morning feedings.