the one where Ava is 3 months old!

Ava Estelle

Three Months

 

Size:

About 13lbs. She is my little tank.
 

Health:

Clogged tear duct is totally cleared. Suffering from a bit of baby acne but that is about as bad as it gets. She is so healthy. For that, we are very thankful.

 

Feeding:

Breastfeeding. 3 months strong and counting. It is getting a little harder to keep her focused on eating as she is getting older. She loves to look around, grab at my shirt, take breaks and give me a big, gummy smile. I continue to set small goals for myself. My big goal was 6 months.. but if things keep going this well, I may just keep going past that.. which is CRAZY on so many levels.

 

Sleep:

Ava is ready to go down for bed sometime between 8 and 9. She has been giving me a pretty good long stretch more often than not. Going down and then not getting up to eat until anywhere between 2-6am..she gets up.. eats.. goes back to sleep. Side note: It also kills my boobs to not feed her for that long. But hey, don't wake a sleeping baby, right?

 

Extras:

-She is learning how to work her eyebrows and man, it is cute!
-Loves her big sister so much.
-Her hair is currently  coming in at a brownish/reddish tint. So many people comment on her reddish hair and very pale skin. Apparently Dan had some red hair in his family..from his grandpa and some of his relatives.
-Her eyes are still blue. Actually, even more blue than Tori's were at this age.
-She is starting to look more and more like Tori as she is filling out.
-Has the cutest, most pouty bottom lip.
-Smiles all the time

 

the one where I talk about giving Ava a bottle

All things breastfeeding. Sorry people... but its a pretty big part of my life right now. My schedule goes around Ava and she is attached to me at all times. If I am going out... I must make sure Ill be able to a)feed her somewhere b)that I am dressed for easy feeding. Right now, the new obsession is introducing her to a bottle. It has been SUCH a ROLLER COASTER ride to get where we are today with breastfeeding. So many tears. Sickness. Latch issues. Introducing her to a bottle is sort of freaking me out. Is it going to mess with her latch? Is she going to prefer the bottle over breast? Is it too early? Is it too late? Will she feel like I deserted her? I sort of want to introduce her to the bottle for reasons like work.. and just in general getting the extra help.. and letting Dan have the chance to get special quiet time with her. And then on the other end, I don't want to introduce her to the bottle. I want breastfeeding to be our thing. I like that she needs me. I like that I get that special time with her. Dare I say it.. I might even slightly enjoy breastfeeding right now. Shocker.
I have an overnight trip I want to take with friends next month. I think I have said on my blog before.. having kids ages you. I love being a mom.. but hello, I am 28 years old and feeling 40 sometimes. I'm not ready for that. My girlfriends make me feel young, happy, carefree. I need to reconnect with them and with myself. For me to take this trip, Ava needs to take a bottle. And she would need to take it from about noon on a Saturday until Sunday morning. That is a lot of bottles. What if she thinks she is never going to get the boobie again?! What if she doesn't want it again?! What if she misses me so much she wont eat? What if she doesn't even notice I am gone? Someone help ease my mind. My overly-anxious, all over the place mind.

the one where I am 10 weeks post partum

Most of the time the updates on here are on the girls. Today I decided to give a little "Ang" update.

10 weeks post partum

-The pounds are coming off but my stomach isn't back to normal yet. I'm wondering what "normal" even is anymore.
-Work is picking up again which I am so grateful for. Another listing coming to the market in East York, one in Lancaster city, new buyers in both Lancaster and York.
-I am trying to workout 3/4 times a week but Ava cant go into the kids club until she is 3 months old so it is hard getting there. When Dan gets home from work, I want us spending time as a family. At the end of the month, when Ava is 3 months old Ill start getting there regularly during the day.
-I am in full on birthday planning mode right now as Tori turns THREE next month! She requested a Dora the Explorer birthday party.
-I have zero interest in wearing makeup lately yet when I do it, I am so happy I did and feel so much better lol.
-I am taking a photography class this month to learn some fun new things with my camera.
-I am currently trying to convince Dan why we need to go on a cool trip next year for my 30th birthday. His response was "For my 30th we went to the Brickyard, for yours we go to Vegas?" hahahaha.. uhm, hello... its a huge deal that I am turning 30!
-I feel like breastfeeding is always on my mind! I am always feeding Ava, dressing so that it is easier to feed Ava, planning my errands around feeding Ava. This will slow down, right? I must say that with her health and the fact that I have over 300 ounces of breastmilk in my freezer right now, it is so worth it.
-I'm avoiding introducing Ava to a bottle. I am a worrier. I have anxiety. I just KNOW if I introduce her to a bottle she will never latch onto me again... says my anxiety ridden brain.
-I am so excited for the beach in June. I have already been picking things up here and there for the trip... beach shoes for Tori... summer clothes here and there for the girls, etc.
-I hate how I look in anything that isn't leggings.
-I cant wait to lose these last 5-10 lbs and go shopping. H&M is calling my name on so many levels.
-I'm enjoying the fact that blueberry beer is added back to my life. Delish.
-I'm so excited that TWD returns this Sunday. I have missed you, Rick.
-I'm newly obsessed with Nick Jonas. (thank you for that, Lex)
-The winter is terrible for my skin. It is so dry and literally hurts. I have been using coconut oil head to toe everyday. It is helping but I am not healed. Someone save me!
-We have a trip to San Diego coming up in September (Dan is in a wedding) that I am getting a lot of anxiety over. I hate the idea of leaving the girls for 4 days. I am still trying to figure out if Dan should just go by himself.. or if we both go just us.. or if we take the girls and also bite the bullet and pay for my mom to come along too. Why am I so scared of everything?! Someone tell me to just go, me and Dan.. and enjoy ourselves for 4 days just us.
-I cant believe I will be 29 this year. Have I done enough?
-Its Friday. Its Valentines weekend. I have a hot date tonight with the hubs at Checkers. Our favorite place. Good stuff, people!

Enjoy your weekend!

the one with Superbowl 2016

This year with Daddy not feeling so great, Tori and I headed to York for some fun with Nonna. By Tori and I, I mean Tori, Ava and I. It's funny I still do that. Ava is just so easy to take everywhere right now and shes so sweet and quiet, you almost forget shes there!

Anywho, we decided to do one of our most favorite things ever: shop! Tori's third birthday is around the corner (don't get me started on that) and she has decided she wants a 'Dora the Explorer' birthday party. She also "wants a lot of presents". Gifts are her love language. We started our shopping excursion at Wal Mart. There was NO DORA ANYWHERE. I was very confused. Frozen/Ana/Elsa were still everywhere.. isn't that so last year? Nope. Still all the rage. So anyways, we used Wal Mart as our plates, utensils, table cloth headquarters. Tori is all about colors and it was fun getting to let her pick out what she wanted. Purple table cloth, yellow utensils, etc.. she did a good job! My mom gifted her with two new tutus which happen to be her article of clothing of choice.
Next we headed to Party City. JACKPOT! So, so much Dora. We found this huge goodie bag set on sale for $10. I'm talking like, 100 Dora gifts for the gift bags. So awesome. I also found some cute decorations for the table and to hang around the house. Then my mom got the kiddos a bunch of candy (her favorite thing ever) and last but certainly not least in the world of Tori: She picked out a beautiful Disney Princess crown. For everyday wear. She is obsessed and legit thinks she is a princess. Between the crown and the tutu.. I mean, why wouldn't she believe she is a Princess?

Girlfriend loves dogs and Kendra is such a good sport!

 

Got this shirt at Kohls.. It couldn't be more true.

 

Special time with a special princess

the one where Ava is two months old

Ava Estelle

Two Months

 

Size:

Wearing 3 months clothing quite comfortably. 12 lbs, 23 inches. Up 2 lbs and 2 in since her one month check up.
 

Health:

She is a healthy little peanut. She has a clogged tear duct right now that we are working through. There is no infection or anything so the Dr. isn't worried about it at all she just gets a teary eye often. We were told to massage it here and there with a warm washcloth.

 

Feeding:

Breastfeeding. 2 months strong and counting. It is a world of difference at this point and I am so happy and relieved. I should be introducing her to the bottle again this month sometime. I have been so scared of nipple confusion that I keep avoiding it.

 

Sleep:

Ava is ready to go down for bed sometime between 9 and 10. Her first stretch of sleep for the night is her longest. Usually 5 or 6 hours. Then she gets up every 3 hours after that.

 

Extras:

-She finally likes bath time!
-Drooling like crazy
-Hardly ever cries (knock on wood)
-Likes to sit in her rocker seat so she can sit up and watch what everyone is doing
-Reacts to Daddys voice the most

 

the one where I review the Lancaster Bounce Place

If there is one thing I am sure every parent can relate to right now, it is how difficult it is to get your childs energy out over the winter. We are always desperate to get out of the house and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. Here is a review of one of Tori's favorites:

Lancaster Bounce Place:
They have a toddler time twice a week. Its $6 for two hours. If you go during regular hours I think it is $8. I like the toddler time the best because if you go during regular hours it can be really chaotic and the bigger kids run over the toddlers. Especially if you go on the weekend. Which is when I like to go the best because I have Dan to help with Tori. If you do in fact try it over the weekend, go right when they open. There are lots of inflatable bounce houses spread out through the entire place. All different sizes, they have different things for them to do like slides, "climbing rocks", etc. Tori LOVES it. I think 2.5 is the youngest age that works. Tori can get up and down all of the bounce houses with next to no help. They have free wifi which is nice for the parents and there are tables spread throughout the place so it is nice because you can set up shop close to whatever bounce house is your childs favorite. And trust me, they will have one. There are some arcade games there which is nice, the games aren't cheap and Tori loves winning tickets so she can buy a lollipop before we leave. They also offer food. None of it is high quality, but again.. its cheap and it is just fine if you just need a quick snack.
My biggest complaint is that the bathrooms are sick. I considered having Tori's birthday party there but I would feel bad asking people to use those bathrooms. No toilet paper, no paper towels, there are like 3 toilets and only one has an actual door, one has a curtain, and one is just wide open. It sucks. It is the one major thing they need to change.