the one where Ava is four months old

Ava Estelle

Four Months

 

Size:

About 14lbs. She has her doctor appointment on Tuesday so I will know for sure then.
 

Health:

Healthy, healthy, healthy girl.

 

Feeding:

4 months EBF and it is going great other than I had a clogged duct recently. So painful! She drank a half of an ounce of breast milk out of her bottle last night which is major progress! She had been refusing the bottle and mostly just chewing on it whenever we tried to give it to her. Last night she actually sucked and intentionally drank from it. It sort of made me sad. Isn't that weird? My main reason for wanting her to take a bottle is because work is crazy right now and I need some flexibility!

 

Sleep:

Ava is ready to go down for bed sometime between 8 and 9. She normally gets cranky and I let her fall asleep in her swing. When I am ready for bed, I get her out and take her upstairs with me. I have been co sleeping which is normally a huge no-no for me. It is so much easier to co sleep with breastfeeding. When she wakes up to eat, I can just roll over and let her nurse for a little and it doesn't wake me up nearly as much as having to get up, get her out of the bassinet, feed her and put her back to sleep. I am sure I will end up regretting this but I guess we will see.

 

Extras:
-Her eyebrows are still non existent
-The hair on her head is getting thicker and she has had her first baby girl Mohawk lol
-She is able to roll up onto her side but hasn't made it the whole way over yet.
-She smiles at everyone and has such a sweet nature about her.
-Loves to play with the owl hanging on her playmat
-Likes going to the kids club at the gym

We are more and more smitten with every passing day!

 

the one with a March update

Man, I really fell behind with the blog this month. Babies, work, the house, family, just overall life has been keeping us way busy lately so heres a little recap of what you have missed:

Tori-
Tori turned three! She had a fantastic party and an amazing cake! It had the most awesome Dora the explorer design and she still says to this day that her favorite part of her birthday was her cake and "eating Swiper's eye". (No more TWD for her haha jk! she doesnt watch that!) Girlfriend is like always, too smart for her own good. We have been using time out a little more than I would like to admit but seriously, the girl can work the system and man, she fights me on everythinggg. We have been exploring different sorts of movies right now (trying to get away from the scary witches and such) and she has been into her art more than ever lately. My little artist. I want to take her on a date to Pottery Works soon. Just me and her or just her and Daddy. Need to show my baby some one on one time.
Ava-
She has found her voice. Screaming. All. the. time. It is really cute though. Its not sad or mad screaming. It is "WOW I can do this?!" screaming. She is still a nursing champ and for that, I am thankful.. and on a side note of that-girlfriend still wont take a bottle. We try! We do! It is not as consistently as I should be. But we do. I put away her 0-3 months clothing. She can do 3 and 3-6 months. I'm interested to see how much she has gained. At Toris check up, Ava weighed 13lbs 8oz.. so I'm assuming shes at least 14 lbs now.
Dan-
We just realized he only has 2.5 months left of school which is amazing. We are currently trying to figure out his summer plans. I would like him to get his real estate license (he can then assist me in showings and such). But he also needs to get moving with his Masters. He started it but hasn't finished and an open summer schedule warrants some education haha. He said this school year has gone fast and it really hasn't been a bad year, so if we could have it on repeat, he will take it. He has a beard right now and I love it. Like I don't know why he hasn't just had one the entire time we have been together lol. Our 5 year wedding anniversary is this summer so I am trying to brainstorm some overnight trips for us. You know, if my baby will take a bottle and I can leave her for a night lol.
Me-
I am finally at my pre baby weight. Yes, I said "finally" and I know that is really dramatic since my baby is only 3.5 months old. I am very excited though and another 5 lbs and Ill be at my most comfortable weight, as long as I am there by the time we go to the beach in June, Ill be happy. I have been getting to the gym again but it is not a consistent amount of days a week. I have been trying to get a workout in a week with my sister in law... and then from there, I try to get 2-3 days a week in at the gym. Work is so, so, so busy. Thank God!!!! During slow season, you just feel sort of blah.. and then work starts picking up again and it sends this awesome energy back through me!!! Reminds me why I love my job so much. How fun it is to work with people, to watch people take this step in life, to be able to financially support my family. Good stuff people.
Family/Friends-
We had a great party at our house for st. Patricks day. Anyone who knows me knows I love that holiday. No, I am not Irish. Yes I am Italian. I don't care. I pretend for the day. I love a theme and dressing up.. I love day drinking. Therefor, St Pattys speaks to me. Our friends Erica and James announced they are having a baby girl this August. So excited. That means that since this past fall.. everyone I know has had a girl. Brynlee, Ava, Alivia, Ella and now baby girl Diff.. and then big girl Tori of course. We are starting our own sorority and I am loving it. The next generation. My sister and niece Sam are coming to visit next week and staying a whole week! I am so excited!! I hate not getting to be a part of Sams life the way I am with Izzy. I plan to soak up as much Sami time (and you too, Banana haha) as possible! Me, Tori, Izzy, Sum, my Mom, Stink and Ava painted eggs yesterday. It was hilarious. I think I have mentioned before-my mom is a clean freak. OCD if you will. When we were kids there was not much getting dirty. Days like yesterday (dye everywhere!, dirty hands!) are tough for my mom but she did a good job getting through haha. She even helped with eggs, which might only be because she was trying to avoid more of a mess that Tori was making but whatever, Ill take it. My Aunt, uncle and Cousins from Maryland are coming up for Easter this weekend and I cannot wait to see them. Food, laughing, drinks, gross jelly beans.. game on baby!

the one where I write a letter to my Tori on her birthday

Tomorrow my mini turns THREE YEARS OLD.
Days are long. Years are short. Days are long. Years are short.
I am learning that with every passing moment.

Dear Tor Tor,
I cannot believe you are three years old today! Mommy is so happy that you are growing so much and that that you are so happy but days like this also remind me that you wont be my baby forever. You are getting bigger. You are SO SMART. You are breathe taking. Those blue eyes, the way you bat your eyelashes and give a little smirk.. you make Mommy and Daddy melt. Also, might I add- you have the BEST hair. It is crazy and long and curly and you hate when I brush it and when you fight me on that I want to cut it all off but then it dries and pops up into its beautiful little curls.. and I see the gorgeous ringlets around your face and I think to myself that I will never cut it ever, ever, ever. You love animals so much. You are so sweet to all of your stuffed animals, you light up like no other every time you see a dog. You ask to go to the zoo so you can see "river dolphins.. and panda bears.. and pumas". You are SO loud and love to scream. Usually it is happy screams but man you can belt out some unhappy ones too. You are a little parrot and you especially love to copy anything and everything Mommy says. You are the light of my life. Everything from the moment you were born changed for me. All of a sudden, life wasn't about me anymore. It was about this beautiful, innocent, sweet girl, who would fall asleep on my chest every day. Who would look up at me and you could just tell without any words, that there is no one in this world who felt the way we do about each other. I can feel you in my soul. Like, in the depths of it. When I am not with you, I am wishing I was and I am sending you messages from my heart.. because I know you can feel them come to you. I know you can feel me when I am not right there and I know that for the rest of your life, you will always know I am with you. I will always support you. I will always be a guiding light. I want to be better for you. I want to make life everything that you deserve it to be. I have loved you from the moment I knew you were swimming around in my belly. You are my best friend. Happy third birthday. XO, Mommy