Coming Home from the Hospital

Avery got to come home from the hospital on February 25th, 2009. Big brothers Daven and Logan came to pick her up, along with Daddy. They were all so excited. Mike kept saying, I hope she is excited to go home with us. As we were being wheeled out of the hospital, she was wide awake and so calm. I could tell she was excited to come home with us. Avery is very calm, every time I hold her, she calms me down.

Getting all dressed to come home. I was so excited because she actually got to wear the going home outfit I brought for her. 

Ready to go home! So, I was so excited as you can tell. This was my first baby that I was actually able to bring home from the hospital with me. Daven had to stay for 24 hours in the nursery due to Jaundice. That was rough. But, nothing compared to Logan's 10 day stay in the NICU. I kept praying and praying during the pregnancy that all would be well so we could bring her home. I was so nervous this morning when they checked her bili levels, but so relieved and excited when they were normal & she got the okay to come home! YAY!

When we got home, Avery was still asleep in the car seat. I wanted to let this sleeping baby lye. But, Daven and Logan were so excited, they got pillows and blankets out. They hung out next to her for a while.

Here is Avery with big brother, Daven. He loves to hold her so much. She grabs his face sometimes. The first time she did this, Daven giggled, and said, "I like that!" It is so sweet to see how much he loves her (and babies!)..He keeps talking about how he wants to grow up so he can be a daddy.

That night, I had Mike take Avery, and I soaked up being able to read the boys bedtime stories. It is so nice to have everyone home together. What a wonderful feeling. No pumping, running back and forth to the hospital, etc. Now if I can just get some sleep:) Avery likes to eat every few hours. I don't know why I would think she would be any different. The boys were the same way.

More Pictures of Avery

Avery Mae's Birthday

Before pressing play, mute the music from my playlist below.

Mike put this together, he did such a great job, I feel like I could watch it over and over again all day. She weighed 6 lb. 10 oz and was 19 inches long. Babies are the best!!

A huge milkshake

So this week has been kind of crazy. I had so many contractions last week. I was waking up nearly every morning and they were 5 - 8 minutes apart. I thought for sure my body was getting ready to go into labor. Of course, deep down, I knew and hoped she would keep cooking for a little longer in there. But still, I was excited that my body was starting to get ready......

Well, Monday morning I went to the doctor and no such luck. Not even dilated a centimeter. I was 50% effaced, but I couldn't believe after several sleepless nights of breathing through some contractions, that 50% effaced was all I got. Seriously not fair!!

But, then, I got a little stressed. They took my blood pressure. It was 140/96 and they found a small trace of protein in my urine. (This same scenario happened w/ Daven). I was sure they were going to send me straight over to the hospital like they did with him. But, they didn't. I was relieved. They had me rest on my left side. Then, after like 15 minutes, my BP was 110/60. Wow, huge jump. I went in for some pre-ecclampsia labs, but gratefully everything came back normal.

I am so relieved; I'm not sure I was quite ready for them to say, okay let's induce you. I just have to go in more often to monitor the Blood Pressure. On Wed. it was okay but not great. So, she said just to take it easy and check it twice a day from home. I was a little freaked out yesterday because I did too much and my blood pressure showed it. But today, I told myself I was going to take it easy all day and my BP was great. 

So, it looks like I won't be able to do any major walking or exercising to get this labor going. I'm probably in it for the long haul. 

I just wish you could know the day. I'm trying so hard to eat good so I don't gain much more weight. But, some days I think, if this were my last night being pregnant I just want to eat a huge milkshake or something. Wouldn't that be nice??

Sibling Superstars!!

I signed the boys up for a class at the hospital this weekend. It is called Sibling Superstar. It was the cutest thing ever, at least I thought so. The boys had a lot of fun. I think they learned a lot, too. The hospital went above and beyond. I was so glad we decided to do it. Plus, they gave it to me for free since I work there, so it doesn't get much better than that.

The boys came away with new shirts that say, "I'm a Big Brother" and a new book about having a baby. Plus some hospital dress-ups. 

I thought they did a cute job teaching them what to expect. It was hillarious all the things the little kids said. I chuckled through the whole class. It was even funnier than the funny days in primary. Towards the end of the class, one of the 3-year old boys rose his hand and said very straight-forwardly, "I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE A NEW BABY!!" Gotta love them for their honesty.

I think we are officially getting ready. I don't think you are every really ready, but we are trying to move in that direction. Logan now has the "we can't let the baby play with LEGOS, she might choke on them" thing down. Daven is so excited. He loves babies, I can't wait to see how he interacts with her.

I am worried because I so don't want Logan to feel like the middle child. He seems okay with having the baby, but he is a mama's boy. He is used to a lot of attention. If anyone has any tips or ideas, I'd love to hear them!!