Milestones:  Nothing new to report she won’t get new statistics until her 4 month appointment. She is probably over 11 pounds by now.

Sleeping/ Eating: She has been going to bed closer to 12 am again and wanting to wake up at 8 am, which is still good I will take it, but I do want to try to get her to bed earlier. Same eating half feeding and half formula.

Clothing: Her clothes are still 3 month.

Avery’s Favorites:  She used to hate her play gym, but now she is likes to sit under it for a few minutes and bat at things. She also loves whenever I try making funny new noises at her. She gets these huge eyes and throws her head back dramatically. She is also starting to like certain books. She doesn’t have a long attention span, but one read through seems to capture her attention.

Things I want to remember:  I love snuggling with Avery for a few minutes during her naps. I rarely want to put her down to do other things. People tell me that it goes by so fast and I am listening and letting little things go. I could care less If I am the mom that has it all together. I would rather take time and cherish every moment.

What we did this week: 

We went to meet another new baby friend and brought them dinner. It is so crazy to see a a newborn compared to Avery I think she is officially out of that stage and just an infant baby. Nana and Papa watched her while we celebrated my birthday with Megan and Jason on Saturday. We went on an amazing wine tour where we got our own little cabin. I love being home with baby girl right now, but a few hours aways is nice too.  We finally got our Christmas tree, but it sat propped up against the wall for a few days. I ran around like a mad women during a few of her naps and finally got decorations up. It seemed like a lot more work than normal, but she loves the lights and I feel like we are now in the holiday spirit around here. Avery and I went to a baby shower and it was so fun to celebrate Whitney and her baby girl, we hope that they are little friends.  We hung around the house a lot this week and I was perfectly fine with that.  We have a lot going on next week and then my family is coming to visit and after that we are doing our first flight down to CA.  We did get out of the house one day to meet friends for lunch so they could meet Avery.  Tyler , Avery, and I went to her daycare to meet the teachers and tour the facilities and learn what to expect. I am so fortunate to work for a company that has an amazing daycare system. I would not be able to go back to work if i didn’t feel so comfortable about leaving her there. I can go see her during the day, which makes the transition feel a little easier even though I know it will still be really hard. On Friday Nana Sue and Papa Carl came over after some Christmas shopping to see Avery. She loves when her Papa reads to her.

Milestones:   She has really good control of turning her head and likes to look back and forth. It sounds simple, but it isn’t natural, its like she is so proud that she can do it. I don’t think she grew much this week she seems around 11 pounds.

Sleeping/ Eating: Avery is my little night owl she now likes to stay up again until 11-12 and sleep until 9 am. I am going to try and start waking her up a little earlier so hopefully she will want to go to bed earlier we will see how it goes. She also only sleeps in her bassinet, she is not a big fan of her crib yet. I am trying to spend more time in her room so she gets more used to it to see if that helps. She is on the same eating half feeding half formula.

Clothing: Her clothes are still 3 month.

Avery’s Favorites:  Bouncer chair with toys still win over everything else. She goes nuts over them now. With each passing day I can tell she is gaining more control on how she bats at the toys and its not just flailing her arms around.

Things I want to remember:  She is starting to enjoy her baths and not scream her head off. At her two month appointment the Dr. said it was important to do more tummy time and so we worked on it this week and she is starting to get her head up pretty far.

What we did this week: 

Avery went to her first house church to meet all her baby friends that she has not clue about yet. Then we met Nana Sue and her friends on their annual Portland shopping trip. Papa Carl watched Avery on Saturday night since we had a Christmas party and they had a blast together. It is rare that we get to see our friends these days without a bunch of kids running around and all we did was talk about our kids. Life sure has changed, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was a really cold week so we didn’t get out much since there was a chance of snow and ice. I am still a wimpy Californian at heart.  We took dinner to a friend’s house and Avery got to meet another new baby friend. We met daddy for lunch one day which was fun to get out of the house. Avery and I also went to my book club and she met all the book club friends.

Milestones:  She had her two month appointment this week and weighed 10 pounds 12 ounces 50th percentile and was 23 3/4 inches long 75th percentile. The Dr. said  she was on the same growth pattern that she has been on since birth so she is doing well and everything is progressing as normal.

Sleeping/ Eating: Avery has kept her pattern of going to bed at 10-11pm and sleeping until 7 or 8 am in the morning. She is such a good little sleeper! She is on the same eating half feeding half formula.

Clothing: Her feet keep outgrowing her footie pajamas. The three month ones fit her body, but her feet are already curled up in them. I guess I will have to go bigger soon or invent a footie pajama extender for her big ski feet, they are just so long and skinny. For regular clothes the three month clothes are fitting now.

Avery’s Favorites: She still loves her bouncer chair to explore the world around her. I got her this rattle ball and she is holding on to it and moving it around and kicks it.  She also likes these little rings that I put with her toys on the bouncer chair. I figured out how to use the Ergo carrier and she likes that when I need to do a few things around the house and she wants to be near me.

Things I want to remember:  Avery laughed for the first time. Nana Sue and auntie Megan were talking about where we should have Christmas this year and Megan said she would have it at her house, but she didn’t want to cook a turkey because she didn’t want to clean out the turkey butt. Avery smiled so big when Megan said turkey butt. Then we were telling auntie Molly about how Avery thought turkey butt was so funny and she full on laughed when we said turkey butt. Sue and I both saw it so I know it was a laugh. She now does a cute little laugh here and there and it makes my heart melt, plus turkey butt still gets her to smile.

What we did this week: 

Auntie Molly had two showers for baby girl Kidd and we were able to go and celebrate with her. I am so excited for her to experience all the joys that  her little baby girl will bring. At the shower Avery and cousin Silas took a short nap together. It is so fun that they are so close in age to watch them develop.  I made it back to my first gym class and Tyler watched Avery, she was fussy the whole time I was gone, I think she is starting to notice when I am gone. It felt so good to be back to pushing myself a bit after just walking throughout the last part of pregnancy. We also made it out on a few walk/runs with the BOB this week which the Dr. said is good for her for vitamin D and me for exercise. Since it was so cold this week we had planned to meet up with my friend Jess for a walk outside, but we decided to meet at the mall since it was below 30 degrees. Meeting at the mall at 10 am for a walk was the ultimate mom excursion, but we got to catch up and keep the girls happy and get some exercise. We did see some other ladies in full on work out gear going much faster then us so we might have to pick up the pace next time. It was a week full of appointments we both had doctor’s appointments mine went well, but my lungs are still a little abnormal from the pneumonia and they want me to be careful and hers was all normal. We took it easy the last part of the week since she had shots and I wanted to be home in case she had any reactions. Friday was Tyler’s work Christmas party and auntie Megan and uncle Jason watched Avery. She was a little bit of a handful for them. Oh Avery!

Milestones:  She has her 2 month appointment next week so we will get her weight and I am guessing she is over 11 pounds.

Sleeping/ Eating: Avery had 3 nights of really good sleep between going to bed between 10-11pm and sleeping until 7 am.  I think finding her thumb again has made the difference since she can self sooth herself back to sleep. If she can do this sleep schedule even a few nights a week I can be a normal person.

Clothing: Starting to fill out her 3 month clothes.

Avery’s Favorites: She is starting to like some toys a little bit, she used to not even look at them. There is this little bug rattle toy that has patterns on the bottom of its feet that she smiles and coos at for short periods of time. She also like the toys that go with her bouncer. Mirrors are also starting to get her attention. I can’t get her to do tummy time she just falls asleep. She does exercise her neck when she is laying down on someone.

Things I want to remember: Avery started sleeping really well this week! I still woke up at her normal times just to check on her. She is wanting to explore more around the house. We used to sit mostly in our family room and she was content, now she likes to walk around the house and see different areas.

What we did this week: Rachel, one of my college friends that lives in California, was up here for Thanksgiving to see her family so she came to meet Avery. The friends that have seen me with Avery have said it is so weird to see me with a baby. I guess I was never the type of person to offer to hold every baby in sight, but I love this little lady and she makes it easy. Tuesday we were supposed to meet a friend for a walk, but Avery woke up in the morning and threw up twice pretty heavily.  I thought she was getting sick, so we just stayed home most of the day and snuggled. We picked up auntie Molly and uncle Brad from the airport. Brad hadn’t met Avery yet so it was fun to spend some time with them before the holiday gatherings. Avery had her first Thanksgiving at Nana Sue and Papa Carl’s house. In the morning we visited with a bigger group of family and then dinner was just the immediate Nelson family. It is so nice to spend time together and slow down and enjoy each other’s company There is so much to be thankful for this year and family is such an important part of our lives. Avery also experienced her first Black Friday shopping excursion. We sure did make some exciting purchases of file cabinets for Tyler’s office and a Dyson vacuum to make sure floors are ready for our girl when she starts moving around.  The Best Buy salesman was major character and told Tyler that anything with a cord is not a Christmas present. I like agree with his thinking.

What we did this week:

She is so much more awake and alert. We were trying to see which side of the family she looked like,  more like mommy or daddy? I tried tummy time, but she just went right to sleep. Avery loves her bouncy chair and looking around.

What we did this week:

Went out for our first date night and had fun but missed her! She is liking her baths a little more. I am definitely getting to know everything about her and knowing her schedule.

Milestones: 

Sleeping/ Eating: Still up a few times a night. I have taken over night duty since Tyler went back to work.

Clothing: Fitting into some 0-3 month clothes and still her newborn.

Avery’s Favorites: She likes to walk around the house and look out windows. I have no idea what she is looking at maybe the trees or just different shadows of light.

Things I want to remember: My parents had to leave over the weekend and it was really hard to say goodbye. I wish we could live close to both our families. Family is so important and that amplifies when you have a baby. We had a dear friend from our house church Tosha come and help with Avery at the the beginning of the week so that I could still nap. It was so nice since I started taking care of her at night and was still tired from being sick. We had her first real bath since the umbilical cord fell off last week. She also watched and cheered for her first Beaver game. Avery was definitely becoming much more alert and looking around at the world around her.

What we did this

Milestones:  She wasn’t weighed this week, but little lady is definitely getting heavier.

Sleeping/ Eating: Same Sleeping 12 am – 5 am, 6 am -9 am.   I hope in the next few weeks we can get her to go to bed earlier. She is pretty consistently a three hour little clock. Eating is the same half feeding half formula.

Clothing: Starting to fill out some of the 3 month old clothes instead of swimming in them. We went to an outlet mall and there were so many cute baby clothes… seriously I am going to have 2 outfits and she will have all the cute stuff in this house.

Avery’s Favorites: She still LOVES her bouncer chair. I think she can see everything better and we play in it several times a day. I noticed she started grabbing burp rags, blankets, and my clothes so I got her a wubbanub paci (pacifier attached to a stuffed animal). This little giraffe paci is now a favorite and it is much easier for her to get it back in her mouth on her own since she is holding the little animal. Towards the end of the week she noticed a rattle toy so we will see if she likes that more.

Things I want to remember:

She is so funny when she wakes up now. It is usually 10 am until she is awake for a longer period of time and it takes her a good 15 minutes to wake up. She throws her arms above her head and grunts and squirms and makes all these funny faces trying to wake up. Avery hates anything on her feet, she gets out of any type of sock and even footie pajamas if she finds a wide enough gap between snaps. She even finds her way out of the miracle blanket, which is pretty much a straight jacket swaddle for babies. She just wants her feet to be free. Her hair is a little longer and is starting to stick straight up in the back of her head and her eyes seem to be more blue. Tyler thinks I am so crazy because I love her blue eyes so much, but I have brown eyes and have always secretly wanted blue. She is also starting to suck her thumb again and actually sticking her whole hand in her mouth at times.

What we did this week:

Monday was rough I think I ate something at my birthday dinner on Sunday which didn’t agree with Avery’s little belly. Luckily it was just a day and she was back to her sweet smiley self the next day. Beautiful Cora Jane Burns was born on Tuesday night.  Avery is blessed to have a girl cousins on both sides that will be born within six months of her. I love that she will grow up with a close cousins. I was blessed with having that growing up and am still close with them.  We are going to go to California in January to meet Cora. I can not wait to hold that baby! We went and saw Alex and her cousin Silas in Salem and went on a walk to coffee and just hung out. I think that Silas and Avery noticed each other a little, but still didn’t seem to care too much. Also in Salem we went to meet her other baby friend Emma  and had dinner to celebrate my birthday with family. It was pretty much the busiest day I have ventured out by myself. It takes a lot to pack everything up and be far away from my house for a long period of time. I know it will get easier as I get out more, but man I was happy to stay home with her the next day and enjoy extra snuggle time. Friday my friend Whitney, who is pregnant with a baby girl, came to meet Avery and we went on a walk and to coffee.  There are so many baby girls on their way into this world in the next few months that Avery can be friends with!

Milestones: She was back to her birth weight at 8 pounds 6 oz. 

Sleeping/ Eating: Still up a lot a night at least three times for extended period of times. My mom and Tyler were still taking turns for the night shift. I was able to come home from the hospital on Saturday, but still very weak and tired and needed sleep.

Clothing: Newborn- we had to go out and get her a few more pjs that fit since all of the 3 month ones were huge. It was fun to get out to Carter’s and Old Navy and look at all the baby stuff.

Avery’s Favorites: She really liked just being held and falling asleep on people.

Things I want to remember:  It was such a huge help to have my parents here an extra week and her auntie Molly. I still wasn’t feeling completely myself yet and had to nap. We spent the week mostly hanging out with Avery and resting. Since I didn’t get to see her much the first week I was just soaking in all the snuggle time and learning everything about her. Her umbilical cord fell off around day 14. We took her to her two week doctor visit and she had to have four pricks to get blood and she was screaming and wiggling and it made me so sad for her.

What we did this week: We went to a lactation appointment and it was my first time driving her and taking her in her carseat and stroller.  We also went shopping for a few more newborn outfits and to lunch. Avery is really good in her carseat  and she just sleeps and enjoys the ride. Avery’s cousin Silas came to visit her and they really didn’t notice each other at all, but it will be fun to see them grow together. We celebrated Jason and Molly’s birthdays at our house at the end of the week. I felt a little back to normal.  We had pizza and apple crisp, oh so good after all that terrible hospital food.

Milestones: Her weight dropped to 7 pounds 11 oz. She had her first Dr. appointment  and her Nanna and Daddy took her since I was still in the hospital. Her weight was back to 8 pounds 4 oz at her appointment. Tyler said he was the only dad with a newborn baby without a mom.

Sleeping/ Eating: She was going to sleep around 2 am and wakes up again at 5 am and then 7am. She definitely had her days and nights mixed up. When I was pregnant she was very active at night. I was still in the hospital and pumping so she would get bottles of formula and breast milk. She was a really good eater and loves getting a bottle.

Clothing: Newborn size. We had known that she would be over 8 pounds so I didn’t buy very many newborn outfits, but  she was swimming in the 0-3 month clothes. The newborn size is so tiny and cute once I got home I bought her a few more outfits.

Things I want to remember:  Avery found her thumb right away and started sucking on  it.  She must have been doing that inside me since it came so natural to her. We all noticed that her fingers and feet were so long for a newborn. She had a major cone head, but for some reason we didn’t take any pictures of it. Tyler had to take Avery home by himself and he said that he drove so slow with the baby in the car. Luckily we only live about a mile away from the hospital, otherwise it would have taken him a long time to get home. His sister Molly came to visit and took Avery on her first trip to Starbucks.

Avery’s Favorites: She likes sleeping in her rock n play crib and seems to like her swing. Everyone was so flustered with me being in the hospital that the swing accidentally got run over by the car. Avery was safe in her carseat, but that was the end of her first swing.

What we did this week: I was in the hospital so I was only able to see her for a few hours a day. There was one day that I was in the ICU that I didn’t get to see her at all. At that point all I wanted to do was cry, but since I was having major breathing issues I knew I had to try and not think about it so I could get better and get out of the hospital  and home to our sweet girl. Tyler and his mom took care of her the first three nights, then Tyler took care of her the rest of the time I was in the hospital. My mom stayed with me in the hospital most of the time.  Tyler was such a great Dad right from the start. We never would have thought that he would be taking care of our baby without me.