Two Weeks Old

The last week has been a busy one for us. We have gotten out of the house a lot more which has been nice for all of us. Mommy and daddy are both very social and like to be out and about and it seems Ava Kate is most happy when she is out socializing as well. She seems to love new people and is always so content when someone new is holding her. Saturday she went to her first barbeque at Matt & Shelly's family lake cabin. The weather was pretty yucky so it was an indoor barbeque but it was still a lot of fun. She got to see Lily and Tessa who are only about 10 months older than her and I'm sure will one day soon be some of her favorite friends. Sunday Ava Kate had a really big day! We got up that morning and went to Sunday school and she got to meet all our sweet friends from church. She did so good in there that we decided to stay for church too. She didn't cry at all until right after the singing because she was getting hungry. She was still so content after church that we decided to try to go to lunch. I had been craving Olive Garden so that is where we went. She was an angel at lunch as well and didn't make a peep. We were on a roll so we went to my grandparents house and nana, pop, aunt Natalie, Keller and Ethan all came over too. She spent all afternoon sleeping on everyone as she was passed around. We came home and decided to go for a walk. This was her first walk in the stroller and she loved it! She slept most of the walk. We even got to stop and visit with the Phelps when we passed their house. It was a very big day for our little lovey and we are so proud of how well she did! Monday daddy had to go back to work and we were all sad about that but so far the week has gone pretty well. We went to Nana's house for a visit on Monday. Monday night was a bit of a late and fussy night so we spent Tuesday at home resting and doing some laundry. We look forward to our evening walks with daddy when he gets home. She really loves to ride in the car, go for walks, eat, lay on her changing pad and look around at her nursery, be in the sling and sit up in daddy's lap. Mommy's favorite things are to listen to her sleep, watch her make funny faces when she is trying to wake up and snuggling! She is changing and growing everyday! She smiles a lot, already lifts her head and uses her hands to fight away her passy and anything else she doesn't want in or near her mouth- we think she is going to be a leader. Her second toe is longer than her big toe just like mommy's which is supposedly a sign of being a leader (or some like to call it bossy). She is a bundle of joy and everything and more we ever dreamed she would be!
Mommy's little Aggie
Sweet sleeping baby
On my way to church in my hippie outfit as grandmother likes to call it

One Week

It is hard to imagine what life was like just a little over a week ago. Our world is now consumed with our little angel. This first week has been full of firsts for Ava Kate. She spent a whole night in her bassinet. Nana came over for their first slumber party together. Kimberly babysat for a few minutes while mommy and daddy ran to Target (mommy forgot she still had her house shoes on). Nana babysat for a couple of hours so mommy and daddy could go out for a lunch date and do a little shopping. Of course we ate really fast and mostly talked about her while we were gone. She has been smiling and occassionally giggles. She went for her first doctor's appointment and had gained 8 ozs from the time we left the hospital. Dr. Wiley said she was showing off because it takes most babies a couple of weeks just to get back to their birth weight. She went for her first outing to get ice cream and then to visit grandmother and papa. She and daddy went for their first late night car ride. She went to mommy's work to meet all the nice people mommy works with. She went for lots of walks outside in the sling which she really loves. She has endured many photo shoots already. She outgrew the outfit she came home in. It has been a week full of precious memories and we are looking forward to more memories to be made in the coming weeks.

Sweet Ava Kate!

Sweet Ava Kate,
You have already brought so much joy to our lives! Our hearts are filled with more love for you than you could have ever imagined. You are such a beautiful baby- your daddy and I just stare at you in amazement of the perfect miracle you are. You were our perfect embryo and now you are our perfect baby girl. It is amazing that someone so small can change your world in such a big way. When you hurt and I can't make it go away my heart just breaks and it makes me cry. When you look me in the eye it is the sweetest feeling I've known. Your grins and little giggles make us melt. I cherish every moment with you my sweet little bird! You are my dream come true and I love you with every ounce of my heart!

Ava Kate's Family & Friends!

Here are just a few pictures of some of the family and friends that have come to see Ava Kate the past few days! This baby girl is very loved.
Dr. Mascarro
Pop
Nana
Granma
Grandpa Moony
Grandmother & Papa
Aunt Natalie
Cousin Keller
Cousins Keller & Ethan
Kimberly
Stephanie & Brooke
Robyn
Darryl & Laura
Bill & Judy
Shelly
Matt
Lily
Jill, Jack Allen & Caroline
Becky
Patty
Cousin Will

AVA KATE is here!

Born: 11:52 AM on St. Patrick's Day

Weight: 7 Lbs 6 Ounces

Height: 20 1/4 Inches

Monday night about 1am I woke up having contractions. They continued until the alarm went off at 4am. We went on in to the hospital at our scheduled time of induction of 5am. When we first arrived I was dilated to a 2 and the nurse got my IV in and started me on pitocin. By 5:30am the contractions were starting to get close and strong. They continued to get much stronger and by 7am I was begging for the doctor so I could get my epidural. Dr. Mascarro came in about 8am to break my water and said it appeared my water had already broken and I was dilated to a 4 and could get my epidural. She also said she thought we would have a baby by noon. Things were already moving much faster than we had expected. It took a little while for the anesthesiologist to get there- at least it felt like an eternity to me. Once I got the epidural I was feeling great! My nurse was Nancy a sweet friend from church and she was wonderful through it all and very encouraging. Nancy checked me right after the epidural and said I had already dilated to an 8 and that I had basically labored to an 8 without an epidural. I had gone from a 4 to an 8 within a matter of 30 minutes or less. I was in complete shock! Once I had the epidural I was able to rest a little and all our friends and family were able to come in for a quick visit. At about 10am Nancy came back in to check me and I was dilated to a 10 so I started pushing about 10:30am. It was a little difficult to push being that I was so numb from the epidural and my blood pressure dropped rather drastically at some point which was a little frightening for everyone but me thanks to the drugs. They got my blood pressure stabilized and I was able to continue pushing. Finally at 11:52am Ava Kate made her arrival into the world! It was truly the most amazing thing I have ever experienced and by far the greatest day of my life! Shortly after I told my mom I would definitely do that again. Justin and I both just wept with joy the moment we laid eyes on our precious gift and miracle from God!

Tomorrow

It is hard to believe this will be my last post as a pregnant woman. In about 9 hours we will be waking up and heading to the hospital and more than likely 24 hours from now or less we will be holding our baby girl that has been a dream of ours for over 5 years now. I am blown away when I think back on this incredible journey God has led us on and how He has so clearly been at work all along and tomorrow we will get to see in person the miracle He has been planning. I am filled with emotions as I get ready to go to bed to attempt to get some sleep before tomorrow- joy, wonder, love, gratefulness, awe, nervousness, anxiousness and more. I can't even begin to know the love and joy that will fill my heart when I see my precious Ava Kate for the first time. I have already fallen so in love with her and know my heart will just be bursting tomorrow! Thank you all again for all your prayers, your encouraging words, your friendships, your love and support over the years! Check back tomorrow for the first photo of our dream come true!

More Birthday Celebrations

This past week the birthday celebrations continued. Monday we celebrated my nephew Keller's 4th birthday! I can't believe he is already four. I can still clearly remember the day he was born. We had his family dinner on Monday and he chose macaroni, green beans, pears and oranges for his birthday dinner. I thought those were pretty healthy choices for a four year old. He even helped decorate his own cake! Friday we had my family dinner and I picked my usual, my mom's lasagne. It is the best lasagne in the world! Saturday afternoon was Keller's birthday party at Mr. Gatti's with all his friends and the rest of his family. He got lots of transformers, power rangers and hot wheels- he is definately all boy! I'll have to post some pictures later.

Other than all the celebrating we did it was a pretty uneventful week for us. I got everything wrapped up at work and shut the door behind me Friday afternoon for the last time for a few months which was a very weird feeling. I told Justin I could not remember the last time I had been off work for that long of a period- probably sometime before college which was quite a while ago. We spent the weekend keeping ourselves busy- getting in some last dates, shopping excursions and walks before Ava Kate arrives.

A 30th to Remember!

I knew that my birthday this year would be one I would always remember for many reasons- it is my 30th and my baby girl will be arriving shortly before or after my birthday but what I didn’t know is that my husband and mom and other friends would be throwing a surprise party for my best friend Robyn and me. Robyn’s birthday is March 13th and mine is March 14th. We have been celebrating birthdays together since we were 13 so it was only fitting that our big 3-0 celebration be together. I thought I was just going to dinner with Robyn, Kimberly and Jill but when we arrived at Erinshire Gardens and all the white lights were on and I walked up and saw all the familiar faces I realized Justin had finally pulled one over on me which is not an easy thing to do. The funniest part of all though was Robyn thought she was in on throwing a party for me but when she arrived she realized it was actually for both of us- the look on her face was priceless! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect celebration. The weather was perfect for an outdoor party, the white lights in the trees made it beautiful and my very talented uncle playing all my favorites of his songs just set the tone for the whole evening. We were greeted by friends and family and lots of sweet little ones. The kids provided additional entertainment as they danced together to Nathan’s music. My mom and her sweet friend Becky prepared an elaborate spread of food. Justin had put together a slide show of photos of Robyn and I over the last 17 years and had it playing on the side of the house. Her and I have seen each other through a lot over those 17 years and I have so many wonderful memories that she is a part of. She loved me through all my ups and downs and always was there the moment I needed her. She is such a blessing in my life! It was the perfect last hurrah before Ava Kate makes her arrival and I hear I owe most of the thanks to my sweet husband who started the planning several months ago! To top it all off Justin gave me the sweetest necklace that has Ava Kate stamped on it along with two little birds. It is a night I will always remember!