Two Month Checkup, First Road Trip & Back to Work

It has been an eventful couple of weeks at the Jarrett household. Last week Ava Kate had her two month check up. She weighed in at 12lbs 8ozs and was 23 inches long. She is in the 90th percentile on her weight and height. She is a growing girl that loves to eat! She also had to get her first round of shots which broke mommy and daddy's heart but she was a trooper. She was talking and cooing while we were waiting on the nurse and I just kept thinking you have no idea what is coming. She only cried for a few seconds though after her shots and then she was right back to smiling.
Poor baby!
Still smiling!

She also made her first road trip this past weekend. We met Justin's parents in Bedford at his Aunt Linda and Uncle Jerry's house Memorial Day weekend. She proved to be a perfect little traveler and slept the whole way there and the whole way back home. She got to meet Justin's aunt and uncle and cousins for the first time. Jerry and Linda have a beautiful backyard and Ava Kate really enjoyed sitting back there and listening to all the birds and meeting all her family. She also got to travel all over the metroplex to meet several of our good friends from our days of living in that area. It is so fun for the people that had prayed with us for a baby to finally get to meet the answer to their prayers!
Smiling for Aunt Linda!
Talking to Moony!
Cousin Josh, the family comedian
Sleeping on Granma- oh so cozy!
Kisses from cousin Terri
Snuggling with cousin Jarrett
Sweet cousin Joey
Precious Marla one of mommy's Peterbilt friends
Mommy's sweet friend Shannon
Watching a movie with Karson, Shannon, Zoe & Jensen- sweet baby Izreal was already in bed!
At Todd & Christi's house where mommy and daddy used to meet for small group

Meeting Keelan and Peyton at Mi Cocina for some yummy tacos!

Yesterday was my first day back to work. It was very hard to leave my little lovey and of course I cried not once but three times yesterday. Once I was there though and got into my work the day went fast and I realized it was not going to be as bad as I thought it would. Although when I got off work I nearly ran all the other cars off the road racing to get to her. She had a great day with her Nana and was a perfect angel for her. Today was a little easier to leave since I knew what to expect. It definately makes me appreciate my time with her even more! Today was Justin's last day of school so she will be spending all summer at home with daddy which will be great bonding time for the two of them. And thankfully we don't live very far from my office so I can run home at lunch to see them.

Slideshow from Ava Kate's Photo Session

Click here to see a slideshow of some of the pictures from our recent family pictures. http://blog.pure-photography.com/2009/05/23/beautiful-family-session/

Two Months Old

I can hardly believe our baby girl is two months old today. She is smiling more and more especially in the morning when she wakes up. She sits in her bouncy seat while I get ready in the morning and smiles and coos at me. It is probably my favorite time of day with her. She is cooing and squealing and definately beginning to find her voice. Sometimes when she is trying so hard to talk to us she coughs instead- I find it to be quite adorable. She also smiles a lot when daddy comes home from work as soon as she hears his voice or sees his face. We are definately seeing more and more of her little personality developing. The other night we went for a walk and she kept looking at each of us and smiling and raising her eyebrows up and down as if she were trying to amuse us. She loves her cousins and saves some of her biggest smiles for them. She still loves to be on the go and meeting new people. She is really starting to fill out and is getting some yummy leg and arm rolls! She loves bathtime with mommy at least most nights she does. Her bouncy seat from Hannah is one of her favorite places to be- thank you Hannah! She went to the zoo for the first time with Nana and Ethan and of course she slept through it all. She also went for her first swim in Nana's backyard which was actually only her sticking her foot in the water and screaming because it was too cold. You can see from the pictures below in her swimsuit all that swimming really wore her out! I love that she is a snuggler and sleeping beside her is one of my favorite things! I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks and I'm dreading having to be away from my lovey but I know her and her daddy are really going to enjoy spending the summer together and I'll cherish every moment I have with her that much more. She goes for her shots this week and I'm sure that is going to break not only her heart but probably mine and Justin's even more. Today we had our first professional photo shoot with her and she was not all that thrilled about it so we are going to try again later this week but here is the link to see some of the shots we were able to get today. http://blog.pure-photography.com/2009/05/17/baby-ava-kate/ Debbie the photographer is wonderful and so patient with fussy babies- I highly recommend her! This morning we sat next to a couple from church who have a baby that is only about 2 weeks old and it made me a little sad to remember when Ava Kate was that tiny and to think how quickly the time has gone. Sometimes at night I can't help but just lay in bed and stare at her. And sometimes I look at her and still cannot believe she is here and she is ours- our dream come true! I feel so much love for her sometimes I think my heart could burst. She is such a joy, such a gift and a treasure! Thank you God for this wonderful blessing! These are just some of my favorite pictures of her over the last month in no particular order.

A Long Awaited Day

The past few years Mother's Day has been a little bittersweet. Of course it is always a special day to celebrate the special women in my life. My mother and grandmother have both been such wonderful role models to me of what a godly mother should look like. At the same time though it was also a painful reminder of what my heart longed so deeply for but did not yet have. Last year we had just gone through our first IVF cycle and learned a couple months before that it did not work. What a different Mothers Day this one was! This year I got to hold my baby girl in my arms and celebrate my first Mother's Day with Ava Kate. We also got to dedicate her at church Sunday morning and she wanted to be sure to be noticed- she screamed through the whole thing. It was a very special day!