I think someone....

... looks a lot like her brother.  I can't find the exact photo I'm thinking of (as evidence), but these are still pretty cute.  :) 

Avery 3 weeks

Avery 3 weeks

Carson 2 weeks

Carson 4 weeks

And these are just cute bath pics......:)  Still can't get over all that hair.  That's definitely one difference from her brother.  :)  He had hair too, but his was lighter, shorter and spiky.  :)

Sneak peek from photo shoot

We got a few sneak peek pics from the photo shoot.  Cute, but I'm still bummed.  :)  And especially after looking at the other sneak peek pics on her blog.  I'm excited to see the shots of Avery and Carson together though, and of course the family shot.  I'm just going to be positive - I'm sure she got some good pictures.

Lucas told me to call her and just schedule another shoot.  :)  I'm sure she'd get wonderful shots w/ a cooperative subject!  I'm tempted but it's really so stressful to do it.  And there's no guarantee that she'd be good.  :) My friend and I were talking though and she totally got it - it's so much work to get everyone ready and then it's like this little mini-marathon that just leaves you stressed, tired and sweaty.  Haha.  I'll wait for the full set of pics before signing up for another one!  :) 

Photo shoot

So we had our newborn photo shoot on Saturday.  I was so excited!  I couldn't wait.  I had cute little diaper ruffle covers and one of those cheesecloth wraps.  I had all these poses in my head.  The photographer does her pictures now on location so we cleaned everything in the house just in case we'd do pictures there........

It was a disaster.  :(  My darling daughter who, up to that day, slept like a rock every afternoon, spent the entire photo shoot awake and screaming.  She got two poses before Avery just dissolved into hysterics.  I could tell she was exhausted.  I had just fed her so she'd be good through the session and she was about to fall asleep when the photographer arrived 30 minutes early.  And I'm not blaming her (the photographer), but it was just all wrong from then on.  I tried to nurse her a couple of times to calm her down.  And it worked.  She'd fall asleep every time I'd nurse or we'd walk around with her.  But as soon as I'd set her down, she'd start screaming.  :(  It just was awful.  I think she was exhausted and really cold.  It was so stressful for me.  I just didn't know what to do.  :(  The photographer was really nice and patient, but I felt like (whether she really was or not) that she was getting frustrated too.  I was hoping that she would do some family shots while we tried to calm Avery down - since she was fine being held.  I guess I should've just been more vocal.  But all of a sudden, our time was up and she had to go.  I tearfully asked her if we could at least get a family shot before she went and she obliged.  I felt bad that she was late.  But I just couldn't believe that we only got like 3 poses.  None w/ her little ruffled butt in the air.  None of me holding her.  None of Lucas holding her.  I was just SO disappointed.  She tried to reassure me that she got some cute shots.  I guess we'll see.  Needless to say, she left the house and I dissolved in tears.  I guess it was such a big buildup......and then such a let down.  And the hormones.......sigh.

I tried unsuccessfully to do my own photo shoot at home - haha.  I'm obviously not a professional :), but the subject was still pretty adorable.  (I need to figure out how to use my camera better!)  Still hopeful that the photographer got some cute shots, but I guess it is what it is.

Here are some of my home, messing-around, shots.  I need to find that cheesecloth.......

Totally pissed at this point  :)

2 week checkup

Avery had her two-week checkup on 3/20.  Dr. Boley said she looked perfect!  She's gaining weight and doing well. 

Height:  21.5" (88%)
Weight:  8 lbs. 13 oz.  (66%)
Head:  36.5 cm (62%)

At birth:
Height:  20.75"
Weight:  8 lbs. 8 oz.
Head:  36 cm.

Grandma was her nurse for her checkup

Dr. Boley

Proud Grandma - showing her off around the office  :)

Hospital pics

Avery's pictures from the hospital.  I thought they did a really great job!  Too bad Lucas and I didn't know we would be in the pics.  I would've worn makeup and he would've shaved!  Oh well.  She was beautiful!

Week 3

We're at week 3.  Life so far w/ miss Avery has been pretty great.  I'm still pretty exhausted, but I guess that'll be the case for a while.  She actually is doing fairly decently with sleeping at night.  We do typically have a longer 2-3 hour stretch where she's awake (she usually wakes up between 2 and 3 and up until 4 or 5), but she'll have a couple 3 hour stretches of sleep.  I need to get better at falling asleep as soon as she does.  She at least doesn't cry too much though overnight and just wants to eat once or twice and eventually go back to sleep.  I'm sleeping on the couch and she's in a bassinet next to me.  Lucas hopefully is able to get a decent night's sleep then each night since he has to work and handles everything around the house, including Carson.  It kills me that I can't pick him up or play too hard with him.  It will be a while before I can lift him, but I can't wait until I at least feel better physically and can play more with him.  I missed him so much the first week or so.  I felt like I didn't see him much at all.  We've had some much needed cuddle time since then.  And I've finally changed a diaper or two.  It's absolutely crazy to go from changing her tiny little diaper to changing his though!

Anyway, Avery overall is pretty laidback.  She really only cries when she's hungry or needs her diaper changed.  This week, she's been more fussy than normal during the day, but I still am going w/ laidback overall.  She's a good baby.  :)

Avery was jaundice in the hospital so we had to go to the pediatrician the day after we were discharged from the hospital.  She's also lost over 10% of her body weight.  She was discharged at 7 lbs. 9 oz.  My milk came in on Thursday (sorry - tmi) and the doctor said that would help w/ both issues.  Sure enough, she was up 2 oz. by the next afternoon and her billirubin level was down.  It's nice that she's finally not yellow.  ;)  And her cheeks are plumping out!

Pics from the first three weeks:

First sponge bath at home

Wiped out after bath

 

 

Her oversized St. Patrick's Day outfit!  We thought she'd be bigger - but all of her clothes are huge on her!

First time outside.  Watching Carson play bubbles!

First time in the swing.  Doing her "popeye" look.  She loves the swing now!

First time trying out her crib for a moment. 

I love my babies!

Big blue eyes and all that hair!

 Visitors at home:

Uncle Bob

Grandma Margaret.  She brought us several wonderful meals!

The "Milli"

Baby Fletcher.  Their first "date".  Supervised by Lucas.  ;)

Aunt Mandy

"Cousin" Madisyn

Aunt Mandy and Fletcher.  They came over for our first play date last week.

 

Piggies!

 We had visitors at the hospital too!

Brooke and Kristin came

Meg

Kyra (and Rae)