Friday, December 30, 2011
Funny Things!
I just wanted to document a few things Taylor has been doing/saying that make us laugh or smile :)
- She calls Ava's pacifier a "pas-ti-flower"....adorable!
- Pronounces bottle "bah-wuhle"
- Her favorite Christmas book was the Grinch...her favorite page was the one that goes "Pop Guns, bicycles, popcorn and plums". Instead of saying "one by one up the chimbley", she says "number one up the chimbley". Cute!
- For some reason, she started calling my boobs "mommy's pumba's" - we have absolutely no idea why, but it cracks me up everytime! She will point to them at the most random times and say "pumba's". HA!
- Nudey! This child doesn't like to wear pants. She will take her pants off and when asked why she took them off, she'll say "want to be nudey". Oh boy....
Our Christmas 2011
Christmas this year was so much fun! Taylor really got into it and seems to love the holiday (just like her mama!). She loved Santa Claus, Christmas lights, the tree, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the Grinch that Stole Christmas. I could write a novel recapping everything we did, but I'll try to just bullet point :)
After leaving out some cookies that she decorated, Santa came to visit Taylor! He brought her a play kitchen! She loves it and has spent the better part of every day since playing with it and cooking lots of yummy things to eat. Once again it looks like the toy bomb went off in our house, but it's just so much fun! She also got a night stand for her big girl room from Grandma & Grandpa Stephens and a handmade Minnie Mouse fleece robe made by Nana (Owen also got one - Mickey!). Other than that, it was a Dora and Princess themed day :) We feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful holiday surrounded by our friends & family and our biggest gift, little Ava :)
- Borg Family Christmas - held at Aunt Carmen's, complete with an art project for the kiddies!
- Ugly Sweater Party at Scott & Megan Parsons
- Ford Family Christmas at Aunt Terri & Uncle Dave's
- Fortney Family Christmas at Uncle Dane's
- (Please note: all 4 previous bullet points took place in ONE weekend!) :)
- Christmas cookie baking day at Nana's
- Taylor's first experience with vomiting....while we were out to dinner :( We were at Greecian Island and she was acting totally normal. She had just ordered mac & cheese and was coloring when all of a sudden, she barfs. Not fun! She was super scared and had no idea what was going on. There was one more incident in the car as we were pulling into our sub. Then again all over me in the middle of the living room. The sickness was rounded out by a mini episode in her crib shortly after we put her down to bed. Luckily the whole thing only lasted about 3 hours and she only got sick 4 times. By the morning, she was perfectly fine. Poor baby :(
- A run in with the norovirius for poor Zack
- Christmas Eve at Uncle Craig & Aunt Debbie's
- Christmas morning at home!
- Stephens family at our house for breakfast (the traditional french toast)
- Christmas dinner at the Ford's with the whole family (pork, king crab legs - delicious!)
After leaving out some cookies that she decorated, Santa came to visit Taylor! He brought her a play kitchen! She loves it and has spent the better part of every day since playing with it and cooking lots of yummy things to eat. Once again it looks like the toy bomb went off in our house, but it's just so much fun! She also got a night stand for her big girl room from Grandma & Grandpa Stephens and a handmade Minnie Mouse fleece robe made by Nana (Owen also got one - Mickey!). Other than that, it was a Dora and Princess themed day :) We feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful holiday surrounded by our friends & family and our biggest gift, little Ava :)
Big Girl Bed!
We finally had naptime success in the big girl bed! For almost a month or two, we've been trying to read Taylor's naptime book in her big girl bed in hopes that she'll start sleeping in there. The goal has always been to have the girls in their respective rooms by the time I have to go back to work. Well, needless to say, we would read the book, then she would ask to go back in her crib.
Yesterday, Zack read her the story and then left her in there. Within seconds she was off the bed and "exploring" in the toy box. FAIL.
But today - glorious today! - I tucked her in after her story and closed the door. I could hear her talking to her Dora's in there, but peeked under the door and couldn't see any little piggies. About 5 minutes in, I heard her say "Oh no, Boots fell!"...I went in and gave her Boots back - she was still in bed!! After 15 minutes, silence! I peeked in at her and she was sound asleep in her bed! She lasted a whole 2 hours without a peep. We made a big deal out of it when she woke up and we could tell she was proud of herself :)
Woo-hoo! SUCCESS :)
Yesterday, Zack read her the story and then left her in there. Within seconds she was off the bed and "exploring" in the toy box. FAIL.
But today - glorious today! - I tucked her in after her story and closed the door. I could hear her talking to her Dora's in there, but peeked under the door and couldn't see any little piggies. About 5 minutes in, I heard her say "Oh no, Boots fell!"...I went in and gave her Boots back - she was still in bed!! After 15 minutes, silence! I peeked in at her and she was sound asleep in her bed! She lasted a whole 2 hours without a peep. We made a big deal out of it when she woke up and we could tell she was proud of herself :)
Woo-hoo! SUCCESS :)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Visiting Santa
On Sunday 12/11, we went to the Dixboro Genneral Store in Ann Arbor to visit Santa again! It was a free event, complete with a live reindeer! It was super crowded for such a small store, but we were so glad we went.
First stop was a picture with "Rudolph". When it was Taylor's turn to get up there with Zack, she looked at the reindeer and started mooing....needless to say, she got a few laughs from the families behind us in line :)
First stop was a picture with "Rudolph". When it was Taylor's turn to get up there with Zack, she looked at the reindeer and started mooing....needless to say, she got a few laughs from the families behind us in line :)
The line for Santa was long, but moved quickly. Taylor was so excited to see him again! We had her go up there by herself first, then the 4 of us got in the picture. Then Santa asked if we wanted the baby in a picture. So he laid down on the couch and had us put Ava on his chest. He pretended to be sleeping while Ava was laying on him sleeping. It definitely made for an adorable picture :)
The highlight of the day for Taylor (besides seeing the big guy) was the candy cane he gave her afterwards. It was her first one and she loved it! She devoured it down to the hook on the way home - sticky face and all :)
Well Babies!
On Monday 12/5, we had well baby checks for both girls (2 years for Taylor and 2 weeks for Ava). Little Miss Ava gained weight like a champ and was up to 9 lbs 4 oz. and was 21.25" long. Since she had the Hep B shot in the hospital, she didn't need any vaccinations! So it was a fairly easy check up for her!
Taylor is growing beautifully as well. She weighed in at 27.5 lbs and 34.25" long. She has really leveled out in percentiles as she was 50th for weight and 55th for height. We opted to get a flu shot for her, which was the only vaccination she needed. Mommy was really nervous for the shot :( But she did great! She did not even cry!! She had tears in her eyes, but didn't let out a cry at all. We were so proud of her!
Zack & I feel incredibly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy girls!
Taylor is growing beautifully as well. She weighed in at 27.5 lbs and 34.25" long. She has really leveled out in percentiles as she was 50th for weight and 55th for height. We opted to get a flu shot for her, which was the only vaccination she needed. Mommy was really nervous for the shot :( But she did great! She did not even cry!! She had tears in her eyes, but didn't let out a cry at all. We were so proud of her!
Zack & I feel incredibly blessed to have two beautiful, healthy girls!
America Legion Xmas Lunch
On Sunday 12/4, we went to lunch with Santa at the America Legion. Mom, Dad, The Walker Fam, Grandma, Aunt Lesley, Aunt Terri & Uncle Dave were all there too. We won a sweet mini Christmas tree in the raffle - we're going to put it up in T's room with some special ornaments for her :)
Ava was a perfect angel, sleeping in her carrier for most of the time.
The big guest arrived and Taylor was SUPER excited! When he came through the door, she wanted to run over there and she kept saying "Hi Santa!". She was not shy at all! After he read the Christmas Story, the kids got to go sit on his lap for a photo op. Both Taylor and Owen did great sitting on his lap! Then each kid got a present to open. Taylor got a stuffed penguin with a pink blanket.
I can see us keeping up with this tradition for years to come - it's a great time!
Ava was a perfect angel, sleeping in her carrier for most of the time.
The big guest arrived and Taylor was SUPER excited! When he came through the door, she wanted to run over there and she kept saying "Hi Santa!". She was not shy at all! After he read the Christmas Story, the kids got to go sit on his lap for a photo op. Both Taylor and Owen did great sitting on his lap! Then each kid got a present to open. Taylor got a stuffed penguin with a pink blanket.
I can see us keeping up with this tradition for years to come - it's a great time!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Ava's first few days
This little one is giving us a run for our money already :)
Because her actual delivery was so quick, there was a lot of extra fluid in her system that didn't get squeezed out during pushing. So she had some spit up issues the first few days. On Tuesday, some of that stuff was a green color and concerned the nurses. By Tuesday night, she had spit up 4-5 times, so they had the pediatrician on call come up and check on her around 10:00. When it is green, they worry about an obstruction in the bowels somewhere. Her belly sounded good and she had made a few poops, so they weren't too concerned about an obstruction, but wanted to check her out anyway. So they told me they were taking her to the NICU to put in a feeding tube and do an x-ray of her belly. It was really hard to be there by myself and have them tell me they are taking my baby to the NICU. I was so scared/worried! Thankfully, everything came back normally.
The other thing the pediatrician found during their initial exam was a heart murmur. He explained that there is a valve that normally closes within minutes of birth that he thought was not closed yet. Something again that is not terribly serious, but something to watch. Luckily, that was gone the next day too.
Lastly, they thought she might have a collarbone fracture. It is really hard to tell in some babies and they don't really do anything for it, so we never really got a solid diagnosis. They just told us to put her right arm in her shirts first :)
Sleep has been a challenge due to the spitting up issue. It is way worse when she is flat on her back, so we're afraid to put her to sleep in the bassinet. Her first night home, she spit up and it was coming out of her mouth and nose and she was just laying in it. SCARY! Needless to say, it's tough to relax at night! She has been a great baby so far. By our pediatrician appointment on Friday, she was down to 8 lbs 3 oz (down 10% of her birth weight) so we had to start supplementing with formula to get her weight back up. We had to go back on Saturday and luckily she had gained weight and was back up to 8 lbs 6 oz. She is back on track with her wet diapers and poops, so that is a relief.
Big Sister Taylor is adjusting pretty well. We knew there would be some challenges (and there have been!) but overall, she's doing good! We have definitely noticed some regressionary behaviors and a little bit of 'tude (NO has become her favorite word this week). Nap time and bed time are the most challenging as she just does not want to seem to go to bed at all. I've already experienced the heartache of having to divide my attention between the two of them and it's really tough! The other hard part so far has been not being able to pick Taylor up. She doesn't understand why and has even looked up at me, cried, and said "Carry you Mommy"....breaks my heart!
While there are definitely some challenges, it feels really nice to snuggle with a little baby and have our little family of 4 all together at home :) Zack & I feel really, really blessed!
Because her actual delivery was so quick, there was a lot of extra fluid in her system that didn't get squeezed out during pushing. So she had some spit up issues the first few days. On Tuesday, some of that stuff was a green color and concerned the nurses. By Tuesday night, she had spit up 4-5 times, so they had the pediatrician on call come up and check on her around 10:00. When it is green, they worry about an obstruction in the bowels somewhere. Her belly sounded good and she had made a few poops, so they weren't too concerned about an obstruction, but wanted to check her out anyway. So they told me they were taking her to the NICU to put in a feeding tube and do an x-ray of her belly. It was really hard to be there by myself and have them tell me they are taking my baby to the NICU. I was so scared/worried! Thankfully, everything came back normally.
The other thing the pediatrician found during their initial exam was a heart murmur. He explained that there is a valve that normally closes within minutes of birth that he thought was not closed yet. Something again that is not terribly serious, but something to watch. Luckily, that was gone the next day too.
Lastly, they thought she might have a collarbone fracture. It is really hard to tell in some babies and they don't really do anything for it, so we never really got a solid diagnosis. They just told us to put her right arm in her shirts first :)
Sleep has been a challenge due to the spitting up issue. It is way worse when she is flat on her back, so we're afraid to put her to sleep in the bassinet. Her first night home, she spit up and it was coming out of her mouth and nose and she was just laying in it. SCARY! Needless to say, it's tough to relax at night! She has been a great baby so far. By our pediatrician appointment on Friday, she was down to 8 lbs 3 oz (down 10% of her birth weight) so we had to start supplementing with formula to get her weight back up. We had to go back on Saturday and luckily she had gained weight and was back up to 8 lbs 6 oz. She is back on track with her wet diapers and poops, so that is a relief.
Big Sister Taylor is adjusting pretty well. We knew there would be some challenges (and there have been!) but overall, she's doing good! We have definitely noticed some regressionary behaviors and a little bit of 'tude (NO has become her favorite word this week). Nap time and bed time are the most challenging as she just does not want to seem to go to bed at all. I've already experienced the heartache of having to divide my attention between the two of them and it's really tough! The other hard part so far has been not being able to pick Taylor up. She doesn't understand why and has even looked up at me, cried, and said "Carry you Mommy"....breaks my heart!
While there are definitely some challenges, it feels really nice to snuggle with a little baby and have our little family of 4 all together at home :) Zack & I feel really, really blessed!
Ava Marie is here!
It's a girl! We welcomed Ava Marie Stephens into the world on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 8:53 pm. She weighed 9 lb. 1 oz. and was 20.75" long.
The day began at 7:15 am when we got to the hospital for my scheduled induction. We finally got back into L&D room 4 and settled in around 7:30. After a million questions, IV hook up, vital signs, etc. I was all set to go. It turns out that when I got there I was having fairly regular contractions already. I was 2 - 3 cm when the doctor first checked me that morning, so they decided to go straight to the pitocin. The contractions were pretty bearable all morning and we just kind of hung out in the room. Around 1:15, Dr. Leland came in and broke my water. That seemed to kind of kick things into gear a little bit. I was 4 cm at that time. However, I was able to take my mind off the pain around 2:00 when we saw that Justin Verlander was announced as the AL MVP - that was pretty cool :) I made it until about 3:30 and 5 cm before getting the epidural - the contractions were starting to get pretty intense.
By around dinner time, I was 5-6 cm still. The next few hours are kind of a blur, but around 7:30 or 8 I was 9.75 cm dilated and I began feeling the contractions and lots of pressure! I don't think the epidural was working, or something, because it was a HORRIBLE hour! I've never felt pain like that in my entire life! Finally around 8:45, Dr. Leland came in and told me it was time to push. I only pushed through 2 contractions (about 5 minutes!) and beautiful Ava came into the world! I was definitely surprised at how fast the actual delivery went, but no complaints here! I didn't even have any tears or stitches - the nurses all called me a pro :)
I still can't believe we have 2 precious little girls! I feel so blessed to be their mommy :)
The day began at 7:15 am when we got to the hospital for my scheduled induction. We finally got back into L&D room 4 and settled in around 7:30. After a million questions, IV hook up, vital signs, etc. I was all set to go. It turns out that when I got there I was having fairly regular contractions already. I was 2 - 3 cm when the doctor first checked me that morning, so they decided to go straight to the pitocin. The contractions were pretty bearable all morning and we just kind of hung out in the room. Around 1:15, Dr. Leland came in and broke my water. That seemed to kind of kick things into gear a little bit. I was 4 cm at that time. However, I was able to take my mind off the pain around 2:00 when we saw that Justin Verlander was announced as the AL MVP - that was pretty cool :) I made it until about 3:30 and 5 cm before getting the epidural - the contractions were starting to get pretty intense.
By around dinner time, I was 5-6 cm still. The next few hours are kind of a blur, but around 7:30 or 8 I was 9.75 cm dilated and I began feeling the contractions and lots of pressure! I don't think the epidural was working, or something, because it was a HORRIBLE hour! I've never felt pain like that in my entire life! Finally around 8:45, Dr. Leland came in and told me it was time to push. I only pushed through 2 contractions (about 5 minutes!) and beautiful Ava came into the world! I was definitely surprised at how fast the actual delivery went, but no complaints here! I didn't even have any tears or stitches - the nurses all called me a pro :)
I still can't believe we have 2 precious little girls! I feel so blessed to be their mommy :)
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
39 Week Appt.
Finally a little bit of good news (and some progress!). I had my 39 1/2 week appointment yesterday with Dr. Leland. Little one is still looking nice and healthy! Heart rate was 141 bpm and fluid levels were still good. The doctor was even able to show us some little tiny fat rolls on his/her arm - so cute!
I am dilated 1 - 2 cm and baby has dropped and is now lower and in position. Thank goodness!
Can't wait to meet this little one!
I am dilated 1 - 2 cm and baby has dropped and is now lower and in position. Thank goodness!
Can't wait to meet this little one!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Big girl bed
The "big girl bed" is almost complete - just need to get the railing up. We have been introducing it to Taylor at her pace. She has asked on numerous occassions to go read a book on her big girl bed. Here she is :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
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