2 weeks and 4 days new

@ daddy's work before opening night, tasting food! <3

Avah's pediatrician appointment was friday for her 2 week check-up. She weighs 8 lbs & is 20 in long! So, she gained back her birth weight and added an ounce! As I updated this she is curled in a ball on my chest while i struggle to keep my laptop on my lap and type at the same time! haha its amazing what you learn to do one handed. Avah is such a cuddler, she LOVES to sleep on Daddy and Mommy's chest. She would do it all day if we allowed it. I have been really surprised how much she is sleeping at night. There have been 2 nights recently where she slept 4 hours straight. It freaked me out, I jumped off the couch to check on her...she was sound to sleep. :) Each day she seems to more alert. This week we brought out her "tummy time" lady bug. She really liked it and I was surprised how strong she is already. She is paying more attention to sounds and will look in the direction of the sound. Avah also had her first bath this week which she couldnt decide if she loved or hated. At first I think she thought it felt nice but then when I poured warm water on her bum to rinse she began screaming!! After bath time she cluster fed for 2 hours to sooth her traumatic experience, haha.
Which brings me to the hardest part of motherhood so far, nursing. Finally this week it isnt so painful and I can enjoy the bonding experience with her. Prior to this week I curled my toes and sat in agony when she would first latch on. ouch!! Cluster feeding comes and goes, last night I thought it was never going to end! She wanted to stay on and nurse from 7ish-11. I was getting frustrated and TIRED. BUT, i kept thinking this is good for her and me...shes only building my milk supply and this is comfort for her. I got her to sleep my bouncing/walking around the house and humming/singing twinkle,twinkle :) Then she slept till 3:20am. AWESOME.
So, as you can see Avah is bring quite a lot of joy.

Avah June's Birth Story

Well let me just start off by saying this has been the FASTEST 10 days of my life! I cant believe Avah is already 10 days new :)

Avah's Stats: Born 3/8/12 @ 10:07pm, 7lbs 15 oz. & 18 inches.

So the day before Avah was born I headed to my yoga place to get a prenatal massage, hoping this would "speed" up the process. As I left the therapist said she didnt think she was ready yet because she was still pretty high but if she didnt come by the following week she would hit some pressure points for me.

Well, she was wrong. That night I kept thinking something was different, I kept telling David get the car seat ready etc. because I really think I am going to go into labor before the 17th.
So as I wake at 1am as usual I go out to the couch to get somewhat comfortable and attempt to dose off. Around 3am I wake again and hear a pop sound in my belly. I laid there for a few mins thinking "what was that?" As I stood up to use the bathroom I knew my water had broke. For a second I was still thinking no way but woke David up...he obliviously was thinking the same thing and replied that I had probably peed LOL. No, it kept coming...water water more water. He called the Dr. and she advised us to come in within 4 hrs. So we showered, packed our bags and arrived at the hospital around 8am. The nurse took me straight to a delivery room since my water had broke and checked my cervix. I was ONLY 1 cm. Contractions began shortly after 10am and by late afternoon I was 6cm, starving and asking for an epidural. We were told she would probably not arrive until the middle of the night which was extremely hard to grasp with the pain I was feeling. The anesthesiologist arrived shortly after and things kind of went down hill when he went too far with the needle and created a spinal leak. I was told then that the following day I would most likely have a horrible headache and need a blood patch. SO, back to the laboring. Once I began feeling the pressure intensify I told David to get the nurse I was ready to push! So with David holding one leg and the nurse the other I gave a few REALLY hard pushes and the nurse ran to get the Dr and team. I ended up pushing for 22mins and there she was!!! I had the best coach in the world, my husband. He not only asked the nurses every question in the book but while I was pushing I seriously felt like I was running a marathon with him cheering me on. What an amazing experience and miracle....there isnt any feeling in the world that has brought me such happiness. God is good :)
The following day I had a blood patch done, came home and it did not work. So for five days I sat here miserable and scared to get another...I broke down by Friday and went back to the hospital for another. I think this one has worked, my headache is gone and I actually feel like I can be the mommy I want to be. Ah, FINALLY! I cannot tell the world how amazing David has been through all of this...he took on all "mommy" duties (except nursing) and continues to be the best support in the world.

Avah is such a good baby. These days she eats every 2 hours, sleeps a lot and occasionally cluster feeds. Which by the way the first time that happened I thought something was terribly wrong with my milk. WOW, she went from 9pm-midnight eating non stop. During the night I feed her, change her diaper & swaddle her back up. She goes right back to sleep. She will focus on our faces but I am still waiting for her to smile back at me. David is waiting for her to kiss back at him LOL. I told him that would be a while...