Ava: 1 month

Has she really been here one month already!? Sometimes it feels like she has always been here and other times it feels like I just left the hospital. So many people tell me she looks like a mini-me, while others say she looks just like a girl version of Austin.

I haven't had much of a choice but to already start putting her on somewhat of a schedule. I am anxious to get my sleep back since I am up by 5am everyday and stay up. Of course this isn't by choice but if I don't get myself somewhat 'ready' in the morning or at least presentable to the public, it will never happen. Then I try and get Ava up and fed before Austin gets up at 6. Austin has a body clock that couldn't be more spot on. He is up at 6 on the dot everyday. Once Ava starts sleeping for longer chunks it might be easier to get her up after Austin since Austin doesn't require too much to get ready besides a change of clothing and some milk.

So far Ava continues to keep her dark hair, but Austin didn't lose his until he was 3 months or so, so who knows what will happen with hers. My mom and I have a bet going and she is optimistic she will keep her brown hair but I can't be so certain. Her eyes are already turning more blue as the days go on.

I used to find Austin all swaddled up like a little Eskimo baby in the morning, but not this little girl. I find Ava with an arm out, or both legs, and sometimes the swaddle blanket over her face! She is a master at getting out of my swaddle, or maybe I am not the pro that I used to be!

So far she doesn't mind being plopped in the swing but she is not a fan of it actually swinging. She is letting me get some 3 hour chunks at night, but there aren't many of those since again I am already up at 5am anyway.

I am soaking up every minute of being at home with her since I am only home for 1 more month after I took all that leave for bedrest. Ava will be 9 weeks when I go back to work and I wasn't planning on taking too much more since I think I lost my mind somewhere between 10 and 12 weeks with Austin. I think she senses my confidence this time around, it feels so good to not have a million questions everyday as a first time mom.

She grew out of her newborn clothes after just 2 weeks. I had so much time with Austin in newborn clothes since he got down to 5lbs. Ava well exceeded her birth weight of 7lbs at her 2 week visit and already weighed 8 lbs! Growing like a weed already.....

Grandpa Rogers has been able to visit more often as he is in the area training for deployment overseas. He came over this week to meet Ava for the first time.

Butterflies

This was Austin's first visit to the butterflies at Frederick Meijer Gardens and it couldn't have been more perfect. The day was beautiful and sunny so the butterflies were incredibly active.

Although many people were carrying around their zoom lens, I was busy trying to practice using my new lens.

I was so thankful that Austin stayed in the stroller throughout the exhibit because he can be one antsy boy.

But those beautiful butterflies kept his attention so we could make one good walk through. Plus Grandpa was great at getting the butterflies on his finger to show Austin an up close and personal look at them!

We were kinda anxious ourselves to get outdoors after being in that hot and humid exhibit so we didn't waste any time hitting up the childrens park. Austin immediately found the water and couldn't wait to splash around. He was able to survive this part without falling and becoming soaking wet, but of course we had to visit this same spot a second time. It was then that Austin fell onto his butt leading us to head home with Austin in his diaper in the carseat.

It's very clear that Austin loves playing in the water. I wasn't prepared as a mother for this outdoor park because I had no clue this was even at the gardens. I didn't bring any sunscreen and didn't dress Austin in shorts since I didn't know how beautiful the weather would be. So we didn't spend as much time in the park as Austin would have liked but he didn't mind rolling up his pants.

Ava slept in the front pack on Grandma the whole time. So in the end I would say this was a successful outing with the kiddos!

Next time I will be a little more prepared. Although I have to say getting out of the house is one chaotic run around with two children. The moment Austin wakes up from his nap and Ava has ate, we have to scurry around and pack everything up so we can get a few hour window of happy children. But we did it and hopefully will make another visit soon.

New Lens

I assumed that Ava's newborn photos were going to go just as smooth as Austin's. I need to learn my lesson very fast to not make assumptions between Austin and Ava......two very different children already. Jen from JenQphotography did an amazing job though and I can't wait to share her pictures. It was Ava who didn't enjoy being naked and didn't want her pictures taken that day. It was time that I invested more into my love for taking pictures and buy a new lens and external flash so that I could start taking better photos of our children myself. I would also like to be able to take photos for friends and family as well. It just so happened that my medical assistant at work had her baby in perfect timing for me to test out my skills...and new lens! Here are a few that I love....

Tyson was a great first client!
I wish that Ava would let me get her naked and take more photos but so far no luck! So I will just have to try and sneak in some clothed pictures of her while I still have time to do things like this on my maternity leave.

And who doesn't love baby feet?!

And now since summer is approaching, I look forward to the sunny days for even better lighting than today. But it didn't stop me from getting some pics of Austin in my parents backyard....

I still have a long ways to go to figure out how to best shoot photos but at least I have adorable little models to help me practice!

Summer is Way More Fun

"Summer is way more fun than winter!" was my first comment to my family as we were able to step outside on Saturday to a high of 70s with clear skies. A perfect day to get out! Austin thought so too.

Even though last summer was a lot of fun with Austin...pushing him in the swing and getting out his baby pool on a daily basis (this kid LOVES water!!)........this summer can only get better. Austin can walk around, which I think makes a huge difference in activities. He still loves going for long walks in his car or wagon, but he definitely had fun playing in the backyard.

I just love the opportunity to play around with my camera and get some great shots outdoors. Lighting is everything since I haven't ever spent time with an editing program. I hope to do that soon since I just got a new lens and external flash (that post will hopefully follow shortly).

Something about little kids walking away always makes for my favorite photos!

Here's the fun part for me....I finally am able to capture things that move like the water droplets and still have a clear photo. I know I am still so amateur in my photography but it's so much fun to learn, and summer with a busy body like Austin, should give me an opportunity to explore!

The water was cold, but Austin didn't seem to mind. He didn't even mind continually splashing himself in the face!

Looking forward to a long summer full of outdoor fun.

The Build: Everybody Gets an Arch

I can't help but be reminded of that infamous Oprah episode, where she gave a car to everyone in the audience, shouting "Everybody gets a car!!". In our situation, Jason wanted to make sure things were equal between our children, and so he built arches for our pleasure as well as giving the kids rooms some more detail.

Jason and I have always loved looking at house photos and seeing archways from room to room, or that create a more dramatic ceiling.

This first picture is the archway between the kitchen and the dining room. We decided to go for a longer arch so that way the columns on either side won't create any blind spots for when you are talking to people between rooms.

This is the barrel ceiling between the mudroom and the kitchen. What a beautiful way to create a statement to an otherwise boring transition between rooms.

Here is the archway in the entrance when you first walk in the front door. It seperates the space giving it more of a clear foyer.

This is Ava's arch in between her room and her vanity before entering the bathroom. Each kid will have a vanity and space outside of the bathroom. The idea is that one child can be taking a shower or going to the bathroom and the other child can still be getting ready without actually being in the bathroom.

same thing here, only this is Austin's

Taking the hallway down from the kids room to head to the master, this will be a highlighted spot on the wall with an indent to hang a frame or painting

Here's the big guns! Hard to believe Jason was able to make this and hoist it into place all by himself! This is the big archway that will be above my bathtub. I love how grand it is, Jason thought after he made it that it was TOO much, but not for me!!

Last but not least this is the archway in the master bath between the vanity and tub area to get to the shower and toilet room.

I think that's it for arches for now.......probably enough for one house. Looking forward to when I can do a posting about the custom ceilings for many of the rooms. They haven't been done yet but Jason has many good ideas!! We have about 5 months left before we move in......so exciting!

The Dog Leash

Austin's new favorite thing is to walk the dog. The moment Austin is done with dinner, he finds the dog leash and then carries it around, saying "dog", and practically shoving it in Lily's face. Then he points to the bookshelf where her harness is, and continues to jibber jabber until you pull that down too. He starts to shove that in her face as well just hoping it will magically get put together so he can take her for a walk. We always cave in, even when close to bedtime, and let him take Lily outside.

Most of the time we have to hold on to the rope since Lily will run ahead and then Austin will fall forward. But I think they are both getting the hang of it......

Ava's 2 week stats

They wanted Ava to gain back her birth weight by 2 weeks and I guess she is an overachiever since she gained a whole pound more than that!

Weight: 8 1lbs 2 oz = 45th percentile
Height: 20.5 inches = 55th percentile (looks like they measured wrong in the hospital since she was born at 21 inches.....unlikely she shrunk!)
Head circ: 13 1/2 inches = 10th percentile

A Change in Routine

Nothing makes me feel more at ease like having a routine. BUT......nothing makes me feel more anxious like having a change in that routine. Ever since Ava was born, my mind kept wandering to day dreams of what it would be like trying to get two kids ready for the morning all by myself. What would I do if they both needed me at the same time? Well this week is my first week of having to do just that. And of course, both children have needed to be awake and get ready at the same time. Everyone asks the same question... 'How is Austin doing with Ava?". Other than the occasional time we have to tell Austin 'Don't Touch' as he continuously wants to push Ava in her swing, he really doesn't recognize her much. He still gets our attention just as much since Ava loves to sleep.

However, the mornings have still proven to be a bit of a challenge. After getting Austin a bottle of milk and getting him dressed for the day, he usually just runs around and plays with his toys in the morning. Ava needs to eat before we leave for daycare and Austin hasn't been a huge fan of my hands being tied up with the baby. He came over to us yesterday morning and tried to hit Ava in the head with his play cell phone. Then after I told him No and pushed it away, he started to hit me with the cell phone. Finally I got a hold of it and threw it across the room, which is when Austin used his next best defense, he tried biting me! I guess this is his way of acting out!

Other than that incident, I'd say this is less chaotic than I thought it'd be. I'm learning how to get Ava out of the car first and then pick up Austin and carry them both into daycare. I'd let Austin walk but he gets distracted easily these days so he can wander off very fast. There are also three sets of stairs we have to conquer before getting to Austin's room, and since he isn't very good at going up and down those without crawling or sitting down...I just carry him. At least in the mornings, it's less chaotic and I can leave Ava downstairs in preschool but in the afternoons there is so much chaos down there that I have to lug her up to his room and sweat just trying to get Austin and her out the door. I guess this will help me lose all that baby weight even faster!

Now if only I can find a way to ease my anxiety about getting both children out the house when I have to be at work so early for our surgery days. Let alone trying to find time in the morning to pump! I know it'll all work out and I just have to trust that God will help me figure out a new routine.

And then there were Five

It's been one week now since Ava was born. She is such an adorable little peanut. We keep joking around because Austin's current nickname is porkchop, of course given to him by Jason. So now we have a porkchop and a peanut in the family. Life is sure changing at a fast speed. Thankfully Jason took this week off work to work on the build but also to help get Austin off to school in the mornings. I was and still am extremely anxious about getting two children ready in the morning and out the door. Thankfully, I have until the end of April to get our morning routine somewhat figured out.

Ava has been sleeping through most of the mornings that Jason and I spend getting Austin ready for school. Which is so nice for me since I really hate giving up some of the very special things that I have always done with Austin. I can't always put him to bed lately so even though I'd love to sleep in with Ava, I'd much rather get up and dress Austin and play before he goes to school. Jason has been practicing walking with Austin once they get inside daycare. There are some stairs and quite a hike for our little guy to get to his room, and it would be really helpful if he could walk with me since I will be carrying the carseat. Although I am sure that at times, I may have to carry both.

Ava is already giving me some chunks of sleep at night, which is much needed since I haven't been able to nap during the day with her. Not only am I a terrible napper, but I have so many things that I'd like to get done during the day, and that's on top of holding my snuggly little peanut for a good amount of time.

Austin is learning "don't touch" as he wants so badly to push Ava in the swing.

The Rogers family is complete for now, five is beyond plenty for us! We are so very blessed beyond our wildest imagination. Now if I can figure out how to get anything done around here.....laundry and cleaning can wait....I'd much rather find any reason to change Ava into more adorable pink outfits and snuggle on the couch.