Public Debut

***Don't forget to click on "older posts" when you get to the bottom of this page to get all the way back to week one... I posted too many pictures to fit on one page!***

I can't believe Ava is 4 weeks old already!  She made her "debut" at church this Sunday and I have to admit - it was really fun putting a dress on her!  She only wore her hairbow for pictures (am I the only one who thinks these things look terribly UNCOMFORTABLE on babies?) but it was so fun to play dress up with her.  Oh the fun we will have I think =).

The boys also got "grown up" shirts and ties and were super proud of their new ensemble.  I think they look handsome, but they are growing up sooooo fast it makes me wince.

 

And a few pictures from today, just because I LOVE this outfit.  Orange is my favorite color, and it looks good on Ava =). 

 A few moments of JOY that make it all worth it... I get warm and glowy inside just looking at these.  I always wanted a big brother when I was growing up... now my daughter has TWO.  What a lucky girl!

Newborn Wrapping

I have too many wrapping pictures already to try and squish them into the last post... I collected a "few" while counting the days to her arrival, and I had to give each of them a go to decide what I'm keeping and so on.  But of course, I just love wrapping a tiny, snuggly newborn!  It really helps when they hit that "fussy" period too and just won't be set down for anything.  So here are a few more of our favorites from Ava's first month...

Less than 48 hours old.

Sometime the first week.

Two weeks old.

  

Two and a half to four weeks old.

Even Brad likes to wrap... in fact he can do it all by HIMSELF!  This is very own "manly" wrap. 

Just lovin this little (big) SQUISH!!!

Babymoon Weeks 3 and 4

Week 3 (though week 3 means Ava was two weeks old) was probably one of the roughest as I was totally on my own with our old routine.  Monday morning I got up bright and early and got Eli to school, took Owen and Ava to the library, picked Eli back up and took Ava to her 2 week Dr. appointment.  Grandma Betty took the boys out to her daughter's farm while I took Ava in for her appointment. Well, the day pooped me out for the rest of the week!  Thankfully Grandma Betty rescued me and took Eli to school Weds, and Brad was able to go in late and take him on Friday.   It's hard to stay energetic when you are up at night feeding a newborn... and Ava was having a two-hour period EVERY night where she was awake and gassy/fussy.  By the time I got back to sleep it was usually an hour or so before I was supposed to get up for the day, so it was like I was waking up for the day at 3 or 4am after only getting to sleep at 11pm and waking at 1am for a feeding.  Craziness!  She is doing a little better at night now thank goodness!  

Ava girl is growing like a weed.  At her two week check up that I mentioned, she was up a full pound to 9lbs 10ozs - 90th percentile for weight, 92nd percentile for height, and 97th percentile for head circumference (gotta love the big ol' Benson heads!).  A week later I had her weighed at a breastfeeding mother's group at my Dr.'s office and she was 10lbs 15 ozs!!!  A pound and a half in a WEEK!  So I'm sure she's over 12 pounds by now...  Anyway, she gets cuter and chunkier by the day... we just love her!

We borrowed this swing from a friend out of desperation.  I got rid of ours when we moved last time as both the boys outgrew it before they liked being in it... but miss Ava does NOT like to be set down for any length of time.  It buys me a few minutes here and there to get dressed, or go potty, or try and fix lunch (not enough time to sit and eat a meal though, lol!).  

  Ah, family story time!

And lots of brother snuggles of course! 

The boys are my official "babysitters."  Here, Eli was holding her so I could get dressed.  This morning they rocked her in her bouncy seat and sang to her so I could get ready.  Eli and Owen are both really great with her, though Eli has a longer attention span and patience for her.  She is definitely loved around here!