Avery: 1 Month Old...

Wow...where has the month gone?!  It's so hard to believe that our tiny, little baby is already a month old and looking less like a newborn everyday.  Sweet Avery is really starting to show us her personality and remind us that she won't be overlooked.  This little girl has a strong set of lungs on her and she isn't afraid to use them!

Our little peanut is really filling out and taking on some chub!  We can't wait to see what she weighs at her next doctor's appointment!  We've recently tried some over the counter gas relief medicine for Avery and we think it's starting to help her.  She seems less irritated and tends to burp a little easier.  She's still spitting up some, but I think we're noticing it more due to the fact that Kensley rarely spit up.

Avery is still wearing newborn clothes and seems to swim in 0-3 month sizes.  She has moved out of her newborn sleepers as she is too long for them and is now in 0-3 sleepers...still rather large though.  She's still wearing newborn diapers, but my guess is that will only be until we use up our current stash and move her into 1's.

And now for our monthly photo shoot.

Happy 1 month birthday, Avery Leigh!

Kensley: 20 Months Old...

This month has been a big month for Kensley.  I feel like she's grown and changed so much in the past month.  Not only did she get a new baby sister, we also moved out of our house and she's getting adjusted to living with family with only a few of her favorite toys/personal items.

This month I also really realized how big and old Kensley is getting (I suppose that will happen when I am comparing her to a newborn).  She is talking up a storm these days.  Honestly, she chatters all day long and is stringing phrases and sentences together like crazy.  She repeats everything we say.  She is really so funny and it's fun to hear the way she pronounces different words/phrases.  The only time she is quiet is when she's around someone new and it takes her a few minutes to warm up.

This little girl also has a mind of her own.  She knows exactly what she wants and she definitely lets us know.  She loves to tell people what to do and can be frequently heard telling us to come with her or where to sit.

Kensley is also really realizing how funny she is.  While she used to repeat an action over and over again whenever she got some laughs...now she usually does something and immediately laughs at herself waiting for us to join in.  She's too smart for her own good.

Kensley is loving being outside this summer and it's often difficult to get her to come inside.  She still loves the water and any opportunity to swim...whether it be at the pool, in my parent's hot tub or in her own personal kiddy pool in the backyard.  Last week, my dad introduced Kens to the slip 'n slide.  She's not a big fan of the actual slide, but she did enjoy splashing and playing in it.

Kensley is already stepping into her role as big sister.  While the novelty of baby sister has worn off some, she is still concerned with where Avery is and is always quick to plant a loving kiss on her head or face.  She is still such a helper and some of her favorite things to assist with are laundry, putting dishes away, helping with sissy, etc.

We are so thankful for our little munchkin!  Happy 20 month birthday, sweet Kensley!

Pictures to follow in another post.

Avery's Newborn Photos...

Here are some of our favorites pictures from Avery's newborn photo shoot.



3 weeks old...

The weeks are flying by and our tiny, little peanut is stretching and filling out.  She seems to be getting so long and is close to moving out of her newborn sleepers.  I'm quickly remembering now how fast they grow and move right out of the newborn stage.

This past week, we have definitely noticed that Avery has more and longer periods of wakefulness.  She is also becoming much more vocal and lets us know when she isn't happy with something.  For the time being, she tolerates her carseat and traveling much more than big sister did when she was a baby.  We are thankful for this as we've had to cart Avery with us many places throughout the past few weeks.

Sleep wise, Avery seems to be a little mixed up with her days and nights.  We definitely aren't into any kind of schedule, but she seems to have more of her deep sleeps during the day.  We're hoping to adjust this soon as the nights have felt very long here lately.  We've been tolerating the lack of sleep pretty well up until the past few days, but I'm sure that has more do with being exhausted from packing/moving.  Avery prefers to be held, but hangs out in her swing/bobby pillow pretty well.

Avery is still nursing great and tends to eat anywhere from every 2.5 - 4 hours.  She is a little more gassy than big sis was and tends to spit up more often.  She also is a little irritated until she gets a burp out.  We plan to talk to the doctor about this at her next appointment.

Big sister, Kensley, is still loving Avery, but the newness has seemed to wear off a little.  She still demands to "kiss her" and "hold her" but doesn't need to be next to her all the time (anymore).  Kens seems to be adjusting ok and the only major thing we've noticed is a slight change in her sleep habits (again could be contributed to extra stress and our recent move).  She's been waking up a few times throughout the night and during her nap, but usually goes right back to sleep.  We're hoping once she gets adjusted to our new living conditions, she might settle back into her old sleeping patterns as I'm afraid she's not as well rested as she could be.

I had planned to leave you with a few pictures of our sweet 3 week old, but I am embarrassed to say no pictures were taken this past week.  I will blame it on packing and the move and promise to post lots of pictures next week.  To make up for no pictures, click here to see Avery's newborn photos (password: averyroberts).  Once we get the CD, I will post our favorites.

We love you, sweet Avery!
Please remember this when you read this someday and realize there are no pictures from your third week of life.

Homeless...

We are officially homeless and no longer homeowners.  It's such a bittersweet feeling as we have loved our time in our first home.  It was our first home together as a married couple as well as both of our girls first homes.  We've had some great memories in this house and it's crazy to think that we'll never be coming back here.  While we are sad to leave this house, we are so excited about our new house and can't wait to move in!

So for now, we have moved our family of four into Nana and Papa's house for a few (hopefully short) months.  We are so grateful to have a place to stay and a few extra hands to help with the girls!  Here's to hoping for a relaxing few months to include more sleep (and maybe a few naps for Mama)!

Here are our last family pictures at our first home.

Due Date & Father's Day...

Today Avery is 2 weeks old which coincidentally is also her due date.  It's crazy to think that she wasn't even supposed to be here yet.  Week 2 has definitely been much more low key than Avery's first week.  Daddy went back to work on Monday so Nana was here to save the day!  She stayed with us until Wednesday and was such a help with Kensley...feeding her, keeping her entertained, etc.  I was on my own Thursday and Friday with both girls and it went surprisingly well.  We even made it out of the house both days (with me showered and wearing make-up!).

This week we also went for Avery's 2 week weight check at the doctor's office.  This was new for us since Kensley never had to go.  Avery is gaining weight quickly and was already up to 7 lbs 4 oz!  She still looks so tiny and isn't quite filling out her newborn clothes yet, but we know she's growing quickly.

Avery has been such a sweet, little baby and has been very flexible.  She still only fusses and cries (sometimes quite loudly) when she is hungry, cold or gets disturbed.  She's been sleeping pretty well at night.  Last night she gave me a 6.5 hour stretch between feedings and Friday night was 5.5 hours!  I'm hoping this starts a trend as I could get used to only 1 feeding per night.

Kensley continues to be obsessed with her little sister.  She's always worried about where she is and wants to kiss her and hold her.  Kens often says "Avery coming" whenever we go anywhere (upstairs, outside, etc.).  She also exclaims "kisses" multiple times throughout the day whenever she wants us to lower Avery to her level so she can kiss her head or mouth.  She likes to hold her first thing in the morning while she watches an episode of "Bickey".

Avery got to meet more of her family this weekend as Auntie Ashley, Uncle Scott and cousin Elli came down to visit.  I realized after they all left that we didn't get any pictures of them with Avery.  Between two active toddlers, Avery seemed to take a backseat as we were constantly watching the older girls.  We did manage an afternoon trip to the pool and Avery and I lounged in the shade while the girls swam and ran around the splash park.  It was a fun day, but I think we're all quickly realizing how crazy things will soon get once we add another baby to the family in August.

Here are some sweet pictures of Avery during her 2nd week of life.

Snuggling with Nana

Snuggling with big sister...or something like that.

Funny face

Lounging at the pool

Sweet girl

Wide awake (poor quality due to my phone)

Being held by big sister (again)...this happens multiple times a day.

How Avery still spends most of her days

She sleeps like her mommy.

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And lastly...Happy Father's Day to the best daddy and husband!  Thanks for taking great care of us girls!  We love you!

1 week old..

Our sweet, little peanut is officially 1 week old.  What a week it was!  This little girl did more in her first week of life than Kensley probably did in her first few months!  To say this first week was drastically different than our first week with Kensley would be an understatement.  I think I was lucky to shower during that first week with Kensley, let alone leave the house.

We ended up getting home from the hospital late Tuesday afternoon.  We spent Tuesday evening relaxing and hanging out with Kens.  Wednesday started our busy week with a meeting with our realtor and sales person for our (potential at that time) new house.  Avery tagged right along with us while Kens stayed with Nana.  We took our first family trip out that evening and went to get ice cream. 

On our way for ice cream

First ride with both girls

 Thursday we had some service done on our house in the morning and then headed out for Avery's first doctor's appointment, followed by lunch and a few errands.  Kens once again stayed with Grammy while we were gone.  We went out for a boat ride with Grammy and Grampy on Thursday evening which was then followed by a visit from some of our friends. 

Avery's first boat ride...this is what she did the whole time.

Kens loves the boat!

Looking forward to driving.

The big day wore her out.

Friday morning, we spent several hours signing on our new home and working through paperwork with our realtor.  Again Kens stayed home and Avery tagged along and was a dream.  We were finally able to get some naps in Friday afternoon before our newborn photo shoot at our house with the photographer. 

Saturday and Sunday were busy with packing, running errands, family playtime and rest.  Jeremy and I were able to squeeze in a quick dinner date out Saturday night while Grammy and Aunt Kym stayed with both girls.

 

It's been a quick and busy week and we can't believe little Avery is already a week old!  She is such a sweet little baby and really only fusses/cries when she's really hungry or cold (specifically during diaper changes).  She is already very patient with her big sister and takes the jabs, hugs and often not so gentle touches in stride.  She is still a petite little thing, but seems to be quickly putting on weight.  We had her first doctor's appointment on Thursday and the doctor seemed pleased with her progress.  She weighed in at 6 lbs 7 oz (14%ile) and was still 19 inches.  We couldn't believe she weighed that much already considering she was only 5 lbs 15 oz when they weighed her at the hospital late Monday evening.  Despite her weight gain, the doctor still wants us to come back for a weight check this week.

 

Here are a few pictures of our peanut.

 

How Avery spends most of her days

So sweet

Getting ready for her first bath

She seemed to enjoy it...especially getting her hair washed.