Happy 9 weeks, Avery Grace!

Sleepy Girl melts my heart 

So comfy on Mommy's chest!

Dad and the babes hanging out

Just chillin with her huge paci

Baby Girl is 2 months old!

She makes me laugh : )

Hi everyone!! Hope your week was blessed! We've had a great one here at the Whitmire household. Dad finished up his final exams and has been equally helping out with Mom with the baby (SO SO SO HAPPY!!) It's been nice to have him home and spending quality time with us. We've started on our Christmas shopping and are putting plans in place for where we'll be on each night during the holidays. They still haven't found a permanent position for me at work, but we continue to pray that wherever God wants me, that door will open with gusto. Since I don't like surprises, Christopher let me pick out and purchase what I wanted for Christmas, and I actually like that much better! No returns! Avery was going to have her newborn pictures made today by the wonderful and supremely talented Cindie (Tanna's Mother in Law), but CJ and I have been sick for the better part of the week, and we all decided it would be better to push them off till after the holidays. I guess we can still take pictures of her in a Santa hat or something, just for our sake : ) We would have to get all fancied up, and Cindie was right... who wants to get dressed when you feel like poop?? She is such a blessing to our lives, and I'm thankful I get to have her in mine. We can't wait to get her over here when we feel better and take some pictures of our sweet girl! Speaking of that sweet girl.... she is 2 months old!! How time has flown. I can't believe I've gotten to be this precious babe's Mommy for 2 months. She continues to make every single day the best of my whole life. Even when she's busy not sleeping at night ; )

We went to the pediatrician on the 13th and checked out at 6 lbs, 11.5 oz and 18 3/4 inches long!! She is in the 25th percentile for premature babies her age, but is continuing on the right track. She also got 3 shots that day, and did surprisingly well. She only cried for about 5 minutes. However, we hit a milestone on this day.... an actual tear was in her eye. I. DIED. My child actually was so upset, she shed a real tear : ( We were anticipating fever and fatigue and perhaps some problems eating, but in the end, she was only very sleepy. She ate well and did not ever run a fever. The doc also said that her blood levels indicated we could move her from the iron drops to just vitamin D drops which are WAY easier on her tummy. Hallelujah!! At this point she was eating from 100-110 mL's every 3 hours (8 times a day). We did get the go ahead to start feeding her more often during the day so perhaps she would sleep longer during the night... so we did what every OCD parent does. Makes a schedule. On paper. But Avery had other plans for us....

At first, we were feeding her 2 oz every 2 hours during the day and 4 oz during the night, hoping that would sustain her for a longer period. Very quickly, she let us know that didn't fly with her. She would cry and still be hungry after giving her 2 oz and she threw up the 4 oz bottle 2 out of the 3 we gave her. Through a few days of trial and vomit/crying error, we have tentatively settled on feeding her 2.5 oz every 2-3 hours and 3.5 oz starting at 10 PM through the night. The bigger bottles give us anywhere from 3.5-4 hours of sleep... merely a little more time than we were getting before. But she has shown that she can't take 4 oz yet, so we'll be patient and hope for the best. Right now we are taking 4 hour shifts, Cj and I. Since we both aren't working/going to school, the days have been filled with much laziness as we try and get some sleep when we can. 

I scheduled the 2 follow up ultrasounds for her head and kidneys as well as her second round RSV shot. Those will be done next week (shot) and the 2nd week in January (ultrasounds). She did get an AWESOME bill of health from the pediatrician, who said (and I quote), "Whatever you are doing, you are doing fabulously, she looks great, keep up the great work". BAM. Happy Mom and Dad!

She is also pooping a lot (although not on my face and/or the carpet or her changing table) and had a bit of a diaper rash that looked concerning. However, since switching to the Sensitive Wipes, its looking a lot better. At night we just notice that the majority of the time, she is squirming around and crying like she is very uncomfortable. Although there is nothing "wrong" with her! Not wet/dirty, not hungry, not hot/cold, no fever. Maybe we're just holding her wrong, I don't know. The last 2 nights haven't been as bad, she is sleeping a little more soundly, thank the Lord. I know this will pass and I'm not too worried about it. I like staying up and watching The Office! I've almost watched all 7 seasons... wonder which series I should start on next??

On a much brighter note, CJ and I have been doing a lot better since he's been out of school. With him being able to hold her and feed her and allow me to get some of my things done, the stress has been minute at best. Thank you for your prayers and support. No one said marriage would be easy, but he is honestly and truly my best friend. I feel so blessed, so lucky to have him be my husband, the father to my child. We may encounter rough patches and I know that is just a way of life. It doesn't have to mean anything other than we are stressed out over money, over the baby, over silly things that don't matter... we should just take deep breaths and move on. And I think that is what we are able to do now. The last 2 Sundays I haven't been able to attend church, but was able to watch the sermons online today. The guest speaker they had said something that resonated very much with my soul.  He said, "Some of God's greatest and highest mountains are our lowest and toughest valleys". How true is this!!! Another sermon I watched had a woman who said, "How easy is it to give back to God when we have an overabundance? Sometimes, God wants us to give back out of sacrifice". I have come to love our church, and hope that life (and health) allow us to get back soon! God has taken the valleys of my life, especially over the past 4 months, and turned them into mountains. I can say that with 100% certainty. The depths of despair, over Avery's health, over the loss of my job, over arguing with CJ, that I have experienced are, in retrospect, not so bad after all. Because God has shown me that He is in control. That He knows what He's doing. That I have to put all of my trust in Him in order for Him to show me the way my life is to go. It has only been when I'm at my weakest, my breaking point, throwing up my hands in the air in utter defeat with any given situation, that the Lord says, "Finally. Now I can take over. Thank you for giving this all to me". Now why didn't I just save myself some heartache and do that in the first place?? Because even though I know this is the final outcome, I still try in my human and fallible ways, to control situations I have business doing so. I have come to realize that in my darkest days, Jesus is using that weakness to turn it into a positive outcome. And I need to give back to Him when I have nothing.... not wait until He has blessed the socks off of me! Because even though, yes we need more of an income, and yes, we could get along better, and yes, I would love Avery to sleep longer at night and allow us to get some much needed rest.... he has already blessed me/us abundantly. And even if I don't get a position that I want at my company again, and even if CJ and I don't communicate the best and even if Avery gets sick... it won't negate the fact that He has already blessed my socks off. In too many ways to count. I feel it really heavy on my heart for us to begin to tithe in the way God intended and need to pray about this and research this as well. After the new year, we also want to contact someone about getting more involved in volunteering and perhaps a small group. Our schedules I know will be so hectic, but maybe the Lord will have be somewhere part-time so that I can effectively take care of Avery, work, and work in the church. The coolest thing is, I trust that God's plan is already laid out for me, and all I have to do is wake up and thank Him for it. Listen to Him when He calls. Follow Him when He says where to go. It's definitely a struggle sometimes, but this relationship that Jesus and I have developed is by the far the most rewarding and amazing thing that has ever happened to me. 

I hope that this next week is filled with joy, laughter, and smiles!! It's almost Christmas, people!! xox