Our babe officially has a double chin- SCORE!

Wide awake in her comfy bouncy seat- Thank you Tanja!!!

My pretty pretty princess

In Dad's arm before her eye appt

Little One loves her Mommy's kisses!

Two words: DOUBLE.CHIN.

Mom, Avery and her new pretty outfits from Beth!

Happy Thursday evening, everyone!! I'm sitting comfortably in my bed with a glass of wine, while my husband is holding Avery Grace and watching the Wonder Years on Netflix. Have I said this before?.... life is good.

Mom had a little scare the other day while CJ was at school- Avery projectile vomited up her 8:30 AM bottle and was very fussy while she was doing so. I chalked it up to not burping enough. But her 11:30 bottle came up as well... and these were no wet burps. She was sitting in her car seat an hour later and threw up. I cleaned that up and held her until she fell asleep. Then I had to pump so I had to sit her in her bouncy seat, in which she promptly threw up some more. At this point, I was thinking, "Definitely my milk... am I going to start to have to feed her formula only?? Noooooo, please Lord, I have 300+ bags of frozen breastmilk, and I really need my daughter to not have some crazy, all-of-the-sudden allergy to my milk." I debated for a long while about whether or not to call her pediatrician. But I felt strongly that I knew what she would ask. "What's her temp?" (98.5) "Is she crying or looking like she's in pain?" (No, not really, she's sleeping peacefully in between feedings, but she is looking uncomfortable during the bottle) "Have you eaten anything different lately?" (Besides my standard Nutrigrain bar and chocolate milk at 2:45 AM... nope) I feel like she would have told me to try one more bottle and see how it went. So I just did that and forewent the call to the pedi. And lo and behold, she's been fine since then. Better than fine, even. She's moved successfully from 85 to 90 cc's per feeding. If you're not mathmaically inclined (and this SO includes me): that is 3 oz per bottle!! I was reading in my baby book that "normally" babies should take 2 and half ounces for every pound that they weigh. SO, if Avery has continued to gain an ounce a day, she would weigh about 6 lbs today. That would mean she should be eating 15 ounces per day. And this superstar is eating 24 ounces! I'm so very proud of her. She is still having some gas and grunting issues, but we've tried to give her gas drops when we feel its particularly bad. I'm happy to report no more pooping on my face or the carpet. I now stand directly to the side of her and use a mirror to peek at her hiney..... no, I'm kidding. I get down in the thick of it. C'mon, what's a little poop on your face in the name of motherhood??

Avery Grace had her followup eye appt today to see if her blood vessels had connected to around to her corneas correctly... or something to that effect. The doctor happily (or normally... the news was happy so I interpreted it as such) informed us that they had almost connected and would surely do so with no ramifications within the next few weeks. We made an appt for 6 weeks out to double check, and we thank the Lord this was what was found! 

I have a confession to make.... I'm not doing Tummy Time. That's right, I said it. The pedi told us to do it 3x a day for 5 min a time. And we haven't been. My reasoning is this: When I put this princess on my chest and she fully picks her head up, looks at me, and puts her head down on the opposite side AND picks her head up for 10+ seconds from my shoulder when I'm burping her, I'm not really that concerned with her lacking neck strength. Maybe I should be. Maybe I should suck it up, lay the kid on her belly, and let her squirm. I definitely plan to be more vigilant about this as she starts to be awake more, but let's face it. The girl is only awake directly before and directly after her meals, and NO ONE should have to lay on their bellies and be uncomfortable when they are hungry/full!! I mean, that's just rude. So this will suffice until she is more awake/alert in the middle of her feedings, which I read will increase when she is full term (in about 2 weeks!!) We have a few appts with developmental counselors set up, and they can better assess what and where she is supposed to be at. I started reading the storybooks I bought her tonight, and she stayed awake the whole time and was looking at the pictures. It was so stinkin cute. She eventually drifted off, but I loved this time we got to share, doing the thing I love most: reading!

CJ is going out of town tomorrow, and I/we have a pretty busy weekend. Dinner plans tomorrow, Aunt Carly coming to visit Saturday, and Sophia's 4th birthday on Sunday. (I can't believe my little bear is 4 years old!! I remember so clearly the day she was born and I felt love like I never had when I held her in the hospital. She groomed me for motherhood, that's for sure. If Avery is half the wonderfullness that Sophia is, I would be the happiest Mama in the world. Sophia had my heart first!) I went a little crazy getting her stuff, half of which I'm certain she'll never play with. I haven't been able to get to see her since my baby shower, and I'm looking forward to spending time with her and her Mommy!

Otherwise, the Whitmire family is pretty quiet and docile. We have a routine that we follow religiously, and that works for us. Motherhood is stressful and tiring, and by far the best and most rewarding thing I've ever done. I just want to do the best by Avery that I possibly can. I want to read to her and play with her and make sure she is smart and capable and independent... all things that I'm sure come well after she is 7 weeks old : ) Obviously the Whitmire clan moves in the fast lane! I look forward to our routine changing 162 more times in the coming months, as Avery matures and is more and more like a term baby. We are having her pictures made next Sunday by the lovely and very talented, Mrs. Cindie Vaughan!! (Tanna's mother in law) Hopefully Avery keeps the scrunch faces to a bare minimum. Maybe Cindie can photoshop a freaking tan onto the kid, her skin is so transparent still! We can see her blood vessels, its crazy!

As always, we thank the Lord for continuing to keep Avery safe and sound. I've been a little more emotional lately (I started on the Depro birth control shot last week), and with that has unfortunately come a lot more agitation. Please pray for my patience and understanding towards my husband and family/friends, hahaha! They will thank you!! I honestly can't wait to go back to church Sunday. I feel so at peace, so whole when I'm there. When I stumble during the week, its church service that makes me renewed. Thank you Jesus for always being with me, for forgiving me when I'm weak, for protecting Avery with your angels, and blessing our family over and over. I can't say it enough... GOD IS SO GOOD!! 

I will definitely let everyone know how the 1st weekend without Daddy went as soon as he returns with the computer. Until then... have a wonderful and blessed weekend!! xox