Venturing Out

A couple of things to report in regards to baby Livi. First off I forgot to write about her first doctor visit when Livi was 1 1/2 weeks old. No shots, thank goodness, but just a weigh in and check-up. I was so surprised that she actually gained weight, 12 oz.!!! From my readings I thought this was very unusual, normally babies lose weight before they gain due to adjusting to eating. Well, apparently the second time around breastfeeding has come much easier for me. I was also concerned that Livi eats every 3-4 hours verses every 2 as with Ava, but just call me Bessie, because the doctor said she was getting PLENTY to eat and I shouldn't worry. Cool!

Oh, another little funny story about the doctor visit. My mom stayed home with Ava and my Dad took me & Livi to the doctor's office. Dad had to stay with us to carry Livi in the car seat, and when the nurse came in the exam room she said, "and who is this?" to which I replied, "Dad". She says, "oh, Mom & Dad"...WAIT!!! NO!..."No, MY Dad...Grandpa!" Hee hee, I'm sure they've seen everything, but it made me chuckle!

Second thing to report (sorry no pictures for either, seems I'm short a few dozen hands), I ventured out to the grocery store with both girls last Sunday...alone! I had to work out the logistics of getting there, bringing everything I might need, how to get from the car to the store, and how we would actually cruise the aisles before I could even get going. So I decided Livi in baby carrier (front carrier on me) and Ava in shopping cart; although I don't think I'm really supposed to be lifting too much still, I saw no other choice. My parents are so busy and I want so desperately to be self sufficient. Anyway, it all went pretty smooth; I felt very proud with my two beautiful girls...can not wait until serious shopping trips later, buying shoes, not diapers!

Back to Monkey Business

Ava talking to Livi, she can't wait for her to play!

Ava finds some of Mommy's panties & requests that Grandma put them on her.

Ava and Grandma splashing in puddles after the rain.

Daddy, Granny + Papa Visit!

Here are some highlights from last weekend. After 3 weeks we finally got to see Daddy again, it was fun but WAY too short! I wish I had more pictures of Jeff with the girls, or even a family picture of the 4 of us, but we had to pack too much in to a short time. Daddy had to spend time with Ava, who cried when he was out of her sight, hold + bond with new baby girl, Livi, and we had to pack the house up to move out last week! Here are pictures of the family time with Daddy, Granny + Papa:

Hanging with the Girls

Here are some images of the girls from the last couple of days.


Livi relaxing with Mommy:

Ava "trick riding" on her pony: Ava + Grandma in her new tent, courtesy of Grandpa (who already complains about the amount of toys in the house):
Napping Livi:
Livi at bath time:
Grandpa holding Livi while Mommy eats dinner; thanks Dad:

Swinging Livi in outfit from Granny + Papa:

Big Sis, Ava, in outfit from Granny + Papa:

Ava keeping busy:

Bringing Home Baby

Livi comes home to Grandma + Grandpa's house (where the girls and I are currently staying).

Livi's Birthday

We celebrated Livi's birthday in the hospital right before we went home. The hospital does these little parties for siblings; it was so cute. Ava had a blast. She's such a GREAT big sis!

Happy Birthday, Livi!

Livi Mills J. came into this world Monday, April 9th @ 1:40 pm, weighing 8 lbs. and measuring 19 1/2" in length. I went into the hospital at 7 am to be induced and it was all over in about 6 hours...it went SO fast! Totally different than Ava's birth, 100 times easier on me, but still harder without Daddy. My sister, Lisa, and BFF, Whitney, were my labor coaches and support since Daddy could not be here; they were awesome!! And they learned a whole lot, maybe more than they wanted!

Livi is totally laid back, probably because I know what I'm doing this time, and is pretty easy to take care of. Big sis Ava is pretty excited about the baby, she says, "cute baby", and she watches her sleep and can't wait for her to wake up. Breastfeeding is going really well, such a breeze this time around. Lots more pictures and video to update but I'm a little tired right now. Click here to see some more pictures that Whitney took in the hospital. *WARNING: Some may show more than you wanted to see of me, proceed at your own risk.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Ava is enjoying a very nice Easter Sunday; it started early this morning with some fun goodies left in her Easter basket. Here are some pictures from this morning. Because of her generous grandparents and friends we have been spreading out the Easter goodies throughout the day...she still has one more basket to open, we'll probably wait until after her nap today. Since it's so cold here too, we'll have to do an Easter egg hunt indoors; that will probably also happen after the nap.

Oh, in baby #2 news, we decided to induce tomorrow morning. I really wanted to wait for this one to come on her own, but after many hours of consideration we decided to induce on our due date, for LOTS of reasons. Poor Daddy won't get to be here, but I will do my best to have the blog updated with all the details and pictures, probably by my sister.

Happenings This Week

Just some images from living at Grandma's + Grandpa's...

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Here are some pictures from last Friday when we took Aunt Lisa swimming at the Y. Then she treated Ava and I to lunch. It was a great day! Thanks, Aunt Lisa!