Six weeks old!

Avery is 6 weeks old today. The days just seem to fly by (especially because I'm headed back to work very soon!). It's amazing how much she is changing- she seems super heavy now (check out the awesome double chin- we are excited about that after she was so teeny at birth!), and she's outgrown most of her newborn clothes. This week I was excited to see Avery's first real smile (from something other than gas!), and she is also able to roll over from her tummy to her back (although this may have been accidental on her part, I am claiming it to be a true "roll over", since I am of the opinion that Avery is already gifted!). Here's a short video of the very beginning of Avery's bath time, which is one of the few quiet times for our little diva!

Cabin Fever

Avery and I are going a little bit stir crazy! With all of the swine flu pandemonium, we're staying pretty close to home, and finding ways to stay entertained indoors (check out Avery's video in the swing). However, today was an exciting day (trust me, it doesn't take much!), because we took advantage of the 70 degree temperature and took a walk! Avery loved it (well, I took her falling asleep to mean that she loved it!).

Hanging Out

Avery's 1 month old! She weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces at her check-up on Thursday- she gained 2 pounds, 2 ounces in 1 month!! She's also grown to 21 inches. This week Avery was lucky to have her Grandma Beeching come and visit for a couple of days! We had a great visit. Here's some video of Avery hanging out for a little bit in her crib- it's pretty routine stuff, but of course we are recording every instant these days- it just goes so fast!

Busy Week!

Little Miss Avery has had quite the busy week! We had more awesome visitors starting last Tuesday when friends Mandy and Drew brought over a delicious meal! We were visited on Wednesday by Cheryl, Emma (one of Kristen's former students) and her brother Davis- they brought a super meal as well! On Thursday we were lucky to have our friend Jodie come over with another amazing meal- we have such great friends! On Friday we had a little bit of drama...Avery was running a little fever, which was scary for such a young baby! We visited the doctor, and then ended up returning to the doctor (and ER) two more times over the weekend when the fever didn't break, and went a little higher. After monitoring her for a while, the doctors assured us that it was probably just a cold, and she's doing better today (the fever has gone away), so that's good! We were definitely the super cautious first time parents this weekend! After the sickness scare, Avery certainly perked up to meet her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Finney, who came to visit from Illinois (check out their cute pictures!). She was also in a happy mood today as she played in her "activity gym" and had some "tummy time"- she is definitely one strong little girl, and lifts her head up pretty well! In fact, she wore herself out hanging out in the "gym", and fell asleep! So cute!

Growing So Fast!

Avery's reached the 3 week mark- it's amazing how quickly time flies by! Avery weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces on Monday. She's gaining weight really well! She's figuring out what she thinks about this big world, including her opinion of bathtime! The jury is definitely still out (note the picture of the mad little girl getting dried off ), but she may be leaning toward becoming a water baby. This is evidenced by the fact that Avery was able to somehow fall asleep while getting a bath! So cute! I did include a picture of her fast asleep, post-bath, doing her typical sleeping pose- arms up! I'm also including a picture of Avery modeling a little diva outfit, one of the many adorable oufits we received as gifts. If only we could leave the house (besides doctor's appointments) to show them off! Unfortunately, with all the flu out there- we're sticking close to home for now!

Avery's Awesome Friends and Family

We had such a great week filled with lots of visitors! Avery was especially lucky this week to have her Nana Finney helping out each day and logging lots of snuggle time! Grandpa Finney came over for his Avery fix too! So many wonderful friends and family members stopped by this week- we were visited last Saturday by our cousin Jill, and then on Sunday by friends Mike, Fran, and their son Joe. Kristen's amazing team teacher, Katherine came over to meet Avery as well! More friends from Western Row stopped by during the week to bring dinners! We were so lucky to be visited by Diana, Kirstin, Anne, and Emily, third grade teachers who are also talented cooks! Thanks so much for the delicious food! We were also visited by our friend Christie, who stopped by to meet the little princess on Monday. On Thursday, Matt and Cathy came over with their precious little girl, Gabby. We're looking forward to future play dates between Avery and Gabby! On Friday we were visited by Uncle Scott and Aunt Jen, as well as Jen's parents Debi and Bob! Saturday was also exciting, with a visit from Avery's Grandma and Grandpa Beeching, Great Grandma Crook, and Avery's Uncle Derin! Derin lives in Seattle and works for the Seahawks, who are in Indy this weekend playing the Colts. Uncle Derin took time to come over from Indy to see Avery, who was so happy to meet her uncle- check out their adorable picture! Avery was a perfect little lady all week with her visitors, and she can't wait to see her friends and family again soon!

Living the Good Life

Avery's 2 weeks old! She's starting to wake up more during the day which should theoretically mean that she sleeps more at night (theoretically being the key word)! She had her 2 week check-up yesterday, and we're happy to report that she weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds, 13 ounces! Whoa! She's gained 13 ounces since birth, which is pretty great! She's also grown taller, measuring in now at 20 1/4 inches long. Our days are filled with round the clock feedings (accounting for the rapid weight gain) and entertaining our wide-eyed little girl in between. Here are some recent pictures of Avery engaging in her daily activities, including flashing the peace sign for all of us in the top picture!

Settling In

We'll we're trying to get a routine (ha ha!) established with our little Avery "Kate"... although she definitely has other plans for us! We're excited to report that the Jaundice is no longer a threat to the little lady- her levels were down and she is in the clear, so that's great! Avery is just trying to get used to the difference between day and night (that will be a challenge for months to come we think!) and learning how to keep her food down (reflux already!). Otherwise things are moving smoothly, thanks to the help of Chris who was home with us until Wednesday, and Avery's Nana Finney, who is hanging out with us this week and part of next! We are so lucky to have her help! Here are some pictures of Avery's many thoughful expressions and poses (I especially enjoy the "Fight the Power" pose she displays in the first picture:)!

Avery's First Few Days

She's finally here! Avery Kathleen Lazuta was born on Tuesday, September 15th at 2:18 P.M.! She weighed 6 lbs. even at birth, and is 19 1/2 inches long (tall and teeny!). She made a dramatic entrance, as the doctors were a bit worried about her at the end of the delivery! We came home on Thursday, and Avery was doing great! On Friday we had a bit of a bump in the road... Avery had a bit of Jaundice in the hospital, and when they checked it on Friday, it had gone up quite a bit. So... we've had a couple of worry-filled days! She had to start treatment on a "photo-therapy" blanket to pump UV rays into her body to help her metabolize the bilireuben cells that weren't flushing out of her system properly (I could really be messing this up, but this was my understanding of it...). The blanket made her look like a little gloworm- it was really cute, but we were concerned about it working! Right now we are still touch and go. Her levels have gone down some, so we're just waiting to see if she can start to get better! Otherwise, she is absolutely perfect in every way! Here are some pictures from her first few days:).

We're Ready!

Here's the little lady's nursery, all ready to go now that she's on the way! We were told this morning that they'll induce tonight, so our next post will be of Avery!