1st day home pictures

Hospital Pictures

Instead of putting all our pictures in a slideshow I will put up a few at a time in seperate posts. I am not even going to attempt the slideshow considering it has taken me hours in the past to figure out and time right now is very precious! Here are some of the pictures we took at the hospital. It's hard to believe Ava is already a week old! Ugh, love this child!

Poor girl! I had to post this picture of our four legged baby after her bad haircut at the groomer a few days before Ava's birth. I keep telling her fur grows back. :(

Our little angel just moments after birth

Already smiling for the camera!

The loves of my life! Ava and her proud daddy.

Happy Family

Changing Ava's first diaper

The three musketeers

Going with Ava to a breastfeeding class in the hospital

Sleeping Baby

Kisses from her mommy. Is that a smile I see?

About to leave the hospital

We had to get Ava a preemie going home outfit because the ones I brought were too big. Thanks Gigi for the cute outfit!

Home with the family

Sorry we havent updated the blog in awhile. I know many of you are anxiously awaiting more pictures and updates. Our little Ava is 6 days old today and doing so well. It was a week ago today that my contractions started and we knew she was on her way! Time has flown by and I know it will only continue to do so. I am trying to soak up every minute with her, even if that means holding her longer and prolonging those already long feedings! Nursing is going good. Ava is latching on well and seems to be getting plenty of milk. I am so sore but the doctor said that will soon go away. Thank God! I didn't realize how much torture a woman's body goes through after having a child. It's all worth it though to have this amazing little person in your life. The first few nights in the hospital and the first night home were a little rough but things are getting better. Ava sleeps wonderfully during the day but not so much at night. She tends to get more gassy after her evening/middle of the night feedings and it is hard to settle her down. We have tried all different burping positions but she just cant seem to burp that gas out. Hmmm, kind of like her mommy! We have started giving her Mylicon drops after her late feedings and they seem to work sometimes. Mikey and I have really had to rely on teamwork to make it through the night and get some sleep. I feed Ava and then lay her down in the pack n play beside our bed in hopes that she will stay asleep till the next feeding. If she wakes up, which is usually in crying fits because she has gas, then Mikey gets up with her and tries to burp her and calm her down. He does a great job and is so patient. When my alarm goes off for my next feeding then I go and relieve him if he is still up with her. We are working on trying to keep her more awake and active during the day so that she will sleep better at night even though I know the majority of the problem is that she is having gas pains. Those cries and body positions are very different from the norm! It breaks my heart to see her in so much pain. Macy has been so sweet to her new little sister. She is very gentle with her and likes to look at her and sniff her. It is so cute!

Yesterday we went to the pediatrician for Ava's first visit. The doctor said that she is a very healthy baby and doing great. She is starting to gain her birth weight back and has already grown an inch in length. That seems a bit much but maybe her intial length measurement was a little off. The doctor also watched me nurse Ava and she said that we were both doing great. She actually called us "superstars" and said that she normally doesn't see many mothers and babies get the nursing thing down this quickly. That made me feel so good because I have been having my doubts as to whether we were actually doing it correctly. It is such a foreign thing and very complicated at first! My friends and doctors weren't lying! We still have a few kinks to work out but now I know we are on the right track.

I am trying to get a slideshow together of a lot of the pictures we have taken since her birth. I havent had much success in the past with these slideshows but maybe I can recruit Mikey to help. More pictures will be coming soon! There are a ton!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and well wishes! We have been reminded over the past week just how blessed we are with such caring and thoughtful friends and family. We cannot wait for all of you to meet the new love of our life!

Our Little Angel

Ava Marie Seamans was born at 3:50am on Friday, March 20th

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Kristen started having contractions Thursday morning but they were about 30 minutes apart, so we went on a "family walk" (Mikey, Kristen, Kristen's mom Carolyn, Alli, Brianna, and Macy) to the neighborhood park to enjoy the nice weather. The contractions started to get stronger and more frequent in the evening, and at 9:40pm Kristen's water broke. We packed up our gear, hustled to the hospital, got checked in, and were in the labor in delivery room a little before 10:30. We will save the labor details for a later blog, but in short - everything moved quickly until the epideral numbed her legs. Kristen pushed hard for a little over 2 hours and our beautiful girl was born at 3:50am. She weighs 6 lbs 15 oz and is 19 inches long. Light brown hair and currently has blue eyes. We are proud parents! We are pretty exhausted since we got to our room around 6am and slept until about 8am but it has been busy ever since. Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, love, and support. We have the best family and friends in the world and are excited for each of you to meet our sweet Ava soon!!

Love,

Mikey, Kristen, Ava, and Macy

Quick Update #2

Early this morning I started having contractions. They felt like strong menstrual cramps accompanied by a tightening belly. I didn't think they were contractions at first but then after I consulted one of my pregnancy books I knew that they must be contractions. I called the nurse and told her that they had started and she said not to come in until they are 4-5 minutes apart and it feels like I can't breathe threw them. Umm, what?! I dont want to be at home when I am having contractions that strong! I want to experience as little pain as possible and get that epidural asap! Right now my contractions are about 30 minutes apart and lasting about 30-45 seconds. Even though it is still going to be awhile, Mikey came home from work early. We are both so excited! An extra bonus for him is he gets to be home to watch the Aggies play BYU in NCAA tournament. Alli also took the next few days off and she is here too so all 5 of us, plus Macy, went for a walk to the neighborhood park. My mom made me take my pen and paper and write down the time and duration of my contractions on our walk. It was funny. We will be hanging out the rest of the day waiting for those contractions to get closer together! So exciting! Texts will be sent out when we go to the hospital but I am not expecting that to be till much later tonight or even maybe tomorrow. ???

Quick Update

I went to the doctor again today and have only dialated a little more since Friday. I am about 1 1/2 to 2cm. If Ava doesn't come sooner then my next appointment is scheduled for next Tuesday and if she still hasn't come by that Thursday then they will induce me then.
My mom and Bri are in town and will be here till Monday. My mom says we have to walk and do squats everyday to speed things along!

And the doctor says...

I went to my "home away from home" yesterday, the doctor's office, and I found out I am 90% effaced and 1 cm dialated! Woohoo! I know it isn't much but the fact that I am almost completely effaced and I have even started dialated is a good sign. It could still be awhile before I actually go into labor so I am preparing myself for a week of rest. If she comes sooner than a week even better, especially since my mom will only be here till the 22nd and I want her to be able to have some time with Ava. The doctor said that they will let me go a week past my due date before they induce. That would be two weeks from now. Mikey and I are as ready for this little one as I think we can be. We finally decorated the nursery, with the exception of one spot for Ava's pictures, the car seat is installed and our hospital bag is packed. We are going to set up the pack- n- play today and put it in our room. I am definitely getting the nervous jitters! Please pray for us during these next few days and weeks. Specifically for a safe and easy delivery, a healthy baby girl, and an easy transition into parenthood.

On a side note, I had my last day of work yesterday. The staff, students, and parents made me feel so appreciated and loved. The staff brought in snacks and sweets and decorated the lounge in pink for my last day and the parents and students offered me well wishes and gifts. Even parents of students that I had years ago stopped by my room to send me their love and thank me for what I have done for their children. It was very humbling and reminded me of just how special this job really is. The day was especially difficult since I will be staying home for a few years with Ava. I didn't expect it to be so hard but I was on the verge of tears all day and as I opened the door to dismiss the kids the tears started flowing! I don't know what was more difficult, walking away from the past 5 years of teaching or having to say goodbye to all my friends at work and my students. Ending this chapter in my life was very hard but I will hold on to the memories and the sweet friendships that I made along the way. Another chapter is about to begin and I have a feeling it will be the best one yet!