Has it been 3 weeks already??  Time is flying but we are doing well, sleeping occasionally and loving being parents!  Ava is an amazing little girl, she has a delightful demeanor and is an absolute joy.  This picture is of her first bath (taken about two weeks ago); she was shivering but still didn't cry and loved the attention.  She is focusing her eyes now and just melts us with her stare!  After the first two days of being up most of the night she has gotten into more of a routine.  She still wakes up every 3 hours or so to eat and her "night" is now going from about 6pm-5am but we're on the right track.  We hung a Hungry Caterpillar toy (from Aunt Heather and Uncle Nat) in her bassinet so when she is wide awake at 5am we can keep the light on and snooze a little while she entertains herself.  Even that is a blessing!

Ava can move her head pretty well now, though she still isn't holding it up yet.  She loves spending time under her toys on her play mat.  She just coo's and has started batting at toys with her hands.  She also loves spending time on her tummy, especially across our legs.  She gets totally relaxed and looks so cute all stretched out with her legs dangling.

She had her two week doctors check-up last Monday and she's doing perfectly!  She gained one pound and one oz. since we left the hospital, making her a whopping 9 lbs 6 oz.  Needless to say she's eating well and believe it or not has already outgrown her newborn clothes!  Her little arms and legs (and cheeks) are getting chubbier by the day and she just keeps getting cuter and cuter.  We love her!

After 10 days with my (Kathryn's) mom here and then a few days with Blair's mom helping out, we are now on our own and trying to manage as a family of three.  It is very exciting, fun, a little hectic and very exhausting, but we aren't missing our "old" lives one bit.  We are so thankful though for the help we've received, it's always nice to have an extra pair of hands when people come and visit, and we're grateful for the food and gifts that everyone has so generously sent our way!  The last three weeks have definitely been some of the toughest but most fun and rewarding of our lives and we can't wait for what's to come.

We have also had an unexpected and praiseworthy thing happen since Ava's birth.  As most of you know, my health has been a struggle for the last three years and all of my doctors suspected that I would crash after the birth and have a very rough time recovering and adjusting to such little sleep (and hard work during labor).  However, the opposite has happened!  I was feeling awful through my whole pregnancy but since the birth I have been feeling quite healthy for the first time in years!  I am of course exhausted but it is honestly a relief to feel tired without feeling the accompanied "sick" that was so debilitating before.  We are having a hard time accepting that this will stick around, we are waiting for me to wake up one day feeling awful again.  But, for now this is the reality and against all odds we are thankful I'm doing pretty well.  Please continue to pray that this keeps up and is the start of a much healthier future!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=236800&id=782715178&l=3fb589d017

We need to take some more recent pictures but here is a link to my facebook album of Ava (most were taken in the first week).  You can also click on the album to the left.