Ava's 2-weeks with Mommy and Daddy

Baby Moon...I promise not to do updates every week of Ava's life, but she's so new to us and there's so many people that are excited to hear the updates so I thought I'd add another post. This past week started out really sweet with what I call our "Baby Moon." Aaron got an extra day off at work because of heavy work projects so we had a 3-day weekend together. It was the first weekend that we were home with Ava and it felt like a short Baby Moon with just the 3 of us. We spent lots of time bonding as a family. Aaron has been obsessed with the yard work now that the weather is warmer, but in between projects in the yard, we spent time with Ava together. Aaron is very sweet with her and is a nurturing father. He tells me things that she enjoys like being outside with the wind hitting her face and her tickle spot on her side. Most of all, he's helped me with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is very important to me because it's the perfect food for a baby, easily digestible, full of antibodies, and nutrient-rich. I've heard the first 4-weeks are the toughest and it's been getting progressively easier now that I'm halfway there. There are so many things to remember from the tips and strategies that you hear from other moms. Fortunately, I have lots of support and resources.

The picture on the right is from this morning's nap. Now matter how tight we swaddle her, Ava always manages to get her hands out. She likes to have her arms out and by her head when she sleeps. She's a strong little baby!

Daddy time...I took the picture of Ava with Aaron last night and I love it. Aaron likes to spend one-on-one time with Ava at night. It's especially nice because I will get some sleep from about 10pm to midnight or 1am while they are hanging out. If she gets hungry, he warms up the bottle of milk from the fridge. I make sure to restock it during the day so we have it on hand. Ava likes to lay on her tummy on her daddy's chest. She falls asleep there and feels very safe.

Ava is all smiles. This week, I've seen her smile in her sleep and awake lots of times. It's so adorable. It makes me wonder what she's smiling about! What does she dream about? Aaron says it's not a "real" smile yet, but it's fun to watch!

Early Visitors: On Sun, we had our friends Melissa and PJ stop by with brunch and to meet Ava. I made blueberry muffins in just 15 minutes because of my kitchen organization (check out my post on efficient kitchen work zones). We had a great time and lots of laughs. Melissa and PJ were impressed by how strong Ava is and even had some snuggle time with her.

The Pierce family came over Monday night and brought us dinner. Shawn snapped a few family pictures and I'll make sure to post some when they are ready. Violet likes to play with Bena and look at the baby. Jill has been a huge support for me as I've been trying to learn the "art" of breastfeeding (check out her post advocating breastfeeding in public). We are lucky to have such fun and supportive friends!

I'm spoiled! When Aaron and I first got together he started surprising me with little thoughtful gifts. When he visited me in Chicago he brought me a really nice bottle of olive oil or just something that he thought I'd like. This week, he picked some wild daffodils from our yard that I put in a bud vase by my glider so I can look it all the time. And he surprised me with a new iPhone app called NPR Addict! OMG! I love it. Since I'm not commuting to work, I'm feeling deprived of the news so it's been awesome listening to the stories. Aaron has been grocery shopping for me and that's a huge thing since he hates shopping.

Bena loves Ava. Bena is a sweet dog and even though she's strong, she knows to be soft with Ava. She sits under my chair sometimes when I'm feeding Ava in the middle of the night and acts concerned with her little hiccups. The funniest story is Wednesday when Ava's umbilical cord stump fell off. I set it aside and changed her onesie. I sat down to feed Ava and then I saw Bena sniffing the onesie. She picked up the stump and ATE it! She was chewing it and I told her to drop it, but she swallowed it! I couldn't believe it. So that's a story for the baby book! That's how much Bena loves Ava! Gross...

I'm wondering what the next week or month will bring!