We are all still alive and well on the other side of blog world! :) I know some of you were starting to wonder if I would ever post again. I was talking to Wes last night about how I wasn't sure if the blog was going to make it through this transition phase of our lives but I think I've had a change of heart.
I am so glad I chose to start a blog and enjoy looking back on past posts. It allows me to reflect on just how far Wes and I have come since getting married and just how much God's provision has been so evident through it all.
So I will continue to blog, no worries! I will be honest and say that my posts may not be as frequent as they once used to be but hang in there with me! I will try to update as often as I can and hopefully capture these precious moments with sweet Ava Rae.
Let me go back quickly and recap the events leading up to Ava's big debut.
Tuesday, August 21st I spent most of the day at home relaxing on the couch. I don't think I moved from the couch except to get out to grab some lunch and rent the Hunger Games. Such a great movie!
That evening, I was sitting outside with Lexi, waiting on Wes to get home from work. I actually snapped a picture of my belly while sitting there and sent it to a friend. Little did I know that my belly would be gone by the next afternoon and I would be holding Ava in my arms.
We will label this picture my 37 weekly pregnancy update picture. :)
When I took this picture, I was feeling just fine. Not really any contractions (or any that I was feeling) or pain. I was scheduled to go into work that night at 11 PM so after eating dinner, I got ready for work.
As I was getting ready, I did start to feel my contractions more but didn't think much of it. I finished getting ready for work an hour early so I decided to rest on the couch. The longer I laid there, the more I started to hurt.
***Side Note: When Wes got home from work, he told me that he was told last minute that he was going to have to go to Tulsa the next day for work. I looked at him like he was crazy and simply said, "So you realize she will decide to be born the second you leave town, right?". He agreed it was probably a little risky going out of town but said he would be back in town by mid afternoon. What could I do at that point? Oh well...whatever happens, will happen.
So as I am laying on the couch, starting to hurt more, I look over at Wes and simply say, "I really am hurting...."
His response? "Are you just trying to get me to stay in town tomorrow?"
Really? He thinks I would do that? C'mon...you can't fake contraction pains!
I assured him that that was not the case and I that I really was hurting and maybe should call into work. So around 11 PM we headed back up to Baptist so I could get checked out. I was nervous about waiting it out at home too long because I had my doctor's appointment that afternoon and I was dilated to a four and being dilated just one more centimeter gets me admitted to the hospital. So there was no question that I was going to at least go get checked and see if these contractions were enough to make any change.
When I got to the hospital, I was dilated to a five but the doctor still wanted to watch me for an hour. I sure wasn't just going to sit in the bed for the whole hour so Wes and I walked the hallway hoping to get things moving. After an hour, I was still dilated to a five. I told the nurse to let my doctor know that I did not feel comfortable going home dilated to a five and especially with my husband trying to leave town on me in the morning.
She assured me she would let her know. So the doctor decides to keep me overnight for observation and then will be in to see me in the morning to decide to admit me or not. Ugh...really? Well I guess it's better than being sent home.
So we spent the night in the hospital, waiting. Well, Wes slept and I pretty much just layed there. I maybe got 2 total hours of off and on sleep. My contractions had spaced out some so I wasn't in too much pain. I felt like the clock was moving SO sloooow at this point. I couldn't wait for it to be morning so I could just know what the plan was.
The doctor came in around 7:30 am, checked me and said I was now dilated to almost a six. She then looked at the nurse and said, "Let's go ahead and break her water."
She then looked at me and said, "Are you ready to do this? There's no turning back."
Did she really just ask me that question? I stayed overnight in the hospital didn't I? Pretty sure I was determined not to leave that hospital without a baby in my arms.
So...quick series of events....
Water broke at 7:30 am
Epidural at 8:15 am = Happy and pain free!!
Dilated to an eight at 11:30 am
Progressed quickly; dilated to a nine at 12:00 pm
Completely dilated and ready to starting pushing at 1:45 pm
Last picture as a family of two!
Doctor shows up ready for delivery at 2:15 pm
Pushed for maybe 30-40 minutes (SO much more work than it looks!) And.....
2:59 pm Ava Rae DeWitte was born!!
She was immediately put skin to skin with me and that's when my world changed forever <3
<3 I was in love instantly, she was perfect <3
Not a dry eye in the house... :) Proud daddy and grandparents.
The new grandparents getting a closer look and of course, pictures!
First picture as a family of three. <3
Wide eyed and happy in mom's arms.
I spent two nights in the hospital and went home Friday afternoon. Our time in the hospital was good. Because Ava was just under 38 weeks gestation, she had to get her blood sugar checked which ended up being more of an ordeal than it intended to be. Eight heel sticks later, her blood sugar finally stabilized and all was good. She was actually one heel stick away from having to go the NICU (which would have included an IV and possible feeding tube to help get her blood sugar up).
One of our nights was a little rough. Ava was screaming (almost to the point of making herself hoarse) and Wes and I just looked at each other like, "What in the world have we gotten ourselves into? And what do we do now?"
I'm sure we aren't the only first time parents who have had that split second feeling of fear that crosses your mind. The night got better but it was definitely tough to see her so upset and not know what in the world was wrong and what to do to make her happy. And knowing we were going to be taking her home and responsible for knowing what to do in these situations; a little overwhelming.
Not to mention all the hormones (or lack there of) contributing to me being an emotional wreck. Oh and the fact that by this time (Day 2) I had only had maybe three hours of sleep total within the past two days.
I have never been so exhausted in my life. I honestly felt intoxicated I was so tired. Every time my eyes would close, I felt like the room was spinning. Strangest feeling in the world to be THAT tired and feel that way. And add an unhappy baby to the mix....fun stuff!
All dressed and ready to go home!
Snuggled in tight in her car seat.
Next stop... home!!
Okay, now to the more happy of times!
We have now been home almost three weeks and Ava is doing great! I'm pretty sure she is experiencing a growth spurt at the moment because she is constantly eating (like a little pig!) and fighting sleep like crazy. I can see it in her eyes that she is so, so tired but just can't manage to fall asleep.
By the time she decides to fall asleep, it is time for her to eat again and thus the cycle repeats itself. :)This makes for an eventful middle of the night let me tell ya!
Otherwise, she has been so good and so wonderful. She sleeps three hours at a time (most of the time). This girl never misses a meal so she is always ready to eat when she wakes up. I'm thinking she is going to be a little chuck like I was when I was a baby because she eats quite a bit for such a little girl. Last night (remember the growth spurt) she took five ounces of breast milk! Goodness! And of course was ready to eat again in three hours and took three more ounces. The girl has an appetite and must be growing, growing!
At her last pediatrician appointment, she weighed 7 lbs 1 oz which the doctor said is perfect weight gain for her age. She didn't grow much in length, just about 1/4 of an inch but after this little growth spurt, I'm sure we will see some changes in that area.
Lexi has done pretty well with Ava. She wasn't so sure of her at first and we did have a few moments where Lexi got a little upset/aggressive. My mom ended up taking her to Lawton with her for a few days which was nice. When she brought her back it was like we had a different dog. She was calm and now very sweet with Ava.
Our only struggle now is being sure to give Lexi attention. She is so used to have all of our attention that she gets upset when she sees all our attention going to Ava. But for the most part, Lexi has been sweet. Most times during the day, she wants to snuggle up right where Ava is.
The nights are tough having to get up to feed her every three hours but we are trying to adjust. Wes is back to work so I try to get up with her during the week days so he can sleep and be rested for work. Which means I have to make myself lay down for plenty of naps during the day while I'm at home with her.
Wes has been so amazing with her and such a huge help to me. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful husband and daddy for Ava. He is always willing to change diapers, feed her, rock her, or just hold her so I can get stuff done around the house. He loves Ava to pieces and it is so sweet to see him interact with her. After she was born, he kept saying, "She's so beautiful, she's so perfect." Sweetest thing ever to see my husband fall in love with her so instantly. She will be a daddy's girl for sure.
I will leave you with a few pictures we gave taken over the past few weeks. I could never post all the ones we have taken, but here are some of my favorites.
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