Raising the most beautiful girls in the world…
Archive for July, 2005
Three Weeks Old Today!
Jul 27th
Time is flying by so amazingly fast ever since Ava arrived. Can you believe she is already three weeks old! By the way, what a cute pair eh? It looks like Ava definitely has Kate’s nose.
Ava in the Morning
Jul 27th
This is what Ava looks like first thing in the morning, right before I leave for work. Pretty wide awake, eh? Nothing compared to my frazzled, tired, and bleary-eyed look as I walk out the door, eager to embark on my hour-plus drive to work. Thank God for Starbucks!
How About a Walk?
Jul 26th
So one of the great things about the evening is taking Ava for a walk. Sometimes she can get a little fussy in the stroller, so we’re not always able to go for long walks. But for the most part, she seems to really enjoy getting outside. She’s just so curious about everything, especially all of the new sights, sounds, and smells that come along with the outdoors. As you can see, we ended up getting one of those strollers that can work for jogging as well. This one is a little big and heavy, so not necessarily best for traveling. We plan to get a smaller and lighter one for trips, but otherwise we love this stroller. Kind of cool that it’s actually made by a company in my hometown of Portland, OR.
Sleeping Less and Less
Jul 25th
One of the big issues Kate is having to deal with lately is that Ava seems to not want much sleep during the day. Never mind that she is obviously tired…yawning all of the time…red eyes. But she just doesn’t want to go to sleep. Maybe she’s too curious (that’s my excuse anyway). “She’s too smart and trying to learn everything she can as fast as she can. There’s not enough time for sleep!” But the truth is, it’s tough on Kate because she’s not able to put Ava down for a rest and as a result get some rest herself. What if this keeps up when Ava starts going to Kim for babysitting!? Anyway, it seems the best way to finally get Ava down for some rest is her nighttime routine…you know…feeding, play, bath, bed. At least, that gets us about 3hrs sleep before she wakes up again for some more food!
Can you Spoil a Newborn?
Jul 24th
One of the things that Kate and I have been struggling with lately is whether or not we could spoil Ava at this point. Hold her too much? “Oh, she’ll be a spoiled child” some people will say. Pick her up immediately when she cries? Some books say to let your baby cry it out so she’ll learn to be independent. Friends tell stories of letting their babies cry until they fall asleep, no mater how much they might wail. So what’s the right answer? Well, everyone has their own style of parenting. And every one of you out there has your own opinion. But I think Kate and I have finally settled on the answer. Just like everything else in life…listen to nature and let your instincts be the guide. It just doesn’t feel right to “let the baby cry”. So maybe it isn’t? I have to admit that over the last week I have been urging Kate to let Ava “cry it out” when we try and put her to sleep. “Just let her cry” I would say…it seemed to be a little easier for me, but definitely not so easy for Kate. I was worried we would spoil her. I was listening too much to some of the books and others’ advice. This article on Dr. William Sears’ website changed my mind once and for all. Once again, amazingly enough I’m surprised that the right answer, for us at least, just happens to be plain old common sense. So…can you spoil an infant. In my opinion, and in Ava’s case, the answer is no.
The Conversation
Jul 24th
This one’s from back when Ava met Brenna, brand new daughter of Brett and Terrie Hall (Brett is Kate’s boss). Brenna is about a week older than Ava. As you can see, they are really keeping each other interested with their conversation!
Brand New Dad Discovers Free Time Drastically Reduced
Jul 24th
I’m sure it’s not much of a surprise to anyone, but having a baby drastically reduces any previously available free time. My intention is to update this blog at least once a day, at minimum at least a photo or two. Uploading a photo takes maybe 5 minutes of time, but even 5 minutes is hard to find. Bear with me though…I’ll figure it out eventually. Right now I just wanted to let everyone know that we’re still here, I’m still posting, and today I plan to get out a whole slew of new pictures. Ava is doing extremely well…she looks great and is healthy as can be. She is getting more and more curious every day, which means she is less and less likely to want to sleep. So it takes some coaxing and rocking to get her to comply, but we are getting better at it each day. Mylocon drops seem to help a lot (props go to MajGen Marc Rogers for the suggestion). Kate and I are loving it. Our life has changed a great deal, but the cool thing is that’s okay! It’s all worth it. Sure Kate and I can’t go to a movie on a whim anymore, or go out to eat all the time, or take a trip to the mall at the drop of a hat (though we still take trips…just that we have to time everything for after she’s eaten and is ready to sleep). But again, it’s all worth it. We have the privilege of raising this new life, introducing her to everything in the world for the first time, and giving her the opportunity to grow into a caring, intelligent, and productive human being! Okay, more pictures on the way.
Evening Routine
Jul 24th
First she eats a bit…
Then it’s time for a bath…
Next up…a bit of play…
Before Mom and Ava get some rest!
