Ava is taking a really, really long nap today, so I finally have time to write a post. Since she went down, I’ve been able to get supper in the crock pot, wash the dishes, do a load of laundry (including folding and putting away), make lunch, vaccum the kitchen and living room, make the bed, wipe the bathroom down, run to the bank and open the mail. I told you it was a long nap.
Ava is turning into such a little person now. She smiles all the time….especially at the ceiling fan in the office. Each blade is a different color and every time she sees it, she smiles and talks to it (even if she was being fussy before). She’s big enough to sit in her bumbo seat now, too (pictures and a video are in the week 9 album of her photobucket), so she watches Baby Einstein while she’s sitting in there. She only watches about 5 minutes at a time, but it’s so cute. The swing is still her favorite, though.
I think we’re getting into more of a routine now, too. She still has nights where she gets up at 3:00 AM and insists that it’s morning, but most nights she does really well. She has her bath, we read a book, she has her bottle (of breastmilk) and then she goes down pretty easily. She’s starting to get into a routine during the day, too, which is nice.
She’s starting to outgrow her 0-3 month clothes, too. 
She still fits into a lot of them, but a few need to be packed away now. While I’m at it, I should probably pack away all the maternity clothes, too, since a lot of them belong to other people and need to be returned. 
I found a group of stay-at-home moms down here and we’re going to get together with them for the first time this week. They have a storytime at Barnes & Noble, so Ava’s going to have her first storytime. 
I’m hoping that making a few friends down here will make it easier being away from home. It didn’t seem to affect me as much before Ava came….I think it’s because now I miss having everyone be able to watch her growing up. It seems like every day that we’re not up there is another day in her life that our families are missing and it makes me so sad. Plus, I miss the support of having family nearby. So I’m hoping that this group will at least help me feel a little less lonely. And hopefully there will be a few that we can get together with at other times and Chad can make friends with their husbands.
Anyway, I’m going to have to go wake Miss Ava up soon. If she sleeps too much longer, she’ll never sleep tonight.
Posted: May 21st, 2007 under Random Thoughts.
Comments: 5
Comments
Comment from Amy
Time: May 22, 2007, 8:16 pm
Hi Lora –
It is sad to pack away all those cute clothes but it is also fun to put them in the next size up. I have clothes for Sawyer that won’t fit him for two more years and I can’t wait until he is big enough to wear them.
I thought about joining a mommy and baby group but I just don’t have the time. Sawyer is in daycare for 7 hours a day so he gets plenty of time to play w/ other children. He is the youngest of four babies, the oldest being 15 months. Three boys (including Sawyer) and one girl. They are a good group of children . . . all very sweet. Also, I am kind of selfish because I don’t want a mommy and baby group to interfere w/ my alone time w/ Sawyer. I love my Sawyer time . . . just him and me.
I do feel bad that Peter doesn’t get to see Sawyer more. Peter gets home from work around 6:00 p.m. and Sawyer goes to bed anywhere from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. It doesn’t leave a lot of Daddy and Sawyer time. I’m just greatful that I am able to work reduced hours so that I can be w/ him more. I don’t think I could handle only one our two waking hours a day w/ my baby.
A few of my friends are in mommy and baby groups and they really like them. Hopefully yours will be more open minded than Janeen’s group of moms so you won’t have any conflicts. Vaccinations are a very controversial issue, though. I know my sister Katie (she is a nurse at the Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee) encourages them because the benefits outweigh the risks. Also, she sees first hand how sick children really get when they have not been vaccinated. I happen to agree w/ her but to each their own. You can always give her a call if you have any questions.
Enjoy every moment w/ Ava and give her chubbly little cheeks a bunch of kisses for me
Comment from Kelley
Time: May 28, 2007, 10:12 pm
Hi Lora! I was wondering how Ava liked her book reading outting at B&N? I was thinking about getting Sophia into a book group at the library back home soon. Some babies just love books and being read to. I hope you, Chad and little Ave are all doing well. Bye for now!
Comment from Lora
Time: May 29, 2007, 10:23 am
Kelley – We ended up not being able to go last week because my car was *still* in the shop (long story). We’re planning on going tomorrow, though, so I’ll let you know!
Comment from Kelley
Time: June 12, 2007, 10:10 am
Lora! I need an update on how you are all doing! Did you have a nice time at the conference? I know Ava must be getting so much bigger now. I’m looking forward to seeing her in a few weeks at Sabrina’s graduation party. Talk to you soon!
Comment from Janeen White
Time: May 22, 2007, 9:34 am
Hey Lora. I kind of know what you’re feeling there. While I’m not as far away from my family as you are, I’m far enough away that seeing them is not all that easy. At least I was able to see my older sister here and there because she was only about half an hour away but now, she’s moving back to where the rest of my family is. So then everyone will be over two hours away from me which means the next time I see everyone will more than likely be when my little sister has her baby who’s due around Feast time. I do live close by to my parents but I’m not allowed to see them which is very sad.
My mother has only been able to see pictures of Natalie; she’s never been able to see her or hold her.
I hope that things work out well with the SAHM group. I should throw out a warning though that they might not all be of the same mind so be careful about that as some moms can get pretty hostile with moms who do things differently, ESPECIALLY in regards to vaccinations. I’ve met some moms who have been really adamant about the need for vaccinations and that makes it really hard to hold your own ground. It’s definitely a topic that starts out a mommy war so tread carefully. I throw this warning out having been there and done that in online groups more than once.
Right now, I still have not found a group of moms to hang with or even talk to. I spend most of the time home alone with Natalie, especially when John teaches school in the morning (usually from 8 until 3) and then goes off to work at his night job. He’ll get home after 3 and then leave again at 4 and doesn’t come back until almost 3am. This makes for many lonely, lonely days for me and Natalie. I have met up with a couple of moms though but that’s only because I recently became a consultant for Discovery Toys. That definitely has been a lifesaver.
It sounds like all is going well otherwise. I hated putting away clothes that Natalie grew out of too, especially things she only wore once or didn’t get to wear at all. She had a couple of dresses like that. Fortunately, my younger sister is having a girl so she got all of the girl stuff I had. There’s only going to be a three month difference and I figure since Natalie was a bigger baby and my sister has small babies (her last girl was 6 lbs, 9 oz) the clothes Natalie wore will fit her daughter around the time they fit mine until around a year. After a year, it probably won’t work as well since Natalie is pretty small for her age compared to my sister’s kids. It will all slow down eventually (Natalie can wear some of the clothes she wore last summer!) and then you’ll start wondering if she’s growing enough. lol