Week 2

Last Monday was Roger's final day home from work. In order to prepare for being on my own with the baby, the three of us did a test run of leaving the house. While Roger was there for backup, I practiced getting Avery in/out of the carseat, car, and shopping cart on my own. While not glamorous, we had an exciting trip to Costco! Thankfully, all was successful, and Avery slept the entire way. We saw many people with baby carseats resting on the front seat part of the shopping cart, but being new at this, I was just not comfortable propping Avery's carseat up like that. Instead, we put her seat into the basket portion of the cart. She was pretty cute nestled in among the wine and paper towels!

After having my mom here for a week and Roger home from work, last Tuesday was my first day all on my own with Avery. On Tuesday morning, we packed up and went to the doctor for Avery's two-week checkup. It was a very cold, rainy day, so I was very thankful to have the 'Bundle Me' to add to Avery's carseat. Despite the nasty weather, our baby was nice and cozy. As soon as we got on the road, I realized that we hadn't yet installed the backseat mirror. I was a little nervous with not being able to see her while I was driving, so it looks like we have another project for her daddy! All was great at the doctor's office, and Avery weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces. The doctor was very happy with that progress!

Since then, we have settled into a daily routine of eating, sleeping, and changing diapers. Day or night, Avery eats approximately every three hours. I am sure that Avery will kill me some day for talking about this, but she is a very poopy baby! Within 10 to 15 minutes of eating, she makes a dirty diaper. The doctor assures me that there is no problem with this. Needless to say, we go through quite a few diapers every day.

I have read that babies at this age are alert for 1 out of every 10 hours, but Avery is awake and alert for much longer than that. Perhaps she is just afraid of missing out on something. I wonder where she gets that from? While every book and experienced mommy friend tells me that I need to learn to nap while Avery sleeps, I have yet to master this concept. Over the last week, I maybe took two, one-hour naps. If I sleep when she sleeps, then when am I going to get dressed, pick up, do laundry, return calls/emails, and cook dinner? We are going to have to work on this!

On Saturday, my sister came to town to meet her niece. Katie arrived with all sorts of goodies for Miss Avery. Included among the prizes were an adorable hat and sweater set that my niece, Kenzie, picked out. Kenzie got the outfit in her size too, so that she and Avery could match. Isn't that sweet? Stay tuned for a picture of the matching cuties! It was another cold weekend in Kansas City, and Avery loved snuggling with Aunt Kate. Avery was a bit fussy on Saturday night, and it was really nice to have my sister here to help while Roger was at work. I have quickly learned that experienced mommies are my greatest resource right now. Thanks for all of your help sissy!