Some Fun Pics...

Owen loves time on his changing table!

Owen fits perfectly in Ava's new doll stroller

Our little diva!

Our house never seems to be dull these days. There is always something going on, but it doesn't seem so overwhelming anymore. It is just our life. It was our idea to put Owen in Ava's stroller to see if he fit, and she was not thrilled to have him take the place of her beloved doll. We are beginning to settle into a routine. Owen seems to be a little more predictable and Ava seems to be pretty adjusted to how things are. Hard to believe what life was like without these two!

Ava's 3rd Birthday Party...

Family Photo Ava, Shelly, Addie, & Owen getting his 2nd bottle

Grandma Joyce & Owen

Ava posing by her stroller from Grandma Chris

Opening her pony from Hannah

The cake I made

Ava LOVED everyone singing to her!

Gets all the candles blown out...

Ava's 3rd birthday party was very fun this year, as she was really into it. She has been SO excited for her party for so long, that she was just giddy when the day actually arrived. She watched me make the cake and couldn't wait for all the people to come. When guests started to arrive, she was extremely excited and I really couldn't even get her to pause for a photo. Guests included both sets of grandparents, Shelly, Jason, Sam, Addison, Hannah, and Luke. I made ham and cheesy potatoes, and we also had green beans (courtesty of Shelly) and taco salad (courtesy of Joyce). We then opened gifts. Ava got so many wonderful gifts. She loves them all! Highlights include her purse, stroller, lip gloss, toothbrush, and jewelry. Everyone did such a wonderful job getting her things she loves! Then it was time to sing and blow out her candles. The look on her face as everyone sang to her was absolutely priceless! She couldn't have been more happy! She was disappointed when the party was over and everyone left. She got up Monday morning and said "my happy birthday party is all over mom" with the extremely sad look! I think her favorite part was everyone singing to her and blowing out the candles. I'm now working on building up Christmas, but I don't think it will be the same without a cake and candles!

Owen is 3 Weeks Old & A Fun Comparison to His Sister..

Ava - 3 weeks

Wide Awake Mommy!

A sly little smile....

Owen is already 3 weeks old! He continues to be a pretty good baby overall. He's sleeping better all the time. He's typically up every 3 hours (you can set your watch by him), but is eating and then going back down to sleep. He's still sleeping in our bed, but we are fine with it for now as at least we are getting some rest. He has his fussy time around 5 pm, but for the most part, he doesn't cry a lot. At 3 1/2 weeks, I had to take him back to the doctor for a final check of his jaundice, and he weighed 12 lbs 4 oz! I nearly fell over! He's certainly not struggling in the weight gain department. He has surpassed his sister's size by a long shot. She was only 9 lbs 5 oz at 2 weeks old and just over 10 lbs at 4 weeks.

Halloween

Our little poodle skirt girl she loved her costume!

Ava with the little monkey

So excited about getting treats

Our first stop...Hannah's house

We took turns taking her to houses

Owen slept in his carseat

We got the kiddos all dressed up and ventured out trick-or-treating on Halloween. Ava loved her costume, especially the glasses. Trick-or-treating was really fun this year for us. Ava loved it! She was grinning ear to ear as we walked around from house to house. Hannah had a special bag for Ava with lots of candy and a Mickey Mouse book. Ava got her bag filled with treats and then we went to McDonalds. There couldn't have been a better night for Ava! Owen was a complete angel and slept in his carseat for the whole 2 hours we were gone. It was a very fun night for the family!

Ava turns 3!

Making cupcakes with Mommy Licking the spatula....

Lighting the candles....

Blowing them out (first birthday she's actually been successful!)

Opening presents from Mom & Dad

On November 1st, Ava had her 3rd birthday! She is modeling the shirt Hannah made for her in the pictures. So cute! I can't believe she is 3 already. She seems so big and mature, especially since Owen has been born. She is such a big helper, getting me the phone, burp cloths, helping change diapers, and anything else she can reach or do. She's so willing to help out with anything she can, and it makes her feel so special when I thank her for being a big helper. She is really adjusting well to being a big sister. We didn't do a lot on her actual birthday. I promised her we'd make cupcakes which she dearly loves. I also made her request for supper which was "chicken with sauce" which translates to a roasted chicken which we cut up and put bbq sauce on it for her. She ate every last morsel along with her broccoli and squash. She was so excited for Daddy to come home so we could sing happy birthday, and she could blow out her candles. Hannah and Luke ended up joining us for supper which was fun. Daddy got her the helicopter they'd been watching the last few weeks in Bomgaars, her favorite present. It has lots of buttons that light it up and play sounds. She also got magnetic dolls that you can change their outfits and a doll high chair. Our families are coming for a party this weekend and she is very excited!

Owen is 2 weeks old..

Owen's first bottle...

Ava & Owen (2 weeks)

Hard to believe Owen is 2 weeks old. I had my first major outing with both kids as we headed down to my parents for the day. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to get ready and get out of the house. I guess that's not too bad, but hard for me to get used to again. Owen likes to eat a couple times in the morning which can eat up an hour in a hurry! Owen also had his first bottle. He took 2 ounces from Brad, so that was pretty good for a 2 week old.

Our Little Glow Worm...

The bili blanket...

At 10 days old, Owen had some lab work checked. First we checked his bilirubin as he was looking more jaundice all the time. Sure enough, his bili was 20 which is significantly high. Of course, we had to head to the medical supply store to get a bili blanket for Owen to have on as much as possible. We also had Owen's TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) checked. His newborn screening done while we were still in the hospital revealed that is was out of range. In the hospital it was 42 and at 10 days old, it was down to 18. This is still elevated (normal range is 1-5). We were referred to a pediatric endocrinoloigst at Sanford in Sioux Falls. She rechecked his TSH and it was down to 7.7 (18 days old). We elected to not start medication yet and recheck it in 3 weeks. Hopefully, it will return to a normal level. If not, we will have to start daily thyroid meds. This is not the end of the world. There are far worse things that we could have happen, so we will deal with whatever happens. Between the bili checks and trips to Sioux Falls for Owen and my own doctor visits, it has been a busy first two weeks for us. Lots of running! Owen is done with the bili blanket officially at 3 weeks old, but have to have it rechecked one more time next week. I'm glad I'm on maternity leave just to coordinate all the appointments and we aren't done yet.