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Last night, my baby cried. She wanted me.
She wasn't hungry.
She wasn't wet.
She just needed her mom.
She needed a little love.
I reached over to hold her hand.
She grabbed it with both hands and pulled it close to her.
She stopped crying.
She hugged my arm the way a toddler hugs a security blanket or favorite stuffed animal.
That little bit of contact from me, made her feel safe and happy.
For now, I am her primary source of security and comfort.
She needs and loves me.
Being a mom can be so amazing.
I love my little Avynlee.

Five minutes later, after I was sure my little one was sleeping soundly, I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled. Being a mom is so amazing.

This is a sampling of the adorable pictures my amazing friend, Carlye took of baby A when she was one week old. Yeah, that was three months ago. She's so much bigger now! I am smitten with my sweet, little baby. She is so wonderful!

Christmas Cards!

Would you like one from us? Email me with your address.

jefanga@hotmail.com

Thanks!

Picture Fest

I've been working on scrapbooking my pictures of Avynlee to post...but I work and go to school and love my family so it's been put off many times. Here are some adorable pictures to hold you over.

My amazing friend, Carlye, took some adorable newborn pictures (they aren't in this post, sorry) which will be coming soon. And my talented sister, Aliese, made some birth announcements (also not in this post) which I'll post soon (and print and send out soon...geeze, biggest slacker).

Here's our girl.

One month old:
In her crib. I made the bedding. I think it's kind of adorable.

First cabin trip:

Clearly hates the bear outfit.
Looking out the big window at the amazing view.

(Her namesake is in the background)
Roasting hotdogs with momma (totally posed, I didn't really roast hotdogs with my baby)
Pretty hillside with chubby momma.
First Halloween:
I sewed some paws and a tail onto her little fleece bear outfit...and then it was quite warm and she roasted in it. First Trick or Treat. We went to a neighbor/coworker's house, and to our parents' houses.
Tubby Time:

Not terribly surprising that the offspring of Adam and Jennifer loves her some swimming. She's seriously the biggest fan. It's adorable.

Blessing:

My mom has the pictures of us all together. I'll get them soon perhaps.

I made her dress from the fabric my wedding dress was made out of. Her headband is made from the lace on the dress. The blanket is Belgian lace Aliese gave me which I sewed (haven't finished yet actually, hand stitching all of that is kind of a beast) on to some washable satin.

She's so pretty! I love being this baby's mom.

Two Months

I have a bunch of unfinished posts I need to finish and publish...and I will...hopefully soon.

Today, my baby daughter is two months old. Tomorrow, I go back to work (dreading that). I am loving being this little girl's mom. She is amazing. She is so sweet and smiley. She loves to cuddle and be held close. She nestles her sweet little head in to my chest/shoulder area when I hold her. She rarely cries and when she does it's more of a quiet wimper. Avynlee loves to be held. She doesn't mind when strangers hold her but it's pretty obvious that I am her favorite with Adam a very close second. When other people have her, she looks around for us. Sometimes she sleeps through the night. Most the time she needs to wake up once to eat. She's been "talking" and smiling for about six weeks but is becoming more and more animated. She is such a happy baby. I love her cute smiles and giggles. She doesn't like applause and is afraid of the dark. She loves swimming in the bathtub; she lays on her back and kicks her little legs and splashes. We need to get her a tiny little swim suit so she can come swimming at the pool with us. She might be a little spoiled (or a lot spoiled). This little girl has us entriely wrapped around her finger and that's exactly how we like it. She is the best thing that has ever happened to us. Adam and I are both so smitten. I knew I would like being a mom but I had no idea how great it would be. I have never felt more important and I have never felt more love. She has turned me into a big wuss (an aquaintences baby passed away and I bawled and bawled, I can't even imagine losing a child). Adam and I are constantly gushing about how cute she is and we exchange picture messages all day long. Our girl is such a miracle and we are so grateful to have her in our lives.

Today, sweet baby A had her 2 month appointment. She got her shots. It was so sad. She looked as us like we had betrayed her and she cried the saddest cry. We've never heard her cry like that. It was heartbreaking. Luckily, our girl is tough, her crying was brief, and she seems to be fine now. As much as I hated seeing my tiny girl poked, I'm so glad we have modern medicine and vaccinations. I'd way rather her have shots and be a little fussy than have her get super sick. Her health means so much to me. All three of my siblings had birth defects and I was kind of a sickly kid. I am so grateful my baby daughter was born healthy and strong and has managed to stay healthy. I had emotionally prepared myself for time in the NICU due to my far from stellar genetics. But my baby daughter is so healthy and we went home a mere 30 hours after she was born.

Little Pyah pants (we call her Pyah more than we call her Avynlee...maybe we should have just named her Pyah) has the same facial features I had as a baby. I'll post pics to compare sometime. She looks just like I did...only prettier. She may have my face, but our lucky girl seems to have gotten her build from her dad. She is so tall and thin. She eats like crazy but doesn't really put on much weight. She is 24.8 inches tall and in the 99th percentile for height (the average 2 month old is just over 22 inches). She is 12.1 pounds which is in the 81st percentile (average is 10.8 pounds). Her head circumference is 15.4 inches which is in the 54th percentile.

She looks around a lot and is so alert. She watches me move around the room. She loves tummy time. She can almost roll over. She has amazing head control. She loves her bumbo chair. She intently watched Polar Express for about half an hour this morning while I showered and got ready. She can scoot herself a few inches while flailing around on her back. She likes to touch soft/fuzzy things and will continually pet/stroke things she likes the texture of. She likes to hold things and sometimes manages to put her binkie back in her mouth (we were so proud the first time, we think our girl is a genius...so funny what babies do to people).

This little girl might be one of the all time most loved babies in the entire world. She is so amazing and I am so grateful she came along and changed our lives for the better.

Pictures of our Baby and a Cute Video

I love this video! Cute little nub. I love when she makes noise. In this video it's like she'e yelling at her hiccups. Aren't those dimples adorable?