The First Two Weeks

Our hospital stay was fairly uneventful. Sure, we were sleep deprived and slightly overwhelmed, but I was recovering nicely and we were so thankful to have a healthy baby girl. We had lots of visitors who loved all over her.





This guy was pretty smitten with her from the start:





Things started to fall apart on the day we were discharged. We found out that her jaundice levels had increased significantly and she had lost more weight than they'd like. The pediatrician said we'd need to go home with a biliblanket to try and address the jaundice and I'd also need to start supplementing with formula (I had been solely breastfeeding but my milk still had not come in).

We were disappointed with these hurdles but just so relieved to be headed home.





Meeting Sugar for the first time:



To make a long story short, getting the biliblanket was a nightmare (it was to be delivered by a home health care company and they didn't get it to us until 9:00 that night). We went to the pediatrician the next day and when they checked her levels, it had gone up even more and to the point that she needed to be readmitted to the hospital for light therapy.

Of course, we were devastated. We hadn't even been home 24 hours (hadn't even unpacked yet) and now we had to repack and schlepp our 3 day old daughter back to the hospital (this time to WakeMed Raleigh because they have a pediatric department). She got settled in under the lights and we could only take her out to feed her.



Oh and did I mention that this was my birthday? Not exactly the way I wanted to ring in 27.

But she actually seemed to really like it. The warm lights made her so relaxed, she didn't even mind when the nurses had to prick her heel every 4 hours (although her mom and dad did). We said she looked like she was hanging out at the beach.







After about 24 hours under the lights, her levels were still really high, but had gone down enough that we could go home. Two more trips to the pediatrician with two more heel sticks (she had over ten heel sticks total) and we were finally in the clear (although it took a while for the yellow in her skin to go away and there's still a bit in the whites of her eyes that the pediatrician says should be gone around one month).

We also got to ditch the formula supplementing once we got home from the hospital because I finally had enough milk and she was gaining weight well. That was a relief because we were using this annoying "supplemental nursing system" that was basically a tube that went into her mouth while she was nursing and it was a nightmare.

Once we got over some initial rough patches, we got the hang of breastfeeding and it has been going pretty well. But then there was the day that she did.not.sleep for 24 hours straight. I think I nursed for 5 straight hours at one point and finally had a total meltdown at 5am. But we chalked it up to a growth spurt and she finally decided to sleep, usually going 3-4 hours at night between feedings.

Oh, and there was an eye infection thrown in somewhere in those first two weeks as well (likely picked up from all of our trips to the hospital and doctor's office). I think between the jaundice, eye infection and regular two week checkup we were at the pediatrician's office every other day of her first two weeks of life.

Ok, enough complaining. Even though we had our share of challenges I can't emphasize enough how incredibly thankful we are to have a perfectly healthy, beautiful baby girl. Being in the pediatric wing of a hospital and seeing all of those sick babies and kids will quickly make you grateful that all you're dealing with is a little (or a lot of) jaundice.

And now I'll leave you with some adorable pictures from weeks 1 and 2.



Out for a stroll:



Snoozing on Dad:



This pic is grainy but I love the snapshot of our exhausted napping family (Lee holding Ava, and Sugar on the floor):





Hanging out on her play mat:

Introducing

Ava Pearce Wade

Born Friday, September 7th at 2:50am

8 lbs even, 20 inches

I'm so sorry it has taken me almost two weeks to get this post up. But y'all? This motherhood thing is no joke. Time for taking, uploading and sorting pictures and blogging is pretty much nonexistent. But I'll try, I promise.

It will be a while before I'm ready to get my thoughts together to share her birth story, but just know for now that everything went really well and I'm so proud of all of us (me, Lee and Ava). We did great!

These first two weeks have not been easy for us, but I'll get into those details later. 

For now, just know that we are completely and absolutely in love. She's just perfect and is already the apple of her daddy's eye. We can't stop staring at her and marveling at the fact that she's ours.

40 Weeks: Letter to Ava

Sweet Ava,

It's officially your due date, but instead of a 40 week post where I complain about how swollen my feet are or how impatient I'm getting that you're not here yet, I decided to take this opportunity to write you a little note and tell you how wanted you are and how loved you are already.

You see, towards the end of last year your dad and I decided that we wanted a baby. We were finally ready. And once I got ready, I was really ready. Impatiently so. One night back in December, I was sad and filled with longing for a baby. It just so happened that on that night the sky was filled with shooting stars. I sat out in the cold winter's night, just waiting for more stars, so I could make more wishes.

Seven shooting stars in all, and I wished for you on every single one.

And in due time, God granted those wishes. And now here I sit with a big belly, just days (hours?) away from the moment we get to see your sweet face. Don't keep us waiting too much longer, ok?

Love,
Your Mama

Pregnancy To Do List

In my day job, I am a Producer. This means I manage a project from start to finish, including the budget and schedule.

I can't help but have this bleed over into my personal life (truth be known, I've been the "Producer" type all of my life). And boy have I found myself "producing" this pregnancy.

There are spreadsheets (weekly weight gain chart, list of pediatricians/daycares/newborn photographers to choose from, baby gear, etc.), there are schedules, there are budgets (nursery budget, baby gear budget, maternity leave budget) and of course, To Do lists.

If you didn't know, there is a lot of stuff to get done during a pregnancy. Of course, can you manage to birth a baby and go on to live a perfectly happy life without getting a single one of these things done beforehand (except for maybe the car seat one)? Absolutely. But I thought I'd document here some of the To Do's we've crossed off our list during this pregnancy, and the few things we still have left.

Crossed Off:

• Tour daycares, make decision, put down deposit
• Research baby gear, set up registries
• Name brainstorming, make final decision
• Nursery planning, painting, buying, finishing
• Final dentist/eye doctor/haircut appointments before baby
• Complete maternity leave paperwork
• Buy baby-friendly car, sell old car
• Research and meet with pediatricians, make decision
• Have maternity pictures taken, schedule newborn photographer
• Labor & Childbirth class (even though we only completed 3 out of 5 sessions)
• Hospital tour and pre-register with hospital (we got these crossed off in an unexpected way at 33 weeks)
• Finalize birth plan
• Baby showers, put away gifts, make returns, write Thank You notes
• Wash and put away baby laundry
• Breastfeeding class
• Assemble all baby gear
• Pack hospital bags
• Install car seat
• Buy after-baby lounging clothes, nursing bras and tanks, etc.
• Research birth announcements, gather mailing addresses
• Stock up on: pantry staples, toilet paper, hand soap, laundry detergent, etc.

Still on the list:

• Have car seat inspected
• Finish "nesting" list -- I've already cleaned out all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and drawers, the pantry and the refrigerator, still have to clean out bedroom closet and junk basket (Also, I'm pretty sure that nesting is supposed to be a spontaneous, natural urge that just comes over pregnant women. Me? I made a list.)
• Deep clean house
• Prepare and freeze a few meals to have on hand
• Finish reading baby care and breastfeeding books
• Watch Happiest Baby on the Block DVD
• Wash and vacuum car

So unless Baby Ava decides to go ahead and make her arrival, you know what we'll be doing during this long holiday weekend. 

39 Weeks

I don't have much to say in the way of a 39 week update.

We're still waiting for this baby to make her move. I'm feeling humongous and my feet and ankles are officially swollen. I'm a bundle of both nerves and excitement. I'm thankful we made it this far, yet growing increasingly impatient to see her face and know that she's ok.

You know, the normal stuff. Nothing and everything all at once.

P.S. - I have a few miscellaneous posts in the works to keep me occupied during the wait. So just know that if you see me posting about random things, it means the baby still isn't here and I'm just trying to get them written now or else they'll probably never happen.

Nursery Reveal: Ava's Gray + Pink Nursery

I am so excited to finally show you Ava's nursery!

What is now the nursery was originally Lee's office. Once we cleared everything out, we were left with a standard 4-wall bedroom with 2 windows and builder-beige walls (although the room does have a nice big walk-in closet). Since the room was so normal and humdrum, I knew I wanted to add some sort of architectural interest. We went over lots of options (an accent wall with whitewashed wood planks, beadboard, etc.) but finally settled on board and batten and crown molding.

A few befores/durings:

Lee installed the board and batten and crown molding in a weekend. The board and batten seemed to be pretty easy to install, but it was the 2-3 coats of white paint needed that tried his patience. And crown molding is ALWAYS a nightmare. But it got done and I think it adds so much to the room.

So let's dive right in shall we??

As you know, I decided on gray and baby pink for the color scheme. It was really important to me to get the pinks correct, as they can vary widely. The biggest splurges in the room (besides the furniture) were the bedding and curtains, and that was mostly because Serena & Lily and RH Baby & Child got the pinks *just right* and I wasn't able to find anything anywhere else that was as perfect.

Since the curtains were a splurge, there was no way I could afford 4 panels, so I was determined to get by with 2 instead. The panels are HUGE -- 50 inches wide, and our windows are only 37 inches wide, so I knew one panel could easily cover the whole window when closed. At first I thought I wanted to have a tailor slice the panels down the middle so I'd have two panels for each window, but the thought of cutting into them terrified me. Once they arrived, we tried the side-swept look and I actually liked it even better. They are lined with blackout lining, so hopefully it will be nice and dark to make for some good sleeping!

So blessed with talented friends who made Ava this homemade blanket and quilt. The shadow box on the right is Lee's baby spoons and fork (and baby pic!).

This little chair has been handed down for years in Lee's family. Since his nephew Brett was the last to own it, it was bright red with teddy bear/sports fabric. The crib bedding came in a really nice fabric bag (same fabric as the crib sheet) so I used that to reupholster the seat and Lee painted it gray with leftover wall paint. So this was a nice zero dollar project!

A pretty light fixture was really important to me. This chandelier by Ikea was such a great price that I tasked my aunt who lives in Charlotte to buy it for me and bring it when she came to visit (thanks Lori!). When we took down the old boob light that was in the room, it left a ring on the ceiling, so Lee eventually ended up having to repaint the whole ceiling. He was not happy, but I think it was well worth it!

Of course, no room is ever "finished." Some of the tweaks that might come down the road are:

• A lamp (probably a floor lamp near the glider). This will likely be a necessity for nighttime feedings.
• I'd love to change out the knobs on the dresser, but haven't found the right ones at the right price. I'm thinking clear glass knobs, but since I'll need 6, that rules out the ones that are $10-15 a pop. Home Depot and Lowe's have some reasonable options, but they're plastic instead of glass and therefore feel pretty cheap.
• I thought originally that I wanted an area rug in here, but now I'm thinking maybe it doesn't need it? If I happened to run across the perfect one though...
• I'll probably eventually put something on the blank wall over the dresser. Maybe some shelves or more artwork.

I am so happy with how the room turned out, and hope Ava will love it too!

Source list:

• Gray paint: Porpoise by Behr
• Chandelier: Ikea Kristaller chandelier
• Crib: Pottery Barn Kids Kendall crib in Simply White
• Bedding: Colette collection from Serena & Lily
• Sleep Sheep: Pottery Barn Kids
• Hamper: Pottery Barn Kids
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow print in custom colors: Etsy seller sugarfresh
• Don't Worry print: Etsy seller rawartletterpress
• White frames: Target
• Diaper pail: Ubbi pail in gray
• Ava coat hanger: gift
• Dresser: Bonavita Peyton
• Wire basket: Container Store
• Changing pad cover: Carter's pink dot from Babies 'R' Us
• Glider: Best Chairs Quinn glider (color: Pumice)
• Ottoman: white Moroccan pouf from Overstock.com
• Pink giraffe stroller blanket: Pottery Barn Kids
• Curtains: Restoration Hardware Baby & Child, lined cotton canvas panels in Petal
• Curtain rods and rings: Martha Stewart for Home Depot
• Curtain holdbacks: Bed Bath & Beyond
• Monogram: Medium (14") wooden monogram from Etsy seller charminglittlenest
• Bookcase: Target
• To The Moon frame and monogrammed brush/comb set: gifts
• Pink galvanized pail: Pottery Barn kids
• Closet dividers: Sugarbooger children's closet dividers from Amazon

**UPDATE**

I've received lots of emails and comments regarding the board and batten, so I wanted to provide a little more information.

The room is approximately 11' x 11'. The boards (horizontal pieces) are 1x6's and the battens (vertical pieces) are 1x3's. The battens are approximately 16.5 inches apart. The total height is 59", from the floor to the top of the board, including our original baseboards. We decided to keep the original baseboards, and angled the bottom of the battens slightly so the transition to the baseboard wouldn't be too abrupt. We used a nail gun to nail the pieces in places, caulked the nail holes and sanded them, caulked around the sides of the boards and battens, and then painted everything (including our original beige walls) with white semigloss paint. (Please note: when I say "we," I mean "my husband.")

We referenced several different board and batten blog tutorials to come up with a plan that worked for our room. If you need more information, google "board and batten DIY" and you'll find lots of step-by-step tutorials. Hope this helps!