Storytime

The other day while I was cooking dinner Rich read some Italian stories to Ava. She really seemed to enjoy listening to her daddy. I know Rich loved reading to her and is excited to teach her Italian. He speaks to her in Italian a lot and it will continue as she grows. I'm just hoping to pick up on some of it while Ava is learning.

GROUNDHOG DAY

Each year Rich and I enjoy celebrating Groundhog Day, Feb. 2nd. We just think it is a weird, yet fun holiday that needs to be enjoyed. Our Groundhog tradition is to watch the hilarious movie, "Groundhog Day", starring Bill Murray. This year we decided to add some excitement to the day by finding a groundhog recipe. We searched the internet and found a lot of interesting recipe. We decided since we can't find groundhog in the store and there aren't any around to hunt, we would do the next best thing and find a ground pork (hog) recipe. The recipe we decided to settle on was Easy Spicy Pork Chili. The ingredients sounded good, so we gave it a shot and were pleasantly surprised. I think this chili recipe will be a new Groundhog Day tradition.

Click here for the recipe on my food blog

Ava spent her first Groundhog Day helping me in the kitchen. Even though, she did not get a taste of the chili, she did enjoy making it with me...When I say "enjoy", I mean she slept the entire time in her Baby Bjorn.

Doctor Appointments

Ava has already been to the doctor two times...don't worry they were both well baby check-ups. The first was in Utah for her 72 hour check-up and the other was on Friday for her 2 week check-up. She did great both times and is continuing to gain weight and grow. It was funny because at the time of birth the nurse measured Ava at 17 inches, but then 5 days later at the doctor she measured 19 inches. Either Ava is a mutant with fast growing skills or the hospital got it a little wrong. Personally, I don't think she is a mutant. She has also amazed us with her weight gain. Ava was born 6lbs. 4oz. She has since been weighed 4 times: hospital-5lb. 15oz.; release day-6lb. 0.8oz.; 72hr check-6lb. 2oz.; 2wk check-6lb. 12oz.

72 HOUR CHECK-UP

2 WEEK CHECK-UP

At Ava's last check-up we discovered she loves mirrors. She hates being cold, so when I undressed her she was angry and let me know it. As soon as Ava rolled toward her side and saw the mirror she stopped crying. We waited for the doctor for about 5 minutes and she kept herself entertained with the mirror the entire time. Immediately following the appointment my mom took us to Babies R Us and bought Ava an Elephant toy mirror.

First Temple Trip

The temple is an important place to both Rich and I. We love the peace and calming effect going to the temple brings to our lives. Before we had Ava we tried to go to the temple once a week to help us stayed focused on the important things in life and to renew the peaceful feeling the temple brings. Now that we are blessed with a beautiful baby girl it will be a little bit harder for us to go to the temple. We will probably take turns going for a while until we feel comfortable with a babysitter.

Since the temple is so important to us we wanted to share that with Ava right from the start. We use to go to the temple a lot on Tuesdays, so this past Tuesday we took Ava to walk around the temple grounds. We love the temple on the inside or out. It is a beautiful and peaceful place. It doesn't matter what time of year it is the grounds are always beautiful and filled with colorful flowers. It was a little chilly, but we had a great time showing Ava the Sacramento Temple.

Ava meets the family

Over the past week Ava has been making the rounds and meeting her extended family. She met both sets of her grandparents the day she arrived home. Ava was also introduced to her great-grandpa Bowling and great-grandma Oliveira. Ava has many aunts, uncles, and cousins, but she was only able to meet the ones close by. She looks forward to the day she will get to meet the rest of the family.

GREAT-GRANDPA

GREAT-GRANDMA

UNCLE DAVE & COUSINS

Dave's kids were sick, so they couldn't get too close to Ava. Kobie really wanted to see Ava, so we drove by their house on our way home and let them peek at her through the car window. They seemed happy and Ava stayed healthy. Aunt Jessica also held Ava, but we didn't take any pictures because we were eating dinner...sorry Jessica.

THE JENSEN FAMILY

Ava also met my brother, Uncle Eric, but he was sick so we stayed far away and didn't get any photos...hopefully next time.

Give the people what they want...More pictures of Ava

1st Shopping Spree

On Saturday we took Ava on her first shopping spree. We needed to get a few things so we headed to Babies R Us with my parents. Ava is a lucky girl because her grandparents are already spoiling her. Nona Carole and Papa Harry picked out several cute outfits and made sure Ava had all the things she needed. Ava slept through most of the shopping spree, but she was sure grateful for all the fun things she got.

WELCOME HOME

On Thursday January 22nd we got the approval to leave Utah, so Friday morning we hopped on a plane and came home. Fortunately we were able to fly first class for just a little bit more, so we had more room and didn't worry about a lot of sick people coughing on Ava. Friday afternoon we touched down in Sacramento and met my parents at baggage claim. After a short drive we welcomed Ava to her home. Ava was greeted by Luca who just wanted to lick her and her other grandparents. Overall, the day was amazing and it was so nice to be home.

Best Birthday Ever--Rich

On January 15th I turned 34. It was not a typical birthday. I only slept for about 2 hours. I was tired and worried almost all day. I had to leave home (on the 14th) on short notice. My wife didn’t have a chance to wrap any of my gifts. I was definitely not the center of everyone’s attention. Despite all this it was my best birthday ever.

As most of you probably know our first child Ava was born January 15th 2009 at 12:25 A.M. Kimberly her birth mom had toxemia and needed to be induced. Lisa and I were given the privilege of being present for her delivery. She called us as soon as she knew she was going to be induced on January 14th. We arrived at the hospital in American Fork UT about 8 hours after she called. That gave us time to meet some of Kim’s friends and family. Kim was so strong she waited for over four hours before she got the epidural. Her delivery went without any complications. I was given the honor of cutting the umbilical cord. Ava’s Apgar score was 8 and then a 9. They were worried that she was struggling some to breathe. She was taken to the nursery quickly and given an IV. That was an intense time. It was around 1 A.M. and we were watching Ava get an IV through the window while worrying about how Kim was doing up stairs. Everyone was healthy and happy in the end.

Lisa and I spent most of the next 24 hours at Kim’s side with Ava. We were able to see the many people who love Kim and Ava. Kim hardly had a minute of her own to relax that day. I was worried about her being overwhelmed with all the visitors and all trauma of the day. It was also Kim’s birthday on the 15th.

I am so grateful for the wonderful day that I had. I experienced many different emotions. The theme of the day was love. I could see the love that Kim has for Ava. I could see the love that Kim’s family has for her and Ava. I could feel the love that we have for Ava and Kim. The Love that I have for Lisa has never been greater.

Thank you Kim. I will never be able to repay you for placing this beautiful daughter of God in our arms. I think the best way to show my appreciation will be to Love her and let her know of the great love that Kim has for her.

Pictures Of Our Beautiful Girl

Life in a hotel with a baby

We are still in Utah and not sure when we will be heading home, but we are hoping by Thursday or Friday. We are all doing well, but Rich and I are missing our bed. Ava can sleep in our arms, (borrowed) bassinet, or car seat with no problem. She is also eating well and enjoying her food much more than us. We are eating microwave food and sandwiches. We definitely can't wait to get home, but it is all worth it to be with our beautiful baby girl.Oh, did I mention it is FREEZING COLD here?...Check out the icicles...BURRRRR!!!We are washing the bottles in the sink and then sterilizing them with boiling water from the microwave...dishwashers are great inventions.This is just Ava's stuff. We have a suitcase and laptop bag of our own. It should be fun trying to carry all this stuff with a baby through the airport...can you say "Curbside baggage check".I forgot how much formula stains and how much babies spit-up. We have been soaking her clothes, burp rags, and bibs in oxy clean to remove the formula. Fortunately our hotel has a washer and dryer which we will be using later tonight.

MEET AVA

BIRTHDAY: JANUARY 15, 2009

TIME: 12:25 AM

WEIGHT: 6 LBS. 4 OZ.

HEIGHT: 17 IN.