Friday, July 29, 2011

Aubrey: Home for 8 weeks

When I was a little girl I never imagined that I would be so lucky as to have a doll that would demand a new wardrobe every 3 months.  But, lo and behold, here she is!  I have been waiting and waiting for Aubrey's head to get big enough for these adorable headbands.  And the onesie matches!  These are sold by some friends in our ward.  Super cute.  Check out their website.







Monday, July 25, 2011

Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam

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When we brought Aubrey home from the hospital, I think we were all sort of sick of having such a strict routine.  We let Aubrey eat whenever she wanted and sleep whenever she wanted.  And then that sort of backfired when her sleeping got really disorganized.  I was talking to a dear friend about it and she lent me this book.  It is really good and it has helped a lot.  Aubrey is starting to sleep for long stretches at night and she is much happier during the day.  I like this book because it is moderate.  It talks about having a routine, but being flexible.  It teaches that the routine should serve you and your family, not the other way around.  So this book has worked really well for me.  


The List by Melanie Jacobson

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John's mom gave me this book when she came to meet Aubrey.  It is a very fun and quick read.  It's about a Mormon girl who doesn't want to get married until she has completed all the adventures on her list.  But she meets the man of her dreams and has to decide what's most important.  It was definitely an accurate portrayal of the Mormon Singles scene.  It was a very nice distraction while Aubrey was in the hospital.  Thanks, Janis!

Half-Baked by Alexa Stevenson

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So, you know that song "Killing Me Softly?"  The narrator describes going to a concert and the song performed describes exactly what she's feeling.  That is how I felt when I read this book.  

It's a memoir of a mother who goes through IVF, gets pregnant with twins, ends up on bed-rest, loses one twin and takes care of the surviving twin through a long stay in the NICU.  Sound familiar?  It did to me and it was extremely cathartic to read this while I was recovering.  The author has the same gallows sense of humor that I do.  She describes the incredible anxiety that came with that whole journey.  It was just so reassuring to know that other people went through what I was going through and survived and their babies were okay.  I spent several afternoons crying over this book shortly after Aubrey was born.  It helped me to have courage.  

Do we look alike?

Sara:

Aubrey:


I guess Aubrey wasn't as impressed with this dress as I was back in the day.  Or maybe she was mad that she didn't have a super-cure sweater to accessorize...

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Aubrey: Home for 6 weeks

Aubrey has been home for about 6 weeks.  We often get questions about her age.  With preemies there are two things to consider: chronological age and adjusted age. Chronological age is calculated based on actual birth-date.  So Aubrey's chronological age is about four and a half months.  Adjusted age is based on original due date. So Aubrey's adjusted age is about 6 weeks.  Her development will follow her adjusted age for the first two to three years of her life.  After that she will be caught up.

So far, things are going very well.  We do lots of fun things:
Tummy Time

Play Time

Bath Time - She's too big for this tub now!

Sleep Time

Aubrey likes to sit in her bouncy chair.

She likes to sit with Daddy.

She likes to read with Mommy.

She had her first visit from a friend, Michael.
He's a little bit bigger than she is!

She had her first 4th of July.
We went to a friend's house and had a BBQ and watched fireworks.

We all went to church together for the first time.

Aubrey even started smiling at us!

And, the best news of all, Aubrey has slept for 7 hours several times!  We are all doing well, adjusting to a new life.  We've gone out several times and visited with a few of our friends.  Over the weekend we all went to a wedding reception and had our first family picture.