Cael and Aveyn

Cael definitely isn't completely sure what to make of the newest addition to the family, but he seems to be adjusting pretty well (for the most part). He likes to help give Aveyn her bottle and her pacifier when she cries (or even when she doesn't). He has moments of jealousy and has taken a couple swipes at her, which I consider to be somewhat normal. He is also getting over the flu and I am sure with the fever, the cough and his whole life being flipped upside down there are bound to be moments of rebellion.

My mom and I put Aveyn into an outfit for the first time (as opposed to a sleeper) and decided to do an impromptu 'photo shoot'. Cael wanted to be a part of the action so I got a couple of just Aveyn and then a couple of the two of them together. I know I am completely biased, but I think they are pretty cute little kids.

Aveyn's first bath

I gave Aveyn her first sponge bath the other day and needless to say she wasn't happy about it. Daddy took a couple of pictures that I thought captured her feelings on the matter perfectly!!

She has had several baths since the first one and I am happy to say that she seems to enjoy them as much as her brother did (does). In fact she almost fell asleep when I was giving her a bath earlier today. There is nothing better than a clean, freshly bathed baby!

Aveyn update - 2 weeks

Aveyn had her two week appointment yesterday (9/24/09) and I wanted to update everyone on her latest stats and overall progress.

Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz (7 lbs 3 oz at birth)

Height: 20.5 inches (21 inches at birth - the nurse said the discrepancy was a result of the nurses at the hospital being in a hurry and therefore not being accurate in their measurement)

Head Circumference: 37.2 cm (34.3 cm at birth)

She is in the 50th percentile for height, 80th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for head circumference. The doctor wanted to know how much Aveyn was eating at every feeding and when we said 2.5-4 oz she was very impressed. It appears that Aveyn has a healthy appetite just like her brother. When we mentioned that she sleeps A LOT, the doctor's advice was to count our blessings as we were one of the lucky ones and that it was completely normal :) I asked if she were going to have colic if we would be seeing signs already and her response was absolutely so I think we are safe from the dreaded 'C' word! There are times when Aveyn sounds like she is having a really hard time breathing and it is very disconcerting. The doctor told us that it was probably related to an immature trachea and that she would outgrow it, but in the mean time we would just have to deal with the sounds. Everything looked great and the doctor even called her 'perfect'!

Family resemblance

When Aveyn was born one of the first things Ryan and I noticed was how much she looked like her brother. It seems that we are not the only people who think so as numerous comments have been made about how much they resemble each other. As time passes it is becoming more and more apparent that they are related and I have to admit I love it. In fact, my doctor walked into the hospital room and after glancing briefly at Aveyn commented about how much she looked like her Daddy. Funny thing: people used to say (and still do) the same thing about Cael!!! When I took Aveyn into daycare the other day, Jennifer (the director) said she looked just like her brother! I am beginning to see a pattern here :) Anyway, enough writing; see for yourselves (in the pictures Cael is on the left and Aveyn is on the right)!

Introducing......

Aveyn Jo Zikas was born on September 9, 2009 at 12:30 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 21 inches long. The surgery went VERY well and all of the doctors and nurses commented on her full head of hair (not to mention how cute she was). Ryan and I both agreed almost immediately that she bears an uncanny resemblance to her big brother.

Work Baby Shower - August 19, 2009

My manager (the blonde in the pink sweater) hosted a baby shower for me at work last week. We all met in the break room at 2:00 for snacks, cake and PRESENTS!!! I am constantly touched by the people in my office; their compassion, enthusiasm and genuine interest in my well being and happiness. They are a great group of people and I am honored to get to work with them each and every day! I will definitely miss them while I am on maternity leave. The food, cake and gifts were all wonderful and I can't wait to put the presents to good use! Some of the gifts included a Johnny Jump Up, blankets, socks, clothes, toys, pacifiers and a rocking horse.

Thank you to everyone for taking time out of their busy days to spend a little time with me and celebrate the impending birth of my daughter!!! It means so much!!

Potty training

When I picked Cael up from daycare on Friday, I was told that he had showed an active interest in the potty. He has moved into Toddler 1, which contains a small bathroom (the other rooms that he has been in have not). They really start to focus on potty training in Toddler 2, but will start sooner if the child shows interest. I am both excited and nervous about the prospect of potty training, but have told myself that I am not going to make it into a big deal. Cael will use the toilet when he is ready. He will not be 15 and still peeing in diapers so I see no reason to get worked up about the whole process (HA - we will see). He has been grabbing his diaper lately and Ryan and I are trying to figure out if that is his way of telling us that he has to go to the bathroom. Saturday afternoon, he was grabbing his diaper and I asked him if he needed to use the toilet and he nodded his head and took off for the bathroom. By the time we got there, I could tell he had already done his business, but I still took off his diaper and dumped the contents into the toilet and then flushed while saying 'bye bye poopie'. For the next 10 minutes, he walked around saying (accompanied by a wave) 'bye bye poopie', which I think is both cute and hilarious. This morning I stopped in the bathroom to check my outfit before I headed to work and Cael walked over to the toilet and started waving saying 'bye bye poopie' again although this time it sounded more like he was saying 'bye bye sh-t'. Laugh out loud funny!!!! Stay tuned for more entertaining stories related to potty training as I am sure they will be more and more frequent as we embark on this journey with Cael!

Flowers and butterflies - nursery decor

As I mentioned in a previous post, Barb and Ed offered to cut flower and butterfly shapes out of wood and to then paint them to match the nursery colors. Barb finished painting them and Nolan and Tim were able to send pictures via their cell phone (thanks guys). Of course I wanted to share because I think they turned out AMAZING!!!!!

Ryan and I love them. Thank you so much Barb and Ed!! They will look wonderful in the nursery and I love that they were made especially for her by her Grandma and Grandpa!

Big shoes to fill

I know every kid loves playing in Mommy or Daddy's shoes, but there is just something about the sight of a toddler walking around in grown up shoes that tugs at my heart strings. So when Cael started showing an interest in our shoes I was quick to grab my camera and capture it all on film (or video as the case may be).