Simply Sara

We took Ava and Lucas to the pumpkin patch this past week! I asked Matt to snap a picture of us because it reminded me of our trip with Lucas when he was two months old! Three years have flown by!

Wow, what a great day! It's as if the sadness has lifted and the Lord is restoring my joy. Thanks for all of the prayers. Ava is doing great on her new diet of soy formula and my body is very slowly, and rather painfully, realizing that it needs to stop producing milk. We spent most of the day around the house, catching up on laundry and watching Franklin on Noggin. I really like Franklin; he's a pretty cool, laid-back little turtle. Ava and I spent some time exploring Hobby Lobby admiring the home decor. Since we've moved into our new home, I haven't gotten around the decorating it. (I've been a little preoccupied!) It's twice the size of our first house, so that means bigger walls to cover and more accessories to buy. I didn't buy anything today - just window shopped as my mom likes to say. Matt and Lucas carved our pumpkin tonight. Speaking of which, I just reminded Matt to go blow out the candles before it burned down. Ava joined in the fun with her pump...

My mom was here for several days soaking in the joy of her grandbabies. Ava was apparently tickled over something Grandma said. She's such a happy baby. We heard her first laugh Friday night while hanging out with friends. It was quite a chuckle. I think this girl is going to be a little ham. I love the bond I already see forming between Ava and Lucas. He loves her so much and she is constantly watching her. I keep telling Lucas that, in the hopes it will make him behave, but it hasn't worked so far!

I've been avoiding the blog lately. You might have noticed. Even now, I am struggling to capture the right words to explain the recent season of our lives. I'll begin with Ava, my little sweet pea. Since I went dairy free 3-4 weeks ago, we've seen a dramatic improvement in her disposition and diapers. Sadly, I can't say the same about her weight. Each week, we've been at the doctor's office for a weight check and each week the news hasn't been great. An ounce one week, 3 ounces the next, but never enough. We tested her blood, urine and poo for any obscure causes of her slow weight gain. They found white blood cells in her dirty diaper indicating the inflammation from the allergy, but thankfully that has cleared up. (All other tests came back clear.) We really thought that once the allergy was under control, her weight would fall in sync, however it wasn't meant to be. I agonized about the decision to stop breastfeeding, but today our pediatrician took th...

Matt and I just adore Ava's "elf" ears! Aren't they too cute!

A great shot of Ava with her Mimi. Washing dishes in the bathtub turned out to be a great idea! Less mess than the sink and it occupied Lucas for an hour! What a silly little girl! When I'm cooking dinner, I like to put Ava in her carseat so she can watch me. I'm looking forward to countless times cooking together.

It may be 2:00 already and I'm still in my pjs, but I have to say it's been a good day so far! We woke up to rain outside, so with the exception to a mad dash to the mailbox, we haven't ventured out side of the house. Instead, Lucas got to work on his transferring skills by scooping rice, grits, and popcorn kernels into a bowl. Then I got to work on my cleaning skills after he was done. :) Ava is carrying along my love of sleep and slept for 11 hours straight last night! After she finished her breakfast, Lucas and I sang silly songs to her and taught her the moves to the Hokey Pokey! Ava went to her two month check-up yesterday. We are still battling her weight issues (she's 9 pounds 1 ounce) only now we think she has an allergy to cow's milk. So, I'm giving up dairy with the hopes of seeing her put on some weight. Actually, I'm hoping that I can transfer the last of my baby weight to her! Once I realized that dairy is in almost everything, I'm now tryin...