Ahh! I have a dilemma. I have continued to pump and store. (building up a freezer stash) I don't give Ava the bottle anymore (if we are going to be out more than 6 hours in a busy place, I do) The problem is my freezer HAS SO MUCH breast milk and I am out of small storage containers. It's on my to do list, I really need to get that done. I feel like such a weirdo. This morning as I watched Justin get ready for his day, I studied him. I just paid attention to minor details. The way he always leaves a little soap on his face after a hot shower. The little drops of milk that hit his face while he eats his cereal, and the way he puts his tanker boots on. I really do love the smell of new, crisp tanker boots. I'm fond of our routine. Even without putting time limits on anything, we have developed our own groove. I love that feeling. Tonight I'm making a dish I have never made before. Chicken cordon bleu with a side of garlic roasted potatoes and a medley of veggies. Justin loves chicken cordon bleu, but I've never wanted to buy anything processed or store bought for him. I'm hoping it turns out delicious! All Recipes has never let me down.

Saturday Mornings

This day of the week will always be my favorite day of the week. We sleep in (I think Miss A has caught on to this ritual) LOL. She continues to sleep in four hour increments. I wake up almost always to the smell of fresh coffee brewing, compliments of my husband. Ava hardly ever wakes up crying, so I gently scoop her up and go about our morning routine; a diaper change and a half of an hour nursing session. Justin threw a pile of laundry in for me this morning, fed the dog, and did a load of dishes. Everything in our house is so calm. We pace the day, well Ava paces the day, but she's got a good flow. Daddy kisses both of his girls good morning and then he sits down with his coffee and watches the NFL network.. On a side note, I don't understand how on earth the man can watch so much football. I mean there's isn't even a season of football going on right now and he still can't get enough. That's my husband though. Everyone in this house has showered for the day except for yours truly. Ava even pee'd on her daddy this morning haha. Ahh man, I just couldn't help but smile. He volunteered to cook brunch this morning. So as I sit here and blog and coo at Ava, he's in the kitchen prepping our food. One thought flashes through my mind as I stare at my family this morning. That word is BLESSED. Even with all the medical difficulties my mother is going through right now, I am still able to smile each day. I know more than anything my mom wants me to be strong my for little girl. That's exactly what I've been doing. I find things throughout my entire day that make my heart smile. Since Ava was born each thing I find pertains to something that involves her. Like here lately, Justin and I read up on ways to help Ava's brain development. One of those ways is talking to her. I encourage my husband to talk to his daughter often. This week, they were holding a full blown conversation. He was literally telling his daughter about his work day. About the tanks he was working on and how frustrated he was with them. I literally laughed out loud. It was the cutest thing. She's picked up a couple more nicknames from mom and dad in her short five weeks of life. Justin calls Ava his "pretty girl" Ava is my "sprout" my "jelly bean" my "gummy bear" Things are going smoothly in our household lately. Reintegration is still underway, and I can't wait to post my one month reintegration experience here in just three days. I will say, we have indeed found our normal. Each day with Justin offers something new and it's exciting to see his fatherly instincts increase with Ava more and more. As expected, I had my good friend and photographer take pictures of my family on father's day this past weekend. (victoriasimmonsphotography) I wanted to share some of those raw, precious, images with my readers!