Ava Noelle

Ava Noelle Ingraldi

Born December 11, 2007
8 pounds, 20 inches long

Beautiful, healthy baby girl!

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it has been 3 weeks since Ava arrived in the world and I have yet to put any pictures up here. The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity with her birth, Christmas celebrations, and lots of wonderful visitors. It is New Year's Eve and I am having a few minutes to myself to get something posted on here. It is a time of reflection as I think about how blessed we have been this past year. We were able to move into a new neighborhood with great schools and shortly after choosing our new house, found out we were pregnant. Pregnancy was different this time around but definitely worth every worry. Ava was born on December 11th and she is just an absolute joy. She is such a good baby and Kaitlin is doing great and is a wonderful big sister. She has adapted so wonderfully and adores her little sissy. We look forward to 2008 and all that it holds and thank God for all the wonderful blessings bestowed upon us in 2007.

It's official!

I am on the books to be induced starting at midnight on December 11th. I am so ready to see my baby girl. Feeling her move inside me these past months has been amazing but I need to see her, hold her, and know she is real. After all we have been through past few years, it is hard to believe we are at the end of a very real miracle. We are all so excited to meet her!

I had a wonderful baby shower this week given by the women I work. They were all so very generous. I am really blessed to work where I do and have such a great work family.

Labor is nearing, or at least I feel like it should be! She dropped this week. Tuesday morning I woke up and could hardly walk. Every step made me either laugh or cry from the pain. I am weird person who like my dad laughs when I am in pain. I was forced by the people I work with to go up to the OB floor and get checked. I am still at 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced, I am hoping to go on my own and avoid induction if at all possible.

Pray for a smooth, safe delivery!

What a Dad!

Saturday morning, we went to gymnastics class as usual. This day was different as it was parent participation day. Her daddy got to go in with her and have fun. They had circle time where they all stretched and then did some fun things, then they were able to do the circuits and show off what they could do. Let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for my husband as a daddy and as a man. Seeing my husband out there with Kati, acting like a turkey and shaking his tail feathers made me love him all the more. It was the cutest thing. To see him put aside all inhibitions and do that was so neat to watch. He just did because that's what he was supposed to do. He is a great daddy.

One more testament to this, Friday night we were playing a rousing game of Candy Land with Kati. She was really struggling with trying win at least one game. She kept getting sent back and was getting a little dismayed. This is my child who it really never bothers her if she loses but since Michael and I had each already won a game, it was getting to her a little. She looked so sad everytime she got sent back near the start and we were nearing candy land. Anyway, my sweet husband picked up on this and found a card that would send him back near the begininning with her. I know we can't always protect our kids from disappointment but in this instance, I fell in love with my husband all over again.

3 1/2 weeks to go...

We are nearing the end of pregnancy! I am so ready to meet our little girl. I found out last week I will be induced at 39 weeks if I have not had her by then. At this point, if I go into labor, it will not be stopped. So she will be born on either December 11th or 12th, depending on what time they start the induction on the 11th. The high risk specialist has released me to my regular OB. Baby is growing at a great pace and is in the 49th percentile. She is 5lbs. 15ozs - with 3 1/2 weeks left to go! I have hit the 30lb. weight gain mark as of this morning. I knew it was coming but I was hoping I could stay in the 20's. Overall, I am proud of myself. I have eaten very healthy and made pretty smart choices throughout the pregnancy. I was doing pretty good until Halloween, and since then there has been way too much candy and chocolate available!


Keep praying for her health and for mine as we are nearing the end. Here's a snapshot we got of her little face today. Isn't she a beauty!

What a weekend!

We had such a busy weekend. I am finally recovered from it, so I now have the energy to post about it ;-). We started Friday night at church for the Fall Festival where we painted a pumpkin, played games, and ate cookies. Saturday, we had gymnastics, where she had another party. We surprised her that afternoon with a trip to the pumpkin patch. Saturday night, Michael and I went on our first date in months and enjoyed some adult conversation. Sunday, we had the opportunity to have my former youth pastor's speak at our church. We then went to lunch and had time to reconnect with them. We got home from lunch and had about 30 minutes before we turned around to leave again, this time costume on and headed out for outdoor trick or treating at a local mall. Whew, that made me tired thinking about all the things we did. It was a fun weekend and worth every smile on Kati's face.

I'm officially HUGE!

33 weeks along, 7 weeks (hopefully like 5 weeks) left! I didn't realize how big I was until I saw this picture. My non-stress tests have been going pretty well. Monday's was a little worrisome but she got her heartrate up finally to where it was supposed to be, it just took her a long time. This is my last week of no doctor's appointments. Right now, I have two non-stress tests (NST) per week and every other week a doctor's appt. Starting next week it will be, Monday - NST, Thursday - doctor appt & NST. This little one is worth all of it and the NST's give me reassurance, I love to hooked up and hear her heartbeat for the 45 minutes it takes. I mostly just can't wait to hold her in my arms.

Kati is getting so excited for her sister to arrive. Hanna, our black lab had to be in the picture too. She is being so attentive to me. Every time I move she is right there with me. If I am resting on the couch or bed, she is right there with me. So it's fitting that she is in this picture too.

Happy Fall!

Kati is so enjoying the Fall. She is asking lots of questions about the change in the season: why do the leaves change colors? When will the leaves grow back? Why is it so dark in the morning? How does the sun rise? Why is the grass wet every morning?

Before long, I'll be explaining photosynthesis and global warming! She is very inquisitive.

Yesterday, at her Sasa's (that's what she calls her great aunt Lisa who so lovingly watches her everyday) she made Halloween decorations. Enjoy the pictures below!

She is wearing her spider as a hat.

Baby Update

I went to the perinatalogist yesterday and learned that she is already a whopper at 4 lbs. 7ozs.! That puts her in the 60th percentile for growth. She has gained 1 lb, 4 ozs in the past 2 1/2 weeks. Everything is still looking pretty good with her. I go back to see him in 4 weeks and if everything stays on course with her growth then I won't have to see him again, just my primary OB.

Here are pictures of her room. It is a work in progress. We have company coming next weekend and they will take up residence in her room, so I don't want to finish it up quite yet to allow room for their things. We are hosting Pastor Kent and Leslie, my former youth pastors in St. Joe, MO. They are now missionaries to the Netherlands and will be speaking at our church Sunday. It will so great to see them again and reconnect.

30 weeks

30 down, 10 to go...

I am getting bigger and bigger, which is to be expected. I have now gained 22 pounds. I am pretty happy with the minimal gain so far. I was so bad when I was pregnant with Kati and was determined not to eat everything in sight this time. I indulge from time to time, like Saturday when I was hunting for chocolate in the kitchen. My husband learned that you don't eat a pregnant woman's chocolate. He went out the next day and brought me back 2 huge chocolate bars, of which I have eaten about 2 inches of one. He is good to me. I have to give him a lot credit. He has been doing a lot of extra things around the house and is doing a great job.

Kati is getting excited about her baby sister. She helped me in the baby's room this past weekend. While I did the drawer liners in the dresser, she played with her baby in the swing and fed her goldfish. She is being a bit ornery, every bit the three year old. She is in a gymnastics class on Saturday mornings and loves it. She loves doing somersaults. I need to get some updated pics of her on here too.

Baby Update

We were in St. Joe this weekend to visit my mom and dad. While we were there, we had a 3D ultrasound done. One of the ultrasound techs at my mom's office was sweet enough to come in on a Sunday and do us this favor.

She is a beautiful little girl! She already weighs in at 3 pounds, 1 ounce. Just 3 weeks ago, she was 1lb. 15 ozs. She is growing quickly! She was fully cooperative and allowed us to get some wonderful pictures. Enjoy!

She gave us a little smile for this picture. So sweet.

3rd Trimester, here I come...

Well, according to my pregnancy books I started my last trimester with week 27. Hard to believe that we are already to this point. I have gained about 18 pounds so far, and I am trying to limit the gain as much as possible by making healthy choices. I must admit that sometimes it is more fun to indulge in chocolate and chili cheese fries.

We painted the baby's room this weekend and are trying to get things in place. I am beginnning to feel more prepared in the physical sense of it all. Mentally, I am having a tougher time. I am doing my best not to think about labor. The first time around I just went with it because I didn't really know what to expect. This time I am anxious about it, so I have to keep reminding myself that only minutes after giving birth to Kaitlin, I told the doctor "that wasn't so bad, I'd do that again." I am ready for her to join us, so I can hold her and know she is okay. Giving the movements and the shaky jello like appearance of the tummy at times, she is obviously getting a lot bigger. She still doesn't have a name but we are working on it.

24 weeks!

Starting my 6th month, hard to believe! This little one is moving all the time and her little movements remind me of what a miracle she is. I can't wait to meet her. We have lots to do to prepare for her arrival and hopefully we will get that started soon. I am hoping that my energy level will increase a bit for me to feel like doing some things. I know that is probably laughable but one can hope. Pregnancy is so much different the second time around for me. I feel so much more exhausted than I remember with Kati but maybe that's because I was able to stop and rest when I felt like it. Now it is the tale of every mom, moving forward even when you don't feel like it. Regardless of what it is, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

For those of you wondering, yes, we are working on names but haven't come to a conclusion yet. My wonderful mother-in-law is dying to know her name but we have so many good ones we can't decide.

I see the perinatolgist next week, and I am praying for another good report on growth.

Say String Cheese!

We had pictures taken this past Saturday at Portrait Innovations. That company is really amazing. They are so children oriented and very professional. They took some great shots of us and captured Kati's personality very well in a few photos. Kati told us on the way there that she would only smile if she could say string cheese, so that's what she said for each and every picture. It was cute and she thought each time was just as funny as the first time. She really enjoyed it. Enjoy the pictures.

Saturday was also Michael and I's 6th wedding Anniversary. We didn't do much, we were just together and that's all that mattered to us. Our lives have changed immensely in 6 years. He compliments me and I am so proud to see the man he has become. He knows me better than probably anyone else and I am proud to call him my husband and the father of my children. His father gave me a great compliment today, saying Michael didn't know how to smile until he met me. That was the sweetest thing I could ever be told.

Past the halfway mark!

Hard to believe that I passed the halfway mark last week. In some ways it seems that it was just last month that we found out and in others it seems like forever ago. I am finally allowing myself to get excited. Her movements are getting stronger and more frequent, which are very reassuring. She is an active little girl and she is making her mommy's tummy grow and grow. It seems very surreal at times. Here I am at 21 weeks

With temperatures soaring, Michael and Kati have been enjoying our pool a lot lately. Her imagination really comes out in the pool, it is so funny. She pretends so much. It seems like in the last week she has hit this creative burst and wants to do art time all the time, and she loves to do preschool work. Her great grandma bought her a preschool book that she absolutely loves. She is excited about becoming a big sister and tells us she is going to change stinky diapers! Hooray!