Pictures Are Back!

We had pictures taken a short while ago and there are a bunch of them available for viewing HERE.

Enter "ava" (without the quotes) as the passcode to view the pictures.

(If you're thinking about ordering, wait until you hear more from me.)

Enjoy!

Ava Turns 3!

Sunday was Ava's 3rd birthday and it was kind of uneventful. We went to church and Ava went to the 3 year old class for the first time. She really liked it and I am hoping that being around other little girls who are already potty trained will boost her interest. After church we went to lunch where Ava barely ate and then fell asleep on the booth next to her mom. We went home and us three girls took real naps and then we enjoyed the outdoors. Ava got a playhouse for her birthday and she wants to do just about everything in there. We spent the rest of the day watching her play "house" and try to get Sassy to join her.


It is hard to believe that it has been three years since there was only two of us. I can't imagine our lives without Ava or Ellie (maybe Sassy though, just kidding!). Being a parent is the most fun and most responsibility I have ever had. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Two Weeks Old!

On Monday we took Ellie for her two week appointment. She weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces which made me happy because on Easter she had lost 10 ounces from birth. Her length is still the same (22 in.) and the doctor said she looks perfect, which we already knew. Ellie was sleeping in her car seat and when we lifted the blanket back she looked liked this. I thought it was cute so we took a picture.

Doni Finally Speaks Out

After almost a week I am finally ready to share how Ellie's birth was not what I planned. It started Monday night where Ava decided that she did not want to go to bed but would rather cry like crazy and not answer what was making her act like this. After 40 minutes of non-stop crying I suggested that we bring her mattress into our room so she could sleep on the floor. This was a good idea to her and she went right to sleep. So did mom and dad. I unfortunately woke up at around one in the morning to use the bathroom and could not get back to sleep. I started thinking of what was about to happen in a few short hours and I spent the rest of the night becoming more anxious then I already was.

Tuesday morning came and I got ready in record time. Jeremy and I walked Ava next door to our friends house so she could spend the day with her friend Kaden. We were off to the hospital and I was feeling confident that I was 9 cm and I would have a baby by noon. Well, that was what I wanted but God had something else in mind.

After checking in and getting me settled in the delivery room my doctor came in to check how I had progressed and informed me that I was still 6 cm! I was not pleased. She wanted to wait on breaking my water but gave me two doses of p-gel. I got through the first dose with 6 episodes of Season 3 of The Office, but the second dose was not so easy. We started watching a movie and I soon realized I was in need of drugs. The nurse gave me some Nubain and I felt like I had drank my way into la-la land. My doctor then decided it was now time to break my water (12:01 PM). As the drugs started to wear off, I decided it was time for the epidural. About 20 minutes later the lady with the epidural arrived and I sat up to get my magic drug.

When I sat on the edge of the bed Ellie dropped and the contractions became so intense that when I think about it now, I want to throw up. We got as far as the needle in my back but the contractions were so intense and so fast that it was obvious that I was too late. They called my doctor and laid me down on the bed. Ten minutes later, along with 2 pushes, Ellie Jane was born (12:59 pm). They laid her on my chest and she started crying right away. I was so exhausted that I only looked at her a few times and they took her to the de-cheesing table (Refer to Ellie's first posted picture).

While they were cleaning her off I was getting stitches. I had a second degree tear which is better than a fourth degree. I spent about an hour bonding with Ellie and then she went to the nursery to be properly cleaned and get her hearing test. Jeremy and I ordered lunch and ate in the delivery room. Shortly after that I was moved to my regular room where I promptly took a nap. A little later Ellie joined us and then Jeremy went to get Ava. I was feeling pretty good but very tired. The next day I realized I felt like I had been in a car accident. My entire body was tense and sore. I fought through it though and would only take ibuprofen for the pain. A few days later I was back to normal. Because Ellie and I were both in good shape we were discharged the very next day. I would rather be home watching TV then in a hospital.

When I relive this day I physically don't know how I didn't pass out from the pain. It was so intense I remember telling everyone that I couldn't do this. Jeremy was a great coach though and encouraged me all the way. I have already talked with my doctor and when baby number 3 comes we will have the epidural BEFORE she breaks my water. I think this will be better for everyone.

Name Change

You may notice that I've changed the name of this blog to Our Feisty Fisks. Avafisk.com and Elliefisk.com will both still bring you to this blog, but avafisk.blogspot.com will be changed to ourfeistyfisks.blogspot.com.

If this confuses more than clarifies, just type in either of our daughter's names in the address bar, throw a .com on the end and hit enter.

Spoilage

While Doni and Ellie were in the hospital, the nurses took full advantage of spoiling Ava every time she came to visit. The first time I brought her up they gave her a "Big Sister" sticker and her choice of a teddy bear, 3 little teddy bears, or a mother/child rabbit pair.

While one of the nurses was in the room Ava was asking where her "bracelet" was. After all, Doni, I and Ellie all had hospital ID bracelets on. A few minutes later the nurse brought back a bracelet labeled "Big Sister" that was decorated with stickers of butterflies.

Later on a nurse asked Ava if she wanted something to drink. She said, "Yeap!" and followed her down the hall to the refreshment area. She came back with a carton of chocolate milk. This may surprise you, but Ava had never had chocolate milk. We've always stuck with white milk because she's more likely to drink it white if she doesn't know how delicious the chocolate version is. She already had a sippy cup half full of white milk that we had brought from home. I added some chocolate milk to it and gave her the sippy cup. She was a fan. She kept referring to it as her "coffee" (maybe because it was brown?). She also enjoyed some graham crackers that came to be known as "Grandma cookies".

To top it all off, after a shift change Doni's new nurse brought in another stuffed animal for Ava. I told her that Ava had already gotten one, but she said, "Oh, she can have two!"

Ava's probably waiting for us to have another baby so she can go back to the hospital and get spoiled some more. I have to admit I was pretty jealous. The only thing I got out of the whole experience was a baby!

OCD (Obsessive Child Disorder)

Ava is sure to have caused a big jump in our water bill.

Yesterday she had finished eating an Oreo and realized that her hands were dirty. Ava does not like to be dirty. If she even spills water on her shirt, she demands that we "Wash it!" Usually its easier to just give in and change her shirt than to try to reason with her about why that isn't necessary.

She has gotten used to pulling one of our dining room chairs up to the kitchen sink and having me help her wash her hands. I took her to wash them in the bathroom instead. If she fell in there, at least it wouldn't be as far to the ground. I had her push her potty up to the sink (it doubles as a stool, which is good because it hasn't been getting much use otherwise). I asked her to turn on the water and gave her a little guidance when she pointed at the "HOT" knob and said, "This one?" After having her soap up, she rinsed off and we shut off the water. After a quick towel dry and shutting off the light we were done.

She came out into the living room and told Doni that, "I did it!" It was a huge revelation with Little Miss Independence that she doesn't have to have help when washing her hands because she washed her hands another 50 or so times that day.

After one bite of a granola bar... "Dirty!" (off to the bathroom)

Another bite... "Dirty!" and so on and so on.

Three hours later she finished the granola bar.

More Pictures, Less Cheese

Ava checking out her little Sis.


The obligatory "got milk?" shot (I still have to add the milk mustache).

Future symphony conductor Ellie Fisk practicing her craft.

Now that's a cute set of ladies!

Stop messing around and look at the camera!

Fresh Out of the Oven

Ellie Jane Fisk
Born on 4/7/09 at 12:59 pm
7 lbs 15 oz, 22 in long

So that's where parmesan cheese comes from....

Fresh, but not so clean.

Settling in.

Doni looking like a champ!

Hanging In There

I thought I would write a post so people will feel like they are in the know (and we won't be getting so many phone calls). I am still pregnant but I have to be further then 6 cm. I have been having some contractions but they are so mild and sparatic that it is not labor. I spent my first day off (Friday) cleaning the house, the whole house, hoping that something would break but no luck. When Jeremy came home we went to several stores just to walk around and still nothing. We tried again on Saturday and were out for several hours and nothing again. We did buy groceries to last for at least 2 weeks though. Then today Ava and I went to church, me praying that I would not break during the service. We then went to Target to walk around again and I did end up buying some things. So for now it is looking like Tuesday is going to be the big day. We have phone trees in place and are planning on emailing and posting as soon as we can. For now check out Brooks and Jill's Blog for some great pictures of those two adorable girls. Pray for all of us.