Avery Elizabeth Cooper is HERE!!!

Avery is finally here!! She was born on August 15, 2008 at 4:08PM. She weighed 7 lbs 6 1/2 oz & was 21" long. She is happy, healthy & her looks are changing day by day. Here are a few pictures we took in the hospital.


First family photo.


7 lbs 6 1/2 oz; 21" long


Just born!! Daddy & Avery


Day #2 Eyes closed & eyes open


Sleeping Princess! First Doctor's Appointment

Baby Shower #3

The sweet people in the Accounting & Administration department at Rapides Hospital threw Ben & I a baby shower on Friday, August 1, 2008. Ben works in Accounting & my mom works in Administration. We had such a good time & Avery got some very nice things. She got some precious booties, a newborn gown & a great gift card to Wal-Mart. I have a feeling we will have lots of visitors in the hospital once Avery decides to grace us with her presence. =) Here are a few pictures from the shower.

The adorable cake!


Ben & I with the cake!


The first cake they bought. They thought the ladybugs looked like mutated cockroaches, so they decided to get another "baby" themed cake. It was a big joke around the office. =)


Newborn nightgown from Jennifer.


Cute little booties Jodie's mom made for Avery. I can't wait until she can wear them.

Work...

Several people have been asking me lately if i'm going back to work. The answer is yes, but not right now. My plan is to take the fall semester off to stay home with Avery (if she ever gets here...haha). I hope to find an open teaching position for the spring semester starting in January, but it all depends on what positions are open & available at that time. I still would love to go back to PreK, but the chances of a PreK position being open in January are very slim. We'll see what happens. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something amazing will come along. In the mean time i'm just trying to relax & take it easy because I know my days are numbers without Avery.

I've made an appointment to get a prenatal massage tomorrow. I'm so excited!! I was reading that this is one way to "naturally" induce labor. The relaxation releases hormones in your body that tells your baby it's time. I also read that eating pineapple & spicy food helps induce. I'm trying anything & everything. I have another doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon. I will update if he tells me anything interesting. As of last Thursday (July 31st) Avery was "head down", but I was "closed". Hopefully she has started her descent & she'll be here soon! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

We're now at T minus 3 1/2 weeks (24 days!!)

Recent Preggy Pics

Casey & Jessica's Wedding
July 26, 2008
35 weeks pregnant.


All the Cooper girls minus Julie.
Lindsay, Mrs. Sally, Jessica & Rachel


Aunt Jess wanted a picture with Avery.

Avery's Nursery

Avery's nursery is finally finished. It turned out really cute with all the ladybug decorations. Here are a few snapshots of her nursery.


Crib with the ladybug canvases Angela painted for Avery.


Glider & nightstand...rocking area.


Changing table/ dresser


Adorable diaper bag I found at Life's Little Treasures


Closet full of clothes, books & toys.

If you want to see the entire album you can go to the following link.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2345424&l=aa291&id=23401590

From Poppy Seed to Pumpkin: How big is your baby?

I found this really neat slide show at Babycenter.com that compares your baby to fruits & vegetables. It's neat to see how much they grow over the weeks. This week Avery is as big as a honeydew melon!! =)

http://www.babycenter.com/slideshow-baby-size

Baby Shower #2 & Luncheon

Baby Shower #2 & a luncheon was held at my Aunt Carolyn's NEW house on Saturday, July 19, 2008. Aunt Carolyn, Cathey, Aunt Frances, Aunt Diane, mom & Addyson were there. We had a delicious lunch (definently Southern Living style), then I opened presents. Avery got a really cute LSU diaper bag, Target gift card, picture frame, teddy bear, towel, washcloth, burp cloth & LOTS OF BOOKS!! I really hope Avery likes books because she already has tons!!

After lunch & presents we got a tour of the new house & visited. It was so nice visiting with everyone. It is not very often that I get to see my mom's best friends! We had a wonderful time & it was very sweet of them to think of me & Avery.