Whirlwind of a Winter Wonderland Week...

It has taken me much longer than I anticipated to get another post on here. After you see how busy we've been this past week, you may understand why!...

Last Friday, we planned to go to the Angus Barn for our annual Kincaid/Gardner/Williams/Ussery dinner. In an attempt to make traveling easier on Ava, and myself, the two of us headed to my parent's house in Raleigh early Friday morning. Matt was then going to ride with his parents and the rest of the gang to the restaurant later that evening and I would meet them there. Ava and I got all dolled up and ready to go when my cell phone rang. It was Matt. Not only did the Angus Barn dinner get cancelled, but it looked as though I was unable to drive back to Greensboro since the weather had gotten so bad. So Ava and I quickly went from this...

To this... Yes, we were sad to be without Matt during Ava's first official snowfall. At the end of the day however, we were just glad that everyone was safe and warm for the night! Plus, it was fun spending the night with Oma and getting to see Opa, Ryan and Kayla too!

After spending Friday night away from home, Ava and I finally made it back to Greensboro on Saturday. We spent the day at Mimi and Poppy's house playing in the snow with cousins, Jack & Finn, Uncle John and Aunt Erin! This was Ava's first time meeting her family from the Low Country!

Ava and Jack spent some quality time together. Jack was being such a sweetheart... He read Ava some stories, sang Christmas carols for her, shared his precious stuffed ducks with her, and taught her how to play the all important, "duck, duck, goose!"

We have had plenty of visitors stop by to meet Little Miss Ava and to bring us dinner! Here is Ava with her cousins, Anna and Owen. They came along with their mom to bring us some yummy food! THANK YOU!

Since we missed our Angus Barn dinner due to the snow, we rescheduled and headed to the Olive Garden. It is such an awesome feeling to be surrounded by family. This year's dinner was extra special for me and Matt since we had Ava to bring along with us.

Just one day shy of being 3 weeks old, Ava's umbilical cord fell off. What does that mean? Well, two things actually... 1) Our daughter no longer looks like she has a raisin stuck in her belly button! 2) She can now have an official bath! This girl LOVED being in the warm water. I think she would have stayed in the tub all day if we had let her. Check out the belly... matches her cheeks! :)

Christmas Day was spent at Matt's uncle Tim and aunt Kathy's house. Here is Ava with her Mimi and Poppy.

Matt and I have been filled with such love and excitement this Christmas by having our beautiful daughter to share it with!

While Matt and I have been blessed with the gift of a beautiful daughter this Christmas, we know that the gift Christ gave us on the cross so many years ago means so much more! We wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Introducing...

I'm sure that many of you have now heard our wonderful news... the birth of our daughter, Ava Louise! Matt and I feel beyond blessed that God has given us this precious little girl as part of our lives.

Ava was born Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 2:30pm. She came into this world weighing 8 lbs, 2 oz and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. Matt and I did not know the gender of the baby during the pregnancy. It was such a neat surprise to find out that we had a daughter, literally seconds after she entered this world! Here is a picture of the three of us shortly after Ava was born:

I have loved seeing Matt with Ava... I have always known that Matt was going to be an amazing dad, and let me just say that 'amazing' is an understatement! Here he is with Ava... (Don't you just love the expression on his face?!) Five minutes into this world and she already has daddy wrapped around her finger!

After being cooped up in a hospital room for a couple of days, I was anxious to get out and do something. So what does a lady do just after having a baby and arriving home do? Go on a walk. Of course. I have to admit, my pain medication was in full effect when I made the decision to go on the walk... I found that out the next morning when the medication wasn't pumping through my veins as well. :) Either way, we enjoyed spending time together as a family in the beautiful weather... especially Fergie!

One of the first things Matt and I noticed about our Ava were here cheeks. Take a look at our cute little chimpunk. I think you'll find the nickname quite fitting.

We have truly enjoyed having Ava home with us. We can't seem to put her down. Ava was so calm when I was pregnant with her, and this remains to be true even now. She never cries... she'll think about it, let out one tiny whimper, and that's about it. All I have to say is, I'll take it! She has been eating great, sleeping from feeding to feeding at night... Not that this is anywhere on our radar, but Ava is already leaving big shoes for Baby #2 to fill! :)

Matt and I can't thank all of you enough for your prayers during this journey! We've been overwhelmed with the amount of love and support we've received from everyone. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our amazing friends and family. You have gone above and beyond to show your love to us and to Ava. Come back soon to see more pictures and updates of this new chapter in our lives!