Welcoming Baby Ava to our Family

ByElizabeth Lampman
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Baby Ava

After 9 long months we finally welcomed our new baby, Ava,  to our family on Tuesday the 17th of December! 

I got to experience a full term pregnancy this time around, and can attest to the fact that those last three months I missed with Keira are the longest months of pregnancy.  Swollen feet, aches and pains, lots of trips to the bathroom and much more but it was all worth it.  No matter how much I may have complained.

I had reached the point where I was desperate for her to arrive and more than a little nervous that I would go over due and have her Christmas day. Worse, I feared I would need to be induced and it would be scheduled for New Years Eve!

Thankfully the morning before my due date I was woken up by a rather strong contraction and off we went to the hospital.  6 hours later I delivered her without complications with my husband and sister present.  She weighed in at 7 lbs and 4 oz, more than twice the birth weight of her older sister. 

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It was amazing to experience the full birth experience this time, including being able to snuggle with my newborn and being able to nurse her as soon as she was all cleaned up.  Having her with me in my hospital room was a dream come true but having her come home with me and not having to leave her behind was unbelievable. 

I can’t believe just how much she looks like Keira either.  I mean, obviously I knew they would be similar, but everything about her reminds me of Keira around the time she reached term.  Same chubby cheeks, rosebud lips, a baby version of daddy’s nose, long lashes and straight, soft black hair.  Same expressions, little noises and squeaks and even the same cry.  I can’t wait to see if the similarities continue as she gets older.

We are all adjusting to having a new member, and of course Keira has the most adjustment to make.  I will be writing about her adjustment sometime next week, and I’d love to hear from everyone how their own toddler adjusted to a new baby when I do!

This was the best early Christmas gift our family could have received and I am so thankful for both Keira and Ava!  They make me feel truly blessed.

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!

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36 Comments

  2. Welcome baby Ava! She is beautiful! What a great Christmas present! Enjoy your new addition to the family.

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  4. Congratulations! What a beautiful early Christmas gift. I am sure Keira just adores her! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  5. Congratulations on your beautiful new baby girl! My daughter had just turned 2 when her baby brother came home from the hospital and she adjusted just great, she liked to feel that she was a help to Mom, so she would help me pick out his clothes, pass me diapers and wipes when we were changing him etc. Enjoy Christmas with your family!

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  6. Congratulations once again on your beautiful new bundle of joy! You are correct those last 3 months seem to drag on forever, but once they finally arrive it is well worth the wait and all the extra swelling, bathroom visits and with me it was a lot of massive heartburn as well. You are so lucky to not have to be induced! I was induced with my son when he went 3 weeks (yes you read that right!) past his due date!

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  7. what a cutie! I know the fear of Christmas/new years babies. We just celebrated my sons 3rd bday on the 17th. I remember being so nervous about having him over Christmas and being stuck in the hospital while daddy and big sis were at home. Congrats to you and your family. can’t wait to hear how you’re all adjusting

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  8. She is gorgeous! (and normally newborns are not really so cute – just being honest here). My daughters looked IDENTICAL when born but now they look very different, 10 months later. It will be so fun to see her grow and change!

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  11. Congratulations on Ava, Elizabeth! You have two beautiful girls, and I’m glad she is healthy and all went off without a hitch.

    My 5 kids were born about a year apart, so I never had to deal with jealousy (when they were younger). However, it was a balancing act to continue our usual daily activities while the infant needed around the clock attention. However, he was happy to be asked to bring over a diaper for his sister or a toy, and be involved with her.

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  13. Congratulations on a beautiful daughter and to Keira for having become a Big Sister. May you all celebrate a wonderful Christmas together.

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  14. Congrats! What beautiful eyes she has. So glad that all went well,you are truly blessed. Enjoy your new little sweetheart!

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  15. Aweee welcome to the world beautiful little Ava! Congratulations Elizabeth on your beautiful bundle of joy. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas :)x

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  16. Congratulations! So glad you had a positive experience! Ava is surely a beauty and is going to leave a trail of broken hearts behind her! Two beautiful sisters, you are blessed with a wonderful family! What a great Christmas present! Don’t forget to relax all you can, for as long as you can. (Yeah, I know). God bless your whole family and (((HUGS))) to all! <3

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  17. Words do not express how happy I am for you <3 <3 Your girls will be find, just always make sure to ask Ava if she wants to help.. even handing you a diaper or a wipe makes them feel soo important. I never really had issues with my children adjusting to each other,

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  25. She’s just so beautiful, congrats. I had an early Christmas present 23 years ago when my daughter was born on the 14th of December. Ava is a beautiful addition to your family.

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  26. Ava really is beautiful, and she looks so alert!

    My oldest was 2.5 when Keira was born, and for the most part Teagan just wanted to love on her. I was more concerned about her being too enthusiastic than anything else. I had to keep reminding Teagan that Keira was just a baby and couldn’t play tag yet. I tried to reinforce the big sister relationship all the time, and give her things to do to help the baby like bring me a diaper or pick out a toy to hand down to baby. At the same time, she loved it when I would tell her that Keira was too little to do something (eat ice cream or colour with markers, etc.), and it was only for big kids like her. Keira’s 16 months now and we haven’t had to deal with any jealousies yet.

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