New phase

Now 7 weeks old Ava spends more time awake and alert each day. She is still struggling with her reflux and feedings can be very painful for her at times. It is really sad to witness it and not be able to do anything to help her. She is on medication which has helped a lot, the strange (and sometimes scary) noises she made in the first month are almost gone entirely. She is able to lay on her back now for 10 minute stretches which she could not do previously. She's also sleeping more soundly and for longer periods of time, I've even had one three-hour stretch of sleep! I've actually had more than that early in the evening when I've pumped and Aaron has fed her (the only thing keeping from me from completely losing my sanity from lack of sleep). I do feel like we are definitely turning a corner however. The one challenge that remains in the evening is at around 4 am each day she gets extremely uncomfortable and sleeps very fitfully or not at all for several hours until it's time for Evan to get up.

In the last couple of weeks she has been focusing on our faces and in the last week in particular she has been staring very intently at us. She's also started smiling! She first smiled at me on the day that I was alone with both her and Evan for the first time. It could not have made me any happier and each time she has done it since my heart feels like it is going to burst.

The honeymoon phase is definitely over for Evan! I left the room for a minute the other day and returned to find Evan hiding and Ava crying. He proudly told me he had hit her. I felt terrible that I left him alone with her, he had been doing well with her and I let my guard down and I should not have. I am on high alert now and I am diligent about taking her with me everywhere in the house.