Baby Girl Stewie is now Averie Paige Stewart

First time parents with the first diaper change

Sleeping in the NICU

Averie at 10 weeks
10 weeks and getting her beauty sleep
First trip to California at 9 1/2 weeks

4 Generations of Boulding/Hernandez/Stewart

First time to the beach, Newport Beach CA

Aunt Julie and Frank
Aunt Noelle & Great Aunt Linda
First time in a bar, Great Grandpa Bob's funeral reception at the VFW in Gettysburg South Dakota - 12 weeks

Averie at 5 months

Father's day weekend

Learning to sit in her Bumbo Seat

She is the youngest fan of the Young Dubliners ... Rock On Great Uncle Bob
I can't believe I let this go for so long but a lot has happened in the past 7 months.

For starters... 6 days after my 31st birthday, I got some upper GI discomfort. I had it a previous week but still went to the gym and it went away. I figured Baby Stewie was stretching and pushing again my stomach. This time was different, after 2 days of it and not being able to sleep Ian and I checked into Medical Center of the Rockies. At first they thought I had a blood clot in my lungs and I had to have some radioactive scan. When that came back normal they realized I had come down with a condition called H.E.L.L.P.S. Which meant my liver was not working very well, my red blood cells and platelets were depleting. So I was induced into labor that day. Well 12 hours and only dilating 1.5 centimeters later my doctor decided she could not wait for Baby Stewie to be born. My blood work was getting worse and now I needed to have a C-section and unfortunately I had to be intubated; which means poor Ian had to wait in the hall. 15 minutes later Baby Girl Stewie - Averie Paige Stewart - was born. She was 5 pounds 7 ounces and 17.5 inches long. Then it only got worse for Ian; I am still not sure exactly what happened but she was not progressing well. Hours after the surgery we were transfered to Poudre Valley Hospital. There I stayed admitted for 6 more days and stayed another 8 days with Averie in the NICU. When it was all said and done I would not change a thing. It was very difficult to see your baby on a ventilator and with fluid and other lines all over her. But a couple days later the vent came out and each day we hit another major milestone. She came off the oxygen, blood pressure meds, light therapy and then finally the fluid lines came out of her belly button. I am so thankful for all of the nurses who guided Ian and I on this difficult journey. They were right there with any question we had and helped us with changing diapers, feeding, understanding the monitors she was hooked up to and so on. Also the lactation consultants were located in the NICU so twice a day I visited with them and when we finally brought Averie home breastfeeding was a piece of cake.

Now she is 6 months old TODAY and has come so far. She coos, has her 2 front bottom teeth, can find her feet, smiles and laughs.