Introducing baby Avery Zella Kropf to the family!

July was the highlight of our year so far, and most likely will remain the most exciting month of 2013 for our family. Sweet, little Avery Zella decided to join our family about a week earlier than expected. 

We decided to keep the middle name trend as one of being a family name. Zella is the name of Kyle's grandmother on his father's side of the family. He was just a little baby when she passed away. Although Kyle didn't get the chance to get to know her, we both have heard from many people that Zella was a wonderful, wonderful woman. We actually can see some of Zella's features in baby Avery sometimes. :)

Melanie's mom planned to come help us on July 8th in preparation for our scheduled C-Section on July 12th. Melanie's parents and brother ended up deciding to come early to spend the 4th of July on The Strip and experience everything here for the holiday. We sure are glad that they chose to come early! Had they not, Melanie's mom would've missed the birth by a day and a half.

On July 6th, we were hosting dinner with some friends at our home. About 15 minutes before our guests were to arrive, Melanie's water broke and we both had no idea what to do, nor what to expect! Let's just say that we realized that when your water breaks, it's nothing like in the movies! It completely threw us off and were left wondering if it had really broke or not. Anyway, she rushed upstairs to make some phone calls for advice while the party began downstairs with everyone. (This was around 6:30pm.) By 8pm, Melanie was trying her best to time her contractions, although she had no idea if she was even timing them correctly. She put on her smile and eventually came downstairs to join the party. 

Melanie's parents were on The Strip when she called to say that her water had broken. Her mom came over to watch Bryce for us once we decided to head to the hospital, which was around 10pm. Call us crazy for waiting so long if you want, but we really  had no idea what was going on!

Once at the hospital, they confirmed her water did break and that she was only at 2cm. We were in a room by 10:30pm and a short 2 hours later, we met Avery Zella for the first time. She came out kicking and screaming, the doctors couldn't believe how strong and angry she was. Our experience in the Operating Room was much more laid back than our C-Section with Bryce. We felt at ease and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the hospital. Melanie was taken care of by some great nurses. Aunt Carol Dawn and Janee were so thoughtful and visited us in the hospital. We loved having the company!

Bryce and Melanie's parents came later on that morning after we had rested. Bryce has been great with Avery and is so gentle. He calls her "Baby Sister." At home, he hardly notices her and carries on doing his own thing. She is a good baby and is growing quickly, just like Bryce did when he was a newborn.

We can't wait for you all to meet her! We're still trying to adjust to juggling 2 children on very little sleep, but we are loving having Avery's sweet presence in our home. We feel so blessed to have healthy children.

A few days after being released from the hospital, my dear friend offered to do a newborn photo shoot for Avery. She is so, so talented and the kindest friend ever. Check out her work here: http://www.myframedphotography.com

Avery did amazingly well and only slightly woke up toward the end of the shoot to have a snack, then dozed right off to sleep again.

We love, love LOVE these precious photos of our baby girl! Thank you so much Brittany!!