Renovations Begin Next Door

The Joyners purchased the house next door to use as rental income and have started the home renovations. Some good friends, Joe and V, stopped by to check on the progress and got some Ava-love along the way. Check it out!

Ava Attends Her 1st Cookout

On Sunday, we headed to Sandie's house for a cookout to celebrate the two graduations of her sons, one from high school and the other from college. Sandie is a single mom who raised three incredible sons and is a great role model for moms everywhere. Check out the pictures from the event.

Video of Ava this AM

Too cute not to share...

David and Ava Spend Some QT

See what a good daddy David is...from manicures to bathtime, Daddy has it covered!

Grandee Comes to Visit

My (Elizabeth's) mom, Deedy (AKA Grandee), arrived on the scene Wednesday to spend time with Baby Ava. She's busy helping with bathtime and other activities! Thanks Mom! Check out the pics.

The Joyners come for a visit

The Joyners come to see Ava last couple. Boy, how lucky are we! Check out the photos of our time together.

Ava Gets Lots of Visitors During the Week

Boy, Ava is a popular girl among our friends. Check out her visitors last week!

Ava Visits the Folly Beach Pier with Mom and Grandee

We just returned from the Folly Beach Pier where Grandee, Ava and I enjoyed watching the sunrise. Check out these photos...

Check out this little cutie!

Lots of Visitors for Memorial Day Weekend

The holiday weekend brought many friends and family to Charleston. Check out the pictures of the weekend, as well as new photos taken of Ava throughout her first month.

Carriage Tour Ride

Today, the family took a carriage tour with our out-of-town guests, Melanie, Mike and the boys, as well as Athan and Victoria. Little Ava was an angel and thoroughly enjoyed her first horse carriage ride. Unfortunately, Brayden was feeling under the weather so he was not his usually-chipper self. Tomorrow, the Conboys will visit the beach. Hopefully, we will be able to join them. I'll be sure to post pics of the day.

Much love to you all and happy Memorial Day.

da'joyners

Ava passes the test

Good news, Ava has gained five ounces between her last visit on Thursday and yesterday. This means that the combination of breastfeeding with supplemental formula is working. What a relief. Now she is back to her birthweight of 7lbs. 10ish oz.

Also, yesterday, David's coworker Amy Dabbs come over to meet Ava. Being a recent mom herself, she gave many pointers for the new parents.

Susan and Jack Visit

Susan and Jack came to visit last week, as Susan had a doctor's appointment scheduled with her neurosurgeon. The result was great news! She is recovering so quickly that the doctor said that he would not need to see her again until after the new year. Susan still has a lot of therapy to go, but she is well on her way to a full recovery. I am so proud of my Aunt Susan! What an inspiration!

Check out these pictures of their visit...

I made it...

I am pleased to say that I made it one week on my own with baby Ava. I was certainly worried but it all worked out. It was hard on David getting up for work, after loosing a few hours of sleep throughout the week's nights, but it is now Sunday and he seems recovered and ready to do it all again. I'm not sure if I am just adjusting to a lack of sleep or if things are actually getting easier. I like to believe that it is the later.

This week is a busy week for us, as we have to go back to the doctor's office. Baby Ava lost an ounce last week, which she should have gained up to 6 oz., not lost. I'm sure it has to do with a bad latch and poor milk supply, so we are watching this more carefully. Hopefullyl, our new strategies will prove beneficial. Keep your fingers crossed.

This week and next will prove to be very busy. I think Mom may be coming on Tuesday to see Baby Ava and help prepare the home for the arrival of David's sister, Melanie, and her family. Also, I'm excited to get my haircut this week, as it has been MONTHS since the last cut. Also, the Memminger Spring Program is Wed., so I hope to take BA with me and introduce her to my students and faculty. Thursday, I will meet with Beth to work on the SCMEA newsletter and website, then finally, Friday we have the Conboy's arriving. Whew! It will be exhausting, but good.

Ava Elizabeth arrives April 29, 2009

After a 20 hour, induced labor, Baby J becomes Baby Ava as she entered the world at 7lbs and 11oz and 21 inches long. Check out these pictures and videos.

Aunt Susan's Recovery

For those of you who know, my Aunt Susan had a brain aneurysm in March. Please visit caringbridge.org/visit/susanmcgill to check on her amazing progress. Thank you all for your love and support during this time.

Baby Joyner--Where are Thee?

Hey folks: It has been a long time since I've last posted...since 2007. Lots has changed since then. David and I are expecting a baby, affectionately named "Baby J", until the big day. Our ETA was 04.20 but we are now at 04.22 and still no Baby J. Please check back with us soon as we will upload pictures of the big event as things progress.

Much love,
elizabeth

Back in the Saddle

hi folks. sittin' in the hospice house in a-town with my aunt cindy. david and i drove up this afternoon from chas to spend some time, while we have it, with cindy. her health is failing faster than we all are ready for. she is now claiming pain in her breasts and lungs; it is not too hard to imagine that her colon/liver/spinal cancer could move quickly to other organs and tissues. when i stayed with cindy two weeks ago, a nurse said that she was getting 5 ml/hour, with a 1 ml dose/bollus. now, it appears that the morphine dose is considerably more. cindy is having difficulties with speaking, sitting up and feeding herself. this is a very sad situation.

chris, her son and my cousin, is 11 yo. he starts middle school next year at Lakeside MS in town. he is an incredible child...very bright with lots of energy (and i mean lots). we are all worried about him and how he is dealing with the inevitable loss of his mom. david and chris walked down to the outdoor chapel. i don't know what they spoke of, but i hope chris confided in david. david is a perfect person to talk with...he is so compassionate and is a great listener. please keep cindy, chris and bruce (her husband) in your prayers.

on a much lighter note, i just returned from the National Marine Educators Association Conference in Portland, ME. What a great state! I flew into Bangor, ME and drove down the coast in a Monte Carlo; what a site! i had a presentation with Blondelle and Donald which went well. some highlights of the trip include a lobster bake, working on a lobster boat baiting traps and fetching lobster, a "wicked" game of twister. it was a nice distraction from all of the stuff going on back home with cindy and with the home repairs.

i hope all is well with you folks.

Kickin' off "Da Joyner" Blog

hey folks. david and i are finally joining the 21st century.

the summer's been a roaster but david and i remain busy with family, work and home. as you know, david and i were married last October at The Irvin House vineyard on Wadmalaw Island, SC.

david purchased our home in Charleston a few years ago. it has "lots of potential" Mom says; we agree. each week presents a new set of challenges with this 'fixer-upper'. this week, a pipe busted in our shower, so david has been trouble-shooting to fix the problem. in fact, david is in there with a sauttering equipment and some copper pipes trying to make it possible to take a shower and clean the mounting dish pile in the kitchen. i have faith in david as he always comes through. how many trips to lowe's will this take?

we are definitely getting older, as we tend to start our saturday mornings at 8AM (used to be 11AM) with a cup of coffee and an episode of This Old House.

tomorrow, i am headed up to anderson to spend time with my Aunt Cindy tomorrow. she has stage IV colon/liver cancer and has been placed in the Hospice House. she's all of 44 years old with a husband, Bruce, and a 11 yo son, Christopher. (You probably remember Chris; he was the one in the wedding who couldn't keep still.) he's a love. it is a very sad situation for our family, as this has hit us hard, especially with the loss of my grandmother 1 1/2 months ago.

please let us hear from you.

dajoyners