And to think, Dave still doesn't see the resemblance! I guess some people just can't see that sort of thing. I completely think he's Daddy's little boy, though maybe with just the barest hint of me every once in a while.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Slow, lazy days, and a beach bum in the making
After Steve, Amy, and Landon left, we spent a slower rest of the week with my Dad and Sharon. One day, we had Grampa and Sharon babysit Evan for the afternoon, with was SO nice. Now you'd think that with a whole afternoon free Dave and I would be out and about living it up on the town, right? Yeah...not so much. We actually took advantage of the babysitting to go to our room and sleep! And boy, was it heavenly, especially since when we woke up Sharon had made a nice lasagna dinner for us and we didn't even have to lift a finger to prepare any of it.
Their last day here, we all trooped over to the hotel pool again for a little swim. This time, we just couldn't resist Evan's persistent requests to go swimming too, so Daddy helped him dip his feet in. He just loved it! Or at least he didn't cry, and he did look pretty content splashing around with Daddy.
Later Evan had a little snack, with the help of Mommy's Hooter Hider (yes, that is a real thing, and such a life saver while nursing in public places - at least for new mommies like me).
Afterwards he kicked back and relaxed, "sunbathing" in the shade with his cool new shades and monkey hat. I could just see him thinking, with that little smirk of his, "Now this is the life!"
Their last day here, we all trooped over to the hotel pool again for a little swim. This time, we just couldn't resist Evan's persistent requests to go swimming too, so Daddy helped him dip his feet in. He just loved it! Or at least he didn't cry, and he did look pretty content splashing around with Daddy.
Later Evan had a little snack, with the help of Mommy's Hooter Hider (yes, that is a real thing, and such a life saver while nursing in public places - at least for new mommies like me).
Afterwards he kicked back and relaxed, "sunbathing" in the shade with his cool new shades and monkey hat. I could just see him thinking, with that little smirk of his, "Now this is the life!"
Visitors from the East and West
The second week of July was a big week for Evan, since he got to meet more of his family. Uncle Steve, Aunt Amy, and cousin Landon came drove to see us from California for an extended weekend, and Grampa and Sharon arrived the next day from Rochester. It was a busy busy time, and very exhausting for Mommy and Daddy (though everything is these days, so that's no big surprise), but so wonderful to have everyone in town to meet Evan. Actually, in retrospect, I think we did a whole lot of nothing most of the time, though we did have an outing each day. It was also fun to look into the future, with Landon waking up bright and early each day, ready to play. Oh, what we have in store for us! Steve and Amy said we'd learn to sleep through the noise of a little one roaming around the house and banging toys together and things...I think it must be self preservation! Already Dave and I are learning to sleep through Evan's little oohs and ahhs when he's off in dreamland, which is definitely helping us get more rest.
We had lots of fun with the family, and spent lots of time at the pool. We also went to Phoenix Children's Museum on Saturday morning, which tons of fun for Landon. They have all kinds of cool exhibits and projects for kids 0-10, and I can see us frequenting it when Evan gets a little older. For now, all he wants is to go where the milk wagon goes, and then he's happy.
My dad got lots of Evan snuggle time in, which was great for both of them. I've never seen that kid sleep so soundly as he did when he laid on Grampa - my dad must be one seriously good pillow. Evan also had fun flying around as SuperEvan with Uncle Steve (sidenote: it's amazing to me how much more physically men play with their kids than women do), and Dave and I ate up all the parent tips that Steve and Amy had to share. If we get a kid as sweet as Landon is, we'll be lucky indeed. Landon was also quite fascinated with Evan; he did his best to show Evan the ropes on how to be a kid, and was a good little helper all around. Of course, it helped that he was fully enamored with Evan's pacifier, seeing as how he's just given his up a few months earlier...he only needed a couple reminders though that pacis are only for babies! Here are some pics from the week:
We had lots of fun with the family, and spent lots of time at the pool. We also went to Phoenix Children's Museum on Saturday morning, which tons of fun for Landon. They have all kinds of cool exhibits and projects for kids 0-10, and I can see us frequenting it when Evan gets a little older. For now, all he wants is to go where the milk wagon goes, and then he's happy.
My dad got lots of Evan snuggle time in, which was great for both of them. I've never seen that kid sleep so soundly as he did when he laid on Grampa - my dad must be one seriously good pillow. Evan also had fun flying around as SuperEvan with Uncle Steve (sidenote: it's amazing to me how much more physically men play with their kids than women do), and Dave and I ate up all the parent tips that Steve and Amy had to share. If we get a kid as sweet as Landon is, we'll be lucky indeed. Landon was also quite fascinated with Evan; he did his best to show Evan the ropes on how to be a kid, and was a good little helper all around. Of course, it helped that he was fully enamored with Evan's pacifier, seeing as how he's just given his up a few months earlier...he only needed a couple reminders though that pacis are only for babies! Here are some pics from the week:
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Tummy time
Ever since my friend Kristen taught us how to do tummy time on the boppy, Evan has been going to town! It's been fun to see how much more head control he's getting as the weeks go by. He's so alert and really into watching what's going on around him, so I think he'll love it when he can actually hold his head up for a long period of time. We're still working on tummy time on the mat, but for now he does love his boppy!
Let's get this potty started
Funny potty story...
So everybody knows what can happen to little boys during diaper changes when you take the diaper off and the cold air hits...right?? Well, the other day when I was changing Evan, I got distracted and forgot to watch for this, and sure 'nough, we had an accident. I was happily holding his legs up to change his diaper when I looked down and he was tinkling right into his eye! Which then turned into peeing all over the changing table, and the wall, as I tried to change his position too quickly. Silly Mommy. I guess I got the angle just right though, since the poor kiddo looked like Popeye, holding one eye tightly shut to keep out the puddle of pee. He had the most confused look on his face! So of course I immediately freaked out and whisked him to the bathroom to wash his face off...neglecting to wait for warm water first...which then led to a screaming fit of outrage at such "rough" treatment. And to think, we were only just starting out the day. Poor little guy...such a rude awakening at such a young age! =)
So everybody knows what can happen to little boys during diaper changes when you take the diaper off and the cold air hits...right?? Well, the other day when I was changing Evan, I got distracted and forgot to watch for this, and sure 'nough, we had an accident. I was happily holding his legs up to change his diaper when I looked down and he was tinkling right into his eye! Which then turned into peeing all over the changing table, and the wall, as I tried to change his position too quickly. Silly Mommy. I guess I got the angle just right though, since the poor kiddo looked like Popeye, holding one eye tightly shut to keep out the puddle of pee. He had the most confused look on his face! So of course I immediately freaked out and whisked him to the bathroom to wash his face off...neglecting to wait for warm water first...which then led to a screaming fit of outrage at such "rough" treatment. And to think, we were only just starting out the day. Poor little guy...such a rude awakening at such a young age! =)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Patriotic Baby
True to his American roots, Evan got all dolled up for the 4th of July, and requested we take yet another photo shoot of his born and bred patriotism. Ever the obliging parents, we took him up on his offer! Here are our favorite shots...
Does England have the equivalent of the 4th of July? If so, we'll have to find a Union Jack outfit for him to commemorate the day. After all, Evan is both a U.S. and an U.K. citizen, so it's only fair!
Two weeks...then three
And faster than we could blink, two weeks came and went. As did three weeks, and before we knew it it was the end of the month and time for my mom to go. Evan was most certainly not in the mood for his two week photo shoot, but did well at three. He was able to get lots of snuggle time in with Gramma before she went, and it was a sad day when she went back home! Luckily she helped us get into sort of a routine with Evan, which was helpful when we were back on our own again. 
More firsts...and a revelation
At only 9 days old, Evan's umbilical cord stump fell off...or more accurately sort of popped off during a more rigorous diaper change from Daddy, but we're going with the theory that it was ready to come off anyway. =) In any case it was nice to be able to give him his first big boy bath in the tub...even if he did christen his bath seat with a large "present" the second his little bum-bum hit the warm water! We found out he absolutely loves bath time though. It calms him right down, and he's always scooching down in his chair to try to get deeper into the water. Very cute.
By the end of the week, my mom was back too, and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands around again! She stayed until the end of June, and during her time here, Evan made it through his second restaurant outing without a hitch (and by now he's an old pro...who has time to cook??), slept for 4+ hours straight for the first time (Oh, Happy Day!), and went to his first huge party. That's where our revelation came...at Kristen and Quinn's going away party, with 60-odd people there, loud music and loud talking, Evan slept like a rock the whole time! The noise didn't faze him at all, and in fact we actually had to wake him up toward the end of the night because everyone wanted to see his baby blues and he just wasn't obliging. So that officially stopped our worrying that life was too loud in the big bad world...he apparently loves it! Later on I heard on a newscast that it's as loud as a vacuum cleaner for babies when they're in the womb, so it's no wonder he felt right at home in the middle of a rocking party!
By the end of the week, my mom was back too, and it was so nice to have an extra set of hands around again! She stayed until the end of June, and during her time here, Evan made it through his second restaurant outing without a hitch (and by now he's an old pro...who has time to cook??), slept for 4+ hours straight for the first time (Oh, Happy Day!), and went to his first huge party. That's where our revelation came...at Kristen and Quinn's going away party, with 60-odd people there, loud music and loud talking, Evan slept like a rock the whole time! The noise didn't faze him at all, and in fact we actually had to wake him up toward the end of the night because everyone wanted to see his baby blues and he just wasn't obliging. So that officially stopped our worrying that life was too loud in the big bad world...he apparently loves it! Later on I heard on a newscast that it's as loud as a vacuum cleaner for babies when they're in the womb, so it's no wonder he felt right at home in the middle of a rocking party!
Happy One-Week Old, Evan!
We also took the opportunity of having our little guy so dressed up to take his one-week old pictures. In retrospect, that first week went by in such a blur, I barely remember this photo shoot, but here he is at one week old! I have my cousing Peg to thank for the idea to pose him with a sign. She did the same thing for her daughter Reegan, and it will be great for scrapbooking someday! We also started posing him with a caterpillar that came from Grandpa Horne...it's hard to believe one day he will dwarf poor said caterpillar, but for now it's holding its own. Doesn't Evan look shocked to be one week old already?
Continuing the story...
At last I have a second to blog again...it's really amazing how fast these days are flying by!
Okay, so where was I? Evan's one week "birthday" was pretty eventful for him. Poor guy had an appointment for his circ do be done in the morning. Daddy couldn't watch, but I did (not sure I would ever watch one again though), and our little guy held in there like a champ.
Later on in the day, Evan went to his first wedding, and actually was the ringbearer! Our good friends Quinn and Kristen wanted to get married before heading off to Japan for two years (sniff!) and they asked Dave and I to be their witnesses. It was a beautiful ceremony, performed at the courthouse by Kristen's uncle, and, always the dapper gentleman, even Evan got to take part by holding their rings on his belly. 
After the ceremony her uncle took us on a tour of his courtroom, where, in his first ever Career Day, Evan got to sit in the judge's chair. Or more accurately, he bucked the trend and actually sat on the judge's desk, but who's splitting hairs? So maybe we have a little lawyer in our future!
Afterwards we all went out to a fancy schmancy dinner, where he pretty much slept the whole time. We called the night a rousing success!
Okay, so where was I? Evan's one week "birthday" was pretty eventful for him. Poor guy had an appointment for his circ do be done in the morning. Daddy couldn't watch, but I did (not sure I would ever watch one again though), and our little guy held in there like a champ.
Later on in the day, Evan went to his first wedding, and actually was the ringbearer! Our good friends Quinn and Kristen wanted to get married before heading off to Japan for two years (sniff!) and they asked Dave and I to be their witnesses. It was a beautiful ceremony, performed at the courthouse by Kristen's uncle, and, always the dapper gentleman, even Evan got to take part by holding their rings on his belly. 
After the ceremony her uncle took us on a tour of his courtroom, where, in his first ever Career Day, Evan got to sit in the judge's chair. Or more accurately, he bucked the trend and actually sat on the judge's desk, but who's splitting hairs? So maybe we have a little lawyer in our future!
Afterwards we all went out to a fancy schmancy dinner, where he pretty much slept the whole time. We called the night a rousing success!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A bunch of firsts
Evan's first weekend home was a bunch of firsts all around. First, my milk finally came in, so Evan got his first go at really breastfeeding (which he liked much better than just the colostrum - he's a hungry hungry boy). And, with my mom's help, we gave Evan his first bath at home. We layed him on a sponge in the sink, and he wailed the whole time! He really didn't have much fun, which I'm sure wasn't helped by three bumbling adults trying to maneuver a tiny baby, wash him, and take videos and pictures at the same time. I had my first outing without Evan, as my mom and I went shopping for little boy outfits for a couple of hours. Evan had his first real poopy diaper (sidenote: I never realized how incredibly proud of or fascinated I would be with my child's BMs, but such is the case...) instead of the lovely tarry meconium. Evan also slept in his crib for the first time. It only lasted about a half an hour, but it was a big accomplishment nevertheless! I also sent around the first installment of Evan pictures for our family and friends to see. He is definitely on track to becoming the most photographed baby ever! We can't stop snapping pictures.
On Sunday, Dave had his first Father's Day. He was so excited (in his own low-key Dave way) to actually be a Daddy on Father's Day this year. Evan and I got him a Daddy diaperbag (essentially a man-bag, but for burp cloths and diapers), a watch, and a onesie that says "The Apple of Daddy's Eye". It's so cute, though super large, so the pictures we took of him in it sort of make him look like a baby linebacker.
My mom also stayed until Sunday afternoon, but then headed to California to see my brother and family, so we were on our own again until the end of the week. We sort of settled into a very loose routine, with not much time for resting up, and started experiencing our first taste of true sleep deprivation!
On Sunday, Dave had his first Father's Day. He was so excited (in his own low-key Dave way) to actually be a Daddy on Father's Day this year. Evan and I got him a Daddy diaperbag (essentially a man-bag, but for burp cloths and diapers), a watch, and a onesie that says "The Apple of Daddy's Eye". It's so cute, though super large, so the pictures we took of him in it sort of make him look like a baby linebacker.My mom also stayed until Sunday afternoon, but then headed to California to see my brother and family, so we were on our own again until the end of the week. We sort of settled into a very loose routine, with not much time for resting up, and started experiencing our first taste of true sleep deprivation!
Time keeps slipping away...
I'm sure any parent knows this already, but I really had no idea exactly how much time it really takes to care for a newborn! It's already been weeks since I first posted here, and now I'm finally getting a chance to get started on catching up, thanks to a magical wonderful invention called a ring sling. As I type, Evan is all snuggled up in it, sleeping away, leaving my two hands marvelously free to type type type away. Oh, happy day.
So, life with Evan is simply wonderful. Tiring, and trying at times, but overall wonderful.
Our first night home was very rough-going, but I suppose that was to be expected. I was technically supposed to stay in the hospital until Friday, but they let us go home early as mom and baby were so healthy. The pediatrician was a little concerned about jaundice, however, as Evan was in the low-intermediate risk range, so she had us follow up with our own pediatrician the next day. What a blessing in disguise that turned out to be! After our first very sleepless night with Evan, we had a ton of questions to ask her! He was 8 lbs. when he left the hospital (and was down to 7 lb. 10 oz. by the next day), had a touch of newborn rash on his cheeks, (making him look all rosy-cheeked and British - very cute), and had already scratched his face all up with his long fingernails. My favorite part was his wrinkly little hands and feet - he looked like such an old man! Sadly, or happily I guess, his wrinkles filled out within a few days of being home.
Dave was very proud to hear that he was the only Daddy our nurse had ever seen who knew how to buckle his baby correctly in the car seat the very first time. That checked, we headed home. I did notice Dave drove a little more conservatively with our new precious cargo on board! Shortly after we got home, we all headed to the airport to surprise Gramma (she thought just Dave would pick her up) when she got off the plane. It was so much fun to be carting around a little two-day old bundle on his first trip to the airport. My mom was so tickled that we brought Evan along. My friend Erica brought us pizza and newspapers from the day Evan was born (for scrapbooking!) that night, which so nice, as we didn't have any energy for much more after our full day.
The next day, Friday, we had our first doctor's appointment, with Dr. Appley, who is absolutely wonderful. Poor Evan got his foot stuck again as they drew blood to check for jaundice. I had my first case of postpartum crazy hormones, as I just about burst into tears when my doctor told me I might not be breastfeeding correctly since I was so sore (in retrospect, pediatricians are apparently no breastfeeding experts! I know of no one who was pain-free so soon). We were really happy to get the news later that Evan's bloodwork came back fine, and there was no need to follow up for jaundice - hooray! Apparently breastfed kids have a much higher risk of jaundice than formula-fed kids, so we just were told to supplement formula for a few feedings. We also scheduled an appointment for the following Wednesday for Evan's circumcision. Later that day, our friends Kristen and Quinn came over for a visit. She is a speech pathologist who works with infants, and was kind enough to teach me how to give Evan tummy time with the boppy and how to feed him with a bottle. Oh, all the things I had to learn! It's amazing how much there is to know about taking care of babies.
So, life with Evan is simply wonderful. Tiring, and trying at times, but overall wonderful.
Our first night home was very rough-going, but I suppose that was to be expected. I was technically supposed to stay in the hospital until Friday, but they let us go home early as mom and baby were so healthy. The pediatrician was a little concerned about jaundice, however, as Evan was in the low-intermediate risk range, so she had us follow up with our own pediatrician the next day. What a blessing in disguise that turned out to be! After our first very sleepless night with Evan, we had a ton of questions to ask her! He was 8 lbs. when he left the hospital (and was down to 7 lb. 10 oz. by the next day), had a touch of newborn rash on his cheeks, (making him look all rosy-cheeked and British - very cute), and had already scratched his face all up with his long fingernails. My favorite part was his wrinkly little hands and feet - he looked like such an old man! Sadly, or happily I guess, his wrinkles filled out within a few days of being home.
Dave was very proud to hear that he was the only Daddy our nurse had ever seen who knew how to buckle his baby correctly in the car seat the very first time. That checked, we headed home. I did notice Dave drove a little more conservatively with our new precious cargo on board! Shortly after we got home, we all headed to the airport to surprise Gramma (she thought just Dave would pick her up) when she got off the plane. It was so much fun to be carting around a little two-day old bundle on his first trip to the airport. My mom was so tickled that we brought Evan along. My friend Erica brought us pizza and newspapers from the day Evan was born (for scrapbooking!) that night, which so nice, as we didn't have any energy for much more after our full day.
The next day, Friday, we had our first doctor's appointment, with Dr. Appley, who is absolutely wonderful. Poor Evan got his foot stuck again as they drew blood to check for jaundice. I had my first case of postpartum crazy hormones, as I just about burst into tears when my doctor told me I might not be breastfeeding correctly since I was so sore (in retrospect, pediatricians are apparently no breastfeeding experts! I know of no one who was pain-free so soon). We were really happy to get the news later that Evan's bloodwork came back fine, and there was no need to follow up for jaundice - hooray! Apparently breastfed kids have a much higher risk of jaundice than formula-fed kids, so we just were told to supplement formula for a few feedings. We also scheduled an appointment for the following Wednesday for Evan's circumcision. Later that day, our friends Kristen and Quinn came over for a visit. She is a speech pathologist who works with infants, and was kind enough to teach me how to give Evan tummy time with the boppy and how to feed him with a bottle. Oh, all the things I had to learn! It's amazing how much there is to know about taking care of babies.
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