Daddy's Little Saver

Evy got some money for Christmas so we decided to start a savings account for her. Scott is fiscally responsible and quite savvy at investing and finding ways to make our money work for us. He is excited to teach Evy how to manage money. I, on the other hand, plan to use the current economic crisis as a tool to teach Evy that investing in shoes and handbags is really the smarter choice. If I had bought shoes and handbags for the past 5 years instead of investing I would at least have something to show for it. See, mommy always knows best!

Popular

Miss Evy was the most popular guest at all of our Christmas gatherings. How, could she not be when she's such a little deer (see antlers above).


Lindsay and Anthony enjoying time with Evy.


Uncle Kraig gives Evy her most favorite gift....food!


Here, Evy gets her very first Christmas present. Doesn't she look excited?


"All this cheer is wearing me out."

Uncle Dave helping Evy open her present.

"Whew! Opening presents is a lot of work."

Evy's Big Adventure

On Thursday morning we headed to Chicago for a family adventure. The goal was to introduce Evy to some of our friends who live in Chicago and then head out to the 'Burbs to meet our new nephew/cousin Jacob. It was a weekend of firsts for Evy; first hotel stay, first meeting with Santa Claus, and first melt down in a hotel shuttle. Thursday night we had dinner with our friends Matt and Melissa who are expecting their first child in February. Friday morning Evy had her picture taken with Santa at Macy's and then we had lunch with our friends Zac and Elise. Then, it was off to the 'Burbs by 2:00 so we could beat rush hour traffic. We visted cousin Jacob and stayed overnight with Aunt Morgan and Uncle Caleb before heading home Saturday morning. I'm wishing I would have remembered to take more photos of the adventure, but we kind of had our hands full.

Piece of Junk!

This First Years bottle warmer about got thrown out the window on I-88 in route to Chicago on Thursday. The box says it will heat a bottle in 5 minutes when plugged in. What a mean joke to play on new parents. Screaming child, 75 MPH, frantic parents. Thankfully the DeKalb Oasis and hot water were minutes away.

This piece of junk didn't come anywhere near getting warm even after I left it plugged in for 45 minutes. Can anyone recommend a car warmer that actually works?

Gotcha!

Evy had a regularly scheduled doctor's appointment today. Our scheduling must have been a little messed up because we had an appointment on the books for 2 weeks from now which I assumed was her "shot" appointment. NOPE---today was her shot appointment. I wasn't prepared for that. The poor little pumpkin screamed like crazy. Good thing Scott's out of town. If he would have witnessed the shots he probably would have offered to buy her a pony on the spot and our backyard is just a couple of acres shy of being able to handle a horse.

As I anticipated the "hunger strike" issue was answered with "oh, infants go through stages" and I wasn't given any solution. They checked to see if she had an ear infection or cold symptoms but everything looks good. Thankfully Evy started eating more regularly last night so I'm hoping it was just a phase that will not come back!

Hunger Strike?

Ok, parents I need your advice. Evelyn was on a very regular feeding schedule nursing every three hours for a total of 20 minutes. You could almost set your watch by her regularity. On Thursday she started refusing some of her feedings and when she does eat she will only eat for 5 minutes and ends up crying, hard, when I offer her more. She will be fully latched on and start crying hard. If I take her off and talk to her she is in an excellent mood. She will be 7 weeks old on Tuesday. I would look for her to start reducing her eating time soon, but not this drastic of a reduction. She will eat for 5 minutes and may not be interested in eating for another 3 hours and then only eats another 5 minutes. She has a doctors appointment tomorrow morning. This is stressing me out! A friend suggested that she might have acid reflux and it sounds reasonable.

My Friend Veda

My friend Kathy and her daughter Veda who are in town from California came to meet Evelyn today. Aren't they cute? Look at Veda's fancy dress and boots. I guess we should expect that from an L.A. baby. Such a trendsetter.

Veda is 4 months old & Evy's 6 weeks.

It's a Boy!

My brother and sister-in-law welcomed Jacob Hudson this morning. He was born 6 weeks early so we had all hoped that he would come after Christmas, but we are thrilled with the early gift. To check out pictures visit my sister-in-law's blog.

Tennessee Tophat

Tennessee Tophat, Wisconsin Waterfall, Ape Drape, Mississippi Mudflap. It's business in the front and party in the back. Regardless of what you call it there is no denying that my child has a mullet.

Hey, at least she'll fit in at the State Fair and Adventureland.

6-Week Update

Evelyn is 6 weeks old today. Here is her report card:

Cuteness: A+

Daytime Naping: D

Night Time Sleeping: B

Weight Gain: A

Sucker!

Can anyone spare some change? This new parent was sucked into the money trap called "Flash Portraits." We had Evy's pictures taken last week and I'm heading to the mall soon to pick up the ridiculous quantity of pictures that we got sucked into buying. There went the Christmas budget! But, how can you not buy them all when she is just so darn cute?!?

Ear Muffs!

While I'm nursing Evy I often turn on the radio and sign along to the songs to keep us both entertained (ok, maybe Evy is not really entertained by this). Now that I'm singing these songs to a baby I realize how inappropriate they are and I'm guessing that my days of listening to pop music are limited. Otherwise, I'm going to have some serious explaining to do to a curious child. My eye Doctor told me he switched to listening to Christian radio after his daughter asked what 50 Cent meant by "I'll take you to the candy shop. I'll let you lick the lollipop." YIKES!

Smile You're on Camera

Evy has started to smile every once in awhile. She mostly likes to smile at her dad when he talks to her.

Grandmas

We are at my parents today so I have time to get caught up with my blog. Here are pictures of Evy with both of her grandmas. Her grandpas love to hold her too, I just don't have any recent photos of them in action.

Baby Shower

Evy is spoiled. We were treated to our 3rd baby shower today, hosted by my mom's friends in my home town. Evy got lots of great books, outfits and toys. Thank you Cathy and Tammy for hosting!

We've Been Robbed!

It happened sometime on Thursday. Evy's hair has gone missing! While no one has been charged with a crime Grandma and Grandpa C. are the primary suspects as they watched Evy for a few hours on Thursday. A motive has not yet been identified although initial reports suggest that Grandpa C. wanted someone else in the family to have the same hairline as him. I submit into evidence the photos above. The one where Evy is wearing pink was taken Wednesday night. The others show that the top portion of her hair is gone, although the hair on the back and sides of her head remains. If anyone has any information regarding this case please call us immediately.

In all seriousness, this is apparently normal. Although, mom and dad are having to adjust to the receding hair line look.

What's New?

Scott has been out of town all week for work so Grandma Joan is in town lending a hand. I've been spoiled just as much as Evy by having a 2nd set of hands. It will back to reality for both of us next week when we're on our own again. Currently, dishes are washed, laundry is done and the house is in some sort of order. That will all go to pieces once Grandma leaves!

Splish Splash I was Taking a Bath

Evy's umbilical cord fell off on Thursday which means she can take a full blown bath now. Here are a couple of pictures from her first big girl bath. We were shocked that she didn't cry and she seemed to love it! Thanks for the bathtub Jane!

Simple Pleasures

In the last couple of days I have been able to enjoy some of the simple not being pregnant pleasures in life. Oh, welcome back my little friends!

Top 8 Pleasures (I couldn't think of 10):

8: Nitrates: I had bacon and a hot dog yesterday now that I'm not worried about overdosing on nitrates.

7: Sushi: Scott and I were eating sushi about twice a month before I got pregnant. We picked some up Friday night. Yum!

6: No Heartburn: Gone the second I delivered. No longer chained to a bottle of Tums!

5: Wine: I actually had to rinse out my wine glasses before we enjoyed a glass the other night. They had gathered some dust in the last 9 months.

4: Sleeping on my back: When I'm able to sleep I enjoy being able to sleep on my back for the first time in 4 months.

3: Clothes: I missed my clothes. You will not see me wearing anything with an empire waist, floral pattern or ties in the back!

2: Shoes: I wore flip flops for the majority of my pregnancy because my feet were swollen. I have a sizeable shoe collection and have enjoyed being able to wear real shoes for the first time in months.

1: Wedding Rings: My wedding rings didn't fit for the last 2 months of my pregnancy. Just this week they fit again!

Where's the Owner's Manual?

Evy's crib, carseat, and monitors all came with owner's manuals. Even the bottle drying rack came with a manual (are you kidding??). But the most complex item of them all...Evy herself...didn't come with a manual. If she would have I would have immediately flipped to the troubleshooting section. Instead, its been 17 days of figure it out yourself. The good news...we are figuring it out. When she wakes, feed her immediately. Don't even think about putting her flat on her back to sleep. And, when crying for no apparent reason...go for the pacifier. Good thing the drying rack didn't take 17 days to figure out.

Dr. Visit

I think the layout of this post is going to be kind of funky with the photos but I don't have time to mess with it. You get the idea. Evy had her 2 week check up this morning. We all made it out of the house on time. Everyone was dressed and mostly pulled together...I didn't have time to brush my teeth so I grabbed a piece of gum as I was running out the door....glamorous, I know. We're happy to report that Evy is doing great. She is up to 7 lbs 14 oz which is a 6 ounce gain since birth. That is reassuring given the feeding challenges we've been having. She is in the 70th percentile for height and 30th percentile for weight. Her head measures in at the 75th percentile. As of today I am still nursing. It's a day by day challenge for me but I have hope that it will soon get better.

Help!

Ok, parents. Let's have your best advice. Here's what's going on:

Evy falls asleep in our arms. We put her down in her crib. Within 5 minutes of being put down she is screaming bloody murder (she's fed and has a clean diaper). We let her cry it out for 20 minutes but at the end of 20 minutes she is still going strong. So, we go comfort her and she calms down immediately. But, when we leave the room the process starts all over again. It goes on like this for 2 hours before it's time for her to eat again. Last night after battling her from midnight to 4 a.m. I actually slept with her in my arms in a chair because she would scream the second I put her down and I was too exhausted to deal with it any longer.

Any suggestions on how to end this nightmare? This doesn't seem normal.

The Perfect Storm

Sorry folks, no time to post pictures. In fact, I don't think I've taken a picture of Evy in days. We've hit a rough patch, the perfect storm if you will which has left mom and dad struggling just to get through the days. Here's the summary:

Growth Spurt: Evy is going through a growth spurt which means she wants to eat about every 1.5 hours.

Technical difficulties: Right now I am only able to feed off of one side which makes keeping up with the 1.5 hour schedule quite challenging.

Fungal Intruder: Evy has a yeast infection in her mouth which means mom has a yeast infection on her parts that go in Evy's mouth. Too much information?? Sorry, this blog is about being honest. We're both on prescription drugs and everything (pacifier, bottles, breast pump parts, etc) has to be boiled regularly.

Ah, Freak Out: Our precious child has started screaming quite often. Even when fed and dry Miss Evy likes to show us how powerful her lungs are.

No Rest for the Weary: Evy has decided she doesn't like sleeping. We can get her to fall asleep and then the second we set her down in her crib she starts screaming. Last night I slept from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. holding her in a chair. It's the only way I could get her to stay asleep.

I am sure that our love for Evy will get us through this rough patch. That, or a fifth of tequila.

Best Thing Since Sliced Bread?

This is my first "kid tested, mother approved" product endorsement. We received the Swaddle Me (Kiddopotamus brand) as a gift from Nancy whose daughter Robyn recommended it. Evy loves it, which means mom and dad also love it. Evy sleeps in her swaddle me every night and it does an awesome job of calming her down.

I had to post a picture of Evy in her crib. She is so small and wrapped up in her Swaddle Me she looks like a little bean. This cuteness helps mom better accept the 3 a.m. feeding.

Groundhog Day

I feel like Bill Murray's character in Groundhog Day. Each day I wake up and repeat the same set of tasks. But, Bill at least got 24 hours to repeat each day and I'm pretty sure he got 8 consecutive hours of sleep each night before he awoke to "I got you babe" on his clock radio. At our house we're on a 3 hour cycle of feed, wake, sleep....Repeat...Repeat...Repeat...you get the idea.

Four Generations

Here's Evy with her great-grandma Maxine and grandma Joan. Oh, and her mom too...but you already knew that.

I'm Coming Home

Here's a picture of Evy getting ready to come home from the hospital on Thursday. When we put her in her seat her eyes got huge and she had a "what in the heck are you doing to me" look on her face for a good 15 minutes. It was pretty funny. She kept that freaked out look for most of the car ride home.

Happy Halloween

Tear Jerker

Get your Kleenex handy. Evelyn is named after Scott's grandmother who passed away 3 years ago. The original Evelyn was a wonderful knitter and knitted lots of baby clothes which she donated to many causes. Many of her older great-grandchildren are lucky enough to have blankets knitted by Evelyn. When Scott's sister Julie visited us today she gave us a lovely sweater that has an even more lovely history: When in high-school, Julie asked her grandmother Evelyn to knit her a sweater for her future daughter. Julie saved the sweater, but never had a daughter to give the sweater to. Today, she gave that sweater to her niece, Evelyn. How's that for Karma? Pictured above I'm holding Evelyn and Julie is holding the sweater.