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4th month

Better late than never…

Our spirited little Evelyn is getting so big. Weighing in at a little over 12 pounds at her 4 month visit, the pediatrician described her as “petite, lean and long.”  Long?!  Let’s hope you don’t take after your uncle Matt.

Likes..

Sitting up. You can’t do it on your own yet, but with a little support you love sitting up like a big girl. Won’t be long until we’ve got you in the Bumbo!

“Happy and You Know It” song. Your Nana discovered your love for this song, so now whenever we sing it, you giggle and squeal.

Mirrors. You love looking at yourself and mommy in the mirror. Almost always a smile….

Contrast. Big contrasts in color catch your attention, especially now that you are seeing so much better.

Sucking. Those fingers fine your mouth pretty easily these days. Your doctor doesn’t see teeth yet, but we think you’re in the early stages of teething.

Dislikes…

Pacifiers. We try to put one in your mouth every now and then when you’re fussy, but you stick your tongue out in disgust. Maybe some day…

New places and faces. Unfamiliar settings and people make you a little uneasy in the evening hours. But during the day you’re doing great exploring your new surroundings.

Other things…

You started getting dry skin on your legs, which quickly turned into a red, patchy rash all over your little body. Turns out you have exzema. It was pretty bad for a few days, but Cetaphil and Candula oil works wonders.

You found your toes. You are holding your feet every chance you get, even getting them to your mouth on occasion.

You now know that you have hands that can reach and grab and touch. You are getting to be a pro at quickly putting things in your mouth.

You are laughing….and you laugh so hard. Sometimes it sounds painful.

 

3rd Month

3 months, what?! In some ways it doesn’t seem possible that she can already be that old, and in other ways it seems like she’s been with us forever. This month we really saw Evelyn’s little personality start to shine! She’s becoming very aware of her surroundings, and seems to be growing and learning all the time.

Evelyn’s likes…

Smiling. Your smile is so precious. Sometimes I catch you laughing for no reason.

Hands. Still love chewing on those hands. You try to stick both in your mouth at the same time.

Tummy time and mirror. You enjoy being on your tummy more and more as you gain better head and neck control. You often chat with yourself in the mirror.

Watching mommy do things around the house (fold clothes, clean, cook).

Talking with daddy when he gets home from work.

Singing. Even though your mommy and daddy are horrible singers, you still seem to enjoy it.

Changing table. You seriously have more to say when you are lying naked on your changing table than anywhere else.

Dislikes…

Sleeping.Your GG (Daddy’s Grandma Jacque) always says a lack of sleep never killed anyone. Maybe not, but I’m pretty sure I’ve felt like dying some mornings after you wake me up every hour to eat, snuggle and hang out. Some nights are better than others and you are becoming a much better day napper which I really appreciate.

Getting dressed. You hate having a onsie pulled over your head or having your arms pulled through a shirt. If you are already grumpy then I often avoid these types of outfits in order to keep your fussiness at bay.

When we don’t pay attention to you. You get frustrated if we walk into the other room or leave you alone for too long.

Other things…

You’ve finally retired your newborn clothes and fit pretty well in your 3 month clothes!

You are drooling a ton. We wonder if you’ll get your teeth early.

You can occasionally roll over from stomach to back and almost roll over from back to stomach.

You cough at me when you are hungry. It’s hilarious.

It amazes me how quickly Evie changes from week to week and even day to day! She’s constantly growing, learning and discovering something new.

2nd Month

The second month…

OK I’m a little behind on getting this posted. I say this as I sit on the floor next to Evie in her bouncer, one hand on my laptop and the other entertaining my daughter with a rattle.  To say I havent had a lot of time to do “me” things would be an understatement.

I wouldn’t say that the second month has been easier, but I can certaintly tell Ryan and I are becoming more comfortable as we learn more and more about Evelyn’s personality, temperament and schedule. We’ve also gotten better at reading Evelyn’s wants and needs (understanding her hungry cry, knowing when she’s tired, learning what makes her smile, etc). All of these little cues have helped us transition into a more “normal” life with Evelyn instead of the chaos/constant guessing we experienced those first few weeks of her life.

During the second month we established a routine as we noticed more daily consistencies with Evelyn. She wakes up any time between 5-7 am. She eats and then we head downstairs where she sits in her bouncer quite content for an hour or so. I grab some coffee, then we do another feed which usually puts her back to sleep for a long morning nap (typically 3 hours!) which is much appreciated for this mamma who needs some alone time to eat, clean, work and nap.

We play the rest of the day, alternating between the bouncer, tummy time and the play mat. She craves attention, so I can’t leave her alone for too long, but all in all, she’s a terrific baby during the day.

For most of the second month, when evening would roll around (usually right at the time Ryan would be arriving home) my happy baby girl would turn into a feisty little thing. Our pediatrician suspects she is colicky (lucky us) and that it will pass in the next month or so. As soon as Ryan would walk in the door I would pass her off so I could regain my sanity, start dinner, clean up the mess I made during the day and so forth. She would then proceed to fuss for the rest of the evening.

Nine times out of 10 the only thing that will calm Evelyn down is nursing. Generally it seems like she just wants to nurse, nurse nurse during the evening which can be so exhausting on my end. Since she won’t take the paci it seems like she wants to nurse for both hunger and comfort. I usually want to spend time with Ryan and do a few things around the house. but instead Im  stuck on the couch feeding an irritable baby.  Ryan will often put her in the Ergo and wear her to calm her down so that I can jump in the shower and have a few moments to myself.

Getting Evelyn to fall asleep for the night isn’t the easiest of tasks either. We head upstairs to our bedroom usually around 9. Ryan does a diaper change and swaddles her. She’s usually fussing at this point. I nurse her to sleep, and this can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours!

We’ve been co-sleeping because she will not sleep anywhere but our bed at night, and she especially hates her bassinet. I know this is frowned upon by many, but I need my sleep as does Ryan. Plus, research shows that co-sleeping is perfectly safe and even healthy. I’m enjoying her snuggles and it works for us for now since we all the need the rest.  Once down she sleeps anywhere between 2-4 hours (we even hit 5 and 6 straight hours last week!).  She wakes in the middle of the night once. Ryan changes her, hands her back to me. Ill feed her again and then she will sleep another 2-4 hours. This has been great because I do feel rested in the morning and sometimes I can even get her to go down a 3rd time if Im not feeling ready to crawl out of bed.

In the last few weeks we’ve already notice subtle changes in Evie’s sleep. We’ve had a few great nights where she’s sleeping longer stretches and isn’t as terribly fussy in the evenings. All positive things that help us feel like there is an end to this crazy colicky period and that SOMEDAY Ryan and I may even get a few moments to eat dinner together, have a conversation or just sit in complete silence on the couch.

Evelyn’s Likes…

Hands…hands in mouth, hands on face, hands on mom…I try to make sure they are covered with mittens or you tend to scratch the heck out of your face AND ME.

Bouncer, play mat and swing (yay!).

New faces really capture your attention.

Noises and lights. Recently you’ve taken interest in the TV.

Nursing! Whether you are hungry or just need some snuggle time, you love nursing and we do it often.

Dislikes…

Being held facing inward. You are such an independent little lady and like to see what’s going on.

Wet diapers.

Baths. You are petrified of getting clean. We need to work on this because since you hate it so much we may go a little too long without cleaning you, and thats not OK.

Car seat. You still hate when I put you in this. Swinging you in it helps and it usually only takes 10 minutes in the car until you’re fast asleep.

Other things..

We took you to your first wedding. It was an evening wedding, so naturally, you ended up crying screaming the entire time so we had to leave early.

You met some more of our friends this month! It’s so fun to introduce you to important people in our lives.

You are still in newborn clothes. Such an itty bitty thing, but constantly growing. I can’t wait until we can move onto your super cute 0-3 month clothes. I don’t think it will be too long as you are getting too long for most of your sleepers.

We introduced the bottle and you said “NO WAY JOSE.”  No luck yet, but we’ll keep trying. It wont be the end of the world if you choose to nurse exclusively, plus mommy enjoys the one-on-one time with you.

We’re giving cloth diapers a try. (Hoping to do an entire post on this once we give it a little more time). Your little bum looks so cute in the bulky diapers and different colors.

You mostly nap in your swing. You are mesmerized by its mobile and you quickly fall to sleep once we put you in during the day.

You are smiling a ton and cooing. Such a sweet little voice.

Your hair still stands straight up, and we love it.

2 months!

Look how cute in my cloth diaper!

Evelyn’s 1st month

Our sweet little girl has been here 1 whole month! I can’t believe it. (Such a parent thing to say, but oh so true and now I get it).  While the lack of sleep and frequent bouts of crying have been rough at times, I want to soak up every little moment that I have with our newest bundle of joy.

Here are a few things I’ve noticed about our sweet little, Evie since bringing her home more than 4 weeks ago.

You enjoy…

-Your hands

-Stretching

-When someone reads or sings to you

-Being held while bouncing on the exercise ball

-Eating, eating and more eating

-Car rides (not right away, but lulling to sleep shortly into the ride)

-Peeing and pooping all over your changing pad

-When daddy wears you in the Ergo

You dislike…

-Sleeping in your bassinet

-Most diaper changes unless its first thing in the morning

-Changing clothes

-Bath time (we hope you start to enjoy these)

-Pacifiers (we also hope you can start to appreciate these for mommy and daddy’s sanity)

-Going to bed at night

-The pediatrician’s office.

Other things I’ve noticed about you…

-When you sleep you look fake almost, like a perfect baby doll.

-You came out with a full head of hair, which was no surprise considering your daddy.  I love that it hangs down on your neck and over your ears, and we can’t get a big patch on the back of your head to lay down quite yet, so it’s always up in the air!

-You are so alert and have been since the moment you first arrived. You have the biggest, deep blue eyes (blue for now anyway) and you are so curious about everything around you.

-You are very strong. When on your tummy you can hold your head up for long lengths of time and you even rolled yourself over once, which was amazing at your age.

-You are so petite, but your cry is terribly mighty and loud.

-Your hungry cry is the angriest thing I’ve ever seen/heard. You like to eat like your mamma and want it now!

-When nursing, you tuck one fist under your chin and try to slide the finger of your other hand in your mouth. It makes feeding difficult, but its the cutest thing ever.

-Your first week home you made an ENORMOUS mess in your diaper; so big we called the pediatrician to make sure it was “normal.” In fact it almost got on your daddy’s shirt. 🙂

-Recently in the mornings, right when you wake up, you are a very content baby. I usually sit you in your bouncer and you give me the sweetest smiles. The baby books say its gas, but I don’t see how it could be.

-During week 4 you started following objects with your eyes. You are especially curious about new faces.

-I took you for your first walk in the park. The moment I put your car seat on your stroller you screamed and screamed the entire lap.

– Your first church outing was a success. You slept through the entire service which included very loud music.

Those of course are just a few of the many, many precious things we are learning to love about our daughter.

1 Month Check up!

The doctor said Evelyn looked very healthy at her 1 month visit! She’s a small 7 pounds 11oz. and measuring in the lower percentiles for almost everything, but considering she was just over 6 pounds when we left the hospital she’s making great gains in weight. She’s also 21 1/2 inches long! The doc made the comment that she was basically “tall and skinny” right now.  I couldn’t help but laugh at the tall comment given the size of her parents. 🙂

Happy 1 month birthday, sweet Evie. We are so proud to be your parents and can’t wait to watch you grow.

blessed beyond belief.

She’s here.

After 9 months, our sweet Evelyn Leigh entered this world shortly after 1 pm on November 15, 2012. Our lives will never be the same, and our hearts grow more and more in love with her every day.

I’m horrible at keeping up with this blog. Although, in my defense, the last trimester was a complete whirlwind, but that’s another story…

I dont think I can put into words the joy that Evelyn has brought into our lives. The first few days home with her, every time I would look at her, glance at photos of her or think about her birth story I would tear up and get emotional. My heart felt as though it was bursting at the seams just thinking about our daughter and the special place she now had in our lives. Hormones? Maybe that was part of it, but there’s no denying the new, overwhelming love that I had for our little girl.

So instead of trying to express just how special the whole experience has been, I’ll leave you with a sweet reflection that Ryan wrote just a few days after Evelyn’s birth….

“With the arrival of our new bundle of joy just in time for Thanksgiving, I am overflowing with a sense of wonder and awe at the goodness of God and the blessings he has bestowed upon me and my new family over the past year. We have been very blessed indeed.

Blessed that the Lord brought us to Cincinnati to start our family.

Blessed with a new job that is challenging, rewarding and fun (most of the time).

Blessed that we found a house, one month before the baby came. A wonderful house that will allow us to grow our family and have some consistency and roots.

Blessed that our parents and family have been so generous with their time and gifts to help us get settled and ease the burden of buying a new home.

Blessed that God led us to a wonderful church family in Missio Dei. A family that seeks to be a blessing and be on mission for Jesus. A family that has loved us, welcomed us and made us a part of their mission.

Blessed that God has been with Kaitlyn throughout the whole pregnancy. That he put people in our lives to help us. People to show us the joys of natural pregnancy, a class instructor that helped educate us and pray for us, a doctor that supported the natural birth process, a doula who prayed with us and made it possible for us to be successful with a natural birth and a hospital staff that was remarkably kind and comforting.

Pregnancy in itself has amazed me and made me wonder anew at the awesomeness of God. The way the body is perfectly designed to create a baby, care for the baby, and birth the baby is all too perfect.

Most blessed that we now have Evelyn Leigh, a beautiful, healthy baby girl. My heart melts every time I lay eyes on her. She has opened my eyes to what love is and helped me further realize the goodness of God and the weight of his sacrifice in Jesus. I could not imagine giving up my baby girl like that. My perspective is forever changed. God’s hand has been undeniable in it. At one point she was breached, but God set her right. Labor was quick, albeit painful, even through an asynclitic position (Evie’s head was tilted to the side). She was born without any medications or interventions, entirely through the God-given birth process. Shortly after birth, she climbed onto mommy and started feeding. God was with us indeed.

So blessed with a loving, giving wife in Kaitlyn. She has been a champ. Sacrificing her body, time, energy and life really to bring little Evie into the world. The countless hours reading and learning about babies, birth and parenthood. The concern and dedication she has had for Evie from before she was even conceived. The love that she has shown her. She persevered through the possibility of a breech pregnancy, which would have required a C-section and through a natural asynclitic labor. She has given herself up for our family.

Since birth, we have been overwhelmed by the support of our family, friends, neighbors, hospital staff and church. Meals have been provided so that we can focus on adjusting to our new life. The joy expressed by family and friends has been astounding. God even blessed us with a new neighbor who is a lactation consultant who has come and helped Kaitlyn as needed.

Truly, we are receiving a taste of God’s blessing. And as we enter parenthood, we are reminded of how dependent we are upon the goodness of God, how dependent we are upon his grace and on Jesus. Being new parents shows just how much we fail. Our frustration over the unceasing cries, disagreements about life decisions and failure to selflessly love each other sheds light on our depravity and how short we fall from the standard God has set for us, perfection. It leads us to Jesus who perfectly loved and served to cover our short fall. Jesus allows us to be the parents we can never be on our own. And allows us to enjoy the blessings of God despite our unworthiness and inability to earn them on our own. We are free from the pressure of being perfect parents, free from having to always make the right decision, free from the pressure of raising a perfect child and free from the consequences of our failures. Jesus has done all of that for us.

So yes, we are truly blessed. We now have a family and we are surrounded by God’s love for us. And we are driven to Jesus in whom our true hope, blessing and life is found.”

hello third trimester.

Can’t believe we made it to the third and final trimester. This pregnancy really has gone by so fast, and I hope these last 3 months are just as easy!

Maternity Clothes?  Some. Still able to fit into most regular shirts and some dresses.

Stretch Marks? None so far-yay!

Sleep?  Betther than I expected. Fingers crossed.

Movement? So much. Lets hope she isn’t this crazy outside of the womb!

Miss anything?  Being able to drink unlimited cups of coffee during the day, which would be super helpful considering I am exhausted all the time.

Cravings? Not really

Gender?  Girl!

Belly Button In or Out? Still in

Symptoms:  Tired

Best moment of the week? Shower in Bethany! Pics soon.

What I am looking forward to: Figuring out where this little one’s nursery is going to go so we can start putting it together!