28 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

This week Evan took his first trip to NYC, tried pizza (crust), enjoyed his first Christmas, celebrated my 29th birthday, brushed his (2) teeth, and sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time! It was such a great week!

My Mom is in town visiting, so somehow I managed to get side tracked and forgot it was Tuesday, so this is a day late! Oops! We're having a great time visiting with her! It's easy to forget what day of the week it is when Ryan is off work and Jillian does not have school!

In fact, that's it. It's too busy around here to be updating baby websites- I'm taking a break until next year. -smile-

Happy New Year!

Nancy

27 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

Mr. Cutie got a haircut this week!  Ryan gave both the girls their first trim so we flowed suit with Evan. Over the past 6 months the hair on the sides of his head had fallen out and grew back in.  This left a long patch along the top that I fondly referred to as Evan's baby comb over.  For whatever reason, this long hair bugged me like CRAZY but Ryan didn't really think it was that big of a deal.  However, when I put it in a ponytail so we could save the piece we cut off and Ryan saw how cute silly she he looked with his new hairstyle, he didn't hesitate to cut it.  It's amazing how much lighter his hair looks now without the dark brown baby hair on top!  He has red undertones to his brown for sure... it's very noticeable in some light (such as the above photo) and hardly at all in other light.

Also noteworthy this week was Evan's 6 month check up.  We had to wait on his shots because he had a fever (and ear infection) at the appointment but we did get his stats:

Height: 27 1/2 inches (75%)
Weight: 17lbs, 4 oz (50%)
Head Circumference: 45 1/2cm (90%)

So, he's a little tall, average weight, with a huge head.  This has been pretty much his numbers since the beginning so no surprises here!  They put him on antibiotics for the ear infection and he seems to be feeling fine in that regard.  He did have his first runny nose/cough this week so that has been hard.

Last thing- Evan's sitting has improved a lot this week.  I made sure he had time to practice and he really seems to be getting the hang of it!

That's it for this week!  Enjoy the photos (check out Evan's LONG hair in the bath photos!  HAHA!), & enjoy your Christmas!

Nancy

26 Weeks Old- 6 months on the 14th!

Click HERE to see all the photos from this week!

All I want for Christmas... we already have.

Gah.

This little guy makes us so happy.  He's so sweet and patient and deals really well with being a third born and the fact that I drag him all over the place with no regard for his schedule.  He's going to be 6 months old tomorrow and that seems SO OLD to me!  Where has the last half of a year gone?!

He does not sit on his own yet- he's so flexible that he just flops his belly down on his legs and stays like that- haha!  He smiles whenever you make eye contact, he gurgles, ga-ga's and loves his sisters.  He does not like being alone very much.  He still sleeps swaddled (I know,  he's too old for that but he loves it...) He loves his pacifier (he can find it and put it back in his mouth now), he plays with toys, chews on everything and is growing like a weed.

Until next week- not a lot of photos this week, sorry!

Nancy

25 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

Hello there bright eyes!  Are you guys as smitten with this little guy as I am?  Super Sweet.  He's awesome.

Guess what Evan did this week?  Got his two bottom teeth!!!  Not sitting up on his own (very well), not trying to crawl, does not like being on his belly, but he has two tiny teeth.  I guess that little taste of food last week inspired him to get movin' on teeth so he could get past yucky pureed sweet potatoes and onto the good stuff.  -smile-

This week we did a bunch of great stuff including gingerbread house baking and making at a friends house.  It was SO much fun!  While we were there Evan sat in a highchair for the first time.  What a big boy!

Until next week,

Nancy

24 Weeks Old

To see the excessive amount of PHOTOS from this week, 

click HERE!

Look who tried baby food!!!  We had some baked sweet potatoes as a part of our Thanksgiving leftovers, so we decided to let Evan in on the fun.  We'll say for now the jury is still out.  HAHA!  He made quite a mess and I suppose that's all you can hope for at the first feeding.  It's kinda like a first birthday cake- you'd be sad if they stayed clean through the whole process!

Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Neal left this weekend- the kids (and adults) in our house are sure missing them!  It was a great visit!

Evan enjoyed watching the rest of us take out all the Christmas decorations and put up the tree.  He was not very helpful in this process- maybe next year.

Today was Ryan's 6th Alive Day (the anniversary of the injuries he sustained in Iraq) so we went out as a family for dinner and ice cream.  The perfect way to spend the day.

Until next week,

Nancy

23 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

It sure has been a busy week in our house!  Aunt Marilyn is here visiting and we are having a great time with her.  Late this evening Uncle Neal joined her at our house to celebrate Thanksgiving with us so next week we should have some photos of him with Evan to share too!

If you check out the photos from this week, you'll see Jillian posing next to Evan while he "stands up" for a picture, bath time, gardening with Marilyn and the girls, checking out the water by our house, hanging out at the golf course & kisses from Daddy.

Whew!!  Off to bed- tomorrow is a busy day of cooking for our wonderful guests!!!

Nancy

22 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

Gah!!  This baby is so stinkin' sweet.  Love Love Love this kid!

Evan continues to be a happy go lucky little baby.  He is so easy going and has fallen very nicely into a routine.  Liv goes to bed at 7pm, Jillian at 7:30 and Evan at 8.  It's perfect.  I feed Evan before I go to bed, and then he sleeps until between 6 and 7 am.  I can't complain!

Today we went to the doctor for a 5 month check up.  We ended up a little behind on some of his shots, so although usually you only go at 4 and 6 months old, we're going between too.  So, today he weighed in at 16lbs, 10oz.  He's a good sized baby!  For comparison sake, I put Liv and Jillian on the scale too...  Liv was 27lbs, and Jillian is 31!

Evan is a drool monster, still really likes his swing and hanging out in the pack and play looking at a mobile.  He just started catching the mobile as it goes by and trying to put it in his mouth.  Funny!  We have not started giving him baby food just yet- we're trying to wait until he is 6 months old...

Evan's hand eye coordination is really improving and he's so much fun to play with.  Any time you make eye contact with him, he gives a really sweet smile and if you scare him a little by jumping out and smiling at him, he cracks up.  Every time.  Love that.

No sitting just yet, and not a huge fan of tummy time...

In the PHOTOS this week you'll see Evan at the library for story time, hanging out with his baby friend Jacob, a couple of the photos from our Christmas card shoot!, hanging out with Daddy, some close ups of his sweet face, and posing with big sister Jillian.

Until next week!

Nancy

21 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

The key item of discussion this week?  DROOL!  Man, this kid SOAKS the front of his shirt in about 30 minutes.  It seems impossible to get a photo of him where he is not drenched with spit.  He puts almost everything in sight into his mouth, chews on his hands all the time and bites (aka, gums) you really hard if you stick a finger or knuckle in his mouth.  Maybe an early teether?

Daylight savings time= no fun with a little guy in the house.

Check out all the photos this week & you'll see Evan waiting patiently for his big sisters to ride go-carts, a baby who wiggles around SO much on his back that he can move across an entire room in less than a minute (and subsequently in this case, ended up under his crib), skyping with Grandma Trisha, reading with big sister Liv, swinging, bathing, playing with sisters, some iphone shots Jillian took so you guys know I'm still part of this family (since I'm always on the other side of the camera!), playing at the park, and a baby who was too pooped to pose for a portrait!  Whew!  What a week- I'm tired!!!

In 6 days Evan will be 5 months old!!!

Until next week,
Nancy

20 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

What a busy time of year this is!  I'll have a few more photos of the kids in their costumes later, but for now there's a few for you to see here!  Evan had a great Halloween- he's such a happy baby!  He was great about being hauled around from house to house being showed off.  Our silly little goose!  In case you can't tell, the kids were Duck, Duck, Goose for Halloween.  It was very sweet.

Non-halloween related details about our little guy:  

Mid last week Ryan's Dad headed back to AZ- it was great to spend some time with him!  

Evan's still being swaddled at night.  He was doing well getting back to his sleeping through the night but we mixed him up a little bit this weekend when I woke him up at 5:30am to give him an extra feeding before he went to his first Raven's game that afternoon.  Yup, Evan went to a game (without Mommy!) and had a great time.  This is what happened:  The girls and I were in Baltimore for Disney on Ice and Ryan was offered to join our friend Aaron for the Raven's game.  After our show was over we drove over (it was only about 2 miles between the stadiums) and  grabbed him so the boys could finish the game sans baby.  It worked out perfectly!  Go Ravens & GO Evan!

http://cmd.shutterfly.com/commands/pictures/slideshow?site=kulesfamily&page=kulesfamily&album=11634

19 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, Click HERE!

This week we had a lot of fun around our house with Ryan's parents and some local friends.  It was very sweet to watch Jay and Canice get to spend time with the kids!  Things are busy in our house- we're so close to wrapping things up with our house project we can smell it!  There's nothing left at this point that is effecting our quality of life at all so we're feeling pretty much on cloud nine!  It's great!

Not too much new to report with Evan- he's still swaddled at night and naps, still waking me up in the night (I became a push over when we had guests in the house but this coming week he's on his own again... haha!) and still just as sweet as can be.

One more thing- this week Evan really enjoyed watching football with Ryan.  Seriously.  Bouncing in his chair, eyes on the screen, very excited.  HAHA!!!  We've got a fan!

Until next week, enjoy the pics!

Nancy

18 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

Evan laughed!  Not just the little giggles he's been doing so far, but a full on belly laugh.  Ryan argues that he had laughed that way before this, but I'm writing 18 weeks down as his laughing week.  And, since I'm the blog writer and baby book maker, I'm pretty sure I get the final say in this matter.  -wink-

Aside from that, he had his 4 month appointment and while there decided it was finally time to roll from his belly to his back.  4 times to be exact.  The sweet med student who was trying to examine him was laughing as he rolled away from her over and over.  It was very funny. 

4 Month Stats:

14.10lbs (50th%) 

25 1/2 inches long (75th%) 

43.5cm head (75th%) 

While there are a lot of milestones from this week, (including Evan meeting Ryan's parents for the first time!!!) there are not a lot of photos (only 9, gasp!).  I meant to take some this evening but Evan is already sleeping.  Good thing we went to the park to fly a kite and to a pumpkin farm this weekend or I would not have any pics!  Anyway, enjoy what's there!  Until next week!

Nancy

17 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

Laughing. Grabbing his toes.  Smiling. A. Lot.  Sweet Evan- he's so much fun to have around.  Now, he'd be the perfect baby if he was not resisting his training to sleep in his crib without a feeding between 10pm and 7am.  I started this process a little earlier with the girls and they did not have quite the stamina Evan has at this point!  haha!

He will officially be 4 months old in 3 days... where is the time going?!?

I can't find my little point and shoot camera for some reason- that's where I usually get most of the variety for my weekly photos, so for now I'll just share the pics from my 'big camera'.  This week I wanted to take the time to capture Evan's chunky little rolls!  So, enjoy lots of close ups of his soft little skin.  Mmmm!  He's so wonderful!

Until next week, here's a photo of all 3 kids at 17 Weeks Old...

:)  Nancy

16 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

This little guy just gets better and better.  He's such a sweetie.  We've started our cry-it-out crib phase (later than we did with both girls due to house stuff and mommy denial of how old Evan is) and he is doing pretty well.  Honestly, I'll be able to tell you more next week- it's only day 2 today :)

Evan's been keeping busy running around for all his sisters activities.  Aside from starting preschool, Jillian is also taking art and ice skating so we keep pretty busy driving around in the 'ol mini van.  Thankfully, Evan is still little enough to use the baby carrier and is pretty content running errands.  I will say that I'm noticing more his annoyance with being left in his carrier when we get places. He's not such a sleepy newborn these days!

I finally invested in a larger size swaddle for Evan since he still likes it so much and our little wiggler seems to be able to get out of anything I can do without a blanket which is designed to withstand aggressive movement.  Thankfully they have a few that go up to 22lbs in weight- makes me laugh- Liv and Jillian would only be a few pounds over! Haha!  Much too long though, of course!  -smile-  Anyway, thanks Robyn for the awesome gift.   :)

It's a late night- better rest before our marathon day of activities tomorrow!  Oh, in all the PHOTOS, this week you can kinda peek around and see some of the house stuff- our new sleek gray couch (fabulous!)

See you next week!

Nancy

15 Weeks Old

First, unrelated to Evan, I'm trying a new blog look for Evan's site- if you get a chance visit the blog directly at www.kulesfamily3.blogspot.com and let me know what you think about the new look.  Keep it, or change it back?

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE.

This week Evan continues to be a doll.  He is smiling all the time and happily gurgling when you play with him.  He's starting to wave his arms and legs around wildly/excitedly.  It's very cute.  Knowing it's very likely Evan is our last baby, I find myself babying him a little more than the girls in some ways.  In other ways, things are tough on him since he is forced to roll with the unpredictable schedule of our family vs. being super consistent with his.  He seems to be doing fine with the extra snuggling and the crazy pace of things though, so that's good :)  I think he will end up being an understanding little guy.
-smile-

Time to head to bed- things around our house are still very busy but starting to take a turn toward completion!!!

Have a great week!

Nancy

14 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

This week was eventful for a few reasons:

#1- Evan figured out how to control his hands.  It's very sweet.  He reaches up and grabs my nose, he stares at his little fingers and moves them around, he grabs at toys...  I'm going to have to warn Jillian and Liv- I bet those pigtails are next!

#2- Although Evan has yet to roll over, he has figured out something else- how to scoot around on his back.  He presses his little feet into the floor, lifts his bottom up, and thrusts backwards. This new found ability led to eventful thing #3 for this week...

#3- Evan had his first (and hopefully last!) ride to the hospital in an ambulance.  Yup.  Makes my heart race a bit just typing about it.  I put our little non-rolling baby in the center of our king size bed (closer to the pillows) with a pillow propped between him and the foot of the bed just in case he randomly decided to roll 6 feet onto the hardwood.  Did I put a pillow ABOVE his head in case he thrust himself UP about 3 feet?  No.  No, I did not.  Because, until I was at the hospital blubbering about how I had no idea HOW he fell off the bed I had not seen him scoot this way.  Ever.  But there he was, being examined by the doctor up on a hospital bed- plants his feet... scoots up 6 inches.  Ah.  Mystery solved.  Makes you feel about 2 inches tall when something preventable happens to your kid.  Especially a kid who is only 90 days old.  Thankfully, he is totally okay despite a rather large bump on his forehead that appeared immediately following the fall and disappeared almost as quickly as it came.  It was a dramatic evening to say the least (our neighbors had to hold Evan so the 911 operator could hear me, Ryan was out of town, both the girls were freshly out of the bathtub, Jillian said, "The thing that is happening right now is making me NERVOUS!" when I told her to go sit on her bed).  Ugh.  It was terrible.  Luckily we have wonderful friends nearby who came over to sit with the big girls and joined me at the hospital so I would not have to be there alone.  I'm so appreciative!

Anyway- all's well that ends well!

Enjoy the photos from this week!

Take care,

Nancy

13 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

So, no rolling this week and no laughing.  Man!  We're so close on both things though.  Little man does NOT like tummy time very much, but we're working on it!

Evan will be THREE months old tomorrow.  He still loves a bath, and loves being swaddled.  Loves a pacifier and loves to snuggle.  Still has some reflux moments, but we stopped taking the Zantac after about 1 month of doing it (aka, the bottle I had ran out) and it has not been bad enough for me to bother getting a refill.

The best thing about Evan right now?  The oh-so-sweet way he makes eye contact and gives you a little grin when you smile at him.  Kinda like the photo I chose for this week.  Melts my heart.

I thought a picture of all three kids with bare shoulders would be so cute so I stripped them all down, and tried to capture this moment.  I'll just say that after attempting a few photos, it became clear trying to do this BEFORE I fed them all lunch was a bad idea.  And so, rather than a sweet photo of the kids, enjoy a couple outtakes as well as the other photos from this week!

Take care!

Nancy

12 Weeks Old

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

Hello Mr. Personality!  Oh man, this little guy is so cute.  It's fair to say I'm pretty darn smitten with him. He's such a little love- snuggles, smiles... what more can you ask for?

It's been another busy week in our house- yesterday I realized something...  In a house with ongoing construction, babies don't get a lot of time on the floor!  I've been trying to do some tummy time for Evan on the bed in our room, but when he rolls over on a mattress, I feel like it doesn't "count".  So, I made a point of setting up a floor mat/toy for Evan today so he can officially take care of the rolling over milestone.  I have no concern about his ability to do it so I'm sure next week I'll be reporting that he's rolling around now that we have a mat on the floor for him to do so.

Earlier in the week I made a conscious effort to make Evan laugh- and had some success!  He definitely gurgled happily and smiled at us a lot.  He kinda choked on a laugh, so we know he has it in there!  Soon!!

Evan is officially out of 0-3 month clothing now- even the bigger sized brands are too short so we're starting on a whole new wardrobe... again.  lol

Oh- also, Evan tried sitting in the Bumbo chair for the first time this week- he seemed to like it!

That's it for this week!  Hard to believe our little guys is almost 3 months old!!!

Enjoy the photos!

Nancy

11 Weeks Old

Click HERE to see all the photos from this week!

I lost a week somewhere...  we went out to dinner this evening and when someone asked me how old Evan was, I said, "10 Weeks today!"  Nope.  11 weeks.  WHAT??  :)

There's not a ton of variety in the photos this week (perhaps part of the issue with my 'lost week' ??) but you can still get a good look at our handsome little guy.  My sister requested a profile shot, so that's in there too.

Two big things Evan experienced this week:  His first earthquake, and his first hurricane.  Yup.  Life here in MD has been a little outside of the norm.  Pair those two natural disasters (which were very mild at our house) with the mess of construction we are still living in and I'd say Evan is shaping up to be a durable and adventurous little guy!  Haha!  All kidding aside, we did have a tiny earthquake followed a few days later by hurricane Irene.  There was lots of rain and wind, but nothing major here.  Jillian's school has been closed for the past 2 days due to power outages, but we never lost power at our house or had any repairs to deal with.  We were very relieved!

Back to Evan- he is super sweet.  He still loves to eat, snuggle, and be held... he is still sleeping well, and still loves a pacifier and a tight swaddle.  We love this baby so much!

That's it- I'm off to bed!

Nancy

Ten Weeks Old!

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

Wow, time sure does fly when you do three posts in quick succession like that!  haha!  But, regardless of my slacking over the past 2 weeks, sweet Evan is 10 weeks old today and we're lovin' him more than ever.  Ryan and the girls all noticed how much Evan has grown over the past week while we were traveling.  He's also much more alert... awake for long periods during the day, and is starting to be able to be entertained by people.  It's such a sweet stage he is at.  Evan is OBSESSED with ceiling fans, and lights.  He seems to be particularly intrigued by can lights and bright colored artwork.  It's so funny to watch him lock in on something and stare at it.  There's lots of thinking going on in that little brain, that's for sure!

I know I mentioned how good Evan was during our travel, but now that we're home (and I don't have to knock on wood) I'm happy to say that on all three of our flights, Evan didn't make a PEEP!  He was awesome.  On the way home we had to get up at 4am to be to the airport on time and he was still a rock star!  I'm so lucky!

I feel like it's been a bit since I've talked about things Evan likes so I want to record that he still likes his bouncy chair and swing, and he's starting to like laying on a blanket to stare at toys/fans/lights.  He's starting to tolerate having his arms out during awake time, but when he gets sleepy he's desperate to be swaddled.  It's the craziest thing how much he likes it.  Jillian could NOT stand being swaddled and Liv liked it, but not as much as Evan.  One thing is for sure- all three of these kids could not be more different!  Such a fun part of being a parent- really getting to know the traits each of them has and watching as they develop into a unique person.  Love it.

That's all for this week, but be sure to check out the photos, there are some really good ones this week!!!

Nancy

9 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

*Evan can roll. (From his back to his tummy on a soft bed if you're pushing it down a little by laying next to him)
*Evan can smile.  (Nearly every time you try for it)
*Evan has flown on an airplane. (from Baltimore to Phoenix which is 5+ hours and he did not make a peep the whole way even though we shared a seat and were very cramped the whole time)
*Evan's reflux might be starting to pass! (I've been doing less Zantac while we're traveling because I'm almost out and afraid to be without it on the plane home- lol)
*Evan has been very social for the past week + and was very excited to meet a good amount of friends/family while we have been traveling.
*Evan is a superstar and I could not ask for a better travel companion!

There's a ton more I could say about our sweet little guy, but I'm trying like heck to get caught up on photos, so this will have to do!!! Click here to see all the photos from this week!

Nancy

8 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

Every week I try to get a good photo of Evan's face for his baby book.  This week, I'm not in love with the quality of the one in the sink, but it's the best I've got!  That's the hard part about not posting on time! When I load up all the photos from the week if I don't have something I like, I usually go grab Evan for a quick photo shoot.  This time, these photos are already 2 weeks old, so there's nothing I can do.  Just one more reminder of why I like to post every week!  This little guy is changing so quickly!

I'm cutting myself some slack though, don't worry.  I know things have been crazy busy for our us and I'm happy to let this sit on the back burner for a minute if it means I'm more available for our family in some other way.  :)

Since I didn't love the solo pic of Evan, I decided to feature this other photo of Jillian reading to little 'E' also- I love his sweet little face listening to his big sister.  He really was into watching her turn the pages- it was so sweet.  (Although I do love that you can see the dimple in his chin pretty clearly in that pic...)

This week Evan had his first trip to the pool (just to watch from the side though... no swimming yet!) and really started to smile back when you grin at him.  It melts your heart.  I love how he opens his little mouth like he is surprised to see you and then transitions into a smile.  The. Sweetest.

That's all for week 8!  To see the rest of the pics, click HERE.

Nancy

Standby!

If I could find the power cord for my laptop, I'd be happy to put up the post for this week!! Wish us luck with our unpacking and I'll update as soon as I can!!

7 Weeks Old

Click HERE to see all the photos from this week!

Has another week passed already?!  I can't get over how sweet our little guy is.  He is getting more and more alert and is finally starting to check things out that are more than just a few feet away from him.  You can tell his vision is starting to clear up.  The other day I lay him on the bed and his sweet little face looked so surprised as he gazed up to the ceiling fan.  Haha!  It's as though he was thinking- whoa, Mom- check that thing out!  -smile-

There are not very many photos this week- as you might imagine things have been BUSY!

Until next week,

Nancy

P.S.- One more adorable thing.  As you know Liv is smitten with this little guy.  Well all of a sudden whenever she hears his start to fuss she yells, "Evan!" to make sure we take care of him ASAP.  The cute thing is when she says Evan, it sounds EXACTLY like she is saying Onion.  AW!  Our little Onion.  Hehe!  Also, she likes to pat his belly and soothingly say, "okay buddy... okay buddy..." when he cries.  I love this sibling relationship they are developing!  Liv is such a good big sister!

6 Weeks Old (and one day)

To see all the PHOTOS from this week, click HERE!

I'm not a big fan of being late on these posts, but based on the fact that we're packing up our entire house for a move tomorrow, I'm going to cut myself some slack this week.  And maybe next week too.  ;)  I'm sitting on our bed right now surrounded by wardrobe boxes squeezing in a minute between the packers leaving and figuring out dinner (I'm thinking Red Robin tonight based on the fact that we don't have any pots and pans available right now!) typing this up, editing photos, and uploading everything.

Whew!

Evan is such a fun little guy- he continues to be patient and sweet (especially when being loved on by his sisters!)  I did a trial of no Zantac and it's helping for sure so we're going to stick with that for awhile...  Evan is getting stronger and stronger- when you lay him on his belly now he kicks his legs like crazy and swims around with his arms- so cute!  I've been amazed from day one how strong he is with his neck.  I can hold him under his armpits and let him sit on my stomach and he will hold his own for such a long time!  Strong boy!

This week Evan went to IKEA (had mixed feeling about that- don't we all?!  haha!), enjoyed his first ice cream party, played at the park, and had lots of Grandma time! My Mom is here right now soaking up the kids and she's been a big help with the move too!  It's so nice to have an extra person to help with all this!

That's it for this week-  enjoy all the PHOTOS!

Nancy

5 Weeks Old

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

What a week!

Evan is new to Zantac, and so far I don't feel like it's made a big difference.  Although, things don't seem worse so maybe it's helping...  We will see.... Our Dr. told us to keep at it for a week before we decide so that's what we'll do.

Things around our house have been very busy.  We're only 8 days away from our move now so there's lots of final prep going on.  The house is still very much in construction so we're hoping things all fall into place as planned!

My Mom is here to visit and has been loving her time with Evan and the girls.  It's nice to have her here to help out while we're rushing around coordinating the final details of our house stuff!

Evan is really starting to spend more and more time hanging out.  Before this past week or so it seemed he was mostly sleeping, eating, or crying.  Now he lays quietly looking around and really seems to be soaking in the world around him.  I know people say "it's just gas" but there have been at least 2-3 times I am confident Evan has smiled.  It's very sweet and I'm looking forward to big toothless grins.  :)

Not much more to report for this week- everything/everyone is doing great!  The last few nights Evan has gone to bed around 8:30pm and after a quick "dream feed" at 10:30 or 11pm, has slept until at least 4am, ate, and back to bed until 7am or later.  Not too bad!

Next Tuesday we will be on day 2 of packing our house, so if I don't post, you'll know why!

Nancy

P.S.- Uncle Travis- the mohawk in the above photo is for you- yup... we used gel and a little hairspray to get it like that- Doesn't Evan look thrilled?!  Haha!  For more pics, click HERE!

One Month Old & A Bunch of Photos

Yesterday Evan turned a month old.  Today at his appointment he was 10lbs, 11oz, 22.5 inches long, with a head circumference of 39cm.  He's growing right on track!

At the appointment today we decided to do a trial week of Zantac- he's started rejecting some feedings at first, and is quite uncomfortable afterwards so our Dr. thought it would be a good idea to try this for a week and see if things improve.  It's not really too bad yet, but since he's showing some signs at 4 weeks, if it is reflux, it's going to get worse so I'll be happy to nip it in the bud now if possible!

Also, I know you can't see the blemishes on his skin in most of the photos- (a nice soft focus and flash is good for making skin look nice and uniformed!) but it's pretty bad.  The other day I thought it was improving, but since it's gotten worse.  Turns out little man has 3 different types of skin issues going on (OH BOY!) and so we've got a prescription to try a steroid cream and a recommendation to start washing his face and body with a dandruff shampoo such as head and shoulders.  Also, our Dr. suggested using a baby lotion every morning or evening to see if that helps.  Poor little guy!

Aside from sharing about our appointment today, I wanted to post a digital birth announcement and send links for a couple of photos groups.

So, here's his birth announcement:

Welcomed with love by Ryan, Nancy, Jillian & Liv:

THESE PICTURES (LINK) are all the other keepers from when we were taking his birth announcement photos that we did not use for the above announcement...

Last, these photos are from a session the girls and I did with a photographer in DC.  I wanted to do some unique maternity pictures (in an urban area with lots of texture) and I'm so happy with how they turned out!  The one of Liv standing on my knees is my favorite!

4 Weeks Old!

Click HERE to see all the photos from this week!

I think my best chance of actually achieving a weekly post with a third child is to break it up a little bit.  My goal is to get the "main photo" for the week and the text posted while the big girls are napping, and then add the link for the rest of the pics once they go to bed.  Man!  Tuesday is a busy day for me!  I'm so glad to have a 'deadline' each week because it forces me to write about what Evan is up to, and get my pictures of him situated every 7 days.  It's a LOT of work to pull together each week, but if I let it slide for weeks on end it would be even worse!!!

This week I've been really good about keeping to Evan's schedule.  He eats at 7am and then every 3 hours after that.  At night, I feed him at 10pm and then as he wakes on his own.  Usually if I can push the 10pm feeding until later I do.  Ryan and I usually go to bed pretty late so most of the time he is eating around 11-12pm and then sleeps until around 4am, and then it's time for 7am breakfast!  Works out great.

Since we work on a 3 hour schedule (eat, play, sleep) it's easy for me to see how much more alert he is during his "play time" now.  He spends SO much more time looking around and seems to like it when his sisters stick their faces close to his.  -smile-

Evan has a SUPER strong neck already.  He can pick up his head and turn it from side to side, he throws it back when you are holding him, and when he's hungry he uses that neck strength to root around on anything which might produce milk.  Haha.

Still likes being warm, still likes being swaddled.

So far, I'd only been peed on once (something that all mother's of boys warned me would happen ALL the time) but then he did it again this afternoon.  I think I'd gotten a little lax on making sure the clean diaper was quickly in place.  Oops.

I have not talked about the little dimple in Evan's chin yet.  Sometimes it's easier to see than others...  it's there for sure though- super cute.  Also, his skin is finally starting to clear up a little bit, but we are noticing what a greasy boy he is!  Honestly- if I wash his hair/face in the morning, by noon he is already starting to look shiny again.  Is this a boy thing?  haha...

Evan's still a little jaundiced... it's nothing to be concerned about, and is slowly fading so we just wait I guess...

I can't believe our little guy will already be a MONTH old on Thursday!  What a joy he is!  We love our little buddy.

Until next week, don't forget to check out the pictures from this week including sweet Evan very clearly flipping me off.  Awesome.

Nancy

3 Weeks Old!

Click HERE to see all the photos from this week!

Now that Evan is 3 weeks old, I feel like we're really starting to get to know him.  Things he likes, things he DOES NOT like...  It's the most awesome feeling to be introduced to a new little person.  Our new little person.  Amazing.

So, some of the latest on Evan- he still likes being swaddled and likes nice firm pats and a pacifier.  One funny thing about Evan is how wide he opens his mouth when he is offered a pacifier.  We had tried to use newborn pacifiers for the first few days but he could actually get his lips on the outer edges of the plastic.  Ha!  As you might imagine, this made him quite angry. So, I went and bought 6 month pacifiers and the larger size seems to suit him much better- he's rarely without a pacifier at this point.  Loves it.  Aside from that he still likes the swing quite a bit, and likes the bouncy/vibrating chair too.  Right now as I type he is in the bouncy chair swaddled, with a pacifier, being bounced by my foot with the vibration on.  And, he's still being a little fussy.  Argh!  Being fussy like this is rare for him, but happens... Hopefully what that means is when we go to bed in a little bit he will be worn out and ready to sleep!

Sleep has been going well so far- this week we had our first really difficult night where he was up a good bit.  Usually he wakes up just about every 3 hours, eats and goes back to bed.  For now he is still in our room through the night.  I'd prefer to move him into his own crib at this point, but he'll have to wait a little longer for his room to be finished- the moving truck comes on the 25th... fingers crossed the house is ready by then!

In the PHOTOS this week, you'll see our family hanging out on a fire truck at a 4th of July picnic hosted by Under Armor in Baltimore. Also, Evan at the park with his sisters (where he met a lot of new friends and went on his first train ride & carousel).  E's first trip to 5 Guy's for a burger -wink-.  4th of July pics, snuggling with big sis Jillian, story time at the library, snuggle time with Mommy on the couch, family kisses before bed, & Jillian holding Evan "all by herself".  Whew!  What a week!!!

Off to figure out what's wrong with this cranky baby.  Perhaps he didn't notice it's midnight!  Day 21.  The most crying he's done in his life.  By far.

:)  Nancy

2 Weeks Old!

To see all the photos from this week, click HERE!

I realized I forgot to mention something last week- Evan's ears.  I had forgotten how newborns ears are very squishy and don't have hardened cartilage yet.  Already, his little ears have firmed up enough to stop being affected by my arm or a blanket he's laying on.  For the first few days though, his ears would get misshapen when he was laying on one for too long.  I think that's so sweet.  It's crazy how quickly those little newborn nuances pass...  I already miss his squishy ears!  :)

Here's what Evan has been up to this past week:

- Dealing with lots of camera flashes.  Jillian has decided she's "kinda a photographer" and likes to direct Evan and I for mini-photoshoots.  It's adorable and to be honest, the best way for me to get documented by a few minutes on the other side of the camera so I don't mind at all!  Look for some of her shots in the photos from this week.  (aka, anything I'm in) -smile-  Also, look for Evan posing in a Tonka truck. Cute!  He's asleep on the job I'm afraid...
- Sleeping, Eating, Pooping... all the newborn standards :)  He sleeps like a champ so far.  At least 3 hours at night time between feedings and so far goes happily back to sleep once he is fed.  He has gone a couple of four hour stretches too... awesome!
- Have I mentioned how much he likes to be swaddled?  SWADDLE ME!!!  That's the only thing he needs anytime he is fussy.  It's a pretty easy thing to do, so I'm more than happy to oblige!
- His 2 Week check up today: 22 inches long, 37cm head, 8lbs, 11oz
- He is super sweet, loves to cuddle and has his eyes open so much more now!
- His neck is already getting so much stronger- there's a pic of Evan and Jillian this week where he looks like he is practically sitting up!

That's it for this week!

Nancy

One Week Old

To see all the photos of Evan from this week, CLICK HERE!

It's only been a week since Evan joined our family, and already we're settling into a routine, and loving life with the addition of this little guy. He is a JOY.  Ryan took time off since last Tuesday and tomorrow he's going back to work so it will be my first day with just me and the kids.  I think it will be just fine- I'm feeling pretty darn good and I'm ready to try my hand at being a Mom of 3!

Here are some things we have come to know about Evan in the first 7 days of his life:

• At birth he was 8 pounds, 6.4 ounces and 20.5 inches long.
• At his one week check up he was 7 pounds, 15.5 ounces and 22 inches long.  His head was 36cm.
• He likes to be swaddled
• He does not mind having his hair washed
• He has very long fingers and toes
• He would rather swing front to back than side to side (in the baby swing)
• He does NOT like being cold
• He's a big fan of eating
• He likes being in the baby bouncer/recliner
• He is very patient (so far, haha!) with all the affection his sisters show him
• His preference is to be held over anything else and likes to be patted firmly and hauled around like a sack of potatoes
• He will take a pacifier, sometimes...
• Right now his eyes are a steely blue color... not sure what our guess is on final color
• He was born with some little acne spots on his nose.  Apparently it's a harmless baby rash (there are some spots on his legs too) that about 10% of babies get.
• This evening his umbilical cord fell off.  It was starting to dangle on one side, but seemed firmly attached on the other side.  I think it may have been caught on his clothes and come off a little early.  I hope it heals up without a trip to the pediatrician!
• He likes to be carried around in the baby sling
• He does not like being strapped into his car seat, but once he's in it's not so bad.  So far, he seems to have mixed feeling about being in the car
• Last one- as seen in the above photo, Evan almost always has his little mouth open.  It's sweet. 

I'm sure there are more, but it's late here and time for us to go to bed!  Mostly, what I want to remember about the first week with our little guy is just how much he has stolen our hearts and how much we love him to pieces. He is adorable, sweet, and the perfect addition to our family.  Love. This. Baby.

Until next week,

Nancy

P.S.- The girls are adjusting really well to having Evan in the house.  Jillian told us: "It's kinda like Evan has two mommies and one big sister, right?  I'm mommy number two, and you can be mommy number one."  I told her no.  Haha.  And Liv, wow.  She surprised us so much!  I thought mostly she would be jealous of how Evan would take attention away from her but so far, she's not.  I know there will be times of this (of course) but for now when I'm holding him, she walks up with her little mouth pursed and demands to kiss him.  If he is busy eating, she gets a little annoyed because she wants to kiss him right on the mouth.  When she does this, he tries to latch onto her nose and she finds this hilarious! ;)

Siblings meet & 1st Family Photo!

This is not edited, and is almost 8 minutes long.  I could try to trim it down and polish it a little, or, I could be realistic and just post the whole thing on here and actually share it before to much time passes!  :)  So- if you have time to spare, and would like to watch the first interaction between Jillian, Liv & Evan, click below!  If you're getting this update via email, you may need to click this LINK to see the video.

Have a wonderful day, and thanks to Heather for the adorable Big Sister/Middle Sister shirts for the girls!  Perfect!

Nancy

He is here!

TO SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM TODAY, CLICK HERE!

Status: Green!!!

I was told to call this morning to make sure there were no conflicts with our scheduled arrival time of 8am today.  I dialed the number holding my breath a little and started crying when she said, "looks good- come on in!"  Holy cow!  Family of 5- TODAY!  Wish us luck!  I'm READY!

WHEN is Evan's birthday going to be???

CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR GUESS!!

Now that's it's 10pm on the 1st of June with no sign of Evan coming today, it looks like you've got a 1 out of 9 chance of guessing his birthday correctly.

Here's all the info I have (just to make it fair)  -smile-

This morning at 10am I was 4cm.

I'm set to be induced on Friday, June 10th but if the hospital is too full, I'll be pushed until Monday the 13th.

Right now, I really don't feel like his arrival is on the horizon.

Happy Guessing!

Aren't you ready yet?

For the past few weeks, I've been 2-3cm.  Now, based on our appointment this morning, it looks like I'm  "a good 4cm".  My doctor said she was surprised to still see me coming for my appointment, as she thought we'd probably had him by now.  I was feeling really anxious about him coming before June but now that it's the first?  Fair game!  I'm actually feeling a little better right now than I have during other parts of this pregnancy so although I'm ready to be done being pregnant and meet our little guy, I feel like if he waits until the 10th that will be okay with me.  Just that much more time between planning Jillian's party and his each year!  So, although in my opinion this belly below looks just about ready to pop, I suppose I have 9 more days in me if necessary!