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!

Maternity photos..

More photos to come from this session, but I had to share this one ASAP because it is my favorite.  I'm in LOVE!!!!!  Thanks Kelsey for all your help today to make this happen. I'm so glad we did this!!!

Baby Shower!

It's getting closer!!  Click this LINK to enter a guess for when our little guy will arrive!

I've been a slacker about sharing new things on Evan's blog for a little while... so sorry for the delay, but  back on May 1st, my sweet friends had a baby shower to celebrate and I wanted to share these photos!  Thanks so much to Karen & Kelsey for all your effort to make the day special for me!

Aside from that, a little update from my appointment today (May 18th).  Looks like I'm already 3cm dilated which I suppose is not that much of a surprise since I've been contracting pretty regularly each evening and sometimes enough in the night to wake me up.  My deliveries with both girls were pretty quick so it does make me feel a little nervous that he seems a little anxious to come out.  I'll be 36 weeks this Friday, so he needs to stay put for at least 9 more days to be 'full term' and 2 more weeks to make his Mommy happy because I kinda have my heart set on each of our kids having their own birth month!  (I know, I know... but I'm a planner and the idea of having May, June and Aug. birthdays means we can do something fabulous as a family in July to celebrate our trio of summer births!)

More soon!

32 Weeks Along!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but since we don't have a nursery to work on, the only thing for Evan that's progressing is my belly! -smile-

So, here it is.  A friend of mine was nice enough to take this for me the other day when we were at an Easter gathering for the kids.

Although my due date is June 17th, the plan is to induce me at 39 weeks (June 10th) if Evan has not come on his own by then.  Jillian came at a little over 40 weeks, and Liv was born when I was 38 weeks along so.... we'll see!!!  If he follows Liv's lead, I only have 6 weeks to go!

Happy St. Pat's, from Evan!

Isn't this such a fun idea???  What a great way to celebrate a holiday or special event with your new little one... even before they are born!  -smile-

I was spoiled by an amazing artist and had this done while we were at a birthday party... she was there to paint the kids but I threw a few elbows, and claimed a place in line.  Back off 3 year olds.  Haha!  Teasing....

Anyway- if you happen to be in the market for a face painter, I highly suggest this company (www.crystalooneys.com) They are so talented, very sweet, and do a wonderful job!  They do other creative arts stuff too... check out the website!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

24 Week Belly!

Quilt in progress

Every time I "quilt" I become more and more impressed with the quality of work other people can create (that's you, Shere & Bobbie!)  Seriously, there are some talented people out there!  So, bear in mind that I'm a beginner at this when you critique my work below.  

With that disclaimer in place, I think you'll agree it's pretty cute.  I still have most of the rows to sew together, and then all the rows to attach to each other, but I think I might even get done with piecing the front this weekend!  

Tomorrow we will be 24 weeks along- 15 weeks or less before Evan arrives!!!

The nursery, in progress

Since we are moving before Evan is born, I can't start working on the nursery the way I have in the past. It's been a little frustrating for me to be limited in this way (I'm a planner!!!) but I'm coping.  -smile-

You may or may not have already heard my rant about little boy stuff...  I'm not a huge fan of anything with sports items on it, little fire trucks, puppies...  it all just seems so babyish to me, and something that he will grow out of quickly.

I figure since we will be painting his room, I'd like to plan on making it work until he is transitioned into a regular bed!

So, the solution I came up with was to purchase the full size quilt we will eventually use when he is in a regular bed, and use that as the inspiration colors for his nursery.  I know, I know... perhaps this is a little bit TOO much planning ahead, but I think it will save us a lot of work in the end.

So, this is the bedding we bought for Evan to use eventually:

We bought two of those little throw pillows, so I'll use one of those on the chair or something I'm sure...  But, as far as everything else for the nursery?  I'm planning to make it.  Whew.  Now perhaps you understand why I was fabric shopping on the last day of Jan. when he is due in June.  There's lots to do in four months! And, with two little ones under foot to keep me busy, I'm going to be squeezing in quilt making whenever I can!

My photo below ended up looking a little more red-ish than it really is (I'd say the stock photo above is more true to the colors) but you get the idea.  I'm going to use all the little squares around the edge to make his baby blanket...  it will be a little bigger than the ones I made for the girls so we can use it for the toddler bed as well.  Lots of solids and simple prints- it's hard to find fabric in boy colors that is not nursery-ish, or involving florals!

Here's a close up of the fabrics...  Excuse the frayed edges, I already washed/ironed everything so I can cut my squares...

So, that's it for now on the nursery selections.  Wish me luck as I start to compile all his stuff- fun!

Family Pictures

I shared these pictures Jillian drew on our family blog already, but had to make sure I put them on Evan's site as well so I don't forget to include them in his baby book.  Check him out on the bottom of each of these pictures... my favorite is the bottom one where he is, "really fast and green and likes to run on the grass."    :)

He's Still a Boy!

It's for sure- our newest family member is going to be a boy!  We had our 'big ultrasound' today, and everything looks great.  The doctor that performed our ultrasound was fast...  We remember the process taking much longer with each of the girls but we still walked away with a great feeling that everything with our little guy checked out and measured on target.  He's getting much bigger!


We had been waiting for this appointment to officially announce the name we have chosen.  We're excited to share our little guy will be:

Evan Christopher Kules

There's nothing symbolic about his first name- we chose it because it's something we thought was both classic and slightly unique.   We both really like it, and Jillian's slowly coming around to the fact that his name will not actually be Crouton. -smile-

Christopher is Ryan's middle name, as well as Ryan's Dad's middle name so we thought we'd keep the tradition going.  I think it all flows well together! 

Back by popular demand- I added the email subscription to this site so you can type in your email, and have the updates sent directly to your email vs. visiting the site.  I know this is easier for people, so I went for it.  Promise me you'll visit the actual site on occasion though and comment on an entry??  I really would like to include some comments in Evan's baby book and email replies are not organized for me the way comments are...  Thanks guys!

Okay, that's it for now!  I'm feeling fine, (a little heartburn this time around, and tired by the end of the day) mostly just enjoying the consistent kicks I'm feeling now and the thought that we are going to be welcoming another little person into our lives in less than 5 months!  Wow.

Below, some photos of the ultrasound today:

A check up, and a drawing

We had a check up this morning and everything looks good!  Heart rate of 154.  During resting time today, Jillian drew this picture.  Ryan was a little mad not to be included in our first family depiction.  I however, feel pretty special to be included in this picture with my kids.  It's so hard for the Mom to get in front of the camera, so this is nice.  -wink-  

Have a great day!

16 Weeks Along- It's A Boy!

Okay, bear with me and use your imagination a little bit.  He is only 16 weeks along so this is early for gender determination, but it's there.  As Jillian put it, "Our baby has a penis, and Mommy has balls in her belly."  I'm so glad Jillian is so dainty about the whole thing.  Ryan and I really need to stop saying sarcastic and ridiculous things within earshot of her.  lol

See the little bulge to the right of that leg?  That's a penis/scrotum.  The other leg is off to the right a little bit.

No genitals here, but you can see his spine along the top pretty well:

Another cool one of his LONG leg!  The technician kept commenting on how BIG he is.  She said: "Wow!  That's a huge head.  Oh my, his hand is giant!  Wow, were your other babies huge?  Look how LONG his arms and legs are!!!"

Oh, goodie.  lol

And finally, another decent shot of the "boy parts".

After the ultrasound, still in the office.  Look how unsure Jillian looks.  -smile-

A BOY?!?

"AHHHhhhhh!"  Just kidding, I had to tell her to do this.  I thought there was going to be major drama surrounding this news, but Jillian is actually taking it like a champ.  The technician saw what we were having and before she told us, or pointed it out she said, "Jillian- come over here and I'll tell you a secret.  She whispered to Jillian and then said, "Tell your Mommy and Daddy" Jillian said, "It's a baby brother. (really quietly) so I told her to tell Daddy again and she repeated (a tiny bit louder) "It's a baby brother."  Ryan said, "What?!"  lol.  It was very cute.  Even this morning before we left for the appointment Jillian was talking about how she "only likes sisters" so I thought this would be earth shattering to her but when we asked her how she felt about that news she made a huge cheesy smile and danced a little bit.  Okay!  I'm so glad she instantly got over it!

We're so happy things are developing well with our little BOY!

Ryan thinking:  'I'll take your word for it if you say there's something in this picture which indicates this is a boy...'

I guess it's a boy?!

And finally, a picture of "The Boys".  Ahh...  Must feel good to Ryan for the scales to be tipping in his direction a little bit.