Grinning While Growing

Evan Turned Two!

2010-06-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

My baby turned two yesterday! How did that happen? I'm sure you can tell by my lack of blogging that he keeps me VERY busy! But, I wouldn't change a thing about him! So, to bring you up to speed, here are a few things about Evan from the last year!

Evan had his first trip to the zoo

His first trip to the golf course

We went to the pumpkin patch

Trick-or-treating for the first time

Evan had his first haircut!

We went to the park

Rode a 4-wheeler

Had and easter egg hunt

Went to Shell Island for the first time!

He LOVES golf!

We went to Sea World for his birthday

He loved it!

He didn't like his birthday hat

Showing his displeasure about the birthday hat! (sorry...i couldn't resist...it's too funny!)

He blew out his candles all by himself!

So there you have it. Evan's second year in a picutre nutshell. I'd like to say i'll blog more often but, i can make any promises. I forsee Evan's third year to be even more busy!

Pray for Francis!

2009-11-08T17:12:00.000-08:00

although i've been MIA for the last few months and the few of you that actually might be stopping by are wanting an evan update, this is currently much more important.

francis is a friend from high school. we were on the dance team together and i counted her as one of my closest friends. she is a 30 year old wife and mother of two young boys who was just diagnosed with a brain tumor. the doctors don't feel it's cancerous but, it's a brain tumor, none the less. she's having surgery to remove it november 30 at the mayo clinic in jacksonville. please surround this sweet woman with prayer. ask for the wisdom and guidance of her surgeons. i truly believe in praying specifically and i am specifically praying for complete healing!

you can get to know frannie a bit and keep track of her story by visiting her blog here.

i can't stop thinking, 'what if this was me.' if it was, i'd want as much prayer as possible. i'm sure francis feels the same way!

Giveaway

2009-07-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

so my friend dana, which i think the 3 of you that read my blog all know, is having a great giveaway for a $25 gift card to ECO-store USA. check out her sight for more info!

Evan looks like...

2009-07-24T13:59:00.001-07:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Evan's birthday day and birthday party

2009-07-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

June 22, 2008 4:08pm

June 22, 2009 4:08 pm

we decided to have evan's birthday party the weekend following his birthday since my SIL was due to have our second neice the day before evan's birthday (the 21st). of course we had no idea that little (really little) sydnie grace would come 2 weeks early, the day before big sister savanna's birthday, on the 12th.

so we decided to do the customary cupcake on his actual birthday along with a few presents from the fam.

evan loved the presents

he even loved the sight of his cupcake

what he didn't love was blowing out the candle

it didn't help things that it was late and he was tired. no matter what we did, he wouldn't stop screaming. we'd stick some icing in his mouth, he'd stop long enough to swallow, then go right back to crying. poor little guy. he was traumatized!

we hoped not to have a repeat performance during his birthday party. we opted for a jungle theme. everything turned out great. lots of family and friends, good food, and great weather (just a tad too windy). the big moment came. as soon as evan saw the candle, he started to fuss. we sang fast, blew it out (well away from his face) and then took the candle out and hid it. he had still seen enough to get a bit worked up so i had to hold him for a bit to get him settled down again. i picked up his cupcake and he promptly stuck his finger in it. the rest was birthday history...

Evan is 1 year old!

2009-07-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

i know it may not seem like it but, i really do enjoy blogging. it may take me forever to post something but that's only because, in true mommy fashion, "me time" is a luxury. at the moment, i'm waiting for evan to wake up from his nap so i'm sure this post will be interrupted.

evan is growing and changing so much. his one year check-up had him weighing in at 22 pounds 1 ounce and 30 3/4 inches long. he is almost walking on his own. he'll take a few steps be usually gets too excited, leans forward, and falls. he talks like crazy in his own little language. he will say mama and dada but not necessarily in a correct manner, but does say no and bye bye when he waves. he signs "all done/finished" and "more" when eating. and of course points and screams at things he wants. he'll tell you no after you tell him no (that's going to become a real struggle)and sometimes he'll even shake his finger at you while saying it! he is quite the little handful. nursing finally came to an end last week. evan was just biting WAY to often. he's still isn't a great eater but most days he does an okay job. he's consistently gaining weight so i'm not too worried. i just can't believe one year has passed so quickly. what an amazing year it has been. happy birthday angel baby!

Evan is 11 months old!

2009-06-02T18:56:00.001-07:00

i didn't realize until a few days ago that i had not written evan's 11 month post! considering that this will be my last "month" post, i can't let it slip by. i feel like i've been so busy just watching evan grow. he is changing so fast, i really can't believe my eyes. he is so interested in everything. when he's playing, it's like he's trying to figure out how his toys work. we have a little train that spins balls around and drops them out the back. he loves to see them spin, and tries to grab them before they drop. yesterday, he let them keep spinning and kept bending over and looking into the hole to see where they were going. this kept his attention for quite a few minutes. maybe he has a future in engineering. he also loves to put smaller toys inside larger toys and shake them so they make noise. he's really exploring everything he sees. i love watching his learning.

crawling is still evan's only method of transportation (fine by me!). he is standing longer and longer each time he lets go and will take a few good steps when you hold his hands. but for the most part, he doesn't seem too interested in walking. i even bought him a walker (don't worry, he's well supervised while in it) but he doesn't really like it/can't figure out how to use it. he can push himself backwards but mostly just sits in it. i'm in no hurry for the walking to begin so this is all fine by me!

we are rapidly planning his first birthday party and i almost want to cry when i think about it. this has all gone by way to fast. i'm not ready to move out of the baby phase. i can understand why some feel the need to have another baby at this point BUT, that's not for me! i just want to savor each and every day with evan. i'm not ready to have to share my time. plus, one child in diapers is more than enough for me!

i've been a bit lax in my picture taking this month but i do have a few cute shots to share. enjoy!

who doesn't enjoy playing with a laundry basket?!?!

stephanie and addison came to visit! we introduced them to our favorite pizza place, stavro's!

evan is learning how to walk myer...maybe i should teach evan the correct way to hold the leash?

Evan is 10 months old!

2009-04-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

what a big boy we have! he is growing and changing so much these days. he is so active too. he doesn't like to be held for too long (unless he nursing or getting a bottle), he just wants down so he can play. he crawls across the room so fast, usually with one of his toys dangling out of his mouth. he's cruising all around the living room too. he makes it very clear that he has got places to go!! he has also started to try and stand on his own, just for a few seconds at a time. he has become my little shadow , following me everywhere. we've given up trying to barricade him into the living room. he can climb over, or under, anything we put in his way. he finally discovered the dog food and he'll pitch a royal fit when i remove him from myer's bowl. he is all about asserting his independence. eating is really a struggle lately. he wants to feed himself, which is fine, except he gets tired of eating after a few bites. i just keep telling myself that he'll eat when he's hungry. he is totally recovered from his rotavirus experience so now we are just waiting for him to gain some weight back (which is why the lack of eating has me nervous at times). he's a long little thing (30 inches)and just about 20 pounds. but he does have my chunky thighs (poor guy)! evan has his own little language. he will talk to himself all day long. he talks to everyone we see when we're out running errands and he'll try to mimic the sounds that we make. it is amazing to watch that little brain work!

the fauxhawk make an appearance after bath time

laying in the playhouse with his snack cup

monthly picture time is getting tough...evan goes right for the sign

we took our first LONG distance road trip to north carolina during spring break. he did so well. we put him in his big car seat so i think the extra room helped his comfort level. he got to meet almost everyone on todd's dad's side of the family. they all loved him (of course).

trying to catch a bubble

babies and tulips...what could be better!

above all, we are just having so much fun with him. happy 10 months evan!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

evan had a wonderful first easter today!
he had much fun digging through his easter basket this morning.

then he got all dressed up in his easter outfit from elegant heirs (my most FAVORITE children's store in PC).

he sat pretty for pictures with cousin savanna.

he had a blast shaking all of his eggs that he found on the easter egg hunt.

i enjoyed his cuteness today but i couldn't help but think how much i can't wait until evan can really understand what this day is truly about. He is risen!

we're home!

2009-04-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

after a two night stay, we made it home thursday morning. evan is doing much better. you'd never know anything was wrong by the way he is now. he's keeping me on my toes once again. we've got one final check-up on monday and hopefully that will be the end of our rotavirus experience. thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

evan loved playing the the tubing of his IV (it's in the right side of his head)

every once in a while, he'd give us a little smile to let us know he was going to be just fine!

please pray for evan

2009-03-31T11:29:00.001-07:00

evan is still not better. our doctor wants to admit him to the hospital. she's worried that he is dehydrated. he's only peed once since 6pm last night. plus he's still having diarrhea. please keep us in your prayers!

this too shall pass...

2009-03-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

CAUTION: YUCKY MOMMY STUFF AHEAD!

what a weekend we've had. evan has been so sick. i can deal with the ear infections but viral infections...no thanks! evan woke up screaming at 3am on friday. that's so not like him (the screaming or the 3am waking). he proceeded to throw up 3 times over the course of an hour. by 7am he was running a fever. the doctors office couldn't get me in until 2:45 that day so while we waited, evan threw up 3 more times and ran a fever of up to 103 (because of course when i tried to give him anything for the fever, he threw it up). when we finally see the doctor, he tests negative for the typical things so she wanted to look a bit further. she felt that it was a viral infection but because of his age, she wanted to be sure. she needed a urine sample (the quickest way to get it required a catheter) and a blood sample. my poor little guy. i've seen my child poked and prodded more then any mother should! she called us friday night to confirm that yes, it was a viral infection which you can't do anything about. it just has to run it's course. by saturday, the vomiting had stopped but the diarrhea had started. since that wasn't enough to deal with, the vomiting started again at 6pm. today's looking better though. we haven't had any fever, vomiting or diarrhea. just a lot of fussiness. he's hungry but eating still gives him some discomfort. he's so sick of pedilite that he'll hardly drink anymore of it. i just feel so helpless. i know we're doing everything we can but we just want him to feel better. i'm sure he will soon. if this look doesn't sum up the weeked, i don't know what will. feel better angel baby!

i'm a....

2009-03-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a

Spiritual Romantic Self-Knower

this quiz only took a few minutes and was pretty accurate (for me at least). see for yourself and let me know your results :)

Evan is 9 months old!

2009-03-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

look at me!! i'm posting only one day after evan turned 9 months! poor little guy, he's been cutting his third tooth and it really seemed to be bothering him yesterday. we couldn't get anything close to a smile for his monthly picture. other than that pesky little tooth, he's just been a bundle of joy! he's crawling and pulling up like crazy and getting into everything. he is certainly keeping us on our toes. i can't believe he will be a year old in just 3 months!!

he was not into this photo session

he was so proud of himself when he stood up in the pack-n-play

he wasn't too sure about the hat

evan's first time in a swing, at our friend parker's birthday party - he couldn't quite decide if he liked it or not

evan loves bitter biscuits...too bad mommy can't say the same thing. they are sooo messy!

just a little bit further and i can get myer's ball!

this is evan's favorite way to sit (his favorite place to sit too). he tries to stand himself up this way, without holding on to anything...he's getting close!

oh how i love this little angel baby!

Evan is 8 (and 3/4) months old!

2009-03-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

i am officially lousy at keeping this thing up to date but, considering how mobile evan has become, it's a wonder i get anything done at all. since we are so close to the 9 month mark, i'll go ahead and mention some of the milestones he's reached this month as well. that way, i'll only have to post pictures next month so maybe i wont get so behind!

learning to putt with daddy

evan is not only crawling, but pulling up as well! he loves standing so much. he gets so mad when he falls back down. he's also go two teeth now, both on the bottom. unfortunately for mama, biting is sometimes a fun game. he is just getting over his second ear infection, yuck! those are NOT fun. and probably the most exciting milestone of all...evan got his first black eye!! he was crawling around this morning when his hand slipped out from under him and his head came down on one of his toys. he's got a little blackish/purple bump right under his right eyebrow. poor thing! poor daddy too. evan was right in front of him when it happened so he felt responsible. i told him to get used to it. i know it is just the first of many bumps and bruises. it's actually his second bump/bruise. a few weeks ago, he headbutted great-grandma's teeth. he got a bump on the forehead (that you can see in his 8 month pic) and he knocked her dentures loose!

you should see me move!

most importantly, he is growing and changing every day. he is becoming fiercely independent. he wants to do everything himself. especially when it comes to eating. but he really has such a laid back, happy personality. we are so grateful for that. he is such a joy! i cannot believe that he will be a year old in a little over 3 months! i am determined to savor every last second of babyhood!

Evan is 7 months old!

2009-02-14T17:22:00.001-08:00

okay, this is seriously the third time i've tried to post this. my computer keeps freezing in the middle of it. so for the sake of time i'll say that evan had a great seventh month. see for yourself...

Evan's photo shoot!

2009-02-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

i had full intentions of doing the typical newborn photos, then 3, 6, 9, &12 month shots of evan but, newborn came and went, as did 3 months. i was not going to miss 6 month! i figure i'll just skip 9 months and do 12 months next. i'll save money that way :) he was such a good boy that day. we got some great shots...

Evan is 6 months old!

2008-12-22T17:39:00.000-08:00

happy half birthday little one! i can't believe how big you are. you are sitting up (almost completely on your own). you are laughing and smiling all the time, all the while sticking out your tongue. you make your daddy and me laugh and smile countless times a day. you love to eat your fruits and vegetables and you love your dog myer. you're learning how to wave and you are babbling up a storm (lucky for me saying mamamamama).

you're first 9 days of life seems like nothing but a bad dream now. no one would be able to guess that you had such a rough beginning.

now you are so healthy and strong. i will never tire of thanking God for choosing me to be your mother. what a blessing it is to be able to call you my child.

i love watching the wonderment in your eyes as you so seriously examine your surroundings. you study everything so carefully like you just can't wait to know everything there is to know about it. i'm so excited that i get to continue to watch you grow each and every day. i love you evan!

that's an awfully nice beard you have santa...

2008-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

can i have it?

evan got to meet santa (aka...our preacher dale) last sunday at our churches christmas party. there were no tears, no screaming, just a lot of tugging. evan loves hair and santa's beard is no exception. you could quietly hear dale saying "evan, evan, let go." luckily, the beard stayed on and evan didn't ruin things for the rest of the kids standing in line. i'm sure next year there might be a fair amount of tears and screaming.

only 6 shopping days left! merry christmas!

Evan is 5 months old!

2008-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

another wonderful month has passed, but much to quickly. evan is still growing like a weed, weighing in at 17lbs 3oz and measuring 27 1/4 inches long. adding rice cereal has really helped him to plump up a bit. he has also started to enjoy peas. i hope he takes to the other veggies as well as he has to the peas.

the good thing about living in central florida is beautiful weather this time of year. it's been in the the 60's lately with lots of sunshine. i just had to take evan outside for a bit of fresh air. i was a good mommy and bundled him up in his warmest outfit (thanks aunt dess) and we weren't out there for too long. he really seemed to enjoy it and it made for some cute pictures. myer enjoyed it too!

evan has been trying very hard to sit up lately. he can balance for a little bit before he takes a tumble. most of the time he props himself up with one hand. he seems to have decided that it is no fun to play while lying down because he'll start to fuss after lying down for just a few minutes. once i sit him up, he's grins and giggles again. i'm sure he'll have it down pat very soon.

we've had a lot of fun taking pictures this month. evan has really started to notice the camera and starts to smile once i take it out. this has given us some really great pictures. i hope he keeps it up.

i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving today. we stuffed ourselves full of food, family, and friends. our family certainly had a lot to be thankful for this year. in many ways, i don't know if i've ever felt truly as thankful as i do this year. evan got off to a rocky start but has done so amazingly well since we came home from the NICU, it's like nothing was ever wrong at all. i'm so thankful to have a child, but to have a healthy child...there really aren't words to explain just how thankful i am. God has been so good to us! happy thanksgiving from our blessed family to yours!

Little jumping bean

2008-11-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

where has this thing been the last 4 months! seriously! i have finally found something that works. unlike many babies, evan is not a big fan of the swing, vibrating bouncy seat, floor activity gym thing, etc. he would usually tolerate these contraptions for a few minutes and then beg (i.e. scream) to get out. his usual favorite past time is to "stand" on your lap. this is not only tiresome but inconvenient for long periods of time. lately, he started "jumping" while standing on your lap. we decided it was time to invest in a jumparoo. this was money well spent. he LOVES it! it's the only thing that keeps him content when mommy needs to get something done or it's time for dinner.

he even falls asleep it it! as he's dozing off, he'll still jump now and then. it's pretty cute to watch. if only i could get the video's from my camera to play on my computer, you could see how much he loves this thing. so for all you mom's with little jumping beans of your own, get a jumparoo, you won't regret it!

Evan and the Tractor

2008-11-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

our church has an annual hoe-down and chili cook-off. during last years event, it first slipped out that i was pregnant. i was asked to participate in the tug-of-war. i hadn't even gone to the doctor yet so i wasn't about to take any chances. this year i managed to get out of it again because i was feeding evan. maybe i can share my strength next year. anyway, the best part about the night was when our minister was playing with evan and decided to take him on the tractor (don't worry, it was stationary).

evan also got to spend some time with a sweet friend named chester. chester made evan the cutest little wooden potty chair. he tried to feed evan but it seemed to be a mommy only kind of day. still, it made for a really cute picture!

Mmmm, cereal!

2008-11-13T12:21:00.000-08:00

evan had his 4 month check up and all is well. he weighed in at a svelte 14lbs 11oz and a long 27 inches. he's been running in the 50th percentile for his weight and he is off the charts for his height. long and thin like his papaw. no complaints here. i pray he doesn't have my food issues! our doctor did say he needs to double his birth weight by 6 months. so to help that more then 4lb weight gain along, we started evan on rice cereal.

i was really expecting the typical, counter productive type of feeding where everything that goes in, comes right back out. but this was not the case. he loved it. he was just like a little bird, opening his mouth for another bite. of course a little got pushed out in the swallowing process but for the most part, he did really good. i've learned we have to feed him fast. if you wait too long, he hands go right into his messy mouth, furthering the mess. i realize i'll get to a point eventually where i'll give up on keeping him clean while he eats because there will be food every regardless of what i do. but for now, i'm trying to keep him as clean as possible. we're going to keep on with the cereal for a month, then start adding in veggies after that. although it's exciting to see evan growing, this does make me miss the simplicity of just breastfeeding. it was so easy! i didn't have to do anything but pull up my shirt! those were the days :)

Is there a doctor in the house?

2008-11-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

now i realize that by typical blog standards, i'm way late with this one but considering i typically blog once a month, this is a big deal for me. it's more of a way to share cute pictures of precious evan.

halloween for an infant is really kind of silly. it's totally for us parents! it's not like you can take the baby trick-or-treating. they would know the candy is for you (now we did have a pregnant woman and a lady by herself with two bags saying they were for her kids so i guess nowadays, trick-or-treating is a free for all). so basically for the sake of cuteness, you dress up the baby to show everyone just how cute they are. we of course were no exception. todd's grandmother had given us a set of baby scrubs before he was born. the plan was to have a picture taken of him in the scrubs, being held by the doctor. but since things didn't exactly go as planned when he was born, the scrubs were shoved in a bag and forgotten about.

as halloween neared, i eyed all of the cute little bunting outfits and feared my child would melt in the 80 degree nights we have in october here in central florida. though a sweating baby chili pepper would have been cute. while going through some forgotten things in evan's closet, i found the baby scrubs. perfect! light weight, comfortable, and free! we even had the stethoscope and baby crocs to complete the look. who knows, this could help to pave the way to a future career. besides, i'd rather have a son who's a doctor then a chili pepper!

Evan is 4 months old!

2008-10-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

four months old never seemed much to me before i had a child but now, i can't believe how old that is. evan seems so big to me now. his personality is really starting to show. he's smiling all the time and beginning to laugh and giggle a bit. when you stand him up, which is still his favorite thing to do, he pushes himself up with his legs. he might be one of those kids that skips crawling and goes straight to walking. he is "talking" up a storm. he is really having fun learning about the sounds he can make. he prefers to talk when his fingers are in his mouth. this seems to allow him to talk louder and drool more. i feel that teething is just around the corner.

evan got to meet his cousin austin, who is three weeks younger. we had a fun day playing at nana and papaw's house with cousins austin and savanna.

my parents, better know to evan as pops and mamere, came to visit this past weekend. they had not seen evan in 6 weeks. they couldn't believe how much he had grown and changed. i hate that they are not able to see him more often but so far, they've seen him once a month since he was born. i hope that can continue. we took them to downtown mount dora to walk around. it's full of cute little shops and restaurants and a boardwalk that goes around lake dora. i can't help but feel proud when someone smiles at evan or comments when we pass. i'm certainly the proud mama.

after downtown mount dora, we went to a pumpkin patch at a local church. this was definitely more for us then for evan but he tolerated us well. i'm sure, sooner then i'd like, he'll be running off to find the pumpkin of his choice. for now, we chose one for him. a little one this year, then they'll grow as he does.

in this last month i've started to work some, part-time. i was laid off at the end of last school year and have yet to find a full time teaching position. it's a really bad time to be a teacher in central florida. there is just very little available. i've been subbing at mount dora bible, where todd's parents work. i'd love to work there as well and feel certain they would hire me if something opened up. i do know that one of the teachers is pregnant and due in january so maybe i could take over for her for a while. todd and i decided that i could hold out for a teaching position until the end of the year but come january, if i haven't found anything, i'll have to go back to marketing/pr. i'd love to keep teaching so please be praying something will come up. we have had to dip in to our retirement funds to help ends meet (the extra, unexpected medical bills were to blame) but, God is in control and he is taking care of everything. for the last four months he has been answering my first prayer of being able to stay home with evan so for that i am truly thankful. we are really working on praising God in ALL things. we've learned that it is much harder to do when things are tough. if it weren't for evan, the last 7 months would have been so much harder. praise God for choosing us to raise this precious little gift. i've taken on a theme song that has also helped me to remember that we are not alone in all this. "you're not alone" by meredith andrews http://www.meredithandrews.com/ if you don't know is song you must listen. i always seem to hear it when i need it the most...hmmm...i wonder why that happens :) until next time, i praise God for friends that care enough to read and for strangers too. love to all!

Evan is 2 months old...wait...now he's 3 months old!

2008-09-24T10:14:00.000-07:00

all i can say is, thanks fay! as in tropical storm fay. she dished out quite a lot of water, some of which managed to make it's way into our bedroom, right where the computer is so, computer unplugged, carpet pulled up, etc, etc. we are just now getting things back to normal so i'm way behind on updating you on my precious little one.

evan is growing and changing so much. i feel so blessed that i get to witness it all. he loves to stand up and pull himself up. we of course are helping with this but he loves to test out those growing muscles. if you try to sit him down when he'd rather be standing, he'll let you know. same with when you try to lay him down and he'd rather sit up. he tries his hardest to sit up on his own but, he just manages to lift his head and roll to one side.

he's been sleeping in his crib for the last month (once again, thanks to fay). he's done really well. he even began to sleep through the night for about 2 weeks but apparently, he didn't really like that idea so he decided to start waking up again. good thing i'm not working yet.

he has already been on 3 long road trips (twice to see my family in pc and once to montgomery for a wedding). i can't say that he loves to travel just yet. i feel certain that once he no longer requires a car seat he will love traveling but while strapped down where he can't move, not so much. poor little guy, he really did quite well but, the last hour or so he just screams. i can't say that i blame him. i didn't like being strapped down for my c-section. i'd imagine it is a similar feeling.

well, i realize this is a bit short, after such a long break from updates, but i figure a picture is worth a thousand words. besides he's much cuter to look at then to read about :) hope you are all doing well and i promise, i'll do my best not to be such a slacker in the future!

Evan is 1 month old!

2008-07-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

we've made it through month one and all is well. we are adjusting to life with a newborn quite nicely. i'm amazed at how talented i've become when it comes to multi tasking. currently i'm typing this and nursing at the same time. i'm typing this one handed so it will take me twice as long but it's worth it to the 4 of you that read this i'm sure!

considering what we went through when evan was born, we should get a free pas on all things medical for the first year. but sadly, things don't work that way. currently, evan has a rash over half of his body because of something that i ate. it doesn't seem to bother him but talk about feeling guilty! not to mention that the only way to figure out what caused the rash is to write down everything i ate and see if it gets worse/happens again. we also learned today that evan has a blocked tear duct in his left eye. this causes his eye to get very gunky and crusty. basically it looks like pink eye without the pink contagious part. there's not much you can do about the tear duct ( i'm supposed to massage it and put drops in to prevent infection). if it hasn't cleared up once he's a YEAR old they'll flush it out. so possibly for the next 11 months, he gets to go around looking like he has a highly contagious eye infection. it's going to be fun trying to find a playgroup!

other then the rash and gunk, evan is thriving! he's gaining weight (10 lbs 3.5 ozs) and his breathing continues to no longer even be an issue. we really are truly blessed!

**thanks emily for the monthly picture idea. i'm completely stealing it from you!

Evan's first real bath

having tummy time

hospital feet

home feet

We're Home!!

2008-07-02T19:32:00.001-07:00

After one week, almost to the hour, we left the NICU and were finally able to bring Evan home yesterday. Today has certainly been a great one. Despite the lack of sleep and the difficulty of trying to get Evan to stay awake long enough to eat, it has been so good to be home. We are settling in nicely to life with a newborn. We just can't stop looking at him. Thanks for the prayers and thoughtful words. I look forward to posting many happy events to come!

June 22, 2008

2008-06-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Evan Todd has made his grand arrival into this world. He chose to come 8 days early and facing sideways, resulting in 18 hours of labor and then a C-section. He weighed in at 9lbs 12 1/2 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long (this added to the need for the C-section). He also chose to come with some extra fluid in his lungs resulting in a problem called transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN). This basically means there was too much fluid in his lungs (wet lungs) and it caused a rapid respratory rate and a low oxygen saturation rate. The hospital where Evan was born only has a level 1 nursery so they did everything they could for the first two days but he had to be transfered to the NICU at Florida Children's Hospital in Orlando Tuesday night. It is now almost a week later and we're still here. He is doing great and there is a strong possibility he will go home tomorrow. He has gone from being under an oxyhood, to having a nasal canula (the thing in the nose), to now no additional oxygen...he's had an IV in both hands, then in his arm, then two in his head, then just one in his head, to now no IV's...he's had a tube down his throat into his belly for feedings and now is breast/bottle feeding. We are now just waiting for him to eat a bit better and he can go home. This is by far the condensed version of what has been going on. It would take me hours to go into the detail needed for everyone to understand what we've been going through. Never in a million years did I ever think I'd be going through something like this. I had a picture perfect pregnancy, I thought my delivery would be the same way. None the less, my preciouse son is here and he is just wonderful! I am already amazed at how strong he is and what a trooper he can be. He doesn't even cry when his foot gets pricked everyday to check his sugar levels. We are 45 mins to an hour away from home right now so that has only made this experience even more difficult. We are staying at the Ronald McDonald House which is a charity that I will fully support for the rest of my life! (Save your soda can pop tops and donate them to a Ronald McDonald House near you!!) Just please pray that he continues to improve and that we will be home in a day or so. In the mean time, take a look at our precious little boy!!

"Wow! You're Huge"

2008-06-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Says the lady to me in the grocery store today. "It's really funny that you're buying a watermelon when it looks like you've already got one, especially wearing that green shirt" says the man to me in the grocery story last week. I'm starting to dread going to that place now. Truthfully, I find it all pretty funny. I am huge. I'm the first one to say it. I never thought it would be possible to be so big. The scary thing is, I'm going to get bigger! I've still got about 3 weeks to go. According to the ultrasound that we had yesterday, baby Evan is already weighing in at about 6 lbs 14 oz. If he continues to gain a pound a week (like they say babies do at this time) and I go until my due date, I'm looking at a 9-10 lb baby. Can you say ouch?!?! I go back to the doctor on Monday so we'll see what she has to say about his size and whether or not I'll need to go a bit early. In the meantime, please pray that my belly can hold itself together for the remaining weeks. It's so tight it doesn't feel like it can stretch any more but judging by my numerous stretch marks, my belly is finding a way to accommodate for the still growing little guy in my belly. Oh, and by the way, we had the ultrasound tech check to make sure it's still a boy and it is :) She said they were definitely boy parts. So here are the latest pictures. I'm 37 weeks so, a little over 8 months. I'm now considered full term so he can safely be born any time now. So come on little Evan Todd. We're dying to meet you!!

37 Weeks

The same shirt at 3 months - glad it still fits...very few shirts still cover my belly

Look carefully, can you see my stretch marks?

Look how shiny and round it is!

7 (almost 8) months

2008-05-13T18:19:00.000-07:00

so i often find myself hurrying to take a picture of my belly before that month is over. tomorrow i'll be 34 weeks, at 35 weeks, i'll be 8 months pregnant. but since i am still technically 7 months, i figured the 7 month pictures were still needed. i have certainly reached the 'really uncomfortable' phase of pregnancy. evan is rapidly running out of room which he lets me know by trying to push himself out of my belly through my bellybutton...well, at least that's what it feels like. he is also very low which brings on a lot of pelvic and groin pain. i feel like my groin muscles are pulled which makes everything from walking to even driving difficult. but i do only have 6 weeks left (assuming he waits until 40 weeks to make his grand appearance) so i can handle it. i keep having to remind myself, i've made it 34 weeks, 6 more is nothing! i'm so amazed that i will be holding my little boy in 6 weeks. there are so many ways that my impending motherhood has yet to sink in. so until next month, here's my belly!

7 months

Myer really wanted to be a part of this months photos

Welcome to the World...

2008-04-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

of blogging that is. I thought I'd try my hand at blogging. Both for therapeutic reasons and as a way to share the events of our ever growing family. Currently, the only thing growing is my waistline but that means there are good things to come. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Evan Todd. Only 11 more weeks to go. I'm sure that time will go by much faster then we realize but as for now, it still seems far away. If I can update this at least once a month, I figure I'll be in good shape. For now, here's a progression of that growing waistline I mentioned...

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months