What's New with Family T?

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2011-12-28T19:58:00.000-06:00

Chirstmas of Firsts

2011-12-22T18:23:00.000-06:00

We decided to stay in Austin for the holidays this year. That means lots of visits from grandparents. Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa from Lake Jackson visited, and Evan got to experience Christmas a little early. While it may not be his "First Chirstmas", it will be a Chistmas of many firsts! First visit to Stanta was in the last post.

Grandma reading his first copy of "The Night Before Christmas"

First cookie decorating experience

Cookie eating...(not a first)

Opening presents...(first time this season)

Giving presents...first time he's understood the concept.

First "Ring Around the Rosie" with Mom

First cup of hot cocoa!

First gingerbread house.

Evan Meets Santa

2011-12-10T20:55:00.000-06:00

We decided to check out the Zilker Park Holiday Festival tonight. Not only was Evan enchanted by the ginormous tree made entirely of lights, but there was also a free Santa Claus! So, we stood in line, and told Evan all about Santa while we waited. Just before it was our turn, the staff announced that Santa had to "go feed his reindeer". Or as Evan said, he had to "go potty". When Santa returned, Evan practically sprinted up to him. He wasn't sure quite what to do on his lap, but he certainly wasn't scared, like all the other kids were before him.

Evan made an ornament for Mom and Dad at school this year. He was very excited to place it on the tree when we got home. We have a very bottom heavy tree this year.

Halloween by the Numbers

2011-11-06T08:11:00.009-06:00

Costumes available: 2
Costumes worn: 0
Jackets lost: 1
Candy collected: 0
Pumpkins carved: 1

While it was nice to not to feel obligated to choke down a bunch of Mary Jane's and Bit-O-Honey's like my Dad used to do after I finished sorting my loot, on balance it was not a great score for Evan. I can't say for sure, but perhaps he will be wearing the top of his dog outfit for a jacket for the remainder of the season. But let's move on to the more fun part of the holiday...

Despite my reservations in allowing Evan to be in the vicinity when knives are being used for somewhat unintended purposes, this year Evan took part in carving the pumpkin. After some initial trepidation about the guts, he got into it as you can see:

Unfortunately, I broke a couple of teeth out when popping out a mouth section and Grandpa T was sadly unavailable to do a bit of emergency replacement.

For Those About to Rock...

2011-10-31T14:10:00.004-05:00

Over the past few months Evan has learned how to turn on various things around the house, including the clock-radio which is usually ends up tuned into the classic rock station right next to KGSR on the radio dial. In that same span I discovered - applying the long-known idea that kids like to watch their dads acting like morons - that Evan enjoys watching me jam on my air guitar. He has also learned the phrase, "rockandrow." (Still working on those L's.) Fortunately, there are no pictures of me performing my best rendition of Freebird sans instrument but his reaction did get me thinking that maybe Evan would like the guitars used to play Guitar Hero. I think the idea had merit...

You're in the jungle baby!!

Belated Birthday Boy

2011-10-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

Evan turned 2 soon after we moved to Austin. Here are a few pics from the Birthday week.

Mmm...cake!

Birthday Rocket from Grandma T.

New backpack for school

Visit from Grandma and Grandpa F.

Shiny new Birthday Trike!

Oregon Wine Country

2011-09-17T13:58:00.000-05:00

Christian and I took a trip to Oregon wine country a few weeks ago. A trip withOUT Evan! Thanks to Granma T and Auntie MJ he had two world class babysitters for the 5 days we were gone. It was an amazing trip! We flew into Portland and stayed in town overnight. Then we drove the 25 miles to Newberg, where we stayed at the Allison Inn & Spa. The Inn was perfectly located for day trips to the dozens of wineries and to gorgeous national forests. We spent our days relaxing, wine tasting, eating local foods, and hiking. We bought bottles from our favorite places and brought them home with us. That way we will have a little taste of vacation everytime we open a bottle.Our favorite wineries were Winderlea, Beaux Frere, and Lenne.

Wint tasting at Archery Summit

Christian enjoying the view outside at Archery Summit

Grapes at Lenne

View from our room balcony

Sunset from our room!

Enjoying our wine tasting outside at Stoller

Perfect picnic lunch at Sokol Blosser

Day trip to Silver Falls. Can you see the tiny people behind the falls? Spectacular.

One last winery. Tour of the vinyards at Beaux Frere.

We will be going back!

The Move

2011-09-15T21:06:00.000-05:00

Lots has happend since our last real post. Most importantly we have moved to Austin! We are finally unpacked an somewhat settled. Evan has sarted pre-primary school at his Montessori school. Christian has started working as a pharmacy tech, and I am waiting to start working. Seven weeks off sounded like a great idea, but after 4 weeks, I'm twiddling my thumbs and ready to go back to work. Here are a few pics from the move. Pics from our trip to Oregon, Evan's 2nd birthday celebration, and the first day of school to follow.

Evan's room all packed. This room was the hardest for me to leave behind.

Evan crashed in my bed when we stayed in a hotel the one night we had no home. Sleeping with a restless 2 year old is a challenge.

Helping us unpack.

More help. Everything can be a "hat", or a brooch, or a pterodactyl!

Evan enjoying one of the swimming pools at our new apartment. Now he insists on going "himming" almost every day.

Summer 2011 Family Photos

2011-09-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos from our first ever family photo shoot. It was about 98 degrees outside that morning, so most of the outdoor pics didn't turn out so well. We were a little wilted. So enjoy the mostly indoor pics. Thanks to Carissa Byers, the photographer who braved the heat and a shy toddler with us. Maybe we'll do it again someday.

Grandma and Grandpa's Visit

2011-08-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa from Lake Jackson came to visit last weekend. I am getting old enough that I remember them from the last time they visited. That meant that I wasn't scared of them at all! It was fun. We did lots of hugging, laughing, reading, and lap sitting, which I have always been shy of doing with people other than Mom and Dad.

I let Grandpa hold me, and it was kind of fun...

Then Grandma read lots of books to me...

Then Grandma and Mommy made a yummy dinner for me...

Last week was also my last week in the 1year old class at school. I have graduated to the 2 year old class now! The last day of school we had a party, and we got to wear our class t-shirts. Here are a few shots of my t-shirt. Purple 208 was our classroom name. My shirt had a caterpiller on it!

When I got home from school, I helped load the dishwasher...

Mom and Dad were so proud that they clapped for me when I was done!

Next Friday is moving day! We are going to be leaving this house that I have learned to call "home". I think Mommy is a little sad that we are leaving, but I'm really excited about our new life in Austin! There are going to be lots of great things for me to do there. I even have a new school that starts in 3 weeks! Montessori...ready or not, here I come!

Pump It Up!

2011-07-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

Evan here! I got invited to a birthday party this weekend at a place called "Pump It Up," and since I needed a ride, I took Mom and Dad along. When we got there, Dad seemed kind of bored so I suggested we go down the big tall slide. Dad was a little nervous so I had to lead him up to the top by the hand.

Once he was less nervous, I let him carry me up to the top. Then, the fun!

After the fun on the slide and the other bounce-houses, I got a meal with all my favorites: cheese pizza, raspberries, and blueberries. I'm glad Dad had fun so he'll take me to more parties in the future!

Evan the Helper

2011-07-17T19:12:00.000-05:00

We have been telling Evan about our upcoming move, and he is really getting excited. So excited in fact, that he wants to help us pack. Here is he is taping and packing up our first box.

After a long day of moving prep, Evan sat down with an issue of Cooks Illustrated, and found something to make for dinner.

To thank him for all his hard work today, we rewarded him with an evening of sprinkler time outside...

Yay for sprinkers!

Shoes!

2011-06-29T21:44:00.001-05:00

The evolution of Evan's shoe obsession.

Flip-flops are the starter shoe...

Then on to Dad's big comfy running shoes...

Then come the hard core heels...

Who's that wearing my shoes?

He's more steady in these then I am...

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T19:58:00.000-05:00

One more year, and you only get better with time! Thank you Christian for the amazing Dad that you have become. This year you have flown with him alone (a feat I have not yet dared), filmed his first steps, tossed him in the air hundreds of times, heard his first words (one of which was dada), and contributed more than your share to calming the trantrums, sleeping on his bedroom floor, cleaning the poo, and having the right food ready at exactly the right time. All of that, with energy left to calm me down at the end of a long day and a stressful week, with hugs, a nice meal, a bottle of wine, and sometimes even a foot rub. It has been a hard year, but you should know that Evan loves you more than he can tell you...and so do I!

Evan trying on Dad's Father's Day gift of new flip flops.

Evan wearing the flip flops, and quite proud of himself.

My hansome Dad. If only I picked up a fraction of his parenting skills.

Happy 90th Birthday GiGi!

2011-06-11T14:46:00.000-05:00

Gigi, or Grandma Pampe

Gigi is Evan's great grandmother on his grandmother Fowler's side. She turned 90 last week, and most of the extended family traveled to Southern Illinois to celebrate. For her birthday, Evan learned to say "Hi Gigi". Gigi seemed to have a marvelous time with everyone there to visit. She had a huge grin on her face the entire weekend. It turned out to be quite the family reunion.

Four of six great-grandchildren.

White squirrel of Olney, IL, spotted in my grandmother's front yard.

Cowboy Evan with his Olney, IL White Squirrel t-shirt.

Running in circles in the guest house where we were staying.

Seven of eight grandchildren.

Mom with baby Luke

Baby Luke (Evan's cousin), turned 6 months old this weekend. Happy half-birthday Luke!

Uncle Joe and Cousins Kate and Joshua enjoying KFC in 90 degree heat.

Aunt Jen contemplating, what kind of wine can you get in Olney, IL?

Having fun with Dad!

My beautiful Grandma with Aunt Marci. Happy Birthday Grandma!

May 2011

2011-05-30T20:59:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted any pictures. We have been busy getting ready for our move. Since we last posted, we have put our house on the market. We now obsess over keeping the house clean in spite of two cats and a toddler. It is quite a challenge, and it has never looked as nice.

Chrisitan's parents came to visit a couple of weeks ago, and got spend some quality time with Evan. He liked having Grandpa around to toss him in the air.

Evan has been growing like a weed and constantly growing out of clothes. He is also learning lots of new words. His most recent and most favorites are "plane", which he can now differentiate from a "bird", "more cookie", which he says often, and "squirrel", which is handy, since we are visiting his great-grandmother next week in Olney, IL, home of the albino squirrels.

Evan abusing Dexter, even after he was bit in the face. Some lessons are hard to learn.

Evan showing off his basket of toys. Amazingly, he actually puts them away. He must have learned that at school!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T21:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! This Easter was much more fun that last Easter. Last year I was only 7 months old, and my parents took me to the Dallas Arboretum. We walked around, looked at flowers, and they took lots of cute pictures of me. This year we went again. As you can see above, I was a little skeptical when we first arrived. But this year we invited two of my friends Carson and Max (and their parents too). It was much more fun! First we found these little kid sized houses to play around in and a covered wagon. Then Mom found a castle where we put down blankets and had a picnic. The grown ups hid some real Easter eggs for us to find. I was used to the plastic ones from school, so when I threw these, I was surprised to hear them crack...oops! I also learned several new words today. They were "bucket" (for the Easter bucket with eggs), "cookie" (for the yummy Easter cookies), "cheese" (for the gagillion pictures I posed for), and "catapier" (for the caterpiller climbing in the grass next to our picnic). Overall it was a fun day, and I was worn out by the time we got back to the car.

The old kid house...

The covered wagon...

The only pic with all three boys. We must be too fast for the camera!

The castle we found for our picnic!

Cookie!

Carson showing me how to hunt for Easter eggs. Found one!

Look at all these real eggs! You mean I'm not supposed to throw these at the tree?

My family

Whew!

Cool Kid

2011-04-15T14:45:00.002-05:00

Evan occasionally likes wearing his sunglasses, though they don't stay on his face for too long. These actually came with his 1st birthday hat, though he was pretty intolerant of them until recently.

Evan says: You're cool!

Bubbles

2011-04-09T23:46:00.000-05:00

Evan's cousins helped to introduce him to the world of bubbles a couple of weekends ago. These bubbles were Easter presents from Momma J while we were visiting in Lake Jackson. Evan was so excited about them that he learned to say the word "bubuls" that afternoon. Now he won't stop saying it. Everytime he sees the bottle of bubbles, we have to blow bubbles, or he won't stop repeating the word. Over, and over, and over.

Little did Evan know how scary bubbles could be.

Bubbles with Grandma.

No one can have my bubbles!

Learning to rake. This might come in handy next Fall.

This is Evan roaring like a lion. Are you scared?

The Park Across the Street

2011-03-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

One of the things we will miss the most about living in Dallas is living across the street from the elementary school park. We go over almost every evening now that the weather is nice. Evan can now even say "park"...even though it sound more like "paar". You can see how much he loves it!

The house in the background is our house!

Running..

Going down the slide all by himself...

Happy Half Birthday Evan

2011-03-07T21:51:00.002-06:00

For Evan's one-and-a half birthday we told him that we were going to move to Austin. I don't think he really understood why Mom and Dad were so excited. He has no idea that he's in for beautiful outdoors, yummy food, and great music! Here are a few pics from my favorite little boy...

18 month stats:

Height: 32 inches (40%)

Weight: 24 lbs (25%)

Head: 19 inches (60%)

This is his usual state...that is the "wiggles state"

Aunt MaryJo and Grandma T came down to babysit while Mom and Dad went to Austin for the weekend. They had tons of fun! Thanks MaryJo and Susan!

Evan's newest skill is turning on the stereo for his "dance music". Sadly, his favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus".

Yay for shoes!

Boogie Shoes

2011-02-23T15:40:00.003-06:00

Fun in the Bathroom...

2011-02-21T20:27:00.000-06:00

Evan's favorite new place to play is in our bathroom. We are not sure why, but maybe it's because he loves bathtime. His favorite things to do in the bathroom are to open and close the cabinet doors and to turn on and off the lights. Here are a few shots...

Lights on....lights off

Super Baby XLV!

2011-02-05T20:25:00.000-06:00

As you can see, Evan will be rootin' for the Pack tomorrow. He even has matching socks to go with the shirt, thanks to Aunt MaryJo.

As you have probably heard, we had 4 "snow days" here in Dallas. That means that the schools were all closed, including Evan's daycare. On the very last day, we got about 6 inches of actual snow. The first 3 days were all ice (fun for driving)! Evan got to go out in the real snow, and as you can see, he was a little dumbfounded. For a moment, he thought he was in Green Bay. The players who are in town for the Super Bowl, certainly feel right at home in this weather!

Evan has been doing lots of new things lately. Now that he's mastered walking , he has taken on more "cerebral" tasks. His most promising new tricks involve words. That's right, words! His latest ones are: nana (bananas), more (helpful at mealtime), book (actually sounds more like "boo"), car, and toe. We are certainly ready for a communication breakthrough! He is also mastering animal sounds, and can now produce dog, monkey, and elephant sounds when presented with a picture (although the dog and monkey often sound similar). His new favorite activity is reading books. More accurately, that would be bringing us books to read to him. His favorite book is one about a wombat, from Grandma F. I think we have read that book to him about 10 times today, and possibly about 50 others. I suppose there are worse things for him to be obsessed with!

Rolling Blackouts!

2011-02-02T14:58:00.004-06:00

Evidently, the electrical load stress of running 10 million AC units all summer long is nothing compared to needing to heat the same number of homes. Who knew?

This morning, at 6AM we experienced the first of 5 rolling blackouts lasting each about 15 minutes. Thankfully, the city of Dallas designated the "NFL Experience" (Admission price: $25/adult, $20/kids) as a "critical operation," thus exempt from the blackouts. Whew!

It was amusing to read the various news outlet comments as political hacks blamed "over-regulation" and "government handouts" for the stress on the system. Apparently, the fact that Texas power has been deregulated for several years is a fact that escaped their notice. Anyway... Evan and I stayed at home since his daycare was closed and my classes were canceled. The last time we had a prolonged power outage we bought a little LED lantern, which Evan decided was fun to tote around with us in the dark this morning.

January

2011-01-29T14:22:00.000-06:00

Happy 2011! We have been terrible about posting so far this year. Here are a few random pictures from January. Enjoy...

Evan and Dad

Trying to wear Dad's shoes. One of Evan's few words is "toes", so he really likes shoes, 'cause it means he gets to say it a lot.

Toes...

He is getting really good at stacking.

Here is Evan helping us clean his car seat after he threw up all over it on the ride home. He just grabbed the paper towel and wiped away, just like Mommy!

Evan is thankful that we have at least one really tollerant (i.e. lazy) cat. I think De'du (Dexter) and Evan really like each other.

Does this mean he's "interested" in the potty? Oh, I am so ready to be done with diapers!

Another trip to a petting zoo, this time at the Dallas Zoo. Once again, he got to see the giraffes up close. I don't think he was expecting one of them to try and steal his fleece.

And he is getting tall! Here he is trying to run the colors with hot water.

Reading with Dad.

Little Red Trike

2010-12-30T20:52:00.000-06:00

Santa brought me lots of great stuff for Christmas...but my favorite toy was from my Uncle Joe and Aunt Jen. A Radio Flyer red wooden trike! I just sit on it, and push it around. Now that I know how to walk, it's a perfect toy. Dad got it out of the box today and put it together. Then I took it for a spin around the kitchen.

Here I'm checking out my new tires.

I'm really proud of how quickly I learned to ride today. I wonder if riding a bike is as easy as this. Thanks Joe, Jen, Joshua, Kate and Luke!

Mom's birthday was this Monday, so we celebrated while we were in Colorado. Dad thought it would be sweet to make Mom her favorite cake...yellow cake with chocolate icing. I think Dad forgot to account for the high altitude, so we had "It's-The-Thought-That-Counts" Cake instead. It might not have looked pretty, but it sure tasted good! Wah-wah....

Christmas in Colorado

2010-12-27T21:39:00.055-06:00

Christian and I have always shared Christmas with our respective families every other year since we were married. This year was my year, which would normally mean that we would travel to Texas to spend the holidays with my parents in Lake Jackson. However, my brother and his family welcomed their newest addition, Baby Luke, less than three weeks ago. So, instead of expecting them to travel to Texas, we came to them...in Colorado.

Evan's first Christmas last year, was in Chicago, and was indeed a white Christmas. This year we assumed we would have another white Christmas in Colorado, but instead, Evan had his first non-white Christmas. He had a great time playing with his three cousins, and learning his way around a new house. He has befriended the dog, Lucy, as well as the staircase, which he was intent on learning to climb.
It has been a great Christmas! Enjoy the evidence...

Evan learning to unwrap his presents...

Evan and his new sock monkey elephant from his stocking

Three cousins (Luke is missing because he can't sit up yet)

Evan mastering going up the stairs

Evan having fun on all his cousins' old toys, instead of his new Christmas toys...

Evan displaying his separation anxiety

View from El Dorado Canyon, which is only a few miles from Joe's house. We went for a walk there today.

Evan bundled up for the hike.

Family shot

Budding Prodigies

2010-12-18T22:34:00.002-06:00

Evan and Max discovering the piano...

practicing their duet...

Evan pleased with himself!

Evan had his 15 month pediatrician visit last week. Here are his current stats:

Weight: 21lbs 11oz (15%)

Length: 30.5inches (30%)

Head: 18.75inches (60%)

Everything looks good!

First Haircut

2010-12-12T07:22:00.000-06:00

We went to this place called Cool Cuts 4 Kids today. This lady sat me in a chair, sprayed my hair with water, and then made me sit really still. The best part about the trip was the fun legos and train set that I got to play with while we waited. Then we met our stylist, Carla, who had the longest fingernails I've ever seen. At first I sat in a little chair that looked like a firetruck, and they put something on me that looked like a really big bib. Then after I wiggled enough, they made me sit in Mom's lap. Overall, I was really good, and hardly cried at all!

Carla, and her awesome fingernails...

The final product

Now that I know how to walk, nobody can stop me. What is really great about our house, is that you can start walking, and keep going around and around in circles. Last night we went for a walk outside with our friend Carson to look at Christmas lights, and I walked all by myself on the dark sidewalk! The concrete sure was cold when I fell! Here are a few shots from the first day I learned to walk. You can see that I was really happy! It might look like I'm running towards Dad, but just wait...

Milestone!

2010-12-01T19:51:00.002-06:00

Amy decided that Evan was going to walk tonight because it was time. Here's the result of her intense coaching:

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T21:45:00.002-06:00

We hosted our second Thanksgiving dinner at our house in Dallas, and Christian's parents, my parents, and my Aunt Marci, were all able to join us. However, there were several family members who were not able to be with us this year, so this blog post is for you. I'll keep it brief since we have lots of photos to document the event.

Evan being a ham, even though we told him it was Turkey Day.

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, Susan was stirring...

Mom puts the finishing touches on the pie crust, and Marci chops something in the background

Evan's new favorite game is to take off his socks by pulling the toes. I'm sure we will wind up with dozens of streched out socks, but he loves it, so who cares?

Evan helps with the gravy. He had fun dropping the parsley into the sauce pan, and then clapping for himself! Notice the good pediatrician holding his arm away from the really hot pan.

The table...

The table pre-dinner (note Evan's well-timed nap).

Up from his nap, and loving sweet potatoes and cranberries!

Grandma and Grandpa from Texas playing with Evan.

Grandma and Grandpa from Chicago

Fun weekend!

Thanks to all our visitors for coming, and for helping out with the cooking & cleaning.

I am immensely thankful to have a happy and healthy little boy, the best husband imaginable, a nearly perfect job, and to be surrounded by the people I love on days like today. Cheers to all who could not join us!

~Amy

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

Little Elephant Boy

Off to Trick-or-Treat with Dad

A 'Hot Dog'...

The folks in this neighborhood don't mess around!

Happy Halloween!

How Civilized!

2010-10-24T21:57:00.001-05:00

\We had a few firsts this week:

1. First meal with a fork, pancakes and sausage, of course!

2. Climbing off the couch feet first (instead of head first).
3. Using the word "uh-oh" for anything that involves dropping something (even when intentionally "dropped")
4. Using the sound "mmm", sometimes even resembling "mum" (though not in reference to me, sadly).
5. Clapping for himself whenever he sucessfully completes a task.
6 Stacking and unstacking his stacking ring toy, all by himself, resulting in clapping.

Cheers!

Playing with "Deh-du"

Evan's First Texas State Fair

2010-10-17T21:05:00.004-05:00

Neither Evan nor his Mom have ever been to the State Fair of Texas. Since Christian's mom was in town for the weekend, and the weather was gorgeous, we decided it would be a fun activity for the day. We packed up the boy, and we were off...

Big Tex

Of course we had to check out the petting zoo, which was sponsored by Mom's hospital, Children's Medical Center. Perhaps they thought they'd drum up some business for the infectious disease department by having young children pet exotic animals, and then stick their fingers in their mouths. In their defense, they had stations of hand sanitisers set up at each exit.

Evan checking out the goats...

Evan got to meet a zebra...

...a camel...

...and a giraffe!

No relation!

He also got to ride a tractor!

We finished off the day at the Children's Museum in the Museum of Science and Nature.

A little splashing in a "stream", with a freakishly large Rubber Ducky, always counts as "science", right?

Evan is clapping at the conclusion of a great day.

Guess he had fun!

Bathtime & Pumpkins?

2010-10-04T20:31:00.000-05:00

Evan has been enjoying bathtime more and more lately. For modesty's sake we will post only the PG pictures. Hopefully he won't be too mad when he gets older. We have introduced the foam letters to bathtime, and so far we are sticking to the words he knows. He really seems to dig them!

We have had gorgeous weather over the past couple of weeks, so we went to the Dallas Arboretum to enjoy it this weekend. Apparently "Autum at the Arboretum" is code for "Pumkin Patch", and apparently everyone in Dallas with children under the age of 5 got the memo. I have never seen so many strollers or silly parents with really fancy cameras in one place.

Picnic time!

One Year Stats

2010-09-27T20:56:00.001-05:00

Evan had one one year check up today. He did great with his four shots! Here are the stats from this visit:

Weight: 20lbs (10%)
Length: 29 inches (25%)
Head: 18.5 inches (65%)

He is pulling up, walking with help, and standing without support for brief periods. He is saying dada, dat (cat), and de-du (Dexter). Still no mama yet. Should I be worried that he can say the cat's name before mine?

If you remember the series of dog pictures, you'll recall that Evan was once about the same size as the dog. See how far we've come?

Happy Birthday Evan!

2010-09-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

You've come a long way Evan! Let's do a little looking back, shall we? One year ago, on September 4th, 2009, you decided to join us, a little earlier than planned. You weighed only 4lbs and 5 oz, and now you are almost 5 times the baby you once were, tipping the scale at about 20 pounds. You are now a happy, healthy one-year-old. You are crawling, scooting, and cruising. Walking is just around the corner. You are making lots of sounds, including your favorite, "dada". When I say "mama", you say "dada". Your word for the cats is either "dat" or "ca". You have survived one month of daycare with only three colds, two fevers, and one toddler bite. Below are a few pictures from your 1st birthday. You were a little timid for a few minutes with the cake, but as you can see, you warmed up to it quickly, devouring the whole cake. We have also learned that blue icing comes out exactly the same color that it goes in. So far, Evan, we think you're a pretty good kid.

September 4th, 2009 September 4, 2010

Evan checking out his new Rocking Sheep from Grandma and Grandpa

The Cake...

Not so sure about this!

This is not so bad!

Must have more...

Half the cake at once...

Yummy!

Why has nobody given me cake before today?

So cool...

Anyone have some TUMS?...and a bathtub?

Under the Weather

2010-08-22T21:26:00.001-05:00

Christian, Evan, and I drove down to Houston this weekend for a college friend's baby shower. Evan had croup earlier in the week, but seemed to be improving, and we thought he was on the mend. On Satuday morning, the Christian, Evan, and my parents went to visit my Aunt Marci while I atttended the shower. At first everything was fine, and Evan loved meeting the dog Mattie, or "da" as he said. Then he started spiking high fevers, up to 104 and we had a listless baby on our hands. As you can see below, it was Mommy time.

We were supposed to have dinner with my old college roommates. Instead we spent Saturday night in the Urgent Care clinic in Lake Jackson, TX. We have started antibiotics, and he appears to be on the mend. He is still not his usual "fun baby" self yet, but hopefully he will be tomorrow.

It sure feels strange to be in the "Mom" role of a sick baby situation!

Evan and Mattie, aka "da"

Poor Little Man

Only Mommy will do

Wishing it didn't take fever to 104 for Evan to cuddle anymore

Evan with the most awesome hairdo post nap! No product needed.

Most Improved Toddler

2010-08-16T21:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I made up the Most Improved Toddler part. I'm somewhat partial to my own toddler (or toddler-to-be), and feel that he has earned the title over the past 2 weeks. Evan has reached a milestone at daycare. As you can see above, his report cards have transitioned from "tired and tearful" to "cheerful and sociable". I made sure not to brag after the first good report, but today confirmed my suspicions. Evan is a "cheerful and sociable" little guy! Whew! The first two weeks were rocky. We had separation anxiety, too few naps, and lots of tears (Mom and Baby alike). Now he is "exploring all over the room" and participating in activities which involve "exploring" string, mirrors, finger paints, and cotton balls (yes, that's right, I said cotton balls). I have also discovered that Evan prefers the classical music station. When I turn on any other station on the way to/from school, he fusses. When I turn on the classical, he sings. It's pretty funny.

He has also learned how to pick up whole food items and actually take bites (rather than us cutting everything into tiny pieces). Below are a few examples...

Mmm...Bananas!

Mmm...Daddy's pancakes!

One might think that all Evan does is eat. In fact, mealtime is the only time he remains stationary long enough to photograph.

First Day of "School"

2010-08-02T20:13:00.000-05:00

Evan had his first day today at the Callier Child Development Center. It sounds like he cried a good bit of the morning, and was too upset to eat his breakfast. However, he rebounded and had a fun afternoon scooting around the classroom and making up for not eating breakfast. While it broke my heart to hear that he cried all morning, it certainly was reassuring to sit in the observation room (behind a one sided window), and see him crawl around and smile with the teachers. When I walked in the room to pick him up, and he saw me, I got a great big smile. Uhg...what a stressful day! I was sitting at work all day, looking at my watch, waiting for it to be time to pick him up. Hopefully that will get better!

A little scared of Miss Sonali at first...

Warming up to Sonali, and his new 11mo old friend, Emma

First daily report card.

Today my mood was... :(

Gymboree!

2010-08-01T17:20:00.000-05:00

Evan was invited to his first birthday party. His friend Max turned one, and had a birthday party at Gymboree. What is Gymboree, you might ask? You would only ask this, of course, if you haven't had kids in the last 30 years. Gymboree is a "play and music program" for kids (and it also has it's own clothing line). It is really an indoor playground with lots of bright colors, kids music, and a "leader" who sings songs (sometimes in tune...sometimes not) and blows bubbles. Evan loved it! He played harder than we have ever seen him. It made Mom and Dad much more comfortable about his first day of "school", which is tomorrow. We think he's going to love it!

Evan next to his present for Max

Evan and Max

Fun!

Messiest Boy Ever!

2010-07-25T21:20:00.001-05:00

Messiest and cutest, of course. As you can see below, now that Evan is starting to feed himself, there is nothing that can prevent him from ruining an outfit. Not even the best bibs on the market, can save a onesie from Evan and his blueberries. This picture shows the nice big splotches on the top of his outfit, but what you can't appreciate are the stains on the crotch, and the green beans on the sleeves. As I've said before, this boy has talent!

Curiosity

2010-07-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how Evan managed to get himself under the couch, but he emerged unscathed. The second picture demonstrates his bottom two fangs...I mean teeth.

Dexter the Cat has been really good with Evan. Mostly I think he's too lazy to move when Evan comes to play. We have been trying to teach Evan to touch gently instead of grabbing and pulling. The learning curve is slow. The bottom picture is of Evan getting bored with Dexter and deciding to grab for the camera. He thought it was pretty funny.

All tuckered out after a long day of playing. Or maybe it was boredom with Dad reading aloud from the UT Alumni magazine.

Old and New Friends

2010-07-07T20:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to Texas Mary Beth, Bryan, and Carson! Mary Beth was my roommate in med school, and she moved to North Carolina for her residency and fellowship. They left as a family of two, and are returning as a family of three. Now, not only will I have someone to share shoes with again, but Evan has a new friend. The whole family came over for dinner a few nights ago, and we had a great time. When looking at the pictures from the evening, it seems we only have pictures of the kids. It's funny how that happens once kids are the center of your universe.

Rubber Ducky, You're The One...

2010-07-06T21:02:00.000-05:00

As you can see, bathtime has become a time to look forward to. Evan has been having a blast splashing around and chewing on Rubber Ducky. One of Evan's favorite part about bathtime is listening to Dad sing the Rubber Ducky song. That's right, he knows all the words! However, if asked, he will deny this. Mostly, bathtime is a time for everyone involved, to get really, really wet.

Made for Walkin'

2010-06-28T21:24:00.000-05:00

Evan is pretty proud of his new skill set. He likes to show off his steps which are always followed with smiles and squeals.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T18:18:00.000-05:00

Happy First Father's Day to Christian. Where to start? He has been a more amazing Dad than I had ever imagined possible. I knew he would be a good father when I married him, but the last nine months have more than confirmed this suspicion. During our pregnancy scare, he was more nervous and scared than even I was. When Evan was in the NICU, he held the family together by keeping me calm and loving on our new boy. Since I have been back at work, Christian has taken care of Evan every day, without ever complaining or asking for a day off. He made the anxiety of going back to work and leaving my baby, almost non-existant. I can't imagine leaving Evan with anyone else. Christian has taught him to smile, laugh, babble, spit, scoot, and to pull the cat's tail (gently of course). Evan adores him. I adore him. Thank you Christian!

Thanks Dad for being amazing! You and Mom made parenting look easy.

Thanks to Dougie for teaching Christian how to be a great Pop. He must have learned it somewhere!

9 Month Update!

2010-06-11T07:23:00.005-05:00

Evan went to the pediatrician's office last night. You wouldn't think that getting height and head circumference measurements would be so difficult but Evan apparently decided that he should develop stranger anxiety in those few minutes and let loose with shrieking. Fun! Then a 2nd nurse came into the room to re-measure him because the first nurse wasn't sure about the numbers which allowed me a few minutes to obsess about if he's been eating enough or shrinking or whatever.

As it turns out, my worry was for naught as he is growing along fine and posted the following numbers:
Weight: 17.5 lbs (8%)
Height: 27.25" (15%)
Head: 18" (55%)

My growing suspicion that his noggin development is far outstripping the rest of him was confirmed! Hopefully, he won't have a sidekick named Pinky in the near future:

Nine Month Photo Shoot

2010-06-06T19:15:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that Evan is already nine months old. He is doing many new things. As documented by the previous post, he is now officially mobile. He is babbling, and his favorite combination of sounds is dadadadada...of course! Dad gave him his first ball, and it is love at first sight. It is just a rubber ball from Target, but we think it most resembles a soccer ball. Here are a few of our favorite pictures from today's photo shoot.

On the Move...

2010-06-05T17:07:00.003-05:00

Little Scooter

2010-06-01T19:59:00.001-05:00

Evan has become quite the little scooter these days. He is close to...dare I say...crawling. We finally caved and put up some of the baby proofing stuff that our neighbors have loaned us. Just after we put plugs in the outlets...guess what he went right for. That's right, electrical outlets!

Doin' some pushups...ready for tryouts

Who needs toys when you have medical records?

Big Week!

2010-05-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

Evan has had a busy week. We started off with a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Fowler in Lake Jackson. While we had a nice visit, Evan decided that he wanted teeth. He spent the weekend drooling, fussing, and not really sleeping. All in all, he seemed displeased with this new development. Now that he has two teeth through the gums on the bottom, I think he feels much better.

Over the past few days he has started scooting. First he was scooting backwards. Then in circles. And now...he's scooting forwards. That's right, Evan's on the move! Guess it's time to baby proof the house.

Doing backbends after a round of scooting.

Mmm...blueberries!

Grandpa telling a story

Grandma enjoying her birthday visit

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T22:22:00.001-05:00

I helped Mom celebrate her first Mother's Day today. I woke up early (6:30) and helped Dad make her some pancakes. When I say "help", I mean that I didn't scream the whole time he was cooking. Dad was pretty happy today, because his mom was in town visiting from Chicago (my grandma). Mom seemed like she wished that her mom was here too (my other grandma from Lake Jackson). Instead Mom had to wish her a happy Mother's Day over the phone. I helped with that too by not screaming some more. Later in the day we played some on the floor, which is my favorite thing to do. Then we went out for a Mother's Day dinner once Mommy's pager stopped going off. I helped then by screaming as soon as the food came. But Mom and Dad didn't seem to think that was much "help". Insead Mom ate dinner first (since it is Mother's Day after all), then Dad ate once she was finished and could hold me.

The balloon that Grandpa Doug and I got for the two Moms in the house.

Laughing at Dad.

NICU Reunion

2010-05-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

I was invited to my first NICU Reunion yesterday. Mom and Dad told me that I could go this year, because they were so thankful that my NICU experience had such a happy ending! I'm not exactly sure what they mean by that, but while we were at the party, I saw lots of other kids that didn't look as healthy as me. I got to see my favorite NICU nurse, Ana! She totally remembered me, and I kinda remember her too. I spent a lot of time with her during my first three weeks, even more than with my mom and dad! Maybe that's why I like her so much. She agreed to take some pictures with me. I aslo got to see my friend Max again. He and I were in the same NICU pod for three weeks. We've gotten to hang out together a few times since the NICU.

Nurse Ana!

Evan, Max, and Ana...reunited at last.

Two mom's and their NICU babies. Maybe the NICU isn't such a terrible place.

Two NICU dad's with their boys.

Max and Evan playing. Evan started crying right after this picture.

Playing in the grass.

Falling in the grass. Good thing it's soft!

Trying out my new jogging stroller. Mom got this to help get her back in shape. Now she can't blame me any more!

The kind of stroller we are GLAD we didn't need! Count those car seats. These strollers come with actual steering wheels on them.

Details, details...

2010-04-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

Evan seems to have made the connection that milk comes from the bottle, but he hasn't quite made the leap of where his mouth needs to go to get it into his belly...

What gives? Mouth goes near the top of this thing... milk comes out, right?

Maybe I've got the wrong side. Hmm, this doesn't seem to be working either. This calls for an entirely fresh approach...

Hey! Why is Dad laughing at me? Come on Pops, help me out here!

Sittin' and Spoonin'

2010-04-18T18:37:00.002-05:00

Evan has been keeping us really busy, so not much time for blog posts. Here are a few recent pictures. As you can see, we are working on eating and sitting. He's really liking solid foods, and has gotten interested in holding the spoon for himself. You can see the results below.

Don't be fooled, I'm not always this sweet!

Look at my sittin' skills. Look Ma, no hands!

Hanging out with Bernard the Bear...

Easter Flowers

2010-04-04T18:34:00.000-05:00

Mom and Dad woke me up early to go see the tulips at the Arboretum on Easter Morning. Dad helped out a little by giving me a fresh cup of Joe. I did not sleep through the entire visit as I did the last time we were here. There must have been something in that coffee! Mom and Dad were really impressed with all the flowers and took lots of pictures. Some with me, and some without. Here are some of the best...

I've been sticking out my tongue a lot lately. Mom and Dad don't seem to understand that this is my new sign for "hungry". I thought they seemed tired of my crying, so I'm trying this. Sometimes this PLUS crying really gets the point across.

Touching the tulips

Posing for Mom

Notice who is sitting up...

...without support!

Well, not for long.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2010-04-02T19:29:00.002-05:00

Mom and Dad celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary last night. They were extra ready to celebrate this year. I think this is because of me. They must be really excited that I came into their world this year. I'm sure it had nothing to do wtih the fact they got to go out to dinner alone. That's right, without me. Why in the world would they want to do that? Who will be there to urp up butternut squash, or to make sure that someone gets to carry me around while everyone else eats? They went to some place called Abacus, which I hear is really tasty. I'll bet they don't serve roasted and pureed butternut squash. Mmm....that's my new favorite! They left me at home with Grandma and Grandpa from Texas. As you can see below, we read lots of books. My favorite was Pat the Bunny. Did you know that the book is actually about Paul and Judy, and not about a bunny named Pat. Who knew? I guess there are lots of exciting things left to learn.

Wild Suburbia!

2010-03-28T12:34:00.006-05:00

One of the things that I like most about living in our house as opposed to the apartment is the fact that we have a variety of birds that hang out in the trees and bushes. In the apartment the variety was limited to pigeons and the sparrows that swarmed the tree outside our office window. Since moving here I've seen blue jays, pairs of cardinals, robins, mockingbirds, and even a woodpecker that bangs around on occasional mornings. But one bird I didn't expect to see was this:

...in the yard across the street! Amy wasn't terribly keen on posting up the somewhat more graphic pictures of what this big guy was doing - it is a family blog, I suppose - but if you click on the photo above it will take you to a bit more illustrative shot.

A boy from a few houses down was outside playing and actually saw this bird take the squirrel out of the tree(!) and down to the ground. Considering how fat the squirrels are around here from the smorgasboard of walnuts, acorns and pecans I'm surprised more hawks haven't caught on and decided to nest in the area. Bon appetit big guy!

Yummy!

2010-03-21T11:18:00.001-05:00

That's right, we have had a "cereal breakthrough". After our first cereal experience, we were hesitant to try again. But persevere we did, and it did pay off! He is now a pro at cereal eating, and dare I say...I think he enjoys it. Above are some serial images of his latest experience. Tee-hee! Including his post-cereal food coma. Yes, he fell asleep while he was eating. It was pretty cute!

Texas Grandma and Grandpa visited this weekend. They were excited to see how much Evan has grown in the last thee months. They have not seen him since New Year's! I think they were impressed with how much he's developed, and would agree that he is much more fun now. We had a cozy weekend inside. As you can see, we celebrated the first day of Spring with, yes...snow. We awoke to about 3-4 inches of snow this morning.

Got Milk?

2010-03-14T21:12:00.000-05:00

So Evan got to try eating solid food this week. Or should I say, semi-sold. We tried some yummy rice cereal, and as you can see, he really loved it! Or maybe not so much. You may think he is crying in the picture above, but he's really just asking for a bottle. In his own words...

Evan put on his scrubs in honor of Mom going to work.

Six Month Stats

2010-03-09T18:44:00.002-06:00

Evan braved the pediatrician's office yesterday for his six month well-child checkup up. We are happy to report that all is still well, and that he's growing faster than we can keep up with. Here are his stats:

Weight: 14lbs 12oz (7%)

Length: 25 inches (5%)

Head: 17 inches (30%)

That's right, he's still on the big boy curve, and still has a big head compared to the rest of his body. Here are a few birthday pics showing how much he's grown compared to his little stuffed dog:

Compare 6 months to 3.5 weeks

Evan is even catching up to Dexter (16lbs)

A Watched Pot...

2010-03-06T14:38:00.011-06:00

I've learned that a filmed baby rarely performs for the camera. There must have been a dozen little recordings that got scrapped because Evan wasn't feeling it. Or something.

Anyhow, Evan decided to wake up extra early on his 6-month birthday to give us a little present: rolling over the "right" way instead of the thrashing about, accidental maneuver he had performed a few times prior. By dumb luck today, I decided again to get our little video cam out to see if he would do it again. You'll have to excuse the shakiness of the camerawork, but I was kind of excited - not to mention surprised - to see him perform again.

STAT...We're Having a Half Birthday!

2010-03-04T00:01:00.001-06:00

Happy six month birthday Evan! To celebrate, we bought him his very own set of scrubs. They came complete with a scrub hat, scrub booties, and a built in stethoscope. With healthcare reform in the works, we may be seeing a new face to medicine...and it may look a lot like the one below. Welcome your new surgeon, Doogie Howser, MD. Or should it be, Evan, MD?

Evan's monogramed OR scubs.

Who needs a real stethoscope anyway? I often think we could just stencil them on our outfits...

Evan was just paged STAT to go to a code blue. I hope he's not the first one to the room! If it's the first week in June, it might not be any better than the new intern on-call.

Everything turned out alright! Evan saved the day, and he's ready to kick off his scrub booties and have a tall glass of milk.

Eyes Wide Shut

2010-02-28T22:09:00.007-06:00

Grandma T from Chicago came to visit me this weekend. She took me to the Dallas Arboretum on Saturday when the weather finally cooperated. As you can see, I fully enjoyed all of the botanical wonders, with my eyes closed...

Grandma T and Great-Aunt Mary Jo

Spring Training!

2010-02-25T17:05:00.005-06:00

Evan here!

Spring training is now well underway, but I thought that you all should know that the baseball players aren't the only ones getting strong and into condition. Yours truly has been putting on a few pounds and getting in shape. This also gave me a good excuse to show off my new duds, courtesy of Dr. Nick.*

What shape, you ask? Ha ha. Dad's a lousy photographer. The camera adds 10 pounds, right?

Although, I must admit I have been getting bigger than even I thought possible. I keep reading about how some of these baseball players have been getting injections that they claimed were vitamins...

Hmm... makes you wonder what's in that bottle of stuff Dad squirts in my mouth everyday. Although, it tastes pretty lousy, at least he doesn't stick me with a needle like the mean doctor!

* Not the proud graduate of Hollywood Upstairs Medical College pictured here:

Winter Wonderland Pt. Trois

2010-02-14T15:35:00.000-06:00

We survived Snowmageddon 2010! While we may not have gotten as much snow as the east coast, we had more than ever seen before in Dallas. We broke the record for the most snowfall in one day in the DFW area...12.5 inches in 24 hours. We enjoyed the snow on Friday morning and afternoon. I enjoyed the most beautiful and serene drive to work in the morning and later we had fun building snowmen in the front yard. The fun was over by 8pm on Thursday night when we lost power. The electricity was out for over 36 hours. Thankfully we had friends offer their guest room to us, so at least we had a warm place to sleep. Our power is finally back on and the snow is starting to melt. Back to the real world. Here are a few pictures of the neighborhood covered in snow. As you can see, it was quite pretty. All you northerners can make as much fun of us as you like, but this is a big deal in Texas!

Our house...

Our house again...

Working by candlelight...

The view down our street on Friday morning...

Can't post a blog without a picture of the boy...

Winter Wonderland Pt. Deux

2010-02-13T15:17:00.010-06:00

If you looked closely in the last set of pictures, you might have noticed that the big snowman had a Texas Rangers hat on. This was mostly because I felt he needed a bit of accessorizing and frankly, I didn't care if some teenage miscreant spirited it off in the middle of the night. (The baby hat was taken back inside post photo-op.)

Anyhow, I should have realized the effect that any object tainted with the Rangers would have. Much like the Rangers each season, my big snowman started off looking not too bad and then collapsed quickly. He was already listing a bit like a drunkard and when Evan woke up at 2AM, I peeked out the window to discover that he had fallen over completely under the weight of all the additional snow that fell. Here's what we woke up to:

Not pictured: Electricity

Ultimately, all that heavy snow was the undoing of not only the Big Guy but also the neighborhood power lines and trees as we lost our power around 1AM. Today, it warmed up and even the little guy succumbed as everything melted.

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-11T18:30:00.000-06:00

Surprise! We woke up to snow this morning. If we lived in a city where there was an expectation that everyone cleared their sidewalks we would no doubt be hearing cautionary tales on the news about the Old Folks dropping of heart attacks whilst shoveling because this stuff is the density of depleted uranium. As it is, we're treated to wall-to-wall coverage with such totally non-hysterical headlines as: "OMG!!! SNOOOOOWW!!!" Fortunately though, no shoveling. It's a good trade-off.

Anyhow, it snowed all day, and by the time Amy got home from work today, we had about 5-6 inches on the ground. Christian went out and build Father/Son snowmen. Here are some photos of Evan's first snowman.

Christian building the snowmen...

Evan enjoying the snow from his Bumbo chair...

All good snow time ends with urp...

Or should I say, all things end with urp.

Photo Shoot

2010-02-05T21:29:00.000-06:00

Checking out his new "recliner".

How YOU doin'?

Just plain cute!

Happy Five Month Birthday!

2010-02-04T05:00:00.034-06:00

Happy five months Evan! It's hard to believe how fast he is growing and changing now. We are starting to meet more and more milestones everyday. He is now laughing all the time, especially when he sees himself in a mirror. He thinks he is quite handsome, and funny! He is starting to babble some, with his coos now incorporating more consonants. He has rolled over from his tummy to his back a couple of times. We're still not sure if those were accidents or if he can really roll over. Sleeping...well, I learned my lesson last time. No bragging publicly. Let's just say he is eating more during the day, and "going longer" inbetween feeds. He is actually playing with his toys now, and able to keep himself entertained. We read books, and he acutally looks and listens. And...his hair is starting to grow some, you can probably see the peach fuzz in the photo above. Long story short, he is starting to be much more fun!

Chatting

2010-01-30T13:38:00.000-06:00

Hopefully a video will make up for our paucity of posts lately. As you can see, we have to act like fools to make him laugh. It's worth it!

Lazy Saturday Morning

2010-01-30T07:00:00.002-06:00

Evan and Christian let me sleep in this morning. When I finally got up, this is what I found. Evan has already discovered Saturday morning cartoons and learned how to hog the remote! Just kidding, no TV yet.

More laughing.

Happy Baby!

2010-01-17T14:18:00.001-06:00

It's official, we have a happy baby...most of the time. Here are a few shots of him smiling. This weekend, he has actually started to laugh a little. He does it mostly when he is looking at himself in the mirror. He thinks that is the funniest thing ever!

A Hard Day's Night

2010-01-15T17:04:00.000-06:00

This is what I came home to tonight. It must have been a rough day!

Four Month Update

2010-01-06T19:49:00.004-06:00

Evan pondering the electron orbitals of his new toy

Happy Belated Birthday Evan! It's hard to believe he is already four months old. We had our four month pediatrician visit yeseterday with Dr. Denison. Once again we are happy to report that he is healthy and growing well.

Four month stats:
Weight: 11 pounds 15 ounces (5%), yes he is the three times the baby he once was!
Lenght: 23 1/8 inches (<5%)
Head: 16 1/4 inches (25%)

Yes you read that right, he has a big head! The better to learn with, he says.

Speaking of learning, he has learned many new things in the last few weeks. He lis smiling all the time now. Boy was that worth the wait! He recognizes our faces and calms when we talk with him. He is cooing and trying out his new voice all the time. We have very stimulating converstations. He is really starting to notice his toys and seems to be entertained by them. Especially when they make animal noises. Most importantly, he is sleeping! We have now had several good nights in a row where he has slept 8-9 hours in a row. Who wants to place a wager on how long that lasts now that I have boasted publicly?

Meeting Family T

2010-01-02T18:02:00.001-06:00

Happy 2010! Here's to 2010 being far less "eventful" than 2009.

Below are a few more pictures of Evan meeting Christian's family.

Evan meeting his two great-grandmothers

Aunt Heather

Uncle Julio (aka Joel)

Merry Belated Christmas!

2009-12-29T22:51:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived! Evan has now been on his first airplane ride. We took Evan to visit Christian's family for Christmas this year. He got to meet two of his great grandmothers, Uncle Joel, Aunt Heather, and various other great-aunts and uncles. He also got to spend some more quality time with Grandma and Grandpa T.

His first Christmas, was a white Christmas. In fact it snowed for almost four whole days of our trip. It took me 28 years to have a white Christmas and Evan manages to have one at age 0!

Despite having a canceled flight on the way up, and a delayed one on the way home, overall it was a tolerable travel experience. Evan managed to charm almost everyone on the flight. You can't stay mad at a smiling baby for long...even if he screams a little and smells a little.

One of my favorites!

The whole clan...Grandpa T, Grandma T, Christian, Amy, Evan, Joel, and Heather. You can tell that Evan is the only one not happy about being in this photo.

We have tons of pictures from the trip, but we are exhausted. So, that means, more pictures later...

Late X-Mas Ideas

2009-12-21T17:30:00.003-06:00

For anyone with hardwood floors and a new baby, (or if you know someone that has both) this might be the product you've been looking for this holiday season:

Really, is there anything they can't think up in Japan?

Our Little Stocking Stuffer

2009-12-19T12:55:00.000-06:00

Evan got his first Christmas stocking this year. As you can see, he can fit inside it. I suppose this means he will get equal his body mass in toys! What a life! Sorry Evan, but that won't last long.

Given his reaction to Santa in this picture, we have decided not to take him to meet Santa in person this year.

Pops trying to comfort him after the scary Santa encounter.

Bachelor Night!

2009-12-13T12:05:00.000-06:00

About a month ago, Amy went to a wedding and Evan and I had our very first "Bachelor Night." She was kind of curious as to what the evening's activities entailed so I told her that it involved the typical stuff: beer, video games, poker, etc. but she seemed fairly skeptical.

Last night, while she went to see the Nutcracker with friends, Evan and I had yet another opportunity for male bonding so we decided to get the gang together and have a poker night. And this time, I remembered to document the evening so that Amy might actually believe me:

For some reason, I think she will remain incredulous.

Getting Cuter Every Day

2009-12-13T10:22:00.001-06:00

Evan seems to be getting cuter every day. Now that we have occasional smiles and a coo here and there, our time with Evan is becoming more and more fun. He is looking at us and really seems to be listening to us. We are starting to read books with him, as he is actually starting to look at the books instead of the light over our shoulder. We have nicknamed him "Mothman", as he is quite drawn to light. No matter where we are, he cranes his neck towards the nearest light (lamps, overheads, computer screens, etc...) I think our time of having the TV on and Evan not realizing it, is quickly coming to an end. Christian and I are trying to watch as much Battlestar Galactica as possible before we have to turn it off for good.

This picture illustrates one of Evan's new developmental skills. He has discovered his hands! Now his hands spend a lot of time in his mouth. This is actually a good thing, as he uses this as a way to soothe himself. Insteaed of screaming for a pacifier, he just sticks his fist in his mouth and is happy as a clam.

First Christmas Tree

2009-12-09T18:35:00.001-06:00

Playtime in front of the tree in his ridiculously warm sweater.

Sitting in front of the tree...with a little help from Mom.

Happy Three Month Birthday!

2009-12-05T17:34:00.001-06:00

Look at that dimple!

Evan turned three months old yesterday. My how time flies! If you correct for prematurity, he is only 5 1/2 weeks. That said, he is doing lots of fun things. He can now hold his head up on his own for a substantial amount of time. Instead of looking like a bobblehead when he tries to hold his head up, he looks more like Stevie Wonder (without the sunglasses). He is pretty close to rolling over from his tummy to his back without help. And most importantly we have been getting some faces that look really close to smiles...that are not associated with gas. Real smiles. It's about time Evan! We have yet to capture one of these on camera, but we will keep trying. These two are the closest we have gotten.

Happy after a bath.

We do not go back to the pediatrician until he is four months old, so we do not know how much he weighs exactly. I would wager about 10.5 pounds or so. As for how long he has getting, we have been measuring him against his toy bear. Here is the lastest:

Wow...you can really tell now how much bigger he is than the bear! He was only about one Evan-head bigger...now he's at least two Evan-heads bigger.

Evan has now made appearances at a few parties, and has performed spetacularly well during all of them! Now he is working up for the big test...a trip to Chicago for Christmas. Hopefully he will stay charming for the plane ride...or Mommy may not survive.

Family Time

2009-11-28T09:50:00.000-06:00

Evan has had fun meeting lots of new people in the last several days. We are visiting Grandma and Grandpa Fowler in Lake Jackson for Thanksgiving. Evan's Uncle Joe, Aunt Jen, and Cousins Joshua and Kate are also in town from Princeton, New Jersey. So Evan is having fun playing with his new cousins, even though they are lots older than him.

Joshua is taking photos of Evan with his Lego camera...

Uncle Joe is helping Evan work on his field goal kick during the UT/A&M game. Go Longhorns!

Mommy's Little Rascal!

Grandma finally getting some Evan time after two full days of cooking!

Momma J meeting her newest Little Lamb Chop...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:43:00.001-06:00

We are thankful for many things! Here is this year's favorite thing...

Fun in the Nursery

2009-11-22T15:34:00.002-06:00

Evan has lots of fun friends in his nursery...

He is also starting to regard faces and toys. Here he is looking at the musical mobile. He cries when the music stops playing!

This week Evan will take his first road trip. We are packing him up and driving down to Lake Jackson to visit Grandma and Grandpa Fowler for his first Thanksgiving. Evan will also get to meet his Uncle Joe, Aunt Jen, and Cousins Joshua and Kate! They are traveling all the way from New Jersey to meet him. We are really looking forward to the trip. Hopefully Evan will sleep the whole drive down!

Mommy's Back at Work

2009-11-17T20:41:00.000-06:00

Evan waving goodbye to Mommy this morning with a sock-hand (it was cold)...

Evan happy (I think) to see Mommy come home...

Mommy happy to be home!

And He's Back!

2009-11-15T13:38:00.000-06:00

Evan was feeling pretty blah follwing his trip to the pediatrician, which included his two month vaccines. This weekend he has finally returned to his perky self. We are happy to see him feeling better! At the suggestion of the pediatrician, we gave Evan a trial run in his "big boy crib" in the nursery. The first night went alright, but last night was a bit of a disaster. Let's just say he isn't taking to it very well, and will be back in our room tonight.

Big Boy Crib

How Evan feels about his Big Boy Crib

Two Months

2009-11-12T20:58:00.000-06:00

Evan had his two month visit to the pediatrician today. All is well and he is growing like a weed. He has more than doubled his birth weight, and has grown three whole inches in length in the past month! He now weighs 8 pounds 15 ounces and is 21 inches long (compared to 4lbs 5oz and 17.5 inches at birth). We are about to outgrow another round of clothes! He almost makes it onto the "big boy" growth curve, meaning instead of plotting his growth on a special preemie curve, he almost falls on the normal term baby curve. He also got his first round of vaccines today. The above photos illustrate how he feels today about the shots. Blah!

SuperBaby!

2009-11-07T19:01:00.001-06:00

This is a series of shots taken during a game of SuperBaby. This is when we hold Evan up and swing him back and forth on his stomach in the air and say "SuperBaby"! It's a fun game for all of us. It is particulary good for Evan to show off his much improved head control. As you can see here, he is holding his head up all by himself.

Evan officially turned two months old on Wednesday. It's a little hard to believe since he still looks like a newborn. We aren't sure exactly how much he weighs right now, but we guess probably 8-9 pounds (about double his birth weight). We will find out on Thursday when we take him to the pediatrician for his two month visit. He will get his first round of shots at that visit. I'm sure we will have a fun night on Thurs night!

I started back to work full time on Monday. It has been a challenging week for all three of us (less so for Evan), but we have made it through! It is nice to be back at work after such a long time away, but it very hard being away from my boys. I have been spoiled having them around full time for so long! I am aslo exhausted. It will be much easier once Evan starts sleeping a little longer between meals. Sometimes I don't blame him for wanting a 4am snack. Nursing him makes me hungry ALL the time!

Evan's Oldest Friend

2009-11-01T17:35:00.000-06:00

Evan and Max

"It was THIS big!"

Evan and Max have been friends...well, since Evan was born. That's right, they met in the NICU. Evan and Max were "podmates". They shared a "pod", or small area of the nursery, for two weeks, until Max was discharged home. They cried back and forth to each other all day and all night in the NICU and became friends for life. Today we got together with Max and his mom and dad for lunch, and they finally got to see each other again after 6 long weeks! As soon as they were next to each other again (in matching car seats, I might add) they were crying to each other like long lost friends. I'm sure it had nothing to do with it being lunch time for both of them! We had a niceoutdoor lunch in a little garden, enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

It turns out the Max's mom, Michelle, also works at Childrens'. Such a small world! She goes back to work tomorrow too.

On another note...Evan has been working out a lot lately. Here he is showing how strong he is getting:

"How many pushups are you going to make me do Mom?"

Evan checking himself out in his new mirror.

Dad holding his little giraffe on Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T00:01:00.021-05:00

Our little giraffe!

Pretty close, don't you think!

Our little munchkin even has a tail!

Evan sitting up with a little help from his stuffed giraffe given to him by his cousins Joshua and Kate. He can't wait to meet them over Thanksgiving.

Mommy loves her little giraffe more than she can say!

Halloween Pt. II

2009-10-30T23:59:00.003-05:00

Amy had earlier noted a resemblance to Frankenstein's monster. I'm guessing it is more apparent now...