Snuggle Bear

Good Morning, Eva! Pre-bundled up in her D'Eva ensemble for the day.

Do you ever wake up and decide that today will be a healthy day? I did. I started my day with a hearty bowl of oatmeal that included some delicious walnuts and dried cranberries. I was still hungry, so I followed my bowl of oatmeal with a wonderful oatmeal cookie. Oops! My body will probably think it was all the same healthy meal, right? After eating my cookie I felt convicted and knew that I should probably go on a walk today. I generally enjoy going on walks except that I hate being cold and I hate sweating. When the temperature is between 60 and 70 degrees with partial cloud coverage and a slight breeze I am content. Below 60 - freezing. Above 70 - sweating. However, I have managed to loose all of my baby weight with only walking, drinking lots of water, and occasionally doing pilates so I have to be strong and go on walks even when the temperature is less than favorable.

Cute little snuggle bear!

I initially thought that the 50 degree weather was way too cold to take Eva out in, but then I remembered that most of the country has many 50 degree days and babies there still go outside. So I bundled up my little bundle of joy. I put her in an extra pair of pants, mittens, and a cute hoodie with bear ears on it. (By the way, I am constantly thinking about whether Eva is too hot or too cold. I ask Ryan's opinion all the time. Should we add a blanket? Is she too hot? Her feet feel cold. I probably drive him crazy).

What will we see today???

For the first time I decided that she could ride in the regular part of her stroller instead of the infant carrier. She is so alert and interested in her surroundings now. All during the walk I would peak over and she would have big eyes as she looked at everything and made happy baby sounds. We had a fun outing. I'm sure I burned off all the calories from that oatmeal cookie :)

Thankful for....Generations coming together.

Eva and I got a special treat today - we got to go visit Grandpa Hank. This is my Grandpa on my Dad's side. He hadn't seen Eva (or me, his favorite granddaughter!) since the hospital so we went out to have lunch with him, my mom, and one of his friends. We stopped and got Subway on the way and enjoyed sandwiches and family time. If you want to feel popular, take a baby to a senior living home. Eva got lots of compliments! It was also the first time for me to see where my Grandpa lives since moving out of the home he lived in with my Grammy during all my childhood. It was a very nice apartment that he has decorated with lots of pictures of our family.

Eva loved spending time with Grandpa Hank. She was very alert and talkative while we had lunch. I was thankful for the special time together with my baby and my Grandpa at the same time.

We'll see you at Christmas, Grandpa! Thanks for a fun afternoon.

Mama called the Doctor, and the Doctor said...

Today we took Eva to her pediatrician for her 2 month check up. Good news - we still have a healthy, happy baby! I'm always thankful to hear that. She now weighs 10 lbs 12 oz (she's gained just over 4 lbs since birth) and measures 22 1/4 inches (she has grown 2 1/2 inches). So I guess all those people who tell me that she's gotten bigger are right, but at least she's still pretty little :) She is right at the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I'm happy that she is growing, I just miss having her be so tiny and new. This morning we had to change her out of one of her newborn onesies because it seemed too snug. I'm not ready to pack away the newborn clothes yet....

She also got 2 big shots today. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about vaccines, especially at 2 months, but I read some information and did some research. I finally came to the conclusion that the benefits outweighed the risks. It's hard to make big decisions for your child. I have to remind myself to pray about, make an educated choice, and then be at peace with it.

Our brave girl with princess band aids - one on each leg!

After eating and a good nap she was ready to play. I had her on her floor gym while I ate some lunch. For the first time ever she grabbed for one of her toys!!!! What a smart girl. A lot of times I put a toy in her hand and show her how to shake it, but she has never reached for one and held onto on her own for so long. She kept it in her hand and made it jingle for several minutes! If you look carefully at the picture she is holding the string part of the small pink bird in her right hand.

Why do babies have to grow up so fast? I don't know...but I'm sure proud and I love her so much!!!

Sweet Dreams

Last night Eva slept through the night!!! Unless you have had a baby and can relate to getting up in the middle of the night to take care of them every night for 2 months straight, you have no idea how happy this made me. We put her down around 11 PM and she slept until just after 7 AM! That is a whole 8 hours! Of course I still woke up a few times out of habit but I was mostly able to roll over and keep sleeping. There were a few, "Is she still alive????" moments, but I decided to trust that she was rather than disturb her wonderful slumber. I don't expect it to happen again tonight, but at least it shows me that one day it will probably happen again. I was so happy to see her this morning that I gave her a million hug and kisses and told her what a wonderful baby she is (okay, I do this every morning, but I was really, really happy). Sweet dreams.

2 Months Old

Dear Eva Kate,

You are 2 months old today! I'm pretty sure that you grew over night in your crib when we weren't looking. Each day with you is SO.MUCH.FUN. Here are some of the fun things you've done this past month:

* You smile!!! I love your cute baby smile. You definitely recognize Daddy and me. You always smile the most in the morning after you eat. You are also starting to make some baby giggles too. Today I was playing with you and I made a joke about something ridiculous and you laughed. I know it wasn't in response to my joke but it was so funny.
* You kick your feet to make splashes in the bathtub. It makes tub time more messy but more fun!
* You can roll from your back to your side, usually your left side. We are going to have to be careful where we put you now.
* You are learning to push your head up more during tummy time. You still don't like being on your tummy very much unless you are laying on us.
* You sleep in your crib most of the time. Ever since we started putting you there after your 1 month check up it seems to be the place you sleep the longest. I miss having you in our bedroom at night but everybody sleeps better this way and thankfully your room isn't far from ours.
* You usually only wake up one time during the night to eat. I will enjoy sleeping through the night one day but I don't mind spending time with you at 4am. Or 2am. Or 5:30am. Whenever.
* When we put you in your swing you either fall asleep or laugh. We're not sure what you're laughing at. There is a little green and white stuffed bug that hangs from your swing. We call him Mr. Wiggle Worm...maybe he makes you smile.
* You eat every 3 hours during the day - still nursing :)
* You recently found your ear and hold onto it often. At first I thought you might have an ear infection but you don't cry or seem to be bothered by it. I think you just like having something to hold on to.

We don't know your height and weight yet, but we will be going to the doctor next Monday for your check up and to find out how you've grown. We love you, sweet baby!

love, Mama

Family Day: Picnic

Today for our family day we decided to take Eva on a picnic to the park by our house. I love our family days and it is important for us to find an inexpensive way to get out of the house together. Since I stay home with her and Ryan does about 50% of his job from home (planning, studying, administrative tasks, etc.) we like to find something out and about to do even if its just walking around somewhere. Isn't it interesting the difference between spending time around someone and spending time with someone? Even though we are all together often it is different to be doing something together. We made a Walmart run before hand to pick up a few picnic essentials (sandwich for Ryan, salad for me) and right as we were walking back to our car it began to rain. Thankfully it was just a few sprinkles and we were able to sit under the covered area and enjoy our lunch together. I love my family!

Eva and her bear this morning. I love her smile!

Saturday Morning Flashback: Getting bundled up to walk over to Chick-fil-a breakfast at our apartment clubhouse. Her sweatshirt was still pretty huge but super cute.

Thankful for... November!!!

November. It is a fabulous month that bridges the gap between the newness of fall and the merriment of the Christmas season. Here is my list of things I am looking forward to the month.

1. Eva Kate will be two months old on Tuesday! She gets more fun every day and is full of smiles and almost giggles right now. I want her to stay little but I am thankful that we've had a healthy baby for almost two whole months!

2. Only two weeks until my November 19th - my 28th birthday! Time to get my dancing shoes on and get ready to celebrate.

3. The Elf watching season officially kicked off on November 1st. Eva and I watched it for the first time of the season yesterday morning when I woke up and saw that it was 35 degrees outside. Elf is one of the few movies that I can quote and when I watch it I just smile the whole time. "I love smiling. Smiling is my favorite." - Elf

4. The Christmas tree goes up. Our wonderful huge tree will be staying in storage at my mom's house again this year, but our smaller tree is a perfect fit for our apartment. I have already put up the small tree with lights because I enjoy the warm glow of the lights on cold evenings. We officially decorate it for Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

5. Christmas music. You have to ease into this one. If you start off listening to it all day, every day, you will be exhausted by Christmas. However, there is no reason to withhold on listening to these joyful melodies. It gets me in the holiday mood, and Thanksgiving is a holiday.

6. Thanksgiving. I love being thankful. I love being with family. I love hand turkeys. It's such a good holiday that we actually celebrate twice.

7. Pumpkin pie. My mom makes the best pumpkin pie in the whole entire world. Really. You should come to our Thanksgiving to experience it.

8. Zucchini. Or rather, zucchini squares, which are sort of like zucchini bread but better. I use my grandmother's recipe and serving them to family reminds me of her. I still love and miss my Grammy and I'm thankful to continue this tradition from her kitchen.

9. Black Friday. I have actually done the whole 3 am craziness once before. I'm not sure if I'll be up for it this year although if I'm up feeding Eva I may just embrace it and lace up my shoes to stand in line. Or I might just take advantage of the early Black Friday deals for my shopping needs. I also enjoy reading the Black Friday ads and seeing all of the great deals even if its for things that I know that I will never buy.

10. Happy Anniversary, Cosby! November 27th will mark 6 years together since that rainy night he was rescued for the rough streets of Denton. I still love my puppy.