Zoo with Gran

Here's a fun picture from our spring trip to the zoo with Gran.

Swinging

This was taken on April 11th (with my phone, so excuse the blur.) I love it that Evie is starting to enjoy swinging just like her brother did.

Easter at Nana'a

Every Easter, Jeanise has the family over to dye eggs, which is something I never really did as a child, so I'm glad that Evie is getting that exposure as a child. Here are a few pictures from Easter afternoon.

Baby's 1st Easter Basket

Learning to Sit Unassisted

It's so funny how babies can learn skills in the blink of an eye. When we brought Evie home from the egg hunt (4/7/12), we played quite a bit in her nursery. In the blink of an eye, it seemed that she had the strength and understanding to sit up unassisted. I'm so proud of my girl!

Evie's 1st Egg Hunt

Our church does an annual egg hunt for the kids in our neighborhood, and it was so fun to bring Evie along. Kyle and I had been a bit concerned about how we might feel during the event. I remember being so excited to introduce Nile to our church friends for the first time at the egg hunt in 2010. What a fun, wonderful day that was! The egg hunt in 2011 was very emotional for both of us because we truly felt the emptiness in our arms where our baby boy should have been. Evie did really well, although she was not a big fan of sitting in the grass. I'm not surprised because I've heard that lots of babies don't like standing or sitting on surfaces that they aren't used to. Evie had her own special baby-sized Easter basket (more like a bucket) with Rapunzel and Cinderella on it. The event was also a little bittersweet because we knew it would be Daphne and Wyatt's last egg hunt with us before they moved. We made sure to cherish the moments :)

Evie's Photoshoot

I went to high school with an awesome young lady named LinhSang, and she's stayed in touch via facebook. She's always been a big fan of my babies, and she reached out to me about getting some shots of Evie for her fiance's start-up photography business. This is one that I took from my camera (so it isn't nearly as good as her's. I'll post those when I have them.) Check out my cutie!

Meeting the Easter Bunny

Evie got to meet the Easter bunny in March, but her pictures didn't arrive until recently. Aren't they cute? I couldn't get her to smile, but I still like her expression.

Evie and Wyatt's Zoo Picnic

Daphne and I have been trying to get together as much as possible recently due to her move. (Sorry, I seem to be repeating that in all of my posts. What can I say? It's a major factor in my life right now!) On Good Friday, I had the day off, so we decided to bring the kiddos for a picnic at the zoo. It was a crowded day, but the weather was beautiful and we had a blast. I especially love the picture of Wyatt hugging Evie. I truly hope that we can all keep our relationships alive as the years go by. It would be wonderful to watch them grow together despite the distance.

Stunning

Thanks for the great pictures of Evie, Frankie and Maria! These were taken at Wyatt's birthday party. Isn't she beautiful?

Wyatt's (Early) 2nd Birthday Party!

Wyatt's actual 2nd birthday doesn't fall until mid-May, but because he will be moving next week, I suggested that Daphne have a little party for him before they left, and I'm so glad that she agreed. I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on it. Wyatt's current favorite thing is Thomas the Train, so that was the theme of the party. Daphne had some great ideas - a train track cake, train decorating station and tracks made out of tape, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and swimming pools. I'd say that everyone had a blast, despite the heat. We all love Wyatt so much, and I'm excited to see him continue to grow.

Sitting Unassisted

This picture was taken on March 31, 2012, and it's the first time that Evie was really able to sit unassisted for a span of a few seconds. I'm so proud of her. I was just beginning to feel like she was falling behind in development. As usual, she waited to drive me nuts before showing off. She really does keep me on my toes. In the few weeks that have passed since March 31st, she's come leaps and bounds. She's getting better and better about sitting. She is starting to be able to sit and pivot to reach for toys, although she's not 100% there yet. I've really been waiting on this day to come because I think parenting gets a lot easier once kids can sit on their own. There are so many more possibilities for activities, etc.

Umbrella Stroller

My big girl is sitting up well enough for her umbrella stroller now! It is so much easier because it's lighter than her full size stroller. Yay!

Evie vs. Sweet Potatoes

Evie vs. sweet potatoes. I think it's safe to say that the sweet potatoes may have won this one. haha

Daphne's Surprise Baby Shower

Daphne has become especially dear to me within the last few years, and when I found out that she was having a little girl, I got so excited. She'll be moving to New Jersey on 4/20/12, and her baby is due on 6/10/12. I really wanted to be able to do something for her before she moved, so I helped to organize a suprise baby shower for her with our bible study group. (HUGE thanks again to everyone who helped make it happen!!!!) She was completely surprised, which was awesome. I think she feels a lot more prepared for her new baby, and I know that we all enjoyed doing this for her. I admit that I went a little crazy on the gifts, but I just couldn't help myself.

Although I'm really sad that they will be leaving soon, I'm excited to go and visit after Ellie is born. I'm trying to focus on that visit so that I don't get too upset about them leaving.

6 Month Well Baby Visit

On 3/26, I took the day off of work. Our carpets were being installed and I was prepping for Daphne's surprise baby shower (in the next post), but it was also the day of Evie's 6 month well baby checkup with Dr. Vigour. The waiting room was pretty packed, but Evie enjoyed looking at the other kids. She's such a people watcher! (For mommy's sanity, I probably won't ever make another Monday appointment again. All of the kids who got sick over the weekend were waiting.) When we went back to the room, the nurse came and took Evie's stats. She was 15 lbs, 14 oz and 26.5 inches long. Her head was 42 cm. That means she's in the 50th percentile for weight and head circumference, and in the 90th for length. Dr. Vigour came in and raved about her, as always. She was incredibly sensitive to the emotions that I was having. The 6 month check-up was the last appointment Nile ever had with her. She made sure that I knew I could call her if my anxiety started to flare up as Evie approached the 9 month mark. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Vigour. She's absolutely the most amazing pediatrician I could have ever asked for.

Evie got her shots, and she did pretty well with them. They make her sleepy. We're due back for another well baby at the 9 month mark, God willing.

Mommy and Evie

She looks a little mad, but I thought it was adorable. This picture was taken right before her 6 month check-up.

Our 1st Insectarium Visit

The Audubon membership recently expanded to include the insectarium, which we'd never been to. I decided to take Evie on a trip to the insectarium right after the aquarium. It was fun, but definitely more appropriate for older visitors. Kyle had a blast, but said he wanted to return when he'd actually be able to read everything on the displays.

Aquarium Visit

I think I've mentioned before that my mom got me an Audubon membership as a Christmas present. It is one of the best gifts I've ever received because it allows Kyle and I to take Evie to the zoo, aquarium, and insectarium for free whenever we like. Here are a few great pictures of our recent visit.

6 Months Already!

I couldn't believe it when Evie turned 6 months old - a half of a year has already gone by! It's been wonderful. It was also a very bittersweet half birthday because the fear crept in. I pray to God that Evie will be able to have a normal childhood with a normal life span. Anyway...here's a picture of Evie's half birthday gifts from Gran. There's also a comparison shot that a friend made for me. Isn't her growth amazing!?

First Mum-Mums

Mum Mums are all the rage now for babies learning to feed themselves, so I decided to give it a shot with Evie. I bought her some banana flavored ones, and she did alright with them on the first day (3/22/12), but we've since stopped using them. She gags when the pieces break off in her mouth. They are dissolvable, so they should be safe, but it still scares me. I will probably try again in a month or so.

Baby's First Pool

Nile was such a water baby, and I had high hopes that Evie would be too. Even though it's only April, New Orleans is already quite summery in terms of weather. It's the perfect time for NOLA kiddos to start swimming, so we decided to get Evie her first pool. I had a coupon for $3 off from Toys R Us (that actually came in a birthday card for Nile, but that's another story entirely.) Kyle chose a cute inflatable pool that has a built in canopy for shade, which is great for our home. We blew it up and brought it over to Nana's house so that we could all hang out. Evie wasn't too crazy about the water at first, and we quickly learned that she HATES the feeling of water in her ears. She did a little better with a towel folded under her head. She stayed in the pool for about 15 minutes before she was ready to get out. I can't wait until she's great at sitting up unassisted because it'll make "swimming" so much better.

Testing Out Her Brother's Swing

Once Evie got a little better at holding herself upright, we decided it would be a good time to test out her big brother's swing, especially since the Spring weather is so beautiful. Here are a few cute shots. At first, she seemed pretty indifferent, but she's really starting to like it now. I'm so happy that she's having fun with some of Nile's things. It makes me so happy to know that they will be able to share in some special experiences.

New Flooring

This is a bit out of order, but I wanted to post before I forgot about it. Kyle and I made the very tough choice to put Colby and Charlie (our dogs) into foster care. There were many reasons, and even though it was sad, it also allowed for lots of great changes for our family. One of those changes involved getting new flooring for our bedrooms. When I first purchased our home (pre-babies), I was so excited that there was no carpet. However, when Evie started getting some mobility, I was really worried that she would hurt herself by falling. Kyle and I picked out some great cream colored carpet, and it was installed on March 26th. Check it out!!! We are loving it.