Happy Valentine's Day

Evie got dressed in a very cute, very Valentine's-y outfit for the big day, but she pooped on it after about 30 minutes. I'm talking an explosive poop. (The poop was really exciting because she hadn't gone in 4 days, and she'd been so miserable.)

Kyle had to work on V-day night, so we got some mommy-daughter snuggle time, which was really nice. Evie was nice enough to pick out a Saints t-shirt for her daddy.

Valentines for the Grandmothers

Here's a picture of the footprint butterflies that I made for the grandmothers. Aren't they cute? Again, I owe the idea to Pinterest, which has been an awesome parenting resource.

Evie's Baby Dedication & Nile's Nursery Dedication

I had trouble choosing which pictures to share from this event, but I think I've captured the basics. On Sunday, February 12, 2012, our church hosted a baby dedication and nursery dedication in Nile's honor. It was a very bittersweet morning for my family, for obvious reasons. The service started with the baby dedication. For those that may not be familiar, Southern Baptists choose to dedicate babies to the Lord rather than baptize them. We believe that baptism should be reserved for a person who has reached an age of accountability and understanding. The baby dedication is more of a statement on the parents' part that they will raise their child in a godly home. After the service, the church family was asked to gather in the hallway for a few words about Nile's life. Then, we cut the ribbon to the door and Kyle hung his memorial plaque. There were many tears! It's just something I would have never imagined, but that statement applies to many things in my life now. There was a nice potluck luncheon afterward, and we enjoyed catching up with our friends.

I have to say that I'm incredibly thankful for the ladies in my bible study group who helped make that morning so special. We really love you all!

Such a Tough Life!

Why Didn't I Do This Sooner?

(Yes, I realize that the picture quality and color combination makes this picture look less than appealing.)
I recently discovered a new website called Pinterest, which allows you to pin recipes, craft ideas, etc. I found a recipe for crockpot Hawaiian chicken that looked super easy. It involves putting bagged chicken breasts, one can of BBQ sauce, and one can of pineapple in the crockpot, on a low setting, for 5-7 hours. It was absolutely delicious. I served it over brown rice.

I mention this because the whole experience was incredibly easy. Why haven't I jumped on the crockpot bandwagon before?

Evie's Valentines

One of my favorite parts about being a parent is being able to take part of holidays from a child's perspective. On Saturday afternoon, I put together some valentines for Evie's nursery friends. They were a hit!

Feet!

This picture is rather unremarkable, but it depicts a very cute milestone in Evie's life. As of 2/8/12, Evie has discovered her feet. It literally happened on the very day that I'd told a few of my mommy friends that Evie just wasn't interested in her feet. She likes to prove me wrong, huh?

Evie's ENT Visit

After Evie's follow up with the pediatric neurologist, she was referred to a pediatric ENT, Dr. Kimsey Rodriguez. Again, I was somewhat nervous about her appointment, although it was for a different reason this time. I had faith that she'd have a good outcome, or at least a fixable problem. However, I was really worried that she wouldn't cooperate during the test. Her appointment was in 2 sections. First, she saw Dr. Rodriguez, who checked her ears for any physical problems. She had no blockage or fluid, which was great. Since she checked out okay there, she was sent to the audiologist so that she could have an ABR. (Nile also had to have one since his newborn hearing test came back inconclusive.) The test required that she be asleep, which was a challenge because she was in full people watching mode. Kyle was able to soothe her fairly quickly, and the test was conducted without incident. She passed immediately in her right ear, but the left took a bit longer. Still, everything came back within a normal range. Yay!

So...after $70 in specialist visits, time lost at work, and many tears, the doctors are in agreement that Evie is a perfectly healthy, perfectly stubborn little girl. Praise God for health!

Going for a Walk

We don't get to take Evie for stroller walks nearly as much as I'd like - either because our schedules are different, or the weather doesn't allow for it. Here's a picture of a stern faced Evie during one of our rare walks. Notice the Minnie hat? We bought that for her during our Disney trip while I was still pregnanct with her. Adorable!

First Puree - Sweet Potato

After a bit of time passed, I decided that it wouldn't hurt to try to introduce a puree to Evie. I thought there was a chance that she didn't do well with oatmeal cereal because she didn't like the taste. Nile loved sweet potatoes, so I thought it was worth a shot. She seemed to like the taste, but she still didn't have the tongue and lip coordination to eat it successfully. After this failure, I decided to put the solids transition on hold again.

Tripods

At about 4.5 months old, Evie started doing a very vague tripod - where she balances her weight on her legs and hands while sitting up. When I say vague, I really mean it, but it's still exciting that she's showing signs of wanting to sit up. I personally think that babyhood gets a lot easier once babies can sit unsupported.
(I also confess that I just love her face in that picture!)

Pro Bowl

Uncle Tyler came to visit for the Pro Bowl. It's always fun to see him. I'm so glad that he'll be an active part of Evie's childhood. The plan was to watch the Pro Bowl, but Kyle and Tyler mostly ended up playing Call of Duty.

Courdoroy

One of my absolute favorite books when I was growing up was Courdoroy, and I made sure to buy the book when Nile was born because I wanted to share it with my kids. Aunt Lauren actually beat me to it, and here's Evie, playing with the stuffed doll that came in the set.

Playstation!

The word "playstation" has 2 meanings in our house. It could be the gaming system, or it could be the baby toy. Here's Evie at 19 w, 1 d, testing out her playstation for the first time. She's finally old enough to start enjoying it.

Lauren and Cody's Wedding

On February 1, 2012, Lauren became Mrs. Cody Townsend. They chose the date because it is their anniversary. They were married in a courthouse in Seattle, and unfortunately, we were able to make the trip. Still, I'm glad that Jeanise and Randy were able to be there for her. They will leave on Feb 20th to go on their honeymoon at Disneyland. Yay! We love you guys!

Pediatric Neurologist Visit

Remember me mentioning that Evie was referred to a pediatric neurologist to check out her lack of turning toward noises? Well, thanks to Dr. Bui (one of the neurosurgeons I work with) pulling strings, I was able to get Evie put on the schedule after a week. I was incredibly nervous about the visit, but it went pretty well. I'm proud to say that Evie was an angel during the waiting period. She also socialized a lot with the doctor, which was great for her to see for herself. Dr. Africk thought she was perfectly on track, BUT...when she tried the tuning fork, Evie had no response at all in her left ear. Because of this, we got referred to a pediatric ENT, Dr. Kimsey Rodriguez. Even though I knew she'd need to see another specialist, I was so relieved that she didn't actually have a developmental delay. Hallelujah!

First Oatmeal Cereal

Because I wanted to plump Evie up some, I decided to go ahead and start oatmeal cereal once she turned 4 months old, which is the earliest recommended time. She didn't do very well with it (despite being super cute), so we decided to try once a week until we felt like she was ready.

Bathtub Fun

As Evie is getting better at holding things, her baths are getting more fun. She's starting to chew on some of her bath toys. The other picture shows my attempt at making a shampoo mohawk. Her hair is so fine that it wouldn't stay.

4 Month PED Visit

Here's a picture of Evie on the scales at her 4 month visit with Dr. Vigour's office. She got a pretty good report in terms of growth, which I'd been concerned about. She'd seemed unsatisified lately after her feedings, and I figured that she was beginning to want more to eat. After all, she'd been eating 3-4 ounces per meal since she was about 8 weeks old. She weighed in at 13 lbs, 4 oz (50th %tile), and was a whopping 26" long (95th percentile.) I must add that Kyle takes a great amount of pride in the fact that his baby girl is in the 95th percentile for length. His pride is adorable!

I mentioned to Dr. Vigour that I still felt that Evie wasn't responding normally to noises. I knew she could hear because she'd startle when she heard something loud. However, she would almost never turn toward noises. It was so bad that you could loudly snap your fingers next to her ears, and she would never notice. Dr. Vigour decided that it was best to be safe, so she gave me a referral to Dr. Diane Africk, a pediatric neurologist with Ochsner. Unfortunately, in order to justify the referral, Evie was classified as having a developmental delay. Seeing those two words on my baby's chart was so upsetting to me. I came home and cried all throughout the day. My true fear was that Evie was displaying soft markers for autism. (very late smiling, no interest in faces, not turning toward noises)

I called several people for advice and parental wisdom, and I got some great advice from my dear friend, Kim P. In so many words, she told me not to borrow trouble. Most importantly, she reminded me that no matter what, Evie was chosen by God to be my child, just as I was chosen to be her mother. I need to always keep the faith that she is the perfect child, meant only for Kyle and me. He knew what he was doing when he gave me my pregnancy with her, especially in His timing. He knew what He was doing when He made her a daughter. Why wouldn't He know what He's doing now? It's a lesson that I know I'll need to be reminded of from time to time.

18 Weeks Old

Here's a picture of Evie in her jumperoo at 18 weeks old. I absolutely love her wild hair :)

4 Months Old

At right around 4 months old, Evie started consciously grasping things. Here's a pic with a rattle in each hand. My girl is getting so big!

Baby's 1st Ear Infection

Every time Evie gets sick, I realize anew how lucky I was that Nile was never really ill. Within a week of her first cold, she started getting slightly fussy, and I noticed that she was pulling at her ears. I wasn't sure if she actually had ear troubles or if she'd just discovered her hair. After about a week of symptoms, I decided to go ahead and bring her to the PED to get checked out, and I'm glad I did. It turned out that she had an ear infection in her right ear. Poor baby girl! Doesn't she look so sad in this picture?

Geaux Saints!

If you follow sports, you know that the Saints had a very promising season. They got 2 games away from the Super Bowl, but lost to the 49ers. I don't think Kyle spoke to me at all that night because he was so upset, especially because the Saints loss came on the heels of a very embarrassing LSU loss earlier in the week. Oh well. Evie is a Saints fan no matter what!