Cream of Potato Soup

A lazy Sunday morning here at our house. Daddy's eating breakfast and Evan is playing with his baby gym while it pours down rain outside. This is my kind of day.

Evan is still doing well and seems to develop a new skill every day. He finally rolled from back to front, so now he can go over both ways with little trouble. He seems to enjoy laying somewhere in between though, with his bottom half facing down, twisted in the middle, and his arms and head facing up. Our little contortionist.

He's grasping well too, and getting better at picking things up and moving them from one hand to the other. Most of the time what he'll grab is a fistful of hair, but at least he's good at it! His favorite thing lately seems to be his plastic key ring. I give them to him as we're going out the door and he plays with them in the car. He also likes to throw them on the floor when he's in his bouncy seat.

I'm sure we'll have a quiet day today, just to hang out together and play with E. For now, I have to go rescue him, as he has pulled the sunshine down off of his gym and is fretting about it.

Posted by jenny at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Evan is really talking now. He was talking before, but only when things excited him or made him especially annoyed. For the last day, the talking has been constant. He talks to me, to Daddy, to his uncles, to his toys, to the tv, to the ceiling fan. Anyone within earshot gets to listen to his speeches.

It's pretty funny. He will make these concerned faces as he yammers on about this and that. E woke up with a smile and some g sounds this morning, then launched right into a loud irritated diatribe directed at our bedroom door. I don't understand it, but it's fun to watch.

For the moment he is sleeping, and quiet. He does talk in his sleep now too. He must have been dreaming about eating last night, because he was making sucking motions with his mouth and then let out a satisfied sigh and an "aah-aah". I'm wondering if we'll ever have quiet in this house again.

Posted by jenny at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's warm today, but yesterday it was oppressive. It was so hot that there was a haze in the apartment. Luckily, Grandpa Feige was on vacation and offered to pick Evan and me up and take us to his house for air conditioned comfort. Aah. E and I were very appreciative.

I realize that I never filled you all in on the zoo. Well, it was hot, and Evan slept through most of it. It's a lot nicer than when we were kids though, and Cara and I enjoyed ourselves. After we were done there we decided we had to go to Waldameer (a logical conclusion, don't you think?). E thought it was lots more fun there. He liked looking at all the bright colors and hearing the loud noises. He even got to taste his first Sno-Cone. It's been great having Cara home and being able to spend some real time with her. It seems like we haven't done that since before she left last summer, when little E was just tiny Cops in my belly.

E's taking it easy today. He slept in and is taking a nap now, so I'm glad. The more he sleeps the happier he is, and the happier he is the happier Mommy and Daddy are. Tonight we're going to Aunt Dan's to play with cousin Kate and meet some cousins and aunts E has not yet seen. It should be fun!

Posted by jenny at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today Evan is six months old. Six. Can you believe that? I really cannot. It seems like a hundred years ago and only yesterday that we were at Hamot, hoping and praying that he would come out breathing and that I wouldn't have any major problems. And here we are, in the middle of summer, with a little baby who laughs and plays and is just a tiny bit behind for his age. I wouldn't trade this for anything.

Here is what E has to say on the subject: -[=================f cccccccccccccc[4kwwkcp ;v77'jm 90v-vp

I let him dance on the keyboard for your enjoyment. You may interpret that as you wish.

To celebrate the day so far we've had a bath and played with some toys. E seems pretty content with that. Later on we'll head up to Grandpa's house for Uncle Tim's 17th birthday party. It will be much like other days, but also something remarkable. There is a sense of accomplishment in making it to six months. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating E's first birthday. Time is really flying. Good thing we take lots of pictures.

Posted by jenny at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I posted some pictures today from Evanem's swimming trip in Cleveland this past weekend.

Here they are.

Posted by Mike at 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Evan is taking his morning snooze, so I thought this would be a good time to update. It's been a pretty quiet week here in E-land. He's still working on rolling over, and has been hiding in the air conditioning for the past two days.

E has completely changed his methods of communication. What used to be a series of different cries have become some sounds and songs to convey different emotions. When he wants attention, a sharp "ay!" is used. For happy times, "ooh" and "aah" and a drawn out "g" sound are heard. Sometimes he mixes it up with b's, d's and m's. When E is tired, he sings the tired song, a long "oh, oh, oh" that precedes sleep.

He reserves crying now for the most upsetting or difficult of situations. When cousin Kate yelled at him the other day, he cried. She was just being friendly, but he got scared. He also cried this morning when he got his arm stuck underneath him. I'm now aware that crying is a sign that things are more desperate than they might appear.

It's helpful to me and to Mike that he is talking more. We feel like we are understanding his needs better and that we are able to judge his moods more accurately. This is a relief for Mike especially, because the more Evan interacts with him on a personal level, the more Mike feels that he is doing a good job as Daddy.

Sorry we have not posted any new pictures yet. Mike's wrapping up his last days at Fishtank and has been pretty busy. Hopefully this weekend we'll be able to wind down a little and get some things done. I'm sure we'll see some of you at Tim's birthday party on Sunday.

This web page has been something quite interesting for us. Not only do I get to journal about Evan's growth and development, but I get to fill in family and friends from all over. Sometimes if I don't post for a while, I get an e-mail asking what my deal is. I guess I just don't realize how many people check up on us this way.

It kind of hit me yesterday. I was talking by accident to a friend I haven't seen in about a year. He commented on how cute Evan was, and it dawned on me that he was looking at pictures of him here. I didn't even know he read this site. It's nice to know we're being kept track of, even if we don't see people that often. Friends, friend's parents, family, web pals, everyone knows what's up with E-Dog.

Today Evan and I are going to the zoo with Aunt Cara. It should be a good time. I'll fill you all in later.

Posted by jenny at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

E-Dog is becoming an independent young man. His skills are ever increasing, and Mike and I are just so amazed with his progress. There is much to tell.

E had fun in Cleveland, enjoying the pool and much attention from Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Jo. He played a lot and fussed only a little. He seems to be growing out of all of that crankiness and turning into such a pleasant little boy. He interacted well with everyone and talked a lot more than he has in the past. He seems to have something to say about everything now!

We're still working on rolling over. He's still got a handle on front to back, but he's almost got back to front down as well. He can get his head over, or his butt, but not both at the same time yet. It will happen this week, I'm sure.

E also got some new toys this weekend. He got a Kick and Play Barn from Grandma and Papa, which he loved playing with all weekend. He also got a bouncy jumper for the doorway and a Sparkling Symphony Gym from Great Uncle Jim and Great Grandpa. He hasn't had a chance to play with the gym yet, but he loves the bouncy seat. He's hanging in the kitchen as I write this and having a fabulous time.

That's about all the news. Evan is doing better than I ever imagined, and it's so exciting. Right now though, I think it's time for bed.

Posted by jenny at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Things are rolling right along this week. Literally. Ev has mastered rolling over front to back, and he's doing it with a vengance. Too bad that when he is successful, he looks perplexed, wondering how he got on his back again. It's loads of fun to watch. Now we're working on back to front, which is proving to be more of a challenge. He can get from back to either side, and one of these times he's going to make it all the way over. We're looking forward to it.

He's still grasping at everything as well. Baby soap bottles, plastic cups, toys, shirt logos, you name it, he's trying to grab it. Sometimes he makes it, other times he misses the mark. Yesterday he finally discovered the toys hanging from the top of his swing (a yellow cat and a red dog, I think). He spent a good 15 minutes just bashing them with his hands, then kicking his legs and squealing with delight. It's a riot, but pretty cool to see how these skills seem to develop almost overnight. I wish I still learned things that quickly.

We've been busy visiting friends too. Ev got to spend some time with Cara yesterday, and today went to Mommy's work to see everyone. He also dropped in on his uncles and the gang at Fishtank. He's a popular kid these days. This weekend it's off to Cleveland again to play in the pool and hopefully give Mom and Dad a little break. I think Mike is going to post some Fourth of July weekend pictures of Ev tonight, so hopefully that will tide everyone over til Monday!

Posted by jenny at 07:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our busy Saturday wore little E out. Evan was such a good boy at Grandma's during the afternoon. He was her little helper for the picnic and wasn't fussy at all. He even entertained the crowd with his amazing fart sounds. Then it was off to Kelly's parent's house...she hadn't met Ev yet and we were going to see Lisa and Jeremy there as well.

Once we got to Kelly's picnic, it was a different story. He was okay for a little while, but wanted to be walked or fed the whole time. I thought I could outsmart him by giving him some juice. Big mistake. He ended up puking on me several times and by the time we left we were both damp and stinky. I'm sure Kelly has a really favorable impression of motherhood now. It really made me feel like a mom though--Kelly is still so cute and stylish (and thin) and here I am, chubby and covered in puke. Oh well. I'm glad we're still friends anyway.

Today was a little more low key as Ev got to visit with Granny Jane and Papa for the afternoon. He had a good time but I think he's glad the long weekend is finally over. I am too. It's hard to be off of your schedule when you have a little one, and it usually takes us a day to recover from running around. That's okay though, I know tomorrow E and I will sleep in and take it easy, and we can both finally get some rest.

Posted by jenny at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike said this morning, "It's as if two days ago, you flipped a switch and we have a different baby". It's true...something has clicked in his head and things are different now for our little guy. He's learning so fast that it's hard to keep track of everything!

Thursday morning Mike was holding Ev and for the first time he reached for something and grabbed it. He's never done that before, and it was pretty amazing to watch. Mike was glad to finally be present for a "first", when his son became engrossed in the logo on his t-shirt and decided he had to grab it. So cool.

We spent the Fourth at Great-Grandma's for the traditional picnic, and E had a lovely time. He was talking and playing, enjoying being outside. He was sleeping before the fireworks though, so that's something we'll have to save for another year.

Yesterday we spent at home until the evening, when we decided to take a trip out to the beach. Evan had an excellent time playing in the water with Daddy. He loved the sound of the water and all the interesting sights on the beach. We took lots of pictures which we'll post soon.

Today is busy, baseball and picnics. I'm sure he'll have a good time again today, and I'll enjoy the fact that he sleeps better when he's been outside.

Posted by jenny at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quick post as I hate being out of the air conditioning! Ev had his 5 month check-up yesterday...11 pounds, 14 ounces and 23 inches long. His gains seem to be slowing a bit, which doctor said is normal.

Other than that, he is right on target with all his development. One shot yesterday, and when I asked about starting solids I was encouraged to wait a few more months. Yikes. The nurse said, "You know, babies can be solely breastfed to the age of two!". Yeah right. I'm all about breastfeeding, but I'm all about sleeping through the night again sometime too. Oh well, we'll keep plugging away.

Posted by jenny at 08:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)