12 Weeks Old!

Still not sure about the standard weekly pose so we tried some other options

A little happier on my soft pink puppy mat.

Thinking about getting happier...

Looking around, if I could only find my buddy Finlay!

Oh, there he is!  He can always cheer me up.

Maybe we should try a little time in the Bumbo.  Still not my favorite, but tolerable for a few minutes.

Mom wants to know how it is that I FINALLY smiled for the camera during tummy time.  I HATE tummy time!

This is my pensive face.  I'm thinking really hard about rolling over onto my back!

Wow!  I can't believe we're already at 12 weeks!  From this point forward I'll likely just do monthly posts about Evie's development although I'll of course post more often than that.  Not a lot has changed with E.  She still hates tummy time, with the exception of rolling over.  She is, however, getting better at sitting in her Bumbo so we are still working on her neck strength and head control.  The big thing from the last few weeks is that she is having several good periods of "chatting" with me every day.  She likes to say "ah-goo" "mamama" "oioi" and lots of other vowel-ish sounds.  She just looks at me smiles, and babbles.  It is precious!  She's still not laughing tons, but today she spent several minutes cracking up, looking at me tossing around a colorful "taggies" ball.  She is sleeping great at night, still 7-8 hours, but naps are a different story!  A few days this week she didn't nap at all!!!  She usually sleeps at least 4 or 5 hours during the day, all combined, but there is no rhyme or reason to when this happens.  The consistent thing is that she likes to sleep on or near me, which is sweet but prevents me from getting ANYTHING done around the house.  This month we are going to transition Evie from the pack'n'play in our room to the crib in her room *tear* and I am hoping that once we finalize that transition she will nap in her crib as well.  Any suggestions on this process are appreciated (except that we are definitely NOT starting "cry it out"  yet or doing any kind of hard and fast scheduling at this point)!  I am looking forward to the day when we will have dependable naps, and yes I do know that this will mean enforcing some kind of schedule, but my own schedule has been changing monthly which has made it impossible to give E one.
Which brings me to my next point - we are finally getting some schedule stability!  Without getting into any specifics, Nick's work duties are changing, which means that for the next few months (at least) he will work a more regular schedule.  His official hours are the regular Air Force 7:30-4:30 although he will be putting in a ton of "overtime."  He'll also have a normal M-F schedule.  In short, he's totally off of the flying shift schedule and onto a normal office schedule.  The new work duties are also exciting for him, as he will be in more of a leadership role.  Hooray!  I know many of you have been praying hard for some positive changes in this area, and it's working!

11 Weeks

So I tried for the traditional weekly photo shoot today.  Evie wasn't too into it from the get-go.  This was the best I got in the traditional pose.  E was fussy so I thought it wouldn't be the end of the world if I let her have her paci...

 She was a little happier with the paci for a moment...

 And then everything totally devolved into this...

 And as I type this both Evie and Finlay are enjoying a much-needed nap.  As you can see, Evie's "big brother" loves her bunches.

This week has had its share of ups and downs for Evie.  Her two-month shots put her out of sorts for a few days, but she's pretty much back to normal now.  Just this week she has started to roll over both ways from her tummy to her back.  She hates tummy time so much, and I guess she sees rolling over as an escape!  This morning she also laughed for the first time - at Finlay.  How precious is that?!  She also is sleeping through the night dependably, even after her shots.  I usually put her to sleep at around 10:30 or 11:00, and she normally sleeps until at least 6:00 if not a little longer.  I have been putting her back down for a few hours after her early-morning meal, but I think I may have to stop doing that.  She's usually pretty restless during those few hours, and this morning she spent them awake with Nick.  He said that she had some really good playtime then so I'm thinking that she probably prefers to be awake at that time.  Oh, well...I am just grateful that she is sleeping through the night! 
I am also trying to organize her day a little more, although I will not be putting her on a strict schedule - she's an on-demand baby.  She does a pretty good job of making her own schedule, though.  She eats every 2 or 3 hours during the day and has been taking one or two short naps during the morning/early afternoon and then a longer nap in the evening.  Speaking of, she is waking up from her nap now so that's all for the 11 week report!

Waco Pics

With Uncle Mark

Loving time in the big chair with Grandad

She really has started to love her playmat

With Grandma - she got to meet all 3 of her great-grandmothers, but I only have a picture with Grandma

With Aunt Lauren

Aunt Lauren helped Uncle Mark figure out how to hold her

Rocking with Grandma Edie in a rocking chair that is 5 or 6 generations old (we couldn't quite figure it out)

Fascinated by the snow

Fin loved the snow too!



He ran figure-8's all around the yard and the pool.  Fun times.



2 Month Stats

The message on Evie's bib pretty much sums up our trip to Waco.  More pictures to come from the trip, but first her two month stats:
Height - 22 inches (19th percentile)
Weight - 10 lbs 7 ounces (28th percentile)
Head circumference - 39 cm (39th percentile)
She's still a shorty, but she's starting to fill out!

2 Months!

Evie is two months old today!  Wow!  Of course when I got out the Rebel to take her 2 month picture this is what I got - NOT in the mood for a photo shoot.  So, below there are some pictures from the past week that were taken with my iPhone.  The quality leaves something to be desired, but I think the model is cute enough to make up for the iPhone camera's shortcomings, don't you?



Glamour shot



All bundled up to visit Carolyn yesterday!



Big smile!  (Complete with spit-up remnant - yummy)

Evie's last few weeks have been pretty crazy, but she's been a fabulous sport.  Two weeks ago we arrived in Waco and my grandfather died the next day.  For anyone interested, you can see his obituary here - especially interesting to those of you musical friends out there. His funeral wasn't until last Saturday so Evie spent a week being transported back and forth to my grandmother's house, meeting various family members and friends.  She was a perfect angel the whole time!  She almost never cried or fussed and slept through a lot of the activity.  However, her schedule got really off and she didn't have much time for developmental playtime.  We've spent this week enjoying some rest and trying to catch her up on her two month old tasks. 
I don't know height, weight, etc. since we have to wait until we're back in New Mexico to see her pediatrician.  Evie's Aunt Lauren is doing her nursing clinical in pediatrics right now and performed the Denver II test on her this week.  Here are some things she is doing now:
Smiling when she's happy!  This happens a lot in the morning and on her changing pad in Grandma Edie and Grandad's room.
Following items with her eyes.  Yesterday she was "talking" to my dad, and when he walked away she searched for him.
She responds to sounds and likes to make her own.  She now has pretty discernible cries for being uncomfortable, frustrated, hungry, etc.  She also grunts and lot.  Not exactly the sweet "coo's" I imagined.
When she is on her playmat she enjoys hitting items over and over and touching them with her hands.  She has also begun to reach out to touch my face when I am close to her.
She HATES tummy time!  She is getting better at doing it, but she whimpers all the way through it.  It's so sad, but I know she has to do it. Ugh.
She now loves her bath, just not getting out of it.  She smiles and splashes around in the water the entire time.
She sleeps at least 6 hours most nights and then goes back to sleep for another 2-3 after eating.  Many nights she sleeps 7-8 hours solid.  Hallelujah!
She is eating every 2-2 1/2 hours now.  I'm trying to break her habit of eating every two hours since I know she can go longer, but I hate it when she gets angry about waiting!
Her hair is not falling out, just coming in thicker and a little lighter.  Her eyes are getting bluer every day - we think that's how they'll stay.
Sorry that was long - more for my memory than anything!