One year old

Dear Evans,

It is so hard for me to believe that you are already a year old. November 17, 2010 was the best day of my life, and I will be forever grateful that God chose me to be your mommy. You have been such an easy baby from the minute you were born. They had to wake you up in the hospital nursery so you could eat! Mimi told me I never really knew what it was like to have a newborn because you were such a good sleeper and rarely cried. You have had a few rough nights that resulted in late night rides in the car, but that was only when you were sick (what a time you had with your ears!). Although I miss snuggling with you and cherish every second that you will let me hold you, you are such a joy to watch right now. You entertain yourself so well...so much in fact that you can have an entire room of toys and still choose a plastic lid to play with! You are jabbering up a storm, but not really saying any words (sometimes it sounds like you do but I don't think you really know what you are saying!). You are ALL BOY...busy, busy, busy and into everything! Daddy installed cabinet locks this week to keep you out of them. :) I would not change one thing about you, though! I love you and thank God for you every day.

Love,

Mommy

Eleven months

I cannot believe that you will be A YEAR OLD in just one month! While I do miss the snuggle time of when you were a baby, I LOVE watching you at this stage...you crack us up! You are standing well by yourself and will take a few steps now...but you would rather crawl because you know you can move faster that way! When we tell you "no," you laugh and do it again...this is not a good sign! :) You love to eat, bang on things to make noise, and ride on Daddy's shoulders! You are making a lot of new sounds, but the only one that sounds like a word is "dada" (although I am not sure you know that "dada" is your daddy)! We love you so much!

Ten months old

Looking at this picture makes me realize that your looks are changing from baby to little boy. As your mama, this just breaks my heart! I have started packing up your summer clothes and got a little teary eyed thinking that you would never wear those sweet bubble outfits again! But, you make us laugh daily and we are loving all of the new things you are doing! You are a GREAT eater...sometimes I wonder how you are so small, although I think it is because you burn a lot of calories since you only stop moving when you are sleeping! You have started to stand on your own for a few seconds and take a step or two. You got tubes last month and are doing a lot better with your ears...and going back to sleeping through the night (hooray!). We love you!

Nine months old

It is hard to believe that you are 3/4 of the way to a year old! We are loving every minute with you, and it was very hard for Mama to leave you to go back to work at such a fun age!

-You started going to Mrs. Kay's house full time and are doing great there! You sometimes cry when we leave you but quickly settle in and start playing. Most importantly, you take GREAT naps there so you are a happy boy when we pick you up!

-You went to the beach twice this month and loved the sand and the ocean. You have also loved being in the pool this summer!

-You are eating all table food...no more baby food! Some of your favorites are yogurt, applesauce, chicken, waffles, muffins, and spaghetti-o's. You LOVE to eat!

-You weighed 17 lbs 12 oz at your 9 mo. check-up and were 28 inches long. You are in the 10th percentile for weight, 50th for length, and 75th for head circumference. It is so interesting to see how the stats change as you grow!

-We tried many sippy cups with no luck, but then you finally started drinking out of a cup with a straw this month! You drink mostly water with a splash of juice. You usually only drink a bottle in the morning and at night.

-You still love your paci. We try to leave them out of reach during the day because if you see one, you will put it in your mouth even when you don't need it!

-You wear a size 3 diaper, some 6 months clothes and some 9 months clothes depending on the fit, and size 2 shoes (though you don't like to keep them on your feet!).

We love you!

Eight months old

Evans, you are eight months old today! This month you have changed a lot! You are...

-eating stage 3 baby food and also some table food--it's very entertaining to watch you try to put food in your mouth

-on a "breakfast, lunch, dinner" schedule with a snack after each nap and a bottle before bed

-trying to transition to a sippy cup

-sleeping 11-12 hours each night

-still crawling "army" style--you can get on all fours but can't move very far on all fours

-pulling up on EVERYTHING and starting to "cruise"

-babbling all of the time

-laughing lots--you crack yourself up :)

-starting to notice when Daddy and I are not around (but you don't get upset, just happy to see us when we return)

-in love with anything electronic that you can put your mouth on

-enjoying riding in the grocery cart like a big boy

I can't wait to see what this month brings! We love you so much!

Seven months old

Evans, you are 7 months old today! I say this every month, but time is flying by too fast! You are the sweetest boy and we love every minute with you! This month, you learned to do the army crawl, and we can hardly keep up with you now! You scoot everywhere and are into everything! You LOVE cords (like the laptop or monitor cord) and anything electronic (like the phone, laptop, remote control, and iPhone). You have been to the pool several times and love it. You have liked every kind of baby food we have given you, so I hope this means that you will always be a good eater! :) You have tried some real food, too--strawberries, cantaloupe, french fries, sweet potatoes, and frozen yogurt (just a tiny bit!) and love all of those also! I sure am enjoying being home with you this summer!

Six months old

Evans, you are six months old today! I cannot BELIEVE you are halfway to a year. I would like to stop time just for a little while and keep you little! You are still the best baby, just so content all the time. You have become a mover this month! You love to scoot around the room on your back. You started doing this a while ago but do it all the time now! You also figured out how to roll over a couple of months ago, but then never did it again until this month and now you just roll and roll and roll! You have your two front bottom teeth, which makes for a very precious smile. We had to take your bumper pads out because you started playing too much in your crib before you fell asleep at night and we were afraid you were going to suffocate! You love taking baths and splashing in the water--I can't wait to see how you like the pool! You have liked every type of baby food you have tried--obviously you get that from your daddy! You can sit up, but you would rather be standing up holding someone's hands and bouncing. When you get in your exersaucer, it sounds like you are going to break it because you jump up and down so hard! You are the sweetest boy, and we thank God for you every day!

Five months old

You are 5 months old today! I can't believe how fast you are growing--part of me wants you to stay a baby forever, but your daddy and I love watching each new thing you do! This month...

-You started eating solid food! You have tried rice and oatmeal cereals, green beans, peas, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples, pears, and peaches. So far, we have not found anything that you will not eat, and I hope you stay that way!

-You went on your first boat ride.

-You were baptized.

-You can roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy, but you don't do it constantly yet.

-You love to scoot across the room on your back. Your feet are always moving, and we cannot leave you alone on the bed or changing table anymore!

-Your two bottom teeth started coming in a couple of weeks ago, and we can see them when you smile now!

-I CHERISH any time that you will cuddle with me on the couch or in the bed. Usually you like to be going, going, going...but every now and then you will still snuggle with me!

People are always telling us what a good baby you are, and it is so true! You are so easy-going and content. When you wake up from a nap or in the morning, you just lay there and laugh and talk to yourself until we come get you. I can walk in the room and talk to you before I leave for work, and then you will still just stay in your crib and smile until Daddy comes to get you. The only time you really fuss is when you are starving, or when you see your bottle, and when you are tired. We love you SO much and feel very blessed!

Four months old

Evans, you are 4 months old today! I wish I could keep you from growing, but I am loving watching your personality come to life, too! Right now...

-You have started to love bathtime. Last night, you even started kicking and splashing the water!

-You are getting pretty loud when you start "talking"-we might not be able to take you into the church service with us anymore because you get so wound up! We love listening to your noises--you make us laugh a lot!

-You wear 3-6 months clothes and can finally fit your tiny feet into some shoes!

-You sleep 10-11 hours at night! You don't like to be swaddled at night anymore, but you do like it and will sleep better at naptime with a swaddle.

-You have really learned to grab things and have a pretty tight grip!

-You are starting to sit up, and you love to stand up (with help, of course) and bounce your knees too!

Three months old

You are 3 months old today! I cannot believe it...it seems like we were just bringing you home from the hospital and now you are getting so big! Here's what you have been up to lately...

-You sat in your Bumbo seat for the first time last week and LOVED it! You did a great job holding your head up and sitting up. You think you are a big boy sitting in there. We have started putting you in the Bumbo on the table while we eat supper!
-You have started to enjoy your baths! It makes me so happy to give you a bath and not hear you scream! You still get upset if the water starts to get cold, but most of the time you lie there very relaxed and happy. You do NOT like getting out of the bath into the cold air--I cannot get that towel on fast enough before you let loose with a scream!
-You sleep 9-10 hours at night--we are so lucky!

-You can sleep through the night without being swaddled now! You just sleep in a sleep sack.
-You are "talking" (making precious noises) ALL the time now, and we just can't get enough of that!
-You are wearing all 3 months clothes. I have had to pack up all of the newborn clothes. :(
-You are SUCH a good baby! People always comment on how content you are, and it is so true. We are so blessed! You are almost always happy, easy to take shopping or out to eat, patient when I am warming your bottles, and you will entertain yourself in the bouncy seat, swing, or activity mat when I need to get something done.

We love you more than words could ever express and thank God every day for you!

Two months old

Evans, you are two months old today, and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by! You are getting so big, and we love watching every new thing you do!

Right now...

-you are just starting to smile with a purpose--when someone smiles at you, when you see yourself in a mirror, when we make faces at you

-you try to mimic the faces we make at you and stick your tongue out if we stick ours out

-you can still wear some newborn clothes but can also wear some of your 3 months clothes

-you weighed 9 lbs 14 oz and were 22 in long at your 2 month check-up

-you have started cooing and it is so funny to watch your mouth work so hard to try to make a sound

-you still don't like taking a bath, but you don't get upset when I change your clothes or diaper anymore

-you have started to wake up really happy, just content to lay in your crib and look around

-you are sleeping 7-8 hours most nights (YAY!!!)

-we put you in your crib awake and you lay there sweetly and just look around and coo until you fall asleep

-you like to be held but you are pretty happy in your bouncy seat, swing, pack-in-play, or car seat if we need to get something done

-your personality is starting to show and we LOVE it!!!

One month old!

You are one month old today! I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. In your first month of life you have shown us how strong you are and we are so thankful!

A few things about your first month:

You are wearing newborn clothes and diapers.

You like to be swaddled when you go to bed but usually wiggle your arms out quickly!

You smile right before you fall asleep.

You love staring at lights and things with patterns.

You have slept through the night one time, but usually sleep 5-6 hours at night and 1 1/2-2 hour naps during the day.

You like sitting in your swing and bouncy seat.

You LOVE to ride in your car seat!