Thursday, March 20, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Top O' The Morning
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Evan doesn't have a holiday-appropriate outfit, so he's wearing the only green onesie he has. He looks like a wide-eyed frog. Hee.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Somebody's got a case of the Mondays...
Happy Monday!
We all had a nice weekend. On Saturday, I had a nice relaxing belated birthday lunch with my friend Val. The day was GORGEOUS in the 70s, so Dave and I took Evan for a walk. He hasn't been liking his car seat/stroller combo lately, so this time we tried him in the stroller without the car seat. Eureka, it worked! He was a much happier baby. Of course, it could have been a fluke, so more testing will be necessary. But we think that Evan prefers to be able to look out and see the world, which might also explain why he hates being held in any way but forward-facing. The boy knows what he likes.
Yesterday was a lazy day, due in part to the 6 inches of snow we received. CO weather is nutty. We did some housework and that sort of mundane stuff. We also attempted to capture Evan's handprints in a plaster kit my friend Tracy sent us, and that was pretty much a hilarious failure. After several tries with his hands, we gave up and did his feet instead. It came out ok, but it was definitely difficult. I think it would have been more successful with a younger Evan.
As usual, Evan was an angel all weekend because Dave was home. Oy. I swear the baby does it purposely; he's fussy all week and perfect on the weekend. I think I'm going to create a giant cardboard cutout of Dave and stand it in the family room. Oh, and maybe record his voice for good measure: "Hi, Evan!," "You're such a good boy!," "Be nice for Mommy!," and that sort of thing. Heh.
I picked up The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems at the Tattered Cover bookstore and started reading it last night. Today I am attempting to implement the E.A.S.Y. system recommended in the book. Generally, it's an eating, activity, and sleeping routine that is supposed to give control back to the parents and promote better sleeping habits. So far, it looks like we've accidentally had Evan on something sort of similar, but I'd definitely like to get him on good, more predictable routine so that he starts sleeping longer at night. HA! I've only skimmed the book so far, but I'm unclear on when activities like errands or walks are supposed to occur--I would think in the "activity" period, but if he falls asleep would it count as a nap? Who knows. I realize parenting books can only help so much, but it looks like there is some decent advice in there. And we really want Evan to be a good sleeper for the long haul.
Taken Friday:
We all had a nice weekend. On Saturday, I had a nice relaxing belated birthday lunch with my friend Val. The day was GORGEOUS in the 70s, so Dave and I took Evan for a walk. He hasn't been liking his car seat/stroller combo lately, so this time we tried him in the stroller without the car seat. Eureka, it worked! He was a much happier baby. Of course, it could have been a fluke, so more testing will be necessary. But we think that Evan prefers to be able to look out and see the world, which might also explain why he hates being held in any way but forward-facing. The boy knows what he likes.
Yesterday was a lazy day, due in part to the 6 inches of snow we received. CO weather is nutty. We did some housework and that sort of mundane stuff. We also attempted to capture Evan's handprints in a plaster kit my friend Tracy sent us, and that was pretty much a hilarious failure. After several tries with his hands, we gave up and did his feet instead. It came out ok, but it was definitely difficult. I think it would have been more successful with a younger Evan.
As usual, Evan was an angel all weekend because Dave was home. Oy. I swear the baby does it purposely; he's fussy all week and perfect on the weekend. I think I'm going to create a giant cardboard cutout of Dave and stand it in the family room. Oh, and maybe record his voice for good measure: "Hi, Evan!," "You're such a good boy!," "Be nice for Mommy!," and that sort of thing. Heh.
I picked up The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems at the Tattered Cover bookstore and started reading it last night. Today I am attempting to implement the E.A.S.Y. system recommended in the book. Generally, it's an eating, activity, and sleeping routine that is supposed to give control back to the parents and promote better sleeping habits. So far, it looks like we've accidentally had Evan on something sort of similar, but I'd definitely like to get him on good, more predictable routine so that he starts sleeping longer at night. HA! I've only skimmed the book so far, but I'm unclear on when activities like errands or walks are supposed to occur--I would think in the "activity" period, but if he falls asleep would it count as a nap? Who knows. I realize parenting books can only help so much, but it looks like there is some decent advice in there. And we really want Evan to be a good sleeper for the long haul.
Taken Friday:
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta...
(5 points for getting the title reference...)
Hi, all! I have updated our Shutterfly account to include pictures of Evan up to 6 weeks. You can view them here.
In the last few weeks, Evan has gone from frequently (shown here at 3 weeks) flashing "gang signs" (we have given him a gangsta name of Barracuda P)...
...to raising his arms in a victorious fist pump (here at 6 weeks)!
He is so silly with his "poses." We especially miss the gang signs. They were adorable.
Today, we started using Huggies size 1 diapers; I think he has outgrown the newborn size. Sadly, he's also just about outgrown most of his newborn clothes. I was at Target the other day and saw the 3 month size of one of his newborn outfits and snatched it up. He's getting so big already! Especially his head, which is giant. I like to think it's his huge brains, but it could just be that he's gotten his daddy's big noggin'. It's anyone's guess. But wow...his poor neck. Heh.
Evan has now started making more eye contact and is just starting to smile occasionally. Such fun! He's sleeping pretty well in his nursery at night (except for the periodic grunts, groans, and squeaks he makes), although he's decided that wake-up time is between 3 and 5 AM. Not such fun for Mommy and Daddy (Mommy's EXHAUSTED)! Oy. We'll have to work on that. But we do have a bedtime routine started that involves feeding in the glider chair while listening to either the Green Day or Metallica lullaby CD, a diaper change, and dressing him in his swaddle sack, which is the infant version of a straightjacket. We sometimes read a story, but it's still mostly lost on him. Entertainment Weekly has the same effect as Goodnight Moon (and you know which I prefer).
He's been really fussy lately and we initially thought it was colic, but have determined it's probably acid reflux. Feeding him upright seems to be helping a bit and he's been better recently. He still hates to be burped, but he enjoys me loudly singing the theme song to The OC while burping. Whatever works. I also changed the lyrics to the chorus of "When the Stars Go Blue":
Where do you go when you're hungry
Where do you go when you poo
Where do you go when you're sleepy
I'll swaddle you
When the stars go blue
When the cows go moo
He really likes me to sing this while feeding, although I usually cheat and sing the actual lyrics. He doesn't know the difference and I don't want to subject myself to kiddie songs much before I have to. ;)
Even during the day, swaddling is very helpful and he usually falls asleep in his bouncer (his favorite thing!) when tightly bundled. Thank goodness we discovered this trick--it's a lifesaver!
People say that "miraculous" and wonderful changes happen between 6 and 8 weeks. I'm not sure what those are quite yet, but in the meantime, it's safe to say that Evan's a keeper! He's cuter by the day.
Hi, all! I have updated our Shutterfly account to include pictures of Evan up to 6 weeks. You can view them here.
In the last few weeks, Evan has gone from frequently (shown here at 3 weeks) flashing "gang signs" (we have given him a gangsta name of Barracuda P)...
...to raising his arms in a victorious fist pump (here at 6 weeks)!
He is so silly with his "poses." We especially miss the gang signs. They were adorable.
Today, we started using Huggies size 1 diapers; I think he has outgrown the newborn size. Sadly, he's also just about outgrown most of his newborn clothes. I was at Target the other day and saw the 3 month size of one of his newborn outfits and snatched it up. He's getting so big already! Especially his head, which is giant. I like to think it's his huge brains, but it could just be that he's gotten his daddy's big noggin'. It's anyone's guess. But wow...his poor neck. Heh.
Evan has now started making more eye contact and is just starting to smile occasionally. Such fun! He's sleeping pretty well in his nursery at night (except for the periodic grunts, groans, and squeaks he makes), although he's decided that wake-up time is between 3 and 5 AM. Not such fun for Mommy and Daddy (Mommy's EXHAUSTED)! Oy. We'll have to work on that. But we do have a bedtime routine started that involves feeding in the glider chair while listening to either the Green Day or Metallica lullaby CD, a diaper change, and dressing him in his swaddle sack, which is the infant version of a straightjacket. We sometimes read a story, but it's still mostly lost on him. Entertainment Weekly has the same effect as Goodnight Moon (and you know which I prefer).
He's been really fussy lately and we initially thought it was colic, but have determined it's probably acid reflux. Feeding him upright seems to be helping a bit and he's been better recently. He still hates to be burped, but he enjoys me loudly singing the theme song to The OC while burping. Whatever works. I also changed the lyrics to the chorus of "When the Stars Go Blue":
Where do you go when you're hungry
Where do you go when you poo
Where do you go when you're sleepy
I'll swaddle you
When the stars go blue
When the cows go moo
He really likes me to sing this while feeding, although I usually cheat and sing the actual lyrics. He doesn't know the difference and I don't want to subject myself to kiddie songs much before I have to. ;)
Even during the day, swaddling is very helpful and he usually falls asleep in his bouncer (his favorite thing!) when tightly bundled. Thank goodness we discovered this trick--it's a lifesaver!
People say that "miraculous" and wonderful changes happen between 6 and 8 weeks. I'm not sure what those are quite yet, but in the meantime, it's safe to say that Evan's a keeper! He's cuter by the day.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Miscellany
Avis and Dick left this morning and I'm on my own for nearly the first time since Evan's birth (my mom was also here for two weeks and Dave has been home quite a bit). Eep! He's had a few fussy/gassy days recently and has been hard to console at times. It's definitely frustrating, especially considering he also has such sweet, calm days/hours and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it at all. I'm generally hoping for the best!
A few things I've/we've learned:
1. Have few expectations for each day's accomplishments
2. Baby is in charge
3. Gas sucks
4. Leaving the house is akin to a military operation
5. Two (or three or four) sets of hands is better than one
6. Eat (sleep, exercise, shower, do chores) at the first available moment
7. Parental sleep usually always trumps eating
8. Always have plenty of burp cloths within arm's reach
9. The bouncer is awesome
10. Babies are noisy sleepers
11. Planning baby outfit wearing before outgrowing is stressful
12. Burping can be difficult
13. Take lots of pictures
Speaking of pictures, I've also learned that taking a 4-week old to get professional photos taken is not necessarily the best idea. Oops! On Monday, we took Evan to Picture People at the mall and he was not really thrilled (read: crying, requiring food, wetting on the blanket, looking grumpy, etc.). Heh. It was taxing on all of us, but fortunately we had a sweet, patient photographer and she managed to get a few cute pictures. I was hoping for a few more non-grumpy face pictures, but according to numbers 1 and 2 above, you take what you can get. Best laid plans and all. See, I'm learning!
Anyhow, here are tiny versions of the pictures I ended up ordering. If you would like any of these (or any others taken that day--there are more "poses"), let me know and I can order them. I'm sure Evan will be very happy about the naked photo in the years to come; I sense blackmail material! Heh.
Yesterday, we visited Dave at work, which was fun. Evan was very well behaved and adorable (wearing a stroller-coordinated outfit including his new guitar-decorated Robeez shoes, which received many compliments). All of Dave's colleagues were so excited to finally meet Evan, after hearing all about his IVF conception, my pregnancy, and generously throwing us a shower. He is a bit of a celebrity at National Jewish!
I've been terrible about updating this blog, but I'm planning (hoping) to get into a more regular routine. I would love to blog about the actual labor, delivery, first few weeks, etc., so hopefully I can do that and post a bit out of order. I just need some dedicated time!
But in the meantime, in case you missed them, our Shutterfly account has been updated to include nursery pictures and Evan pictures. I plan to upload more pictures soon. He's growing so incredibly fast!
In (relatively) unrelated news, I am very excited that the Hollywood writers' strike has ended. Yeah, I know TV is bad for baby, but thanks to the wonder that is TiVo/DVR, it's much easier to watch on the sly when Evan is asleep or not paying attention. Hee. I'm sure it will get trickier in the future, but for now, my shows are also my sanity.
It's a gorgeous mid-50s day today, so I'd like to go for a walk with Evan. That is, when/if he stops screaming from gas pains. Poor guy.
Laura
A few things I've/we've learned:
1. Have few expectations for each day's accomplishments
2. Baby is in charge
3. Gas sucks
4. Leaving the house is akin to a military operation
5. Two (or three or four) sets of hands is better than one
6. Eat (sleep, exercise, shower, do chores) at the first available moment
7. Parental sleep usually always trumps eating
8. Always have plenty of burp cloths within arm's reach
9. The bouncer is awesome
10. Babies are noisy sleepers
11. Planning baby outfit wearing before outgrowing is stressful
12. Burping can be difficult
13. Take lots of pictures
Speaking of pictures, I've also learned that taking a 4-week old to get professional photos taken is not necessarily the best idea. Oops! On Monday, we took Evan to Picture People at the mall and he was not really thrilled (read: crying, requiring food, wetting on the blanket, looking grumpy, etc.). Heh. It was taxing on all of us, but fortunately we had a sweet, patient photographer and she managed to get a few cute pictures. I was hoping for a few more non-grumpy face pictures, but according to numbers 1 and 2 above, you take what you can get. Best laid plans and all. See, I'm learning!
Anyhow, here are tiny versions of the pictures I ended up ordering. If you would like any of these (or any others taken that day--there are more "poses"), let me know and I can order them. I'm sure Evan will be very happy about the naked photo in the years to come; I sense blackmail material! Heh.
Yesterday, we visited Dave at work, which was fun. Evan was very well behaved and adorable (wearing a stroller-coordinated outfit including his new guitar-decorated Robeez shoes, which received many compliments). All of Dave's colleagues were so excited to finally meet Evan, after hearing all about his IVF conception, my pregnancy, and generously throwing us a shower. He is a bit of a celebrity at National Jewish!
I've been terrible about updating this blog, but I'm planning (hoping) to get into a more regular routine. I would love to blog about the actual labor, delivery, first few weeks, etc., so hopefully I can do that and post a bit out of order. I just need some dedicated time!
But in the meantime, in case you missed them, our Shutterfly account has been updated to include nursery pictures and Evan pictures. I plan to upload more pictures soon. He's growing so incredibly fast!
In (relatively) unrelated news, I am very excited that the Hollywood writers' strike has ended. Yeah, I know TV is bad for baby, but thanks to the wonder that is TiVo/DVR, it's much easier to watch on the sly when Evan is asleep or not paying attention. Hee. I'm sure it will get trickier in the future, but for now, my shows are also my sanity.
It's a gorgeous mid-50s day today, so I'd like to go for a walk with Evan. That is, when/if he stops screaming from gas pains. Poor guy.
Laura
Thursday, January 17, 2008
It's a Boy!
In case you missed it, baby Evan Andrew Beuther was born on Saturday, January 12th at 1:39 AM. He was feisty from the get go, with Apgar scores of 8 and 9. He weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz at birth and was 20.5 inches long--a long, lanky boy. He is perfectly healthy and quite the handful already!
We will post pictures of Evan very soon! Stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Holiday Pictures
I've uploaded a few pictures from our very quiet holidays. Take a look! Zamboni checking out our new Roomba is fun.
Holidays 2007
Holidays 2007
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