Halloween Spirit

Before Mom and Dad could fill the cauldron with Halloween candy, I figured I'd let them know I'm the real treat!

More Mail for Evie

Evelyn is becoming very popular with the mailman.It's a Halloween card from Grandma!Okay, I'll lose the bink and read it...
Wait, I can't read yet. But I like the pictures!

Evie Gets Mail!

Evelyn received a package in the mail earlier this week.

Ooh! It's from Grandma!

Look, a few packs of onsies to help keep me warm in the fall and winter!

Good thing, 'cuz I pooped in these.

Bathtime

Evelyn loves bathtime. She used to get her bath in the bathroom, but we finally got some sense and put her little bathtub in the kitchen sink. And notice who is washing her hair! Her daddy takes wonderful care of her.

Slow Down, Baby!

Evelyn's daycare is closed the week between Christmas and New Year's, and neither Matt nor I can take that week off to take care of her. So, his Mom is going to babysit for us. And she is THRILLED! She was telling Matt how she wants to get her a crib and a carseat and a playpen and a bouncer or swing and toys and and and...

I told him she needs to slow down! We can supply her with our Pack n' Play and swing and rocker and get an extra base for Evie's carseat. And I told him to remind her that she is babysitting AFTER Christmas, so if she wants to get Evie toys she should make them Christmas presents, not an entire set of after-Christmas presents. Then I tried to think of where she's be developmentally by the time Christmas rolls around, and my heart broke a little.

By Christmas, my little baby should have better vision, and like things in color rather than just black and white. She'll like to explore textures. She should be able to grasp her toys. (And necklaces and hair and anything else that will fit in her hand.) She'll be able to bring things to her mouth, and will be exploring her world by tasting everything. She'll be able to sit up, and likely to roll over, and she'll be able to play independently for brief periods. It'll be a sorrow and a relief to not have to entertain her all the time. Or not to have to work so hard to elicit a few beautiful toothles smiles!

She's already grown out of her newborn clothes, is growing out of her 0-3 month clothes, and will be growing out of her 3-6 month clothes. My camera can hardly keep up. I'm afraid I'm going to miss something, especially now that she's headed to daycare. She's changing so fast! Slow down, baby!

Things I've Learned in the Past Two Months

I love lists, so here's one about things I've learned to make our lives smoother... and things I've learned to just let go!

• The Velcro swaddler is a gift from God.
• Keeping a wet washcloth on baby's tummy keeps her warm and happy during baths.
• Have multiples of everything fabric: bed sheets, playpen sheets, Boppy covers. Otherwise, baby is bound to barf, pee, poop, or do a combo on your only clean one. Plus, you won't have to do unexpected loads of laundry. I only do Evelyn's laundry once a week.
• Don't bother with clothes that are "newborn" size, because baby will grow out of them quickly. Start with 0-3 month clothes instead.
• Keep the tags and receipts for clothing you receive as gifts, and return them if needed. Evelyn received so many outfits, there were a few she never got to wear. (See above.)
• If you want to use a pacifier but your baby doesn't take to it, it's probably just the shape. Try a different brand. (Better yet, register for newborn sizes in a few different brands.)
• Keep binkies on every floor of your house, and keep them in the same spot when not in use. The moment you REALLY need one, you don't want to be searching all over!
• Get baby socks with longer cuffs. The cute bitty ones never stay on.
• Footed sleepers with little bear feet or other cute patterned features means more seams on the inside, rubbing little feet. Putting socks on underneath help. (And see above.)
• Evelyn is indifferent to mobiles, but loves to look at faces. The mirror strapped to the side of her crib keeps her well entertained.
• Get your man a really cool diaper bag and you'll never have to lug one anound yourself.
• A jumbo box of wipes will last months. A jumbo box of diapers will last a week. (So don't bother buying anything BUT the jumbo box of diapers.)
• Diaper "blow-outs" happen. The first time, it's the most disgusting thing ever. Then, you find you don't even think anything of scraping poop out of onsies.
• Buying darker clothes hides a multitude of stains. (See above.)
• Clothes that are stained beyond salvage are fine for sleepwear, especially if the staining activity tends to happen around the same time every day... at least you know what you're in for.
• Take all the time you want with your baby. Let her sleep on you the entire duration between feedings. Ignore the laundry in favor of admiring her tiny eyelashes and toenails. Spend an entire day barely moving from the spot where you feed her and hold her and feed her again. Soak it up. It goes by faster than you think. And you finally begin to understand--truly understand--all the people who told you that you don't get this time back.

Among the Reasons I Love Our Pediatrician

At Evie's two-month checkup, her doctor asked whether she was smiling in response to our smiles. I told him not always, and he reassured us that it's really more of a three-month skill, and to keep in mind she was about three weeks early, and we should give her that extra time when thinking of her milestones.

Matt told him that she smiles at him most often, but because she usually poops when he's holding her.

Dr. K looked at Evie and said, "Don't worry, sweetie. I smile after I poop, too."

The Bee's Knees

Matt was home from work today due to some confusion at work, so I had him watch Evelyn while I had lunch with D at the French Press Cafe. While I was there, Matt called to tell me that the house was being invaded by bees. Apparently, the underground nest that I'd been so blase about all summer had expanded to include my basement and kitchen. Lovely. We seem to have delt with it with some foam insulation and wasp spray. (We both feel terrible about killing bees while honey bee depopulation syndrome/colony collapse disorder is still an issue. But we killed two dozen bees inside the house, and that's a little much, don't you think?)

Meanwhile, Evelyn is still the bee's knees. Though this afternoon, her day went something like:

Walked around the neighborhood with Mommy in the Baby Bjorn. Was happy. Fell asleep.
Was put in the playpen for a nap. Fussed.
Was put on the play mat. Fussed.
Was put in the swing. Fussed.
Was picked up by Mommy. Happy again!

I have two and a half weeks before I go back to work. I wonder how many of those waking hours will be spent holding my little spoiled one. And I wonder how she is going to adjust to The Young School, where she's going to be "free to explore [her] environment" and "viewed as [an] initiator and self-learner" with teachers "trained to be sensitive observers." Meaning no one will be holding her all day. (I don't love this philosophy when applied to infants, so we'll be taking her to a more interactive daycare ASAP. Stay tuned.)

Off to get some Zs... hopefully, without any bees!

Cutest. Baby. EVER!

I do a lot of singing to Evelyn, mostly made-up songs that describe what I'm doing. Like the Bath Song, where I sing about getting all her little bits and folds and creases washed and rinsed and dried. Or "Everybody Loves Evelyn Vianne" where I sing out all the names of the people who love her or have at least admired her.

Mommy loves you and Daddy loves you and everybody loves Evelyn Vianne! Grandma loves you and Uncle Bob loves you and everybody loves Evelyn Vianne!

Since we've been making an effort to get out of the house more often, I may have to add shopkeepers, random shoppers, and even paramedics. We stopped in Einstein Bagels (darn good coffee!) for my yearly pumpkin bagel a few days ago. One of the employees was having chest pains, and the paramedics were called. When they had the woman strapped to the gurney and was wheeling her out, one of the rescuers stopped to admire our baby. Matt and I got a kick out of that. She IS a beautiful little thing. Even if she does look just like her daddy. :p

Little Lion

Evelyn doesn't do much crying (thank goodness) and before she does cry, she has the courtesy to give us a little warning noise. Matt thinks it sounds like the roar of a baby lion. I'm debating which is cuter: her sneezes or her roar.

Here's the roar, though this time, she wasn't cranky. Maybe she was just allowing mommy and daddy to get the footage she knows we wanted.

More Cute Sneezing

Seriously, if I didn't feel so bad for her having a bit of the sniffles, I could listen to her sneeze all day. So. Freaking. Cute.

Though her congestion only lasted one day, thank goodness.

Bless You!

Evelyn was showing signs of her first cold on Friday. She sounded congested and had yucky sneezes. Matt had a cold all week, so it's no mystery where that came from. (He felt terrible about it!) And true to her personality, she remained a content, sweet baby. In fact, Friday was also the day she gave us her first real smiles. It broke my heart, that sniffly baby rewarding us for getting her sick with a big, beautiful smile.

And she has the CUTEST SNEEZE EVER. I haven't been able to capture a good one, but check out the video. She gasps a few times, sneezes, then gives a happy sigh. Love her so much!

I Swear, It Wasn't for the Presents

At some obscene hour last Saturday morning, I was rocking the baby and singing "Happy Birthday" for the fifth time. She made a beautiful (if wide-awake) five-week-old. And I needed the sleep because we were having guests over to meet her that day.

Our little open house was from 2pm to 5pm, and we had quite the turnout. And quite the spread! I put out a spread of wine, beer, sodas, bread, crackers, pita chips, five gourmet cheeses (plus cheddar, Bob's favorite), pepperoni, salami, ham, smoked salmon, thinly sliced apples and pears, celery, green peppers, baby carrots, quartered radishes, chutney, hummus, mustard, deviled eggs, spinach balls, olives, M&Ms, cheesecake... I could barely fit it all on the table!

Visitors included Matt's mother and aunt; Bob; Viki and Julia; Court and VJ; Ed and Jen; Carlos; Mark; Doug, Tess, and Emma; Brian, Lucy, their three kids and a toddler Lucy babysits; Tom and Lin...I feel like I'm forgetting someone! While it was supposed to be an open house, most people stayed the entire time. I felt it was a success; very encouraging for hosting my first party. Plus, I got to see people I've missed for quite some time: Carlos and I were cheated out of one more pre-baby movie, Mark and I missed out on one more lunch, and I hadn't seen Ed and Jen or Viki and Julia in nearly a year!

And of course, there were presents. Viki and Julia gave us hangers, a first Christmas ornament, and a calender to record events in Evelyn's first year. Mark gave us a custom-made PBJT onsie. (I'll post a picture soon; let's see who "gets it"); the Rays gave us a stroller accessory kit; the Sporrers gave us a gift certificate to Target; Tom and Lin gave Evelyn a pink sweatsuit with bunny ears on the hoodie. And I still haven't gotten out the thank you cards for the hand-knit sweater Christie sent, the bunny and bookends from Mary Robin and Gary, the books from Cameron and Peter, or the outfit from Aunt Pat. And two of our guests mentioned having gifts that are in transit! I know it sounds hokey, but I really am touched by the outpouring of love and generosity we've experienced since Evelyn was born. She's a special baby, and I appreciate all of my very special friends.

On the Other Hand

We took Evelyn to my office yesterday afternoon. She mostly slept through being passed around, loved, kissed, and admired. On the other hand, I wanted to know about workload, RFPs that we've received, proposals we've won or lost. It was reminiscent of how I'd had Matt bring me the laptop to the hospital, so I could check my email and send instructions to my coworkers. And I was more or less "recovered" from labor and birth by the time I'd left the hospital, so by day three I was ready to go back to work. I don't like hanging around the house, can't stand having the TV on all day, and hate feeling like I'm not accomplishing anything.

At the office, my direct boss asked when I was planning to return. With a long sigh, I told her our daycare coverage didn't start until November 1st. "Well, you can take up to twelve weeks with FMLA," she said. "And remember, you don't get this time back."

Back home, her words really hit me. On one hand, I want to get out of the house every day, be productive, accomplish things. But on the other hand, Evelyn will grow so fast during her first year. She'll soon be sitting up, pointing to things she wants, crawling...and walking away from me. So last night, Matt and I watched a movie and I soaked in the joy of having my baby daughter sleeping on my chest. I admired her little eyelashes, rosy lips, smooth round cheeks, tiny little fingernails. I stroked her wispy dark hair, rubbed her small back, and kissed her forehead over and over again.

What I realized is: the part of me I wanted to hold on to will always be there, but what I have in the other hand--the part of me experiencing brand-new motherhood--is fleeting. And I need to hold on to it while I can.

Spoiled by Day Two

It was such a wonderful coincidence that I had Evelyn when my mom was visiting. Having her support added to Matt's was a big part of why things went so smoothly. And she is obviously in love with her new grandbaby. She stayed with us for a week after I had Evelyn, and I barely had to lift a finger to take care of her!


On the other hand, it was a bad coincidence that Bob was in Myrtle Beach when I was having Evelyn. Mom couldn't decide whether to call him or not, because we knew what he would do: pack his bags in the middle of the night and head to Baltimore. He's been anxiously awaiting the birth of his little niece. I've had to send him reports on her development every week, and he's been reminding me not to cross my legs (probably why my ankles didn't swell until the last week!). He and his girlfriend got to the hospital Saturday afternoon and (though he was nervous at first) he was all about holding "his" new baby.

Matt's mother also visited Saturday afternoon. Good thing Evelyn is a patient little baby; she was getting passed like a football in the playoffs!

I had Evelyn Saturday morning and was moved into a postpartum room Sunday afternoon. That was fortunate for me, since the postpartum rooms are half the size of the labor/delivery rooms. It made having visitors a bit cramped. Nonetheless, I had visitors, inluding Matt's mom and his Aunt Gloria.

By then, Mommy's little monster was so used to being held all the time, she started to get fussy when we put her in her bassinet. Thank goodness Daddy brought Evelyn's Boppy to the hospital. Besides getting us used to feedings, it became a comfy place to put her during naptimes. Now, we use a velcro swaddler when she's sleeping, to keep her in womb-like comfort. But she still prefers naps on Mom or Dad!

Went to My Cousin's Baby Shower...GOT MORE PRESENTS

Yup, that's right. My cousin brought me presents to her own baby shower. Evelyn got a polka-dot gown/hat/bootie set, a beautiful white floral footed sleeper, a pink-polka dot romper with a coordinating t-shirt, a whipe-clean bib, a super-soft teddy bear that plays a lullabye, a set of three spoons (young infant, infant, and toddler sized), a set of three feeding bowls with lids and a suction cup that will (hopefully!) prevent her from knocking it off of her tray, some baby hangers, and eco-friendly table toppers (so if we go to a restaurant, I don't have to worry whether the table is sanitary). Quite the haul!

Sabrina's shower went off well, and we were two of three pregnant ladies there. Matt thinks it must have been a very boring November. The drive down there wasn't too bad (two hours; I stopped about an hour in to walk and go to the bathroom), and I was surprised that I didn't have my usual mini panic attack upon entering St. Mary's County, and that it had been so long since I've been down there that I had no idea how to navigate. I passed my middle school almost without realizing it, and passed the intersection where my father and I were involved in a serious car crash without realizing it was now a four-way stop. (As a result of our accident? I wonder!)

The party was fun. There were a few games (damn it, I didn't win!) including guess the chocolate candy smashed in the diaper. Which was DISGUSTING! Sabrina looked great, and got a lot of very cute boy stuff. Hopefully, I'll get a copy of the picture of us standing together with our matching big bellies!!

Heading Home with Your Newborn

I realize that I'm one of those incredibly Type-A structure-loving people. But when I read this I felt--especially given the title--that the content was good, but the order was off. I expected Chapter 1 to be about putting a tiny squirmy baby into a carseat, Chapter 2 to be about what the hell you do when you walk through the front door, Chapter 3 to be about changing that first tiny diaper all by yourself, Chapter 4 to be about laying her down to sleep for the very first time, etc. But it wasn't like that at all.

The first chapter was about breastfeeding, which is probably the most important chapter anyway (for those who are doing that, at least!). And there is some really good information to be had.

Having at this point read more baby books than I care to admit, I can say that the section on finding a pediatrician was most helpful. It gave you not only the questions to ask, but why it's important. And a reminder that physicians are people, so there's no such thing as the "perfect" one. Some of the questions included:

• Do you have hospital privileges at the place where we plan to deliver?
• Where do you admit infants and children in the event that they require hospitalization?
• What are your office hours and location(s)?
• How does your office handle scheduling appointments, answering patient phone calls, and after-hour emergencies?
• How difficult is it to get an appointment for a sick visit? For a routine checkup?
• Will other physicians in the practice see my baby?
• What is your philosophy about (insert whatever is important to you: breastfeeding, vaccinations, antibiotics, sleep problems, colic, etc.)?

Then, the chapters on fever and jaundice were helpful.

Bottom line: if you aren't reading a dozen other books (not to mention all the magazines, but we won't get into that), this is a good one. If you are, read the parts or chapters that pertain to you or aren't included in other books.

Seriously, MORE presents??

Yup, that spoiled baby got more presents! Courtney and I went to B&N on Thursday, and when I came back, Brenda said one of the bosses wanted to see me about a proposal. I wandered in his office and he suggested we meet in a conference room, so I followed him...right into a surprise baby shower!

My coworkers had taken up a collection and gotten cake, ice cream, and a basket full of presents. Evelyn got socks, scratch mitts, a bathrobe, a wipe-off bib, rattles that attach to a carseat, lavender baby lotion (lavender is one of my favorite scents), and her very first teddy bear. Mommy got some all-natural cleaner (someone knows Mommy!), a book on spoiling mommy and baby, a gift certificate to Babies R Us, and a gift certificate to Starbucks.

It was a great surprise! I really wasn't expecting work to throw me a baby shower. Lots of love and thanks to those of you who helped plan. (You know who you are!!!)

A warning...

...a friend mentioned that you may not want to keep the crib down to as few layers as possible, even with the fitted mattress pads and sheets, because of the risk of SIDS. Just wanted to put that out there!

Yet More Presents...and the Nursery Is DONE!

Matt's Aunt and cousins (one of which is due with her second baby shortly after I'm due) couldn't make the baby shower, but were nice enough to send gifts. LOTS of gifts! We got something from them almost every day last week. They sent a mattress pad and cloth diapers (much better than burb cloths), a rocker frame for the baby carrier, a Rainforest Gym, and a Rainforest Jumperoo. Spoiled baby!!

We are pretty much ready for her. This past weekend, I did all the baby laundry. FOUR LOADS. But everything has been de-tagged, washed, folded, assorted by size and color, and put away in her little drawers. We made her little crib twice: a mattress pad, a sheet, then another mattress pad and another sheet. I'm hoping the first time she wets herself right through to the mattress pad, we can just take off the top two layers and not have to worry about making the bed in the middle of the night.

We also hung the curtain rod, and a shelf above her dresser/changing table combo. Seriously, the only thing I have to do is install the carseats, have them inspected, pack the hospital bag, and make a decision on a pediatrician. Yet I have to wait another month!!

Sunday, we took back the few things we received doubles of (Babies R Us' registry kinda sucks) and got a few things for our pregnant cousins, and got my Maclaren stroller (we plan to keep the big Graco stroller in Matt's car), an extra carseat base, a turtle that measures the baby's bath temperature, and two swaddlers (Katie tells me that these are must-haves).

There a few things left on our registry, but nothing we need right away, and I'm hoping some new grandmas will use that for Christmas gift ideas...

We're ready for you, little baby girl!!!