Evan's 2 Month Doc's Appt. and Kaitlyn's Vaccines

Look how he's grown!!!


















Evan visited our long standing Pediatrician last week. We've been with this doctor coming up on TEN years now! The secretary is still the same, the office is still the same...in fact everything is still the same. I have a 2 (nearly 3 year old) and I'm back for monthly newborn well-baby visits. It smells oddly like 2002 all over again. Deja-vu with Krista and Erik at these SAME ages exactly. For these visits Krista and Erik are of course in school, so I just can't help but feeling 10 years younger---okay well not physically feeling (my back won't let me do that)...but feeling that I've been thrown back in time with Krista and Erik duplicates. Kaitlyn is a darker haired Krista and Evan is a lighter complexion version of Erik. Evan is also a well rounded little baby, just as my little Erik was at this age. At home when I pull out the old photo albums it seems SO odd to see Krista and Erik at these same ages...Often Kaitlyn is wearing a dress or outfit that Krista wore in the pictures. Poor little Kaitlyn sees the baby, the outfit and sreams "It's ME!"...I'm sure she feels a bit confused to see herself in those photos---in a different back yard, a different kitchen, a different decade! She is sure however, that it IS indeed her in those old photos and the baby is indeed Mommy with baby Evan.

Okay...back on track. We had our well baby visit last week and TWO rounds of vaccines for both Kaitlyn and Evan. Kaitlyn had her MMR booster and the first of the Hep B series. Evan had the new Infanrix Quinta which boasts SIX vaccines in one--hep B, Hib, Polio, tetanus, pertussus and diptheria all in one! He also had a round of Prevnar. He did really well with the first of his first shots..He didn't even cry for the Infanrix, but he did SCREAM for the Prevnar. Evidently it really burns to administer. I nursed him afterwards and he calmed down easily. When we got home I gave him a paracetamol suppository. About 5-6 hours post injection he developed a bright red, raised and warm spot around the injection site for the Infanrix. It was HOT to touch and he was in a lot of pain. I gave him a second round of paracetamol and applied ice to his leg for about a half hour. I had set my alarm for 4 hours to give him more paracetamol but it didn't go off!! Imagine my surprise when I woke up 7 hours and 30 minutes later to a sleeping Evan!! He is in the bassinet next to my bed so I peeped in and he was snoozing away. I did wake him because I was bursting at the seams to feed him and he ate and went back to bed. In the morning he wa 100% himself and the leg redness was gone. That was his BIGGEST sleep ever and since the vaccine he has done 6 or 7 hour nights consistantly. I'm wondering if it was a sleep vaccine! He did great though and hopefully it will go as smoothly next month for the same shots.

On the weight front Evan is very big. Our doctor actually said he has NEVER seen such a weight gain in such a short amount of time. Evan gained TWO kg in 6 weeks even. YES, TWO kg!!! He went from 4400 grams to 6400 grams in only 6 weeks. This is about a pound a week. He just really took off and the doctor showed me that he is outside the chart now. He said the breastfeeding is really a huge success...but he did seem a little amazed by the enormous weight gain. He hinted at it being TOO MUCH...Oh well what can I do. I feed on demand and that is why I have the good milk supply that I have. Evan WAS eating every 3-4 hours around the clock for most of that month though so now that he is doing 7 hour (+) stretches at night I'm sure the gain will slow a bit and he'll fall back in the normal range!! :) He has now grown 6 cm also (he was 59 cm at the appt). He looked healthy as can be and is a real little charmer now...talking, smiling and laughing even *the laughiing started this weekend!

Kaitlyn did really well also ONCE she had her clothes off. It took both Toomas and the doctor to undress her!!! She screamed!! Once she had her clothes off she sat amazingly still on the examining table and watched those shots go right into her arm as if she were mezmerized by the proceedure itself. The doctor commented on how she didn't even move one single centimeter..This may be due to the fact that the secretary, upon hearing her crying brough in a huge bowl of gummy candy that Kaitlyn got to hold during the shots. On a down note her eczema seemed to kick into full gear again after the shots. The doctor put bandaid over both shots and we didn't remove them that night because she was afraid to do so..in the morning when I took them off she had raised red bandaid marks on her arms from where she reacted to the adhesive. It is still there over a week later. She also had some patches on the back of her leg and was scratching a lot. Kaitlyn has always had these reactions after her shots.. I was hoping with age it would be better...and infact it is a bit better. She had a much stronger reaction at her 12 and 18 month boosters.
















So that is the doc's update for this month.... Look how much Evan has grown!! I've posted a picture of him in his tubby at home for the first time (1 week old) and now a photo from last week (2 months). What a change. I'm afraid the days are now numbered for this little tubby!!!

Krista's Regional Competition

Krista is now more than 1/2 way through her Duo season with Charlotte! I can't believe it is going so fast! They are doing well for being (by far) the youngest in their category. Here they are doing their routine for the Regional competition. They were up against some 12 year olds!! They came in third and received medals and got to go up on the podium. Next compeition is on April 5th (about 2.5 hours from here). If they come in 1st place there they will be going to the French National compeition. GO GIRLS!!!

Also here are a few pictures of Krista in her competition leotard..It is really beautiful---and was embellished by her trainer...which took MONTHS to complete! :) Thanks Iza!

Enjoy the video!

I love this song!

I just wanted to post this video because I FINALLY found out who sings this song and the name of it. "Je ne veux qu'elle" by Marc Lavoine. I just LOVE their voices together....so amazing! I have heard this song SO many times over the last few years and I have been so anxious to find out who sings it! Hooray, at last I know! The video was amazing also...such a neat idea about paths crossing. Very cool!

Smile!!!

Here's the happy boy!

Mama's little SWEETIE Pie!!

I LOVE my little Evan... I just can't get enough of this little guy!! Look at those big puppy dog eyes! Come on...Aaaaawwww :) I have a strong feeling this little boy is going to get EVERYTHING he wants from his Mommy. How could you say No to that face?! These were from last week *8 weeks old*.

I have been slacking a bit on the blog and have quite a few posts to catch up on so bear with me. I have some pictures I just adore for today so I'll post these first. Upcoming posts will be following! I already have 3 in mind: Evan's 2 month doctor's appointment from Friday, Krista's Regional Gymnastics Competition and a video of Evan cooing and smiling! Stay tuned! I'll be back with more :)

Evan is TWO Months Old Today!

Oh my how time is flying...and all the better that way! Life is good with Evan. All the hard work of the newborn days is paying off...he is smiling, SLEEPING and generally being a great little, laid back man! This month was a great one in the social front. He loves seeing Krista or Erik's face and will always light up for them. It is precious! He is most smiley in the mornings after he has slept. I love the quiet time with him full of precious exchanges in the wee hours of the morning when the house is quiet.

He is also sleeping more and more with each passing day. This past week he went for two 6 hour (plus) stretches. One night was 6:15 minutes and the other was just over six. How do I know this so precicely? Well my Itzbeen told me so. I'll save that for another post. Anyway, he is a SLEEPER. Hooray for sleepers! I've never really had a sleeper this early on so I'm just thrilled (and rested!). Evan has his 2 month pediatrician appt this Friday so we'll see about his length, but I can already tell you that he's broken the 6 kg mark. I can't belive he is continuing to gain so quickly!

I also started (just last week) something that I've NEVER done before with the previous 3 kiddos... a pacifier. Why? Well it is based on two factors. The first is that sometimes I just am NOT available as his pacifier. This is mostly when I have to wake him to pack him and Kaitlyn in the car to get the kids from school or Krista to the gym. I always feed him before we set off on an errand so I know he isn't hungry, but he just wants to suck to get back to sleep or settle down. When I'm driving I am completely helpless. Instead of letting the little man cry it out I decided to try a pacifier. Did it work? Well answer to the question is one word--- MAGIC!! It worked like a charm. So now I never leave the house without it. I actually went to the basement to my stash of baby supplies from 10 years ago! I had a set of unused Avent pacifiers that were purchased in Germany when they still used Deutch Marks! They were 6-12 month size but I just wanted to try it out to see if it would be a hit before I bought a smaller size. So yesterday we took a trip to our baby store and bought some 0-6 month sized Nuk and Avent pacifiers, and a clip for the carseat to attach it to. I've NEVER had a pacifier baby so this is all new to me (and a little fun). I have to admit he looked darn cute with his pacifier in his mouth..a real poster baby!

The second reason for me introducing the pacifier is that he is HUGE. The boy is literally off the weight charts for his age (okay he's still on the chart but BARELY at 97%!!). He is 6,050 grams as of mid week (over 13 lbs ). He is gaining like a champ (over 5 pounds already) and a little pacifier time won't hurt him one bit. I'm NOT planning on it becoming a bad habit for him, but rather just a fill-in for the car or other times when I'm not available as a human pacifier :) A 4th time Mom needs the occaional "crutch" for sure.

Okay well here are a few recent pics of our mini-Man. Stay tuned for an update from his pediatric visit on Friday.

Look Who's Blogging!!!

Gotta check out the hottest, latest 9 year old blog!!!

Teddy Bear Spa!!!

Yes, Krista Marie has her OWN blog! She loves doing it and is very talented. She is asking for a camera for her birthday and an external hard drive! She has the old laptop in her room but needs storage space for all those photos she's planning on taking. Just you wait until June...her blog will be MUCH better than mine! :)

Krista and Evan--A great big sister!

Just a few shots of the eldest and youngest!!! It is really great having a 9 year old around to rock Evan. She loves it too...just as long as he doesn't throw up on her. SHE HATES THAT! She also loves pushing his stroller...a girl's dream come true! And who wouldn't love staring down at that little face all bundled up in his stroller?!.

Visit with Sharon and kids!!

We had a fun afternoon with Sharon and the crew! Can't believe when I met Sharon way back in '99 that we only had ONE child between the two of us (She was very pregnant with Ronnie) and NOW we have 7 kids between the two of us! What a crew!

My little love..

I just love this sweet sleeping face!! Here's my little man today at 7.5 weeks. One of my favorite pics of him...It just captures who he is.

Great news on the communication front...As I mentioned, Evan has been smiling since 5 weeks but nothing "magical" yet, you know, just the occasional smile and grin. Well today he woke up and hasn't stopped smiling :) We played for a good hour, just talking at smiling at one another...he is also vocalizing so much now too. A lot of "Aaahhs" and such. It is SO fun!

1 Month Update

----Considering we're already 1/2way through, we better get going on the 1 Month Update. At One Month Evan is a precious little man!! He is growing absolutely faster than the wind at the moment, and it continues to amaze me how quickly he is changing. This morning when I weighed him he was 5,660grams. So in pounds this is roughly 12 1/2 lbs. In only 6weeks he has gained over 4 pounds (2,160 kg in 6 weeks!!!!). Pretty amazing to me that this is possible!!! Socially he is maturing as well, although the smiles aren't coming as much as I'd like!! He started with the occasional smile at 5 weeks on the dot, and has been smiling more and more since then; however he isn't what I would call a "smiley" baby yet. Kaitlyn and Erik were both SMILEY, SMILEY little babies from 4 weeks onwards and I was hoping for a repeat! Of course he is still a little charmer with his sweet faces and engaging stare...and I'll more than gladly settle for the occasional grin! What Evan DOES love to do is stand up and talk.Yup, ever since he was 5 weeks old he has decided that when he is awake, standing is a lot more fun than lying down. He LOVES when I hold him up and he puts pressure on his legs. I know that he probabally shouldn't put too much pressure on his legs just yet, but he WANTS to. He flexes his little legs and gets SO excited when he knows he is standing on his own. He purses his little lips and coos in delight! In respect to feedings...well this is still a persistant and frustrating issue. He eats about every 2.5 or 3.5 hours during the day and about every 3-4.5 hours at night. He always has one 4.5 hour stretch at night which is great. He is STILL a VERY LOUD NURSER. He makes all sorts of clicks and slurping sounds... and for the life of me I can't figure out why he isn't latching properly. It had been suggested to me that with time this would improve but at 6 weeks (almost 7) he still is a LOUD, messy nurser. And with this loud nursing, he gets a lot of air in his tummy, has a lot of gas and throws up quite a bit. Some of his spitting I could classify as "projectile" vomiting, but since he is growing so well there is nothing to do! He is growing like a champ and that is the bottom line as far as any of the lactation consultants or the pediatrician is concerned. I'm constantly frustrated with this bad latch, but as long as he is growing I can't really complain. Hopefully he will start to latch on better soon so I can nurse without all of the sound effects and all of that air.. OTHERWISE, things are going really well. Everyone loves him so much and he is really just a very sweet little boy. I can't wait to see more of his personality as the weeks progress!!