Summer Portrait Shoot I July 2009

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6 Month Photoshoot

Evan is 6 Months Old!

Oh my, where have these last 6 months gone? I must say that this age is my absolute FAVORITE age though, so I'm trying to relish every second!

Evan is my dream boy. He is such a loveable, snuggly little guy! He was an absolute DREAM sleeper too up until this 5th month, but I'm sure things will get back on track again soon *I HOPE!! Last month was difficult with Evan getting 2 teeth and as a result he has turned into a terrible sleeper these last few weeks! I think on most nights he wakes up to nurse every 3 hours. Uugh. That has been hard on me, but I'm managing. Last night was great though (a nearly 7 hour stretch)...We haven't had that in a long time, so maybe we are turning the corner! There's hope!

Development: Evan is doing all of the 6th month things that he should be doing.. He can sit unsupported on a solid surface like a rug for as long as he wants to! That is.... until he decides to try and grab a toy and falls forwards. Evan can play on his stomach and lift his chest off the floor. He will work to get a toy out of reach and can even scoot backwards a bit when on his tummy. He can roll from stomach to back, but not yet back to stomach. He does not enjoy being on his stomach so he works to get off of his tummy, not onto it! He can pass a toy from hand to hand and puts EVERYTHING in his mouth!

Weight and Feeding: Evan weighs 9 kg! A HUGE guy. I am proud to say that this size has been obtained exclusively on my breastmilk alone! :) He is off the charts, but not by far. I suspect he will fall back very soon as he moves a bit more and lengthens. He hasn't yet started solids but TODAY I think we'll take the plunge. He looks at us with such enthusiasim as we eat! I will either give him carrots or apples today. I can't wait to see his reaction! :) Evan nurses about 6 or more times a day. He really only has 3 or 4 big meals where he really drinks for 20 minutes or so..and the other feedings are just short 5-10 minute snacks. He is a bit difficult right now at nursing when there are distractions in the room, so I need to feed him in a dark, quiet chair or he won't concentrate.

Appearance: Evan has 2 teeth (1st on June 10th and 2nd on June 19th). He looks older than his actual age with those teeth now! He only has a small bit of hair- blonde/ light strawberry. He lost almost all of his newborn hair and it has been slowly growing back much lighter.

Sleep: Evan was a DREAM sleeper until this month. He ended up getting a stuffy nose 2x this month and that really threw off his sleep. That coupled with his 2 teeth and the nights were doomed! Last night he slept well though so perhaps we've rounded the corner. I remember that the other kids also had a rough sleep patch around this age as well!

Talking and Verbal Expression: Evan loves to sing in a high-pitched voice. He also sticks out his tongue and makes a razzing noise. He loves to laugh and he has the cutest belly laugh!

We are so blessed with this sweet son of ours! I can't wait for our trip to see the grandparents later this summer!! They'll just adore him. We'll also have Evan baptised very shortly as well! I'm really looking forward to that!!

Video of Evan Laughing

He is just so much fun these days. SUCH a social little boy at the moment...laughing, smiling and just getting FUN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHqLl-y4YMo

Krista's Art Work!

Krista is spending 5+ hours a day doing an art "stage" this week. In the a.m. she is with the younger kids and primarily painting...and in the afternoon she is with the older kids (up to age 17) and working on sketching and drawing skills/techniques. The class size is very small (only 4 kids per class). She did her first charcoal yesterday, her first "fruit and veggie" still-life on Tuesday and also a self-portrait! Today she worked with sanguine. I was truly impressed with her work. She has a real hand for art according to the teacher. I'm glad to see her enjoying herself so much! Here are a few examples of what she has done this week. Click on the image to enlarge for detail.

Evan Thomas 5 Month Report

I'm finally getting around to posting Evan's 5 month update. I took these two shots of him this a.m. and I just think they capture him so well. Check out those TWO teeth already!! He's only 5 months and already 2 choppers. Not bad! His first tooth arrived on Daddy's birthday (June 10th) and his 2nd on his big sister's birthday (June 19th). How is that for easy to remember days! Evan was no easy teether. A REAL fussy guy when it comes to teeth. I think some babies are just easier with teeth than others. Evan is NOT liking the pain one bit.. Thankfully we have the 2 out and have a little break for a bit. I'm not looking forward to his next set.

Evan is still the light of my life at the moment, albeit a bit on the fussy side! I'm enjoying him very much, but also feeling a bit tied down as he is constantly wanting to be held right now. It is really bittersweet. If I could only savor his babyness with out the million things I have to do! He is being ever so demanding right now and seems to NEVER want to be put down. If I'm lucky I can get him to take at least one long nap, during which time I can at least get a few things done...but it hasn't been easy. Now that the kids are on summer vacation I am BUSIER than I was when they were in school and the poor little guy just want to be held and talked to CONSTANTLY. Krista has a full load of activities this week, but then it will settle down a bit before our trip. We are really looking forward to our trip to the US. I can't wait to show off our little man!

Okay back to the report. As of today (5 months, 3 weeks) Evan weighs 8,960 grams! YES, that is nearly 9 kg! He is just a few ounces away from weighing 20 pounds. He is certainly a nice sized baby and all that is from breastfeeding alone. Every time I see those chubby thighs I think to myself that is purely from my milk alone, that is truly amazing! At his well baby visit this month the doc said that we could start solids when he turns 6 months.. So, we'll give it a go on our trip which will be fun. I can't wait to see his reaction, but I just know that he is ready. Heck I think he's even ready for self feeding with those two teeth. He has excellent hand/eye coordination and can easily transfer objects from one hand to the other and into his mouth. He eyes us like a hawk when we are eating and even imatates mouth chewing. He is definately ready! I will still wait though until the trip because I don't want to mess up his digestive system before the trip and I also think it will be fun to share this big first with my family.

On the sleeping front, Evan went from being an AWESOME 8 or 9 hour sleeper down to 4.5 hour stretches. I think it all happened when Kaitlyn got sick and gave him a runny nose. The heat has been no help either. Not having air-conditioning in Europe really stinks! It was probabally in the high 90's this past week and the house is like an oven! Oh and to add fuel to the fire Krista got sick and he got a runny nose again. Anyway, he is now waking up 2 times a night so I'm pretty tired, but still managing. He seems to enjoy nursing at night now when it is quiet and there are no distractions. I remember this with the other kids also. They prefered the uninterupted nursing sessions at night when they had my full attention. So be it. He will only be little once! I'll indulge him as much as I can :) As for amount of time nursing, he nurses about 6 or even 7 times a day. His nursing sessions in the day are short (about 10 minutes) but at night are usually 20-25 minutes.

This month he moved out of his bassinet and into his crib. I caved in and decided to put the crib in our room since he started waking up more this month. It is just so much easier on me and the older kids aren't disturbed by his crying.

I also introduced the excersaucer this month and the little guy just LOVES it! He can stand up, turn and grab at toys to his heart's content. It is great for when I need to cook or fold laundry.

So that is Evan at the moment. A big month for him moving out of the bassinet, finishing up his shots *until 1 year, getting 2 teeth, playing in the exersaucer etc. He's a real cutie!! Such a little joy. I'll post a video from yesterday of him belly laughing. Just a riot!

My 36th Birthday!

On Thursday I celebrated my 36th birthday! What a FANTASTIC year 35 was for me. I really hit the jackpot when I blew out my candles last year, as ALL of my wishes came true! I am very thankful for my wonderful family and all the blessings we had this year. It was a BIG year with the birth of little Evan and I just pray that our blessings will continue. Now hitting 36 I can see 40 coming fast, but I guess I'm still comfortably in the 30's :) I know that this is a time in my life that I will always look back on fondly. Sure it is crazy, loud, busy and cluttered around here at times, but these are the years I will want to remember forever. I love that the kids are still small and I can still scoop them all up and they aren't too big yet to 'hang out' with Mom! I'm loving every age and stage now and feel so blessed to be living my dream.

When I woke up on Thursday I saw a HUGE tower of gifts. Toomas is infamous for wrapping small gifts in big boxes, but to my surprise this wasn't a trick! When I opened my gifts later in the evening, I realized that this was an awesome family gift, one that will be appreciated over and over again... This WEBER GAS GRILL! We've been talking about getting a grill for the patio for some time now, but just haven't done it...the electric one we had (as a gift a few years back from the Estonians when we moved into our rental house) was doing the trick. Last night when we grilled out, I realized HOW MUCH I missed real grilled food. Grilling out is SUMMER in a nutshell for me. I can't wait to get used to our new grill and make some super summer meals out on the terrace. We flip flopped in our decision between charcoal and gas, but in the end Toomas went with gas. The convenience just can't be beat. You can cook out every night and enjoy the grill so much more than with charcoal. The prep time is ZERO and the taste is nearly as flavorful. It is cleaner (no major smoke) and in my opinion beats the charcoal grill when you consider the convenience and ease. The electric grill we had was WEAK in the flavor department, but this Weber just can't be beat! Toomas bought me a cake from 'Patrick' downtown...a TRIPLE (yes you read that right), TRIPLE chocolate mouse cake. Oh my..words cannot describe what a treat that was! :)

So... now that my birthday has passed we are finally FINISHED with the birthday season. April is busy with both Erik and Kaitlyn...but then June and early July are insane. We have Toomas, Krista and myself in a 3 week span...along with our wedding anniversary! This, coupled with the end of the year school chaos, Krista's First Communion, the Neighborhood party etc. makes for very little blog time! I have TONS of pictures and clips though, so hopefully I'll get a few posts up soon! :) HAPPY belated 4th of July to all fellow Americans! We grilled out last night to celebrate :)

Krista's First Communion

Here are some of the promised photos from Krista's First Communion. It was a GORGEOUS day...the weather was wonderful, the kids were well behaved and we won first row seats in the Church for the service (lottery style seating)! Can't ask for more than that :) It was surely a day to remember. The service was very lovely. Krista looked beautiful in her dress and the children sang heartwarming songs and all marched proudly up to receive their First Holy Communion. They have been busy preparing for this day for 2 years!! They've attended classes every other week for the last few years, so it makes the day all that much more meaningful for them. I'll upload a shot of the bread itself. DEFINATELY an advantage to having your First Communion in France! LOOK at that bread!!

We took plenty of photos of the big day and also some family portraits outside the church after the service which I'll post (later) as well. It was also Father's Day so we had a nice gift opening ceremony afterwards, and later in the evening went out to dinner to celebrate both Krista and Toomas' big day. Krista received a white gold cross and a mass book with rosary. I might post some more shots a bit later. I got some cute ones after the service of Krista and Kaitlyn and also the whole family together!! :)