Video #2

Other than giggling, this is Evie's other wicked cute sound :-)

Video #1

My new favorite sound? Evelyn giggling! So incredibly sweet!

Aunty Kerry's Visit

Last week, my sister Kerry came to visit for 4 days...which then turned into 5 days! Silly Wisconsin blizzards! Anyway, we had a great time and don't worry...we were stocked up on wine and holiday cookies!

On Friday, Kerry, Evie, and I went to the Mayfair Mall and went out for dinner at Panera. I know, very exciting, but it's the easiest thing to do in freezing cold weather. On Saturday, we baked holiday cookies at Kelly & Brian's house. Sunday is always reserved for football, so after her flight got canceled, poor Kerry had to suffer through that all day. :-) The four of us did end up going out for dinner to Mo's Irish Pub, which was very yummy.


Evelyn, Aunty Kerry, and Aunty Kelly. Evie's onesie says "I'm as cute as my aunt"


Aunty Kerry and Evelyn


Awww, I think Aunty Kerry is smitten with Evelyn...but how could you not be?!

5 Months Old!

Evelyn's 5 months old today! Daddy's home sick, so he gets to enjoy her from a distance. :-) Here are all the things Evie loves to do:

*watch Frankie and Toby walk around her
*pet Frankie and Toby
*feel different textures, especially crinkly things
*stick her tongue out when you do it to her first (imitating)
*giggle at silly songs and when tickled
*watch her feet
*chew on EVERYTHING
*look at and listen to books
*play in her exersaucer
*yell loudly, but happily
*go for walks at the mall
*sit in her bumbo
*cuddle with Mommy & Daddy

Our First Christmas Tree

Our tree skirt. Jean (Eric's mom) made the tree skirt with just the fir trees, the submarine, and the blue snowman. She added on me (the snowwoman) after the wedding and Evelyn (the little snowman) this past weekend. I love it! All it needs now are two little, bratty cats.


Cutest little elf under the tree!

Frankie is one of my favorite presents.

Cutest little elf with the cutest little smile!

My First Trip to CT!

Hi everyone! It's Evie! I'm gonna tell you all about my trip to Connect-i-cut.


Here I am all buckled into the plane! My daddy's first flight was at 21 years old and I flew at 16 weeks old. I'm pretty cool.


The flight was pretty boring, so I fell asleep 10 minutes after take-off and woke up with 10
minutes until landing. Mommy says I was such a good girl!


The Saturday after we got to Connect-i-cut, Gramma and Grampa had a big party for everyone to meet me. Here's a picture of me, Mommy, Gramma, and my Great Gramma Burns. Four generations of awesome ladies!


Then I took a picture with Mommy and Great Gramma Gudlewski. Sorry you can't see my face, but I was busy getting some beauty sleep, as if I need any!


I was a hot mess a lot of the trip at the beginning, but Gramma makes everything better.


Grampa says I look like I'm in Time Out. But I didn't do anything wrong! Maybe I was just being too darn cute.


Mommy's friend Hilary came over with her daughter Claire. Claire is 2 days older than me. Our mommies are very close friends and love that we'll grow up together. While everyone was eating deli sandwiches, Claire and I played with our toys.


Great Aunty Carol was awesome! Every time she held me, I was quiet and just rested. Mommy says she's the baby whisperer.


Aunty Leslie is Mommy's best friend. She's wicked awesome! (Mommy says that's what people in Mass-ah-choo-sits say.) She came over and snuggled with me and I let them eat dinner together.

Later that week, we went to Great Gramma Gudlewski's and Great Uncle Ricky's house for pizza. Great Uncle Ricky is my mommy's godfather and favorite tailgating buddy. He's going to teach me all about the New York Giants, New York Yankees, and how to bet on the ponies.


Great Gramma Gudlewski was finally brave enough to hold me. We were even wearing the same colored clothes! Polish girls have all the fun!


Yay! That's my Gramma and Grampa with me and Mommy!

Finally, we had to fly home because Mommy was missing Daddy and he was missing us. I'm such an expert flier now that I just played with my toy until I fell asleep on the plane.


Bye Connect-i-cut! See you again at Christmas!!


P.S. (It's Kristen typing. I wrestled the computer away from Evie.) Sorry for no photos of my sister Kerry with Evelyn. I have no idea how that oversight happened! Once she sends me some pics, I'll post them.

World's Worst Blogger

Ugh, I'm sorry for the 2 month delay in blogs! I've been in a funk for a while and I'm just starting to feel back to normal. Ready for some major updates?? Let's go!

<---- Evelyn at 3 months old

She had her first ear infection this month. Poor thing. She was tugging at her ear and pulling her hair, but never had a fever. On top of everything, she's now teething! Drool and pain. Oh, and please don't ask if we're giving her paragoric (sp?), dimetapp with codeine, whiskey, or rum. I wish we could, but it's infant tylenol, baby orajel, and frozen teethers.

Other big news? Evelyn and Mommy went to CT for 11 days! The first 8 days were rough, as Evie was very clingy and had a big case of separation anxiety. She was fantastic on the plane though. It was so great that she got to meet her Aunty Kerry, Great Gramma Burns, Great Gramma Gudlewski, and the rest of our extended family. The best news? Eric, Evie, and I are coming home for Christmas!! We're flying in Xmas Eve morning and leaving on the 28th. Santa's gonna have to find us in CT! Another post with lots of pictures to come tomorrow.

Evelyn at 4 months ---->

STATS:

Weight: 12 pounds (7th percentile)

Length: 24 inches (25th percentile)

So, she's a peanut! But the pediatrician is very happy with her development. Evie's growing cognitively in leaps and bounds!! She can now bring her pacifier to her mouth, play with toys, enjoys when Mommy reads her books, loves singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Old MacDonald", and she just started laughing. Best sound ever! Evie's also sitting with support now. Super baby!

Well, there's the quick update. Sorry for the HUGE delay! I promise (again) to try and keep up.

2 Months Old - The Stats!

Evelyn's 2 month appointment went very well! She got her first vaccinations, which she handled just fine. I was more upset! Plus, her reaction to the shots was to sleep all day. She woke up every 2-3 hours to nurse and then fell right back asleep.

Okay, the important part...stats!

Weight: 10 lbs. 2.5 oz. (25th percentile)
Height: 22 inches (25th percentile)
Head circumference: 40 cm

Evie's a perfectly proportioned peanut! She's out of newborn clothes and mainly wears 0-3 month or 3 month clothes now.

My Week with Gramma Gudlewski!

Hi! It's me, Evie! I hijacked Mommy's blog to tell you about my week with Gramma & Mommy.

First, we went to the Mitchell Park Domes. The 3 domes are set up into different biospheres (Mommy taught me that word) featuring tropical, arid, and midwest plants. The Wisconsin dome was closed, but we saw the other two domes. I only cried a little bit and then slept the rest of the time.



Then, I turned 2 months old!! Mommy says I'm such a big girl! I love to watch Mommy walk around and I look for her when she gives me to someone else to hold.


I like to eat my hands and I talk all the time now.


Also, Gramma was impressed with how I could "stand" on her legs.



We also went on a shopping trip to Target, but I slept most of that trip too. Gramma spoiled me and Mommy!

Last, Gramma had to go back to Connecticut because she has a "job". (It's a good thing Mommy doesn't have to work all day.) I cried and fussed and maybe scratched Gramma's face a bit, but she still had to leave.


The good news is that Grampa Gudlewski is coming to visit in 8 days! YAY!

Baby Gear Testers

It's a good thing Frankie and Toby have become certified baby gear testers!

Frankie thinks the glider is comfortable.


Also, Evelyn's play mat has been cat approved!

Labor Day Weekend

Eric & I had a great weekend! Evelyn might have a different opinion. :-)
First off, Eric had a 4 day weekend. YAY! Then, his folks came down and spent time with us, Kelly, and Brian. We spent most of Friday just hanging out at Casa de Millar, which was nice and relaxing. Saturday was spent at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. I tried carrying Evie in the infantino carrier, but she was having none of that. I think the main problem was that the sun was on her face, even with a blanket covering her. So, we got the stroller and she did a lot better. Eric had to swing her in the car seat quite a few times and we did end up just carrying her around, but we still got to enjoy the sights and a few shows. On Sunday, Fritz and Jean stopped by the apartment to drop off the cradle they built Evie. It's beautiful!! Such an amazing gift!


Now, what was Evelyn's opinion on the weekend? FAIL. The poor baby did a LOT of crying and screaming. I've been bad about giving her her poly-vi-sol vitamins. So, I gave them to her on Wednesday and Thursday and both days she screamed terribly for hours. Plus, there was a real lack of bowel movement for 3 days, which could not have been comfortable. We think she had a reaction to the iron in the vitamins. I can't handle iron supplements at all, so I bet she's the same way. Then, Evie just continued to scream and cry inconsolably most of the weekend. Eric and I are going to ask the pediatrician to increase her Zantac dose, since she's gained some weight and its effectiveness can decrease as her weight goes up.

But this next week should be great!! Eric only works 8-hour shifts this Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then has Friday and Saturday off. (For those not in the know, Eric is now working 2nd shift.) Then, my mom comes to visit for a week beginning next Sunday. YAY!! I may be 30 years old, but I love having my mommy around!

Evelyn and the Owl

Throughout my entire pregnancy, Evelyn was an owl. I don't know why, but I had a very strong feeling she would have a connection to owls.

In the area of animal totems, owls represent the feminine, the moon, and the night. It is the bird of magic, prophecy and wisdom. Evie has definitely taken after the nocturnal aspect of owls. Also, she might be a screech owl. LOL. As she gets older Evie will discover her true animal totems, but an owl is a pretty good starter totem! Oh, and for those interested, my animal totems are the cat and hawk. Eric's totems are badger, snake, hawk, and tiger.

A fantastic book to learn about animal totems and how to find your own is Ted Andrews' Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small. The owl in the picture is a gift from Evie's Great-Gramma Burns.

Attachment Parenting 'R Us!

For those not in the know, Attachment Parenting is a parenting philosophy coined by Dr. Williams Sears that involves stay-at-home parenting, baby-wearing, baby-led routines, and co-sleeping. Dr. Sears says, "According to attachment theory, the child forms a strong emotional bond with caregivers during childhood with lifelong consequences. Sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps the child to form a secure attachment style which fosters a child's socio-emotional development and well being. "

The picture above shows me and Evie using her Maya Wrap ring sling. While we're still hit-or-miss on her attitude towards it, I love it! My friend Krispin bought me this sling and it frees up my hands. Also, Evie just likes to be walked around the house to fall asleep and it's cozy to baby-wear her. I also own an Infantino carrier and a Moby wrap. I can't wait for the weather to cool off to use the Moby!!

From the very beginning of my pregnancy, I said we would not bed-share with our baby. There are too many babies dying from bed-sharing incidents. Fast forward 9 months of pregnancy and a month of acid reflux and colic = we are definitely co-sleeping together!! Evie has not had enough sleep on a daily basis since she was born because she cries so often. A typical evening is me on the couch with Evelyn in my arms and resting on the boppy. This works for a few hours and then we switch to Evie reclined in the boppy and I'm sleeping next to her with my arm across her. The ideal situation? No. But is it working? For her, yes. I'm averaging 4 hours a night, which is totally manageable at this point.

As for a routine, Evelyn is the queen of the house! Except for doctor appointments, she dictates how the day goes. I am perfectly happy with this set-up so long as it helps her be a happy, content baby. We spend most of the day while Eric's at work sleeping, nursing, singing songs, doing tummy time, watching tv, and more sleeping. I'm thrilled I get to stay home with Evelyn and hope I get to for as long as possible. :-)

Operation Chubby Baby update

We had our 1 month wellness check today! Granted, Evelyn's technically 5 weeks 5 days old, but close enough! Our little peanut is still a peanut:

Weight: 9 lbs. 3 oz. (34%)
Length: 21 in. (29%)
Head Circumference: 38 cm (61%)

Evie gained almost a pound in 2 weeks! With her cutting down on screaming, she's burning less calories. Also, she's in good proportion weight and length wise, with a nice big noggin to hold all the useless trivia facts Eric & I are teaching her. Now if we could just get her to sleep more...

:-)

1 Month Old!

I can't believe Evie is already 1 month old! (She celebrated by puking on Mommy and pooping on Daddy.) These 31 days have flown by surprisingly fast. She can now track my face with her eyes, put her fingers in her mouth for comfort, use a pacifier, gained 1 lb. 3 oz. over her birth weight, roll over from her tummy to her back in both directions, has incredible neck control, and make adorable little cooing noises. I'm slowly learning to let her sleep in her pack 'n play and not always in my arms. Evie's also starting to put together 3-4 hour stretches of sleep at night, which her very tired parents appreciate!

I'm very happy to report that the reflux medication combination is working really well so far! She's taking 1.3mL of Zantac 2x/day and taking 1/2 tsp. of gripe water 6x/day. We can still feel a lot of gas moving through her, but Evie's not straining in pain anymore. Such a relief! It was horrible to watch our baby girl in almost constant pain and distress. Plus, I'm now 100% dairy-free and it's been fairly easy to adjust to this change. It's shocking how many foods have hidden dairy in them. A huge resource I've used is godairyfree.com. Did you know Haagen Daz has the most unbelievably delicious mango sorbet?? Also, tofu "cream cheese" does not ruin slow cooker beef stroganoff. I'll be trying more desserts next week. :-)

Waging War on Reflux

Sorry for the delay in any new posts! My fantastic mom came to visit for two weeks and my dad came for a week. I LOVE my parents so much! They held Evie, reassured me, changed diapers, washed laundry, cooked, cleaned, didn't sleep so Eric and I could, and made life so much easier during these tough early weeks.

Oh! and Frontier Airlines is going to run non-stop flights from Milwaukee to Hartford beginning in September. Connecticut family and friends can now visit more easily! Start booking those trips now, folks!

The big news is that Evie is finally being treated for acid reflux. I'd had a suspicion she has had reflux all along and I'm glad we're now doing something about it. We had had her on Mylicon after feeding and had done every trick under the sun to help her relieve gas pain, but to little avail. As of today, she's on Zantac and gripe water. Oh, and I'm 100% dairy-free. There goes my addiction to frozen custard! Did you know there's dairy in chicken broth?! Luckily, I only use the stock Eric makes, which is dairy free. Hopefully the combination of the medications and diet will make Evie more comfortable and happier. It's been awful to watch my little peanut be in so much pain for most of the day.

More frequent posts to come! I promise!

1 Week later...

Well, life has definitely changed in the Keyser household!! It's amazing how such a tiny and new being can completely control every aspect of your life! Evie's been keeping us on our toes. She likes being swaddled and fed, but dislikes diaper changes and evenings. She seems to be nocturnal, which makes for very overtired parents. I can't believe she's already a week old! Too soon she'll be asking for the car.

Eric's been my rock through everything. He's so caring, patient and sweet with Evie and supports me when I'm feeling overwhelmed. He's an amazing daddy. I'm so lucky to have entered the adventure of parenthood with my best friend.

The cats are doing okay. I think Toby is going through middle kid syndrome. He's being extra affectionate, but acts up more. He was first to sniff Evie and isn't scared of her, which is remarkable for a notorious scaredy cat. Frankie's pretty aloof to the baby. He's checked her out, but doesn't find her interesting. Eric and I try to give extra pets and cuddles so they don't feel too neglected.

Introducing Evelyn Jean!

It was a dark and stormy night...no, seriously. In the middle of the night, in the middle of a tornado watch with streets flooded over our tires, Eric and I left for the hospital to have our little girl.

Let me start at the beginning: I went into labor on July 14th. I had contractions on and off beginning at 3:30am and they continued until noon when everything stopped. Very frustrating, since I wanted to get this show on the road! Around 4pm though, contractions began again and at 7:30pm, I began having timeable contractions. Yay! Well, they hurt like hell, but at least there was some progress. By July 15th at 1am, I was having contractions 5 minutes apart, 1 minute in length and had been for over an hour. Here's where the dark and storm night part begins.

After an hour and a half of driving to the hospital (it was terrible weather), we arrived with me 3 1/2 cm and asking for an epidural. Over an hour later came sweet relief. I'm pretty proud of myself for making it to 5cm without killing someone, but thank goodness for the drugs! Eric and I were able to get about 3 hours of sleep at this point. In that time period, I progressed from 5cm to 10cm! I woke up ready to push! I began pushing at 8am and at 9:26am my beautiful baby girl was born!

Evelyn Jean Keyser was 7lbs. 2oz. and 20in. long at birth. She has a ton of dark hair and dark blue eyes. She's the most adorable baby I've ever seen (a completely non-biased opinion, obviously).

35 & 35!

I'm 35 weeks pregnant today, which means I only have 35 days to go!! Whoo-hoo!! My due date seems to be coming WAAAY too fast!

Eric and I are planning to move to our new rental duplex in West Allis in the next week or so. So excited to finally set up the nursery! I'm looking forward to posting pics of our new place soon.

And so it begins...

Hi everyone! Well, I thought I'd give this blogging thing a try. Mainly, I want to use this blog as a way to keep everyone up-to-date on what's going on with our new roles as parents and my new job as a stay-at-home mom.

We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of Evelyn Jean sometime around July 20th. Why this name? For the name "Evelyn", I was against using a popular name, so I looked at the social security name list from 1900. But now it's becoming popular again! Oh well. "Jean" honors my grandma's first name, my mother's first name, my mother-in-law's first name, my sister-in-law's middle name, and my middle name.

Well, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have more exciting things to report soon!