Back to reality

Sorry for the delay in posts. My time is now limited because I am now back to work! The 12 weeks went by SO quickly, but I am grateful for every minute I had at home with my baby.

Everything went well in our "transition" week of me heading to work and Evan going to daycare. It was a bit of an adjustment for all in terms of our daily routines and schedules but everyone (including Chris!) has it down-pat now.

Going back to work was tough, though I was somewhat ready. I loved being at home with my guy, but work provides some adult-interaction and productivity that I was missing. Even after one day, it almost felt like I had never left (which is kind of depressing!), but then I look over and see my MANY pictures (including a digital frame) of my sweet boy.

Evan is doing really well at daycare. His teacher and the site director both told me they are extremely happy with how well he does. It's a bit of an adjustment for the kiddos too! We get a daily sheet with what he did for the day (in terms of eating, sleeping, diapers, etc.), but it also says "The Best Part of My Day..." and they write some of the activities they did or what he seemed interested in that day. It's so adorable to read that they sing songs and he "plays" with his friends (which means they sit next to each other). Our smiley guy has also been giving all the teachers and his new friends a lot of smiles, so it's nice to know he's happy and excited to be there. He has even done an art project already!

The only downside to all of this of course is that we have less time to spend with him during the day. I pick him up and he often naps in early evening for a bit and then goes to bed between 8-8:30. The first two days last week he was down for the night around 7, extra tired from all that new interaction! But we know that just means he's having a good time!

It was also makes the weekends more special. It was nice to have all that time with him!

Next up, Evan's first Halloween! Many photos to come... :)

Fall fun!

Man, the weather sure changed in a hurry in good old Minnesota! We went from 80 degree days to 60 in a snap. Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the cooler weather (though not the 50 degree highs we're supposed to get tomorrow and Friday. I like a good 65 degree day!), the leaves changing and of course, my birthday. :)

Since I love this season, I was anxious to get Evan out to see if he liked it too. We took a trip to an apple orchard where you can pick your own pumpkins a few weeks ago. Unfortunately it was a pretty chilly day, but Evan didn't seem to mind...too much.

Daddy found one just my size!

 

Hanging out with Dad in the pumpkin patch.

And now Mom!

Back at home, I tried to get a better shot of him with his very first pumpkin. While I don't want him to grow up too fast, I can't wait until he's old enough to carve one himself - what fun!

I'm sure he's thinking, "Why does my mother insist on propping me up against these hard orange things all the time?"

Also part of the fall fun has been checking out the falling leaves. Last Friday pretty much all of them came off one of the trees in our front yard. He was totally into looking at them and didn't put up much of a fight when I set him in them, but he wasn't digging the bright sunshine in his eyes! I still managed to get some pictures of course.

Ah, it's bright out here!



Trying out a little leaf-tummy time, but that dang sun strikes again!

Chatty Cathy

We've been hearing a lot of "talking" from Evan lately. His coos, goos and aahs are starting to sound more like he is trying to tell us something or respond when we talk to him.

The other day, he was in a great mood and we had our official first "conversation."

Two months old!

I caption this one, "I'm HOW old?"

Our little man is officially two months old today! As always, I will say that the time has flown by and he's getting bigger and bigger each day. He is also getting more and more responsive and aware each day, which has been fun to see. We are still getting a lot of smiles and a lot of coos and goos too. He is also holding his head up really well and can "sit up" with the assistance of someone.

Unfortunately, two months means his two-month check-up with the doctor, which means his first set of vaccinations. He did get one shot for Hepatitis B in the hospital, but this was his first major set of them. They included two shots, but thankfully there were two nurses who did one shot in each leg at the same exact time (smart ladies!). There was also one that was in liquid form that he didn't seem to mind too, too much. We managed to get away with just the initial screaming when they stuck him with the needles and he was calmed down by the time I got him dressed and back in his car seat. He fell asleep on the ride home and seems to be doing OK this afternoon. What a brave little boy we have!

As for everything else at the appointment, he checked out just fine. He is a healthy, happy baby. He weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces and is in the 86th percentile for weight. Surprisingly, he was in the 55th percentile for height, measuring in at just about 24 inches. I thought he seemed taller than that and taller than most babies, but maybe it's just because I'm so short and just seems big compared to me! :)

We are still doing well each and every day. He is getting into more of a schedule, napping once in the morning and one longer nap midday, then up for awhile in the afternoon and getting in one or two more short naps in the early evening. He's usually ready to be out for the night around 8 p.m. and is sleeping 5-6 hours, then up to eat and get a new diaper, and then is down again for another 3-4 and usually wakes up for the day around 7.

The other downside to Evan being two months is that my maternity leave is officially coming to an end. I have three more full weeks left and then it's back to work for me and to daycare for him. I'm somewhat looking forward to getting back, because I do enjoy my job and it will be nice to have some adult interaction during the day, but I of course don't want to leave my baby!! I do believe daycare is good for kids and I know he will be well taken care of and have the opportunity to make friends, learn things and most importantly, build up his immune system!

We've been enjoying being outside too, especially since the beautiful fall weather has arrived. We usually get at least one walk or run in during the day and then sometimes another walk with Daddy once he gets home.

I got in a few photo shoots for his two-month pictures in the last week. Here are a few favorites:

He wasn't super thrilled to be lying in the grass, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. Only thing is it didn't produce great pictures. I mostly just love his little jeans :)

Some inside shots now. I love, love, LOVE this one!

Starting to get sick of pictures at this point, but still a cute one.

We found a tire to sit/prop up in in the park by our house. I put in the blanket at first because 1, I didn't think he'd like his head and neck on the rubber and 2, I don't know what the history of this tire is!

Our beautiful, smiley guy!

I did try a few without the blanket. I just love his expression and how his lips are in this one.

My favorite, even though it's a little dark. It was pretty shaded in this part of the park and I'm blocking what light we did get. But it's still the cutest thing ever (in my opinion at least)!

Mom checks out OK!

While Evan being 6 weeks last week was an important milestone (as each week is!), even more important for me was that it was when I went back to the doctor to make sure everything was OK with me post-pardom.

I have been feeling pretty good, so I was thinking that I would get the thumbs up from my doctor...and I did! Everything healed properly from what he could see and feel and since I wasn't showing any signs of anything else not being quite right yet, I got the full go-ahead to return to my normal life.

Though I did cheat and start running earlier than the 6 weeks since I had been feeling fine. Evan comes with me in his stroller and seems to enjoy it. We usually go right after he naps midday, so he's awake and loves to look at the scenery as it goes by (I run through the park by our house, so there's plenty of trees to look at!).

I started with my short loop through the park, which is between 3.5 and 4 miles. The first few times, I did a walk/run, but have since been able to run the whole loop. As for my pace, it's pretty dang slow, but it just feels good to be out there. My time has gotten faster with each run, so hopefully my body is just building back those muscles that I haven't used for 3 months! I also contribute some of the slow speed to the fact that I'm pushing a 12 pound kid in a stroller - up some hills even!

Enough about me...I know the main reason most people come on here is to see and hear about that beautiful baby boy! He continues to do well and is settling in to more of a schedule each day. His neck is getting much stronger and he is holding his head up for a lot longer now. We had a bit of rough few days at the end of last week when he had a bit of a stomachache (we could tell do the changes in his diapers), but he seems to be back to normal now. I know it will not be the last time we deal with a screaming child for multiple hours, but I'm glad we got through the first time!

The best thing about Evan lately is how smiley he is! I know I shared some photos in the last post, but I can't resist putting up some more! These were all taken on Monday when he was very, very smiley all day. Some is brought on by me doing silly noises or messing around with him, but some are just on his own!

Lots of meeting to do!

Evan has had a busy week in terms of meeting new people!

Last weekend we had a birthday party for my grandma where he met most of my Mom's side of the family, including of course his Great-Grandma. She is his only great-grandparent on my side of the family, so it was extra special for me for him to meet her. Also there was my two cousins and their three babies (Yep, the family's first set of twins! They are too cute) that were also born this year. We were missing one cousin and her daughter, which makes 5 babies from 4 cousins in 2012. We still get together as an extended family for Christmas too, so it will be fun to see these kiddos grow up together.

We also ventured up to see Chris' parents on Labor Day and spend some time at their house on the lake. Since we were in town, Evan drew in a crowd. My best pal, who had her little girl a week after Evan, and her family stopped by, as did my friend/cousin-in-law and Chris' aunt and Chris' grandparents.

I love this picture. Four generations of Steinhoff men!

Evan spent most of the day snoozing in the sun, but we thought since he was at the lake, he should try swimming! It didn't go over too well, mostly because he was sleeping and the water was kind of cold.

Cue the screaming!

This week, Evan and I also went and had lunch with Dad at work and went and hung out at my work for a bit. He did pretty well with all of the traveling. We have some screaming fits in the car, but usually it's because he wants to sleep and just isn't sure how to do it. Once he figures it out, it's a pretty easy car ride :) 

One month old!

Thanks Pinterest for the cute photo idea!

It's really hard to believe that one month ago Evan was born. That sounds like such a long time! I know I say it every post, but the time is flying by.

Evan has been doing really well and is continuing to grow and become more aware of sounds and things to see. And Mom is feeling almost 100 percent. (Can't forget that it's been one month since my body went through the glorious process of childbirth!)

Here are a few notes about Evan's first month:

Weight: While it's not an official measurement, I weighed him on our bathroom scale and he appeared to be about 11 pounds, which would be about right. He was 10 pounds, 6 ounces at his two-week appointment.

Height: Dad did the "official" measurement of his height with his tape measure and he came out to be just about 24 inches or 2 feet. So he's grown about 2 inches in the last month. The kid is seriously going to pass me up by the time he's 1!

Physical development: Evan does pretty well at tummy time. Thanks to my friend Rachel, we've got a slick little device that has some toys for him to look at (including a mirror, kid LOVES to look at himself) and keep him occupied. He holds his head up pretty well and turns side to side.
He also follows with his eyes pretty well. He seems to recognize both Chris' and my voice and will follow us if we move our heads side to side while talking or singing to him.
He loves to look at his surroundings. We have a big black and white picture in our living room that is his favorite to stare at (since those are still the only real colors he's been seeing, though he should be recognizing others soon). He also pays more attention to the TV and our lights and watches them flash.

Sleeping: While he's still not on any kind of set schedule, Evan usually gets up twice, sometimes three times, during the night. He usually goes to sleep sometime between 8 and 10 and gets up every 3-4 hours or so. He then is up for the day around 7-8 and will nap for 3 hours or so sometime midday. Throw a few half-hour catnaps in there and you've got our day! He now sleeps in his crib in his room at night too. We set him right in the middle, but usually makes his way down to the end. No idea how he scoots himself straight down while swaddled, but he does!

Eating: Kid loves to eat! We introduced a bottle this week and he does well with that as well as with Mom. The bottle will be helpful so we can go and do things more freely without being tied to his eating schedule.

Other fun things: Evan does seem to give us some smiles and he has one little dimple on his right side.
He has started to make some cooing noises as if he's trying to tell us something.
He has actually stayed pretty content during his last two baths instead of crying bloody murder like he did every other time.
And last but not least, he is balding! Haha I know most kids lose some hair, but often it's on the back of their heads since they are laying on it all the time. Not Evan! He has shed quite a bit of hair from the top of his head. He still has some up there, but definitely not as much as he started with. The long hair on the sides and back of his head hasn't gone anywhere, so he looks like an old man!