Evelyn's First Christmas

Evie was so excited about her first Christmas that she woke up at 12:01 a.m. (though Mommy didn't let her stay awake for very long). Santa brought her brown rice cereal, teethers and new socks in her stocking and a Blu Ray player under the tree (though somehow that seemed like more of a present for Daddy). Her aunts got her a Baby Einstein DVD, a board book and a savings bond, her great aunt and uncle got her a sweet little footy pajamas, and Grandma and Grandpa Kornegay got her an exersaucer (which she has been enjoying since Thanksgiving). She'll get to open her gifts from Grammy and GranDan when we drive down to see them on Saturday, the 27th. So far she has spent the day blowing raspberries and putting things (Mommy's fingers, the edge of the lap top, the blanket she's sitting on) in her mouth. Hope everyone else is enjoying their Christmas as much as Evie!

4 Month Check-up

Evie had her 4 month well baby visit with Dr. Martin yesterday, December 5th. She weighs a whopping 13 pounds, 5 oz and is now 24 inches long. He was very pleased with her development, and we talked at length about when to start solid foods. I think we're going to wait until she is closer to six months as she seems to be thriving just fine on my milk. She got her second round of vaccinations. She flinched when the nurse stuck her and so she bled a little. Poor thing. She pretty much slept all afternoon after that, only waking up to eat at 2:30. Then did an unprecendented 11 hours last night, sleeping from 7:30 until 6:30 this morning! And it was Saturday, too, so I got to "sleep in" with her. Although I know she's doing fine, it's always reassuring to have the experts tell you so. Her next check-up isn't until February so we'll just keep on truckin' along 'til then.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Grandma and Evie

Whatchyou Lookin' At??

Grammy's

Thanksgiving Outfit.

Grandma Kornegay's Excer-saucer.

Grandma Kornegay came up to visit us for the annual turkey-murder day. She hasn't seen Evie since she was four weeks old, so she has had a hard time letting her go. Can't blame her though, as you want to get all your snuggles in at once. On Saturday, Kiley and Grandma went out shopping while I remained home. They bought her a more grown up version of her bouncer called an Excer-saucer. She loves it as it allows her to spin around, stand-up, play with a vast array of toys and watch tv from relative comfort. All she needs now is a bottle holder and she'll be all set.

Love,

Blake

Evie's first FSU vs. UF game was a complete failure on all accounts from the perspective of a fan, but she succeeded in looking completely adorable in her cheerleader outfit. Evie is even getting really good at standing up (with a little assistance) so I captured this video of her to show you how she's just going to walk all over her daddy's heart. You're growing up too fast, girl!!!

Do you like my winter coat??

Thanks to Briggs & Sandy Beadell for giving Evie this adorable winter coat :-)

Evie at Play

Evie has recently started interacting with her toys. Her favorite is her play gym. She'll lay on this for an hour and coo and bat and grab the toys overhead. Sometimes she'll roll to her side and think about going on her tummy, but she's not quite there yet. Blake recorded the video above the other night when she was playing. Enjoy!

Our Anniversary

For our 5th wedding anniversary on Nov. 8, Blake's parents came to babysit Evie so we could get away for the night. We went to Marianna and explored the Florida Caverns State Park and stayed at the Hinson House Bed & Breakfast. When we decided to go out to dinner, we didn't realize Jackson County was a partially dry county so ended up at the Ruby Tuesday drinking Miller Lights. We still had a great time and Evie's Mallard grandparents had a ball taking care of her overnight. Thank you Dan & Dorene!

Bonding with Daddy

Blake has been making sure Evie wears all of her silly booties before she outgrows them.


Playing Lego Batman


Having just celebrated my 5th wedding anniversary this past Saturday (Nov. 8), I'd like to give a "shout out" to my wonderful husband. Blake has been a wonderful support throughout my entire pregnancy, post-partum period and especially now that I've gone back to work. He does the dishes in the evening (a task he detests) so that I can relax and enjoy Evie's bedtime routine. He dresses her in the morning so that I have time to dress myself. And on the weekends he loves to play video games with her when he wakes up so that Mommy can sleep in a little. Thank you, honey, for being such a great husband, friend and father :-)

Back to Work

So I'm starting back at work on Thursday, October 23. I'll be doing half days until the 29th and then back to full time on the 30th. For the past week, as it's dawned on me that my leave is ending, I've had such mixed emotions. One minute I'm excited to go back and get caught up on everything I've missed and start planning for the future. Then Evie will look at me and smile and coo and I just can't imagine leaving her! I feel like there is so much in her day I am going to miss... Who would've thought that one little person could be my whole world?!

However, I love my job and the people I work with and can't imagine walking away from it at this time. Besides, I feel strongly that continuing to work sets an example for my daughter that, yes, women can be mothers and also great at their jobs. I think it is important for her to be around other adults and children and to learn to be comfortable in their care. I'm very confident that her caregiver will take very good care of her while I'm away. She is a mother of two herself (one just a few months older than Evie), she nurses her son, and she is just generally very sweet, patient and nurturing. I feel that Evie will be in very good hands, which is a big relief and will make this transition much easier. I will let you know how it goes...

7:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.!!!!!

Last night was the first time Evie slept all the way through the night!! I put her down at 7:30 p.m. and she didn't wake up again until 5:00 a.m. this morning! I was so excited I couldn't go back to sleep after that, but I actually go 7 straight hours of sleep for the first time since she was born! We're hoping there will be a repeat performance tonight :-)

Ready for my first Halloween!

Busy, busy, busy!!

Grandpa's got me!


Jacob loves to play with his cousin "E" (as he calls her).


Jacob made "binoculars" at school


Chillin' at Aunt Kim's house


Grammy Mallard loooves me!!

After our trip to Apollo Beach/Cocoa Beach, Blake had to go to Jacksonville for some training. My dad (Grandpa Kornegay) came to stay with me and Evie to keep us company, and we had a lovely week.

Then, Evie and I took off for Atlanta on October 7 to see my sister, Kim and her family for a few days. Evie's cousins were absolutely smitten with her, and she seemed to enjoy them as well, smiling and laughing when they would talk to her.

We returned home on October 10 and the next day, Evie's Grammy Mallard came to see her. She was nice enough to babysit for us on the 11th so Blake and I could go out to eat and see a movie, our first real date since she was born. We've both come down with colds, so are thankful to have her here to help us out this week.

I'm planning to go back to work on October 23rd, do a week of half days (8-noon) and then start back full time on the 30th. I'm excited and sad all at the same time. I love my job and the people I work with, but know I will miss my little girl terribly. Thankfully, we have a wonderful babysitter lined up so that is one worry off my mind. It will be another big adjustment, but we will get through it!

2 Month Check Up

Today was Evie's 2 month check up. She weighed in at 10 lbs, 6 oz and 22" long! Dr. Martin and I had a long conversation about all the media attention on the supposed link between vaccinations and autism, and we both were of the opinion that, at least at this time, there is not enough evidence supporting this link for people to stop vaccinating their children. I feel Evie is at a much greater risk of contracting measles or polio than of getting autism from the vaccination.

That being said, it was not fun watching my little one get her shots. She was all smiling and happy, but as soon as they pricked her thigh, her little face turned bright red, and I've never heard that cry from her before! About broke my heart. She was pretty tired and fussy the rest of the day so I gave her her bath and nursed her and rocked her to sleep a little early tonight.

She was up every 2-3 hours last night, which she hasn't done in a while, so I'm hoping she'll go back to her usual long stretch (4-6 hours) followed by 3-4 hour stretches. Or, even better, maybe she'll just sleep through the night! A girl can dream...

Cocoa Beach/Cape Canaveral Sept. 26-28

At the Kennedy Space Center


Saturn 5 rocket (the one that sent man to the moon). VERY cool!


Blake with the White Rhino at the Brevard Zoo.


Big fat gator at the zoo. Evie looks worried...


Pooped after a day of sightseeing.

After our visit to Apollo Beach, Blake, Evie and I drove over to the Cocoa Beach area for some sight seeing. We visited the Kennedy Space Center and the Brevard Zoo and ate some yummy seafood at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville. Evie did great at the hotel, the first time she'd slept in her Pack 'n' Play. Though it was quick, we very much enjoyed our first family vacation :-)

Apollo Beach Sept. 24 & 25

On September 24, we drove down to visit Blake's parents and brother in Apollo Beach. Evie loved their home, especially their screened in back patio and pool. This was also the first time she met her Uncle Ken, who was smitten with his new niece.

Evie's 1st Car Trip

We are leaving this evening for Evie's first trip out of Tallahassee! We're going to spend a couple of days in Apollo Beach (near Tampa) with Blake's parents and then head over to the Space Coast (Cape Canaveral) for some sightseeing. Blake won this trip back in May from Wachovia for being the best seller or something (I don't really understand his job!) so we only have to pay for our gas and breakfast and lunch. Evie is currently napping, so I should probably be packing, but I hate packing and I like blogging so here we are.

I'm growing increasingly tired of having to get up two to four times each night with Evie. She'll be eight weeks on Thursday, and I'm hoping she'll start doing some longer sleep stretches at night in the next week or so. Lately, the most she's been doing is 4/4.5 hours and often as little as 1/1.5. Either way, I don't have much choice in the matter. If she's up and crying and hungry, it is my job to take care of her and feed her. Sigh. Nobody said this parenting thing would be easy.

Contented Baby

When Blake came home for lunch today, Evie had had a good morning nap and was very alert and content (see video above). She is holding her head up very well now and starting to track moving objects with her eyes. Everyday she seems more aware and interested in her surroundings, and she definitely recognizes her mommy and daddy. I love to sit her in her Bumbo and read to her, and I try to give her some "tummy time" each day. The best is when you kiss her cheeks and she smiles and coos at you. Gets better each day!

How Do You Quiet a Crying Baby?

Evie was up from 1:30am to 6:30am and would not go back to sleep. We were extremely tired and trying to get the baby to sleep when Blake found this little quirk of hers. Whenever she starts to cry, Blake would gently blow on her face and she would straigten up, stick out her toungue, and make bubbles. It's something you have to see to for yourself...

Morning Musings

On Thursday, September 11 the girls from my department came over to visit and have lunch with me. Miss Evie was down for a nap (hallelujah!) so they could only admire her from a distance. I promised that next time they'd get their snuggles in. I had a great time having them here. It gets lonely sitting in the house all by myself with the baby. Not that I don't love my daughter and enjoy her, but I'm used to having a lot more interaction than I get on an average day with her.

I had my six week check up that same morning and everything was healing fine. There was only one issue with the way my stitches healed, but we are dealing with it. I have to admit that post partum has been worse than anything that pregnancy threw at me. Even morning sickness. But it is getting better everyday and I feel like we're finally getting to the fun part, with Evie getting more interactive. I'm really just going to try to enjoy these last six weeks I have at home with her as I know they will go fast.

Baby Gear

Once Evie hit 8 pounds we were able to start using our Baby Bjorn. Best invention ever for babies. Allows us to both hold Miss Evie (which is what she usually wants us to do) and have our hands free to do stuff.


BUMBO!! This thing cracks me up. It's designed to help babies develop their neck, back and ab muscles. Evie just swims in hers right now, but it really does angle her properly so that she is sitting up.


Blake snapped this one a few days ago. I've gotten to where I just bring Evie to bed with me after her last nighttime feeding (anywhere from 5-6 a.m.) since I'm just too tired to sit up with her by that point. Evie, of course, loves this and makes sweet baby noises until she falls asleep next to me.

1 Month Check-up

Can you believe that Miss Evie is already a month old?! Well, 5 weeks to be exact. I took her to the pediatrician on Tuesday morning for a check up and she is already up to 8 lbs, 4 oz! I was so excited since with breastfeeding it is hard to tell exactly how much they are getting (other than keeping track of how much they are "outputting"). Obviously she is getting plenty!

This is the first week since she was born that I am on my own all day everyday and so far so good. The most challening part of each day is getting a shower. Though she is a really great sleeper at night and stays in her crib from 8/9 p.m. until 6/7 a.m., once she is up she will not go back down and wants to be held all morning (and usually all afternoon). The only way I can get a shower in the morning is to just let her scream her head off for 20 min. while I get dressed, which is very stressful for me. I've become somewhat of a speed showerer, which those who know me will find miraculous. I can literally brush my teeth, shower and dress in less that 20 min. when it used to take me 20 min. just for the shower part. Nothing like motherhood to show you a new way of doing things!!

Bathtime!

So we've been trying to get Evie into more of a routine, though she is by no means on a set schedule yet. We've been giving her a bath every night around 7ish and getting her in her footy pajamas. She usually nurses after her bath and then hangs out with us while we watch TV or read in bed. She'll nurse again around 9ish and then usually fall asleep for up to six hours (yay for Mommy!). However, once she's up at 3 a.m. she hasn't been wanting to go back to sleep so I am typically up with her until around 5 a.m. when I finally just put her down in her crib and let her fuss a bit or bring her into bed with Blake and I. Can't complain too much as she at least gives me that one long stretch of sleep. I am definitely looking forward to the days when I can get her on a set schedule for feeding and sleeping. That will make planning for things like errands and naps and chores a lot easier. But for now we continue to dance to Evie's drum!!

Baby Faces

Contemplative


First bottle of Mommy's milk from Daddy


That's not very polite!


Tuckered out


I have the same smooshy face as my daddy

Grandma Kornegay's Visit

Blake was out of town on business the last week of August so my mother came to stay with me to keep me company and help me with Evie. It was so nice to have some companionship while Blake was gone, and Mom was a huge help to me, making dinner, cleaning the kitchen, holding Evie when I needed a break (like I had to twist her arm on that one!). She even took me to Motherhood and bought me some nursing clothes to help make that part of my life a little easier. It was nice to get a few new things that actually fit and weren't sweatpants or a baggy t-shirt! Thanks, Mama!!

Introducing Evie to My Foundation Family

Mary Beth was thrilled to finally meet Miss Evie


Gabe and Evie


Ashley and Evelyn


Tracy and Evie

On Thursday, August 21, Evie and I visited my coworkers at the Foundation. Everyone couldn't get over how small she was and how alert. She loved staring up at the flourescent lighting and only got fussy a couple of times when she got hungry. It was good to see everyone and to get out of the house for a couple of hours. We will have to make a repeat visit in the next couple of weeks!