Evan is 6 months old already!

Evan sitting up for the first time!

Our Fall Family pictures

Evan's first picture with Santa!


Holy cow! Where does the time really go? Last week, Evan turned 6 months old. I feel like I just gave birth and blinked and now he is 6 months already! I can't believe how incredibly blessed we are to be his parents as he is honestly the best baby ever!! He just rolls with the punches and is as happy as can be. He has been a traveling little guy for only being 6 months old! He has been on 3 or 4 road trips and an airplane ride already! We went to Minnesota the weekend after Thanksgiving and had a great visit with the Helgemoe's.

He seems to just be changing every day and on the 21st Evan began to sit up all by himself! He kinda skipped the rolling over and went straight to sitting up. He still only rolls over in the crib and now that he can sit up, he doesn't really like to lay down so he can roll over! I guess he'll get there sooner or later! He is grabbing toys and transferring them from hand to hand. He is exceptionally good at taking his pacifier out of his mouth and then requiring us to get up at 2 am to put it back in his mouth! That's okay though, he is so cute when he does it that you can't get mad at him! He is really starting to like to be read to and he is very attentive and observant. He is eating pretty well, but I think we are going to have a picky eater on our hands. I make all his baby food and so far, he pretty much only likes to eat things that are orange! He loves butternut squash, pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes. He is starting to come around with peas and bananas, but that's about it! He does not like apples, peaches, green beans or chicken. I am afraid he is going to turn orange! We have his 6 month check up at the end of the month so we will see what he weighs then.

We had our first bout of sickness last night with him. He was puking and having diarrhea. It was really sad, but he is the happiest, sick baby I have ever seen (and I've seen my fair share!). Eric was very worried and was ready to take him to the hospital, but Pedialyte to the rescue! He made it through the night and hasn't thrown up since. I guess it was just a 24 hour bug, thank God!!

We are gearing up for Christmas as I am sure all of you are too! We went and cut down our own tree this year and it is beautiful. We took Evan and hope to make it a tradition, as I never got to do anything like that living in Arizona. Nana and Papa Keating are coming out on Thursday and we are looking forward to seeing them! Wish the Droste's could be here too! It is crazy to think that this will be Evan's first Christmas. I still think back to when we wondered if we would ever be able to have a child and here we are. Again, feeling really blessed this year! We are looking forward to next year and just continuing to watch Evan grow and hope to teach him about love, respect and God, although not necessarily in that order! It is so fun and amazing to see him change and evolve every day and he just melts my heart and fills me with so much love that I could just explode!

We want to thank you all for your support and love this year and we pray that you have a blessed 2012 and we look forward to sharing with you in this awesome journey of parenthood and Evan's life!

Evan's first airplane trip to Bullhead City!

Nana and her baby!

Me and Ricki rockin the 'Vette!

Evan's Aunt Kellie! I think it's love!

Evan go to meet his GG's!

How stinkin adorable!!!

Love my sweet Nicholas!

The whole family (minus Colin who took the picture)!!

Evan with his cousin Nicholas! Nicholas just loved him!

Evan's first plane ride! He did AMAZING! And 1st class no less!

So on November 12th we embarked on a scary journey - Evan's first airplane ride! I had gotten tips from several people before we left, but I was still terrified that we would be "those people" with the screaming baby, and in 1st class! Apparently we had nothing to worry about as Evan barely made a peep the entire flight! I noticed when we got on the plane, we got a few looks like "oh great, a baby right in front/behind me". But after the flight was over and he proved to be the angel that we know he is, everyone was just gushing about how cute and good he was! We were fully prepared with 3 diaper bags and 4 extra hands thanks to our awesome friends Ricki and Colin who joined us! One was full of toys and distractions, the other was full of diapers and clothes and the other was full of booze for the adults!! Just kidding on the last one! The magic is in feeding him during take off and landing! Not a peep.

We were headed on this trip to go back to my home to visit my parents and my sister and her family. It was such a great trip and I just love being home! I got to see my ADORABLE nephew Nicholas and niece Avrie! I can't stand how cute they are and I miss them so much. Evan sure didn't fall short on being loved that week, that's for sure. Nicholas especially just loved on him and wanted to hold him all the time! I think it's time for his mommy to have another! We went up to the Hualapai mountains one day and had a great lunch and the weather was beautiful. We also went to Valle Vista so that Evan could meet Great Grandpa and Grandma McCarthy! Unfortunately Evan was in a bit of a mood and cried pretty much the entire time. So needless to say, the visit was short, but the GG's were happy to finally meet him.

The rest of the time was spent relaxing and having fun. Thanks to Nana and Papa, Mommy and Daddy got to spend an adult only evening having an amazing dinner at the Gourmet Room and gambling till the wee hours of the morning. No big winners, but we had a great time anyway! All in all it was a fabulous trip and I can't wait to go back, hopefully it's not too long. I think I am going to have to invest in a airline credit card to get frequent flier miles! Evan is so blessed to have such a loving family who adores him!

This weekend we are heading on a road trip to Minnesota for Thanksgiving with the Helgemoe family minus Kate, Josh and Isabel :( Wish everyone didn't live so far away from each other! We are picking up our "new" car this weekend, barring any issues. Our beloved Focus died the night before we left on our trip to Bullhead so we are in desperate need of a new car. We are breaking down and getting a Carney-mobile; a Buick Rendezvous! It's super nice and I am most excited about the heated seats with Winter quickly approaching!

Anyway, everything else here is good. I am so lucky and blessed and thankful to be able to be home so much with Evan. He is growing up so fast and I am so glad to be able to watch it first hand! He has started to sit up on his own for a moderate amount of time. He is not consistently rolling over yet, but I think he'll get there soon. He is also still not sleeping through the night, but I guess I'll count my blessings for the quiet snuggle time that I get to spend with him at 3 am! He is "talking" up a storm, laughing a lot and just as sweet as can be. We started him on some baby food that I have made and he loves the pumkin and carrots, but is not a fan of the peas or green beans. I guess he takes after his mommy in that department! I guess we'll just keep trying.

I can't believe Christmas is decending upon us so quickly and that Thanksgiving Day is in 2 days! I wish you all a fabulous Turkey day and just know that we are so thankful to have all of you in our lives and we pray that you are all safe if you are traveling or Black Friday shopping! Love to all!

Happy Halloween!!

We made a little diddy, so click on this link and enjoy! http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/5g5juJUQm1jYYCW3

Ok, so again, I'm sorry for the delay in updating this thing! It is crazy how little time you get with a baby! So Evan is 4 1/2 months old now, I know what you are thinking "how can that be?" I feel the same way! I can't believe he is growing up so fast. At his 4 month check up he weighed in at a hefty 12 pounds 14 ounces and 24 inches long. He is only in the 13% for weight, but the doctor didn't seem too worried. He is just a little nugget! We have just been so blessed with him as he is always pretty happy and smiling all the time. He is so expressive in his face and his whole face lights up (as well as my heart!) when he smiles. He is developing new skills everyday it seems. He is grabbing at toys on his play gym and he is starting to try to roll from back to front. He has been rolling from front to back, but mostly only when he is in his crib. I haven't seen him do it while on tummy time, mostly because he just wants to fall asleep during tummy time! He is very observant and notices us walking in/out of rooms and he is really starting to notice the dogs. He stares at them all the time! They still don't really pay him any mind, they just know that this sweet little thing now takes all of their mommy and daddy's attention! They are too good though. Evan has also discovered his hands. He LOVES to chew on his fingers and is now getting really good at pulling out his pacifier and then gets mad that he doesn't have his pacifier! He still loves to stand up on his feet and can hold his own weight up pretty well. Nana and Papa bought him a bouncer and he loves that! I caught him playing with some of the toys on it the other day and that was a first too! It's crazy how much he can change in 1 day!

He is now on a pretty good routine. He usually gets up about 8am and eats and then plays until 10, when he takes a 2 hour nap. He then is up until about 2pm when he takes another 2 hour nap! We haven't quite gotten an evening routine down because if it were up to him, he would be down for the night at 6 or 6:30, but then he is up way too early for mom and dad! He is not sleeping through the night yet, he requires lots of rearranging and pacifier replacing still! He only eats though once during the night, usually around 4 am. I think Eric and I are still trying to adjust to the lack of sleep and exhaustion, but I am told that never goes away!!

We started Evan on rice cereal a few weeks ago and he has done pretty well eating it. The first time we tried it he wasn't sure about the texture or the spoon, but he caught on really quick and now we can't seem to feed him fast enough! I attempted to give him some homeade pumpkin puree but I don't think he was quite ready for it, so I think I will try some peas or carrots next.

We went to our first pumpkin patch last week and it was really fun! (It was my first time too!) We got to show Evan some goats and chickens and pigs and donkeys. He also got to go on a hay ride and we picked out the perfect little mini pumpkin for him! I can't wait until he gets older and understands things! (not that I want him to grow up any faster than he already is!)

We are going on a trip to Bullhead City on November 12 to see Nana and Papa and Aunt Kellie, Uncle Dave and cousins Nicholas and Avrie, and that will be Evan's first time on an airplane. I hope he does ok! I don't want to be "those" people! I have a feeling it is going to be a logistical nightmare to pack all his stuff!

It has been so amazing to be at home with Evan, as I am only going to my job 1 day a week now. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to stay home with him and not to put him in daycare(not that there is anything wrong with putting kid in daycare!). I mean, he is only this little 1 time and I want to spend as much time with him as I can! I do feel bad for Eric though because I am sure that if he could, he would much rather stay home with Evan too! He is such an amazing father and husband and I am so lucky to have both of them in my life.

It is crazy to watch him grow and change and I feel so blessed to get to be his mom. I just hope and pray that we are not screwing him up too badly! I am sorry that I don't update this more, but duty calls! I hope you are all having a great year and only 2 more months till Christmas!! Can you believe it! Where does the time go???

Evan's first laugh

So tonight while I was getting dinner ready for me and Eric, Eric was holding Evan and was making burping noises and all of a sudden, Evan just started laughing! We had never heard him laugh before! He has always kinda just made noises, but no definitive laughing! It was so cute!I am trying to post the video I took of him laughing, so look for it on the right side of the blog. So he is 3 1/2 months now and changing constantly! He is getting very good at pushing himself up while he is on his tummy and is very alert and always looking around. He has discovered his hand, mostly his right, and loves to hold it up in the air and also to suck on it! He is so expressive in his face and makes me laugh all the time with his expressions! I think he is going to be a class clown because he is pretty funny already. I also think he is going to be pretty smart because he really likes to be read to when we do his nighttime routine. He sits so still and really looks at the pages of the books! He is also starting to grab at toys and hold on to them. He is liking his activity gym more and more. I think he is going to be right handed because he uses that hand more than the left.

We took him to his first baseball game. It was the KC Royals vs MN Twins. The Royals actually won a game and Evan got a certificate from the Royals organization for it being his first game! It was really cool. He did amazing and barely made a peep the whole night. He ended up falling asleep in his stroller! We truly are blessed to have a baby boy who is so chill and relaxed!

We moved him into his crib recently, much to Eric's dismay! He does well, but still not sleeping through the night. He moves around a lot, and if it's any indication of how he will be when he is mobile, we are screwed!! So he gets himself stuck in the siderails of the crib and we have to get up and get him out. Luckily Auntie Kellie loaned us her video monitor and Eric stares at it all night long!

There is not a whole lot else is going on as far as major milestones, just growing and changing everyday. I can't believe how fast time goes. I know I say that in every post, but it still amazes me that it was already 14 weeks ago that I had him. I still look at him and can't believe he is really ours to keep! He is such a blessing and we are so honored to be his parents. I just hope that we can do half as good of a job raising him as our parents raised us! At least we have good role models! Anyway, I will try to keep posting! He has his first 5K coming up on October 1st. Bumpa, Gammy, Uncle Chad and Aunt Tani are all coming to visit that weekend too so it should be a blast! We are all going to the Chiefs vs Vikings game! Not sure who I want to root for, but know that Eric will be rooting for the Vikings! Evan will not be attending this game, but I am sure it won't be long before he does! Take care and stay posted!

the joys of watching growth!

Evan with his Great Grandma Keating!!
Evan with his Nana!

Evan with his Papa!

Wow! What an amazing treat to watch Evan grow and develop every day. It really makes you consider what really matters in your life when you watch your son delight in just finding and sucking on his own hand! It's like discovering things all over again through the eyes of your 12 week old child. Realizing that he is seeing things for the first time ever and it is developing his little mind is miraculous to me! I just hope that we are doing him justice and setting him up for a life that he will love and live to the fullest, whatever that entails!

So Evan is 12 weeks and 4 days old today. He is getting so big (at least we think he is!) and is becoming more and more aware every day! He recently has discovered his right hand and LOVES to suck on it all day! He holds his arm up in the air and makes a fist and thinks it is very funny to punch his momma in the face! He's lucky he's so cute! It makes me wonder if he is going to be right handed? He is such a happy baby and is smiling and cooing more and more! No giggling yet, but I hope that comes soon, not that I want him to grow up any faster! He definately notices when someone walks in the room. He loves to play patty cake and he especially loves to clap to Miley Cyrus' boom boom clap, boom de clap de clap! It is stinkin adorable! He loves to stand up while we hold him and look around. He is so strong! He isn't quite rolling over yet, but I think it's coming soon and he is pushing himself up while he is on his stomach and he is starting to rock from side to side. It's hard to believe he was just a helpless little baby not that long ago! I'm not sure if I am sad that he is getting bigger or if it is going to be more fun? He is still not sleeping through the night and I am hoping that time is coming soon! He is still sleeping in our room and I can't seem to talk Eric into trying out his nursery! Maybe someday!

Since my last post, Grandma and Grandpa Helgemoe came for a visit to watch Evan while we went to see Keith Urban in concert! It is so much easier to leave him (not that is is ever easy to leave him!) knowing he is in good hands! Grandma and Grandpa Keating were just out for a visit over Labor Day weekend and it was so good to see them! We made a whirlwind trip to Oklahoma to attend Uncle Bobby's retirement party and to visit Great Grandma Keating. It was so great to see everyone and they all just loved Evan. I was so happy to have had the chance to introduce him to his great Grandma and we got some good pictures. I will treasure that memory forever! He did so well in the car ride and only cried for the last 2o minutes of both ways. We also took him to the lake for the first time and he slept the whole time! His Nana and Dad were the only ones to catch a fish, I got skunked :(

I went back to work on the 4th and it was the hardest thing I have ever done! The worst part was actually leaving the house, but the rest of the day was tough too. Thankfully Eric and my parents brought Evan to have lunch with me, so I didn't have to go the full 14 hours without seeing him. I have a feeling that it won't get any easier to leave him, especially as he begins to develop and change more and more! I feel so bad for Eric having to do it 5 days a week since he was 1 week old! I feel bad because I never knew how hard it was. I am sure this is just the beginning of the difficult things we have to endure as parents!

So the next thing we have coming up is Eric's family coming at the beginning of October for the Vikings/Chiefs football game! Evan will not be attending but he will be walking (ok, maybe riding in a stroller) in his first 5K! It is so nice having a baby because everyone wants to come and visit!! We will continue to try to keep you all updated and at least post pictures as he changes! Hope you are all doing well!!

Where does the time go?

It is amazing how fast time goes by and even more amazing at what occupies your time when you are a new parent! I really don't know what I do all day, but I look up and it is 9 pm and I think, "what did I do today?"! I really had intentions to update this blog more often, but I truly just don't have the time, so I apologize for the long times in between posts!

Evan is 8 weeks and 2 days old today! At last weight check he was 9 pounds 8 ounces! He is growing up so fast and I HATE it! He is getting stronger every day and he loves to stand up on his legs. He is smiling a ton and "talking" to us often. He is such a good baby for which we are so grateful! He is focusing on objects and holding his head up pretty well. Although he still resembles a bobble head at times! He is filling out finally and has officially gone on from newborn clothes to his 0-3 month clothes. He also moved to size 1 diapers :( I was going through his dresser the other day and saw a preemie outfit that he wore when he was first born and of course burst into tears at how small it was and at the fact that he actually fit into it! It is a very bitter sweet thing because as much as I look forward to seeing his pesonality develop, I am going to miss him being so mushy and snuggly! I keep telling him that he better snuggle with his mommy forever! Probably won't happen, I know :(

We had our first road trip with Evan to Minnesota at the end of July. It was definately an interesting experience with a baby, but he did pretty well! The normally 5 1/2 hour drive took 7 hours with a couple of stops to feed and just get hime out of the carseat for a bit. He had TONS of visitors while we were there and by the end of the weekend, I think he was a bit overstimulated! I don't think he got put down the entire time we were there! That's ok though. We feel so blessed that he has family that loves him so much already. We developed some feeding issues a few weeks ago, but finally got that figured out thank goodness! Otherwise, everything is going great. He is sleeping pretty good, still getting up about 1 time per night.

We continue to try to adjust to life with a baby and I think we are doing a pretty good job. It is so hard to try to split your attention between your child and your husband and your dogs! No matter what you do, you feel guilty because you feel like someone is gettig shortchanged! I don't know how people do it, but I guess you just do and know that it won't be like this forever! I try to cherish every moment because it goes so fast and we will never get this time back. Anyway, thanks for reading and I will continue to try to post as often as possible!

Hello again!

Well, today Evan is 5 weeks and 2 days old and weighs in at a hefty 8 pounds 12 ounces!! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. It is amazing how much he changes daily and I am terrified that I am going to blink and he is going to be off to college!

Since the last update, Evan has had his first 4th of July and he wasn't phased by the loud fireworks. We went to 2 BBQ's that day and he just rolled with the punches! He is such a good boy, we are so very lucky! The fireworks were so loud and he just slept right through them! Definately got that from his momma! His Grandma Helgemoe came to visit and love on him from the 5th through the 8th. He truly is so lucky to have such amazing grandparents that love him so much! On the 8th of July, Aunt Kellie and cousin Avrie came for a visit! His Aunt loves him so much and I think he loves her too! Avrie was a little leery of him and quickly became jealous when her momma held Evan! She was more enamored with the dogs! All in all, it was great having so many visitors as they were all a great help, and Eric and I got to go on a date too! We left him with Aunt Kellie so we were a little more at ease leaving him in such good hands!

We are now settling into a routine (as much as you can with a newborn!). He is going about 3-5 hours between feedings and sleeps well at night. He is so much more alert and focusing on things. He loves looking at the ceiling fan because it is dark! Mommy needs to get him an activity gym so that he can get his little genius mind working! He is getting so strong and is able to hold his head up pretty well. He is still a little floppy though. He loves his tummy time and usually ends up falling asleep (don't worry, he sleeps on his back at night!). Actually, he has rolled over twice already! I had him on his tummy on the couch and stepped away for a second and when I came back, he was on his back! I thought it was probably a fluke thing, but he did it again! Eric swears he is going to be a quarterback. I think that is every Dad's dream to have a son that is a quarterback right? He is starting to smile a little, but I don't think they are purposeful yet. He is discovering his voice too and is starting to coo and grunt. The grunting is his favorite thing to do, especially at night before he falls asleep! All-in-all, he is such a great little baby boy! We couldn't be more blessed. I'm sure all moms say that, but he has been such a chill little man (lucky for Mommy and Daddy!). We have been lucky enough that he hasn't been colicky (sp?) and hardly ever cries.

Eric has been amazing and is such a great help! He pretty much takes over when he gets home from work and he gets up in the middle of the night and changes his diaper before I have to get up to feed him! He has even given him a bottle one night so that I could sleep more than 3 hours! I really am so lucky to have such amazing boys! I'm not sure what I did to deserve them!

It is amazing how your life changes with a baby! You think you know, but you have no idea! Your whole mindset changes. You begin to question your ability to be a good mother and wife at the same time. You wonder if you are going to raise a serial killer or a productive member of society! We can only hope that we can instill the same values and morals that were instilled in us by our parents, and if we can do that, I think he will be alright! It is definately an adjustment, as it was just me and Eric for 10 years and truthfully we never thought we'd be able to be parents. It's hard to go from being totally selfish, to totally selfless. It is very humbling! I am already dreading going back to work and I am only going to be working 1-2 days/week! I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom, but I really do, especially while he is so little. Maybe we can work it out! Anyway, we will try to keep you all posted and will try to keep pictures updated so you can all see how he is growing!