Me One Year Ago

Can you believe this was me pregnant with Evelyn one year ago. This was my due date and the day I went in to deliver her. I cannot believe it.

Soccer Player

I believe we have a soccer player on our hands. This baby is SO active and is constantly kicking me. The baby kept me up for half an hour last night kicking and a couple of them startled me because they were so big. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE feeling the baby kick I just didn't think it would be so strong this early. One this is for sure is this baby is STRONG.

20 Week Ultrasound for Baby #2

Yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound for baby #2 and it went great. The baby looks healthy and is growing well. We got some great pictures of it waving hi, with its mouth open and of its feet kicking. The baby was VERY active during the ultrasound, kicking wherever she had the wand. It was so wonderful to see the baby again. It looks so different but can definetly tell it is a baby. I know saying "it" is not as much fun as him or her but that is what it is at the moment. As most of you know, we are not finding out the gender just as we didn't with Evelyn. We LOVED the surprise and anticipation during labor. I am sure we will enjoy it again. Richard's guess is that it is a boy or a girl. Creative I think. I am leaning towards girl but who really knows? We shall se in about 20 weeks.

Other news, is we are gearing up for Evelyn's 1st birthday party in a couple of weeks. I have almost everything purchased other than food and the pool should be done this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing many of you there.

Happy Thursday! Here are a few pictures from yesterday.

It's Only Wednesday....

This has been a long week for me, with Richard out of town and Evelyn sick, I am exhausted. I miss my husband and am looking forward to seeing him Friday afternoon. It has been hard being the only one here with Evelyn. Since she is sick, I can't go anywhere or visit anyone becuase I don't want them to get sick. I know that he is learning a lot and it is great for his career. I am happy that he did it when I only have one kid and not two.

Evelyn is doing better. Her fever broke and she was more like herself today but still fussy. Last night she did great. She slept from 8:45 to 4:45. She woke up, ate and when back to sleep until 7:15. She barely does that good when she is well. I am not getting my hopes up and am preparing myself for a long night just in case she is still not feeling well.

It is so sad to see her sick and not feeling well. I feel horrible becuase there is nothing I can do but hold her and even then she is not always happy. I look forward to when she is feeling 100% again.

****As a note, I am no longer nursing Evelyn. I almost made it a year and would have if I wasn't pregnant, but I am proud of how long I did make it. She is doing great with the bottle and formula. She doesn't refuse unless she isn't hungry. It is sad that it is over but it is nice that other people can now feed her easier than before.

Thank you for all your support. Happy hump day.

Unchartered Territory!

For the first time since Evelyn was born she has a fever and/or is sick. Poor girl is hot and not feeling good. She has good moments and bad ones. She did great at my doctor appointment today and I am taking her to hers tomorrow.

For a baby that is sick, she sure did learn new things today. Today she learned to clap and give high fives. The high fives might be a fluke but I am saying she can do it.

Heres hoping tonight goes ok and that she feels better tomorrow.

Evelyn says Happy 4th!

Our patriotic girl!
Waving Hi
Smiling and being silly.



I will post more later. Enjoy your day!

Happy 4th of July

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe 4 of July weekend. Enjoy spending time with family and eating tons of food. We are staying home since Richard has to work today but are still planning to have a nice weekend together with Evelyn. It is her 1st Fourth of July. I have a cute outfit for her to wear. I will take pictures and post soon.

To my grandparents Fred and Yvonne: Happy 55th Anniversary. I know it is a little late but have a great party. We wish we could be there to celebrate this wonderful milestone. We love you.

Jon and Dawn: Happy Anniversary. Hope you have a great one together. Enjoy the fireworks.

Be safe!

Formula

Evelyn has been taking her bottle with formula in pretty well for about a week now. She even starts grunting when she sees me making it, so that is an improvement. She stills wakes up at night to feed but I am going to try to get rid of that nighttime waking this coming week when Richard is out of town. I don't want to do it when he is home because she could be crying for a bit and I do not want to keep him up since he has to work and I can take naps if it is a long night.

She is old enough that she doesn't need to be eating once or twice a night anymore. So wish us luck in this new adventure. Also, pray that next week is not too bad since I am home alone for 5 nights without Richard to help.

Hope all is well with your families!

Grandparents Visit!

My parents visited us this weekend. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying Evelyn. We did not do a whole lot but did end up going down to Old Sacramento on Sunday and walked around for a while.

It was great spending time with them and they enjoyed hearing Evelyn say "Hi!" over and over again.

Here are a couple of pictures:
Grandma giving Evelyn her bottle. Mommy and Evelyn. Grandpa and Evelyn having staring contest over the button (remote for those that don't know our family lingo).



We got this a couple of weekends ago at the REI used gear sale. We got it for over 75% off. It is a really nice one and all Richard had to do to make it new was replace a snap. She loved it. We are looking forward to some bike rides in the future.

Evelyn's new ride in her bike trailer.

Parties Galore!

I am currently planning 3 parties, that's right 3. I have Evelyn's 1st birthday in about 5 weeks (invitations will be out shortly). I also have my soon to be sister-in-laws bridal shower and bachlorette party in September.

I am doing good and am thankful I can be so organized (anal to some). I have all the invitations figured out and delegated tasks to other bridesmaids. Everything is going smoothly so far (hopefully I don't jinx myself again).

I can't believe Evelyn is almost 1, my brother is getting married and I am having another baby. Wow what a year brings. I couldn't be more happy for all of it.

Wish me luck in my planning adventures and hope that nothing falls through the cracks.

I jinxed myself

A little bit ago I posted about Evelyn doing really well with the bottle/formula and sleeping through the night. Well that is no longer occuring. She is still doing ok with the formula but is not sleeping through the night anymore. She is now waking twice a night again and I don't know what to do. She shouldn't be needing to eat in the middle of the night but since she is so small I worry that she does.

I am hoping she will go back to taking more formula at night and sleeping through the night again. I sure did love it and she was much happier too.

Wish us luck and secretly send Evelyn messages to sleep through the night and take only formula.

Thanks. Hope all is well in your worlds.

Emergency ID for kids

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and while I was there talked to someone selling ID cards for kids. Usually I pass these things up but today I was in a listening mood and wasn't in a hurry. Anyways, this is an ID card that can be used for multiple purposes and updated as many times I want until she is 18 years old for free. They also give you a mini CD that contains all the information that is on her ID card. God forbid anything was to happen to her (ie. kidnapped) we would give the CD to the police officer and he can immediately upload it in his computer and it goes out to all 50 states that instint and starts an Amber Alert. I thought it was a great idea and the price was not bad. I will definetly do one for the next baby as well. Why not protect your children, there are A LOT of creepy people out there.

I am always amazed at how willing people (men included) are willing to come right up to Evelyn and feel it is ok to touch and talk to her. How hard could it be for someone to take her if they wanted? It is not hard and can happen in an instant.

Here is the website for the thing I got for her if you are interested: http://www.nationalemergencyid.com/

So precious is that of a young life...

Lost Havasu Pictures!

I totally forgot that we took two cameras to Havasu. These are a couple of pictures that were on the other camera. Thanks grandma for reminding me that I had them. Enjoy!

Evelyn with both Great Grandpa Fred and Great Grandma Yvonne.

Evelyn and Great Grandma Yvonne
Evelyn and Great Grandpa Fred

Taking a nap on the boat. Don't we look comfy?
Having fun cruising on the boat.
Look at me in my life jacket. Aren't I cute?

More Pics!

Evelyn and Grandma Lavon
She loves hugs!
Curling up with Sandy.
Pillows are so soft.
Where did it go?

Happy Father's Day!

I know I am a day late, but I was focused on the father of my children yesterday. I hope that everyone had a great Father's Day. We did.

I made Richard pancakes with fresh strawberries and blueberries, bacon and fresh fruit for breakfast. We kept it low key. I bought a new CD and filters for the camera, also a remote for the camera so he doesn't have to set the timer. I think he enjoyed it.

We went to REI so he could get some backpacking stuff for his upcoming trip (this coming weekend). They were have a used gear sale, so we checked it out. We got awesome deals on a Zero-gravity chair. It was missing a bolt and was marked down about 67%. (Richard being handy already had a bolt and the chair is fixed and ready to use.) The other item we got, which I almost got him for Father's Day (although not as nice of one), was trailer for his bicycle so he can take Evelyn and some day the next baby on bike rides. We got it for 75% off becuase it was missing a SNAP. Since Richard is again so handy it is already fixed and ready to use. It was a good day.
Later, we had Lavon over for dinner. We tried a new recipe. We had chicken, spaghetti with garlic and olive oil (this was new), and garlic bread. It was a great dinner with great company. Evelyn was excellent and enjoyed spending the day with her daddy.

Here are some pictures that were taken before bed time. We were so busy, we didn't take any during the day. Enjoy!

Formula = Sleeping Through the Night

Evelyn has started drinking formula since I am trying to quit nursing her. She has been doing ok but taking in very much. A few nights ago we tried the bottle instead of the sippy cup to see if she would drink better from it. She did. I know some say not to use the bottle now but if it is the only way she will drink formula than I am going to do it. Anyways, she slept from 8:30 until about 7 and only woke for a few minutes before going back to sleep. I thought maybe it was a fluke thing. The next night we gave her formula again and she slept all night. Last night we gave her 6 oz all of which she drank. She slept from 8:45 until 6:30 then went back to sleep until 8:30. I cannot begin to tell you how WONDERFUL it is to sleep all night long and not have to get out of bed.

I know this may not last but I can be hopeful. Here's hoping.

Yummy Dinner!!!

Evelyn is pretty much eating only table foods these days and is really enjoying it. Here are some pictures from dinner last night. We had pasta if you couldn't tell.

What's Happening?

Many things have been happening lately and we have been really busy. I am in the process of planning three parties that all happen this summer and since I am a planner I started early so I won't get as stressed.

One of the parties is Evelyn's 1st Birthday in August. I cannot believe she is going to be 1! The time has flown by and too fast I might add. I am looking forward to it as we get to see a lot of family and friends. Hopefully it will be a good time. Look for invites to come.

I had another doctor's appt and ultrasound. The baby looks great and is growing well. At my appt. yesterday the dr. said, "good news is that hearbeat is strong. The bad news is that means it is a girl." We shall see if he is right. I always thought I heard fast heartrate meant boy, who really knows?

Evelyn's doing well, although is more fussy lately due to teething. We are enjoying her at this age. She is so much fun to interact with and make laugh. She has a new trick that we have to be careful about; she can climb up onto the couch by herself and has done so multiple times. Luckily, she still seems uninterested in walking and I am perfectly OK with that. I have no need to have her walking just yet. She is a fast crawler and I am having a hard time keeping up with her.

Other than that not much has changed. We are always busy around the house and trying to stay in contact with friends. Some whom we never seem to be able to get together with. We do miss you all and hopefully someday soon we will be able to all meet up.

Hope all is well with you and your families. Have a great Father's Day to all you wonderful dads out there.

Vacation Pics!

Grandpa, Grandma, and Evelyn.


Aunt Nicole, Uncle Scott and Evelyn

The whole gang!

Mommy, Daddy and Evelyn!

Evelyn's 1st trip to Schat's.

Evelyn in the wagon with Grandpa and Madison.

Isn't she cute?

Evelyn with grandma.

Sunset over the lake.

Another beautiful sunset on the lake.

Evelyn also turns 10 months old today. Can you believe it?

Family Vacation!

Memorial day weekend is a weekend we usually spend with my parents and family in Lake Havasu. This year was no different except that we had Evelyn with us. We drove down to Bakerfield Friday night and stayed. Evelyn did pretty good sleeping in the pack n play. The next morning we got up, packed the car and drove the rest of the way to Havasu. It was a good drive considering how long it was. Evelyn was a trooper and we could not have been prouder of how well she did in the car.

Once we got there my dad immediately took Evelyn for a ride in the wagon, which she LOVED. She would just lean back and enjoy the ride. She went on many wagon rides this week and she enjoyed every since one of them.

We went on the boat many times throughout the week. Evelyn did great on the boat and wearing her lifejacket. The only time she didn't like it was when the boat was going slow. I held her most of the time and she almost always fell asleep while driving. She is just like her mom in the respect.

Unfortunately, the water was too cold to let her really go in, although we did try. She was prefectly happy playing in the shade with toys and family members.

We got to see my parents. brothers, soon to be sister in law, my grandparents and friends we had not seen in a while. It was great trip.

We left Havasu on Thursday and drove up to Las Vegas to my grandmother. We stayed the night there and let Evelyn crawl around and get to know her great grandmother. We had a great time visiting and it was a nice stop on the way home with a long journey ahead of us. Thank you for letting us stay.

Friday morning we drove to Mammoth, CA. But before we got to Mammoth, we stopped in Bishaop to go to Schat's Bakery, the best bakery in the world. It was a place I grew up going to when we went caming in Bishop as a family. We bought Gingerbread cookies, bread and turnovers. All of which were fantastic. Evelyn has now become a part of family tradition and we hope to continue.


Mammoth was beautiful and was great time to go. We drove around while Evelyn took a nap and saw a few of the lakes up there that are absolutely beautiful. We had a good dinner, until Evelyn threw all of hers up. I think she over ate. I kept feeding because she kept eating. I think she got preoccupied with everything going on around her she didn't realize how full she was because usually she tells me when she is done.

Saturday we drove home and got our beloved Sandy. It was a wonderful trip I would love to do again. Evelyn was great minus not sleeping well at night (come to find out she now has a new tooth).

I will add pictures when I get the chance. Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to share.