More GG Pics

Dredging at the Science Center

Family of Four (Ellie is asleep in the Bjorn)

Smiling at mommy (of course she had just finished a meal so wouldn't you smile?)

Tired boy alone on a rock with his water

Riding the carousel with Mommy!

GG to the Rescue

GG couldn't stand it any longer and came to visit us and lend a third set of hands....thank goodness!! It was great to have her take turns with the kids so that Scott and I could both be together with one or the other of them. Her visit also allowed Scott to catch up on some work. We already miss her desperately but are back to juggling the demands of work and two kids....

During GG's visit, we went to the Science Center and the Zoo. Unfortunately it was rainy most of the time she was here so we were indoors trying to entertain ourselves, but on Sunday it was gorgeous so we took advantage and headed to the Zoo. We saw all sorts of beautiful foliage and Nathan got to see the gorillas, giraffes, and other animals (all of his favorite stuff was closed - the train, shuttle, skyfari, camel, etc.) However, Nathan was much more interested in how things work this time around and spent his time finding buttons to push or gadgets to play with, just as he did at the Science Center. My son, who has the attention span of less than 30 seconds most of the time, spent nearly 30 minutes at the dredging exhibit at the science center, until we pulled him away to go eat lunch. It is cool to watch him figure things out and see how his mind works.

Geri got to witness firsthand the chaos that is the Evans family of four as well as the reason why we need a double stroller. Between the coordination needed to get two kids in the car that have clean diapers, warm clothes, shoes/socks, and are not screaming and getting three adults organized, it is quite hilarious. No sooner do you have Nathan all set at the door then Ellie poops so we have to change her diaper and outfit and then in the meantime Nathan has taken off his shoes and socks so we have to start over with him while Ellie starts screaming and I try to organize diaper bags, blankies, snacks, water, etc. Then at the zoo and science center, Nathan wants to be picked up (all 38 pounds of him) when he gets tired which happens every time since the kid NEVER stops running and it takes 45 minutes to walk somewhere with him when it should take 10.....You just have to ride the wave and keep smiling.

Nathan has been testing us lately and has spent a bit of time in time out as a result. He has started impulsively hitting when he doesn't get his way and is a challenge to keep seated in his "big boy" chair at mealtimes. While we thought we had made progress with potty training, over the weekend he completely regressed and now has no interest in using the potty. Maybe because we ran out of toys and chocolate lost its luster? I am totally bummed and wondering what I can come up with now to get him back on track.

Ellie is doing well on her Prevacid for Reflux and now doesn't cry all day and night. We get spurts of smiles and coos and talking, though it hasn't changed her desire to be held all the time, much to my chagrin. It is incredibly difficult to get anything done one handed. She also refuses to sleep when she is laid down which is a combination of reflux/gas and really liking mommy and daddy's chest and shoulders to sleep on....she is high maintenance already! I knew this would happen if we had a girl....Scott and I are just riding it out and are thankful that she sleeps in 3-5 hour stretches at night so we can get some rest. She also will nap with me in the afternoons so I can get a second wind for the afternoon.

Nathan is still in love with his sister, as the pictures will show. Can't get enough of her. I swear he wants to eat her he loves her so much. It is cute. Recently he decided he wants to hold her all the time so we are experimenting with that. Ellie seems to tolerate all the kisses and hugs and smiles and coos at him when he is not spreading saliva all over her face and head.

This weekend Sarah, Kristen, and Amanda are in town so we are excited to show off the kids. Then we are off to Orlando for Thanksgiving. Lots of travel coming up and I am really nervous about how we are going to manage it with both of them... As with everything, we will get through it!!! Nathan loving on Ellie

GG and Ellie

A SMILE!

Nathan climbing at the Science Center (we found out shortly afterward, he was not supposed to climb on this thing)

Scott enjoying some conversation with Ellie

More recent photos

Mommy with Ellie (in her usual position)

Fairy Evelyn (of course some people thought she was a flower and Nathan was the bee....Patrick (Evelyn's father) was not very comfortable with that....

Ellie

Ellie bundled up to go outside

Daddy and his kids

Happy Halloween!

Ellie in the swing!! A breakthrough!

Nathan enjoying his chocolate halloween candy

Nathan and Ellie on Halloween

Nathan and Evelyn getting ready to trick or treat

Ready to go!

Ellie is sleeping in her swing.

Repeat. Ellie is sleeping in her swing.

Holy moses. I get a chance to type on the blog without Ellie in her Bjorn or with one hand! See photo proof below. Of course I should be showering but I know that there are certain grandparents who wanted to see Halloween pictures so I thought I would oblige.

Halloween this year was GREAT! So much fun! Nathan talked all day long about " trick or treat" and kept trying to put his bee costume on. He was ready to go at about 9am. Had to convince him we had to make it through the day first. But when it was time, he was so excited. Got his costume on, ate his dinner, and we went outside to some very cute homes to trick or treat. The whole community was really in Halloween spirit and Nathan had no issues marching up to the front door with Evelyn to get his treat. Except when there was someone with a mask or scary costume on...he did not like that much. But then, his scaredy-cat mother doesn't like that much either so it took a little courage on my part to convince him that the costumes were just costumes....After a couple of hours the kids started to wear out and Ellie was over it (upset she wasn't getting any treats, I think) so we headed in, and Nathan has been talking "chocolate" nonstop since. Chocolate for breakfast, chocolate for lunch, etc. We made the mistake of using chocolate as a treat for potty training so now he wants to go potty all the time so he can get chocolate. Woops. Forgot how smart our kid is. The good news is that for the past four days he has been peeing in the potty and keeping a dry diaper most of the day. We give him stickers for his sticker chart when he goes and a treat (toy or chocolate). Unfortunately he only wants mommy and daddy to help him pee pee and poo poo so that doesn't work when we are not here....I am keeping my fingers crossed that we have hit a breakthrough and are on our way to a potty trained kid. I don't think I can handle many more of his poopy diapers.

Ellie had a rough weekend. Her witching hour(s) seems to start around 8 or 9 and last until she falls asleep around 12:30. Yesterday evening was particularly rough and it was obvious she had some kind of stomach issue. So hard to witness your child in pain and not be able to do anything about it. We head to the gastroenterologist today to see what she can do for her, specifically with the reflux. Been there, done that with Nathan.

Ok, my baby girl is waking up now so I need to download photos fast. Will write more later. Happy Halloween.

Getting Ready for Halloween

As I stand here with Ellie strapped to me in the Bjorn, I figured I should do something useful so I downloaded some new pictures for everyone. Nathan is getting ready for Halloween and telling anyone within earshot that he is going to be a "bee." He is so excited, much to Scott's chagrin. He wanted Nathan to be Dash, the little boy from the movie The Incredibles. Which would have been perfect because Nathan is so fast. But, our son has fixated on being a bee so that is what he'll "be." The talented Grandma Wilson made his costume again this year and it is absolutely adorable (Scott agrees). And Nathan LOVES it. He ripped open the box with glee and immediately put on the costume and ran around the apartment stinging everyone. He refused to take it off for bedtime and this morning brought it out when he woke up to "put on." He is so proud and so cute and I am excited for trick or treating with our little bee this weekend.

This past weekend we went to the Hoboken Harvest Festival with Patrick, Virginia, and Evelyn and Nathan rode a tractor, a "choo choo," a pony, jumped in a big inflatable jumping room and picked out yet another pumpkin. He had a blast and we owe big thanks to Patrick who chased after both Nathan and Evelyn since Scott was at work and I was taking care of Ellie (and am allergic to hay and horses which makes tractor and pony rides a bit challenging). Nate just loves Patrick and was happy to hang with another male since he was otherwise surrounded by females. It was a really fun and beautiful day.

Nathan also started speech therapy last week and is doing well. This week was his second lesson and we are getting a glimpse at just how smart and attentive he is. He has an excellent memory and knows exactly what to do before the therapist asks (and it is just his second lesson). We are hoping to see some progress with his vowel pronunciation so we'll see how it goes. He seems to like the instructor and looks forward to her visits. I am relieved to know that he can sit still for longer than 2 minutes and follow instructions and listen to another adult (since listening to me and Scott seems to be optional these days).

Ellie had a particularly bad evening last night. Her stomach is obviously bothering her again so we were up trying to figure out the magic potion to get her to rest easy. I contributed to the multi-million dollar baby industry this morning by ordering yet another swing that "everyone says will help her sleep" so we'll see how this one works. Have to read the return policy carefully as what always works for other kids doesn't ever work for ours, in my experience. We'll keep you posted.

Happy Halloween! Nathan Evans, our little bee.

Surroundede by all his pumpkins

Picking out a pumpkin in Hoboken

Riding a pony in Hoboken (with Daddy before he left for work)

Our fearless little boy riding a pony in Hoboken

Ellie's Belly (and other tales of woe...)

So here we are....5 weeks into new baby and doing well overall. Ellie turns out to have some belly issues as did Nathan, though I can't tell if they are better or worse than his because the blur of crying makes my brain turn to mush. She definitely has gas and reflux so we got a low dose of reflux medicine as we wait to see the gastroenterologist on November 3rd (does the doctor know how hard it is to wait over a month to see her when your baby only sleeps on top of you?!) The other night after a screaming bout at 2am, we resorted to Colic Calm gripe water which knocked her out in minutes. Of course we couldn't tell if she was knocked out because she had been crying for so long, because Daddy was cuddling her, or because she farted and pooped enough to relax....The crying is very inconsistent, however, which is why I think she is better than Nathan. Sleeping is inconsistent too. After initially sleeping most of the day, she is now not sleeping at all during the day (catnaps here and there only when she is held) and sleeping a lot at night. I guess I will take the nighttime sleeping if I have to choose as I feel like a rockstar today - last night was her best night...she only woke up one time to eat - but now today she is sleeping most of the day! I just can't win, and I guess I should remember that you can't control or predict babies and I should just give up trying. Ellie is definitely Daddy's little girl already and melts into his arms whenever he holds her. I can rock and jiggle and cuddle for hours trying to get her to sleep and it takes him only a minute of his warmth and cuddling and she falls fast asleep. I see the preference already!

Nathan is waking up at night as well. We can't tell if his sleep disturbances are a result of the changes in his life or his thumb....Since his thumb injury he has been to see an orthopedic surgeon who indicated that the break was worse than we thought and so he has to wear his splint for a month. He expects a full recovery, however, and says little ones bounce back much faster than adults. We went thursday to have his stitches out, and as always, Nathan impressed the doctors with how good and attentive he was. He is a trooper and the thumb is really not slowing him down at all - he is still riding his scooter and tricycle all over the place and jumping and running as usual. The other day he had a big achievement of putting his shoes and socks on all by himself (one handed practically no less). He is going through a phase of "me too" and "me do" with everything, to push his independence and the fact that he is a "big boy." Now if we could only get him potty trained. There is something seriously wrong with changing a teeny poopy diaper and then moving on to man-sized poops with your 37 pound 2 and 1/2 year old. Potty training is my goal before returning to work (among other things). Could be problematic considering most days I barely am able to cross one thing off of my "to do" list.

So all is well in the Evans household. Still crazy busy, still not a moment when we are not holding or tending to at least one kid but I wouldn't have it any other way. Scott and I marvel at our blessings every day and how lucky we are to have a great family and two wonderful kids. Now we are preparing for Halloween - Nathan is going to be a bee. We spend our evenings "pumpkin hunting" and I think he is really going to enjoy trick or treating. He is really enjoying opening all of Ellie's baby presents so Christmas is going to be a riot. We'll have to wrangle our presents out of his hands! Nathan and Ellie - all the pictures have him in them because he never leaves her side...still a great big brother! Though Ellie is not so sure about this sitting up stuff.

Chubby cheeks (over 12 pounds at her last checkup two weeks ago)

In repose on Mommy and Daddy's bed (or should we call it Ellie's bed since that is the only place she sleeps)

Ellie and Big Brother Nate (say Cheese)

Knocked out on Daddy's pillow. If she can't have Daddy, at least she can have his smell.....

What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?

Chubby cheek lady
Snuggling with Daddy
Check out the bandaged thumb
Cheese!

Well, this was the first official weekend when Scott and I looked at each other and said "what have we gotten ourselves into?!" After fighting a cold for several days, Nathan finally succumbed and though we tried to fight him off of Ellie, kissing her was too much to resist so of course Ellie got sick too. So, with two sick kids, Scott and I spent the weekend playing tag team tending to each of our kids and alternating "sleeping" sitting up with Ellie on our chest. We literally only saw each other in passing going from one child to the next. Our weekend of no sleep culminated in a trip to the ER for Nathan after he slammed his right thumb in a gate on a walk in our neighborhood. We had gone out (finally) for some fresh air and a walk to look at the pumpkins in the neighborhood and Nathan was doing his neighborly duty of shutting everyone's gates on the walk when he encountered one that was obviously a little heavier than he expected and it slammed right on his thumb. In true Nathan fashion, when I said we needed to go home and tend to his boo boo, he said "no mommy go walk pumpkins." He was more devastated about having to end our walk early than he was about nearly chopping his thumb off.

So Scott and Nate took a trip to the ER while I spent the evening trying to get Ellie to sleep. The good news is that Nate is ok - he ripped his thumbnail off, cut open his thumb and had a couple of stitches, and also has a slight fracture, but will recover fine according to the doctors. Everyone at the hospital was charmed by our dear son who quickly forgot about his injury and set about exploring the hospital and getting into everything. Thank goodness it was a slow night and he and his daddy were home after only two and a half hours. He was very excited to tell me about the picture they took of his hand and how his hand had to say "cheese."

Today, I thought for sure Nathan would be affected by his injury but other than pointing out his "boo boo" to anyone he encounters, he seems to think it is business as usual and is still riding his scooter and as active as ever. So all three of us will be traipsing to the doctor tomorrow for stuffy noses and stitches. Oh what an adventure this is!

Other than that, all is well. Ellie is growing fast and already doesn't fit into her newborn or 0-3 month clothes....check out the chubby cheeks in the photo above. She has a definite pattern of eat, stay awake for about 45 minutes, and then she wants to go back to sleep. Cuddling on Daddy is her favorite way to sleep and I dare say she already has Scott wrapped around her teeny finger.

So, as with everything, we will get through this...I dare say it won't be the last trip to the ER knowing Nathan, nor our last bout with sick kids. I am just glad I don't have to have a functional brain at this point and go to work like Scott...he is the real trooper.

Off to more adventure!