Evan's First Month

I can't believe Evan is 5 weeks old already!  In some ways it feels like he has always been a part of our family, yet it seems like just yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital.  June was a blur of introducing him to all of our good friends and family, and figuring out how to operate as a family of 4.  I don't think we have it all figured out yet (it still takes us 45 - 60 minutes to get out the door on any given occasion), but we are beginning to settle in to a comfortable, happy pace of life.

The last time I left you all we were here - our first family photo:

In the weeks since, Elliott and I have enjoyed our many snuggles with baby Evan...

...while Steve seems to enjoy nap time most:)

 Although Steve is also working to ensure that he gets off to the right start with his musical education.

My mom was a huge help, and stayed with us during Evan's first week to help entertain Elliott, and take care of the normal household duties so we could rest when we got home from the hospital.

My dad also joined the party, and was able to say a quick hello to Evan right after his birth before heading home to work for the week.  Don't worry, he came back the following weekend to get some extra quality time.

After they headed back home we made a quick trip down to Newbury Park to introduce Evan to Great Grandma Claire and Great Grandpa Harry.   Grandma held him the whole afternoon, and said that he has a different energy than Elliott did (calmer and more mellow I think).  Grandpa made sure that the afternoon was appropriately documented.

Next up was a visit from Steve's parents (Lully and Grandpa).  Sandy got in some great playtime with both her grandsons, while we put Grandpa Wayne to work helping out with our various house projects.  He helped us completely gut and remodel our kitchen when Elliott was only 3 months old.  This time around we are planning to build a half bath in our garage - hopefully it will be less invasive/chaotic than the kitchen.  

The introductions wouldn't be complete without our beloved Nini.  Anita watched Elliott until he was 2yrs old, and became a part of our extended family.  Evan will be with her next year.

Evan got to meet most of my side of the family at our annual 4th of July camping trip here in Santa Barbara, including my sisters Jessica and Janine, and their kids along with my aunt and cousins.  We weren't brave enough to stay at the campground with a 3 week old, so we mostly made day trips out to visit, although Elliott got to spend a night with Grandma and Papa.  He had a great time playing with all of his cousins:

Including Bo who is only 6 weeks younger than him.

Evan enjoyed relaxing on the beach under the umbrella

And Elliott decided to test out the waves with Daddy

Our last group of visitors were Steve's brother Jason and his family.  Uncle Jason and Aunt Lori showered both of the boys with love and attention.  Cousin Miranda brought along her new husband Cassidy.  

We took the gang out for a spin on the "Little Toot", a water taxi that goes from Stearns Wharf to the Santa Barbara harbor.

It was Evan's first boat trip, although he slept through the entire ride, and wouldn't have had much of a view anyway from inside the baby carrier.

Elliott got to drive the boat, and the captain said he did a great job.

A first month update wouldn't be complete without a montage of "baby's first...", so here you go:

Evan's first... trip to Home Depot

Evan's first... bath

Evan's first... trip to the beach (my sister Janine and her baby Amelia met us in Ventura)

Evan's first... car trunk diaper change

Evan's first... good read

Elliott continues to be a joy - he's energetic, caring, and has a great sense of humor.  He is always doing something to make us smile or laugh.  And best of all he is a great big brother who gives Evan big kisses and is always willing to help out by grabbing a diaper, blanket, or whatever is needed.

I don't know how we lucked out to get two of the best boys ever!

Welcome to the World Evan Gene Reed!

He's here! After 9 months of eager anticipation, Evan came into the world with flair on June 9, 2014 at 5:44am, and just like that we are a happy (yet sleep deprived) family of 4.

We had a scheduled c-section planned for 7:15am on the 9th, but little Evan must have a touch of my impatience.  I went into labor late the night before, and progressed so quickly that we almost didn't make it to the operating room in time.

But that's of little interest.  Long story short - he's here, he's perfect, and we couldn't be more excited.

Here are the stats:

Name: Evan Gene Reed (Elliott picked Evan from our top 2 names, and Gene was my Gramp's middle name - June 9th was his & Gram's wedding anniversary)
Born: June 9, 2014 at 5:44am
Weight: 7lbs 8oz
Height: 19.5 inches

 

Elliott is already a great big brother.  My parents brought him to the hospital shortly after Evan was born so he could finally see baby brother in person, and he was so excited the first thing he wanted to do was hold Evan.  He was so gentle and sweet, you just know that they will be great friends once Evan gets a bit larger.  Elliott also brought a happy birthday gift for Evan - a "wubanub" (a stuffed animal attached to a pacifier) that he picked out and wrapped himself.

Other than that our hospital stay was uneventful.  Evan was calm and easy going from the start, and had no problems eating, and rarely cried.  After our experience with Elliott  (he cried the whole time we were in the hospital - we later found out he was tongue tied and unable to eat properly) it was a breeze.

My mom was a huge help, and stayed with Elliott to give him lots of love and attention while we were away, and when we first came home. She also brought him to visit us in the hospital several times, so we could have some fun with our first baby turned big boy.

           

 


After a few days of recuperating it was time to pack up, head home, and begin life as a family of 4.

            

It's a funny thing, being a parent the second time around.  We are more confident and relaxed in our parenting skills, so the little things like feeding, diapers, and crying babies don't seem so overwhelming.  And while the little milestones aren't necessarily as exciting and new like they were with Elliott, they are even more special since we have an awesome big kid to share them with.

Blueberries and Big Boy Beds

Hi All!  It's been awhile since I've shared the small happenings in our daily lives.  Elliott is so much fun that I just can't keep him to myself anymore.  He's a fast talking, fun loving, and incredibly sweet 2.5yr old now, complete with big boy undies (he's fully potty trained!), and a big imagination.

This past weekend we made a trip up to Buelton with our friends the Quinns to hit up the first day of blueberry picking at a local farm.  Blueberries are still one of E's favorite fruits, and since we recently started up our veggie box we've been talking a lot about how vegetables and fruits grow in dirt on farms, so it was the perfect excuse for a mini get-away.

I was surprised how quickly he figured out that the big blue ones are the best, and to leave the green ones behind.

And a good thing Daddy was close by to help out with the big juicy ones that were just a little out of reach.

Look at that big belly!  Soon Baby Brother will be joining the fun.

Devon, Genevieve, McKenna, and Camryn had a great time too.  With more helping hands they scored 2 times as many berries as us.

Of course, we can't skip out on the opportunity to ride a tractor when there is one close by!  They are also some of Elliott's favorite things.

 

We've been talking to Elliott for a few weeks about sleeping in a big boy bed so that Baby Brother can have the crib when he comes.  This weekend we decided to give it a test run, and he did great!  He really enjoys pretending to sleep under the covers (like below), but when he actually crawls in bed for the night he prefers to sleep on top of the covers, sideways, and snuggled up with his blankie and monkey.  There was even some night time serenading involved in our pretend sleep session the first day.

 

And just like that he's all grown up.  Kind of hard to believe that the baby boy we brought home from the hospital not too long ago has become so independent (sniff, sniff).  Good thing we have a new one coming in a few months...

 

 

To finish off our weekend we made the obligatory Home Depot run.  Our home projects are moving slowly these days as we find more balance between work, home and fun, but this kid seriously has been to Home Depot more often than other kids go to a toy store.

 

Isn't he the best!

That's good coffee!

Whew!  So happy the summer is over, and fall has arrived.  I'm surprised to hear myself say that, because generally I love summer, but I find myself craving the routine and even keel life that the academic year brings.  We had a summer full of good times, and trying times, and have made it through the other end happier and stronger because of it.  You would be amazed how much Elliott has grown over the course of a few months.  He's talking up a storm (in complete sentences), full of energy, and eager to explore his world, all with the same sweet silly personality that has shined through since the early months.

This weekend we got to experience his first real pretend play.  He discovered our broken espresso machine in our purge pile on the side of our yard, and entertained himself (and us!) for a good 30 minutes "making coffee", then bringing it in to us to taste.  I would take a sip, then he would give some to Steve for a taste, then he would squeal "that's good coffee!" and run outside to make another round.  

It's a good thing that pretend coffee doesn't give a real caffeine rush or none of us would be sleeping tonight.  

In other news, my college roommate Amy came to visit for the weekend, and we had a lovely afternoon wine tasting up in Santa Ynez.  Elliott came prepared with his backpack of toys, but ended up entertaining himself by moving rocks from one side of the lawn to the other.

And bonus pic because he is just too darn cute.  Here Elliott combines 2 of his favorite things - his scooter helmet and the ukelele.  I foresee this as the next big trend in the rockstar fashion world.

Hope the start of fall is treating you well!

it's the little things

One of the best things about being a parent is sharing the joys of the simple and everyday with someone who is experiencing them for the first time.  The other day I dragged Elliott to CVS with me on the way home from work, and while walking down the dental care aisle Elliott yelled out "toothbrush!" reminding me that I had been meaning to buy him a new toothbrush since his old one was looking past its prime.  I let Elliott pick his favorite, which he then proceeded to show everyone we passed in the store exclaiming "toothbrush, toothbrush".  (He's a bit of a parrot these days, and tells stories by repeating one word over and over).

Here he is trying to open the packaging on the way home from the store..

and the eager anticipation when Steve agreed to open it for him,

and at last, finally getting to use it!

In the moments when I am exhausted and worn down by the never ending tasks of my role as a working mom, it is refreshing to be reminded how exciting everyday life can be.  The little things make all the difference, and the joy this little guy brings to my world makes all the juggling and exhaustion seem inconsequential.

Buying a new toothbrush may not always be as exciting for Elliott as getting a new toy, but I hope he never loses the ability to find such delight in the little things.

Working

Elliott is so much fun these days, and I am continually amazed by his understanding of the world and how things work.  One of Elliott's favorite past times is playing with tools.  Sometimes he gets his hands on Daddy's tools, but mostly we try to keep his attention focused on his many toy tools.  For Christmas he got a wooden tool bench/tool set from Steve's parents, and a Black & Decker (toy) tool set from my Gram.  

At first he mostly just carried them around and gnawed on them from time to time.  These days he's a pro, knows the names of all of the tools.  He hammers nails with his hammer, uses the screwdriver to twist screws, and runs the saw across his work bench (he has both a wooden saw and a power saw). 

Elliott will often play at his bench and say over and over again "working, working", just in case we couldn't tell what we was up to.  He also said the same thing on the way home from work today when I told him Daddy was working, but would be home soon.  He must think that Steve plays with tools all day when he is at work.

We have plenty of projects around the house, and can't wait for Elliott to be big enough to trade in those toy tools for some real ones.  Especially when he is so enthusiastic about working:)

Simple Pleasures

Tuesdays are veggie day at our house.  I've been making an effort to be more healthy lately - mostly in what we eat, but maybe I'll branch out and start exercising too.  We recently restarted our veggie delivery service, and we all look froward to what comes in that little brown box every week.  This beauty is what was waiting on our doorstep this week when we got home from work.  

Elliott loves strawberries (and broccoli believe it or not), and reached in to help himself to the biggest, juiciest one in the box.

While I cook dinner (trying to squeeze as many veggies in as possible) he will either play at the window bench, or play in the backyard while Steve works.

And this is the end result when we finally sit down to eat!