Yummy Yummy In Her Tummy

I have seen many a cute picture of other babies having their first meals ending up covered in food from head to toe. It wasn't until this past Saturday that I realized that behind all those cute pictures was a mother also covered in baby food!
The first time she ate cereal was quite the ordeal - take a bite, gag, spit it out, take a bite, gag, spit it out. In the end we got down almost 1 1/2 Tbsps in just 45 minutes! Since Saturday we have been feeding her one meal of rice cereal everyday and she is actually starting to take to it. Last night she ate almost the entire 2 Tbsps without gagging once! However she did sneak in a sneeze at one point which sent projectile baby food all over my face. Next time I will try to remember to keep my distance!
Maybe this weekend we will try a flavored cereal! (absurd the things that excited me these days!)

Saying Goodbye to My Little Burrito

Since Haley's birth we have continued to swaddle her at night...it had always seemed to help her sleep better. I would even go to the level of saying she loved it. Every night when I laid her down on top of the swaddler she would "assume the position" - laying rigid with her arms and legs straight like a little torpedo. I would then wrap her as snug as I could and she would then proceed to quickly dose off. This cute little bundle became known as Mommy's/Daddy's Little Burrito.
To make a long story short, Texas has been in some what of a heat wave so we decided to ditch the wrap as I was concerned she was getting to hot. Plus, now that she can roll I became overwhelmed with worry that she would roll over and not be able to right herself in the middle of the night. She has made the switch relatively easily and shows no signs of changing her sleep patterns without it. I am sad to she this phase end as she was always so cute bundled up. However, now we will have a chance to show off all her cute jammies!

Evans Vacation 2009

This past weekend we spent camping with my dad's side of the family on the Blanco river in the Texas Hill Country. It was a beautiful weekend even though the water level on the river was lower than we had ever seen before; Luckily there were a few moving pools that we were able to take advantage of.

It has been ages since we had been camping and thought it was time to give it another shot. Chances are we probably won't do that again for quite some time. My brother-in-law got stung by a scorpion around 1:00 am and after that I pretty much stayed awake keeping watch over my slumbering family...I was not about to let any creepy crawlers invade!! The next day, regardless of the fact that we were all a little sleep deprived, we celebrated Justin's first Father's day with more fun in the sun and a 3 1/2 hour road trip home. Maybe next year we will let him sleep in and make him breakfast in bed!

A Step Back in Time

There is a picture that has hung in my parents house for years of my mom and I sitting in the Devil's river back in 1982. I was just a few months older than Haley at the time. It has always been a favorite picture of mine for the life it shows...one full of lazy days just hanging out with family & friends and enjoying the outdoors. Now that I am older, and my life is full of responsibilities, I find that I don't take enough time just enjoying life this way. Hopefully as Haley is growing up we will be able to slow down our hectic lives from time to time and make some of these memories with her.

My mother and I - Devil's River 1982

Haley and I - Blanco River 2009

Road Trip

We spent quite a bit of time in the truck this weekend...7 hours total. Haley did great. She slept most of the time but when she was awake I would crawl into the back of the truck with her and try and keep her entertained. Apparently I am one funny lady.

I was even able to get her laughing from the front seat a few times.

4 Months Stats and a Final Explanation

I can hardly believe our little girl is growing up so quickly. This past Friday was her 4 month appointment and second round of shots. She is weighing in at 15 pounds 12.5 ounces which puts her in the 90th percentile for weight and she is 25 1/2" long which puts her in the 75-90% range for height. He said she looks great and is growing nicely. The second round of shots went okay even though I think Haley would beg to differ. She is such a sweet baby who rarely fusses or even cries...until she gets poked in the thigh with a sharp object. I am not even sure if you consider the noises that came out of her to be cries...they were like wails that would make a dog ears bleed. Thankfully with the immediate soothing of both mom and dad she calmed down relatively quickly and was more than ecstatic to get a bottle as soon as we reached the truck. On a happier note we have been given the okay to start trying rice cereal!! Stay tuned for blackmail pictures to come.

After Friday's appointment I decided I had had enough random explanations on baby percentiles so I decided to do a little research myself. These % figures they spout off are supposed to show where your child ranks with children of the same sex and age. So when the doctor says Haley is in the 90th percentile this means that 90% of all 4 month old baby girls weigh the same or less than Haley...inversely only 10% weigh more!!! Glad I got that cleared up even though I am now concerned she is getting too heavy...hehe...and the weight complex begins for my daughter.

Third Time is a Charm

For a little summer fun we decided to head down to the beach this past Saturday with some friends and family. I was very reluctant since we have already been with Haley twice since she was born and both times were pretty rough on her and I. We spent the majority of those trips in the car soaking up the AC. This time was a different story...she loved it. Aside from a little fit late in the evening she was a doll. We played in the surf (well sort of), Justin fished (no luck), grilled (brats), and just plan had a good time. We headed down around 3:00 that afternoon and ended up staying till 9:30. Haley was completely tuckered out and even slept till 8:00 (!!!) the next morning recovering from her big beach day. I will keep my fingers crossed that she continues to be a water bug as she grows up so we can have many more trips like Saturday. Speaking of...for any of you who want to go just let us know cause we are always up for more fun in the sun.

Losing Control

Whatever control we previously had over our daughter is now completely gone. She has officially learned how to move on her own! I always knew this day would come but I was hoping she would be closer to 18. Hehe. Of course I am just being silly, I know she will still "need" Justin and I for the rest of her life. I am just a little sad that she seems to be growing up so fast!

Daddy's Girl

I thought I would share some new pics of Haley for those of you who haven't seen her lately. She is growing like a weed and becoming a more active baby every day. She smiles all the time (except when I hold her...see picture evidence below) and is starting to actually chuckle a little. It is so adorable! She has started grasping for things and learning about cause/effect. She is also on the brink of rolling over. She can pull herself over onto her side but her arm is still acting as a little road bump. She just can't figure out where to put it so it is out of her way. I think we are within days of a triumph though!



Haley has also become a real daddy's girl. I think she could sit in his lap for hours and just stare. She seems so happy and content in his arms (again, see photo proof below). I still think she loves me the most but Justin is coming in at a close second these days. Ha-ha.

Class Pictures

This has to be the most hysterical thing I have ever seen...Haley's first class photo! Remarkably they all appear to be looking at the camera except for Haley who appears to be half asleep. Either that or she is just irritated that the dude next to her is trying to pimp her bouncy!