Eve at six months!

It's been a full month since we posted, plus another week because a computer ate my post before I could send it up, and I had to start all over. Sorry!

Eve has come a long way in that month. For example, she's now eating solids! Well, we call them solids, but they're really things mashed into paste -- things like banana, avocado, rice, peaches, pears, and yogurt. We'll probably do oatmeal next. In the meantime, she can also hold her own bottle (though she doesn't know to point the end up) and her own sippy cup, which she prefers chewing on to sipping from. Actually, she can hold on to all sorts of things -- toys, her spoon, her feet, other people's hair, and so on.

She has lots of chairs that she can sit in now. One is the "Johnny jump-up," which is suspended from the door frame between the living room and kitchen. It's supposed to be bouncy, but mostly she just turns herself around. There's also a chair that's supposed to turn around -- it's a latter-day walker, where she can't make any progress, but can go in circles around a pivot point. It also has lots of toys she can play with and chew on. Then there's a short chair that props her up so she can sit by herself, which she likes, but she can't reach much from it. And of course, she's in a high chair now. It's a great one, which is highly adjustable, and will be useful for years longer than the usual high chair.

She's not quite crawling yet, but is very, very close. She's been able to raise herself up on her arms since the moment she was born, and she can stick her rear end up in the air, but she can't seem to put them together to lift her body up. She rolls at will, and can turn herself around, and even slide -- except she goes backwards, because she gets the most traction with her hands. We had a very nice baby gate installed at the top of our stairs, as the first and biggest step in baby-proofing the house. (UPDATE: Since I wrote this paragraph, this morning, she's gotten up on her hands and knees several times, and even moved a knee forward. But she collapses or topples over sideways each time... so far.)

The worst thing about this age is teething. It makes her grumpy at times, but we keep her supplied with homeopathic medicine. She actually likes it, because it's kind of sweet. She doesn't know it's medicine, but it can actually distract her from her fussing. Anyway, no teeth yet, but it's just a matter of time.

Eve has lots of friends around her age. The one she sees most is Dora, the daughter of our friends Dan and Shawna. She's seven weeks younger. Here they are together on Eve's play mat.

Probably the most exciting development for me is that I'm taking Eve to swimming lessons! Once a week, we go to a local hotel with a heated pool (not that we need a heated pool these days!), and we play games and sing songs in the water. There are between two and five other kids there at any given class. It's basic things like blowing bubbles and splashing, which are still a bit advanced for Eve -- especially being so distractable! But she likes the water a lot, and even does well going all the way underwater. No pictures of that yet, but we promise, we'll take some!

She's beginning to understand object permanence. If an item falls off her high chair, as they often do, she'll look to see where it went. Happily, the separation anxiety that comes along with object permanence hasn't been too bad. She's happiest when one or both of us are in view, but she can still entertain herself for a while. Also, she's finally started to fall asleep on her own, though not regularly.

She makes more and more noises. The newborn cry is long gone, as is the "neh" sound for hunger. Her cry is much more mature and expressive, not to mention loud. But she also coos and squeals and laughs. Most distinctive is her "sleepy song," which is a long, drawn-out vocalization she makes as she's falling asleep. We're not sure what it means. She also likes to make a raspy, throaty sound, which probably appeals to her because she can feel the vibrations.

Finally, she had her six-month checkup this week. She's doing very well! She weighs 15 pounds, six ounces, which is well over double her birth weight. She is 26 inches long. Her length is the 55th percentile, but her weight is only the 33rd. That came as news to us, because she certainly looks well-fed, and she likes to eat. On the other hand, the pediatrician correctly noted that she's so curious about the world that she gets distracted from eating. When she remembers she's hungry, she eats.

5 months old and so much to tell - Michigan trip

Once again, we've been a bit lax in updating ye old blog, but you know, life and a 5 month old take up a lot of time! 

We have tons of beautiful pictures to share from our trip to Michigan in early April.  It was Eve's first time in Michigan, a state that holds a lot of ties for both Steve and me.  So of course, we stopped at the border to take a picture of the great moment.  This you may recognize as the lighthouse at the rest area just inside the border with Indiana along Interstate 94:

The 7 hour drive itself was brutal.  Steve had been out all night working at the hospital, and Eve was bored within 2 hours.  We made it, but only with 4 more stops than usual. 
 
Eve met her Great Grandmother (my Grandma Jean, now known as GG) for the first time.  This is GG meeting Eve for the first time, at the farm:

Here's a nice shot of the four generations of Pascoe women:

And here's one of GG and Eve, enjoying each other's company:

The other big reason for going to Michigan this trip was a baby shower that friends of the Herricks threw for Eve.  The Rumohrs, Taggarts, Robinsons (and others) had brought it up during our pregnancy, but agreed to wait until the baby was here.  The shower included men and women, and brought in so many of our loved ones:  Old friends from Ann Arbor, Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Charlie, my parents (who just happened to be passing through . . . ), GG and Charlie, and all of these folks who have known Steve since he was small.  Eve had been fussy the day before and that morning, but during the shower, played and rolled and kicked on her blanket in the middle of the main room, where people could admire her, and was as content as could be.

 Everyone pitched in (pun intended) and bought us a very large tent.  Look out for family camping adventures in the near future!

We spent a lot of good, quality time with family on this weekend.  We celebrated Grandma Shirley's birthday at the farm. Here's my favorite shot to date of Eve with Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Charlie:

Finally, it was Easter weekend, so we all went to church together that morning in Lansing. Eve wore a knitted dress that I had worn during my baptism in December 1977:

We wrapped up the weekend with Easter dinner at the Herricks in Mason, and then drove back to Madison. It was a great, albeit short, and celebratory trip.  We're so fortunate to have so much supportive and loving family. 

All grown up!

Well, not hardly.  But our baby reached some important milestones this week. 

Eve spent Wednesday with her babysitter, Pacia, and her son, Aubrey.  It was the first time she's been cared for outside of our home and by someone not a relative for an extended time.  It seemed to go smoothly, and everyone feels really good about the arrangement.  They'll be looking after Eve on Wednesdays from now on, so I can have a third day per week in the office.  Yay!  So we'll have less of this:

Wednesday we also put Eve in her high chair for the first time.

She isn't eating solids yet, but loves to watch us eat and to be closer to the action.  She also excels at throwing toys to the floor.  Can't wait to see what she does to messy food!

Eve's Tree

We planted Eve's birth tree this weekend.  It's a Meteor, a very hardy, semi-dwarf sour cherry.  We had saved the placenta and had it in our freezer; brought it out and buried it under the tree.  The placenta supposedly provides lots of nutrients to the tree (and it's a good use for all that energy that went into making it, uffda!)

It will also be fun to watch the tree grow along with her.  Here we are, checking out the buds.

Florida

We flew to Tallahassee earlier this month, to visit my cousin, David Pascoe, his wife, Miles, and their 12 month old boy (Eve's second cousin), Sidney!  It was also Eve's first plane trip. 

Traveling through airports with an infant is fascinating and a whole new take on the subject.  Strangers either can't keep their hands off your child or stare at you like they're wishing you were sitting on the other end of the plane.  We now appreciate family bathrooms, those pull down changing tables, and the slow people (i.e. stroller and wheelchair) line at security.  Oh, and judging from the number of flight attendants who either told us about their babies or were pumping in the public bathrooms, there are apparently a large number of lactating women on planes.  Can you imagine being out on a 4 day run, away from your baby, and trying to pump?

Eve, not surprisingly, handled flying and airports really well.  By the end of each travel day, she was tired and let us know, but for the most part and for the flights themselves (with one exception, yikes), she was content and charming.  Here's my only picture of her on the trip, during our layover in Memphis.

We got to Tallahassee late Wednesday night and stayed up late talking with Miles and David and seeing their lovely home.  We met Sid for the first time!  He's vibrant and chatty and very huggy with strangers.  He and Eve didn't interact too much during our visit, probably because direct contact would have resembled an unfair cage match (2 babies enter, 1 baby leaves . . . and I can guess who!).  Sid is in that lovely exploring stage - cruising and babbling all the way. 

We spent most of our visit at a condo we rented on St George Island, off the Gulf coast between Tallahassee and Pensacola.  We had a great place that walked right out on the beach and was just up the beach from a state park with miles of undeveloped shore.


There were few people and cool but sunny days, so we spent a lot of time walking on the beach with babies in slings.

This was Eve's first walk on the beach.  She fell asleep, but we picked out a shell for her memory box.

Doesn't this one look like a J Crew magazine shot?

Sid loved being on the prow of his ship.

We hung out and talked a lot, ate tons of excellent, locally caught seafood, and amused ourselves with the kids.

One afternoon we were playing with the kids on a blanket on the floor and all four adults had become absorbed in a conversation.  Eve was on her belly . . . and then very calmly rolled over onto her back.  It took us a second to realize what she had done.  She looked very pleased with herself.  I put her back on her stomach, David started up the video camera, and sure enough . . . she did it again!  (A week later she rolled back to front, and a few days ago I caught her doing a 360 degree roll on the floor - she looked rather startled). 

And we walked more on the beach . . . the water was frigid.

Steve took some artsy photos.

Eve loved the beach, especially viewed from the sling.  "Riding in style", as the old guys drinking on the porch said.

What a wonderful, restful trip!  Thank you so much, Miles, David and Sid.  We look forward to spending more time with you soon.

Four months old!

Our beloved Eve is 4 months old today.  It's amazing how time has warped - in some ways, it feels so much longer, in other ways, like her birth was yesterday. 

She is developing quickly, reaching new milestones almost daily - she has now rolled over front to back and back to front (we have video footage, let us try to figure out the formatting), passes toys from hand to hand, frets when I leave the room and calms when I come back (the first signs of object permanence), and enjoys sitting up with support and seeing the world around her.   Most of this is pretty early for her age. 

Eve had her four month well baby check up yesterday.  Doc says she's in early teething stages (accounts for the excessive drooling).  She weighed in at 13 lbs 4 oz (born 7 lb 7 oz) and measures 24.25" in length (born 19.5").  That's 53% and 44% respectively.  She is in excellent health. 

Breaking news!

This just in . . . Eve Xochitl laughed for the first time tonight!  Mama sneezed, Eve laughed and it sounded a little creaky, but was definitely a laugh.  It was followed in quick succession by her second and third laughs, which were much clearer.  Mama cried a few tears at the momentousness. 

We're mostly packed and ready for Florida adventures tomorrow!

March already?!

Even though it's only two days shorter than other months, February was true to form and reputation and sped by in what felt like 10 days. 

Eve is developing rapidly and every day brings something new.  She's way into toys, especially the moose from Auntsy.  It's starting to go into her mouth and entertains her for half an hour at a time.  She loves gumming her hands, and has been eyeing her feet, so I think it's only a matter of time before those make it into her mouth.  She's discovering her voice and makes shrieks and other noises that are not entirely pleasant, but don't seem to be caused by pain or discomfort..  

Eve and I got away for a Green women's retreat this past weekend.  Here is Eve, wearing shoes for the first time, ready to go!  Note how she fills the swing now.

 

I took her cross country skiing for the first time.   It was a short, but glorious outing (and very warm and windless, for those of you concerned that I was using her to break the wind). Eve loved it, was wide eyed the entire time.

 

We hung out (here with Aunt Amy).

We read up on bee keeping.

 

Here's a better one of the two of us:

Back home to daddy (who was very happy to see us after our first days apart since Eve's birth), Eve is getting geared up for a visit this weekend from Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Charlie, and then our trip to Tallahassee to visit her cousin Sid!

 

Que pasa, baby.

3 months old and then some!

Our loyal readers are crying out for more pictures and posts, so here goes!  We've been taking video, too, but struggling a bit on the technology front and so can't yet post clips here. 

It's been a busy busy few weeks, with visits from Auntzy (my sister) and Marme and Grandad (my parents).  Auntzy, named as a contraction for Aunt Zoe plus her antsy behavior at times (love ya babe), came down over Valentine's Day weekend, to let Steve and me get out for a much needed date.  We had a two and a half hour dinner at a fancy schmancy restaurant, and even managed to find things to talk about not related to the baby!  Here we are, about to go out.

Marme has been coming to town for days at a time, to let both Steve and me get in to work.  It's a win win win situation, as far as we can figure.  Marme and Eve are getting to be great friends, and Steve and I get to catch up.  It's clear that our current arrangement for work/Eve care is time limited:  having her in the office with me one day a week works, but I don't now that she wants to play for hours at a time.  Steve's night shifts on call followed by days with Eve are brutal.  We're looking at options right now, so stay tuned.  For the immediate term, we're looking for someone to stay with Eve at home one day a week (please let us know if you know anyone who might be appropriate or have tips). 

One of the unexpected advantages of having Mom here is that she's been showing us how to use all these baby toys we've been given.  Who knew what they were for or that Eve was ready for some of them already!   She's started grasping for things (including beards, hair, necklaces, but mostly toys) and has gotten quite good at it.   She likes to be read to, but has to be in the right mood.  

She's gained awesome head control, to the point where we have her outward facing in the snugli now. 

 

She is a very contemplative, observant baby.  

  

 This t-shirt was a gift from Steve's coworkers at WCCN:

 

Here are Marme and Steve, holding Eve's friend Dora and Eve with their matching bee hats (from Marme).

  

And, finally, the quintessential Eve shot - taken by Auntzy on her iPhone: