Off and Running...

1 year pics...

Proud of himself for finding the remote...

So easy to entertain!

Putting his money from Grandpa Marv in his piggy bank...

Evan is walking and the race is on! He is still a little wobbly, but already I'm having to chase him around. I took him to the doctor to get his second round of the flu shot yesterday. While we were waiting, he kept taking off and trying to get into the back area. What happened to my little baby that would just stay where I put him or let me hold him?! It has been very fun to watch him learning to walk. He gets more confident everyday and I'm sure he will literally be running any day now. Yikes!

Evan is quite the little comedian. He has realized that he can make us laugh and seems to enjoy that. The other night I was putting clothes away in his room and Aaron was out in the living room. I looked over at Evan and he had a clear plastic bowl on his head. He was looking at me just waiting for my reaction. I laughed, which encouraged him to do it again. Pretty soon he was walking around the house with the bowl on his head. Very funny! He will look at us and crinkle up his nose, which also makes us laugh. I think he is going to be our little class clown!

He is also very social and loves to be around people. Every time we go out to eat, he "talks" and waves to people. It gets very excited when he gets their attention and likes to make faces at them. He is very vocal and seems to have a lot to say...just like his mom! We stopped at Target after work today and he was "growling" at people. (We encouraged him to growl on Halloween when he was a tiger, but this is getting to be a little much!) Most people just look at him and smile, but one guy actually growled back! Evan was amused and growled louder...ugh.

He loves books, balls, and anything else that isn't a toy...like TV remotes and phones. He says "bah bah" for bottle, his sippy cup, mom's coffee, or anything else in a glass. He also says it for ball, book, and balloon...hmm. He also says "cracker", "tractor", "mama", "dada", "na na" (banana?), and "uh oh" (which sounds more like a naughty word). He like to help get himself dressed and undressed, is starting to be okay with us brushing his teeth, loves to eat blueberries and finger jello, and is VERY ticklish!

We went to see Santa while we were in Eau Claire for Thanksgiving. Santa was just going on his dinner break when we got there, so we had to wait for an hour. Evan was already getting tired and wasn't overly interested in him. Santa had a ball, so Evan was content to sit on his lap for a few minutes. I couldn't get our scanner to work, but will post the picture later. We're trying to convince my dad to dress up as Santa next year so that we don't have to wait in line or pay $15 for a quick pic!

We are excited for Christmas...and a 2 week break from work! (For me...a perk of working at a school!)

Cake, Candy, & Cookies...

My little tiger...

Looking guilty after swipping a cookie off of Grandma's table!

Everything goes in the mouth!

Very inquisitive!

Love this little guy...

Helping mom with laundry...

Serious boy!

We have been busy! We celebrated Evan's big first birthday with some friends and family, had a fun Halloween, and had Evan's 12 month doctor visit.

We had a fun party at our house on the 26th and I am so grateful for the wonderful people that are a part of Evan's life! He has so many people that love him...it warms my heart as his mom!

We ate finger jello, homemade mac-n-cheese (thanks Grandma Mary Jo), cake, and lots of other goodies. Evan played with his little friends, opened presents, and tried to eat his jungle animal headbands (thanks to Theresa for making those...they were amazing!)

Evan and I headed to Eau Claire on Saturday for Halloween. Last year he had only been home from the hospital for 2 days, so he didn't have a costume. This year he was a tiger and he was adorable!!! He even sat still for 10 seconds while I used my eyeliner to make whiskers and a nose on his face. I had a hard time washing the eyeliner off, so he woke up on Sunday morning with still looking like a tiger! We went to Matt and Hannah's, my Grandpa's, and our neighbors' house...very fun!
Evan had his 12 month appointment on Tuesday. The doctor was running behind, so we ended up being there for almost 2 hours...ugh! Trying to keep a 1 year old occupied in a small room is not an easy task. He kept pulling all of the kleenex out of the box and trying to get the instrument that they use to check reflexes. He also had to get his shots, which is never fun. He is a healthy boy though and is up to 27 pounds and 32 1/2 inches. Whew!
He is now saying "bah" (ball), "bah bah" (bottle), "tractor" (really...he has a tractor book and has said it many times), "mama", "dada", "pup", and lots of random noises. He continues to walk around hanging on to furniture and can reach higher up on the shelves. Now we really need to childproof!

Happy Birthday Evan!

LOVED the frosting!

So did Maddux...

Excited about his Fisher Price parking garage!

Evan turned a year old yesterday...I can't believe it! It is amazing to me when I think about how much life has changed for us this year. I can hardly remember what life was like before our sweet little boy was in it. I cried when he was born...I was so overwhelmed with excitement, joy, and feelings of love for this little one that I hardly knew. It seems so long ago that I was spending his first 8 days with him in the NICU, just waiting to take him home. I could hardly stand to go home at night and leave him there. When we did bring him home, I thought I would never be able to sleep, between feedings and creeping into his room at night to make sure he was still breathing! (A common new mom thing I think!) All the nights that he wouldn't sleep unless he was curled up in our bed, and my fear that he would never sleep in his crib. He would fuss if I put him down and just wanted to be held all of the time. I thought I would never get anything done, let alone be able to shower or brush my teeth! Now I long for those lazy days of him sleeping while I was holding him or him letting me cuddle him. My little boy is growing up...

He is standing by himself more and more, is walking holding onto furniture, has 7 teeth, wants to hold his own spoon when he eats, just got his first pair of big boy shoes, makes lots of sounds, and gets into everything! He doesn't want to be rocked or cuddled much, is always on the go, and is starting to look more like a boy than a baby. I look at him and wonder where this year went...do they all go by this quickly?!

We are having so much fun with Evan and love him more everyday. Parenthood really is an amazing thing.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy!

Our Little Monkey

Always full of smiles...

Our sweet boy...

His "Stevie Wonder" look...

Loves to eat...notice the cheerio on his chin!

Cleaning out mommy's purse...

Playing with Maddux's water dish...

Fun with the pumpkins...

My little baby is almost a year old!!! Where has the time gone?! Evan is definitely turning into a "little boy"! He is pulling himself up on everything, starting to take steps holding onto furniture, and has mastered climbing the steps (but not quite how to go back down them). He is eating lots of different foods and LOVES blueberries, squash, bananas, cheese, yogurt, and grilled cheese. He is not a picky eater, but squeals with delight when his favorites are brought out! He holds his own sippy cup and is all about feeding himself. He also likes to rub his sticky hands through his hair...mom doesn't love that as much!

Evan is very vocal. He says "mama", "dada", "nana", "baba", and enjoys his high pitch squealing! He is also quite the comedian. His new thing is to squint his eyes shut and laugh...very cute!

He is standing for periods of time on his own and is starting to walk around holding onto furniture. I'm sure he'll be walking (and running) in no time.

We have been busy visiting both grandmas and grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Evan had a great time with his first visit to the apple orchard a couple of weekends ago. He crawled around in the pumpkins, went for a tractor ride, and sampled some little bites of apple. We're hoping to make it to the orchard again before it gets too cold!

Other than that, we are just enjoying everyday with him. He is so funny, sweet, and full of life!

Back To School

Outside bathtub...notice the sticks and leaves!

Playing the piano at Grandma's house

Evan, Maddy, and Hailey

Laura and Evan

It was a great summer, but it is good to be back to work too. I feel very fortunate to have a job that I love and a great daycare for Evan! He was excited to get back to Betsy's house and to explore all of the toys, cupboards, and other things that he couldn't get into the last time he was there! He was just starting to crawl at the end of the school year, but hadn't been able to really get around. Now it is a completely different story! He and Lars (Betsy's little guy) are going to keep her busy this year!

We enjoyed the last few weeks of summer. We went to the State Fair a couple of weeks ago with both sets of grandparents and cousins, Hailey and Maddy. We had a great time and Evan seemed to enjoy watching all of the people. Aaron got sick from eating corn dogs, fries, and cheese curds all in an hour, but other than that it was good. Aaron's parents and the girls stayed over, and Evan loved having all of that attention!

The week before Labor day we didn't have daycare, so Evan got to spend time at home with different people. My cousin Laura came up for 2 days, my mom for 1, Aaron stayed home 1 day, and then I was home on Friday. Whew...it was a busy week!

We went to Eau Claire over Labor Day and did the Buckshot run for Special Olympics on Sat. Aaron, Matt, and Hannah ran the 5 mile...my mom, Evan, and I walked the 2 mile. The weather was perfect and it was a nice course through Carson Park. After that we had lunch and then headed to my parent's house to paint the outside of their house. We ended up painting the whole house over the weekend and took turns entertaining Evan! He played outside in the pack-n-play, in the swing, and swam around in the little pool. He is very good natured and pretty much goes with the flow...we are very lucky!

We had a nice weekend at home and Evan had a bath outside in the pool tonight. It was very cute to watch him crawl in and out of the pool! He loves to crawl out and collect leaves, sticks, and anything else he can find. What a BOY!

Next weekend we are heading to Alexandria to visit our new TWIN nieces! We can't wait to meet them!

10 Months Old!

Pretty proud of himself!

Getting into Grandpa Marv's newspapers & the baby wipes

Uncle Matt the baseball star!

Loving the beach!

Evan is 10 months old today! It's hard to believe that in 2 months he will be a year old!

It seems like he is doing something new and exciting every day. Last week I took him to the beach and wasn't sure how he would like it. He has been in the sand and loves the bathtub, but the beach was crowded and the lake water was a little cool. Well, he loved it. As soon as I put him in the sand he was crawling towards the water. He sat for a minute checking it out, then was digging in the wet sand and crawling around in the water. I brought along a bag full of water toys, but he was more interested in the other kids and their toys. I brought him out into the deeper water and put him on his belly. He seemed to enjoy it and kept trying to drink the lake water. When it was time to go, I put a dry diaper on him and set him on the towel so that I could get our things together. I turned around and he was halfway across the sand climbing into a random baby bear tube. Oops! I had to try and brush the wet sand off of him and carry him to the car with the diaper bag, toy bag, wet towels, and snack cooler. Uff da...lots of work for mom! We may try to go again this weekend and this time we'll bring Aaron along to carry everything!

My parents came up last Thursday so that I could go into work for awhile and Aaron's parents came on Friday. Aaron's dad put in a new front step for us (thanks Grandpa), and Evan enjoyed having the grandparents attention all at once! On Saturday I co-hosted a baby shower for my friend Carrie and then headed up north to Haugen, WI to watch my brother play ball. My parents, Hannah, and Evan had gone up earlier that day. We went to the game that night (it rained and was a very wet game), and then stayed at a hotel and went to the championship game on Sunday. Evan spent the afternoon crawling around on the grass and making friends with random strangers. He is quite the outgoing little guy! Matt's team won the game and are state champs for the second year in a row. It was fun to watch and hopefully Evan will inherit his uncle Matt's pitching arm! We also swam in the hotel pool and then swam at my aunt Kim's house on Sunday. He loves the water and it is fun to see him splash around!

Evan has mastered standing up and is now pulling himself up holding on to everything. His new thing is to climb up onto the ottoman (with help from mom and dad), and then climb on the big chair. He is feeding himself lots of different foods, clapping when he drinks out of his sippy cup or does something cool, waves, and even said "mama" for the first time on Wed! He said it 3 times and has said it since then, but I'm not sure that he associates it with me. He seems to just say it as he is cruising around...but I'll take it! We're also sure that he has said "uh oh" and "hi", but it could just be babbling.

He has also discovered the toilet paper. The other day he was tearing it into little pieces and feeding it to the dog...agh! I'm sure this is just the start of many things the two of them will get into!

I worked a couple of days this week and had a hard time leaving Evan. He was at daycare one day and with Aaron for part of the other days. When I dropped him off at daycare he clapped and seemed to have a great time with the newly discovered toys and his buddy Lars! I guess it won't be a hard transition for him!

I go back to work full-time on Monday, but am feeling more ready now. I feel so blessed to have a job where I am done in the afternoon and have summers off. It has been a great summer and we have had lots of fun!

Summer Fun!

Silly hairdo!

LOVES his bath!

Obsessed with a fake leaf that he found...

Evan & Maddux...best buds!

Agh...I just realized it has been almost a month since I last updated the blog! Here is a quick run-down of what we have been up to...

* We celebrated my brother's 30th birthday on July 17th by going out to dinner and then to his baseball game. Evan even dressed for the occasion...a shirt that had a picture of Matt on the front and said, "My Uncle is a 30 Year Old Rock Star", on the back! Evan was a trooper at the game and stayed up until the end, which wasn't until 11pm!

* Spent a weekend in Alexandria with Grandma and Grandpa Pasche. We played, went to Art in the Park, and had a great time hanging out with Hailey and Maddy!

* Evan had his 9 month appointment at the end of July. He weighs 26 pounds

(95-97% percentile) and 31 inches (97% percentile)...a big boy! He is crawling around at lightning speed, pulling himself up, still getting into the dog's dish, loves to squeal, makes silly noises with his tongue, and is VERY ticklish! He is such a hoot!

* We went boating with the Grieger's on Saturday and had a great time! They hadn't seen Evan since he was a month old, so it was fun to see them. It was Evan's first time on a boat and he loved it. He didn't even seem to mind the life jacket.

* Lots of play dates with friends...so much fun!

* I had to go to a workshop for 2 days last week, so Evan went to daycare. He immediately started checking out the new toys and reacquainting himself with Betsy, Lars, and the kitty. He didn't seem to mind when mommy left!

I go back to work in a week and a half...I can't believe summer is almost over! I have had an amazing summer with Evan and am going to miss him like crazy when I go back to school. I am grateful though that I love my job and that Evan loves his daycare. I think it will be good once we get back into the swing of things!

Summer Fun

What a silly little boy!

Bath time with Isaac & Lily!

Waving his flag at the 4th of July parade

Hanging out at Noah's Ark with Kirsten

His new potty chair from Grandma & Grandpa Pasche

Fun in the pool with Maddy & Hailey!

Really wanting to climb the steps!

We have been having so much fun that I haven't even had time to update the blog! Actually, we have been gone quite a bit and when we're home we have just been too busy. The summer is going by quicker than I would like, but we are having a great time!

I can't believe how much Evan has changed, even in the last month. He is now crawling like crazy and can get into things before we realize it. His favorite things are cords (especially lamp cords and my phone charger cord), remotes, phones, registers, the dog's water dish, and anything else that he really shouldn't get into. Child proofing has begun!

He has started to pull himself up and is working really hard to figure out how to get up the steps. (See the picture below) He likes to throw things and then crawl after them...we think he is learning from the dog! We have noticed that he is mostly using his left hand to throw, so maybe he'll be a great left-hander like his mom, Uncle Matt, and Grandpa Marv! He loves to eat Cheerios, crackers, cereal, bananas, squash, and pretty much anything else we give him. He has 2 teeth on the bottom and his top 2 just came in!

We went and stayed with Theresa, Isaac, & Lily last Thursday while their dad was on a mission trip. My friend Carrie was also there and we had a great time. We played in the sandbox, with bubbles, in the swing, and with Isaac and Lily's fun toys. The kids took a bath together, which was very entertaining...three kids in a tub is wild! On Friday we went to Eau Claire and got together with my college roommate Brenda, who I hadn't in a long time. She lives in Colorado Springs and has two beautiful children that they adopted from Guatemala. It was so fun to meet them and to have them meet Evan. Hopefully we'll see them again soon! We went to a little neighborhood parade and a train ride on the 4th, and had some good family time during the weekend. On Tuesday my mom, Evan, and I headed to Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells. My cousin Kirsten works there, so we went to visit her and spend the day in the water. Evan loved the water and we took turns watching Evan and going on the wider slides. It was a great day and Evan was very silly and giggly on the way home! We spent some time with Great Grandpa Dewitz and then headed home on Wednesday. On Friday we headed to Burnsville to my friend Jane's house for a play date. There were four 2 year olds, three babes, 5 mommies, and 1 soon to be mommy. The kids had a great time and seemed to really enjoy playing together.

This weekend Aaron's parents came to visit and brought our 2 nieces with. We went to the MN Zoo, played video games, swam in Evan's pool, and had a great time hanging out. Grandma and Grandpa Pasche brought Evan a potty chair, complete with a TP holder and a magazine/book holder. We won't need it for awhile, but with his own toilet paper and some good reading material, training should be a cinch!

We have more fun things planned in the weeks to come and are really enjoying summer with our sweet little boy!

8 Months Old

Who needs water to have fun?!

Loves the remote...just like his dad!

Happy first Father's Day!

Pickles from Grandpa Marv!

Looking at the boats in Bayfield

Silly boy!

Evan's last day with Betsy and Lars...until the fall!

Evan turned 8 months old on the 21st. He is definitely turning into a little boy...not a baby anymore! I am really enjoying being home with him this summer. I love my job, but it is nice to just be able to spend the day doing whatever we want! We are very fortunate to have Betsy taking care of Evan while we are at work. She has a little boy named Lars, who is 2 months older than Evan. We are very happy that she will be taking Evan again this coming school year! She is great and Evan loves her!

We had a great, relaxing time in Bayfield. We rode the ferry over to Madeline Island, stuck our toes in Lake Superior (too cold to swim), played in the sand, shopped, ate, went to Duluth, spent lots of time in the car (yuck), and just had a good time hanging out. It was a much needed vacation!

This week we have been hanging out at home, playing, swimming, and doing a little cleaning. We got Evan a little pool and he has been having fun in it, even when it didn't have water in it! I realized that an empty swimming pool is a great thing to have. We had it sitting in the living room for a couple of days and could put Evan in there with a bunch of toys. Now that he can crawl, he is all over the place! Today he realized that he can climb out of the pool, so not such a great way to keep him contained. We put water in it today (I had to put a little warm water in) and he LOVED it! He splashed and played with his water toys...I think he will be a swimmer! We had him in my aunt Kim's pool last weekend and he liked that too. My cousins' kids were splashing around and Evan wasn't even phased by it. We plan to do lots of swimming this summer...although I'm not excited about wearing a suit!

We have a lot going on in the next couple of weeks...the summer is already flying by!

Evan has mastered the crawling and is on the go! He is still just as sweet as can be and is quite the charmer! The pictures tell it all...