Busy Boy

Riding the carousel at MOA

Trying to feed Maddux his yogurt

Helping mommy clean

Our sweet Valentine!

Evan LOVES playing in the snow!


So much for my goal of posting every Sunday! Life is just too busy around here!
Evan has been climbing onto everything, opening doors & cabinets, and exploring a lot lately. He loves to climb onto his little red stool or his highchair to look for "cars" out the window. He climbs onto the chairs, couch, and now has learned how to climb onto the closed toilet seat. What a little monkey!

He is obsessed with babies right now. He will point to pictures of himself in the house and say "baby". He likes to carry around his little baby doll and has to have her in the crib at night. When we are out and about he always points to other kids and says "baby". I don't think he understands that he is actually a baby, but it is cute!

It is so fun to watch him discover new things and to see him get excited over the smallest things. He squeals with delight when he sees a balloon, chases the dog, plays outside, eats blueberries, gets to push the garage door button, carries around his blankets, sees a school bus or car, plays with other kids, and listens to his music. He is such a happy little guy!

Evan is getting really good at eating with a fork and spoon. He eats yogurt, applesauce, and cereal by himself...and likes to try and have Maddux lick the spoon off! He tries to eat things with his fork, but is still sometimes having a hard time getting the food onto the fork. He also LOVES to drink out of a straw! Whenever we are at a restaurant, he goes nuts when he gets his milk in a little cup with a straw. He'll take a drink, but then also likes to play with the straw. We have had a couple episodes of milk being flung across the table...luckily it usually hits mommy or daddy and not a stranger...though that did happen once!

He is really developing his fine motor skills. He can pick up quarters off of the floor and put them into his piggy bank, put a cap onto a pen, and put the cover on my Blistex. He concentrates and doesn't seem to get discouraged if it doesn't work right away. He has also started to get into stacking blocks. He was working on it on Saturday and I wasn't paying much attention. All of a sudden, I noticed that he had 10 blocks stacked up!!! Yea!!! I think that is even more than I can stack up!

Listening to his music in the car has become one of his favorite things. My friend Kristen had given me some CD's for my baby shower. We have been listening to them in the car and now Evan is obsessed. When I turn the CD on he will squeal and rock his head from side to side. When the song ends he will say "more, more" until the next song starts up. The songs have been stuck in my head constantly...agh! Thanks Kristen!

He has been talking a lot lately. He says "baby", "mama", "dadda", "bumpa" (grandpa), "pup", "cacker" (cracker), "cheese", "anna" (Hannah), "ca" (car), "uck" (truck), "stinky" (I guess I say it alot when I change his smelly diapers), "ball", "keys", "baba" (any sort of drink), "itty" (kitty), "retty" (pretty...mommy's earrings and rings), and "nana" (banana). He has also been saying "Whoa!" alot when he thinks something is cool. Very funny!

He has been dealing with a bad cough and runny nose lately, so we're anxious for that to get better. He had pink eye last week, but luckily caught it before it got too bad. I can't wait for spring...fresh air and fresh everything!

Feeling Better

Dancing with his balloon

Playing at the mall

Practicing his climbing skills

Playing is fun, but exhausting!

Evan had a bad cold most of the week, but is finally feeling better. He didn't sleep well and coughed for a few nights. He would sleep for an hour and then wake up with a stuffy nose. I know how yucky I feel when I have a cold, so I always feel bad when he has one. Other than not sleeping great at night, it didn't seem to slow him down any during the day. He was still on the move and getting into everything that he could.

We had his 15 month appointment on Thursday and he continues to be in the 95-97th percentile across the board. He is 28 pounds and 33.5 inches...a big boy. He loves the doctor's office because they have a huge fish tank. When we got there, he was having a grand time watching the fish, running around, and saying "hi" to the other kids in the waiting room. He did a good job, but was not happy when it came time for shots. (Not that I blame him!) He usually cries for a minute and then is fine, but he cried for a good 15 minutes in the car. I think it was a combination of not feeling good, being tired, the shots, and the fact that he had a HORRIBLE diaper rash! The doctor gave us a prescription for "Poop Goop"...seriously, that is what it is called...and now he is as good as new!

My mom and dad came up this weekend to hang out, since they hadn't seen Evan since New Year's. We went for dinner on Friday night and they played while I went into work for awhile on Saturday. I got home and my mom said Evan had discovered how to open the freezer and take ice cubes out (we have a bottom freezer) and had climbed up onto a chest in his room to look out of the window. Agh! Now he is even more mobile than before! He loves to climb and finds a way to climb onto almost everything.

Saturday night I was hungry for "breakfast", so we went to Perkins. Evan spent the entire time staring at the 2 little old ladies at the table next to us. He would stare at them, the squeal with delight when they looked at him. We kept trying to get him to turn around and eat, but he was obviously more interested in them. He loves to be Mr. Social!

Today I took him to the mall and let him play at the play area. He LOVED it! I was a little overwhelmed with the number of kids and the noise, but it didn't' seem to phase Evan. He squealed when he saw the other kids and spent most of the time following another little girl around. (And watching an old man sleep...he is easily entertained!) He is very brave and was trying everything out. It was great and we will definitely do that more in the months to come.

He started saying "car" this week and it is very cute. It sounds more like "ca", but he says it and points out the window. He is also starting to mimic sounds that we make and words that we say.

Work has been hectic and busy, but Evan is such a bright spot in my day. I love when he says "mama" when I walk in to pick him up at Betsy's. His smile and giggle warm my heart everyday!

Fun in the tub with his pj's on...

Making a mess and cleaning it up!

I said that I was going to start updating the blog on Sunday nights, but I don't have much to report on right now. Just that our little guy is quite sneaky!

I went into work for a little while on Saturday morning while Evan and daddy hung out. When I got home, Evan was eating lunch and had food smashed into his hair. We had a b-day party to go to, so I decided to give him a quick bath. I had the water running and had just turned to get something off of the shelf when I heard a splash. Evan was in the tub with his pj's on! Agh! I guess he was so excited to get into the tub that he couldn't wait. I think he would have been happy to just swim in his pajamas, but I thought he'd get more clean if I took them off!

We went to my friend Jane's house to celebrate Cole's first birthday. It was a great party and Evan had fun playing with Cole's toys and seeing all of his friends. I was looking for Evan at one point and found him in the bathroom. He was sitting on the floor and watching Jane's little niece go to the bathroom! I guess he was keeping her company!

I forgot to post last time about my missing car keys. A couple of weeks ago, Evan was playing with my keys. Later that night I realized that I couldn't find them. We looked everywhere, even creeping into his room while he was sleeping to try and find them. We looked in all of the drawers, cabinets, and even in the garbage. My other set was in my purse, which happened to be locked in my car! I had to call the Crystal police department to come and open my car so that I could get to work! We still haven't found the keys, but are hoping that Evan will tell someone where he hid them!

He is growing up so fast and is always into something...he is definitely keeping us on our toes!

15 Months Old!

Big boy climbing in the chair all by himself!

Loves his new sled!

The Pasche grandkids...Evan, Hailey, Sophia, Maddy, & Peyton

Brushing his teeth

LOVES his banana!

And the banana peel...

Petting the horses with Kirsten & Laura

Playing with grandma's phone & mommy's old Cabbage Patch kid!

Evan & Lars in their matching Christmas shirts...made by Betsy

Evan will be 15 months old tomorrow! One of my resolutions this year was to update his blog more often, but I'm not off to a very good start! I'm going to try updating on Sunday nights...we'll see how it goes!
We had a wonderful Christmas with family. We went to Alexandria on the 23rd and were supposed to spend Christmas Eve with Aaron's family. Due to the weather, we ended up doing an early lunch and heading to Eau Claire in the afternoon. We stopped at our house quick to pick up a few things and then got to Eau Claire in the evening. We spent Christmas Day with my family and had a nice time relaxing and playing with Evan's new toys. Last year Evan was only 2 months old, so it was fun to watch him open presents and play with his toys. He seemed to have more fun playing with the boxes and bows and loved being the center of attention!
We went on a sleigh ride with my mom's side of the family, which was great fun! Evan was bundled up and thought that the horses were very cool. We even stopped for a bonfire, hot chocolate, and smores in the woods!
Evan is on the move and getting into something different everytime we turn around. He loves playing in the kitchen cupboards and chasing Maddux around. He thinks it's funny to grab Maddux's fur, which makes the dog growl. We're trying to teach him to be nice to Maddux, but it hasn't seemed to work yet. The poor dog puts up with it, but I think he's happy when Evan goes to bed at night and he doesn't have to worry about him!
It is fun to see how much he is learning. When we say it is time to brush his teeth or take a bath, he runs into the bathroom. He does a good job of letting us brush his teeth, but likes to do it himself too. He has been saying more words, including "hi", "baby", "mama", "dada", "pup pup", "kitty", "Hannah" (sounds like "anna"), "pretty" (sounds more like "itty"), "ba ba" (his word for any drink), and lots of other sounds that we can't quite make out.

This past weekend we were in Alexandria having Christmas with Aaron's family. We got together with his aunts, uncles, and cousins which was fun. Evan had a great time playing with everyone, especially Hailey and Maddy. They played outside with him on Sunday and pulled him around in his new Christmas sled. He loved being outside and cried when it was time to come back in!
Hannah (my brother's fiance) is staying with us for a few months while she does her internship at Children's Hospital. She is here on Tues, Wed, and Thursday nights. It has been fun having her here and will be really nice to have her here when Aaron is working his long nights!
Enjoy the new pics of our little guy!

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!