month ten

Where did my little baby go? It's like overnight I got a little man. Everett started taking steps this month and got his bottom two teeth. He also started eating more table food and loves everything from ritz crackers to cheese and blueberries. He had so much fun at Christmas- ripping off wrapping paper, eating it, and playing with the boxes. It has been so fun to see his little personality develop. He is wild and crazy and just plain happy. He is goofy just like Aaron - sticking his tongue out and making crazy noises. He absolutely adores Aaron and (just like mom) laughs at all of dad's antics. I just can't get enough of this sweet face.

months 7-8-9

month 6

Month six was hard. I had 6 perfectly perfect months at home with Everett. Month 6 I had to go back to work. I've been a teacher for the last 4.5 years and I love it, but I found that I love Everett more. It was a hard transition back to work. Trying to balance it all proved difficult--- working all day, still nursing 4 times a day, cooking, cleaning, loving my husband, son and doggies. But, we were blessed. Blessed with God's perfect plans for Everett. A week before school started, the Lord provided my dear friend Missy to watch Everett (You can read the story here). It has been such an incredible blessing to watch my friend love my son and make him a part of her family. While month 6 was rough, it was bearable because of the Lord's provision.

months 4 & 5

These months brought rice cereal and my adventures in baby food making. Everett LOVED to eat from the very beginning. One of my favorite things about the way he eats is how wide he opens his mouth. Exhibit A:

It's hilarious and also convenient since all the food goes straight into his mouth. We didn't even use bibs until he started feeding himself. Seriously. He's just like his dad - he wants to be fed lots and quickly. As Aaron says- he wants that goodness in him.

I decided that I wanted to try to make all of Everett's baby food. I wanted to make his food because I knew I could buy organic while still saving us money. Making Everett's food was definitely a labor of love and it certainly would've been easier to just buy pre-made from the store; however, I really loved going to farmers markets and knowing exactly what I was giving my baby and where it came from! Plus, it saved us a lot of money! At 75 cents-$1 each, organic baby food adds up fast.  That's not to say that in a pinch I didn't run over to the store to grab a jar or two, let's be real, I'm a working mama and time is at a premium! But-- at the end of the day, I loved knowing that I had done my best to give Everett the healthiest food I could while not breaking the bank.

month three

Sleep. Sweet sweet sleep. Month 3 Everett started sleeping through the night and he's never looked back. I love lots of things about Everett--- his sweet face, his happy and laid back personality, but the fact that he sleeps through the night like a champ= one of my favorites.

month two

month one

If you ask anyone, I have a terrible memory. But I remember our first day home from the hospital like it was yesterday. We have two crazy dogs and wanted a day to just come home and let them get to know Everett. We came into the house and the dogs were frantic and excited to see us. We had left them in a rush the night I went into labor. Luckily, my parents came and stayed with them until we got home from the hospital. Kai, our sweet but not-so-smart dog, had no idea there was anything even in the little baby carrier. Marley, on the other hand, sniffed Everett out right away and started barking. We had sent a blanket home from the hospital that Everett had slept in so the dogs would get used to his scent. Apparently Marley was the only one to pick up on it ;) It was a quiet day spent laying around with the dogs and baby. Looking back, I remember feeling such overwhelming excitement and a lot of uncertainty all at once. Were we really ready for all this responsibility? Too late for that I guess... We felt so green. I remember the first week I made Aaron change most of the diapers. I was so afraid I was going to mess something up with his little man parts... haha. Everett peed on the wall at least 3 times in the first week until we figured out how to quickly change a diaper, and went through multiple peed through outfits before my sister informed us that it needed to point down. We learned a lot that first month and laughed at the many things we messed up.



That first month, I also remember simply being in awe of Everett. I remember how much I felt needed. It was such a strange feeling that someone needed me for everything- to eat, to get clean, to be rocked to sleep. It was overwhelming at first, but I've grown to love the way he needs me. We had so many visitors his first month. So many sweet willing friends and family members with dinners. My parents who cleaned, and cooked, and did all our laundry at the house. I looked back at my prayer journal and found an entry from March 15th, "The past few weeks have been a whirlwind-- friends and family coming to visit, helping us, sending meals, and blessings. How thankful we are love for such love poured out upon us!" That first month was filled with such sweet, funny memories of starting our lives together as a family of 3.

and then...

After an OB appointment, I went home to make dinner. It was a my nightly routine for my third trimester: get home, feed and take the dogs out, start dinner, and drag my tired self to the couch to watch some Family Fued. Seriously, I watched SO much Family Fued those last few weeks of my pregnancy that I haven't really watched it since?! Well anyway, I got a text from Aaron, he was going to be late, someone took him out to lunch at work and he wasn't hungry. That left me with a double portion of tortellini. I ended up eating most of it. Ridiculous but true. And this is where Everett's birthday story starts. It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since that night my water broke, since our little mister made his way into our hearts and lives, and a year since we just "became" parents.

pregnancy

I loved it. Really. Everett's been an easy baby since the womb. We found out I was pregnant on July 3rd. In the picture below we were actually at Chester County hospital to celebrate our newest little nephew, Philip Riggs, the day we found out!

I was sick for about the first 10 weeks, but nothing crazy. I was tired a lot during the first trimester because I was taking 2 grad classes and coaching girls soccer for the high school that I teach at. Add in the start of the school year, and I was exhausted. My second trimester was just as busy, but I had a lot more energy. I coached until mid-November because my girls won first place in the District and went on to the second round of the state playoffs. I was so proud of them- but utterly exhausted by the end of the season. When soccer ended, I finally looked pregnant and felt like I could enjoy it!

Getting back from Christmas break was difficult. I still had 8 weeks left until baby boy's due date and had lost all of my energy. Some days I barely made it home I was just that tired. Add in another weekend grad class (what was I thinking?) and I was really looking forward to March 8th! We had a ton of major winter storms that dropped a couple feet of snow on us. Those snow days provided some much needed relief from my daunting schedule; however, also provided some extra anxiety for me because I was trying to fit in as many days as possible before our little boy arrived. I wanted to take the rest of the school year off and needed to make it within 5 days of my due date!

Tuesday March 2nd was like any other day. I went to school and taught my kiddos with my super swollen ankles and belly. I remember having a discussion with a colleague telling him that I thought I'd go late.  haha Steve was probably looking at me thinking I was crazy! During our conversation I also realized that I had the exact number of days in needed take the remainder of the school year off. I guess I was nervous and wanted a few extra days incase of any other winter storms. I left school that day fully expecting to be back there teaching about Japan's economic miracle the next day. Little did I know...

exactly 2 weeks from today...

I will have a 1 year old. How is that possible? I really love this little boy:

So, in honor of Everett's upcoming birthday, the blog (like this is something new) will be all Everett all the time. Updates, pictures, and progression of our tiny newborn growing into a little boy!