It's official: Evan is bigger than Freya!

...though Freya (a.k.a. Bellycat) would still be ahead in the weight race if we left her to her own devices.

Yesterday Evan had his 2-month doctor's appointment, and he has continued growing at an exceptional pace! He weighs 14lbs 8oz, is 23.6 inches long, and has a 16.5 inch head circumference. This puts him at about the 75th percentile for his height, but he is literally "off the charts" for both his weight and head size (above the upper line)! He is one big little guy!

Unfortunately Evan had his first immunizations yesterday (soooooo hard for a mother to watch!!), and he felt sick for the rest of the day. He just wanted to be held and to sleep. This photo was taken soon after we returned home from the doctor's office.

Thankfully he was feeling much better this morning, after a good night's sleep, and he woke up cheerfully on his 2-month birthday!

Fun times with Grandpa...

Peacefully asleep in Grandpa's arms...

There aren't words...

Paradise in Provence...

We had a wonderful time in Aix-en-Provence! As can be expected with an infant, we had to modify our usual travel style a bit (i.e. not see everything), but overall Evan did great! We did lots of strolling and eating. We think he has the travel bug just like his parents, and we're already dreaming of the next trip...

The food was great at this little cafe, and Evan fell asleep while we enjoyed it.

Ready to stroll




Strolling with a stroller

You can't tell from these photos, but it was HOT!!


I used this cloth to help shade Evan, and all you could see of him were his little feet.


He's soooooo handsome!!

He's soooooo handsome!!


Evan had his first encounter with another baby while we were on the train home.

He wasn't quite sure what to think...

Happy times on the train...

Sadly, we said goodbye to Grandpa last night. He's on an airplane right now, headed half a world away. I won't ever forget how Evan looked at him when he left, his eyes pleading, "Grandpa, won't you come back, please?"

More photos of their happy time together up next...!!

Jungle Friends

Evan and Grandpa are "Jungle Friends" (or so Evan's shirt says)!

We had a great time in Aix-en-Provence last weekend! Photos to come soon...

Evan meets Grandpa Butler!!

Grandpa Butler has been with us the past week, and it has been magical seeing the relationship between grandfather and grandson develop. They absolutely love each other, to put it mildly! So many new things (new toys, new experiences, new songs, new ways of being held, the list goes on...) have come into Evan's life since Grandpa came, and we treasure each of these.

Evan waits for Grandpa to arrive.

Grandpa sees Evan for the first time.

Three generations

The first of many wonderful conversations these three will share...

Grandpa holds Evan for the first time.


Thank you, Grandpa!

One of the great lessons of parenthood I have learned is that each person in our family gives something different and unique to Evan, and the combination of all of these is vital for Evan in his development. I am deeply grateful for my community (my family and extended family especially) for this, and I see more than ever how important it was for me. I am so happy to see Evan discovering all of these amazing people who love him so much! It's only the beginning!

We're off to Aix-en-Provence in the morning for our first out-of-town adventure with Evan!

Dancing

It's been a busy and a wonderful week (Evan met his Grandpa Butler)! There's so much to post about here, but a couple of photos will have to suffice until I can do justice to the week's events.

Evan has two mobiles that I made for him, and he loves to look at them. He never seems to tire of them. In the last week or two, when he looks at these mobiles, he starts waving his arms and kicking his legs energetically, like a little dance. He smiles and coos while he dances too, and the cuteness of it just melts our hearts every time we see it!

BTW, Evan celebrated his 7 week birthday on Monday. Incredible! Whenever people ask us how old he is, they always say "how many months is he?" A couple of guys had actually made guesses (one guessed 6 months, the other 4, if I remember right) before they asked us on the metro. We love seeing the surprise on their faces when we tell them just how young he actually is!

How does the time fly?...

My my, it's been a week since I last posted anything! I was doing so well...

I don't have time for much, but wanted to give at least a couple of photos I took yesterday:

Evan gazes at some hanging toys (he's just starting to be interested in such things)

Evan sucks his thumb! I feel very proud of this little guy. We saw him sucking his thumb on the last ultrasound we had of him, but when he was born, he seemed to have trouble finding his thumb. He found it for the first time yesterday (the 6-week anniversary of his birth)! Yea for Evan! My sister Tonya and I sucked our thumbs to ripe old ages, and I remember Mom being concerned about this and encouraging us to stop (don't worry, I did eventually stop)! Hopefully Evan won't take after me in this regard.

Picnic in the parc...

On Sunday we took Evan on his first picnic...

Mark shows Evan his first manicured garden

Evan smiles after eating his first course.

The 2nd course...

Mark and Evan gaze at the sky.


The trees provided a beautiful mobile, which Evan found fascinating!

Mark takes Evan on a little walk.

Evan waves good-bye...

Before and after...

This photo was taken by ultrasound about 5 weeks before Evan was born:

And in this photo, taken in the hospital, he strikes a very similiar pose (though he is lying on his other side)!

I recognized many of the same movements Evan made once he was outside the womb because he did the same things inside the womb! It's one of the many things that makes me feel like I've known him forever.

It's been a very busy week. I got all set up to donate my milk to the lactarium for premature infants, Evan had his one-month doctor's appointment, and we took him to the US consulate and signed him up for a social security number, passport, and American citizenship! Tomorrow, we hope to take him on his first picnic!

Evan dreams of a future 6-pack...already well on his way as a baby with a tummy in the 90th percentile for size!