3rd Birthday and Gray Hair

Evan turned 3 on May 18th (no, he isn't the one graying), and we celebrated for two straight days. On Friday the birthday extravaganza began with a mommy and Evan special breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. He was too excited for words! 

Later that afternoon, David and I joined E at school with his classmates for their afternoon snack. We brought goldfish crackers (per Evan's request) and David read books to the kids. It was priceless. His rendition of "There's No Such Thing as Monsters" will go down in infamy.

The next morning, we were joined by many of our friends and family members for Evan's party. We had it at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham and it was awesome! The kids got to play in the party room with legos and play doh and we ate lots of cake before 11am. I'm sure that last bit of info made all of the parents happy:)

I thought this construction site photo 'booth' would be hilarious for the kids. Evan was the only one that even put his face in it for a photo op. Figures.

My dad got in on the action though, which made the $9.95 I spent on this thing completely worth the money. 

Since the kids were clearly not interested in the kodak moments provided by this fine birthday party accessory, I forced my co-workers and dear friends to give it a shot. They are such troopers! We all teach middle school, so honestly, this is not even CLOSE to the most ridiculous and embarrassing thing we've done. Not. Even. Close. 

Construction worker Amy:) She's an Assistant Principal now- I wonder what her teachers would give to have this as her yearbook photo.

One of our 6th grade social studies teachers (and my boss, as Athletic Director) Johnny even took a turn. I am 100% sure I'll be working every late basketball game for the next 5 years as a result of sharing this...

and his ADORABLE wife Claire:) who teaches 8th grade math. I work with such fun people!!!

To fit the construction theme, I jazzed up a cake.

 I ordered a basic cake from Target and added the construction treasures (I ordered them from Amazon). Note to self: don't assume that just because you pay for a cake with a message that the person writing said message can do it better than you can. Next year? I'm tackling this on my own.

On the way home from his party, E was perusing some construction related materials and sporting his hard hat.

And, probably my favorite birthday photo of them all - E wearing "ALL the stickers" as he likes to say:) sans pants:) while shooting his bubble gun. How much do you love those knobby little knees and his shorts tan line?

We've had Evan's birthday photos made each year by our dear friend Carrie Richardson Fry. She's also the one who took our 'welcome home' photos of E when he was about 6 weeks old, photographed his baptism, and has taken the photos for our Christmas cards since 2010. This is one of my favorites from the session. Isn't he handsome? He decided, during the photo shoot, that he needed to add a bit of GQ to the session, so he spread himself across a bench and requested that Carrie take a few photos. I thought I would die. Such a ham. 

Richardson Fry Photography

This one is sweet as can be but it just. about. did. us. all. in. to get it! Poor little E had a hard time balancing those 3 blocks on his hands at the same time. I think we reset them about 4,327 times before they stayed put long enough for Carrie to get a shot of him smiling. It was so worth it. 

 Richardson Fry Photography

It is this adorable 3 year old little ham and his priceless antics that may or may not have caused THIS:

I always thought that gray hair made people look distinguished. Old people. People who had lived long lives and accomplished all sorts of amazing and noteworthy things- like the Nobel Peace Prize. I have a slightly different opinion of gray hair currently, and I have declared war. This fella didn't stand a chance. His friends need to get the message: I am not old enough to have gray hair. I see several boxes of at home hair color that claims to 'take care of gray naturally' in my future. I'm going to take my gray hair and my ancient self and go have a cup of tea. And watch Jeopardy. And Wheel of Fortune. And get to bed before the sun. Isn't that what old folks do?

The Worst Blogger Award Goes To...

Me. Apparently I am the winner. It is a landslide victory really. No competitors.

Not to make excuses, but Facebook is SO much easier! However, according to my dad, Facebook is the root of all evil. Although I initially laughed at this statement, I am beginning to think there is some truth to it. Recently I saw that photos of Evan were being used in Facebook advertising. He is adorable :) so I can see the reasoning behind it, but as a mom it made me a bit uncomfortable. We haven't done anything rash like remove all photos of E from Facebook or anything, but it is making me think twice as I post new photos from time to time.

Perhaps this is the motivation I need to get back into blogging.

Ha.

I say that as if I was ever a reliable blogger.

Nonetheless, E has a way of drawing people in. I don't know if it is the remarkable story of the way he became part of our family, or the fact that we are simply blessed with a support system of people that love us, but folks are thrilled to see updated photos of him and hear funny Evan stories. He is a ham, that one. So, I will once again make the statement that I'm going to attempt to blog more regularly. No promises though, my credibility is shot as it is. No sense in adding to it. Sigh.

If we are friends on Facebook (or, The Facebook, as some older folks are known to say...) you've already seen this photo, but I thought it was just too adorable not to share. E said "Ta-da!" when I asked him if I could take his picture Easter morning. He felt as if a performance was necessary. Yes, I do realize he is wearing knee socks and saddle shoes. Much to David's dismay, I may add. I. Love. It. He is adorable. He won't let me dress him like this for much longer, so I have to take advantage while I can. There are years and years of cartoon character shirts and gym shorts in his future as a boy, so I'm savoring these last few opportunities to dress him like a sweet little man.

This pic is from Touch-a-Truck in Chapel Hill. Grandad went with us and E was OVER. THE. MOON. He was able to crawl in a dump truck and countless other trucks and pieces of construction and fire/rescue equipment. He also LOVED the bus. Yes, the bus. Public transportation. That's what the picture below is from- E is looking out the window of a Chapel Hill bus. It reminds me of our trip to DC last year. I took Evan to see my brother and sister-in-law over Spring Break. They lived a quick bus ride from the Pentagon at the time, and we rode the bus in to the metro stop there daily to sightsee in and around the city. E was more fascinated with the bus ride than ANY of the things we saw or did while we were there. As a matter of fact, he fell asleep at the zoo and asked to leave the aquarium before we even rounded the first corner. Maybe E is a city dweller at heart, as is evidenced by his love for public busses.

E just started in his 3 year old room at school on Monday of this week. He was so excited to meet his new teachers and new friends. It melted my heart to hear him talk about how much fun he would have. This is the end-of-year gift from his 2 year old teachers. We love Val (or 'Bal" as E calls her), Wendy and Katie like they are members of the family. E had such a fantastic year with them- we are so happy that he loves school so much!

He is such a sweet boy with such a good heart. We pray with him each night as we're putting him to bed and he prays for each of our extended family members by name- sometimes including their pets! He has even started filling in words to the Hail Mary. He always mentions his teachers and his friends and even prays for people he met throughout the day. A few weeks ago he prayed for a man he met at the grocery store! Such an innocent heart- I hope it stays that way as he grows. We've begun thinking a bit about kindergarten options and I can't help but think about the possibility of sending him to a Catholic school in the area where this part of him will be fostered and supported. I know that as his parents we are his first teachers of the faith, but I had such a wonderful experience teaching at a Catholic school a few years ago and I know that it would be an amazing opportunity for E too.

There is so much more to share, but let's be honest - photos of E are much better than sentences describing him. So, here goes...

 E has developed a love for Oreos. Go ahead and submit my mother of the year nomination now. He apparently felt the need to craw inside the bag to make sure he hadn't missed any.

David - who is seriously the best dad ever (besides my dad and his dad) takes E to the pool all the time so he can swim and I can work on readings and assignments for graduate school. E definitely takes after his daddy and is a Parkwood Piranha in training- he loves to be in the water and his new Buzz LightYear goggles have been a huge help. When he used them for the first time, he came up from being underwater and said (loudly) "Daddy, I can see your body!" The lifeguard thought this was hilarious:)

E and I went to Clinton for the 4th and he slept right through the fireworks with his Grandad. He worships my dad and melts my heart to see them together.

They even did a bit of yardwork during our visit. E was tons of help, I am sure. I remember watching my brother ride with my dad when he was little. So sweet!


While I was in grad school last month, Dave and E went to the beach with my in-laws for a week. It was so hard to be away from him, but he had a blast! Here he is watching cartoons with his cousin Logan

He did some seashell gathering as well...

 

This is the one he found for me. Daddy helped him write in it. I may or may not have cried a bit. 

 Look at my two handsome men. I am so blessed.

E worships his Grandpa Myers too- there is something about this grandbaby that these two men cannot get enough of! Here John and E are enjoying a boys only breakfast on the deck while at the beach.

 My sweet boy loves his Grandpa!

Maybe this post is the start of a more regular blogging habit. We'll see!

Evan's New Tricks

He's only still and quiet when he's sleeping.

Since E's surgery, we have been looming over him, coaxing him to speak in full sentences. His response? Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Until...

two days ago!

Now E says mama, dada, and uh-oh. Mama and Dada were mastered before the surgery, but uh-oh is brand new. He doesn't use it in context, mind you, but he says it. He has also done way more babbling and nonsensical syllable chatter in the past week or so. We are hoping this means that his improved hearing will result in improved speech. We'll know about the hearing on Friday when we go for a repeat hearing test and ENT appt. Keep your fingers crossed, will ya?

Evan's other new tricks are not so impressive. To date, he seriously digs:

1. Biting my toes. I have no clue. He seeks them out and bites as if his life depends on it. I have tried yelling no, telling him it hurts mommy, fake crying, and anything else you can think of. He thinks it is ridiculously funny. Me? Not so much. And, the 24 hour stream of Shark Week has NOTHING to do with this- he was toe chewing before Shark Week 2011.

2. Standing on things with wheels (his lawnmower, his mickey plane, his dump truck). This one is KILLING me. I have visions of my own preschool bloodbath when I stood on a truck that rolled out from under me and my head connected with a cinderblock wall. On Valentine's Day. I was wearing a red dress with a white peter pan-ish collar. It was ugly. I still have the scars (literally and figuratively). Again, no amount of no, please don't, that isn't safe, yadda yadda yadda seems to phase him. He is a daredevil.

3. Prepare yourself for this one...E has begun to stick his fingers down his throat and vomit. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? He did it twice tonight. It was so gross. After the first few attempts he realized (I think) that he had our full attention. So, after vomit #2 I told David to just clean it up while ignoring E (I couldn't even attempt to clean it...) and then ignore him if he did it again. He attempted a few more times but when he thought we weren't looking he stopped. Again. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Amidst the daredevilish, death defying balancing acts on wheeled objects, toe snacks and vomit escapades, he has been so stinkin' cute lately that I can barely stand it! He has learned where his nose and ears are and can show you yours (in case you need a refresher in anatomy). He dances to any type of music and has zero rhythm (just like his mom and aunt Beth), and has really started to interact with Newman. They play for good stretches of time with E throwing a ball to him. It's priceless.

And, for the 1 person who reads this blog (hi mom) here's your Evan fix for the day. It 'came a flood' as we say in the south, and during the ridiculous rain, E and I decided to dance on the porch. We came in when it thundered, don't judge.

He's adorable. I can't even talk about it.

Shameful, Just Shameful

I can not believe that after my last post (January 1) where I vowed I would do better with posting, that it has been over 7 months since I have posted. Shameful. I really am going to try to do better, since I haven't begun scrapbooking any of our photos, etc. and I fear this will be the only way I will be able to document Evan's childhood.

So much has happened since January, I hardly know where to begin...

• We changed daycares and E is now at The Little School in Hillsborough. It is amazing and he LOVES it. The change was a tough one to make, but ultimately it was the best decision.
• We are now chasing after a RUNNING toddler. He started walking at about 11 months after about 3 days of crawling. He didn't hold on to our fingers or hobble, he stood up and walked. It was wild!
  
• E has had 6 ear infections in 6 months. It's been rough to say the least. The antibiotics cause a whole host of other issues and in total, he has been a mess.
  
• We spent Easter in the ER with E as he had a horrible infection of some sort that was ultimately diagnosed as a 'probable kidney infection'. The poor fella has been sick for EVERY holiday of his first year it seems. He spent Thanksgiving in the ER with an awful virus that dehydrated him terribly. Christmas was spent throwing up in the back of my dad's car as we drove across the country to see both sides of my family. His birthday in May was spent with ear infection #4 and he had an ear infection for the 4th of July too. Here's a photo of Dave and E during our Christmas trip...
• E had a FABULOUS 1st birthday at the Museum of Life and Science. There were 50 of our closest friends and family to help us celebrate. Although the torrential downpour hit right as the party began, we celebrated anyway, dripping wet! Evan had a fantastic time, although he cried when we sang Happy Birthday and he wasn't interested in the cake AT ALL. Bethany made an adorable Sesame Street cake and cupcakes that the rest of us enjoyed. Maybe next year he'll get into the cake smashing business, we'll see!
  
• E will be getting tubes on July 21st to help with the ear infections and hopefully to help to improve his overall hearing and language development. He's just a 'titch' behind in speech/language (as my cousin Jamie says!) and may need some therapy and possibly some additional hearing help after the tubes are in. We're crossing our fingers that this isn't the case, but know that we can handle whatever comes our way.

I started graduate school in June and have completed one class. I started a second class today and it is technology based. I linked this blog to a profile we were asked to complete and then thought I better get busy updating it!

David is great, he is in good health and we are so thankful for the great report we received at his last set of appointments. He is a great dad and E thinks that he is pretty fantastic- the two of them are so cute together. I think E is 100% a Daddy's boy (until he's hurt, sick or tired and then he wants mama).

For the second time I'm going to promise to do better with updates...I don't blame you if you don't take my word for it- I wouldn't believe me either!

Christmas & New Year's...

Well, Evan is no longer 10 weeks old. Looking at my last blog post has left me feeling ASHAMED. I've seen on several blogs that I read (stalk) that mom's are making the resolution to post each day for the next year to better document the lives of their kids. Considering my already pitiful commitment to blogging and my horrific track record with resolutions, I dare not even jump on this bandwagon. I will, however, promise to do better.

E is now 7 1/2 months old and he is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Here are a few highlights:

-he as 6 teeth (four on the top and two on the bottom)

-his hair is finally growing and he is known to sport a sort of 'comb over' (he does this in honor of his grandad, who is also known to sport the comb over) Sorry Dad.

-he FINALLY broke the 5oth percentile for height at his 6 month appointment. Whew. That one worried me

-he sits unassisted (unless you count the two times he fell flat on his head when I thought he could sit unassisted. My dad witnessed one of those and I have YET to live it down) Sorry E :(

-he can roll from front to back and back to front

-he hates tummy time

-I am convinced he will never crawl (see above statement)

-he babbles da da da da da and screams with glee about 1,275 times a day. The da da da thing is just a consonant sound that comes easily to him. Seriously. There is no way that my heart, the love of my life, would betray me by saying da da before ma ma. I'm glad we agree on this.

-he is the light of our life

E still heads to daycare with me each morning and Dave usually does pick-up duty in the evenings. By the time we all get home, we have a few hours together before it's time for bed. E loves his sit-and-spin froggy and his new piano. We sit him in the bumbo and pull it up to his piano and he bangs on the thing like he is Schroder (sp?) from Peanuts. Cracks. Me. Up. His Uncle Will is proud, I'm sure.

We're still cloth diapering and I'm making E's baby food too. We've used disposables to travel (like our recent trip to Oklahoma) and we've fed him jarred food for the same reason. I'll admit, disposables and jarred food are more convenient, but there is just something maternal, something instinctual about using the cloth and making his food. Somehow I feel like a better mom as a result. Is that crazy? I guess I look at cloth diapering and baby food making in the same way that many moms look at breastfeeding. Since that was not an option for us, I suppose my mothering choices fill that desire to do what is best for your child. My husband thinks I'm crazy. Admittedly, he has warmed to the idea of cloth and homemade baby food and has been a big help.

So many people have asked recently, 'Where are you in the adoption process?". We're nearing the homestretch. Thanks. Be. To. God. We recently finished our homestudy and are readying all of our documentation required by Alabama so we can send the homestudy report and MOUNDS of paperwork to our attorney. The homestudy was overwhelming. We had an amazing agency (Nathanson Adoption Agency out of Charlotte, NC) and an even more amazing social worker, Liz. She put us at ease immediately and was super flexible with meeting dates, etc. We sent her a Christmas card this year- somehow she seems like family. Although the process felt a bit intrusive at times, we kept reminding ourselves that this was just a hoop to be jumped through. It felt like a flaming hoop at times, but it was a hoop none-the-less. I'm thrilled to say that our homestudy process is finally over and it is good for 18 months, should we find ourselves blessed with the opportunity to adopt another child. As David has said once or twice, 'let's go get a girl this time.' He cracks me up. We're not actively pursuing another adoption. But, as our 2010 taught us, you just never know :)

Evan has become quite used to the paparazzi. This poor kid has a camera in his face all the time. Uncle Ryan even joined in over Thanksgiving and took this great shot. Doesn't he just melt your heart?

As I type, I am listening to Evan snore on the monitor and David snore FROM THE OTHER ROOM. Seems like biology can't explain everything.

Happy New Year everyone. You'll hear more from us this year, I promise.

Ten Weeks

My goal to update the blog regularly is one that I have found to be pretty unrealistic! Evan leaves me very little *free* time, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Evan is 10 weeks and 3 days old today and he is growing so quickly, I can't believe it!

At 8 weeks old, he was 12 lbs. and almost 11 ounces. David and I are SURE he has gained at least another pound since then, if not more! He eats 6 ounces every 2 hours. The pediatrician suggested we try to stretch the time between his feedings so he is eating about every 3 hours, but Evan is having NONE of that.

About two weeks ago, Evan started sleeping trough the night!!!!! We have had a few days here and there where he woke up once, but for the most part, he sleeps from about 8 at night until 6 or 7 the next morning. 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night is AMAZING! Now, if David and I could get to sleep at 8 when Evan does, we would be set! When E wakes up in the morning, he is so happy and spends the first hour or so that he is awake grinning and 'talking' to us. After he eats and plays a bit, he is ready for a nap. He sleeps anywhere from 1-3 hours and then is up and ready to eat again! The cycle continues the remainder of the day. Overall, E is a very easy baby! Once in a while, he has what we refer to as a 'witching hour' sometime around 5 or 6 pm. This has become less and less common as he has gotten older, but every once in a while it sneaks back in...we will be glad when he outgrows this all together!

Evan holds his head up, sits well with support, grabs things with both hands, responds to my voice and David's voice, smiles back when we smile at him (it's our method of conversation these days!), likes his BUMBO chair, his play yard and his sit and spin froggy. His favorite is still his lamb swing and we have decided that it is worth it to buy stock in Duracell for the next year or so, as we are FLYING through D batteries.

We have been so busy lately! Evan has spent a few days at school with me working,

we even visited Sara one day after work- she loves baby E :)

we have had coffee dates and lunch dates with friends, we attended Cora's birthday party, and we spent a week at the beach with David's family. We had such a great time, and it was so wonderful to see Evan with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

E really loves his Aunt Karen!

We even got to slip out TWICE for lunch dates while the crew kept an eye on E. He did a good job sleeping the first few nights, but by the end of the week I think he was craving the familiarity of home and his routine.

couldn't you just eat those cute little toes?!?!?

He didn't get to spend much time on the beach, we went out for a few minutes the evening we arrived and the evening we left. On our last night, we put him in his swim diaper and dipped his feet in the ocean. It was so sweet! Unfortunately, he wasn't as excited as we were :(

Here are a few more photos from the beach:

just chillin in his hoodie :)

family portrait, 2010 (minus Blake- we missed you!)

E and daddy having some snuggle time

The Myers Family :)

My two men snoozing :)

I love this next photo for two reasons. First, it is of the love of my life, E, and my nephew, Max. Second, it shows Evans cute bubble butt in his precious cloth diaper!

We have made the switch to cloth and we are NEVER GOING BACK! Seriously, cloth diapering is amazing. Evan stays dry for hours, we don't have the leaking and rash issues we did with disposables, and we are saving a ton of money. We are also saving TONS of diapers (literally, TONS) from ending up in landfills. I read a statistic somewhere that the average family spends between 2 and 3 THOUSAND dollars a year on disposable diapers for one baby. Since most kiddos are in diapers for about three years, we are saving anywhere from 6-9 THOUSAND dollars by using cloth. Yes, there was an initial investment (these are not as cheap as pampers!) and we are using electricity and water to wash them, but so far the increase in our power and water bills has been negligible. The most important thing is that E LOVES these diapers. He seems so much more comfortable in them, and overall they seem to be a better choice for our family. Isn't he the stinking cutest thing ever????

We love E more every day (if that is possible!) and we can't imagine our lives without him! I can't believe he is almost 3 months old! I am going to close my eyes and he is going to be a man! I just hope he always loves his mamma the best :)

Starting to Settle In

Since we've arrived at home, Evan has been showing us how he likes things to work. My mom was waiting for us on June 8th when we got back to NC and she spent the first week with us while David and I tried to get our feet underneath us. It was great to have mom spending her days with E so we could get the nursery put together and take care of things like unpacking and laundry, etc. Evan loves his mimi and spent close to 7 full days in her arms. I don't think he napped anywhere but on her chest until she left, and then he had to rough it a time or two and nap in the crib.

I was able (with mimi's help) to get to school for out 8th grade graduation ceremony so I could present my Honors English awards. It was great to see everyone, especially my kids. Because of testing and our trip to get Evan, I hadn't seen them in almost three weeks! They were SO EXCITED to see Evan, and they were all so very good about keeping their distance and not touching, etc. Evan also got to meet lots of my teacher friends. It was a big day, and after a quick lunch we headed home and ALL took a nap :)

Since returning home, Evan has spent lots of time snuggling with me during the day and hanging out with Dad at night. He has been to mass four times, attended a diaconate ordination,

traveled to Clinton for the 4th, hung out with Grandma on Fridays, been to Babies R Us and Target a few times, had lunch with the Bethesda girls, had his first snack time at Mad Hatter with Amanda and Karen, went to Duke for a shower that Dad's co-workers gave us, attended a shower the Yeungs had for us at Trali,

had lunch in Hillsborough with Kristie, has had visits from Stacie and Nick,

Amanda,

Carrie, Pam, MST and Kreis,

Bethany,

Anderson, Anderson's Mimi, Ryan, Jenna Beth,

Steven, Danielle,

Susan,

I don't know why this photo is so little, and it is a SHAME because Aunt Susan looks Faboulous!

Bonnie, Karen,

Katie, Blake,

and the Fourmans.

He has also been to the pediatrician twice.

This is our pediatrician, Dr. Moses, and we love him!

Evan also got to share in his mother's love for Cracker Barrel when we had breakfast with Sarah. He thought she was pretty cool.

Evan also met his Godparents, Chris and Shepard Yenney, and their boys Christopher and Frank. It was so great to see them and introduce them to our son! We are so blessed to have the Yenney family in our lives, and we know that they will be the perfect godparents for little E.

Evan is really easy going and I don't think twice about heading out and about during the day. I am very thankful for his disposition, as I have needed to get out of the house. I wouldn't be able to stay sane if I had to stay in the house all day every day.

Evan is six weeks and five days old today. I can't believe that in five weeks (give or take) I will be back at school full time and E will be at daycare. I am dreading having to leave him, but I am thrilled that we were able to find a spot at Master's Garden Preschool in Hillsborough. Our dear friend Amanda takes her little girl Cora to Master's Garden and we felt very comfortable when we went to visit. We spent the day in the infant room and were very pleased with the workers, the ratio of adults to babies and the facility. We are also pleased to know that Evan will spend the day with women who will share Bible stories and surround him with new vocabulary and lots of love. He was a HIT when we visited, everyone thought he was precious. Of course he is!

Evan is sleeping a good deal of the day still, and when I can force myself to lay him down, I am able to get a few things done around the house. The past few nights, he has fallen asleep and slept for 5-6 hours! It is A.MAZ.ING. The night before last he slept from 10-3 and last night he slept from 7:30-1:30ish. Once he is up, I feed him and change him and he is *usually* back to sleep within 15-30 minutes. I am able to get back to sleep easily too, so it isn't too terrible. Once E has slept for that long stretch, he is usually back up every three hours or so until we are up for the day. Today he was up at 6 am and we both took a nap from 7-9 :) He is eating 5-6 ounces at each feeding and I don't know how we will make it to four months before we start feeding rice or oatmeal. This boy is an eater!

We had a dear friend and his wife come over last week to take some photos of E. Matt and Carrie brought dinner too, which was fantastic, and I was thrilled to be able to visit a bit while Carrie worked. We have seen a handful of the pictures so far and we are in LOVE. Evan is such a grinny-pants these days, and Carrie did a wonderful job caching some of his smiles. We can't wait to see the rest of the photos! Carrie agreed to design our adoption announcements for us using some of her photos, so hopefully those will be in the mail soon!

This is the lovely and talented Carrie Richardson Fry. Check out her website. She is SUPER TALENTED!!! http://carrierrichardson.com/

Whew. That was exhausting. I am sure I have left out tons of important people and things. We are so blessed to be able to share this journey with our family and friends. Evan is such a gift and we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from our families and friends. We can't wait to continue to share Evan with you as he grows!

xoxoxoxo,

Emily, David and little E

ps- I'm working on a separate grandparent post. These people are CRAZY for E. :)