1st Month

Our sweet little girl has been here 1 whole month! I can't believe it. (Such a parent thing to say, but oh so true and now I get it).  While the lack of sleep and frequent bouts of crying have been rough at times, I want to soak up every little moment that I have with our newest bundle of joy.

Here are a few things I've noticed about our sweet little, Evie since bringing her home more than 4 weeks ago.

You enjoy...

-Your hands

-Stretching

-When someone reads or sings to you

-Being held while bouncing on the exercise ball

-Eating, eating and more eating

-Car rides (not right away, but lulling to sleep shortly into the ride)

-Peeing and pooping all over your changing pad

-When daddy wears you in the Ergo

You dislike...

-Sleeping in your bassinet

-Most diaper changes unless its first thing in the morning

-Changing clothes

-Bath time (we hope you start to enjoy these)

-Pacifiers (we also hope you can start to appreciate these for mommy and daddy's sanity)

-Going to bed at night

-The pediatrician's office.

Other things I've noticed about you...

-When you sleep you look fake almost, like a perfect baby doll.

-You came out with a full head of hair, which was no surprise considering your daddy.  I love that it hangs down on your neck and over your ears, and we can't get a big patch on the back of your head to lay down quite yet, so it's always up in the air!

-You are so alert and have been since the moment you first arrived. You have the biggest, deep blue eyes (blue for now anyway) and you are so curious about everything around you.

-You are very strong. When on your tummy you can hold your head up for long lengths of time and you even rolled yourself over once, which was amazing at your age.

-You are so petite, but your cry is terribly mighty and loud.

-Your hungry cry is the angriest thing I've ever seen/heard. You like to eat like your mamma and want it now!

-When nursing, you tuck one fist under your chin and try to slide the finger of your other hand in your mouth. It makes feeding difficult, but its the cutest thing ever.

-Your first week home you made an ENORMOUS mess in your diaper; so big we called the pediatrician to make sure it was "normal." In fact it almost got on your daddy's shirt. :)

-Recently in the mornings, right when you wake up, you are a very content baby. I usually sit you in your bouncer and you give me the sweetest smiles. The baby books say its gas, but I don't see how it could be.

-During week 4 you started following objects with your eyes. You are especially curious about new faces.

-I took you for your first walk in the park. The moment I put your car seat on your stroller you screamed and screamed the entire lap.

- Your first church outing was a success. You slept through the entire service which included very loud music.

Those of course are just a few of the many, many precious things we are learning to love about our daughter.

1 Month Check up!

The doctor said Evelyn looked very healthy at her 1 month visit! She's a small 7 pounds 11oz. and measuring in the lower percentiles for almost everything, but considering she was just over 6 pounds when we left the hospital she's making great gains in weight. She's also 21 1/2 inches long! The doc made the comment that she was basically "tall and skinny" right now.  I couldn't help but laugh at the tall comment given the size of her parents. :)

Happy 1 month birthday, sweet Evie. We are so proud to be your parents and can't wait to watch you grow.

blessed beyond belief.

She's here.

After 9 months, our sweet Evelyn Leigh entered this world shortly after 1 pm on November 15, 2012. Our lives will never be the same, and our hearts grow more and more in love with her every day.

I dont think I can put into words the joy that Evelyn has brought into our lives. The first few days home with her, every time I would look at her, glance at photos of her or think about her birth story I would tear up and get emotional. My heart felt as though it was bursting at the seams just thinking about our daughter and the special place she now had in our lives. Hormones? Maybe that was part of it, but there's no denying the new, overwhelming love that I had for our little girl.

So instead of trying to express just how special the whole experience has been, I'll leave you with a sweet reflection that Ryan wrote just a few days after Evelyn's birth....

"With the arrival of our new bundle of joy just in time for Thanksgiving, I am overflowing with a sense of wonder and awe at the goodness of God and the blessings he has bestowed upon me and my new family over the past year. We have been very blessed indeed.

Blessed that the Lord brought us to Cincinnati to start our family.

Blessed with a new job that is challenging, rewarding and fun (most of the time).

Blessed that we found a house, one month before the baby came. A wonderful house that will allow us to grow our family and have some consistency and roots.

Blessed that our parents and family have been so generous with their time and gifts to help us get settled and ease the burden of buying a new home.

Blessed that God led us to a wonderful church family in Missio Dei. A family that seeks to be a blessing and be on mission for Jesus. A family that has loved us, welcomed us and made us a part of their mission.

Blessed that God has been with Kaitlyn throughout the whole pregnancy. That he put people in our lives to help us. People to show us the joys of natural pregnancy, a class instructor that helped educate us and pray for us, a doctor that supported the natural birth process, a doula who prayed with us and made it possible for us to be successful with a natural birth and a hospital staff that was remarkably kind and comforting.

Pregnancy in itself has amazed me and made me wonder anew at the awesomeness of God. The way the body is perfectly designed to create a baby, care for the baby, and birth the baby is all too perfect.

Most blessed that we now have Evelyn Leigh, a beautiful, healthy baby girl. My heart melts every time I lay eyes on her. She has opened my eyes to what love is and helped me further realize the goodness of God and the weight of his sacrifice in Jesus. I could not imagine giving up my baby girl like that. My perspective is forever changed. God’s hand has been undeniable in it. At one point she was breached, but God set her right. Labor was quick, albeit painful, even through an asynclitic position (Evie’s head was tilted to the side). She was born without any medications or interventions, entirely through the God-given birth process. Shortly after birth, she climbed onto mommy and started feeding. God was with us indeed.

So blessed with a loving, giving wife in Kaitlyn. She has been a champ. Sacrificing her body, time, energy and life really to bring little Evie into the world. The countless hours reading and learning about babies, birth and parenthood. The concern and dedication she has had for Evie from before she was even conceived. The love that she has shown her. She persevered through the possibility of a breech pregnancy, which would have required a C-section and through a natural asynclitic labor. She has given herself up for our family.

Since birth, we have been overwhelmed by the support of our family, friends, neighbors, hospital staff and church. Meals have been provided so that we can focus on adjusting to our new life. The joy expressed by family and friends has been astounding. God even blessed us with a new neighbor who is a lactation consultant who has come and helped Kaitlyn as needed.

Truly, we are receiving a taste of God’s blessing. And as we enter parenthood, we are reminded of how dependent we are upon the goodness of God, how dependent we are upon his grace and on Jesus. Being new parents shows just how much we fail. Our frustration over the unceasing cries, disagreements about life decisions and failure to selflessly love each other sheds light on our depravity and how short we fall from the standard God has set for us, perfection. It leads us to Jesus who perfectly loved and served to cover our short fall. Jesus allows us to be the parents we can never be on our own. And allows us to enjoy the blessings of God despite our unworthiness and inability to earn them on our own. We are free from the pressure of being perfect parents, free from having to always make the right decision, free from the pressure of raising a perfect child and free from the consequences of our failures. Jesus has done all of that for us.

So yes, we are truly blessed. We now have a family and we are surrounded by God’s love for us. And we are driven to Jesus in whom our true hope, blessing and life is found."