Cuteness Phase II Commencing Countdown, Engines On...*

Well, I didn't think that it would actually happen, but it has. I've let this blog fall prey to the "Yeah, I'll update that page sometime soon" laziness. After editing a bunch of recent photos of Evan, I realize that you must be going out of your mind waiting for a new batch of cuteness to look at. You can see this picture and a few others at my photo website. Cuteness booster shots might be a good idea before viewing them, though.

The past few months have brought many changes. In no particular order, they include:

1. Solid food. NewMom has been diving right into this hippie-style, making most of Evan's food from scratch. So far, we've explored the culinary world of the sweet potato, acorn squash, and carrots. Ok, the carrots came out of a jar. The hands-down favorite so far, though, is rice cereal. Usually, this part of the meal results in food on Evan's face, hands, and all over his chair.
   
2. Daily baths. See #1.
3. Evan sleeps through the night for 8+ hours. We're pretty sure this has something to do with #1.
   
4. NewMom's improved sleep pattern. We're sure this has something to do with #3.
5. Sitting with some assistance. Dang, ain't that boy cute?
6. Reaching for toys, dropping them, and then reaching for them again. I could watch that for hours.
   
7. Teething. We check daily for the first one.

All in all, Evan is doing great at the 6.25 month point. Both NewMom and I are not quite sure where the first five or six months went. We have pictures to document the experience, so I guess it must have actually happened. It definitely is a blur, though.

*My apologies to David Bowie and Major Tom.

NewBaby Goes to the Movies, Both Parents Give Him Two Thumbs Up!

NewMom and I achieved a major milestone of parenthood yesterday. We took Evan out to the movies! Ever since we moved here, Christie and I have enjoyed going to a small movie theater in Jesup. The tickets are reasonable, the popcorn is outstanding, and the theater offers two major benefits:

1. The seats have built-in carseat holders.
2. If someone is talking near you, you can just roll up your window.

That's right, it's a drive-in. And you thought those had all closed! The owners of this place are dedicated to the drive-in experience. It's really only good in the fall-winter months, as summer nights can be a bit hot here. Anyway, NewBaby fell asleep on the ride there and snoozed right through the movie AND the entire 30-minute ride back home. And, as a closing act, he woke up when we got home, ate, and went back to sleep for the rest of the night.

NewMom is happy to report that she is now regularly getting 6+ uninterrupted hours of sleep on a regular basis, and this makes me happy as well. NewMom is becoming an expert at reading NewBaby's signals. She can see the early warning signs of a nuclear meltdown and launch a full-scale nap-attack and avert certain disaster. So far, she's only had one baby-meltdown while shopping. We're sure that more will come.

NewBaby has developed several new skills, some of which are on display at my photo site in the 2006-Oct/Nov folder:

• sticking his tongue out when you stick yours out
• drooling (I'm so proud!)
• lifting his head when he's on his tummy
• grasping toys and moving them around
• showcasing his ChubMaster3000 cheeks

The cheeks are quite a show...at least we have no doubt that he's getting enough to eat! We're not quite as techno-capable as our friends over at Schmoopiebeta.com, nor do we have a video camera...but if we were, we'd post a video to illustrate NewBaby's new vocal abilities. He is starting to make lots of baby sounds now. This is a good thing, because I was worried he was too quiet and would one day just start talking with fully-formed sentences. We're well into the coos, goo-goos, and happy laughs. Who needs sentences, anyway?

NewBaby Celebrates Two-Month Birthday

As of yesterday evening at 11:39PM, Evan is officially two months old. NewMom celebrated this by taking Evan to the doctor to get the most favorite baby treat of all...shots. NewBaby came home plastered in band-aids from the multiple shots he received. Apparently he is quite normal, because he put up quite a fuss during the shots. We dosed him up on some baby Tylenol last night, and he seems to be mostly better today.

I'll get right to the details, because I know that most of you could care less about the random blathering of a NewDad. Evan's new weight is 12 pounds, 2 ounces and his length is 22.5 inches. When you stop to consider that this is almost a doubling of his body weight in two months time, that's pretty impressive. NewMom is working hard feeding Evan around the clock, but she got some welcome news from the pediatrician this week...because Evan is gaining weight well, he can now go up to EIGHT HOURS a night without a feeding. If I could make "eight hours" flash on and off in neon green, I would. We usually only make 5 or 6 hours at the longest, but knowing that Evan isn't going to shrivel up if he's sleeping longer is a nice feeling.

You'll notice that the pregnancy "ticker" has been removed from the blog. In its place is a link to my photo page on Yahoo. There are few new pictures from this week there. NewUncle Jonathan (Christie's brother...it does get confusing) and NewAunt Nikia came down for a quick visit this weekend. Kudos to them for driving 8 hours here and back just to meet Evan for less than 24 hours. Those guys are dedicated. We look forward to longer visits in the future. Jonathan and I (that does sound weird) spent an afternoon installing new exterior lights on the house. We proved the second and third theorems of do-it-yourself projects this time, though.

Do-It-Yourself Project Theorems

1. Always measure twice, cut once.
2. If at first you don't succeed, then read the instructions.
3. A "one-trip-to-the-hardware-store" project is a figment of your imagination. It does not exist in reality.

So far, the lights work and we haven't burned the house down yet. I call that a success.

NewDad Receives AARP Card; Tries to File Retirement at Age 30

Here's one of the cutest photos we have of NewBaby so far. Evan's growth can be measured by how big his new double chin is. NewMom is celebrating that NewBaby is regularly going 5 hours between night feedings. Occasionally, the magical 6 hour sleep has been achieved. NewMom will be very happy when Evan is old enough to fix his own breakfast, but for now, she'll take six hours of sleep instead.

Our household has recently grown by two, as NewMom's father and stepmother recently came down for a visit. NewGrandpa Ken immediately helped NewDad tear down and rebuild a finicky toilet. NewGrandma Marti (she's much more than a stepmother...) has been busy cooking. She cooked so much today that I actually smelled the food before I came in the house this afternoon. The freezer is in the process of being restocked, and for this we are thankful.

Yesterday, we all packed up in the car and drove over to St. Simons to enjoy some crabcakes at Barbara Jean's (if you're in the area, they are about the best crabcakes ever made...they register about 99% crab, 1% veggies and whatever else goes in crabcakes). NewBaby Evan made the trip in fine form, not crying even once while we were in the restaurant. We know that this is beginner's luck and probably will not be repeated for some time to come.

I recently celebrated my arrival into true adulthood/parenthood when I checked the mail. In the mail that day was my very own AARP card. This happened the day we came back from the hospital with NewBaby. The fates are cruel. Just in case you're wondering, this was not a card with generic numbers and "Ima Member" as the name. This was a real card with my name on it, and a letter to accompany stating that I was now fully qualified to join. I know my hair is gray, but come on...

That's it from NewBaby Land, where all the parents are somewhat rested, all the freezers are full, and all the Grandparents are above average. *

*my apologies to Garrison Keillor and all the fine folks in Lake Wobegon.