Amazing How Far We've Come

Just got these pics developed (they were taken with a disposable camera at the hospital - we didn't pack a camera because we were caught so off guard by Evan's early arrival). These are Evan's very first photos ever taken. He was under the Billi lights for a day having developed jaundice. Here he is about 3 days old. Looking at these pictures makes me amazed at how far Evan has truly come - what a little trooper!

Evan is Term Today!

We have been waiting a long time for today! This is the day that Evan was due to be born, so now we can consider him a "newborn" - with this milestone comes all the developmental skills that a newborn typically has - rooting reflexes, etc that we have come to appreciate very much. Today Evan is a full 6 weeks old and continues thrive at home. Our appointment with the lactation consultant on Thursday proved to be very effective and now that we have been consistently applying the tips at home little Evey is almost exclusively breastfeeding and only takes a bottle for his 1am feeding (thank you daddy for doing that feeding!). We are SO excited that his feeding transition has gone so smoothly. Here are some pics to mark the occasion - note his chubby little rolls! Yay!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a 7 Pounder!

We visited the Women's Wellness Centre in Brantford today for our appointment with our Lactation Consultant (LC). There, little Evan was measured on the scale to be a whopping 7 pounds! We were very excited! Our consultation also went very, very well. We have decided to take Evan off the bottle now that he is "term" as of May 30th. Because he was pre-term, Evan had difficuty breastfeeding (and we were also restricted from breastfeeding him more than twice a day because he was too weak to take much more than that). As a result, we were forced to rely on bottle feeding in order to get Evan out of the hospital sooner. Now that we have a strapping 7 pounder, however, Evan should be able to co-ordinate himself much better!

The Bouncer - A Godsend

We were able to get a really functional and interactive bouncer from Sears the other day courtesy of the generous gift cards that we received from family and friends (THANK YOU!). As most parents know, the bouncer is a key piece in the arsenal of equipment needed to keep baby safe and content - particularly 30 minutes post-feeding when Daddy's arms are sore from holding baby Welsh, Jr. The bouncer came with an incredibly cool activity bar that Evan can play with and learn from when he gets a little bigger. For now we use the bouncer in the "lounger' setting - judging from the pic, I think Evan is pretty pleased with his new chair!

Tummy time!

Evan has been putting in some time to work out his neck muscles on his floor exerciser (check out those traps)! He is able to raise his head pretty well now. Our pets like to use this time to venture up a little closer to our son to get a closer look and sniff at "the new guy who makes all that noise!" Of course, Evan also finds "tummy time" to be a great opportunity to sleep and make cute faces too. Thanks Nancy!

A First Outing - Wilfrid Laurier University!

We took Evan for his first outing today, appropriately, to Laurier University where daddy and mommy work. It was a beautiful day to walk around campus and we've almost got packing the diaper bag and folding up the stoller down to a science. Evan got to meet many of our friends and colleagues who have been so incredibly supportive throughout our pregnancy and Evan's arrival. We're looking forward to bringing him back for a visit during convocation in June.

One Month Old Today!

Evan is one month old today and continues to thrive here at home. He is packing on the weight and fits (almost!) into the "newborn" size clothing that we have here for him. He's also big enough to safely hang out in his baby swing.

Last night we experienced the joy of "cluster-feeding", when the baby wants several feedings very close together (i.e., every 1-2hrs). This makes for a very cranky baby, a tired mommy and daddy, and a dazed dog in the morning. Nonetheless, cluster feeding is a sign the Evan is going through a growth spurt so we welcome the experience.

We plan to celebrate Evan's one month milestone by taking him out for a nice walk outside when it gets a little warmer this afternoon.

Evan sends out a big happy birthday to Grandpa who turns 60 today! We miss you from your visit already!