It's The Great Pumpkin!!!

Evangeline loves trick or treating already!! She even got 'extra' candy for being so darn cute! Can't say i disagree! :) I do wish we would've had a more inventive costume but I bought this one in a weak pregnant moment last year. She had a great time laughing at all of the scary costumes and even waved bye-bye to the grouchy neighbor next door. I know I'll probably live to regret saying this one day but I just wish she could talk already! She screeches, she growls, she giggles but no words yet. She's also super close to crawling...she does a push up, then puts her butt up, but the train cannot yet leave the station. She's very strong and we've already had to lower her co-sleeper all the way down because she almost crawled out of it last week! She also went and voted with Mamie and Papa this week. Not sure how she ended up voting Republican though but I have my suspicions.....

The Lewis Laugh???

You decide!

OPEN WIDE.....It's time for carrots!

At 6 months Evangeline has ventured into the world of solid foods. Some of her favorites are cereal, peas, sweet potatoes and most of all carrots! (Although she gets her table manners from her daddy I think....)

First Tooth

Her first tooth finally broke through Aug 25 and not a moment too soon! Poor baby...she was in so much pain. She also was having a major a spit up problem so we switched back to Similac Sensitive since her GERD seems to have gone away. She's doing MUCH better on that now. Now we only go through 2-3 bibs a day instead of 10-15! As of this post she as just started to sit up by herself using only her hands for support. We are so proud! :) She's also quite the jabberjaws and likes to tell us in baby gibberish what is on her mind. She loves her jumper 1. because it allows her more mobility 2. because it puts her at little dog level. She likes to jump AT Lucy and Gracy and yell at them to get their attention. She's a fiesty one that's for sure! Not sure where she gets that from.......

Here's a short video for those that haven't already seen it. (Mommy isn't technically savvy enough to figure out how to compress movies yet so it's not the best video we have but it'll do for now). Note tooth.

First Trip to Michigan

Evangeline took her first trip to Michigan last weekend and thanks to Aunt Robin, had her Baptism on Sunday. She made a great first impression on the priest....held his hand as he baptised her and even laughed when he poured water on her head. She's quite the little charmer these days!

She did pretty good on the plane too... we weren't 'that couple with the crying baby' after all. Oh she cried a for the first half of the trip on the way there but snoozed on her Daddy's belly the entire flight back. (Daddy is magic!) Overall she did pretty darn good for a 5 month old and loved visiting with everyone all weekend. And she finally got to meet her Uncles Andrew and Robert and cousins Alexandra and Austin (and Rufus).

1 mo, 2 mo 3 mo, 4....

Oh, how the time has flown by! I can't believe I had to leave my sweet little Eva and go back to work!!! ICK! Let's not think about it and instead reminisce....

So at 1 month she had finally adjusted to the new facilities, formula, baths, the dogs (Duncan is particularly protective of her already) and life was good but not too eventful.....yet! She's pretty bald here and no eyebrows or eyelashes to speak of yet but she's got nothing but time.

By 2 months she was SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! I fully expected to strap in for at least a few months of sleepless nights but this babe sleeps blissfully through the night, a blessing for which I am extremely grateful every day. She also got her first shots this month and did surprisingly well. We are choosing to go the conservative route and give only the shots that are absolutely necessary. I never knew this but apparently there could be a link between giving certain vaccines and Autism. In addition, baby vaccines typically contain so much mercury that if a baby got full regime of shots during the first year she would have consumed more mercury than an average-sized ADULT is supposed to have in a year!! They tell you not to eat fish with mercury when you're pregnant but then they shoot your baby up with mercury for the first 2 years of life??? Crazy....Luckily for us our Doc is on top of these things and special orders all of her vaccines without mercury.

By 3 months she was dishing out the smiles and developed a fondness for Daddy's singing and deep voice. She finally got eyebrows and luxuriously long eye lashes like Daddy....but still pretty bald. She also decided she doesn't like laying on her back AT ALL....she likes to be sitting up and right in the middle of all the action! Mommy went back to work this month (I know I said I wouldn't talk about it..sorry) and Eva started daycare at Miss Robin's house. She loves Miss Robin and her mother who are both nurses. And they especially love her Trumpet socks that Aunt Trina got her!

By 4 months she is a whopping 12 lbs 4 oz and 24 inches long! She still a little tyke by the doctor's standards (25th percentile) but she eats like a piggy and looks like chubby, dimpled goodness to us! She has also started laughing, more like giggling. I HAVE to tape record this one day because I don't think there is a better sound in the entire world. She is ticklish now too, especially around her neck and ribs. She likes to pull herself into a standing position, has good head control, makes funny razzing noise and is starting to imitate Daddy and Mommy. You stick your tongue out, she sticks her tongue out. You go 'gurgle, gurgle', she goes 'gurgle, gurgle' and so it goes. Who needs the night life when you've got all of this entertainment right in your own back yard?!?

Doctors, Visitors, Milestones and other Embellishments....

Over the next few months we had several visitors: first Aunt Robin came and showed mommy how to give Evangeline her first real bath, then Aunt Tracy came and the much anticipated smiles started, followed by Grandma and Grandpa Lewis (who we discovered shares the exact same dimple as Eva in the same cheek!).

Doctor's visits were frequent and worriesome. Since Eva was 3 weeks early it seems neither of our bodies were ready for breast feeding. She lost almost a full pound in just a few days after we left the hospital. The doctor helped us make the painful decision to switch to formula and the poor little nugget had the hardest time getting one that worked. Milk upset her stomach, so did Soy, now we're on Allimentum which she LOVEs, is corn-based and smells like the inside of a Junior High locker room in a hot summer day. (She'll never forgive me the day she finally tastes something good like juice!). So this was Mommy's first failure (the first of many no doubt) and she gave away her breast pump to Aunt Trina so at least it will still get good use.

Since we are so delinquent in breaking into this blogging business here is a brief pictorial overview for your veiwing enjoyment.....

The Beginning....

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2008 our little angel came into the world 3 weeks early at 5:51 am weighing in at 6 lbs 11.5 oz and 20.5 in long. My water broke the day before while the rest of the fam was at church. 18 hrs and 13 Popsicles later she arrived much to the delight of her parents! Daddy was (not so) secretly praying for a St. Patty's Day baby so he could continue the Duncan family tradition of huge St Patty's Day birthday parties he so enjoyed growing up (his beloved Papa Duncan was also born on March 17). He already has her hooked on Irish songs and can't wait for her to get a little older so they can build a shamrock-covered hot rod together!:) Unfortunately that first week was pretty much a blur for me due to sleep deprivation and some really good pain killers but all I knew was I had my pint-size new best friend with me and couldn't possibly want for more....

Welcome to Eva's Blog!

Have you had your daily dose of Evangeline Grace today? No? Can't get enough of the 4 MB photo-spectaculars clogging your inbox? Well you are in luck because we've finally decided that the little nugget deserves a chance to leave her own mark on the world wide web (that and her parents are failing miserably at keeping her baby book up to date)! So we are going to give this blogging stuff a shot. Maybe one day she can take over herself but for now you are stuck with me so pull up a chair, set your expectations low, your feet high and get ready for a whole lotta cuteness!