Halfway there ... already?!

Dear Evan,

I can't believe it! You are only 15 months old & you are already half my height! We had your 15 month doctor appointment today & you measured 33.25" tall. At this rate, we should be eye-to-eye when we send you off to kindergarten!

Your weight is a totally different story. You've always been in the 98%-100% for height, but your weight has steadily been dropping down the charts. You started in the mid 80's on the growth chart & have dropped down to 17%! You're just a string bean!! Your pediatrician would like to see you gain a little more weight before your next appointment so we've been trying to load you up on peanut butter, avocados & cheese (not together, of course!).

You are on the brink of walking & it is so exciting to watch you figure it out. I know that you will be running around this house in no time & your dad & I can't wait to see those 1st steps.

We love you so much!
Love,
Mom & Dad

A Little Under the Weather

Dear Evan,

February & March proved to be tough months for you. Up until your 1st birthday, you had only had 1-2 minor colds, but right around your 1st birthday you got another cold, and then another. But it was this last one was a doozy!

Since you are still in the phase of putting EVERYTHING in your mouth, we are pretty sure that's how you got sick. We noticed you had a fever for a few days & it just wasn't budging, so we brought you into the pediatrician. She listened to your breathing & said you had contracted bronchitis. We were sent home with some medicine & said to call if the fever increased or your breathing got worse. The next day it got worse. My mother's intuition kicked in & I just didn't like the way you looked or sounded when you were breathing. I could see pulling under your rib cage with each breath & it just didn't seem normal, so back to the doctor we went. The virus has moved down your lungs & had developed into bronchiolitis with RSV. You sounded awful when you were breathing - it was a congested/crackling noise. We were sent home with a nebulizer & breathing treatment medicine. You were a good sport about the breathing treatments & the first few days you fell asleep during them.


After the weekend, your fever still hadn't gone down & the breathing treatments didn't seem to be doing much help, so back to the doctor's office we went. The pediatrician was concerned that your fever had lasted nearly a week & it didn't look like it was budging. This time she gave you a steroid shot. It was painful, but you were a champ & boy did it make a difference! Your fever broke the next day. We still had to do breathing treatments every 4 hours, but I was starting to see my old, happy Evan.

We went back to the pediatrician the next day & the next to get 3 shots in 3 days & that did the trick! You are now down to 2 breathing treatments a day & we only have 1 more week to go & then you will be all done. Thank goodness we are almost done with the breathing treatments, because the better you feel, the harder it is to do these breathing treatments. They are starting to resemble wrestling matches!! You are your happy, active self again & your dad & I couldn't be happier!

Love,
Mom

Now I lay me down to sleep

Dear Evan,

We've got quite a bedtime ritual for you & we hope it continues for many years to come. After your bath, which we all know you LOVE, we get you dressed in your snuggly PJ's & ready for bed. You tend to drink your last bottle rather slowly, so we read a book to you in between. We probably get through 4 books before you're done!

Then, we say our nightly prayer:

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
Give me sweet dreams all through the night
And wake me with His morning light

And finally, we sing a little song that we made up. We recount all of the fun things we did or the people we played with & say goodnight to them.

Goodnight toys, its time to go to sleep
Its time to go to sleep
Its time to go to sleep

The goal of our whole bedtime ritual is this ...

... or this ...

Man, you are the cutest - even when you are sleeping!
Love,
Mom & Dad

What about Bob?

Dear Evan,

You are babbling up a storm right now. You've mastered "Momma", "Dada", "Baba" & "Bob". We are trying to teach you that I am "Momma", your bottle is "Baba" & dad is "Dada". But, every time I tell you that I am "Momma", you just say "BOB!". Who is Bob? It cracks me up every time you say it!

Love,
Mom

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Happy 1st Birthday to You!
Happy 1st Birthday to You!
Happy 1st Birthday Dear Evan,
Happy 1st Birthday to You!

Dear Evan,

You are officially a toddler! We celebrated your 1st birthday at the neighborhood park. We were hoping that it wouldn't rain on your special day & were surprised with great weather. In fact, it was over 80 degrees in February! Its just one of the many bonuses of living in Southern California.

Nearly 50 of our family & friends came out to spend the afternoon celebrating your big day. And since you like anything with wheels, we decided to throw a racing themed birthday party.


It was so hot that we sought out shade where ever we could. Here we are hanging out with Kate under an umbrella.


One of the best surprises of the day was when Aunt Steph surprised us all & came to your birthday party. She traveled all the way from North Carolina! You love Steph & you love grilled cheese sandwiches, so you enjoyed both in the sun.


Then it was time for your rite of passage as a 1 year old - diving into your birthday cake! I baked a giant cupcake for you & it took you no time at all for you to sink both of your hands into it.


It was quite a mess, but you were happy so nothing else mattered!


Your dad had been working on your birthday gift for over a month. He wanted to make sure that your new car was as close as it possibly could be to the official Formula 1 cars. Boy does your car come close!


By the end of the party, everyone was seeking out shade. Here's a pic of you & Pops relaxing at the playground with Ella, Cheryl, Kai & Sirikit from our playgroup.


All in all, it was so much fun to be surrounded by some of the people that love you most. We had great weather, great food, great friends & great fun!

Love,
Mom & Dad

You've Come a Long Way Baby!

Dear Evan,

A year ago today your dad & I drove to Hoag Hospital while listening to the song "Get Ready" by the Temptations. Who knew that "Get ready, 'cause here I come" would be the line that we still laugh about today. Your dad & I will forever remember listening to that song, thinking that the next time we get in the car to go home, you will be with us.

In the past year, you have grown 9.5 inches & gained 12 pounds. You outgrew your infant car seat in just 9 months. Now that you have cleared the weight, height & age requirement, you get to face forward in the car. What a trip! It is so much fun to be able to interact with you in the car.

You've come such a long way in 12 months. I love looking at the picture frame we have hung in your room. We've taken a picture of you each month to see your progress. Your little personality really started shining through at about 4 months. Coincidentally, that's also when you started sleeping through the night. Well, maybe that's not such a coincidence!


Lately our days are filled with trips to the playground. You love the swings & digging around in the sand. We take Ginger on a walk in the afternoon & read books before you go down for a nap. Its also become quite obvious which toys are your favorites ... anything with Elmo on it & anything with wheels! You have a bazillion race cars, trucks & fire engine toys all throughout the house. Oh, and how could I forget, you LOVE chasing Ginger around the house. You think it's quite hysterical actually. Whenever you chase her around the house you have to stop because you are laughing so hard!

Evan, you are the coolest kid we know & we can't wait to have fun with you in the upcoming toddler years.

Love,
Mom & Dad

11 months old

Dear Evan,

The past 11 months have flown by. Your dad & I cannot believe how quickly you have grown into a little boy. You've grown from this little ball of love into a boy who wants to explore everything. You are crawling to places that I didn't know you could get to. And your height is proving to keep us on our toes since your latest 'trick' is opening doors & letting yourself into a new room.


You still love your nighttime baths. We even bought you more bath toys to keep you entertained & I think you would stay in there until your fingers & toes shriveled up like raisins & fell off!


Next month we will be celebrating your birthday. We've got a great party planned & aside from your Aunt Jenn & Uncle Kevin, all of your favorite people will be there. I can't wait to post pictures. Until then, we will be enjoying your last month before you officially become a toddler!


Love,
Mom & Dad

Choo-choo!

Dear Evan,

I am always looking for fun, new things to do around town. With longer stretches between naps, you are getting to the age where we can go out & explore. We had never been to Irvine Park before, but I had read about all of the great activities they have, so we thought we'd check it out. What a pleasant surprise ... the railroad was a huge hit!


We had our tickets in hand & were ready to board the train!


I snapped this picture just as we were gaining steam. You looked a little uneasy about the situation but were loving it in no time at all.


After our train ride, we enjoyed a picnic lunch by the lake & then fed the ducks.

In the words of your dad ... "This was a perfect day"!

Love,
Mom