All About Evi: One Month

My dearest Evi,

While I have spent the last month getting to know you and figuring out your preferences, on a deeper level it seems as if I've always known you... as if you've always been a part of my life and now we have finally been able to meet... finally been able to be a part of each other's lives.  I know that sounds crazy, but you just seem so familiar to me... so a part of me.

I am loving the amount of time I get to feed you.  The amount of time I get to hold you.  I have no doubts that I am going to spoil you.  No doubts that you are going to be the typical youngest child even though I know I must be careful with this.  For now I'm enjoying the fact that you are too young to spoil and that I don't have to think about it quite yet...

Here's what you are up to....

• You weigh around 8 pounds 6 ounces and are a half pound bigger than your sister and almost a full pound bigger than your brother at this age.  This is crazy to us because when you were born you seemed far smaller than either of them did!
• You are in newborn diapers after spending the first two weeks in preemie diapers... the only one of my kids to be in preemie diapers.
• You are wearing all newborn clothes.
• You are still very alert.  You have never been the super sleepy newborn that as typical.  You do have days where you sleep the whole day, but for the most part you have always been pretty awake.
• You do sleep though.... you came home sleeping through the night, but during your third week of life, you went on a major growth spurt and woke up every two hours to eat.  Thankfully, that only lasted about a week and then you settled into your current routine-- waking up once between 10:30 and 5 to eat.  I love the four to five hour stretches, but sometimes you will cluster feed after that long stretch so I end up not getting much sleep afterwards.  As for naps, you prefer to take them in the sling attached to me... partially because with two other kids running around I don't have the time to really help you get to sleep anywhere else and partially because you like being near me and I like having you near me as well.... like I said, you are spoiled!
• You are an amazing eater!  You ate every two hours for the first three weeks of life, but after your growth spurt I knew that you should be able to go longer so we switched to every 3 hours instead.  In the beginning you'd eat for about 30 minutes, but you are much more efficient now and only nurse for 15 minutes or so.  My milk supply is still going strong and I think because you are eating more often and still eating in the middle of the night that we are good for awhile.  I'm trying not to get too excited, but I think you might be the first of my children to actually make it past the 4-5 month mark!!!!!
• When you were born, you had THE smallest head... we all commented on just how small it was, but most of your weight gain seems to be going to your head so you are now in the normal range.  
• You are not a big fan of shopping.  We are going to have to work on this.  I know we aren't getting out as often as I did with the other two so maybe you just aren't used to it, but you always seem to get super fussy when we are at Target.... not cool, sweetie, not cool.
• If you are crying it is ALWAYS because you spit out your binkie (which you do every 5 seconds or so) or because you are hungry.  You are super easy to soothe and are thankfully not a big crier.
• You aren't picky about diaper changes... you don't mind being wet or dirty.  You poop all the time and are quite the squirter.  You make tons of messes.  I'm getting better at being prepared for them, but sometimes you still catch me off guard.
• You did roll over from your stomach to your back this month though I think it might have been a fluke.
• You can't bear weight on your legs... you still like them curled up and won't extend them when we hold you up.
• You get the hiccups a lot.
• Your belly button fell off at two weeks... thank.goodness.
• You have started liking baths more.  You hated them in the beginning, but now you tolerate them.
• Your eyes are navy.  They are focusing better, but you are pretty bug eyed most of the time.  I think it's adorable.
• Your dilated blood vessel is still on your cheek.  It gets much more pronounced when you cry or are hot.  I am finally starting to calm down about it... I was very concerned in the beginning that it might be a sign of a genetic disorder, but after talking with my OB, I am now feeling much better about it and am accepting that it isn't anything to be concerned about.
• You've had a couple of mini smiles and I have been begging you to smile since day 1.  I have this weird paranoia that you don't like me so I just really NEED you to smile at me.  soon. very soon. okay?
• You currently seem to have your daddy's coloring.  I'm jealous.
• Your hair on the back of your head is blonde and a good inch long.  The hair on top of your head is shorter and darker.
• You have long toes... they are not mine.  
• You have a stork's mark on the back of your neck and above your right eye.
• You still favor your daddy, but definitely resemble Finley as well.  There's something about the shape of your head and your chin that remind me of her.  I think your eyes and mouth might be similar as well.
• You are very expressive.  You have all kind of fun facial expressions and though I've made it my mission to capture each and every one on camera, I don't think I've been very successful.
• You like your bouncy chair and your swing.  
• You get lonely.  I am wondering if this will be a 3rd child thing since you will rarely be without others, but you do seem to enjoy being around us all the time.  
• You sleep in the cradle by our bed, but usually after you eat in the middle of the night stay in bed with us.  This is bad.  I know.  I can't help it.  
• You are pretty tough.  You've endured a couple of minor injuries due to your brother and sister!  They are actually very sweet with you and love you to death, but being 3 and 15 months, they are still figuring out self-control!
• You don't mind tummy time.  You actually seem to like it even though most babies hate it!
• You make a lot of grunting noises in the middle of the night.  You sister sounded like a goat and your brother sounded like a monkey.  You don't seem to have an animal sound... just grunts.
• You love being swaddled and since early on, I swaddle you in a swaddle blanket and then put a swaddle pod blanket on top of that.  This works well because you can kind of get your arms out of your swaddle blanket which makes you MAD so the swaddle pod keeps you more secure.
• You face has broken out a little bit, but not too bad... 
• You took your first bottle a few days after your one month birthday and weren't too excited about it.  Finley and Jude took right to the bottle, but we had to work to get you to take it.  
• You have lots of nicknames-- Evs, Evi Lou, Evi Lou Lou, Sugar Muffin, etc.
• You really are a sweet, sweet baby!  You are an answer to every prayer I prayed!  I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Love,

Mommy