Showing off my new leggings

It was so nice today when we got home from the babysitter's that we decided to have a photo shoot outside...

her favorite thing in the world....

is her green blankee. It has magical powers to calm her when she is sad and soothe her to sleep when she is sleepy. She accepts alternatives when it is unavailable, in the wash or at home. But none are quite the same. I hope it survives through wind, rain, and storm because it goes anywhere and everywhere she goes!

Family, family everywhere

Things have been a bit crazy around the Kershaw house so I haven't been updating like I should. The entire month of August has really just flown by! At the beginning of the month we took a trip down with Uncle Adam, Aunt Molly, and cousin Alex to see Uncle Tony in Kentucky. We took a car DVD player (something I said I would never purchase before I had kids. Phsh what did I know) and it really kept her entertained for the bulk of the trip. It was so good to see Uncle Tony for a while, but man were we all glad to be back home!

Last weekend we made the trip down to Virden for Great-Grandma Furness's 80th birthday celebration. We took lots and lots of pictures and are anxious to see Aunt Angie's when she gets done with them! We finally got to meet little Mr. Paxton, who is even more adorable in person, and exchange more than a few words with Cody's fiance, Aby. Everyone that hadn't yet got to meet and hold Eva and she was very good all day. That happy mood wore off once we were on the road, so we were once again happy to finally pull into the ol' driveway.

The next day was the first day of school for me and the first day of daycare for baby Evalee. I was so worried about her all day, but she did so well. She never cried for Jesi and was all smiles when I came in the door. Every day she got better and better taking the bottle and eating baby food, by the time Friday came I felt like she had grown up so fast in a week. Friday night she got a little bonding time with her Uncle Eric, who she hadn't seen in a very long time, and she was snuggled and spoiled all weekend :).

We continue to be amazed by the small things she learns to do each day. She can sit up almost entirely on her own now (she still needs an elbow pillow from lean to lean), she makes the "B" sound when she's really telling you stories, and she giggles really hard when you tickle her in just the right spots with kisses.

4 month grins

We got Evalee's pictures back from her 4 month photo shoot. We loved how they turned out and they are already very properly displayed in our living room. Travis says our house is finally a home now that there is a big family photo hanging in the living room. Now we (okay, I) have a bit of picture fever (Grandma too) so we have already asked Aunt Denise to take some outdoor shots at the family fish fry this weekend! I won't give it all away, but let's just say hot pink leggings have been purchased. Stay tuned :)


n

4 month check up and our last week together

Today we had Evalee's four month check up with Dr. Moen. She's doing great -- still in the 50th percentile for weight and height and 25th percentile for her head size. She was 24/5 inches long and weighed 14 pounds 7 ounces. She still has a bit of a flat head in the back because she doesn't spend as much time as she should on her tummy. Mommy promises to be better with that this month haha. We also got the green light to start feeding her solid foods! I am so so excited about this idea and the possibility that this may result in her sleeping in bigger chunks at night. So I, of course, went to the grocery store afterwards and picked up the stage 1 foods for her to try. Tonight we had sweet potatoes and applesauce and I think she did really well for her first time with it! She got another oral vaccine and two shots but did so great with the shots this time. She didn't even cry until the second one, and she calmed down right away. She's getting to be such a big girl!

We have really enjoyed this last week we have had together just hanging out and reading books, going to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, and snuggling as much as possible. She has a bit up nose so we have had to spend more time with that snot sucker thing than either of us would like, but other than that we're in ship shape. This weekend we hit the road again for Great-Grandma Furness's birthday paprty in Virden. It'll be fun to finally introduce her to so many members of the family!

Didnt' take many pics this week -- but here are a few with her Daddy...

Fun weekend and reminiscing

This weekend was a fun one and our last at home before I go back to work. On Saturday morning we took Evalee to get her first professional pictures taken. She did really well and we got some gorgeous smiles out of her. Then we went out to eat and did some shopping before coming home for a little bit and then heading out to an annual party thrown by a good friend of Travis's from work. Then on Sunday (after very little sleep for all 3 parties) we made it to church, went to meet family for lunch, and then had a relaxing evening at home. I can't believe she's four months old already!

I've spent a good amount of today coming to terms with the end of summer, and even more significantly, the end of my days of spending every waking moment with Evalee. I would say it has flown by, but that's not exactly true. I was pushing her around the neighborhood tonight in her stroller and I thought about the days where pushing her in her stroller was the only thing I could do to get her to stop crying in the beginning. I remember one particular morning, after pouring a coffee cup full of orange juice setting off in the early morning sun and thinking to myself, "I can do this. I am going to make it." Haha. That feels like a lifetime ago. We have had so many good times over the last four months. I'm not going to act like this next step isn't going to be hard, but I know that one day I'll look back at this time, just like my orange juice coffee day, and smile.

First Eye Doctor Appointment

Because I had eye problems when I was little, I decided to make an appointment to get Evalee's eyes checked by my childhood eye doctor (who is brilliant). I was glad we went because she has a 30% chance of developing a lazy eye because I had one. She was not a fan at all of getting her eyes dilated (who is? I used to kick those poor people), but she pretty well with it. Dr. Arbisser checked her eyes out and said he thinks they both look strong and healthy righ tnow and doesn't think he needs to see her again for another year. He also taught us how to screen her for it throughout the year to make sure nothing changes. I was so relieved. Could it be when got a child that avoided my eyes AND Travis's ears???

Oh, what to wear? What to wear?

Evalee and I decided to try on various outfits trying to decide which to wear to her first big official photo shoot ( at JcPenney... but still). So I of course had to take some myself in hopes to get some votes from Travis. These two are my favorites...Sportin' the flower headband from Grandma Adams.

Hanging out with Mom on the porch

What a mess!

Normally, Eva isn't a huge fan of taking a bottle but on Monday she was ALL about it. We think because it was cold it felt good on her sore throat. Regardless, she was a bit messy when it was all said and done.
Her onesie with the little piggie couldn't have been more appropriate.

Why do you do this to me Mom?

Rollin' with the homies...

Evalee finally got that pesky rolling thing down this week! She has been trying for the last couple of weeks, but she couldn't never get her lower half to follow her upper half. But then on Monday she rolled from her tummy to her back (twice! once to surprise me and then again so I could capture it with the camera) and then tonight from her back to her tummy. Since this newfound ability was discovered, she has been spending a lot of time on her side. I think we have a side sleeper on our hands!