While Nana was here

Evan's Nana, Louise (aka John's mum), came to visit us from September 5-24.  During her visit there were many milestones in Evan's life that she was able to witness, as well as she helped us establish some new tricks that we'll continue to use well after her visit ended, along with some new phrases and other treats that we now use with Evan.

Milestones

Evan took his first road trip and overnight stay away from home to Glenwood Springs soon after Nana arrived.  She rode in the backseat of the car with him and helped tend to him when he was fussy during the trip, which lucky for us was not very often.  However, since she has left we've had at least one instance already where I had to let John chauffeur me and Evan, as I had to hop into the backseat to calm him and keep his pacifier in his mouth for the rest of the drive.

Evan also took his first "hikes" these past few weeks to Doc Holliday's memorial in Linwood Cemetery, to see the Maroon Bells near Aspen, and within Rocky Mountain National Park to view the autumn colors.  These were the first times we used the Baby Bjorn carrier rather than his car seat stroller system, and every single one of these "hikes" Evan slept through the whole thing.  In part because we usually had just fed him, so we knew his belly was full and he'd be content.  Maybe also because being up against John's body like that soothed him, as if he was in the womb again?  Either way, all the family photos from these excursions document that Evan took in the sights with his eyes closed. :)

Evan "sightseeing" at the Maroon Bells.

Evan has also started holding his head up for longer periods of time, which first happened while we were in our hotel room in Glenwood Springs.  He was just about five weeks old at this milestone and it occurred just after I'd fed him, while I had him laying on his tummy over my shoulder to burp him.  Evan had been holding his head up in short uncontrolled bits here and there (especially during tummy time), but he had never held it up in a concerted and nearly controlled effort prior to that evening in the hotel.  He pulled his head back away from my body and actually looked around for quite awhile.  His head and neck were shaky, but he held on and kept it up.  We all knew we were witnessing an important "first" in his developmental milestones, and so John had to get the camera for a photo!

Evan holding up his head and looking around for the first time when we were in Glenwood Springs.  Now that he does this, I have to make sure to have a good grip on him so he doesn't flop backward out of my arms!

Evan had also given us his first smile while he was awake when he was about three weeks old, and over the weeks that followed he has started having many more intentional smiles and alert periods in which he engages us now in longer conversations and very happy moments.  With me this especially started happening more during changes on his changing table.  I can still remember several times when Louise was behind me taking pictures and I was "talking" to and interacting with Evan while changing him.  I also think that he likes it when I tickle and kiss his tummy and blow raspberries on it (which I've mentioned previously as one of the ways I like to interact with him during changing time) because he really gets excited and does a lot of coos and gurgles and smiles after each raspberry or tickle.  One of the new things he does now when he chats with us is to open his mouth and move his tongue a lot, as if he's trying to mimic our mouths moving during the conversation.  I've read this is common for babies to start doing, and that he'll also start to mimic more of our facial expressions in the near future.  Louise also noticed that Evan's vision and tracking abilities were developing well since she often saw his gaze follow John and I; watching us closely when we were near him.  She cited many times when Evan would track one of us as we walked around the room in front of him.

Evan talking to us during a recent chatty moment.

The last day of Nana's visit we gave Evan his first bath without the net/sling to support him.  Thus, he was submersed in the water, and he seemed to love it!  No fuss at all.  Just attentively looked around as John washed him.  Louise figured Evan would love to kick and splash this way, and while he probably will soon, he didn't quite have that part figured out yet this first time.  However, it was clear he likes having more of his body in the warm water, rather than being suspended just above it where he'd get wet and then be more exposed to the cool, dry air. Brrrr!

Evan gazing up at daddy during his first bath without the sling.

On one of the days in Glenwood Springs, we put Evan in an outfit (safari layette from Papa and Margaret to be precise) that had a matching bib with it.  This was the first time we'd put him in a bib, and it worked great!  Every time he spit up while we were out and about, the bib caught it!  How did we go this long and not figure it out!?  I suppose I hadn't been doing this because the bibs we have didn't match all of his outfits.  (Fashion first, right? haha)  Since then, even if the bib does not quite match the outfit, we put him in a bib if we're going out or just want to preserve the outfit for a longer wear.  Now this still doesn't help when we lose an outfit to it being pee'd on during a diaper change, but hey, it is one step toward less laundry! :)

Evan during our outing in Glenwood Springs with his safari outfit on, complete with matching bib.

Near the end of Nana's visit we started to realize that some of Evan's 0-3 month sized clothes were starting to look a bit tight.  Mostly the ones that were shorter in length were just not long enough anymore!  The shorter onesies surely were not fitting as well now around his cloth diapers (let me emphasize that Gerber brand onesies are definitely the shortest and smallest of the bunch--not impressed!), but also some of his footed sleepers were looking a bit too short too.  Especially the zippered ones (i.e. those that just have a zipper down one leg, not snaps along both legs) were getting short in the torso area, making it hard to get his leg into the side that didn't have the zipper to open it up wider.  Thus, this past weekend I dug out the 3-6 month sized clothes that we have for him and got them all washed up and ready to wear whenever we start to need them.  We have a lot of clothes in this size, in part from all the lovely size 00 clothing gifts that were given to us from Evan's family in Australia (thanks to Louise, Janine, Elaine and Monica--aka John's Nanny).  We also have a heap of used clothes in this size range from our neighbor who had twin boys last year, and thus gave us several boxes of gently used infant boy clothes.  So I think we're all set in the clothing department for the next few months!  I just hope Evan doesn't outgrow this size range too quickly, as I feel like I was just retiring his newborn sizes and looking forward to the 0-3 month wardrobe, and here we are not quite at 2 months old preparing for the 3-6 month size range! 


New tricks and treats

Nana helped us discover that Evan likes our attic fan as a soothing technique.  He must love the sound of it, since it creates a loud rattling hum of white noise.  Plus he loves being underneath it so he can stare up at it.  The vents (when open) must create lines on the ceiling that fascinate him.  Today it was enough to distract him from his fussing to the point that he fell asleep underneath the fan, staring up at it as I rocked him.  Thanks Louise for showing me that trick! :)

We also started trying a new position to hold Evan while Nana was visiting, especially when he was fussy or might have gas, by laying Evan on his tummy on John's legs.  He seems to like this new trick and even fell asleep laying in this position Monday night.

Evan's new position on John's lap. 

This position seems to help Evan burp if he has gas, and he also likes to push himself forward with his legs against John's body.  

Nana also gave us great suggestions to help with Evan's blocked tear ducts.  This problem started when Evan was a few weeks old and had seemed to get worse by four weeks.  The doctor told me to massage his tear ducts to help clean them out and open them up, but in the meantime he was still having a lot of "goo" building up around his eyes.  We were washing his face with a warm washcloth, but were quickly running out of clean ones to use when his eyes needed washing multiple times per day.  Louise had encountered similar issues with John as a baby and suggested we try using wet cotton balls to help wipe his eyes.  They were cheap and disposable and, after buying a few large bags of them, we always had a stash of clean ones to use.  His eye issue peaked during the first half of her visit, to the point that both of his eyes were constantly gumming up and all sticky to the point we had to wipe his eyes at every feeding, so the cotton ball trick was helpful.  There was one day where the eyelids on his left eye were even looking a bit red, so I called the doctor worried it could be turning to infection.  They suggested we watch it for another day or so, as it just could be the eye crusties themselves causing irritation on the eyelids.  Then, almost suddenly, both eyes cleared up about the time when Evan turned six weeks old.

Nana also brought Evan some Australian books and was able to read a few of them to him.  Granted, he rarely gave the book attention for more than a few pages, and thus one book in particular I heard her start reading to him on several occasions without ever getting too far.  The book is called "Wombat Stew" and has some fun and catchy rhyming phrases in it.  I can still hear Nana repeating "ewwy gooey, yummy chewy, wombat stew!"  In order to hear the full book, I asked Louise to read it to me and Evan while I was nursing him one day near the end of her visit.  Now I also recite some of these rhyming phrases to Evan when I talk to him, especially my favorite "crunchy, munchy, for my lunchy, wombat stew!"  She also read a few of the other Aussie books, some which John remembered from when he was a child ("Possum Magic" for example).   I loved them all and am so glad we can share some Aussie culture with Evan while he's young and living in America.

Some other phrases from Nana


I've always referred to Evan's tummy pains as "having gas" or "bubbles", but Nana refers to it as "having wind".  This sure sounds sweeter than "having gas", and after her visit and hearing her say that phrase a lot (because Evan does have a lot of wind!), I have started to incorporate that phrase into my vocabulary too.  Nana also started responding to Evan's wet toot toots with the phrase "juicy lucy".  When Evan would have a particularly wet sounding toot, I would usually say "Wow that sounded juicy!"   Then Louise started echoing the sentiment by exclaiming "juicy lucy!"  The funny part about this term is that it was the name of a steakhouse in Glenwood Springs.  We did not go there for dinner, as it was a bit pricey, but thanks to our new use of this phrase I don't know if it sounds like an appetizing place to dine at now. :P  Sadly, after the first wet toot Evan had after Nana had left, John and I both looked at each other during the strange silence and realized we didn't have Nana there to say juicy lucy anymore. :( We miss this ritual, but mostly just miss Nana.  We want her to know she's welcome to come back anytime!