Our Baby Brute!

I am sure all parents think their children are strong, but in Evie's case, Chad and I think she really is! One thing we have tried in order to ease Evie's colic, is to swaddle her very tight in something called "the miracle swaddler." It is basically a straight jacket for babies to keep her hands to her side. Although she initially did not like to be so snug, she has really come to enjoy being a baby burrito all wrapped up. Last Sunday morning when Chad went to get her, she apparently decided she wanted her hands out and if she could not get out of the swaddle (which she has done twice even though it is guaranteed not to happen), she would try to get out of her pajamas. You can see by the picture, she was quite successful! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to watch her in action! Last week, we also tried an incline for her crib (another colic-cure suggestion). When Chad purchased the incline, the lady at Babies-R-Us told him to stop using the incline at about 6 months when Evie is able to push herself off of it. The incline lasted just one night, as Chad and I came in two different times during the night to find our darling 6-week-old off the incline and sleeping soundly on her flat crib! Evie also loves doing "leg presses" with Chad! She tucks her legs up while on her slick changing pad and propells herself off Chad all the way to the end! We could not believe how far she could push herself! She also has no problem pushing herself up to a standing position while we hold her hands and can even bounce herself while standing. Look for her to be pulling cars in ESPN's Strongman Competition next month!

Arboretum Adventures & Our First Mother's Day!

On Friday, Chad and I took Evie to the Arboretum in Chanhassen to see all of the pretty tulips that have begun to bloom with Spring finally here! As you can see from the pictures, Evie really enjoyed her time at the Arboretum!!! During the "Serenity Walk" we got quite a few stares from the people there to journal and take photographs of the serene scene as our screaming tot strolled her way through the bog with her parents singing and shushing the whole way. SERENITY NOW! We finally did settle our little tulip down after a delicious bottle of breast milk, a wardrobe change (apparently the stocking hat went over better than the sun bonnet) and several smooches from M and D and had a fun tour the rest of the way.

Sunday was a busy day for the Lundeen family, as we celebrated both Chad's 35th Birthday and our very first Mother's Day together! The three of us headed to a park in Chaska for a family picnic. Evie dined on breast milk, while Chad and I had Subway. We had a great time and even attempted a family nap on the blanket in the sunshine. Evie enjoyed her outing in the sun and listening to all the strange, new noises at the park (especially once the pink bow came out of her hair...she's not big on accessories)!

Evie's Dedication at Church

On Sunday, May 3, 2009, Evie had her Child Dedication at Westwood Church in Chanhassen, Minnesota. With her dad's job occupying most Sundays, we thought we would do it sooner rather than later. Evie thankfully slept through a majority of the five-minute dedication process (sleeping = no crying!) and only woke up at the very end. Uncle Scottie and Aunt Courtney were on-hand to be her Godparents and both sets of Grandparents were there to see their little monster on stage!

Evie Turns One (Month That Is)!

What a big day for our big girl! On Thursday, April 30, Evie celebrated one month of life! On one hand, it is hard to believe she is already a month old...it is hard to imagine what our life was like without her in it already. On the other hand, we keep thinking "where did the time go?" Evie had quite the day in celebration! First, she visited her Mama's classroom in Wayzata where the third graders had a shower for her! After screaming at Mommy's Principal for a good ten minutes, Evie fell right to sleep and was an angel for the kiddos. They loved getting to meet her and we celebrated with cake (everyone that is, except for Evie...she'll have to continue to stick to her strict diet of milk...yum)! After the shower, we headed to lunch with Mom's friend Erin and her new son Max (just 4 days older than Evie) at Evie's favorite place: Potbelly's! Well, OK, it's Mom's favorite place, but since she ate it every Friday for lunch while in the womb, we are guessing Evie likes it pretty well too! After a fun time of eating and shopping (what more could a girl want to do on her birthday), it was bath time since Evie had a little (or big) accident on the car ride home. What a fun birthday celebration!

Our First Blog

Although I have never blogged before, I thought this would be a great way to keep friends and family in the loop on Evie. This is our last few days together before I head back to work for four weeks, so I have been trying to enjoy every second I can with her while she is awake (she is currently in her swing loving life and peacefully napping). Evie has struggled with colic for the first few weeks of life but in the past 5 days, she has been like a new woman! She still can get a little fussy at night (what baby doesn't), but her days and afternoons have been much improved and Evie even slept for 8 straight hours Sunday night followed up by a 7 hour night on Monday! I wish I could say Mom and Dad got a great night's rest that night, but we were so worried that she wasn't awake, I think we checked on her almost every hour! Hopefully that is a good sign Evie is feeling better every day! Keep your fingers crossed!