Updates: 2 and 6 year old well-child visits.

It has been a very long time since I've updated this blog, but I've realized that this has become a way that I have kept track of major milestones/development and important doctor visits.  So since this is all in one place, I'm going to continue on with that!

I'll start with Christian: 
7/29/16

Ht: 35 1/4 in. (71%)
Wt: 33.2 lbs (96%)
BMI: 18.8 (91%)

Received his Hepatitis A shot.

All checked out well except he is going to be screened for a mild expressive language delay.  Which today he actually was screened.  Black areas mean some kind of service and/or intervention is needed, gray areas mean just keep an eye on it, and white areas which means he is where he should be or above the average.  He had no black areas, gray areas in expressive speech and problem solving and white areas in fine, gross motor and receptive language.  Christian is "easy".  Easy to calm, easy going, easy to eat and sleep,  easy to be around.  He is bashful but interactive with others.  Loves cars, golf, and wrestling. 

Ali
7/29/16

Ht: 47 in. (81%)
Wt: 58.2 (93%)
BMI: 18.5 (94%)

Ali is healthy and happy.  Still very strong-willed. Loves art and basketball.  She can read.  Gets along well with other kids.  Prefers playing with boys vs. girls.  Never-stops-talking.  Active, inclusive, free-spirited all describe her well right now.  Has a lot to work on in terms of responsibility, right vs. wrong, and respect but it getting there.  She is all-consuming and holds a big presence in our family.

Ali's 5 year Well-Child Visit

Can't believe Ali is now a 5 year old and headed off to full day kindergarten (845-315), in just a couples weeks!

Her doctor appt. went well.  Meeting and exceeding all developmental milestones.  Height is at 87th percentile and weight is at 90th percentile.  She no longer is allergic to milk but we are watching her to make sure that it's not dose related either for a few months.  However, she did test positive for cat dander, peanuts, bananas and eggs. The only one that shows symptoms is cat dander, the other could be false positives, so should still be monitored. 

Some of Ali's favorite things to do include swimming-she can swim now the full length of pool unassisted and can do a couple different strokes, she loves it, and what I love about it is that she works SO hard and tries SO hard at it.  It's fun to see her so focused on something.  She loves playing school with me, goofing around with her dad, pretending to play doctor, setting up parties.  She's very friendly with other people and really enjoys other kids.  She's still pretty strong-willed, but getting better at controlling her impulses.

Big times ahead for Ali in the near future, very excited for her!

Christian is 1!!!

Can't believe my baby is one already.  Here are the updates on him and how his dr. appointment went.

Stats:

Weight:  25 lbs 14 oz. (96th percentile)
Height: 30.51 cm (75th percentile)
Head circ: 19.2 cm ( 98% percentile)

There were no issues at his appointment to talk about.  Our plan for trying to avoid allergies in him is to take it slow while introducing the usual suspects, like milk.  He has had baked goods and cheese so far with no reactions, so fingers crossed he will be good to go!  He received 3 vaccines (MMR, Pneumococcal, and Varicella).  Of course he cried but his sister was there to save the day with Puffs!  He has reached a lot of the 15 month milestones that the nurse listed off.  He sleeps from 7pm-5am and takes two naps ranging from 1-2 hrs. per day. 

Here are a few recent pics:

 

Christian - 9 months

Stats:

Weight: 23.3lbs ( 90th %tile)
Head circumference: (over curve)
Length: (85th %tile)


Appointment Highlights- All developmental stuff is on track.  Iron levels are good now (13.2).  We had to measure his head three times because it kept measuring significantly larger than last appointment.  Dr. Matta said that it's most likely hereditary especially since his development is fine. 

Teeth- He has two bottoms teeth.  I think he is working on some more right now.

Sleep-He typically goes down around 730pm and wakes up around 12-3am, and usually wakes up around 530-6am. He's taking two naps around 930 and 2. 

Food- Doesn't love food as much as his sister did.  Has had a few skin reactions with spinach and threw up beets.  I have not tried any milk products yet. Still refuses a bottle. 

Temperament- He's a happy man.  Flirts with strangers, especially the ladies.  His sister makes him laugh more than anyone else.  But don't take away cellphones or remote controls from him because that's one thing that he doesn't like.

Nicknames- Ali comes up with new ones everyday (some have been inappropriate so I'm glad she makes up new ones), we usually call him CG, ceeg, buddy, sweetsie, and duddy.

 As of today he is an official crawler.  He can almost pull himself up to a stand. He can hold him self up in a stand unassisted for a couple seconds.

 

Ali Updates!

I've so enjoyed going back and reading some of my old blogs that I want to make sure to continue to update it.  After looking through some really old ones about Ali I decided that I needed to make some updates about her.

Our sweet Ali has changed sooooo much over the course of year 4 for her.  I'm sure it has to do with the addition of her baby brother.  Ali is an amazing big sister.  She loves her brother so much and is constantly wanting to kiss him and just be so nurturing with him.  Sometimes I secretly keep the baby monitor on when she's talking to him in his crib and she says things like "you're too cute", "I love you so much", to Christian. 

Ali has also become very strong willed.  This has been a good and bad thing for Joel and I.  Both Joel and I were, and still are fairly easy going, but Ali is quite different :).  It's been the greatest challenged for us to deal with her strong personality and zest for life.  We love watching her fearlessness in new situations and around new people.  At the same time, she has a side to her that likes to flirts with danger.  She keeps us on our toes constantly.  I'm sure that Ali has been MY greatest teacher.  She forces me to learn patience, forgiveness, humbleness, understanding...these things have been hard lessons but I am grateful for them.  I have a feeling that Ali will be that one person in my life who really pushes me to be a different (hopefully better) person. 

On a lighter note, Ali's loves include: school, dancing, swimming (which she can do almost by herself now), biking (which she can do without training wheels now), playing doctor and school, crafts, learning to sound out words, creating things, movies, chocolate, spaghetti, dresses, and gardening with Joel.

Some of Ali's dislikes are: taking naps (which she still takes about a 2 hr. nap, we tried to cut it out but it became evident that she still needed one), being told what to do (understandably no one likes to be told what to do, but Ali will NOT be told what to do;), we are working on the respect thing).

Ali has a lot to learn, as do most 4.5 year olds :).  We are really trying our best to teach her things like kindness, responsibility, respect, honesty, etc.  and realize that those things are best learned by example.  We have hope in our "never giving up on her" attitude that she will learn these things sooner than later. 

My love for that little girl grows deeper every day.  She makes me crazy most days! But I've told Joel many times that she breaks my heart everyday ( in a good way).  During the everyday tasks that I try to teach and help her with, and the daily reminders and "warnings" I have to give her, she does something so sweet and so enduring that my heart softens a little more for her. 

Ali's future is endless in the possibilities.  I am confident that she will grow to be a kind, confident, respectful, and compassionate human being. 

I could not love her more...

Shaking her bum bum :)

 



 Ali sharing her "treats" with us!

 

 Since Christian wouldn't take my milk from a bottle, Ali decided to drink it!

 

 So funny, Ali's favorite book to read is her Bible!

 

Celebrating our half birthday's at Frost Me Sweet!

Christians 6 months old

Christians 6 month appointment overall went well. Here are some of the highlights:

 

- Weight was 22 lbs. 10 oz ( over the growth curve)

- Length was 27 in. ( 75th percentile)

- Head circumference was 45 cm ( 95th percentile)

 

He received 5 vaccines (4 shots and 1 oral).  Flu, DTap, Hep. B, Polio, Hib, Pneuomococcal, and Rotavirus.  He was also tested for iron levels which was 11.2, on the low end.  So we are starting iron supplements along with his multivitamin with iron. 

 

Otherwise Cg is doing great!  He's started on Stage 1 foods and his development is right on track.

 

 

"4 month" check up at 20 weeks (closer to 5 months)

Christian got four vaccines today.  1 oral and 3 injections.

Stats:
Weight: 20 pounds even (over the growth curve)
Length: 26 inches (75th percentile)
Head: 44.4 cm ( 90th percentile)

New tricks:
Rolls from back to front
Lifts head to 90 degrees
Says "hi" "ma" "ali" and other sounds
Loves to jump

Likes:
To nurse
Suck on fingers and thumb
Chew on things
Observe his surroundings
His sisters voice

Dislikes:
Bottles

He's also tried out rice cereal this passed week and liked it!

Christians 2 months! (plus 1 week)

Christians well-child visit went well today!!!

He received two vaccine (one oral, one shot), and of course cried but was smiling about 5 minutes later.  

His current stats are : 

Weight: 15 lbs. 11 oz (off the growth chart)

Length: 62 cm (92nd percentile)

Head: 41.1 cm (91st percentile)

Christian is a super happy baby! The only time he gets really upset is in his carseat.  

Here's a cute pic of him!

1 Month Doctor Appt. (at 5 weeks)

Christians one month doctor appointment went well!  There are no concerns and we just keep keeping on :).

Here are the stats for our "not so little" little guy:

Weight: 12 lbs. 8 oz ( 95th percentile)
Length: 57 cm ( 75th percentile)
Head: 38.6 cm ( 50th percentile)
Weight-for-length: ( 90th percentile)

Routine: Going to start getting into a routine with Cg. Went well yesterday.  During the day we tried 2 hours awake, 2 hours asleep.  Before bed we gave him a bath, fed him and he slept from 8-1:15 (which is pretty darn good).  We are going to try it again today and see how it goes!

Life for Ali: I'm pretty sure once a month Ali goes through some kind of developmental change and it tweaks with her behavior.  She has been super hyper this week, which is rough when you have a gassy and fussy newborn to attend to.  However, we did survive...barely :)

 Its been super stormy here the passed week, so we decided to go play out with rain! Hello curls :)

 The classic 4 year old trying to experiment with stuff while moms busy morning.  I had her brush her own teeth one morning and this is how she returned to me.  Toothbrush tangled tightly in her hair! 

Ali had a blast at the fair this week!  I'm glad she was able to experience good ol' Tri-City farm life :)

1 month!

Baby Christian is already 1 month!!!

Here's the latest:

Weight: 12.2 lbs (Ali was 10.8 at one month).  Christian doesn't look as chubby but he is definitely bigger.
Doctors appt. this upcoming Thursday to measure length.

Loves: nursing, cuddling, smiling, giggling, looking at lights, shadows, and faces, listening to voices, his room, and massages.

Dislikes: gas bubbles, being cold, and being put down in a swing, chair, or stroller.  We are going to get out the baby carrier soon!

Routines: As of now Christians routine is sleep, nurse, play.  He nurses about every 3 hours throughout the night.  He's awake about 3 times a day for about 1.5 hrs of true alert, awake time.

Nicknames: Mister, cg.

Life for Ali:  She loves being a big sister and kissing and cuddling Christian.  The first two weeks were rough for her and us, but I think things are starting to settle in now.

Life for Joel and I: We are still trying to figure out a routine that's going to work for us.  Definitely have had some really good and equally bad days. We are learning to get by on minimal (4-5 hrs) of sleep.  Still in that adjustment phase of this whole new baby thing ;)

Christians 1 week check-up

Christians 1 week stats:

Weight: 8 lbs. 11 oz. (75th percentile)
Length: 55 cm (95th percentile)
Head: 36 cm ( 50th percentile)

All is checking out well with Christian.  He received his 2nd PKU testing and didn't even cry when they poked him.  Next Tuesday he is scheduled for his circumcision.

Big sister Ali had her first major meltdown since the arrival of Christian.  We knew this would happen at some point.  Pressing the reset button this next week, hoping for some positive changes.

 Chilled out for his car ride. Much different picture on the other side of the camera :)

 Lots of changes for Ali but despite it all she is so loving and gentle with her baby brother. 

 This picture says it all. 

What a poser :).  Next week starts acting/drama classes for Ali.  I think it will suit her well. Christian again just chilling...is this common for 2nd born children?!

Christian Gabriel Evans!

Christian Gabriel was born on Thursday July 17th, 2014 at 7:59 pm.  He weighed 8 lbs. 7.7oz. and was 21.5 in. long.  

Joel and I went to our 38 week appt. (I was 38 and 2 days), at around 3 pm and was sent to the hospital to be checked by Dr. Hernandez because I was having regular contractions.  When I arrived I was 2 cm. and observed for 2 hrs. to see if I was going to making any cervical changes.  After 2 hrs. I was still contracting regularly about every 5-8 min. and made a tiny amount of cervical change, so I was observed for 2 more hours.  After those 2 hrs. my contractions became less and I made no cervical change, so I was sent home.  As I was getting dressed my water broke!  This was at about 7 pm.  Luckily the nurse who I had been wanting was still on her shift from 6 am and Dr. Hernandez was still at the hospital.  So we hustled to get me back to the OR. I think I was back in the OR at around 7:30ish.  Christian was born at 7:59pm.  It all happened so fast!

During observation.  

First picture together!

 Thank you to everyone who came to visit us in the hospital!  This is my grandma's 19th grandchild!

 Christian is constantly smiling in his sleep!

 Of course we've been trying to figure out who he looks the most like.  We've come to the conclusion that he almost looks exactly like Jon when he was a baby, widows peak and coloring especially. 

 Can't believe he is over one week old already!

 Ali is loving being a big sister!  

 So great to see these two.  Can't believe there is actually three little boys in this picture :).  Can't wait for Christians best friend to arrive!!!

 Visits from Papa!

 Joel and his son :)

First picture that I've seen with an orb in it (Joel's shoulder).  Blessed to have Angel Jon watching over our Christian.

38 weeks

How far along? 38 weeks
Total weight gain: 29 lbs.  This has been a huge thing for me this pregnancy.  My final weight with Ali was about 196 lbs., my almost final weight with Christian is 159 lbs..  I hope this helps with my recovery this time around.  

Maternity clothes? Whatever fits and is cool

Stretch marks?  Yes

Sleep: Some nights are better than others. 

Best moment this week: Celebrating my birthday and Ali's.  I'm so glad I left Ali's birthday "open" we ended up having a great mom/daughter day.  The morning started off with Ali making her own pancakes, picking out her own clothes, giving all of her Barbies baths.  Then we went to the mall to look for new flip flops but got caught up at Claires and ended up getting a few things.  Then we went to the pita pit for lunch.  Ali's only request was that she wanted to see Paxton on her bday, so he came over to decorate her cake, sing happy birthday and eat it!  They played a little, then it was off to swim lessons!  It was a great day for her (and me). 

Miss Anything? Working out, feeling comfortable, and holding Ali.  Kinda miss wine tasting during this time of year. 

Movement:Pretty active lately. 

Food cravings:  Anything cool and fresh. 

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Labor Signs: I've had a lot of contractions lately.  I'm feeling like this last week is going to be a challenge to keep him in for another week.  Some day's I've even had to start timing my contractions because they feel so strong and close together.  I'm also really low now.  Really praying that he can hold  off for one more week! Ali was born at 38 weeks exactly, so this week will be an uncharted experience for me.  

 Belly Button in or out? out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: This is the last week before my scheduled csection, I am so looking forward to meeting him and for everyone else to meet him as well! 

38 weeks, 31 years old, 4 years old!

1st pic is of Ali headed to her birthday buddy (Rishi's) party, they share the same birthday.  2nd is on her actually bday getting phone calls from all of her loved ones.  3rd is her pancake creation. 4th is at the gynmastics center. 5th is more pancakes, 6th is at the mall going on a few rides, 7th is at the pita pit, 8th is cake with Pax, 8th is on my bday celebration.  

37

How far along? 37 wks
Total weight gain: 27.6 lbs

Maternity clothes? Just trying to stay cool in this 100 + degree weather. 

Stretch marks?  Unfortunately...yes :(

Sleep: Not great.  

Best moment this week: Celebrating Ali's 4th birthday!  

Miss Anything? Being comfortable and I miss holding Ali.   

Movement:Pretty active lately. 

Food cravings:  Meat

Gender Prediction: Boy!

Labor Signs: Braxton hicks.

 Belly Button in or out? out

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!

Looking forward to: Finalizing all of our prep. for Christian!