Fall is On It's Way!

Yesterday it was just SO nice outside, we decided we needed to get out an enjoy the day! We headed over to Marsh Creek State Park to take a hike and enjoy the weather. We had a great hike, and then stopped at the lake to watch the windsurfers and sailboats. Evan loved watching everything and taking it all in.

I've Got Wheels!

And as you can see, I'm thrilled!! Since E likes to walk so much while holding onto hands or furniture, and gets so frustrated when he can't get to where he wants to go, we decided that he needed his own way to get around! We took the plunge and did something we swore we would never do...we bought a walker. He loves this thing! We rolled up the rugs in the living and dining rooms and moved the furniture aside so he has his own little raceway to roll around...he cruises, and mostly goes backwards at the moment, but is starting to get the hang of going forward...oh dear...child proofing must begin soon!

The Littlest Dead Head?

We decided it was time to introduce Evan to the world of Greatful Dead tribute bands last Friday night. We went into Phoenixville to see a live band called Splintered Sunlight. It was great, the music was great and it was outside and all of the people were just kind of hanging out in the street. Evan loves to watch people and loves music, and he was such a trooper! Here is Evan and Frankie heading to the concert.

Oma Shows Me All Kinds of Fun Things!

Oma came over last weekend and took Evan out into the backyard and showed him around. They looked over the fence, at the trees and the houses and just enjoyed a beautiful end of summer day outside!

Crazy Sleeper!

I went into Evan's room while he was napping the other day to check on him, I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but he had pulled down the bumper with both hands, and was holding onto the bumper with his head resting on his hands...I think he is just like his daddy...he can sleep anywhere...

Say It Isn't So!

Where 'O Where has my little baby gone!? Suddenly he is more interested in standing up, pulling up and having you hold his hands so he can walk than playing on his back or tummy....I see mobility in our future, and it scares me!!

The Maston Lake Experience

We weren't sure how well E would do in an actual lake, as he really only has ever been in swimming pools and bathtubs. As to be expected, he loved it. He took to it immediately, and in his little inflatable crab, he and daddy went swimming into the middle of the lake...truly a tear jerking site to see! He loved splashing in the water, laying on is belly on the shore and eating mud...ahh to be young again!

The Wilford Family Party

Every year Uncle Jon and Aunt Marian have a Wilford Family Party for the members of their wedding party and their kids, and their kids and so on. Every year, group pictures of the generations are taken. This year was the first year Evan was a participant in the "Kid Generation" picture. The weight of this, and the visions of the years to come made me choke up and become excited about the future!

Heading to Michigan!

At the end of July we ventured to Michigan for a few weeks of relaxing and enjoying family. The 14 hour drive to get there was not as bad as we anticipated and actually Evan was really good while driving. We decided to drive overnight, as it seemed the best way to make sure he slept a good portion of the drive. It worked! We had a great time in Michigan, getting to see all of the family, the lake and tons of friends!

Broccoli, My Broccoli

Okay, so it's not typically on the list of 'first foods" but we are pretty unconventional. We ground up some broccoli in the baby food grinder and gave it to E to see what he thought. We were suprised at his reaction, he ate the broccoli by the handful, and minus the stuff he ended up wearing, he really enjoyed the meal!

I have 5 Cousins?!?

As the summer progressed, we made it a point to not only join the pool in our area, but to also take Evan to the pool in many other places too. He had a great time at the pool with all 5 of his cousins...who absolutely adore him! It's really cool to see them interact with Evan, even though they have their own siblings and babies are nothing new for them, the fact that they have a cousin is really cool to them!

To The Shore!!!

In late May, Oma and Opa decided to rent the suite at the Windrift in Avalon, NJ for a couple of days and invited me and Evan down to stay with them. He had a great time here, tried out a wooden high chair for the first time, and got some great time in the pool. He was such a ham, hanging out at the pool in the lawn chairs...I might be biased but I think he is pretty darn cute!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

How appropriate...I call him my little Chunky Monkey and here we are at the Philadelpia Zoo Monkey Exhibit....we had a great time at the zoo with Uncle Josh and Aunt Emily...the day was perfect and the sun was out...Evan loved just looking at both the exhibits and the people...boy did he sleep well that night!

Ode To an Exersaucer

Ahh yes, the infamous exersaucer. When we first thought we needed this bright colored item of mystery, we truly had no idea how much we would use it, and how much of a lifesaver it would be! This thing is worth it's weight in gold. We take it with us everywhere! He just sits and plays and sings and talks! It even plays "Old McDonald" and when that song comes on, Evan just sits and waits and looks to us to sing...silly kid!

Father's Day!

Ahh...what a great picture! Frankie's first Father's Day. Grandma got them matching shirts, which they wore proudly for the occassion. Well, Frankie got a shirt, and E got a romper...although it would have been amusing to see Frankie in a romper too...but, I digress. There is something just amazing about the father/son relationship, and I can already start to see it develop, I am excited to see how it progresses over the years!

Moving on Up Into the World of Solids

Ahh the time has come. We decided to wait until Evan was at least 6 months old before we started him on solid food. We had several different reasons, but the most important one being that we wanted to wait until he showed interest in food. Once he did, we welcomed him to try pretty much anything he wanted to. His first "official" meal was a smashed up fresh banana. He liked it...what of it he ate, but he had an even better time smearing it around his tray and getting his hands all messy....like father, like son...

Professional Pictures Abound!

I know so many people tend to get professional pictures done of their kids from birth, almost monthly until who knows when. We are just not that kind of people! We would much rather have snapshots and candid photo's rather than the posed ones you get from sittings. However, We did decide that we would do a couple of sittings during his first year. We were pleasantly suprised with how well these 4 month shots came out. We had them done locally st Sears...and were very happy! The next ones will be at 9 months...and we will be getting in a family shot as well!

Traveling Man...

Look at this little HAM! Not only does he love to be outside, but he is so happy to be in his stroller just strolling around. We seriously could take him anywhere, as long as we stayed mobile! This smile reminded me of some of Uncle Jon's pictures when he was younger...ahh the Wilford genes continue!

Mr. Congenial

Evan loves being outside....no matter where we are, or what the weather, he just looks around and takes everything in! Here he is chilling out on the deck, being cute, as always. He tends to get really chatty when we are outside, must be all the new and interesting things to look at!

Hanging With Oma

Evan and Oma hanging out on the deck for a Mother's Day brunch. Oddly enough, it was just a year to the day before that we told Muuttttii that we were expecting Evan, by giving her a Mother's Day card with an ultrasound picture in it! Amazing to come full circle!

Uncle Kenderdine...

Mr. Evan on Memorial Day weekend with Uncle Kenderdine and Frankie. Since Uncle Ken is so tall, Evan was not quite sure what to make of him at first. Uncle Ken is so excited to teach Evan how to fish and do all the guy things there are to do!

Memorial Day Weekend at the Pool

We took Evan to the German Club pool on Memorial Day weekend, he absolutely loved it! They have a great kiddy pool, and he splashed around in that for a while, it was unseasonably warm....but so nice to be out in the sun so early in the year!

Anna's First Mother's Day

For so many years it seemed to me like I would never have the amazing fortune to be able to really celebrate Mother's Day....and I am so happy that my little Evan has prooved me wrong in every sense of the word WRONG. In May 2007, I was blessed to celebrate my very first Mother's Day with Evan, Frankie and Oma and Opa. It was such a monumental day for me, as it was something I had dreamt of for so long. Being able to sit back and see that my dreams and out hard work has become relaity was an incredibly humbling experience. A picture of me and Mr. Charming taken on Mother's Day.

Have Pack and Play, Will Travel

In early May, we drove to the Youngstown Ohio area and met up with Grandma and Grandpa Bob at a hotel for the weekend, here, Evan had his first experience with the big pool (as opposed to the garden bathtub at home). I have to say, this was a big hit for him! He really enjoyed the water, but not nearly as much as he enjoyed his Grandma!!

Uncle Josh and Aunt Emily Come to Visit

In April, Uncle Josh and Aunt Emily came out for a weeks visit. We did all kinds of things, we went to the Atlantic City shore in Avalon, NJ, we went to the Philly Zoo, and then Evan had his first experience with a cheesesteak on South Street at Jim's....it was a super busy week, and we all got some great bonding time together. We even took pictures of Evan and Uncle Josh with their matching shirts on....what a great time!

UJ and AM to the Rescue!

In March, Uncle Jon and Aunt Marian came for a long weekend visit. It was so amazing for me to see my own Aunt and Uncle with my own son. We had a great time, and Evan went out to his first dinner out with everyone, and of course, behaved like a champ!

An Apple a Day.....Keeps the Dr Away?

He survived his shots, all of them, and Mommy did too! He had them at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months...poor little guy!!

Evan's first visit to the pediatrician:

All of This in the First Month!? How Did We Survive!?

At 4 weeks old, Evan was diagnosed with something called pyloric stenosis. This condition caused him to end up inthe CHOP emergency room, and being rushed into emergency surgery the next day. It was such a scary time for Frank and I, but we managed through it, and it truly made all the difference in the world with Little E. He went from this little guy I was afraid to feed or lay down, to this little bundle of joy, which is how I imagined it would be. He made a speedy, full recovery and it still gaining like a champ!

My little Angel at CHOP after his surgery:

Grandma came out to see us when Evan was about a week old, and she stayed for a week, helping us with everything under the sun! She even made up meals for the freezer, which we are still working our way through!

A little sleeping E and Grammie:

Who Helped Evan Enter the World...

Oma and Auntie Anne hugging after a job well done....and a moment between Auntie Anne and Little Evan.

Wow...we have a new family member

What a strange feeling, to know you are going to have this new little member of your family, but then to actually see and meet him and to count all of his fingers and toes...an entirely new reality sets in....

Fresh Out of the Womb

Evan arrived crying, but not screaming, just kind of an "ok guys, I am here, now what?" sound. It was absolutely amazing, and he was so cute...right from the beginning!

Holy Labor Batman....

Evan Jon was born on January 9th, 2007 at 8:54AM, weighing 8lbs and 8 oz...21 1/2 inches long. He scored two 9's on his APGARS and was this amazing bundle of pink skin and blue eyes. We had a decent labor, and pushed for about an hour and there he was! Auntie Anne and Oma were there to help with the birth, and Frankie stayed in the social zone supporting me the enitre time. It was the most amazing day in my life by far. Bringing him home was the weirdest thing, once we got there and got settled, both Frank and I were looking at each other saying, "um, now what do we do"?

In the midst of labor

Wow.....what a long strange trip it has been!

It's hard for me to believe that I have not really updated this whole blog since September 2006! No excuses, just didn't get around to it...odd since I was on bedrest the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy with Evan!

I will try to provide the Readers Digest condensed version of the past year....

One last pregnancy picture...we decided to take these in the afternoon, as I was just feeling to HUGE! Much to our dismay, these would be the last preggo pics taken, as I went into labor a few hours later that night!