D'seeee??

This past weekend, Evan really started saying Daisy a lot and pretty well. Now everything is "D'seee?" It's adorable!

Not a whole lot is going on in the Mears household. Daddy is feeling better, as all last week he was battling the nasty head/chest cold that's going around the DC area. All but one member in his lab was sick last week. Yuck! But it seems to be going, going, gone, so that's good.

Evan still loves to play with everything. He loves blocks...

his new toy organizer...

books....

the ball pop toy...

He's so much fun! I never imagined having a 13-month old would be this much fun!

Evan's night

Evan's night started off with scrounging through the pantry. He can get into the pantry now and loves to get out the pasta boxes and shake them up and down. He also likes to empty out the cans and other foods in the bottom of the pantry. Seemingly harmless, right? Mommy & Daddy thought so too. We were eating our dinner tonight in peace, and then all of a sudden we heard some noises that didn't sound like macaroni rattling or cans dropping on the ground. Daddy checked on Evan and he had decided to play with an opened bag of egg noodles. Not only play with them, but dump every last noodle on the ground or in the pantry! Ahhh, life is fun with a toddler...Next on Evan's agenda was his first haircut! We are such novices at this parenting thing. Got some great advice from my sister and books and magazines, but Evan decided to challenge his parents. He would not sit still for Daddy to cut his hair. It turned out well, but getting there was a feat! Here is Evan before...

And after...

We kept a little length (aka curls) in the back for cuteness as well as warmth, as his lower hair isn't all grown in yet. OK, Mears family...who does Evan look like when he was a child?

We think he looks like his cousin, Zach, when he was little.

Now it was off to play before bedtime. We have to practice our dunking as IU plays Purdue in basketball tomorrow night. Evan lines up...
He reaches for the rim...

He dunks it...

Swish!

Oh, who's on the phone? Is it IU offering a basketball scholarship to Evan already?
Full ride? I'll take it!

Catching up

Now that we have the camera and cord, we can catch everyone up to date on the Mears family. We're slowly getting everything unpacked...yes, we're not finished yet. It's quite hard when both of us are working a lot during the week. Once we come home, we just want to crash and hang out with Evan. This weekend we did a bit more, so that's good.

We still have deer relaxing in the National Reserve (aka our backyard). Here is a real, live picture of some of our friends...Can you see them?

Valentine's Day was great! Both Mommy and Daddy had to work, but Daddy left work early and cooked their traditional Valentine's Day dinner. It was yummy! Evan woke up from his nap just in time for the gifts...he didn't want to miss out on the fun!

Evan got a balloon, that he absolutely loved! Mommy saw him admiring them in the grocery store a few weeks ago, and that prompted an idea! Evan's been bouncing it back and forth in his hands and loves to play with it.Let's see...what's new with Evan?...He's as goofy as ever!

He loves to get in this position and either scootch his head across the ground (which is quite funny) or have Mommy or Daddy help him roll over. Well, we were in his room yesterday and Evan got in this position. Turns out he can roll over on his own! He did a somersault all by himself! Go Evan!He also found one of Daisy's toy baskets. Evan put it on his head and now it's one of his favorite toys! He'll put it on his head and walk around the family room. Mommy and Daddy can't stop laughing at him! Poor Daisy wants to know what happened to her basket!As you can see, Evan still really needs a haircut. We're thinking tonight is the night...wish us luck! I'll post pictures from the big cut after it happens...

Your quick Evan fix...

Guess what! I found the camera and Jason found the cord to download pictures to our computer. We're back in business! Here are a couple of pictures of the little man so you all can get your "Evan fix"...

I'll post more later but we have to feed Evan his dinner now.

Doe, a deer...

Yes, we are alive...barely! We are officially in our new townhome, with the aches and pains to prove it. The move went pretty smoothly. Thank you SO MUCH B & Moe for helping us out. We could not have done it without you!

I'm loving our new "backyard". Our townhome backs to a wildlife preserve. Most mornings, when I open the blinds, I see quite a few deer, eating and just hanging out. We've seen between 8-10 at a time. Gotta love that! Daisy loves looking at them too. She sure wishes she could "get" them! They look like this... I don't have new pictures of Evan to post. Sorry! The camera is somewhere...but where...hmmmm... He's doing well and loving the new digs. The stairs are a constant toy for him (when the gates aren't up). He is acquiring more space in the family room as we are slowly putting boxes away and he LOVES IT! Evan will get his hair cut sooner than later. It's getting really long.

Not much else going on in the Mears household. I'm working TONS and am purely exhausted. We just finished enrolling a mid-sized study and are starting to enroll the biggest study we've had to date. Putting in 10+ hour days and working on Saturdays are taking its toll. Mommy needs a day off...oohh...that big jacuzzi tub is calling my name.

Hopefully I'll find the camera soon and take some more pictures of Evan for everyone to see. For the meantime, enjoy the wonderful wildlife!

Healthy and happy!

Evan had his 1-year check-up with his pediatrician on Friday. He's doing great! He weighs 24 pounds, 1 ounce (70th percentile) and is 30 inches long (50th percentile). He had to get some more vaccinations, this time in the arm. Poor fellow! The chicken pox vaccine stung a lot and he wailed so loudly. Even Mommy teared up! But he's recovered and is back to being his happy and giggly self again!

He now has 7 teeth! One more top one came in on January 23. And the doctor said more are on their way!

We're still moving our stuff into the new townhouse. Gosh, we have a lot! Here is what Evan got for his birthday that fits well in the new kitchen...

Evan played with this table full of blocks when he was at Grandpa and Nana's house in Michigan. He loved it! We thought it would be a great idea to have it in our new kitchen. Evan keeps busy by throwing all the blocks on the ground. He is in a demolition stage right now!
Another fun thing Evan likes to do is open and shut doors (that aren't clasped shut). We'll see him wander into the bathroom, bedroom, or closet and soon enough, the door slowly closes behind him. It's hilarous! He laughs a lot when we "chase" him and find him hiding behind a door.

Memory lane...since our baby boy is 1 year old now, I thought it would be fun to see how much he's changed over the past year. This photo was taken just after he was born on January 22, 2007. Such a sweet face...

Here'e one taken on January 25, 2007. Check out how little he is...

Evan's changed a lot in the past year. Don't you think?!

Happy 1st Birthday, Evan!

It's been one whole year since the day Evan changed our lives forever. He's a wonderful child and Mommy and Daddy are thrilled he is here. Evan is such a blast!

His first birthday was pretty good. Mommy and Daddy had to work, so Evan spent the day with his friends at daycare. When Daddy picked him up after work, Rupa, Evan's caregiver, told Jason to go to the basement, where the kids play. Turns out there was a surprise birthday party for Evan! Complete with hats, cake, and balloons!! Evan had some chocolate cake with white frosting. Yum!

Then, Evan came home to a family room full of gifts, literally! He opened the first gift and was quite content and happy with it. Turns out he had a lot more to open, so it took a while! I know this slow opening won't last long!

He proceeded to climb on this box to get his gift out!

Then came the cake! Mommy & Daddy both decorated these cakes for Evan. We put a slice in front of him and he didn't know what to do with it. Mommy tried to smash his hand into it and he got upset. Well, turns out he wanted a spoon! When we gave him a spoon, he smashed it! We taught him well...

Yummmmm!!

I think he liked it...what do you think?!Now he's officially a toddler. What will this year bring us? Lots of laughter and great memories, that's for sure!