Gil at 3 Months

***I will add the pictures later!***

Baby Gil, you are 3 months old!

Gil is weighing in at 12 lbs, 8 ounces (20%), as of this past Friday.  Which is yet another drop in percentile.  He started out so big and is just not gaining that much!  But he just doesn't love eating.  It's so different than Jack as a baby--that kid would have eaten constantly, if I let him!  But Gil nurses for a little bit and then he's done.  I've even started trying to offer him a bottle of pumped milk afterward and he won't have it.  Hopefully his weight will settle into a percentile soon!

He wears 3 to 6 month clothes.  He is a LONG baby!  Where do I get these tall kids?  He's in size 2 disposables, and his cloth diapers are set to small sizes too (although I did switch out the newborn inserts).

I feel like we are finally over the colicky-ness, or at least almost!  Gil still has some moments at bedtime, but he's a pretty happy baby the rest of the time.  He is struggling some with naps.  I am sure this trip down South is going to wreak havoc on his schedule.  I am not looking forward to fixing it when we get home!

He isn't a huge dream feed fan, so I've quit doing that.  I wish he was, because I could get a longer stretch of sleep, but he just wants to sleep through it!  He is slowly stretching out his night sleep.  A 5 1/2 hour stretch is the normal now, but he has given us several 6 or 6 1/2 hour stretches lately.  At this point, Jack was sleeping 8 hours at night, but Gil is tinier.  He just needs to eat more, and I am encouraged when I see his stretches getting gradually longer.

Gil is a pretty sweet little guy.  He's not a big laugher, but his smiles completely melt me!  He is the cuddliest little guy!

Likes: cuddles, being held, people watching

Dislikes: getting buckled into his car seat, riding in the car (sometimes...sometimes he loves it!)

This is going to be a big month for Gil.  We are leaving tonight to fly to Mississippi, where he will meet lots of family.  I know my little cuddle bug is going to love all of the hugging and holding!

Happy 3 Months, sweet Baby Gil!

Playing Catch Up

Actually, I feel like perhaps every blog post lately could have this title!  Life is just a little crazy over here at the Evans house right now--full of school, doctors visits, crying babies, wild and fun toddlers--you know, the normal.

So here's a little catch up of life lately:

T     H     A     N     K     S     G     I     V     I     N     G

We stuck around State College for Thanksgiving this year.  We had plans to spend time with two different groups on Thursday.  But on Tuesday night, we both just looked at each other and said, "Let's cancel and just stay  home."  It was the perfect decision for us this year!  I got a little sad on Thanksgiving night, but other than that, we mostly just enjoyed being lazy and staying in our pj's half the day!

The day before Thanksgiving we got probably 6 inches of snow.  I'm with Lorelai--I think the first snow is magical!

This little guy is showing his Vermont roots.  He LOVED the snow.  He played in it for several hours both Wednesday and Thursday.

This guy, not so much.  We didn't stay out for long, because it was cold.  But he wasn't a huge fan.  

But I think he did enjoy being our little Turkey!

Seriously, how cute is that baby butt with feathers on it???

B     O     T     T     L     E

So Jack was a champ at taking a bottle.  Actually, Jack was just a champ at eating in general.

A quick reminder picture.  Jack the CHUNK!  As my friend said last night, Jack didn't have a neck for at least the first year of his life!

Gil is not the same way.  If he isn't really hungry, he doesn't care to eat.  And he doesn't want to eat too much.  He's just a little pickier.  And I didn't start him on the bottle soon enough.

I'm not trying to wean; I just want to be able to leave him for more than 2 1/2 hours before I need to be back again.  So I put a cry for help on facebook, gathered up all of the advice, and put it to action!

And this, my friends, is the result.  Actually this picture is from last week, and he only drank an ounce.  Yesterday, he had two bottles instead of nursing sessions, and he did great!  One was 4 ounces!

So here's what advice helped:

* Try out different bottles.  We tried out our Dr. Brown's (we have TONS because that's what Jack used), Medela (came with the pump), Nuk (borrowed from a friend), and Tommee Tippee (borrowed from a friend).  If those didn't work, I was going to order the Adiri because I have heard they are great. But he seems to really like the Tommee Tippee the best.

* Warm the milk.  Again, Jack just wanted to eat...you could serve him cold milk and he would gulp it down!  Baby Gil, not so much.  So warming the milk is really important.

* Have someone other than mom feed him.  I've asked a few friends to try and Bech has been trying.  Although for the second bottle feed yesterday, I was able to feed him!

* Don't feed him when he is already angry/upset/hungry!  I think this is perhaps the biggest advice that helped.  I tried giving him the bottle after feedings or when he first woke up but wasn't really fussing.  This method has been really helpful.  Hopefully, we will soon be to the point where we don't have to do this, but I think it is helping him calmly get used to the bottle.

So hopefully that will help someone out.

C     H     R     I     S     T     M     A     S

We are in full swing Christmas excitement around here.  I'm going to be honest, we aren't really doing the Anne Voskamp book at night.  I tried it the first night, and I think it's still just a little over Jack's head.  Hopefully next year will be different.  But Jack loves to read about Mary and Joseph going to "Beckleham."

I absolutely love Christmas and I love Christmas decorations.  Jack is the perfect little guy for me, because he gets so excited about all things Christmas (Bech, not so much!).

My mom sent a package with some dollar store Christmas happies for Jack.  I wrapped them one night and put them under the tree, thinking we could open one a day for the next several days.  Jack gets up REALLY early and comes into our room.  We always send him back to his room, telling him to play quietly.  Well last week after I wrapped the presents, he didn't go back to his room.  I came downstairs 15 minutes later and he had unwrapped every last present!  He was so excited.  I'm pretty he thought that was Christmas morning.  

So, yeah, we need to work on that waiting to open presents thing...

B     A     B     Y   *   G     I     L

Baby Gil is finally coming out of his colicky stage.  As long as he stays on his schedule, he is a happy, smiley little guy.  He still has a little bit of a witching hour at night, but I think part of that is because we don't get him down at time (putting two kids to bed is tough!).

I tried to get him to smile in this picture, but instead, he gave me his emo face.

We are pretty crazy about this little (almost 3 month old!) baby.  Jack loves to make him smile and tells Gil that he is his favorite.  

M     I     S     S     I     S     S     I     P     P     I

We head home in less than a week!  We will be in Mississippi for a little over 2 weeks and I can't wait. I plan on taking a nap EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Do you hear that, family?  Every day.

I also plan on playing family board games, eating yummy sushi, lots of laughs, and lots of resting.  I am worn out!  And I am sure that my family will be happy to hold Baby Gil and give me a break!

We are flying home this year.  I don't mind the drive home (we love staying with our friends in Nashville).  But I didn't really want to do it with a 3 month old.  We would have had to stop every 3 hours for almost 30 minutes each time!  That adds almost 3 hours to our trip time!  

So instead, we are flying with a 3 month old and 3 1/2 year old.  Really, I'm not sure which idea would have been crazier!  Jack was a dream to fly with at this age, so let's hope Gil will be too.  And I plan on bringing Jack's kindle with a new movie loaded and some Dimeatap (just being real, y'all).  I think we will get through it!

The Advent Season

Today is the first day of Advent.  Yesterday, we lit the first candle at church, the candle of hope.  Tonight, we will start a new family tradition and read from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.

I can honestly say that I have never entered into an Advent season this weary.  Two years ago was a rough year, but, in some ways, this year has been harder.  I just feel, well, spent. 

I am tired of doctors offices, medical tests, and unknowns.  I am tired of not being able to console a crying baby and of unnecessarily snapping at my three year old.  I am just physically tired and I want a full night of sleep!

I told Bech that I am glad to enter into the Advent season this tired.  Because it makes what Advent is about all the more thrilling and exciting.

A friend shared this link on facebook, and it was medicine for my soul.

"Would we be so filled with joy at his arrival if we weren’t so filled with longing already?

If Christmas is for the joy, then Advent is for the longing."

Advent is for the longing. 

The longing for a Savior.  

The longing for peace.  

The longing for, as Sally Lloyd-Jones and Tolkien phrase it, 

everything sad to come untrue.

It sounds crazy to say this, but I am glad.  I am glad that because of present circumstances, I can feel this longing, I can celebrate that much more and feel deeply the longing for Christ.  

" A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!"

"And, one day, when he comes back to rule forever, the mountains and trees will dance and sing for joy!  The earth will shout out loud!  His fame will fill the whole earth--as the waters cover the sea!  Everything sad will come untrue.  Even death is going to die!  And he will wipe away every tear from every eye.  

Yes, the Rescuer will come.  Look for him.  Watch for him.  Wait for him.  

He will come!"