Evelyn's First Days in Pictures

December 20

Our "little" girl, weighing in at a whopping 8 lbs. 10 oz. I'd hate to know how big she would have been on her due date, Dec. 30!

First snuggles with Mama.

Already a Daddy's Girl.

Getting a good night's sleep. We followed everyone's advice and let Evelyn sleep overnight in the nursery. Unfortunately, we were still awakened every 2-4 hours to feed her!

December 21

Not too sure about her first bath.

The beginning of long days on the bilibed/biliblanket trying to get rid of her jaundice. She had to be on the bed 24 hours/day and we were only allowed to take her off to feed her or change her. She also had to have blood drawn every six hours - our little pin cushion.

December 22

We were allowed to bring Evelyn home on the 22nd (Grandma Janis made sure the event was well documented - more pictures to come).

December 23

On the 23rd, we made the trip to the hospital lab twice to have Evelyn's blood tested. At this point, our pediatrician wasn't happy with baby girl's progress and ordered yet another blood draw for Christmas Eve and a different, more efficient biliblanket (LED, which made Papa, the energy expert of the family, proud). Bama and Papa came today - just in time to beat the big winter storm they were predicting. Evelyn also had her first bath at home!

December 24

After yet another needle stick on Christmas Eve, Evelyn's pediatrician decided she needed a little more supervision and more intense UV therapy. Late that morning, she was admitted to Blank Children's Hospital and this was her new set-up. Yet again, we were only allowed to take her out from under the lights to change and feed her. We ended up at Blank overnight which was rough for all 3 of us - it is not exactly how we had envisioned spending little girl's first Christmas. However, we were very thankful because we realized how much worse our situation could have been.
Evelyn's first picture with Santa!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!!

It looks like we have a daddy's girl on our hands! Ethan had been telling me for the last several weeks that he would really like me to have the baby before Christmas. Well, baby girl did just what her daddy asked her to.

Evelyn Kaye Owens was born at 1:00 am, Sunday, December 20 - 10 days ahead of schedule! She weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces and is 21 3/4 inches long! I can't even imagine her stats had she arrived on her due date!

Already this little one has broken the mold - she is the first baby in 4 generations of women on my side of the family to come before her due date and the first in at least 2 generations to have hair! She has a FULL head of curly brown hair!

Our new little family is headed home tomorrow - we will post pictures as soon as we can!

"I feel like we're just sitting around, waiting." -Ethan

Some words have never rung so true! At this point (37 weeks!), it really does feel like we're just waiting for something to happen. And although I typically talk to my mom about once a day, I can hear her heart skip a beat every time I call. Everyone is on high-alert these days.

It seems like we have made all of the preparations needed - the nursery is ready to go, the hospital bag is packed, I've got 2 going-home outfits (Ethan is still having a hard time wrapping his brain around this one), the Christmas cookies are baked, shopping is done and all of the packages are wrapped and under the tree. Phew! So really, all that is left to do is wait.

A Room Fit For A... Baby

2 weeks ago, my mom (aka Bama) visited Ethan and I. We had a wonderful, but short, visit, and even fit in a baby shower in Creston, Ethan's home town. Mom was very happy to see our house full of our stuff and looking like our home. But most importantly, she "helped" get the baby's room ready (I say "helped" because she basically did it - Ethan and I did more "helping" her than she did us!) Here are the results of her/our weekend of work!

The inspiration for the room - the alphabet samplers drawn by Great Gramma Betty when she was in high school (and custom framed by Grandma Janis!). Imagine, if you will, a rocking chair where the box is - it is the only missing piece!

Changing table & dresser, complete with black & white polka dot knobs! Also, the new valance, made by Bama!

The crib, including an alphabet quilt made by Grandma Janis and B-A-B-Y made by Bama.

The giraffe growth "chart" made by Bama - you may not see it, but there is a measuring tape along the giraffe's mane!

I absolutely love the room - it is better than anything I had envisioned. I've had my Gramma's alphabets for several years and I've known for a LOOOOONG time the "theme" I wanted for a baby's room and I am so happy to see my idea come to life! I am looking forward to spending many sleepless nights to come in here. OK, maybe not the sleepless part. Thank you so much for all of your hard work Bama!

And so he doesn't feel left out, I've got to mention Ethan's hard work too! Ethan did a great job putting together the crib (I guess the true test will be when we put the baby in it!) and the side table. He also spent last Saturday modifying the closet, putting in some new shelves and putting up an additional rod. He still doesn't understand why we need the extra hanging space - he will in December. :) Way to go Dad!

29 Week Belly Pic

I finally got the camera to work (I'd say I figured out the problem, but I really didn't.) Here is the 29 week belly pic - week 31 coming soon!

29 weeks

30 Weeks

We've hit the 30-week mark - only 10 weeks to go (if we're lucky)! After talking to my mom during her visit last weekend, though, it looks more like 11 weeks or so. My brother was born 3 weeks late and I was born 4 weeks late; both my mom and her brother were born about a month late; and my mom's mom was born a month late! It's not looking good for an '09 tax deduction! Fortunately for me (and my sanity), however, my doctors will only let me go 1 week past my due date. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. :)

Sorry there are no belly pictures - we've taken some, but are having technical difficulties with the camera and computer. One of these days, hopefully, there will be a post full of nothing but pictures (belly and nursery)!

I am still feeling pretty good, just a little more uncomfortable than before. I had been having trouble sleeping, until a friend suggested a body pillow. It has been a God send! Now if I could just get the middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom under control.

Time for the Guessing Game!!

As I enter the third trimester, I thought now would be a good time to let the games begin. I have set up a game where you can take a stab at baby's arrival date/time, weight and gender at www.expectnet.com The name of the game is BabyOwens09 (and it is case sensitive). The winner will win a year of free babysitting... by you! Enjoy!

Summer Vacation

It seems like just yesterday that we got home from our trip west - then I looked on the calendar! It's been over a week! I guess it's time for an update.

Our last big trip of the year (we were planning on heading west for Thanksgiving, but that won't be happening this year - great timing on our part!) started off at the Cabbage, my mom & dad's wonderful place on Hood Canal in Washington. We thought Labor Day weekend would be a great time for a visit, weather-wise, but alas, we were greeted in true Pacific Northwest fashion with 3 days of rain. Ugh. Ethan and Jeff were able to get in a couple rounds of golf (with a few rain delays) and took turns beating each other. My mom and Nissa had a wonderful shower with family and friends, which ended up in my dad's wonderful new garage! This baby sure got spoiled! Thank you so much to everyone who was able to come and celebrate with us. The evening ended with the best dinner in the world, Dad's birthday dinner - the same birthday dinner he's been enjoying for the last 60+ years: razor clams (breaded and fried by Gramma, of course) and little wild blackberry pie. It doesn't get any better than that.

Cousins Amy, Jenny & my Auntie Julie

Aunt Bea, cousins Emily & Tammy and my Gramma Betty.

Great Auntie Bonnie, Mom, my Nanny, McKenna, cousins Emily & Tammy, Great Auntie Winnie and cousin Pat.

Friends Molly, Alice and Marilyn.

After our stay at the Cabbage, Ethan and I headed down Highway 101, the Pacific Coast Highway. When I lived in Olympia, Ethan and I spent a day on the Washington coast, but this was Ethan's first trip to the Oregon Coast. At this point, fortunately, the weather was much more cooperative and Ethan experienced the best that Oregon has to offer! Yay! He even admitted that living in Oregon might not be so bad afterall. :) We made a few stops along the way to Lincoln City, where we spent the night.

Self portrait at Long Beach, WA


A trip to the coast wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!

Ecola State Park - the most beautiful view in Oregon (even with the Baby Bump at 24 1/2 weeks).

After a night in Lincoln City, OR and a trip to Mo's for some clam chowder (which I'd been craving for WEEKS), we headed south to Newport and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. My last trip to the aquarium was for my freshman biology class in 1996, even before Keiko (aka, Free Willy) moved in! It's quite a bit smaller than I remembered, but definitely worth the trip! The new (to me, at least) shark tank was awesome, although I kept thinking about what would happen if the underwater tunnels collapsed - I'll blame that on the hormones.

One of my favorite exhibits, the Jelly Fish tank.

Check out that wingspan!

The highlight of Ethan's trip happened on our last Friday in Oregon. My dad made arrangements with one of his colleagues to take Ethan salmon fishing near Ilwaco, WA, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific. It made for a long day, but the weather and conditions couldn't have been more perfect (just one more reason for Ethan to believe that Oregon ain't so bad!) There were 4 men fishing, and the limit was 3 salmon apiece, which they easily caught! We now have a freezer FULL of wild salmon... YUM!

The day's bounty.

The day's biggest catches - one of which was Ethan's!

The highlight of my trip came the following morning, when Nissa hosted yet another baby shower for me and all of my girlfriends. I got to see some of the girls that I hadn't seen for a while (it had been years for some!) and we all had a wonderful time catching up and celebrating. Once again, baby was absolutely spoiled, but it was so nice to be around so many people who are just as excited as we are. Thanks again to all you sexy bitches! ;)

Jessica (& Henry), Andrea, Katie, Sarah, me, Andrea and Ali (& Luke). Not pictured: Janell, Darcie (& Bennett), Nissa (& McKenna), Bama (my mom), Linda and Regina.

The week ended with a wonderful celebration in the woods outside of Camas, WA - my friend Melissa and Damian got married. It was definitely an interesting mix of people, but it made for a wonderful evening! The best part may have been the Korean taco truck that provided dinner. Yes, a Korean taco truck. We were able to see friends who weren't able to be at the shower earlier in the day, spouses, and Ethan was able to meet more friends from my Linfield days. A fantastic time was had by all (some more than others - you know who you are!) and it was a great way to end the week.

Katie, Andrea, me and Lindsey.

Gina, Andrea, Katie, Ali, me and Carrie.

Jay. Enough said.

Baby Bump - 23 weeks

It's official - unless my "pre-pregnancy" clothes are 95% spandex, I can no longer wear them. That rules out 99.9% of my wardrobe - the 0.1% includes one pair of shorts and one skirt, but does not include all of my shoes, which I look forward to replacing in the near future! :)

21-week Ultrasound Pics

Here are some of the much anticipated ultrasound pictures! You will have to forgive the quality (or lack thereof) as we no longer have a scanner. I am hoping that my new doc here in Des Moines will do a 3D ultrasound - that is the only one my sister-in-law had. If we're not going to find out this kid's gender, it would be nice to at least have some idea what he/she is going to look like!

Hi world!

BIG stretch!

My personal favorite - looks like he/she has Daddy's big feet!

Baby has been very active lately, especially in the evenings (let's hope this isn't a forecast of what's to come!) A couple nights ago, our good friend Sara (and our new neighbor!) brought us some oatmeal & chocolate chip cookies - they must have done the trick! Baby was tossing and turning and kicking all evening! So much so that even Ethan got a feel. He now asks every night whether or not the baby is kicking and puts his hand on my stomach just in case. :)

We're hoping to take in our first Waukee High School football game tonight. The stadium is less than a mile from our house, so even if we're not there, we're sure to hear the sounds of Friday night football. Earlier this week, we woke up to the sounds of the Warrior Marching Band practicing at 7:00 am! Poor kids!

Baby will also be going to his/her first NFL game this weekend. We were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Kansas City Chiefs game tomorrow. They are playing the Seahawks and I am ready with my Seahawks t-shirt! It should be interesting! The entire Owens' family thinks I'm nuts for sporting the blue and green and thinks that I will be heckled all night. Just in case, though, my dad has given me some excellent self-defense pointers. So, if the next belly pics show me with a black eye (or two), you'll know why. :)

UPDATE

Wow, has it been an eventful week (and it's not over yet!) Wednesday, I had the big ultrasound. Since Ethan wasn't able to join me, I was very lucky to have my mom along - she may have enjoyed it more than me! What an experience! As of right now, it looks like we have a healthy, bouncing baby on the way - and I mean bouncing! Baby was squirming, twisting and turning the entire time! We were able to see 2 eyes, 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 kidneys and all 4 chambers of the heart! Everything seems to be measuring just right for where we are (21 weeks) and baby is estimated to be about 14 oz - right on track! We have lots of cute pictures to share, and one of these days (hopefully sooner as opposed to later), I'll get the posted for everyone to see (belly pics too!) We still don't know what we're having and are waiting for the big surprise on baby's birthday. So stay tuned!

Mom and Dad left this morning after their week-long visit. They were able to get up to Waukee with us and see our new place. Our trip to and fro was not without adventure, though. On our trip home, we were cruising along in the Escape, about an hour and a half outside of Des Moines when, all of a sudden, the car stopped. Just quit! I have had my car for about 7 years now and nothing of the sort has EVER happened, let alone in the middle of Iowa! So, mom, dad and I got to spend some quality family time (about 3 hours) sitting alongside the highway waiting for Ethan (who ended up waiting about another hour for a tow truck to arrive) to arrive with his car. Fortunately, the weather couldn't have been more perfect - not too hot, not too cold, a nice breeze and sunshine! I also happened to have a deck of cards in the car (don't ask - I don't even know why!) so mom taught me a new card game as we sat on a blanket next to a soy bean field. :) As it turns out, it was nothing serious - some debris got in to the air filter sensor. We were expecting to shell out the equivalent of our first house payment, but ended up spending less than $100! Talk about a nice surprise. Needless to say, our 5 1/2 hour drive home turned in to about 9 hours. We were all a little cranky when we got in and my bed has never looked so good!

This weekend is the big move. Ethan will arrive in St. Louis some time tomorrow afternoon, and his brother, tomorrow evening. We have 3 other college athletes (as the Owens' boys like to be called) helping out Saturday morning, when we'll load up the truck (the biggest one U-Haul has to offer!) and head north.

A huge thanks to my mom and dad for finishing the packing process for us and a huge thanks to all the guys who will be helping us on both ends - beer and pizza will be provided! :)

By popular demand...

Several of you have asked, therefore, you shall recieve.

The baby bump at 15 1/2 weeks.

This morning, Ethan left for Des Moines - he starts a new job tomorrow, as do I. Sadly, though, his is up in DM, and mine is down here in St. Louis. We'll be doing the long distance thing (AGAIN!) for about 5 weeks, so this may be the only pic of the belly for a while.

I'm feeling a little more self-conscious now than I was just a couple weeks ago. I feel like my belly is just big enough that I look fat, but not quite big enough that I look pregnant. Fortunately, all my clothes still fit, so that makes me feel better!

Speaking of feeling better, it seems as though all of the wonders of the first trimester are behind me. My appetite is finally back and food (and drink) actually tastes good again! I no longer feel like I need a mid-afternoon nap, although I've been known to sneak one in, just because I can! That'll all change tomorrow, though, when it's back to the real world.

Our new digs!!

In case you haven't heard, we bought a house last weekend and here it is! We are now one HUGE step closer to being residents of the beautiful state of Iowa.

Before our trip north, I was feeling awfully optimistic - moreso than usual. Ethan and I had been looking at listings online for several weeks. We compiled a list of about a dozen houses to look at with our agent. From the pictures online, this one was our favorite. When we saw it in person, it was even better. We are both very excited and I can't wait to get out of this apartment and start nesting in our new home!

Taking suggestions...

I did it. I took Ethan to Babies 'R Us today - BIG mistake!! From the moment we walked in, I could tell he was in his version of hell. Too much stuff, and absolutely NO idea where to begin (that goes for both of us!) So, as we start to prepare for baby's arrival and start thinking about registering, I have a favor to ask of all of you mom's out there. Please leave a comment and let us know:

1) What are some items you receieved that you absolutely could not live without?

2) What are some items you received that you could really do without?

Also, if you have any favorite items or brands (seriously, how many different brands of bottles can there be?), please feel free to share those too! Thank you so much for your help!

The good news just keeps coming!!

In case you were wondering, no, it's not twins. We're moving!!

This past Friday, Ethan accepted a job with Nationwide Agribusiness (no overalls required!) This will be a great opportunity for him and we are both very excited. As many of you know, neither of us have ever wanted to stay in St. Louis permanently - our ideal location would be either Portland, OR or Des Moines, IA. Fortunately, this new job will take us to Des Moines! We will be very close to Ethan's family and Des Moines has an airport, which means easy travel to (and from) Portland! Also, we are both a little more excited about having a baby in a house rather than an apartment. :)

Ethan will begin his new position mid-July. I have accepted a temporary PTA position here in St. Louis, which goes through mid-August, so I will fulfill that commitment and stay here. We hope to find a house, and get moved in mid-to-late August.
Lots of changes at the Owens house!

We're Growing!!

It is official! We are going to be a family of 3! We are due Dec. 30.

Our peanut at 7 1/2 weeks.