A girl cousin on the way!

So a couple posts ago, I mentioned that Ally has 3 boy cousins and possibly another boy cousin on the way. Well, the possible boy cousin is actually going to be a girl cousin. Paul and Alicia are pregnant with a little girl due around the end of October/beginning of November (the OB made a guess from an ultrasound at 12 weeks, but when they had their big ultrasound at 20 weeks, it revealed the doc's first guess was wrong, haha!). So we Evans' are very excited, and Ally is looking forward to having a girl cousin so close in age.

Videos from the cabin

The first video is one that Ben took of Ally working on getting her right hand in her mouth (note: she has gotten better at this within the last few days). The second video is of Marty and Paul boxing each other on the Nintendo Wii.

Ally meets her Evans relatives

Last weekend, we got together with Ben's parents, Ben's sister Megan, Ben's oldest brother Paul and wife Alicia, and their two little boys Isaac and Ethan. We rented a cabin in the Smokies and had a great time. Everyone was excited to meet Ally, and I think she was happy to meet them. Ally is the only girl Evans grandchild; she has 3 boy cousins, and possibly another boy cousin on the way. It will be really fun to see how the cousins all interact in a few years; for example, will she want to wrestle with Isaac, Ethan, and Simon, or will she think that they are too barbaric and decide she would rather play with her dolls?

Below are a few pics from the weekend.

Megan and Isaac reading

Isaac and Ethan playing Mario Kart on the Wii

Ally catching some zz's in the mountain air

Ally and her Nana

Do cows have it easier?

Okay, we all know that breastfeeding is best for baby and mom. And it is a naturally occurring phenomenon, as all of our other mammal friends do it too. I have been at this for 7 weeks now, and I will be honest, it does not come naturally, and I don't think it is easy for me yet. I tend to get impatient with the process (and sometimes with Ally) on a fairly regular basis (Why won't she latch on? I need to get this milk out of me NOW! Why isn't she sucking faster? Why does she fall asleep after only 5 minutes?). I mean, cows do this all the time, and they never seem to have any problems! You never hear of the mama cow mooing at her calf impatiently during feedings, and I'll bet they never have latching-on problems because they're nursing standing up. I am pretty sure that people are smarter than cows, so why is it so much more frustrating for people to learn how to nurse?

First postpartum run

Now that I am 6 weeks post-partum, I am slowing getting back into exercise. Yesterday morning, I went for my first post-partum run, and my first run since sometime around the beginning of 3rd trimester, which was back in February. I only went for about 30 minutes, and it felt good to pound the pavement again.

I have decided that my next goal is to run the Carrboro 10K in October. I will say that I have a LONG way to go in order to regain my prepregnancy fitness level. I don't know how long it will take, but I think the best course of action is to go slowly at first and build back some base miles before I actually start to train. So therefore, I'll probably use the summer to just get back into running and get back some endurance and then start to work in speed and tempo workouts in the fall when I get back to school. I think it will be fun!

Hanging out with Ally

Talking to Grandma and Grandpa Serex on Skype

Sitting up like a big girl, but not yet interested in reading Daddy's book

Just hangin'

Passed out after a meal

50 weeks of birthday cake: a must-see blog

My friend and fellow St. Thomas More musician Aileen has a new blog called 50 weeks of Birthday Cake. Yes, it is a new birthday cake every week to celebrate her 50th birthday. My sweet tooth tells me that this is an awesome idea. Recipes are provided in her blog entries.

One month old!

Today, Ally is one month old. Half of me is like, "No way it's only been a month; it feels like she's been here forever!" and the other half is like, "Has it been one month already?" To celebrate, we had our one-month pediatrician appointment this morning. Ally is a healthy 9 lbs 3 oz and 21.75 inches long. She can focus on a face, hold her head up for brief periods of time, smile in response to our smile (sometimes) and she is getting better control over her arms and can sometimes get her right hand near or in her mouth.

Her next doctor's appointment is on July 9th, and this will be the appointment that kicks off the multitude of immunizations that she'll be receiving over the next few years. Fun times!

Here are a few more recent pics of Ally and us.

Sleeping on Mommy's chest

Pretty in pink!

Hanging with Daddy while he reads "What to Expect during the First Year."