Evelyn's first smile?

You be the judge.

 

Definitely NOT Evelyn's first smile

Evelyn's first Christmas

In front of the Christmas tree at my parent's house in Houston.

 

In front of the Christmas tree

Evelyn is sitting in her Bumbo, which she really loves (thanks Bill). We recommend it for anyone with a new baby.

 

Grandpa Ray and Evelyn

Pretty in pink

 

Extreme Closeup!

 

Aunt Kirsten & Uncle Archie

Kirsten and Archie came up from Houston to have Thanksgiving dinner with us (and help me cut down a cedar tree in the backyard).

 

Grandma Snyder and Evelyn

 

Evelyn and grandpa

Group picture on our back deck

On Tuesday, my parents drove up with Patty, Larry and Anna. It was a beautiful day and we had lunch on the back deck. Anna enjoyed swinging on the swingset, and meeting her new cousin Evelyn.

 

Naptime

Melissa's parents are coming in to town tonight. We'll get them to take a "family portrait" some time tomorrow.

 

New best friends?

Rupert and Evelyn are getting along great. No cross-species 'sibling rivalry' yet. Here they are hanging out by the swing in our bedroom.


Later that morning, Rupert was taking his usual nap downstairs in the family room, and Evelyn was on her bouncy chair crying. After about a minute and a half, Rupert got up and walked into the other room. I guess he'd had enough of that.

He has really been on his best behavior since she arrived. No signs of jealousy or demands for attention. Sure, he tries to lick her every once in a while, but I'm sure he's just looking for food on her cheeks. 

In the swing

 

Evelyn Up Close

By popular demand, here is a close-up of Evelyn, with none of her "big-headed" sidekicks like mom or dad.


 

Chris and Evelyn

I finally convinced Melissa we should have a picture of ME and Evelyn on the website. She might look a little cranky because I just woke her up from a nap to feed.


She's feeding well now, and is generally a very happy baby. She's still on the 'sleep during the day / awake at night' schedule, but we did get a good three-hour stretch of sleep in last night.

We'll bring her back to the pediatrician on Wednesday for a checkup. 

In the back yard

Melissa, Evelyn and grandma (Cathy Castellani) in our backyard on Sunday, November 13.

 

Mom and Evelyn about to leave the hospital

 

Melissa and Evelyn

Evelyn Ruth Castellani was born at 1:30 pm on Friday, November 11, 2005.

She weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. This picture was taken about three hours later. Everyone is doing great!

 

Me, George & Brian after the Astros win the NLDS

OK, so this isn't related to the baby, but this was such a great picture, I thought I'd post it anyway.

Melissa found this needlepoint at a thrift store in Eureka, California. We liked the colors and Scandinavian look, and grabbed it for $3 !

Bookcase and shelf.

Toile curtains!

Crib and Babar posters

Sonogram Results

We went for our 20-week sonogram on Friday, July 1. The baby checked out just fine, no signs of trouble and within the normal size ranges.

The sonographer had a hard time determining the baby's sex, because he/she was being "modest" and sitting with crossed legs. After some jostling, they were able to get the baby to move its legs, and reveal that we'll be having a GIRL this November!

Baby Name Wizard

Melissa found a really cool website called the Baby Name Wizard.

Check out your own name, or offer us a suggestion.

FYI, Christian was the 108th most popular name among boys in the 1970s, and Melissa was 3rd among girls!

Chris & Melissa at "the bean" in Chicago's Millennium Park.