Weekend at the Beach House

We spent this past weekend at our beach house…also known as Papa and Gramma’s. Bruce took Friday off and we spent the afternoon by the pool. It was a beautiful day! We had a nice afternoon and dinner poolside before being chased inside by mosquitoes.

Evan talking to Papa's Mr. Frog

Love my daddy!

Those baby blues!

We stayed over and on Saturday had a gathering with the usual suspects – Bumpa, Grammy, Uncle Dan Aunt Karin, Danny, Sean, and of course Gramma and Papa. We were at their house after all. The boys were all so good and Danny was extremely excited to swim in the pool with his Daddy and Uncle Bruce. He is a great swimmer especially considering that he is only 3 years old. He has “super power” and no fear – swimming in the deep end, jumping in like crazy and going down the slide all by himself. We had a great day and Danny was entertaining us all late into the night. I can’t wait until all three boys are saying the cute things that he does.

Papa had the magic touch...

So did Bumpa...

And Daddy too!

Fun in Papa's pool!

Um, I think you are a little young, Sean!

Danny's faux-hawk

It was pretty late when everyone left on Saturday night so we decided to stay over again. Unfortunately Bruce had to work on a paper most of the day on Sunday but Evan and I were able to enjoy the pool again. We spend so much time in RI that I seriously think we should consider renting out our house on weekends in the summer. Someone might as well enjoy our house while we enjoy our family! Enjoy the pictures!!

Father's Day (Bruce's Post)

Myfirst father's day was an absolutely perfect day. It started with homemade blueberry muffins from Di. Evan then gave me a picture of "the boys" (Danny, Sean, and him) and a picture of him with the "#1 Dad". My folks were on their way to Africa, but sent big block Legos to Di in advance. They also sent a card reminding me how important my imagination was to them and would be to Evan. I can't wait until he's ready to start building with me, but in the meantime I'm sure Danny and I will have lots of fun.We then had a great lunch with all thefamily, eating so much that there justhappenedto be only room forwaffle bowlsundaes for dinner.

Enjoying the 1st Father's Day

My little man

A perfect ending to a perfect day

Evan has been such a gift. I've heard it countless times, and will now repeat it myself; a child really does change everything. Watching him grow and change in just these few weeks has widened my perspective and provided an even stronger connection to the future. I can't wait for all the experiences we'll share together as a family and feel an even greaterresponsibility tocreate a better world. Needless to say, I love being a Dad and look forward to many more Father's Days.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially my own. Thanks for showing me the way.

Father’s Day (Di’s Entry)

Today was Father’s Day. Bruce’s first Father’s Day. Today we met Gramma, Papa, Bumpa, Grammy, Uncle Dan, Aunt Karin, Danny and Sean at Effin’s for lunch. While I have celebrated many Father’s Day’s with my own dad, today was a bit more special. I now understand first hand just how much work parenting is. It is very rewarding but also very challenging. I now know just how hard my parents worked to give us the love, support, and guidance that they have over the years. Thank you, Mom and Dad! I also have a greater appreciation for all that my dad sacrificed over the years. Growing up, he was very involved in our lives; always at the ball field and dance recitals or school functions. I know that his job was very demanding of his time but he was always there for us and still is today. Thank you, Dad! I love you!

Sweet Sean

No pictures, please

Happy Father's Day, Bumpa!

Watching Bruce bond with Evan over the last 6 weeks (yes, it has already been 6 weeks!!), has been a wonderful experience for me. Bruce is so patient and loving. He can calm Evan down when he is all worked up and he can get him to smile instantly by making funny faces and noises. I just love watching the two of them together and seeing the love that they have for each other. Bruce, you are already a wonderful father and I know you will continue to be for all the years to come. Evan and I are so lucky to have you! We love you!

Daddy and his mini me

Evan's cute outfit from our neighbors

Even Mommy gets some love on Father's Day

Papa’s Pool and Other Adventures

This was a busy week for Evan and me. We made two trips to RI, one on Tuesday and one on Friday, to enjoy Papa’s pool. Evan was great on both visits. Very content in his bouncy seat and giving lots of smiles! He didn’t go swimming though; the water is still too cold even for me! I think Evan will go in maybe about the time that the water is warm enough for Gramma.

Lounging by the pool

Wednesday was a pretty low key day. I had my 6-week postpartum doctor’s visit and was cleared to begin exercising again. I joked about running the July 4^th 10K. I don’t think I will be ready for that but am excited to get back to it.

Ta-da!	Daddy, you are so silly!	Best pals
A little twinkle in his eye	Chillin' with my friends	Keeping an eye on things

Thursday, Evan and I drove out to Belchertown to visit Jackie and Evalyn. We had never been to their house and hadn’t met Evalyn either. She is a doll! Big, big brown eyes and she was pretty interested in Evan. After seeing how much fun Evalyn is at this stage, I am so looking forward to all the fun we will have with Evan when he gets a bit bigger. We had a great visit and will have to make sure we plan another one before the summer is over. Check mommy's Facebook for a couple of pictures from that day.

Today, the three of us went to the Aptima Summer Outing. Bruce was very excited to show off our new little guy and everyone was excited to meet him as well. Evan looked super cute in his little romper, courtesy of Darby and Dave. Bruce’s team even won the volleyball tournament! Maybe we will use the $50 American Express gift card to have a dinner date some night…anybody want to baby sit???

Getting cleaned up and ready for the party

Thanks, Darby & Dave!

Talking about my alligator

That party was fun, Daddy!

Pinstripes are ok as long as they aren't blue & white

Evan is working on his karate kid pose

Evan’s First Sleepover

A couple of years ago all of my cousins on the Kavanagh side started getting together without the “adults”. We are all adults ourselves now, many with children of our own, and decided that holidays were just too busy to really catch up and find out what everyone is up to. Hence, the Kavanagh cousin get together’s. Last night was the first one since Evan was born and it was also our first night out without Evan. We dropped Evan off with Gramma and Papa and headed out to enjoy the company of our always entertaining cousins. We knew we were leaving Evan in good hands! It was the first time that Gramma and Papa babysat for Evan and it went well except that Evan didn’t want to sleep in the pack-n-play. Luckily he is not mobile yet and could sleep on Cousin Danny’s bed without worry. Thanks to Gramma and Papa, we were able to enjoy a baby free evening for about 6 hours!! We also enjoyed a lazy Sunday together! I’m sure this was the first of many sleepovers!!

You'll never believe what happened today, Papa

Sitting in Papa's chair

Nap time

I love Papa!

And Gramma too!

11:30 PM – 6:50 AM, 12:30 AM – 7:30 AM

Yup that’s right, Evan slept from 11:30 Thursday night until 6:50 Friday morning and then again from 12:30 Friday night until 7:30 Saturday morning. At only five weeks old!! While I do enjoy getting more than three or four hours of sleep at a time, I have to say that I sort of missed those 3 AM smiles that I have been getting. My friend, Patience, asked me last week what was harder that we expected and what was easier than we expected about having a baby. I told her that I knew it would be tough to be sleep deprived…I need my sleep!! But that getting up at 3 AM isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I hear Evan stirring and fussing and find it rather easy to get up. Must be that sweet little face that makes it all worth it! I’m sure that there will be plenty more 3 AM smiles before Evan really starts sleeping through the night but it was a nice treat!

Evan and O'Malley

Hi!

Peaceful little angel asleep in his swing

Tuckered out from a tough day

How can I sleep with the flash going off so often?

One Month Pediatrician’s Visit

We went back to the pediatrician today for Evan’s one month visit. Dr. Gonroff was very pleased in his growth over the last two weeks and was thrilled with how well behaved and cute Evan was today. At the end of the visit, she thanked him for being her “gift” today. Lucky for us…He is our gift everyday!! Even on the cranky/more difficult days!! Some stats from the visit – Weight: 11 pounds 8 ounces (81^st Percentile), Length: 23 inches (85^th Percentile), Head circumference: 15.35 inches (61^st Percentile). Needless to say our little man is thriving!!

How can I get that parrot?

Happy as a clam on my playmat

Hey! Whatchu lookin' at?

Adventures with Mom

Today was the first day that Evan and I actually left the house together, just the two of us. When I think that I didn’t take him out alone for one month that seems like a long time. But when I consider that I couldn’t drive for two weeks, I guess it’s really not that long. So where did we go on our big adventure? Shaw’s!! Exciting huh? No, not really. But it was a big accomplishment for me as I was a little worried about how it might go. I was able to get both of us dressed, ready and out the door, and it all went smoothly!< Especially considering that due to a little growth spurt, Evan didn’t nap too much on Monday afternoon or all day Tuesday. This lack of a nap made my getting ready a bit interesting but doable. Evan was an angel in the car and at the store as he was either sleeping or half asleep/awake. The best part was we made it through the store with only one stranger coming up to talk to us and touching Evan. Why do strange people feel its ok to touch babies? I will never understand.

Yeah I know, I'm cute!

Oh...this might get interesting

Hello there, Mr. Froggy

After our big trip to Shaw’s, Evan was sleepy but fighting a nap so I decided to take him for a walk while Bruce cut the lawn. We went for a nice long walk, probably a bit longer than I should have gone for my first physical activity since my c-section, but it was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air. It was just what Evan needed to soothe him and he took a nice long, much needed nap.

One Month Old

How is it possible that Evan is already one month old? The time has just flown by. It seems strange that it has already been one month but at the same time that it has only been one month. So much has happened in such a short amount of time. I have already retold most of the highlights in previous blog posts but the highlight of today is that Evan has learned how to smile on command. Evan will make eye contact with us and smile or giggle and coo. They are the sweetest little noises. We have discovered that he loves it when you whistle and this almost always guarantees a smile. We are having so much fun already and know that it will only get better. Our lives changed for the best one month ago today!! Enjoy the photos!

Big smiles

I am one month old today!!

Rock Star

Who's mommy's little monkey?

So happy to be Evan's mom!