Transition and First Birthday Photos

Evan had his first full week in his new room, Toddler 1/Ducks.  We anticipated him having a difficult time sleeping on his mat on the floor, but of course that is the least of our worries.  He struggles with us leaving every morning but he is getting better.  His teachers, Ms. Dawn, Ms. Mikki and Ms. Kristina, are all amazing and have been helping us through interesting time.  Once he gets settled and starts playing with his new friends, he is then good for the rest of the day. 

He is not walking yet but with the new room, we have a feeling it will not be long because all of his classmates walk.  He pushes things around the center and pushes his truck at home, but he is not quite there yet on his own.  He loves being outside twice a day and especially gets excited about the sandbox.  His teachers say his excitement is similar to when we arrive to pick him up at the end of the day.

We also took his first birthday photos.  Karen Linnell of ZaZa Baby Photography does such a great job and Evan cooperated the second time around (click the link and scroll down to 1 year old).  We tried to take the photos two weekends ago but he was less than cooperative.  But, the outside photos turned out great the next weekend.

Spring has sprung in Omaha and we are so thankful for the nice weather finally.  We are looking forward to the flowering and leaves on the trees and all the sniffles that come along with it.

Art Time

This is definitely a good use of the paint provided at art time!

Happy Easter!

Why bother with expensive toys when you can get sand toys and a metal bucket!  Happy Easter!

Transition Week

A quick update from the Cook's.....Evan is transitioning rooms this week and he has been doing a good job.  He spends time in the morning in the infant room, then spends most of the remainder of the day in the toodler room.  My hope is that when he sees the bigger kids walking, he will follow suit.  He is playing outside every day now and does fun art projects.  He is growing up fast!

I will post pictures once we get them all together.  Have a Happy Easter!

First Birthday Follow-Up

Evan has recovered nicely and is back to normal. After a rough last weekend, this one has proven to be much better. I spent Monday (3/15, Evan's actual birthday) at home with him to ensure that he was going to be alright to return to school for Tuesday. Grandma and Grandpa Cook stayed around that morning to wish him a Happy Birthday and then headed back to Colorado. Liz and I then celebrated with Evan by giving him the cupcake he didn't eat for his party. He was all over the frosting and loved every bite!

We submitted Evan's photo to the NBC affiliate (WOWT-DT) here in Omaha as they showcase kids that are celebrating their first birthdays. You can click this link to go to the video. It turned out great.

Evan had his one year appointment on Thursday. He is 20 pounds, 10 ounces and just over 29.5 inches long. He was given a good bill of health from Dr. Moore. He wasn't concerned about Evan's side affects from RSV and his ears cleared up after getting infected Saturday evening. His tubes worked great and just like they were designed to do; get the infection out as quickly as possible. Dr. Moore says, "he is long and lean and will be 5' 10" inches tall." Grandpa Rusty and I think he will be taller, but only time will tell.

Here are some photos from Evan's party last Saturday and his cupcake eating on Monday. We are so thankful we have a healthy son and thank you to everyone who sent well wishes!

Happy Birthday, Evan!

Evan was diagnosed with RSV on Friday.  It is a very contagious upper respiratory infection that children are very susceptible to.  So, needless to say the birthday was scaled back a bit (close family only, no kids).  We have had some long days and nights this weekend with a 104 temperature at one point.  We have postponed Evan's baptism as well until a later date.

I will be posting a few pictures from his birthday party, but he really didn't eat his cake and we only snapped a few photos.  I will be posting those soon.  Thank you to everyone who sent wonderful cards and gifts and I will continue to update everyone on how Evan is doing through the blog.

So, with that, happy 1st birthday Evan!

First: Shoes, Haircut AND New Car!

Evan had a big day last Saturday.  We decided to break down and start monthly payments again on a new car.  This is Evan's first car and boy does he like it.  He should enjoy driving it in 16 years when he gets his license because we might just have to keep it for that long (ha!).  The Honda Pilot is a great car and Greg (sales), Mike (logistics), Tom (finance), and Shannon (sales manager) and the rest of the crew at Superior Honda were great.  I had to put this in as Greg said we have to bring 20 new customers to him based on the deal he gave us. 

While in the area, we were able to pick up Evan's new kicks at Stride Rite.  Can you believe they have shoes customized for kids?  They are super fun shoes, but my gosh, are they ever pricey.  I will have to say, the best first pair has Velcro, a lifesaver.

We also decided Evan needed a quick haircut and how convenient, there is a kid's haircutting place right by the kid's shoe store.  It's called Family Fun Cutz.  Sounds like maybe they thought about that when they were deciding on location?  Evan did such a great job on my lap and the woman clearly had done this before.  Evan was getting a little impatient and conveniently they had a stash of suckers to keep him busy.

Here are a few photos from the big weekend.  We are about 2 weeks away from Evan's 1st birthday on March 15.  It is really had to believe.  He is becoming much more active (hyper active may be a better term) and he is very close to walking.  We are hoping by his birthday he is fully mobile in the upright position...but careful what we wish for, right?