Visit from Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Mike

Last week, my parents came to Omaha to hang out with Evan. They had not seen Evan since the 4th of July, so they were pleasantly surprised at how big he has gotten and the many things he can do now: rolling over on his stomach and back over to his back, his extended vocabulary (mostly mumbling at this point), putting his feet and toes in his mouth, giving a non-blinking stare down, giving wide smiles, and touching peoples faces for some tender loving. We visited Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Grandpa then went to Lincoln for meetings while Grandma hung out with Evan all day. Liz hosted a shower at our house for her friend Jackie who is having a baby in December. We joked with my dad when he got to Omaha we were having a dinner party for 25.

Here are photos from their visit and assorted photos from the last few weeks.



We woke up this morning (Saturday) to 2 (update, 3.5) inches of snow. We were, of course, only supposed to get a dusting of snow and some rain. So much for that forecast. We had the most amazing mums in our pots on the front step of our house, but of course they got snowed on so I didn't have time to take a picture of them. They were brilliant yellow and looked amazing.

Evan is 7 months this week. Every day brings a new "thing" and it is exciting to see what Evan thinks of or what he learns at school. It is hard to believe as he is growing up before our eyes.

6 months already?

Evan turned 6 months on Tuesday, September 15. It is hard to believe really. It has been quite a ride so far and we cannot wait to see what the next 6 months have to hold.

He is 26 1/4 inches long and 15 pounds, 9 ounces. He had his first seasonal flu shot and other immunizations to ensure he stays healthy. He is rolling on his tummy but cannot quite figure out how to get back over. He holds his rattle and exchanges it between hands which is a good sign. He talks A LOT and is very close to sitting up on his own. He has been working very hard on this at school and his teachers say he is making good progress. He also seems to be the "favorite" there, but I am not sure he is old enough to truly be the pet.

Evan has finally been feeling well consistently the last few weeks after having a few rounds of ear infections. Thank you all for calling or emailing to check up on him as he knows when you call. He is getting acclimated to wearing red every Saturday to cheer on the Huskers and will be watching his first game on TV this weekend versus the VaTech Hokies.

Here are some photos from the last few weeks:


Fall is upon us here in Omaha as the leaves are changing. The trees behind our house are showing their fall colors which also brings cooler weather and eventually snow.....just doesn't seem possible. School is in full swing and Liz and I are both busy at work. Liz is also taking classes once a week to complete the HR Professional certification which concludes in December. Good luck to your football teams (real or fantasy) and may the best man walk away with the crystal football (can I get my hopes up that it will be Nebraska?).

September 2, 2009

"What the heck do we write about in this post because we don't have any ideas," says Shawn. "I don't know, come up with something," says Liz. Insert long sigh.

That is how it started, as you can tell. The subject goes right along with it. The date simply marks this post. There really is not any update here from Omaha and no accompanying photo this time around. We have been relatively busy with work and taking care of Evan. As my dad would say, "Nothing new to report here."

We are all looking forward to the extended weekend and enjoying Labor Day in Omaha this year. As I reflect back over the busy year, I just realized this was the weekend we were in Colorado informing everyone that a new arrival was going to be coming to the Cook and Temple families. We also spent time driving around Omaha or on the phone sharing our big news with the Crossman and Andres families. This time around, there is no big news. Rather, an uneventful weekend of football watching and hanging out. We cannot wait!

I do leave you with a random thought; has anyone heard of Geocaching? I learn something new every day and it is exactly why I continue to work with college students. Who has time for this? Sounds fun, though.

Busy week and lazy weekend

We have been hanging out all weekend after a very busy week at work for both of us. It is great not having anything to do and no where to be. The weather is perfect and we are inside, unfortunately, as Evan is still not feeling 100%. We will update everyone as we are visiting the doctor again tomorrow.

I am including this photo of Evan's step stool that we received from Kandie Borchman and Brittni Redding and family. It is the neatest thing I have ever seen. It is woodden and the letters come out like a puzzle. He will be enjoying it for a long time.

We are looking forward to a great week and getting into a fall routine with work and school. We are going to enjoy Labor Day weekend this year by staying in Omaha and visiting with family and friends. Grandpa and Grandma Cook are going to be coming in early October to visit Evan and to see how much he has grown!

The ear infection that doesn't go away....

After 10 days of Amoxicilin, yes, Evan's ear infection never went away. He was very good for Uncle Mark and Aunt Ally while Mom and Dad were gone. We ended meds last Tuesday; Wednesday night, he woke up screaming. He laid with Liz through the night and we went to the doctor the next morning. Our worst fear was confirmed, he continued to have an ear infection. So, we are now on day 4 of Omnicef, another version of antibiotics. (The blanket on his face was only there for a moment, he puts it over him when he wants to sleep.)

Monday brings a new group of Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy students to Creighton. We had 70 students 2 weeks ago in Omaha for our exclusive distance pharmacy program, 10 students in Anchorage, Alaska, for our distance occupational therapy program last week and the group Monday brings 220 first-year students to Creighton. It is a busy time of year with school starting but the energy on-campus is always fun and gets us energized.


Liz is always commenting how a small boy can have so much laundry. Is it possible that he can have more clothes than us? Evan was 5 months old yesterday which is really hard to believe. He is growing up before our eyes!

Oh so sick.....

As any good pediatrian or baby book will tell you, kids get ear infections. Well, as common as they come, they still are not any fun. Here is Evan at his best milking every moment of being sick. Notice the cold compress on his head. Here, he is sporting his Husker gear (getting ready for the upcoming football season) and a 102. 8 degree temperature.

We have been busy around here and will be for the next few weeks. Evan will be spending quality time with Aunt Ally and Uncle Mark this weekend. We are hoping that he is well-behaved and close to being back to 100%.

An update from the previous post, we weighed Evan when we were at the doctor and he is at 14 pounds, 12 ounces. Wow, that is over 1 1/2 pounds in 2 weeks. You can definitely tell as he is growing up very quickly.

Evan's babbling has become more concise as he definitely has a story to tell at any time duurng the day. He always has something to say; from the car ride to school, telling his teachers about his awesome mom and dad, telling us about his day and any other random thoughts that may come to mind.

Here are some other photos from the last few days. We tried his high chair tonight and it went well. He looks SO small, but we all know he will grow into it.

4 months

We went to see Dr. Moore, our pediatrian, for Evan's 4 month appointment. He is doing very well. He is 25.5 inches (73%), 13 lbs. 4 ozs. (18%), 17 inches for head (75%).

He got 2 shots today and cried, but not too bad. His eyes got huge when he saw the tray with the shots on it…like he knew what was about to happen. Come on, he is only 4 months old, today! We dropped him at school and he seemed excited to see his friends and return to his normal day. When we picked him up he was in his Evan mood kicking and talking when we arrived.

The big Christensen reunion is taking place in Riverton, Wyoming this weekend. Safe travels to all the Temple's making the trek to hang out with family in the Cowboy State.