First solids! (Kind of)

Eva had her first meal tonight...rice cereal soaked in breast milk. Yum! Mom and Dad both shared in the fun of feeding her. She didn't seem to mind the food, but she didn't show signs of loving it either.

5 months old!

December 17 marked Eva's 5th month of life. Her day was filled with highs and lows. First, she joined us for an omelette breakfast (made by dad). Then, she helped dad read the paper! The weather continued to unseasonably warm so we all went for a long walk in the afternoon.That evening, she got to stay with Jade and Hillary while mom and dad went to see The Nutcracker. A night with two teenagers...sounds fun doesn't it? Not for Eva, she cried the whole time and mom and dad came home early. We felt sorrier for the girls than the baby, who was smiling and laughing as soon as we got home.

Turkey Day!

Eva got to celebrate yet another holiday...Thanksgiving! With our busy schedules recently, our family decided to stay pretty close to home and enjoy some time together. Although, we did travel to Platteville for a smaller Thanksgiving with mom's family. This year we shared cooking responsibilities and tried out some new recipes! It was a wonderful dinner. Eva decided to take a nap right as we were sitting down to eat, so she missed out on most of the fun.

Her mom and dad also had a big milestone...their first official date since Eva's arrival! Grandma and Grandpa babysat while we stole away to Dubuque for a little Christmas shopping and a nice dinner. Unfortunately, Eva didn't have such a nice night. She decided to be a little fussy while we were gone. Her Grandma assured us it was no problem, she just decided to have two glasses of wine instead of her usual one. :)

Once we returned home, we spent some time decorating the house for Christmas and getting our tree. The weather was unbelievably beautiful so we also spent time outside going for walks, and Dad got to go golfing.

4 months!

We continue to be amazed at the changes in our little bug. Each day she gets stronger, more alert, and is a lot of fun. Eva has discovered her hands and likes to grab and touch everything near her (that is when they are not in her mouth!) She is a smiley, happy girl who loves to laugh. First day in the exersaucer
Relaxing in Grandpa's chair

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa H

Eva's grandparents came up for a visit this weekend...just in time to enjoy our first snow and watch the Badgers shut down the Hawkeyes. (One of her parents is happier about that than the other.) Eva enjoyed the extra attention and we all had a nice weekend.

Aunt Jenny

Eva's Aunt Jenny has been very busy. She is completing rotations as a part of her final year of optometry school. She just finished up her second rotation and spent the last three months living with her dog, Gus, in a cabin on a lake in Michigan. She used the quiet nights to take up crocheting. She just finished her first project...a blanket for Eva. Eva loves her new blanket and sleeps with it every night.

Happy Halloween!

This year's Halloween was Eva's first holiday...ever! We really got into the spirit of the season. Our little caterpillar dressed up and entertained the trick-or-treaters that came to our house. I may have put her on the floor one too many times...it was just too much fun watching her wiggle in her costume...she looked like the real thing! Our little caterpillar

Eva's first pumpkin carving party

Memories and Meerkats

Dad says: Here is a pic of us at the Phoenix Zoo. When we were there in 2001, it was 900 degrees out so the animals were hiding. This time we saw nearly every exhibit. You'll notice the endangered John Deere tractor that was displayed by the petting zoo. Definitely awe-inspiring. A really cool picture would have been the meerkat with the three of us on the John Deere tractor.

Mom's Little Helper

Eva and I are enjoying our last week together at home. I am getting much better at getting things done around the house while keeping her entertained. Here she is helping me with the laundry!

Splish, Splash

Happy Baby Wet Dad

Eva's bathtub has a hammock that we have used to support her during bath time. Last night, Les decided to take it out and let her sit in the water. Little did he know the adventure he was in for.... Eva loved being immersed in water and had a blast kicking her legs and splashing the water everywhere! The floor, counters, and Dad were very wet by the end of bath time.

14 Weeks!

Eva is fourteen weeks today! She is getting stronger and developing so much. Here are some of her new tricks:

• lift her head while lying on her stomach
• laugh out loud
• follow objects with her eyes
• hold her head steady when sitting upright
• say "ah-goo" and make a "razzing" sound

Her mom and dad are very proud of our little bug!

Only in Wisconsin...

We returned from our trip to Arizona just in time for ... snow! This is a strange picture taken of our back yard. One tree still looks like summer, one is changing for fall, and surrounding them both on the ground is snow. It is hard to believe that just a week ago we were worrying that Eva was too warm in the hot Arizona weather.

Only in Wisconsin...

Family Vacation!

Mark and Jackie with their "boys"
Janet and Cade at Abuelo's
Carla with Prancer and Vixen (Dasher not shown)

Our family took advantage of my maternity leave and traveled to Phoenix for nearly a week. We had three priorities while we were there: visit the friends and family we miss so much, enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather, and eat Mexican food. We managed to do it all, but the week went so fast.

It was wonderful having both Les and I free of any responsibilities. We took turns staying with Eva so that the other could go out and do things they enjoy. Les spent some time on the golf courses. I took advantage of time with my girlfriends: lunch with the Brinton 3rd grade team, a spa night with Janet, shopping with Jackie, and lunch with Carla.

Our trip sparked a lot of memories of the wonderful life we had there. We both hope to keep in touch with friends and visit when we can.

Welcome Fall!

Our family has been enjoying the change of seasons. Eva enjoys being a Wisconsin baby and bundles up for our walks. Mom and Eva baked an apple crisp using apples from Grandpa Ron's orchard.

Field Trip!

Eva and I joined her daycare group for a field trip to a pumpkin patch. We visited the animals at the petting zoo and picked out her second pumpkin ever! (Her first one was grown for her at Grandpa Ron's farm.

Here are her new friends from daycare: Molly, Kate, and Jack. Liz is pictured with baby Max. Although I would love to stay home with her, Eva is very lucky to get to spend her days with such a great bunch!

Eva's World

Eva has met many people and seen many new places in her 12 weeks. But, these are the people and places she knows best: our family, our home, and her room.

Buddies

Frank is a very proud dog. He really likes the new baby. He spends his days following me around while I care for Eva.

Eva is now waking only once at night to eat. Frank and I are enjoying a more "regular" sleep schedule. For her first few weeks, the three of us were up every few hours at night. Frank was not afraid to express his displeasure. But, he never failed to keep me company, no matter how tired he was.

Natalie and Eva

On our way back home, we stopped at Dave and Meg's to say hi. Natalie was very excited to meet Eva! She liked holding the baby and playing with her. She even offered Eva juice and invited her to watch a movie. She will make a great big sister to the new baby in their family coming in March.

Birthday Party

This past weekend our little family headed to Iowa to help Great-grandma Sheckler celebrate her 80th birthday. Her entire family was able to get together to share her special day with her. She is pictured here with her great-grandchildren.

Kicks and Wiggles

At two months of age, Eva clearly has a favorite toy. The Baby Einstein was a gift to her from Dave and Meg. She is fascinated by the star and loves to "kick and wiggle" along with the music and light show it displays. She can entertain herself for long periods of time in her play gym. In fact, she has even cried a couple of times when we have moved her from it.

Ears

Eva has received many cute outfits from friends and family. Two of my favorite outfits include hats with ears on them. Les and I have quite a disagreement about this. I think the hats couldn't be cuter, he doesn't. In fact, he has already declared that if we ever have a boy, he will not be wearing ears.

This picture was taken before our outing to Monroe's Cheese Festival. We got stopped many times by people who wanted to "ooh and aah" over Eva in her little outfit. Mom wins...ears are cute!

Pop Culture

When I first announced that I was pregnant, my brother accused me of following the latest Hollywood fad. (He was kidding, of course). But, at the time, many celebrities were pregnant or having babies. About a week ago, Suri Cruise's photo was released. If the thing to do now is have a baby with lots of hair, I guess we followed that fad too. Since the release of the photo, many people have remarked how much the two look alike.

Big Smiles

Our little girl is growing quickly! She really began smiling in response to people at 7 weeks. Grandpa Ron got her all wound up and snapped these pictures during a recent visit.

Baptism

Eva was baptized on Saturday, September 2, 2006 at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Platteville, WI.
Her dress was very special...it was hand made for her Aunt Jenny's baptism as a gift from Great Grandma Butler.
Eva's godparents are Beth and Ryan. The church service was very nice and Eva was a perfect angel! Afterwards, we enjoyed a BBQ at Grandma and Grandpa Weier's. It was a beautiful night...we couldn't have asked for a nicer day!

Boy Crazy!

Avery Davis and Eva

Eva is the girl in a world of boys! Les and I have four friends who have recently had babies...all boys! Eva has gotten to meet all of them - Colin, Ethan, Jonas, and now Avery. Our little bug will have to grow up to be tough girl!

Field Trip

After many hot July days, the weather finally cooled down and we took Eva on an outing to the zoo and Lake Wingra. (From the pictures, you can see that she really enjoyed it...she slept the whole time!) In any event, Les and I enjoyed getting some fresh air, stretching our legs, and enjoying a day out in Madison.

Funny Faces!

Eva makes the funniest faces when she is hungry, just wakes up, or has gas. I had the camera ready the other day after nap time. Here are some of her funny faces:

Big Stretch!

Chubby Cheeks

Dad and Baby

Fatherhood has suited Les very well. He quickly took on the role as primary caregiver at the hospital while I was recovering. He took off two weeks from work to spend with our new little family. Now that he is back working long hours, we don't see him as much but he makes it a priority to spend quality time with Eva.

Eva adores him! She smiles more for him than anyone. It is especially cute to watch her mimic the faces that he makes. He has already taken on the role of "coach" and helps her with her strong girl exercises every day. She is lifting her head more and pushing with her legs. We enjoy watching her grow every day but agree that time is already going too fast.

Firsts!

Sharing in Eva's "firsts" has been a real joy for us!

First friend

Les's college roommate "Yogi" and his wife Jami came over for a visit with their baby boy, Colin. We put the two babies down for a nap together in the Pack in Play with plenty of room between them. Everytime we checked on them, they had moved closer and closer until this picture where they cuddled together.

First tub bath

Rewind...a cute picture of Eva's first bath. Grandma took the reigns as Eva's very nervous mom helped out. We're old pro's at bathtime now. My days as a swimming lesson instructor have paid off. Eva loves baths while I sing her silly water songs like "Five little speckled frogs."

First Days with Eva

So, I wasn't very faithful to the blog that I originally started. Pregnancy and birth went well and now Les and I are blessed with a beautiful baby girl. I have never been one to keep up with journals or diaries but I'd like to give this another try to record all of the milestones in Eva's life.

First things first...Eva Kay Hollingsworth was born on Monday, July 17, 2006 at 5:34 pm. She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 20 inches long. She absolutely took her mom and dad's breath away and has continued doing so for the 5 and a half weeks she has been with us.