Yesterday Evan, Grace and myself were headed to get my car repaired (it needs new brake pads and a transmission flush)...anyway, Evan asked me to turn off the radio. I replied "Let's just listen to it and relax." He then said it was too loud for Gracie (which it wasn't). I said "Well, it's not that loud, and she's sleeping, so it can't be bothering her too much." A few seconds later, he says "This is not working for me." Oh my, I can see a future on the debate team for this boy. Already trying everything in the book to get his way :)

So, decide for yourself...do Evan and Grace look similar at about the same time in their lives? (Actually, I think Evan is about a month or two older than Grace, but still - pretty close!)

I've been trying to take a bunch of pictures of Grace, but you know, things are busy. Still, I've managed to get a few good shots...which, at this stage in her life, is really all I need. I'm having a good time adding them to her baby book, one of my favorite projects.

Just a few quick notes about Grace:
• She loves to eat - about every 3 hours and she is having no trouble gaining weight.
• She doesn't mind tummy time, at least not too much.
• The things I love - she doesn't need to be held to fall asleep, she is content just sitting in her chair, and likes the sling.
• Evan is still a big help. He often talks about how much he loves her, although still shows no interest in holding her. But he does like to help her with her pacifier and gets concerned if she cries.

I just love this picture...little Mya holding little Grace. Mya just LOVES her (well, to be fair, she loves all babies and all dolls). So when Mya and Jackson came over for a playdate, Evan and Jackson played well together and Mya looked after Grace. It was adorable!

A few weeks back we went to Milwaukee with the Cagle's for the Brewers on Deck event - we went the previous year and Evan had a blast. Pretty much the same thing this time around...this kid loves anything to do with sports! Thanks to Grandma for her first real "babysitting" experience with Grace (much easier without her in tow, although I did miss her a little :)

We've been spending a lot of time visiting Aunt Kate at the coffee shop because 1) I love hot chocolate and 2) it's fun to say hi to her and to catch up with Grandpa (he loves coffee more than I like hot chocolate, so he's there more than we are). I snapped this photo of Evan and Grandpa discussing the days events:

I keep meaning to write down a few of the cute things Evan has been saying/doing in the last few months, so here it goes:

• He is very much into time and/or clocks. He's always asking what time it is and especially loves clocks with hands. For the most part he knows numbers 1-12, so it's fun to have him tell us what hand is pointing to which number.

• He is very good at playing/pretending on his own when playing with toys. Lately he also is loving to dance to any music and tries to copy the TV shows dance moves.

• We were in the car the other day, and Eric made a somewhat snappy response to a question I had. So I said, "Jeez, no need to jump on me." A few seconds later, Evan says from the back of the car "Daddy, why you bounce on Mama?" Laughter ensued.

• I've been pumping in order to get Gracie the breastmilk she needs, and Eric taught Evan to tell me "Pump it up" and also will from time to time ask me from another room "Mama, you gonna pump?"

A few pictures from Gracie's room:

I love these photos. Evan really is adjusting well to having a little sister. I guess I shouldn't even say he is adjusting - there really hasn't been any change in his behavior or attitude. He likes to "help" change Gracie's diaper and especially likes to introduce her to people. But for the most part he just goes about his day and is enjoying being at home with Mama and Gracie.

Grace's Birth Announcement.

Both of Grace's doctor appointments went well...no concerns and she is growing just fine. I think Evan enjoys going to the appointments knowing that he won't be getting any shots :)

A few pictures of my sweet little girl (some are with from my phone, so the quality isn't that great, but you get the idea).

So, the Saturday morning after Gracie was born, my sister tells us that she has a surprise for us and to be at home at 9AM, and to make sure that my mom was there as well. I didn't think to much of it, I just thought it was maybe a gift from one of her friends or something. Well, in walks BRADY! My mom freaked out, it was great. He flew in from Columbus, OH, just to meet his new neice. What a great uncle! Evan was pretty excited as well - and didn't leave Brady alone all weekend.