Crafts & Coughs

I've been neglecting my blog, but here's an update on the past couple weeks:

I was going to get professional pictures taken of Eve for Valentine's Day cards, but when I found out there were no pictures places close by, Matt & I took our own pictures. I was so happy that she loved posing and smiling for the camera.

my favorite of the bunch

I was really proud of the finished product. I love craft projects, but I'm still kind of a novice when it comes to being really creative. I used construction paper, tissue paper, and ribbon on the cards. Doing little projects like this gets me in the spirit of the holidays.

On Valentine's Day Matt & I spent the day together just relaxing. We had planned to have a Starbucks date, but neither of our cars would start. What are the odds? I still wanted to get some cute festive pictures though:

family photo (Eve's has Hello Kitty socks on, I wish I had a pair just like them!)

my absolute favorite picture of Eve & I

I had my first big scare as a new parent. This past weekend Eve developed a cough and some congestion, and it continually got worse. She would cough so hard that she started gagging, and even spit up her whole bottle a few times. I had been putting off switching pediatricians since we had moved, but I could not wait any longer. At her doctors appointment they diagnosed her with bronchialitis, and explained to us that while it was just a common head cold for adults, it went deeper into the body of a baby.
The severity of her symptoms worried the doctors, and they admitted her into the ER. I started to tear up when they checked her vitals and commented on how bad the wheezing was and how fast and hard she was breathing. They did some blood work and hooked her up to an IV, and her screams were so intense that her face turned bright red and she could barely breathe. I had to bury my face in Matt's chest to keep myself together.

They sent us upstairs to stay the night, and hooked her up to a bunch of wires. Getting sleep in a hospital is impossible - Eve was so clingy and keeping herself up with how bad she felt, and every time she would start to drift off to sleep a nurse would come in. I was so relieved that she was feeling better by the morning, but we still had to stay until later that evening. The doctors said she'll have the cough and congestion for awhile, but the worst is over. Even more so now I feel a need to protect and take care of her.

my brave little girl

A Winter First

The second blizzard has calmed down. Besides missing my Target trips and not being able to run errands/have fun outings, I have loved being snowed in with Matt & Eve. I have done a lot of cooking, cleaning, and relaxing, and have enjoyed every minute of it! It's so nice to spend every day interacting with Eve and watching her grow. We took her out in the snow for five minutes, just so she could see what it looked like. While she was in awe of the outside, she did not appreciate the confining snowsuit! I love all of the "first" moments Matt & I get to share with her.

with Mommy

with Daddy

our snow bunny

Date Night: Between the Buried and Me

It's the weekend again :) Since Matt's classes have started, I now look forward to the weekends because we get time to relax and sleep in. This past week was nice though. For our one year anniversary, I had gotten Matt tickets to see a band he likes, Between the Buried and Me. The concert was Monday at Sonar in Baltimore, and Alexis came up from Waldorf to babysit for us, which was so nice. It was our first date night where Eve had a non-relative as a babysitter.

family photo before we left

We took the light rail and walked the rest of the way. Of course we got lost on the dark sketchy looking streets of Baltimore City, and after wandering around for an hour, I made the mistake of asking the first person I saw for directions - a homeless man with all of his teeth missing, who could not even pronounce the place we were trying to go. He made up directions and then asked me for 50 cents - like the misleading make believe advice he had just given up was worth money. I had Alexis talk us through it, and we got there in more than enough time to see the show plus two opening bands. Tip: While wearing flats are comfortable for walking long distances, do not wear them in below freezing temperatures. You will lose the feeling in your toes haha.

Alexis, Eve watcher & mapquest guide

The show was a new experience for me, as it was my first real metal concert. The first band we saw, Devin Townsend, was really good. The singer had amazing vocals, and his facial expressions were really entertaining. Their songs were shorter than average metal songs, which meant they packed more into a shorter amount, and it def kept my interest. The second band whose name I can't recall seemed to be really popular with the crowd, but didn't do anything for me.

When Between the Buried and Me came out, we moved really close to the stage, and were almost in the front row. I really enjoyed their performance, and recognized some of the music Matt had played for me before. As time went on, an attempted mosh pit ensued, and Matt put his arms around me to protect me from the crowd.

The only drawback to the night was having my ears ring until the next morning. Next time I'm buying ear plugs, no matter how silly I look.

photo from their myspace page

Tuesday was Groundhog Day, and of course, Phil saw his shadow. Six more weeks of winter. We probably should have expected as much, considering all of the snow.
Eve turned 3 months old on Wednesday! She gets bigger every day - and more beautiful! I love watching her personality develop. Matt's parents came to visit and we went out to Panera. They brought up a hammer and nails so I can finally hang things on the wall. The apartment is really starting to come together. The next day while Matt was at class, Eve and I went to Starbucks with Courtney. I love when we're out in public and people give Eve compliments, I feel like such a proud mommy.
I'm loving being snowed in with Matt & Eve. Being at home with them is such a great feeling.

At 3 months, trying out her Bumbo for the first time!