Ho Ho Ho...

We have completed the first phase of Evie's first Christmas down here in Florida and it was action-packed. On Christmas Eve we spent time at two different homes, first with Isa's brother's family and then with the cousins until late into the night. Poor Evie was up and then down and then up again and then sort of down... I felt so bad for her. I figured it is Christmas and one night of the year with an unpredictable sleep schedule can't ruin everything. Well although she was up until almost midnight and I was hoping for her to sleep in late... she still woke up at 7:20!!!! Oh well :) At least she is predictable.

Now we are getting ready to head up to Va Beach to spend a week with my family. I am so excited for everyone to see just how much Evie has grown. I would have to say that so far the best Christmas present that Isa and I have gotten is Evelyn's sudden love for clapping on her own this weekend. Everytime she does it I just get a smile that I cant wipe off my face. I love her!

It's A Big Day!

We have been taking baby steps, literally, getting EV to bear weight on her little legs. Recently, she just decided that she was going to try it :) Today was her first day being able to stand unassisted, while holding onto the play table I am SOOOOOO proud of her. I actually teared up when she did it. She is the best! See her progression.... as she learns to stand ,.... and fall, ha ha!

First time standing... she's not sure what to do now.

She feels a little more comfortable and trys to reach for toys...

Uh oh!!!!! First fall.....

A little upset, but not too bad. Didnt take long for her to realize what she did...

So Proud of herself!!!!!

Sisters!!

Well I promise this time that I am really going to start blogging more now, its not just an empty promise:) It has just been CRAZY past few months....really crazy. Anyways, I figure that my first post back better be a good one. It seems that our little family of 3 will soon be a family of 4 by late June 09!!! And... Evelyn is getting a little sister. I am so thrilled that they will be so close together in age, although I know I will have my hands full to say the least. It is just going to be so great for her to have a little sister, someone to share with, play with and love forever.

Now... names?.... the nursery?.... so much to think about :)

Been a while...

Sorry that I haven't posted any updates lately, things have been pretty crazy with Isa traveling and getting ready for the holidays. The other day I was looking at my little muffin as she was sitting up and playing on her own with some toys and I was just amazed at how fast the time has gone by. I can't believe that she is almost 9 months old!!!! We actually took her to her 9 month well baby check up last week and she is a strong and healthy 19.6lbs and 28 1/4 inches long. Thats about 75th percentile in both height an weight for typical babies. Go EV!

Here are some more recent pictures so that you can see how my little baby has grown! I can't wait to get her first Christmas pictures taken this week.

Trick or Treat!!!

Our First Buddy Walk

This Saturday was our first annual Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome. It was such a great experience- the DS Association of Jacksonville does such an amazing job with the event. The day was just beautiful with mid 70s and sunny on the beach. I cant wait until next year when EV can walk along side us :)

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

The month of October is Down Syndrome awareness month. In honor of our little peanut and the entire Down Syndome community we are walking to support the cause. We hope that the money raised will make it possible for each child affected to reach their full potential in life.



See our team page for Evelyn's Angels here: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=277481&supId=233989902

Fall in Florida

My Little Pumpkin

We visited a local pumpkin patch today (by patch I mean parking lot of a church.... I mean, we are in Florida) with the SE Mandarin Moms Club. Although the pumpkins were plentiful and a heck of a lot cheaper than up in DC, I couldn't help but miss the brisk air blowing on my face during the month of October, wearing a nice comfy sweater and holding a warm cup of Starbucks in the Fall. It was a nice sunny and humid 85 degees today here in Jacksonville which was beautiful for the beach but a little odd for the pumpkin patch. I still have hope that by the end of the month I can pull out a sweater or light jacket...

Settling In...

Were finshing up about week 2 now since we made thebig road trip down to sunny Florida. Things have been hectic to say the least. With a delay on our floor installation,we have basically been living in just a few rooms of our house, among boxes. Things are starting to come together though... the hardwood is about 50% done now and Isa can at least work out of his home office now. I cant believe it, but we even found time to get our Florida driver's licenses already. Im even impressd with myself on that one. I will say that the Florida system seems to work a little bit smoother than in VA. I think its just because they are a little lazy and less thorough here when it comes to the paperwork and necessary processes... which usually isn't a good thing, but in this case it works.

Evelyn and the pets have adjusted well. She never ceases to amaze me with how adaptable she is every time we put her in a new environment. Children are just amazing. We took her to the beach for the first time tonight since we moved here and she was so excited. She just loves even the sight of water... must get that from Mommy.

Back to unpacking now while the little one is soundly asleep.... more later.

I like to SIT!!!!

Look at me... I can sit :)

OBX Family Vacation!

We just got back on Saturday night from our week long vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Although Hurricane Hannah came roaring through the morning of our first day, the week turned out to be absolutely perfect. We spent most of our days hanging out at the pool, walking on the beach and just relaxing. It was our first real vacation with EV and we were pleasantly suprised at how great she did away from home. Check out some of our pics below... Im still a little depressed that our vacation is already over, but now we get to look ahead at a more permanent vacation in sunny Florida :)

Check-Up

Evelyn had a slew of doctor's appointments lately, checking everything from her general health to her heart condition and her overall development with her geneticist. We are SOOOOO happy to report that she is doing wonderful! Some of the best news came last week when we met with her pediatric cardiologist and we found out that she only has one small hole left. She was born with 3 holes and 2 of them have closed on their own. The remaining hole is the least worrysome and will likely close, as she has proven in short 6 months that she is a very strong little girl. The best news is that she will NOT need open heart surgery, even if the final hole does not close. We are so releived. EV also had a 6 month evaluation with Dr. Rosenbaum (one of the best geneticists in the country) and he commented that she is "one of the best success stories he has seen in a long time." When I heard those words I almost began to cry. I feel so blessed that she is doing so well and I just cant wait for her to continue to grow stronger!

Six Months Old!!!

Well we are packing up shop and getting ready to head down South now... for real. We have set a timeframe of the 3rd week in September for the move, so its really right around the corner. EV got her 6 month shots today and the doctor told us that she is doing great. She is right around the 75th percentile in both weight and height (on the typical child growth chart... which means she is off the DS growth chart). :)

I posted this picture we took of her at the pool the other day. She is going to be a water baby just like her mommy. She LOVES being in the pool. She giggles, laughs and just loves to splash her hands.

More to come soon...

Baptism Day

Our little angel was baptized today! Although a very long day for all of us, Evelyn did amazingly well with all of the day's events and looked just beautiful in her gown. As I was standing up in front of all of our friends and family as the preist blessed her, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. I am so lucky to have this little girl and she is honestly a true gift from God above.

Words to Live By

I stole this off of my friend Bethany's blog- I just couldnt help to post it. I love these words and they honestly reflect how I feel each day.

Don't Pity Me By: Joanne Green

Don't pity mebecause my child was not born"perfect",

for in {her} imperfection I have

learned to see beauty that is deeper than the flesh.

Don't pity mebecause my child and I have faced challenges

that have served to forgea bond much deeper than love.

Don't pity me,because you could not have done this,

for I thought that too once,before I learned that through love you can do

a great many things you once couldn't do.

Don't pity me,my child is the greatest blessing to ever touch my life

I am rich to have {her}, and richer still for
the experience of knowing {her}.

And if you are truly my friend,then you will understand.

And please,Don't Pity Me.

Five Months Old with a Spoon...

Okay, so after a little blogging hiatus, we are back!!! We are finally all settled into our "temporary home" and anticipating the big move in a few months down South. Evelyn is 5 months old this weekend, and I cant believe it. I scroll down through my few blog posts I have gotten around to putting up...and it seems like just yesterday that I was posting she was 3 months old. Anyways, per the doctor's orders, we decided to introduce her to her first solid food tonight and it was SO fun! She loved it too, suprisingly. I was expecting her to intake almost none of it, but we found her smacking her lips and crying for more :)

Choo Choo to Rhode Island!

We spent the last week on our first family vacation up to visit my sister's family in Rhode Island. I was very impressed with New England in general... I always knew I would like it. This time we decided to take the train... with diaper changes, feedings, etc. its just easier with a baby. And we were right- the train was suprisingly easy. The best part about it is that time flies by much faster when you can get up to go to the bathroom, get a snack, walk around, and you dont have to "pull over" to do everything. Evelyn did also very well on the train, as usual :) (I mean, she is just the best baby I could ever ask for) Anyways, the trip was awesome and the train is my new found choice of travel!

Im 4 Months!!!

Well... I have not had too much time lately to update this site, among moving boxes and packing all of our belongings. I will definitely post something new soon. In the meantime, here is a recent pic of our little girl.

Her First Dip!

As most of my close friends and family know, I have spent the better part of my life in the pool. It was very exciting today to put EV in her first little swimsuit and dip her into the water. She made a few funny faces at first, but once she realized we weren't letting her go- She loved it! She splashed around a bit and kicked her feet, it was so cute. I cant wait until I can race her across the pool.... just need about 10 more years :)

Memorial Day 2008

The thoughts of heading down to the beach and drinking ourselves silly over Memorial Day weekend are nothing but sweet memories these days. Instead of waking up each day with a raging headache, we found ourselves this weekend waking up and looking for something fun and "family-oriented" to do with the little one. Still tired of course, due to the consistent lack of a full night's sleep :)


After searching around on the web and looking for something fun to do with the baby, we decided to get out of the hustle and bustle of DC and spend a few hours wine tasting. Although we typcially like to hit up 2-3 on an afternoon, we figured spending a few hours at one, tasting some wine and having some lunch, would do the trick. We found this great little spot, brand new to the Virginia wine tasting scence, called Barrel Oak Winery. Memorial Day was their Grand Opening weekend, so we figured why not try it out. It was beautiful, and pet friendly! They had some great wines for their first vintage- a great Viognier, a really tasty house red called Bowhouse Red (Bow, for the doggy), and some great dessert wines too, one infused with chocolate. Check it out at http://www.barreloak.com/.



Anyways, EV had a great time too, enjoying the fresh air and smelling the grapes :)

Hold it up!

Working so hard every day to get that head up :) I guess all I needed was a mirror and some brightly colored toys. You got it EV!!!

Family Love

Its a great thing to grow up with brothers, sisters and cousins in a large family. Today, as EV and I were hanging out at the Fakhouri house, I looked at EV and Christian (her cousin) and realized that a new generation is here and our family is really growing. As they grow up together, being there for eachother and having a strong bond, they will never have to worry about needing friendship and love, because they are family. Its our jobs as parents to provide them the opportunity to build these life-long relationships.

Family life is full of major and minor crises -- the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce -- and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It's difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul.-- Thomas Moore

The Sky is the Limit!

Well my little girl just turned 3 months last week and I really cannot believe how well she is doing! I am so proud of the little peanut :) Just this morning she sat up tall in her bumbo chair, she held a rattle and shook it for what seemed like a half hour, she grabbed and played with toys and laughed and giggled the whole time. Its days like this that lift my spirit and remind me just how fortunate we are. The sky is the limit for EV!!!

One Door Closes and Another Opens

We recently made a very difficult decision to sell our house in Arlington, VA and explore a different and hopefully slower paced life in Jacksonville, Florida. The last three months since EV joined the world have been a whirlwind of surprises and change for our family. With each day opening our eyes to new things, we have come to realize the importance of spending time together and most importantly spending time with EV. We are confident that making this exciting change will allow EV to spend much needed time with her cousins, for Isa and I to have more time to spend together, and for us all to take a deep breath and adjust to this new life.

She's Smiling

She literally woke up one day smiling and hasn't stopped since. Each day she gives me more and more smiles!

Good Morning Sunshine

The kind of look that just melts you...