Smiles!

Evren's smile caught on camera for the first time. Devrim and I have spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to procure his smiles and I found out yesterday that tickling helps!

Active listening...

....with Sammy the dog and a musical bear. This is what Evren looks like while listening to music - happy, calm and thoughtfully staring into the depths of space.

Bears are a boy's best friend

Topi LOVES his new bears! One is perfect for snuggling (thank you Great Grandma Schueller!) and the other plays music that he loves to listen to all the time (thank you Frank and Carolien!).

Carseat

One morning Evren lounged in his carseat while mama prepared lunch.

Munchkin

Turkish mothers layer their babies in tons of clothing, but I resist this swaddling technique. How can you see chubby arms and legs if too much is covered?

The various expressions and emotions of Evren Toprak Deniz

amazementexcitement

boredom

Hours of fun (or rather seconds with a short attention span baby) playing guess that expression! Who says babies can't communicate?

concern

confidence

disbelief

nonchalance

Likenesses

All parents must seek their own likenesses is the face of their child, and we are no exception. Here is Evren wrapped in the same blanket worn by his father 31 years ago. Proof of my own resemblance is a little more blurry, but there nevertheless... bath time with Evren just days ago, and picture of me at 6 months holding, no surprise, a rose!

First stroller ride

Today we ran some errands with Gunes, Evren's auntie. We took turns pushing the stroller which turned out to be so much fun. Evren has been out and about in his sling/carrier, but we hadn't tried the stroller yet. Now that he has wheels, watch out. One of the errands was not such a fun one, Hepatitis B shot for Evren, but he handled it well and went back to sleep in his comfy stroller. We also picked up a package from Great Grandma Schueller! Thank you for the teddy bear! We love it and I'll take a picture of Topi with it and post it here!!

Sweet cheeks

They make me melt. Look at that little hand near his mouth. Only he is not so little anymore! At six weeks old he weighed in at 5.9 kilos (13 lbs) and 57 cm (22.5 inches). The nurse said he's in the weight/length range of a four-month old! Good 'ol mother's milk.

One month old!

Today marks a momentous moment in young Evren Toprak's life.... he is officially one month old! Here are some pictures of Topi with his Baba. Topi had lots of fun practicing how to stand, until the crying started, of course. :)

Birth Announcement

I will be adding more photos to my Flikr account, so take a look soon!

Blue-eyed boy

Devrim and I both have brown eyes, but it seems like our little Topi is going to have blue! His hair has lightened considerably since he was born, but his eyes have continued to deepen into a lovely blue.

Family Portrait

I love this photo, but where is Topi looking?

Dad + Judy

Dad and Judy met their grandson for the first time during their ten day trip to Turkey. This was Dad's third trip and Judy's second! Judy wants to be known as Grammy because that is what Evren's cousin Clara calls her, and Dad has decided he likes the Turkish name 'Dede' for grandfather. We had a wonderful time and here are some pictures to prove it! Evren turns out to be a super little traveler, whether in the car, at the airport or hanging out at a cafe, and this is great news as he has many overseas trips ahead of him!