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!

Dede + Babanne + Patik

Devrim's dad --- Dede means "grandfather" in Turkish, Devrim's grandmother --- Babanne means "grandmother on father's side {baba "father" anne "mother, so combined you get the idea...}, and Grandma Schueller's handmade booties, or "patik" in Turkish.

Evren Toprak has three living great-grandmothers! Devrim's grandmother birthed 10 babies, and yesterday we were an attentive audience to the amazing stories of her life.

Early days

More photos added to my Flickr account... Topi's Early Days set. The sleepy bear sweater and hat is from Auntie Joanne. :)

Happy Dad

This one is self-explanatory, right? :)

Uncle Cihan and Auntie Tara

Uncle Cihan and Auntie Tara came to visit us last night. Nestled in Uncle Cihan's arm, Topi slept peacefully, hardly emitting a sound. Here are a few pictures of Evren Toprak in deep sleep, enjoying the comfort of friends.

A couple more....

I can see that already I am going to be one of those moms that has to post every single cute picture of her baby, but I can't resist! I have Topi mania. :) Here are also a couple pics of me with Topi... I have that very tired look on my face that will probably be there for months.

Everything is going really great, and I feel like we are getting settled in at home and into a nice pattern. In Turkey, it is customary not to leave a mother and newborn alone for the first 40 days of the baby's life. I have been in good company every since Evren Toprak was born and know that I will continue to be cared for until the first precious six weeks have passed. Thanks to all of the help from Devrim's family and my friend Damaris who literally did everything from cook to clean to iron baby clothes!!, I didn't have to think about a single thing except Topi and rest for the first five days. Now Gunes and Devrim's mom are on mom + baby patrol, so I know that if I need anything, they are right there. I can't tell you how much this means to me.

I already love being a mom, and Devrim is a natural.... I can't believe it is possible to experience this much love. ;)

6 days old!

Topi

Evren Toprak Deniz... or affectionally called 'Topi' by my Grandma Schueller, arrived in this world on Friday, October 20 at 8:30am. 8.4 lbs, 52 cm long. And the sweetest little baby we have ever seen.

We are amazed and in love with the tiny changes we see every day.

Diaper bag

I decided that I couldn't possibly have the baby until I finished the diaper bag I was working on! I started it a few weeks ago, but it took so much work that I had stops and starts. It is the first bag of its kind that I made, which is why it took so long... and I wanted some really specific components like interior pockets to hold bottles and a side cell phone pocket. I also wanted a reinforced lining and stain-resistant interior.

So here are the details:

• two interior pockets to hold bottles
• one interior side has two pockets to hold diapers
• the other interior side has a snapable pocket to hold a blanket or clothes
• triple layer fabric plus use of recycled plastic components to reinforce sides and back
• two snap closures on the front flap
• main zipper closure
• the pink brocade detailing is sewn into the seams
• interior fabric a washable polyester
• strong single strap (not adjustable, but I couldn't do everything this time!)

I didn't make a changing pad because I have a couple of them. I would also, if I make another one, make an insulated pocket to hold bottles for a longer period of time. The bag would have to be bigger, though.


If you want to see more pictures of the diaper bag, I have posted them on my Flikr account.

As for everything else, I am feeling great at only nine days away from my due date. Devrim is in Germany until Saturday, so I've been enjoying a couple days to myself before he returns and the baby is born!

Mutlu gün

Devrim's sweet birth announcement. Here's a quick, and hopefully not too flawed, Turkish to English translation:

Adı/Name: Devrim
Doğum senesi ve ay/Year of birth and month: 1975 Nisan (April)
Gün ve saat/Day and time: 12 Cumartesi 16.05 (12 Saturday, 4.05pm)
Kilon/kilo: 4.4
Boyun/size or length: 50cm
Annen/Your mother: Şükran
Baban/Your father: Dursun
Doğum şekli/Kind of birth: Normal

Sevgili yavrumuz gözlerini hayata açtığın Zeynep-Kamil Hastahanesi Doktor ve personeli sana hayatın boyunca Sağlık başarı diler.

Your beloved child's eyes opened to life... The Zeynep-Kamil Hospital doctors and personal wish for you success and health in life.

Mutlu gün means "happy day"; written below the flock of birds is the name of the hospital at which he was born, the Zeynep Kamil Hastahanesi.

dairy addict

Some things never change... as evidenced in these photos which capture my devotion to giant-sized dairy products. At 6 1/2 months old, my clever family attatched a nipple to a gallon of milk to emphasize just how much milk I could consume. 27 1/2 years later and 37 weeks pregnant, Devrim caught me mid-spoonful eating out of a economy-sized bucket of yogurt. Yum.