Betrothed.

A. brought up a good point when he stopped through on his way to the beach earlier this month, "Why is it we always joke that our kids will get married someday? Just because they meet and are about the same age this mean they will marry?"
Ok, it is ridiculous. And yet, we do it all the time.
Meet Evie's potential future-hubby someday, Tyler. He's absolutely ADORABLE so I'm ok with their marriage in this regard. But if his daddy continues to work at CC like Evie's mom... then Tyler will be a broke kid and I want her to marry someone with money. Ha ha ha! J/k.
We went to B & A's house for a spectacular cook-out around 4PM and ended up bathing the kids together (blackmail) before putting Eve down in Tyler's pack-n-play. I cannot believe it worked; that she crashed out in their bedroom. But, it did! We stayed and drank until 11PM and had a fabulous time!

Hi!

First word: Hi.
Rob ran out for beers for Evie's 1st birthday party (July 4th). Upon his return, he claims he heard her say,"Hi dada!"
I'm not saying he's a liar... I'm just saying parents have a tendency to hear what they want to hear, *wink*.
I dismissed this until Rob text messaged me at work today, "Guess who said "Hi" to the post office lady?"
Geez - did I miss this again?
All I ever hear is "dish? dish! dish?!." When she points to things.
Maybe I'll hear it one day soon!
:-)

Get up! Stand up!

Evie was crawling around the floor while I lay on my back watching TV this Sunday morning. She came over to me, put her hands on my chest and stood up. I mean stood up, as in, she held onto nothing while chewing on a plastic hammer looking at the TV screen. I looked at her like I was watching a prairie dog right here in my living room (shhh! Or she'll jump back down in her hole!)... and she slowly squatted back down and sat on her butt before scooting over to her legos.
WOW! She can stand up! Its only a matter of time before she begins to take steps...

The great Moo-Cow duplication caper

Moo-cow. Ah, moo-cow.
I don't know who loved him first. I think I did. I kept putting him in her arms when we strolled, drove anywhere or slept over at a grandparents' house . As a result, Evie has taken loving him, too. During her recent sickness early this month, she started to pull Moo-Cow out through the bars of her crib to carry around during the day.
She puts him in her mouth and carries him around the house like a dog.
She puts him in the middle of the floor and pounces on him (face first) while growling & rubbing her face into his satin belly.
She puts his tags in her mouth and sucks away midlessly while watching TV shows.
Evie.
Loves.
Moo-cow.
Not quite a cow, but really a giraffe, moo-cow is here to stay as the personal security blanket. And, like all children's security items, runs the risk of extinction (ie, misplacement). So, I have been searching online for a duplicate, a twin if you will, as back-up should moo-cow ever be detroyed from abundant love or lost while en route to a new location.
People know how kids' are and have learned how to profit from it.
Can you believe that moo-cow was a baby shower gift from Target for $8.99... and now that he is discontinued he runs $24.99-$29.99 on various websites trying to profit from your kids' need for a replacement lovey? What crap. Why didn't I think of this?
I hated to buy a moo-cow for $24.99 if he was not, in fact, her lovey of choice. But, it became apparent he is here-to-stay just this past week.
Looking and searching online was challenging. Many of the $24.99 moo-cow's are all either sold-out, gone or just aren't posted anymore. Two updated moo-cows are everywhere (same cow but with a green head, blue antlers and a white body OR same cow that is still yellow with with additional dangling legs, erg!).
I did finally find one being sold on Ebay for a modest $9.00. I bid up to $22 and won at $10.50 + $3.00 shipping. Whohoo!
Moo-cow 2 arrived last week. He's so soft and new. I didn't realize how original moo-cow was already becoming quite worn. I think I have washed him only a few times bit it sure does take its toll on a guy. He's a little nappy and not as fluffy.
I washed moo-cow 2 and made the switch while she was asleep last night.
She didn't notice and seemed to nuzzle him with open arms.
Phew!
Maybe I will pull of this caper afterall...

BOOKS

An ever-changing, evolving list of favorites:
Reading books to Evie up to the age of 4months didn't matter. It was more entertaining for me and more for the creation & establishing of a routine. Besides, I don't think she had a clue what was going on until after 4months.
Evie seemed "get" that I was reading pages to her after 4months.
Around 8months she squirmed endlessly and tried to close the books on me.
Around 10months I would hold up 3 books and make her point/pick one. She always picked the same ones (she knew what was what).
Around 11months she had favorites that would make her sit still but she wriggled off my lap as soon as I began a book she hated.
Recently, and I mean very recently, she has taken to loving her books. She pulls them down off the shelves and tries to flip through the pages. And, even more shocking, she sits still and will listen to nearly anything I read.
Evie's first set of books I read were things like "Runaway Bunny" or "Guess How Much I Love You." These were books I found cute and she just sat there.
Evie then only truly loved Boynton books. Short. Sing-songy. Funny ryhmes. And, you could flip through the pages quickly. I highly recommend many but the top two: "The Goodnight Book" and "Barnyard Dance" (fun to read quickly!).
Evie just as quickly liked things DIFFERENT. She really loved (and still loves) "10 Little Ladybugs". She knows by my inflection when to turn the pages and she knows which ladybug will 'fly away' with each page turn. I would call this her #1 book.
Stemming from the 3D effect from the ladybug book, grandma found "Five Little Puppies" featuring miniature stuffed animal puppies sewn to the pages. Evie really enjoys this book but not quite as much as the ladybugs.
Knowing Evie was into textures, we dug up a book from the basement (a hand-me-down), washed it and gave it to her at around 9 months old. "Fuzzy Bee." She loved to eat Beetle-Bug's shiny blue wings although I recommend that no one machine wash & dry this book if they own it. It really killed the color. Hand-wash!
"Toes, Ears & Nose." I honestly do not care for the artwork in this book... at all. Because of this, I was reluctant to ever open it. The storyline... is really quite cheesy, too. But Evie LOVES IT! She's now mastered where all the flaps are and in what direction they open. She's not the only kid to love this book.. its a top ten among many. Also recommended, "Where's Baby's Bellybutton?"
A. bought this for me shortly after Eve was born. Its cute and silly and I had never heard of it. Not initially a big draw, "Cornelius P Mud" is a house fav. Its repetitive and simple, Evie flips through the pages faster than I can read them. I highly recommend this fun book.
Lastly, I never owned this book as a kid. In fact, I only heard of it in recent years despite it being around for over 60 years. Revered as classic, "Goodnight Moon" is a bit dated (good night mush? Who the hell eats mush before bed... or, at all?), the drawings are ok (limited colors and half the pages are b/w), and the storyline is odd (goodnight nobody?). But after reading this book again and again... you begin to understand why this book is so great. It just is. And, best of all, Evie likes it, too.

Holy molars, batman

Poor Evie.
She had to go to the doctor (again!) on Friday. But, this was her 3 month check-up and not due to sickness.
Her fever had broken by this time but she was developing a red bumpy rash all along her forehead. I later ntoiced spots on her arms and legs (after work) but Rob assured me that the doctor waved it off. It wasn't a concern.
Today, she is covered in red spots all over her trunk (stomach, back and diaper area). It looks like the photos you see for chicken pox but it isn't forming blisters like pox would. Besides, she got a vaccine for chicken pox on Friday, what would be the odds? So is this "rash" due to the vaccine? Is it the effects of hands, foot and mouth disease? Is it the strawberry waffles I fed her recently - an allergy? Is it simply a heat rash and I need to get over it?
*sigh* My constantly calling (alarmed!) mother isn't helping at all, either. I can freak-out all on my own, thank you very much!
In the meanwhile, Evie is getting that molar still. Its 3 bumps are poking out but the middle is still covered in gums. That's GOT to hurt. And, if the never-ending "wah-wah-wah" fussiness from all-day-long today is any indication... it does.

Hand, Foot and Mouth

*sigh*, its now affected Evie.
Click on this blog entry's title to read about it.
Evie ran a fever of 101.6 today and was taken to the doctor. She is in the very initial stages (just starting to get the blisters around her mouth and diaper area) of Hand Foot, and Mouth Disease. The doctor thinks tomorrow her fever will spike at 103 before things get better.
Poor thing - sick babies stink. There's nothing you can do and they just look at you as if to say, "Why do I feel like crap?"

In good news: The exciting discovery at the doctor's office today was that Evie is getting in her first molar on the top, right side of her face. That makes 9 teeth total!

So many things & they all happen simultaneously

Well, Miss Evie-Pie, your birthday has come and gone. It has happened already so long ago... time just marches on whether you want it to or not.
Sometimes we make her scrub the floors with her own hairbrushThere are many things I wanted to say about your 12th and final month of being a baby and now I find myself being forced to move along with time. I don't know when I'll get to say all these things (so much has happened this past week!). Your 12th month is a bit of a blur.
I will say that in the last WEEK, you have taken a fondness for books. Not so much as in "reading" them as you are into pulling them off the shelf one-by-one. You like to open the pages, just once to which ever page the book falls, and then cast it aside for another book. It was cute the first time. It gets a wee bit exhausting when you beeline back into your bedroom from the kitchen to tear the books back off the shelf for the third time that day. Dad and I joke about how your cousin Rachel also really liked books. Rachel is also a bit of a whiny complainer these days (age 5) so we really are not joking at all when we liken you to her... we actually fear the path you may be headed down.
In recent days you have discovered your TONGUE. You have not only gone back to borderline gagging yourself by shoving all 4 fingers in your mouth in order to touch the back of it... you also grab it and run your fingers on it like you simply cannot imagine what this slimy, wet thing is. This is cute until you dry heave or then use your drooly hand to try and grab my tongue in comparison.
Lastly, I have begun this habit of referring to you as the baby. Example: 'Well, I took the baby to the store and then we went out for a bite to eat." This is something I always hated about people and yet here I am. *sigh*. I resolve to do better at calling you Eve or Evie and not "the baby". I feel like that Seinfeld skit and the fiancee.
Oh, and one more thing, the passing of your birthday marks the end of my monthly reports. I hate dooce.com's "month 437" for her daughter and I think a monthly newsletter losses its sentiment after the first year or so. I will mark the passage of time in quarters this next year (or maybe by season) so as not to bore readers (or myself).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY baby... er... Evie.

4th 'o' July BBQ/First Birthday Party

We had 26 adults and 10 kids at its peak. I wish we had room for more. Then again, after it rained and we all rain indoors (just as the last hamburger was being removed from the grill), its a god thing we hadn't invited all that we wished we could have.
Enjoy!
Rob's folks drove in from Ohio the night before & that morning (over 9 hr drive). A COMPLETE surprise. They brought Andy, Rob;s brother, who had never even visited our house before! They all left early the next morning.


We had 3 kiddie-pools but all the kids wanted to be in the tallest one. Miles, hated getting his head wet and cried. Evie is looking at him as if to say, "What happened?"


Evie hangng out in the tub with Tyler - they had the same chubby-faced expressions.


"Miles! Can you hear me? We seem to be separated by an invisible wall! Can you hear me? Hello?!."

When playing house is still considered innocent.


The party was primarily designed to be held outdoors. There's actually a brick patio on the side with tables/chairs and where the grill is (more people there, too). We had nearly enough seating and entertainment for all... that is... until the rain came! Everyone indoors!

Thankfully not everyone was still here when we ran inside! We are at max capacity! But it all turned out fine & was fun...

Evie is bewildered as to why all these people are looking at her singing a song about "Happy Birthday"....

Today you are One

Day at the Beach - Day 2

Today we woke up, enjoyed breakfast and then went to the bech looking for seashells. The girls had no discriminating taste and picked up... everything.
We walked out to the pier and looked over the water before heading back in to go to the pool.

We took a morning nap after the pier walk (well, Evie did... and a short one at that) and then enjoyed the pool again today before heading in for lunch. After lunch we took Evie to the beach to enjoy the water.
Evie LOVES the beach. Cold water? No problem. This kid kicked and kicked at the crashing waves. She giggled and writhed as dad pulled her up and out when the big waves came. She crawled right toward the water evrytime I put her down. My water girl - too funny.
She then (rather quickly) began to fall asleep against me looking out over the water & watching dolphins in the distance. This is the THIRD time she has ever fallen asleep on me. This kid doesn't sleep on people. She's never really been a catnapper, a cuddler or one to curl up next to you.
It was one of the sweetest moments. Makes me tear up a bit just thinking how darned sweet she is. More pics to come.

At the Beach-Day1

We are currently in Sand Bridge, Va enjoying a quick weekend at The Sanctuary. More info will follow but with the jam-packed birthday week that we have planned ahead... I figured I'd use some downtime (and the one bar of connection power) to post a quick update.
We are visiting Rob's sister, her husband and their 3 kids. All little girls this weekend. Its proving fun and lots of energy so far! ;-)
They are down from hio for the week long summer vacation and were awesome enough to invite us a few nights on the fold-out sleeper sofa. We didn't hesitate at the offer!
We drove down during Evie's morning nap and arrived in time for lunch. We then enjoyed an hour or so in the pool before Evie's afternoon nap. She's a complete fish (we knew she would be!). She kick, kick, kicked her legs and giggled non-stop when we swam around the pool with her in our arms. I cannot wait until next summer when she can swim with floaties.
Evie's first time in a real pool

Sharing

Dad has taught you had to share recently. It was mostly a lesson on how to feed Puck treats but it has evolved into outstretching your hand to many.
You will now offer cheerios in your hand & will even drop them into my opened mouth. This makes you grin ear to ear and eager to try again. Sometimes, you'll offer a cheerio only to PSYCH! me out and shove it in your own mouth. You then do this breathy giggle through your crinkled nose.
Yesterday you offered D a drink from your sippy cup and she played along. You are getting into this game more and more. You now like to offer things beyond food. Just tonight you offered me the opportunity to join in on sucking on moo-cow's soaked tag. I declined but you seemed a little miffed that I wasn't overjoyed with the gift.
I hope you continue on this path of being a polite and friendly little girl...

Day 2 with no da-da

Ok, so this baby raising thing is kinda easy. Lemme back-up, I was prepared for nightmares so maybe I am just pleasantly surprised compared to what my imagination conjured up last week.
This morning you & I were both awoken by the dog at 7:40AM. Puck had to pee. I think this surprised even him since we all tend to get up before 7AM these days. Oh well, it was still sleeping in (technically).
You and I sat in the kitchen trying to figure out what to eat. You apparently do not like over-ripened bananas (I wish I knew that before I cut it all up or I could have made banana nut bread, but, I digress). I toasted an apple & cinnamon Eggo and all was right with the world. You then had a handful of cheerios with some milk.
After some morning playtime, you took a nap. You took to it right away but didn't really fall asleep. I decided to take the opportunity to clean the bathroom. You then started to cry to get up. I'm not falling for this again. I hopped in the shower ignoring you and, eventually, you fell asleep.
Up again by 11AM and I fed you a yogurt tube that we got at Panara Bread yesterday. You really like yogurt but hate to be spoonfed so this was an interesting study. Turns out that you do not know how to slowly squeeze a tube of goo into your mouth (let's just say you got a little excited as a small fountain of yogurt lava squirted all over you and the table). I got you to relax and let me feed you with the rest of the yogurt tube and I think you dug how it suddenly squirted into your mouth. You are such a kid. So, lessen learned - I will buy more tubes at the store today.
We headed over to B & D's to drop off some books. We actually headed over late because after I had just changed you, you decided to THEN poop. Anywho, we finally got to see all this amazing work that they've done on the house. It really is amazing that B hasn't sought out a career as a Jack-of-All-Trades because he certainly has done a better job than some of the contractor's we've hired lately.
We hung out at B & D's for a spell before deciding we were going to wear-out our welcome. That, and, it was your lunchtime and we still had yet to go to the grocery store. I crossed my fingers as I drove to Ukrop's.
Today is "samples day" so I got to test a few things out on you. Turns out you love strong English yellow cheeses and blueberries. You were quite fond of the blueberries so I risked it being a passing phase by buying a good sized container.
While you were munching away, an older lady tied a yellow ballon to your wrist and I nearly DIED. I, you may or may not have caught on by now, HAVE A DEATHLY FEAR OF LATEX BALLOONS. Nothing frays my nerves like watching a kid trying to bite a balloon as s/he presses & rubs it along the jagged metal edge of a grocery cart. Its like sitting and staring at a ticking time bomb that has no timer. When will this thing GO OFF and right in my face?. Uh, I shutter.
I tolerated the balloon since you didn't go too crazy over it. Maybe you are like me and don't like them either (I could only hope). By the end of the trip I was quite comfortable pulling it down for you to look at. Maybe it was the fact that it wasn't stretched taut with helium that made me a little less stressed. I did yank it away the second you bore fangs in excitement but all-in-all... I let it ride home with us and its currently tied to an end table waiting for you to wake up from your nap.

You & Me, Kid

Well, da-da left us last night to head down South for the great Heroes Con held in Charlotte this weekend. I'm kinda excited to have this chance to hang with you all weekend (and to control the TV in my bedroom at night). But, I'm also dreading the WORK that lay before me. You can be a wee bit exhausting (or so I have heard).
Today began with me suddenly jolting out-of-bed at... 8AM! Were you dead?!. Nope, just zonked until 8:15AM. This would be a truly fantastic gift had I not needed to go and pick up files somewhere before noon. No worries, we got back on track, sort of.
You cried throughout my shower since I put you in your activity center (you have outgrown this once favorite toy). I tried to then put you down for a late morning nap but you never did succumb to one.
After curling my hair and putting on my make-up (which took at least a half hour longer then normal) we were out and en route to our destination. You sat silently... scarily, actually... quiet the whole trip. You just stared blankly out the front window (dad turned you around for the first time just a day ago. Either this fascinates you or confuses you, I just couldn't tell. You looked catatonic).
We hung out in an office for 30 minutes before heading back home. The whole trip went so well, I decided to really challenge us with a trip to Panara Bread during a Friday lunch-hour rush. Boy, that was stupid. Don't get me wrong, you were an ABSOLUTE PEACH (seriously, no sarcasm for once) but it is so hard to juggle you and a tray full of hot brocolli & cheese soup. I had to pay for our food and then go find a table to drop off the diaper bag. Then, I had to carry you, plus my purse, to get my tray of food. I put down my food and then walked back to get your food (I ordered you a kid's meal - we've never done this before! I found this so damned exciting, what is wrong with me?). I put down your food and then walked back to fill up my coke. I then sat you down and got your seat ready with disposable table cloth and milk and broken up bits of sandwich. I had to clear your area so that I wouldn't lose anything to your grabbie hands. This whole process left me no longer hungry and a little bit sweaty.
One college-age couple near us kept looking at you and smiling. You kept looking over and grinning. Same goes for a woman across from you reading a book. And, the pinnacle of proud moments, an elderly woman said, "Excuse me. I just had to come over and tell you how much I enjoyed watching your little boy over here. He is such a delight. He is so cute - he will break some girls' hearts someday." I didn't have the heart to correct her (what did it matter?) and I thanked her. Evie then watched her off and leaned far out to get two women behind her to start laughing. I've never seen so much attention on one kid.
Damned you are cute. I just hope you don't realize it someday soon or we'll be screwed.

First Dada's Day

We began the morning hanging out by giving dad his cards in bed. After breakfast and brief naps, we then got ready to roll out to Bandito's for brunch (burrito's on Rob's day - of course!). After a perfectly fantastic time at the restaurant, we decided to take advantage of the nice (finally! Not Hot!) weather by strolling around the fan. The rugged sidewalk terrain eventually lulled Evie to sleep when we approached Scuffletown Park (a dog and people park back in one of the alley ways). We sat here for awhile so dad could sketch and mom could relax. We didn't sit for too long before walking back to the car & deciding to head out to For the Love of Chocolate where mom and dad could stock up on exotic treats (and so mom and dad could do this for the very last time without Evie freaking out at the sheer joy that lay before her in this glorious place).
We all then came home and tried to nap (well, mom and dad did while Evie played in her crib).
The end.

Finicky

Yesterday you wouldn't eat meat paste (a former all-time favorite).
You will no longer accept anything served up on a spoon.
This spoon-strike includes former-favorite yogurt, applesauce, the aforementioned meat paste and pureed anything. You will accept things on a fork—but only if its my fork and my food. Only then will you take the hand-out and then promptly take over.
Last weekend you dined on my Pad See Ew at a Thai resturant (you inhaled it. ate the leftovers for lunch the next day, too). You also like it when I flop an over-sogged frosted mini wheat your way from my cereal bowl. You split some guacamole & chips last night with me. Two nights ago, you stood there and accepted a klamata olive, feta cheese & balsamic vinegar covered salad bite. You like wierd things for a near one-year-old, Miss Evie-Pie. But ordinary favorites on a spoon... forget about it.

One Hot Day (in pictures)

unique scoot

I've tried to describe it. Here it is.

walker