Thursday, November 14, 2013

T-Minus One Month Until the BIG Day!

Each month Evie gets more and more fun.  We got to have quite a few more firsts this month.  Evie got to visit a pumpkin patch, go to Sever's corn maze, trick or treating, Sealife Aquarium, first bite of icee, first powdered sugar donut (my fav!), First visit to the Bascilica, First St. John's Football Game/Bennie Dance Team Performance...the list goes on!

Another first this month was Mama and Baby being sick at the same time.  I haven't been sick in almost 2 years, and of course it hit both baby and I at the same time and of course it was when John was crazy at work one weekend, and so it was just us.  We were both miserable, but I got lots of snuggles and smiles...poor thing was so stuffed :(  Thankfully J was able to help with other things around the house to keep up on the day to day business.

She has continued to be a great eater, and sleeper.  So far the girl will eat just about anything we put on her plate.  She loves cheesy scrambled eggs, toast, beef, chicken, pork, all veggies, beans, shredded cheese, yogurt, seriously, you name it.  Some mornings she surprises us and sleeps in until 7...other mornings she is ready to go at 5:30!  She has fallen into a pretty solid nap routine, too.  She sleeps about 1.5-2 hours in the morning, and then another 1-2 hours in the afternoon.  It is nice to have some time to catch up on things, but I by things, I mean shows.  By the weekend, I am pooped out.  It is my time to recharge.  However, that doesn't help the To Do list get any shorter! 

Evelyn is such a cruiser, walks everywhere.  We are trying to teach her to listen and come when called, and also what she can and cannot touch.  So far we have been able to keep most of our things out...she is a pretty good listener and knows the 'Ah, ah, ahhh, No, Thank You' means that is not meant for her.  

Evie is a happy, happy little girl.  She is obsessed with reading books and her alphabet flash cards.  She has successfully picked out the D (her FAVORITE..she picks up the card and says da, da, da, da as we tell her Da, Da Donuts...the picture ont he card), Z and O multiple times.  She is such a smarty.  Her favorite books right now are Where is Baby's Pumpkin, Bedtime Peekaboo!, Baby Says Peekaboo, Fuzzy Farm Babies, Five Little Pumpkins, A Day at the Farm, Where is Baby's Beach Ball and the all time favorite of Where is Baby's Belly Button!  Truthfully, anything that either is touch and feel, lift the flap...or both!  Within the last month, she loves to grab a book and bring it over, turn around and back up into your lap.  Seriously, precious. 

Eves also loves her Kindermusik class.  She goes on Wednesdays and its a bunch of babes all her age.  She loves to drum and dance!  Great bonding time with Nana.  

Other milestones this month:  Evie likes to 'dance'.  She will sway back and fourth while standing or sitting. So. Freaking. Cute.  She also started pointing to  objects, now signs 'All Done' and 'More', Blows Kisses, still gives passionate kisses, went to her first Eden Prairie Community Center Special Event, and even went to Play Care (the drop in child care at the EPCC) she may have only been in there for 35 minutes, but it was great non the less!

OK, our month in pictures:
Introducing...SUPER FAMILY!!!!
Everyone was a superhero..even Feds and Brooksie




Weekly's:




(below we were sick as dogs, snotty noses but happy!)




Monthly:

Papa Giving Evie an 'Icee' aka Frozen Kool Aid



 Not Quite sure about the Donut!

Cheap Entertainment!

 Brayden's Baptism...this is seriously the best pic we got..she is too busy!

 One of my dear girlfriends was saying it is time to cut Evie's growing mullet..
but then I wouldn't have this cheap entertainment during bath time!

 After Auntie Katie's Performance at St. John's!  
 It was Chilly!




Out for a walk with the pups


 After Story Time with one of her besties, Annabelle, at Southdale Library...
it's so tiring!


Tool Jammies! She WILL love DIY projects! 


Uncle Justin's 25th Birthday! 

Celebrating Uncle Justin's Birthday at SeaLife Aquarium with Papa, Uncle Justin and Mackenzie! 
She loved it!






 Trick or Treating with the Neighbors Avery and Micah!  
Evie was in the wagon the whole time...but she LOVED it! She loves watching kids!

Happy Halloween!






Helping her Papa with his Fantasy Basketball draft!


How she sits in her highchair...


 Another one of her besties...Dr. Lainey!

Drumming at Music Class! Her FAVORITE!
And Drumming With SUPER NANA!  
(the only adult to dress up for Halloween cape and all! Go Nana!)
At the Pumpkin Patch!

Sever's Corn Maze with Mama and Nana!


Loves the maraca eggs at Kindermusik!

 At Chuck E Cheese with my cousin's son Tyler! She spent the whole time chasing around Ty and her Papa...I spent my time chasing her.  We let her on this ride at the end...so fun! She loves to go 'driving, driving'




And...Mama's been crafting again.  Love this blog with fun festive wreath tutorials, I LOVE holiday decor of all types!


Eve's and I were at the Round Lake Splash Pad in Eden Prairie for the Splash Time Event in July. They had a photographer there and caught this image...love her.  If you are local and have some time, check out the splash pad...it was SO fun.  Can't wait to bring her there next year.  She will love it even more!

I can't believe that in less than a month my little peanut butter will be a year old.  Am I ready for that?  I will probably cry at her party...and on the actual day.  It has been an emotional roller coaster of a year, but I know John and I would not trade it for the world.  The joy this little bug brings to our lives is something that you can never explain to expectant parents.  It was definitely one thing we were not able to read up on!  She is so fun, learning SO much every day and it always smiling.  I cannot wait to see what the next few months brings with this feisty one!

Hope all is well with you and yours, and that you will have time to spend with loved ones during this holiday season.  Remember all of the wonderful things we should be thankful for this month, and always.  I am so THANKFUL for our little family!

xoxo, 
Andrea


  

Monday, October 14, 2013

10 Months!

It has been a busy month...especially for the busy bee.  We spent a better part of the month trying to get the entire house healthy....more on that in a second. * This is a long post...pics and text!

We think it took Ms. Evie (affectionately also know as Evie Boneeviee- thanks to Auntie Lyssa- think the song Evie Evie Boneevie, Banana fanna fo feevie, me mi mo meevie, EEEEvie, she also loves this song) about 2 weeks to master the walking thing.  The kid is close to running now- I bet by the end of next month this will be the case.  In those two weeks she figured out how to stand up without pulling herself up, all that practice of the yoga move downward dog was very helpful to stand alone.  The girl is constantly walking.  Her favorite activity is finding a toy, usually an alphabet flashcard (yes we have them), and walks around the couches and throughout the house talking away.  She is still saying Mama,  Ba, and Hi...no new words as of right now. BUT she is able to follow directions: Come here, can I have that please?, 'chew chew chew' and 'ah ah ah' (as in don't do that)- smart cookie!

One of the only times she is sitting still is when she is eating.  The girl is a horse.  No joke the girl downed an entire chicken breast for lunch last week (papa took one bite thats it!).  She still loves her meat, beans, and veggies.  The girl will eat just about anything.  I am thankful we do not have to distract her, or do any special tricks to get her to eat...she just shovels it in. We cannot give her big chunks and let her bite it off yet as she is so passionate about her eating that she tries to bite WAY too big of pieces! Slowly but surely.  The last week or so we think she has to be growing- the girl eats and sleeps like its no ones business- that paired with all that walking.  

We have good news on the bath time front.  The girl now LOVES big girl baths.  Her splashing was getting a little out of control in her infant tub, so we gave it a whirl one day. But let me back up... Nana bought her an Elmo Bathmat.  We had it in the kitchen, and put it on the floor and kept moving it around- she liked to look at Elmo and touch him, so we took this as a good sign.  On the day we put her in the big girl tub again, we made sure to put the bathmat in. I let her watch the water run and fill the tub, and then put her in. She was wild, splashing, crawling back and forth and  with in a few days even putting her hands in to the tub water stream. Phew Evie won't be 9 in the infant tub. 

Evie goes on Wednesdays with Nana to Kindermusik, its a music class with quite a few other babes her age.  She LOVES it.  I have gone a couple times, but for the most part this has been a special Nana/Evie outing.  Nana says she loves the drums and going to EACH baby and saying hi and touching them.  She loves to be in everyones business.  She thinks Evie is going to be 'a hugger'.  I totally wouldn't doubt it.  It became apparent that Evie doesn't like to share at music class...and everywhere else.  So over the last month we have been working on sharing.  It is going well!  You can ask her for things and she will hand them over...even half chewed food!

So our month started with Ms. Evie getting a cold- then Brooklyn got sick followed by Feather AND Roxi.  John and I both were not 100% either.  Needless to say after the pups were healthy we resorted to ripping up the remaining carpet in our Master Bedroom (was on the 'to do' list- but maybe next year!).  Ugh for more projects, but yay for making out room fresh! That paired with a new bed, we are on our way to getting our room in order. No progress on the bathroom yet as John has had to work quite a few nights until he is fully staffed.  Soon.....

Here is our month is pictures...
Weekly's:



Monthly:





My sick little bug, she looked so pitiful.  Still could crack a smile, though!




 So peaceful when she sleeps.


She started climbing things...

 Little bug in the Bath:






All fresh and clean in new jammies!

Seriously, how cute is she...

Some Fall photos taken by Nana...she is trying to eat the leaf...big surprise


Eve's all dressed up for Lainey Danhauser's 1st Birthday Party!

Roxi all full of Pepto, our best attempt at getting the dogs healthy!

 

 Feather still has to be RIGHT there. 



Pooped out...walking is hard!

Yum, pickles after Music class!




Celebrating Nana's Birthday!



Michael's Coupons to help Mama with her crafting...


Mama's holiday crafting: Silly Halloween Monster Wreath!


9 Month Pics...we also did her Halloween costume...saving that for next month!







That was our month in a nutshell.  Busy, busy, busy!
We are looking forward to some full fall activities in the days and weeks ahead- excited to share next month!

Hope all is well with you and yours. 
xoxo, 
Andrea