Picture Perfect

I know everyone prefers when I post pictures of Evy and don't ramble on about other topics. I don't have any "new" photos of Evy but here are some from the archives that I haven't posted.

Formula Faux Pas

Sorry folks, this is going to be a boring post. I need advice. I prepare a 6 ounce bottle of formula. Evy decides she only wants 3 ounces this time. Is it ok to refrigerate the remaining 3 ounces and use them at the next feeding? The can says no, but I'm in marketing so I know how this works...they want to sell more. I want to buy less. What do you think?

I realize I could make a smaller bottle and then make more if needed, but that's not really my question in this instance.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

My darling husband is out of town for work, again, this week. This leaves me frazzled and frantic as I attempt to get myself and Evy fed, cleaned, dressed and out of the house each morning. At night, I clock in for my second job at 5:00 p.m. when I pick her up from daycare. I consider myself lucky if I am able to eat dinner. This morning, my darling husband admitted that he spent an hour last night in his hotel room playing Nintendo. Suddenly, I am searching for a job that requires overnight travel. Anyone hiring?

Yummy!

One of Evy's favorite pastimes is eating. Who can blame the girl? I enjoy a good meal too. She has started "helping" us hold her bottle and tried out some rice cereal for the first time this morning. We thought she would have a little more fun with the cereal by pushing it out of her mouth with her tongue, but she seemed to be shocked by the whole experience more than anything.

My Alarm Didn't Go Off

I got an extra 30 minutes of sleep this morning because my alarm clock didn't go off. As I was showering at a super-speed pace I got to thinking about the statement "my alarm clock didn't go off" and how it's an example of how we try to remove blame from ourselves and put it on something else. Like the alarm clock just decided it wasn't going to go off this morning and so it's the clock's fault that I'm running late. Let's be honest. I forgot to set the alarm, the alarm didn't forget to go off. So, then I started thinking about this topic of self responsibility and how often we like to forget that we are responsible for ourselves. How we're supposed to feel sorry for all the people whose houses are being foreclosed upon because the big bad banks held a gun to their head and made them sign the loan documents on a mortage they couldn't afford. We even call it predatory lending....because surely, it's not the individuals fault. Here I am being a smart ass again. I'm sorry, it's not my fault. It's genetic.

4 Month Update*

Evy had her 4 month appointment (and shots) today so I thought I'd update everyone on her progress. She weighs 13 lbs and 11 oz (50th percentile) and is 25.75 inches long (95th percentile). She's still eating about every 3 hours and is getting a mix of formula and breast milk. She gobbles up between 4 and 6 ounces at each feeding. She seems to really like daycare. Her teachers say she hardly ever cries and she gets a real kick out of sitting in the bouncy seat and watching the bigger kids play. We have weaned her of the swaddle and she sleeps in a sleep sack each night from about 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. She still wakes randomly in the middle of the night crying, but usually gets herself back to sleep within 5 minutes. She's packing on the pounds and we affectionately refer to her as Chubba Bubba. Chubba Bubba is not in a very good mood right now, but generally has started to become much more content which makes mom and dad much more content.

*Technically it's the 16 week update. Whatever floats your boat.

Weeks vs Months

Evy is 16 weeks old today, but she won't be 4 months old until February 28. She was born on October 28 but will be 52 weeks old on October 27. If there are 52 weeks in a year shouldn't we actually celebrate her 1st birthday on October 27? Confused? Obviously, not all months have 4 weeks in them so I guess this explains why we always refer to babies' age by weeks? But once they are a year old we start counting by years? Or, am I just dumb and missing something here.

This has given me a headache.

Hawkeye Girl

On Saturday Evy took her first trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch the men's basketball team. She got her photo taken with Herky and was quite the hit with the rest of the fans. Several people asked us how old he was. We'll give them a break, though 'cause normally she's decked out in head-to-toe pink. It's not as easy to tell when she's wearing black and gold. She was so excited that she slept through the 2nd half. The team lost (as usual) but the day was a win for us!

Parent's Night Out

It was a close one folks. One hour before go-time the sitter canceled because of the icy roads. Not to be defeated, the parents frantically scrolled through their contacts. "Who could possibly babysit on such short notice" they asked. Could CB? No, she was at a wrestling meet. Could KW? No, she was out of town. But then, it dawned on them.....the neighbor! Yes, the neighbor! The parents called the neighbor and the neighbor agreed. All hail the neighbor. Parent's night out was saved!

Basket O' Happiness

My sister-in-law beat me to posting these, but I couldn't resist. These photos are from the photo shoot at my parent's house last

weekend and just crack me up. Evy looks like this in all of them.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep?

After we've gotten Evy to bed and I've finished up all of my tasks for the day (between 9 and 9:30 p.m.) I am faced with a decision. TV or sleep. Lately this has been an easy decision for me. Sleep, sleep and sleep. Since Evy has been waking at random times during the night I never know how much sleep I will get between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. So, as they say "get it while the getting is good". This means I am horribly behind on all of my shows. I haven't watched Lost, Desperate Housewives or Grey's for weeks. Luckily, they are waiting for me on my DVR. I am up to speed on The City and The Girls Next Door because you can blow through those in about 15 minutes with a DVR. I don't think I'll ever watch another episode of Big Love because it's on HBO which means it's actually a full hour show (no commercials to fast foward through) and I definitely don't have an hour to devote to the polygamists.

Our Little Houdini

Until Evy was 3 months old we were using the Kiddopotamus Swaddle Me for night time sleeping and naps. Then, she started breaking out of it and waking herself up several times each night. A couple of friends recommended the Miracle Blanket, which is basically a straight jacket. Well, our little Houdini is breaking out of the Miracle Blanket too. Once she breaks out she wakes up and starts crying. This happens several times a night. Since the swaddle is no longer serving its purpose I think it's time to kiss the swaddle goodbye. Deep sigh...not looking forward to the weaning process.

On a Roll

Evy rolled over from tummy to back last night. It might have been a fluke since we haven't been able to get her to do it again. Now, if we could just get her to sleep through the night.

Cousins

Evy met her cousin Jacob for the first time this weekend. She was so happy to see him, but a little mad that she had to share all the attention with someone else. In order to steal the attention she was talking like crazy this weekend. Lots of funny sounds! The second picture is of Grandma showing off both of her babies.

Good Grief

I'm wrapping up my 2nd full week of being back to work. How's it going, you ask? Well, I was better at this last week. Here's how this morning went.

5:00 a.m. Evy is stuck on waking at 5. Good Grief.

6:00 a.m. I spill corn starch all over the floor and the dustbuster won't suck it up. Good Grief.

6:30 a.m. My eyebrow brush breaks as I lift it to my face. Good Grief.

7:47 a.m. Out the Door

7:48 a.m. Turn around in my neighbor's driveway. I forgot the ice pack for the milk I "generate" during the day. Good Grief

7:50 Traffic is moving 10 MPH under the speed limit. Good Grief.

7:56 A mini-van pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting it. I give them a nice friendly "what in the hell were you thinking" honk. Good Grief.

8:02 Pull into the parking lot. Good Grief. Luckily, I'm a state employee so that's considered early.

Death By Yogurt

Everyone has their quirks. One of mine happens to involve yogurt. Most days I take a yogurt with me for lunch. Most days I don't eat it. This has been going on for about 3 years. If I don't eat it (I usually don't) it sits in my lunch bag and becomes room temperature by the end of the day. When I get home I put it back in the refrigerator and Scott usually ends up eating it for breakfast the next day. He has accused me of trying to poison him. Since he's on to me I guess I'll have to come up with another plan to take care of him.

Baby Spa

One of my favorite indulgences is a massage so it comes as no surprise to me that my daughter also has an affinity for a good relaxing rub down. Every once in awhile I strip her down to the diaper and give her a full body massage. Here are some photos from her spa night.

TGIM?

Thank goodness it's Monday. I need time to relax. Our weekend went a little like this. We got home from the Brad Paisley concert at 1 a.m. on Saturday. Evy was up at 3, 5 and 7. At 7:30 I noticed she was wheezing. Got a Dr's appointment for 10. By 12:30 we were back home with a nebulizer and albuterol in hand. Evy needs a nebulizer treatment every 4 hours to help with her breathing and congestion. She doesn't like having the mask held over her face so I have to dance around in front of her to keep her from crying. I'm ok with it because it's the closest thing to a workout that I've had in a couple of weeks. Saturday night went great: she slept until 5:30 Sunday morning without waking. Last night was a different story. She was up at 1, 2 and 3:30. The good news is that she does not have a fever and she's in a pretty good mood as long as she doesn't have the nebulizer mask on her face. We did take her to daycare this morning. Now, I need to go get some coffee.

Brad Paisley

You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. Here is my public confession: I'm a fan of country music. Friday night we went to the Brad Paisley concert, my Christmas present from Scott. It was a great show.

Darius Rucker (Hootie, without the Blowfish) and Dierks Bentley opened. Yee Haw!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa C for staying with Evy!