Firsts

This was a weekend of firsts. First meal in the highchair, first time sitting in the grass, first time in a swing, first ride on the boat.

Stop the Madness

Parents,

Let's make a blog pact to stop the madness. I want all the madness stopped before Evy reaches the age that the madness commences. Repeat after me: "I (insert your name) promise not to enroll my 3-year old in consecutive dance, piano, soccer, gymnastics, art, and tee-ball lessons. I promise that I will not plan a theme-based, 30 guest, goody-bag distributing birthday party for my child until they reach the age of 10. This is my solemn vow." Can you make that vow? Or, do you feel fear bubbling up inside you? That fear that makes you think if you don't keep up with the madness your child will be friendless and will fall behind their peers. It's the good 'ole "Keeping Up with the Joneses" theory in action. AND I WANT IT TO STOP!

Duh!

Evy was wetting through her diaper every night. Which meant I had to wash her sheets every day. I mentioned this to a group of my mom friends and they said, "Try the next size up." Like, duh...obvious answer. Sure enough the larger diaper held her all night. I swear, with parenting sometimes the answer is just so obvious it never occurs to you.

Tons 'O Fun

Some of Evy's best buddies live in Chicago. She had such a fun time with them this weekend! There was a mommies'night out, a daddies' night out, trip to the zoo and lots of playing with Mason and Lincoln.

Freeze Frame

Here are some recent pix of Evy. She is sitting up unassisted and has developed quite the laugh. Her laugh might be the best sound I have ever heard.

It Is Fun!

I have been bewildered by parents who ask "Isn't it fun?" By "it" they are referring to parenthood. That question always left me stumbling to come up with some answer that didn't make me sound like a horrible parent. Because, no, I would not use the word "fun" to describe parenthood. For the first 3 months of Evy's life we had to carry her around constantly to keep the screaming at bay. I use the word screaming because crying just doesn't do her little lungs justice. By month 4 she had started to become more content but she was hit with colds, ear infections, diaper rash, vomitting and diarrhea on and off for about 2 months straight. And those things leave most people feeling irritable. But....last....night.....there it was. I WAS HAVING FUN! Evy is not sick! She was laughing hysterically! She sat in my lap and played for 2 hours! Now, I get it! I will probably be struck by lightning, or at least an ear infection, for posting about this breakthrough.

A Cat Named Grover

When I came home from school I could tell something was wrong. Blotches of the garage floor were stained dark red. My mom was acting strange. Sitting in the burnt-orange chair, I learned that my cat Grover was dead from a run-in with the car. That night, we drove the Oldsmobile out into the country and my dad showed us where he buried Grover.

A week later, around Easter, I was sitting in the garage watching my dad tinker with something at his workbench. I saw a bloodied, mangy Grover walking into the garage. "OH MY GOD! MY CAT IS ALIVE?!" Hysterics followed.

This is one of the most interesting stories from my childhood. Grover had been hurt in the car accident and ran off. He did not die, but my parents assumed he would die so they decided to lie. They had a lot of explaining to do when the "dead" cat walked into the garage. We took Grover to the vet where one of his legs was amputated and our 3-legged cat lived happily ever after. Well, until he had used up his 9th life.

Moral of the story: Make sure all of the loose ends are tied down before you lie to your kids.

MIA

I'm in Minnesota for a conference. Last night was my first night away from Evy. While I missed seeing her smiling face I must admit one night without a baby monitor buzzing in my ear all night was very refreshing!

Techno Mom

I am sick of talking about poop and vomit. Isn't it ridiculous how poop becomes an appropriate talking point once you become a parent? From day one you're cocerned about the frequency, the color, the consistency. Oh man, here I go again.

NEW TOPIC! I am not really a gadget person but last night I upgraded my cell phone to a Blackberry. How exciting! Now I have information at my finger tips 24/7. It has left me wondering if I actually want information at my fingertips 24/7. This could become consuming. I've been fumbling around trying to figure out how it works. So far I have figured out how to 1) Answer the phone 2) Retrieve voice mail messages and 3) Access Facebook. What more do I need???

Poo Patrol

The good news is that Evy has not vomited since Saturday night and she's keeping down her antibiotics and some formula. The bad news is everything is coming out the other end. We bought some extra PJ's for her yesterday so we wouldn't have to do laundry every 2 hours. This morning she woke up at 5 and by 7:30 she'd gone through 3 outfits. Holy Crap! Dad is on Poo Patrol today. There are lots of things I don't like about Scott's job but I am very glad that when he's not traveling he works from home so occasionally he can keep Evy.

The Saga Continues...

We've been struggling to keep food and liquids down Evy since Thursday. The breaking point came last night when she was screaming, uncontrollably, from midnight to 3 a.m. Scott and I took turns so neither of us would lose our mind. I called the pediatrician's office this morning at 8:01. The Dr. had to clear some wax from Evy's ears to get a good look. The wax clearing was lovely. Evy screamed harder than she did for her immunizations. Double Ear Infection. She needs antibiotics. Problem is she can't keep liquids down. Problem solved...she got a shot of antibiotics. We start the oral ones tomorrow assuming she starts keeping the liquids down.

Apparently ear infections can cause vomiting in some kids so hopefully the meds will help take care of both issues. For those of you keeping track the last 4 weeks have looked like this. Ear infection, rotavirus, cold/runny nose, vomit, double ear infection. Happy Mothers Day!

Perfection!

Evy's at home with her dad today because she's thrown-up 6 times in the last 24 hours. This is the 4th consecutive week that someone in our house has been sick and has required either mom or dad to miss work. But then, we got our pictures back from her 6 month shoot and she's just so freaking cute that I forgot (for a moment) that she threw up on me 3 times yesterday.

Cheap Thrills

Evy has many fabulous toys from her family and friends. But two of her current favorites are an empty pepsi bottle (don't worry it's plastic folks!) and an empty rice cereal canister. She likes to bang the palm of her open hand on everything. Her bottle, my face, her chest. So, the canister serves as the perfect drum for her pounding.

Daycare Question

I am currently less than thrilled with my daycare center. One of my major concerns is turnover and the fact that the center does not communicate the turnover with parents. In my opinion I shouldn't have to ask the staff if someone still works there after not seeing the individual for a number of days. For those of you who use daycare centers: are you notified when one of the "teachers" in your room either quits or is fired? The afternoon lead teacher quit and I didn't find out until today when I asked another one of the staff members in the room. This is the 3rd time in 3 months that the afternoon teacher has quit.

Babies Don't Like Buicks

We drove the new grocery getter (Buick) to Chicago this past weekend. Scott and I were in awe at the quiet, smooth ride. Our previous SUV rode like a truck and I often thought my spine had compacted 3 inches after a long ride. However, Evy obvioulsy prefers the old car. When traveling in our old car Evy would sleep for 3 hour chunks. The shaking and loud noise lulled her to sleep. In the Buick we only got about 1 hour and 15 minutes out of her, followed by 45 minutes of bawling. High decibel bawling. Wonder if the dealer still has our old car on the lot. I'd buy it back and pay double.

Citizen's Arrest

On the way back from Chicago today we stopped off for fast food. As I was waiting for Scott I looked out the window and saw two women under the awning of a closed gas station. One of the women appeared to be stripping. She was taking off layers of bras. Then, she dropped her shorts and removed at least 5 layers of underwear. I finally realized it was bathing suits that she was removing. I put two and two together and realized they had been SHOPLIFTING at the Wal-Mart!! I called the cops and reported them. I don't know what gets me angrier. The fact that they broke the law or the fact that they are such underachievers. Seriously?! Shoplifting for an $8.95 Old Glory brand swimsuit? Couldn't you set the bar a little higher for yourself?