Holy Tantrum

Since Saturday all hell breaks loose when we try to change Evy's diaper, get her dressed or feed her. It's really fun. Tonight I was actually concerned that something was really wrong with her because she was screaming bloody murder when I tried to change her diaper. Screaming, then turning, then stiff as a board, oh and some more screaming. I think it has more to do with her dislike for constraints now that she is trying to walk, but I'm going to spend some time on Google tonight to see what the "experts" think.

Kate: Note this was NOT a 15 second diaper change...good luck with that.

My New Trick.....

Evy has been trying out her new trick all weekend...standing by herself. Here, she shows off for the camera. (please ignore the obnoxious noise in the background..Scott was watching the drama unfold with his beloved Bronco's and their new quarterback)

Happy 10 Month Birthday!

Evy is 10 months old today. I snapped this picture this morning with my cell phone so the quality isn't the best. I couldn't believe how grown up she looked in her shoes and her hooded sweatshirt that grandma bought her. Wow! Can't believe I'm planning the date for her first birthday party already.

This Is Your Brain on Drugs

For the record I am not on drugs. I don't even take Tylenol. But this story will make you think otherwise: Last night I went to the grocery store, on a mission to find frozen bagels. My sister-in-law had luck using frozen bagels to sooth my teething nephew and well, I was desperate. The store didn't carry frozen bagels so, frustrated, I left the store empty handed. Later, my brother said, "Why didn't you just buy regular bagels and put them in the freezer?" Hmm...didn't even cross my mind. Duh! This is your brain on drugs.

Could it be teething?

Ugghhh! Could it be teething? Evy has been a disaster since Sunday. So cranky and not sleeping through the night. She feels so hot, but actually doesn't have a temperature. I took her to the doctor on Monday night and her ears are clear. That's good news! This too shall pass...but I wish it would hurry up already.

Quick Clean

What do you all know about "disposable" mops? Now that Evy has mastered throwing food on the floor and later crawling through that same area I need to clean my floors more frequently. I know that I will not pull out the bucket of water and mop several times a week so I'm considering one of these Swiffer-type things. But, I don't want to end up with a piece of junk. User reviews would be appreciated! I'm especially interested if you've used anything like this on wood laminate floors...doesn't ruin the floor does it?

I didn't see this coming...

I have added lots of time savings tricks to my daily routine but I didn't see this most recent one coming...I WORE MY HAIR IN A BUN! Can you say slippery slope? Hereforth I will call it a chignon...that's what all the fashion editors call it and it sounds a lot less librarian.

Baby's New Shoes

I picked these up at Target. $12...perfect price. They are soft sole with a little bit of traction. Evy is funny...when I put them on her she wants to keep her toes all curled inside the shoe. Sizing was a bit of a challenge. Evy is almost 10 months old but she must have little feet. Size 2 (3-6 mo) was a little snug and size 3 (6-9 mo) is a little big. We're going with size 3 right now and will wait until she's walking to invest in anything else. Whew...that was hard work!

Kicks

I could google this, but I prefer your advice...Evy is supposed to start wearing shoes to school now that she is in the "big-girl" room. Someone recommended Stride Rite shoes, but those suckers are $45! What's the proper attire for an almost walking 10 month old? Hard sole? Soft sole? What do you know about this topic, folks?

My Toddler

Today is Evy's first day in the toddler room. She has graduated from the nursery...sob! Originally, the center planned for the nursery to be 0-12 months but they realized they needed to get the movers and shakers (Evy is the president of this club) out of the same room as the non-mobile babies. I agree and am glad that Evy will have activities more appropriate for her developmental stage in her new room. She's started standing for short periods on her own and will probably be walking in the next few weeks. As a protest to all this growing I told her I will not buy her bigger pajamas. I am going to leave her in the little ones and hope it stunts her growth so she will stay little longer. (Don't call DHS...I am only kidding!)

Are You Ready for Some Football?

19 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds until kickoff. Season tickets have arrived, parking is confirmed. Evy says, "Let's Go Hawks!"

Beach Video

Here is some video we took last weekend at the Mississippi River:

Porker

Evy had a few bites of a pork chop last night. I'm not sure how she does it with no teeth but her little jaw just chomps away and somehow she manages to get everything "chewed." She's starting to refuse jar food more often so we're introducing table food. She eats table food for lunch every day at daycare. Her teachers say she loves it and shovels it in!

Crazy Lady with an Empty Stroller

I put 16 hours in (to work) yesterday so I decided to take a couple of hours off this morning to regroup. I got in a workout while taking Evy to daycare in her stroller. It worked out fabulously until I realized I had to make the return trip with an empty stroller. I got a lot of strange looks. People couldn't decide if I had lost my baby without noticing or if I was psychotic. Either one could be possible.

The Daily Marathon

I have no interest in ever running a marathon. Maybe because every day is pretty much like a marathon in our house. Tomorrow kicks off another 3-day marathon for our family. I fly to Cleveland tomorrow for a meeting, departing at 6 a.m. and returning at 9 p.m. Scott is on Evy duty for that 15-hour period. Then, Scott leaves for St. Louis at 6 a.m. on Thursday and returns Friday night. I am on Evy duty for that 36-hour period. Too bad this kind of marathoning doesn't count as exercise.

Legalized Robbery

We just received the bill for Evy's tubes. We were billed $4,508. $872 of that is our responsibility because we have insurance. Did you hear that? We HAVE insurance and we are still paying $872 out of pocket for a 10 minute procedure. The discussion on health care reform must start with lowering costs. $2,500 of my bill probably went to cover the care of those who don't have insurance, but don't get me started down that path...

River Rat

Evy loves the beach at the Mississippi River! She had such a fun time on Gma and Gpa C's houseboat. We were amazed how brave she was...crawling in the sand and making a mad dash for the river. By the end of the day she was cashed out. So were we.

Evy Fix

The outfit may appear gender neutral, but the bow and shoes scream girl!

Look Who's Talking

By the time Evy is 14 my family cell phone bill will be about $400 a month, right? Better look for that second job.

Damn You Enjoli!

Have you seen this commercial before? It's for Enjoli perfume and originally aired in the early 80s. Chorus goes: "I can put the wash on the line, feed the kids, get dressed, pass out the kisses and get to work by 5 to 9. (Blogger's note; who starts work at 9???) 'Cause I'm a Woman! I can bring home the Bacon! Fry it up in a Pan! And Never, Never, Never let you forget You're a Man!'Cause I'm a Woman!" PLEASE! ...what the hell was this woman thinking?

Unfit Mother

Well, it happened. Evy's first fall. And, it was all my fault. I was frantically running around the house this morning trying to get us both out the door. Scott's work has him out of town which means I have to be doubly on the ball in the morning. My lunch, jar food for Evy, updated registration form for daycare, laptop, files, and purse. Check, check and check. Evy was happily crawling around near our front door so I stupidly jumped at the chance to go back through the house and turn off lights and close windows (rain). As I was turning off the bedroom light I thought "Oh no! I don't hear her crawling around. Oh my God, I bet she's climbing the stairs." Sure enough, just as I reached the staircase she summersaulted down 3 stairs and landed on the tile. Evy is just fine. But tomorrow morning she's getting put in the pack and play as I rush around the house prior to departure.

9 Months

Nine months old! What a big girl! I just re-read the post I made for Evy's 8th month and it's amazing how things have changed in 4 short weeks. Four weeks ago Evy wouldn't touch Gerber puffs or Cheerios. Now, they are her favorites and if we let her, they would be her main source of food. She eats fruits pretty well, but seals her lips after about 4 bites of vegetables. She has started to patty-cake and wave hi and bye! Last night she was waving at the neighbor kids as we walked away. She can say dad, dog, duck and doll....oh wait...actually she just says "dah-dah-da-duh" and we assume she means dad, dog, duck or doll. She had her tubes put in 3 weeks ago and we have been ear infection free ever since! That's the longest break we've had in months. Still no teeth and very little hair but what she lacks in those departments she makes up in movement. She is crawling everywhere and pulls herself up on everything...she keeps us on our toes!