Naming Miss Charlotte

Lillian Claire was our second runner up name when Evy was born so we always imagined we would use that name for our second daughter. During this pregnancy Lillian was a major contender, but we also liked Madeline, Charlotte, and Olivia. We originally crossed Charlotte off the list because we couldn't come up with a cute nickname, but then a friend of a friend used the nickname Charlie and Charlotte was on the list again. Going into delivery day the finalists were Lillian, Charlotte and Madeline. After meeting our baby we eliminated Lillian. Then major indecision set in, which is very unlike me. I normally make decisions quickly without soliciting feedback, but for some reason I was having a lot of trouble with this one. In the end we chose Charlotte Marie because it's A) Adorable and B) More unique than Madeline. Charlotte also happened to win the "Name the baby poll." Thanks for your input! Say hello to Charlotte Marie!

For the record, Evy wanted to name her Heather--Evy's best friend at school.

Reader Poll: Name the Baby

We're stuck. Charlotte Marie (nickname Charlie) or Madeline Marie (nickname Madie). Place your vote. Polls close at 4 p.m. central time and no write-in votes will be accepted.

A Big Day

6 a.m.: Called Labor and Delivery to confirm my reservation
7:30 Dropped Evy at Daycare
8:00 Arrived at Hospital
9:15 Pitocin started

Sweet Girl

Last night we drove by the junior high football practice and had the following conversation:

Evy: I'm going to be one of those guys when I get big.

Emily: That's great, that would be fun.

Scott: You can be anything you want to be when you get big. Do you want to be an astronaut or a lawyer?

Evy: A cat!

Scott: How about a scientist or a doctor?

Evy: I want to be a scientist.....no.....I want to be little and big and stay with you guys.

Go Fly a Kite!

This story is one that can be filed under "Good Grief." Evy wanted to fly her kite around the block this morning. As with anything we got about 1/4 of the way around the block and she was done so the kite became my responsibility. Under my watch the kite got blown into a tree. I couldn't reach it so we came back home and loaded up the car with a broom and step stool and went back to retrieve the kite. I was being so careful not to fall that I did not anticipate that the tree would be covered with Japanese beetles. As I reached into the tree I got swarmed by beetles and one of the little suckers stung me on the face. Holy cow! The sting hurt like crazy. My face started swelling instantly and both eyes started tearing uncontrollably. Everything is fine now, but I think we're going to spend the afternoon inside. I've had enough nature for the day. But I did get the damn kite.

Birthday Party Scheduled for Monday!

I have an induction scheduled for Monday, August 29! It was that date or Saturday, September 3 which is the Hawkeye season opener and I wouldn't possibly want to be in labor and miss the game (wink! wink!). I'm not crazy about being induced, but I am more not crazy about going well past my due date again. I have definitely been less comfortable this pregnancy and cannot answer the question "How are you feeling?" honestly without exceeding the parameters of socially acceptable conversation. You know pregnancy gets pretty uncomfortable at the end if the woman is choosing to go through labor and all the fun that follows (mesh underwear, tucks pads, stool softners---ha! some of you know what I'm talking about!) just to get the pregnancy over with! Bring it on.

I had a great conversation with Evy yesterday about her baby sister. Evy was looking at my belly and asked me when my belly was going to crack? Then she said, "How you fix it after it crack?" I explained that my stomach won't crack, but the baby will come out "down there" and she expertly repeated that to our neighbors last night.

Next week we will be a family of four and struggling to find our new normal, but I am ready for it...which is easy to say at this point. Check in again next week when my tune will likely be PUT IT BACK IN!

Manicure by Evy

Evy asked me to paint her fingernails and when I finished she wanted to paint my nails. She painted down to the knuckle on most of my fingers. I'm just glad we were using light pink and not red.

Kids Day at Kinnick

A fun day at Kinnick stadium without waiting in traffic, fighting over parking spaces, or paying $60 a ticket. Of course the Hawkeyes were playing themselves and it took 32 minutes to get through the concession line. But, still a great way to let the littlest Hawkeye fans have a "game-day" experience.

45 Years

Scott's parents will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary this month! Last night, we celebrated with a great dinner at Orchard Green. Happy Anniversary Dick and Sherry!

Yum Yum!

So, I thought I was being a super sneaky mom and bought these popsicle molds. I filled them up with healthy stuff like fresh fruit and yogurt and thought Evy would love them! She's eaten them a couple of times but usually tells me she "wants the ones out of the box." Awesome.

Cinderella

We decided to turn Evy into Cinderella and have put her in charge of cleaning the house (not really). For some reason she loves to "clean" the windows so I filled the Windex bottle with water, handed her a couple of paper towels and let her get to it. The other night Scott was trying to get her to move on to another activity and said, "Ok, Evy the windows look really good, lets head upstairs." She replied, "Thanks, but they're not sparkling yet" and kept cleaning. This activity keeps her occupied for a good while. The result of her cleaning is the exact opposite of clean, but I could really care less about clean windows.

The Answer

Of course we came home with Kitty A. The one that cost $9.99 and excretes no bodily fluids. I would have to be a complete nut-job to bring a live pet into our house 4 weeks before bringing a newborn home! The funniest part about all of this is that Scott is freaking out that his daughter wants a cat instead of a dog. Scott has been wanting a dog for years and we plan to get one when the kids are older. The other night he said, "I am not going to be in a house full of girls and cats!" I told him that's between him and his daughter(s)...

We Got a Cat!

Kitty A


Kitty B

Ever since Evy met the orange kitty on our trip to Colorado in June she has been asking for an orange cat. We purchased one on Saturday. Do you think we came home with Kitty A or Kitty B?