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???