Easter friends

Here's Evelyn and Sydney at Purina Farms. They bravely held hands when cold or when intimidated by the giant Easter Bunny.

Money

For those of you with a Facebook account, I uploaded a bunch of pictures this morning. I didn't have time to crop, shrink, and upload each of them to here.



If you sign up for RME with this button I will get $10 and will donate it to Free The Midwives.

Spoon Joy

This morning, Lindita bounced in her command chair while I put away dishes, as usual. After waving a wooden spoon around a bit, I walked over and handed it to her. She stared at me, stared at it, stared at me, and then grabbed it with both hands. Her little eyes lit up and she grinned in delight. She was shocked and thrilled that I gave the wooden spoon to her.

She is the perfect baby!

Burps and kicks

Yesterday after Lindita woke up, stared at her hand, and kicked around for a while, I helped her sit up. She immediately made a huge burp. It was so loud it woke Evelyn.

Last night she kicked me the whole night. She couldn't sleep. Maybe the booger that made so much noise in her nose it kept all of us awake? Maybe the miso soup she sucked off her fingers last night at Sansui? Either way, it was one of those nights I won't be sorry to leave behind when my kids are big.

That's babies: extreme cuteness and joy, alternating with extreme aggravation.

I want food!

Lindita seems to think it's time to start eating solids. At dinner, she wants to sit on our laps and grab our food. Last night she snatched tiny handfuls of rice and a green bean from my plate and tried to cram them into her mouth. Once they are near her mouth, she tries to suck on them. Silly girl.
We tried to take a picture but the camera was MIA.

Today is full of snow. They're closing my office early, and when I get home, I'll put on my puffy coat and take Evelyn out to play. Hurray!

My new favorite baby shirt

I've added pictures to these posts: The birthday continues and Victory at last

And because we haven't seen a photo of Evelyn in a while:

She sits!

I was going to wait until I could upload a picture, but you all deserve to know: Lindita can sit. For a while. She still flops over every few minutes, but she can support herself -- and wants to practice all day.

Yesterday, Evelyn plays with Mater (the tow truck) and a My Little Pony. Says the pony to the tow truck: "I'm not a good hooker."

Immigration

This blog is nominally about my children but I'm going to post about politics today. Blame Jaelithe.

The immigration reform debate makes my heart ache. Why are we fighting so hard to keep out people who want to come to this country and work? Why do we want to spend billions making a wall along our border, to keep out a few desperate desert crossers?

What is so bad about a person of Mexican birth benefiting from a job here? Why should American citizenship confer exclusive rights to the jobs available on this soil? No wonder firms are moving jobs outside of this country. We don't want to let the people who want to do the work, do the work. We force people underground, cause them to resent the system we won't let them be part of. They have so much to contribute!

In my own field, programming, we have many foreigners working here. We also have many jobs that go overseas. In some cases offshoring is a bad idea, when clear communication is essential for doing the job. Other times it's efficient. This competition, both here and abroad, has enriched the field. We need to let more intelligent workers in if we want to continue as a world leader in technology. More, not fewer! The immigration caps on some countries (India, China) are far too low. I'm in favor of letting in as many people as want to come, in the long term. Does this lower my salary potential? Probably. But it enhances the opportunities available to my children, because more innovation will happen here.

I don't want what seems best for the American people. I want what is best for the whole world. In the long run, the two are the same.

What are your thoughts?

The birthday continues

Last weekend, Papa-san and Uncle Jason came to visit. Evelyn, Eric, and Jason all got birthday presents. Evelyn enjoyed the company. Lindita enjoyed the trip to the Art Museum.

What are you going to be?

Yesterday as we laid down to take a nap:
Evelyn: What will I be when I'm done being three?
Mama: Next year on your birthday, you'll turn four.
Evelyn: And then five? And then I can drive a sharp yellow car?
Mama: You can drive when you are sixteen.
Evelyn: And eighteen?
Mama: Yes.
Evelyn: When I'm eighteen I'll drive a big yellow car with a steering wheel.
...
Evelyn: What will you be when you're done being a mama?
Mama: I'll always be your mama.
Evelyn: No. What will you turn into after you're done being a mama?
Mama: A grandma!
Evelyn: Yeah! Like Nana.

She agreed that she might be a grandma too some day, maybe. But when she grows up, she wants to be a mermaid. A mermaid, with a green mermaid tail and a green mermaid swimsuit.

Lindita's Big Day

Today Lindita turned 4 months old. She finally rolled over! She rolled from her back to her tummy. She rolled right off her naked butt pad and immediately pooped on the living room rug. Then she puked on it. She is proud of herself. It's repeatable too: she rolled from back to front several times!

Evelyn's big birthday party at Gymboree was a success this afternoon. Thank you to everyone who came. I'll post pictures on Facebook.

Evelyn is three!

Today is Evelyn's birthday. She denies that she is three: "No, I'm still two and a half." She wants me to carry her down the stairs.

This morning she opened her most exciting present, the big one from Nana. Nana bought her two dresses and some toys. Evelyn immediately put on one of the dresses. She quickly got it wet. Good thing Nana bought her two dresses.

She took cupcakes to school today, cupcakes that we decorated last night. She helped. After frosting and squirting and sprinkling the first batch, she began to eat one without using her hands. Frosting on all the nearby cupcakes interacted with her hair. Time for a bath. Good thing the people who'll eat those cupcakes weren't there to see it.

This evening the planned festivities include more presents and a visit from Jorge and Eva. On Saturday is her big party at Gymboree.

Graeme Frontbum - President of the Internet

Just another day

Here are my girls today. I'm working from home because there's a lot of snow on the ground. Evelyn has been sick this week. Her fever is going down but still present, so no snow play for her. Lindita is cheerful.

Victory at last

After days of trying, Lindita can now grab her feet. She first noticed them about a week ago. She stared and stared. Since then she's been trying to operate her hands, aiming for them. Yesterday she finally grasped them, both of them. Then she smiled. We cheered. Her big sister is proud. She even lets Lindita wear her socks from when she was a baby.

Here she is the day she noticed her feet:



Evelyn has been sick for a few days. We have a virus, and she had a high fever for a long time. She laid in bed with me and told me about parades, fireworks, sledding, and many other things she does with Pa-Pa, Uncle Seth, Mama Cat, and Bean Dog. She wants her purple butterfly blanket when she's sick. Mama Cat bought that for her years ago.

Today I had a beautiful lunch. I had my hair cut, then walked to the hot dog place for a lamb gyro and chili dog. It was gorgeous, 69 and sunny. The guy on the radio says low of 14 tonight and 30% chance of snow by midnight -- crazy!

Another wonderful weekend

The girls are getting smarter and smarter. Evelyn is now sleeping in panties, and she is using the big potty instead of the little potty chair. She has begun asking, "Why?" She wants us to make up stories about Diego and Dora, in which Evelyn rides her "yellow skateboard with yellow knee pads and yellow elbow pads and a yellow helmet with a black three" or her pink horse or Lightning McQueen the famous race car. In these stories, Evelyn is always the fastest. Sometimes while riding her yellow skateboard she races with Lightning McQueen, and Evelyn is still the fastest.

Lindita, um, well, she looks at us and smiles. She has outgrown all the small diapers and is almost too big for 3-6 month clothing. She coos at us, and squeals and chirps like a wild bird.

Evelyn turns three in about two weeks. She is excited about turning three, because then she can be a baseball batter. That's what she wants to be when she grows up, and she thinks that three is grown up. She dismisses any notion of being five or six; three is all she needs.

Three months, and still alive

Today Linda Estrella is 3 months old. Evelyn is 2 years and 11 months. They're both alive and well, growing and learning. Evelyn adores her sister. She plays with her, tries not to squish her or kick her, and exclaims, "She smiled at me!" Yesterday she took a drawing to her, saying, "I will give it to my best friend, Lindita."

Lindita is smiley. She sleeps well at night, eats well, and spits up a lot. That's from overeating. She's wearing 3-6 month clothes and medium diapers. She has both parents, her sister, and her Nana securely charmed.

Evelyn is excited about turning 3 in February. "When I'm 3, then I will be a baseball batter." (She thinks 3 is grown up.) She loved Christmas, and she loved spending time in Hannibal with Mama Cat, Pa-Pa, Uncle Seth, Aunt Bunny, Jeremy, and Bean. When she came home, she hugged Daddy, hugged Mama, and then asked, "Is Lindita here?"

Rock Band

Evelyn has a new favorite video game: Rock Band. She can really play the drums! She does pretty well in practice mode; she can hit it to the rhythm. She's especially good with the cymbal. She gets a lot of extra hits in, though, since she constantly bounces up and down on the bass drum pedal.

When this game comes out for the Wii, we'll have to get it. And a Wii.

Snowdrops are coming down

This weekend brings the first snow of the year. Evelyn woke up, looked out her window, and saw snow everywhere. Boy, was she excited! We made a snowman. It's a leaner.

She went down the slide at the playground, making a big pile of snow at the bottom. Then she went down again -- fast, "like Lightning McQueen, the famous racecar!" She landed on her butt in the snow about four feet in front of the slide. Mama said, "That was awesome! Do it again!" Evelyn replied, "I'm ready to go home now."


Jorge taught her to make snow angels. She made lots of those, and threw many snowballs. Daddy helped her to slide down hills in the neighbors' yards. It's been great weekend.
Right now she's declaring, "I'm not cute. I'm big."

Here are some gratuitous pictures with Lindita in them:

Fame

Lindita's birth is national news.

Pajama Time

Normally, getting Evelyn's pajamas on is a nightly fight. We have to threaten her with timeouts to get her to step into the pull-up and hold still while we pull on her pajamas.

Last night, after their bath together, Linda needed pajamas too. I asked the magic question: "Who will get her pajamas on first, Evelyn or Linda?" Suddenly, Evelyn is asking for the pull-up, pulling it on by herself, and jumping up and down for Daddy to get her some pink pajamas. She put them on all by herself, while I very slowly snapped up Linda's sleeper. Evelyn declared victory and jumped up and down in triumph.

The same strategy works for getting Evelyn into her car seat and into the bath.

Sibling rivalry is working to our advantage right now.

Where bananas come from

"Evelyn, do you know where bananas come from?"
"From banana peels."
"Where do banana peels come from?"
"Marshmallows!"

She went on to say "...nooooo, bananas." I think the marshmallow bit was a joke, and a funny one!

Evelyn's Christmas List

For anyone who wants to buy presents for Evelyn, here is some info. If you like, post in the comments what you're getting her, so that no one else does.
- Dr. Seuss books: Hop on Pop, Sneetches.
- Dora movies. She has Animal Adventures and Shy Rainbow, and we're getting really tired of watching those two over and over. She also loves Diego.
- a swimsuit with animals on it.
- those foam letters that stick to the bathtub.

Linda would like:
- a black and white mobile, or else the Haba Butterflies mobile.

Shaking tail feathers

For Halloween this year, Evelyn was a fish (Nemo) and Linda was a skunk.



Evelyn shook her tail feathers for candy.

New Baby

Welcome to the world, Linda Estrella Kerr! She was born last Tuesday, 9 October. Read her birth story. Her name means "pretty star." Linda is after Nana Linda, of course, and Eric picked Estrella to go with it. Please address all mail to Linda E. Kerr or Linda H. Kerr.

Linda is doing all her baby duties: eating, sleeping, pooping, and peeing. Eric has taken two weeks off work, Nana went back home to Kentucky, and Evelyn is in Hannibal with her Pa-Pa and Mama Cat. We're having a lovely quiet time of bonding here.

Waiting

Nothing going on, really. We're waiting for the new baby to arrive; it could be any day. Look, baby, see all the leaves falling. It is October. It is time to come out. Never mind that it is 90 degrees outside.



Evelyn likes clam chowder.

Company

It was a big weekend. Lisa, Lauren, and Elliot came to visit from Chicago. Lauren is Evelyn's age, and Elliot is seven months old.



Mama Cat, Paw-paw, and Uncle Seth came to visit too. We all had a blast at the City Museum. Here, Evelyn and Lauren play on the roller slide in the toddler section. This was the only part of the museum where we could catch them on film.





... and finally, a gratuitous photo of Evelyn.

Let's fight!

Retreat

The whole family went on a retreat last weekend at Mark Twain Lake. Evelyn spent most of her time riding bikes with Carter.



She enjoyed eating Carter's dinosaur birthday cake, too. They fought over the threehorn until they realized that the tyranosaur roared; then they fought over him.

Preschool

This morning I dropped Evelyn off at preschool for the first time. She wasn't quite sure about me leaving, but she gave me a kiss and went off to play.

Why Nanny is a Sucker

Dinosaurs

Labor Day Visits

For the holiday, we drove to Hannibal. Evelyn was thrilled to go to Hannibal to visit Mama Cat and Paw-Paw and Uncle Seth and Aunt Bunny and Rachel. She had a blast, especially playing with Seth. She went fishing and caught a little tiny fish, and Daddy caught a bigger fish.

And guess who came to visit? I'll give you a clue: he's sleeping on the couch right now. He fell asleep watching the Hurley episode of Lost, his birthday present from Rachel and Seth.

Happy Birthday Mama

I am thirty! Evelyn made me a cake.

Nanny Sucker

Today, Nana Linda and Evelyn were walking through the neighborhood.
Evelyn: "Carry me."
Nana: "You think Nanny's a sucker, don't you?"
Evelyn: (sweetly) "No."
Nana picks her up.
Evelyn: (laughing) "Nanny Sucker!"

Meet the Teacher

Today Evelyn's preschool teachers came by to meet her. They go to the house of each new student so that the kids meet the teachers in a familiar environment before classes start. In two weeks, Evelyn starts preschool, two mornings per week. I think she'll love it. Her friend Carter currently attends this preschool, with the same teachers, and he highly recommends it.

Her teacher asked to take her picture, so Evelyn dutifully said "cheese" when asked... then smiled for the camera. That was a first! She actually smiled for the picture. She must like her teachers.

Bellystick

Last week Evelyn had a little too much fun with a melted lipstick.

Nombres de nenes

We can't tell you the gender of the baby-in, but we can tell you the names we've picked out for each possibility. Of course, all name plans are contingent on the baby looking like that name.

A boy will be Corwin James. Corwin is a name Eric has always loved, and his dad and grandfather are both Kerwin, which is close. James, of course, is after my grandfather.

A girl will be Linda, after Eric's mother. The middle name for this one is up for discussion. I wanted Grace or Faith, after my aunts, but both of those sound rather plain with Linda and a one-syllable last name. A Spanish middle name would be much prettier! We could go with Gracia (grace), but not Fe (faith, pronounced "fay"). My current favorite is Sofia, which means wisdom. Any other suggestions?

One Yard High

She is now as tall as the yardstick and weighs over 28 lb. She is not quite as tall as the bike pump, though.

Two and a Half

Evelyn is now two and a half years old!

Not a baby anymore

Evelyn has passed a milestone: instead of asking us to "hold you" she moved on to "hold-you me" and finally, "Hold me." She sounds grown-up. She is working on saying "Evelyn Joy Kerr" when asked her name instead of "Emelyn Joy Kerr." The v is a difficult sound for her, but she can do it when she concentrates.

Her other recent accomplishments include clipping her own fingernails and toenails; wearing big girl panties most of the time, even on outings; and dancing like Pocoyo.

Cousins

A few weeks ago, Evelyn and I visited Chattanooga with Mama Cat and family. Evelyn loved her cousins, Faith and Ellie and Nick and Liz. She thought they were the best. Nick was her favorite chaser. Faith and Ellie each played with her for hours and hours.
Also in Chattanooga, she visited a park where she rode the carousel three times. She ate blue ice cream. Mama Cat: "What flavor is that?" Evelyn: "Mine!" She played in the fountains a little bit, but mostly wanted to splash Paw-paw.
She misses her cousins. Hopefully she'll get to see them again while she still remembers them this time. Come up for Christmas, cousins! We certainly aren't going anywhere this year.

Little Tiny Fish

Evelyn had a big time over the 4th of July with her Paw-Paw and Mama Cat. On the 4th, she saw a parade, a festival, a carnival, and fireworks. By firework time she was tired and ready for bed. She loved the parade ("I got candy") and the carnival, especially the plane ride. I loved that other people took her to fireworks and I went to bed early.

The next day, Daddy and Mama went back home and Evelyn stayed with her grandparents. They took her to Going Bonkers in Quincy, where she went bonkers in the indoor playland for hours. The following day they took her fishing. She wanted to catch a little tiny fish, and she did! Paw-paw caught great big fish, which he fried up on Sunday -- yum. Evelyn ate Mama Cat's meatloaf and mashed potatoes every day during her visit. She played with Uncle Seth and Aunt Bunny, chasing endlessly around the house. She was not ready to come home with Mama on Sunday, but she consented, and very quickly fell asleep in her carseat in the minivan.

Mid-day Mole News

This is the latest from Nana:

After we came back from "Dora's" awhile ago, there was a little bitty dead mole on our walkway. Mole may or may not have been taken down by the Goddess of the hunt. Anyway, Evelyn took a liking to the mole and she has been stroking it and telling it all her secrets ever since. Hope that is ok.

New van

Our stroller doesn't fit in our car nicely, so we bought a new van to drive it around.

We spent weeks looking at minivans. The Toyota was our favorite, but it was too expensive. We almost bought a Mazda, but the price wasn't quite right. Buy it anyway? I prayed about it, and heard "no, not yet." So I prayed that the right van would come up for sale in the next four months. The right van is red, with power doors and driver's seat and a sunroof, and maybe a power tailgate for bonus.
The very next day, I randomly check Craigslist, and poof, right at the top of the page is a 2006 Toyota Sienna in red with all the features we want and more, for less than the price of a base 2007 model. Surely it's sold already. But no, it is still available! The next day we drive far, far south to see it. And lo, it is the perfect van!
Buying from a person is lots more trouble than buying from a dealer, especially when you're financing. We looked at the van on Friday, and now the next Wednesday (after much paperwork) it is sitting in our garage awaiting temporary tags. Soon, very soon, we will be driving it. I can't wait!

Mama Cat and Aunt Bunny

My mom and sister visited for four full days over this weekend. Wow, that was fun! It is great to have my mom around when I'm pregnant. On Saturday we went shopping, first all the girls to Crestwood Mall (the carousel is gone! how sad!), then just Mom & I to the Galleria for shoes. We stopped at the tea store that I've been itching to visit for months. Last night, Mom and Eric and I stayed up late playing a game. Aaaaah.

Aunt Bunny played with Evelyn almost the whole time, since Evelyn wouldn't give her a minute alone. "Where Aunt Bunny? Aunt Bunny, come back! I want Aunt Bunny." and if Aunt Bunny didn't respond, she called for Rachel. Evelyn liked riding in Rachel's car, red with bird poop on it.

I'm going to miss them a lot.

New stroller

On Saturday we purchased this stroller:

We assembled it (just the single buggy, not the second seat yet) and Evelyn is in love. She describes the color as "blue, with clouds." She loves to climb in it and buckle herself. She loves to lay in the seat when it is fully reclined. She wants the hood up all the time, and plays peek-a-boo through the little sneak-peek window in the top.
Yesterday we pushed her for almost four miles, and then she was really ready to run. On this walk, she got to pee in a port-a-potty ("I want to pee in it again") and jump on a trampoline. It was great!

Where babies come from

The other day, Evelyn and I read a book about dinosaurs. It showed the little baby dinosaurs growing inside eggs.
Me: "Do we grow our babies inside eggs?"
Evelyn: "No."
Me: "Where do we grow our babies?"
Evelyn: "In our bellies."

Thank you very so much!

Last night a package arrived from Hanna Andersson (my favorite clothing store) containing new shoes and dress for Evelyn, and matching ones for Nora. She is thrilled with the shoes because they're purple and turquoise, her two favorite colors. They're her first pair of slip-ons. She wore them all evening, even when walking only a few feet. She said, "Thank you very so much!"

Lake trip

For Memorial Day weekend, we drove down to Table Rock Lake (near Branson, MO) and shared a cabin with Sydney and her parents. What great fun! Evelyn rode on a boat, threw rocks in the lake, and played. Throwing rocks in the lake was her favorite, although she enjoyed the boat ride and the playground. When we returned home, we missed Sydney. Having a playmate around makes it much easier for Evelyn to stay entertained.

When Evelyn is particularly happy with me or Daddy, she says, "You are my best big brudder."

Trains

Evelyn loves to play with her train set. I love to build new tracks for her. Mom's mural makes a great backdrop. The trains go up, down, under the traffic signal, stop at the water tower for a fillup, and into the little house. She likes Thomas Train the best, because he is her favorite color. She carries him around with her, and keeps losing him.

Best Friends

Evelyn and Nora are best friends. Today, Nora came over to Evelyn's house. Then they both rode bikes over to Nora's house, and then they walked back to Evelyn's house. They both cried when we made them part for dinner.

Daddy came home

Yesterday, Eric returned from yet another work trip. Evelyn is happy to have him back. In the middle of the night, she said, "He's snoring like elephant." Then, "And he is Eric. And he is Daddy. And I love him. And I love you." Aw, my sweet daughter!

Goose Egg

Evelyn fell and hit her forehead on a table leg last night. She got a big ol' bump. It didn't break the skin, thank goodness. She was running and playing again fifteen minutes later. This morning she's a little sluggish, and she says it still hurts, but she's okay. She has a colorful handkerchief tied around her head for a bandage.

More danger

Last night, on the walk...
Me: "You are too cute."
Evelyn: "No, I'm dangerous."

Be careful, Moon

Last night on the walk, Evelyn was happy to see the moon. It has not been visible much for the last few weeks. She admonished it, "Don't go behind clouds again, moon. It's too dangerous."

Count the Butterflies

One butterfly

Two butterflies

Fun and frolic

After a beautiful March of running around outside, the first two weeks of April were very cold, and Evelyn was unhappy. Now it is warm again, and we are all joyous. Yesterday I came home early from work, after a prenatal visit. Evelyn consented to wear a dress long enough to run to the playground. There she found Oscar, the three-year-old who lives down the street. They played and played, in wood chips and mud puddles and running up and down, up and down the sidewalk together. Evelyn showed Oscar how to pee in the grass and on the sidewalk. It was a great time. The only tragedy was that it had to end, because Oscar had to go eat his dinner.

What's that poop's name?

Evelyn loves to ask everyone's name these days. Yesterday while playing in the stream, she squatted down and took a poo, producing three turds. She pointed at one and asked Nana, "What's that poop's name?" Nana had to name them: poop #1, poop #2, and poop #3. Then Evelyn tried to pick them up. Then she went home and dug into Daddy's spaghetti with her bare hands. "She washed her hands, right?" he asked plaintively. "Well, yeah," Nana replied, "in the stream."

Panties

Two weeks ago, Evelyn started peeing in the potty regularly and refusing to wear diapers. She want to wear panties! And not just any panties. They must be either blue or printed with animals. Suddenly we do less laundry (no diapers), but more frequent loads (to get the blue panties through). Conveniently, she considers training pants to be "panties" too. Conveniently, training pants can be purchased individually, instead of in packs of multiple colors. We only need the blue ones.

Her favorite color among blues is turquoise. Her clothes are starting to coordinate more as they converge on this one color.

Do you like the new "baby on the way" widget on the left sidebar? The countdown part bugs me, because a due date is probably not the day a baby will arrive. I should just ask Cheri... Cheri, what's your guess for the next baby's arrival?

Spooky Cave

Potty Progress

Yesterday Evelyn peed and pooped in the potty all day! She wanted to wear panties, and so she did. She wore a diaper to church, but didn't pee in it. She waited to use her little potty at home. Several times without prompting she pulled down her panties, waddled to the potty, sat down, and made a deposit. Hurray! The only major problem occurred when the blue panties were dirty and she only wanted to wear the blue panties.

Last night for bed, Daddy tried to put a diaper on her. This did not go over well. We compromised and brought out the training pants. She likes these "animal panties" (they have a jungle animal print) very much.

Today she visited the doctor for her 2-yr-old well-baby visit. She is at the 75th percentile in height and 50th in weight. Her verbal skills are excellent. She was fairly cooperative with the doctor, and the doctor kindly let Evelyn push 8 on her keyboard several times. 8 is her favorite number to type.

Warm nights

Last night was the first night in months that it's been warm enough to take Evelyn for a walk after her bath. She wasn't excited about it until she saw Eric put on the back pack. Then she helped me put away her game and climbed right in, clutching Cute Lemur. On the walk, we saw a digger and many cars. The moon hid behind the clouds, occasionally peeking out. A few blocks into the walk, Evelyn announced, "This is awesome!" Later, she shouted, "There that silly moon!" She can spot a moon.

Teething Begins Anew

Evelyn was sick last week, with a high fever. Finally on Friday night the fever left, but the grouchy clingy baby remained. It looks like she's working on her two-year-old molars. Wow, is she ever a mama's girl when she doesn't feel good!

While she's sick, she watches more movies than usual. Little Einsteins is her favorite by far. She sings the songs and plays along with the little games. She talks about a spooky cave with bats and spiders, a little red train, and a caterpillar who turns into a butterfly. She sang a Little Einsteins song to a toy butterfly yesterday, a very sweet song.

Happy Birthday Evelyn

Evelyn is now 2! She had a big time yesterday on her birthday. Nana gave her a doll to take in the bath, and a new Little Einsteins DVD (which she has already ruined). I gave her a stuffed animal of the Cute Lemur from Madagascar. In the morning, she got to eat two vitamin bears instead of one. Ooooo. She danced and jumped around.
In the evening she went to Crestwood Mall and rode the Carousel. She climbed around in the play area, rode a fish and a train, put money in the candy machines and ate candy, rode around in a fire-engine car, watched Spongebob in the Family Lounge, and ran shreiking up and down the mall with her Cute Lemur. It was a good time. She slept well.

Height: 34 and a quarter inches
Weight: 28 lb, by measure-with-mom-and-subtract, since she stomped and jumped on the scale when we tried to weigh her individually.

For Daddy

This morning Evelyn woke up before Daddy did. After checking his bellybutton for fuzz, giving him a zerbert on his cheek, and pointing out many of his facial features, she climbed down off the bed. There she retrieved a small object. Next she climbed back into the bed, saying, "For Daddy! For you, Daddy!" She put the small object right in front of his face. "Daddy, for you!"
What was it? Why, it was a plastic letter D. D for Daddy! It is the only letter she recognizes.

Biiiig mess

Miss Evelyn has a cold these days. She refuses to nap, goes to bed early, and has trouble sleeping. Good thing she is still adorable.

This morning she climbed out of her clippy chair on the counter to reach the butter. She eats butter. While on the counter, she knocked the bowl of eggs (ready for scrambling) onto the floor. She announced, "That's a biiiiig mess!" ...and it was.

Welcome back Mama

This week I took my first trip away from Evelyn overnight. I travelled to Oklahoma City for three nights. Evelyn did just fine; she talked to me on the phone in the evenings. "I go Gym'ree," she exclaimed. "Is fun!" When I came home, she jumped a lot. That night she slept very well, with her hand twisted up in my hair.

Thursday morning before work, she dragged Daddy and me from the kitchen to the living room for "Ring roun' Rosie." After a few games of that, we switched to marching around in circles, singing "Pop! Goes the Weasel." That was a hit. "Mama, I wan' more fun circles!" she dragged us back over and over for "Pop! go a weasel."

Hold you?

Yesterday she said to Nana, very clearly, "Nanny, I want some hold you." Meaning, I want you to hold me for a while. It was sweet.

She likes to talk on the phone. Yesterday she talked to Daddy, Paw-paw, Mama Cat, Aunt Bunny, and Jenny. Jenny is my friend, and whenever she comes over, Evelyn yells, "Jenny! Jenny!" She thinks Jenny comes over to see her. She may be right.

Sentences? We have paragraphs

Evelyn's speech is improving every day. Yesterday at bathtime she told me, "No, I wanna watch TV." She is not so clear that strangers can understand, but she puts each word in the sentence. Sometimes she even uses articles.

Yesterday while I laid on the couch, she walked up and said, "Mama play toys?" I repeated, "I play with toys?" and she acted like it was my idea. "Okay!" and she walked off to her new toy house, ready for me to follow.

The other day she stood up in her high chair and pointed emphatically at my cup and Nana's cup in turn, saying, "This is Mama coffee! This is Nana coffee!"

Oh, and she sings several songs now. Baa Baa Black Sheep, the ABCs, a scale (aka "Do Re Mi"), Jingle Bells, and of course, "That's Elmo's World." Before you get too excited, she doesn't get all the words to any of the songs, and her scale bears no resemblence to the correct notes. Jingle Bells, for instance, is "Jing-a bell, Jing-a bell, all way!"

Take it off

Yesterday Evelyn sat on the floor and pulled on her big toe. "Take big toe off," she said, and pulled on it. "You can't take your toe off," we told her, "It's attached to your foot." She pulled on her pinky toe. "Take little toe off?" "No, that one is attached to your foot, too." She pulled on her foot. "Take foot off." "Don't take off your foot," we told her. "It is part of you!" She put her hands under her chin at the sides of her head and pushed upward. "Take head off!" We were really laughing by this point. We told her that her head doesn't come off. She pulled her hair. "Take hair off?" Then back to her feet. "Take feet off." She pulled at each one. "But your feet help you jump and run." She stood up and jumped and ran.

Our power went out in the wee hours of Friday morning. It is still out (it's Monday) and may be a few days longer. We're staying at a friend's house not far away. Evelyn is unnerved by the power outage, but she is adjusting well.

Thanksgiving

Evelyn and (Mama and Daddy) went to Chattanooga for Thanksgiving, to Great Celia's house. Oh, what a big time she had. She loved all her cousins, and her grandparents and aunts and uncles. Ellie and Faith played with her endlessly. She followed Paw-Paw around the house. She went roller skating (and really skated!) and rode a new electric scooter. She explored new places and played outside. She liked the dogs and the cats. She met more cousins at Great-Great Faith's house.

One, two, Zerbert!

Evelyn gives Eric zerberts (raspberries) when she finds him laying on the floor. She pushes his shirt up and says, "One. Two. Zerbert!" and then pththththt on his belly. Then "Mama turn," and I give him a zerbert.

Yesterday she wanted a flashlight off the dresser. She asked for it several times before I gave it to her. Then she told me, "Good job!" Later she balanced the flashlight on its end, to make a light on the ceiling. When it wobbled, she told it, "Careful. Careful light."

Last night on the walk we saw a raccoon. Evelyn woke up talking about it this morning. She told Nana all about it at breakfast. "Saw raccoon. Racoon... run away!" with lots of hand motions.

Paw-Paw and Uncle Jason visit

This weekend Kerwin and Jason came from Kentucky. Evelyn loooved "Un-ka Da-shun." He was the best thing since Daddy. She climbed on him and chased him around the house and insisted that hang out at bathtime. She was happy to see Paw-Paw too, but had difficulty getting his attention sometime. Oh, and of course she enjoyed seeing "Mean dog." Mean Dog did not enjoy her, however.

Singing

Evelyn has started singing songs. She sings, "Baa baa black sheep have wool, yesah yesah full." She also sings "That's Elmo's World" and "The Baby Bop Hop."

She doesn't carry a tune like Rachel did at that age, but it is still cute.

I gave her a really bad haircut this morning. Her hair is officially past the stage where a quick snip to her bangs is sufficient for a trim. After this grows out, we'll take her to a hairdresser for her next trim. That'll be at least four months; it's a bad cut.

Baby Dragons

Yesterday we took our little Zombie Sheep to a neighbor's house for a Halloween party. Many other babies were there, all younger than Evelyn. Most were 3-6 months. They looked so... stationary.

Twin one-year-old boys were dressed as dragons, big puffy purple dragons with wings and tails. Evelyn liked them. "Tail," she said, and pointed at the dragon's tail. "Where's the dragon's dorsal spine?" I asked her. She looked at me for a few seconds, then walked over to the dragon, pointed at the spikes on his tail, and said, "Dor-al pine!" All the parents were very impressed. Yay Evelyn! Good, practical knowledge of dragon anatomy.

Sheep and Zombie Sheep

Evelyn's halloween costume has arrived. See pics on her picture page.

Yesterday Nana took her to a farm to see sheep and pigs and goats and tractors. Evelyn loved it. Nap? Who needs a nap? We have sheep!

Last night she wrestled with Daddy. She tackles him and gives him big zerberts on his belly. When I reach for her belly, she flees the room, runs around the circle, and returns for me to threaten her again. When I get too close, and she's cornered, she lets out a Zombie Sheep ba-a-a-a-a-aaa. Gasp! Scared! Zombie sheep!

Coming of age at Wal-Mart

She is a big girl at the store now. At Wal-Mart yesterday she demonstrated her grasp of a few new concepts. In the check-out lane, she grabbed candy from the shelf and put it on the conveyor belt. "Have it," she says.

In the lobby, she saw a train and a car with Elmo in it, both kiddie rides. Previously, she was content to sit in the rides; she didn't want them to move. Now, she climbs in and says to her Daddy, "More penny." (All coins are pennies to her.) She wanted him to insert quarters to make the ride go. "All gone pennies," we told her, and she climbed down. "Bye-bye train. Bye-bye Elmo."

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Another new sentence for today: "Nanny sucker!" She knows who will give her whatever she wants.

Takeaway

Last night in the bath, Evelyn holds the yellow cup out to me and says, "Want it?" I reach for it, and she pulls it back at the last minute and laughs. Then she holds it out, I reach for it, she pulls it back at the last minute. Repeat.

Where did she learn this game? She claims it was from Nanny, but Nanny denies it. Maybe it was those three-year-olds she hung out with on Monday night. Those older boys, always a bad influence!

Manners

She now says, "You're welcome" when she gives us something. It's adorable. She doesn't wait for the "thank you," just hands me something and says, "ya wekah."

Other times, she'll fart, and say, "Fart! Shoo-ee" and laugh. Then she says, "Mama fart." She insists that I fart. I can't fart on demand, Evelyn, sorry. How about a fake burp? I tried, "You fart." She pressed her lips together and turned her face red trying to fart.

Two nights this week she slept all the way through in her own bed! That's two more than ever before.

Pants on, pants off

Evelyn is learning how to dress herself. Just this weekend she put her own shorts on, then took them off, put them on, took them off, etc. This morning she did it with her pants. She even picked them out herself. She works on shirts, too, but those sleeves are tricky.

This morning it is very cool outside. Nana picked out some nice warm fleece pants with pockets. Pockets! Now Evelyn can put pennies in her own pockets. She is thrilled. The pennies don't disappear when she puts them there, unlike her mouth.

Last night she slept in her own bed from 9:30 to almost 7! Hurray Evelyn!

Yesterday evening she announced "Poop!" before she pooped, and then pooped and peed in the Cinderella potty. Yay Evelyn!

Weekend in the country

This weekend we went to a retreat for Friends of Missouri Midwives. It was in a state park in southwestern Missouri. The country was lovely. Evelyn loved the lake, with all its boats and its rim of rocks. She could throw rocks into the lake all day. She played with the other children. She saw a raccoon. She watched Bob the Builder all the way there and back. She liked the little babies.

In the little house where we stayed, there was a Murphy bed in the living room, where Nana slept. Evelyn loved it. Once she knew it was there, it had to be down the whole time.

On Sunday she played in the rain and splashed in mud puddles.

This morning when I left for work, she said, "Bye-bye" matter-of-factly. No fuss; she was happy to play with Nana.

Latest word: "Munch" with all sounds clearly enunciated
Favorite animal: whale
Latest body part: eyelash
Latest toy: Play-doh

Romance

Saturday night at a restaurant, Evelyn played peek-a-boo with a little boy about her age. He stuck his head over the top of his booth to peek at her as she sat between us. Oh, the excitement.
Before leaving, we walked Evelyn over to where the boy was sitting. When they saw each other, they squealed. He hugged her and kissed her. She wasn't sure how to react to this. They jumped up and down together. Then they took off. It's too early to run away together, guys!

Latests

I almost forgot...

Latest feat: splat!
Latest word: popsicle
Latest body part identification: hip
Latest toy: Little Tikes flintstone car

Splat

This weekend we stayed in town and visited with friends. Evelyn is talking more and more. She now attempts to call people by name. We visited Martin and Stacey this weekend, and Evelyn said, "Ma-in, 'mere. Splat." Meaning, "Martin, come here and splat in the beanbag." Everyone splatted in the big beanbag, especially Evelyn.

She has a new favorite song: "baa baa sheep." It's Raffi singing Baa Baa Black Sheep. We listen to it over and over and over in the car.

Yesterday, Drake ("ake") and Erin ("eh-in") came over. They're five and seven. Evelyn ran after them toward the playground, then fell and faceplanted on the sidewalk. Splat! Ouch. She busted her lip and scraped her face and knees. Now she has a fat lip, a bruise, and some new boo-boos. She recovered rapidly with some help from a "pah-uhl" (popsicle). This morning she remembered that popsicle and asked for another one.

The moral of the weekend is: Beanbags are better than sidewalks for splatting.

Back to normal

Evelyn had a blast for the last two weeks with her Aunt Bunny and Uncle Seth. Then last weekend Mama Cat and Pa-Pa visited, and she was even more excited. Then Nana came home too, and she was so thrilled that sleep was impossible.

Thank you to Kent for installing a ceiling fan in Nana's room! What a great surprise. It is soooo cooool and niiice in there now.

Latest feat: somersault
Latest word: arnica
Latest body part identification: nipple
Latest toy: baby doll highchair

More nudity

This morning around 4:30 a.m. Evelyn pulled the label off the water bottle, bit by bit. When the whole label was gone she held it up and said, "naked! naked naked naked." Then she had a drink.

Tricycle

Evelyn can ride her tricycle! She can pedal forwards and backwards. Seth took the trike to the playground yesterday, down to the big asphalt play area. She pedalled forwards and backwards. I was so proud!
She didn't have to steer in that big area. She'll probably have to work on steering.

Things you learn from the trash truck

Yesterday my sister and I took Evelyn to the grocery store. Evelyn pushed the cart around the frozen section, where there were convenient bumpers on each side of the aisle. She won't let anyone help steer; she knocks your hand away if you try. Eventually she started backing up, pulling the cart with her, and saying "beep beep beep." She knows to beep when she backs up. :)

Nekkid!

Evelyn's word of the week is "naked." She likes to run around the house naked, and screams when we put the diaper on her, "No, no diaper. Naked." It sounds more like "nekkid" when she says it. I tell her that if she pees in the potty, then she can run around naked. When she pees or poos on the floor, then she has to wear a diaper.

In other news, she can now count to two. "One cheek, two cheek!" she points to Aunt Bunny's cheeks.

My mom finally has an official name. We've been calling her "Nana Cat," but Evelyn now calls her "Mama Cat." Mama Cat - what an excellent name!

Toddler Life

Yesterday was a good day for the Evelator. She climbed a tree, after asking Nana for some help. She made Nana and all the neighbors jump with her. She hung from rings, bars, and Daddy's hands. She sang about horses in music class. She danced. She played in mud. She played peek-a-boo with Nana's knees and her own bellybutton. She tried to call Pa-Pa on the phone, but didn't respond when someone at his house answered, so they hung up. She enjoyed throwing the phone after listening to a few rings. She ran squealing from room to room. She dipped very sandy fingers into Nana's food, stealing some dinner for herself.

and best of all: she threw away her own trash. She finished her cereal bar, said "trash", pulled out the trash can, dropped her cereal bar wrapper in, pushed the trash can back into the cupboard, and closed the cupboard door. I almost cried, I was so proud.

Happy morning

Evelyn slept in today, and she was in a great mood for breakfast. She talked about eggs and oatmeal (which sounds like "email"). She hid her fork behind her head, getting eggs in her hair. After she ate, she announced, "wing. Mo' wing. ou-chai. mo' wing." while signing "swing." Translation: "Swing. More swinging. Outside. More swinging."

She now says "Bye mama. Bye da-ee," when we go to work, and "Hi!" with a little jump when we come home.

This morning she was talking about bunnies, hop hop hop. Next week her Aunt Bunny is coming to take care of her. She is looking forward to it already.

Cute hair

This weekend Evelyn visited Sydney. They got along splendidly. Evelyn called her "syd-syd," which sounds more like "tid-tid." They chased each other around houses and playgrounds and restaurants, squeaking. From Sydney, Evelyn learned about pigtails. This morning she even let me put pigtails in her hair. She grabs them and says, "Cute." Yes, Evelyn, those pigtails are super cute!

Daddy Work

Yesterday Eric returned from another work trip. Whoo, Evelyn was glad to see him. Nana reports that she tried to play nonchalant, but it was clear she was excited. She announced "all done" with her dinner and, once down on the floor, dropped into her fighting stance. Eric is teaching her to wrestle. She whoops him almost daily.

First sentence

Last night Evelyn peed on the floor, saying "ssss." I said, "aaaah! You peed on the floor!" She repeated "pee on f'oor. Aa pee on f'oor." Yes, Evelyn, you peed on the floor.

It doesn't really count as her first sentence because she only repeated it; she didn't make it up. Still, it'll be good for teasing her later. Right, Samantha?

Power Out

Last night we had a crazy windstorm. The power went out around 7:15 and stayed out until the slightly-wee hours of the morning. Evelyn didn't mind the dark much, but she did mind when the TV refused to play her Elmo movie. We read lots of books by flashlight. She enjoyed the circles on the ceiling when we point the flashlight upward. Her favorite shapes are Circle and Oval. "O-wa," she calls, when she is looking for the Oval piece to her shape puzzle.

No Fall

Yesterday Evelyn slid off her bed and landed on her face on the floor. Ow! After some cuddling and a munch, she ran back to her bed and climbed up again. "Be careful," I told her. "Don't fall." "No fall!" she yelled. "No fall! No fall! No fall!" (It sounds more like, "No paw.") She repeated that mantra for a long time, and she did not fall off the bed again that day.

She has also learned the word "Bonk." When she bonks her head, she tells us "Bonk head" (which sounds like "bah hea") and smacks herself on the head. Sometimes the smack hurts, and then she says "head" again and cries, and smacks herself again. We can stop the cycle by saying, "Oh, you bonked your head" and kissing it.

Laurenzilla

Last night Evelyn had a friend visiting. Lauren is a few weeks older than Evelyn. The two girls enjoyed playing together. Evelyn especially liked sticking stickers all over Lauren's chest and back.

There are a few new pictures up at Evelyn's picture page (gasp!).

The things you find in a baby's mouth

This morning Evelyn grabbed something off the floor and popped it into her mouth. I chased her down and dug it out, and it was... a tooth. Not one of her teeth - they're all accounted for. It is a small, yellowish molar, very worn down. Where did it come from? We don't know!

Trip to Kentucky

Over the 4th of July, we all went to Kentucky to visit family and friends. Evelyn liked Pa-Paw and Granddad, although she seems to call both of them Pa-Paw. She loooooved Pa-Paw's motorcycles. She played in a ditch and a creek and two pools. She met a mean dog ("me dah") and four nice dogs. She saw many trucks and planes. She rode the neighbor's concrete lawn animals. The porch duck tipped over when she tried to ride it.

She especially enjoyed visiting Robby and Lisa, where they had a just-right pool with water up to her chin, a swingset with a slide, four cooperative dogs including one Peanut, a basketball hoop, and Brandon. Brandon is nine years old, and Evelyn loved playing and swimming with him.

On the car trip, Evelyn enjoyed listening to Sesame Street classics and They Might Be Giants. In particular, she loved a 20-second segment of one of TMBG's songs. The lyrics go "Mop. Mop. Mop Mop. Mop Mop Mop Mop. Mo-o-o-o-o-op." Then we had to rewind it back to second 0:42 and listen to "Mo' mop." Repeat fifty times.

It was a lovely, low-key vacation. Evelyn explored two neighborhoods and a mall. We relaxed and chilled. We set off a few fireworks in the street. Evelyn liked the lights but not the noise, and she was fascinated by the smoke. ("'Mo. Hot 'mo. Bye hot 'mo.")

Dance

Evelyn does a dance that she learned from Sesame Street. She claps her hands, stomps her feet, turns around, touches her toes, pulls her ears, flaps her arms, stretches up high, and all falls down! "It's a very simple dance to do."