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!