I want that!

We’ve entered  a wonderful new stage of child development in the Marker house.  It’s the stage of “I want that”.  This statement is usually followed by screaming, arching of the back and flailing when she does not get what she wants.  We can no longer show Evie things at home, on a walk, in the grocery store, or anywhere else without her saying “I want that” and reaching for stuff.  Sunday she procured about 20 pairs of underwear, plus a few bras from a low hanging rack at Kohl’s before I could stop her.  I had to check her stroller before we left the store to make sure she wasn’t swiping anything.  We had a meeting at the bank and her eyes lit up a the bowl of lollipops on the desk.  She was allowed one while we had our meeting to keep her quiet, but when she was finished she immediately reached for another.  She almost had a meltdown when she was denied a 2^nd treat.  Last night at the grocery store, she scored a piece of cheese from the deli by acting cute for the ladies behind the counter.  We ran through the produce dept., and Evie cried “I want that!  I want that!” as we passed the blueberries and bananas that she loves.  Even taking a walk with her can be difficult.  Evie has love of dogs.  She points at each dog that we pass on our walk, shouting ‘dog’ or something that kind of sounds like that.  As we get closer, she gets more and more excited, but when we pass by, she cries ‘dog!’ and ends up in tears.  This happens each time we see a dog.  Lovely.

This stage is funny at times, but it can truly try my patience.  She wants my phone, the remote control, Daddy’s glasses, even Crosby’s food dish.  Poor guy has to be locked in his cage at his dinner time so that she doesn’t abscond with his food.  We try hard to be consistent and not give into the behavior so that she understands that she cannot have everything that she wants.  But, like everything else, this is a learning process.  A process that I fear is going to take a long, long time for her to learn.  

Gimme water!

Playing with all of her new toys at Pops and Kiki's house!

Happy that she got a cookie :)

Ring Pops are Awesome

Last weekend Evie and I travelled to KY.  Pat decided to stay home and get some “work” done aka enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty house.  We headed south on Saturday morning and I tried to time it some that our car ride coincided with her nap.  It worked out perfectly and she slept the entire way there!!  I was so relieved because she is not a fan of her car seat and long car trips can be difficult if there is no one in the back seat to distract her.  While in town we attended my cousin’s bridal shower and had a great time.  Everything was so lovely – the bride, the decorations, the food.  Evie was very good and even got to enjoy a blue ring pop.  She was in heaven!  After the sugar high started to wear off, she spent time sitting on her G.G. Mitchell’s lap watching the games and gifts being opened.  It was such a nice day!

The rest of the weekend was just spent chilling at my parents’ house.  Evie loves getting to spend time with her Kiki and Pops, as well as her aunts and uncle.  She watched the Lion King with her Pops and fell asleep in his arms :)  So sweet!   I started feeling sick Saturday evening so I was really grateful for the extra help with Evelyn.  I didn’t have to do anything and Evie was spoiled rotten.  We headed back on Sunday in the late afternoon.  We had one tiny crying incident and I had to pull over, but the rest of the drive back of uneventful.  I can’t wait until our next visit!!

Enjoying the shower with G.G. Mitchell

Blue ring pop = sugar heaven!

 

Relaxing with Pops

Come on Spring!!

I have always enjoyed spring, but I find myself getting even more excited and giddy this year.  After months and  months of cold weather, it is finally starting to get warmer and I am loving it!  I’m looking forward to doing all sorts of outdoor activities with Evie this spring/summer.  Last year we did a lot with her, but she was really just along for the ride.  She didn’t really get it.  But this year she is a big girl and we are going to have so much fun!  We’ve already been the park a few times.  She loves being in the back yard and riding in her car in the driveway.  She loves blowing ( and popping) bubbles now and she’ll mimic me when I say “ooh!” when blowing the bubbles.  She likes taking walks and exploring outside too.  I’ll bet she’ll have even more fun once she starts walking.  Our girl is still too nervous to take those first steps unaided.  She such a little dare devil in every other way besides this. 

There are so many spring and summer adventures to come – we can’t wait!

Busy Times!

It’s been a busy time for our family lately!

We celebrated Evie’s birthday 3 times.  The first celebration was just Mommy, Daddy and Evie on her actual birthday.  The following Tuesday we had Grandma Rita and Grandpa Tim over for pizza and cake.  The final celebration was the following Saturday at my parent’s house in KY.  Then, a week later, we celebrated my birthday! I think Evie has come to expect cake as a part of her daily life.  She has a definite sweet tooth!

I love my new car!

  

Evie enjoyed a few bites of her mama's birthday cake :)

 I took her for her 1-year checkup and she is doing great!  2l.4 lbs.  29.9in.  The doctor said that they expect to see babies to triple their birth weight by one year and she did that exactly!  Wahoo!  She was so good during her checkup.  She didn’t cry when they drew blood from her foot or when they gave her the chicken pox vaccine.  But she wailed for the other two shots.  It absolutely broke my heart, but she recovered quickly.  Especially since I allowed her to have a lollipop.  We don’t give her much sugar, but she loves lollipops!  We found out during her appt that she had a double ear infection, which was surprising because she had no symptoms.  It was her first one too.  She was on an antibiotic for 10 days.  We thought she was feeling better, but then last week she was so irritable.  She wanted me to hold her constantly, started running a fever and wasn’t able to sleep lying down for very long.  So off to the doctor we went again and sure enough, she still had an infection in one ear.  She started on another antibiotic and thankfully this one seems to be working!  It’s so hard to see my baby sick, but I’m thankful for modern medicine!

I don't feel well :(

Since Evie turned one, we have trying to get her to drink whole milk.  I nursed her until 1 year and she’s also had some formula, but so far we haven’t had much luck with milk.  She loves water from her cup, but milk not so much.  We also been encouraging her to try more table food with mixed results.  Some days, she willing to try anything.  But others, she’ll put it in her mouth and spit it right out.  I don’t know if it’s a taste or texture thing, but we keep trying.  We try and mix some new foods in with her favorites (cheese, yogurt, fruit).  I have to admit that this food/milk thing is kind of stressing me out.  Mostly because I’m not sure if she’s getting enough.  It was so easy to nurse her or give her bottles and baby food.  I knew that it was nutritious and that she was getting what she needed.  It’s been hard for me to switch to table foods because I want to make sure that everything is still as nutritious as it was.  I’m not saying that we don’t give her the occasional treat – we do – but trying to plan healthy meals that she will actually eat has been a challenge.  I still rely on jar food sometimes when she simply will not eat, but hopefully this will taper off with time.  As a first time mom, I found myself wanting to make sure we were doing everything the way we were supposed to do it.  I had to step back and remind myself that we need to do what’s best for Evelyn, and that might not be exactly what the experts say to do.  She not going to drink bottles and eat pureed food forever, but for now it’s ok.  We’ll keep working on the transition and she’ll get there.  Especially when she figures out that her daddy is chef and can make her all sorts of delicious food that is so much better than squash for a jar :)

I won't eat it!

Our family spent Easter Sunday in Kentucky again this year.  We weren’t sure if we were going until the last minute because both Pat and Evie had been sick the week before.  But everyone was feeling better on Saturday so we drove up on Saturday afternoon.  We had dinner with Kiki and Pops at Larosa’s and then watched some basketball.  Evie was all dressed up to watched Ohio State play and everyone was disappointed when they lost.  The Easter Bunny paid a visit to the house and brought Evie some treats!!  She got three baskets!  The bunny brought a basket to Kiki & Pops house filled with all sorts of delicious baby-friendly treats, a fun new toy and two outfits for summer!  Aunt Shannon gave her an adorable turtle basket with another summer outfit and a pair of tie-dye Crocs!  She also had a third basket with more treats, some new pacifiers, and bubbles.  I was excited to blow bubbles with Evie, but she ended up being terrified of them.  She refused to even crack a smile and burst into tears when one of the bubbles popped near her.  We’ve blown bubbles a few times since then and she seems to like them a little now.    Sunday morning we had our traditional brunch with my mom’s side of the family.  It was fun to see everyone.  Evie was a little bit clingy with me and it took her awhile to warm up to everyone.  After brunch, we stopped by my aunt’s house to see G.G. Mitchell, and then we loaded up the car and headed home.  It was a long, fun day!

Daddy helping Evie dye her first Easter egg

Checking out all the dyed Easter eggs

Aunt Shannon and Evie

 

Easter Sunday and all dressed up!

This week Evie had fun hanging out with her Grandma Rita and Kiki & Pops.  Our regular babysitter was on vacation for a few days for Evie's grandparents watched her while Pat and I worked on Wed. and Friday.  We really appreciated their help and Evie was so happy to get to spend so much time with her grandparents!!  She loves them so much.  We love seeing her light up when she sees them!

Hanging out at dinner with Kiki and Pops

 

Happy 1st Birthday!

March 15, 2012.  A day that I will never forget.  A day that makes me tear up a little and yet brings a smile to my face.  The day I first looked upon the face of my sweet girl.

Evie – I can’t believe that it’s already your first birthday!  The past year has gone by so quickly and you have changed so much.  You were so tiny at first, so helpless and dependent on us for everything.  And now you are our spunky little chickadee – always moving, exploring and learning how to do things by yourself.  I have to admit that I miss that little baby stage.  I miss swaddling you up and just holding you.  I would just stare at you sometimes while you slept, marveling at the fact that you were our baby.  You still like me to rock you at night, and although I know that I should probably just lay you down in bed before you fall asleep, I can’t bring myself to put you down sometimes.  You’ll be a big girl soon and I know that this quiet time with you won’t last forever.  I will miss you being a baby, but I can’t wait to see what kind of person you become.  You are already showing up new aspects of your personality – from your attitude and stubbornness to your sweet and caring demeanor.  I’m so proud that you're my daughter.  You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.  Being a parent isn't easy sometimes, but I can honestly say that even on the most difficult days, I wouldn't trade being your Mommy for anything in the world.  I love you sweet girl, to the stars and back again.  Happy Birthday Baby!

Tonight my heart is full.

Tonight my heart is full.  As I gaze at my sleeping baby, I thank God for the blessings He's given me.  I know that I've done nothing to deserve it, but He brought Pat into my life and I'm so grateful for that.  God has given me such a sweet, beautiful child and I'm beyond thankful.  She's a handful sometimes, but she's mine and I adore her.  I pray that God is with us as we raise Evelyn.  I pray that He gives us the patience, understanding and compassion that we need to deal with whatever comes our way.  Thank you Lord for Your blessings. 

Good Night...or maybe not.

I never realized how much I love sleep until I became a parent.  Sleep is wonderful and all too often it is a under-appreciated commodity for many people.  Up until Evie was born, I was one of those people.  I didn’t mind staying up late and only getting a few hours of sleep because I could sleep in or catch up on sleep the next night.  But that’s not the case now.  I’ve been blessed with a baby that isn’t a good sleeper.  We have a good bedtime routine each night – bath, books, bottle or nurse and bed.  She goes right to sleep.  But she simply cannot sleep through the night at this point.  On a good night she’s up once around 3; on a bad night, it could be 5-6 times.  She can fall asleep easily and anywhere.  It’s staying asleep where we are having an issue.  I feel like we’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work.  We’ve even tried letting her crying it out – something I’m not a huge fan of to tell you the truth.  She cried herself hoarse for 20 minutes, fell asleep for 15 and then started all over again.  It was awful for me and awful for her.  Neither of us got any sleep.  If I could stay home with her each day, maybe it would be different.  But I need to be up by 6:15 to get ready for work so I usually give up and put her in bed with me.  There are a lot of people out there who have cautioned me about this and I feel a little bit guilty each time I do it.  I feel like I’m going to screw her up or something and I want so much to do what’s best for Evie.  But eventually I tell myself that if I don’t get some sleep, I’m going to be grouchy, tired, stressed and ultimately a short-tempered, impatient parent.  Being this way is definitely not what is best for for Evelyn.  Evie is picking up so much these days in terms of language and behavior, and she is starting to mimic and model it.  I want to teach her proper behavior, and it hard to do that if I’m exhausted.  I hope that Evie learns to sleep through the night soon, but until then, we will just take it one day at time and I will repeat a prayer that my mom always encouraged me to pray:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.