Brrr . . .it's cold outside!

We saw a deer outside our house yesterday morning. Evie and I looked for it again today! No luck! It was so chilly this morning so we stayed inside and played. After Evie's nap, we went to Gymboree. It was good to see her friends. Some of the same people are beginning to come each week which makes it so much more fun. Evie really likes her friends Annie and Asher. They had a scarf center with tons of colorful scarves. Evie was so thrilled to play with her friends in the scarves.

We came home for lunch. Evie has decided that black beans are not so bad if she can use her fork to eat them. One of our neighbors brought us delicious chocolate chip cookies. She was really friendly and thrilled my little heart with homemade cookies. We were starting to wonder if we were ever going to meet any of the neighbors. We have met three now so that's a pretty good start. Larger lots make it harder to meet the neighbors but I LOVE not being so close to everyone!

I had to wake Evie up to go meet our friend Rebecca for coffee. These shots were taken when I was trying to wake her up - it worked like a charm. She heard the click-click and her little eyes popped right open ready for our next adventure.

I NEVER wake Evie up because it takes so much energy to get her to sleep but this was a special occasion. Rebecca has a brand-new baby so that was so fun to meet Maddie. She is beautiful and had the most gorgeous baby blanket. Courtney, it looked like the bib you made for Evie. We had a nice time visiting. Evie destroyed the place with her Cheez-its. It was a lot easier to take her places when she was little. HA - I would not have said that back then but now she is mobile and I have to bring a bag of tricks to occupy my sweet girl.

Daddy was here when we got home. Evie was so excited to see him and we went on a walk. I think Evie likes the cold, crisp air. We tried to hang a few pictures but could not really get it together with Evie following us around. She tries to climb the stairs, play in the toilet and gets into everything. Oh well, we will get the pictures up one day but it is way more fun to play with Evie.

Evie and I decided to cook dinner since picture hanging was not going too well. Evie thinks tilapia, broccoli and macaroni and cheese is a really yummy combination! She ate everything and then had some applesauce for dessert. What a big girl!

Happy Birthday, Alicia! I am so glad that I had a chance to chat with you this morning. Hope your day was special and you enjoyed spending time with your mom. What a treat!

Gotta go watch Monday Night Football with Carl but it will be a little sweeter with some cookies and milk.

Recharging the batteries!

We had a wonderful relaxing day at home. No plans, no projects - just spending time as a family. Evie slept late which was wonderful. We all needed the rest.

I went to the grocery store while she napped. Carl and Evie went for a jog when she woke up. I did get a lot done while they were gone. It was the first time that I had been in my house alone since we moved in a few weeks ago. Carl got a little turned around so it took them a long time. Evie loves to go for jogs with Daddy in her stroller.

We all took a nap this afternoon. Carl never naps so he was really tired from all the nights up with Evie lately.

Sunday's are good days for a nice drive so we took a spin around town. There was another house that we were interested in and we noticed that it seems to be under contract. Carl and I are both glad that we got this one.

Evie is spending a lot of time making obstacle courses for herself. She likes to crawl in and around chairs and tables. It keeps her busy and happy! Hope everyone had a wonderful Sunday and had a chance to recharge for the week ahead.

Home from the Holiday!

We were sad to leave everyone this morning. It was a very nice Thanksgiving! Evie and Mary are just too cute together. Lucy is at such a fun age. She will be four in December and that is one of the most magical ages. Every age has something special. I love the curiosity of a four year old with the streak of independence.

Evie did great on the trip back! She fell asleep as we were getting on I-85 and she slept until we were in Atlanta. We stopped for lunch at my favorite: Bojangles. They are really hard to find in TN so now we always want it. Evie had a plain biscuit and green beans. She thought it was yummy too but seriously who does not like biscuits! She fussed a little after lunch but then she slept for 90 minutes or so. I took a nap too. Sleep works miracles and I feel SO much better. It took us about 6 hours and 15 minutes that includes the time we stopped for lunch. We took HWY 11 to I-85 to 285 and then got on I-75 to I-24. Much easier than going through the mountains. We learned that the GPS does not always provide the most direct route because it kept suggesting country roads. I would feel comfortable driving Evie myself this way too because I could spend the night in Atlanta with Kurt and Lollie or our friends Mike and Alicia. That would make it very manageable. I also think it helped that Evie did not nap before we left so she slept WAY more than she did on Wednesday when we left at 11. Evie has traveled about 20,000 miles in her life and we have learned so much about traveling with a baby!

We are glad to be back at home. Evie was excited to see her toys and she played in her room for 20 minutes without needing me. I kept peeking in to make sure that she was okay. She loves to pull her Raffi out of her crib so I put him a few times so she could get it. Carl mowed the grass and it looks so nice. Evie and I went outside a few times to check on Carl. She does not like the blower at all! I think it reminded her of the vacuum cleaner. We had so much fun playing with Evie. She is standing on her own more and more. It's so cute.

We fed Evie a lot tonight so maybe she will sleep. My Dad had a good point that it's hard to sleep with someone else in the room. Maybe Evie is like me and needs a dark, quiet room to get her sleep. I was certainly not prepared for the lack of sleep and think that is the most difficult part of being a mom. Sweet dreams everyone! I am off to sleepyland.

Energizer Evie!

We had another long night with Evie. She woke up for the first time at 10:30. We put her in the bed with us again but it's hard to sleep with a 10 month old squirming around you. It is sweet to have her all cuddled up with us. I feel like I have been run over by a truck! It might be time for some sleeptraining.

My parents and brother came for lunch today. It was so good to see them especially since we were so close to them. Carl's parents live two hours from my parents. Two hours is nothing compared to an 8 hour drive. Evie loved having all of her grandparents in one place. She was too excited to take a nap. That made for a really long afternoon.

Lollie was sweet enough to take Evie while I had a little break. That helped a lot! I will post some pictures tomorrow of our day. I am not sure where the camera is and I am way too exhausted to look for it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Evie did not sleep well last night at all! She woke up and did not go back to sleep for over an hour. AHHH - she has not done that since she was a little baby. Let's hope it was a fluke. I think it's hard for her when we are right there in the room. She wants to be with us. At 4:30, we just put her in the bed with us to sleep. We have only done that one other time and do not think it's a good habit at all. However, when you are really tired and need sleep - it works! We all slept peacefully until 7:00.

Evie has been playing with her cousins all day. She loves them so much and is having so much fun. Evie ate a big turkey lunch. She had green beans, turkey, rice, and corn. Her Daddy even gave her a bite of icecream. YUMMY.

Evie fell out of the highchair! OUCH! It was very scary because she fell onto hardwood floors. Thank goodness that she is okay but she has a pretty big bruise on the side of her face. She cried for about 10 minutes and then she was okay.

Evie and I both took an afternoon nap. It felt nice to sleep. After her nap, Evie played downstairs with Mary for a long time. Evie loves all the big girl toys and thinks everything that Mary does is so wonderful! Evie also loves Hattie. Even Mary told us we might need to get Evie a dog. HA!

Evie is going to be so excited tomorrow because my parents are coming for lunch. Sheila and Tony were so sweet to invite them and of course they want to come see Evie. I think she is going to be so excited to have so many people that love her all in one room.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for this year. Most importantly our beautiful daughter, Evie! She has brought us so much joy and happiness. We look forward to many more Thanksgiving's with Evie.

We made it . . . finally!

What a trip! Nashville is a LONG way from our family. We left about 11 and got here about 7. Evie was not the happiest traveler today. She was ready to get out of the car. She did not even nap in the car until we were past Asheville. Traffic was not horrible but we went a longer way to avoid the traffic in Atlanta. We are all exhausted.

Evie was so happy to see her Cousin Mary! She played with her and talked to her like she sees Mary every day. It was so cute. Mary loves Evie too.

Carl's parents and Mary have been busy preparing for Thanksgiving. It sure smelled good when we walked in the door. Hope everyone has a happy Turkey day!

Photo Shoots are a lot harder now!

Evie invited her friend Logan over to play this morning. We had a really nice visit. I really like his Mommy, Amanda. She is so sweet! It's so fun to watch the babies play with each other. Evie gets a little too close for Logan. She's an in your face kinda girl! Logan was not so sure about that but they warmed up to each other.

I had another person come to look at my kitchen and give me some ideas. It's starting to get a little overwhelming. We are not sure what we want yet except new floors and countertops. Anything we do will be better than it is now!

Evie went down for her nap without a tear. Thank goodness because I had a lot to do around the house. I took a few pictures of Evie this afternoon in her Christmas dress. It was crazy trying to capture Evie on film while keeping her safe. She was much easier to photograph when she couldn't move. I have a new appreciation for photographers. There is a reason that they charge so much - it's hard work and a valuable skill.

Then we went to run a few errands to prepare for our Thanksgiving trip. My SIL, Lollie, called while we were out to tell me that Lucy has H1N1. Oh no, poor Lucy will be sick for Turkey Day! Mary went back with Carl's parents. They were in town for Grandparent's day at Mary's school. She is so excited to see Evie! I hope Lucy gets better and that everyone else stays well. Children always seem to get sick around the holidays. Evie has not had the vaccinations for either type of flu. We are STILL on the waiting list. I hope Lollie, Kurt and Lucy can make it for Thanksgiving. Mary is such a big girl to travel to Sheshe and Poppy's. Evie cannot wait to see her cousin Mary.

My new camera finally arrived today. I am excited to learn how to use it because I have seen some amazing pictures taken with this type of camera. At least, I have something to do on the way to Carl's parents - I can read all the information about my camera. Can't wait to get some good shots of the girls.

Well, I need to get busy packing! Evie was a dream today. We had such a great day with her. She's getting more fun each day. We are so thankful for our little turkey!

Banana Bundles!

It was a rainy, cold day in Nashville. I have a feeling it's going to be one long winter. Carl told me that the average low here is 25 and the average high is 44 for January. That might have been a good conversation to have before we moved here from sunny, warm North Carolina.

Evie and I ran a few errands this morning. We needed bananas and butter. I carried Evie since we just had a little bit to get and the store was packed! She was so excited to help me pick out the bananas. Evie has a bit of a fascination with bananas. I picked some out and she helped me carry them through the store. It must have been a sight to see this. Usually, she cries when she sees bananas because she wants to eat one right then.

We went to Gymboree. Evie was happy to see her friends. Annie's mom told me that Evie reminded her of a Teradactyl. I am not so sure that was a compliment coming from a pediatric surgeon. Evie gets so excited to see her friends, the balls and all the cool things so she makes a LOT of noise.

Evie was not interested in napping again but finally she went to sleep. I took a little nap too. All of this moving and being up at all hours with my little teething Teradactyl are starting to take it's toll on me.

The previous owner came to get her mail and she told me that some of the little girls had told her they had met Evie. They all really like her but it's hard to play outside in the rain. Maybe we will have a nice day soon.

Sleepless Sunday!

Are you noticing the theme of my blog? Evie either sleeps a lot or none. She did better last night and took a great nap this morning. Ipop and Nana had so much fun playing with her. Evie really liked when my Dad went outside the door and played with her through the glass. She thought that was really fun. Evie gets so much attention from all of her grandparents and she is so sad when they leave.

I was so sad when my parents left. We really wish that we lived closer to our family and friends. Tennessee is so far from everything! We just hung out at the house most of the day. Evie and I stayed in our pj's until 3:00. It was so wonderful to be in our house getting a few projects done. Carl hung a few pictures and I organized a few things. Evie crawled through our legs, checked out the toliet and played with the air vent. She was not interested in taking a nap at all! I really hope this does not become a habit! Naptime is when I get everything done around the house.

We went to Home Depot and Target since Evie was not napping. She did pretty good but had a total meltdown when we got home. Evie went to bed at 6:15. She needs her sleep or her mood is not sweet.

Best news of the day: Carl parked my car in the garage. It's a little harder to get the car in a side load garage because you cannot drive in straight. I will get the hang of it. We also got a new camera! My battery died on the other one and it will not charge. Our collection of cameras is getting bigger. My Canon Rebel still has not arrived - we needed a camera to document our life with Evie. I PROMISE there will be pictures tomorrow.

Sleep Strike Saturday!

Evie was up a lot again but she woke up in great spirits. She LOVES the mornings just like her Momma. We got a lot done during her long morning nap. All of the boxes are gone from the garage. There's just a few boxes in the attic that Carl will get to when he needs something. I think we have found everything but the legs to one of our tables. Not sure that is going to show up because it probably got thrown away with all the paper.

My Dad and Carl did some projects around the house. There are a LOT of projects to do but we are beginning to feel more settled. We went to Judge Beans Barbecue for lunch. I had heard really good things about it. They had Beef Brisket instead of pork - that's the kind of barbecue that I am used to eating. I had a cheeseburger but everyone else tried the brisket. It was good but not my favorite place in town. Puckett's is probably my favorite. We will have to go there next time.

We went for a drive to show my parents the town. Evie was so tired but she did great. However, we missed her sleeping window so she did not nap this afternoon. I think she did pretty good considering she was working on limited sleep. We headed to Target to get a few baby essentials. Evie met a little dog that was being carried around in a purse. She was so cute! I bought Evie a mango slushie and fed her spoonfuls on the way home.

My Dad loves the dogs that live next door, Jack and Lucy. They are so sweet! It's fun to see them everytime we go in and out of our house. They are only 6 months old. They love to play and even tried newspaper for breakfast.

Evie tried tuna for dinner. She seemed to like it but she prefers banana. Ipop got her some popsicles for dessert. She liked this kind and took a few bites with her new tooth. Evie went right to sleep tonight. I think she was totally worn out - maybe just maybe she will sleep tonight.

Carl grilled us some chicken for dinner. It was so yummy. It feels so nice to be in our house!

Nana and Ipop came to town!

Evie was UP all night long! I felt like she was a newborn again. She was NOT happy. Finally, at 3:00, I gave her some Mylicon and she slept until 7. I will try that sooner the next time. Evie has been growing a tooth so I thought she was just in pain. Guess it was another kind of pain. HA!

She took her morning nap and when she woke up her grandparents were here. What a lucky girl! Two weeks in a row -she has had her grandparents here. My parents were happy to see Evie and she was happy to see them. We showed my parents are new house, played outside a little and had some lunch. Then Evie went down for her nap. I spray-painted a few lamps to update them a little while Evie was sleeping. It is amazing the difference a little spraypaint can make to things. They look brandnew. Cheap and easy. Wish it was that easy to fix a kitchen floor and countertops. I had a man come out to talk to me about redoing my kitchen and he said that I could not use the kitchen at all for 3-7 days. AHHH! That would be really tough with a baby. I guess the highchair would have to be parked in the gargage for a few days.

Evie finally woke up 2.5 hours later. I guess staying up all night exhausted her. We took a little drive around our new town to show my parents. Carl was here when we got back. It's Friday so that means pizza night! YUMMY! We had dinner early tonight so Evie ate with us. She was in a great mood until right before bed. Maybe tonight will be a better night for her. I hope so because being up all night is not fun.

Daddy's Home!

Evie and I had a busy morning. We went to Goodwill to drop off our donations, Fresh Market, Harris Teeter and Kindermusik. Evie had a great time at Kindermusik. She really likes the bells and the dances. I had no idea there would be so much dancing! Today, we waltzed and did a square dance. The babies love dancing and it's like a mini-workout for the mommy. Maybe I should try dancing when Evie gets cranky. Evie likes to visit with the other children and seems to be quite entertained.

Evie took her nap and when she woke up her friend Abby was here to visit. Maura and Abby were so sweet to come see us! They brought us some delicious cookies. I loved the Thanksgiving turkey ones. YUMMY! We had so much fun visiting and the girls had fun playing. Abby has learned to walk and it's so cute. It's hard to imagine Evie walking but all babies learn to walk at some point. I am in no rush! Hope to see Maura and Abby soon.

I took Evie outside to swing this afternoon. She loves to play outside and it's nice to get out of the house. Evie helped me clean her room. We have so much stuff! It was time to put away a lot of the baby stuff like bottles, burpclothes, toys and clothes. I got a little teary thinking about Evie growing up so quickly! It's hard to believe that she used to fit in those clothes. Now, they are packed away for our next baby.

Evie was super cranky this afternoon. Nothing would make her happy! She was trying to tell me something but I could not understand her language. We were both so happy to see her Daddy. Evie was kicking her legs and so happy to see him. She really likes to take things out of his shirt pocket. I think his chapstick was her favorite find. She went right to sleep. Let's hope for a better night of sleep for everyone. We are all exhausted. Nana and Ipop will be here tomorrow. We are looking forward to their visit.

Books Galore!

Evie and I went to storytime at the Brentwood library this morning. I was impressed. Ms. Pat, the librarian, did an excellent job. She had little posters with clues about the songs and the bigger kids got so excited when she held one up. We sang about 10 songs and then she read a book. After the book, we had a craft. There were at least 50 people there so this is a big event and it is held multiple times each week. I was sitting between two moms. One was a Debbie Downer and one was a Pollyanna. Debbie Downer told me that Evie was too young for storytime and to save myself the stress by skipping the craft. She was NOT happy to be at storytime with her daughter. Her daughter did not seem happy either. She cried off and on the entire time. Maybe that was the mom's problem! Pollyanna told me that it is never too early to be at storytime and that I should help Evie do the craft. Her suggestion was to hang it on the fridge and remember Evie's first craft! HA! We skipped the craft but Evie enjoyed holding the glue stick. Evie sat in my lap the whole storytime and looked at all the other kids. Ms. Pat came to meet Evie. They had a train table and educational toys. She crawled through a tunnel to get out of the Children's Area. She had a great time! We will go back next week. I think that we will love living so close to the library.

Evie was so exhausted from her morning that she slept for over THREE hours! I was able to get so much done. Then we went to Gymboree for Open Gym. Evie had fun playing with the big kids and there was a baby about her size. She was born on Valentine's. I told the mom that I was hoping Evie would be a holiday baby like her parents. Evie got real close to MLK's birthday but Valentines - that's a really sweet birthday.

I have made a lot of progress this evening but still have lots to do. My closet is totally organized now. I wonder how long I can keep it that way. Organizing is really fun to me! When I was a kid, I would "clean" my room by taking everything out and putting it all away more neatly. I am sure this drove my parents crazy since it sometimes took me a few days to put it away. One time, I was so organized that I put a potato in a drawer as a science experiment to grow those little white things. We started noticing an unpleasant smell coming from my room. Imagine my surprise to find a rotten potato in my drawer!

What a day!

Evie has been a bit cranky the past two days. I think that tooth must really be bothering her. She was up at least 6 times last night and had no interest in eating or getting her pacifier. She finally settled down around 3 and slept until about 7. Guess which Mommy took a nap this morning while Evie was napping. I was exhausted! Today was trash day, I could not remember if it was Tuesday or Wednesday. Everyone has a different company that takes care of their trash so I could not just look outside to see. I called our trash company and they said it was today. YIKES! Our garage is filled with empty boxes. However, they were kind enough to come get everything - that is great service. The gargage looked better for a few hours but I have already filled it up again.

Evie is feeling quite comfortable in her new house. She is opening and closing the toliet, trying to crawl up the stairs and pull everything down that she can get in her little hands. It's a lot of work to keep up with her these days. We went to the grocery store this morning and came home to eat lunch. Evie thought my turkey sandwich was much more interesting than her peas and bread. She made up for her cranky morning with a nice long nap. I got so much done while she was sleeping. I am down to just a few boxes but still have lots to put away. There is so much storage in this house so I need to get organized so I will be able to find things when needed.

Evie is growing so fast. Her 6-12 months clothes are starting to get a little small so we went to get her a few things. I treated myself to a Lemon Dream Supreme cupcake at Gigi's. Evie and I unpacked a few boxes upstairs. She had fun playing inside a box and has decided that down comforters are really fun.

Evie tried tortellini for dinner. She really liked it. I gave her a popsicle to ease the pain of her teething. She was not so sure about it. We tried lime and strawberry. Neither were a hit. Maybe the cold is too much for her. Carl is out of town this week at the Grove Park Inn and I am ready for him to get back! He won an award for his presentation today. I am so proud of him! He works really hard to take care of me and Evie so I can stay home to watch Evie grow. Well, I need to get back to my boxes!

Happy 10 Months, Sweet Evie

I think this year has gone by faster than any other year of my life. Evie is 10 months old today! Where did the time go? She is such a wonderful baby and we cannot imagine our life without Evie.

Evie Facts:

Evie weighs about 19 pounds and is around 30 inches long. She wears a size 3 diaper and 9-12 month size clothes.

Evie nurses 4 times a day usually at 7, 11, 3 and 7. She eats 3 meals a day and usually has one or two snacks. She loves to eat and would eat all day if I let her. Evie thinks honeydew is delicious. She likes Nutrigrain bars, cheese, frozen green beans and graham crackers. Evie also likes to try anything that we are eating. She is doing great with her sippy cup.

Evie has learned to point and it's so cute for now. She likes to play outside, pet dogs, and go new places. Evie kicks her legs and squeals when we walk in Gymboree. She is pretty curious about the world around her and loves people at a distance.

Evie goes to bed around 6:30 or 7 and usually wakes up 12-13 hours after she goes to sleep.Sometimes she wakes up at 8 - those are some of my favorite days. She still wakes up once but that's okay. I am so used to it now that it is a special time for us. She has improved a lot! Evie naps twice a day for about 2 hours give or take.

Evie is such a blessing to our family. We love being her parents. Can't believe it's time to start thinking about her first birthday party! These are not the cutest pictures ever but that's the best that I could get today on her 10 month birthday.

Sunday Drive!

Evie woke up with a fever. It was 101.8 so I called the nurse triage line at Vanderbilt. I thought it was teething until Carl searched online. Google said the fever was too high to be teething but Google was wrong about this! You can see her little tooth coming in more each day. She has been pretty sleepy but not cranky.

We drove Carl's parents around Nashville to show them the sites! It was another beautiful day to explore our new city. We showed them Broadway and Belle Meade. Then we went to City Cafe for lunch. They have the best fried chicken in town. Evie had green beans again. I had some delicious coca-cola cake. Evie even took a little snooze so she must have been exhausted.

We came home and let Evie swing a little. She crawled around in the backyard and looked at the dogs. We decided that our neighbors have Brittany Spaniels. They are so cute!

I have opened all the boxes in our room and put away everything. Most rooms are somewhat together. Carl's parents have been so helpful. Tony really gets Carl in gear. HA! Sheila opened a bunch of boxes so all I need to do is put everything away. We are so glad they came to help us and see our house. My parents come next weekend so everyone will have a chance to see us but they really just want to see Evie.

We went for a little walk at Crockett this afternoon. Carl and his mom went to the Fresh Market to get a few things for their trip back tomorrow. Evie had fun playing with her Poppy while they were gone.

Evie went right to bed tonight. She was a sleepy girl. Tomorrow will be another busy day.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

We enjoyed our first Saturday in our new house. It's so nice to be in a neighborhood again! Evie has slept a lot today. She had a little fever this morning probably due to her teething. I checked her again twice and the fever was gone.

We went to Puckett's for lunch. Carl and I both had pulled pork, green beans and mac and cheese. It was delicious! Evie enjoyed it too. She's eating everything that we eat now along with two servings of babyfood. I give her oatmeal with fruit for breakfast and a veggie for dinner in addition to her tablefood. Our grocery bill is so much cheaper now that she does not eat so much babyfood! She had chicken for dinner and some corn. I am so glad that she eats meat now. It took her awhile to get the hang of it.

We made some progress around here today but of course there is a lot more to do. I LOVE having so many closets and a large attic. We had so little storage space in our last home that it was hard to stay organized.

It has been a beautiful day. Sunny and warm so unlike the weather we had come to expect. I cannot even remember the last time it rained here.

We're making progress . . .

Evie and I went to playgroup this morning at Amanda's house. Evie was so excited to see her friends Cassidy and Logan. It's so cute to see the babies playing. They are really getting interested in each other. I love to see them reaching for each other and watching each other.

Evie's grandparents arrived this afternoon! We are so glad they came to help us unpack. Tony, Evie's Poppy, worked in the garage compressing the boxes and throwing away the paper. It was a big help. Sheila, unpacked the dining room boxes. I worked in the bedroom and got a lot done. Carl took his new lawnmower for a spin. It really picked up the leaves. Our yard looks so much better. We have so much to do but we are looking there.

Evie took a great nap and then I took her outside to play. We met a few little girls from our street. I think Evie is going to LOVE these girls! Grace, the triplet, that I met yesterday was so excited to see us this afternoon. Evie likes to swing but it makes me nervous. She needs a new baby swing. Maybe I will try to find her one at a consignment sale.

We went to Puffy Muffin to get some cookies and to the Fresh Market to get Sheila some tea. We just had a delicious dinner and now I am trying to motivate myself to go unpack a few more boxes before bed. Happy Friday!

20 boxes down, 200 to go!

We are beginning to make a dent in the mound of boxes at our new house. Moving was much easier before Evie. She is having fun but it's hard to keep an eye on her and open boxes. I have caught her sitting on a few boxes opening drawers in the kitchen. She really seems to like bread drawer. We have already noticed a few things that are missing but the biggest is our Charleston battery bench. Carl told the representive that we were missing it and she thought it was a workout bench! He said 95% of the country probably does not know what it is to make her feel a little better. I sure hope they find it! My crockpot is missing too and that is an essential to cooking with a baby.

We went to the condo to clean this morning. Evie was not happy to see the big bad vacuum. It makes her so nervous. Even puffs did not make it better. Finally, I got everything clean. It's a little harder to vacuum with an 18 pound bundle of joy balanced on your hip.

Kindermusik was really fun today. Evie was so happy to see all of the children. She crawled over to several moms and put her hands on their knees to stand up. Then she bent down to get in the face of the baby. It was so cute. Evie is quite partial to little boys. She really likes Jacob because he has a headfull of hair just like Evie.

Evie was exhausted and ready for her nap. I ran around like a crazy woman while she slept. We went to Harris Teeter to get a few groceries for the weekend. Evie did great because she was chewing on a piece of bread from the bakery. Carl was here when we got home so Evie helped him rake some leaves. It's really cute to watch her stand up in the pile of leaves.

We finally met one of the little girls next door. Carl has seen her checking us out from the window a few times. Today, we met Grace and she really liked Evie. We saw her two sisters playing in the driveway. They have two dogs and four children. I cannot even imagine! We think they have springer spaniels but their hair is cut short so they look a little different than the springers we know. Evie was talking up a storm to the dogs. They have an invisible fence so Evie can get pretty close to them.

Evie had fun swinging on her swingset this afternoon too but her Daddy thinks it is dangerous. It is pretty rotten maybe we can add that project to our long list of projects to tackle.

We went to Chile Burito for dinner because we had way too much to do to cook dinner. We should have gone out for Japanese since Evie seems to be speaking that language. She knows exactly what her words mean but we have no idea. Evie enjoyed dinner but does not like riding in the car in the dark. She had chicken, lettuce, tortilla chips, tomato and cheese. It was like a mini taco salad! I took a Nutrigrain bar with us and she dropped it on the floor after she had a few bites so we decided to try Mexican.

Evie is not interested in going to bed so it may be awhile before we get anything done. Carl's parents are coming tomorrow afternoon. We look forward to their help and showing them around our new town! My camera is charging so I hope to have some pictures soon.

Home Sweet Home . . . sorta!

Our movers were on time! It was a bit overwhelming to see all of our stuff trickling in the door. We have made a little progress but we have a LOT more to do. I have almost finished the kitchen and Evie's room. Carl got everything from the condo. We do not have sheets on our bed yet but that's the next thing on my list.

Evie thinks all of the boxes are really fun! She crawls on top of them and checks out her new surroundings. We had a little scare with Evie today. She was eating lunch and she suddenly starting projectile vomiting. It went on for several minutes and we were trying to figure out what to do. She had swallowed a little piece of plastic. Thank goodness she is okay!

Evie went right to sleep tonight. She did not nap well this afternoon. I think that I waited too long to put her down. Her crib was not ready so it was pretty late for her nap.

Carl has called the cable company multiple times. It's been an ordeal to get cable set up here because the sellers had not transferred their service yet. Finally, we are set to have the cable company come out on Monday afternoon. Maybe we will get more unpacking done without cable!

We have a house!

Today we closed on our new house. Neither one of us slept well last night. Buying a new house is always exciting and scary. We have been through this process three times since we have been married so we have learned a few things along the way. Both of us have decided you forget some of the hard parts or you would never do it again. The sellers were supposed to be out at 4 and they still are not gone. They have SO much stuff and they are moving themselves. That's a tough job! Carl and I are fine with it as long as they are out in the morning. Our moving van should be here in the morning. I am really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night at our new house! Our minister told us that it's like we have been living in a hotel for 6 months. HA!

Evie has done really well today but she definitely knows something is going on around here. She helped (and I use that term very loosely) me pack some things today but she took two short naps so she was ready for bed. I think we were both counting the minutes to bedtime.

Tomorrow will be such an exciting day for our family. We are really looking forward to living in our new home and making memories there together. Carl did get his John Deere so he is set and I am ready to have a pantry filled with all of my kitchen stuff. It's going to be really busy around our house for a few weeks but it will be great to live in our home with all of our things again. We can't wait!

Shift Dinner?

Evie was ready to go bright and early at 6:15 this morning. Goodness, that's early - I hope this does not become a habit. She went back to sleep around 7 and then took another nap later this morning. So needless to say, we did not get out of the house until noon.

We went to the new house for the walk-thru today. Glad we are not the ones packing that house. They have a lot of stuff. Carl is not so sure they will be out of there on time. Evie had a ball crawling around the yard and having a picnic lunch. I really enjoyed talking with Leesa and got all kinds of good information. She told me all about the neighbors and who babysits. It was so nice chatting with Leesa while Evie patted Leesa's shoes. Leesa even held Evie. She has three boys so she told me she loves to get her hands on little girls. She held Evie for just a minute or two and then she said, "Evie, I am giving you back to your mommy. I held you for the perfect amount of time." So funny!

Evie came home and took a short nap. Then we went to the library and to get cupcakes. I needed a treat so we got a wedding cake and a chocolate. YUMMY!

I cooked some comfort food for dinner. We had porkchops and gravy. Easy and delicious. Rub your porkchops with basil, garlic powder and paprika. Brown the porkchops and then add chopped onion to the frying pan. Saute' all of this together and add 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup. Mix in 1/4 cup of milk. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Serve over rice.

Evie had already finished dinner when Carl got home so he gave her a bath. Since she was clean, I ate dinner first and then Carl so we could keep Evie clean and out of trouble. Usually, we eat after she goes to bed. It makes for a more enjoyable dinner because Evie is usually worn out by the end of the day. Do you eat before your baby goes to bed or after?

Guess who fell right to sleep tonight? She is a cute little blonde with blue eyes with a shrill little squeal who loves to clap her hands. Evie was ready for bed and so are her parents.

If at first you don't succeed - try, try again!

Everything is harder with a baby even church! Carl was getting ready this morning and noticed that he did not have any shoes. So, he decided to wear his New Balance shoes with his khaki pants and Vineyard Vines shirt. Nice look! I told him that it really did not matter since once you have a baby - nobody looks at you anyway. We cannot wait to have all of our stuff back especially our shoes.

Evie does really great when you drop her off in the nursery but gears up within 10 minutes of our departure. Our beeper went off as soon as the sermon started so I headed down the hall to check on her. I went past this lady who said, "That must be your baby in the nursery. She is really upset."

Evie was hysterical and would not take her pacifier or eat her snack so they thought they should beep us. As soon as I picked her up, she stopped crying. The high-school nursery girls told me they thought that was so cool that Evie's mood changed instantly. I took her back in the church with me but that did not last long so we walked around a bit. Then once she had settled down, I took her back in the nursery. Right before Communion, I went back to get her and she was very upset again. She was so happy to see me and we went in the Sanctuary to finish the service. We will keep trying. One day she will decide she likes the nursery. Evie missed her morning nap which was a LARGE part of her problem but she was overtired when we got home. She finally slept for about 30 minutes much shorter than her usual 2 hours.

We decided to go to Germantown but it was not what we expected at all. Not really worth the trip but it was fun to ride around downtown Nashville. We decided to head to Hendersonville. It's on the lake and it reminds us of Lake Norman. We went to a park with a remote control airplane park , frisbee golf and walking trails by the lake. It was a really beautiful day! Hendersonville is about 40 minutes away so this gave Evie a chance to snooze a little on the way back. She needed it.

We picked up my car. Carl says it looks like a tractor because I had to get two new tires. Nice housewarming present! It's always something but that is life. I drove the truck back but Carl says it drives better.

We relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Our weekends are going to be pretty crazy the rest of the year with moving into our new home, guests and the holidays. Best news of the day, the sellers of our new home want to sell us their riding lawnmower. It's a John Deere so Carl is on Cloud 9. We do not know the details yet but Carl remembers liking it a lot so let's hope we can negotiate a good deal for everyone. Carl is so excited about his new yard. Hope his excitement continues once he has mowed it a few times. Hope you had a great weekend. We sure did!

Light of our life is Evie!

Evie slept all night last night for the first time since April! We had such a great day. Evie and I really look forward to weekends because we get lots of quality time with Carl. We headed to the Franklin Farmer's Market this morning. There were all kinds of wonderful things for sale: quiche, fruits/veggies, cheese, meat, clothing and handmade products. I bought a delicious pecan-cinnamon muffin. We went in The Factory and I showed Carl the Frisky Berry. There was a long line and Evie does not wait patiently in lines. Neither do her parents. We bought Evie a winter coat and looked around a few stores. It was another sunny, warm day. We are getting used to this weather.

Carl and I needed flu-shots so we went to Minute Clinic. Evie still has not had one. I hope her doctor gets some in soon. Then we went to the Harris Teeter to get a few things. We found an easy way to get from HT to our new house. That's exciting because I LOVE the Teeter although Nashville is Publix crazy. There are so many more Publix stores than anything else. We are less than 4 miles from Whole Foods, Publix, Kroger, Harris Teeter and Fresh Market. Grocery shopping is fun to me for some reason and I will have plenty of choice on where to shop.

Carl and I were shocked to see several neighborhoods already decked out with Christmas lights and garland. It's pretty but maybe a tad early. Evie likes all of the Christmas stuff in the stores. She is such a sweet baby. I think this is my favorite stage with her because she is so happy and learns something new everyday. She makes all kinds of cute attempts at talking and throws a few familiar sounds in every once in awhile. She explores everything and does not sit still for longer than a minute. Well, there is one exception - she does sit still while she eats.

We made spaghetti for supper and are planning a pretty low-key evening. Carl will probably watch some football and I will pack some boxes. I am not exactly sure how we accumulated so much stuff here in such a short period of time especially since the place came furnished. We have to be out of here on Friday. It's going to be one busy week!

When life gives you lemons - make Lemonade!

Our day got off to a great start! It was another beautiful day with clear, blue skies. Evie and I headed to City Hall to get our water turned on that's the way they do it in Brentwood. Nothing much seems to happen on the Internet. We get there and find out that they do not take credit cards or out of town checks. A cash deposit of $25 was required and I had $24.68. Luckily, the kind receptionist gave me the rest. That's Southern hospitality. I made a mental note to help somebody one day soon.

We headed to the UPS store to fax something and the owner would not accept my money. So we were feeling really great but I knew that something might happen - that's usually the case when everything is going really smoothly. Have you noticed that yet? It's just life.

I was pulling out of the shopping center and I heard my tire pop! Luckily, there was a church so we pulled over. I was not surprised to see that my tire was totally flat! Evie and I happen to know someone really well who works in the tire business. We call Carl to give him the news and he does not answer. No big deal - I call my friend to tell her that I need to reschedule our lunch date. She was so sweet and offered to come get me. Carl called back and sent one of his guys to help me out. Evie enjoyed the wait. She ate her lunch and crawled around the yard. Evie thought it was part of the plan. She did great. It could have been really bad if she had been cranky. We really enjoyed sitting out in the warm sunshine. Evie shared her cheese, crackers and fruit with me. Jason arrived in his big truck and fixed me right up. Carl told me that Jason was happy to come because he got to go home early for coming to help me out. No wonder he was in such a good mood. It all worked out and we made it home safely.

Evie was exhausted so I put her down for her nap. She slept for 2.5 hours. Maybe an hour of sunshine is the key to getting her to take good naps.

Carl got home and we went for a walk when Evie woke up. Pizza is on the way. Happy Friday!

A doe, A deer, 5 deer here!

Evie was a sleepy girl this morning. I had to wake her up for Kindermusik. Our class was at 11:30 and she was still sleeping at 11. We loved our class. It was so much fun and exactly what we have been looking for interaction with other children in a structured enviroment. Evie loved the scarfs, the musical instruments and the dancing. I was really impressed with the teacher. Ms. Marie used to be a music teacher in a public school before she became a mom. There were about 8 babies in the class and all the moms seemed to know each other. They were all so friendly to me and made me feel welcome. I am already looking forward to our next class.

Evie woke up late from her afternoon nap so we were a lot later going to the grocery store than I had planned. Evie likes to make her own plans. Carl was here when we got back. We went to Crockett Park for a walk and headed to our new neighborhood. There were 5 deer frolicking in the meadow between our neighborhood and the park. We thought that was so neat. Evie liked the deer too. You pass a pasture of cows on the way to our house. Evie is going to be surrounded by nature. Even though there are deer and cows, we are still less than 10 minutes to Target and Publix. That's the way I like it!

Trouble with a capital T!

Evie sure was excited to see her Daddy this morning. Evie and I met some friends for lunch at Chuys. Hands down this is the BEST Mexican food that I have ever had. Chuys has a huge following and even has a Facebook page. Evie had three little incidents at the restaurant. HA!She pulled a plant off the counter, patted a man on the back and pulled a little girl by her hair. Evie is a BUSY bee. I felt so bad about the plant because the container broke into a million pieces on the floor and this is their grand opening week. Evie was trying to get Allie to come with us but I am not sure hair pulling was the best strategy. She was in my arms all three times but her reach is getting really long. Evie did great during lunch. She tried tortilla chip then she ate her lunch. I had tacos and they were scrumptious. Evie and I want to go back with Carl but it will be awhile because there was a wait at 11:00 on a Wednesday. I cannot imagine what it would be like at suppertime.

Evie has had short afternoon naps for the past two days. Oh no, just when I need her to nap the most! It was nice to have more time with my sweet baby since she only slept for 45 minutes. We went to Crockett park and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I cannot believe we will be able to walk to the Crockett from our new house. While we were walking, we passed another mom with her toddler. She told me that Evie was a very happy baby. Evie loves to be outside and was craning her head all around to check everything out.

Evie took a quick snooze on our way to Gymboree for open gym. Evie even made a new friend, Jansen. He is 2 and thought Evie was just fabulous. Evie crawled after him and he played with her. He said Evie was a pretty,pretty baby so of coure he won me over right away. I love seeing Evie playing with other kids. Another mommy had a baby carrier that she let me try with Evie. I am going to need something to contain her while I unpack. She loves to be held so she can see what is going on around her.

Evie was very tired and ready for bed by the time Carl got home from work. She went to bed early and we have not heard a peep. I tried to re-create yesterday's picture with a new outfit but I think the orginal is better. My camera battery died and the charger is in storage with our stuff. It might be time for me to learn to use Carl's camcorder.

"Today was good, today was fun, tomorrow is another one." Dr. Seuss

Evie and I had such a great day. Each day she gets more personality. It's so much fun to be her Mommy! She was so happy this morning when I took her in our room to feed her. She started craning her neck for her Daddy and waving. Evie did not see him but she saw a stack of pillows on his side of the bed. She started laughing because she thought he was hiding from her. Daddy was not back yet.

Evie decided to do a little reading this morning about the College of Charleston. She sweeps everything off the coffee table and chose the CofC magazine as her reading material. I could not resist a picture of our little scholar. It's never too early to think about college. Carl and I both LOVED College of Charleston. It was the perfect place to go to school. Every single day I was so thankful to my parents for sending me there. It was a fabulous experience for me. Check out the campus if you are ever in Charleston.

Evie and I went to run a few errands this morning. I needed to pick up a few things at the store and decided that Evie might like some dried fruit. We were at the Fresh Market and the lady asked me if I'd like Evie to try it. She was in heaven and cried for more after she finished her first piece. We sampled mango and pear. YUMMY! The lady said Evie must have known she was a Nana since Evie kept smiling at her. Maybe or it could have been the lady was passing out sweet, delicious fruit to my baby. Evie does not turn down food very often. She takes after me.

My brother sent me a gift card for my birthday so I could get a case for my new camera. Gift cards are always fun to receive. Carl bought me a camera for my birthday. Yesterday, I saw an advertisement for photography classes at The Factory. Evie makes a great subject and does not mind the constant flash.

We met Carol and Cassidy for dinner. It's so nice to have something fun to look forward to while Carl is gone. Cassidy had her shots yesterday so she slept right through dinner. Evie did not sleep through dinner. She kept taking lettuce from my salad and throwing her cup on the floor. In case you are wondering, Evie really likes lettuce.

Evie has a new trick. She loves to play hide and seek around corners. I put her down and then I go hide from her while saying,"Where is Mommy?" - she crawls for me and laughs hysterically when she finds me. She was really sweet when I put her to bed tonight. I put her down in her crib and told her night-night and she waved at me. It doesn't get any sweeter than that. Evie is such a delight - what did I do before she was born. She's going to be so excited in the morning when a certain tall,handsome man is back from his trip. Can't wait for Evie to see her Daddy!

Sunshine and Smiles!

What a beautiful day in Nashville - sunny, warm and with the beautiful colors of the leaves in the background! Evie did not get the message about the time change so she woke up at 6. She did sleep all night though so that made it okay. Perhaps if we leave her in the same bed for longer than a week she will sleep better. Evie has slept in more beds in the last 9 months than most children.

Evie and I went to Gymboree this morning. I have kept her away from other children for about a week because her nose has been so runny. Today, it was time to get out of the house. We both needed some interaction with others. Evie was so happy to get there. She seems to remember it now and loves to crawl in the teacher's lap to check on Gymbo. It's really cute! Our Tuesday class has changed times so now we are going on Mondays so Evie can still catch her nap. She really needs her nap and I need the time to get things done. It's impossible to get anything done while she is awake unless I am holding her. She discovered doors today and will spend 15 minutes opening and closing it. Evie is trying really hard to wave but right now it looks more like she is holding her hand up in your face. She's changing so fast right now and is really turning into a little girl. I can feel a tooth coming in on the bottom and a ridge on the top. Evie gets very upset if you put your fingers in her mouth. It has to be her idea for your fingers to go in her mouth!

We met Carol and Cassidy at the Frisky Berry for an afternoon treat. It was great to see them. Carl left for North Carolina today so it's just me and Evie here for a few days. We are already ready for him to come back!

Evie explored some more new food today. She tried grapes, steamed carrots and a bagel with hummus. Everything was a hit! Carol told me that her pediatrican thinks that peanut butter is fine for babies. She thinks avoiding peanut butter is what has caused all of the allergies. Interesting information and it certainly makes sense. I am not planning to give Evie any yet but will certainly research this topic. We are going to try to find a new pediatrican soon so this will be one of my very first questions. One that does not make feel nuts for bringing my baby in the office. Pediatricians should realize that mothers worry about their babies. I think that mothers worry about their babies even when they are all grown up!

Baby loves broccoli!

It was a gorgeous day in Nashville. It was sunny and warm quite rare since we have lived here. Evie was not bothered by the time change this morning but tonight she crashed before her bedtime.

We went to Cheekwood for the day and had a wonderful time. Cheekwood is a botanical garden on property once owned by the family that started Maxwell House. It was a great place to walk with lots of pretty flowers and artwork. Evie enjoyed the scarecrows made by area organizations and we enjoyed the beautiful grounds. The Faberge exhibit was pretty cool too. We had a delicious lunch at the Pineapple Room; the restaurant on the property. Carl had pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables. I had potato and leek soup with a salad. My salad had delicious fried green tomatoes almost as good as Maddie's at Birkdale.

Evie took a little snooze on the way home and then we had to clean up our condo for a viewing. We are moving out next week so it's time for them to find someone else to move in soon. We went to visit our new house and to walk at Crockett Park. We are really looking forward to being able to walk to the park from our house. Not much longer!

I read an interesting article this morning about exposing babies to different foods. It suggested feeding your baby at least one food from each of the 21 plant families before the age of 1 so this got me thinking that I need to give Evie a greater variety of foods. Some of the suggestions had not even occured to me such as mushrooms, artichokes, eggplant and beets. We headed to Publix to get Evie some broccoli and some fruit. She LOVES broccoli even when her other choice is melon. I found this article in Parent's magazine and plan to try some of these suggestions with Evie. Parents often worry about food allergies and choking which are valid concerns. This article said that most of our concern stems from outdated information with little to no research to back it up. I think we often do not give our baby new foods because we think they may not like them; when really it might be that we do not care for the particular food. New research shows that it is better to give your child a variety of food rather than waiting days between the food. This article really got me thinking maybe Evie would prefer chickpeas, asparagus, and guava rather than oatmeal and rice cereal with baby food. I'll keep you posted!