Storytime in Smyrna!

Evie was so excited to start the day at 6:30. She heard her Daddy and was ready to play. We are thinking of moving her to the other bedroom since the shower wakes her up so early. It was not a problem when she napped twice a day but she cannot wake up so early with only one nap per day. She gets too worn out but it's so nice to see her sit still on the couch holding her babydoll.

We had a nice leisurely morning adding some Itunes to our playlist, playing babydolls and climbing in the bathtub. Imagine my surprise when I got out of the shower and found Evie sitting in the empty tub happy as a clam. We met the Onello's in Smyrna. Abby and Evie had not seen each other in awhile so we met at Chick fil A for a delicious breakfast and playtime. They were so cute playing peek-a-boo with each other at the table. Evie loves to eat so she chowed down on my breakfast so thank goodness I ordered some extra food. Maura has been raving about storytime at the Smyrna library for some time now. Evie usually naps during this time so we had never been before this morning. I was totally impressed and think they do a fabulous job. We are already planning to go back next week. Each week, there is a theme, this week it was ducks. They had a duck puppet show, duck songs etc. Big colorful mats were on the floor with lots of fun toys spread across for the babies to play with to keep them occupied. They had multiple large plastic tubes filled with all kinds of interesting things. Evie loved storytime although Abby actually watched the puppet show. Evie walked around sharing her little turtle. Both girls were fascinated with the baby dolls. One of the librarians used to be a teacher and you can really tell. It was so much fun!


    Evie stayed awake on the way home with some help from my friend Nabisco. Thank goodness for Ritz crackers! We played outside and had lunch. She went down for a nap. I cleaned the shower, cleaned the kitchen and then settled down with my latest book from Bookswim. Evie sensed my interest in the book because she woke up right when I was getting captivated by the book.

   Evie slept about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Evie and I organized her closet and sorted some clothes. I cannot believe how little she used to be and how big she is now. We made a big stack for the consignment sale and put some away. Evie rediscovered her sleep sheep and was totally entertained for about 15 minutes. Her good mood did not last long. She was a mess by the time her Daddy got home. We played outside a bit and then I took her for a walk while Carl mowed the grass. I wonder if the novelty of the large yard  wearing off yet. Carl still seems to love it! Evie kept a close eye on her Daddy while he mowed the grass. She is quite leery of that big green mower and waves at him every time he rides past her. Evie and I played in the enclosed portion with her balls. It was such a beautiful day, perfect springtime weather. Warm and sunny with a slight wind, to bad the storms are coming back again this weekend. Happy Friday!

Jam Packed!

We had a crazy day! Evie took a quick nap and then we went to a playdate. It was so fun and was the perfect size with four of us plus the babies. Christina has twin boys and it was so fun to see how she manages it all. Of course, she seems to  make it look super easy! Evie LOVED it and had so much fun playing with their little "pen" that opened and closed into a playarea. She thought it was fabulous and would have been entertained there all day.

   We rushed off to Kindermusik to prepare for our program on Saturday. Evie was quite the squealer. She has so much fun with everything she does. I love it! Kimberly and Jasper were there again. Honestly, it made me a little nervous that Evie would hit Jasper. Lindsay said Evie could be featured in US Weekly as the baby that gave Jasper Paisley a black eye. HA! Evie had a great day today and did not anyone except her parents. Obviously, that is not acceptable but it's way better than her hitting her friends. She is working really hard at touching softly and she has made sooooooooo much progress this week. One of the moms told me this morning that her child likes to lay on top of other kids and there was a biter there too. Just more confirmation that all kiddos have their own issue. Some just have more issues than Time magazine.

   Evie napped and then we headed to Franklin to check out Reisha's fabulus cabinets. She glazed her cabinets and taught me how to do it this afternoon. My plan is to start somewhere small like a bathroom so I do not mess up the kitchen trying to master the glazing technique.

   Harris Teeter was our next stop. Triple coupons make me nuts. Apparently, it makes everyone else nuts too since it was a madhouse. I love saving money but have to draw the line somewhere. It's not worth it to me to fight over a can of shaving cream. Yes, people it was really that bad at 5:15 this afternoon. Evie and I spent $63 and saved $34 so that's a pretty good return on time spent clipping. Evie got her very first grocery store balloon this afternoon and she loved it! I loved it too because it kept her entertained while I tried to score some good deals. It made a great little photo shoot too!

  Evie made a HUGE mess with her dinner so I stripped her down to her diaper. While, I was putting the clothes in the washing machine, she was searching for jelly beans in my totally disorganized pantry. I found this when I returned and am so glad my camera was right there. Evie works really hard for her jellybeans.

   Evie was so thrilled to see her Daddy. He was pretty thrilled to see her too. I made shrimp and grits for dinner and we watched a movie. It was a nice relaxing night!

     We'd like to send special birthday wishes to our very favorite Ipop! Happy Birthday, we hope you had a fantastic birthday and are so glad you liked your cookies. Evie wants you to please save one for her.

Pump it Up and the Park!

Evie slept late this morning and we had fun playing at home this morning. She is still obsessed with her belly button so her sweet little belly button entertained her for a good bit this morning. Then, she wore her pj's like a cape and tucked her Kindermusik scarf into her diaper. She's hysterical and so creative.Evie and I went to Pump it Up this morning with some friends. Evie was not too sure about Pump it Up. She clinged to me for the first twenty minutes and was VERY nervous. That was a pleasant surprise for me and it was so nice not to have to chase her through the place. I noticed her carefully observing the other kids and then she jumped right in. She LOVED the huge slide. It was a workout getting us both up the inflatable stairs and it was a very fast slide.  We had a great time and cannot wait to go back. If you are in the Nashville area, you should try it out, it's free for two and under from 10-12 each day.

   I was expecting Evie to be worn out from her morning of play but she only slept for two hours. We headed to the park to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Evie made friends with a little girl named Miller. They played on the slide and we pushed them on the swing for the longest time. Evie kept crossing the bridge over the brook. She loved that! Evie is doing much better with her hitting. I have tried practicing gentle touches with her and her doll. Now, when she hits, I tell her gentle and she rubs me softly. We will see how this transitions with her peers but she has not hit anyone all day. Although, a little boy did hit her this morning. He was trying to get her attention!

    Evie and I made a fort this afternoon in the dining room but she kept hitting her head. OOPS, guess she does not realize that she cannot stand up under the table. She's way too tall for that. We read lots of stories and played with her puzzles. I had to really work at keeping her entertained because her day had caught up with her at this point. She's on her way to dreamland wearing her "Hippie" pajamas courtesy of Aunt Lindsay! Doesn't she look precious? These are the same ones that were tied around her shoulder earlier today. Funny Girl!

Double Dose of Play!

Evie seems to be back on her two naps a day this week so I am just rolling with it. Evie and I had two playdates today so we were super busy! We had a muffin swap this morning which is why I made muffins for my platdate yesterday. Evie loved having so many types of muffins to sample. I think her favorite was cinnamon. They were all yummy and it was good to see everyone. One of the mom's was talking about the church we have been attending and how they had to change because they did not feel welcomed. Interesting since this has been our thought too! Evie LOVED having so many big girls to play with and they loved having her around. She played with a cash register, a doll stroller and her favorite was a trampoline. It was a blast!

   Evie and I went for a walk to burn off all those muffins but the skies were looking stormy. We headed home and then there was HUGE downpour right when we got home. Evie played with her sand table in the garage. Just a few pieces of sand came out of the sandbox! Apparently, Evie still has an appetite for sand just like she did last year.

   We went to Carol's and Cassidy's this afternoon. Evie enjoyed seeing her friends. It's so funny to watch her interact. They all want each other's sippycup even if they have their own. Evie was fascinated with Betsy the dog so I took her for a little visit. Evie loves all the fun toys at Cassidy's house! Her favorite was a little stool that she could use to look out the window, that could keep her entertained for longer than fifteen minutes. I put a cracker in my back pocket and it of course got completely crushed. Maybe I should keep something more portable with me for a snack. We had such a great time and it worked out perfectly since we have had unpredicatable weather all day.

    It seems like we have not been home much today so Evie and I had fun playing when we got home. Then it was time for dinner time, I feel like the whole day is spent either eating or cleaning up from eating. That's just part of this adventure called motherhood!

I love you all the time.

Mama. . . please do not wake me up from my nap!

Touchdown!

Ranch dressing makes everything better!

We had a pretty low-key day at home. Evie napped this morning for the first time in five days. I woke her up and she was wide-open just in time for the playdate that we hosted this morning. We had five babies and their moms : Teegan, Jacob, Keegan, Jayden, and Cassidy.  Evie hit every single one of them. Oh Dear! Obviously, I am working on this behavior and am praying this stage passes quickly. Evie has no concept of gentle. I try to remind myself that everyone's baby has some type of "issue" and hitting is Evie's "issue". Maybe we will have something more interesting to deal with next week, like eating all of her veggies without dropping any of them on the floor. Carl's sweet cousin Elissa, just made my day by emailing me to let me know she is having these same issues with her darling daughter, Taylor! Although, I am so sorry that Elissa is going through this it makes me feel so much better. Maybe it runs in the family. In the midst of the chaos during the playdate, I did not take any pictures even though my camera was sitting right there with me. I was too busy hovering over Evie.


   We had a fun playdate except for the behavior mentioned earlier in the post. It's always good to hang out with friends. I made orange sourcream muffins with poppyseed topping. Evie thought they were quite delicious. The kiddos had fun with the tunnel and of course had some snacks. It's really interesting to see how just a few months makes such a big difference in terms of development. One little boy went into our pantry and brought out a bag of goldfish. His mom told me that she has to hide the fish at home. That's good to know. Evie brought me a miniature bag of M&M's this afternoon.


    Evie destroyed the kitchen after lunch scattering goldfish crackers across the freshly swept floor as if it were an ocean, pulling the pots and pans from the cabinets to use as cymbals, plucking neatly folded dishtowels from their drawer and tossing them carelessly onto the floor and let's not forget about her taking each magnetic letter off of the fridge and dumping them into the dishwasher. She keeps me on my toes that's for sure.


   She loves to hoist herself onto the little stool in her bedroom using my hand for that extra push. It's quite fun for her to jump off and on the stool  multiple times. She was out like a light so stool  hopping might be our new daily activity. I spent naptime making baked ziti. Every single pot and bowl that I own is in the dishwasher but my kitchen smells delicious. It was so nice to pop that baby in the oven and dinner was on the table thirty minutes later. Maybe I should try naptime cooking more often. It sure is a lot easier without Evie's help!

     Evie discovered that she really has a taste for spinach. I make a salad every night not sure why since I rarely eat mine. Something about preparing a salad makes me not want to eat it myself. I eat salads that other people make and love eating them at restaurants. Evie helped me out by devouring my entire bowl of spinach drizzled with creamy ranch. Works for me!

   Evie's aunt and uncle gave her a book called, I Love You All the Time and it was perfect for today : "I love you when I tell you  , "NO!" and when I say, "All right." I love you when I'm mad at you and when I hug you tight. I love you all the time."

 I could not have said any better. I love you, Evie - all the time!

Planting flowers!

Evie woke up late again! We made breakfast at home and played a bit. Evie napped, Daddy mowed the grass and I cleaned out the garage. After nap, we went to Home Depot to get some flowers. It was a pink year. Each year, Carl and I alternate between red and pink geraniums. I love the pink years. Maybe Evie will too and can work on convincing Carl to go for pink every year.

  We all planted the flowers but Carl did most of the work. Evie did help carry the fertilizer around for her Daddy. My job was to keep Evie from flying off the steps. Sometimes she thinks that she is a bird and could fly off the stairs. Our neighbor, Kay, came over to chat with us.

    It was time for my little break of the week so I went for a pedicure and to return some shoes. It was heavenly. I miss my Evie while I am gone but it's so good for me to have a break from being a mommy for a little bit! Carl and Evie played outside so she was worn out and ready for bed. It's time to grill some chicken and relax on the couch. We are trying a new recipe. It's 3/4 cup of buttermilk with half a teaspoon of cajun spice. Everyone seems to love hot chicken around here so maybe we will too! Hope your week gets off to a great start tomorrow.

Stormy Skies!

It has been the stormiest day since we moved here and on the worst possible day. Today was the Music City Marathon and the Main Street Festival in Franklin both events that bring thousands of people to the Nashville area.  Lots of rain, thunder, lightning and the sky has been every shade that you can imagine throughout the entire day. Carl, my weather wacko,  is like a little kid in the candy shop delighting in all of the news coverage,  tuning into his weather radio every little bit and gazing out the window admiring the beauty of the storm. We have done NOTHING today! It was a little boring but good  to have a rest. I am still in my pj's from last night so it has been one lazy day.

While, I was pregnant with Evie, our sweet family friend Joie told me that having a baby would forever change everything about how I view the world. That even simple newspaper articles,  movie clips and random conversations would have a strong impact on me as a mother. Daily, I have thought of her words and how so many events that I would have not even given a passing thought to before Evie was born have forever touched my heart and consumed my thoughts. Every person is a precious child to some one just like Evie will always be my precious child.  

Tonight, is prom night for two of the local highschools. Carl noticed two kids and their dates speeding down our street earlier tonight. My hope and prayer is that they all return safely home to their parents tonight after having a blast at their prom. That makes me feel so old, but I have been thinking about those kids all night. Those kids who feel invincible because they have not seen the pain that life can cause and are on top of the world on the most special night of their lives. Joie, you were right, being Evie's mother has changed everything about how I view the world.

   We think Evie is teething again. She has been extra cuddly and sleepy all day. We watched home videos this morning for more than an hour and she just loved it. She laughed and pointed at herself on the tv. Pretty cute!

   It's a slow news day here at the Niemeyer Nest so I will close with a reminder to take lots of pictures of your kiddos. You can never have too many. I took 366 pictures in the month of March. We finally finished our shrine to Evie and I could not be happier. I am so grateful to Lindsey Turner for capturing Evie's first year of life. What an amazing gift she has given my family. I will treasure the photos always. She is fabulous!  Check out her blog if you live in the Charlotte area.

Daddy's Home

Evie and I had a great day. We ran a few errands this morning. Evie likes shopping. I held her hand while we walked around a shopping center to tire her out a bit. She introduced herself to a set of twin girls that were one month old. Evie really liked the baby girls! Their mom was so sweet and we chatted for a bit. I am impressed that she was out and about with one month old twins. They were little bundles of pink delight.

   Evie took a really long nap which I appreciated greatly. It gave me a chance to straighten up the house. We headed to Target and Evie got multiple comments on her cuteness. Can't say that I disagree. She's pretty cute. The pharmacist even gave her a lollipop which entertained her for at least thirty minutes. It took her awhile to figure out how to take the wrapper off but she thought it was really delicious once she got into it. A little sugar never hurt anyone!

   Evie was thrilled to see her Daddy when we got home. She bounced back and forth between us multiple times and squealed with glee. Daddy was so happy to see his baby. He thought she had grown a lot in the past five days. She has learned a lot this week and he loved seeing all of her new tricks. Look at our beautiful rose, it's the very first rose of the season.

    I went to get us pizza from Joey's House of Pizza. It was very good but still not quite Brooklyn South.We will try again. I rated it an eight and Carl rated it a five. We have turned into pizza snobs after being spoiled with such good pizza joints in Charlotte. Happy  Friday!

Pretty is as Pretty does!

Evie treated me to another morning of sleeping until 8! Now, that's something that I could get used to very quickly. It can make for a long morning but we kept busy around the house. Evie and  I went on a long walk, fed her baby a bottle, found the Ipod and celebrated with an impromptu dance session in the den. Evie loves music just like her parents. She's partial to The Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic. Although, the Blue Dogs were a big hit this morning. It's so cute to see her dancing to the beat.

   After our morning at home, we headed out to Kindermusik where Evie played the drums and shook the bells. One of the other moms complimented Evie for sharing so nicely all the time. Not two minutes later, Evie decides to bop another kid on his head. Once was not enough, about ten minutes later, she went back for round two. I was telling Nana about this and she said maybe he hit her when we were not looking. Nope, not the case, Eli just stayed calm and did not shed a single tear. Maybe because he is a second child. His mom told me that hitting is developmental and that they all hit at some point. I agree but let's hope this gets out of her system sooner rather than later.

   Evie was ready for her nap when we got home but unfortunately it was not a long one which may mean a cranky afternoon. I hear her in there now repeating "GA, GA, GA" with great emphasis. We are meeting some friends at Frisky Berry this afternoon but no caffeine for me. It keeps me up now when I drink it too late in the day.

     Okay, we are back from Frisky Berry and Evie hit Cassidy! AHHHH! Luckily, Carol gets this since she is working on the same issue with Cassidy. Evie and Cassidy did great together sharing yogurt melts. Cassidy has a real appreciation for snack foods of any type. Evie was in love with my mochachinno. Don't worry it was de-caf and made with whole milk. There could not possibly be in sugar in it either. I miss the days when Evie had no interest in my food or drink! Now, she wants to eat everything I eat, drink everything I drink and try to do everything that I do.

   We came home and played outside for a little bit in the rain. It was just drizzling but Evie thought this was really fun. She was pretty mad about coming inside but she got over it quickly when I told her that it was time to work on her fine motor skills. She painted with watercolors, sculpted with play-dough and worked on her puzzle. Note these terms are used very loosely.

   Evie's asleep and I am not far behind her. I am exhausted from my week of single parenting. Carl does so much to help out with Evie that it's quite difficult when he is not here. Evie is so excited about seeing her Daddy tomorrow.

Baby Clothes and Burritos!

Evie gave me the best treat this morning. She slept until 8 which was really great since I was up all night reading Change of Heart. It worked out quite nicely. Change of Heart was really intriguing and kept me  turning the pages even though it was way past my bedtime. Lindsay was able to find the answer to my Jodi Picoult question. Jodi writes her books just like we read them instead of completing each character separately. I finished the book this morning while Evie played. Not much was left and I just HAD to know the ending. Evie cooperated and I figure it's good for her to learn some patience.

  Evie loves jumping on pillows and has learned that it feels really nice to rest your head on a pillow too. We had a fun morning until about 11 when she was done and ready to go back to bed. So, we headed outside to soak up some rays and gaze at our beautiful azalea blooming bright, beautiful  pink flowers. Evie loves this bush. She walked around it, petted it, looked at it, plucked some flowers and really found it entertaining. We came in and had lunch then Evie went down for her nap. It was all that I could do to not crawl in my bed too. Bringing her up the stairs and walking into her cool dark room and cuddling her before nap made me think naptime sounded delicious! I decided to catch up on laundry and clean the kitchen since a tornado had destroyed it earlier in the morning. Sweeping has become more and more neccesary with the new floors everything shows. Before Evie, I would sweep once a week or so, now my broom gets used multiple times a day. Lots of things changed, not just frequency of sweeping, when Evie entered our world!

    Evie was so excited when she woke up to see that her baby had a dress! Nana made a sweet little dress for Evie's baby. I put the dress on the baby while Evie slept and could not wait to see if she noticed. Of course, she noticed, she's a little girl and a bright colored dress caught her little eye. It was so fun to watch her waltz around with the baby and play peek a boo with the skirt of the dress. Then, she decided that she wanted that dress OFF right then so I helped her and she carried the baby around with the dress in her other hand. Can't wait to see how this develops tomorrow. I LOVED dolls when I was little and I want to encourage this with Evie. I played all kinds of imaginative games with my dolls like orphange - remember this was the 80's and Annie was all the rage.  Thanks Nana for making a dress for Evie's baby. It's a hit already.

    We ran a few errands and then had a few minutes to spare so Evie requested  a trip to Petsmart. She was barking so that's why I say she requested it. Petsmart was not exactly a  happening place this afternoon but we did see two dogs. One dog, Chloe, had bows in her hair just like Evie. Her owner was about 12 and she was showing Chloe the fish and the birds just like I was pointing it all out to Evie. We were checking out the kittens that are behind a glass door and Evie wanted to get a closer look. I really do not like kittens at all ever since I sat in cat pee when I was a little girl. That experience scarred me for life with cats. They really creep me out. Apparently, Evie does not feel the same way as me because she was in heaven making her ooohhhh sounds and trying to pet them in their cages. The whole experience made me a little nervous but I endured for Evie's sake. I am sure this is just the beginning of the things that I will suffer through for Evie. She was so happy that it was worth it!

    We met Jacob and Kristin at the park. Evie tried climbing into her stroller for some reason. Not sure why since there were much more interesting things for her to try to climb on. We headed over to Blue Coast Burrito for dinner. It was so delicious and so much fun! Kristin and I just get to talking and our kiddos entertain  themselves pretty well. Kristin and I never seem to run out of things to talk about. Don't you just LOVE those kind of friends.  Thank goodness that we were sitting outside since pretty much Evie's entire taco landed on the ground. Jacob ate his entire taco but Evie inspected her taco quite carefully tossing aside the parts that she did not care for like black beans and rice.  Carl and I used to go to Chile Buritto but they got a poor rating which means it would be really difficult for me to eat there ever again. Can't wait to take Carl to Blue Coast. They have the best ranch ever too which is even more of a reason to go back soon.

     Evie was tuckered out when we got home although my cup of ice entertained her while I ran her bath water. She takes after her Daddy and is infatuated with ice. Oh dear, I am going to have two crunchers on my hands! Evie was so sweet at bedtime. I love it when she's extra tired which makes her extra snuggly. She fits in my arms so perfectly and rests her tiny little hands on my arm while I read book after book to her. It's one of my favorite times of the day with her. She waved to me when I placed her into the crib! It melted my heart but pretty much everything she does melts my heart.