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Evie let's me know exactly what she is thinking and today she has been too busy for most everything. It's cute for now but it is not going to be cute for long! I know I say "just a minute" a lot and it's going to be a lot more. Not sure, where she got the "busy" part from. She also keeps saying, " I getcha inosaur." Unfortunately, the dinosaur spray has not done the trick. I still hear about the dinosaurs way more than neccesary but she will move on soon.
We have been hanging out at home all day and that sometimes gets hard. Evie asked me if we could have a picnic at the park tomorrow so that's our plan. It might be a real early picnic since it's supposed to be super hot.
Our favorite photographer is going on maternity leave sooner than expected so we are using someone she suggested. Valerie came by this morning to meet me, see examples of what we like in pictures and have a chance to warm up to Evie. I think we are going to really like her plus she sells us the images so we can make our own prints. I love that and it is so much cheaper than paying for each picture separately.
I have almost nothing left to do except three quick errands and two are not essential. I want to go to the grocery store one more time to keep everything stocked for those first crazy weeks. Evie goes through fruit, yogurt and chocolate milk faster than I can keep up. I need to get two frames for baby's new prints and I am still looking for some fun fabric for my pelmet board.
I must be forgetting something because I remember feeling pretty stressed before Evie arrived. Now, I know that diapers for him and food for us are the only things that I must have on hand. Blue Eyed Bride wrote about some moms that are nurses and their ideas for getting babies to sleep. Has anyone tried any of this? Evie was a good sleeper until we moved to TN than I had to sleep train her at 11 months since she was waking up 3-4 times per night. Crazy since she started sleeping 8 hour stretches at about a month.
Evie slept the afternoon away and then was so excited to see her Daddy get home to take her outside! He got some really good shots of our big girl. I am going to miss those bubbles next year. She will be too tall for them so this is our last summer with sweet girl bubbles. We will be moving on to sweet boy bubbles. It's a gorgeous night so she got to have a picnic supper with "roni" which thrilled her little heart. Carl went to get his haircut and he's picking up our traditional hair cut night food - Thai! There's a yummy place right across the street from our hair place called Jasmine. We love it!
Evie went to her very first day of camp today! I have fretted to death over sending her because it's run by a bunch of young girls with one mom in charge. Evie loves adventure and I am not going to be able to give her much adventure this summer. So off she went . . .
We have chatted with her about it all week and she has had various reactions. At first, she thought she was going camping and she knows all about that from Curious George so that was not her idea of fun. Then, she wanted mommy to go too. Well, mommies do not go to camp! Then, she decided it'd be fun once she found all she could wear her bathing suit to camp.
I was so impressed with the "counselors" although they were super young they came right out to greet us at the car and talked to Evie. They checked her off their list as they listed her name, Evie Niemeyer. That did not work for Evie, she looked at them like they were crazy and said, "just Evie." She's just not getting this three name concept of Evelyn Claire Niemeyer and wants to keep it "just Evie."
I ran a few last minute errands and got lots of comments about being about to pop! I picked Evie up just a tad early so we could get home for nap time plus I missed my sweet girl. She was marching from room to room with her "class" and just waved at me when she saw me. I had to go pick her up because she was having too much fun to leave. Evie wants to go back to camp real soon. Mommy liked it too because she slept until 4:15. The MIC (Mom in Charge) told me not to worry a thing about having a little boy because Evie could run circles around her little boy on the playground. She was impressed with Evie's climbing abilities. I am not so impressed!
We read books and played after nap time. Evie is already making plans for Halloween with her boys She told me they need bags for their candy and it will be so fun! Carl got home and we made a trip out to return a mirror that I had bought that did not work for our space. Then, Evie chose a present for her brother to bring to the hospital. We did pretty well at keeping her on task. She only picked up 10 pink items before settling on a nice frog toy. All that shopping makes a girl hungry so we went to eat at a little meat and three place that we like. It's the perfect place to take Evie but the food is not fabulous! At least, I did not have to cook. We had a nice family outing in the middle of the week which was a nice change of pace. It's easier just to stay home once Carl gets home but it was fun to get out as a family of three.
Have you noticed that Evie will put anything on her head as a hat these days? Evie and I stayed home today practicing what it will be like to be home a lot in a few short weeks. I was out and about with Evie within 10 days or so but it may be different this time. Not sure, if I am going to feel like wrangling Evie and a tiny baby out in this heat. We kept busy playing dolls, kitchen and my favorite straightening things up. Evie found an old bib that my childhood friend Courtney made her when she was born and decided that it would make the perfect skirt! It did look pretty cute on Evie as a skirt.
I asked Evie what she wanted to do this morning and she told me that she wanted to "play sister." She said she was going to play sister with her brother. That just made me smile! Evie already goes in her brother's room and says, "night night" to him and checks to see if he is in the crib.
We read lots of books just like we do everyday and I was thinking about Evie already has so many reading concepts down pat. Now, I am not saying she can read because that's certainly not the case but she holds the book correctly, turns the pages in the right order, "reads" from left to right, states the title, retells the story and closes every book with a hearty "AMEN." It made me a little sad because I have taught children who could not do those simple things on the first day of school. Evie has more books than some small libraries and is exposed to so many different experiences. I could do lots more with her too but for right now we are just having fun exploring words together. We were reading a book about bunnies and she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I like bunnies. Do you like bunnies?" It was such a sweet part of my day but not nearly as sweet as when she wrapped her little arms around my neck and told me she loved me. That's the best feeling!
It was about to storm (again) so we decided to have a picnic in the den for lunch. She loves to have picnics and even plays picnic with her babies. Evie has her particular way of setting the stage for her picnics and has to have the blanket just so while using cloth napkins for her babies. I am telling you this girl can wear me out. Evie was exhausted by nap time. Sweet girl told me it was time for her nap. Evie, said, "I love that nap time." Me too, Evie, I could not agree more!
I did a few things around the house and Carl came home to be with Evie while I went to my doctor appointment. He decided to snap this picture just in case they decided to admit me this afternoon. We decided not to let her wake up to a sitter again since that did not go so well! It's getting closer and soon we will have a baby boy in our family. We are so excited!
Evie and I had a fun day together. She was a doll and that makes it so much easier. We hung around the house a bit before leaving on our errands. Evie wanted to bring her lion with her to Home Depot. Lion ended up in brother's car seat which makes me a bit nervous for when brother is actually in the car seat. Evie likes to throw toss her toys into his seat as I drive down the road.
Our umbrella broke so it was time for a new one. Evie chose pink but luckily they were all out of pink so she settled for a blue umbrella. Eating outside requires an umbrella with this heat. We came home and had a few white powdered doughnuts together. Evie loves those things just like me.
Evie was in a happy, helpful mood so we did a few things upstairs and then she played with her baby. She likes her room really neat before naptime so we had to straighten it a bit. It's so funny to me because she is so specific about where everything needs to be located. Big Baby goes on the shelf, stroller goes in her "garage" and little toys go in the basket inside the closet. Too bad she does feel the need to keep our den so neat and organzied!
I sat in her rocker for about 30 minutes zoning out while she took care of her baby. It was a nice little break for me before lunch. Evie and I both napped. Evie woke up reciting all the things that she loves. "I love beach. I love pool. I love mommy. I love daddy. I love tea." She usually uses the pronoun "I" instead of saying, "Evie love beach." I loved that and will miss her talking in third person. After her cup of tea, we started looking for fall clothes. Evie loves the catalogs that come in the mail and is happy to select all the items that she would like to have in her own closet.
Our "ant man" as Evie calls him showed up to help us with our bugs. Thank goodness, I decided to get a contract because I have more bugs now than I ever have before or maybe my tolerance is just lower. Carl thinks it may have something to do with our little 2 year old and all of her snacks. Everytime, I see more than one bug in my house then they get a call from me asking them to come take a look. Evie is still concerend about the dinosaurs that seem to be living in our house. We told the"ant man" about this and he was kind enough to spray for "inosaurs" while he was here. He told Evie to let him know if she sees anymore dinosaurs. Let's hope this works because sometimes it can be a bit frustrating to work our routine around the "inosaurs." Those "inosaurs" keep us from doing lots of things!
It's super hot here but we decided to go outside for a bit. Evie had a great time and was easily cajoled inside with the promise of a Popsicle. We watched a show, painted some pictures and played with play-dough. I gave Evie a little knife to cut her dough with and she kept telling me that she was "knifing" it. Such a silly girl! Evie and I were so happy when Carl got home from work. I have a feeling that I will be even happier when he gets home in a few weeks after caring for two kids all day.
I was not overly optimistic that we were going to have a good weekend but we had a fabulous weekend! Carl and Evie have not even left the house except to go jogging both days. I ran a few errands to the post office, grocery store and paint store yesterday. Other than that, we have been home just relaxing! We did get a few little projects done around the house. Nursery is finished except we are waiting on a few things to arrive for the walls. Evie's room needs some more things for the wall too so she's next on my list. She has a few things and tells me all the time that she has a pretty pink room. Carl and I bought her a little white crib and high chair for her room so she will have something to do in her room while I take care of our baby. He put it together on Friday night but we decided to give it to her on the day her brother comes home from the hospital. She literally plays with her babies all day so she has multiple baby stations set up throughout the house.
Evie got in her baby pool yesterday and had a blast. I asked her if she wanted a new pool and she said no. It must work for her but it sure is tiny compared to two years ago. Carl and I washed the double stroller that Kurt and Lollie gave us. It looks great and is ready for two new kids. Evie loves that it was Mary and Juicy's (Lucy) stroller. Carl took Evie jogging and he brought out the single jogger which perplexed Evie. I asked her if brother could go jogging one day and she said, "No, just Evie."
Evie made us some delicious waffles for breakfast with her Daddy's help. YUMMY! We decided to skip the weekly concert since it has rained most of the day and would be super muddy. Not to mention Evie and I are still in our pajama's and it's already bedtime again. Tomorrow, I plan to get out with Evie to run a few quick errands before it gets too hot. Hope you had a fabulous weekend too!
NOTE: The swimming pictures were taken with our point and shoot while the waffle picture was made with our Rebel. That's a big difference in quality! I had some pictures developed yesterday and was so surprised to see the quality was not that great even though it appeared fine on the point and shoot.
Baby Size: Baby Boy is more than 19.5 inches and 6.8 pounds. He is the size of a leek. (Thank you Baby Center)
Total Weight Gain: 23 pounds
Maternity Clothes: Yes, although some of them are too small! I did get a new tank that can be worn later too.
Gender: It's a BOY! He has a complete name or two. We are 95% sure but boys names are a lot harder than girl names. We want it to be cute for a little boy but still work when he is a man.
Movement: Baby Boy moves a lot at night just like his sister but not so much during the day. Carl still loves feeling all of his body parts move across my tummy. He has sharp elbows!
Sleep: I am tired all the time but it can be tricky getting comfortable with this big belly. I take naps most days for about an hour or so which helps me feel so much better. Notice the time of this blog - I cannot sleep!
What I Miss: Being able to bend down and carry Evie easily. I still do it but it's a lot harder these days.
Cravings: Simply Pink Raspberry Lemonade - I even bought it at Costco since my consumption is way up but the other members of my family drink it too!
Symptoms: Tired, Hot and Moody!
Best Moment: I went to buy some wine for Carl and picked up a bottle for myself while I was there. They had just told someone on the phone that they would hold all bottles of this particular wine for the person to pick up. One of the managers overheard me asking for the same bottle and the other cashier was trying to convince me to go for something else. I told him no problem that I could just come back later because I had already waited 9 months and wanted the real deal. Manager said, "Just sell her a bottle of what she wants and we will just say our inventory was off." I am so sorry that someone only had 23 bottles waiting for them but am so happy my bottle is happily chilling in the fridge. Manager had a three week old daughter so he is probably still used to crazy pregnant women! I liked this experience way more than last week when I was looking for a Father's Day present for Carl and the man told me it looked to him like a new baby might be the Father's Day present.
Not really . . . just another crazy day. Evie was so excited to see her boys this morning. It's hilarious to see how thrilled they all are to see each other even though they see each other all the time. I love it. Courtney and I had a fun morning but our two years old sure keep us on our toes. Evie has no clue what an inside voice is and thinks screaming is the best way to get what she wants. My head is throbbing from her screeches! I am about at the point where it might be easier for baby boy to be out than in but I am trying to enjoy these last two weeks of pregnancy. It's getting harder to do that as my laundry list of issues continues to grow. It's much harder to be pregnant in June with a toddler running around than it was to be pregnant in January while teaching fourth grade.
Our morning went by so fast with our friends and it was time for Caillou and lunch. Evie slept and I did too. After nap, it took quite a bit of cajoling to get Evie out of the house to go to the grocery store. It's a lot harder to get her to do things now that I can barely pick her up with my humongous belly. She runs and tells me that she is hiding. Then, she told me that she needed to go to the market for some shopping. 1,2 3 Magic does help when we implement it correctly. Carl tried using it tonight and I was laughing in the other room because it was so hysterical but at least we are trying! I was counting Evie yesterday and I said, "That's one, pause, that's 2." Evie, said" No, No, not 6, 7." Silly girl, we are not trying to get to 7 - the point is not to get past 3. Time outs help a lot but I have no idea what we will do in public. So far, she is easily distracted in public. I can remember moms telling me about tantrums a few months back and I was convinced that Evie was already doing it. Nope, she was just warming up but she sure has them down pat now. It's so funny to me because she literally curls up into a fetal position and screams for a minute or two before calming back down to her sweet self. I bet if there are any moms of teenagers reading this, you'd tell me to just wait until the teenage years! YIKES! I cannot imagine that right now!
Carl got home early which was such a tremendous help! He brought pizza and salad. We had an early dinner with Popsicles for dessert. Then, we had lots of time to play with Evie which makes such a difference in her behavior. She does so much better with lots of one on one attention. I mentioned this to Carl and he said we all do better when we get one on one attention. He's right! I will try to keep that in mind when she is driving me crazy! Thank goodness, we have lots of sweet times too and it's so amazing to see her change before our eyes. I love her ever increasing vocabulary and her fearlessness about trying new things. She makes me laugh with her concerns about the "inosaurs" living in our house and watching her take care of her baby is truly hilarious! She's a keeper!
Evie is certainly in the middle of the terrible 2's. Lot's of mommies have told me that 2.5 is the worst so I am wondering why in the world we decided to have a baby in the middle of the worst part. Evie is either really wonderful or really not. Luckily, even on the hard days there are still lots of sweet times. I cannot remember what we did yesterday but I did go to a spa night which was quite delightful. It's always nice to get together with my mom friends especially without our kids because we actually have a chance to engage in conversation.
Evie was so excited that her friend Abby was coming over for lunch. She talked about it all morning and even made a special dessert for her Abby. Evie loves to create things in the kitchen and I needed an activity to occupy her so we made chocolate covered strawberries. Evie was not the best host as her sharing could use some help! I am hoping preschool will help with that skill. We had a fun time and I marveled at how easy Sydney and Victoria are at play dates. They are quiet and they do not move! Such sweet girls and so laid-back.
Evie took a nap and woke up much happier but I had already used my patience quota for the day. I read her some books and then she stayed in her room reading while I straightened up a little. We went to pick up our dinner and came home to iron. Our days go by so quickly but I am not sure what exactly we do except that I am exhausted! Kelly's Korner said yesterday that "these are the best of times and the worst of times." Her Harper was born the same day as Evie so I can totally relate. If you have forgotten or want to experience life with a 2 year old for a day, let me know and I have a really cute one that you can borrow for a bit.
Evie was so excited to tell Carl about the "dessert strawberries" that she made when he got home. He's not into desserts like we are but he took one for the team to sample Evie's cooking. After dinner, he hung our pelmet board in baby boy's room - it looks very good but I am pretty sure that I will keep looking for some heavier fabric with a bolder pattern. Time is running out so I figured something was better than nothing! It actually looks way better than I expected for something made with staples and duct tape. Courtney's turned out way better than mine so maybe she can give me some guidance. Evie is so excited to see her boys in the morning.She told me we needed a dessert! HA - she is just like me in lots of ways!
Here's a cute story about Evie so we can all remember she is simply adorable even when she is having an off day. She had her baby in her arms looking out the front door. She whispers to her baby, "This Evie's house, See that house, that Evie's boys house. They sleeping. Shhhh. Quiet. Night Night."
We had a much better day! Evie slept until 8 and was so happy all day. Now, that does not mean she did not have any meltdowns but they were few and far between. She got upset because her "potty pot" for lack of a better word would not stay on her head. I told her that's because it is not a hat which satisfied her for the moment.
We ran a few errands this morning and found some fabric for our pelmet board. Brentwood Interiors was our first stop and they do not have carts. People might buy a little more if they had a way to carry their supplies. Evie and I had a quick discussion about appropriate behavior and she did great! She oohed and ahhed over every pink piece of fabric in the store and thought the piles of rugs were beds. I was quite impressed that she did so well. Evie calls fabric - rabric and it's so cute! On the way out the door, she told the men at the counter, "I like your rabric store."
We found some fabric at Jo-Ann. There were a few tiny spots on it so I asked for a discount which put my cost at $4 for two yards of fabric. Not bad! Now, I just need to get it on the board. Carl thought it needed ironing so it's in the dryer - that's how I iron these days.
Evie and I both enjoyed our naps during the rainstorm. We worked a bit upstairs after nap and Evie kept telling me that she was getting married. I figured out where she got it from - Caillou went to a wedding! She's so serious about her playtime with her babies. She used a step stool to gently place her baby in the bassinet and then told her not to worry that it was night night time.
We were happy to see Carl when he got home. Carl had planned to grill burgers but it started raining so we did them inside. Evie played so nicely while we cooked. It was bedtime for Evie and now I am trying to get a few things done around the house.
I knew today was going to be a doozy because three late bedtimes in a row never make for a happy day! Evie did pretty well at home this morning as long as she was doing what she wanted which involved 10 pieces of paper and three crayons. She had some type of system where she'd color on each paper for approximately two seconds before moving onto the next piece. That was fine with me, she was happy and quiet so I could get ready.
We headed over to The C's house so Courtney could help make a pelmet box for me. I literally did nothing at all to help. She is so crafy and quick! I wish that just an ounce of her creativity could magically be transferred to me. Pelmet box fits window perfectly so now it's time to find some fabric. Evie was a wild woman engaging in screaming matches with Campbell and generally not happy at all! Oh dear, it was a rough morning with Evie and I left their house holding her while she screamed to eat lunch with her boys. She was fine once she had some lunch and went down for her nap super early. Thank goodness, she slept for 3.5 hours because I needed a break from her. I did a few things for the nursery and worked on a few other orders of business that I have been procrastinating on for several weeks.
She woke up pretty cranky and started asking to have lunch with her boys again. Evie was not understadning that 4:00 is not an acceptable lunchtime for the average person especially not a 2 year old person. She settled down with the help of our good friend Caillou. I am not sure that I could make it through a day without Caillou. Evie is mesemerzied by this show.
While Evie was occupied, I opened my email and found this:
You may have noticed that your 2-year-old isn't exactly the most flexible person in the world. Her little brain is trying to understand how the world works, and once she gets a concept down, she expects it to stay that way. Having things happen the same way every time reassures your preschooler and gives her a confidence boost ("I knew that would happen!"). That's why she likes to sit in a certain chair or goes bananas when her cracker breaks in two.
Thanks Babycenter for helping me understand my 2-year-old! I needed this reminder especially when Evie had a total meltdown and about lost her mind at dinner. She did not like that ranch was on her plate without any carrots. Evie kept repeating, "No carrots, that dip for carrots not cumbers." I was amazingly patient and showed her how the dip was indeed fabulous on cucumbers too. Oh dear, I am going to need an extra dose of patience to deal with her if this continues or gets worse as all my mommy friends have told me. Needless to say, it was Carl's turn to put Evie to sleep tonight.
Evie did hug my neck today and tell me that I was the best mommy and that daddy was the best daddy. Now, that makes it all worthwile but I could do without the tantrums!
We have had a wonderful day celebrating Carl on his special day. Evie and I were real quiet this morning so he could sleep late. He told me that he has not slept late two days in a row since before Evie was born. It's going to be a LONG time before that happens again with Baby Boy coming soon. Evie was so sweet to wish her Daddy a Happy Father's Day. He was so surprised to hear her say that this morning.
We all went to get bagels for brunch and then Carl took Evie on a jog to her tunnel that she loves so much. Then, it was our favorite time of the day . . . nap time! I took a nap and then headed to get some groceries.
Carl and I played with Evie this afternoon around the house and then we headed out for the weekly concert at the park. We thought it was an Eagles cover band but it was The Devonshires. They played music from the 60's and 70's. We thought they were really good but not good enough to replace The Tams. People from Tennessee do not love Beach Music like us so they wanted to try something new this year.
Evie had a blast! We sat super close tonight so she could run around with all the kids. She danced and played all night barely stopping to eat her sandwich. It was really cute watching her shake her little body to the music. We ran into some friends so they sat with us but we were so close that we could barely talk since the music was literally right there. Evie got in a few dances with her Daddy and then we decided to head home. It was the third night in a row of a late bedtime so our little princess was ready for bed.
We listened to one of our favorite songs today on the way home and it's so appropriate for Father's Day. It's called "Baby Don't Cry" by Jamey Johnson. The refrain is:
But baby don't cry - Your never alone
When you need your daddy
Just pick up the phone
And I'll fly
As fast as I can
And I'll hold your hand
And I'll make you smile again
But baby don't cry
I was about to cry myself listening to Carl sing that song to his baby girl knowing that he would drop anything to take care of Evie. My Dad would do the same thing for me! What a wonderful blessing our Dad's are in our life. Evie and I are so fortunate to have Carl. He takes good care of his girls with a smile on his face every day. I could not have chosen a better man to be the father to my children and it's so amazing to share this crazy ride of parenthood with someone who loves our children as much as I do.
Evie gave us a wonderful surprise this morning by sleeping until 9. It was so nice getting some extra sleep this morning especially since I was not feeling well. I am doing better now but am still thinking Baby Boy will be arriving before July 9.
Carl tried to take Evie for a jog but they saw a HUGE black cloud so they came back home. It started pouring within minutes of their return so that was a smart decision. We hung out at home reading up on Braxton Hick contractions and Evie played around the house. Carl took Evie to get us some lunch. You should have seen her outfit. It was so fashionable - a fun Lilly skirt, a white t-shirt, pink crocs, a pink seersucker belt and a pair of goggles around her neck. It was pretty funny but she chose the entire ensemble so it worked for a trip to Heavenly Ham. Evie was so funny when she got back telling me she left something in the truck. I said that we'd get it out of the car and she said, "No, mommy that Daddy's truck not car." I am sure it will not be the last time that she thinks that I have no clue about something. We could not believe it but Evie took a nap even after sleeping so late this morning. She slept from 1:30- 5:00. I sure would love another good sleeper like Evie!
I took a nap and then ran out to do a few things around town. Carl grilled some chicken and we ate dinner together before heading out to Baskin Robbins for some ice-cream. Evie chose strawberry but wanted to share with us too. I love ice-cream but strawberry ice-cream is not anywhere close to my favorite.
We played outside with Evie and let her chase after the lightning bugs. She loved it and thought it was so much fun. It's so fun to see her experience new things and see the pure joy in her face. She took a sink bath before heading up to bed. We had to peek out the window one more time so she could tell the lightning bugs good-night.
Evie is really going through a stage of being quite particular about things from which chair she sits in, to the room she walks through to get to the stairs or even how her toothpaste is on her brush. It can be very trying but then I remember I can be particular about things so why should she be any different. Carl thinks I am so patient with her but trust me that is not always the case. Evie even got a little spanking this afternoon. We will not be doing that again because it does not work for her. She shook her little bottom at us tonight trying to get another one on her butterfly panties. Oh dear! Let's hope 1, 2, 3 Magic is the trick for us. I keep telling Carl that this is all going to look like a piece of cake in a few weeks when we have two children to take care of every day.
I had to sit and think about what in the world we did yesterday until I remembered. We took a quick trip to Home Depot and Evie was a perfect angel even smiling, waving and speaking to strangers. Our next stop was to get Carl a new charger at the Verizon store. My advice is to avoid taking a toddler into a Verizon store unless it is 9:00 when the store opens. I was literally sweating after an hour of trying to keep up with her in there so she did not destroy everything in sight. If I had known that it would take an hour to get a charger, I would have just completed the transaction online especially since they had to order it anyway.
Last night, I had my last haircut before Baby Boy so Carl stayed with Evie. She is not too fond of anyone doing anything for her except for me but is okay after I am totally out of the picture. I was thrilled that she stayed in her crib until 8 this morning! She noticed my haircut right away and started chattering about how we both had haircuts.
We had a few stops this morning before our play date but they were all drop-off or pick-up type of places so Evie was happy as a clam in her seat. We then headed for a pizza play date. It was fun but pure chaos. I am just not cut out for 16 kids running through my house with pizza covered hands and brownie crumbs in their tracks while working with fingerpaint. Evie prefers small crowds but was fine playing with her boys. Evie was super impressed that there was a play set in the basement. She napped for a bit and I made some dessert to take a family from church with their dinner. After nap, she told me that Campbell was her brother and she was their teacher. I have no idea where she gets these things from but she certainly keeps things interesting.
We all headed out to take the dinner because the family lives about 30 minutes away from us. I did not even make the dinner because a mom that I know started a casserole company out of her home and it's much easier to pick it up from her than it is to create it at my house. That's worth $15 especially when it's 100 degrees and I am about to pop! So my guess, is this baby is going to come sooner than July 9. Carl says he will wait! I am not so sure because I am very achy and am having contractions along with some other things. Let's hope he stays put a bit longer because his room is not ready yet!
We headed out to dinner after dropping off the dinner and Evie was AMAZING until . . . of course there is a catch! She did not like the path that Carl used to leave the restaurant and she let everyone know it! Evie does everything quite methodically and that did not go according to her plan. We are going to have our hands full with Miss Particular!
Evie and I had a fun morning at home with our friends The Porter's. Evie was happy to see Jacob and his baby sister Anna. She really likes Anna and worried about her when she cried. I have been telling Evie that our baby will cry too and we have to make him feel better. She frets when other people are crying. Too bad she does not fret when she cries! That's one of our reminders before we go anywhere, "no crying and listening ears on." Most of the time, it works but only for short outings. Like most young girls, Evie can be a bit of a drama queen.
We played with "Big Baby" when they left and Evie put her baby in my sling. So cute! Evie takes good care of her babies and put her baby down for a nap. She told me that her "baby's" name was her brother's name and that he needed a pillow.She tucked him in the Mose's basket very carefully and covered him up with two blankets. It's so precious to see her doing the things to her baby that I do for her. I hope she has this much concern for her real brother!
Evie and I have been having lots of converstations about when brother comes and how things will be a little different. She perked right up and told me she was going to go "stay with Courtney and her boys." That was the sweetest thing and I love that she is excited about that - it sure beats the thought of her not getting out of her crib for hours. HA!
Evie is napping and I am getting a few things done around the house. She is having a babysitter again so I can go to my Mom's Night Out. Carl's plane lands right when I need to be there so we thought a sitter would save us all some stress in case his flight his delayed. This is my last MNO for a long time so I wanted to be sure to go take advantage of a nice dinner without my daughter. I will be excited to get home to see Carl. He had his last trip before Baby Boy and I was really hoping not to go into labor while he was gone.
Our MOMS group headed to Pet Smart for a tour this morning. I am pretty sure we totally overwhelmed their staff since we had 12 kids under the age of 4. The tours are designed for older children but they adapted it for us. Evie loves Pet Smart on a regular day but she was in heaven today. They let her pet lizards, chameleons, snakes and birds. I could not believe that my sweet little princess was so fearless when it came to touching reptiles and other animals. It was fun but chaotic as you can imagine. Pet Smart most likely will be revamping their age requirements after our visit this morning. Evie did really well but it's a little harder for the moms juggling two and three kiddos. That will be me before you know it!
Our next stop was Chick fil A! We are going to turn into chickens. Evie and I met her friend George and his mommy for a quick lunch. Evie was excited to see George again. Melissa and I had a chance to catch up since it was hard to chat at George's Par- Tee. She told me about this Etsy shop that does little boy Jon Jon's for $25. That sounds like a great place to stock up for Baby Boy! It was pouring rain when we left the mall.
Evie and I played store when we got home. She has been engaging in imaginary play for quite awhile but it has been limited to cooking and taking care of her babies. Now, Evie likes to play store and classroom. She gets really into it and always has to carry her "shiny" purse on her shopping excursions.
I put Evie down for a nap and then crawled into the bed myself for a nice long siesta. There was a horrible storm but that did not bother Evie one bit so I did a few things around the house until she woke up. Evie has missed her boys so much so we invited them over for an impromptu play date and it was so much fun! Courtney and I had fun catching up while our kiddos played. Evie is such a little mother to Campbell. I hear about Campbell and Christian every single day from Evie so I know she was happy to see them.
We had a nice relaxing evening and now I am about to get a few things done while I have the energy after my two hour nap! Let's hope that I can still sleep tonight.
We have had a fun weekend although as usual it became busier than we had planned. Evie was invited to a Par- Tee yesterday that was so cute with a little golfing theme. Carl enjoyed it too. Evie tried out golfing for the first time but the cupcakes were her favorite part. She literally talked about cupcakes from the time we got there until she finally got one. You'd think I never give the kid anything sweet! We had a fun morning on the course and loved all the cute touches throughout the party. Arnold Palmer's are always delicious treat too so that made me happy!
Evie came home and played a bit before nap. She was exhausted from a morning of fun in the sun. I took a nap too then we straightened the house a bit before the babysitter arrived. Evie was NOT happy at all to be left with a babysitter. Carl thinks she was expecting one of her young, cute sitters and that's not who showed up. Of course, Evie was fine after we left. I received a text telling me that Evie was having a blast and knew her bedtime routine to a T. Evie does love her sleep. Carl and I arrived home to a sparkling house, a detailed report of the evening and a sleeping child. I peeked in Evie's room to check on her before bed. She rolled right over and looked at me with a big smile and said, "fun" then went back to sleep before I left the room. So, it seems Evie had a fun night too! Carl and I enjoyed getting out by ourselves and are trying to get in a few last minute dates before Baby Boy while getting Evie used to some new sitters.
It has been a lazy day at home. We headed out to try some Corky's Barbecue for dinner even though we knew it would not be Carolina style. It was fine but not our favorite barbecue in the area. Evie wanted to see her boys so bad and has not stopped talking about them. Their Nana is visiting and Evie talks about her too. Evie thought it'd be really great if the boys and their Nana went with us to the concert in the park. The C's decided to stay home since they just got back from a trip but we sure missed them. It was a Symphony similar to the Boston Pops and they did a great job. Evie tried making some new friends tonight and was quite adventurous in getting away from us. Not too far but a little further than she normally goes. Evie just loves music and clapped away since it was a Symphony tonight. It's so rewarding to
take Evie places because she lets us know how much fun she is having and always has a big grin. Guess who she wanted to see when we got home - the boys and their Nana! HA! She is one determined little girl!
We sure had a good weekend and enjoyed this special time of being a family of 3. Too bad weekends go by so quickly!
