An Angel Amongst Us

Yesterday....My morning run was not like my usual morning run. I remember thinking what a perfect, sunny and cool morning it was. When I run I usually say a prayer. So my prayer this morning was one just for my grandma Anne. For the past year she has been battling cancer. Early Tuesday morning she fell and broke her hip so I went to visit her in the hospital. It was then that I learned of how much she was suffering. It was so heartbreaking. All I could do was say prayers for her. But today in thinking of how long she has been struggling, I asked God to take her into his kingdom. It was this day that she passed away. Despite not having her here on earth with us, she is in a more peaceful place. She no longer has to endure the aches and pains, the daily struggles, the sadness, that once filled her life. Although she lived a long and plentiful life, we have the wonderful memories of her in our hearts. As much as it hurts not having her with us physically, she will forever be a wife, a mom, a friend and a grandmother. You will forever be missed... Love you Grandma!!!

A New Chapter

Well the day is finally here...I am going back to work tomorrow! It's bittersweet. So excited to go back to doing what I love...teaching, yet sad to not be with my little man in the mornings. For the past year and half, I've been all E knows during his days. As I reflect on the year I am so happy and grateful to have had the time I had at home with Evan. We have done so many things together from music to swimming to tumbling classes. We have even explored the museums, parks and local play places. We also met an amazing group of friends. I am so glad to have met them and don't know what I'd do without them. They made being a stay at home mom all the more fun!

As cliche as it sounds, I feel as if it were yesterday that I was holding our newborn baby boy. With the blink of an eye, he's become a little man! As I have said so many times (and as I imagine all parents do) I am so proud of Evan. He's naturally developed and has exceeded my expectations. It's the little moments that we share. When we sit and play, we cuddle, we explore, we sing and dance. It's the look we give one another, the unspoken love between us. These are the moments that I embrace, the moments I want to remember forever and ever. Since I will no longer be with E in all day, I will truly cherish those moments we have had and the moments that we have yet to experience with one another. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. With that said, I sure hope that God gives me the strength to get through the first few weeks of not being with Evan in the mornings. I know E's in good hands and will continue to thrive but I naturally find it hard not to feel guilty for going back to doing something that I love while I leave him. I hope Evan will also appreciate me more when we have our time together!

Mommy & Daddy Time

What a rejuvenating weekend! Dave and I went to Kohler Water Spa this weekend in Wisconsin. We left Friday afternoon to retreat to the most relaxing and most needed time away sans Evan. We planned it for a last get-away before I return to work part time the end of August. It was hard to leave E without shedding some tears (me that is, not Dave :0) but once we did, I was eager to start to set all worries and cares aside to embrace the time Dave and I had for one another. Once we arrived at the Carriage House (our hotel located above the water spa, we enjoyed some appetizers and drinks before dinner. We ordered room service (too tired to get dressed up and go out to eat) then headed to the relaxation pool at the water spa. How inviting and relaxing!!! We enjoyed a drink while reading and lounging on the cushioned lounge chairs alongside the waterfall. Saturday we worked out, Dave went to the range to hit some balls while I went to a yoga by the lake class and got a mani/pedi. We met up for lunch at Blackwolf lodge and after lunch relaxed in the spa for a few hours before getting ready for dinner. Right before dinner we went to the Winery had excellent wine and listened to a pianist. We had dinner at the Wisconsin Room and again went to relax for the evening at the relaxation pool before calling it a night. Sunday we ate breakfast in bed before leaving for home. As much as I enjoyed the time away with Dave, the relaxation and ease of not caring for anyone but ourselves it was beyond wonderful to see our smiling E when we got home! He had a great time with his Grandpa and Grandma. Dex, of course, had fun too! They went to the beach, Family Grounds, and for walks. E slept and ate really good and brought much joy to his grandparents during their stay!! Thanks Mom and Dad for helping to make our time away stress free!!! We are very grateful!!!

Taking a Moment

I love to stop, cuddle and breathe in Evan. His smells, his touch, his pure innocence is so peaceful. In one single moment of seeing him or thinking of him all my cares and worries disappear. Each day, I stop, I sit, and I take in all of him. I can never get enough of him. I thank God each and every day for being so blessed to have him. I cannot imagine life without him. He is such a breath of fresh air. I love what he has taught me, to be still, take in the moment, and listen to the laughs, the tears and the experiences in life. I love imagining what his future holds and all the endless possibilities it offers. Thank you Evan for being you! I love you with all my heart!

A week of many firsts

Lots of stuff happening with E...my goodness! I feel like I haven't written in months! Well Evan is continuing to amaze us. He is talking up a storm. A few people that I see during the week at our play places even made comments about him being a chatterbox. I think Dave and I may be in for it! E also walked backwards for the first time in our kitchen earlier this week. I think he was motivated to do it because I sort of had him cornered. He was in need of a serious diaper change. For those of you that don't know, E has never been a fan of diaper changes in fact he hates it so much he throws a full out crying fit every time. Tears and all...you would think he was in some serious pain by the look and sound of his outrage. Well anyhow, he so cleverly used his newly acquired skill in an attempt to escape the "diaper changing situation". Putting my proud mommy moment aside...I quickly captured him and successfully changed the diaper. E was not too happy to say the least.

Another first happened at Gymboree. Evan had been practicing walking across this green bridge for the past week or so. It's not a flat bridge rather it is an uneven bridge. Looks like a ripple if that makes sense. Well...he finally did it...without falling might I add. He was very proud, but not as proud as Mommy of course. He even got to show off his latest achievement to Daddy on Friday when Daddy tagged along with us.

This past weekend E and I went to Family Grounds Cafe on Saturday (Dave was in Wisconsin visiting his brother and golfing). For a week now I have been teaching Evan about feelings and using the sign for happy, sad, and mad and how to teach him when to say 'excuse me' and 'sorry'. While E and I were sitting in the cafe, E was munching on his snack and heard a little kid crying. He stopped, looked at the kid, then at me, and signed 'sad'. I was ecstatic!!! Now to work on his awareness of his own feelings :-)

First Family Vacation to....

Lake Geneva!!! Dave, Evan and I decided that we needed a little weekend get-away so we packed our things and headed out to Lake Geneva Sunday morning. The weather was perfect! We relaxed and enjoy our family time away together. We really didn't do a whole lot it was just nice to escape the city and our daily routine for something different. We went to lunch, check into our hotel, took a walk along the lake and Main Street with all the cute little shops. Later in the afternoon we went to a pool with water slides, sprinklers, and a zero depth walk in which was perfect for E. His favorite were the water slides. I think he would have keep going down about another hundred times if we hadn't stopped him. He was quite the ball of energy. Can't blame him for being in the car as long as we were. We decided to order dinner to our hotel since E was exhausted, as were we. And watched a movie while sipping a couple glasses of wine before we called it a night. The serenity of the evening was breathtaking. I wanted to stay in the moment and not return back to reality. So little care and worries. Well... that didn't last that long because E woke up at midnight. Not sure why he actually woke but it was challenging to get him back to sleep. We brought him into bed with us (mind you this is something we haven't done since E was 6 weeks old). That didn't work out that easily. E was up for about an hour and a half. Dave finally got him to sleep and we were able to squeeze in about 4 more hours of sleep. After rising from our semi-rested night, we headed to breakfast, the park, Starbucks and the Geneva boat cruise. It was interesting! We never realized how many Chicago dwellers actually own homes along the lake in Geneva. E enjoyed looking at the water, climbing up and down the stairs (we sat on the top of the double decker boat), sitting in the chair, and saying hi and bye to a little boy that must have been about 2 years older than him. It was sad to have to leave but I am glad that we took the time to enjoy some relaxing family time. I, of course, took lots of pictures and videos that captured some of our best and favorite moments of our Geneva get-away.

Elvis Impersonator

More Words...More Tricks...More F.U.N.

In addition to Evan's new dance moves...lol...E has added more words to his vocabulary including park, car, stick, brush, chair, turkey, chicken, sleep, blankie, and beans. There are more that at the moment I cannot think of and I always try to remind myself to write them down as soon as I can, then I forgot. Mommy brain at it's best ;0) Although he continues to repeat almost all words that we use in isolation...it's fascinating how much they learn and absorb!!!

E can climb onto the kitchen chair and as you already know, on top of his toys...OY!!! Not good! He's also walking on the balance beam and jumping off a 3 foot platform at Gymboree. I am astonished at how physically daring Evan is. I hope he can channel it in the right direction.

We watched one of Evan's friends, William, on Tuesday and I captured a sweet moment that I thought I'd post a picture. I LOVE it!!! They are incredibly cute together. I love how they play, both together and parallel. They definitely find ways to entertain!

Oh, the most recent thing that he learned from Dave and his race cars toy is priceless. I will have to take a video of it to show everyone. I still am humored by what he says. It's a line from Toy Story. No, Evan hasn't watched the movie but he has a Toy Story 3 race car speed track that says a line that one of the characters, Buzz Lightyear, says from the movie, "To infinity ...and beyond!". Well Dave often when they are playing recites it with emphasis on "and BEYOND!". He says it with the pizzazz that Buzz does in the movie. So anyhow, E laughs at it and tells Dave to do more of it. Well little E must have liked it sooo much that he decided to join in. So Dave says "To infinity..." and E finishes the saying "...and BEYOND!". It's hysterical!!! I will post as soon as I get a video of it. Stay tuned...

Juggling Act

Leaving my little man

For the past two Thursday's I have left Evan in the care of Sara, our sitter. She is lovely and E just adores her. Today was by far the hardest for me. Reality set in when I realized that I will not see E in the morning before I go to work. Unlike last Thursday, today I went to Bally's in Schaumburg to workout before heading into work. My goal was to run through a day as I would when I go back to work in August (5-11a). Well...I am glad to say the day went super quickly although I did find myself sad and thinking about Evan because I was not able to see E's smile this morning. Fortunately, Evan was happy when I came home and didn't seem phased by me not being with him in the morning...sigh. I am hoping that the transition, come August, when I go to work everyday, will gradually become less difficult (for me). I surely am going to miss my little man more than he knows!

You're In Our Hearts and Minds Pastor Bill

I am still in shock over the passing of our church's pastor, Pastor Bill. I find it all so surreal how sudden it was. So many questions swarm my mind as they often do when people pass on...why did he have to die and how is his surviving family managing to survive. I can only imagine the pain and sadness they are enduring now. Today as I usually do during Evan's nap, I scrapped, although, today was different. I began taking out Evan's 13 month pictures and decided which pictures I wanted to put into his album and I came across Evan's baptism. Some of the pictures were of Pastor Bill and our family. Wow...I couldn't contain my emotions. Tears filled my eyes. Not tears of sadness but rather of joy in knowing the lives he touched and he is now in our Father's heavenly kingdom, watching over us. I felt a peace at that moment when I stared into his eyes. His eyes were filled with happiness, memories, and life. He lived. He inspired. He loved. Pastor Bill touched our lives in more ways than he probably knew. We are forever grateful to have met and known him. You will forever be missed but forever remain in our hearts and minds Pastor Bill.

Our Little Parrot

Evan is a riot! He's repeating words that he hears Dave or I say. His most recent being Jack (that's what Dave calls me), bird, tree, book, diaper, banana, dog, and papa. He's also in what I call a 'destructive phase'. E's been throwing his toys. I imagine he's doing that just to see what happens or to get a reaction out of us. For example if he throws a toy, I quickly and quietly (without saying anything) remove him from the situation, sit him down in a time out, and model how to play with his toys. After the time out I invite him to play with me and his toys. If he continues to throw his toys after the time out, I repeat the process and say we play with our toys. We don't throw them. So far it has taken one or two times of time outs and modeling. When he finds a new toy and decides to throw it I follow this 'discipline' process that I learned from the Love and Logic book.

Yesterday I found E on top of his Leap Frog play table trying to reach things off the kitchen table. He moved the play table next to the kitchen table and climbed on top. Today I found him on top of 2 storage bins trying to climb onto the daybed in our guest bedroom. He sure is a dare devil and curious little boy. If he's not climbing onto things he's trying to throw things and wrestle with anyone he sees at our play places. Luckily E's friend, Grace, is a tough cookie. E goes up to her, hugs her and then tries to wrestle her to the ground then he tries to hug or kiss her. She just resists him all the while putting up with his playfulness and love. So happy she doesn't mind!

E's been enjoying the parks. We have been trying to visit at least one new park a week. So far it doesn't seem to matter to Evan as long as he can run and climb on things. He also loves the ones with sprinklers. I took a video of E at the park. Check it out...

A perfect looonngggg holiday weekend

What a fun filled weekend Dave, Evan and I had!!! We started out the weekend at Millenium park since Dave had a half day. We took E for his first time to the fountain, the "bean" and the pavilion. E enjoyed the water and of course taking in the people and sounds everywhere he looked. Saturday we met up with some good friends for breakfast and later that afternoon celebrated my grandma's birthday. We had many laughs and shared good memories as Evan ran around the party room looking for things to climb on. Sunday was another fun day. After rising early bc of little Mr. Evan, we worked out, went to the park and enjoyed a quiet late morning/early afternoon at home before heading to our friends annual Fourth of July BBQ. As usual we had a great time! Evan was in his glory with all the kids running around, the slide and pools. Although he couldn't keep up he found himself attempting to talk with and join in on the boys fun. It was really cute to watch. After all E's energy blasting fun, Dave and I thought that he surely would be exhausted and sleep on the way home. Much to our surprise he was still up and not ready to go to sleep until well after 7p. Hmm....maybe it's the 2 molars keeping him awake?!?!?! Who knows. Monday was an excellent day to catch up...Phew! We cleaned, did laundry, and played, of course....and spent time, just the three of us (and Dexter too) close to home. Sad that the weekend had to come to an end.

Our 5 Year Wedding Anniversary

Dave and I have been together for well over 13 years but Friday, June 25th marked our 5 year wedding anniversary!!! What a fun day and night we had! My mom stayed with Evan and Dex while Dave and I headed downtown to see Toy Story 3 (excellent movie by the way and just as good as Toy Story 1 & 2). After the movie we went back to the hotel to change and then went to dinner at Gibson's. We enjoyed a much needed relaxing evening over dinner and at the beach. Saturday morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the Drake, the most delicious breakfast I must add, and took a stroll to the beach to lay out, read and enjoy some quiet time before heading back home to our little munchkins. I can't imagine any better of an anniversary...It was more wonderful than I ever could imagine. I am so blessed to have Dave in my life as my husband and my best friend and I am looking forward to many more happy and healthy years together. Cheers to 5 years of marriage Dave!!!!

Let the MeSs begin!!!

Today we officially started reconstruction! It's been nearly a month since the fire and we are now just beginning to rebuild the walls and get things back to normal. After waiting for the insurance's approval, we finally got an estimate of $16,000 for the repairs last week. I was glad to have been gone today because the dry wall dust was everywhere. The crew was great in that they cleaned up almost all of it, well at least the stuff that visible to the naked eye, and we are able to live in our home through the night and into the morning before they are back at 8am. Funny little story....Evan found the blue tape markers along the baseboard entertaining while I was making dinner. I turn around to look at him and there he was with 3 crumbled balls of blue tape stuck to both of his hands. At the moment I was thinking, crap, how am I going to know what walls these came from but in looking back once I was able to figure out where they belong (or so I hope they are back where they belong) I laughed at how cute E looked standing in the hall thinking he did nothing wrong. He probably thought they were some new toy...ha hahaha.

While the construction crew was hard at work at our house, Evan, Dex and I made a trip out to visit my parents. Evan and Dex hung out with Nana and Papa and I went to my work friend's baby shower. It was great to see my co workers and catch up with them. It feels like I never left them :) E definitely had a wonderful time by the huge grin he had on his face when I came back. He played with some of the toys that my sister and I grew up playing with, went on a walk, and tried his first fruit popsicle. Not too sure about how cold it was at first but definitely grew to like it rather quickly. He came home with a red stained mouth and a little stinker smile ;0) Thanks for such a relaxing day Nana and Papa!!!

It took me a long time...over 6 months, but....

i finally figured out how to insert a picture into my blog entry...lol

it's not hard at all and i don't know what my problem was. anyways, i picked a picture hoping that it will show up!

15 Month Pediatrician Appointment

Where is the time going!?!?! I can't believe Evan is already 15 months old, what! Well E went to the doctor on Monday for his 15 month check up. He wasn't too happy about it. He knew what was going on and what was about to happen as soon as he saw the nurse and doctor. Uh oh...the tears came a flowing. We saw a different pediatrician since E's pediatrician didn't have an available appointment until July so that might not have helped matters. E weighed in at 26 lbs and 32 inches tall. He is in the 75th percentile. The doctor was pleased with his growth and reassured me that his stranger anxiety is purely developmentally appropriate and may stay with him until 2-2.5 years old. E got two shots which he didn't like AT ALL. He hasn't seemed to be effected by them as much as he is the 2 molars that are erupting. Speaking of molars, the top right molar, the one I said was black and blue, still hasn't popped through. It started to concern me when I saw E's left top molar break through and it didn't ever turn black and blue. I thought the black and blue was normal because I learned of it at a pediatric dental presentation I attended back in February, but just to be safe I phone Dr. Kristin, E's dentist. Low and behold it's totally normal and will eventually break through along with some blood. She assured me not to be alarmed and to stop on in if I am in need of more peace of mind :)

Aside from E's check up and recent teeth erruptions...E's having a hard time backing off the milk. He LOVES his MILKY!!! If we let him choose one food/drink to live on it would hands down be milk. Let's hope all this milk builds strong bones so he won't break any in his years :0) E's added more words to his speaking vocabulary like milk, cheese, shoes, ball, and shake (this one he's been saying for awhile, not consistently but at Gymboree when we sing the Shake the Parachute song). He's signing (which I may have mentioned in my past post but can't remember) turn around, please, and again. Along with his vocabularly development Evan is becoming more opinionated. Watch out! He's going to be one determined little boy (a.k.a. stubborn) !!! If I take him away from something he enjoys or wants something he can't have, he talks back, screams, or walks back to the place he was at originally after I put him down. Oy! Dexter has become so easy in comparison...lol. Speaking of Dex...E now walks Dex's while he walks along side. I will have to get it on video. It's too cute. Evan also can throw Dex's toys to a further distance so Dex can actually chase after them a little bit. Before Dex would just look at the toy, then Evan and not do anything (probably thinking "that's all you've got").

We have been taking Gymboree classes on Wednesday mornings and took a Music class there for the first time yesterday. We also have our weekly Monday playdate, Family Grounds a couple times week, and fill our afternoons with either Gymboree open play or parks. Our latest venture is going to Bally so I can workout (instead of getting up everyday at 5:30a to go workout sans Evan) and put E in the Kids Club to play. Well, yeah, that didn't go over to well. Tuesday was our first day and E cried from the time I dropped him off until they called me over the PA system (10 minutes later) to come get him. I am going to keep trying. We went again this afternoon and...he DID IT!!!! 30 minutes in the Kids Club while I worked out. Thank you Evan!!! We'll be going again next Tuesday and Thursday so I can sleep in those days (hopefully E will sleep in too :)

Thank You Mommy

"Thank you mommy"...I heard it for the first time today!!! Well I actually didn't hear it but rather I saw E sign it. Not once but twice!!! It was a heck of a week with E teething and all so it was the perfect end to a rather tiring week. E's getting his first molar on the upper right side. His gum line has been black and blue since Monday and he's been very clingy, whiney and sporting a wicked diaper rash (his usual teething signs). Anyhow, I have been teaching please and thank you signs to E over the last month and he has finally signed it. I am so proud of him!

All this thank you business got me thinking of how often we took our parents for granted and how little appreciation they got when we were younger. I know I put my parents through a lot growing up and I can only imagine how they felt during those years. Parenting is a selfless job and I cannot be anymore grateful for having two wonderful, loving and supportive parents. I know I can never express enough to them how happy they are my parents. Thank you Mom & Dad!!!!

Welcome SUMMER!!!

I can't believe it's already JUNE!!! Where does the time go?!?!? This past weekend marked the "official" start to our summer and couldn't have been anymore fulfilling. I am so excited of what this summer has in store for us. E is so mobile and aware of things that I think we will be able to take him to see and learn LOTS of fun stuff. After our lovely time at Gillson Park on Saturday, Dave, Evan took Evan to the beach for his first time. When we set him down in the sand he cried at first. He didn't like it one bit. Dave tried to get him to play with the sand bucket and shovels but he just observed Dave doing it. After a minute or so he began to touch the sand and realized it wasn't all that bad. He became brave after playing for a bit and started to crawl towards the water. We were about 25 feet away from it. Evan crawled for about 5 feet, got up and walked the rest of the way. Much to my surprised he only fell down once. When he made it to the water he was a bit reluctant to go in so Dave held his hands as they walked in together. Evan didn't stop. He just kept walking. Silly me I didn't bring a change of clothes so I decided that we better take his clothes off so he doesn't get soaking wet and have to go home naked. Despite the warm weather it was cooler by the lake. Anyhow, I took lots of pictures but uploaded a couple here. Looking forward to going back soon!

The rest of the weekend we grilled dinner while taking in the peacefulness of our back deck. Believe it or not...it is quiet in terms of 'city living'. I finished a book from the Redemption Series...so eager to start the next one tonight. I also finished a page of E's scrapbook. So much more to go but it will be done soon. I am determined ;0) Evan really really really enjoyed his new water table and will hopefully continue enjoy it throughout the summer. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend as well.

A breath of fresh air

Today was simply a breath of fresh air! Dave hung out with Evan all morning while I took some alone time...worked out, went to the chiropractor (I have been having mid back pain for the last couple of months from holding Evan) and got a mani-pedi. This afternoon we went to Gillson Park in Wilmette with Dave's family for his mom's birthday. The weather was beautiful. We had a picnic in the park and walked over to the visit the gardens of the Bahii Temple. Absolutely breathtaking!

It's been a while since I wrote an update on the house, sadly there is not much to report. Just met with our home insurance adjustor last week and are awaiting approval from our insurance company for the go ahead to start reconstruction. Hoping to get word from them next week.

Updates on E...

I still find myself amazed at how much he is changing and how big he is getting! I am so proud of how much he has learned and what he continues to teach us every day. Evan's really really trying to talk more. He has now added more, ball, and shake to his verbal vocabulary. He still has his good old baby babble that he thinks he is communicating to us but we still cannot make it out. He's singing along in the car while clapping and tapping at times. He's starting to jog, as I like to call it, without out falling down. Still a bit unsturdy but he's walking 99% of the time. Since I planted flowers on the deck he has enjoyed playing outside going in and out of the patio door, picking the flowers and throwing off the deck so he can watch them fall to the ground (mind you we are on the 3rd floor). He signs "help" while he faces the chair as his request to us to help him onto the chair. Once there, he sits, looks around and laughs. He has found quite a few ways to entertain himself, this being one of them. At the park Evan enjoys the swings and likes to climb up and down the stairs. His latest craze are the plastic cups that you can get at Starbucks, Panera, etc. You know the ones with the lids and the straws. I put some water inside with the lid and straw assembled and give it to him. He loves it! He will hold onto it in his stroller, walk with it, try to bring it up to the top of the park's jungle gym. I should try to get a video of it...it's hilarious! E's loving his books. He'll sit on the couch or the floor and page through them while he babbles. He usually brings me a book and signs 'help' for me to read it to him. Over the last week or so he has been himself bringing his toys (usually one or two) to me and Dave. He'll walk over to us with the toy, give it to us, and then walk away. He's also been doing the same with Dex. Except instead of E bringing his toy to Dex, he brings Dex's toy or bone to Dex. Aside from all these fun little developments, E is getting one of his first molars. I was wondering why he had been so clingy, whiney, and picky about eating early this past week and speculated that it might be teeth. And...sure enough, I noticed his upper right gum is black and blue. Ahhh...it looks terribly painful it's no wonder he wanted me to hold him almost all day.

Rejuvenating Weekend

Today was the longest and BEST weekend in a REALLY REALLY long time. After all the chaos with the fire last weekend it was so wonderful to just spend this weekend with ourselves, Dave, Evan, Dexter and I. Saturday we went for a run, saw Elmo, went for a couple walks, cleaned out the garage, grilled dinner, and relaxed. And today...we went to Home Depot to buy flowers for our deck and I planted them, cleaned the house, and went for a run, while Dave and Evan played. After E's nap we went for a walk, to Starbuck's, and home again to grill dinner. E played on the deck while Dave, Dex and I relaxed. I am so glad to have had this kind of weekend. Long overdue. I feel very refreshed!

On our way

So the walls are dried out and the fans and dehumidifier were picked up yesterday. We are waiting to have the building insurance company and our personal home insurance company inspect the damage. The claim adjustor is coming tomorrow morning so we may have a better idea of what we may be able to get done. As Dave and I feel, everything happens for a reason. We are looking positively on this whole situation in that we will do a little remodeling while we are getting our walls repaired. Why not?!?! Of course the planner that I am, I am already looking for paint colors and ideas for updating our decor. For starters, I am thinking of repainting the master bath and possibly our master bedroom, replacing the curtains and duvet cover. We will be getting new carpet in all three bedrooms and quite possibly replacing the vanity in our guest bath (if so I am thinking of getting keeping the same plum paint color but getting a pedestal sink and new ceramic tile. Well that's the fun part of the remodeling. On the flip side, we believe a few more of our walls will need to be knocked down and rebuilt due to the water damage marks and stains. We'll see what the insurance companies say about them and make a decision from there. I'll continue to keep you all posted.

Day Three: Restoration & Recovery

GOOD NEWS...the walls are dried out and we are on our way to starting construction! Aside from being thrilled that tonight is the first night of no workers in our house to 9:30/10p, we are happy to be back to a normal temperature (a comfortable 70 degrees (beats having the air conditioning on and your house set to 65 degrees), no insulation flying everywhere and the peaceful sound of silence (the fans were making us a little crazy :) The fans and dehumidifier should be picked up within the next few days and while we are waiting for them to make their exit, we are awaiting our home insurance inspector and the building home insurance inspector to take a look at our building and individual units.

So we got our wish of staying in the city for at least another year!!! All things happen for a reason, right!

Day 2 of Restoration and Recovery

Boy...do I wish I could say we are back to normal...ha! We are no where near close to that. Today we met with the claims adjuster to determine if it's in our interest to use them or whether we just simply go through our home & building insurance providers to cover costs for all the damage. It looks as though using the claim adjustor is best. When all is said and done, we are looking to not have to pay a single penny for the recovery and restoration of our home. Hoping the roofers who started the fire will be solely responsible. Later this afternoon the restoration and recovery service guys came to knock out our kitchen ceiling and vacuum out the insulation. Once the insulation was all out they sprayed a disinfectant. The disinfectant kills mold that may have grown since the start of the water damage. Lastly (or so we hope this is the last of the drilling and knocking down of walls), they drilled the final holes along two of our kitchen walls. Having experienced what we've dealt with thus far, I am highly considering the insurance company's offer to set us up in a hotel. Although...living in a studio room with a toddler and dog doesn't necessarily sound like a fun time ;0)

9a meeting with the head emergency restoration and recovery man tomorrow. That should be fun! More to come...

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof Was On Fire

Oh my... what a weekend!!! The roof of our building caught on fire. I will try to make this as short as I can. Dave was golfing in the burbs all day while Evan and I were at Gymboree. Evan and I left Gymboree. I happened to check my cell phone and saw that my neighbor called. I called her back and learned that our building was on fire. I ran the 30 minute walk back home in about 15 minutes (mind you E was in the stroller and I was wearing flip flops). Needless to say at the very moment I learned of the fire, I feared the worse...all I could think of was Dexter. I was hoping and praying that he was okay. As I was approaching our block, I saw 2 fire engines, an ambulance, and my neighbors and their dogs but no Dexter. My throat closed up, I started hyperventilating, and could barely move. Thankfully my neighbors quickly reassured me that although Dexter was still inside he was fine. They had contained the fire and no one was hurt. Kindly my neighbor offered to go up and get Dexter from our unit while I stayed with Evan and our neighbors. As soon as I saw Dexter, that he was okay, I breathed a sigh of relief and held back my tears. I was so grateful he was alright. Apparently one of our neighbors, the owner of the top unit was having a water system installed on the roof top deck so they can access water for their home garden up there. The roofer was sealing and the roof and some material which was resting on top of where the furnace lies caught on fire. After talking to our neighbor and the fire chief, we got the okay to go inside. When I entered our house it had a strong smoke smell and there were puddles up and down our hallway, inside the guest bath, furnace room, kitchen and just inside the door way of both of our guest bedrooms. A few of the walls also had water trickling down of which I didn't notice until an hour or so later. As soon as I got Evan situated with a few toys, I cleaned up the water. Oy...what a project!! I was so happy once Dave got home. I explained what happened and we talked about how grateful we were that everyone was alright and that there wasn't much damage to our place. Little did we know that there was extensive damage inside of the walls. Long story short (well I guess I am beyond that now ;0) we had an emergency service take a moisture reading of our walls to see if there was water within. Low and behold nearly half of our home's walls had water sitting within it. Today we had the walls (all the hallway, third bedroom internal wall, all walls of Evan's nursery (one of the walls has to be ripped out), 3 of the kitchen walls, hall closet and furnace rooms aerated so that they can start drying out. During these next few days (however long it takes for them to dry out and the moisture levels to reach a normal level) there will be a dehumidifier and multiple fans spaced throughout our house. I imagine we are going to be going a little crazy after hearing the humming sound of the fans for hours on end. We have been listening to our neighbors fans above us for the past 24 hours plus and hear them as clear as day. Ugh... Each day the moisture levels will be read in order to determine if a more aggressive approach to drying out the walls needs to be taken (sigh). We are hopeful that there is not more damage than has been already done. And...we are hoping that our home insurance will also cover most of the costs, if not all of it. I can only imagine how long this is all going to take when it's all said and done. After this drying out process is done there will be wall repair, painting and cleaning, at least that's what we hope is all that will be left to do. (sigh) What an experience this is!!!! So glad that we are all safe and sound and that it's just the walls of our unit that will need to be repaired...or so we hope. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

It's Official...

Evan is WALKING!!!!

As of Friday E is toddling EVERYWHERE!!! I'd say he is walking 90% of the time now. It's fun and exciting, yet weird and sad because he is no longer a baby. He's a TODDLER!!! Luckily for me and Dave, E is still slow :) Not sure how long it will last, but...we'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Our Little Waddler

So Evan is becoming more and more brave in his attempts to walk. Although he still prefers crawling...he'd win a crawling race for sure, he's giving much more effort in his quest to walk. Over the last couple of days, E will be standing up, holding onto something (like a piece of furniture or tumbling equipment), he sees something that he wants and he'll start to walk to it. Sometimes he makes it there by walking and sometimes, or should I say more times than not, he walks about 5 steps and plops right down and crawls. Smart little guy...he knows he's can get to and from things faster by crawling!

E said "yes" to Dave yesterday morning when they were eating breakfast together. He also nodded his head yes while he said it. Still not signing the please, thank you's, and excuse me's yet...lol. But hoping that comes shortly.

Recently E started going to one nap. Four out of the five days he only took one nap. As of yesterday he is taking just an afternoon one. It will be interesting to see if he will keep this up. Honestly, I was a bit worried how it was all going to pan out until yesterday. He woke up at 6:30a, I tried putting him down at 9a for his morning nap, he laid in his crib for a half hour. Didn't go to sleep so I took him out. We went to Family Grounds to play for a couple of hours, headed home and I put him down for an afternoon nap at 1p and he slept for an hour and a half. It worked out fabulous! Hope today will work out the same (fingers crossed)!

We have a busy weekend ahead 2 birthday parties, 2 more showings (had 1 yesterday too). We are hopeful that one of these days we either get a second showing (enough of the first showings-we've had over 20 already) or an offer. Come on already!!!! The cleaning up for them is starting to wear us out. It's a lot more difficult getting prepped for them with a dog and a child. Jeez.

Signs

The power of signs!  I am so glad that I started teaching Evan sign language.  Although I was very discouraged having started signing to him at 3.5 months because it felt like I was entertaining myself...lol...now, it is my life saver.   I love not having to figure out everything that E wants or needs.   He effectively communicates his wants and needs when it comes to food, drink, help, all done, and his favorite, more.   Before Evan started communicating, many times I would question whether or not I should continue.  It wasn't until E was 9 months old that he signed his first sign 'more' on a consistent basis.  Now at 13 months old he is signing 8 signs in order to express his needs and wants ( light, hi/bye, milk, all done, help, food, drink, and more).  Looking back over the last 10 months when I was pulling my hair out and ready to stop, I am so grateful that I stuck with it.  Now when I am teaching Evan manners, please and thank you, I keep in mind the patience us both before he was able to sign the words for himself :0) Hoping he'll learn these in a month versus ten ;0)

On a side note, Dave bought E a basketball hoop and basketball to play inside.  He set it up on the back of our kitchen chair, just so it's at E's height.  Evan absolutely LOVES it... as does Daddy!  It's so cute to see his sense of accomplishment when he makes a basket.   He is oh-so-proud.  

We were also able to get a video of E walking.  Maybe one of these days he will actually prefer walking over crawling.  I probably should be careful what I wish for...right?!??!

Big Brother

They are the cutest DUO, Evan and Dex!   I absolutely LOVE THEM!!!  I never realized what a great teaching tool Dex is to Evan.  E is now not only calling Dex's name for him to come but attempting (with no success yet) to put the harness on Dex, holding his leash when we go on walks, giving a treat to Dex when we come inside from our walks, and just his morning I witnessed one of the cutest things between the two.   After E had finished drinking milk from his sippy cup, he set the cup on the ground next to him.  Of course, the hungry hound that Dexter is,  he waited right by E's side until he finished drinking his milk.  The moment E took his hand off the cup Dex was right there licking the straw.   When Evan saw this he quickly grabbed his sippy cup with one hand, put his other arm out straight while pushing Dex away, and said "No No No No No".   It was priceless!  I was so glad to witness it but sure do wish I got it on camera.

Baptism Blessing

Today our son, Evan, was recognized as a member of God's family.   He was baptized at the church I grew up to and confirmed as a member many years ago.  We couldn't have had a more beautiful day and are so blessed to have Evan in our lives.   Last week I visited my Grandmother in the hospital.   As were talking she humbly said to me and my Dad "How did we live without Evan in our lives.  He is such a blessing."  I couldn't agree more.  Evan has be the light in our lives over the past 13 months and will continue to be.  He has taught us the 'real' meaning of life and reminds us that the little things are not worth getting upset over.  We were so grateful to be surrounded by the love and company of our family members who witnessed Evan becoming a child of God, and for those family and friends that were not with us, they were with us in spirit.

Where's the time gone?

I am amazed at how much Evan is changing and how quickly.  Not sure if it was the little boy hair cut I gave him this morning, but he went from being this little 6 pound little baby to this incredibly active and talkative little boy.   While at Gymboree open play,  E did his usual crawling and tumbling up and down the play equipment.  But today was different.  Today he attempted multiple times to walk.   Each time he took about 5-10 steps.  Wobbly, of course, but he was eager to do it.   He also learned how to go down the stairs or anything that is raised off of the floor backwards.   I taught him by saying "turn around and down" and it definitely paid off because today was the first day I didn't have to say it or cue him to remember to do it.  Another new observation I made today was while he was on the wooden rocking horse.  He saw an electrical outlet on the wall to his left and said "no" as he shook his head.   As I saw him do it, I reaffirmed him by saying "no touch" and "danger".   He followed my affirmation by shaking his head no and saying "no".   E is also saying "hot" and knows when something is hot.  We were eating breakfast yesterday and Evan saw my coffee and said "hot".  Similarly as I was making dinner he felt the heat from the oven and said "hot, hot".   Oh my...and when I ask him to help me, like get the dog out from under the bed, Evan will crawl over to Dex and say "Dexter, Dexter" while patting the ground or his leg in an attempt to get him to come out.   Speaking of Dexter, when E and I take Dex for his walks, E likes to hold Dex's leash.   It took a couple walks before E realized he had to hold on the whole walk.   We'll see how long wanting to walk him lasts :0)   I know there are a few more things that he's been doing new as of late, but am stumped as to what they are.  When I remember them I will add them.

E's FIRST Trip to the DENTIST!!!

E did well!   He much rather play with the toys in their office than get his teeth cleaned, but hey, who can blame him?!?!  Dr. Kristen was wonderful.  She introduced E to all the equipment and picked out a raspberry flavored cleaner to clean his teeth and followed the cleaning with watermelon flavored flouride.  Yum!  While she was cleaning his teeth she put on an Elmo/Sesame Street show that displayed on top of the ceiling while he looked up at it.  I thought for sure that would capture his attention.  But I should have know better, E plus restraint equals disaster!!!   He cried the whole time Dr. Kristen cleaned his teeth.  Oh well!  At least he has very clean pearly whites ;0)  He got a certificate with his picture on it to add to his scrapbook.   Although Evan wasn't a big fan of his first cleaning, I am proud that he did it and had a smile on his face when it was all done!  Good job Evan!!!

Our Furbaby, Dex

Sorry for the long wait....quite a bit has been going on recently and has put a hold on my posting.  Dex had surgery last week.  He had a lump removed from his chest.  After picking Dex up from the vet after the surgery he came home, we fed him and he was hanging out at Evan's side for the 2 hours before E went to bed.   He didn't miss a beat!   The next day Dex was up and running about with his toy up and down the hallway.   Apparently he wasn't in much pain.   We were glad to see him bounce back so quickly.   On Thursday we got the pathology results on his lump and learned that it's a Mass Cell Tumor (cancer).  It is fairly common in the breed (among a few other dog breeds).   However, that did not make receiving the information any easier.   The Vet was pretty confident that she removed it all but told us to keep a watch out for any bumps or unusual growths and will test him in 6 months.  Hopefully Dex will not have any more serious health issues.  The poor dog has had his fair amount of health problems in the short 7 years that he's been living.   Keep Mr. Dexter in your thoughts and prayers!

A Lovely Weekend

Finally my cold is gone and I have more energy.  Dave and I enjoyed some alone time on Saturday when we dropped off E at our friend's house (Thanks Catherine and Put) to get out and see a movie...at the theatre!  We saw Shutter Island.  Great movie!   It has been a couple months since Dave and I got out just the two of us :)  Long over due and it felt very refreshing.  We need to do this more often!

E's having fun being 'Mr. Busybody'.  He's always on the go...eh hem...like his mommy and is really keeping us on our toes.  He's standing by himself, much more sturdy and for longer periods of time.  He has attempted to take a couple steps but then dives forward after the first or second one.  He's signing more consistently and more curious with each passing day.  Has mastered the downward facing dog and finds it entertaining to crawl around in circles, stop, and see the world in a dizzy state of mind :)

Sadly, we have not been able to nix the bottle quite yet.  He will drink out of his straw sippy but prefers the bottle for his milk.  Only a few more months before he's done with that.  He recently tried pork tenderloin and corn and loved them!

We are looking forward to some warmer weather that's predicted this week so we can get out for more walks and to the parks!

No No No

E cracks us up!  He just started to nod his head 'no' and understand the meaning of 'no'.   As of late, Evan LOVES looking for your belly button.   As much as I have tried working with him on looking for his it's hard since he has such a pot belly.  You can't even pull it up or suck it in to find it.   The thing is HUGE!!

Anyhow....I thought I'd share this funny happening with everyone.   Dave, Evan and I went to Family Grounds (a kids play space and cafe) on Saturday afternoon.  While E was playing he noticed a women sitting close by to him who's back was turned to him.  He saw a small part of her back skin exposed (the part between the top of her pant and the bottom of her shirt) and decided to go up to a lady and pulled her shirt up in search of her belly button...lol.  As soon as I saw what he was doing,  I rushed over to her and apologized as she smiled and laughed.  Luckily she was very understanding and thought it was cute :0)  Oh E!   In retrospect, I guess that wasn't a good thing to teach you how to find your belly button.  So how do I get him to understand not to get in other people's space?!?!?  Ha...hopefully sooner rather than later.

E's still drinking the whole milk but it's been hard getting him to drink completely from the sippy cup.  He'll drink about 4 oz from it but that's about it.  Hopefully it's a start and he'll come to it in time.  

Oh, E's cold is getting better. He's not as stuffy and his nose is running less, as well as his cough.   Now, sadly, I have the cold.  Hoping it will go away quickly as I have 3 night appointments this week and will need the energy to get through the days and then those nights :0)  Wish me luck!
 

No More Formula....YAY!!!

E's on whole milk completely!   Now we are officially onto removing the bottle.   Boy I know we are in for it with this one.

We had a great week and weekend!  E is 110% better since his ear infection a week and a half ago.  He finished his antibiotic today and is officially drinking all whole milk!   This week was action packed as always.  Aside from our weekly Monday play date, Tuesday baby swap, Gymboree, and Family Grounds play date, we went to Gymboree 2 additional times.  One for an open play and one for a make up class (we missed last Wednesday because of E's ear infection).  E absolutely LOVES that place!  We just walk in and he is smiling from ear to ear.  Since he loves it so much, we signed him up for April classes.   This weekend came and went quickly :0(  Saturday we went to our friend's 1st birthday party and E played and was entertained by all the  commotion it brought.   He loved the pasta salad and the birthday cake that we fed him rather than the food I brought him.  Of course, why would he like my cooking when he eats it everyday...silly mommy ;0)  We had another showing which made that 3 for this week.   So far no second showing or serious buyers as far as we know.  Luckily the time change hasn't thrown E off too much.  We'll see how he is tomorrow though...lol.  Today Dave and E went out to visit Grandma and Grandpa in West Dundee.   They apparently had a great time because E was all smiles when I got home from my pilates class tonight.   He always has a fun time visiting them!

New accomplishments....hmm...let's see...E is much more mobile.  His physically abilities are definitely developing.  He took one wobbly step for me this past week.   He's still not to sure of the whole walking thing.  He still rather crawl everywhere :0)  As I already said earlier he's drinking all whole milk.   He's signing more regularly which is so nice to see (especially since I have been signing to him since he was 3 months old).  E and Dex are quite the best of buds.  He likes to feed Dex his food when he is finished eating.  He's babbling far more and has started to try to say Dexter's name.  He mainly can say the D and X, T and R sounds.  I understand it but not sure that others can ;0)  I know there are a few more things but I am so exhausted and am in need to go to bed.  Good Night!

Day Two of Milk Transition

Yesterday went well.  E drank 2 oz of whole milk from his bottle.  For the rest of his bottles yesterday I mixed 50% whole milk with 50% formula.   He drank each of them as if nothing were different.

Today he drank 4 oz of whole milk alone without hesitation so I decided to make his bottles with whole milk for the rest of the day.   SO LONG FORMULA!!!!  Thanks Evan for making that transition easy...now onto getting rid of the bottle.  This one I anticipate to be not so easy a transition.  E LOVES his bottle!

First Transition of Four

Today E started his first of four transitions...formula to cow's milk.   We'll much to my surprise it went pretty well.   Mind you, having had milk allergies myself, I was apprehensive of giving E milk and mentally prepared myself in the event we had to make an emergency trip to the dr or hospital.   Luckily our little man, tolerated the milk just fine...phew!   Once I got the nerve to pour a couple ounces of whole cow's milk into Ev's sippy, I offered it to him, he tried a sip of it and pushed it away.   So I thought, okay it's just the cup, let me try a different one.   Nope!   That didn't work either.   So, I decided to use E's pediatrician's suggestion...put one part cow's milk and 3 parts formula into Evan's bottle.   Of course!  That worked perfectly, and I did continued doing that for the remaining 2 bottles E had today.  My game plan from here on out is to continue to increase the cow's milk and decrease the formula until he is drinking all cow's milk, no formula.  Hoping it's not easier said than done...ha ha.

The remaining three transitions are (and in this order :)

*Bottle to cup...no more bottle (E is REALLY not going to like this one!)
*Two naps to one nap per day
*No more spoon fed meals-all independent and with use of utensils

I'll continue to update daily as to how this milk transition thing goes...keep your fingers crossed that it's a smooth one!

1 Year Appointment

Quick Update on E.  He had his one year doctor appointment today and did a super job.   He no longer has his ear infection...yay!!!  E weighed in at 24.3 lbs and is 29.5 inches.   He's in the 75th percentile, meeting all his developmental milestones and is a healthy little man overall.   He didn't like the 2 shots that he got but quickly forgot about them as we walked out of the office and into the beautiful 60 degree outdoors.  Since Dave worked from home and went with us to E's appointment, Dave and I took Evan to Gymboree open play for an hour after his afternoon nap.  E was all smiles.   He loves Gymboree and didn't miss a beat while we were there.  I haven't seen that much energy take over him for well over a week.  He was climbing up and down the ramps, on and over the tumbling mats, and throwing the balls.  He definitely is back to himself, and boy, what a relief it is to see....yay...our little E is back!!!

Evan's 1st Birthday

E had a great 1st Birthday despite being sick with an ear infection earlier in the week.   We had our families and a few close friends over for E's birthday party on Saturday.   He got his first taste of cake!  Once he tried it he wanted more.  We took it away from him and he started to cry!   Now he knows what he was missing all along...lol.   We took a lot of pictures and I posted a few here already.   It's amazing how much he has grown and accomplished in this short year.  We are looking forward to what the next year brings!  Happy 1st Birthday E!!!  We are soooo proud of you!!!

Need to CATCH UP!

Sorry it's been a few weeks since I last blogged.  Needless to say, it's been a crazy 2 weeks!   E came down with an ear infection last Monday and has not been himself for the past week.  I initially thought it was because he was teething (he grew 3 more teeth in less than 2 weeks).  So the ear infection really tied us up while we were trying to get him better for his 1st birthday party this past weekend, had an open house, took the dog to the vet, and so on and so on...I was afraid there was going to be a time where life was going to get in the way and I was not going to keep up with this...however, it's only been two weeks and I will surely catch you all up...no worries :)

Over the course of the past weeks, E still loves taking things in and out of containers, sitting on one knee, dances to music/beat, finding my belly button (still working on him finding his), crawling every where and tumbling over anything he can, pointing to things if he sees something familiar/wants something.   In addition to his old behaviors, he has learned quite a few new ones...he gives open mouth slobbery kisses and doesn't seem to care whether they are on your mouth, on your cheek, or on your pant.  He just likes to give them :0)  He also gives kisses to Dex.  He'll crawl up to Dex and dive his head right into him with an open mouth (wonder how much fur he has been eating...lol...It's pretty funny to watch.  Dex just moves his body away from E as fast as he can and looks at him like what are you doing to me?  E also has added a word and sign to his vocabulary.  He says Elmo and signs 'all done'.  His sign for 'more' is very clear now and no longer looks like he's clapping.  He's grown 3 new teeth in a matter of a week and a half.  Two top and one bottom.  He now has a total of 7 teeth.

Wednesday was supposed to be E's first Gymboree Play and Learn class but he was sick with an ear infection so we didn't go.   We did run some errands and relaxed at home.   All E wanted to do was cuddle and lay on my chest.  He had no energy to play and a fever of 104.3 which was at it's highest and the lowest was at 102.8.  Luckily he still ate.   The pediatrician put him on an antibiotic and he is much better.  Unfortunately he's in a "mommy hold me" period and it's really starting to wear on me.  At first I thought it was because he still wasn't feeling well but now I believe it's a manipulative behavior.   For instance, E whines, I pick him up, he stops whining.  Today I wanted to see if it was him manipulating the situation and low and behold it was.   E was whining, I ignored him, after 30 seconds or so he crawled away from me and played, came back whining about 5 minutes later, whined while holding onto my legs for 30 seconds, crawled away and played.    I hope this passes soon :)   Looking forward to a fun active packed week (as always)... house showing, pilates, Oscar's,  hair cut, birthday party tomorrow, baby swap, Gymboree, Family Grounds, Gymboree, and a 1st birthday party on Sunday...phew.

Our Little Angel, Ava...Happy 2nd Birthday!

What an emotional & reflective week!  Thursday marked Ava's second birthday born to heaven and Friday marked her second birthday here on earth.  Both days I was a bit moody, to say the least.  As I look back over the last 2 years it's hard to believe it's been that long since we lost our little angel.  I remember so vividly giving birth to her as though it were yesterday.  I think of her often and she is always in my thoughts.  I know she is watching over us everyday, she's our angel.   I cannot explain how much I miss her.   I know that God and her brought us Evan.   At times when I look at Evan I see Ava in him.  When I look at Ava's pictures, I see Evan in her.  It's unbelievable how many similar features they share.   I often think what a great big sister she would have been to Evan and how incredibly lucky Evan would have been to have her as a big sister.    We are so grateful to have had two beautiful children.

Aside from us celebrating Ava, we also had an action packed week-partly so that I could keep my mind busy, but also just to follow suite ;0)  E's been continuing to surprise us, he's now signing 'light', in addition to 'milk' and 'more', although it's still hard to distiguish between 'milk' and 'light' and 'more' and Evan clapping.  They look to much the same!  He loves to dance to music whenever he hears it.  He bounces up and down and sways side to side.    He's also standing for longer periods of time (he has much better balance) and trying to talk a lot more.  Evan tried a few new foods this week.  Strawberries were by far his favorite!  Cottage cheese followed in second.  Tilapia didn't even rank in the top, more like in the least favorite food column.   I think I will try the fish again next week and see how it goes.  Although he gets a variety of foods, I feel like he's always eating the same thing.  He appears fine with what he's eating so I guess I shouldn't worry about it.  Better he eats than not eat at all!    Maybe it's time to start adding some spices to his menu.

Our friends and us did our first Baby Swap on Tuesday!  It was fun.    Evan had a good time playing with his friends while one of the four moms went out to run errands and stuff.  I am looking forward to my turn in a couple weeks.  So wish we would have started this sooner.  Oh well.

On Friday my mom came to visit E and I.   She brought us the most beautiful magenta striped rose.  Every year she brings us a rose in honor of Ava.   Each year the rose blooms beautifully!   You can see the her first birthday rose on my profile picture below.  I have kept the petals thus far and will continue to as a symbol of her always being with us.

We had a great visit with Dave's grandparents, uncle, and brother's family.   Evan's great grandparents really enjoyed seeing him.    They couldn't believe how much he grew and how active our little man is.   You could also tell his cousins were excited to see him because they were cooing over him the whole time.  Evan was all smiles, how could he not be with all that attention!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

What's new?   Let's see....E's not taking to the milk in the sippy cup well.   We have been trying to transition him from the bottle to the cup so he won't use the bottle by 1 year old (or shortly thereafter).   Evan is finding it amusing to feed his food to me.   He smiles every time he puts his hand to my mouth with food in it to feed me.  He laughs.   He continues to say 'mama' and 'dada'  along with other nonsense babbling.   He has associated 'dada' with waving hi and bye.   It's hysterical.   I'll be changing E's diaper on the changing table and say 'dada' and he will just wave, even though Dave isn't home.

I attended a pediatric dental presentation on Wednesday night at Growing Smiles.  The presentation was hosted for our Big City Babies play group.  We had a nice turn out and a fun time.  All the moms were pleased with the information, tips, and friendly atmosphere.  Starting Thursday, Ev was brushing his teeth 2 times a day.  So far he likes it.  We'll see how long that lasts.   Right now he is digging the strawberry flavored toothpaste.  He'd rather suck all the flavor out of the toothbrush before brushing.   I modeled how to brush his teeth and he smiled, then tired it himself.   After he's done brushing (with my help of course) I give him a high five!

Thursday was our Valentine's Day party at Fantasy Kingdom!  It was fun!   A few new Big City Babies members attended, including a couple stay-at-home-dads.   The kids played in the tunnels, cars, and in the kiddies under 2 area while we chatted.

On Friday we went to a make up Bubbles music class.   The instructor wasn't as great as our regular Thursday music class, but at least we got to sing, dance and tumble at open play.

Yesterday we went to Family Grounds with Daddy to play.   It was very crowded but a great time as usual :)   After E's afternoon nap we headed to Bubbles for a Sweetheart Soiree Open Play and Music Time.   Just the perfect place to spend with out little Valentine.  

Today our friends, Tyler, Jen and Steve came over to watch the Illini game.   I made homemade chili and we relaxed while the Tyler and Evan played.   A perfect Sunday activity.

A Little Lesson from a Little Man

Evan surprises us everyday!  There is always something new he brings to our lives...whether it's something he does, babbles, or simple change in his nap schedule ;0) we are pleasantly amazed at how much we learn from him.   Today I served E his dinner, autumn squash, turkey, and broccoli by putting the food on his high chair tray like I always do.  I cut all his food into small pieces for him to eat.   However, tonight, I left one broccoli floret (not cut up) in his bowl on the kitchen table, which I thought was out of his reach.  After placing E's food on his tray I went to the sink to get a damp paper towel.  When I came back Evan had the broccoli floret in his hand and the bowl lying sideways on his tray.  He looked at me with the look of "I shouldn't be doing this should I" look.   Of course the "new mom" in me immediately wanted to grab the broccoli floret out of his hand in fear he would choke on it but a little voice inside me told me to just smile and watch.  So I just sat there watching and encouraging him to try to eat it.   As he looked at me with the broccoli in his hands he had this look of uncertainty.   He appeared to not know whether he should eat it or not eat it and if he was to eat it, how he should eat it.  After looking at me, he looked at the broccoli for a few seconds and then decided to stick the small stalk end into his mouth.  He gnawed on it for a while then turned it around and starting chewing on the floret.  To my surprise he really enjoyed it!   I am glad that he grabbed the floret from the bowl while I wasn't looking.  He had this independence about him and I could tell he felt proud :0)  Thankfully from this moment I realized that I have to let him try things, set my fears aside, and just let him experience things for himself.   If he's ready, he'll let me know (as he did tonight).  It's also a bit reassuring that he was apprehensive about doing things initially and doesn't just dive in, if only he will carry this when peer pressures arises later down the road ;0)

Our Little E

Evan is now signing milk!  It's hilarious to watch his little hand sign it.  So as of late, he is signing milk, more and all done.   He's also been trying to take more some steps.   He's not that confident in taking them unless there is something he can walk towards and that is within reaching distance.

This past week Evan battled a slight cold.  Nothing too bad fortunately.  Just the annoying runny nose and mild stuffiness.  Luckily, I managed to avoid it with extra sleep and the old reliable Nyquil.  Thank goodness for that (hee hee)!  We had some floor guys out to sand, buff, and finish the wood floor.  As expected they took longer than they anticipated, so E and I ran errands.  Thankfully for our good friends, Jen and Tyler, they let us hang out at their house for the morning.  Aside from being homeless for a good portion of Tuesday, E and I went to our weekly play date, Family Grounds, and Bubbles the remaining days of the week.   On Friday, though, we laid low because neither E nor I felt well.   It was nice to just veg out for the day with my little man.  It's been a long time since we had done that for the entire day :0)  On Saturday, Dave, Ev and I headed to my parents house for a visit.   Later into our visit, Dave and I went to see Avatar while my mom and dad watched E and Dex.   Oh!  We had a showing at 1p Saturday while we were visiting my parents.  It was exciting to get some traffic through our place.  (Not too bad for being on the market for less than a week!)  Today Dave and E went to visit Dave's parents while I scrapbooked and relaxed.  Dex, of course, was around to keep me some company.  The peace and quite was much much needed...but boy was I happy to see them both when they got home :0)

Daily Reflections

Every night when I put Evan down for bed, I reflect on what God has given me.  I love snuggling with him and watching him sleep so peacefully.  Dave and I are so blessed to have Evan.   Each day he brings even more joy than the last.  I never knew you can have as much love for someone as I do for him.

So Much Going On

This past week was a trying one.   E was not in the best of temperaments.   His fifth tooth is almost popping through and he has been extremely fussy.  Hoping it comes through quickly.   

E is mimicking almost every move we show him or ask him to do.   It's cute.  His latest move is to throw a ball.   He attempts to throw it to Dex and when he does, Dex doesn't chase it since it only rolls about a foot.   Poor Ev, he just looks at Dex, Dex looks at him and that's that.   Evan also likes to help in the folding laundry chore :0)  He likes to take the clean clothes out of the laundry basket, and once I fold them, particularly the rolled socks, he throws them into the laundry basket.  Some make it, and some bounce off the rim.    

Aside from E's new skills, Grace, Evan, Catherine and I tried a class at Gymboree called Play and Learn.   It was a lot of fun!  We sang songs, tumbled on the mats and jungle gym equipment, and blew bubbles.   We had such a great experience that Gracie and Evan are signed up for the same class in March.  We also went to Fantasy Kingdom a fun extra big play space with all sorts of exploratory toys, tunnels, and slides.  E had a good time.  So much that he took a super long nap (over 2 hours) that afternoon that I think we'll be adding that place to our weekly or bi-weekly activities :0)

Yesterday we had Evan's friend, William's first birthday party.  They had it at Family Grounds...our most favorite hang out!  All our friends were there to celebrate!  It was a fun time...wish it could have lasted longer.   

A busy week lies ahead, we aside from grandma visiting, we have a first birthday celebration party for all the kiddos that turned one in the last 2 months for our Big City Babies play group, the flooring guy coming to fix the wood floor, Family Grounds, Bubbles, a My Gym Trial class, and most importantly, DATE NIGHT (well really Date Day) on Saturday.   A much needed time that we haven't done in well over 2 months!

Oh... and tomorrow our home will officially be on the market!!   I have mixed emotions about it, but since we are in no pressure to move, I don't feel that uneasy overall.   

Getting too big too fast

LOTS of new things that Mr. E has mastered this week...ha!   He is now saying "Mama"!!!  It's bitter sweet...love hearing it but not a million time over :0)

When E hears music he starts to hum, well sort of, it sounds more like a hmm as he bounces to the beat.  He's also imitating what we do.   He claps when we clap, pounds the ground, mimics movements that we make or what the kids in our play group do, it's too cute.  He's starting to shake his head side to side as if he was shaking his head no.  He hasn't associated the meaning of it yet, but I am sure that will come soon enough...ha ha.  He's totally his mommy's child....he likes to organize things over and over again!  His latest is taking stuff in and out of containers and or moving things from one container to another.  Of course, this is all probably a developmental thing, but it's too similar to my ways :)  

Aside from all Evan's new developmental milestones, we had an eventful week.  On Monday we visited E's great grandparents and even got to see his cousin, Grace, Aunt Lori and Uncle Tom.  We ate lunch with them, talked and played.  Tuesday Ev and I tried a Mom & Tot Yoga class at Bloom Yoga.  It was lots of fun.  Our friends, Carly and Shayla, joined us in our new adventure!   We are going to go at least once a month since both E and I enjoyed ourselves.   Thursday was fun...we went to Gigi's Play house.  It's new to the city but not new to the surrounding suburbs.  Gigi's is a play space for children with Down Syndrome.  It also allows for children without Downs to interact with children with it.   We met a little guy named Conner.  He was 2 years old.     Of course, E's still a bit young to interact with him but it was the whole concept that I be engaged in.  Friday we made up our Bubbles class that we had missed on Thursday because of Gigi's Playhouse play date.  The instructor was comparable and Evan seemed to  like the class as much as our regular Thursday class.  Yesterday Evan and I went out to see my friend, Anne Marie's, new home in Elgin while Daddy worked on a project.   We had fun play time with Anne Marie's friend's 1 year old son, Christian.  E kept taking Christian's pacifier.  It's funny...E doesn't even like pacifiers.  But what's not their's is always what they want, right?!?!  Today is Mommy Day and Daddy and Evan Day ;0)  While Dave and Ev spend some quality time together, I'm going to a Cardio Dance and coffee with a close friend and then to Hot Vinyasa Yoga later today!

Only 6 weeks until our little man turns one!  

Weekend Fun

Aunt Callie and Uncle Matt came for a visit on Saturday.   It was a lot of fun!  Cal and Matt played with Ev while we caught up on our day to day happenings.   Uncle Matt played the guitar for E and E tried helping him strum a tune.

Today Dave, Evan and I headed out to Glenview to check out a new kids place called Make A Messterpiece.  What a cute and creative hangout for kids!  I wish they had these kinds of places when we were little.  I could have hung out there all day and played.   They had a play area for kids 2 and under so that's where we hung out (see pics).   We tried to get E to make a messterpiece by painting on paper in his smock...but. that. didn't. happen.   He's a little too young for the arts component :0(  Maybe next year when he's older.  

Ev's tooth is completely through his gum!  No more B.R.A.T. diet, whining, diarrhea, or hanging on my leg :0)  Thank goodness!  It was wearing a little thin.  He's back to himself and rearing to go!

E's 4th Tooth

Another tooth!   Now E has four...two top and two bottom.   Of course with the eruption of a new tooth (well... at least in Ev's case) comes lovely bouts of diarrhea, drooling, and plenty of WHINING!!!   Today we had 4 poopy diapers, 3 outfit changes, and one bath.  The one bath today was an improvement from yesterday 2 baths.  E got a bath immediately after he woke up when I found his pjs bleeding a lovely shade of brown and green, and one relatively close to bed.  We usually bathe Evan around 5:30 and put him into his pjs, he was in and out of the bath by 4:30 thanks to an explosive diaper shortly before that.  It was not a pretty sight.  Glad this tooth has finally cut through.  I am hoping for it to completely emerge within the next day or so, so the whining will stop and he will be more comfortable.  I hate seeing him in uncomfortable :0(

Managing the cold Chicago weather

Despite the cold wintry Chicago weather, I have been trying to keep us busy with lots of fun and 'new' activities.  Our latest adventure was a new music class at Bubbles.  Ev wasn't too sure about it at first, he sat in the room and just took it all in.  After the instructor started playing the guitar and singing songs, Evan finally began to warm up but didn't really get comfortable until the last 5 minutes of class once he saw all the tumbling equipment.  Not that he didn't appear to like it, I just think he wasn't too sure what it was all about.  The last class we took was a swimming class, so this music class was, let's say...a. bit. different :0)

We also went to our favorite play place hang out, Family Grounds Cafe, with our friends last week.  We got a monthly membership there and will go every Wednesday for 2 hours of play.  The place is so popular that there is usually a waiting list.   You can imagine why our little man likes it sooooo much!  That is also why we decided to get the reserved Wednesday play time.

On to Evan's latest accomplishments!  So much has happened since my last post.   (I guess you can say I am a bit behind...oops!)  E's latest and greatest act is standing on top of his musical table (check it out on the right).  If we had space for a jungle gym in our house, it would be perfect for him.  He loves tumbling over things.  He still likes crawling with things in his mouth and would rather crawl than walk.  Looks like his walking days are still a ways away.  Thanks goodness...I am in no rush for that!

E's is babbling a lot and saying "dada" "ha", he's making the "m" sound, but still doesn't say "ma ma".  He's also saying "la la", "ba ba", and "ga ga".  Some times he sounds like he is trying to say "Dexter" but those sounds are all too complex, so I think I may just be hearing things ;0)
In addition to his talking, he is putting things into containers and pulling/ dumping them out.  The funniest of all things he likes putting into something... is his dirty diaper into the baby diaper genie garbage can.  As I am holding E, E holds onto the diaper, I step on the foot pedal, the lid opens and E drops the diaper into the opening of the garbage can.  After he makes it in, I take my foot off the pedal so the lid closes, then quickly push on the foot pedal again so he can look inside and see that it's gone.  Then we give each other a HIGH FIVE!   He is all smiles!!!  It's too funny!  You've got to see it!

WOW!  In rereading this post, quite a bit has happened in 10 days...I think I need to update every 2 days versus once every 2 weeks.  Too much to remember :0)

Some things I forgot to add in my previous posts...

With all the excitement of the holidays, I forgot to mention Evan's new developmental markers.  As of late, he's been crawling while carrying one of his toys in his mouth...lol...I wonder if he learned it from Dex.  He also has been crawling while holding objects in his hands, walking with one of his two walkers, and using his other standing toys as walkers even though they are not intended for use as walkers ;0).

Over the last two weeks, he has tried some new foods, ham, chicken, mango, peaches, kiwi, cantaloupe, honey dew, acorn squash, pitas, green bean casserole, baked sweet apples, Pillsbury Cheese biscuits, and mashed potatoes-all of which are solid, not pureed, and are cut into pieces.  He is no longer eating pureed foods, and actually hasn't been eating purees for about a month now.  He'd rather feed himself :0)  Mr. Independent E!!!  I tried pasta with him a few weeks back but he didn't much care for it.  Can't blame him because I made it plain.  I think I may add EVOO and parmesan cheese to it and see if he takes to it.  Of all the foods, he most definitely favors the meat, potatoes and breads...I wonder who he takes after (wink...wink).

E's has 3 teeth now.  The fourth is trying to pop through.  He's been drooling a lot within the last 3 days, gnawing on his hands and toys,  has the start of a diaper rash, and is more fussy than usual.   Hoping it just pops through already so we can pass by this irritability phase.  Enough already!   Unfortunately I know that it will only continue until he gets all of his teeth.  Ugh!  It makes me wonder, how the heck do some babes not even get phased by new teeth coming in...really, can that be?!?!

We kind of laid low for New Year's this year.  Dave, Evan and I met some of our city friends and their little ones at Bubbles for some New Year's Eve Baby and Toddler Party.  It was fun!  Sadly enough, I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures.  That evening after Dave put Evan down for bed, Dave and I watched a movie ordered in, drank some wine, and in our attempt to stay up for the count down, passed out by 11 o'clock.  Amazing how things change ;0)  Today, our friends, Jen and Steve, had us over for a little New Year's Day college game day party.  Evan and Tyler played while Jen and I caught up, and Dave and Steve talked and watched the NW game.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, enjoying Dave's last couple days of vacation before he has to head back to work on Monday :0(