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(

Happy New Year

Dave and I have been so blessed this year!  The birth of our son, Evan, was a miracle.  Each day is filled with new surprises and milestones.  We cannot imagine our life without him.  We are also so grateful for our family and friends.  We are hoping next year brings as much happiness as last.  We wish you all, our family and friends, a happy and healthy 2010!!!  Cheers!

Christmas

Ahhhh...we are pooped!  All the excitement and travel goes way to quickly!  So sad that it's all over :-(  Dave, Evan and I had a wonderful visit with both of our families.  Along with all the hussle and bussle of the holiday, E got thrown off schedule Thursday and Friday night, but well worth it.  He slept 13 hours last so one would think he is caught up, right?!?!  One tired little man.  He LOVES his new toys!   Especially the ones that he can walk with and the black truck from his cousin, Madison.  Oh, and we don't want to forget, he LOVED the attention he got, particularly on Christmas Day!  I've never seen so many smiles and laughs from our little man in is such a short period of time...should have made from some very sweet dreams :-)

Yesterday was our day to relax and regain energy after all the whimsical and fun chaos of the holidays.   Thanks to all our family for making Evan's First Christmas a memorable one!!!

Very Excited!

I cannot wait!  Christmas is almost here!  Tonight we are heading South to spend the afternoon with Dave's family.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up, eating lots of food and engaging in our traditional Secret Santa festivities.  Tomorrow we are going to my sister and her husband's home to celebrate Christmas with my family.  Can't wait to watch and treasure every moment of Evan with family and opening his gifts :0)

Since this is E's first Christmas I want to document as much as I can through pictures, videos and blogs.  This surely will be a Christmas to remember!!!!

Despite how commercialized Christmas has become and how we selfishly embark our time in the gifts and glamour of the holiday season, it's important to take a moment to embrace the real meaning of this holiday season...Christ our Lord!

Hmm...Thoughts on Christmas

After our experience with Santa this year, it got me thinking...what is so bad about wishing people "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas". Both greetings are warm and wish us all well. Is it because some persons are angry at those that don't celebrate Christmas? Is it that some don't understand why there are people that don't celebrate Christmas? or maybe, is it because some people have a difficult time embracing diversity?

Although I am currently not teaching, I recall in the eight years I did teach, our student population had evolved. More and more of my students were not celebrating Christmas because they or their family, immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, South Africa, India, and else where. Instead of focusing on our American traditions, I adopted Holiday's Around the World and taught it as a unit in my classroom. I felt it important not to place particular emphasis on one holiday because I was afraid of offending a student, actually, more so their family ;0) I didn't want to get the dreaded phone call from an upset parent asking me why we are celebrating Christmas in our classroom and then persisting on telling me it's not appropriate to celebrate Christmas in our classroom because their family celebrates Kwanzaa, or they are Jehovah Witness (for example). A couple of times in years past, I had received a letter from a student's parents informing me that their child wasn't able to participate in our holiday festivities. Mind you, the festivities we were celebrating in our class were multi-cultural based and were used as a learning opportunity for the students to better understand various occasions celebrated around the traditional American Christmas holiday. Despite all the "politically correct" holiday greetings, I wish you all a "Merry Christmas" and a "Blessed New Year"!!!

Santa!

Evan visited Santa for the first time!!! Dave, Evan and I went down town to Michigan Avenue and made our way to the 900 North Shops to meet Santa. We grabbed some hot beverages and waited about 45 minutes to see the 'not-so-jolly' old man dressed in red. Despite his 'real' white beard and round belly that shook when he laughed, Santa insisted on conversing with us while a line of 30+ people, mainly eager children waiting to share their wish list with the man. It's no wonder it took us 45 minutes to reach the front of the line! Jeez! After wishing Santa a "Happy Holidays" as opposed to the traditional "Merry Christmas", Santa looked at me like I had two heads. I told him that I'm teacher and that we are encouraged to wish our students a "Happy Holiday" or "Season's Greetings" because of the evolution of our student population. I could see and hear the anger he held inside him as he quickly said with a sneer in his eye, "Screw Happy Holidays, we're in America. We celebrate Christmas!" and continued to share with me his knowledge of the only two Christmas songs that don't have a Christmas relation, Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells. It got me thinking, are there any other so-called Christmas songs that have lyrics without a Christmas affiliation?!?!

Putting my tainted view of Santa aside, I wished him a "Merry Christmas" as he gave Evan a cute beige stuffed bear. So thankful that Ev liked him and didn't hear a word come out of 'Dear Santa's' mouth :0)

We made it!

Daddy was traveling this week in the sunny parts of Florida while Ev and I froze our butts of in the windy city...ha! Thankfully Evan was really good and kept me entertained by doing new things almost everyday. He started using a walker (well his make shift walker) by pushing the bar stool along the floor. He is also pushing his toys along the floor whether they have wheels or not :0) He's also is studying objects more. He will spend about 5-10 minutes inspecting it. I think he's figuring out the function of each object he finds. I gave him a small Crystal light opened box that has individual packets in it while I was cleaning the house and E played with it for 30 minutes. Never knew a box was such fun! Apparently I've been missing out...lol. E also found the soup can in the pantry and had a ball rolling it along the floor and chasing after it. Now he's rolling or throwing anything he can get his hands on across the floor so he can chase after it...it's entertaining to watch. We went to a couple of cookie exchanges and a play date each day of the week. Our last Aquababies class was Wednesday and E was kicking and splashing A LOT. By far the most he has ever kicked and splashed since the first class 2 months ago. Ev tried some new foods this week. Yogurt, pasta, black beans, pretzel sticks, cheerios, and cajun turkey. He loved all of it! He is now eating finger foods, except for the yogurt and cereal in the morning. He much prefer the finger foods so he can do it himself, so stubborn when it comes to that. Wonder where he gets that from ;0)

Yesterday we had our gift exchange with our "city friends" play group. WHAT FUN!!! The kids were sooo cute! Our attempt to get them to all sit, not move, while smiling, was a trip! What were we thinking?!?! We got a few pics of them, but of course, no one was looking at the camera, one was looking away, one down, one crawling, the others were screaming their lungs out, while another one was shoving a toy in their mouth! I can only imagine what us moms looked liked as we were trying to grab and/or sustain their attention towards the cameras...ha ha haha!

Completely forgot

Evan started waving over the weekend!!! He particularly likes waving at Dexter! Go figure, the only one in the house who could care less...lol

How quickly time passes

It's amazing how quickly time passes! Two more of Evan's teeth have erupted since this morning! His top and bottom right are showing face. Can't believe it! Just a week ago he was toothless. Grinning from ear to ear with a gummy smile. Today he's sporting little mounds of pearly whites across the top and bottom line of his gums. This explains why he was very irritable today and not his usual smiley, independent self. Luckily today was our Big City Babies cookie exchange so we got out of the house, despite the cold, and got to meet up with our play group friends and eat some deliciously yummy cookies. I am soooo done eating cookies.......until tomorrow...lol :) CBS news also came to interview a few members from our play group on the recent recall on blinds. Hope to see us on there at 5!

Aside from E's new teeth, he is also taking steps, assisted of course, along the couch, rubbermaid bin, and his excersaucer. He has also stood up, without assistance, for about 5 seconds yesterday. Wonder how soon he will figure out how to walk. No rush, please!! He's also eating all finger foods. No more purees. He let us know he's done with those "baby" foods ;0) He refuses to eat them. About every other day I can sneak in some oatmeal mixed with applesauce, peaches, or bananas if I'm lucky. I guess he's too cool to have mom or dad feed him. He much rather do it himself. Silly me! Where's my little baby gone? A munchkin has taken over :0)

Volunteer

Starting Evan out early by teaching him about giving back to the community :) Although he may be too small still, I believe it's never too early. On Wednesday we went to the March of Dimes office in the loop to bring donated items that I received from the moms in my Big City Babies group. In total, the moms donated 10 large shopping bags of items that will be given to the families of premies at local hospitals in Chicago. While we were at the March of Dimes office, we wrapped the donated items and sent along a letter to those receiving them this holiday season. E had more fun crawling around the office checking out the outlets, power cords, and chairs. Far more fun than wrapping gifts I guess. Later that afternoon Ev and I had our Aquababies class. E started kicking and splashing more than he has in the last 6 classes. Improvement! Too bad our last class is next week :(

Yesterday we finished up the rest of our Christmas shopping. Now we just need to wrap them...ugh!!! No little elves here, at least not yet! Maybe in a couple years Evan will be able to help me out...lol Maybe I can dress him as an elf and convince him that he is one so he'll help with the holiday decorating and wrapping....or....maybe by then, after I have instilled a volunteering value within him, he will, out of the goodness of his heart, want to help me ;0)

Today was fun! We met Nicole and William at Family Grounds Cafe to hang out. Both E and William had lots of fun (as always) which made for the most lovely long afternoon nap.

Looking forward to a super busy weekend, yet again! Baking cookies, pilates, running, Holiday Party, Cookie Exchange #2, and visiting with Evan's grandparents! Not looking forward to Dave leaving for Florida Sunday morning though. He'll be gone for the week :( Actually, I am more not looking forward to him getting to be in a warmer, sunnier climate while we freeze are butts off!