Dear Evan-12 Months Old

Dear Son-
One day you and I will talk about when you were a baby. You might respond with "Oh, Mom". I felt the same way when my Mom would talk about when I was a baby. I would think that my Mom just didn't understand...Now that I have you I realize that it was me who didn't understand. I had no comprehension of the capacity a Mother can love their child. I hope that I am able to teach you so many things but I cannot help but look back at this first year and realize how much you have taught me.

You are a year old. I cannot even believe it. Time has flown by but we have had so much fun in the process. We have made so many new friends at playgroup. We have learned so much from them and they have given us so much support this first year. As we walk into the second year of your life I cannot help but celebrate those relationships that have come to us because you.

You have grown so much this last month. You are doing so many new things. You know how to wave now and clap. You can dance! You bounce up and down when the radio is turned on in our hallway. You have the most fabulous point. You are so alert and looks and examine everything. You love it when me or Daddy carry you where you want to go. You point and show us the direction you want us to take you. It is so funny. You don't really walk anymore holding our hands as you have found you can get to where you want to go so much faster by crawling there yourself or being carried to your destination. Nothing gets past you. You see an airplane way up in the sky. I have to sometimes squint to see it. You can stand now for moments on your own. You haven't fully realized this yet. You do it when you get distracted by something that interests you and forget to hold on to something. When you realize that you aren't holding on you sit down immediately to keep from falling. We can ask you where your Mama or Dada is and you will point to us.

You love cheese sticks. You can eat a whole one now. I don't have to be concerned with you choking anymore. You handle food really well and now take small bites.

You are an amazing little person. I cannot wait to see what this next year has for us. I am so honored to be your Mum. I love you. Happy Birthday little man.

M

Happy? Birthday

Today was Evan's birthday party. Wow. What a day it has been. This morning Evan was really fussy and I noticed there were two new teeth cutting through his gum. We gave him some Tylenol and he seemed better. We got to the party and he played with Sofia while we were setting up. Just about the time the party started Evan started screaming. I have never heard him so upset. It was a screaming in pain cry. This went on for most of the day. Tears rolled down his cheeks (and mine) and the only thing that seemed to help him was to nurse. We nursed and Steven walked Evan around alot to look at the ducks which seemed to aid in the distraction. When we got home Evan was worse than he was at the party. He could not get comfortable. We didn't open one of his presents. I nursed him and tried to get him to sleep. Three hours later he is finally sleeping.

The best part of today was when we first got home Steven was holding Evan. Evan was looking at me so I waved at him. He smiled and waved back. It was the sweetest thing ever.

I have hope that Monday (his real birthday) will be much more of a happy day.

High Five

Evan now gives high 5's!

Last Summer

I just added this new header photo. I love this picture. It reminds me of all of the time Evan and I spent at the park this summer. It also reminds me of how small he was when I thought he was getting so big. This was during the time he would nap in the stroller and I would walk him around for hours.

Evan doesn't nap in the stroller anymore. I miss it. The last two days Evan has only been taking one nap. I am wondering if he is going to one. They say around 12 months babies usually will start taking only one nap a day.

I love all of the photographs we have of Evan's first year. I have so many great memories. I tried so hard to stay present in each day and enjoy every second of his first year. The photos are such a wonderful reminder of this year and I love how they can take me back to moments like this one.

Shake Shake Shake

Evan is doing all sorts of things now. I can give him a musical toy and then say "Shake shake shake!" and he will immediately smile and shake the toy. He is all about dancing and swaying back and forth. As soon as music is playing goes to the radio and then looks up at me and starts to sway back and forth awaiting for me to sway too.

Evan has a new word "Duck". We know he knows Mama, Dada, Balloon, Baby, Dog and now Duck!

Days Are Moving Too Fast

I am finding in the past month or so I haven't had much time to write. My little boy is moving so much now that I hardly have a moment to pause. I don't want that to stop me from documenting our life together.

I had my fortieth birthday this week. It was fun. Steven had a surprise party for me at my boba place. We had babies crawling all over the place. My friend Rachel is having a tea for me on Saturday with the girls. It is my first birthday being a Mother. Between my birthday and Disneyland this week we have been super busy. Evan seems to love all of the activity and is doing great. His sleep schedule got interrupted since we have been home from Portland but I think we are back on track now.

We are having Evan's birthday party next Saturday. Evan and I are going to the party store today to pick up some things and I need to start cooking this weekend in preparation for next week's celebration. This time of year always goes by so fast but now that we have another birthday it is even moving faster! I hope that as each year goes by I can really celebrate E's birthday without the holidays getting in the way. I promised him before leaving the hospital that we would always give his day a special meaning. It is crazy to me now when I think back a year ago what my life held. I was a busy designer running jobs and very pregnant! I saw a pregnant woman standing on the corner the other day with two pizza boxes in hand and thought that was me! It is hard to remember what that large belly felt like.

Being A Boy

New shoes. New Pants. New shirt. A day outside playing in the dirt. Priceless.

Inside/Outside

Evan has learned to place things inside of other things and then take them out again. It is fun to watch him as he takes something out and then puts it right back inside where it came from. His stacking cups have been a great tool in helping learn this new skill. Although now, Evan will use this skill in all sorts of ways. Today we were trying to get ready to leave. I had given Evan his new stainless steel sippy cup(it is so cool!). He was sitting on the kitchen floor taking a drink when I ran to the back room to get our jackets. I returned to grab him and the sippy cup and head out the door. There was Evan sitting on the floor where I left him but no sippy cup. I looked and I looked. It was no where to be found. I happened to peak inside Evan's new found spot the recycle bin. There he had placed his new sippy.

He also does this game with us now. He will have something in his hand and reach out to hand it to us. I reach back to take the object from him. Sometimes he will give it to me but expect to receive it right back and sometimes he won't give it to you at all but take it right back and hold it close to him.It is so interesting to watch my little boy relating to the world around him.

Beautiful Boy

Life with E.

Evan has found out how to turn the TV on. It cracks me up as I am so anti-TV. We never have it on with Evan. I think we have turned it on in front of him once and it was for the election. Yesterday he walked up to the TV and started playing with all of the buttons. He found the right one when I heard a HUGE "OOOOoooooooooooo" coming from the living room. I thought I would be smart and switch on the video button which deverts the TV signal to the DVD player and the screen turns black. Evan played with the TV a few times and then gave up as he kept seeing the black screen. Today-he found the right sequence of button to push and I heard a GIANT "OOOOOOOoooooo" coming from the living room again.

Colds, Teething and Growing

It has been a few days since my last post. There is so much to tell. I miss one day lately and it is like missing a week. Evan is growing and changing so much I can hardly catch up.

When we got home from Portland Wednesday night we were all so pooped. The plane was delayed a couple of hours. We thought we would be home by 8:30 and ended up home at almost midnight. Our little guy was so happy to be home. He had fallen asleep on my lap on the plane and slept through landing, baggage claim and waiting for the shuttle. Once we were on the shuttle we woke up to the bright lights and the hustle and bustle of everything. He looked so confused when he woke up since he had fallen asleep in the darkness and quiet of inside the airplane.

Thanksgiving was quiet. I made dinner for the three of us and we just enjoyed being home for the day. I noticed that Evan had a cold. It is his first one. He is in good spirits. I also noticed he is getting another tooth on the bottom right side. That will be number 7. December starts tomorrow and that means (gulp) I can say Evan will be one this month.

Evan Pictorial Update-Eleven Months

Dear Evan-Eleven Months Old

Dear Evan-
This has been quite a month for you. You change daily. You are constantly learning new things. You are so alert and aware. You notice things that I would never think you would even pay attention to. You definitely know what you like and what you don't. You have no problem making that known to us. You are constantly gesturing to things that interest you or what you want for me to fetch for you. It is so cute when I take you to get what you were pointing to as you get so excited with receiving results after asking for something. We are communicating and it feels so good. I love all of your noises you make. You are not only making a couple of syllables worth of words but the sounds you are making are becoming lengthy sentences!

You have some stranger anxiety. You have not been sure about Monica and Ceasar when they come to clean the house. You have actually gotten quite nervous and cried. This past week when they were here you didn't cry and kept looking at them and checking them out.

You have your first cold. We went to Portland and you developed it from vistiting with our friends or from the plane ride home. I have a small one too and we have spent these first days back recuperating at home. I have been telling you we are taking sick days. We play and take one walk a day. I am trying to keep you comfortable as you have been having a difficult time breathing. You are teething at the same time so things are very happy for you at the moment.

Evan you love to walk, walk, walk. You can now stand behind a wheeled object, push it and walk behind it. We discovered this in Portland when Daddy helped you walk behind a toy chair. You loved doing that and around the dining table you would go. You can also stand on your own for a few seconds. You will then notice you aren't holding onto anything and sit right down. It won't be long until you are standing and walking on your own. Right now I am your wheels.

Evan you make a great traveler. I am so glad about that as I love to travel and have big hopes for us of all of the places I want to take you.

Your communication has really increased this last month. I can ask you "where is.." and you will look around for the object. I can ask you about a dog, a cat, a balloon and Gordy! You will look all around until you find the object and either point and look at me or see it and giggle. You are repeating the words I say to you. I will say "Ow" and you will repeat it perfectly. I am trying to teach you what "ow" means so whenever one of us has a "Ow" I say it and hold the part of me that hurts. If you have an "Ow" I will say it and then touch the part of you that hurts. You can say the word "Dog" and you have your own word for "Balloon". You are crazy for balloons!! You go so crazy when you see them. You understand small commands like taking your clothes off, off and on to light switches. You are just starting to wave. We went on a walk yesterday and you were waving constantly to anyone that could see you. You haven't quite done it at the appropriate moment yet (i.e when someone waves at you, you are suppose to wave back) but you are catching on.

This month you found out how to gag yourself. Thank goodness the excitement for this new skill didn't last very long.

You are crazy about putting things inside other things. Your shape sorter and stacking cups are still your favorite toys. Lastnight I was cleaning up and you started to help me tossing toys back into the baskets.

You still take two naps. You are not sleeping through the night yet. You will sleep 5 hours max before waking up to check in and see what is happening with me.

Son, you are a delight. I love you!

Mommie

Portland Trip-Day One

Yesterday's journey was long and disappointing. Southwest lost the car seat. When we got off the plane it wasn't at the gate. We checked with customer service and they had no idea what could of happened to it. They loaned us a car seat which I found out later, was a toddler seat and too big for Evan to use.  Back to Customer Service we went but not before finding out all of our luggage was missing too. Our friends that we are visiting got tied up in a meeting and were unable to meet us at the airport. Here we are stranded at the airport with a car seat we have never used before. If you have ever installed your own car seat you know how complicated it can be not to even mention a temporary one from Southwest airlines. 

We decided to rent a car and a couple of hours later we were on the road. It took forever to install that seat and even after we installed it weren't sure if we did it correctly. Evan was a dream traveler. He didn't nap on the plane until the last leg upon descent. He had only been asleep for fifteen minutes so I carried him through the airport upon arrival allowing him some more sleep. We had to wake him up that morning to make our plane and he had now been up for almost six hours without a nap. Southwest found the luggage and delivered it around midnight lastnight. 

Today we got up and went to the zoo. It was a cold 5o degrees. We were all bundled up in fleece and made our way around to the different animals. I think his favorite exhibit was this tank of fish of the Amazon. They were called "Pacu". They were bigger than Evan. Evan could walk right up to the floor to ceiling glass panel and "touch" the fish through the glass. He would follow them with his hands. We got to see some polar bears, apes, monkeys, bob cats, black bears and eagles.

I think Evan's favorite part of the trip so far is our friend's dog, Sanka and their two cats Folgers and Torre. Folgers will let Evan hit him and pull on him. Folgers just lays there looking up at him and wondering when the abuse will stop. Evan gets so excited about these encounters. He loves animals so much. I cannot wait to get him his own dog and cat.

Almost One

Tonight after watching the sunset at the park, the three of us walked home. We were waiting for the light to change when the couple standing in front of us turned to smile at Evan.

"He is so cute" she said. "How old is he?"

"He is almost one" I replied.

There it was. It just few off of my tongue. I have been so proud of recent days announcing to my playgroup this week that my son "isn't EVEN 11 months yet!". I have been holding onto these last weeks announcing that Evan is 10 months old. I was going to say that until he hit 11 months and then use every date that allowed until we actually reached his first birthday. But-tonight looking up at my little boy, I saw a little boy and I knew in my heart it was time to say almost one.

Fun Times

Evan LOVED the water table.

The final touches.....This kid has to have a balloon in hand!

I have my own pair of glasses! Now Mom will want to eat mine!

We went to Audrey's party on Saturday. It was a blast. It was like a carnival for one year olds. Evan even got to get his caricature drawn. He had so much fun going from the water table to the bouncer full of multi-colored balls. Evan's favorite entertainment of the day was a toy shaped like a door frame. The babies could go in and out of it. It has a doorbell and all sorts of bells and whistles! He went right for it and went back to it a couple of times. Little Audrey was such a hostess and her Mommie G sure knows how to throw a party!

Our Songs

We have a couple of songs that seem to follow our life right now:

"Twist and Shout"
Evan does not like to have his diaper changed at the moment. He will twist and shout. I refuse to wrestle with him and will instead start singing this song and laugh. This will usually calm him down long enough for me to get the job done.

"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Evan does not want to sit still for most of the day. He wants to be up and on the move. I am his "wheels" so he and I walk the apartment for most of the day. Around and around we go holding hands the entire time as Evan is perfecting his walking skills.

Proud to be a Carnivore!

My son loves meat. Since he started eating solids at 6 months, I have gradually been adding meat to his meals. Each time I give him something new meat related he cannot get enough of it. I have given him turkey, chicken, lamb, fish, lamb and beef. He loves them all. Now that he is so good with eating everything on his own, he picks up those precious morsels and packs them into his mouth. On the nights where we have a main course of meat it seems that he cannot get enough. It is so much fun to give him food that makes him so happy.

He still loves sweet potatoes, broccoli and spinach. He has a few new favorites: yogurt and cheese. I am thrilled to discover Evan does not have an allergy to dairy as I once thought. He turns one next month and we can start to give him milk. I am going to take it slow and maybe try goat's milk first.

Happy Birthday Sofia!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Sofia!
Happy Birthday to you!!

Evan and I love you! I can't believe you are one today!!

9:30

The last few nights have been rough. E does not want to go to sleep. He is staying up until 9:30! I am a strong believer in not crying it out. He has always been really good at coming to get me when he is ready to go to bed. He rubs his eyes and comes to me. I pick him up and he smiles up at me with a sleepy grin. I take him to bed and he usually falls asleep within minutes. This usually happens around 7pm.

This has not been the case in recent nights. He won't go to bed. He will appear tired and sleepy but as soon as we are getting ready to go to sleep; He pops out of my hands and wants to walk around the apartment. I have been attributing this to his ever increasing skills list. I think he wants to stay up and develop his skills further. Tonight I noticed he was warm to the touch and again was not wanting to rest. I gave him some Tylenol and within 20 minutes our perfect night time routine became perfect again.

Happy Birthday Audrey!!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday dear Audrey!
Happy Birthday to you!

Audrey turns one today!!

The Little Energizer Bunny

Evan's new thing is he does not want to go to bed or take naps. He eventually does go down and when he does, he goes down hard. I hate that he gets so tired and won't listen to his own little body. I am committed to not "training" him to sleep to fit my schedule. This takes patience as my little man wants to keep practicing all of his new tricks (i.e. walking, standing, talking, etc). Add in getting some new teeth into the mix and my poor little boy has had a hard few weeks which means Mommie has too.

Just as I get to a place of concern about our sleep patterns, a tooth comes or something changes to allow us to get some good sleep for a week or two. I am hoping that time will come soon as this last stretch of non-sleep has lasted for weeks and I am exhausted.

This morning I woke up and could hardly move. I looked over at my little boy. He had a huge smile on his face and was playing with his toys. Did he have the same night I just had? I guess that is the difference between being almost one and being almost forty.

Copy Cat

Evan has been more into copy cat lately. It started with the highchair swaying and now he is into showing me his tongue and wants to see mine. He thinks that is so funny! He will stick his tongue out and I will copy him and do it too. He laughs just long enough until he wants to start the game all over again.

Playing With The Hamper

Evan is fascinated by our hamper. He loves the wheels and will sit and move the hamper back and forth watching the wheels as they move. More recently, as he has gotten more mobile, he will pull himself to stand to bite on its handle. I am wondering if eventually he will use it as a walker!

Words?

I notice that Evan's babble is turning into longer versions. It isn't just a word or two. It sounds more like lengthy sentences now. He also talks to himself alot more.

Yesterday, he really started to point. He has been gesturing his arms and hands towards things for a couple of weeks. But yesterday it was different. He was pointing to things and then looking at me and telling me something about it. It is still all about trees for him. On our walk home after the sunset he pointed to so many trees. I would tell him "tree" and point up too. He would look at me and say a sound as if he was trying to repeat what I said. I cannot wait for him to talk. I think that and then I am also struck by the thought of how much I will miss his sounds. He makes the sweetest babble sounds.

Good Night Sun

Tonight Evan and I went to the bluff for some fun. We played ball, kicked the ball, played with a dog named Marilyn(after Marilyn Monroe), chased some other dogs and investigated what is on the other side of the fence. Evan loves to go and look at the plants on the other side of the fence. He holds himself up there and grabs the leaves of plants on the other side.

After all of the excitement, the sun was about to set. I grabbed Evan and sat him on the fence rail in front of me. We at there watching the sun go down. We had such a nice day. I pointed to the sun and said, "Good night sun!". Evan pointed to the sun and then looked up at me.

The 44th President

Barack Obama was elected the next president of the United States today. For the first time in a long time there is a new hope for our country's direction.

We watched the acceptance speech while Evan was sound asleep in bed. Obama gave a good speech. As always it was one from his heart. I think the whole world felt a sense of relief. I know I did.

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time -- to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth -- that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:"

"Yes We Can"

But I want to walk Mommie!

Evan is getting so frustrated. He wants to walk and walk all the time! He will sit for a moment or two and then he will cry out for me to come and help him up so he can walk. We walk around and around this apartment all day long. We go in circles. He gets so excited and lets out a huge gasp whenever he gets on to his own two feet. I keep telling myself that he is not learning to walk but to run!

Busy Week

This was a busy week. Evan and I had parties, playdates and lunch! I will update the pictures as soon as I have them organized.

It's November. I cannot even believe it. It hit me today that Evan's birthday is next month. He will be a YEAR old.

Yesterday, we had a great Halloween. Evan and I walked Montana and "Trick or Treat"ed" the street. We didn't require any candy or perform any tricks. We just walked and watched. My little man was so happy staring at all of those beautiful white lights and seeing all of those happy kids collecting candy along the way. He talked to so many people passing us by. I don't think he understands when people don't acknowledge him! Evan made the perfect gunball machine! Thank you GRANDMA!! It was fun to show him off to friends and neighbors yesterday.

This week Evan is perfecting his standing techniques and won't sit down for a minute! As soon as he does he turns to me with a pout to insist that I help him walk around more. He cracks me up.

Happy Halloween!

Evan at the Bluff

We go to the bluff and kick the ball around. I hold Evan's hands as he kicks the ball back and forth. Every now and then his legs get tired and he sits to take a breather!

Evan Pictorial Update-Ten Months

Dear Evan-10 Months Old

Dear Evan-

Happy Birthday!

This has been your busiest month yet. You are so busy growing and learning. I stand by in awe at how fast you are developing into a little boy. I looked at you the other morning and thought you look so much like a little boy now instead of a baby. It is fun to see how much you enjoy each day. You get so excited at the world and the people around you.

This month you learned how to: clap; pull yourself to stand; walk holding my hands; stand on your own without holding on (for a few seconds) and now cruise furniture.

Each day you get stronger and stronger. You are enjoying more foods now. I can pretty much give you anything I am eating (with a few exceptions). I notice more and more now when I am eating you want to eat too or you are very curious to check out what I am eating. You like to talk to your food and do a soft monologue as you enjoy each bite. It almost sounds like a song. Your Aunt Ena use to do this when she was a baby too. You love bread, meat and broccoli! You still like all foods. There was a time when you first started foods that you didn't like bananas but you like them now. You and I share one almost everyday.

You love the game of copycat. It started yesterday at breakfast where you would sway and then I would sway. You get so tickled when I copy something you are doing.

You love dogs. Now when we say the word "Dog" or "Doggie" you look to see where the dog is and get really excited when you find one.

I think your favorite thing right now is faces. You love your own face, Daddy's face and you love my face. You like to play with our mouths, teeth and noses. You love to touch our cheeks and chins and giggle. You play this game with Daddy. You will be looking straight on while Daddy is holding you and all of the sudden get this smile on your face and suddenly turn to gently bite Daddy's nose. You both will laugh! It is so funny to see that subtle smile you get as you are thinking about turning to bite him.

You have a great sense of humor all ready. I find that it is maturing all the time. Now you will do something that makes me laugh and you will look at me laughing and decide to laugh too. It is the cutest thing ever.

You now have six teeth.

Your favorite toys are:chicken shakes; "Chad" the pull gator; stacking cups; grocery brown bags; the large stainless steel bowl; balls and Gordy. You have recently showed more of an interest in cars and trucks. I found you pushing one around on the floor the other day. You love to kick a ball. We will walk in the park and you will kick the ball along as we walk. Is playing soccer in your future?

Your favorite words right now are "Ooooooo" and "Hey". You can say "Dada" and Mama" but I don't think you know that is us yet only the actual word. This last week you have started to snort like a little pig. It cracks us up. I can't tell if you are actually trying to tell me someting or you just like doing it. I think it is a combination as sometimes you are frustrated or want something and look at me and start to snort. Other times you will just be busy playing and start snorting. You did it alot yesterday at playgroup and we all laughed. Your speech is getting more sophisticated. You can say so many more letters and sounds.

Night time is so much better. You pretty much sleep through the night now although it is not uncommon for you to wake up two times during the night. You usually go to bed around 8pm and sleep until 8am. You still take two naps during the day.

This week Daddy is in San Fransciso for a conference. You and I are doing it on our own. I wonder if you know he will come back or if you wonder about him. I can't wait to see your face when he returns home. You have so much fun together.

I love you more than words can say.

Mommie

I Sway...

You sway. WE SWAY!!
Today at breakfast, Evan looked at me and started to sway back and forth as he was smiling. I looked at him and started to sway too. He started to laugh and then I started to laugh. This went on again and again.

This became the game of the day today. Whenever one of us would sway the other would laugh and start to sway too.

Mr. 6th Tooth

Came today!

Take a Cruise

Today was a busy day for Evan. He has been learning how to pull himself up on furniture for the last few weeks. He has been walking holding my fingers for about a month now. But-today he started to cruise! He would pull himself up on a piece of furniture and walk on his own over to another. It was amazing. It was like he had always been able to do it. He fell a few times as he forgets to hold on or I wonder if he thinks I am holding on to him.

Tonight I noticed that he had a toy in each hand and was so busy playing that he didn't notice the fact he was standing on his own two feet without holding on to anything!

Mom. Oh yea, that's me.

This last week I have been using the word "No" for the first time. I have tried to use other words with Evan other than "No". I believe that "No" is used too often. I want to use this opportunity to use more descriptive words with him. I use "gentle" and "careful" and "slowly". I like to save the word "No" for more pressing or immediate responses. It's my theory and we will see if it sticks.

As I found myself using the word "No", Evan would look up at me and obey my request. It was amazing that he understood me. His little face would look up at me after I had said "No, Evan let's not play with cords. Let's play with your ball". I would hear my own voice and watch Evan's response to me all in slow motion and all the time realizing that I am the Mom. He is going to depend on me for so much more than he does now. Just when I get comfortable with where we are it all changes. I can't even comprehend what is next. We are on a journey together. It is one that only Evan and I will know. It is one where he is the child and I am the Mom. Yea, I am the Mom.

Humor

Where is it that we learn or receive our sense of humor? Evan is blowing me away with how he expresses his style of humor. He isn't even 10 months old yet and all ready knows his own humor.

It comes across when Daddy is playing with Evan's favorite stuffed animal and is making him crash into the floor. Daddy is good with sound effects. By the time that monkey crashes and yells out a yelp, Evan is full of giggles. How does he know that is funny?

Tonight when I was giving Evan a bath, we were sitting on the tub edge and Evan was on my lap. He was starting to get a little fussy as it was clearly bedtime. I was trying to entertain him while the tub was filling up with water. I threw in a green rubber duck into the tub. He and I watched the duck as it swam around the tub. Evan now playing with the shower curtain had lost interest in the duck. A few minutes later, we both looked down to find the duck head down and frantically being pummeled with water. Evan was giggling each time that duck came back up to the surface to be hit again with the water.

There are times that I am driving the car and hear a giggle from the backseat. I look at my rearview mirror to see my son in his carseat with a smile on his face. I love that he all ready entertains himself with his own funny thoughts. I would love to know what he is thinking!

Standing Up On My Own Two Feet

It all started last week when before giving Evan his bath he pulled himself up onto the bathtub. Yesterday, he pulled himself up on a chair and the sofa and today it was non-stop standing. I made him an "activity" table today out of an old IKEA bedside table with added toys. He loves it. It is great because I can make it new for him everyday. He stands and plays on it and then crawls under it and tries to sit up. He can't seem to understand why he can't sit up underneath. I know I am his Mom but isn't he the cutest baby ever!?

Tiny Foot Prints

Tonight I was nursing Evan and admiring his feet. With each little rub I was taking in how fast he is growing. It has really been amazing this last month to see what a little boy he has become. Everyday he is becoming more of a little boy and less of a baby.

He has such likes and dislikes. He doesn't know that when I say to him it will only take one second for Mommy to go to the bathroom. As soon as I let him go, even though he is within an arm's reach he will yell and tell me he does NOT like me putting him down.

Nights have been rough recently. Evan has taken to waking up every two hours again. Sometimes every one hour. It has made is difficult on me as I am so worn out the next day. I realized this morning that is isn't just teething going on but alot of development. In the last day, he is pulling himself up on furniture and holding himself up to a full stand. Tonight I noticed he did it with hardly holding onto anything at all. I was cleaning up after dinner and turned to see Evan standing onto the diapers.com delivery box. There he was holding onto that box and standing there with a full grin on his face. I clapped and celebrated his accomplishment which made a grin become a full on laugh.

Tonight, in those quiet moments rubbing my child's feet, I felt present and thankful. Thankful that I am taking each and everyday in one by one and all the time knowing that these little feet are soon to be bigger than I can hold.

The Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch today. We met up with our playgroup. It was a fun day of pictures and seeing giant pumpkins. Evan's favorite word right now is "Ooooooo" and he used it alot today! He was fascinated by the pumpkins. He would pat them and say "Oooooo". He would walk towards them with such excitement. It was a fun day.

Which one Mommie?

I want this one!

These are some of Evan's buds

The Playgroup Piglets! All of the babies are getting so big.

Who is that cute baby down in front, on the right? Is he standing!?

Here they are, the marvelous 3!

It was an LA moment...the pumpkin patch had paparazzi camped outside!

The Ocean

Run Mommy! What are we waiting for!?

The water is cold on my feet but the sand feels nice.

The ocean must of felt so massive to him. It does to me and I am five times taller than he is.

I like this place.

Sand feels good.

We took Evan to the ocean for the first time today. We have been waiting for a cooler, Fall day when the sun wouldn't be so strong. We also wanted him to be big enough that he could take it all in.

We carried Evan down the Montana stairway in the Ergo. He rode down on his Daddy's back. It had been so nice and chilly on Saturday. As we walked, I soon realized the heat had returned.

It was high Noon and as we pulled Evan out of the Ergo his excitement was all to apparent! He grabbed my hands and was saying "Oooooooo"...."Ooooooo" as he was running towards the water's edge. We reached the wet sand and he stopped to look at his feet. Then, he continued to race right towards the water. It was an amazing moment. He loves the ocean. He is so fascinated by it. I can't imagine how big it must seem to him!

Up!

Evan is all about walking right now. I remember the transition when he wasn't able to sit up on his own. He would be laying down and getting frustrated because he wanted help to sit up. Now-the frustration is he wants to be up! He wants to stand and he wants to WALK!

He get so excited. It is fun to hold his hands and just let him lead us where he wants to go. It is funny because sometimes it is in a circle but, usually it is right towards the bathroom. His favorite room of the house.

Evan crawls over to your feet and holds on to your feet now as to say,"Pick me Up!". He is good at letting you know exactly what he needs.

I just am so enamored by my little boy.

Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy!

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary. The three of us went to dinner together. It was so nice. We fed Evan our dinners. We all three enjoyed Salmon, broccoli, guacamole and a few French fries. It is so much fun to all eat the same thing! We walked down to a new place on Montana. They had the coolest highchairs that sit right inside the booth. Evan was amazed at it all. He would stand up to peek over the divider wall and say hello to our neighbors with his little "Ooooo". It was so funny. He is so friendly. He gets so excited when he meets new people.

Quote of the Day

"I am so happy we don't have white bread in the house."

"It's no wonder."

Evan on a Swing!

Evan Explores the Courtyard

I love watching Evan explore. He is so curious and anxious to visit the world around him.

This was the first time his feet were really dirty!

A Perfect Day

Today was a great day. It started with missing music class (again). Naps are just not working with getting to class by 11:15. Since Evan was all ready asleep when we reached class, we turned around and headed to Malibu. The Malibu Pie Festival was happening today.

We walked the small festival and shared various pieces of pie. Our favorite was a chocolate pecan orange pie. It was delicious. I wanted to share the pies with Evan. He was so excited to see the balloons blowing in the wind. It was a cloudy, overcast day. It felt like Fall and made our day even better. We walked around the shopping area and stepped into a toy store. We bought Evan a new ball. It is blue with yellow spots. He loves it. We walked back to the eating area to get some lunch. The center of the eating area is a playground. We placed Evan in an infant swing and he loved it. He loved watching all the other kids playing too.

Once we started lunch, we noticed that there were people handing out red beachballs to the crowd. Evan received his second ball of the day.

We walked back to the pies as we were so hungry for dessert after lunch (not!). After watching a pie eating contest and viewing the winning pies we headed home. Evan and I sat in the backseat playing with his feet and kicking the new balls into the seat.

After our journey home and an overdue nap, we walked to the store to get some food. We carried Evan in our carrier and felt the cool air on our faces. It started to sprinkle and I thought this is Evan's first rain.

On the way home from the grocery store, food and balloon in hand, we all had smiles on our faces. It had been a much needed family day.

After bath and book tonight, Evan still had so much energy to spend. We sat him on the floor and watched him open and close the bedroom door. It is one of his favorite things to do. He sat up and crawled a few feet. We were waiting to see him lay down and do the famous army crawl that we are now accustomed. He didn't stop crawling and boy can he go fast now that he knows how to be up on his knees! Right then, in front of of us, we watched our baby go from army crawl to full on crawling. I have said it before and I will say it 10,000 times more....they grow up way too fast.

At the Park

Are you talking to me?

Really Daddy?

These feet were made for walkin'

Higher! Higher!