Bonding over Bumbos

At my high school reunion, there was a lot of catching up to do. After the initial How are yous and What have you been up tos, there's not much to say unless you find something in common.

There were people there that instantly bonded, even though they had never met. Four month old Jordan and seven month old Evelyn had a lot to say drool about.

Hey, I see you've got a Bumbo seat, too.

Yeah. It's hard to poop in, but other than that, I like it.

Cool.

I am not the only one having babies at this stage of the game. Besides Jordan, there was a six-month old boy, a 10-year old girl with a toddler sister, plus an expectant mom.

Cool.

Seven Months

Tomorrow the baby turns 7 months old. Tonight she started scooting. 


I was washing dishes at the kitchen sink, so had my back to her. Evelyn was sitting on the floor with the pillow behind her in case she decided to recklessly throw herself backwards. Babies do the craziest things.  

When I turned around, she was sitting on the floor, but turned away from the pillow. She hadn't rolled, there wasn't enough space. As I exclaimed, "The baby has moved! She isn't where I left her!" husband came into the room.

How did she do that? We were both wondering, when she started scooting. She kicked her little chubby legs and she scooted backward.

Today we went to the fair. We looked at all the animals except horses and cows. I ate an elephant ear, a burrito, and a cinnamon roll (good grief, why am I sharing all THAT?). Evvie watched it all. Who knew that all the while she was thinking, when I get home I'm going to scoot backwards and REALLY blow their minds!

A First of Sorts

Baby's first rice cereal. I was all excited to try a bit of solid food, to get more in baby's tummy so baby would feel full and baby wouldn't want to eat once per hour or some such nonsense.

I'm not exactly doing attachment parenting, except I think that I am what with feeding on demand and all. Oh, sure, sometimes I distract the baby with other things, like brushing my teeth, just to buy another 10 minutes here and there. Now that she's five months old, she MUST want to EAT something SUBSTANTIAL, right??? When does the detachment process begin? I mean, not "rip off the band-aid and throw it away" harshness, just some subtle, you know, independent sitting for a few minutes and things.


Evelyn isn't down with it. Instead of baby's first rice cereal = success! so that we could celebrate and move on to other such things as Sleeping More and Making Mommy's Coffee, no. 


I'm in ur high chair not eatin' ur food.

Evelyn Roísin prefers to drink her breakfast, just like the longshoremen. Evelyn's got it over the longshoremen with her smooth face that I would like to lick. And do, on occasion. Mostly I just eat her hands and feet, snacking on some cheek every now and again.

STARDATE MONDAY, JUNE 18: RICE CEREAL ATTEMPT NO. 2


Our subject has gotten a whole 10 days older, with 10 days worth of growing and development under her belt. She's been practicing sitting up and watching the family eat with their utensils, though she is not mimicking us. Perhaps her fool mother thinks she is ready to try again with the cereal? Let's find out.

Hallo, what's this?

My nemesis, Spoon. I've seen you before, you of new-way-to-eat of doom. I've rejected more comforting alternate food delivery devices, I will reject you, too. If my icy stare doesn't freeze you in mid-delivery, then my steel-trap mouth will not let you in.

Do not enter. Wrong way. Do not pass go. Back up Jack. It ain't happenin'.

Noooooooooooooooooo. Ope.

Admit defeat, you coated-for-my-comfort scoundrel! Lay there like the useless instrument that you are. 

That's right.

Hmm, what is this delicious coating on my hand? Methinks I would like to lick it, just to spite the spoon.

Haha!

Evelyn won the first round, and the second. Stay tuned.........the spoon has more delicious weaponry in its arsenal. I don't want to give it away, but it rhymes with "bapplesauce".

5 Months

Evelyn is five months old today. I would like to be able to say that this advanced age means she is sleeping through the night, but no.

 Let's remember back to January 6th, when she was four days old.

And then four days later, she was eight days old.

It wasn't long before she turned 10 days old.

And, before we knew it, she was two weeks plus two days. Let's face it, that is way too young to fight the people who dress you up to look like a reindeer.

At three weeks, we put a bee on her butt and turned her over to immortalize the fanny-decoration.

All that brown hair, two blonde parents....hmmmm.....

Still three weeks old. This 11-year old child bears a striking resemblance to the girl who responded, when asked if she was excited about the arrival of her sibling, "NO." Look who is having a terrible time now.

Power to the proletariat babies!

One month old...still sleeps anytime, anywhere.

At five weeks, she began to make faces at alternate food-delivery devices. "No way, Jose," is the message baby Evelyn would like you to know.

Six weeks. Milo likes to look nonchalant, but he is wondering whether Evelyn would taste like chicken, or some kind of red meat?

Milo: That finger looks delicious!

Don't worry Evelyn, I won't leave you alone with him. He's not old enough to babysit yet.

It was during her sixth week that she perfected her Alfred Hitchcock impression.
Spot on, I might add.

I don't know what kind of things babies laugh at, but Evelyn finds life, up to now, hysterical.

Life with Evelyn and Natalie is pretty sweet. The two of them get along. So far.

Being a mom to two kids is fun. I'm more relaxed this time around with baby care, but it's more hectic with our schedule. When one kid needs to get to softball practice, the other one needs to nurse. That can get tricky, but we figure it out.

Feet.

Hello, smiling at people and not just gas anymore! Although, we all smile for gas. Who doesn't smile for gas? Unless it's someone else's gas.

Meeting her aunt and cousin for the first time. They laughed and laughed.

A giggly baby is surprisingly entertaining.

Baby shower, where my oldest friends met my newest daughter.

Misty and Evelyn have decided to have a looking serious contest.

More people holding the baby...

Having a baby makes you forget your 20th high school reunion is this year. Holy cow.

McKenzie said she didn't know how to hold the baby, but she did just fine.

Bumbo seat! Whoever came up with this cushy seat that lets curious babies sit up before they can do so on their own deserves some kind of award. Like an Oscar, or a big, wet, slobbery kiss.

Evelyn and grandpa pass the time together. She couldn't stop looking at that red hat.

These girls don't know how happy they make me. When I saw this, my insides melted, just like the bad guy did in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when the angels escaped from the Ark. Except mine was a happy kind of melt.

Evelyn, thank you for bringing your happiness to our lives, for making us laugh along with you.

I don't know where we'd be without you, Evva-Zevva, Evelyns, Evvie-pie, angel buns, milk breath!

May 2nd

One year ago on May 2nd, I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. I showed that test to my husband, hand shaking. We were going to have a baby! Well, duh. It wasn't a puppy.

Note: test stick shown above was the one used to discern the existence of the baby, pictured. DOES NOT INDICATE ANOTHER PREGNANCY...CEASE UR PANICKING!

Four months ago, on January 2nd, Evelyn arrived. With her birth, two sisters were made.

I always wanted to have more than one child. I wanted them to have siblings, for many reasons. Mostly so that they'd have someone to talk to about their nutty childhoods, but also that they would hopefully grow up to like each other enough to be friends.

And, with more kids you've got a better shot at one of them growing up to make a good living and support their parents in their old age.

Not after you put one-year old pee next to my innocent baby face. Think again, MOTHER.

Family: all because two people fell in love.

These Are the Days of Our Lives

Evelyn had her 4 month checkup today. We were early (SHOCKING) and so we went for coffee (decaf, one sugar). While waiting at the drive-through, this was going on in the backseat:

Adorable sister time that was captured with my phone camera. I lamented this at the time, but the results look almost better than my camera camera. Wow, technology these days.

Hands! And, siblings looking at each other! Precious moments dolls and baby cupids are shouting out to choirs of angels in heaven over this.


I may be a touch hormonal, but good lord the sweetness!


The only sister time in the car that I remember is that of fighting over who didn't have to sit on the hump in the middle. Cars these days, they don't even have a hump anymore. 


What with camera phones and no-hump cars, I can't keep up.