Exploring the great outdoors

Summer is hear and it has been quite warm. There have however been a few nice evenings where it wasn't unbearable. Evvy loves being outside even if it is just to sit on my lap or on the sidewalk. Now that she is more mobile, I think she enjoys it even more. Last evening, I put her big quilt from Grandma out on the grass to let her sit on it. She sat on it for a few seconds and then she was off to explore the grass, flowers, pots, dirt, etc. I got my camera and just took a bunch of pictures trying to figure out all of the features of the camera. It has a lot of fun color swapping/enhancement features that I really just need to read about in the manual. Anyway, here are a few that I like of my girl playing in the grass and mommy's flower garden.

Susan

Watch out Duchess!

I've been a bad blogger lately. Work and baby have kept me very busy and we are pretty tired at night.

But here are a few pictures of Evvy chasing the Duchess (our old cat). She has gotten pretty fast with crawling and enjoy her mobiltiy. She is really enjoying more independence since she can go where she wants now. We are working on boundaries (don't eat the cat food or get in the cat box). I've only had to dig cat food out of her mouth twice so far. She is just so darn fast!

One week down!

Well Evvy and I survived our first week of mommy working and baby going to the sitter. After the first day of being sad and crying she has been fine. She really enjoys the sitter's girls (8, 6, 4) and then her best friend Erica goes on Wednesday mornings.

She greets me each evening with the biggest smile and laugh that it warms my heart. She starts flapping her arms and legs for me to pick her up. Heartwarming but also heartbreaking that I can't be with her all day. The only issue so far is that she isn't napping very well. We think it is because their is so much going on in the house and next week J is going to try to put her to sleep upstairs away from the commotion of the other kids.

Work for me was VERY busy as I figured out all the outstanding issues with the new system integration so that I could test fixes and communicate semi-intelligently about the issues with IT and Business people. Luckily many of the issues seem to be resolved/fixed with only a few more major issues left.

At the end of each day, Evvy and Mommy are very tired. There were several days that she was asleep by 7:00. I have been to bed much earlier also. I have to get up about 45 minutes earlier to make sure I have everything ready for both of us for the day. Luckily Evvy has slept very well and through the night except for one night when she fell asleep after having only taken 1/2 her bottle. I think she was just hungry come 3:00am. She went back to sleep and I had to wake her up to go to the sitters.

Here are a few of the portraits that we had done last week. We go pickup the actual prints on Monday. I was pleased with some of the good shots that were captured.

Susan

First Day Back at Work....First Day at Sitter

Well, I was up bright and early this morning to make sure I was ready before Evvy got up and that everything was in the car and ready to go. I had plenty of time and we ended up being early. Evvy woke up right before I went into her room. I was glad that I didn't have to wake her up.

When we got to the sitter's house, she went happily to Miss J and snuggled right into her while I explained her scheduled, gave her my contact info and showed her the food I brought. She didn't cry or reach for me when I left. It made me a little sad but happy that she didn't feel distressed.

I had a VERY busy day at work. I think they are very glad that I am back. We had a HUGE implementation of new computer system last week and it didn't go too smoothly. Things seemed a little better today but there are still a lot of issues to be worked through. My backup person that handled things (and very well she did) while I was gone came up and bowed down to me and said, "Thank Goodness you are back." I got that a lot today. I guess it made me feel good but I missed my baby all day and thought about her all day. Since I was so busy, the day went pretty quickly.

When I went to pickup Evvy, Miss J said that she had a pretty tough day. She only drank 1 1/2 bottles and not a full bottle at one sitting like she normally does before a nap. She didn't eat much breakfast or lunch. She napped in the car a little while they ran a couple of errands in the morning and then cried and cried in the afternoon when it was time for nap. She didn't want to be held or put down. It broke my heart when she told me (I am crying just thinking about it now). My poor baby thought that I had abandoned her. She just went through separation 2 short months ago and she had to go through it again today. When I came, Miss J said that she had been sitting on the floor playing and just saying "mamamamama." When she brought her to the door when I knocked, my sweet baby's face lit up and she reached out and was so happy to see me. She just kept patting my on the chest and face. I could feel the relief she felt.

I don't know how she will do tomorrow when I drop her off since she knows what is coming. I hope she does OK. I hope that after a couple of days of her seeing that I come back every night, she feels secure and settles down into a routine.

We came home and I just let her sit with me on the floor. She was so happy to play with her toys. I will have to bring a few more to leave at Miss J's tomorrow. Then we ate dinner together tonight. She ate very well and drank about 6 oz of milk out of her sippy cup. Then we went for a walk. She babbled a lot and kept looking back to make sure I was still there. When we came home, we sat and read some books and then went to take a bath. She was soooo tired, she didn't even want to stay in the tub. She cried to get out. She didn't want to read our night time books (I read them but skipped the pages that she flipped past). She really just wanted her bottle and to go to sleep. The poor little thing was just exhausted. She drank her whole bottle and was fast asleep. She hadn't moved when I went in to check on her a little bit ago (blanket still on her).

She is really starting to understand one to one correlations with names and things. She got two balloons for her birthday. In the book we read before bedtime (Goodnight Moon/Buenos Noche Luna) it says "buenos noche globo rojo" (good night red balloon). When I read that the other night, she looked up at her balloon and clapped. She is really grasping words. I like to think that I am helping her language skills by speaking to her in Spanish which builds on the language skills that she has already built during this first year of her life in Guatemala.

Anyway, long day, I am so tired (emotionally and physically).

Thank you to all my friends and families who called and sent me well wishes and checked up on me tonight after our first day back to work/at the sitter.

We will get through this as we learn our new routine together.

Susan

Going back to work tomorrow

Today is my last full day before I go back to work tomorrow. I'm a little sad and reality hasn't hit yet. I am just enjoying sitting her watching my baby girl play and read. She has changed so much in the past 2 months.

Yesterday we went and had her carseat switched to front facing and one of the volunteers offered to hold her while I filled out the paperwork. The volunteer was one who helped install the carseat rear facing before Miss Evelyn came home so she remembered me and the adoption story. She was very sweet. When she went to the lady, Evelyn looked around to make sure I was still there and saw me but she started crying and reached out for me. Can I tell you I have never been so happy to see her cry! It is a definite sign of attachment. Not that I was really worried but it does sho that she will not just go to anyone.

Hopefully she will do well at the sitters tomorrow. I am a little worried but I am sure she will be fine. She has been to Jeanie's house and met the girls and been to the park with them twice. I think it will probably be harder for me. I wish I didn't have to go back to work but obviously it is a necessity if I want to be able to feed and provide for my sweet girl.

Send me lots of good vibes tomorrow! I know moms do this everyday but it is my first time and I haven't been a mom very long.

Susan

Happy Birthday Evvy!

Evelyn May officially turned 1 yesterday. We had a grand day together. We went and got a birthday baloon, went to the toy store where mommy bought her some new toys and the nice lady gave her another balloon. Then last night she had her best friend Erica come over with her mommy, daddy and two brothers Cameron and Parker to have pizza and cupcakes and open presents. She was really cute. Didn't know what to think of opening presents but sure did like what was inside. I didn't really get her too much as she is only 1 and really just got a lot of new stuff when she came home. I did get her a few developmental toys (plastic beads that go together, shape sorting blocks and a Little People mini van with a mommy and baby and then a sprinkler to play with outside. She also got some new books from her friends and a great xylaphone. She had a great time playing with Erica and the boys.

I must say she was very underwhelmed with the cupcakes I made for this party. We had already celebrated her birthday with our family at the reunion last week and I had made a tres leches layer cake. She went to town on that cake and really dug her hands and face in and actually ate (or should I say destroyed) the cake. When I put the cupcake on her tray, she tried to chuck it over the side several times. It landed upside down on the tray. She finally stuck her hands in the frosting and ate some of it. She did manage to get frosting all over her face and the tray. I think she really just wanted to play with the new toys and had had enough of eating.
Evvy had a week of a lot of firsts also. Since Saturday she has really started crawling which means she can go after mommy and the cats. She also went to the waterpark for the first (& 2nd) time. She really likes floating in a tube on the lazy river with mommy. On her birthday she woke up and sat up in her crib. It made her mad because her legs were stuck out of the slats and she couldn't get them out. Not a happy way to wake up. Then at naptime she got so mad that she pulled herself up and when I went in to check on her there she was standing up in her crib. She thinks it is pretty cool but doesn't know how to get back down yet. Needless to say, the crib mattress is now lowered all the way down so that she doesn't take a tumble out of the crib.















Here are some pictures from both of her parties. I have created an album of all the birthday pictures. Put the slide show on fast as there are a lot of them and I just can't choose so I put them all out there!

Susan

Evvy is on the move!

I forgot to mention that last Saturday after returning from the family reunion, Miss Evvy decided that it was time to really start crawling. She is now up on hands and knees and moving all over the place. I had to move some things out of the entertainment center since she now can get into it whenever she wants. It is now truly HER entertainment center filled with her toys!

Susan

Busy social calendar

Since we have been back from the reunion, we have been very busy. We kicked back on Saturday so mommy could do laundry and clean up the house after Nancy and her boys left. On Sunday, we were invited to a picnic with some of my former and current work friends. There were 4 other little kids there for Evvy to play with (2 10 month olds & 2 almost 2 year olds).

On Monday, the weather finally got pretty and warm enough so that we could go to the waterpark for the first time this season. The kiddie pool area was FREEZING! Evvy didn't enjoy that part too much. She was content sitting on the edge with Mommy, Peggy and another friend we met at the park. Erica & Emma really enjoyed running and splasing in the water, Evvy did like the lazy river a lot. We got a double tube. The side that Evvy sat on has an enclosed bottom so I splashed some water in there and she just laid back and chilled. She only took a 30 minute nap at the park so she was crashed by 7:30 that night and slept until almost 6:30 this morning! Now if mommy could just figure out how to sleep when baby sleeps! I stayed up way too late editing the pictures so I could get them out on our picture web site.

The rest of the week is busy also. If the weather is nice we are going to the waterpark again today and hopefully baby Sam (also from Guatemala) and his mommy Julie will join us there. Wednesday is Evvy's official birthday. I am going to make cupcakes and have Peggy's family over to sing happy birthday since we already did a big celebration at the reunion last week. I need to get Evvy's 1-year pictures made this week. Then Saturday we were invited to another BBQ to celebrate a friend's daughter's 2nd b-day and Sunday we have a picnic with families from our adoption agency. Then Monday, I have to go back to work :(

No new pictures today. I will try to remember to take the camera to the waterpark next time so you can see the girl chillin on the lazy river.

More later this week!
Susan

Home from the Family Reunion

We got home Friday night from a weeklong visit with our family.

Last week started with my sister Nancy and her husband and FIVE boys (Sam, Jake, Ben, Alex & Isaac) stopping at our house the Saturday before Memorial Day. They live in Western Nebraska (about 8-9 hours away) and used our house as a waystation on their way to the family reunion. Evvy didn't quite know what to make of all those noisy boys but she enjoyed all the extra love & attention from her cousins.

Monday morning we left along with Nancy's family to drive to Mountain View, Arkansas to meet up with the rest of the family. We left at 8am and were there by 2:30. Evvy was a great traveller. She sat in her carseat and either slept or read a book for the 6 1/2 hour car ride to Arkansas. I am very blessed to have a child that is so contented. We stayed at a nice little compound that had 4 very nice (not rustic at all) cabins including a nice cook/dining hall. We stayed in a cabin with Uncle Robert, Aunt Aimee & cousin Ethan from Alabama. Evvy did remarkably well sleeping in the pack & play porta crib. I wasn't sure how she would do sleeping out in the open with everyone around her but she did great. We brought her sleeping CD and it really was pretty quiet. The cabin was a good place to get away to when we got too tired or overwhelmed.

Evvy LOVED being around her grandpa. This was her 3rd time being with Grandpa. He & Grandmas came with me to pick her up in Guatemala and then visited a few weeks ago. Whenever Grandpa would walk in the room, Evvy's little arms and legs would start pumping like crazy. If for some reason, Grandpa didn't acknowledge her by coming over, she would throw a fit. If Grandpa left the room, she would cry. I think there is a good bond between these two. I think we might be seeing more of Grandpa too because he just bought a small airplane so that he and Grandma can go and visit all their Grandchildren more often.

Evvy also liked meeting her Uncle John & Aunt Vickie & cousin Adam from Memphis. Aunt Vickie had Evvy decked out with some cute new outfits that she had sent to welcome Evvy home. Cousin Adam was funny too. He is VERY tall and has lots of curly hair so she thought he was pretty funny. Evvy sure seems to like men. I wonder if this is a sign of what I have to look forward to in her teenage years.

She got to see Uncle Allan and cousins Abby & Ally again from Texas (they visited over Mother's Day weekend) but also go to meet the brothers Avram & Andrew. Avram just graduated from High School and Andrew will be a senior this next year. She thought they were all pretty neat and funny. The boys were very sweet with her making silly faces and entertaining her.

Evvy got to go swimming in a swimming pool for the first time. She really enjoyed it a lot I think even though it was a bit chilly. We also went to a lake twice which she enjoyed. She got to sit in sand (didn't like this so much at first) and build a pile of sand with grandpa. She took a long nap under a tree which allowed mommy to lay in the sun for a bit and try to take the white off of her legs (not much progress made there yet).

We also ate LOTS of yummy food! Evvy really liked eating watermelon, especially if Grandpa was feeding it to her. She also really liked the homemade ice-cream and the ice sticks (popsicles in plastic tubes).

We celebrated Evvy's 1st birthday with the family. I brought her birthday crown and made a tres leches cake for her. It was really pretty simple but she had a good time. I will post the birthday cake pictures on her actual birthday (just 1 more days!).

I will post a few of the vacation pictures on the blog and put the rest of them on our photoalbum website (see link at left) if you want to see them all.

As I have said many times, I am so grateful for my wonderful daughter. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little girl. She is so laid back and easy going. She really likes to be with a lot of people but can also be content just hanging out at home with mommy. I was a little worried that she would miss being around the big family once we got home but she seems to be OK ruling the house with the cats & mom. It feels like she has always been a part of our family.

This will be a busy week. It is my last week before I go back to work (sadness) so I plan to spend lots of time with my girl at the pool (weather permitting).

Susan & Evvy

Evvy exploring a plant in a rocky alcove.





This water is just way too cold!