An update! Whoa!

Haven't posted in about 6 months... Why am I so bad at this?

Anyway, my little girl is now almost 22 months old (where has the time gone?). I fear that we are now entering the "terrible two's". We are getting more frequent temper tantrums and Evelyn has learned the word "no". We are trying to just take it in stride and teach her what is right and wrong. She's really not all that bad, just trying our patience! :) oh well, we still love her! lol!

She is also learning and growing every day! She is learning to speak in sentences. She amazes me every single day! I love this little girl so much!

Here's a recent photo... Enjoy the cuteness!

My cutie!

Grocery Shopping

Evelyn is not a fan of grocery shopping... she tends to get a little loud and "excited" when she's in the cart and doesn't see any toys around lol!  I really need to remember to bring toys with me to occupy her when she's sitting in the cart in the grocery store...  For some reason she loves to go to Menards and Target though. She usually does not complain at those places...

I don't mind taking her to the store. It doesn't bother me that she's excited or talks loud, etc. I just feel like other people might care! We took her to Jewel yesterday and she was saying "MA-MA-MA-MA" the whole time at the top of her lungs lol... It's not like she cries or gets upset... she's just excited and LOUD! 

Hopefully in the coming months, she'll start to understand more what we're doing when we go to the grocery store and she'll learn to tell me what she wants to buy and occupy herself with that instead of getting so super excited.

I'm not a fan of grocery shopping, but it has to get done!  I also like to go with my husband because that way we can kind of plan out our meals and buy what we need... I know he doesn't enjoy it either, but he deals lol!

Shopping etc.

Evelyn and I went to Woodfield last night... I wanted to buy a few things for the hubby for Father's Day... The shopping trip was a success! There's still a couple more things I want to/need to buy. Hopefully I can make it out this afternoon or sometime tomorrow to finish up my shopping!  I never know what to get my husband... he's a hard person to shop for! But I know that he will love anything we give him! :)

Evelyn is usually pretty good at the mall, unless she's cranky or tired... She was kind of cranky yesterday, but I gave her my keys to play with and then she was fine. I swear, kids are amused by the silliest things!

I am not sure what we are doing on Father's day. I'd love to go out for brunch or dinner, but not only will it be crowded, but  I don't know how Evelyn will deal with that... I have to talk to hubby some more and see what he says or thinks we should do...

Summertime

I took Evelyn to the park around 7 p.m. yesterday. She was being very fussy and didn't want to sit still at home, so I figured I'd take her to burn some energy! She loves the swing and going on the slide as well. At least I got her to sit still while she was in the swing haha! But seriously, she had a good time, so I think we'll have to do that more often. I always forget that she's getting big enough to start enjoying things like the park... Last summer we didn't do much with her because she was so little and couldn't walk or anything... I'm starting to have more and more fun with her being able to do more now! I can't wait till she gets big enough to do things like go to amusement parks or water parks! I love doing that kind of stuff!!!

In a few weeks we'll be heading to Wisconsin Dells.  We went last summer as well, but again, Evelyn was still so little, so she didn't really get too much out of it. I think this time she will enjoy the water park and the sight-seeing and even the Tommy Bartlett Show.  If you've never been to the show, I highly recommend it! Google it... It's definitely fun! I think I've seen the show at least 20 times... if not more.  It's a tradition when you go to the Dells! :)

Next summer we hope to go to an all-inclusive in Mexico or possibly do a cruise. It all depends on how Evelyn will act once she gets to the "Terrible Twos" and also it depends on what if any remodeling we will be doing to our home next year...

I just love summertime.  My parents always took my sister and I on trips (every year), so I want to do the same for Evelyn! I want her to have the same fond memories that I do!

Weekends

Weekends are my favorite time because I get to spend it with Evelyn AND my husband.  I love having him at home because it gives me someone to talk to and someone to help me with Evelyn, since it's just me and her Monday - Friday for the most part.

Evelyn is awesome because she lets us sleep in a little on weekends :) I think she somehow knows that we are both home and want a little extra sleep! I can't complain though because she usually wakes up around 8 - 8:30 anyway! Benefits of working from home.  My first meeting isn't usually until 9 a.m., so she wakes up and I get her fed and then join my meeting.

On Saturdays we usually get up and make some food for us and Evie and then we run whatever errands we need to and sometimes we just hang out around the house. Now that it's warm outside, I want to spend more time outside with Evelyn. I just need to find some fun things for her to do and not get bored of being outside.  This Saturday we took a very long walk around the neighborhood.  Evelyn seemed to rather enjoy it. She likes to watch the birds and squirrels running around. It was fun! 

Saturday evenings, we usually go out to dinner and then stop by my parents' house or have dinner with them.  Once Evie goes to bed, the hubby and I usually catch up on our DVRed shows or rent a movie from on-demand.

Sunday mornings we go to church at 9:00 a.m., so it's always a task getting everyone ready on time. Good thing the church is only 3 blocks away! :)  After mass, we either go out for breakfast or go to my parents' house for breakfast if my mom offers to make something.  We then bring Evelyn home for her nap around 11-11:30 and then spend most of the rest of the day running errands, going to the mall or just hanging out.  We go visit my parents sometimes or just hang out by our house and let Evelyn run around before bed...

My weekends have definitely changed since I had Evelyn, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

Wordless Wednesday: Joy

My little sponge!

Evelyn is like a little sponge lately! She is learning so many new words and things...

In the past few days she has learned to say:

-Molly Stop (to the dog)

-happy

-baby

-me (If you sing her the ABCs, she says "me" when you say "next time won't you sing with..." she also says "me" when her toy Violet sings a song about her "Me and my friend Evelyn, etc..."

-blah, blah, blah (there is a you tube video called "Animal Sounds Song" and it goes through all the sounds animals make and there's a part that goes: "And the people they say blah blah blah, blah blah blah" so she has learned that.

-please

Yesterday I was singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to her and then all of a sudden she's like "Up-a" (at the part that goes "up above the world so high..." It totally caught me by surprise!

Also this morning, I turned on "Little Einsteins" for her while I was getting ready to go to work. If you've never seen the show, I will explain... the kids in the show have a rocket (named Rocket) which they fly in for their adventures. Well, to get the rocket to go, they say they need to give it power so they pat their knees and say "pat, pat, pat...". This morning, Evelyn started doing that with them! It was so adorable!

My little sponge! She is just picking up on EVERYTHING! She repeats words and it's just so adorable! She is such a smart baby! I am such a proud mama!

Dining Out...

Dining out with a toddler is challenging, let me tell ya. You not only have to find something they like to eat (or bring food with you -- which is a pain) AND you have to keep them occupied so they don't scream and shriek at the top of their lungs because they're bored lol!  Evelyn never gets sad/mad/upset. She is just either excited or bored... I usually try to bring some books/toys with me whenever we go out and some finger snacks while we wait for our food. Sometimes, however I forget to bring the snacks and she gets annoyed if she's hungry! We went out to lunch with a friend today and Evelyn was just a ball of energy! On top of that, all she wanted to eat was pickles and potato chips... This is the only thing that kept her quiet, so I obliged. I tried to slide in the occasional piece of bread or mac 'n cheese, which is what we got her for lunch, but she wanted nothing to do with it! I surrendered... lol

Jody and I eat out a fair amount... I'd say at least once a week. Usually Evelyn is okay when we take her places, but sometimes she just won't quit! Thus, we usually just bring home take out and I make something for her at home when we do decide to do that. Otherwise, she eats whatever I make for us!

I think she's just curious and excited to be out and see new things and new people. I just feel so self conscious that people are staring or whispering when she acts up... I guess I have to just bear with it for now. Hopefully she grows out of her screaming and shrieking stage soon! lol!

Jody and I are hoping we can go out for our 6 year wedding anniversary next weekend... Our anniversary is actually this Sunday BUT my parents are out of town and my sister has a wedding to go to, so we have no one to watch Evie! I am looking forward to a meal I can actually eat and taste and enjoy rather than shoving food down my throat so I can entertain a 1 year old haha! Hopefully my parents or sister can watch her next weekend....

2 Full Time Jobs!

For those who don't know, I have a full time job and work from home 4 days a week (I go in to the office on Tuesdays), so I am able to stay at home with Evelyn!  I work as a Database Administrator and fortunately, our client does not require us to be on-site and my company allows all of us to work from home 3-4 days a week! I don't make as much as I probably should, but I do make a decent amount and definitely "a lot" for getting to sit my butt at home almost every day haha!

Being a working mom and having to take care of your child all day while working is TOUGH!  However, I am very grateful that I have this privilege. It can be tough at times, but I try to manage as best I can. I guess you can say I have 2 full time jobs!

With Evelyn being almost 15 months old, I have been thinking about a future child (but not yet!!!) I really don't want Evelyn to be alone, but I know that having another child and working full time would be a VERY tough challenge. With that said, my husband and I are trying to work as hard as we can to put ourselves in a financial situation where we can rely on one income instead of two! Hopefully we can make that happen within the next couple of years. I really don't want more than a 4-5 year gap between children. My husband is more along the lines of 3-4 years, but I am just not ready to be pregnant again just yet!

So.... for now, I will continue to do my job and take care of Evelyn as best I can, so that we can make the best life for her that we can!

Here are some pictures, since I haven't posted one in forever!

Mornings at my house...

Mornings at my house are very relaxed. Evelyn never cries or whines for us to come get her. However, we do know when she's up because she starts calling our dog, Molly! It's the cutest thing ever.  She will wake up, stretch and start yelling "Mo-yee" for the dog to come to her (which the dog does not do might I add -- lazy dog!)

I can count on one hand the number of times Evelyn has woken up unhappy... She is always happy in the morning, even if she's hungry.

Once I get myself out of bed and dressed, I go in to her room, pick out an outfit for her and try to get her out of bed. She's a little lazy one (like her mama!) She will lay or sit there and play with her favorite toy (My Pal Violet by LeapFrog) and just smile at me and be silly! She's so hilarious... When she finally stands up or gets closer to the edge of the crib (since I am too short to reach her when she's laying down), I pick her up, change her and bring her down for breakfast.  Evie is on a rotation of yogurt, waffles/pancakes and cereal for the most part. I also throw in some fruit depending on the meal. I really need to try to get her to eat toast or eggs more often... she's not very adventurous when it comes to foods!

After Evelyn eats breakfast, she usually plays around in the living/dining rooms while I work. I am very fortunate to work from home 4 days a week, so I have her playing here while I do that, so I can keep an eye on her!  The mornings usually go by pretty quick... she goes down for a nap at about 11 and during that time I work or get other things done around the house. We've got our routine down and we stick to it pretty well. Sometimes on the weekends we stray from the routine, but she's really good about adjusting! Thank goodness!

14 months and counting...

As you can imagine, raising a child and working full time is not easy and does not give you a lot of free time. Hence my not updating this blog in 8 months (haha!)

Evelyn is now 14.5 months old. She is as amazing as ever!

Here are a couple milestones:

-First word: da-da (of course!)
-Began crawling around 8 or 9 months
-Began standing shortly after crawling
-First steps (May 9, 2011) 6 days before her 1st Birthday!

Evelyn now walks (runs) around the house! There is no stopping her! She says the following words: ma-ma, da-da, baba (grandma), dzia-dzia (grandpa), Go-ga (my sister, Gosia), Molly (our dog), me, baby, yes (ssss)... I'm sure there are others I am forgetting but these are the ones she says most often. She is also a very happy baby. She still sleeps through the night (9pm - 8:30 a.m. ish) and she's learning toeat different foods every day.  We cut out formula at about 11 months and now she's strictly on whole milk (organic). She also drinks juice, water and iced tea (which she LOVES).

Evelyn also has just about all of her teeth (including 2 year molars!) Teething hasn't proved to be very bothersome for her... The last few have given her some problems but she doesn't really cry... she gets a bit fussy and whiny, but when it's time for bed, she still sleeps through the night. (I know... I am the LUCKIEST mom ever!)

Recently we took our first plane trip with her and she was A-MAZING! She slept through all the flights for the most part... when she wasn't sleeping she was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the Touchpad or just hanging out.  I swear this kid is the best kid EVER.

I am loving being a mom! Though I must admit, it is challenging at times! Juggling work and Evelyn is an every day challenge, but we do just fine.  The past 2 months we have been remodeling our kitchen, so our house has been a state of disaster, but we are nearing the end, so hopefully within the next month or so we can get things back to normal!

We are looking forward to summer and getting out and doing fun things like going to the zoo, exploring our awesome city and taking some trips to the pool!