Naked Evvie and the Long Hallway- Plus a Stylin' Pompadour

Her tentative steps are almost an all-out run now, as Evvie works up the courage to walk on her own. She enjoys her push-toys a lot (although the dog has taken a contrary position on their use).

Post Holiday Mechanics

Evvie helped daddy put together her new push toy. (Help consisted of moving all the parts around and lubricating the screwdrivers with saliva).Once this push-wagon was complete, Evvie wasn't sure which she preferred- riding in it or pushing it around! She's extremely fond of pushing carts around, and not afraid to show off her skills by humbly clapping and cheering.

Her new hat came in handy when we returned from Christmas and the house needed time to warm up.

Christmas in Saranac Lake

Our Christmas Eve eve commenced in the great state of New York where Ruby an Griffin were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa. They kept Evvie entertained with their energy and their fish until the big day when the presents arrived.


It was a whirlwind trip with Hallie, Ruby, Jay & Smitty battling various ailments, but perservering with the Chritmas Spirit intact! Everything culminated with a big swim with Uncle Butch, Uncle Jason, Hallie, Griffin, Evvie & Jay in the hotel pool. The best times always seem to pass too quickly.

Christmas in Turner

We celebrated Christmas with the Princes a little early. Evvie loved Grandma's plush Rudolph doll and learned how to really rip presents open. She loved her new animal farm and kitty kitty from California, as well as some great books and outfits. Unfortunately we had to leave her presents & Ruby behind for our trip to upstate New York! Ruby promised to take good care of everything, and to keep grandpa from breaking anything.

Hi there!

Evelyn has just decided that as longas her nap is going to be super long (3 hours- woo-hoo!), she's going to wait until after lunch to take it. No more 10am naptime, just one good long middle-of-the-day snooze.

This picture was taken at 11:45 am, and as you can see, she's not in any dire need of sleep.

Brusha Brusha!

With a whopping six teeth in her head, Evvie's picked up the twice-daily brushing habit pretty well. We just have her brush when we brush and she's all over it.

You've got to buy special baby toothpaste wihout fluoride, because it's designed to be able to be swallowed rather than spit out. This was all news to me when I was standing there in the grocery store with a plethora of options before me. It's not the first time I've felt lost as a parent, and certainly not the last.

The Kiss

Such a sweet little girl!

Thinking Outside the Box...

But Standing in One!

This morning Evvie woke up later than usual. After nursing she still seemed cranky so I offered her more breakfast. After polishing off 10 oz of yogurt and a slice of soy cheese I thought that this change in her routine was fairly dramatic and might signal something. Something might happen today.

What happened was that Evvie suddenly became willing and eager to stand without holding on to anything. She took several steps several times today at grandma's house while holding hands-which she had previously been unwilling to do (usually with a look of- "hey, I can crawl WAY faster than this!"). Something's clicked. Something's changed. It's fascinating to watch. Today she woke up ready to try.

So that's it. She's thirteen months old, and although still not walking, she made huge steps today (pun intended).

A Disturbing Bit of Play...

After Evvie went to bed and we cleaned up behind her, we noticed a miniature crime scene where she had been playing...
I think I may call a child psychologist and hope that I sleep tonight.

New Teeth

So here's a picture of the best angle on Evvie's new teeth. We didn't even realize she was teething, until turning her upside down during play a few days ago. Surprise! Incisors!

(You have to look carefully to the sides of her top front teeth, but there's at least one.)
Momma's got a pretty good set of choppers that she's gloating about in the upper corner of the picture as well. Show off!