Saying Thank You

I stood quietly next to Mom in the kitchen, waiting patiently while she filled my snack cup with Cheerios. As soon as she handed the cup off to me, I responded with what sounded like, "Tank do!" It was me saying thank you. Mom was so proud of my good manners.

Family Portrait

Thanksgiving Pictures

Giving Mr. Turkey a kiss on the head...

And wishing him good luck!

Trying to do my best turkey impression.

I saw the cooked bird and it was this big!

The mashed potatoes looked so yummy, I was ready to climb over the counter and grab some for myself.  When it came time for dinner, Mom gave me turkey, stuffing, and a roll to go with my potatoes!

After dinner, my second cousin and I treated the family to some musical entertainment.

It was a great night and the food was so tasty!

Happy Turkey Day

I let Mom borrow my blog to post a top ten list of things she is thankful for this year. The list is below.

10. I am thankful for new opportunities, adventures, and risks, as well as the challenges I face in making the changes necessary to take advantage of them.

9. I am thankful for my cell phone, which allows me to take photos (and videos) of my daughter each day and send them to my husband while he's at work, so he doesn't miss quite so much.

8. I am thankful for nap time. Right now it is the only time I get alone.

7. I am thankful for the ability to travel and be with family in both good and tough circumstances.

6. I am thankful for the many choices available to me to make, the choices I already have made, and the control I have over the direction my life takes.

5. I am thankful for all the time I get to spend with my daughter, and that I have been there to witness all of her firsts (so far).

4. I am thankful for a husband who is devoted to providing a caring and safe environment for his family.

3. I am thankful for my post-pregnancy body. The changes show that I am now a mother, and I'm proud of that.

2. I am thankful for my daughter's pattern of sleeping twelve hours each night. It gives me time to spend with my husband, as well as a full night's rest. And it's already exhausting enough keeping up with my daughter each day.

1. Most of all, I am thankful for each morning that I wake up and get to hold my daughter in my arms.

If I (Evie) made my own top ten list, it would be something like this:

10. I am thankful for the bird. I never tire of laughing at and chasing him.

9. I am thankful for straws. Sippy cups weren't really my thing.

8. I am thankful for shoes. They allow me to walk with Mom and Dad, and I love putting them on.

7. I am thankful for shopping carts and strollers. They're a lot of fun to push.

6. I am thankful for cabinets and drawers and all the treasures I get to find hidden in them.

5. I am thankful for music. Turn it on, and I can't help but dance.

4. I am thankful for cookies, the next best thing to chocolate cake.

3. I am thankful for chocolate cake and that I can eat it now. 

2. I am thankful for Tama the Tortoise. She keeps me company at night.

1. I am thankful for Mom and Dad always finding something to laugh about when I'm around.

Dear Mom's Cousin

Tonight, before bed, I strutted around in my new cowgirl boots, chewed on my 'brush (toothbrush), then jumped on my rocking horse and went for a ride. It was awesome. Thanks for the boots.

One and Only

Last night I cut Mom and Dad off from each other. Both wanted to go to bed, but I had to provide them with a good twenty minutes of screaming after the bird aroused me from my sleep. Mom was caught in the hallway, so she sat on the floor, just outside my door. Dad sat on the floor of their bedroom, which is just beyond my room, playing a game on his phone. They could see each other, but that's all. If Mom passed in front of my door and I saw her, I definitely would not settle down. They couldn't talk to each other, either, for any sound, no matter how quiet, I could suddenly hear with precision. Both Mom and Dad impatiently waited as I tossed and turned, complained, and eventually fell back asleep.

It's all part of my ploy to convince Mom and Dad that no sibling is ever needed in this household. I am sure to keep my screams piercing and my messes out of control. As long as the living room constantly looks like a tornado hit it, and as long as the neighbors can clearly hear me, I know I'm doing my job right. Add in a few foods smashed into the carpet, couch, or Mom's clothes, particularly ones that stain, and I know I'm guaranteeing an independent, spoiled future.

Workout

I ate some bites from a piece of cake AND an entire sugar cookie tonight at my second cousin's birthday party. So I won't lose my girlish figure, I made sure to work out when I got home.

I've Got To Use My Imagination

Pretending a lotion bottle is a phone, and walking around like I'm talking on it?

Why not?

From the looks of it, I'm having a very important conversation.

Pushing Buttons, Pushing Strollers

I flew on a plane for the second time in my life, this time to Minneapolis. My dad had a job interview. Besides finding bed bugs at our first hotel, the trip went okay. It was tiring, though. And the flight home was a long one.

When I'm ready for a nap, I get a little cranky. To let off steam, I cry myself to sleep. I just so happened to need a nap about an hour into our ride home. If you've ever flown on a plane, you'll understand when I say I had a hard time getting comfortable. Even for me, there was too little space.

I may have been a little overtired and a little extra ornery, so I may have kicked the dramatic crying up a notch. But I wasn't too bad, and my crying only lasted about ten minutes. 

Apparently, another guy sitting nearby felt that ten minutes was ten too many, and he complained and complained and complained to my dad about it. He even told my dad to give me drugs to force me to sleep and called my dad a bad father. I don't think I've ever seen my dad so mad, or ever heard him swear at a complete stranger before!

I could tell my parents were exhausted and ready to be home. I was ready to be home, too. Since I got a good nap on the plane and didn't have to wake up all groggy from medication I didn't even need, I felt I had enough energy to help my parents with their carry-on bags after we landed. So, I had them load up the stroller with their bags, then I pushed it through the terminal. It's fun being such a good helper.

Kicking and Screaming

I'm figuring out how to assert my independence and make decisions for myself. What this means is that I've learned how to say no. Except I don't actually say the word no. I squirm, I kick, and I scream when I'm not getting what I want.

And I've decided that I HATE diaper changes. As soon as Mom lays me down on my back, I try to flip over. If she won't let me, I start screaming. When she takes off the diaper, I start kicking. As she wipes me clean, I squirm back and forth. I go back to kicking when Mom grabs the new diaper, then back to trying to flip over when she attempts to put it on. I certainly don't make it easy.

I know my parents hope this phase will be short. Too bad, though, that I still have about a year until I'm two and terrible!

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

Trick or Treat!

If you give me a treat, I'll perform a trick, namely looking cute for pictures in my Little Red Riding Hood costume.

While walking "through" some woods for my pictures, I thought I heard the Big Bad Wolf behind me.

I tried to tell Mom...

Then I realized I was being silly.

The leaves in the woods were so pretty!

Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

On Saturday, October 30th, I attended the Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the Mall in DC. I guess over 200,000 other people were there. I think all of them traveled with us into the city on our metro train!

The train got so full we couldn't let everyone who wanted to get on. Mom and Dad kept me tucked in my stroller. Some people thought the stroller should be folded up, but I didn't think it was a good idea to stand on my own (or have Mom and Dad hold me so I could get squished like them).

I thought I saw a lot of people on the train, but the crowd in the city was SO big!

I saw lots of people carrying signs. Mom and Dad pointed at and laughed at many of them. I wish I could know what was so funny.

After walking around for a while, Mom and Dad finally made it behind the rally stage, where they watched Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Ozzy Osbourne, and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) perform.

The day was so overwhelming I passed out for most of the rally. 

I still had a good time, though!