ok, so i'll admit that i wasn't so in love with this dress that grandma got for evie. it's hand painted with a kitten, some flowers and "evelyn". not my style, but you know who's style it is?
that'd be evie's.
yesterday she pulled it out of her closet and asked me to put it on her. she has never been that specific about wanting to wear something before.
i obliged. she was pleased.
when mike got home she ran out of her room wearing the dress, he said "cute", she said "cute. pretty." and then twirled around in circles.
where did this girliness come from?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
a tiger in her tank
evie pulled out a crate of clothes that were in her closet and way too big for her when i put them there. turns out she's much bigger now, and there was some good dress-up potential. a few hats, a vest and this fantastic tigger jacket that she very much enjoyed wearing.
my heart was warm all thru her breakfast.
my heart was warm all thru her breakfast.
Monday, October 20, 2008
family is sinking in
we put together a little photo book of evie's cousins in upper michigan before our last visit, so she'd have a feel for who everyone was. it quickly became known as "myah". she'd ask for it before bedtime, and just look through it over and over again asking "who's that?"
it's a fun game, but you wonder how much of it is sinking in.
today we got taylor's new school picture from grandma. i pulled it out, showed it to evie and asked "who's that?" with no other prompting from me, she said with excitement "taylor".
hey, she's learning stuff!
it's a fun game, but you wonder how much of it is sinking in.
today we got taylor's new school picture from grandma. i pulled it out, showed it to evie and asked "who's that?" with no other prompting from me, she said with excitement "taylor".
hey, she's learning stuff!
check out these fish!
we went to the california academy of sciences last week, and evie was overwhelmed with excitement with all of the things to see. fish tank after fish tank, an albino alligator, penguins and a whole lot more. she just kept running from tank to tank yelling "wow" and squealing with delight.
i suspect we will visit often over the coming years.
the thing i found that was really interesting was that evie usually sticks very close to me in a crowd. even in moderate sized groups she becomes an extra appendage, but not this day. there was too much to see. no matter that the place was packed, she just took off every chance she got to explore. i can't say that i loved this new found independence, it means a lot more vigilance on our part, but it does feel good to see her spreading her wings a bit.
i suspect we will visit often over the coming years.
the thing i found that was really interesting was that evie usually sticks very close to me in a crowd. even in moderate sized groups she becomes an extra appendage, but not this day. there was too much to see. no matter that the place was packed, she just took off every chance she got to explore. i can't say that i loved this new found independence, it means a lot more vigilance on our part, but it does feel good to see her spreading her wings a bit.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
and then it just hits you
we went back to the hardly strictly bluegrass festival with evie on saturday. i really wanted to get there in time to see three girls and their buddy (patty griffin, emmylou harris, shawn colvin and buddy miller). evie fell asleep in the backpack on the way over. it was a beautiful, sunny day when we got to the park. the place was packed, but we found a nice place to stand off to the side. nice view, good sound. made it there about halfway through the set.
emmylou's singing. very nice.
more songs. those are three beautiful women's voices and some great guitar.
feeling very good about living in san francisco.
last song of the set. patty griffin singing "mary" - the way she always closes her shows.
beautiful song.
evie nuzzled into my back while she sleeps.
look off to my side and i see a woman with her pre-teen daughter. arms wrapped around each other swaying to the music.
i see my future.
and then it just hits me. wham. i'm completely overwhelmed by the love that i feel for evie. next thing i know i'm weeping.
weird.
enjoy the video, picture me wiping tears away.
emmylou's singing. very nice.
more songs. those are three beautiful women's voices and some great guitar.
feeling very good about living in san francisco.
last song of the set. patty griffin singing "mary" - the way she always closes her shows.
beautiful song.
evie nuzzled into my back while she sleeps.
look off to my side and i see a woman with her pre-teen daughter. arms wrapped around each other swaying to the music.
i see my future.
and then it just hits me. wham. i'm completely overwhelmed by the love that i feel for evie. next thing i know i'm weeping.
weird.
enjoy the video, picture me wiping tears away.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
strictly fun
for the second year in a row we brought evie to the hardly strictly bluegrass festival in golden gate park. this totally amazing, free concert that one man (warren hellman) gives to the city as his annual gift. it's one of the things that makes san francisco a really special place to live.
this year we were fortunate to be joined by joe and angela, who enjoyed the people watching as much as the music.
evie also had a blast, though i'm not exactly sure what she was signing in this photo:
any ideas?
click on either of the pics to see MANY more pictures from the day. also, a little video from the event. that'd be alison krauss and robert plant performing in the background while we dance.
this year we were fortunate to be joined by joe and angela, who enjoyed the people watching as much as the music.
evie also had a blast, though i'm not exactly sure what she was signing in this photo:
any ideas?
click on either of the pics to see MANY more pictures from the day. also, a little video from the event. that'd be alison krauss and robert plant performing in the background while we dance.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
early morning cuddles
evie was up early this morning. like 5:30 early. but she was in a warm and cuddly mood, so i didn't mind so much. we looked out her window for a while, then out the front window - hoping to catch a glimpse of the garbage truck (i know, the excitement!). at one point she just got in her little rocker and cuddled with the stuffed bear from grandma. was very happy that i got a picture.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
tuning in the world
while television's bounty provides evie with some passing interest, it's nothing compared to her fascination with looking out her bedroom window.
it seems being able to see a busy street and a freeway exit from her room are the next best things to sliced bread - only made better by the fact that we appear to be in the flight path of planes going to/from sfo. and on the occasions when the moon is up, that's yet another bonus.
i sometimes feel a little bad about our hyper-urban surroundings, with no yard, and the most "open" space being the rental car lot behind us and our little patch of cement surrounded by razor wire. i'm glad that evie doesn't seem to share in this regret.
it seems being able to see a busy street and a freeway exit from her room are the next best things to sliced bread - only made better by the fact that we appear to be in the flight path of planes going to/from sfo. and on the occasions when the moon is up, that's yet another bonus.
i sometimes feel a little bad about our hyper-urban surroundings, with no yard, and the most "open" space being the rental car lot behind us and our little patch of cement surrounded by razor wire. i'm glad that evie doesn't seem to share in this regret.
Friday, September 26, 2008
channeling brenda vaccaro
well it's been an interesting week. last friday night evie woke up around midnight and had a fever. i dosed her with tylenol, held her for a while and put her back to bed. over the weekend it was a pretty low-grade fever, except for one night at 103.5. on monday, it all seemed to be over. never any real signs as to what the problem was.
flash forward two days.
i get home from work on wednesday and the low fever is back, and she's got a cough like i've never heard come out of someone so small before. sounds like a three pack a day habit. throw on top of that a very raspy voice. think brenda vaccaro. if you're too young to know who that is, think kathleen turner. if you're too young to know who that is, i have no other references, just think awfully deep for an 18 month old (btw, she turned 1.5 on tuesday!).
the terrible cough, the low fever, the no appetite (!) all got me quite concerned, so we went into the doc yesterday, just to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. thankfully, it's not. not an ear infection either. just a really lousy cold. and a cough that breaks my heart every time i hear it.
it's friday today, but we're going to skip our usual group activities and just hang out together. lots of cuddling, and maybe a trip to the zoo. when she's better, i'm going to need a very large drink!
flash forward two days.
i get home from work on wednesday and the low fever is back, and she's got a cough like i've never heard come out of someone so small before. sounds like a three pack a day habit. throw on top of that a very raspy voice. think brenda vaccaro. if you're too young to know who that is, think kathleen turner. if you're too young to know who that is, i have no other references, just think awfully deep for an 18 month old (btw, she turned 1.5 on tuesday!).
the terrible cough, the low fever, the no appetite (!) all got me quite concerned, so we went into the doc yesterday, just to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. thankfully, it's not. not an ear infection either. just a really lousy cold. and a cough that breaks my heart every time i hear it.
it's friday today, but we're going to skip our usual group activities and just hang out together. lots of cuddling, and maybe a trip to the zoo. when she's better, i'm going to need a very large drink!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
not quite what i'd had in mind
we had our normal friday outing last week, and decided to try out a new mom-owned business in the city. mani & nanny - you get a manicure/pedicure, they watch your kid.
brilliant.
we walked up to the saloon from our normal meeting place, which meant a good two mile walk. felt good to get the ol' legs moving. evie fell asleep on the walk, so she was sleeping when we arrived. i had visions of her sleeping thru my pedicure.
it was not to be.
she woke up by the time the lady got to my second foot. and she was not so keen on hanging out in the playroom with the nanny and the other kids.
actually, none of them were all that keen on staying in the playroom. they found running around the main saloon a whole lot more fun. being a mom-owned business, they were pretty cool with our monsters running wild. evie spent a lot of the pedicure in my lap. the manicurist even buffed her nails, much to her delight.
brilliant.
we walked up to the saloon from our normal meeting place, which meant a good two mile walk. felt good to get the ol' legs moving. evie fell asleep on the walk, so she was sleeping when we arrived. i had visions of her sleeping thru my pedicure.
it was not to be.
she woke up by the time the lady got to my second foot. and she was not so keen on hanging out in the playroom with the nanny and the other kids.
actually, none of them were all that keen on staying in the playroom. they found running around the main saloon a whole lot more fun. being a mom-owned business, they were pretty cool with our monsters running wild. evie spent a lot of the pedicure in my lap. the manicurist even buffed her nails, much to her delight.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
daddy teaches evie about oral hygeine
in one of our many constant battles over constant battles, we've been working on making tooth brushing less of a struggle. this morning evie expressed an interest in brushing with mike, so he was kind enough to oblige.
it's quite nice to not have to fuss and scream over this.
it's quite nice to not have to fuss and scream over this.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
a day at the ballpark
we helped charli celebrate her second birthday with a tour of giants' stadium (at&t park), followed by playtime in the "fan lot".
it's hard to say who enjoyed it more, evie or daddy.
who am i kidding. it was mike. it was his first time on a major league ballfield. he even got to walk around the bases.
this could be the only two-year old's birthday party that he might ever enjoy. well, other than evie's of course.
it's hard to say who enjoyed it more, evie or daddy.
who am i kidding. it was mike. it was his first time on a major league ballfield. he even got to walk around the bases.
this could be the only two-year old's birthday party that he might ever enjoy. well, other than evie's of course.
Friday, September 12, 2008
pondering the deeper meaning of art
evie and i spent today at the bay area discovery museum with some of her friday friends. it's our second time going, and there's much more for her to do now, than the last time we went.
last time she wasn't quite one, so things were more for looking at. this time, she was all in. there was painting, and fishing, and blocks for stacking, and cave dwelling, and food. yes, some of her very favorite things.
last time she wasn't quite one, so things were more for looking at. this time, she was all in. there was painting, and fishing, and blocks for stacking, and cave dwelling, and food. yes, some of her very favorite things.
Monday, September 8, 2008
canning tomatoes
my laura ingalls wilder phase lives on. saturday i went to the farmer's market and picked up 60 lbs of tomatoes for canning. i'd never actually done this before, but my friend celeste was our guide. she, juniper, siobhann and i spent the afternoon blanching peeling and canning 30 lbs.
for the other 30 lbs we cleaned, cored and quartered them to make sauce. that's a lot of tomatoes. strangely it only makes about 12 pints of sauce! poor celeste and juniper ended up working until after midnight to finish the sauce, as i bailed after we filled the stockpot, so that i could spend a little time with my girl.
i'm looking forward to opening these cans in winter when all of the tomatoes in the grocery store are pink instead of red. a little taste of summer.
for the other 30 lbs we cleaned, cored and quartered them to make sauce. that's a lot of tomatoes. strangely it only makes about 12 pints of sauce! poor celeste and juniper ended up working until after midnight to finish the sauce, as i bailed after we filled the stockpot, so that i could spend a little time with my girl.
i'm looking forward to opening these cans in winter when all of the tomatoes in the grocery store are pink instead of red. a little taste of summer.
a new favorite place
evie's found a new favorite place, and, no, it's not urgent care. thank god.
we went down to the ferry building yesterday to pick something up at sur la table - not too exciting for ms. evie. so afterwards we went for a walk on the embarcadero.
as we were walking i noticed something i hadn't before - pier 14. it's a great long pier that got this fence that makes it safe for evie to walk on her own. there were birds, and boats, and agua, and the bridge and people. there were also there great metal chairs that spin around. we pretty much had to drag her away from the place.
we went down to the ferry building yesterday to pick something up at sur la table - not too exciting for ms. evie. so afterwards we went for a walk on the embarcadero.
as we were walking i noticed something i hadn't before - pier 14. it's a great long pier that got this fence that makes it safe for evie to walk on her own. there were birds, and boats, and agua, and the bridge and people. there were also there great metal chairs that spin around. we pretty much had to drag her away from the place.
Friday, September 5, 2008
"the incident"
well it finally happened. our first trip to urgent care. and it was on my watch.
evie and i had a nice friday morning together. breakfast, talk to grandpa, shopping, play, bottle, nap, lunch.
all the usual friday stuff. well except for lunch. see at lunch evie got up into her high chair and didn't want to clip the straps. lately she likes to clip them herself. but today, did not want them clipped. i thought, what can it hurt, she climbs up into the chair by herself now?
i think you know where this is going.
lunch was good. took the tray off her chair and was putting it in the sink when i heard the crash. heart sinks. turn. heart races. evie lying on the floor face down, screaming. the chair i had been sitting moved from the fall, pick her up. blood everywhere. screaming. crying. no interest in pressure or ice. call to tony. no answer. call to daddy, can you come home? a minute later, bleeding stops. crying stops soon after. lip swelling sets in. clean up blood. man face wounds bleed a lot. sit down and watch tv, eat some grapes. life is good. life is calm. do we need to go to the doctor? hmm. seems ok, but what if it isn't. call the doc. nurse says come in. go in. check her out. she's ok. go to golden gate park to play. life is ok. mom needs a drink...
evie and i had a nice friday morning together. breakfast, talk to grandpa, shopping, play, bottle, nap, lunch.
all the usual friday stuff. well except for lunch. see at lunch evie got up into her high chair and didn't want to clip the straps. lately she likes to clip them herself. but today, did not want them clipped. i thought, what can it hurt, she climbs up into the chair by herself now?
i think you know where this is going.
lunch was good. took the tray off her chair and was putting it in the sink when i heard the crash. heart sinks. turn. heart races. evie lying on the floor face down, screaming. the chair i had been sitting moved from the fall, pick her up. blood everywhere. screaming. crying. no interest in pressure or ice. call to tony. no answer. call to daddy, can you come home? a minute later, bleeding stops. crying stops soon after. lip swelling sets in. clean up blood. man face wounds bleed a lot. sit down and watch tv, eat some grapes. life is good. life is calm. do we need to go to the doctor? hmm. seems ok, but what if it isn't. call the doc. nurse says come in. go in. check her out. she's ok. go to golden gate park to play. life is ok. mom needs a drink...
my political barometer
so we normally don't turn the tv on at night until after goes to bed, but with the olympics and two political conventions, evie's gotten a little viewing time in.
during the dem's convention, it was interesting to see evie completely mesmerized during hillary's speech. she sat and watched wordlessly, occasionally clapping and smiling. she didn't pay much attention to the other speakers, then obama spoke. not quite the same response as with hillary, but she kept smiling, clapping and asking "who's that?". this week for the republicans, she barely even looked at the screen.
interesting.
hey, mom and dad, this video's for you. dad, this is from the daily show (where i said i get most of news). please watch and enjoy, and we can talk about it next week!
during the dem's convention, it was interesting to see evie completely mesmerized during hillary's speech. she sat and watched wordlessly, occasionally clapping and smiling. she didn't pay much attention to the other speakers, then obama spoke. not quite the same response as with hillary, but she kept smiling, clapping and asking "who's that?". this week for the republicans, she barely even looked at the screen.
interesting.
hey, mom and dad, this video's for you. dad, this is from the daily show (where i said i get most of news). please watch and enjoy, and we can talk about it next week!
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