Trip to Omaha

Our trip to Omaha was a long awaited journey filled with much anticipation. Since my parents are too elderly to travel, Eva had not yet met Grandma and Grandpa McGill nor had she met the majority of my siblings. Even though Eva was sick for most of the trip with a stomach virus, she rallied and soaked in the shower of love and attention that she received. It was the thrill of a lifetime to see her interact with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We also managed to work in a visit to the zoo and a boat ride on my brother, Craig's boat. I will treasure the memories for a lifetime. Here's' just a few photos from our trip.

12 Month Check Up!

It is hard to believe that Eva is a one year old. She has displayed toddler traits for some time so I suppose I should be more comfortable with this transition than I am. We had twelve month check up yesterday and she continues to be in the 97% for height (31 inches) but she slimmed down with all of her movement as well as an eight day stomach virus that she caught on our trip to Omaha. So, now she is in the 50% for weight. I miss her rolls of baby fat. I loved her Michelin man arms and legs. Dr. Heigel was impressed with Eva's extensive vocabulary as well as her well developed gross and fine motor skills. We chuckled to think that just a few months ago at her four month check up we were seriously concerned that Eva would never move her arms and legs since we had to keep her swaddled all the time with her colic. Boy are we glad those days are over! Once Eva gets over her stomach virus we will start to work in whole milk and move away from formula. She also wants us to get rid of bottles over the next three months.

The Floor Is Poison, and My Kid Digs Me

Jeff Here:

When you were a child, did you ever play a game in which you pretended the floor was poison? Or was water full of alligators or sharks? For the duration of the game you had to move about the room with your feet never touching the floor. This generally meant leaping from couch to chair to stool to game board to towel to whatever was there, or was conveniently placed there. On occasion, a rare occasion, it was acceptable to be carried by someone else.

Eva is playing that game. We are in Omaha this week visiting Jen’s family and getting ready to celebrate her first birthday this Sunday. Our 11 month, 3 week, 4 day old child, the one who is usually over-the-top social and engaging, must have reached her saturation point with meeting new people. And I must be the newest favorite thing, for I cannot leave the room without her whimpering for her “D.” I cannot put her down. I cannot shake her from my arm. She is stuck to me like glue, like the floor is poison and she will be eaten by piranhas.

Jen says I should be honored, as it is a sure sign that she is as crazy about me as I am about her. And I am. I love this kid, and don’t ever want to shake her from my arm. Let the floor remain poison fro a few years longer, it’s all OK with me.

Mother's Day

After a luxurious morning sleeping in and having breakfast in bed we packed up and headed to a trailhead five minutes from our house to enjoy a short hike. We are trying to break our little speed demon into the Kielty pack and allow her mom and dad some time to be active. The irony at this age is that everything active that we want to do involves Eva being fenced in, which, as many of you know, she does not like. At first the Kielty pack was new and exciting. She loved being so high up. The trail was packed with families making the seven mile trek to the top of the mountain so she had plenty to look at. But around a half hour into it she wanted out. We put up with her protests for about twenty minutes but then let her run around and eat rocks. After watching the documentary, Babies, we have decided that most of what she puts into her mouth won't kill her. We hope to try again and lengthen the stretches where she is confined by 10-20 minute increments. By the time she is four we should make it to the top!

Bellevue College Parent Education Program

We only have two more weeks of class left with the BC Parent Ed Program. I've been attending with Eva since I started staying home with Eva in March. We both look forward to the Thursday morning classes. Eva absolutely loves the setting of the class since it is set up as a free explore Montessori environment. Nothing is off limits and they encourage kids to follow their impulses. This usually means that I am chasing after her while she explores whatever is in the adjoining room. Most of the other kids aren't walking yet so they are content to explore what is right in front of them. I admire the principals of the program and its focus on the child. There is also a musical component taught my a music educator. Snack follows with a talk from a nutritionist. The class concludes each day with a developmentally appropriate talk that we listen to as the kids play. The educators who have created the program have around 20-30 years experience. It's really quite phenomenal. I have learned so much in the last three months and imagine that months 4-9 would have been a lot easier with the knowledge and support of a program like this one.

We've signed up for the 1st year toddler class but it is at a different location with different teachers. I'll really miss the space and people at the Bellevue College location. I love watching all of the babies interact in this unique environment.

U Village Playground

We spent last Friday afternoon at U Village eating sushi for lunch with Dad followed by a visit to the U Village playground. I've gotta say, I'm choosy about my playgrounds these days and I prefer the U Village one since it has fake grass that she can't eat and no wood chips in site. U Village is a pretty affluent part of town and the shopping area is a place where Bugaboo strollers are ubiquitous. So, it probably won't surprise you that I had three and four year olds serving me "Carmel Machiottos" and "biscotti" in their Splendid designer outfits from the play lemonade stand area. I had to chuckle. Eva couldn't get enough of the place. She loves the slide and even went down by herself a few times. It was a beautiful spring day too so everyone was out and about and in a good mood. What topped off the day for her was the chance to pet several puppies who were making the rounds.

The End of the Era of the Bow

Eva's figured out the whole bow in the hair ritual, how it gets there and how to get it out too. She thinks it's a game now to grab them the moment that I put a bow in her hair. She also loves to eat them. No joke. After another near choking incident I reluctantly retired the bow until she is old enough to understand not to eat them. When I took her to the grocery store the other day the ladies at the deli asked me where her bow was. With a sigh I explained my predicament to the women. In their infinite wisdom they said that this is the first of many incidents where I would realize that I was not in control of the situation. So true...I might as well give her the remote controls of the household as well then. );

Abigail White's Birthday Party

We celebrated Abigail White's seventh birthday on Sunday with a gaggle of other seven year olds. For a moment Eva was the star attraction as Abby and her friends propped her up on their lap like a like doll. Before long the novelty wore off and the Big Girls were off playing downstairs. I went to the birthday party solo and was astounded by the boundless energy Eva displayed. She didn't stop moving for a second and explored every inch of their un-childproofed house. I looked at the other parents who were relaxed eating lunch uninterrupted with a wistfulness thinking someday that will be us again. Eva also had her first bite of cake, which she eagerly ate and begged for more. It gave her a little taste of what is to come next month for her own birthday.