Christmas Decorating

Well, I've been doing some holiday decorating. It's been fun. I went to Michael's, Garden Ridge, and Costco and got some cute things. I embelished a wreath a bit and I created my own personal garland with several different plain garlands and decorations. I love the white peacocks I found at Garden Ridge. I like sparkly things but not too sparkly and I feel like it worked out pretty well. I didn't spend a lot of money or spend a lot of time on it, so my goal was met for this particular year. I think I might try to get a shot of the outdoor Christmas lights and garland along the front of the house. Scott put them up and they look really good at night.

Sleeping arrangements answered

This post is for Jeni, specifically. Thank you so much for asking how things are going with Evan's sleep habits. I haven't logged onto my blog since my last post so this response is a little late.
Things are getting better, but very slowly.

Ever since we first started putting Evan in his nursery to sleep (when he was 6 months old), I have been crystal clear that we need to let him self soothe as much as possible so he can sleep by himself. Scott has always had a problem with this concept. Evan's cries hit Scott in a primal way and he will even go so far as to get him in the middle of the night and not realize he's doing it. It's some kind of sleepwalking thing. That's not always the case, but when he's really tired he'll do that. The other times, he just convinces himself that something is really wrong with Evan (like maybe a scorpion bite, or diarrhea, etc.) and goes in there to get him.

Our relationship has been having some problems lately and this is definitely exacerbating it. Since I put the toddler bed in Evan's room, Scott has been relegated to the guest room for most nights. It's farther away from Evan and he turns on the Air Conditioning to drown out the noise. This has helped a lot--but only when Scott is in the guest room. A few days of he guest room and he's back saying he will stay out of Evan's room and moves back into our room. Evan has gotten a lot better about staying asleep in his bed but he tends to wake up at least once and cries out but goes back to sleep. It is not a big deal, but if Scott is in the master bedroom, he gets up and does the WRONG thing again.

At this point, I want Scott to stay in the guest room indefinitely. Unfortunately, it seems to make life easier on Evan and me.

Toddler Bed

I braved Black Friday to go out and buy a Toddler Bed and Baby Gate. I was determined to get this sleep thing under control. I put the gate up on Evan's door and put the bed together myself while Scott watched the UT / A&M game.

I planned to read to Evan in his new bed at bedtime but he fell asleep with Scott in front of the TV. That was the first sign that things were not going my way. Evan was placed in his bed, along with his favorite stuffed animals, and I scattered some of his books and toys around the nursery so he could entertain himself if he woke up and didn't want to stay in his new bed.

Scott and I turned in around 9pm---still exhausted.

I guess about an hour after that, Evan woke up very upset. From then on, it was all about Scott trying to placate Evan. Sometime in the middle of the night, Scott brought the air mattress into the nursery and slept next to Evan's bed. Didn't stop Evan from waking up, though, to make sure Daddy was still next to him during the night.

I got to hear all of this. The nursery is next to our room and they might as well have been in the same room as me. Still no good sleep.

Evan woke up around 5:30am, as usual, all perky.

I am annoyed.

Chilly Thanksgiving

Well, earlier this month it was Scott's birthday. I baked him a chocolate cake and we went out to eat while my sister babysat Evan. I miss going out to nice restaurants. We need to get out more.

I wondered if it was going to be cold on Thanksgiving. With the very warm temperatures we've had this Fall, I didn't quite believe the weatherman when he said it would turn cold overnight. Sure enough, it did.

I cooked Thanksgiving dinner here and had my sister over to eat with us. Scott and I are exhausted. We haven't had a decent night's sleep in about a week. Scott had the great idea to go to his family's yearly early-Thanksgiving / Reunion out in Abilene and then travel on to New Mexico to visit more with other members of his family. I didn't think it was such a hot idea b/c Evan is into EVERYTHING nowadays and we never sleep when we have to travel with him. Scott felt differently, so I acquiesced. We, of course, ended up not sleeping for the entire trip (Evan tosses like a fish and wakes up continuously when he's in a new environment) but we looked forward to getting some rest when we got home.

The first night home, though, Evan learned how to climb out of his crib and went running through the dark house, screaming his little head off. Scott took the box spring off the guest bed and thought we could let Evan sleep on the guest mattress temporarily until we got a toddler bed. He woke up, running around screaming again. The next night, Scott lowered the crib mattress to its lowest setting and declared that there was "no way he [was] going to climb out of that". That night we put him back in his crib and, guess what, same thing happened again.

The problem is that he can't climb back into the crib and is so upset that he won't go back to sleep. We try to let him sleep with us but he tosses like a fish. He has a little cold and gets very congested at night, too. Nobody is sleeping and we are all cranky.

I am going out today to buy a baby gate and toddler bed. We are probably going to have to go through a few more sleepless nights while he gets used to the new bed and being "gated" in his room.

Oh well.

Halloween

I decided that Evan's costume would be tied in with our home life this year, so I got him a chicken outfit for Halloween. I had hoped to get all of the chickens around him to make the photograph look like he was just another chick in the coop. Unfortunately, neither chickens, nor Evan pose for pictures when asked, so I was lucky to get what I got.

Also, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier but Eleanor has gotten into the habit of jumping on me when I'm outside. She usually jumps onto my head and then I gently push her down to my arm. I guess it's fun for her b/c she seems to enjoy spending time riding on my head and/or arm. She's sweet. Anyway, Scott took a picture of her once and when I was photographing Evan, I got another pic of her hanging out on ME. She's a hoot.

I'm planning on taking Evan into town for Halloween to what it's all about. I hope it goes well...

The Chicks Are Growing Up

Wow, my little chicks look so different now. They are feathered out and look sort of like miniature copies of adult chickens. They are very cute. They have claimed the hummingbird garden as their turf. The older chickens don't normally hang out there so I guess they decided to take up residence there. They are kind of making a mess of it, though. They love to scratch and kick a lot of the mulch out of the garden and onto the walkways. I feel like I'm constantly sweeping it back in the garden. That's OK, though, b/c it seems to keep them entertained.

Evan is still addicted to the water hose. Anytime he sees it on, he runs for it. He ends up soaking wet but very happy.

Lucy past away

Something Killed Lucy Today.

She had a big gash in her side and there were two places under my "Hummingbird" Oak Tree that were scattered with white feathers.

I was out running errands and having lunch with my sister midday, which is when it happened.

She was a very good and very sweet chicken.

I'll miss her.

I still need to buy a book on dreams

I have always had weird dreams. Last night's has me curious as to its meaning.

I am in the Pioneer Days (approximately 1850's, I guess), married to a strapping "pioneer type" fellow, gruff but committed. We are all wearing typical "pioneer garb", it looks like we are straight out of "Little House on the Prairie". Apparently we have 2 young kids and a niece and nephew in our charge. In my dream, the pioneer days meant that communities traveled together in search of a place to settle and we would gather all of our brass beds together to make camp and sleep under the stars (no tents), in our lovely old-fashioned brass beds with patchwork quilts. I wonder what would happen if it rained?

ANYWAY, somebody attacked our camp, setting beds on fire, there was mayhem, death, and we were trying to gather up our family to escape.

Flash forward, what's left of the community (including us) sets up a new camp by the shore. It looks like the east coast (only b/c TX does not have the most attractive beaches and my dream beach was very pretty).

People are frolicking in the surf. I'm putting on sunscreen (yes, now the "Pioneer days" include sunscreen and swimsuits--thank goodness!) and I walk toward the surf only to find people getting out b/c some sharks have swam (is "swam" a word?) into the area. When the tide goes back out, everyone knows the sharks will leave, too, we just have to wait until that happens before we get in the water.

That's my dream. What does it mean?

Photo Update

I am so bad. When Evan was first born I must have taken a bizillion pictures of him but ever since he turned a year old I have been horribly lax in the photo department. An old friend I hadn't heard from in a very long time got in touch and I realized I hadn't taken a good picture of Evan and me since his first birthday. So, I took a few pictures of my adorable little boy. In one picture I think you can see a few specks of dirt around his mouth. He is such a boy.

My dearest old friend is having a baby!

Been a while since I wrote anything, huh?

Jeni and Dave came down almost a month ago and I'm just now getting around to documenting their visit. Jeni and Dave are having a baby!!!! I am sooooo happy for them. I'm predicting a girl for them. Actually, it feels like a bunch of people are having babies. Heather and Mindy, girls I used to work with are both having babies in the first part of next year, too. I still need to make time to get together with the few friends I have who are mothers to kids around Evan's age. It just seems like I don't have enough time in the day to take care of my own little family, let alone make dates with other people. I need to, though, and I plan on making it more of a priority again. I think it would be really good for Evan, too.

While Jeni and Dave were here Evan said his first word. He said "COW". It was very exciting! He says it all the time now. He points out the window b/c he knows that's where the cows live and he says "cow" perfectly. I think he thinks that the donkeys are called cows, too, but that's fine with me. He waves at all of the animals and occasionally at people. He is so cute. He also ate his first little bit of meat while Jeni and Dave were visiting. He ate some turkey. Again, this was exciting. He still doesn't eat any other kind of meat so far but, again, I don't mind.

I didn't take any pictures during J&D's visit but, fortunately, they did! Jeni and I are showing some love to a couple of my dogs. They relish visits from J & D b/c they get extra good love and attention.

I did not make my son's hair do this deliberately! I merely applied suncreen to his face and neck and this was the result. He looks a little nutty to me. Cutey-pie.

This past weekend we went to Galveston and stayed at a friend's beach house. The house is on a canal, so it's very serene and picturesque. It was supposed to be relaxing but we found out that we really cannot relax in a non-babyproofed house on the water. It was very pretty though, and I love watching the birds and fish.

My brother and his wife had their little boy at the beginning of September. It's been rough so far, but things are looking up. He's supposed to get out of neonatal ICU in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to hold him for the first time.

Seymour is the Best Cat

My cat really is the best. He regularly lets Evan love on him and I mean LOVE ON HIM. Evan crawls on him, pets him, and hugs him pretty vigorously. All the while, Seymour lays there letting him do his baby thing. Seymour sometimes even purrs like he enjoys it. He doesn't growl or bite or scratch Evan during any of this. I wish I could say the same for the dogs. They are not quite as acquiescing. Seymour is a very affectionate kitty. I love my cat. He is over 12 yrs. old and I cannot imagine my life without him.

This past week an Orb Spider has made her web right outside my desk window so I can sit and stare at her anytime I want. Right now I am watching her re-spin her web. It's really fascinating. She is about 4 inches long from end-of-leg to end-of-leg. Her web is well over a yard by a yard wide. I think Orb's are truly beautiful spiders -- this is coming from someone who is definitely NOT a "spider person". We have a lot of different types of spiders out here. Like I said, she's been here for the past week and she is working so diligently on this web that I hope she catches something...

the chicks are starting to feather out

The chicks are five days old and they are starting to feather out. They are incredibly cute!

Evan cuteness

Evan and Seymour were hanging out together this morning watching a Baby Einstein dvd. I thought it was very sweet so I snapped a picture. Then later Evan fell asleep at lunchtime while he was eating spaghettios. If you look close, he still has some "o's" stuck to his face. Again, I thought it was precious.

The Chicks Have Hatched!

The chicks are here!

They hatched yesterday. They are adorable. Right now we have seven chicks. When I checked on Eleanor yesterday, there were 2 dead chicks and 2 eggs that didn't hatch. The strange thing is that Eleanor was sitting on approximately 18 eggs in the beginning. We ended up with 11: 7 live, 2 dead and 2 unhatched. What happened to the other 7 eggs? I really don't know. I wonder if a snake or something got to them?

Eleanor & Lucy are laying eggs!

Eleanor is getting broody. She's sitting on her nest right now. Last week she laid 4 eggs but left them. I think since it was her first time she wasn't interested in hatching them, but now she and Lucy have laid a bunch and she's sitting on them, all by herself, taking care of the eggs. The other chickens are out in the yard but she's staying in the coop. I think it is very sweet. I ate the first 4 eggs. They were yummy! But I think I might see if she can hatch these little guys. I like the idea of little yellow chicks running around.

We are collecting the eggs that Lucy leaves each day. She lays the brown ones and Eleanor lays the light beige ones.

Evan's Birthday

Evan is ONE YEAR OLD. I can't believe I have a one year old! My mom came down to visit for his birthday and to go to my sister-in-law's baby shower. We had a little family party for Evan. I baked a lamb shaped cake for him. For my first birthday, I had a little lamb cake. It's actually more of an Easter cake but I was feeling nostalgic and thought it would be neat to make him a cake like I had -- kind of a tradition.

This was my first stab at cake decorating. I should have taken a picture of it right after I finished it b/c by the time I snapped a photo, the icing was already melting off. It has been raining constantly and with the humidity, the icing just would not set. Scott said it looked like the lamb had mange...funny....but it was fun. I think I'll try my hand at it again sometime.

Evan's Nana bought him a little single serve cake at the store so he could have a cake to play with in the high chair without totally ruining the lamb since we wanted to eat the cake, too. He doesn't really like to eat cake yet. He smeared a good portion on his face but I don't think much of it made its way to his tummy.

He got lots of great gifts and seemed like he enjoyed the party experience.

I'm looking out the window and it's raining again. It's wild how much rain we're getting this year. The chickens love it b/c the worms come out and they get their pick of them as well as plenty of bugs and such. Chester, one of the roosters, kept chasing my mom, trying to peck at her every time she went outside. I don't know why he felt so threatened by her. It was pretty funny.

Rainbows in Texas

We get some pretty rainbows out here! I caught this one yesterday as I looked out in the backyard. If you look close, you can see what my "pot o' gold" at the end of the rainbow is....Cattle! My cows are my treasure. I think that's fitting.

Evan has been having fun in his kiddie pool lately--when it isn't raining. He is a little water baby!

Evan is upright

Evan has been walking around for the last week or so. No longer is he my little lizard, darting about. Now he's upwardly mobile--what a little man he's becoming. I'm still kind of getting used to it ( as is he). He is so cute toddling around. He walks a little bit like a penguin, shuffling around. I caught a precious picture of him sitting in the bookshelves after he pulled out all of the books. That's a great game for him. He saw the camera and got up and walked over to me. He literally DEVOURS literature! He is so smart.

Are you ever afraid of becoming your parents?

I think I feel that way more than ever now. Whenever I see my brother and sister, like this past weekend, I secretly wonder if they think some of my attributes are like my mom.

I try very hard not to be like my parents. But sometimes, especially when my brother or sister is in the room, I feel like I have mannerisms that are my parents' and not my own. I hate it!

How does one shake that?

Ambidextrous? When does a child show a preference?

I've been watching Evan and he works with boths hands very easily. When will he show whether he's a righty or a lefty? He also relies heavily on his feet.

I think I showed a preference early on. Scott & I are both right-handed. Hmmm......

Curious George lives in my house

I have my very own Curious George! Evan investigates the workings of pretty much everything in the house nowadays. He used to be content with just pulling the silverware out of the dishwasher, but not anymore. Now he's got to take on the entire appliance! He's too cute!

Fern's new baby

Fern gave birth yesterday! Here's a pic of her with her new baby!

Flower and Felix don't appear to mind the new addition.

Happy Father's Day!

Evan decided to climb into his chair all by himself this morning. He is such a little PERSON nowadays. As per Scott's request, we are going to take it easy and grill out today.

As I sit here typing, Evan has crawled into his chair again and is lounging, looking extremely relaxed. Uh oh, now he's climbing onto the ottoman--not so good. He discovered the toilet yesterday, too. Again, not so good. We'll be putting safety latches on the toilets today.

My Rooster and Me

He is the sweetest rooster, I have to say. I think he is the best chicken! I still need a name, though.