Twas the Robin Christmas!

Twas the Friday before Christmas, when the clock began to ring,
"Is it 4:30 already?" as the covers pushed back with a fling!
We quickly loaded the car with much care,
In hopes that the plane would still be there!

Little Evan was nestled all snug in his bed
While Mommy looked down on him with terrible dread.
How cruel to wake him from his sweet, sweet slumber,
"It's 5 o'clock, Mommy!" surely he'll wonder!

With the car all packed up and us on our way,
We dared to hope this could be a good day.
Away to the window that thought flew in a flash,
Getting to our gate was like a 100-meter dash!

It wouldn't stop there though we tried with all might,
It happened Evan cried for most of the flight!
We managed our way finally to Scott's dad's
But poor little Evan was still very sad.

Teething, cold, ear infection! What could it be?
It turns out poor Evan ended up with all three!
There at the after-hours clinic we waited
In hopes Evan's tears would soon be abated.

With Amoxicillin, Motrin and Tylenol in hand,
We had hope once again this holiday would be grand!
Scott called up old friends and planned the date,
Our second night home would surely be great!

"Now Katie! Now Ashleigh! Now Robby and Jen!"
"On, Rick! On, Rachel! On Anna and Ben!"
There were several others, about fifteen in all,
Lucy, Julie, Cody, Jeff and Jennifer; We had such a ball!

The next day we planned to hang with the family,
All of Scott's clan got together, thanks Kelly and Wally!
Monday and Tuesday we rested away
But squeezed in lunch with Tiff, we had so much to say!

Christmas Eve, it started with a BANG!
103 was his temperature when the thermometer rang!
There is no fever a little Motrin can't fix,
The Guilbeau/Cambre party went off with no hitch!

Christmas Day came and we brought Evan to see
What Santa had left under Granny's big tree!
Toys and clothes, lots of presents, oh my!
Mommy will have to pack tightly or at least she'll try!

We left after naptime for more holiday cheer,
The Robin party was already in gear!
Outside we chased Evan between conversation,
Then came White Elephant, the porch our destination!

It was time to say goodbye and pack up our things,
Early on Friday the alarm clock would ring.
And so it ended a lot like it started,
We awoke at 4:30 and quietly departed.

Happily both flights turned out to be great,
Evan mostly slept and when he didn't, he ate!
Thirteen hours later we pulled into the drive
Each of us letting out a big relieved sigh!

So there you have it, our Christmas tale complete,
Time to clean up the decorations and throw out the treats!
From our family to yours we have one last request,
Don't bother with resolutions just make 2009 your BEST!

Anyone Need a Babysitter?

Just a little babysitting swap-out; that's all it was supposed to be.

Scott's work Christmas party was last Friday and I asked Debbie if she would mind watching Evan for a few hours. Granted, it was a family friendly party but we chose the "date night" approach, sans child. So it worked out perfectly that Mark (Debbie's husband) also had a Christmas party last weekend and we were able to watch Mason and Micah on Saturday.

Now, please bear in mind we are used to only one 15-month old. Suffice it to say I was a wee bit apprehensive about feeding and entertaining three at the same time.

Dinner went well (thanks to Debbie, of course, who came through and brought a goodie bag filled with yummy leftovers!) and it was now time to entertain the troops until Evan's bed time (at which time I left with Mason and Micah to head back to their house).

We basically let them loose to play how they pleased. Then Scott got in on the action. Is it appropriate for a grown man to place himself inside a child's tunnel while the kiddos pour mega blocks on him and he throws them back out?!? I'm not sure, but from the looks of it fun was had by all. (of course I could not resist capturing the blog-able moment!)

So, if anyone's in need of a good - er - available sitter, you know who to call!

Lunch with Santa

I woke up Saturday morning with the ambitious idea to have Evan's picture taken with Santa at the mall. My plan was to get there as soon as Santa "arrived" so that we could get it over with. Now, that may not be the best attitude to have, especially given we're in the middle of the Christmas season and all, but I knew this year's picture would be much different from last year (can you say 15-month old?!?)

So, as I'm making breakfast and talking to Scott about the plans I notice three yellow tickets on the refrigerator; tickets to Lunch with Santa this very morning! I had completely forgotten!

What a great change of plans it turned out to be. Apparently every year the Wilde Lake Village Center (it's a Columbia thing...9 villages each with its own village center, blah, blah) hosts Breakfast with Santa. Luckily I have Debbie to count on for finding and telling me about all the family fun things to do around Columbia! This one was a HIT!

After a lunch of McDonald's Happy Meals (Evan's favorite -don't judge me!) Santa came on stage to recite "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Right afterward the projector came down and we watched old Christmas episodes of Mickey Mouse and Tom and Jerry as Santa walked around to every table to talk to every child. The cartoons were really great - you know - the kind us 30-somethings watched growing up; just old-school cartoons about mice and a cat!

Santa giving mommy the lowdown on how to trick Evan to get a good picture!

Santa then took his seat in on stage so that all the children could whisper to him their biggest Christmas wishes.

Of course we grabbed our things and scurried to be some of the first in line since it was already 12:30 and we were verging on naptime meltdown. After about 2 minutes it was Evan's turn on Santa's lap. First we took a family picture with Santa (I will post as soon as I get my copy). I think this one may have come out okay as Evan didn't really get what was going on. However, as soon as I sat him on Santa's lap and walked away, meltdown! I don't think we got a picture of it but he was not happy to see Santa!

Not to worry, Santa had an idea to have me hold Evan and look at the Christmas trees while he snuck up behind us and Scott took a picture. You can tell by our expressions that we had that look of "hurry up and take the picture!!"

Then the meltdown began!

In all it was a really fun afternoon. Maybe we'll try again next year!

Some other fun pictures:

Daddy reading to Evan

Getting ready to head out into the cold!

Boy Oh Boy!

Just recently I looked at Scott and asked, "Do you think a little girl would play the same way Evan does?" I find it amazing to watch Evan as he maneuvers around the house, finds interesting ways to play with mundane objects, and explores things like cause and effect. I wonder sometimes what I am doing in my daily interaction with him to cause him to play as he does; play as a boy.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing, just something I ponder as I watch him. For example, am I physically rougher with him than I would be a girl? Do I talk the same way, ask him the same questions, respond to him the same way I would a girl? Obviously he's hard-wired differently than a girl but I do think there's so much that he learns from Scott and me about how to be a boy. In any case, let me describe some of his latest antics!

Ah, the ride-on Little People school bus! He plays with this in many ways. On occasion Scott will push him around the house while he holds on tightly, reclines back against the pulley and relaxes for the ride. You really have to be there but it's one of the most hilarious things he does lately. As he rides he has that look of, "that's right, push me around for my enjoyment as I kick back" with absolutely no regard for the killer backaches Scott endures!

I have also taught him how to lift the seat to put things inside. Sometimes we watch as he stuffs blocks, books and yes, woobie, into the compartment and then gets very upset when it doesn't shut correctly!

Mostly, though, he enjoys walking the toy over the entrance to Scott's office and then pushing it down the stairs!

"If I could just position it correctly so I can throw it down these steps!"

"There we go!"

"That was fun! I think I'll try it again!"

The ride-on toy isn't the only thing he enjoys tumbling down the steps. Just last weekend I was cleaning the house and placed Scott's trash can near the steps so that I remembered to empty it. I came around the corner and this is what I saw...

"Hmmm...how did that happen?"

Lately Evan's also been very interested in Scott's work boots. Scott usually keeps them in the laundry room for easy and quiet access in the morning. When he sees the opportunity Evan will follow me into the laundry room and take off with the shoes.

On this particular day he grabbed both and headed for the living room.

"Slowly but surely I will get both boots up these steps!"

"I think I can, I think I can!"

I think after all the work it took to get one heavy boot up the stairs he decided to leave the other one behind.

Finally, there's just nothing that compares to playing with shoes in the coat closet. Honestly, you would think we don't buy real toys for this kiddo! Again, when he sees the opportunity, i.e. the open closet doors, he crawls in and sits himself right in the middle of them. Mostly he enjoys pulling on all the shoestrings. You know Evan's been in the closet when you go to put on your shoes and have to loosen all the laces to get your foot in!

The way I have descibed this current stage to others is that it's like a switch flipped and Evan is into everything. If he's not grabbing the remote it's the phone. If he's not trying to open drawers he's reaching as far as he can on the counter tops and grabbing things he can't even see (which has caused us to carefully watch where we place knives and hot pans!) It seems that everyday he's more aware of his surroundings and those surroundings provide such fun challenges! He definitely keeps us on our toes but it's also a lot of fun to watch him learn and explore.

Other fun pictures from recently...

Evan already seems to have a love of books (yay!) and sometimes can be found just sitting and flipping the pages of his favorites!

Debbie recently brought over a bag of toys and in it Evan found this kazoo. He must have walked around for hours blowing into it (and drooling all over it!). The drool marks more teething...fun times!

Mommy and me...the best I could do with one arm holding down the alligator and one taking the picture!

Sex (-y Mommies) In The City

It was just last January that my friends, Nancy, Irma and Debbie embarked on the 1st Annual Girl's Trip to New York City. They apparently had so much fun they started talking about a second trip planned for November and invited two more; Loryn and me!

Debbie handled all the planning and logistics (thanks, Deb!) that made for a truly great weekend with the girls. We started out very early last Saturday morning, all meeting at around 6:30 am to ensure we were on the road for 7. After a quick stop for coffee and breakfast we were on our way!

We were able to check in early to the awesome San Carlos hotel where we quickly dropped our things and headed out for shopping. During the shopping excursion it began to rain; but never fear - the street vendors were prepared, selling umbrellas for $5 to all those who had been silly enough to leave the hotel without them! (Later that afternoon when we returned to our rooom we noticed the hotel offered complimentary umbrellas - dang it!) After Nancy toured us around American Girl (she has an uncanny knowledge of all things American Girl - I guess having two girls helps!) we then headed to the theater for a matinee showing of "A Tale of Two Cities" which was fantastic! After the show we headed back to the hotel for some wine and snacks before dinner.

We had 8:30 dinner reservations at Becco; a small little Italian restaurant in the theater district. After three hours of wine, delicious pasta and bread, yummy dessert, and great conversation, we departed for the hotel. The original plan of walking until we hailed a cab quickly turned into walking entirely. Why does this kind of thing always happen when you're wearing your "meant for standing or riding, not walking" shoes?!? Luckily the rain had passed and it was a nice crisp night for walking.

Amazingly we got to bed at a reasonable time and woke up Sunday ready for more shopping! Our first stop was a street fair just a few blocks from the hotel. It wasn't an intended stop since we had no idea it would be happening but boy did we find some great things there! We continued shopping throughout the day, ending with a stroll through Toys-R-Us in Times Square so that we could pick up a few things for the kiddos.

It was a great "girl's getaway" and prompted us all to start talking about the next one; did someone say Upstate New York winery tours in May?!? Hmmmm...

Some of you may ask how Scott faired during his first time having Evan all to himself for 48 hours; he did absolutely great! I think I was actually more concerned than he was (just ask the girls how many times I was on the phone with him!!). He never really complained even though Evan ran a fever and was crankier than usual. I do think he's already contemplating the next boy's trip, though!

Some pictures from the weekend....

Loryn, Nancy, Debbie, Irma and me in Times Square

You can't tell very well but Radio City already had it's Christmas tree up!

At dinner; Irma, Nancy, Loryn, me and Debbie

A -Tisket-A-Tasket... Evan Loves His Basket...

My how this boy loves climbing in baskets!

Since the time he could move, Evan has been intrigued with the basket in the living room. Pre-baby I used it to store old magazines. Once Evan came along I decided it would be a great place for diapers, wipes, and other baby essentials, saving me from excessive trips up and down the stairs! It turned out to be as handy as I thought...until a certain someone learned mobility!

This was taken when Evan was about six months old. His method of movement at the time was rolling; he would roll and roll until he reached what he wanted. He absolutely loved rolling over to the basket and pulling everything out. This continued through the crawling phase; crawl to the basket, pull everything out, watch mommy put it back and do it again!

Then just two short months after crawling came walking. Ever heard the term, "be careful what you wish for"? Walking very quickly led to climbing. It started with the stairs but Evan, being the gross motor skill master, figured out he could use that same climbing movement to get himself into the basket. The following picture was taken at around 11 months.

Once I realized that Evan having access to his diaper cream wasn't the best idea (see the older post on Boudreaux's Butt Paste for that story!) we began using this basket for books and puzzles. While he still enjoyed climbing into it on occasion, it had become less frequent that I found him sitting in the basket.

Then came height. It's amazing to me how Evan learns what his little body can do; I guess it's just trial and error and when something new works out for him - BAM - it becomes his favorite new activity. Hence, sitting in his toy box and blocks basket. Both of these containers are quite a bit taller than the basket he had been accustomed to climbing into so it took a combination of him growing another inch and being curious enough to learn how to scale the new buildings, so to speak!

In the last two weeks this is what we've learned to do...

Sitting in the basket where his blocks are normally kept
(and he sits on top of the blocks - OUCH!)

And sitting in his toy box (which is actually a clothes hamper that we use as a toy box!)

Whichever he decides to sit in you can count on the fact that he will begin the fun that is throwing everything in the basket onto the floor! You can imagine how many times a day I put toys away - something we're working to teach little Evan!

Now if he could only learn how to exit the baskets...his current method is a demanding grunt or yell as he tries to swing one leg over the side but can't quite figure out what to do after that!

Boys are GREAT, aren't they?

Call The Zoo...A Monkey's Loose!

Happy Halloween!

I was so excited about Halloween this year. I had sweet visions of this first true trick-or-treating experience; Evan would run (more like a waddle in the monkey costume!) from house to house, hold out his little treat bag and smile with glee when it was filled with yummy goodies...

...My expectations may have been too high!

We started the evening at my neighbor's house where we joined all the other kids in the neighborhood for some fun and pizza before leaving for trick-or-treating. Evan had a great time running all around the yard in his costume (which, surprisingly, he didn't bother with too much!) and playing with the other kiddos.

We decided to walk to just a few houses for the "experience" and then call it a night. We loaded Evan into the stroller and away we went. I think it was at about house number two that I realized this was not the experience of my aforementioned visions. Evan just sat in his stroller wondering, I'm sure, why we were taking a walk in the dark, while I walked up to the house holding out his bag and saying "trick-or-treat" for candy. Knowing Evan wouldn't be eating any candy, it felt a little odd to be trick-or-treating for him! At that point we decided to return home to give out candy to all the other little ghosts and goblins.

So, even though Evan was obviously (to everyone but me!) too young to really understand or enjoy Halloween we had a great time dressing him up and watching him play with his little friends. I can't wait for next year when he really will enjoy the night!