Snapshot: Gymnastics!

Mild Winter, how I love thee!

It is 48 degrees and mostly sunny. Green daffodil leaves are starting to spring up in garden beds and some of our vines and plants budding. In Evelyn's book though, it is still perfectly acceptable to wear snow boots and a ski jacket outside. In her defense, she did grab a sun hat.



The mild weather has drawn us outdoors almost every day this week and one of the major results of our time in our yard and out in our neighborhood has been the firming up of landscape architecture plans for our outdoor space. I should add as a disclaimer that I have no real training in landscape architecture but I do have a bit of the theoretical and historical background under my belt (thanks to an elective I took during school).

I like to imagine that I can come up with some practical use for this information. Enter: the wooded area in our backyard.



I'd like to clean up the pile of paving stones left behind by the previous owners, dig out the poison ivy that has engulfed the base of the stone bird bath and replant much of the area with native ferns and some small boulders or large rocks to sort of anchor the space. We also need to find a way to remove a downed tree trunk that visually bisects our yard. Our property extends a good twenty feet beyond it and we'd like to take advantage of the area! Next on the list is the "rock river" which the previous owners found aesthetically appealing.



My plan is to remove any rocks we would like to use in other parts of the yard or in our gardens; we'll add clean fill and grass seed to the "river" this Spring.It does not serve a drainage purpose and it takes up prime grass real estate. We have a little one who loves to run around and play in the backyard, so we'd like to open it up as much as possible. All of this sounds quite simple, but I can't do much heavy lifting while pregnant. Perhaps I'll put Evie on a weight-lifting regimen to get her in shape for the yard work? Oh well, we'll work it out. I am looking forward to a slightly more structured "after" shot of the wooded area. Stay tuned.

Overheard at Mama's house . . .

"Purse your lips, honey. Make a kissy-face"
"OK, now put your tongue back in your mouth"

(Evie asked Daddy for help when putting on chapstick)

I wish I'd whipped out the camera!

Today, Evelyn and I spent two hours at a Toddler Group class. It meets just once a week. And, though she can continue to grow at her own pace, I was proud to catch a few glimpses of a more independent Evelyn:
* standing in a smock at the art eisel, paintbrush in hand
* chatting with two other kids at the water table, hands motioning excitedly as she made her point
* dancing and keeping the beat with her tambourine during circle time (OK, I see this often at our music class, but it is still great that she is comfortable participating in a new group setting)

We joined a local Toddler Group because I thought Evelyn would enjoy more time with children her age and I knew it would provide us with more opportunities to work on art projects and play with larger items that we don't have at home such as a water table, a sand table, and a rotating supply of musical instruments. The group also includes 45-minute parent sessions every two weeks with topical lectures related to parenting toddlers (behavioral and developmental stages and strategies).

Since this was our first day, I haven't yet participated in the parent session. My only hesitation in joining a structured group with parent sessions was the concern that Evie might be anxious away from me, however, as I watched the routine unfold today, I felt much better. Parents were very attentive to all of the tots, stepping in to assist with art projects or hand washing whenever needed and if a little one was just unhappy without Mom or Dad, she or he was welcome to venture into the parent education room without a problem.

We have a couple of slightly wet paintings and a snowman art project to show for our day today, but I wish I had snapped a few photos! I'll have to tuck my camera in my pocket next week.

Bath Toys: Who needs 'em?

Once upon a time, I took relaxing baths to unwind at the end of the day. I always felt calm and ready for bed afterward. When Evie was born, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the calming nature of water. I did not want it to become a "quick in-and-out just to get clean" time and I also wanted to steer clear of water aerobics. Bath time in our house, then, is part of a relaxing pre-sleep routine. It seemed natural to me to avoid squeaky, squirting bath toys. Truth be told, we never purchased bath toys. Maybe one washcloth finger puppet-- which was never too popular with Evelyn in the tub.

This isn't to say that bath time is boring; Evelyn pours water from one cup to another and enjoys the experience of blowing bubbles in the water or just splashing around. The only items in our tub are a bubble wand, which is a lot of fun because it floats and it can function as a stirring stick, and two cups for pouring. So, there you have it. My child does not have a net full of bath toys and she still loves the bath and leaves the tub in a pretty great mood. Bonus for me, I don't have to figure out how to disinfect and properly clean the aforementioned squirting toys, which all too often become a haven for mold. Hooray!

Snapshot: A first encounter with snow!

18.5 weeks

I fully recognize that our second child will most likely have plenty of hand-me-downs. Even if we have a boy, Evie's jeans and many of her clothes will work fine, as will all of our toys and slings. Nevertheless, although I am the oldest child in my family, I can understand younger siblings will want to have their own special items-- untouched and untainted, as it were.

I picked up this adorable outfit from one of my favorite baby clothing lines for baby-on-board. Since we do not know if we are having a boy or a girl, I steered away from the pink and blue dichotomy (though, for the record, I think boys and girls alike can wear all colors).


Here is a close-up shot of the fabric. It's farm-themed and I thought it was simply precious.



I know that "things" happen earlier with subsequent pregnancies-- feeling movement from the baby, showing physical signs of pregnancy, and so on-- but I did not expect to feel the "nesting" urge this early! When I was expecting Evelyn, it was almost a point of pride for me that I didn't purchase a thing until the third trimester. I think I was just alone in the process and I didn't have anyone with whom to really discuss pregnancy or baby-related topics. This time around I feel like I am in a much happier, much calmer place. It is quite nice.