Weaned!

Evie Lu, I'm chasing you!

Kaia and I have been looking for a new place to live and childcare in the last few weeks. (If you want to discover the recipe for being completely overwhelmed just mix those two together.) Evie Lu is not the little girl who would sit in a bouncy chair or swing and coo softly at you. She is a runner and an intensely curious little girl. So, we need to find a good place that will stimulate her mind, keep her safe, and make Kaia and I comfortable leaving her with these strangers. That is a tough combination.

You were chasing little old me?


Part of this whole process included weaning Evie Lu. She was down to only a morning breastfeeding for the last month and Kaia decided it was time. Since Evie Lu has been weaned and we got rid of the bottles after the new year, she is a sippy cup only girl. I think I will invent a sippy cup with a little ball bearing that lets the milk out when the cup is at a "non-being-poured-out-intentionally" angle and blocks the flow when Evie Lu decides it is fun to play with milk.

Behold the oven mitt!


Evie Lu has a friend Olivia whose grandma is very sick. All your prayers would be wonderful. Alyssa, Trevor, and Olivia we love you!

Snow Day

Our whole area has been blanketed by snow (a couple inches) and it doesn't take much to shut everything down. So, we've got a snow day and Evie Lu and I have decided to do some reading.

I like to lounge around.

How does this one open?


This book won't open and it tastes bad.


Oh, here we go!


The end of this book is great.

Evie Lu Peels Lima Beans

It takes a lot of practice to get to the good part of the bean.


Kaia pointed out the other day that Evie Lu spends the vast majority of her time either sleeping or eating. (And I said, "Yeah, me too.) What does Evie Lu have to show for all this time? Well, Kaia also noticed Evie Lu peels her lima beans. Not being the biggest lima bean fan, I'd never noticed they could be peeled. Evangeline is very deliberate about this process of peeling and she carefully discards the skin of the bean. (Usually on the floor.) My daughter is a weirdo.

Evie Lu Roots For The Cubbies

When do pitchers and catchers report?

Back on Father's Day Kaia gave Evie Lu and I Cubs caps. At the time the hat was way too big for Evie Lu, but her head has grown and now she can wear it with pride. (I think Evie Lu likes wearing a hat because I wear one so often.) And hey, there are only 23 days until spring training!

I'm drooling with excitement!

I Like Sandwiches

First you put the sandwich in your mouth . . .


It has been really cool trying new foods with Evie Lu. There have been big hits (Swedish meatballs and lasagna) and some big misses (refried beans and cottage cheese), but Evie Lu always seems to be up to try something new. She loves sandwiches. As you can see from the pictures I not only cut off the crusts, but I also cut the sandwich into tiny little sandwiches. Evie Lu eats her sandwiches the same way Kaia does. They both start out interested in the whole sandwich, but after a little while the individual parts of the sandwich become much more interesting.
What do you think Evie Lu should try next?

. . . and then you make a funny face.


From the very good news department: We found out on Friday that Kaia's foot is still broken, but it is the best kind of break to have. Kaia will have to wear the boot for a couple more weeks and then she's free to wear a stiff shoe. Hooray for lucky breaks!

Warning: This Post Is Gross

A hug from Grandpa at the airport.


The picture above is the last we have to share from our trip to Minnesota. Evie Lu's Grandpa Wayne was very afraid of Evie Lu being very afraid of him. This was not the case of course. She loves her Grandpa dearly.

Now on to the grossness I promised. There will come a day in the near future when our household will become host to a poop slingshot. I know this because Evie Lu has taken to grabbing for her dirty diaper as I change her. Instead of letting her play with the diaper, I grab it. Someday I fear Evie Lu will let go just as I've grabbed the diaper and we will have the poop slingshot. I've even had a nightmare about it.

As I've been living in dread of the poop slingshot, yesterday saw the first real puke of Evie Lu's life. She was a spit-uppy baby from the get go, but this was honest to goodness letting go of the lunch she just had. Evie Lu woke up crying after twenty minutes of a nap and it sounded to me like she was choking. I put her up on my shoulder and tried to dislodge whatever was there. I then held her up so I could look into her mouth when she puked. You know you love someone when they puke on you and your first thought is to get them cleaned up and happy. Evie Lu is not sick and we think it was a combination of teething, reaction to shots, and having too much mac & cheese for lunch. In the words of Evie Lu's Aunt Megan, "Eww, gross!"

A Perfectly Boring Baby

I want to smile, but my mouth is too full.

We finally had Evie Lu's 1 year check up today and Dr. Ann told us we had a very boring baby. Evangeline is 25 lbs 3 oz, 31 inches tall, and her head is still freaking huge at 47 cm. In the last three days we've phased out the bottle and Evie Lu is now only drinking from cups. Dr. Ann was happy with the bottle development and encouraged us to keep doing what we're doing. The only traumatic part of the visit were the five (!) shots Evie Lu had to get. She was not happy about that at all. I think Kaia was only slightly less traumatized than Evie Lu. As I held Evie Lu's arms I could see Kaia getting ready to tackle the nurse.

In the picture above you can see Evie Lu chowing down on chicken and pasta. The pasta came all the way from Italy as a gift from her Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris. I thought it was a great idea to share some with Evie Lu, but then Kaia started asking what the dye was in the pasta. It turns out the black stripe is squid ink dye. I thought it was fine, but since babies are not supposed to have shellfish Kaia got worried. I don't think I helped by saying, "squids don't have shells, they are just squishy." And Evie Lu is totally fine.

Se Brosser Les Dents

Dad, this doesn't taste like anything.

Since Kaia broke her foot, I've been the nighttime routine guy. It has been fun doing the bath time and the new fun part is brushing Evie Lu's teeth. We've been trying to do this for months now and Evie Lu would have no part of the deal. For some reason, after we got back from Minnesota Evangeline thought it was an okay thing. Evie Lu will even try to brush my teeth. It is a crack up.

It was mentioned that I never told the story of how Kaia broke her foot. If any of you remember the opening to the Dick Van Dyke Show and his ottoman escapades, you'll have an idea of what happened. We use an ottoman as an Evie Lu barrier and Kaia was stepping over this ottoman to play with Evie Lu. As Kaia stepped over, her right foot landed on a hard little wooden block with sharp edges. Kaia came down hard on this block and then crumpled in a heap with a loud cry. Kaia heard a pop and she wasn't sure if it was the block or her foot. Turns out it was her foot. The little wooden blocks have been put away for a while.

Taking Care Of My Mom

Okay mom, I'll be good. I promise.

As you can see in these pictures, Kaia is sporting the uber fashionable big black boot. The boot intrigues Evie Lu quite a bit, but thankfully our little one has not landed on Kaia's foot yet. Is it tough chasing a one year old when you are hobbled? Absolutely. So far Sunday was the only day that Kaia had to handle the morning to night routine solo. Keep Kaia in your prayers for quick healing and maintained sanity.

I'm having a runaway!

Girl Power!

Did someone ask for five smart, strong women? Here we are!


They may be smiling, but I'm plotting my escape.


Ha ha, my Aunt Kaitlin has bib overalls just like I've got.

Winter Wonderland

Do you see the mountains in the distance? Look hard, they are very, very distant.


Evie Lu was in Minnesota with snow and so we had to take her sledding. Granted the day we finally made it out was ridiculously cold. I think the high was 1. Undaunted we dressed up and headed outside. (Actually, Kaia was the only undaunted one. I was fairly daunted and thought a nap sounded better.)

The intrepid explorer looks on with determination.


We loaded Evie Lu onto the sled and Kaia sat behind her to keep her safe. We think Evangeline liked it because Kaia could hear her singing as I pulled them across the farmyard. This was a lot of fun and I can only imagine what it will be like next winter when Evie Lu will really be able to play in the snow.

What have you people done to me? Am I supposed to be a seal?

The Birthday Bash

My mom made this for me!


While today is the day I've gotten to posting Evie Lu's first birthday pictures, yesterday was the day her gifts gave back to Kaia. While stepping over a baby barricade, Kaia stepped onto some blocks and ended up breaking her fifth metatarsal near the base. That means six weeks in a walking cast and staying off of the foot as much as possible. I'm just thankful we don't have stairs in our place.

Cake is great!


Do I have something on my face?


What do I open first?


Evie Lu in her rocking chair.

The Wayfaring Strangers Return

Too bad Evie Lu can't read yet . . .

The only close family members that Evie Lu had never met were her Aunt Megan and Uncle Chris. They had been travelling abroad from shortly after Evangeline's birth until December 26 of 2007. Megan and Chris are a lot of fun and Kaia and I wanted Evie Lu to have fun with them. (My biggest fear was that Evie Lu would be scared.) From the moment these three met I knew we'd have no problems. Megan shed a little tear and Evie Lu took right to her Aunt and Uncle.

Cute as can be and ready for church.


In the picture below you see Megan, Chris and Evie Lu, but look at where Chris' right hand should be and you'll sort of see Ambush the cat. Ambush was the source of much amusement to Evie Lu and all of us really. If our landlord didn't have a $500.00 cat deposit I'd think about us getting a feline. (As it is I've never seen a $500.00 cat and I doubt I ever will.)

Uncle Chris finally gets in a picture!

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa!

Evie Lu in mid-clap with her mom and Great Grandparents.


Evie Lu's Great Grandpa is turning 89! While Evangeline was a little reticent to sit with her Great Grandpa, she did like visiting and maybe she'll learn a little Norwegian someday. Happy Birthday!

The book in this picture was Evie Lu tested and Great Grandpa approved.

Going For A Walk With Great Grandparents

Dad, what's wrong with your face? I'll run away!

Evie Lu is officially walking. She isn't very good at it yet (she seems to have copied Frankenstein's monster's moves), but she is indeed doing it. The first real display came when we went to visit Evie Lu's Great Grandparents. For whatever reason Evie Lu decided to take a few steps that night. I think we counted six unsupported steps as her high score as Evie Lu walked between various relatives.

Seriously Dad, what is wrong with your face?


Since then she's gone crazy with the walking. Evie Lu still prefers to crawl, but more and more she'll decide to just walk around a bit. Kaia said tonight Evangeline walked over to the table where her sippy cup was and grabbed it. Kaia got ready to rescue the cup because she was sure Evie Lu would just pour it on the ground, but much to my wife's surprise our daughter picked up the cup, took a couple of pulls, and then placed the cup back where it was before walking away. What happened to the little girl we could place on the floor and expect her to stay?

A helping hand from Grandma and Great Grandma.

Michellin Baby

Look at me! I'm invincible!


During our time in Minnesota it was cold. Leading up to our trip Kaia and I fretted about getting mittens and a good winter hat, but we should have known Grandma Bev was all over it. When we arrived at the airport, Evie Lu's welcoming party had everything a little girl could need for a winter trip.

I don't think I can walk dad.


Evie Lu needed to go sledding at least once during the trip and that meant along with a good winter coat she would need snow pants. You can see Evie Lu modeling her awesome snow bibs. The bibs are a bit big, so they will be good for a few years of snow fun. The best part of this day of trying on snow stuff is that Evie Lu never went outside. My daughter does love a good fashion show.

I'm ready for snow.

Evie Lu's Christmas Dress

Merry Christmas!


We have a huge stack of photos to share with you. Evie Lu had four amazing Christmas celebrations (two in Seattle and two in Minnesota)and a massive birthday blowout. You'll have to keep coming back to catch all the good stuff!

One Year Old Today!

One year ago today Evangeline Lucille decided to make her appearance in the world. We are so blessed to have our sweet little girl in our lives. Happy New Year to everyone and Happy Birthday to Evie Lu! Have a great New Year's Evie.
Will and Kaia

Cousins, Aunts, And Uncles! Oh My!

What has miss Evie Lu been up to the last few days?
Christmas day started with a 4:30am wake-up call so she could join us at the airport. After lengthy delays we arrived in Northern Minnesota at 6:30 pm. (That would be 12 hours of travel time for our little one.) Evangeline was a trooper and I think Kaia and I were crabbier than she was. We made it to her Great Aunt Darlene's house where Evie Lu met up with 8 cousins, 6 Great Aunts and Uncles, 2 Grandparents, 1 Aunt Kaitlin, and 1 second cousin baby Noah. After so long in a stationary position Evie Lu had a blast crawling around a new place with lots of new faces.

The last couple of days have been filled with quality Grandparent time and soon Evie Lu will meet up with her Great Grandparents. I think we are going to have a hard time keeping her entertained when we get back home. Evie Lu is going to be used to a parade of people. One person she is still waiting to meet is her Aunt Megan. Megan and Chris made is safely to the U. S. on Wednesday, but we don't know when they'll decide to join us up north. Evie Lu keeps looking at her presents and looking at me as if to say, "Do we really have to wait?" (That's not really true, I think that look she gives me means she's pooping.)

I'll make a run at uploading some pictures, but the slow internet connection may mean, you'll need to wait a little while.

A First Christmas

A rocking horse for me?!?!

And a scooter?!?!

Let's roll!

Toys for the airplane. How annoying do you think my dad will get with that Grover finger puppet?

An ornament from my Great Aunt Bev!

Since we'll be flying early tomorrow, we had our little family Christmas today. The greatest gifts Kaia and I have received are the sweet little girl we have and your love and support. We love you all! Merry Christmas!