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It's been a big week of change around here.

I never would have believed it a week ago, but Evie is well on her way to sleeping through the night! Saturday, for the first time in a year and a half, I was able to sleep from 11 - 5:30. I had forgotten what it felt like to feel energetic and well rested. It was incredible, but even more incredible was how we got there. Apparently, all we had to do was ask! Our pediatrician suggested that I explain to Evie that I couldn't go in at night, she would have to stay in her own bed and I would see her in the morning. Other people were allowed to go in and check on her, but I wasn't. I was full of anxiety over this, remembering the 4 hour blocks of straight screaming and worrying how it would affect Matt since he's already burning the candle at both ends. I'm stunned by how well she has done and it's also opened my eyes to how much she understands.

As I type this, our new granite countertops are being installed! I can't wait to see them. My dad came to help remove the old ones last week and we learned a smart time-saving technique for the homemaker on the go. Apparently, there's no need to clean or even remove large objects from a shelf before you cover it with a liner. Dog biscuits in the way? Just cover 'em on up! We found a rawhide and 3 dog treats under the contact paper placed by the clever and efficient previous owners. Thankfully, I didn't use that cabinet for food or I may have vomited.

Ew.

You're doing it wrong, Grandpa. Allow me

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Fun stuff from this week:

We visited the farm where Evie's pal Annabelle lives. Not surprisingly, Evie spent every opportunity loving on the farm dogs and cat. She wasn't so impressed with the horses and was even less impressed by the hay ride.

Evie hates when Matt and I hug, kiss or show any kind of affection. As soon as she sees it, she starts crying, squeezes her way between us and tries to push me away from him. She would be so angered by the themes in The Parent Trap.

She has started signing for "more" before we even enter the doors at Whole Foods. My incredibly picky eater eagerly eats anything in those sample bins. Something must happen to the food in transit because the very same items are refused and thrown on the floor when they're offered at home.

Who needs sleep?

I survived last week! I had several big deadlines on Friday and my clients were sending me changes and additions well past the cutoff point I gave them. It's surprising that they would ignore all of my pleas to get in final comments because I'm normally viewed as a intimidating and authoritative. I somehow found a way to work, while watching Evie, the entire day on Friday. Luckily she is a cuddlebug, so she happily snuggled and sat on my lap, occasionally offering a helping hand on the keyboard. I think I caught all of the "HieeeeEEEEEffw5" additions to the files, but I wouldn't be surprised if a few slipped through the cracks.

I was patting myself on the back last week for managing to remain energetic and productive even though Evie is sleeping like a newborn, but it must have been pure adrenaline because I absolutely crashed on Monday. I am beat! I can not handle the constant night wakings any more and it's only gotten worse. She screams and refuses to back into her crib in the middle of the night. It's like trying to put a cat in a bathtub. Letting her cry it out has been completely fruitless and that's normally the last resort for parents. We have a pediatrician visit this afternoon and I am praying for some guidance on the issue. Unfortunately, I am a terrible sleeper and my parents said I didn't sleep through the night until I was 2 1/2, so I suppose I only have my genes to blame.

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It's not all bad though! Evie is so darn sweet. Her unsolicited kisses and hugs melt me. Though she still isn't talking much, she's trying and is generally more and more communicative. It's fun to watch her point out a wide variety of objects. And she's walking now! It's the cutest waddle you've ever seen. She started out walking like a drunken Frankenstein, but is improving by the day.

Toddling Along

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As has been discussed, Evie is obsessed, obsessed with cats and dogs. Animals can generally be divided into one of the two categories. For example, cows are dogs, but pigs are cats. Lions are catdogs, since they "uff" and "meow" interchangeably. What you may not know is that some dogs, including Scottys, chihuahuas, and yorkies, are cats. Pretty clear cut.

Hopefully I'll get a good plan at the doctor! Will update soon.

bathtime fun

Garden Tub

This is how bath time ended tonight. Not because I'm a playful, laid-back mom who brings magic and whimsy into normal day-to-day routines, but because Evie filled the other bathtub with poop. But let's be honest, it's mostly because I'm a playful laid-back mom who brings magic and whimsy to normal day-to-day routines. It was an eventful evening and every item of clothing I was wearing is now in the wash.

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We went to a wedding in Atlanta last weekend for one of my closest friends from my App days, Susanne. She is pure effervescence. She is also a gourmet baker, which is why it was physically painful to leave the reception before they cut the cake. It would have been much more painful for the other guests, however, if we'd kept Evie there much longer past her bedtime, so we headed back and Matt and I shared a bottle of wine in the dark, quiet hotel room while the little girl slept. It was actually pretty nice.

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If any of you wonder if I've fallen of the face of the Earth, I've been slammed with work. For the past several weeks, I've been working at every available opportunity during the day and again at night after Evie goes to bed until my brain shuts down, which is anywhere from 10 pm to 1 am. Yes, I should be working right now, but I care about my blog readers too much. And its more efficient than personally e-mailing the 4 of you who read this. Because my daughter still doesn't sleep through the night, my brain decided never to officially turn on today. There are a lot of days where I can't form simple sentences and, for whatever reason, my syntax begins to mirror Yoda's. I leave out articles. Sleep deprivation is turning me into a foreigner, but one who only (poorly) speaks a secondary language.

The most fun project I worked on in the past month was for one of my oldest and dearest friends, Annabelle, who just started an etsy shop. It was such a fun diversion from my other more serious projects. I love, love, love the quilt she made for Evie and she's such a talented and creative seamstress. I bartered my designs for a picnic quilt! Be jealous! Check out her shop (and my logo) here. Go buy things.

Nah!

This week, Evie developed a skill that is sometimes helpful, usually frustrating, and often funny. She discovered how to say "no" and practices this new skill at every available opportunity.
M: Evie, do you want a strawberry?
E: Naaaahhhh! (said while shaking head dramatically with mouth agape)
M: Evie, do you want some water?
E: Naaahhhhh!
M: Evie, do you want a delicious Back to Nature Peanut Butter Creme Cookie which offer a serving of vegetables with each bite*?
E: Naaaah!
M: Good, cause I ate 'em all.

She has been delighted with her ability to reject all forms of food and drink for the past few days, with the exception of some incredible Rice Krispie Treats given to us by our good friend Erin. I'm starting to doubt that it's simply coincidence that she stopped eating all other food after experiencing such a culinary delight. I think we can all relate. I know I've considered a pure Rice Krispie Treat diet on occasion. Or maybe she's just fed up with hearing her Nana discuss Under the Tuscan Sun as though it's non-fiction and this is her way of retaliating. I might join Evie in that crusade, because I'm not sure what I'll do if I hear one more account of how they just uncovered another layer of stone in the wall of their fabulous home in Cortona! And a boulder that was probably used in a gravesite at some point! FABULOUS! I've never read the book or seen the movie, but I am pretty sure I know the details of the story/fact-based novel better than the author herself.

Please, Nana. No more Under the Tuscan Sun.

My mom is here helping with Evie right now so I can get some work done. We are so lucky to have this option. I get to work some during the day and Matt and I get to go out at night. As much as I appreciate my mom's help, there's always a give and take. It seems to throw Evie off schedule, she sleeps poorly and she gets so whiney when she sees me. I hear a lot of ehmaaaahhmamamamamamaaaaaahhhhh throughout the day. For whatever reason, this sound makes me laugh each time I hear it, which makes the little girl pretty mad. It will take a day or two for Eves to get back to normal, but it's worth it.


*Back to Nature Peanut Butter Creme Cookies are not made with vegetables and have very little nutritional value, but a good friend told me she had seen this in an ad and I am choosing to believe it to be true. I have been eating a ridiculous amount of vegetables this week, incidentally!

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Is anyone else ready for Christmas? I can't wait. I think most of us agree that October is entirely too late for the stores to begin putting out decorations. August is already halfway over! What's taking so long?

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Things That Happened This Week That I Want to Remember:

•  Evie kissed Baby Archer goodbye
•  Took a few more steps
•  We discovered that the cats are terrified of bubbles
•  Evie learned how to unlock my iPhone

Firsts

Evie had a first today that may be my favorite to date. She started displaying her sense of humor! While we were at the grocery store, I went down the pet aisle so she could point out all the dogs and cats. I started pointing out the cats on the packaging and asking her what sound they make and she kept responding with "uff" and then cracking up! I'd say "noooooo! They're kitties!" Which made her laugh even harder. I loved it.

I love you, Marie. Uff.

Another first that shows a different side of her personality is her ability to walk. Evie is incredibly cautious with everything she does and this has shown with every step (and lack thereof). She absentmindedly took her first two steps last Friday and I praised her like crazy, but she didn't realize what she had done. She is so steady on her feet and I know when she decides she's ready to start walking she will be an instant pro, but for now she prefers the safety and comfort of crawling. Tonight she took several more steps toward Matt. She was crying and stumbled into his arms so he would pick her up, but I still don't think she realized what was happening. I'll be excited to see her on her feet, though it's just one more reminder that she's not a baby anymore!

Just looking cute is all.

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Go buy a box of Back to Nature Peanut Butter Creme cookies. They taste just like Do-Si-Dos! Dangerously delicious. I'm on my second box in 3 days. Let's get fat together! 

renovations

Disclaimer: Evie was up from 11-3 last night, so if I start to sound crazy, I am. I'm also really tired. From now on, let's go ahead and agree to blame Evie whenever my writing is boring, nonsensical, or offensive.

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We are in the planning stages of some home renovations. When we moved in two years ago, we made a list of everything we wanted to do to the house. For the first year, we spent nearly every weekend doing a project. We, with a lot of help from my parents, painted every wall and even spent the hottest weekend in 2009 painting the entire exterior of the house. Before long, all of the affordable, DIY items were marked off and now we're left with the big stuff: kitchen, bathrooms and floors.

We've decided to tackle the kitchen first, because blue laminate countertops are an affront to humanity. We plan to move in 1-3 years, so we're going for a simple, classic look. To avoid pricing out of our market, we're going with the cheapest level of granite. I'm picturing white cabinets, slate/black counters and glass subway tiles. Right now, our cabinets are 80's glazed honey oak. Very dated. Also, the previous occupants owned a sharp-clawed dog that was intent on giving them a distressed look. I always expected to paint them, but it's too big of a job to tackle ourselves and the quotes I'm getting are about the same as our countertops! This is shocking to me. So we have some prioritizing to do and Evie has even more pressure to place Grand Supreme at her next glitz pageant. Git it, gurl!

 Our kitchen before we moved in

Another "before" pic.

 Current Kitchen. We replaced the ceiling fan with a chandelier and painted the walls and moulding.

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UPDATE: (Matt, you can stop reading now. Nothing more for you to see here.) We may need to redo our carpets before our countertops after all. Turns out it's a bad idea to paint your toenails in the vicinity of a toddler with lighting-quick grabby paws.


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Pictures of Evie just because:

 Check out the bedhead.

full days

It's been a busy week! I received a big project from a local medical mall (seriously, it's like a mall with 20+ medical practices) and the project keeps getting bigger and more involved. They like what I've done so far and today they're sending my name to all the practices in the facility suggesting they use me for all of their design and marketing campaigns. I am feeling both overwhelmed and fortunate. I don't want to turn away clients in this market, but I can't be both a full-time stay at home mom and designer. Do I limit the work I accept and hope my clients don't replace me with someone they can always rely on? Hire a freelance designer? Enlist the help of a nanny? I guess I'm getting ahead of myself, but my schedule is already uncomfortably full, so I'd like to be prepared.

I admit it would be really tough for me to hire someone to help with Evie. I love spending my days with her. In my entire life, I've never felt happier or more content. Even on the tough days, of which there are plenty, I like to be the one who cuddles with her when she is sad and who tries not to laugh as she pretends to put food in her mouth before throwing it on the floor. She's only 13 months, but I can already feel the time slipping away and I want to appreciate every day I have while she still needs me. I know I have some control issues and over-protective tendencies to keep in check, but mostly I just think she's hilarious and unbelievably sweet and I like hanging out with her. Can someone figure out a way to stop the clock, please?

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We booked a vacation!! I am SO excited! Before these projects began consuming all of my "me" time, I was obsessively researching everything Disney Cruise. This will be my 5th voyage, but the first with a baby. Can. Not. Wait. It will be the first full week we've spent together as a family and with Matt's work schedule, it can't come soon enough. We leave November 12th for a week. We'll be stopping in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and twice at Disney's private island. We'll be in Cozumel for my 32nd birthday! I think! I keep forgetting how old I am. Any ideas of what we should do in port would be greatly appreciated! Also accepting advice on how to leave a baby with attachment issues and an over-protective mother in the on-board nursery so Matt and I can have some baby-free fun.

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It amazes me how much Evie understands these days! Everyday is something new.
Cute changes:
•  the way she tries to say "kitty," which is more like "ktheee" said in a whisper
•  seeing her blossoming thespian abilities. As I mentioned above, she will tightly grasp a bite of food in her fist, bring it to her mouth without letting go, then she'll pretend to chew it as she throws it on the floor. So difficult not to laugh!

Things I miss:
•  She no longer yells "MAaaaaaAAaAaaaaa?!" when she's looking for me. It was so funny! She did it for months, then a few days ago I realized it has been weeks since I last heard it.

And now for a video of my favorite girl: