Evie at Thirteen Months

Evelyn Mae you are thirteen months today!  You're having a blast being a toddler and we agree - being one is lots of fun!

The picture above is of you saying "woof-woof" (which really sounds like "oooh-oooh") when I asked you to tell me what sound a doggie makes.  You also know what a kitty-cat says, and a lion and bear (they both say "rawr"), but one of your favorite animals, second only to a doggie, is a bird.  Of course!  You love to watch the birds living in our Hawthorne bushes in the backyard and you can sort of say "tweet-tweet".  You can definitely say the "bbbbb" in bird and you love to point them out to us.

You can also say Mama now, and quite often you just shout "Mom! Mom!" when you want something - just like Sam.  You are starting to say "Buh" for Sam (Brother), and everything he does is still hilarious to you.  I often find you guys rolling around on the floor like puppies or trying to make each other laugh.  The two of you are such good friends.

It was quite a challenge getting these pictures, and I know I say that every month.  But you are such a physical little bundle of energy that you just can't sit still in your chair!  Daddy came in your room while I was taking these photos and offered to help (I think he heard how loud things were getting in your room).  He pretty much left right away because it was making him crazy to see you bouncing all around your chair.  Makes me crazy, too!

This past month was a busy one as we were preparing for Christmas.  You went with us to Sam's Christmas program and you sat so nicely on Gram's lap while Sam and his friends sang their holiday songs.  Gram and Pops took care of you when Daddy and I were at his office Christmas party and much to our surpise you were still awake,

crazy awake

, when we picked you up at 11:00!  You'd had so much fun playing by the Christmas tree, eating pizza, and walking over to Deerfield to see the lights you just couldn't stop!  

One special treat this past month was going to Daddy's work to meet his friends, eat a chili cook-off lunch, and look at all the airplanes in the hangar.  While Daddy and Sam sat in a couple of cockpits, you and Mommy ran up the hangar ramp and down the hangar ramp....and

uuuup the hangar ramp

and

dowwwn the hangar ramp

.  You also ate lots of crackers and everybody thought you and Brother were cute and sweet.  I think Daddy was proud to show you two off to his friends!

December presented us with a particularly challenging first week - we were iced in for five days.  

All of us.  In our house.  

Together

.  

The sleet started Thursday afternoon, right after we got Brother home from school and you and Sam and I  didn't even see the light of day until the next Wednesday morning when we had to go see Dr. G. for Sam's flu shot.  That's a long time to be in a small space with two small people.  A loooong time.

Overall, it wasn't too bad, but it was a unique situation that I wouldn't want to find myself in too often!  Fortunately we knew it was coming and had a chance to prepare.  Mommy got in lots of food and planned some activities for Sam.  We watched lots of movies and made lots of messes.  You and Sam (and Mommy) loved having Daddy off of work for three whole days!  It was amazing to see how thick of a layer of ice was covering everything in sight.  And it was sooo cold in the house.  We all had major cabin fever by the time it was over and were glad to get our lives back to normal.  After Sam's flu shot we went and got lunch and ran to the store.  Woo-hoo!  It felt so good to be outside!

Measurements: 

weight - 23 lb.

Clothes - You're wearing your 12-18 month outfits and a few 18-24 month things.  I can tell you are going to grow out of clothes quickly, especially pants because you are such a tall girl.  This month was all about keeping you warm, so it was lots of soft fuzzy pants and warm tops.  You still pull out any clips or headbands I try to put on you.  Your bangs are getting longer so we're going to have to come to some sort of compromise here, soon, little girl.

Diapers

 - You're just too tall for size threes so you've graduated to fours.

Feedings - You're down to eating about twice a day for a total of about ten minutes a day.  Strange to think this time last year you were eating over an hour a day.  You are also eating pretty much everything Daddy and I eat as well.  We've been fixing a lot of soups and stews - I add baby cereal to your bowl to thicken them up and you like those a lot.

Sleeping -  Doing pretty well.  You're in bed by 8:00 and you usually sleep until around 7:00/7:30.  If you wake up in the night it's just for a hug and to search for a missing binkie.  You take a pretty long morning nap, always about two hours after waking up, and then a shorter late afternoon nap.  I usually save dishes until you wake up since your room is so close to the kitchen, so after some post-nap cuddles, you help me unload the dishwasher and steal all the spoons!

Talking - "Ma-ma", "b-b-bb-bbbbthspsk!" (bird), and "Da-da"

Playing - let's see...your favorite places to play would be: the dishwasher (not inside it, just taking everything out of it), the drapes, the kitchen pantry and closet, Mommy's purse and bathroom drawer, and Sam's room.  All the places you're not supossed to be.  You also love to step up on things.  You're trying to step up on top of toys, Sam's bathroom stool and you can climb Gram and Pops' stairs almost faster than they can keep up with you.  You've discovered mega-blocks (which are like giant Legos) and your favorite activity, of the things you're

supposed

to do, is build tall, tall towers with your stacking blocks.  You have a very steady hand!

Happy Thirteen Months, Evelyn!