Sufferin' Succotash

Last week my mom found great humor in pointing out that Evan says "yes" with a sort of sloppy lisp.  He also says the letter "S" the same way.  If you remember Sylvester the Cat from Looney Tunes then you know exactly what I'm trying to describe.  It more or less sounds like he has a collection of spit in the back of his mouth. Which is why my mom called out "sufferin succotash" over and over and over again.  It was her effort to poke fun, but to also get a reaction out of Evan.  And, not surprisingly, it worked.

He thought the expression was absolutely hilarious - so hilarious that he made every attempt to repeat it.  Now having practiced it for a few days he has it down pretty well.  He decided to drop the "sufferin'" part and just go with "succotash."  The funniest part about it is that he naturally has the lisp sound down perfectly.

Yesterday morning Robert and I overheard Evan downstairs in his crib going back and forth between "succotash" and his other favorite expression, "yay-ya."  I have a feeling he's gonna be one of those kids that can be told to say anything - could get dangerous.

In baby news, I'm pretty sure I'm starting to feel movement.  What is referred to as quickening is what I'm most likely feeling.  It's a fluttering sensation that sometimes feels like popcorn popping.  It could also just be gas.  My stomach has been bubbling the entire pregnancy - I'm sure you all wanted to know that, but it is a natural part of pregnancy.  Among many other disturbing things.

I have had several requests for an updated belly shot.  Amanda is coming up tomorrow so I will have her take one so I can avoid my infamous mirror shots.  Robert will be leaving me tomorrow for an entire week.  He's heading up to Georgetown to get some things done at the restaurant.  Updates on all of that soon.

Good Trip Bad Trip

I am still exhausted from my trip to Chicago this past weekend. It was full of activity - the zoo, the aquarium, the park, the city - and toting around Evan and Isabel was a great indication of what's in store for Robert and myself in a just a few months. Strollers, baby gear and patience galore. Getting out will be a whole new adventure.

Evan and Isabel really enjoyed one another.  Isabel innocently pulled hair and stole Evan's cars. I was surprised how well he handled it.  He simply stuck out his finger and said, "no, no!"  He hasn't quite grasped the concept of sharing yet, so that's definitely something we need to work on.  But other than his bossiness, Evan was extremely sweet and gentle with the baby.  Every time Isabel came into the room Evan would say, "Hi, Izzie."  He loved pointing out all her body parts, including her "wee wee."  (We're gonna have to do something about that before he starts school - I'm not sure the other moms would appreciate a young boy pointing to their daughters' "wee wees.")  He also showered her with kisses along with everyone else.

                   

Our next trip to Chicago will go from two kids to four kids - three under the age of 13 months!  I have a feeling we won't get as much activity in as we did this trip, but that might be a good thing.  And I definitely will not be traveling alone EVER AGAIN!

Evan's sweet, angelic face you see above morphed into a monster on our plane ride home yesterday.  Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like dying would be a better alternative?  If I haven't before, I definitely have now. 

After a two hour wait in the aiport due to an hour delay, Evan and I were both extremely tired and so ready to get home.  I already had to deal with one tantrum after I wouldn't allow Evan to roll his cars into the airport trash can.  It took at least 20 minutes to get him calm enough to approach our gate so we could board the plane.  We finally get in our seat and get situated - I pull out all my back-ups - DVD player. check.  Candy.  check.  Books.  check.  Cars.  check.  George.  check.  And we calmly wait to take off ...15 minutes later - still waiting...30 minutes later - still waiting...ONE HOUR LATER - STILL WAITING.  I could already sense what was sure to be a disaster.

We were in the air for a little over an hour - after finally getting off the ground - when my living nightmare began.  Evan was antsy the entire trip and nothing seemed to be satisfying him up to this point.  I was pulling out all the stops and doing anything in my power to entertain.  I am very aware of how delicate these situations are because when exhaustion sets in it only takes one little thing to completely set him off.  And guess what?  I managed to trigger that one thing.  He wanted to continue to pull the window shade up and down, meanwhile blinding the gentleman beside us with the setting sun.  I said that evil, horrible word (NO!) and Evan's whole universe turned upside down - My world completely exploded!

Evan screamed, kicked and cried for 20 - 30 minutes.  Mama also cried for at least 15 of those minutes.  The exhaustion got the best of me too.  Every one stared.  People stood to see who had the screaming child.  Special trips were made to the bathroom to pass by our aisle.  I just held him tight, looked out the window and cried.  At one point I thought to myself, "if the plane started going down right now at least the attention would be taken off me."  I was desperate.

Finally, he tired himself out and fell asleep on my chest.  We had 25 mintes left in the air so I was certain we would at least make it back with out any other issues.  Like I have that kind of luck?  The plane landed, jolted Evan right out of my lap out of a deep sleep and the screaming and crying ensued once again.  You'd think that once we got to our gate the flight attendants would've made a point to get us off the plane first, but no.  They let us sit there for the 15 minutes it took for everyone else to get off the plane.  We were the last ones to get off as I hoisted my screaming child over my shoulder, threw my backpack on and wheeled my luggage off the plane.  Not once did someone offer to assist me.  Thank you American Airlines for your stellar service!

As soon as I saw Robert at backage claim I completely broke down to a sobbing mess.  He was expecting a hug and a kiss and instead got tears and snot.  As much as I do on my own, I bow down to all the single mothers out there who have no choice but to travel alone.  Never again, I say.  NEVER AGAIN!  

Monthy Check-Up

I heard a strong, rapid heart beat at today's monthly check-up.  What an indescribable feeling it is to hear the sound of human life just below the surface of an ever expanding belly.  I get emotional every time. 

And get this people - I only gained ONE pound since my last appointment.  ONE pound.  Even my nurse said, "nice job," after weighing me.  I was proud of myself.  I know this may sound ridiculous, but this is coming from someone who gained AT LEAST three lbs per visit in her last pregnancy.  In 15 weeks I have only gained eight pounds.  I'm sure to some this may not seem like an accomplishment, but for me - olympic gold!  I'm hoping to stay under 40 lbs. this time around.  For some reason I can hear Kylie laughing at me right now. ha.

Heading to Chicago on Wednesday to visit with my brother and his family.  Isabel will be 8 months old tomorrow.  I can't wait to see my little niece.  And to squawk back and forth with Ruth about pregnancy - I can see Tim cringing already.  Mimi is making the trip too!!

Hello Second Trimester

I have made it through the first trimester - finally.  And I say finally simply because it feels like I've been pregnant for an entire year already.  With 26 more weeks to go I might as well buckle down and get ready for what will truly feel like an eternity.

Just the other day I mentioned to my friend, Amanda, that I've been extremely forgetful regarding my pregnancy the last few weeks.  I don't mean that I've been misplacing things or forgetting to feed my child -  more along the lines of just forgetting that I'm pregnant.  I guess now that I'm feeling back to normal - other than the bulging belly - it just slips my mind sometimes.  I made a huge pasta and spinach dish the other night and the main ingredient for the sauce was feta cheese.  I absolutely LOVE feta cheese so I dumped an additional 1/2 cup in there for good measure.  After I completely devoured my meal it dawned on me that I'm not supposed to be eating feta cheese or any soft cheese for that matter.  And then I remembered the blue cheese crumbles on my salad and the gorgonzola cheese on my burger.  I thought to myself, "jeez, get it together."

But it didn't stop there.

Just last week I was feeling good that it was the weekend.  Evan was in bed.  Robert would be coming home soon.  I opened the fridge to get something to drink and realized we really didn't have anything.  But I spotted a few Miller Lites on the bottom shelf and immediately was like, "Yes!  That sounds perfect!"  So I popped the top and sat on the couch and enjoyed a nice cold brew.  And then I decided I would have another.

Mom, are you freaking out yet?

Totally kidding.  I haven't lost my entire brain yet.  Just a small portion.

Timothy Martin Evans, Jr.

My brother was granted his wish of a little boy.  In just 22 short weeks (or long weeks for Ruth), Tim's dreams of father/son bonding will become a reality. 

Don't let me confuse anybody with the title - I very seriously doubt the baby boy will become a Jr.  Besides, Tim better hope and pray his son doesn't take on his personality as an infant/toddler.  From what I hear it wasn't an easy experience.  Sometimes I think there was a freak mix up and Evan is actually my brother's child.  The temperment and the semi-permanent scowl are all too familiar.

Watch Tim end up with the calm, mild-mannered one.  That just means he's gonna be in hell during the teenage years! :)  Hope you're prepared, my brotha!

SunSplash Park

We took Evan to a park on the beach called SunSplash that has a fountain system that sprays up from the ground - the kids absolutely love it.  Evan was no exception.  He wasn't too sure of the experience at first, but he eventually built up the courage to take on the geyser like sprays.

The park has a playground area that he really enjoyed as well.  He basically ran back and forth between the two for two hours straight.  We eventually took a very tired, fussy boy home for a nap.  

I posted the rest of the pictures in my gallery.  Check them out - they're pretty darn cute. 

Say What

Call us immature, but Robert and I always get a good laugh when we pass this sign.  Seems like "disturb" would've worked just fine.

Now Showing

It definitely appears as though there's a baby growing in my belly or else I've really done some damage on all my Easter candy.

I have graduated to the belly band this week simply because it's way more comfortable to just let it all hang out.  I'm still able to button my pants, but sitting down is less than cozy and after eating a full meal I can just forget about it.  I always think about that commercial where the slender, sexy woman slinks into the elevator and as soon as the elevator door shuts she lets her gut bust out of those tight fitting pants.  That's pretty much how I feel in my jeans, so the belly band is my savior.

I'm actually almost 13 weeks - Thursday is my turn day.  I believe I began using the belly band around 13 weeks with Evan as well.  But the difference is that I gained more weight in my first trimester with him than I have this time.  I can't say that I've been making extremely healthy food choices this time, but running after a toddler all day has its impact.

I thought I was pretty much out of the woods as far as nausea goes, but I had a pretty vicious episode this morning for whatever reason.  The past couple of weeks I have felt a lot better, but I guess my hormones aren't done with me yet.  Hurry up second trimester!!!

And because I can't contain my excitement I need to note that my brother, Tim, and his wife will find out the sex of their new baby tomorrow!!!  I can't wait to hear the news.  I'd love for them to have a boy.

YAY! You're Engaged!

Getting that phone call to hear a good friend say, "I'm engaged!" is always exciting.  But I've never been more excited than I am for my friends, Amanda and Scott.  It's been a long time coming, but I know a little something about that.

It's been a running joke for the past three to four years that Scott would never wait as long as Robert did ( five years ) to finally propose.  I believe his exact words were "someone better give me a swift kick in the ass if I ever wait as long as Robert did."  Well, buddy, you surpassed him by about three weeks!  So we have three weeks of ammunition that you will deservingly have to endure on our vacation in July.  A little smack talking has never hurt anybody.

I'm already dreaming up lavish wedding plans and looking forward to sharing such a special day with one of my best friends.  Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. Whittamore.  I love y'all to pieces!  Now jump on the turbo train and make a baby while you're at it!  :)

Easter Egg Hunt

The term hunt is used very loosely here because I had to strategically place the eggs in plain view.  Otherwise I would've been doing the hunting.  This was more of an Easter egg collection and it took no instruction for Evan to start gathering.  Let's just say if this was his job he'd be a top performer.

He was on a mission to gather all the eggs and get every single one in the basket.  He manged to do this successfully, but once finished needed a new task to tackle.   He pretty much lives by the what goes in, must come out philosophy so the collection quickly went into reverse.  And out went all the eggs. 

At one point Evan's OCD started kicking in and he became extremely annoyed with the grass sticking to his feet.  We had to stop all activity and brush his feet off before he would go on.  I had to eventually gather up all his eggs in his basket and demonstrate how to carry the basket on his arm.  Not so successful on that front, but at least I managed to get him inside.  I bribed him with jelly beans and milk.  I know - disgusting combo - but he totally went for it.  Just playing on his weaknesses.