Transitions

Transitions. They can be both good and bad.

This month has involved a lot of transitions for our girl. This week we're currently transitioning Evelyn from sleeping in the rock n' play at night to the pack n' play. Last week I noticed that she was getting herself turned on her side in the rock n play (even while swaddled), so we decided it was time to say goodbye and move on to the next step. I was a little sad when we packed the rock n' play away. Just another sign our baby is growing way too fast.

Neither Chris nor I are quite ready for her to be in her crib in her own room, so she's in the pack n' play next to our bed. It's just much easier when she's up a couple times a night to nurse. Besides, we like having her close to us. Yes, we're "those kind of people."

Anyway, it has been an interesting week. I call them "newborn nights." You know, when you're up more than you're in the bed. You are so tired you can barely pick up the baby for the fourth time in an hour. Those nights.

 But, on a positive note, night three was a little better than nights one and two. Progress, we're making progress.

Now, why am I not napping while Little Miss is napping? Rookie mistake.

Trip to Mississippi

Last week we were able to travel to Mississippi for Evelyn to meet her great grandparents. My brother, sister in law, niece, and Mom were also able to travel down for a visit at the same time. We enjoyed a week of family and Evelyn got even more spoiled than she already was, which I didn't think was possible.

Chris was sick the Friday and Saturday before we were supposed to leave and wasn't feeling great on Sunday, but felt well enough to make the trip. We had planned to leave after church and make the 8-10 hour drive (it was 8 hours when we made it pre-baby, so I was estimating it would take 10). Since Chris was feeling rather lousy, I knew I would have to do most of the driving. Thankfully, at the last minute, we were blessed to be able to fly to Mississippi. It was such a relief and a HUGE blessing! Evelyn did great on the flight. I nursed her during take off and landing, she slept and just played in my lap during the 3 hour flight. It was my first experience in a small plane (6 seater), but it wasn't much different from a commercial flight.

I was a little nervous about how Evelyn would do while at my grandparents'. She is definitely a Mama's girl and doesn't care for many other people to hold her. Thankfully, she did really well and didn't cry too much. She did have a few meltdowns that could only be soothed by Mama, but that's to be expected at 2 1/2 months.

We spent the week mostly staying around my grandparents' house and visiting. My niece, Lily, turned one the week before, so we celebrated her birthday. It was fun to have the cousins together for the first time. Evelyn didn't pay much attention to Lily, but Lily was curious about Evelyn. Of course, my grandparents were so in love with Evelyn. Evelyn especially liked sitting with her Papaw in the mornings and swinging outside with Great Grandma Kate. Thankfully, Chris started feeling better mid-week. My SIL is a doctor and she is pretty certain he had West Nile Virus. While it was icky and miserable for him, we were thankful it wasn't anything contagious and that it wasn't Evelyn who had it. We are going to be even more cautious with her outside now!

Our most important cargo is ready for her first plane ride.

Papaw snatched Evelyn right away

 

Evelyn with Great Grandma Kate

Great Aunt Daphnea getting Evelyn to sleep on the porch swing

 

 

 

Evelyn was awake for more of the flight home and loved looking out the plane window.

We're back home and getting back into the swing of our daily routine and getting ready for company this weekend!

Tuesday Talk

A few random thoughts on this lovely Tuesday...

I'm feeling rather productive so far this week. Yesterday I managed to do 4 loads of laundry (all folded and put away too!), run and unload the dishwasher, change the sheets on our bed, make supper, clean up the supper dishes, and work on catching up on my Bible reading. So far today I've made the bed, changed the sheets on the guest beds, washed 2 loads of laundry, sewed my homemade Moby wrap, and worked on catching up on Bible reading.

Trying out our homemade Moby wrap

Speaking of the Moby wrap...I had been nervous about sewing the knit material for the wrap, which is mainly why I didn't have it done yet. I bought the material months ago, but couldn't work up the nerve to attempt it. I put my big girl pants on today and got it done! You know what? It wasn't that hard! So far I like using the wrap and Evelyn fell asleep in it in about 3 minutes.

Our sweet Evelyn is growing like a weed! Her newborn clothes are starting to get too tight over her head. I tried a 0-3 month onesie this morning just to see how it fit and it actually fit pretty well! It's exciting to get to the new size and put all the new, cute clothes on her, but she's growing too fast!

Evelyn and Aunt Tasha

My sister and her boyfriend came for a visit last week. We really enjoyed having them and Evelyn loved snuggling with Aunt Tasha!

Evelyn's first trip to Disney

Tasha and Brad wanted to spend a day at Disney while they were here. We debated for days whether we should attempt to take Evelyn or if it was too much. She slept well the night before and was having a good morning, so we decided we would try it. I was prepared to call it quits and come home at any point.  One of the things I love about Disney is that they have these nice baby care centers at each park. It's an air conditioned building with a room for nursing, changing tables, bathrooms, a play room for older kids, and baby items to purchase. Evelyn and I spent a lot of time in there. We did ride one ride, walked around some, and ate good food (the most important thing), but I did spend a lot of time in those air conditioned baby centers! 5 nursing sessions, 10+ diaper changes, 2 changes of clothes, and one lost pacifier later, we survived our first trip to Disney! Evelyn did really well, but we were all worn out by the end of the day!

There's something adorable about a baby with a pacifier

Evelyn wore this dress to church on Sunday. She also wore it her first Sunday to church at 5 days old. It's amazing how much she's grown in just a few weeks!

Kinley was so excited to hold "Baby Ed-a-lyn" at church on Sunday

Beach Day

My brother, sister-in-law, and niece are visiting this week and we spent Wednesday at the beach. It was a bit chilly and windy, but still ended up being a nice day. We all came home with a little pink tinge to our skin.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge...I much prefer looking at it from the beach than being on it!

Just in case you were wondering...

Lily's first visit to the beach

All that playing wore her out!

A Tale of the Furby

If you've watched any TV or been out to the stores at all this holiday season, you have probably seen this lovely creature. Every time I walk by one in the store, I start to shake and whine. These things scare me.

Once upon a time when the Furby was the hot new item the first time around, we had one. I think it was actually my sister's, but I still suffer nightmares. Oh it was fun at first. It was soft, cute (in a strange kind of way), and did cool things. He would talk, move across the floor, and even laugh. I'm sure he had a name, but I can't remember. The fun didn't last very long though. We soon grew tired of Mr. Furby, probably all too quickly for the amount of money our parents spent on him. Mr. Furby had to go. But, knowing our parents generously forked out the dough, we couldn't just throw him away. Mr. Furby needed to die. We tried to bury Mr. Furby in the bottom of a box of toys. But at night, as we were just about to go to sleep, we would hear the demented voice coming from the dark box. I can't remember exactly what he said, but I think it was usually asking to be fed. We tried dropping him down the steps, but he survived. We tried locking him in the dark basement for several days, but he survived. We smothered him with blankets, yet he survived. All the while, his voice box becoming more worn out and demented sounding. I don't recall what we eventually did to Mr. Furby. He probably got stuffed in a box in the garage. I think my mom said she just recently found him and threw him away.

The Toys R Us website has this little tidbit of information about the new Furby:  

"Furby is the ever-popular, interactive toy that has a mind of its own. Who your Furby becomes is entirely up to you. Talk to it, tickle it, play music for it, even feed it! But keep in mind - your Furby will develop its own personality based on how you treat it."

So apparently we made the Furby mean, needy, and demented by our cruel treatment?!?! I doubt being nice to the thing would have made much of a difference. 

If you have young children or you are buying a gift for a child, do yourself a favor and stay far away from the Furby. Sure the updated version is a little cuter with the fun colors. They look attractive and all the "cool" kids are asking for one. But don't do it. Save yourself the years of annoyance and money not well spent. I threatened to buy one for my niece and nephew for Christmas, but I'm a nicer Aunt than that. I do hope my sister likes her gift though....

A List of Ten

A list of ten things I love about fall:

1. Pulling out the fall clothes and feeling like I have a new wardrobe (Although my growing body means a lot of clothes don't fit. So I'm dreaming of a new wardrobe - - leggings, sweater dresses, boots, skinny jeans, cardigans...)
2. Soups, chili, and baked treats
3. Waking up to a chill in the house and snuggling with a blanket on the couch
4. Starting the coffee pot right away and enjoying a steamy mug with pumpkin spice creamer
5. Being able to go on a walk at any time of day and not feel like I'm going to die
6. Having the doors and windows open
7. Colorful fall sunsets
8. Knowing Thanksgiving is right around the corner
9. Enjoying the abundance of pumpkin flavored yummies
10. Knowing our electric bill is getting a little break from having the a/c off!

Fall has always been my favorite season. Growing up in Illinois, my list of fall favorites was a little different. It would include bonfires, seeing the leaves change, and pulling out the jackets. Since we've moved to Florida, I have had to adjust to a new fall season. Even though it took a long time to get here, I'm enjoying the cooler temperatures and no humidity!

Charleston and Savannah Trip

Chris and I enjoyed a much-needed getaway to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA last week. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, but I love those the most! Charleston and Savannah have been on both of our lists of "must see" places for quite some time. The trip was a lot of fun and a perfect time together. There was so much to do in both cities. We enjoyed seeing the sites, doing some of the touristy things, eating a lot of good food, but mostly just being together. My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent just strolling through the streets, window shopping, and admiring the beautiful southern homes. 

Our only picture together from the trip.

We arrived in Charleston around 5 pm Tuesday afternoon. After checking into our room, we headed out to start walking the streets of Charleston. We came across this beautiful church cemetery and gardens.

This was my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and serene to watch the sailboats and listen to the waves.

 

 

 

Wednesday morning we visited Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. The oak-lined drive was beautiful!

Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. This is still a working plantation, which provides produce and crops for local restaurants and a farmer's market. The outside of the home was used in the movie "The Notebook." It was absolutely beautiful and beautiful grounds!

Slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

A glimpse into the slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

One of the beautiful churches in Charleston

Beautiful Antebellum homes in Charleston

Rainbow Row in Charleston

Drayton Hall Plantation in Charleston

Our room at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn in Savannah for Thursday night.

City Hall (I think?) in Savannah. The dome on top is real gold!

The beautiful, oak-lined drive to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah.

A colonial establishment on the grounds of Wormsloe,

The ruins at Wormsloe. The drive and the walk to the site was so beautiful, but it was a little disappointing to only see some stone rubble.

We ate supper at Lady and Sons in Savannah on Thursday night. It was yummy!