The past few months!!

It was a GREAT summer!!!

 Austin's 2nd Birthday Party @ Nana's!

 Mommy and Ev

 Father's Day 2012 - Go-Karting!

 Not that kind of bike ride Daddy!

 On our new boat!

Fantasy Island Fun (Wow!) 

Tilt-A-Whirl with Daddy! 

And Mommy too!  

Fireman's Parade 2012 - Cheering on Uncle Tim! 

 First time on the Bean Stalk!

Pumpkin sure does love her a snowcone!  

Ev's first garden (didn't turn out so well....try again next year!) 

Off to the 4th of July fireworks!  

Firework fun! 

Pumpkin's beloved Doggy  

Da Boat!  

Hang on Pumpkin, Daddy's Got This!  

What a helper! 

Evelyn turns 3!!!

While many things have happened since my last post in March (whoa!), the most exciting and most notable is that our little pumpkin is now 3 years old!!!! We had a fun family celebration with her at the house! Time really is flying by and Jay and I cannot believe she has been in our lives for 3 years already!!!
And since she is now a 'big girl' we took another big step and converted her crib into the daybed!! And much to shock, suprise and most importantly - pleasure - Evelyn does not get out of her bed after we go through the night-night routine!! all that worry for nothing! Should have known our pumpkin would surprise us...she has everyday for the past 3 years!! Looking forward to a summer filled with swimming, cookouts, trips to fantasty island and more!

Well...this is new? Toxic Synovitis

Leave it to our Evelyn to come down with something that pretty much no-one but Doctors and Google seem to have ever heard of!!!

It all started on Monday afternoon while Evelyn was at daycare. Kathy said randomly started complaining that her leg hurt and eventually it came to the point that she refused to walk.

So Jay brings her home like this and its clear she wont put weight on it and she is definitely not walking normally when she does try to walk. It was even more odd because I could bend, pull, push, twist and do whatever with both her legs while she was laying on the floor or even sitting up...but standing or walking...was not going to happen. We were completely stumped and, admittedly thought it might be more ‘diva Evelyn’ then anything actually wrong with her. We ended up calling the doctor though just to be sure and they agreed that we should wait it out through the night to see if it improved (or she forgot) by morning.

And by the next morning, she was totally fine. In fact I made her run around the house because I wanted to be truly sure she was back to our old pumpkin. I called Kathy to let her know it must have been a weird fluke and I was bringing her to daycare and heading to work…but I was going to stay home a little longer in the AM with her just to be sure…”

Sure enough, 20 minutes goes by and she is complaining her leg (knee) hurt and she begins to limp, hold onto to things to walk and then reverts to just walking around on her knees.  Clearly, I have to take her to the doctors now, which they run a clinic for from 7-8 a.m. and I show up at 7:57 and the receptionist gave me the snottiest look, rolled her eyes and said (in the tone of all b*tch tones) “the clinic closes at 8 a.m.” so I said “ok, my daughter can’t walk so should we just head to the hospital now then?” and she was taken back b/c I was just as snotty as she was (trust me…she ain’t seen nothing…this is my pumpkin…she’s lucky I didn’t reach through that freakin’ glass) so she tells me that she will have to ‘wait and see if there is a doctor in the office ‘… it’s a freakin’ doctor’s office!! I hope there is one!!!

And of course there was… (a Dr. Evelyn too…made Ev happy…lol)

So Dr. Evelyn (has a nice ring to it….hehehe) checked out my Evelyn’s legs and did all the things I had been doing. She could see that (while laying down) you could bend, pull, twist…blah blah blah. Then she asked us to take a walk… and when Evelyn tries to walk her one leg automatically inverts in and you can tell it is not comfortable for her….so we did a few steps and the doc told us to come back and have a seat.

Then the doctor said, "I see Evelyn has a runny nose here. Has she had this cold for a while?" And I’m thinking, "What? Why are we talking runny noses?!?" And really…if it’s not an ear infection or a high fever, I really don’t know ‘how long’ it’s been there??!?! But I just said yeah, she is in daycare, it's common for her to have the sniffles and what not. So, then Dr. Evelyn lays it on me...she explains that what she believes happened is that Evelyn’s cold (more or less) has spread to her….wait for it….her HIP?!?!

At this point I’m thinking that maybe they really didn’t have any doctors on staff and this woman was pulled off the streets and given a white coat. Again, I'm digesting what I'm hearing - "She has a cold…in her hip?!"

Dr. Evelyn explained that pumpkin's cold is a viral infection that has now infected her hip as well, and that it's actually possible and common in toddlers (more so boys then girls…but still leave it to Evelyn...and her Polish heritage...LOL...just kidding Tylecs!).

The technical name is ‘toxic synovitis’ which is "the most common cause of hip pain in children. It is caused by a viral infection that sometimes (but not always) settles in the hip joint. The virus causes swelling at the hip joint, which makes walking painful. Usually just one hip is affected," according to kidshealth.org
The bad news, its essentially making it impossible for Evelyn to walk....anywhere! (And pumpkin, I love ya, but you are not the light weight you used to be!) We have to carry her pretty much everywhere! The good news, it’s completely treatable and she should be just fine in a few days ( fingers crossed). Treatment includes giving her Ibuprofen every 6 hours for at least the next 4 days…since its an anti-inflammatory medicine it should reduce the swelling and she should be OK to walk soon.

The doctor also explained the reason Evelyn would point to the back of her knee for ‘where it hurt.’ This was because the nerve endings for the hip come down to the back of the knee so its actually displaced pain and Evelyn doesn’t realize its actually her hip that hurts.

She also explained while Evelyn was OK for a little bit when she woke up yesterday morning....since she slept for 8+ hours, she let it rest…aka the inflammation went down…so she felt normal… and then Mommy made her run around the house….aka – irritating it all over again… GO MOM! (sh*t!?!? I didn’t know!!)

Can't wait for my pumpkin to be back to her old self. However, this has made me realize how lucky we are to have always had her in good health (well, minus the numerous ear infections and 'daycare fevers'). But really, some children are immobilized all their lives...I find watching Evelyn scoot around the house on her knees and bum-bum to be completely heartbreaking...I can't imagine if this was her every-day life. But I do want to note, her spirits have not wained at all. She is more then ready to play, do puzzles, get tickled and jump on 'pony daddy.' This is just one of the many bumps in the road we will face as parents!

Side note - Dr. Evelyn had a few diagnosis' for Mommy while we were there....apparently, Bear Bear should not be making trips to the doctors office or anywhere out of the house for that matter. She noted if Evelyn is that dependant on him its not an absolute bad thing but, at this point, it should only be for bedtime. I tried to explain how scared Evelyn was about going to the Doctor, finding out what was wrong with her leg...expecting the worst....she needed Bear Bear's comfort and reinsurance, and right then, Dr. Evelyn gave me the look "Who's Bear Bear is it?" ... oh no...

Winter, Spring?!?! We just don't know!

Daddy, Pumpkin and Mommy at Disney On Ice! 2012

So I'm obviously failing at my resolution to update this blog on a more frequent basis. What can I say, my new job doesn't allow me...how shall we say...the free time...to post during the day anymore!

So last we left you...Disney on Ice!! It was awesome!! We went with my sister, Tim and their kids, Brianna & AJ, and it was 'magical' to say the least! When Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Ev's personal favorite (other then Bear Bear) Goofy took the stage, her face was PRICELESS....Mommy even teared up a little bit. The heart strings that comes with parenting! Evelyn was sooo good throughout the entire show. She did get a little antsy here and there, but what can you expect from a 2-year old. They had all the characters there with different shows for each, but overall when Mickey and the gang were 'on'...Evelyn was all ears (no Mickey ears pun intended...lol!)

Since then we have been doing day-to-day life with our pumpkin, which has the makings of an Academy Award winning actress if you ask me. Ohhh...the drama! 'Mama....I need this...I need that. She is too much. And oh, can she turn on the waterworks with the drop of a dime! But, it comes with the territory...right?

Nolan and Evelyn @ Nolan's Bday Party!

She went to her little friend, Nolan's, birthday party. It was too cute! Her first 'friend' gathering. Gotta tell you, Mommy was feeling more out of her element. Strange house, people I don't know?!? I more or less followed Evelyn around hoping she would need me....no luck...'Mama, I with my friends." Ok, then pumpkin!!

For Valentine's Day, Evelyn got flowers and a balloon from her Valentine - her Daddy! I know she felt special...and she should. We made valentine's for everyone at daycare. Mommy signed them for her, but the pumpkin applied the stickers to each herself (some of which Mommy had to reposition, reapply or just plain fold over the side). In all, it was a fun day for Evelyn and she came home with lots of treats and sweets! All of which, she wanted for dinner!

Now, onto our most important news - Evelyn is 95% POTTY TRAINED!!! While I'll save you the details of the 'accidents' (I'll never forget coming home and Jay is putting away the carpet cleaner with this 'look' on his face...LOL...he tells me 'I saved you the potty clean-up, I don't know what to do 'with that.' HAHA!). But she wears her undies all day now!! We only put her in pull-ups at this point for naps and night night. We are very proud of her. There is still going to be accidents, but she has come very far and tells us regularly if she has to go or at least does the 'dance' to give us the heads up! Evelyn - GOOD JOB!!! And I just have to mention...3 M&M'S....NANA!!!!! (this is Evelyn's 'treat' for going........and we don't hear the END of it!!! Needless to say....this house is stocked with M&Ms!!)

This weather has been crazy to say the least for a Buffalo 'winter'. We are expecting 50 degree weather in the coming week and its not even mid-March!! The only 'sledding' we did with Evelyn this winter was a couple rounds around the backyard as her 'pony' (aka - Daddy) pulled the sled! Then she ended up in dramatic tears because snow got in her gloves. I tell you....ACTRESS! (ok, ok, I know...that has got to be cold for such little hands!)

Her vocabulary is HUGE!! And I'm not being your bragging Mom (well, maybe ) but really, I put a shirt on her and she told me it was a polar bear (which it was) but a polar bear...not just a regular bear...how do you know that?! She saw picture of a ruler on one of her puzzles (one of her many favorite things to do) and told us it was a measuring tape...ok, so she was off, but still....measuring tape!? how do you know that! Evelyn, you are so smart, it blows us away everyday the things that come out of your mouth! Again, we are so proud of you!!

Up next, we have both her Aunt Jenny's birthdays. While Mommy will be celebrating with Aunt Jenn T, we are planning a big taco fiesta at our house for Aunt Jenn P...which Evelyn has already told me she will help 'cook.' LOL. (I know she just wants to sing Happy Birthday more than anything...hehe).

Later, we will have Easter dinner at our house. Of course the Easter Bunny will visit for all the kids and I'm sure an egg hunt will take place too! We are so looking forward to spring/summer and opening up the pool again! Can't wait to take her to parks, on walks, the zoo....everywhere!

I'd like to end with a newspaper clipping that Jay brought home....
Evelyn Rose: It's not like your Daddy to point out things that touch his heart. But, I want you to know that he thought of you when he read this...so much so he brought it home and made Mommy type it out so you can read it one day...you ARE his little pumpkin pie and he will stand steady...now and forever!

A father was holding his little girl's hand at a busy intersection where strip malls have multiple ins and outs on every corner and left turn arrows perform a precision-timed choreography.

The little girl was bundled in pink snow pants and a pink jacket with her hood pulled tight. The only part of the little girl that showed were chubby cheeks, a thick crop of bangs protruding from her hood and dark brown eyes.

Her father had a tight on her small hand. He looked left and right, over his one shoulder and then the other. He hit the pedestrian walk button again.

He took half a step forward with one foot, then quickly stepped back. It wasn't time yet. False alarm.

The little girl patiently stood beside her father with her feet planted. But her little arm, stuffed like sausage in a pink polyester casing, moved back and forth as her dad turned left, right and craned his neck to check cars coming from behind.

The father vigilant in protecting his little girl.

I couldn't help but wonder how long that father will remain that vigilant. How long will he take the lead? How long will assume responsibility for the safety and well-being of his daughter.

I hope he's there through her preschool years so that she has someone to hold her, a lap to sit on, a back to climb and a pair of shoulders to ride for a change of view. She'll sleep well at night knowing he's just down the hall.

I hope he looks out for her in elementary school, that her cheers as she rides a bike without training wheels, that he attends her school conferences, makes sure she's getting a good education and develops a moral compass pointed true North.

As he protects her from traffic, may he protect from what she sees and hears. Monitor that television and computer as much as those left-turn-arrows. Guard her childhood and shield her from sick images and warped ideas.

I hope that dad keeps his grip tight as she navigates through the water of early adolescence. She'll come to know a lot about herself through the eyes of her father. Girls often listen more intently to what a father says than a mother, because fathers tend not to talk as much as mother. Choose your words carefully. Dad, both the critical ones and the encouraging ones.

I hope he stands down any peer group that tells her a female is nothing more than body parts. As she witnesses the flat-out race to the bottom among many young girls competing to be coarse and vulgar, may he take her by the shoulders and say "Not you, You're so much more than that."

Hand tight, Dad. Not just at the crosswalk but in the years to come. She needs you - more than you both may know. (courtesy of the Buffalo News...I don't have the author's name on hand for proper credit, but there is no copyright infringement intended...just the love of one Daddy to his daughter.)

Sssshhhhhh!

Big surprise in store for our pumpkin tonight....we are going to see Disney On Ice!!!!! I cannot wait to see her face when Mickey, Minnie and the whole gang skates out on the ice! (I could almost cry...hope I'm not building up my expectations too much! LOL). We did take her last year, but just like Christmas, I think this is something that will get better and better with each passing year. I will be sure to have my camera in tow! My sister and her family are coming with us so its big Friday night out for both our families! We are really looking forward to it because none of the kids (at this point) know where they are going tonight...it's just a 'surprise!'

On another exciting note, Evelyn's cousin, Brianna (4), lost her first tooth last night!!! I can't believe its already time for the tooth fairy to start making trips to our area. And since Brianna can't read this (yet)...I'll let you know...my sister only had $20 and $50 bills on her as of last night! LOL...looks like the tooth fairy is going to be REALLY good! But she 'worked it out' with Brianna that she could hold onto her tooth for one more day to show Tim's parents...and the the tooth fairy would come the next night....good save Jenn...
Quick updates on the Pumpkin Pie -she started her Flinstones viatamins since my last post. I have been meaning to get them for some time, but they happened to grab my attention when I was walking past that 'healthy' aisle in the grocery store. Let me tell you - she loves them! Basically, my theory is that she thinks she is getting a piece of candy each morning...but hey, I'll take it!

Evelyn received her first birthday party invitation from a friend at daycare; it's her BFF Nolan (yes, a boy....LOL...Daddy was like 'what?'..hahaha). I made the 'mistake' of telling her about and now that's all she talks about  - 'We go to Nolan's birthday party now?'....we still have about 8 days! When I asked her what present we should get Nolan, she told me he likes "strawberry cake and chocolate cake." Something tells me there is a little bit of "self interest" there in her response!  Oh and...just so you know...Evelyn also informed me last night that chocolate is 'not a special treat and that you (she) should be able to have to all the time... "it not special mommy, eat chocolate dinner".... too funny!

And without going into too much detail (but this is for her memories too), Evelyn gave us her first real excorist-like upchuck not too long ago. Not sure if it was something she ate or a small bug, but holy cow. I'm proud of Daddy and I though - we reacted quick and with a calming reassurance to get her to settle down (and anyone that knows me, knows this is not an easy feat...Jay is the calm one, I'm the spaz when it comes to anything that hurts or upsets her). But, I quickly got her in tub, in jammies and snuggling with Mommy and Bear Bear. Jay washed the couch.... go Daddy! (hehehe)

That's all for now! I'll be sure to post pictures and a recap from our Disney On Ice adventure tonight!

New Year's Resolution

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe the holidays have come and gone already!! Clearly it's been 'forever' since my last post...but instead of dragging out the past couple months over several paragraphs, I'm going to do a quick recap of the end of 2011 and let it be. I'm starting 2012 off with the resolution to really committ to this blog. Of course, I love the Evelyn blog becuase it's keep my whole 5-10 readers updated on Evelyn - but more for what I started it for - a book of sorts for her when she is older. A look back on what life was like when she was our little pumpkin and so she can see just how much Mommy & Daddy and everyone loves her!

End of 2011 - the recap

• Dance - Ok so my last post we were getting ready for fall and Evelyn was starting dance class. Well, we have given up on dance for the time being. Ev showed little interest in the class after the first 1 or 2. She would cry and just want to be held for the majority of the 45 minutes we were there. Jay and I decided instead of paying for that, she could stay home on Saturday mornings and cry and be held for free! Case Closed. We'll try again next year!


• Great Grams - Sadly, on November 11, 2011 we lost Evelyn's Great Grandmother - Dorothy Karcher (my Dad's mom). Grams absolutley adored Evelyn just as she did all her great grandchildren. It was a difficult time, but we are moving forward knowing Grams is in a better place now looking down on Evelyn and all of us with Grandpa.
• Thanksgiving - As usual, Turkey Day was a busy one for our little trio. We had dinner at my parents' and Jay's parents house. Evelyn did great and tried a few things here and there. She is such a finnicky eater...but if I had to guess her favorite foods at this point I would say - tomatoes, mac & cheese, bologna sandwiches and of course any cookie that you put in front of her.
• Christmas - Hands down - the best. Better every year since she came into our lives....already can't wait till next year! We were def Team Santa this year with Evelyn smiling, no tears when she met the big man! She was excited on Christmas morning when we woke up at Nana's to see that Santa had come... more excited to see that Santa also stopped at Mommy/Daddy's house to drop off presents...and couldn't believe he came to Grandma's house too! She is for sure on Team Santa now!
• New Year's - Evelyn partied the night away.... LOL. She is only 2...but we did let her stay up until 10...which she didn't seem to mind or know for that matter! Although it has no effect on the time she'll wake up. I got the 'Oh Mama, I Up!' call right on schedule around 7:30 on New Year's Day!
• Overall - I can't begin to talk about how smart she is...and I'm not trying to be the bragging Mom (although I have every right). We have gotten compliments from her daycare providers and even her doctor at how advanced she is with her speech and other developmental skills. Jay and I are floored sometimes by the things that come out of her mouth and just how sharp/witty our little girl is. Jay couldn't be more wrapped around her little finger. Bear Bear is still with us....and even has plenty of new friends in 'da crib' since baby mickey, pluto, donald, minney and goofy have joined us! She still loves her Mickey Mouse....trying to get her into more Disney movies to some success. We are still working on potty training....nothing great to report on that, but my goal is to have her fully trained by the time she is 3 so i have a little over 5 months to go!

Ok, like I said...short and sweet! So many things to look forward to in 2012!! We'll celebrate a full year in our new Locust Street house.... Evelyn will turn 3 while Mommy will celebrate her 29th birthday for the 2nd time (wink) and Jay and I will have the fun task of starting to look into possible pre-schools for Evelyn!! (OMG>>>school?? where did the time go!!!)

Happy New Year Everyone!