4th of July in Alex

What a fun weekend! After a not-so-warm June, the Lundeens were oh-so-happy to welcome July (and July 4th weekend, most importantly) with a lot of sunshine, swimming, fishing and golfing! Evie loved being on the water (not so much Titus) weather is was the pool or the lake (although it was hard convincing the now potty trained Evie that it was OK to go potty in the lake sometimes).

The highlight of the weekend was definitely Evie catching a fish on her new Dora the Explorer fishing pole! Who would have guessed that little plastic thing could actually catch a bass! I think it was the red, white and blue "kini" that lured that fish in!

Our Little Firecrackers!

After rescuing the boat from a willow tree (long story), Bumpa decided Evie could probably drive it better than Auntie Courtney. And to unwind after a long day on the water, Grandma Lucie decided Evie needed a mani and pedi. Evie loved to tell everyone else what color Grandma Lucie was going to paint their nails as well...including Titus! Thankfully Grandma Lucie just did hers and Evie's.

Potty on the Potty!

OK, I'm sure it was just a fluke (and yes, probably a little forced), but Evie has officially gone potty on her potty! YAY! She was getting ready for her nightly bath and I think the combination of pouring water and fresh air (since her diaper was off) triggered a need in her to go. It's funny how perceptive kids are at such a young age because she has figured out months ago that she doesn't want to go to the bathroom on the floor. She started to go and had a panicked look on her face, so I quickly grabbed her and put her on her potty where she finished her business. She looked so confused by the whole process, because up until now, that potty chair was just simply a fun chair for her to sit on in the bathroom. Anyway, we did a lot of celebrating (including an original song I most likely will submit to American Idol) and hope all the excitement will spur her to try it again sometime on her own. Of course, both Chad and I agree, it will probably be another 6 months before that happens!

One Year Old!

Wow, life with a one-year-old gets busy! I know it has been awhile since I last "blogged" but I am back! It is hard for me to believe that my little baby girl is now a walking/running, babbling toddler! To celebrate, we had a party for Evie's family and neighborhood friends. Evie got all sorts of gifts and lots of attention, but I think the highlight of the day for little Miss Evie was getting to enjoy her first taste of frosting! Yum! On the actual day of her birthday, we celebrated by having her one-year-old appointment (boo to three shots), playing outside in her new wagon and her jungle gym, going to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner and Robin (her Child Care Provider) asked if she could pick Evie up early and took her to the library to read books and play on the train table (her favorite outing). What a whirlwind day for someone that most of the time, would prefer to stay at home and play and read books with Mom and Dad.

At one, some of Evie's favorites include black olives, pizza, blueberries, bananas, yogurt, the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, her ball bouncer and any toy that plays a sounds so she can "dance." She also loves going to our iPOD dock to try to get her Dad's iPOD to play. It is amazing to us to watch her mind work. We will show her how to turn something on or make something go and she can do it by herself the next time! So crazy to watch her become a real, little person!

A few days after the birthday festivities, Evie got her first "official" black eye! She is such a mover and shaker and forgot to account for the door frame leading out onto the deck (where her slide is, of course). She ran right out there, tripped and I could hear her eye smack right onto the deck! Poor Pumpkin! It took a good 30 seconds before I could hear any sound come out of her cry because she was crying so hard. Unfortunately, this is probably the first of a few black eyes for her, as she loves to run and play! It does surprise me because she is typically so cautious on stairs, chairs, beds, etc. In fact, when we set her on top of her little slide and say "slide down, Evie," she furiously shakes her head no and holds onto the sides for dear life.

Noisy Nelly!

Although it seems that Evie learns
a new trick every week, it still amazes me as to just how quickly (and constantly) she changes! It is hard to believe that 5 months ago, she was nothing more than a kickboxer in my belly and now she can roll over, smile, reach for toys, laugh and so much more! I love it! I do have to say she has one new "trick" that I am not enjoying quite as much as all the others: SHRIEKING! We are not talking the sweet "talking" or "cooing." I adore that! I could listen to her make those sounds and bubbles all day long. Nope, this is a high pitched squeal (of both anger and excitement) that Chad's Aunt Marlene jokes could break her glasses. Sometimes I am impressed that such a boisterous sound can come out of such a little peanut, but at the same time, it leaves me looking forward to a few months from now when she can make some darling sounds that are a few octaves lower! I am also impressed with the persistence in which she will make these sounds. I think we listened to them for a good hour and a half tonight and I can still hear the ringing in my ears even though she went to bed an hour ago!

Well, at least we know she has a future in choir and she will most definitely be a soprano!

Evie's First Training Camp!

Is it really football season already?! We just got home from Evie's first-ever Viking's Training Camp in Mankato! We were missing Dad and excited to catch our first glimpse of the 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings, so we spent the day there! Dad took us on the field and Evie was so good, snoozing most of the time in her stroller. She got to meet a lot of dad's co-workers at camp and even was a little sweetie pie while Coach Childress held her for awhile. Now, we are just crossing our fingers we can take Evie to Miami in February to watch the Vikings win the Superbowl! Skol Vikings!

Boston Babe!

Our Internet has been down for several weeks at the house, so I apologize for my laxed blogging lately, but we are up and running again and I am back with avengance reporting on my favorite 3 1/2 month old! At the end of June, Chad, Evie and I took a trip out to Boston and Cape Cod for nearly a week. We had a great time and I am happy to report that my darling daughter was NOT the nosiest gal on the plane ride! A fellow passenger even commented on our way to baggage claim that Evie was, and I quote, "the best baby I have ever traveled with!" Chad and I were such proud parents!

The best part of our trip was being able to introduce Evie to her Uncle Marc. Chad's older brother moved to Boston last year and had not had a chance to meet his favorite (and only) niece yet. We loved watching them spend time together (what a great break not having to pick out her wardrobe everyday and who knew there were so many versus to "Evie Had a Little Lamb"?) and so fun to have a tour guide show us around the Boston area and out to the Cape. The weather was not ideal, but Evie not only took her first plane ride, but also took her first "dip" in the ocean! She was so curious about the sand and cold water and it was fun to see her enjoying the waves washing up on her teeny, tiny feet! Each night, we strolled her down to the ice cream shop to have some ice cream and she was a trooper while we shopped at all the niche little boutiques along the Cape.

In my college Children's Literature class, one of the first books we read about was Make Way for Ducklings, a classic in children's literature. Aside from Evie and Marc meeting, the other highlight of our trip was taking Evie to the park in which the story took place and letting her sit on the ducklings statue erected in honor of this great story! I bought her the book while we were out there and it was so fun to re-read it after going to the actual park and recognizing all of the places we saw! I love the book even more now and am excited to show pictures of Evie at the park when she is older! We also enjoyed the actual Cheers bar, Plymouth Rock, The Freedom Trail, a Red Sox game, the pier and a whole lot of clam chowdah!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

This weekend our family enjoyed a day at Como Zoo in St. Paul with Mom's good friend Emily, her husband Ben and their two girls Sophie and Reese. Evie was a little too young to take notice of most of the animals (she hardly pays attention to Aunt Courtney and Uncle Scottie's dog, Dutch even though he constantly is scheming ways to get a good lick at her face), but it was a nice day to be outside in the sunshine with friends. After the spring and summer we've had, 80 degrees felt like the Caribbean and even though it is almost the middle of June! Although there really weren't any bears, the lions and tigers were in full affect and were our favorite exhibit at the zoo. The male lion came right up the glass and took a good long look at a snoozing Evie, before opting to rest in the corner!

I am also happy to say that Evie is officially sleeping through the night now! It is amazing how good sleeping for 7 straight hours can feel (I will never take a full night's rest for granted again). Chad and I have not had that luxury since March and are hoping she just sleeps later and later and later each morning.

Smiley Baby!

In the past three weeks since I have been back at work, I swear Evie has changed a little each day when I come home! She started smiling shortly before I left for work and now we can get her to do it anytime we tickle her tummy or blow on her face (this has accounted for hours of entertainment for Chad)! There is nothing more endearing than those gums and that dimple (courtesy of Auntie Courtney)! She also has started cooing and will carry on quite the conversation with anyone who will listen. I wonder where she got her talking skills? Our favorite new skill, however, is when she coos and smiles at the same time, which slightly resembles a laugh, but we aren't so sure. Although she seems to mostly do it after she passes gas (which Chad and I still laugh out loud over), we think she may have an idea that we think it is pretty funny and mimics the two of us chuckling!

Evie also just had her two-month appointment. Mercifully, Dad accompanied her for her big shots, although she handled them like a champ and only cried for a few minutes. Apparently, it is a rather large needle! After some snuggling from Dad, she seemed to recover quite nicely. We were thrilled to hear she was tipping the scales at a solid 12 pounds, 3 ounces and was 22 and 3/4 inches long (both in the 75th percentile). Her head only measured in the 20th percentile but neither mom nor dad have big heads (we are, after all, very humble)! The doctor also confirmed our belief that she is a pretty strong little bugger when she stated she could hold her body up as well as a 4-month-old! That same afternoon, she rolled over from her tummy to her back. It is crazy to think our little pumpkin will be crawling before we know it! YIKES!

Sip and See

Over Memorial Weekend,our family made our way to Alexandria to introduce Evie to "Lake Country" and also introduce her to her very first party. Evie's grandparents and their friends do not have typical baby showers, but instead host "sip and sees" to give everyone a chance to "sip" on a beverage and "see" the baby (we think it is just another excuse for our folks to have a party). It was fun for Grandma and Grandpa to show Evie off to their friends, and it also gave Evie a chance to meet her newest boyfriend Beckett (the party was for both of them, although neither one of the babes seemed to notice the other). We didn't get Evie on grandpa's boat just yet, but that is on our agenda for the 4th of July in Brainerd with Dad's family (she even has her very own life jacket)!

She has to get her sea legs soon to hang out with our two families!

Our Baby Brute!

I am sure all parents think their children are strong, but in Evie's case, Chad and I think she really is! One thing we have tried in order to ease Evie's colic, is to swaddle her very tight in something called "the miracle swaddler." It is basically a straight jacket for babies to keep her hands to her side. Although she initially did not like to be so snug, she has really come to enjoy being a baby burrito all wrapped up. Last Sunday morning when Chad went to get her, she apparently decided she wanted her hands out and if she could not get out of the swaddle (which she has done twice even though it is guaranteed not to happen), she would try to get out of her pajamas. You can see by the picture, she was quite successful! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to watch her in action! Last week, we also tried an incline for her crib (another colic-cure suggestion). When Chad purchased the incline, the lady at Babies-R-Us told him to stop using the incline at about 6 months when Evie is able to push herself off of it. The incline lasted just one night, as Chad and I came in two different times during the night to find our darling 6-week-old off the incline and sleeping soundly on her flat crib! Evie also loves doing "leg presses" with Chad! She tucks her legs up while on her slick changing pad and propells herself off Chad all the way to the end! We could not believe how far she could push herself! She also has no problem pushing herself up to a standing position while we hold her hands and can even bounce herself while standing. Look for her to be pulling cars in ESPN's Strongman Competition next month!