Whew! I’m tired just thinking about it!!!

This month (like every month) has become my new favorite. She’s changing so much. It’s like she’s all of a sudden started realizing how things work. She’s into everything and curious about everything she touches. Evy spends a lot of time around baby boys, and we’ve noticed that her actions are very different from theirs! They love to play in their own little worlds! Evy is constantly trying to hand them things and interact with them! They kind of ignore her, but it’s cute. She’s incredibly social…. and I think that a lot of that is due to who her parents are but also, we were told that because she spent almost three months in her hip brace and was forced to be immobile, that may have helped her develop more socially! Maybe that has something to do with it too. She’s incredibly aware of her social surroundings which makes her a lot of fun to interact with!

I find myself getting excited for her to be a big sister because she got her first baby doll for Christmas from her Paw and Grammy, and she loves it! We’ve taught her to “give the baby gentle kisses”, and then she licks the baby’s forehead. It’s a start! I’ve never had a 17 month old and so it’s hard to imagine what she’s going to be like when the new baby arrives. I’m cherishing each day with her that it’s just the three of us!! It seems like we’re in such a fleeting and precious season of life, and I’m so grateful for every moment.

So what are some sweet memories from her 11th month of life? Here ya go! :

• We can’t express how grateful we are that she naps and sleeps 12 hours a night. This has done worlds for our sanity and our own rest! We have a better schedule,  with some good intense work time in the afternoons, and some down time in the evenings! Praise!!!!
• Michael and I love our bath time memories with her. She gets so fired up in the tub!! She stands up, throws her head back and laughs at the ceiling, and then growls and splashes the water with full force!!!!
• I love her dainty little girly sounds that she makes…. but I also love that she’s got an aggressive/gruff voice that cracks everyone up!!!
• This girl LOVES TO DANCE!!! We’ve decided to theme her first birthday party around music, because it’s just her favorite thing!
• The Greatest Showman came out this month and we are BIG fans! Whenever we play the soundtrack around the house Evy throws her hands up and twists! She’ll be playing and as soon as she hears music, she’ll stop and put on a little show!
• She’s loving Chicken noodle soup, honey dew, cantaloupe, clementines, and PEARS! She also likes ham and cheese quesadillas, baby yogurt, broccoli, cheesy veggie soup, Mimi’s chicken salad, boring french toast without syrup (it’s how we sneak an egg in at breakfast! Just a piece of bread with an egg poured into it!) and PEANUT BUTTER!
• She really doesn’t love scrambled eggs, carrots, sweet potatoes (this used to be a favorite!), green beans or grilled chicken.
• She is still a strong “waver”. We’ll be at dinner with a massive group of people, and she’ll pick someone at the very end of the table and subtly start waving at them until they notice her. Usually, it’s Tyler. ha!
• She’s standing for like 10 seconds at a time before she plops back down to crawl!
• She LOVES to push things. Anything! Bar stools, kitchen chairs, her cozy coupe car, her walker, etc.
• She has said “momma” a few times and it’s just the sweetest thing to me!!! However, normally when I ask her to say “momma”… .she says “mimi”.
• She loves her mornings playing with daddy. Daddy gets her up because momma can’t deal with the poop first thing in the morning while pregnant!
• She slowed down with her nursing big time this month. Technically she officially stopped in her 12th month because it was past the 18th, but the slow down started around Christmas. I’m thankful that it was on her terms and that I didn’t have to make her stop. If she was still trying to and crying and missing it, that would be really hard on me!! The night when I officially knew that she was done, I sobbed… but after that big meltdown, I felt good about it and it is a lot less stress on my body!
• She’s wearing 12 month clothes and her little belly is so big compared to her little hips and legs!
• Her hair has gotten so much thicker this month! There is a whole new set of baby hairs coming in!!
• This is the month where both babies (Evy and cousin Micah) have decided to start taking all of the pots and pans out of cabinets, but thankfully, they are learning to not touch all of the glass on our low, open shelves.

Micah’s first Birthday! He was born on Christmas Day and so we celebrated on the 22nd!

Joe’s dad bought Evy a Penn State Cheerleader uniform and it is the cutest thing!!!
Micah’s reaction to his tractor was priceless!!!! Clappin! So many babies just months apart! Oops. Micah punched Norah!  She loves Uncle Corey! I love her little smile!  Then she went to see Santa for the first time!!!!! Waiting for Christmas at Grandaddy and Mimi’s!!!!! Surprise!!!!!! They love their cars!!!! Then Corey and Morgan surprised them with their ball pit and if you follow me in Instastories, you know that they love it!!! And then she found cardboard. So many new toys…. and cardboard was her favorite. :) So sweet! Thanking Mimi for her presents! I think it’s safe to say they love this new season! It’s hard to believe that Evy wasn’t even here at Christmas last year and Micah was just hours old! We didn’t get a family picture at Thanksgiving!! So we made it happen at Christmas… in 20 degrees!  Then we headed to Paw and Grammy’s house! Bokeh thought all the presents were his!  I have to say, Christmas (and really everything in life) has a new, exciting aspect to it with babies! Her wagon is now monogrammed! She got her first photo album! And her first baby doll! She loved it!!!! This is just the sweetest picture with Aunt Sarah!  Aunt Kimmie bought her a rocking horse!!!  And she took it very seriously!  Bobbi (Grammy) MADE these monkeys for the babies! And Micah was so impressed!!!
After Christmas, we announced to the world that Evy is going to be a big sister!!!! I still can’t quite wrap my mind around that, but I’m almost half way through this pregnancy!! Silly girl…. Evy and Knox…. They are in love, they just don’t know it!  1. Her hair in the back! Bahaha! 2. She’s in the “sharing” phase! And it looks like the image on the left! So cute! Micah’s (slightly late) one year portrait! I know she’s mine, but I think she’s just so beautiful! That image on the left! She’s feisty! She’s also sassy! VERY sassy! And runs the show! She would rather push him around than ride!  Our sweet friend Hilary (and past workshop attendee) sent our babies these SWEET outfits, and we’re obsessed!!!!!
“I have a question…. , are we done with pictures?!” ….. Yes. until next month, that’s it! But beware, I’m sure 12 months will be a doozy! I’m already tearing up that she’s going to be a year old!!!!