Sitting Pretty

It's August 10th and I get an urgent call from Jen at work - "HONEY, I'VE GOT SOME NEWS FOR YOU . . . SHE CAN TOTALLY SIT UP NOW!"

Though I didn't hop in the car and drive ambulance speeds to get home to see, Evie did impress me when I got there with her bold venture into the precarious 3 dimensional world of SITTING by herself. That's right, those days of listing like the Titanic and leaning on her straightened arms like outriggers are over. The days of hands-free, belly wiggling balancing acts (and occassional spills) are here.

She trained hard with her mom to prepare for such an auspicious occasion.


Adding sitting up to her skill set affords her the opportunity to do some serious mathematics on her baby abbacus. Here Evie figured out that she's 177 days old now.


Evie's vertical strength also now allows her to help me navigate those hiking trails with confidence. "Gaaa gaaa mmmsssplt!" "Oh you're right, head NORTH at the Sitka Spruce . . ."


The most friendly backseat driver a guy could have.


Of course gravity occasionally has it's nasty drawbacks. Even with crib bumper pads and a hovering mommy, Evie managed to sneak by and bonk her noggan on a crib rail as her top-heaviness got the best of her.


Mmmm, c-o-c-o-n-u-t.


Though I'm a fairly overprotective father, as long as we've got plenty of frozen foods on hand I think I'll wait to buy her that crash helmet.

Jimmy

Hangin' Around

Sometimes, folks wonder how Evie chooses to while away those precious few moments not occupied by sleeping, eating, or riding around in the car when mom needs to buy diapers and formula. The answer, dear reader (who so rarely comments anymore)? Just hanging out.

We've also found this to be an effective parenting technique for keeping track of our increasingly mobile daughter. She can't crawl yet, but has discovered that a series of rolls will get her almost anywhere she needs to go. This way, we always know where she is . . . and what her name is.

Jen

PS: Does this picture remind anyone else of a Diffrent' Strokes episode? Maybe one where the Gooch hung Arnold inside a locker?
PPS: We didn't really hang Evie from the coat rack. That would be bad. See? Look ma, hands!

Meemee To The Rescue!

The scenario:
A few weeks ago, Jen flew to Chattanooga, TN for a 5 day teacher conference where she helped train other teachers in classroom technology. Sounds booooooring I know. Especially since she had to go alone - yes that's right, going daughterless for 5 days.

The problem:
Now I think I do a pretty good job taking care of Evie - remembering to feed her, bathe her, clothe her, burp her, change her, make embarrassing faces and noises at her, and the like - although I was a little more than apprehensive at the idea of taking her to work, strapping her to my chest in the Baby Bjorn right above my tool belt and swinging a hammer in her general vicinity for five days. (Couldn't find safety glasses to fit her.) What was a working dad to do?

The sound effects:
(Imagine loud trumpeting trumpets here.)

The solution:
Call in backup. Call in Meemee! My mom (June) flew out for two weeks to graciously take care of Evie June while I was at work. And in cool grandma style, she taught Evie a thing or two about life.

The lessons:
#1 How to dance the Texas two step while listening to Lyle Lovett. For about an hour every day, Meemee and Evie would shake and shimmy on the ol' wooden dance floor - especially to song number 6 "Teach Me About Love".


#2 How to tame a dolphin. "First, act like you're not interested, then drool on it's snout. Good..." Actually, my mom brought a complete pool set out here with her. Meemee helped her practice her freestyle stroke.




#3 How to smile in style. Meemee buys Evie her first pair of sunglasses and she's already hamming it up like Elton John.


#4 How to hear no evil - see no evil - and speak no evil.


#5 How to act like a lady at church picnics. Well, we're still working on that one...


#6 How to get fat on attention. I swear it wasn't the bottles, it was all the love!



It was an incredible visit and we're already looking forward to Meemee's next visit in October. Though it may be a little too cold for swimming lessons, I'm sure she'll have a few more sweet dance moves to teach Evie by then - and for a guy with no rhythm, that's totally worth calling in backup for.

Jimmy

Tough Baby

Thanks to Auntie Bleb (aka "the world's strongest librarian"), Evie June is sporting a little baby attitude on those finely chiseled deltoids she was bragging about in her last post. Zoom in to a get a good view of the baby bottle encircled by a ring of barbed wire. We sort of knew when she developed an affinity for Billy Idol that body art wouldn't be far behind. But don't worry mom, its only temporary. And don't worry Katy, we have LOTS more tattoos to share.

Rock on.