Ten Months

My dear Evelyn,

The first photo I have included in this post is a great summary of the past month. You are officially on the go. You are moving around like crazy. You started crawling, legitimately, this month. Within days, you were not only standing and and holding onto things, as well as climbing over them, but cruising down the furniture. It seems that you can go from laying down happily to sitting, crawling and standing across the room in a flash. You are FAST little girl, which makes taking these photos way more difficult than in the past!

Your reaction to being placed back on your back.

We headed to the doctor this month (for your nine month appointment) which really was more like a ten month appointment. They confirmed what we already knew - you are a long and skinny baby. I have stopped buying clothes in advance of the season because I literally have no idea what size you will be in when. The other day you wore a 12 month shirt with some 3 month leggings. Hrm. 

In other developmental milestones you are blowing em out of the water. I didn't know that many of the things you were doing and learning from our playing even were milestones until we were chatting with the doctor, but I promise I will try to get better about knowing these things.

You love reading, and have now began heading to your bookshelf when I put you down in your room. You will pull off one or two books and sit there contentedly flipping through them which is HILARIOUS to me. Granted, sometimes you need to pull every.single.book off of the shelf too, but more often than not you choose them over your other toys.

You have started getting into some serious mischief lately too. You are a daring baby and need to explore everything. When sitting on the couch with Daddy and I, you love to try and climb up all of the pillows to your puppy' perch to pull on his tail and wave your hands in his face. You still love that dog more than anyone, I think. He is continually warming up to you. You are crawling for all the dangerous things in the house to play with lately, which is pretty typical of crawling babies - oh! You think this house is safe? Hahahaha. Let me show you.

We have started telling you "No." about things with the big eyes and serious faces. You turn and look at us and usually laugh and grin. A grin so freaking full of mischief that I can't even stand it. I don't have a problem telling you no, or helping you to learn that certain things are off limits, because I know that you will be better for it in the future, so that's not hard. But to not smile right back at that impish grin? That, my love, is difficult.

There have been a few times already though where you tern and look at us, smile, and then essentially give me what (I imagine) is the equivalent of a baby language shoulder shrug. You just crawl towards something else that you find interesting.

 I love how contemplative and calm you are when placed in new situations. On Mondays we have play group with 4 kids who are all quite a bit older than you. Your friends Caroline, Charlotte, Eliza and Adam are all walking and talking and running all over the place. I usually plop you down and you pick up a toy or two and then just watch all the activity with big eyes and amazement. True to younger kid form, you have started trailing after their antics by crawling towards the activity wherever it goes, and it makes me chuckle.

 You are very tactile lately as well and have to touch everything. We have been reading some touch and feel books at bedtime and you seem a little disappointed when we read normal books with flat pages. You are constantly looking for the "flap" to show something hidden underneath, the button or flap that makes a noise or the patch of texture to touch.

You still soothe yourself to sleep by playing with your own hair, which is getting quite long, and is as pale as ever. You actually do this sort of "fluffing" thing with your hair which reminds me of your OSL Auntie Shelby and makes me giggle a bit.

You have four teeth in total now with two more (that I can see) about to cut through any day (hopefully). You really do not like the teething process, and I can tell when you don't feel well because you become such a snuggler. Daddy and I love it because you reach your arms up for us and when we pick you up you just hug us so hard around the neck and want to stay there.

You give us open mouth kisses when we say "kiss" (you lean toward our faces with your mouth wide open and plant your mouth on us) and are just such an affectionate little baby when you want to be. You have started doing fishy face lips too which are adorable and hilarious.

You are still eating like a much bigger kiddo than you are, but I cannot cure you of sharing with the puppy. When we go out to eat you have a habit of looking over the edge of your highchair and then glancing up at us with a raised eyebrow as if to say, "Why is there no puppy here to eat this for me when I throw it on the floor?"

You are still nursing, though my supply is beginning to decline because you are so all over the place with feedings. Keeping you still to get in a good long nursing station is nearly impossible these days. I am a little concerned that you will wean yourself early, but I think we will truck through the one year mark without too much fuss. I will be sad when the day of the last feeding comes, but I am letting you lead the way.

The expressions that cross your face and the babbling that comes out of your mouth, at staggeringly loud volume these days, make it easy for us to understand one another most of the time. Your daddy and I still argue about the "words" coming out of your mouth, but they sure make us laugh, especially as you imitate the tone of the people around you.

We love you so much little girl, and I'm not even going to pretend that every single stage and month isn't more exciting than the last. I can hardly believe that we are in the double digit months, but I can't wait for the rest of this summer. Loving on you, playing outside and helping you learn all you need and want to learn is going to be so much fun.

All my love,

Momma


Evelyn Rae is ten months old

...and I really take too many pictures and can't ever choose just a few. Brevity is not a strong suit of mine.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

Who knew? I didn't! But, now that I do, I can hardly let this day go by without acknowledging it.

Apparently, Military Spouse Appreciation Day is celebrated the Friday before Mother's Day, so keep that in mind for the future. Ronald Reagan proclaimed this day in 1984, which means there has been one of these things every year since I have been alive.


You certainly don't need to tell me about the strength of the families and spouses of those that choose the military lifestyle. That's right. it is a choice. It's also more than a career, it's a lifestyle. This lifestyle does include a lot of benefits, benefits that are continually up for debate in the political sphere. And I know that many people have many differing opinions on those subjects.

But all the benefits and the fact that it is a choice (these days) to be in the military, does not take away from the fact that this lifestyle is a tough one. We all make choices, and some are tougher than others. My husband made this choice when he was young. And yes, I knew it was part of the deal.

Yup, even way back then. 

Prom 2002

That didn't keep me from crying hysterically and dramatically the day I found out that we would need to move our wedding up a month so that he could be there. Or from shedding some additional tears realizing that we would have no honeymoon and that my brand new husband would be shipping out within a week of our wedding.

It didn't keep me from crying when we closed on our first house and he wasn't there with me. Or when I received my Master's degree in the mail and still didn't have a job, because we hadn't known where we were going when everyone was hiring, and wondering if I would ever actually be able to use that education.

It didn't keep me from crying on the phone along with one of my best friends when she found out her husband would be deploying while she was pregnant and that he would miss the birth of their first child.

And it won't keep me from crying in my room, where the kids can't see, when he needs to leave again and miss birthdays, anniversaries, little league games and first dates. Or because I miss a phone call from him, and know he won't be able to call again for weeks. Or from crying after having to tell our kids that we are moving, and they will have to say goodbye to their friends...again.

All those tears - and I'm not even a crier. Seriously.

OCS Graduation August 1, 2008

(About a month before we got engaged)

But it also has never kept me from the immense pride that I feel when my husband wears his uniform. Or from picking myself up, wiping those tears off and getting on with the day. And (almost) never letting him see those tears. Because, that's what you do. 

So here's to all my fellow military spouses. Enjoy the day, even if no one knows that it is indeed your day. Hug your spouse for an extra heartbeat if you are lucky enough to have them home today. And if not, put an extra notch in the hug column for when they come home.

Evelyn is nine months old

...and I stole this from a friend's Facebook page -

The Silent Ranks

I wear no uniforms, no blues or greens.

But, I am in the military, in the ranks rarely seen.

I have no rank upon my shoulders. Salutes I do not give.

But in the military world is where I live.

I am not in the chain of command, orders I do not give or get.

But my husband is the one who does, this I cannot forget.

I am not the one who fires a weapon, who puts his life on the line.

But my job is just as tough- I’m the one who is always left behind.

My husband is a patriot, a brave and pride filled man.

And the call to serve his country not all can understand.

Behind the lines, I see things needed to keep this country free.

My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do my kids and me.

I love the man I married. The military is his life.

So I pledge to support my hero 
and stand among the silent ranks known as

THE MILITARY WIFE.

(but really all spouses...Wife just happens to rhyme!)

Can't say no.

Sometimes, there are things in life that happen, and you just simply cannot say, "No."

You may be tempted to brush offers of help aside.

The timing may not be just right, or you may have other things going on.

But, if I have learned one thing as a mom, it's this:

When someone calls and offers to babysit on a Friday 

- for free no less -

You just say "Yes."

Husband and I are headed out for drinks and dinner tonight. Just because his mom called and said she needed a "baby fix."

We are happy to accommodate.


I may even wear an outfit that doesn't involve any stretchy material.

Maybe.


Happy Friday!



Evelyn is nine months old

...for one more day. I almost cried today when I realized that. Hormones, man.

Welp, there it is.

Because I spoke it on the internet,

and called my baby girl a priss and diva for not doing a legit crawl on hard surfaces,

she turned around,

and did it.

My new life status until further notice,

Chasing baby.


Evelyn Rae is nine months old

...and we are off to actually buy the Baby Octagon.

Also, Evelyn would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to her Grandma Barb!

We love you and can't wait to see you in June!

Mentally Healthy Mommies

When I was pregnant with Evelyn, one of my biggest fears was that I would suffer from postpartum depression.

Just the unknown of the whole thing, what the hormonal shifts would be like, how I was going to handle being at home with a baby all day - what if she was the kind of baby who cried nonstop and made me want to pull out my hair? Though, thankfully, I did not suffer from it this go round, it was indeed something that I was incredibly anxious about, though I have never been diagnosed with any other forms of depression.

I am equally thankful that Postpartum Depression has a name, and is a diagnosable state. You know, and that we don't live in the early 1900s where it was just "Baby Blues"and husbands saw their wives crying for weeks on end and thought it was normal.

Nowadays, at least for me,  PPD was something that was spoken about in every pamphlet I received once there were two lines on that test, and at every single class and appointment I ever attended regarding my upcoming status of "Mom" - childbirth classes, breastfeeding class, childcare class, normal appointment leading up to delivery, postpartum checks, and in at least three discussions before I was cleared to leave the hospital and take my baby home. My husband knew what the signs were that he was supposed to look for and had specific resources just for him from those same classes, etc.

Within the last year though, two different "Mommy" mental health challenges (professional terms are perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) have been written about by two of my very favorite bloggers - and I had never heard of either in all of my pamphlets, classes or appointments. These are of course not the only mental issues affecting new moms, or experienced moms or women in general. But, as a new mom, I found it sort of shocking with all the talk of PPD I hadn't heard anything about these.

So I want to help spread the word in any small way that I can, and share them with you. As I am not an expert in this field, in any way, shape or form, I'm not going to actually write much about these, but link up to others who can provide you with insight and info.

Postpartum Anxiety

"My mind was nearly always racing. I couldn’t focus on simple tasks, and just thinking about what I hadn’t accomplished made my anxiety levels rise. It was a horrible cycle because my anxiety paralyzed me and made me so overwhelmed I didn’t know where to start. So then I’d just do nothing, all the while feeling terribly anxious about doing nothing and knowing it’s going to bite me in the ass. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. 

It wasn’t just tasks I couldn’t focus on. I’d find myself holding Leyna and zoning out, or just staring at her on the floor, not knowing what to say to her. I didn’t feel connected to her. I loved her, I knew this, and I took care of her. I never neglected her, but I had to force myself to smile at her and coo back at her. 

Shatters my heart to a million little pieces admitting that." Jill, Babyrabies.com

If you aren't already following Baby Rabies, you totally should be, because Jill is HILARIOUS. Aside from that, she is honest and real, and has been through her journey with Postpartum Anxiety, having two adorable kiddos, etc.

You can read about her journey with PPA here, here and here.

I had never, ever heard of PPA until Jill blogged about it. I am so thankful that she did, because if I am truly honest with myself I think it is a hell of a lot more likely that I would suffer from something like this than Postpartum Depression.

Postpartum Progress is a great resource, mentioned by Jill in the above posts, and has a lot of information about PMADs.

Weaning-Related Depression

"One afternoon, while taking a walk along the Hudson River, I told my mom, who was visiting us, that I wished that Toby had a different mother. He deserved more, I thought. I felt like such a failure: I had always wanted to be a mother. I always had baby fever. I always looked forward to having children. But now that I had a sweet, curious, beautiful baby, I suddenly couldn't handle motherhood. I felt exhausted and inept. I hated seeing or reading about families with more than one child, because that meant that they could handle having a baby...and even choose to have another. What was wrong with me? I didn't want Toby to be affected by this weighty sadness I was feeling." Jo, A Cup Of Jo

Again, if you aren't already reading A Cup of Jo (where have you been?!), you should be. She has such beautiful posts and her gift guides are out.of.this.world. Seriously.

But a few months ago, when she blogged about her experience with weaning-related depression, I will admit I was floored. Here was another hormonal shift for many mothers, that I had honestly never thought about before. Especially not being linked to a PMAD. But again, so obvious once it was pointed out. Hormonal shifts like that are hard. Why had I never heard this mentioned before? Turns out, there is very little research on the subject.


Awareness and information is so important in these matters. Spread the word to your loved ones, and be informed about what could be happening to you, your sister or your friend. Be aware regarding what is your normal and what isn't your normal.

Mental health is so important for all of us, parent or not, new mom or not, and on some level, we are all in this together.


Evelyn Rae is nine months old

...and if you are interested in checking out another organization dedicated to education about PMADs you should definitely check out Jenny's Light.

Ramble Bamble

My baby is turning into a person.

I mean, she always has been a person and all, but geeze. Development has happened seemingly overnight in the past few days.

After thwarting more attempts to pull herself to a standing position in her crib by pulling the cord of her humidifier through the bars of said crib and then using it as a rope to pull herself up...

Yes, that really happened...

Ev has decided that it is now the norm to be standing - all.the.time - and pulling herself up in any available surface. Quite pleased with herself once mastering this new skill, within 24 hours she started cruising down the furniture, and is now trying to let go and remain standing.

So, there it is. The girl who will still not do a proper, knees underneath of her, belly off the ground, except in her crib or on our bed (hardwood floors too rough on her tres delicate knees maybe? What a diva.) is looking more and more like a toddler.

I love it. And I also mourn the passing of her baby days. She is almost ten months old, but we just had her nine month appointment. (Our little champ is weighing in at a svelte 17 pounds, and a long 28.5 inches.)while there, I scheduled her one year appointment.

One year. It's coming whether I like it or not.

As is her first official word, the first day of school, prom, driving, college...All seemingly around the corner if these past ten months are any indication of how time will pass.


So, I choose to like it.


Not all that hard of a choice, come to think of it.


Evelyn is nine months old

...and thanks for letting me ramble today...

Friday Fun

A few weeks ago, at a house just outside our neighborhood, this popped up.

So yesterday I hopped out to investigate and grab a photo.

Hopefully, you can read the plaque if you are interested in getting one for your 'hood.

How cute is that?

Happy Friday!