Sunshine, Glorious Sunshine

We made it to California and I couldn't be happier with how well my little guy did traveling. It is nice and sunny and warm and Evan is eating up every minute of this weather.

The only problem is that Evan won't sleep--just too much to think about I guess. I tried to be angry with him last night...or should I say this morning...from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. when he refused to sleep. He spent at least 45 minutes singing the Star Spangled Banner. When I told him to go back to sleep, he looked at me and said, "I'm just singing." Yes, honey, I know. The biggest threat I could think of was that if he didn't go back to bed he couldn't have a bath today. It sounds ridiculous, but he loves the bathtub in the condo and spent a good three hours in it yesterday. He wouldn't go back to bed, so all day I've sounded like the bath Nazi--"Nope, I told you, no bath for you today." Let's hope he stays fairly clean.
He is napping now and I sure hope the kid will sleep through the night tonight. I need the rest! He is the best little traveler otherwise and I am very proud of how well he is doing. I think he is holding up better than Bryan would have under the circumstances. Just kidding. A little.

Canceling Mickey

I hate to admit it, but I am a Disney fan. I love everything about Disney World from their clever marketing tactics to get you to spend more to every square inch of Epcot. I like the character breakfasts and waiting in line for the rides. I don't even mind paying $8 for lemonade--it is the happiest place on earth after all! You expect to pay a little extra for all of that happiness!

We were planning to take Evan to Disney in March with my parents. I've been talking it up with Evan for months and have already booked our character dining experiences. Plus, I've been dreaming about the filet with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce that is on the menu at Jico at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (it is the most amazing meal!). But after my visit with my doctor today, we decided that I should limit my travel and try to keep my feet up as much as possible for the next five months.

I think she meant to say, "Keep your feet up with a trashy magazine in hand and be sure your husband prepares all the meals and handles all the cleaning." But I can discuss the technicalities with her later.

Evan coming early was a big surprise. This time around, it looks like it is going to take a little extra effort to keep this one in, so at least I'm prepared for it. I'm going to spend the next few months taking it easy, getting things ready and trying to enjoy every last minute of alone time with Evan. Even on days when a trip to the grocery store with a toddler seems overwhelming, I'm going to remind myself that our special time together as we know it will be changing soon. It is going to be a wonderful change, but a change nonetheless. I'm taking a trip next week, but then I'm clearing my calendar and staying put. It is for a wonderful cause, but I'm trying to figure out how to break the news to Evan that he won't be seeing Mickey Mouse afterall!

It's a Girl!!!

We had our ultrasound today and Evan's prediction was correct...we're having a baby girl. The baby looks great and there are a few little things with me they'll keep watching to see if we can keep this one from coming early. Whew. Even though I knew it was most likely everything was fine, I definitely breathed a sigh of relief knowing everything looked normal. And, now I can blame my drastic mood swings on the extra female hormones floating through my body. :-)

Cookies for Santa

On Christmas Eve we let Evan load up a plate of cookies for Santa. He just kept adding cookie after cookie to the pile. After he had more than a dozen on there he decided it would be enough. We put the cookies on the table, grabbed a few pictures and spent some more time hanging out in the living room.

At one point, Bryan reached over and grabbed a cookie off the plate. Just as he was breaking it in half Evan realized what happened.

"Dad!!! Those are for Santa!!!" Evan's voice was filled with frustration, panic and horror all at once. "There aren't going to be enough and we don't have time to make more."

Bryan tried to piece the cookie back together and placed it back on the plate. Evan seemed moderately satisfied, but after he went to bed we couldn't help but laugh about how upset and concerned he was. I loved that he knew there just simply wasn't enough time to make more cookies before he had to go to bed.

The White Jersey

Since October Evan has been telling us he wants a white jersey. He needs a white jersey. How this kid even knows that the Caps wear white jerseys when traveling is beyond me. He is so perceptive. I've been assuring him for months it would happen on Christmas and sure enough, he opened up a white jersey on Christmas morning.

The only problem was that when I promised a white jersey, I didn't realize they don't make them in toddler sizes. According to the multiple people I spoke with at the Caps pro shop, there isn't much demand for toddler size travel jerseys. Apparently those other toddlers aren't real fans. So, Evan received a children's small medium, which came down to his knees. Aunt Maria helped him roll up the sleeves.

For all the excitement leading up to the white jersey, its ill-fitting nature has meant Evan hasn't worn it since Christmas morning. I'm renewing my quest to find a smaller size--one has to exist, somewhere. Until then, we'll tuck this one away.

Since Evan loves white jerseys, he assumed other people on his Christmas list would, too. Here is the jersey he picked out for his daddy.

I'm sure Bryan would have been surprised if Evan hadn't been telling him we'd gotten him a white jersey for the three weeks leading up to Christmas. He spilled the beans the minute we walked in the door from getting it, even though we talked for 20 minutes in the car about how it was a secret and how we weren't going to tell daddy. Then he'd talk about it at random moments--once in the bath and another time just playing cars. I loved how excited he was to give a gift, even if it meant it wasn't a surprise.

Creating a Happy Life

Check out my post on www.mindywrites.com about creating a happy life and my plan to keep a happiness journal this year. Leave a comment there and let me know what it is that makes you the happiest!