Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday, Mommy and Evelyn headed to the zoo for some fun! The weather was perfect--low 70's and partly cloudy. We arrived early and much to Mommy's surprise, Evelyn was a little apprehensive about the animals at first. We visited the penguins first and made our way around the zoo from there. The prairie dogs seemed to make her giggle the most while the fish at the hippo exhibit captivated her attention for a while. She also enjoyed the monkeys. She kept showing me her teeth as there were two of the chimps who were cleaning each others teeth. For Mommy, the neatest part was seeing the elephant, Raja, stand on his hind legs when asked by his trainer at the zoo. It was funny to see Evelyn's reaction to the elephant as he moved his trunk around--she thought it was his tongue and kept sticking hers out and trying to move it in the same way! After a bite for lunch, we headed for home around 11:30. Mommy wasn't even to the interstate before Evelyn was sound asleep. All that fresh air and riding in the stroller must have made her exhausted as she slept for 3 1/2 hours! It was such a great morning and Mommy is really looking forward to more summer fun.

Ears Pierced!

Last night, we took Evelyn to the local mall and had her ears pierced (sorry, Mom). She had been talking all weekend about wanting "bling bling" like grandma (see, Mom, this was your doing). Rob was excited and I was a bit apprehensive. Evelyn helped pick out her CZ studs and then came time to get in the chair. She was fine until Daddy held her. That is when she started fussing. The girls who did the piercing did a great job--it was quick! As soon as Rob finished holding her, she quit crying. She likes knowing that she has earrings like Mommy, but is not very cooperative when it comes time to clean the studs. That is a challenge! However, we must admit that she looks terribly cute with her "bling bling!"

Wow, Time Flies!

Has a month really gone by since the blog was last updated?! I (Kristina) greatly apologize. It has been a very busy and hectic month for all of us. Rob finished the semester at SLU and is looking forward to only one more semester! Kristina finished the school year and is so grateful that summer is here and time to be Mommy and have fun with Evelyn. Speaking of Evelyn, she has had a busy month as well! She finished her hand cast for the trigger thumb, but unfortunately, it looks like she will have surgery on June 25th to permanently correct it. At the beginning of May, we celebrated her one year of finalization for the adoption and Korean Children's Day. It was great to see all of our good friends--Jared, Jane, Scott, Leslie, Owen and Avery. Evelyn was able to do some of the crafts this year (she made a beaded bracelet with Mommy) and enjoyed hitting Daddy with a noodle at the Tae Kwan Do station! Over Memorial weekend, we traveled to IN to visit family and attend Cousin Derek's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and Evelyn, our little social butterfly, enjoyed meeting everyone at the reception. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her grandparents, aunts, and uncle.

Hippity Hoppity Easter is Here!

Evelyn has really enjoyed Easter this year! Of course, it really helps that it did not snow like last year. To kick off the holiday, we colored eggs on Friday night. Not just any old eggs, but glittery eggs! Evelyn had fun putting the dye tabs into the water and watching the eggs change color. Most of all, she loved shaking the glitter onto the eggs. Yes, three cracked along the way, but all went well for the most part! On Saturday, Rob's parents drove up for a visit and brought along one of 4 Easter baskets that she received this year (she isn't spoiled at all is she?!). Later in the evening, we all headed over to Mason's house for an egg hunt. Our good friends all gathered and the dads got to scatter the eggs on the front lawn. Once outside, it was comical! Evelyn ran around collecting as many eggs as possible while Mason and Jacob would pick one up and open to see what was inside. In the end, Evelyn had 23 eggs! Who would have guessed our little one would be such a good collector? Then, on Sunday morning, Evelyn awoke to find the Easter Bunny had left another basket of goodies for her on her little table. She was excited to sift through the items and show them to Pop and Grandma. On a day that we celebrate Christ rising from the dead to fulfill His promise, we also realize the many blessings He has given to us--especially our family. Happy Easter everyone!

Pretty in Pink

Yesterday morning, Mommy woke Evelyn up and began getting her dressed (normal routine). Suddenly, Mommy noticed that Evelyn was not using her left arm at all and it was hanging limp by her side. Off to the ER we went! After several xrays, we were sent across the hall to an orthopedic doctor. He looked at her xrays and determined there were no broken bones nor fractures. Then, he began touching her arm, wrist, elbow, and shoulder. The only time she winced was when he touched her elbow. With that said, he determined that she had pulled her elbow somehow and needed a hard cast for the next 2 weeks! How this happened is still a puzzle. The only thing we can think of is that she got her arm caught in between the crib slats during the night and when she tried to roll, it pulled the elbow out of place. Of course, Evelyn being Evelyn, she never once cried or fussed about it. She was as happy as a lark as they put the pink (she chose the color) cast on her arm. In the meantime, Mommy was crying (imagine that).

Brush, Brush, Brush Your Teeth!

Today was Evelyn's first trip to the dentist! Our pediatrician recommends children see a pediatric dentist at age 2, so Mommy got us an appt. right away! All weekend we talked about how Dr. Reichert takes care of our body, but that the dentist takes care of our teeth. Every time, Evelyn would show off her smile and say "Teeth!" She was her usual happy self and played in the bus while we waited for the dentist to call us back. When we went back, she sat in the big girl chair by herself, but as all 2 yrs. do, she became a bit wiggly, so Mommy held her in her lap during the exam. The dentist checked her teeth and counted them all. Evelyn is right on track developmentally for her teeth and the dentist said we could move into regular children's toothpaste. The best news of all, no cavities! Hopefully, we can continue this good dental hygiene until our next visit!

Look Who's Two!

Hard to believe, but Evelyn turned 2 this week! On Tues. we invited our neighbors over for a small celebration. Daddy was at class while we celebrated this milestone. Then, on Sat., we invited over our good friends and family to mark the occasion. Evelyn had a great time opening presents and playing with her friends, Jacob and Mason. Of course, she enjoyed eating some cake as well at her big girl table and chairs. Given all the current medical struggles, we feel truly blessed to be celebrating the occasion with our family and friends.