Feeling Toothy!

It has been a busy couple of weeks in our household. Daddy started back to law school, Mommy started back to school, and Evelyn showed her first tooth! Of course, Daddy said he knew it was coming, but keep in mind that he has been saying that since she came home in July. Also, Evelyn is starting to be more mobile. While she isn't up on all fours all the time, she sure can get where she is going VERY quickly. Let the fun begin!

Passing Our Exams

No, we haven't heard how Daddy did on his law school exams, but Evelyn took a couple this week! On the 2nd, she went to the optometrist for an InfantSee eye exam. It is a free service provided by certain optometrists in the area. Dr. Weigel was wonderful and Evelyn did very well--no crying! In fact, she kept trying to grab different items that he possessed. Evelyn passed the eye exam with flying colors! The next night, our PAT person came for a visit and administered a developmental assessment on Evelyn. Since she was so premature, she administered the exam as if Evelyn was an 8 mo. old baby. Evelyn did very well in the fine and gross motor areas, but was a little behind in the language dept. While we weren't surprised by it, it was still a little disappointing to hear. Our PAT person reassured us that Evelyn was on track and that we are doing all the right things. She also explained that most babies focus on one area of development at a time, so we shouldn't worry. All in all, we are very pleased with her growth and development. We can't get over how much she has changed in such a short amount of time. If only this stage of life lasted a little bit longer...

Date Night

Thanks to Grandma Donna, Mommy and Daddy were able to enjoy a night out on Dec. 30th. We attended an Indianapolis Colts game. Mommy was very excited to see Peyton Manning in person!! We actually spent most of the afternoon in Downtown Indy before the game began. Of course, Mommy did some shopping--he he!! Then we were off to the RCA Dome for the final season game there (there is a new stadium being built for the team). Our seats were fabulous! We were on the 50 yard line and in Row 23. The Colts played the Tennessee Titans (could this have been any better for Mommy?). Though Peyton Manning only played for the first quarter, it was such fun to watch in person. In the end, Tennessee won (totally fine for Mommy, who is still a TN girl at heart)to secure a spot in the playoffs. Of course, Peyton Manning and the Colts were already secured a spot prior to the game. It was a fun-filled evening for us, but we were a little anxious to get back to our little angel!

Christmas in Indiana

Once again, we hit the highway for the holiday season. We traveled to IN to visit Grandma Donna, Grandma Jill, and the Grandfather. On Christmas Eve, Evelyn donned her Santa outfit and made her way over to the presents and ripped off a bow and some ribbon. Turns out, ribbon is as much fun as ripping off the paper! Then, Christmas morning, Evelyn donned her red dress and opened presents. Her new favorite toy seems to be the sound stage that Santa brought to Grandma Donna's house. It has everything that she loves--a mirror to admire herself in, lights that flash, and music! Of course, Santa Dog visited Mindy again and she loved her new bone! Later that afternoon, we headed up to Grandma Jill's for more Christmas fun. After opening more presents, it was time to play ball with Grandma Jeanna and Aunt Abby. Evelyn loved it! In the evening, Cousin Heidi and her husband, Christopher, stopped by to visit along with Cousin Heather, her oldest son, Trent, and newest family member, Blake. Little Miss Social (Evelyn) loved meeting them and ate up the attention (as usual). Christmas was a blast for her, but as you see, it wore her out! She cuddled up with the Grandfather for a nap and dreamed about Christmases to come.

First Christmas

We celebrated Evelyn's first Christmas tonight since we will be traveling this holiday season. Mindy opened her stocking from Santa Dog first, then Evelyn had her turn. She immediately ripped off the bows and tried to eat them, then seemed to eagerly rip the wrapping paper to get to her gifts (or was it Daddy who was so eager?). She loved trying to eat the rings and blocks from her toys. Afterwards, we headed downstairs for a ride on her new car/walker. She absolutely LOVES riding on it--thank you to the Garrettes for the gift. We hope this holiday finds everyone well and that the new year will bring you many blessings. As you know, we have been richly blessed with a Korean angel. Merry Christmas!

Meeting Santa

Evelyn met Santa for the first time this morning at our PAT's Frosty and Friends event. She loved getting on her festive outfit this morning--you could tell she instantly felt pretty in it! We headed over to the event and met Santa first thing. We weren't sure how she would react as we watched several other children cry and refuse to go up to him, but in true Evelyn style, she went right to him and smiled the whole time. After visiting with Santa, we headed down the hall for some winter time fun. The PAT had a special room for children B-12 mos. that had activities such as making an accordian book to help build visual skills, sledding around the room, and tummy time with water bottles filled with winter items. Evelyn even met a couple other children and seemed excited to interact with them. It was a fun-filled morning for our little angel!

Thanksgiving in Hayti

On Wednesday evening, we packed up the Pathfinder and headed to Hayti. Since we left around 7:00 p.m., Evelyn slept the entire way there--so we were the picture of one big happy family traveling down the interstate! When she awoke on Thanksgiving morning, Grandma Cheryl couldn't wait for Evelyn to open a present, so she got a head start on Christmas! Once she opened a gift, we headed over to Aunt Kathy's for a wonderful Thanksgiving feast! Of course, Evelyn enjoyed seeing all the family that had come from Tennessee and the surrounding area to see her. The next day, we stayed close to Grandma's and opened more Christmas presents that evening. What do you know, Evelyn found the ornaments on the tree and decided to try one! Then, on Saturday, Aunt Gwindel came to say good-bye, but Evelyn was taking a nap. Later that day, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Sandy came to say good-bye. Early on Sunday morning, we packed up the Pathfinder again and headed for home. Again, Evelyn did very well and we were one big happy family traveling down the interstate.