Thursday, January 31, 2013

um, let's be honest, I wanted a girl

yes, of course
our first priority was a happy, healthy baby
with that being said, I wanted a daughter
like real bad
like having a little anxiety attack before we found out her gender
like I might have shed a tear if that ultrasound tech saw something "extra"
the mr. and I have decided that we are going to only have one child
[hold your hostility please, we can talk about it later]
so I knew that we had one shot to get what I wanted
and the odds, well, they weren't as great as I would have liked
now, the mr., I really do think, deep down, did not care
if we had a son or daughter
and bless him for that
now, why my gender bias?
let me share
I come from a family of women, yeah, we have men, obviously
but not many, and on most days, my life is that of women
my weekends are spent with my mom and grandma
special days are spent with my sister
and yeah, I like it that way, and as you could guess, a daughter
just seemed to complete the little family puzzle
other reasons you ask?
well, girls are special because you can dress them up in a tutu
and play with them in the dirt all the same
I was an athlete all my life, and since the mr. was too, I have a feeling
miss everly may have a little of it in her too
and my last reason why I wanted a daughter, well, they stick around
I believe that when you do a great job of raising a son
they move on, and no longer need you, 
and probably don't have lunch with you every week
or call you every day just to chat
but daughters, well, they can be different
I am extremely close with my mom, she is my best friend
the person I love spending every weekend with, and now that I'm at home
sometimes E and I sneak in a mid-week lunch date too
so this being said, I expect Everly to stick around
and when she is all grown up, which quite frankly needs to happen
in like a hundred years
I expect her to become my friend, and stick around
and that folks, is why I thank the mr. everyday
[or at least everyday in my head]
that he gave me a little girl

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

oh hey, I'm twelve weeks old

so clearly having two parents home with me
for the last two weeks made me a busy little lady
because I completely forgot to write about my 11th week
oh well, I'm past it
so, week twelve
it seems like so much happened in this one little span of seven days
for instance, I now love to talk all day long
of course no one is understanding me quite yet
but that doesn't stop me from  telling them any story that comes to mind
and considering they aren't comprehending my words
they still seem pretty into them
this week mom also made sure that I had more time on my tummy
man, I'm sure figuring this whole tummy business out fast
I can hold my head up high, and even get my legs moving pretty well
however, having the head up and legs/arms moving as one,
well, not yet, but soon I tell ya
 don't you just love these last two pictures
I can't let mom think that taking my picture is that easy
so I try to throw in a sad face every once in a while
but seeing as how these pictures were taking one after the other
clearly I didn't make it very hard on her for too long
this week I also got weighed again
[geez, my parents are sure into doing this]
and I'm now at 10 1/2 pounds
I'm still gaining weight, just a little slower than others
I keep trying to tell mom that I am just not that big of an eater
but she still seems to worry about it a bit
other big things this week include my obsession with my Sophies
I make sure to always have my little Sophie in the car with me
and big Sophie stays at home for right now
I think as I get bigger I'll bring along big Sophie
but I still have a hard time holding her for too long
even with this being said, I can now officially hold my Sophies
and get them to my mouth, and that makes me pretty happy
I think that just about sums up week twelve
and today I get to go visit Auntie Meg, which I'm pretty excited about
so I probably should go
-Everly Mae

Monday, January 28, 2013

just shopping in san francisco with the girls

yesterday Everly went on her first trip to San Francisco
we were on the hunt for bridesmaids dresses for Jaymee's wedding
and from start to finish the day was a success
we found dresses and shoes
changed diapers on Bart
[bay area regional transit]
and were even asked if we were looking for prom dresses
and considering I'm on the closer side of thirty
I'm going to take that as a compliment
and clearly even having Everly in my arms isn't aging me much!
and even after a day of shopping with the girls
E still had a little energy for a quick pizza date 
with those boys we left behind
[I think she had more energy than Jaymee and myself actually]
talk about a thankful mama
I feel like with every week I get more confident with our outings
and I find myself forgetting how road trips used to be before Everly Mae
and I'm pretty ok with that

all photos edited with Afterglow

Saturday, January 26, 2013

how my daughter has made me a calmer person

since I was born, I pretty much hit the ground running
with a pretty intense personality [sorry mom]
now being a type A kind of girl has its upsides
like graduating from college in three years and being in your career at twenty-two
but my whole life I have always felt like I am moving non-stop
I remember when on break from classes in college
or on summer break from teaching, and just being restless
not enough to do, and too much time, ha, those were the days
when I thought of myself pregnant, or as a mom, I pictured a very wound-up persona
reading every book on pregnancy and parenting on the planet
always worried about sleep schedules and current parenting practices
but something funny happened when I actually became pregnant with Everly
I had no interest in those books, I only read one, Your Best Birth
[which I highly suggest, but that probably will be another post all together]
and even though I had my fair share of nesting, it was by no way what 
I thought it was going to be like
[no, I wasn't cleaning out the fridge at 2am like I was told]
my Everly changed me before she was even born
now, I am by no way saying I am cool as a cucumber
but I just feel a new calm
if it takes us two hours to get ready and leave the house, so be it
if I only get one errand done in a day, well, that is a victory
masters homework will get done when it really needs to get done
when I wake up before the entire family, I can just lay there forever
and stare at my little family
before Everly, as soon as my eyes opened in the morning, I was OUT of bed, stat
but not now
so let's just say that motherhood changed me in a way I did not expect
and I kind of love it
and I have a feeling my blood pressure will thank me in the future
not to mention when raising a girl gets really fun, like the teenage years
well, hopefully I'll still have a little calm from my Everly to get me through

Friday, January 25, 2013

co-sleeping works for us

if you would have asked me before Everly was born if I was going to co-sleep
my answer would have been, kind of
we have a co-sleeper bed for E to sleep in
and if you haven't seen one, it is pretty much a basket you put your baby in
and then you put the basket in with you in the bed
well, Everly has slept in it a total of zero times
she just wouldn't have it
since this little thing made her big debut
she has not slept anywhere but near us
even the first night she refused to sleep in the little hospital bed
they bring you when rooming in with your baby
instead, that little bed was used for nothing but changing her diaper
she slept in my arms the first night
we tried when we got home a few different things
the first night she slept in a swing
and if my memory serves me right, she has been in our bed since day three
so now we sleep belly to belly
and I couldn't love it any more
for a nursing baby, co-sleeping just makes sense, at least it does for us
Everly doesn't cry at night, like at all
she wakes me up by waving her arms a bit, or cooing, or a little of both
but no crying, which is a relief since we live above a very nice couple
that have already raised their kids, and might not be too happy being up all night
with our little one
but anyways, I digress
so, this isn't a research-based post on co-sleeping
and if you want that, maybe check out this or this
but here are a few things to keep in mind
make sure the little one stays flat, and stay away from heavy blankets
Everly usually just has a sheet from her waist down
and since we are right next to each other, she never gets cold
I think the first thing that people ask when they hear we co-sleep is
"aren't you worried about rolling over on her?"
well, no, not really
risk factors for rolling over on your little one include
the use of alcohol, drugs, or obesity 
[the first two seem pretty obvious to me, but hey, there you go]
they also say that nursing mothers have even more instinct about where their baby 
is in relation to themselves while sleeping
and I find this to be so true
I can tell if the mr. has gotten too close to us
and I instantly find myself swatting him back onto his side of the bed
talk about a protective mother
but here's the deal, I love sleeping with this little lady
waking up with her is such an amazing way to start the day
she is always so happy in the mornings, like extra happy
and sure, one day she will sleep in her crib
but for now, co-sleeping works for us

Thursday, January 24, 2013

because we love all things vintage...and we think E does too

a few years back the mr. and I discovered one of our favorite places 
to go antiquing, Long Beach Antique Mall II
there are technically two Long Beach Antique Malls, but their second location
is my favorite
and so this is where I decided to snap a few pictures of Everly doing her first
"vacation antiquing"
because hey, having a baby doesn't mean you have to stop doing things you like
so here it is
turns out that antiquing can actually be a great baby activity
there is just so much for them to see
I love this last image, the boys are clearly pondering that giant pot
but not our E, she has already figured out that thing, and moved onto that vintage sled
 another thing I'm loving now that Everly is bigger
is we love holding her so she can see everything
and no, don't hold her like a baby
because she will cry, and if you have spent any time with her
you know she doesn't cry very easily
so you don't want to be the person to put her over the edge!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Everly and the Magic Kingdom [part II]

a first trip to Disneyland is pretty magical
even if you are too young to remember it
that is why we photographed the experience pretty thoroughly
I do believe that starting young with Disneyland is key
to really loving the park as an adult [I think I was about two my first visit]
so here are Everly's firsts - Disneyland edition
first ride in Disneyland - Jungle Cruise
our cruise captain was very sweet with E, and since
we were the last tour of the evening, there were very few people on board
and she spared us all the gunshots that might have sent Everly over the edge
instead, we got an animated "bang, bang" from our enthusiastic cast member
first ride in Fantasyland - Peter Pan [E slept through the whole flight]
first ride in California Adventure - Toy Story Mania
Everly was hanging out in the Baby Bjorn on this ride
and I was hoping she was going to slow down the Mr. from getting such 
a high score, unfortunately, he still beat me by a few thousand
first meal in Disneyland - The Plaza Inn on Main Street
even though Everly wasn't joining in on the eating exactly
this was still her first meal in the park
and man, was it a good one
half a fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a biscuit for $13
considering we were in the park, I would say not too shabby of a meal for the price
E really like the parade as we walked by
talk about amazing stimulation for a little one, she was in awe of it all
and as you can see, I was really into her reactions
first character - Donald Duck [Everly's great-grandma's favorite character]
first princess Everly met - Snow White
and as it turned out, Snow White was the only character that Everly smiled for
so, we are going to say that Snow White is Everly's favorite Disney character
at least for now
the day we spent in the park was mostly for pictures and a few rides
the little lady has ridden so far:
Jungle Cruise, It's a Small World [holiday], Dumbo, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Toy Story Mania and visited Mickey and Minnie's houses
for a first trip, I would say it was a success

Sunday, January 20, 2013

oh hey, I'm ten weeks old

if I could have a favorite
being ten weeks old would surely be my favorite week so far
this week I went on my first vacation to Disneyland
my first visit to the beach while staying in Manhattan Beach
I got to feel sand for the first time, and see the ocean, and a lot of sun
I was great with the first two things
the sun, well, it's ok, but I prefer keeping my eyes closed if it gets too bright
or wear my dad's shades of course
other firsts include my first smathering of sunblock [thanks mom for that]
I also got to have some tummy time on the beach
and I'm pretty into being on my tummy these days
I started figuring out some scooting this week
in fact, leave me there for a couple of minutes and I will get myself
turned in a half-circle pretty quickly
and one of the best parts of my vacation to southern california
was the warmer weather, like temperatures in the 70's
and since the highs were in the 30's when we left home
mom was pretty excited to get to see my toes and head without
a ton of layers on them!
time for a quick snooze at grandma and grandpa's house before dinner
until next week
-Everly Mae

Friday, January 18, 2013

celebrating Dr. King with positive/negative art [out of the files]

it is no surprise that I do A LOT of art with my classrooms, and many times I re-use and tweak art lessons to fit any of my classrooms.  However, one of my favorite art projects of all time is one that I have only had the opportunity to do ONCE with my own students.  So, seeing as how it is that time of the year again [happy birthday Dr. King] and once again I have no chance to do this art project with my own students, I'm sharing it here so hopefully many kids out there will get to experience the awesomeness of the project!
I have shared this lesson on this blog twice now [here & here].  I have only taught this lesson with my 5th grade students, but I would say that it is very doable with 4th graders on up.  If you teach 2nd or 3rd and your students have been introduced to many art projects, are fairly proficient with scissors, then go for it.  When I taught my 2/3 combination I was really my students first introducer into the world of art, so we skipped this project for the year [they would have been able to do something of this level by the end of the year, so you just have to judge your own class].

Now yes, I know that it is the Friday before the holiday for Dr. King, but it is not too late to do something with your classes to celebrate his birthday.  In fact, a four day week sounds like a perfect time to fit in some Dr. King art and writing.  I am guilty of being an inspiration only teaching blog, and I'm not one to add linkable resources for the projects I do here [sorry, that's probably not going to change].  However, Nicole over at Teaching with Style is one of those awesome teacher bloggers who includes the goods with her posts!  So, Nicole was inspired by this lesson, did it with her 2nd graders, and linked up some freebies to do the lesson with your own kids.

If you haven't done positive/negative art before, I suggest looking at the Blick lesson plan to help you out [it was the only one that made sense to me, and Nicole used it too, so it must be helpful].  I would also make sure to make your own Dr. King example [probably a few to make sure you really have it]before starting this with your class, or disaster may strike!

This lesson will really challenge your kids with following directions, something that all our kids need practice with!  Also, I was lucky enough to have a document camera [ELMO] to use while doing this project with my kids.  It is a STEP BY STEP project.  Because you need ALL the paper you are cutting, having kids go off on their own can turn out problematic.  Also, make sure your kiddos have clean hands before starting this project because once you get glue stick, dirty ball wall hands, and white construction paper together you can kiss those squeeky clean projects goodbye!  I love baby wipes to get this done quick and easy by the way.

I paired this art with some "I Have a Dream" poetry writing with my kids, but you could really take the writing portion anywhere that works for your kids.  Good luck and if you try this project out, I would love to hear how it goes [and see a picture if possible].

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Everly and the Magic Kingdom [part I]

the beginning of the week we took E on her first "official" vacation
over two days we spent upwards of nine hours in the parks
with a ten week old
and can I just say it really was the best time ever
the mr. and I have been to Disneyland a lot
and we always looked at the people who had babies in the park as crazy people
always asking ourselves why anyone in their right mind would do that
and well, then we were those crazy people
turns out, when it is your baby there is no where else you rather be
than standing in lines for character photo ops
and hitting up Fantasyland real big
 now of course I have many more photos to share
but I figured let's spread out the goodness for a few days
so stay tuned for all of Everly's firsts in the park
as well as some tricks to enjoying [not just surviving] Disneyland with a real little one

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

so, the past two days were magical

there are many things that I love in this world
I am pretty into the mr.
I love me some Everly Mae
and Disneyland is one of my favorite places on the planet
and the past two days I had all three 
and let's just say, it was AMAZING
and awesome
and I cannot wait to share more of our time 
in the Happiest Place on Earth
but hey, I spent five hours in the park today with a baby
so it is time to take it easy
so I'll just leave you with this little number
let's just say it was pretty much non-stop unbearable cuteness all day

Monday, January 14, 2013

well, at least we know she got something from her mama

since everly was born there has been one thing that everyone sees
she looks a lot like her daddy
the mr. and I cannot see it all the time, because to us, she just looks like our E
but yesterday while I was in class
I was reminded the one thing my daughter got from me
funny faces
not silly faces, and if you ask me to make five funny faces on cue
I probably wouldn't be able to do it
no, these faces are completely subconscious, and some can get me in a pickle
I was sitting in class listening very intently to the professor
and the next thing I know she is making eye contact with me
and making sure I was ok because I had a very "perplexed" look on my face
I was feeling like I got what we were supposed to be doing next
but I guess my face didn't match what I was thinking
and this isn't the first time I have heard this
and in E's ten whole weeks of life I have heard constantly
that she makes great faces
here are just a few of my favorites:
so I wonder what E was thinking while making these faces
and yeah, she may look like her daddy right now
but she has my "looks"

Saturday, January 12, 2013

oh hey, I'm nine weeks old

this week I turned nine weeks old
which had its ups and downs
 first off, mom took me to the dr. again
which so far has been not too shabby
get weighed, get smooshed a little by a nice, really tall lady
and go on my merry way
nope, not this time
the beginning started the same, but then this lady came in
mom started looking a little teary eyed
and the next thing I knew the new lady was making me drink something
that definitely was not boobie milk
and then it got bad, really bad
three horrible pricks in my legs caused about thirty seconds of my
"oh hey mom, I'm in pain here" cry
and then mom swooped me up and we were all better
so besides that whole incident the week was good
I have now become a no bottle baby, like no bottles, ever
[which could pose some potential problems in the future, 
but we will figure that out when the time comes]
and we ended the week with something I have become 
very familiar with
mom must have been bored, and realized my cute little headbands
she got at my baby shower finally fit
so she cranked up the heat
took off my clothes
and this is what happened next...
oh, and this week I tried out my Bumbo seat for the first time
and I do love sitting up
so hanging out in this seat every once in a while was pretty cool
I'm now officially over the ten pound mark
[I was 9 pounds 15.5 ounces at my checkup]
and I am now 22.5 inches long!
so yeah for growing
and getting a little chunkier as you can see above
-Everly Mae
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