Whew. We had a busy weekend. Scott had to work so Evelyn and I went to my parents’ house Saturday night. Evelyn got to hang out with Uncle Clifton and his fiancé, Cassie, for a while before bedtime.  Then it was off to Cassie’s bridal shower on Sunday afternoon.

Evelyn was good but she refused to take a nap, even on the drive home. So when bedtime came getting her to sleep wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I have to sleep in the same room with her and she kept crying and whimpering in her sleep so I didn’t get too much, either. She got up at who-knows-what time and I could hear my sister and dad getting ready for school and work. I changed Evelyn and set her loose in the hall and watched her run down to my parents’ room and squeal when she found them. Good. I went back to bed. Papa came in my room later to give me a hug. My hair smelled like his cologne after, which I love. It reminds me of when I was younger living there and he would come in my room well before the sun was due to come up and hug me before leaving for a business trip.

After everyone was up and fed then napped and up and fed again, momma and I took the girl over to visit my cousin, Clarissa, and her little girl, Lucy. Evelyn is only about five months younger than Lucy so they get along pretty well.

My girl thinks she needs to sit on everyone, though, so she would back her little butt up to Lucy and plunk down in her lap. Lucy wasn’t sure what to think about this but she eventually started to push Evelyn off. Smart girl.

They played and had some snacks then read Lucy’s favorite book and had a cheese party.

Then look what we found! Piggy tails!!! She is getting so big.

Here are the little ladies modeling their spring-themed coats. We had such a good time and when we left it was already time for dinner.  We went back to momma’s long enough to eat a little something and not have a nap and get completely wild and grouchy.  We said good-bye to papa when he got home from work and left for our home. Finally she slept and only opened her eyes to see her daddy for a minute before he put her to bed.

Then it was my turn.  So good to be in your own bed.  Every cell in your body shudders and sighs with relief. I don’t think there is too many other things better than this feeling.  Except hearing a little voice behind me as I’m typing this saying ‘hi’ and turning around to see my sweet babe sitting on the hearth with her face scrunched into a smile and her chubby fingers opening and closing around her palm, just for her mama. My heart is butter on warm toast.

I am aware that to some seven o’clock is, in fact, late, but around he we are night owls. It sounds all nice to say I’ll be in bed by ten but that can be hard when I don’t get home from work until after nine and I’m starving. Even if I do get to sleep at a reasonable hour, I don’t sleep well enough for it to count. A natural sleep cycle is an hour and a half. I’m up every 45 minutes. Exhaustion results.

It’s a bit harder this morning as my little butter bean went to her 1 year physical yesterday, and with this comes vaccinations. Now this tiny person has some serious affinity for my leg.  Worse than two electrons. With constant whining. I’m thankful for strings on my hooded sweatshirt and the poor dog who is trying to take (unsuccessful) naps in the bit of sunshine on the carpet.  They keep her from not crying for more than twenty seconds. Hopefully she will be herself later- after we both take naps.

She is a whopping 17.5 pounds and is 27 inches tall. The doctor said we should be able to put her in a front-facing carseat when she goes to college. She has started to say some things, like ‘kitty’ and ‘hi daddy’ and ‘doggy’ and Scott swore she repeated ‘I love you’ twice the other night. I’m sure ‘no’ won’t be far behind.

For now I’ll think of these early mornings as preparation for daylight saving time to start, which is the weekend after this one. That only means we are closer to being able to have our early morning breakfasts in the warm outdoors.

P.S.  Thank you for all of the congratulatory posts.  It makes me so happy that there are many who are excited for us!  ♥ Andria

Everyone had gone to sleep early and I sat in bed writing in my journal about that day just a year ago.  When everything changed with the entrance of that little pink body.  There is a quote I read soon after she was born from Story People - “She laid on my chest & her breathing filled me almost to beyond what I could hold.”  But it did fill me to beyond what I could hold.  I think my heart broke open the moment I saw her and every little piece of love it had ever held spilled out.  Then it healed several times larger to hold this new kind of love, one that I had no idea would hurt so bad but for all the right reasons.  The scars gently flexing and tugging, stretching to make room for more love as her hours of life turned into days then weeks then months.  And now a year.

I was right when I said it before Evelyn was born.  You can’t prepare yourself for your heart to be permanently tethered to another.  It is so much different than anything else.  It just hits you and those bruises are forever.  So wonderful.

I was so happy that so many came to wish her a happy birthday. I put her little cake in front of her and her big eyes panned the room to see all the faces of those who love her, singing just for her.  It was such a good day.  Thank you.

And now some news:  Our hearts will be growing some more as we welcome our second child this fall.

Do any of you have a great white cake recipe?  I know I should have found one sooner  but I’m at my best when under a little pressure.  Please don’t tell me to just go out and buy a mix.  I like to make my cakes but have never made just a plain white cake.  I’ll be trying out a recipe today and see how it goes but if anybody has one that they know is moist and perfect, please share!  Thank you!

♥ Andria

(The picture is from my vintage recipe booklets.  This one is for Gold Medal Softasilk Cake Flour, printed in 1931.  it includes an illustration of two brides making birthday cakes for their husbands.  One uses Softasilk, the other doesn’t and she fails.  There is a drawing of her husband mad at her and the flat cake.  Hilarious and sad.)

(Bangs head on table from boredom/exhaustion)

I want it to feel warm.  I want to hear the birds sing their spring songs.  I want the two feet of snow on my deck to be gone so I don’t have to look at it anymore.  I want a little pool to go in its place.  I want to have picnics in our yard and to plant new, green things.  I want to feel and smell the sweet breeze through open windows and watch it billow my curtains. I want to see chubby baby toes in sandals.

I have big things planned for March and I think it will be a turning point for me.  My baby will be one.  I’m looking forward to this day and yet, not.  It makes me so sad and I sort of want to just get it over with and move on to the next stage.  Like removing a bandaid.  I’m excited for Evelyn being a bigger girl this summer and all the things she’ll do but I know I’ll ache for the days when she was little.  Bittersweetness at it’s finest.

These days are trying as she generally refuses to eat anything but clementines (which she will literally throw herself down on the floor and beg for if she even spies one) and animal crackers.  I keep offering different things but most times give up and let her have a peanut butter sandwich.  Today I made grilled chicken with pasta a peas.  No way.  Then I warmed up some meatloaf my mom said she ate so well last night.  I think she may have had one or two bites before throwing it to the dog.  Feeding a baby was easy. A toddler is going to be a different story.  I’ll take any ideas you have.

Don’t be shy.

Come on out and say hi!

Check your mailbox for valentines.

Oh.  You didn’t get any?

It’s alright because I’m your valentine and you are mine!

See.  That’s better.  I’ll take a kissy now.

Thank you very much!

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine’s Day!

First up: the carnation.  I love me some carnations, when done right.  They can be a little sad when there are only five of them in a vase with the above mentioned baby’s breath filler.  But when en masse they can be breathtaking.  They smell like pepper, which I love, and last forever.  Regard these examples.

So pretty.  Now lets talk about tulips.  I drive past a florist every time I work and I watch the price of a dozen rose bouquet go up on their sign as it gets closer to v-day.  Last night it read “29.99 for a dozen roses,” under this it read “tulips, 1 dozen- 12.99.”  Yes, please, I will take those!  I know everyone thinks about tulips as an April flower, but in the dark of winter these are just the breath of light-heartedness I need.  Tulips are pure joy to me and they make me smile every time.  My momma stopped by the other day with a pot of planted bulbs that have grown and opened their proud petals.  They are white with red stripes down the center and smell like the sweetest honey.  Delightful.

I love the one with the conversation hearts in the vase.  I really love how the tulip gets even more romantic as it starts to bend and open its petals completely, like in the second bouquet of white ones.  Very Jane Austen.

I would also be excited if I was the recipient of a living plant that I could enjoy for a long time (depending on how long it takes me to kill it).

I love the rosemary heart topiary, or this succulent wreath.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do love roses, but I prefer the billowy wild type not usually found in the floral shops.  There are just so many beautiful flowers out there that I think it is unfair that the rose gets all of the glory on special occasions.  So maybe just take a little time to stop and smell the carnations!

The Valentine goodies today are kind of on the geeky side but I like that stuff.
I have a love of calculators and have always wanted this one.  Someday it will be mine.

I think this is so funny.  You can watch your love grow!  Love grow- get it?!  Hahaha!

And for every baby with geeky parents:

These are from cafepress.  So cute!

Speaking of babies, mine is finally sleeping through the night.  Maybe I will stop feeling like a zombie now.  Happy Monday!

These beauties are from Jayme over at Delectable Deliciousness (picture is by Jayme, too).  Macarons are futzy to make but they are sooo good.  These particular heart-shaped goodies are red velvet with cinnamon buttercream.  Oh how I wish I had the time to make them!

In other happenings: I am no longer nursing Evelyn.  She isn’t completely weaned yet but she has lost all interest in nursing after becoming so mobile and I lost my supply.  Not a big deal because I was hoping to stop breast feeding around her first birthday but it still makes me kind of sad.  I think it is worse because that was our time to be close.  She doesn’t like to snuggle (didn’t like to even when nursing) but I could still hold her close.  Now I just have to hope for those moments when she wants to sit on my lap and look at a book or just rest.  Just another milestone on the road to becoming and independent member of society, I guess.  The up side-  I got to get some new bras and thew out my nasty nursing bra that had a missing hook and a hole in the band.  Good riddance!  It’s so refreshing to have the ladies back to myself for awhile.