Emotions and Imaginations

In the last few months, Peter and I have both noticed that Eva's emotional and imaginative sides are developing like crazy! She's always been pretty aware of emotions, noticing crying, sadness, scared feelings, or happy feelings very frequently for the past year or so. She quickly learned to recognize feelings she was having and declared them, and then moved on to noting emotions in other people, in tv characters, or even in her animals/dolls/toys. This later stage of making up feelings that inanimate objects have is a current favorite past time. One example happened at breakfast today:

While we were finishing eating together, Peter raised his bare foot next to Eva's chair and wiggled his toes at her. Then Eva proceeded to talk to Peter's toes, in her sing-songy, pretending voice:

Eva: Hi there (directed at the toes), what is your name?
Peter: I am daddy's toes.
Eva: Hi toes, I'm Eva. Are you hungry?
Peter: No, toes don't eat!
Eva: Oh, okay, are you sad? Let me give you a hug (followed by gently hugging Peter's foot - while Peter and I laugh uncontrollably.)

Another interesting development is that almost every favorite toy now has its own personality, feelings and a voice of its own in Eva's world, including puzzle pieces, trains, baby dolls, lambie, bouncing balls - sometimes even food! Also, it is often true that if we talk to her toys about going to sleep, eating, or getting dressed, she will respond much faster then if we just ask her. She will also have a conversation with said toy about doing said activity. She will also mercilessly mimic us in her conversations. For example:

Liz: Eva, it's time to take a nap sweetie.
Eva: Nap sweetie... come lambie, let's nap sweetie.
Liz: Is lambie tired too?
Eva: (directed to lambie, in sing-songy voice) Are you tired too sweetie? Nap sweetie? Good night sweetie.

Also, she turned to Peter the other day and said, "Daddy, what you thinking about?" THAT one was mimicing mommy. :)

I kind of love all these things that she is picking up and reflecting to us... we just have to keep being intentional about how we talk and emote around this kiddo!

(this picture is Eva's response when I said, "Smile!" with the camera.)

Memory Updates

There have a been a lot of neat things going on lately that I haven't had enough time to take photos of, upload, blog and reflect on, etc... Capturing my own memories is a good thing I've learned. Reviewing our photos reminds me of all the good fun life going on lately - we celebrated Ando's 1st birthday with champagne and fabulous friends, had fun with both sets of grandparents in town and most of Eva's aunts and uncles, enjoyed her second birthday with more family and several of her godparents in town, had my mom here to watch her for almost a week while I wrote and Peter was out of town for work and visiting his sis and bro in law, and then we drove my mom home and spent Easter in MN. Whew!

Some other things I want to remember that have happened lately include:

First off, check out Kate's blog post on Eva for some great shots of her with Izey, Ando and at her bday! Thanks godmomma for the online love :).

Second, check out smugmug (grandmas), to see a lotta new photos uploaded. Spring and birthday and... just life.

Third, some fave memories that happened recently that I want to make sure to remember....

* Last month we got to meet two second cousins of Eva's - Kaden and Grace - adorable and fun babies of Peter's cousins, Anna (and dad Audley) and Steve (and momma Beth).

* Eva had her first Easter egg hunt scavenging around my parents back yard! She loved it. And she got her first piggy bank for Easter too (a shiny blue piggie! good job Megs!)

* Eva routinely wakes up in the morning lately singing "Happy Birthday" in her crib. :)
* Her favorite morning ritual right now is watering the plants, which must be done by first pouring water from a cup into her watering can, and then watering each plant, one by one. (Peter found out today what happens if you fill up her watering can without her!)

On the First Day After Having My Paper Turned in...

We enjoyed a beautiful Saturday! Warm, sunny, breezy - the perfect kind of day to not be in a basement office!

This morning Peter and Eva made Swedish pancakes and coffee for us all - yum. And I got to see a good friend from Florida visiting the city for mtngs for a Starbucks catch up. We danced a little, laughed a little, and cleaned up a little.





Then this afternoon we took our inaugural ride with the much anticipated.... bike trailer! Eva LOVES riding in it, and Peter said it was fairly easy to pull around. She even liked wearing the helmet. We made a stop at the playground with the big kid slide and the sandbox, two of Eva's favorites. We saw ducks in the river and lots of dogs on the path while we biked. When we got home we chatted with our neighbors and blew bubbles all over the deck.





Tonight I am going to go to bed at a normal time - which will make a record two nights in a row since I went to sleep at 10pm last night. Peter and I might watch tv together. Before that, Eva will watch some Dora, get her sand-caked feet washed in the tub, and I will read her books before putting her to sleep and kissing her sweaty little head. Insert sigh of happiness - here - .

I am feeling so very grateful for all the normal, everyday, ordinary yet extraordinary things today. What a perfect, relaxing, normal Saturday. :) Good job God.

What I've Been Up To....

Number of totally edited, formatted, organized, super-citation filled pages that I just turned in to my PhD Advisor: 266 (not even counting the 15 "extra" pages!)

Number of hours I have slept in the last three days: 9

Number of showers I have taken in the last three days: 1

Number of cans of Diet Dr Pepper I drank last week: between 36-40

Number of (homeade by Peter!) sugar cookies with chocolate frosting that I ate for breakfast: 2

Number of days until my scheduled defense that I am pretty nervous about: 10

Number of days that I will probably not be online in the future so that I can sleep, see Eva, see Peter, eat, sleep, shower, go outside, clean up my office, sleep...... priceless

WOO HOO!!!!