Three is a Magic Number

This blog is (over) three years old, Evie is three, we're a family of three. It's a number that traditionally represents unity and completion. I've been feeling for months that my blogging is complete and finished, but I've left things open to the possibility of another adoption and my potential desire to write about that process.

But a couple of things have happened to change that. First, J and I have both experienced a growing feeling of peace about being done with the adoption process. As the last year and a half has progressed we haven't felt more and more anxious about being chosen by a birth family, but instead more and more peaceful about not being chosen at all. This is not to say that our family is finished, but that we are ready to leave infant adoption behind and wait a few years before considering foster adoption of a child younger than Evie. My thought is to perhaps wait until Evie is in middle school and then adopt an elementary-aged child. We'll look at that more closely in a few years.

The other thing that happened recently is that I switched e-mail accounts and didn't realize that by deleting my old e-mail, Blogger would delete all of the photos on this blog that were attached to that old account. Even though I authorized my new e-mail as an administrator of the blog, the photos were lost. I still have them on my computer, but I don't have time to go back and re-upload them all back into the posts where they belong. Grrrr. Technology strikes again.

So, blogging is done for now. I haven't been good about posting or keeping up with other blogs recently anyhow, so it's a no-brainer decision. I'm Facebook friends with some of the women I've met in the infertility/adoption blogging community, so I still keep up with people that way. E-mail me if you'd like to friend me there.

Evie is doing great, but I really don't have anything to write about parenting that isn't being said on a million other mommy blogs right now. It's challenging, it's fun, it's a daily blessing and I could brag about my daughter for many, many paragraphs. :) As far as blogging about our open adoption, I'm not feeling as comfortable with that right now. We definitely have adoption-related issues, conversations, etc., but as Evie gets closer to the age where she'll "get it" I am less and less comfortable writing about R & G online at all, and I am careful what I say to people about them, especially around Evie. She's the classic little pitcher with big ears.

Anyhow, unless God intervenes between now and February (when our home study expires), this is it for Clio. I've been immeasurably blessed by the relationships I've formed by participating in the online ALI and mommy blogging world, so thank you to everyone who has read the blog, cared about my family and offered prayers for us over the years!

Happy Independence Day!

Evie's first sparkler was a big hit:
Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

California Vacation

We just got back from a week's vacation in California with Evie's Nana and Papa, and it was a great time:

Gone Fishin'

Evie and I went to a local children's farm yesterday, where she had a blast feeding baby goats, gobbling at a male turkey, seeing her first bald eagle and catching her first fish! I have to admit that a nearby dad who was there fishing with his son taught me how to put a worm on the hook, and then helped me get our fish off of the hook and back in the lake. Next time I'll know how to do it myself, which makes me feel like supermommy. Let me assure the rest of you who might have the same hesitations that I did...worms don't feel nearly as gross as they look, and they don't bleed when you put them on the hook. It's not nearly as disgusting as you might think. Anyhow. Unfortunately, we were too excited about our little fish (it was silver...small trout?) and forgot to get a picture of it for posterity. But we did get a few other pictures from the day.

(My friend is helping Evie hold her rod while I take the picture, and Evie's little friend is a second away from petting the worms.)

Two and a Half

Evie is two and a half today! Growing up, my family celebrated half birthdays with a special outing and called it "Karen Day" or, now, "Evie Day." We aren't going anywhere today, but we took Evie's special trip on Tuesday to the Mall of America, with her Nana and Papa. She got to ride in the Wonderpets' flyboat and also the carousel, Ferris wheel and a Diego ride (all in the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park there). It was "Toddler Tuesday" and Evie got a ride wristband for about 1/2 price. She loved it! Today we had a little chocolate cake after lunch and if you ask her, Evie will tell you "I am two and a half now!"

Here's a picture of our sweetie from yesterday, enjoying spring weather outside. The socks make the outfit, don't you think?

One more recent picture, here is Evie getting her first haircut last month. Her verdict: "I don't like haircuts." But she cooperated and now her hair is a tiny bit shorter with the baby wispies trimmed off. Since her hair is curly, you can't really tell any difference before and after the cut; she didn't really need the haircut, but I thought she might have a few split ends so it would be good to trim them once in awhile:

Here's the rundown on Evelyn at 2.5:

*29.5 pounds (59th%)

*36 inches tall (53rd%)

*size 7 shoe

*teeth: all 20! (and no more drooling!)

*favorite toy: umbrella/parasol

*favorite book: whatever is new and different (e.g. library books)

*favorite character: Kipper

*favorite color: blue

*favorite activity: going on a walk

*favorite song: Brahms Lullaby (words by Daddy)

*favorite food: "mush and raisins" (cream of wheat)

*favorite clothes: naked, or pajamas

*favorite shoes: running shoes

*fears: drains (!), strangers, small appliances (sometimes they are loud)

*dislikes: getting out of the bathtub, new foods, brushing teeth, bedtime

*challenges: she's recently started playing favorites; yesterday she only wanted Daddy and told me to "go away!" but then today she called out "I want Mommy!" when J was trying to get her upstairs for a nap. She's also started asking both of us for something she wants, if the first parent she asks says "no." So we're working on the united front. And if we both say no she starts up with the whining "pleeeeease?" We're staying strong and hope to extinguish the whining by not giving in.

*potty learning: so far, so good...only a handful of accidents in the last 6 weeks

*sleeping: doesn't nap unless she's sick or had a short night of sleep. Generally she's sleeping 12 hours total from about 7 pm to 7 am.

*drinking: about 16 oz. of 2% milk and/or soy milk each day and about the same amount of water

*eating: picky, picky, picky...a typical day is toast with jam for breakfast, PB&J sandwich and fruit for lunch, trail mix for a snack and peas, black beans and something else for dinner.

*gross motor: can gallop, run faster than my jogging pace (!) and do most playground equipment by herself (except big kid stuff like monkey bars)

*fine motor: much less messy with a spoon these days

*verbal: "no" at 2 years is now "I don't want to" at 2.5 and this morning she said "Mommy, you need to put on some socks; your feet look kinda cold." Her grammar grows every. single. day. She's also full of questions. Reading a book produces a lot of "what's that?" questions and when we are driving somewhere I have to answer "where are we going?" about every 5 minutes. A few times she's gone on "why?" binges as well.

*cognitive: she can count past 20 by rote if she wants to (if she's focused on it) and if you put 5 or fewer objects in front of her and ask her to count them she'll get the right number by pointing to each item as she counts. If you give her more than 5 items she tends to skip some or count some twice and arrive at the wrong number.

*social: understands gender and mostly knows whether people are "boys" or "girls" and is very interested in feelings. When a character in a book is not smiling, she often asks "what is his mouth doing?" which is her way of asking "what is his emotion?" If I am feeling frustrated or tired, Evie will quiz me with "Are you happy, Mommy?" over and over. Sometimes the question improves my mood and sometimes it doesn't. :) She's also learning to share, if we're there to remind her to do it.

*play: the pretend play stage is here! J and I are encouraged to nibble on a piece of mulch that is a "cupcake" or coo at the invisible baby she's rocking in her arms. My absolute favorite is when she reads books to her stuffed animals.

We're looking forward to the return of warm weather and the fun we'll have in the back yard this year with Evie's new water table, and in the park with her bike. Her third birthday will be here before we know it, and Evie already knows what she wants: balloons and chocolate cake.