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A Week Later...

Well, here we are at Friday already, and I still haven't told you guys about our last weekend! We took a trip to Minneapolis to stay with my parents, and Mike took Monday off so we could have a three day weekend.

On Sunday, Eva got to spend a whole day with Grandma and Grandpa while Mike and I went to the Renaissance Festival. That day was the longest we've been apart from Eva. We had a great time, but we missed her like crazy—especially because there were so many kids running around in their cute little costumes. Of course, Eva was so busy having fun with her grandparents, we're not sure she even knew we were gone.

On Monday, Eva's grandpa took off work so he could join us all at the zoo. Eva only lasted about 4 hours, and she seemed equally excited about the animals and all the other kids, but I think she had a fun time—this week she's spent a lot of time chanting Zoo! Zoo! (Which may or not be due to the fact that the zoo is where she tasted her first cotton candy.)

I'm hoping to update our Flickr photos this weekend, so you'll be able to see lots of shots from our weekend. But I know waiting's no fun, so here's a few to tide you over:

 

 

  

Almost Back on Track

Ok. Got the camera cord. Just haven't had time to sort through our many many pictures yet. So. How about another photo from one-year-ago-today?

That's Eva, at age 3 months. And, as a treat for putting up with my non-technical difficulties this week, a video! (In which Eva and I discuss a major event in her life: the night the smoke detector started beeping.) And if one video isn't enough for you, head on over to Blauggie and witness what my family made Eva do over and over again while Mike and I were away.

Doo Dee Doo. Ho Hum.

Nothing's going on. Nope. Uh Uh. Everything's under control. Just because I can't find the camera cord that lets me get all of our (freaking) pictures from our (wonderful) weekend off of the (stupid) camera, that's no cause for worry. I swear. It's being handled.

Here! Let's play a fun game! Let's look back into the vast Paulus photo archives and find a picture of Eva from THIS VERY DAY, one year ago! Want to? Yes? Lookit!

Awwwww. Cute, right? OK, then—nothing else to see here. Move along...

Oops.

Um. I'm sorry. Did I forget to tell you that we were planning to leave town for a long weekend? And that we wouldn't even be back home until Tuesday morning? And did I also forget to mention that I probably wouldn't be posting any new pictures or profound words of wisdom until Tuesday or maybe even Wednesday, so you shouldn't bother checking for anything new on Bellyville?

I did? I forgot to tell you? I'm ever so sorry.

And now here it is Tuesday, and I've sat down to organize our pictures from the weekend (Zoo! And Grandma! And Grandpa! And cotton candy!), and I've just realized I don't have the cord required to get the pictures off of the camera and onto this here internet.

So we'll catch up tomorrow then, eh?

The Art of Improvisation

Yesterday, my daughter started calling me Mamie. Not Mama. Not Mommy. Mamie.

Not sure how I feel about that.

The Great Pretender

In the past couple weeks, I've noticed small signs of Eva's developing imagination. She's begun humming little songs to herself, she plays games with her food—dancing it across her tray, and she picks up anything remotely cup-like and pretends to take a drink. (As well as ordering everyone else in the room to also take a drink.)

The other day we were having a snack, and she insisted on giving her ducky a drink of water and an animal cracker each time she had one. I was so entertained by all the adorableness that I decided to let slide the fact that she came out with double the crackers this way—after all, someone had to help ducky finish his.
 

Hey! Remember Gideon?

Time for a little catch-up with our pal Gideon. And is it ever a good time to do that—Gideon's little family is in the middle of a major upheaval. Gideon's daddy has accepted a new job (yay) that requires him to live three hours away from his family (boo) during the week. Here's our boy, carrying around his daddy's shoe because he misses him so much:

 

Eventually, Gideon and his mama will join his daddy in their new town, but they will be living apart for the better part of a year before that happens. Kim (Gideon's mama) has agreed to remain at her current job until June, so she's suddenly found herself a (weekday) single mom. And it's going...kind of rough.

She says:

[...I've become] a tired, stressed, underfed, poorly dressed, single mommy Monday through Friday evenings. I feel like I am constantly rushing around, warming up leftovers for dinner, I don't give Gideon enough time or pet the dog enough, and I sure do not spend enough time choosing my wardrobe in the morning (I have been completing the "getting ready" process at work.")

I am keeping a journal to remember when things run smoothly, and I am taking mental notes, but I know this could be going better. I am looking for tips from other single, working mommies who make it work.

So how about it? Anyone out there have some insider advice for Kim? Or maybe just some support? I think it might help just to know she's not alone.

Meanwhile, Kim, hang in there. June will be here eventually. I promise.
 

Buddies.

This is Rowan. He's three.

And as of last Friday, he'll be coming over to our house twice a week for a few hours while his daddy goes to school.

I think the arrangement is going to work out well. It's good for Eva to be exposed to another kid regularly—you know, to learn about sharing and cooperation and wet willies and things like that. Rowan is an extremely well-behaved little boy, and he's so patient with Eva. It is soul-crushingly adorable. I almost can't stand the cuteness. I really don't think there is a kid out there who could set a better example for her. Here he is, explaining the finer points of the shape sorter.

Yesterday, he brought along some crackers for a snack, and as he opened the bag he said "Here Eva, would you like a cracker?" and handed her one.

I know. How lucky are we?

Festival-y.

Whew. Are you tired? I'm tired. Beat, actually. We Pauluses packed a lot (LOT) of fun into this past weekend. We spent Saturday downtown, once again celebrating the international-ness of fall in Eau Claire. Remember last year? (Click here if you need a reminder.) This year's festival was a lot like last year's, so I won't recap, but there was one major difference: Eva's Grandma and Grandpa B. came—to visit and also for the cheese curds.

Eva got to feed some goats, she pet a wallaby, and she ate her first Pronto Pup (slathered in mustard, naturally.)

Mike and I used Eva to lure my parents to town, and then made her bat her eyes at her grandpa until he agreed to help us rip out the giant, unruly, incredibly intimidating hedge in our front yard.

(Alright, alright, he knew about the bushes before he got here—and he was extremely gracious about helping. He even provided most of the tools. Thanks Dad!)

We've been wanting that hedge removed since we bought the house, so it was so nice to have it finally, finally gone. Now we have an (extremely) intimidating clean slate to start with next Spring. That gives us plenty of time to collect lots of advice as to what kinds of plants/flowers/bushes we should put in. Because I can not overstate how lost we are when it comes to foliage choices. (For real. Do you have any guidance to offer? Do you? Please help us. Please.)

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. (We seem to be having a lot of those lately. Lucky us!) My favorite part of the weekend? Once the bushes were removed, we discovered the neighbor's cat has been using one of our window wells as a nest? den? nursery? for her litter of kittens.

Awwwwwwww. Fuzzy.

 

Conversations with a One-Year-Old

At dinner last night:

Me: Eva, can you say Eva?
She: E-vee!
Me: Good! Can you say Paulus?
She: ...Pow-its.
Me: That's right! Good! Eva...
She: E-vee!
Me: Paulus.
She: Pow-its.
Me: Good job, baby! Your name is Eva Paulus.
She: ...Poop.

Fin.