Cream of Potato Soup

Okay folks. If you can believe it, we're almost all packed. I feel like I'm going crazy, but I think we may actually pull this off.

Evan's been with Mike's mom for yesterday and today, allowing me to get a lot of work done. I only hope I can finish everything up tonight for the big day tomorrow.

The next time I post, it will be from lovely Meadville, and I will fill you in on how Ev is coping with life in a new house. I hope it doesn't take long to get our internet access up and running!

Posted by jenny at 04:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some days are better than others, especially when it comes to packing.

Monday was a good day--Ev spent a few hours at my mom's and I made a big dent in the living room. Ev also slept for much of the evening, so Mike and I were able to chip away at the rest of it that night.

Tuesday was a great day--cousin Linda came over to watch Ev while I packed, but she ended up doing more packing than I did! She helped me pack the kitchen while Ev slept, ate or played with me, then when it stopped raining she took him outside so I could finish up. He also fell asleep super early again, so we were in good shape.

Yesterday was a crummy day--I couldn't find anyone to take Ev and he took a short nap yesterday so I didn't get much done at all. Of course, even after Mike got home and his mom got into town, I still spent the majority of the night playing out in the yard with the kids instead of up here doing work. But I suppose that's okay, I was beginning to go crazy with the whole thing.

Today and tomorrow should be good. Mike's mom is in town and will take Ev for the whole day, which will allow me to get a lot done. I can't believe how quickly Saturday is creeping up on us.

Posted by jenny at 07:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is Monday, day one of my five day maniac packing spree. Luckily, it's breezy and raining, so I should be pretty comfy spending the day in the apartment. Evan is leaving in just a few minutes to spend the entire day with his grandma at her house, thankfully. I should get a lot more done that way! In fact, I have people watching Ev for all or part of the day almost every day this week, so that is excellent.

I only have two small problems. Mike took the car to work with our roll of packing tape still inside, and I forgot to get some newspaper from my dad's yesterday to use for packing dishes and glasses. Ah heck.

If anyone is in the area and wants to stop by to help or drop off the aforementioned items, I'm here all day. Wish me luck.

Posted by jenny at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's going to be this way for the next few weeks as I continue to pack, move and unpack. My days are full of unfinished lists and boxes that need to be packed. 8 more days til we blow this pop stand.

On Monday we went to Meadville and met with Evan's new caseworker for EI, Barb. She's super nice and was very helpful. She wanted to hear all about Ev's birth and seemed very shocked to hear what we went through. I hadn't gone through the whole thing in a while, but I always seem to deliver the tale nonchalantly--it's easier than getting into all the details and getting all emotional about it. I think Barb was surprised by the fact that I spoke so candidly, but really it seems like so long ago now, and I can speak about it with a degree of detachment. I did express my fears of having a second child to her, and she basically said she would feel the same way. It was nice to talk about it.

While meeting with her, I got all the paperwork done to start Evan's therapy, so he should be able to begin the week we move in. What a relief! I'm glad to finally get the wheels in motion and get Ev what he needs. I want to get him saying more than "Mam" and "Dada", because I think his frustration at not being able to communicate is growing. He's having more tantrums and fits of rage over not being able to let me know what he needs, and it's wearing on all of us.

He is napping now, so I should use this time to get some work done. Wish me luck.

Posted by jenny at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was Evan's 18 month doctor's appointment. He is 33 inches tall and weighs just under 23 pounds. He also had the last of his shots (until age 4) and we don't have to go back again until January. Of course, he cried so much over his shots that the nurses gave him M & M's, a toy, two stickers, and a balloon. He's got them all snowed...

Now he's in the tub after getting covered in mac and cheese during dinner. I better go lend Daddy a hand.

Posted by jenny at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're back from our weekend away, and back to the daily grind. Evan has fallen into his routine fairly easily, so I count myself lucky this morning as he takes his little nap.

We enjoyed our time in Cleveland, and Evan enjoyed all the attention he received from his grandparents. He spent lots of time outside getting wet and dirty, so it was really a lot of fun for him. Mike and I got to relax a bit, so that alone was worth the trip.

We did have another reason for going though--Mike's folks got us tickets to see "The Lion King" as an early anniversary present. It was an outstanding show. We both really enjoyed it. Even though we were very familiar with the story already, it was great to hear the music performed live and see all the dancers and magnificent costumes. It was a great experience. And *star sighting*--I was happy to see that the guy who plays Scar was Paige Davis' husband, Patrick Page. TLC junkie that I am--I love Trading Spaces (a guilty pleasure of mine), and I saw the two of them marry on "A Wedding Story", so I felt like I already knew her husband. That was our big thrill for the weekend.

Now we're back home, and it's supposed to cool off a bit this week, so maybe I'll start packing a bit. Moving day is a mere 18 days away.

Posted by jenny at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So yesterday was the 4th of July, and Evan had a blast (forgive the pun). He was so much more fun than last year, when all he did was lay around on a blanket or sleep.

We had a picnic at my Grandma's in the afternoon and after sleeping through the first two hours of it, Ev was raring to go. He got up and had some picnic food, then started tearing around the yard with anyone who would take him. He visited the dog, played with his uncles, rode the tractor with Grandpa, and was walked around by his aunt and cousins. He really enjoyed the day.

I think the thing he liked the best was our stash of PA legal fireworks. You know, those exciting things like bang snaps, sparklers, party poppers. I blew a party popper off just to see what Ev's reaction would be, and he started laughing hysterically. So we kept shooting those and throwing bang snaps at the garage wall just to keep Evan laughing. He loved it.

After dessert, we were joined by Aunt Beth and headed down to Mercyhurst for the real fireworks. I was a bit nervous about taking Evan--I was certain that he would start screaming and crying about the loud noises. We got there, set up shop on the front lawn and just as I was feeding Ev some chocolate, the first fireworks lit the sky. Evan was mesmerized. He sat, completely frozen in shock, for the entire display. I think he liked them, but it's hard to tell for sure. I guess it must be weird to see something like that for the first time--you must think the world is ending.

Now we're headed to Cleveland for a visit with Mike's family. We'll be back in a few days, full of exciting tales of our adventures.

Posted by jenny at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think I said that our days have been busy in our last post, and that continues to be the case. It's fun though--Ev and I love to be out and about and enjoying friends and family.

Tuesday was dedicated to Aunt Cara--we spent the whole day running all over Erie County with her, and we had a lot of fun. She's one of those people that I can do and say anything with, so just going to get her car washed or running out to pick up her mom from work is fun. Evan had a great time too. He just loves Cara and he had fun going in and out of the car to the mall, the car wash, McDonald's, Edinboro U, and Mrs. C's office. Ev was well behaved almost everywhere and I think he was sad to see the day end.

After such a nice day, yesterday was a day from hell. Ev was up most of the night cranky because I think he had a stuffy nose. He then decided to wake up at 6 and that began the day of terror. In the morning, we headed out to Lauren's parents house for a visit. Ev hung on my leg or cried most of the time we were there, which was a shame because there were lots of old toys and a nice little girl to play with there. He did enjoy playing in the yard, but that didn't last too long either. Luckily he fell asleep for a bit and that allowed Lisa and me to have some time to chat with Lo's parents.

We headed home around lunchtime, so Evan could begin screaming and throwing his entire lunch on the floor. He then screamed some more when I took him out to play, but he wouldn't take a nap either. We ended up in the car headed for Meadville because the car is the only place he would settle down.

Ev and I then visited Daddy's office, and strolled around the campus for a bit. We checked out the Gin Iggle in Meadville before heading back up 79 and home. When we got home he screamed some more, at his dinner, at me, at his pal Kaitlyn. Ev wanted nothing to do with anything and I was relieved when he finally fell asleep at 9:30.

Today he seems in better spirits, and I hope none of us have a day like that ever again.

Posted by jenny at 08:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)