Goo-Goo Gaa-Gaa

Everly turned 15 months old this week and she has turned into quite the little parakeet. My pediatrician warned us to watch our language around her because she can understand and will repeat (even if she doesn't understand) everything we say. Her favorite words right now are:

• "ta-da" = Christmas tree (every time we plug it in or if she sees a tree in a store she exclaims "ta-da" and throws her hands in the air) 
• "pa-poo" = poo-poo (she loves to go outside with Bama when it is time for her to do her business and shout "pa-poo, pa-poo, pa-poo" the entire time we are out there)
• "down" (she uses this word when she wants to be picked up and put down),
• "more" (she also knows sign language for "more" and when she is really hungry it is hilarious to watch her repeat "more, more, more" over and over and frantically use the sign as if we have been starving her for days)

Here's a quick video clip of Everly "performing" some of her new words:

My goal this week is to clean up my own language. Danny is convinced that Everly's first phrase is going to be "Dammit Bama" if we don't watch it. Ha!

Rock the Vote!

Dear Everly,

This week you experienced your very first presidential election. On Tuesday, November 6, 2012 President Barack Obama was reelected by the citizens of the United States of America to serve as our 44th president. One day you will learn all about the election process, the requirements for becoming president, and the history of our great nation, but I also want you to learn what it means to be a responsible, active, tolerant, and global citizen. It won't be long before you learn about the inequities and injustices in our world. I wish I could protect you from all of the hate, ignorance, and prejudice that exists, but unfortunately, I know that is not possible. Instead, I will do everything I can to educate you, encourage you, and model for you what it means to be an open-minded, tolerant, compassionate, and rationale young lady.

I want you to always remember how important it is to exercise your right to vote and support issues that are important to you, especially since women haven't always been allowed to exercise this basic democratic right. Baby girl, don't ever be afraid to stand up for what you believe in and know is right. Always follow your heart and remember never to judge someone by their appearance, but rather pay close attention to how they treat those around them because this will tell you a great deal about their character. Surround yourself with positive, caring, and hard-working people. Don't ignore those who are less fortunate than you, embrace and celebrate diversity, and do what you can to help make this world a better place.

Your visit to the polling place with your Daddy on Election Day marked the first step in our journey together as a family to promote responsible and active citizenship.  I look forward to the day when we can participate in community service together, engage in thoughtful deliberations, examine multiple perspectives, and respectfully agree to disagree! :)


Love,
Mama

Rocking Daddy's "I Voted" sticker after he cast his ballot. 

Daddy dressed you in your little black dress and your hot pink cardigan to go and vote!

May the Force Be With You!

Last week we celebrated Everly's second Halloween and it was SO much fun! Even though Everly didn't quite get the whole "Trick or Treating" concept, she did enjoy walking around the neighborhood and interacting with all the people. By the end of the night she had the whole "grab the candy out of the bowl" routine down. She actually scored some pretty good treats for her Daddy and I! 

I am also super proud of our costumes! When I found out my mom's group was going with the Star Wars theme, I knew immediately that we were going to have a blast choosing our characters and designing our costumes. Since Danny is a HUGE Star Wars fan, we had to contemplate all the different character choices carefully. We finally decided to go with C3PO, R2D2, and Anakin Skywalker. 

Side note to Everly from Her Daddy: Everly, since your Mama has never seen STAR WARS! Dada will explain to you one day how Anakin, aka Darth Vader, was the original owner of R2D2 and C3PO...well actually he built C3PO and received R2D2 from Padme...I digress...anyway I promise to introduce you to Star Wars at a later date ;)). 

Isn't Everly the most adorable R2D2 you have ever seen? 

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

It is hard to believe that Halloween is almost here. I can vividly recall our first Halloween with Everly last year and how "out of sorts" we all felt. Everly was about 6 weeks old and Danny and I were both so exhausted we didn't know which end was up, but somehow we managed to dress Everly up in a bumble bee costume (thanks Fairy Godmother) and head out for trick or treating in our neighborhood. I guess that is just how you roll when you love Halloween as much as Danny and I both do! :) I still remember our conversation about how we were going to go "all out" with our family costumes next year as we walked from house to house with Everly snuggled up in the Baby Bjorn on Danny's chest. 

Fast forward one year later and we are holding true to our promise to go "all out". The Halloween festivities are in full swing in our household. We have already made two visits to the pumpkin patch, decorated the entire house, and are putting the finishing touches on our DIY costumes (no store bought costumes in this house!). I will be sure to post the "big reveal" photos of our costumes and Halloween shenanigans next week. For now though, I will leave you with some photos from our visits to the pumpkin patch.

Look Who's Walking Now!

For the past month Everly has been threatening to walk. She has been scaling the walls of the "play area" and cruising around the furniture at lightning speed all summer long. Towards the end of August she started taking a step or two without holding on to anything if there was something (or someone) really close by that she could grab. About a week before her birthday we bought her what I lovingly refer to as her lawnmower, which quickly helped her build some confidence while speeding around the living room and mowing down anything that crossed her path (poor Bama!).

Two days after her birthday she decided to let go of her lawnmower and walk about six steps toward her Auntie Genell while we were all sitting in the floor opening her birthday presents. We all squealed with delight and I felt sure that she would be walking everywhere within the next few days. Boy was I wrong. She actually stopped taking steps altogether over the next few days and reverted back to crawling and cruising. 

Two days ago, out of nowhere, Everly walked across the entire living room right before bed time. I was sitting on the floor and I told her to come to me so we could put on her PJs. Before I knew what was happening she was walking across the room with her little arms straight out in front of her and the biggest smile I have ever seen on her precious little face. I froze and held my breath because I knew any sudden movement or sound from me would probably cause her to lose her concentration and fall. When she finally made it over to me she stumbled into my arms and nuzzled her head in my chest. She was so proud of herself. Of course all I could do was cry. 

I could hardly wait for her to walk again, but after that stellar performance she refused to try it again. Yesterday she went back to cruising and holding on to the walls, furniture, and gates. I was fully prepared for her to take another break, but apparently she woke up this morning and decided that today would be the day that she would walk. Luckily, our nanny was here with us today so I was finally able to catch all of the action on tape. Watch out world, here she comes!  

The Carousel of Life Turns So Fast

I know the first birthday party is not something that Everly is going to remember when she gets older, but I can promise you that it is a day that we will never forget. After months of researching ideas on Pinterest and many long hours planning the perfect party, I could not be happier with the celebration we put together for our baby girl and all of our friends and family. The party took place at the Carousel at the Santa Monica Pier and it was the perfect location for a first birthday party.

My mother-in-law made all of the adorable decorations. Check out the birthday banners, the pinwheel centerpieces, and the festive puff balls that brought the party to life. 

My dear friend Christine baked some of the most delicious and adorable cupcakes you have ever put in your mouth. She was also responsible for the most spectacular dessert table display I have ever seen! The smash cake, the doughnut holes (aka strong man dumbbells), and the overall presentation would not have been possible without her. Everything looked so perfect I think people were afraid to touch it at first! 

In addition to all of the sweet treats on the dessert table we also served pinwheel sandwiches (also prepared by Christine), fresh fruit in sugar cones that looked like clown hats, animal crackers, carousel cookies (prepared by Mimi), PB&J and cheese sandwiches cut out in the shape of carousel horses, circus peanuts, and hamburgers and hot dogs prepared by the Soda Jerks counter at the Carousel. Thanks for putting together a stunning table display, Tammy! ;) 

Even though it was one of the hottest days of the year everyone enjoyed all of the activities and treats at the party. The carousel provided non-stop entertainment for the kids and adults. Everyone also enjoyed the talented artist, Max Espinoza, who created caricatures for all of our guests. 

All of the kids left with goodie bags that contained mustaches, clown noses, and circus style rubber duckies. Carnival prize goldfish, personalized milk bottles, and tokens for ice cream cones were also on the treat table. 

The party concluded with the smash cake and the customary signing of the happy birthday song to Miss Everly. In true Everly fashion she ate up all of the attention while in the spotlight and capped off the day by destroying her cake. I think it is safe to say that our little darling is going to love sweets!

I will forever have the memory of Everly sitting on the carousel horse smiling from ear to ear and cooing softly as her hair blew in the wind while we spun in circles on the carousel. On our last ride of the day she leaned back into me and nuzzled her head into my neck almost as if to say, "Thanks Mama for an awesome day!" You are welcome a million times over Everly Lily. You truly are the gift that keeps on giving. 

It took several people to make this day come together and I humbled by all of the love and support our friends and family have shown to us over the past year. I cannot tell you how much it meant to have so many wonderful and special people there to celebrate Everly's first year with us. Even though we were missing a few of our favorite and closest family members and friends your presence was felt and your kind gestures and sincere birthday wishes were appreciated more than you will ever know. I hope Everly will always remember and have gratitude for all of the blessings and amazing people in her life.

I would like to give a special thanks to my Mom, Pamma, Christine, Tammy, Genell, and Kim for all of their hard work, generosity, and thoughtfulness. Kim, we never would have made it to the pier without the "sub". Thank you for loaning us the bus so we could transport everything (and everyone!) to the party! Genell, you did such a great job capturing all of the priceless moments of the day! Your positive energy always grounds me and reminds me to keep everything in perspective. Tammy, I would have never made it through the day without your calming spirit, humor, and organization. Every time I felt overwhelmed or stressed you reassured me that everything was going to be just fine (and it was!). Christine, your delicious desserts, creativity, and persistence that eventually convinced me to let go of some of the baking truly saved my sanity and added an extra dose of razzle dazzle to the event that would not have been possible without you. Pamma, your artistic touch and unconditional love shines through in everything you do. Thank you for taking the time to give such attention to detail with all of the decorations. It was truly a pleasure to work in the sweatshop with you! Mom, your adventurous, child-like spirit and innocence always makes me smile. Thank you for the fabulous party dress and for all the hours you spent perfecting those carousel cookies! 

When is the next party? The flop house is taking reservations now!!!