"Help!...Toe!!...Bama!!!"

Everly has been a regular little chatterbox for a while now, but this past week she made her first attempt at constructing a full-blown sentence. While I was cooking dinner "little miss busy bee" was fluttering around the kitchen pulling every item she could grab out of the cabinets and drawers, and then running to the laundry room to hide them next to the washing machine, when suddenly she stopped next to the trashcan and shouted, "Help!...Toe!!...Bama!!! I immediately stopped what I was doing and ran over to her because I could tell by the tone of her voice and the look on her face that she really needed help. When I got over to her I noticed that she was holding on to the trashcan with one foot lifted in the air. When I squatted down to examine her foot, I discovered that she had stepped on a piece of Bama's food and it was stuck in between her toes. Ahhh! Suddenly it all made perfect sense: Help!..Toe!!...Bama!!! translated to, "Help, Mama, I stepped on a piece of Bama's food and it is stuck in between my toes!" Pretty clever, huh?

3 Month Rewind

I can't believe it has been almost 3 months since my last post. Seriously?!!? Where does the time go? The holidays came and went in a flash and for some reason I couldn't get my groove back after the New Year started. Post holiday blues? The end of football season (Roll Tide!)? Going back to work? The sheer exhaustion from chasing a VERY curious toddler? The cold (50-60 degree) LA winter? A combination of all of the above? Who knows? Maybe it's the warm weather tease we are having here in LA this weekend, but for some reason I woke up today and was inspired to start writing on the blog again.

Since I completely neglected to properly document the holidays this year, I have decided to do a 3 month rewind to bring everyone up to speed on the latest happenings with our fam. Bear with me...there is a lot to share!!! 

Thanksgiving 2012

We flew to Alabama to celebrate Thanksgiving southern style. Family, friends, and fantastic food surrounded us during the entire visit and it reminded me once again how much I miss all of my people back home. I tried to soak in every second of my time there, but it is never long enough. My heart hurts every time I get back on a plane and head west because I know that my family will miss so many of the day to day milestones in Everly's life before we get to see them again. Growing up with such a strong extended family had a huge impact on me and I am realizing more and more how important it is to me that Everly have those same experiences and connections. It's funny how having a kid changes everything! Three years ago I would have turned my nose up at the idea of moving back to the south, now I long for the comforts of home and try to find any excuse I can to get back there. Here is the highlight reel from our trip:

Princess castle fun with Fairy Godfather

Peek-A-Boo

Putting up the Christmas tree with Poppy

Plotting with Aunt Shay

Telling MiMi stories

Turkey Baby! 

Snuggling with Dakota.

Two rascals! 

Exploring the rocks with Aunt Kay. 

Telling Nana all about it!  

Play time with her buddy Alex.

Fun times with Aunt Claire!

Adventures on the farm with MiMi!

Puddin' & Fairy Godmother

Baby Grayson and Matt

My Loves!

Christmas in Los Angeles

Since we traveled back to the south for Thanksgiving, we decided to stay in LA for Christmas. My dad was able to fly out and celebrate with us, so that made the holidays away from family a little easier to get through. In preparation for the big day we took Everly to the Grove for her annual Santa photo. This year she was not too sure about the bearded guy so I had to sit on his lap with her. We managed to get one decent photo but of course I can't find the flash drive anywhere. I guess that is what happens when you wait 3 months to post Christmas photos, huh?

She LOVED the big Christmas tree at the Grove. When she saw it she threw her hands in the air and shouted, "ta-da". As a matter of fact she said "ta-da" EVERY time she saw a decorated tree this year because every morning when I plugged in our tree I would exclaim "ta-da". Another reminder that I need to watch my language around her because she really is a little parrot these days!

Preparing for our annual Christmas card photo shoot was also quite a hoot this year. All the hours on Pinterest finally paid off after finding the inspiration for the scene below. 

The caption for the card read: "Naughty is the New Nice" 

Disclaimer: I refuse to discuss how many cookies Everly actually consumed while trying to capture the perfect shot. 

A few days before Christmas we spent the afternoon strolling through the canals in Venice Beach and checking out the shenanigans on the beach boardwalk. 

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day were both filled with excitement. I spent the evening baking my Grandma's homemade pound cake and other sweet treats, while Dad and Danny worked tirelessly in Santa's workshop. Everly's reaction to all of her gifts on Christmas morning was priceless. She was still a little too young to fully grasp what was happening, but she was certainly tickled by all of the fuss. I love the pure joy on her face in all of the photos below. 

Happy New Year! 

January came and went in a hurry. Danny and I spent New Year's Eve at home taking down the Christmas decorations. We were asleep (and stone cold sober) less than 20 minutes after the new year arrived. It really is incredible how lame we have become since having a baby. I am optimistic that we will get our mojo back one day, but to be honest, I am just too darn tired to do anything much past 10 o'clock these days. Plus, after our St. Patrick's Day outing last year we discovered life lesson #213 the hard way: "Babies and hangovers do not mix!"

My mom also came to visit for a few weeks in January, but unfortunately I don't have many photos to share because we were all sick the entire time she was here. Everly came down with the dreaded RSV virus the day my mom arrived and by the end of the week we were all 3 sick. Despite all of the sickness, Everly and MiMi managed to spend some good quality time together. One thing is for sure, those two are buddies! Everly loves her MiMi and talks about her all the time. Every time she sees the iPad she picks it up and brings it to me shouting, "MiMi, MiMi". My mom and I always joke that Everly probably thinks that she lives in a magic box because we Facetime with her so often. 

One of my favorite memories from my mom's trip is this video that we shot of Everly dancing.  It certainly captures the true spirit of our little dolly! 

February Fun! 

February was busy, but full of fun and some pretty big news too. We celebrated Valentine's Day, I was granted a sabbatical for the upcoming fall semester, Danny declared a major for his degree, and our nanny put in her notice because she got a job offer in video and film production that she couldn't turn down. Yowsa! It was heartbreaking to learn that we would be losing our nanny at the end of the month because she is like a part of our extended family. She has been with us since Everly was 3 months old and she was such a positive influence in her life. Our entire family adores her and I am having a hard time even thinking about replacing her. There was a warmth and a trust with her from the very beginning and it is hard to imagine that we would be lucky enough to find someone else that would care for our precious baby girl like she did.

Check out this February flashback: 

Valentine's Day 2012: 5 months old

Valentine's Day 2013: 17 months old

Everly is a just a few weeks shy of 18 months and I am constantly shocked by how quickly she is growing and developing into a little girl. I know every parent thinks that their kid is the brightest and smartest and cutest, but I am serious when I say that Everly is the cutest, sweetest, and smartest little angel I have ever met. She says please (peese), thank you (tank u), sure, help, no, and a whole laundry list of other words! She even said thank you the other day when one of my girlfriends gave her a cookie (without even being prompted)!!! She can also identify several different animals and can make the appropriate sounds for all of them. As a matter of fact, she does the best elephant impression I have ever seen (note to self: get that on video!). The zoo is one of our new favorite places to take her.  She is mesmerized and tickled by all of the animals. Can't you just feel the enthusiasm in the picture below? I tell ya', it is a real treat to see the world through her eyes.

She can secretly sing her ABCs and many other nursery rhymes, but she gets embarrassed when you catch her in the act. She can also name all of the plastic food items that go with her kitchen set. I love to hear her say "onion", "edamame", and "pop tart" (get that on video too!).  Seriously, friends, she is one cool kid! 

Like most kids her age, Everly can also throw a tantrum with the best of them. She truly is the sweetest little soul you will ever meet, but she also knows exactly what she wants and is not afraid to let you know if your plan does not align with hers. She kind of reminds me of a Sour Patch Kid on some days. Have you seen the commercial where the piece of candy does something bad and then immediately hugs the person before they can react? The quick changing temperament has probably been the most shocking and challenging part of her development thus far. I mean I knew the "terrible 2's" were around the corner, but I had no idea they would start so early or be so dramatic. Recently, I was totally that parent in the middle of Target with a screaming kid laid out in the middle of the floor and I am here to tell you that there isn't much you can do at this stage other than get the hell out of the store as fast as you can. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to all of the parents that I secretly judged (and maybe not so secretly: insert eye roll or dirty look) before I had kids. I had no idea how challenging it was to raise another human being so I hope it makes everyone feel better to know that the karma train has arrived at our house. Ha-ha! 

Never fear though! I am currently in the thick of research regarding early child development and parenting techniques. I am learning a ton of information about her current stage of development, which is giving me a better understanding of what is happening with Everly right now. I am also running up to 15-20 miles per week, practicing a lot of deep breathing techniques, and saying lots of prayers to get through some of the tantrums. Hell, I even broke down and cried the other day too. 

I've said it before, and I will say it again, Everly is going to be my best teacher in this life. We have survived 24 hours of labor, 3.5 hours of pushing, an emergency C-section, breastfeeding drama, colic, sleepless nights (hello woombie), sleep training, and a whole host of other milestones and challenges in the last 18 months. I am 100% certain that we will make it through the "terrible 2's", the "tantrum 3's" and the "f*#k you 4's" with flying colors. After all, this is preparation for the teenage years, right? Lord help us all!