17 Months... yeah, I'm a slacker.

My little sweetie turns 17 months old today.  I've been chasing her around the house shouting, "ACK! Crayons are for paper only!" My little baby is in full on toddler mode. She's testing boundaries and expressing her strong will all the time.  But she's also the sweetest, cuddliest little love.

Over the past few months she's grown and developed and is so SO smart! Her little memory is working over time. She remembers where she left her juice or blanket or book and can go find them. And you can watch her little wheels turning when she sees a character in a book or on TV and she has a stuffed animal of it too. She'll go get it and point from one to the other. And she can identify animals and characters in books by pointing.

Her latest motor skills are climbing and Oh.my.goodness are the kitchen chairs fun. Up and Down all day. She loves to run and chase Mommy and Daddy through the neighborhood.

Evelynn is weighing in around 24-25 pounds and is 32" tall.  She finally outgrew her infant car seat. We got her a new convertible seat that should last her until she's 65 pounds.  We still keep her rear facing even though, technically, she's big enough to turn around.  But it's safer rear facing and she doesn't seem to mind.

She doesn't speak very many real words yet. "Anna" is about it. But she understands everything we say and responds and she picks up new signs immediately and communicates that way.  I didn't start speaking until later either, so we really aren't concerned.  Her sign language vocabulary consists of: Hi, Bye-Bye,  Please, Thank You, Baby, Swing, Hat, Car, Bubbles, Ball, More, All Done, Help, Book, Cheese, Cat and Drink.  She's working on learning signs for: Pickle, Apple and Banana.  The rest of her communication is done by pointing and pulling and "Bah-Bah"s.

Asking for a Book at the company picnic.

Her favorite foods are: Dill Pickles, Italian Sausage, Apples, Bananas, Peanut Butter, Graham Crackers, Goldfish crackers, Cheese, Tomatoes, Blueberries and pasta. She likes most meats and fish and anything with lots of onions and garlic.  She hasn't had many sweets but ice cream and lolly pops rank pretty high.

Blueberry yogurt is an ever popular breakfast.

Evie's favorite activities are: reading books,

exploring outside,

 going to the park or swingset,

playing with sidewalk chalk,

 bouncing on the bed, taking a bath and helping Mommy and Daddy.  When she spills her milk she is very happy if you give her a towel so she can wipe it up. She helps rub her lotion on after her bath and is very good about putting her books back on the shelf. She even helps me fold laundry by picking the clothes out of the basket for me to fold.  And she loves taking things to the trashcan.

Evie is very happy if you give her choices. She likes to pick out her outfits each day. She picks out her jammies and her bed time stories.  She picks the toys she takes in the car and her snack. She has very definite ideas about which shoes she wants to wear. Yep, she's her mother's daughter.

Not to worry, she is also very much her father's daughter.  She gets very excited when she sees a large truck or road construction equipment pointing and shouting, "Bah-Bah!! Bah-Bah!!!" when she sees them.

Like most parents, we've taught Evie a few tricks to make us smile. She knows how to Call the Hogs.

 She will put her arms up high in the air when asked how much someone loves her.  If you tell her she has stinky toes she will smell them. It's gross.

A typical day begins with Evie waking up between 7 and 8AM.  She drinks her milk while we snuggle under her two favorite blankies on the couch and I sip coffee.  Then we read books for about an hour before breakfast.  After breakfast it's time to get dressed. On Tuesdays we go to the library for story time. On Wednesdays we play at the park with her little friends. After lunch Evie lays down for a 2 hour nap. In the afternoon we run errands or play outside, frequently going for short walks around the neighborhood to explore and chase the neighbor's kitten.

 Evie plays independently while I fix dinner and with her Daddy when he gets home from work.  After dinner we almost always take a family walk together before bath time. After her bath and story Evie is in bed by 8:00.

Since my last update Evie has had her first haircut,

her first lolly pop, 

her first Popsicle. 

She has been to her first wedding,

 street dance, 

 and petting zoo.  

We love this sweet, smart and independent little girl more each and every day.

Since I haven't been so great at updating the blog, here are her monthly birthday shots for 14, 15 and 16 months:

14 Months- July 18, 2010

15 Months- August 18, 2010

16 Months- September 18, 2010

Mohawk Hat Pattern Published!

I finally took the time to write out the Mohawk Hat pattern. I swear it took longer to type it up than to make the things; they're just that fast!

But it now on Ravelry

Monkey Hat Pattern now available!!

Great news for my knitting buddies that have been asking me to provide the Monkey Hat pattern. It is now available for purchase: buy now

Detachable Ear flap Pattern

I was presented with a challenge: Create a pattern for removable ear flaps for a baby hat.  The ear flaps need to be finished on both sides and not roll. They must attach securely so a baby cannot pull them off, but they need to be removable so the child can wear the hat in less chilly conditions. They should be something that can be made and attached to a hat after the hat has been completed, as an after thought even. I think I have figured it out!

For this project I started with the Kiddie Cadet hat published at http://www.kathrynivy.com/.

***Copyright Statement:  This pattern is intended for personal and private use only.  Do not duplicate, copy or sell any portion of this written pattern.  Please respect my livelihood.  Projects completed using this pattern should not be sold. Finished projects can be requested through my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/evellynnsmommy ***


Materials:
3 DPN in the size used for your hat (for my example I'm using US size 7)
Darning Needle
Extra yarn from your hat project (for my example I'm using Patons Angora Bamboo in Urban Gray)

Gauge Should be the same as your hat.

Pattern Notes:
Since you are making these flaps relative to the hat you have completed, the finished sizes and number of stitches will vary.  The final width of each ear flap should be 1/4 the total number of cast on stitches at the edge of the hat. (For my example the Kiddie Cadet hat for a toddler has 80 cast on stitches so my finished ear flaps will be 20 stitches across).

Abbreviations:

K: Knit
KFB:  Knit the Front and Back
K2Tog: Knit two stitches together
YO: Yarn Over

On two double pointed needles using long tail cast on, cast on 6 stitches, 3 stitches per needle and join for working in the round.  Leave a 10 inch tail to be used when creating ties later.

Row 1 and all Odd Rows: Knit
Row 2 and even rows until desired number of stitches are achieved: On needle 1 *KFB, K to last stitch, KFB  *repeat on second needle (if you need an even number of stitches on the last increase row KFB, k remaining stitches *repeat on second needle)

My example shows 20 stitches per needle

Knit 1 inch

Button Holes:   Row 1: On first needle K1, YO, K2Tog, K to center stitch, YO, K2tog, K until 3 stitches remain, K2tog, YO, K1  On second needle K1, YO, k2tog, k to center stitch, k2tog, YO, k until 3 stitches remain, k2tog, YO, K1

Row 2: K all stitches

Cut yarn at a length 4x the width of your ear flap.  Graft stitches together with Kitchner stitch. Weave in end.

Cut a 20" piece of yarn and thread through the bottom of the ear flap. Braid together with cast on tail.  Tie ends so ties measure 6 inches from bottom of ear flap.

Buttons (6): Use store bought buttons or Create buttons with some simple crochet stitches and a crochet hook several sizes smaller than the yarn manufacturer recommends:

Tie a slip knot leaving a 4 inch tail
Chain 2
Single Crochet in the 2nd chain from the hook six times.
Join with a slip stitch. Cut yarn leaving a 4 inch tail.

Slip buttons through the holes in the ear flaps. Pin flaps to the hat and sew buttons in place.  There should be 1/8th of the total hat cast on stitches across the back between the ear flaps.

Evie on the Bed

  One of Evie's favorite things to do is jump on Mommy and Daddy's bed. She'd been at it for about 10 minutes before I grabbed the camera!

An open letter to Walmart RE: Great Value Freezer Bags

Dear Walmart,

Your Great Value Brand Freezer Bags are a joke. 90% of these bags have holes in them.

In this economic climate people are trying to save money where ever they can.  In know, in my family, after my husband's lay off we looked for creative solutions for shrinking our grocery bill.  One solution was to buy commonly used meats in bulk. When we get home from the store we portion it out into freezer bags to use as needed.  Since the object is saving money, we purchased Great Value freezer bags instead of the more expensive Ziplock or Glad bags.  I am here to tell you, that when you end up throwing out meat because your bags have holes it is NOT a great value.  Also, if you thaw in the refrigerator, your fridge is covered in bacteria filled meat liquid. If you thaw in cold water, your bag is full of water and your meat soaks in water all day.

Tonight's chicken breasts soaking in water. It's pretty obvious there's a hole in the bag. 

Seriously, improve your product. I didn't respond when approximately 90% of the bags in the first THREE boxes I purchased had holes in them. But enough is enough!

I know that Walmart does not manufacture this product themselves. You contract it out to a supplier. I get that. But you are very large corporation. When you tell your supplier to improve, they will. If you need a consultant to visit your supplier and walk them through a Six Sigma improvement plan, that is my husband's specialty. I'm sure he would be willing, at a fee, to help your supplier with this obvious quality control problem.

As it is, I would advise any would be freezer bag shoppers to purchase a different bag.  Great Value, they are not.

14 Months

Evelynn turned 14 months old yesterday. We hung out with a friend and her 5 week old baby last week and Evelynn just seemed so much more like a child than a baby to me. There is so much that she can do and is really fun to be around most of the time.

She's a girl who knows what she wants and she finds all kinds of ways to communicate that to us.  From pointing to grunting to trying to speak to just going and getting it for herself she's communicating even without a vocabulary.  "Bah-Bah" is still her favorite, use for everything, word. Even her Daddy is sometimes "Bah-Bah". But she is getting better. Ask her the cat's name and she will reply "Nnnnnnnnnnnn-nah!"- her version of "Anna".  She calls me "Ma-Ma" but mostly only when she's upset. And when prompted she will call her daddy, "DA!" But even without many true words if you listen to the tones of "Bah-Bah Ba-Boo A-Boo" etc she is picking up on the rhythm and tone of language.  I have a feeling she has a lot to say and when she learns the words we won't be able to keep her quiet!

She's an Action Baby- Running, Jumping, Climbing Trees... Well, maybe not climbing trees. But climbing the couch, ottoman, high chair, rocking chair, stairs and swing set ladders are no problem for her.  We really have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't fall off those things once she's up.  Her favorite thing to climb is the rocking chair in her room and she is FAST.  The other day I was getting her undressed for her bath when Mike came in her room to hang a new picture. I put the little naked baby on the floor with the instructions not to pee while I helped her daddy.  In the second I turned away to check the placement of the photograph she climbed into the white rocking chair (pictured above).  She loves to make it rock and was having a great time, and since I was close enough to catch her, I let her play for a moment (again with the instruction not to pee on the chair).  Of course that's exactly what she did. That little stinker just peed all over my white chair!

July has been a busy month! We celebrated Canada Day with her first ever black eye.  The cat literally pushed her off the ottoman. She fell into the glider. But, those stem cells must work wonders because it was gone in a couple days.

Evie and Mommy on July 4th

The 4th of July was really fun. Evelynn helped her boyfriend, Shooter, celebrate his first birthday.  He got blocks and we discovered that Evelynn really liked them. She's been in a tower building phase ever since, stacking anything she can find as tall as she can get it.

Building with Shooters Blocks and applauding her tower (it had just crashed).

A few days after the 4th we celebrated my birthday and Evelynn showed us all how to properly enjoy the frosting. Through all of this Mike worked on the kitchen (because of our homebuilder's short cuts and negligence the floors in our 6 year-old home were rotted completely through). It was still a wreck the day after my birthday when Evelynn and I went out of town to attend my step sister's wedding. Mike stayed behind to finish the kitchen.

Evie and the beautiful bride.

Unfortunately the wedding was in the evening and didn't start until Evelynn's normal bedtime. She was a very good girl through the ceremony, with only a few "Bah-Bah"s early on. But by the reception she was a grumpy, tired, cranky-pants.

Still, I managed to tickle a few smiles out of her.

The day after the wedding we returned home to a completed kitchen!!

What an amazing husband I have.  This project was going to be intense, even for the contractors we spoke with.  Mike found so many jaw droppingly AWFUL mistakes and shortcuts in the very small part of the house, we are really scared of what else might be wrong.  He replaced subfloor, drywall, exterior plywood, added support floor joists, flashing (where there was none), taped and mudded cracked drywall where the builder's product failed. He laid new hardwood floors and we painted walls, door and trim. I am SO pleased with the result. Of course, I still hate the oak cabinetry and brass hardware, and I would really like to install a backsplash. But that's next year's project.   This was a terrific treat to come home to.

With the home improvement project completed we've been finding more time to play outside, despite the oppressive heat.

Evie was not a fan of the sprinkler.

But the swing set is always a hit.

And when it's just too hot to play outside, we can always keep cool in the air conditioning.  Evelynn is still in love with her bunny but the pink and brown blankie is really gaining her affections. I leave you this month with a quick video of Evelynn playing with blankie. I thought it was going to be a one time thing, but she repeats the performance pretty regularly, much to our delight.