7:00 am
Alarm goes off. Snooze.

7:09 am
Alarm goes off again. Snooze.

7:11 am
Quiet fussing noises begin coming from Evie’s room. Get up, go to nursery. Evie makes a few happy little squeals and kicks when she sees me. Feeling like a good mommy! Diaper change (mental note: only 4 cloth diapers left). Say good morning to Dada.

7:30 am
Nurse.

7:45 am
Cereal for me. Oatmeal and prunes for Evie. Roxy hasn’t budged from her crate.

8:00 am
Say bye-bye to Dada. I should be at my desk… but I’m not. Gather pillows, a blanket, and a few toys to occupy Evie on the bathroom floor while I shower. Shower, periodically singing “Arky-Arky” or “I’ve Got the Joy Joy Joy Joy” or playing peek-a-boo around the shower curtain to keep Evie from fussing.

8:20 am
Plop Evie in the middle of our bed with some pillows and toys. Thank the Lord she still doesn’t crawl and fall off the bed (not sure what I’ll do when she gets more seriously mobile!). Get dressed while singing “The Wa-Wa Song” or “I Am Persuaded” to keep Evie from fussing. The sound of the hair dryer magically mesmerizes her. Peek-a-boo around the bed to entertain her. Those smiles and giggles are worth so much in my book; too bad it’s not actual money…

8:45 am
Carry Evie downstairs to my office and test out the Exer-saucer® to see if she is in the mood. Nope. Those new top teeth are too painful. Hmm. Feeling like a bad mommy.

9:00 am
Trying to check my email and get work done with Evie on my lap.

9:05 am
Trying to find my wireless mouse under the desk where Evie threw it when I wasn’t looking.

9:10 am
Bouncing Evie on my lap while she chews on a calculator.

9:15 am
Testing the Exer-saucer again while blasting Phil Collins’ Strangers Like Me from the Disney movie Tarzan (Evie’s favorite song). Success! Woo! She is distracted. Back to work.

9:45 am
Fussy. Getting close to nap time. Distract her with Strangers Like Me again.

10:00 am
Fussy = nap time! Diaper change (mental note: only 3 cloth diapers left). Put Evie in crib, turn on the GlowWorm® and hand her the frog-pacifier to chew on. She screams bloody murder. Grab the diaper pail and close the nursery door feeling like the worst mommy in the world.

10:05 am
Silence. Quick check on the video monitor confirms she is asleep with her arms and legs splayed out in all directions. Cute! Start feeling like a good mommy again. Start diaper wash cycle with cold rinse. Back to work.

10:15 am
Advance diapers to hot soak with detergent. Back to work. Still no sign of Roxy.

10:30 am
Conference call with clients. Roxy wakes up, comes to the office door, and starts barking in the background. Evie stirs in her crib. I excuse myself from the call, let Roxy into the office to look around, and then let her back upstairs when she realizes I am not talking to a person. Evie settles back to sleep. Phew. Back to the call.

10:50 am
Back to work.

11:15 am
Whoops! Forgot the diapers. Advance to hot/cold regular wash. Roxy comes down to look for me. Take Roxy out. Back to work.

11:25 am
Evie wakes up and plays in her crib.

11:35 am
Evie decides she is ready to be up and calls out a few times to let me know. I rescue her from the crib, diaper change (2 diapers left), dress her in “daytime” clothes, and bring her back downstairs to the office. Exer-saucer? No. I arrange a blanket on the floor with some toys. She seems content to chew on a stacking cup and bang on her piano, so back to work!

12:00 pm
Client calls with an “emergency” that has to be dealt with “right now.” Evie seems content (what a good baby!), so I deal with the emergency.

12:30 pm
Evie fusses; she is hungry. Tie Evie on my lap with the sleeves of a sweatshirt so I have both hands to type an email. Hand her five different toys, which promptly end up on the floor. More fussing and banging. Pull out an old keyboard and place it in front of her. “Type” on it. She gets excited and starts “typing” too. Back to my email. Send. Done! Head upstairs for lunch. Remember diapers. Go back down to laundry room and advance to extra cold rinse.

12:40 pm
Nurse.

1:00 pm
Prep lunch and feed Evie. Salad for me; banana puffs and Chicken Mango Risotto puree for Evie. Feed dog.

1:45 pm
Play time! Sit with Evie to play with one of her pianos, blocks, or other toys. Roxy starts barking and running around like a psycho; she wants to play. Throw toys with Roxy while keeping an eye on Evie, who is intent on standing beside her music table rather than sitting in the nice little chair. Evie fusses. Time for pain relief gel on the gums (clove oil). Dance party! Strangers Like Me x 5. You’ve Got a Friend In Me (from Toy Story) x 3. Feeling like a good mommy!

2:30 pm
Fussy… Diaper change (only 1 left)! Back down to the laundry room; extra spin on the diapers. Back upstairs. Exercise time! Evie’s favorite part of the afternoon… we do “up-downs” (start with Evie lying on her back with her back and head on a pillow, she grabs my fingers and sits up, then stands up, ending with praise and a hug. Squee! Then sit and lie back down on the pillow. Repeat to what seems like infinity. She has SO much energy!) Practice “walking” by holding my fingers. Lots of praise.

3:00 pm
Back down to the laundry room; move dipes to dryer. Back upstairs. Starting to get fussy; almost nap time again (I’m getting tired too… “play” is exhausting). Read books until she won’t sit anymore.

3:30 pm
Nap time. She looks betrayed when I put her in the crib and hand her the frog. And then she cries sad, pathetic, tired wailing. Watch on the video monitor, feeling like a bad mommy. Clean up from lunch.

3:40 pm
Silence. She is sound asleep with the frog on her forehead. Back to work.

4:00 pm
UPS delivery; Roxy barks like the crazy little thing she is. Evie wakes up and cries hysterically. I calm the dog and wait out Evie’s cries. Back to work.

4:15 pm
Silence. Check the video monitor from my desk; she’s still awake in the crib, playing with the frog and kicking her legs.

4:20 pm
Sleeping again, finally.

5:00 pm
Awake and lets me know it with a few yells. I check on the video monitor and watch her throw the frog around by his leg. Ha… So adorable! Head upstairs… rescue, diaper change (All out! Mental note: get dipes from the dryer).

5:15 pm
Send last emails with Evie on my lap and finalize design files to be uploaded. Look at “to do” list and feel like I’ve accomplished nothing (as usual). Wonder where the day went. Get diapers from dryer and head upstairs with the babe on my hip.

5:30 pm
Nurse.

5:50 pm
Put Evie in Ergo Carrier on my back and start dinner.

6:15 pm
Fussy! Clove oil on the gums. Into the high chair. Banana puffs to the rescue!

6:30 pm
Garage door! Roxy barks, Evie is startled and cries. Joel’s home!

6:45 pm
Diaper change, then Joel feeds Evie her dinner (butternut squash apple puree and more puffs).

7:00 pm
Dinner time! Evie plays while we eat.

7:30 pm
Dada play time! Put diapers away, send emails, etc.

8:15 pm
Fussy… so sleepy! Joel gets Evie ready for bed. Nighttime diaper!

8:30 pm
Nurse. Joel does dishes, loads dishwasher, empties trash, checks email, uploads sermon audio, etc.

9:00 pm
Joel and I sing two verses of Jesus Loves Me to Evie, then put her to sleep. No crying.

9:05 pm
Couch time! Watch an episode or two on Netflix on the Wii. Talk about the day.

10:00 pm
Joel goes to bed. I pick up around the house, then head back down to the office.

11:30 pm
Look at clock. Bleh.

12:00 am
Look at clock. Why is time going so quickly?!

1:00 am
Okay, it’s time to be finished. Sigh. Bed time.

1:30 am
Zzzz…

Evangeline is 9 months old!

For comparison’s sake, here are pics of Joel and me from around the same age:

Weight: TBD

Clothes Size: 9-12 Months (or 12m)

New Skills: Nothing new to report, just gaining more control over the things she could do last month!

And since there are no new skills to brag about, here’s bonus pic for you!

I didn’t make any real “resolutions” for 2011, since I’m fairly certain that I was mostly just focused on surviving the second half of my pregnancy and the first 8 months of Evie’s life. It was an adventure, even without any specific resolutions.

Now that we’re in 2012, I feel that it’s time for me to get back to goals. I’ve accomplished a lot of what I had hoped for in my life, but not everything. In my high school yearbook (10 years ago…), I’m pretty sure I said I wanted to have a book published by now. While that hasn’t happened, I do think that’s mostly because I’m not a writer by profession like I thought I would be. That said, I still have it as a goal for “someday.” My “someday” list is getting long, but I’m okay with it. I may be turning 30 this year, but I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, done with “the best years of my life.”

So, here are my goals for 2012:

• Launch our new business website
  We first announced it last year, and then got caught up in the baby stuff. We’re plugging away in our “spare” time to get it done. I’m excited to get it launched!
• Take a business class
  I’ve been running a business for over 5 years now; I think it’s time to see what I can do better.
• Teach Evie to say or sign the names of all immediate family members
  Hearing my nephew say my name is such a blessing to me! I want to hear Evie say Momma, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa, Devon, Seth, Kirsten, Mom-Mom, Poppy, Kelley, Matt, Lincoln, and Nina (Caryn) by next Christmas… Doable? She’ll be 20 months old, so I hope so!
• Go snowboarding with Joel at least once
  Joel and I got each other snowboarding gear for Christmas in 2010, but I was pregnant last winter, so we couldn’t go. Now, I’m very unmotivated to relearn… But I love Joel, and I want to have stuff to do together, so snowboarding it is!
• Finish a writing project
  I have so many half-finished projects… and only a few finished ones. This is the year to have a project come to conclusion. I had been working pretty steadily on a novel in 2010, but then my compy crashed, I lost 2 hours of work, and I lost motivation to rewrite. Time to get back into it!
• Bike the 35- or 60-mile Bike:MS Cook Forest River Ride in September
  I’m giving myself both options for the River Ride, since I’ll have to see how bike riding goes with Evie. If she likes the bike trailer, I’ll aim for the 60-miler. If she hates it, I’ll be lucky to get to do the 35.
• Raise $5,000 toward our adoption fund
  As for the adoption fund, I know it’s ambitious to try to raise $5k, but it’s only a little over $450/month (since January is almost over and I haven’t raised anything yet). That’s going to be the hardest one, I think. It is going to take some creative thinking and the support of those around us, but I think we can do it. I feel called to adopt, so I know that it will happen if it’s the Lord’s will.

So, we’ll see how this goes…

Evangeline is eight months old!

Weight: TBD

Clothes Size: On the verge of growing out of 6-9 Months… so 9-12 Months (or 12m)!

New Skills: “standing” (if I help her up, she can stand, holding onto something else); babbling “da-da-da-da” (new this week, actually)… and sometimes it seems like she makes a “mmmmmm” sound when she wants me, although that could just be her hungry/sad/whiny sound; feeding herself sweet potato “puffs”

Evangeline is seven months old!

Weight: 16 lb. 8 oz.

Clothes Size: 6-9 Months

New Skills: Sitting all by herself! “Playing” her little piano (see below), eating solids (mango peach puree, sweet potatoes, and carrots are her favorites so far… I guess she loves orange as much as her daddy does!), experimenting with new consonant sounds (b, d, g, v, and f so far) in her regular babbling. I’m also starting to notice stranger awareness at times. Still no response yet on sign language, but we’re working on being consistent with her so she’ll pick up on it in a few more months. Two teeth have come in (as you can see in the picture), and it seems like she may be working on a few more. Nothing peeking through yet though!

For Project:Fracture’s 3rd Annual Falloween Party, Joel and I decided to go as Bonnie & Clyde with our “big bag of money.” Enjoy!

For reference, in case you were curious…

2010 – The Queen of Hearts & Hannibal from the A-Team

2009 – Rosie the Riveter & MacGyver

Evangeline is six months old!

Height: 26.5 in
Weight: 15 lb 10 oz

Clothes Size: 6-9 Months

New Skills: Sitting on her own for a few seconds at a time! Her first tooth is peeking through and will likely break through in the next day or so; she had her very first solid food this afternoon for lunch (organic pear puree), which she had a strong opinion about (see video below). I’ve started teaching her some sign language so she’ll be able to communicate before she can speak. So far, we’re working on “thank you,” “mommy,” “daddy,” “milk,” “eat,” and “all done.” No responses yet, except for big smiles when I say “thank you” to her (I’ve been doing that one since she was 2 months old whenever she holds her own feet up during diaper changes).

Last weekend, our families made the long trek to Pittsburgh to spend time with us as we prepared for Evangeline’s baptism. My parents arrived in the early afternoon on Saturday to help with some of the last-minute clean-up around the house since we were having a cookout and campfire to celebrate that evening. Joel’s parents and Kelley, Matt, and Lincoln arrived in the later afternoon, and Seth and Kirsten joined us later that evening.

While I neglected to take any photos of the actual event (silly me—apparently, I was busy with other things…), I did take a few photos of the cupcakes I made and decorated for the party. I think they turned out pretty cute for an amateur baker!

On Sunday at the 11:15 am service, Evie was baptized by our pastor and friend, Kevin Labby. She “talked” through a lot of the beginning parts, which you’ll see in the video below. This was my favorite “in action” shot of Evie from during the baptism ceremony.

So cute! Ha!

Joel put together a slideshow of photos for the service, which every infant that is baptized in our church gets. I think he did a beautiful job! The song is Masterpiece by Sandi Patty, a favorite of mine from when I was a little girl. I remember my mom singing it to me and my sisters along with our cassette tape.

Evangeline’s Baptism (2011 10 23) from Laure Kline on Vimeo.

Here are the lyrics (courtesy of ap0s7le.com):

Before you had a name or opened up your eyes
Or anyone could recognize your face.
You were being formed so delicate in size
Secluded in God’s safe and hidden place.

And I’m so proud of you
What else is there to say?
Just be the masterpiece He created you to be.

Source

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Schramm Farms in Irwin, PA, after church with our friends, Sarah and Jeremy, and their three boys. It was a gorgeous day, warm and sunny, but there was still a nice fall crispness to the air. I was excited to get some pumpkin patch pictures of Evangeline, and Sarah is a great photographer, so I knew I could bum some camera time from her.

After watching the boys play in the corn box (like a sandbox, but with dried corn kernels), we grabbed a quick lunch of hotdogs, apple cider, and french fries, and then headed into the pumpkin patch for our photo shoot… and to pick out some pumpkins!

See? I told you Sarah was great!

My cousins and sisters and our families have been going camping every year for 7 years now… We started out with tent camping at a different PA state park each year until 2007, when we rented rustic cabins at Shawnee State Park. It was awesome, and we haven’t gone back to tents since! We went to Shawnee from 2007 until 2010, and will probably go back there next year. Because of some delay in decision-making, we ended up in yurts (walled tents) at Ohiopyle this year with Kelley, Matt, Linc, Erinn, and Gary from October 7-10.

The mornings were chilly—about 45°—so I bundled Evie into the big winter coat that Kelley bought for her. Too bad it was a little big! Oh, well… She’ll definitely fit into it this winter, when she’ll really need it!

Evie and I were having a jolly time hanging out by the campfire…

And then this happened.
(“I used to be the cutest, and then you came along,” thinks Linc. “I’ll just squeeze you a little around the neck to show you who is the boss.”)

But she survived it!

For one dinner, Gary made lasagna and garlic toast.
Yes, lasagna heated with campfire coals… and it was delicious!

We hiked around a bit to check out Cucumber Falls, and Matt carried Linc in their fancy new backpack contraption.
Linc LOVED being able to see everything from his bird’s eye view!

Ohiopyle Falls

Evie was a bit bored by the whole thing (*yawn*) and took a nice long nap, thanks to the white noise of the rushing water!

On Monday, we headed over to Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous house design.

Oh, yes, I was rocking the pigtails.

Joel doesn’t appear in many of these photos because he was the camera man… and if/when i get around to making & posting the video of this excursion, I won’t appear often because I was the video camera woman! So, we’re even. Or something.

What a weekend! I’m already looking forward to Cuz Camping 2012, when (Lord willing) Caryn, Heather, Tim, & baby Tyler will join us!