18 Months!!

Evie went for her 18 month appt yesterday and of course is healthy and happy!!! 
27.4 pounds (75th %)
33 inches (85th %)
(90th % for head size)
The Dr would like us to get her off the bottle but other than that she is right on track developmentally.
Evie had a wonderful x-mas and made this one of the best I have ever experienced.  She was so cute and excited over presents - she acutally opened most of them herself and said Wow and Thank you at the right moments.  I will post more soon when I get a free moment:)

Evie Update!

I have found it difficult to write on my blog lately – for many different reasons. Work, Motherhood and the Miscarriage has taken up a ton of my time what little time left in the day I do get – I want to spend it with Brian and Evie. I have decided that I am not going to taint my stories about Evie with stories about the miscarriage so I will start a new tab for the bad rants and will continue on this page with updates on my amazing Eviekins!

Updates for Evie

Evie will be 18 months at the end of December – where did a year and half go? She is so sweet and kind – If I ask for a hug she will put her head on my shoulder, say “mmmm”, and pat my back! She will also give me kisses (not the icky open mouth suck fest) but cute little kisses on my lips. When I pick her up at the end of the day she runs to me, throws herself into my arms, puts her hands on my cheeks and giggles with delight. She walks around with a stuffed animal tucked in each arm, giving them hugs and kisses. I have never met a child so loving and kind – I worried terribly that she would change when I went back to work but she has only gotten more sweet. She has been staying with Stacy (my neighbor and friend) which contributes for her remaining sweet- Stacy and her two children love Evie as if she is one of their own- I am truly grateful that Stacy was willing watch Evie when I returned to work. The past two weeks have been difficult because she is getting her canines in and is coming down with a cold. Our nights are spent getting up, rubbing her back, covering her with blankets and climbing back into bed just to have her start crying 30 minutes later and repeat. We have found that if she wakes more than 3 times we just put her in the spare bed with one of us and then all of us sleep better the rest of the night. We don’t want to get into a routine of her sleeping with us but nothing is more sad then her crying for us when she doesn’t feel good. Her vocabulary has expanded and her newest thing is to call everyone Momma! I don’t love this but at least she knows my nameJ She has started jiber jabbering as she walks around the house – it sounds like she is having a full conversation but I have no idea what she is saying. She does know the word Book- She routinely brings us books, hands them to us, and then asks to sit. She holds on to a book while we read to her – she would do this all day if we would let her. She loves being outside – kicking her ball or just walking around. She loves the Christmas tree – she goes to – says “see” cause she wants to share it with us, and then brings us an ornament off of it- I have to redecorate it every night but it is so worth it. I also have my village up and she loves to look at the lights. We are finished x-mas shopping and we did really well. Evie ended up with 4 new books, 3 very small toys, a doll, and we bought her a toddler table with four chairs. We are going to put the table together x-mas eve and set it with the tea set I bought her – I cant wait to see her face in the morning!

I am sure there is so much I am forgetting to write but I am sure I will have more time to update this in 2 weeks since my Temp position will be over.

Last wedding of the Season

 Erik and Jodi's wedding

OMG- could I have asked/imagined having a cuter child!!!!!!!!!!!  I think she gets more adorable as each day passes:) 

We celebrated our last wedding of the season - Brian's brother, Erik, married the love of his life, Jodi, this weekend.  Their story is a beautiful, classic epic that began in highschool, ended for several years but then re-connected a few years ago!  They have loved each other for over 20 years and we were lucky enough to share the moment they were able to commit to each other for the rest of their lives.  It was an amazing ceremony that brought tears to my eyes and made me thankful to witness that moment. 

Why Carve Pumpkins?

I found this to be an interesting little story I just came across when trying to find a recipe for pumpkin seeds and thought I would share with all of you:)

The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down.

In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

15 month appt

Evie went to her 15 month dr appt today.  All went well except she is still having a lot of trouble with her skin and we now have even more creams to lather her up with! 
She weighed in at 26lbs = 90th %, 33 inches long = 95th%, and her head size is in the 95th%.  She is now wearing exclusively 2T outfits and I am amazed at how much she is growing.  She is starting to slim down and you can actually see a well defined stomach and a couple of rib bones but it is still hard to lug a 26lb toddler around.  She is also walking very good, is cutting another tooth and made it through the last 3 shots she needs.  She also has a great vocabulary - She can now point at something and say "SEE" to show me what she is interested in, she also asks to sit on the couch with us but standing in front of  us and yelling "SIT" (I am trying to add Please to that sentence so it is less of a demand and more of a question:), Tree, Rockabye, tickle, doggy, cheese, and many other words escape her mouth through out the day. 

Sleepy Girl

My sleepy little girl!! There are certain days Evie takes two naps - she will wake up at 6:30- take a nap at 9:30 for half an hour, then another nap around 1:30 for two hours.  I like this schedule most days but when we are out running around or at a playdate Evie will miss her morning nap and usually holds up until 12 when she finally falls asleep in any position, in the middle of whatever we were doing (today it was eating lunch:)!  I figure I am not going to push Evie to change - if she wants two naps one day but only one the next - that is cool with me as long as she is a happy camper and can make it through meal time.

Halloween Bash!!

Evie is throwing a Halloween Bash for all of her friends - if you didn't get an invite but want to come - stop on by October 30th at 3:00pm.  I love Halloween- I love the decorations, Garfield's Halloween Special, the candy, and anything associated with the holiday except for dressing up.  I love seeing all the adorable children costumes and I enjoy adults that relish in becoming a new character for a day but I do not like dressing up - I can never figure out what to be and then it never looks the way I want it to.  Luckily this party will satisfy my desire to celebrate Halloween but will also allow me to go as myself, which is the best costume of all - MOM! 

So this spooktacular event will have a couple of trick or treating stations where the children can knock on a door and receive a treat (so far I have goody bags that will include a toothbrush and an apple, Halloween books and Marissa will be providing plush monsters).  There will also be cider, cupcakes and yummy snacks.  I think Evie will be dressing up as a little fairy - I have a purple too too and wings for her, which will cost me nothing and  will look absolutely adorable!!! 
On another note, my lovely child just climbed up her high chair so she could eat her leftovers from snack time and got stuck - OMG- she is going to give me a heart attack one of these days:)

Jam

Evie and I just made an amazing batch of Caramel Apple Jam - yummy!!

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2009/09/02/caramel-apple-jam/

Cupcakes

Since becoming unemployed I have tried to find productive ways to spend my days - one of the recent things I have found to be extremely fun is cooking/baking.  I wanted to share some very fun, delicious cupcake recipes I have recently made:

Evie's first B-day cupcake- http://patentandthepantry.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/applesauce-spice-cupcakes/

Aunt Sharon's rehersal dinner cupcakes- http://www.fun-tea-party-ideas.com/black-forest-cupcakes.html
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/red-velvet-cupcakes-3/detail.aspx
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Special-Mocha-Cupcakes
http://joylicious.net/2011/06/27/strawberry-cheesecake-cupcakes-2/ (these were my favorites)

Jams and butters- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pineapple-Kiwi-Jam/Detail.aspx
http://www.pickyourown.org/cherrybutter.php
http://www.agway.com/know_how/lawn_and_garden/canning/black_cherry_espresso_jam_recipe.html
http://www.patchworktimes.com/2009/09/02/caramel-apple-jam/
I have also made regular applesauce, peach butter, apple butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, microwave pickles and homemade yogurt!  I have been very productive this summer and as Brian says "We are all ready for the Zompocalpse", which is a combination of his Zombie nightmares and my obsession over the 2012 apocalpse:)

Weekend Wedding Fun (2nd wedding)

On Friday morning, Evie, Brian and I jumped into the Mazda and drove 4.5 hours to new Hampshire to witness my Step-cousin getting married!  I was dreading the ride with Eviekins - that is a long time being stuck in a car seat with nothing fun to do but I have to say - it was awesome.  We left at 9am and Evie promptly fell asleep- we made our first stop at 11 for lunch and bathroom break and Evie had fun eating someplace new, running around the rest stop like a crazy lady and greeting every new person she met.  We headed back out and made it to New Hampshire by 1:30 with no more stops and with Evie sleeping most of the way.  We relaxed for a little bit at the hotel, got ready and jumped back in the car to make it to the wedding - Evie chocked on a fishy cracker as we pulled out of the parking lot, threw up all over her new dress so there was a panicked trip back into the hotel to grab the other dress that Mommy had enough good sense to grab as we left that morning - a lot of wipes used to clean up the mess and then a rushed trip to the wedding venue.  The ceremony was beautiful, short and sweet, but Evie and Brian missed it cause she didn't want to sit still anymore (can you blame her at this point!)  but she was part of the ceremony - Everyone could hear her saying "WEEEE" as Brian pusher her around outside - it was pretty darn cute:)  Evie then had a blast at the reception - running around, greeting everyone once again and dancing up a storm - by the end of the night Brian and I were exhausted from chasing her all over the place.  We went back to the hotel, got into bed (we let Evie share our King size bed, which was a new experience because she always sleeps in her crib at home) I couldn't sleep because of the noise and because Evie is a little wiggle worm when she is a sleep, and once I did fall asleep, we were all rudely awoken by the fire alarm at 2:30 in the morning.  Some idiot - who attended the wedding- decided to pull a fire alarm and we had to evacuate the hotel, stand outside in the rain for 30 minutes and then had to deal with putting Evie back to sleep again.  Needless to say, we drove home the next day with no sleep but Evie was once again amazing on the trip home so I really can't complain.  Even though it was a very eventful/stressful weekend - it was also amazing to witness yet another wedding and it was wonderful to be reunited with family I haven't seen in 20 years!!  I am sad to say I forgot the camera so I won't be able to share cute pictures of this trip.

End of Summer cold!!

Poor little Evie has suffered through a week of being sick, runny nose, no sleep, and lots of grumpy moments.  Even though she was feeling pretty crappy she still had so many adorable moments - when she learned to say uh-oh spagehittios!  or when her first pair of new sneakers arrived and she was so excited to put them on and then amazed that they light up when she walks!!  We also bought the little monster her own leapfrog laptop - every time I attempt to use our computer she is always trying to type with me so now she can sit with me and use her own:)  Overall we had a quiet weekend and enjoyed lots of cuddling!  On a different note: We had our first Wildtree tasting party and it went fantastic!!  I can't tell you how delicious the food is and how much fun it is to share with family and friends.  We are also doing a special - if you host a party, I will donate 2 newborn beanies to a local hospital and Stacy offers a $40.00 facial out of her home, which is a huge discount!  On top of all that, you receive host rewards from Wildtree -for ex. if you have a $500.00 party - you get 100.00 free items along with some half priced items.  The product is priced so well that you could end up with a pantry full of food just for having a fun night with your friends and family!  I am very excited about this venture, especially since it has been so hard for me to find a new job in this terrible economy and I can now sell healthy food, at a reasonable price instead of something no-one needs.  Visit our website if you are interested in more information- http://www.mywildtree.com/StacyFanesia/

Aunt Sharon's Wedding

On September 10th, 2011 Evie, Brian and I attended Aunt Sharon's wedding, which was held in the same location as our wedding three years prior!!  It was a lovely day - beautiful weather, awesome atmosphere and amazing family & friends.  We all had a blast - Evie enjoyed dressing up and spending most of her time with Jillian and Erin (Brian's younger cousins).  Brian and I enjoyed dancing, drinking way tooo much, and having fun with our family.  We are excited that the next big event up at the farm will probably be Samantha and Mike building their new home and then in a couple of years Brian and I will place a home where we exchanged our vows!!! 

Update

So, it has been awhile since I have updated my blog. There are many reasons as to why I haven't written - mostly because I am lazy and also because I don't have a lot of time! Evie has decided that every time I am on the computer she wants to help, which doesn't work for me and usually causes a lot of frustration on both mine and Brian's part.

It feels as if our lives are on a roller coaster ride lately. Brian started his new job but has to continue working at his old job until they move to Florida - confusing and busy. He has also been helping out at his Mom's house- attempting to get ready for Aunt Sharon's wedding this weekend:) We are trying to get the house ready for winter because summer has decided to whisk to quickly through our lives.

I have been busy applying for jobs (with no success), making my adorable baby hats, and starting up a new business adventure (check out our website www.mywildtree.com/stacyfanesia ). But most importantly I have been busy raising our child. I have realized that when people ask me what I do for a living I answer "nothing right now", which is so not true- I have the most important job there is - guiding and teaching Evie, raising her to become a happy, well-balanced adult. I never thought that would be my career - I thought I would be an executive in a fortune 5oo business or teaching English to highschoolers or helping abused women (yes, I had a range of dream jobs). Instead, I am a mother first and my career will always come second- this was a hard change to deal with but one I absolutely love!!

Now for the person you really want to hear about - EVIE!! She has grown into a toddle overnight and has loved all the changes. She is standing and walking on her own now - what a huge achievement. She gets so excited when she finally works up the courage to let go of the furniture and walk across the room - she actually gets too excited sometimes and forgets what she is supposed to be doing. I am def more tired from chasing her all over the place but luckily we have baby proofed the downstairs of our house very well so she can only get into the Tupperware cabinet and the drawers containing our dvds. Evie is also talking up a storm- she has learned to say Hi, Bye, Kitty, Whats that or Whats this, pretty bird, oh shit, woof, and many other adorable antics. She is such a happy baby - she laughs and smiles easily, goes with me every where, likes almost all people (she tends to get frightened by loud men) and just loves life. She is adventurous - loves to climb on everything even though it wasn't meant to be, tries new food (the slug she ate the other day was a little too adventurous for me) and exploring any new area. I love to watch her play, dance and read her books. She is just amazing!!!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Summer Pics

A new style of hat for sale

Evie swimming with her cousin!

We have been having so much fun this summer! Evie and I have spent every day together - playing in the back yard, going on walks, hanging out with friends and family, reading books and playing on the living room floor, and just cherishing every moment together. Brian has been working hard but every night we all sit down for a family dinner, go for a walk or play in the yard, and watching movies on the nights it is blistering hot. We have a couple of weekend trips planned so more pics are sure to come.

Girls Weekend!!

Brian, Evie and I had an awesome weekend but the weird thing is - we weren't together! When I was a working Mom I felt that we needed to spend every weekend together as a family to make up for the time Brian and I spent at work - well, as a stay at home Mom I feel a little different. I spend every hour of every day with my beautiful daughter and enjoy most of the time but when she is crabby or won't stop whining until I pick her up - my patience wears a little thin. When I start feeling that way I walk over to my neighbor's house - yup you heard correctly - I finally made a friend!!! Don't get me wrong I have wonderful friends but I don't get to spend that much time with them and to be honest most of them still have their childhood BFFs, which I do not. So, I have been on the search for several years for a BFF, which had to have a significant other that Brian got along with - well I finally found her in my backyard:) Stacy has two beautiful children and a wonderful husband - who has a lot in common with my awesome husband. We immediately hit it off and now have Cocktail Tuesdays, I watch her children on occasion, we spent 4th of July in their backyard, we have been shopping and to several home shows together. She gives amazing Facials because she is an estecian at Renue Spa in Altamont. We have only known each other for 4 months but Stacy was nice enough to invite me to Girls weekend at Abernake Lake in the Adirondacks this pass weekend. I have never spent an entire weekend with girls, none the less, 10 other women I barely know- I was a bit nervous but I trusted Stacy to get me through the weekend. I ended up having soo much fun and realized how much I needed this time to myself - to be completely selfish.
Evie went to my Mom's for the weekend so she was spoiled rotten and loved to pieces - I had no anxiety about leaving her for two whole days. Brian bar tended at Camp Bisco (some hippy festival) from Thursday until Sunday morning- he was able to make some extra cash and enjoy some good music and great friends.
Sorry if this was all over the place but I was just so excited and needed to share!!!

12 month update

Evie went to the Dr's on Thursday for her 12 month check up. She is weighing in at 24 pounds, 31.5 inches and is in the 93rd percentile. She is completely healthy and the Dr is very happy with her progress. We are going to start switching her to a sippy cup (not working that great so far) and putting her to bed on her own. She was a great sleeper until she got strep throat, which caused us to spoil her - I would lay down with her in our bed to get her to go to sleep and then brian would move her to the crib. If she woke in the middle of the night I would lay with her in the spare bed. We both loved this sooo much but I once I go back to work this is not going to work so we are trying to get our good sleeper back. We have been putting her down at 8 and letting her cry it out- so far 30 minutes has been the longest but it broke my heart!
Evie is attempting to crawl but really just wants to walk. We think she is just going to get up one day and start running. She can pull herself up to standing but can't figure out how to sit back down. She is babbling up a storm and we can understand a few words- momma, dada, uh-oh, wow and Hi. I swear she said kitty cat the other day but could just be wishful thinking. She has 6 teeth and has 4 more pushing through. The teething causes some fussing but overall Evie is always smiling, willing to cuddle with anyone, and just a happy toddler!

Catching up!!

So, I have been very lazy about keeping up with my blog - for many reasons! First off, I didn't want to spend time writing about how life kept shitting on us. Second, I have been busier being a stay at home mom then I was being a working mom - I have been helping my family out by watching my 10 month old niece (Alice) and my two nephews (Bryson 2 years old and Braeden 4 years old) and keeping up with Evie. Third, I feel guilty spending my time working on my blog when I should be searching for a job.
As for life shitting on us, our septic is finally completed for a whoping $15,000 instead of the $22,000 we thought it would be. Who would have thought that a 15 grand solution would be a relief? I have not found a job yet, had a couple of interviews but the pay was too low or they decided I was not a good fit. I am still getting unemployment so we are staying a float but I am sick of seeing something we need or want and saying "someday, when we have money again". Brian's job is still very unstable and every day he comes home with different news - honey, I am going to lose my job in July- honey, we may have found a solution- honey, the company is moving to Maryland, how do you feel about relocating- honey, I am going to lose my job in August. I decided to not listen to it anymore - there is no sense in worrying about it - what will happen, will happen!
Amazingly I have been able to keep the stress out of the house and focus on Evie. She is the one saving grace at this moment and she is the reason we keep going everyday. I wake every morning to her babbling away in her crib, playing with her toys. When I walk into her room she is usually sitting or attempting to stand and she looks up at me with the biggest smile- as if I am the best thing she has ever seen. We start off with a bottle of milk (yup, Evie is totally off the formula and drinking whole milk) while mommy has a cup of tea. We then play for a little bit, do dishes and pick up, and then have breakfast. Evie usually has yogurt and a fresh fruit - something she can pick up and eat on her own. We get ready for the day - shower, get dressed, and do our hair. Usually Evie is tired by this point so she takes an hour nap while I job search. If it is nice out we will go out and play - if it is raining we find something to do within the house. Evie's favorite passtime is walking around while holding my fingers- she is so cute - she will walk through one room, take a break so she can dance and then we make it through another room. Of course, the next step is lunch- fresh fruit, ham and cheese roll, cottage cheese and ritz crackers. Then there is more playing or running errands and another nap and more job searching. Luckily, Brian comes home around 5 and helps with dinner, bathtime and a few minutes of relaxing. Evie has gotten into a terrible habbit - she has strep throat a month ago and was soooo sick- I started laying with her on our bed to put her to sleep and once she was out, move her to her crib. Now she doesn't want to go to sleep unless one of us lays with her. This is a bad habit cause someday I am going to have a job and will need to get all my stuff done at night - for now, this is the best time of my day!! We lay in bed, talk and cuddle- she will look at me with those beautiful, blue eyes and smile the biggest smile and my heart melts every time. She will crawl around, sit up and wiggle until she has found the perfect spot- usually with her head on my leg and her feet in my face, she then sighs (too big of sigh for such a little girl) and will fall asleep- it is the most magical time of the day!!!

Another rainy day

Girls yellow scalloped hat

Size= 1 to 3 years

$10.00

Boys Green brim hat

Size= 1 to 2 years

$10.00

Spooktacular boys hat with green bat

Size= 3 to 10 years

$10.00

Yup- it is raining once again! The great thing about rain is it forces us to finish inside projects so we will be painting our back porch this weekend and getting ready for our garage sale (27th and 28th from 9am to 5pm). Brian has an entire week off to play with Evie and I, which we are looking forward to a lot. I have also been keeping busy by making more hats and watching my nephews in the afternoon. My sister-in-law, her husband and two sons are moving back to Gallupville and we are so excited to have them closer. Well Evie and Alice are both yelling for me so this is going to be short:)

Hats

Size= 1 to 3 years

Price= $10.00

I can add flowers to this hat

Size 1 to 3 years

Price $10.00

Generosity

As all of you know, Brian and I have hit a rough patch in life but we are working through it. I just want to comment on how generous and helpful our family and friends have been. On days that I have felt like jumping off a bridge because my world is falling down around me and I am absolutely exhausted because Evie was up most of the night - one of Evie's Grandmas step in and take her for a couple of hours. Or I am beyond frustrated, Brian will take Evie for a ride or sit with her so I can have a couple of minutes. Our siblings have jumped in and assured us that they won't let us fall, our friends have listened to rants about our endless bout of bad luck, and our parents have offered their shoulders to cry on and supportive hugs. We also have several Aunts and Uncles that are stepping in to help, which is beyond amazing. Every one's generosity and support has made our lives better and there is no way to express our appreciation!! We love all of you and only hope that someday we can pay every one's generosity forward.

More hat pics!

Newsboy style

Winter hat with flaps

Newsboy style with white flower (this hat will fit a baby with a bigger head size - it turned out a little larger then it was supposed to)

Newsboy style with pink flower

Here are some more pics of the hats I have already made (all sized to fit one to three year olds). I can make them to order though - if you email me the age, colors and style you are looking for I will try to make it:) Email any orders to nesias24@hotmail.com.

Thank you Hillary for the wonderful comment!!!!

Hats for sale

So, during my time off I have been crocheting a lot and now have a stock pile of hats that will fit 1 to 3 year olds. If anyone is interesting in purchasing one of these hats please let me know (I am thinking $10.00 plus $2.00 shipping but this is negotiable). I can also make a specialized one with your choice of color and size. I am really doing this for the fun of it and to give me a project to work on - I can't seem to sit still and there is only so much time you can spend searching and applying for jobs in a day:)

I currently have 6 hats made (all size 1 to 3 years):

White with purple edging, purple and white flower

White with blue brim and buttons

Purple with white brim and buttons

Black with white brim and black & red buttons

Deep blue with pink flower (pic not posted but can email if interested)

Deep blue with white flower (pic not posted but can email if interested)

Easing the tension

So, Brian and I have hit a hard time in our life - I was laid off, Brian's job filed chapter 11, and we have to fix our septic (which is a costly problem) but our daughter has brought laughter into our lives and makes it all better. One of the tension easing moments was the other morning - Evie has been teething again and wakes around 5am, which isn't making life any easier. Saturday morning I retrieved Evie from her crib and cuddled with her in our spare bedroom so Brian could get a little bit more sleep. We both feel asleep and woke at 7am -Yeah!! Evie rolled over, looked me in the eyes and smiled so sweetly- then commenced to roll around, stick her butt in my face, and farted so loud that it woke Brian. Brian laughed hysterically from our bedroom while I rolled out of bed as fast as possible because baby farts do not smell any better than adult ones. Evie will probably be embarrassed that I shared this story but it just made life so much easier and made our weekend perfect!!

Vermont Pics