In Process

Still trying to get moved in. Right now I am straddling half my stuff here and half my stuff there. It is insane busy right now! I hope to be done by Monday and then I can get back to regularly scheduled programming. Send some heavy lifting and quick moving vibes my way if you have any to spare.

I'll catch ya'll on the flip side.

p.s. there will be tons of pics once this is all said and done =)

Marathon of Love

Check out BigBro's thoughts on running the ATL marathon yesterday. He put it all out in such an eloquent way. I have never run a marathon but I am married. His juxtaposition of love and running a marathon is so right on. It is so true that if you don't want a loving, happy, honest, supportive marriage/relationship you won't have one. Right now Mr. E and I are working overtime to keep our marriage on track, we are going up a hill, in marathon speak. We are halfway up the hill and I can't wait to be running down the hill toward each other. I love you Mr. E and I can't wait for you to come home! =)

Tagged

I have been tagged Dear Readers, for the first time ever! Thank you so much my New Girl friend! So my task that I must do is name 7 songs that I am into right now. This is an awesome task because I just got a bunch of new music from BigBro (thanks!). I am feeling torn and a little nervous about revealing my favorite songs. Mainly I am torn because I have such an insane mix of music on my itunes right now. And I am a bit nervous because I want so badly to be cool and impressive with my musical choices.

Here goes:

1. I Want You Back - Jackson 5
2. Hold Up - Girl Talk
3. She Traded Her Leg - Jeffery Butzer
4. Landslide - Dixie Chicks
5. Me and Julio - Paul Simon
6. Don't Get Lost in Heaven - Gorillaz
7. Feeling Good - Nina Simone

And I am gonna tag Heather, Rich, and Momma K.

Move It Out

Today is packing day. Wish me luck.

Eeps

About 1 minute after this photo was taken Evie fell on the floor. She really hates falling down and has yet learned how to fall with grace. And yes Dear Readers, that is Evie holding herself up on the coffee table. I believe there may be walking in this girl's future, perhaps a few months from now.



And here is Evie happy and content after her little fall.

Girl Date

Now Dear Readers don't get too excited. I am talking about a get together with your closest girl friend with (almost) no kids and no husbands. Last night Heather and I had a girl date. I brought pizza and a bottle of wine to her house. We (almost) put all the kids to bed, opened the wine and chatted about life and stuff over some pizza. It was really great! I haven't been on a date since Mr. E left (of course!), so it was nice to have a girl date with my good friend. Just setting aside a time with a friend to just relax and not talk about lactating, teething, or binkies was really refreshing. In this crazy motherhood career it is really easy to forget who you are sans children. At first I didn't care at all about who I was, I was OCD type obsessed with Evie and her well being. After a few months I eased up a bit and started rediscovering my husband and our relationship post Evie. And now with him gone I am looking to my friends and work to occupy me til he comes home. And it is good, as much as I miss Mr. E (TONS) I am enjoying growing closer to my girl friends. And I am really enjoying discovering myself through my new work ventures.

So raise a glass to rediscovering yourself in ways you forgot you could. Have a great weekend everyone =)

A Little Suprise

Despite my blog layout, my profile photo, and Evie's clothing in most pictures, Dear Readers, I have to admit, pink is not my favorite color. Actually I don't really have a favorite color at the moment. I recently discovered that I like brown and khaki colors for my clothing. I seem to go through color phases really. For a long time it was black and red only. Then it was black and hot pink. Then it was business casual, grey pants, blue shirt, etc. Now a days it's brown, purple, khaki, and one pink polo shirt. For Evie I always try to keep her clothing gender specific so people know she is a girl and not a clone of Mr. E. The head to toe pink outfits clue in about half the people that walk up to me in public.

People in public are so nice to Evie and me, it is very sweet. But really I love that Evie is so graceful in the spotlight. She is not a flirt. She will not smile at you just because you make a funny face or talk cutesy to her. She is very serious and discerning with new people. Many a waiter/waitress has been disappointed by Evie's lack of flirting. But to me it is a wonderful character trait that I hope she keeps forever. I think it is very important not to trust a stranger just because they seem nice. Now I'm not saying you can't be nice to strangers or even offer/accept help from strangers. I am saying that before you do anything you should take in all your surroundings and choices and you should judge what the best next step is for yourself.

So Dear Readers what is your favorite color/colors right now? What are your thoughts on babies/kids and strangers?

Things I am Over the Moon About

1. Evelyn growing into the cutest, most affectionate little girl. She hugs me back now and she wants to snuggle and it just refuels my soul.

2. Being a postpartum doula! I LOVE what I am doing. I can't even put into words why or how but I am just so fulfilled and happy being a postpartum doula. I love knowing that I am helping a family so much and making the transition to a larger family easier.

3. My freezer stash. Because I have so much frozen milk, Evelyn will be able to have my milk til she is at least 1 year old. Maybe longer.

4. My art teaching opportunities. I love teaching art at the museum. I just got two offers to teach Art History to 2 homeschool co-ops and I am so thrilled to teach Art History!

5. My family. Because of them I am able to be a postpartum doula and part time art teacher. They are emotionally, physically, and spiritually supportive and I love them for it!

6. Spring! It is already here in my neck of the woods and I love it. The trees are overflowing with flowers, my car is covered in yellow dust. Ahh, yes, spring is here.

7. My husband. He is so sweet and sensitive. His birthday is coming up and I ordered his birthday presents today. I love him so much and I think that sometimes I fail at making him understand. He is the single person in my life that I trust completely. He is my partner, my allie, my lover, my best friend, my soul mate. I am always and will always be devoted to him. He makes me happier than anyone in my life.

That is my 7 for today. So what are you over the moon about?

Watch Out for the Tooth Monster!

It finally happened Dear Readers, Evie cut her first tooth today, on her 8 month b-day. No longer is she a toothless blob. Now she is a toothful blob. Yay! I can't tell yet but I think she may have cut two teeth, I can't see anything but I can definitely feel something sharp in there. I guess I'll be seeing some teeth or a tooth soon =)



P.S. One Hot Mama had her baby and she is GORGEOUS!! Go give her some comment love =)

Real Moms are on the Ball

Literally, I spend half my day bouncing Evie on this exercise ball. I have a back up ball in case this one deflates. I have already gone through three balls in the 8 months that Evelyn has been alive. So, for this Real Mom, my life is on the Ball.



Are you a Real Mom?

Enter the Real Mom Truths contest! The winner will receive this amazing 4G iPod Nano and Chocolate gift set, plus a link to their post on True Mom Confessions on Mother's Day.

African Maraca?

This weekend was awesome! Dear Readers, I have to tell you, my family totally rocks. Period. We are so awesome and we choose the coolest mates, for real. Big Bro and his fiancee Dr. Rom came to town this weekend and it was a blast. I got to spend a lot of time talking with Dr. Rom and I have to tell you, I really love her, already. I have known her for months now and I have really liked her the whole time, but this weekend really took my feelings for her to another level. I don't have any sisters and Dr. Rom really makes me see what a valuable relationship a sister has with another sister. I am so glad she is joining the family. And the icing on the cake of this new sister relationship, Evelyn ADORES her. Evie can not stop smiling and having fun with Dr. Rom. It is so sweet and cute and I just love that they are so good together.



The other awesome thing about this weekend was that I taught that African musical instrument making class. It was the COOLEST! I love teaching art to kids when there are no rules and they can just have fun. The best part of the activity was when the kids took their instruments with them to the performance and they used them as part of the show. That was so cool to hear 30 kids with their maracas playing along to live African music. Here's my maraca.

She loves her Daddy

Here are some pics of Evelyn watching her video that Mr. E made specially for her. She loves the video so much that she will watch it over and over and over, and over and over. Today she fell asleep watching it. She was upright when I sat her on the couch and by the fifth time of watching her video she was like this.



Here's her just before sleep set in.


And here is what she was watching.


They are both so sweet!

Things are looking up

**Update: This lady had her baby! Go over and leave her some comment love.**

Well Dear Readers, after some rough days things are starting to look up. It seems like DLS did a number on a number of us. So now that I am (better) adjusted to DLS I am feeling a lot better. So here is an update of life at casa Evilynmo.

1. Big Bro and Dr. Rom (aka Future Mrs. Big Bro) are coming to visit this weekend. To say I am excited is an understatement, I am THRILLED!! I haven't seen them since the week Mr. Evilynmo left and I am really looking forward to talking to them about their ATL marathon training (this guy is also training for the ATL marathon). Also we are going to take them to the farm and that should be a really good time. They are both really great people. Even though they aren't really into kids they let Evie and me stay with them for 3 nights and 4 days after Mr. Evilynmo left, just so I wouldn't be alone. Thanks Big Bro and Dr. Rom!

2. Evelyn got to go to a playdate with this awesome lady today. Her boys and girls are absolutely adorable and sweet. I really like that Evie gets to interact with other kids, maybe some of her kid's walking/talking/teething abilities will rub off on Evie...someday. But the best part of the playdate was talking to Mrs. Twinsanity herself. She is really funny and easy to talk with. Plus she and I are totally weird individuals and it is really nice to hang with a fellow weirdo. Thanks Heather!

3. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of this wonderful lady's seventh baby. Also I am excited to find out if this cool lady is having her baby yet. It would be hilarious if they both had their babies on the same day. I know One Hot Mama IRL and she is an amazing person, she was there for Evie and I at our most needful time, she is a wonderful person. Thanks One Hot Mama!

4. This Saturday is when I teach my African musical instrument making activity. I am a little nervous but mostly excited to hear and see live African music and dancing. Whether the activity goes well or not I get paid $100 so that ain't too bad. Thanks Museum!

5. A week from today my parents close on the farm. In just one short week the farm will be a family asset. I am really excited! Living at the farm is going to be such an awesome experience and an endless source of learning and fun. Thanks Mom and Dad!

6. My Grandma (Evie's GiGi) is moving here and she is giving Mr. E and I her king size bed and one of her very nice LazyBoy recliners. We can't afford either item but really would love having both, again I realize how fortunate we are, thanks Grandma!

7. I am really enjoying blogging. This is an outlet for (some of) my thoughts and feelings that I normally would share with Mr. Evilynmo. It is really wonderful to get comments that are so supportive and nice. Thanks Dear Readers!

That is my 7 for today. I hope all your weeks are looking up too.

A Rite of Passage

In the blogging community (the blogosphere if you will) there is a rite of passage (at least it seems to me) to post a 100 list. The list is simple. Write 100 things about yourself and post it. Now that I have a readership that is more than just family and friends I figure it is time to walk on the hot coals, as it were, and post my 100 list. So here goes.

*updated Jan. 25, 2008

1. I am a twin.

2. I love picking boogers, mine and Evie's, and Mr. E's. They both hate it.

3. I don't like mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, avocado, or carrots.

4. I love tomato sauces, salsas, etc. I just hate chunks of tomato and peppers.

5. I love Kraft Mac n Cheese, it makes me ill to eat it but it is my #1 comfort food.

6. I love not being cold but I hate being overly warm when I sleep. I like the house to be cold at night so I can bundle up under blankets.

7. I don't like going to the doctor.

8. I love being a snob.

9. I have a BA in Art History.

10. I used to have a subscription to The New Yorker and to US magazine.

11. I took French for 7 years.

12. I don't speak Spanish.

13. I lived in Korea as a child and I spoke Korean and English.

14. I have been to France twice, and I LOVE french food and beaches.

15. I love Italy even more than France, Italians know how to have a good time.

16. I am a die hard Democrat, I would vote for a Democrat over a Republican in almost any race.

17. I hate "W" more than I let on, it takes too much energy to actively hate him but suffice it to say, I really don't like him, at all.

18. I am convinced that the only true difference I can make in the world is through my immediate actions and within my immediate sphere of existence.

19. I am a feminist, but not a femi-nazi.

20. I love being a stay at home Mom and a working Mom. I work but it is freelance and I set my own work load and schedule.

21. I am in graduate school to become an elementary school teacher.

22. I think that the postpartum care in America right now is seriously lacking.

23. I used to have my tongue pierced.

24. And my nose.

25. And another piercing.

26. I have a sun tattoo on my upper left shoulder that I got with my best friend.

27. I have a tattoo on my lower back of a Tree of Life.

28. I have a tattoo on my right hip of an ocean wave, moon, and sun.

29. I want to get Evie's name and my name and Mr. E's name tattooed around my Tree of Life.

30. I am addicted to Diet Coke. It is horrible for me and I know it. I cut way back while I was preggers. After Evie was born I didn't drink it for 3 weeks, but then sleep deprivation hit and I was back on the DC.

31. I have an older brother (Big Bro) that I think I am more like him than my twin brother.

32. My all time favorite movie is The Royal Tennenbaums. It's also my favorite soundtrack.

33. I am a monster if I don't eat or don't sleep.

34. I love cats and dogs but now that I have kids I don't want to have any pets.

35. My dream house has hard wood floors.

36. I own crocs, I love them and I wear them in public, often.

37. I am a Scorpio, I am very jealous, very protective of my peeps, and I am very loyal to my peeps too.

38. I hate getting back massages.

39. I love foot massages.

40. I think the scene from Pulp Fiction about foot rubs is classic.

41. I am not into mainstream religion. I don't like organized religion in any form.

42. I am strangely fascinated by Catholics.

43. I went to a Catholic college for one year to investigate my fascination.

44. I love how visceral Catholicism is. Everything is so raw and in your face. Truly, Passion is all up in the Catholic religion.

45. I was born in Savannah, Georgia.

46. But I am yankee at heart. Both my parents are from Connecticut.

47. I am a huge fan of pep rallies, I love to cheer for people and teams.

48. I always hated cheerleaders when I was younger.

49. But, secretly I love watching cheer leading competitions on TV.

50. I love to dance and to learn new dances, in any genre.

51. I hate doctors and the American medical status quo.

52. I am an Army brat.

53. I love the show Dr. Katz Professional Therapist. It was on Comedy Central in the mid 90's and it cracked me up then and it is killing me with laughter now.

54. I thought Friends was so mainstream and lame when it was on. Now I own all the seasons on DVD and I watch it ALL THE TIME.

55. We don't have cable. By choice. I hate commercials and most mainstream television.

56. I love cheesy shows about fashion. Project Runway, America's Next Top Model, etc.

57. I think Frasier is hilarious. I didn't watch it when it was on TV but now I love it on DVD.

58. I love that Big Bro gives me tons of new music all the time. It is all way cool and way underground. It makes me feel cool.

59. I used to be a dog person and now I can't imagine owning a dog.

60. I love making art even though I suck at it.

61. I won't let Mr. E walk behind me on stairs for fear that he will pinch my bottom.

62. I love giving gifts and sending letters and packages to people.

63. When Mr. E and I were apart a few years ago I wrote him a letter everyday.

64. One day I will compile all our letters into a book.

65. I hope that we have a female president in 2008.

66. I would love to live in Canada if it weren't so freaking cold up there.

67. I love San Francisco.

68. I was a tomboy as a kid. If I even looked at something pink or girly my brothers would harass me non stop.

69. I am afraid of the dark.

70. There are night lights all over my house and I leave two lamps on all the time in my house.

71. Family is more important to me then anything else.

72. My family isn't perfect though.

73. I am slightly crunchy. I co-sleep, I babywear, I delay/selectively vax, I practice attachment parenting.

74. Anticipation is my biggest source of stress. I anticipate problems and then get stressed. Totally stupid but I can't help myself.

75. I am a morning person. Mr. E is a total night owl.

76. I think there is too much hatin goin around this world. I include myself with the haters. I try to be open minded and easy going but it is hard not to judge and compare myself to others.

77. My first concert was the Indigo Girls. I have seen the Black Crowes in concert 3 times.

78. Bob Dylan is awful in concert.

79. I saw Robin Williams live, he is so dirty and funny.

80. My daughter will be close to and with her grandparents and great grandma.

81. I never knew my grandparents or great grand parents. They all died before I was 10 yrs old.

82. I am truly so much luckier than I realize.

83. I try to remember everyday that I am fortunate to have the family and friends that I have, the life that I have.

84. Since I got pregnant and even more after Evie was born I can't read/watch sad stuff. Said stuff includes the news, the newspaper, some articles in my New Yorker or Jane magazine.

85. If I read/watch something sad I can't stop thinking about it. The TV image or the visual image I make up becomes burned in my brain and it takes a long time to forget.

86. I hate scary movies, I always have.

87. I believe in fate.

88. I also believe in reincarnation.

89. I believe that all things will turn out okay in most instances.

90. I still don't know how to come to terms with certain bad things that happen in the world. I don't know how genocide or rape or child abuse came into this world. What grand planner would purposely include those things in the world?

91. I am tougher when I am defending/protecting my family or my friends than when I am defending/protecting myself.

92. I would work at McDonalds and the local Kwiki Mart and the city dump before I would let my family starve or live without.

93. I feel things more intensely now that I am a parent.

94. I love willow trees.

95. I love house plants too.

96. I make rockin no bake oatmeal chocolate/peanut butter/pecan cookies. It is the only dessert I make with any proficiency.

97. I want to be funnier than I am. But I make myself laugh all the time so I guess I think I am funnier than I am.

98. I never learn the right words to songs but I always sing a long with my own jibberish.

99. I love special/bonus features on DVDs.

100. My favorite part of going to the movies is watching the previews.

*You made it! Thank you for reading =)

Leaving

Dear Readers, I am having a hard time. I am feeling sad and uneasy and stressed. I am moving to the farm and starting to live my dream. But in order to live my dream I have to leave behind this house. This house is the first house I ever lived in that had my name on the lease. This is the first house that I ever paid my own bills in. This is the house where my daughter was born. This is the first house that Mr. E and I lived in together after we got married. The last time that Mr. E and I slept in the same country together was in this house. I am sad to leave my house. I am sad that Mr. E isn't here to say goodbye to the house with me. I am scared to sleep in a new house by myself. I will be in a new bed in a new house by myself. Mom and Dad will be downstairs but still, I'll be alone, without my Mr. E and without my stuff. I am scared and I am sad and I just want to be with Mr. E. With Mr. E I am not scared, with him I feel safe and secure. I guess leaving this house is just another removal of Mr. E from my daily life. He's never seen the new house. I'll really be without him at this new house. In my house I see him everywhere, I feel him in all the rooms. In the new house he won't be anywhere but in my mind. I miss him soo much!

I know he will be home in four months. I know that this is a small sacrifice to get what I really want in the long run. I know that I am really really lucky to have family that I like that are willing to let me live with them for a year while I save money to buy/build my own house. I know that I shouldn't complain, that I shouldn't be sad. But I am.

See I am a very needy, clingy person when it comes to my husband. If I accidentally hurt myself when he is not around I am okay, I suck it up. If I hurt myself when he is around I cry and demand a hug and kiss. I am ridiculous that way. I am unabashedly vulnerable with Mr. E. I just let all my crazy spew out around him. Amazingly he loves me anyway. And right now I miss him so much.

DLS

Did anyone else get the sh*t kicked out of them by Day Light Savings today? Man, my whole day was just slapped silly by this DLS monster. I lived in Indiana for about 4.5 years recently and they weren't observing DLS while I was there. At the time I thought it was stupid but now I really miss not having my whole life moved up or down by an hour twice a year. So how did everyone else do with DLS today?

Why Evilynmo?

In case any of my Dear Readers have been curious I will explain my pseudonym. As you know my daughter's name is Evelyn. When I was pregnant Mr. E and I would joke around that our daughter was going to be evil, then we came up with Evilyn. When I was thinking of a username for a forum I frequent I put in EvilynMom, but that was to many letters so it got shortened to Evilynmo. And that is where the name came from.

I know, I really wowed you with my story ;)

Missing

I miss Mr. E!



How do I love him, let me count the ways...

He called me ugly when we met and he has been keeping me on my toes ever since.

He is an amazing singer and he makes up songs about me and Evie, they are catchy and get stuck in my head for days, I love that.

He is hilarious! Especially when he dances, arms and legs everywhere, so cute!

He helps me to let loose and be the inner geek/goofball that I really am.

He can make me smile with just a look.

He loves me even though I am flawed (selfish, stubborn, needy, etc)

He gives me nicknames that I adore (ninjafer, clingy bug, etc)

He will watch or listen to the same movie/music over and over and over, just because I like to. That'll be great training for when Evie is a toddler.

He always prefers haning at home with Evie and me to hangin at a bar with his guy friends.

He made this most amazing little girl with me, and while I was preggers he still wanted me, swollen ankles and all.

He has the desire and unlimited potential to be a better person.

He pushes me to try new things, if you know me then you know I am not an adventurous eater. He got me into Indian food, Thai food, ketchup, and more.

He is willing to do whatever it takes to take care of our family now and in the future, even if it means having to go away for 6 months with his job.

I miss you Mr. E, I am your biggest fan (besides Evie). I can't wait for you to come home!

Mei Tai

Dear Readers I have made a decision to upgrade our baby carrying operation. Here is the used Mei Tai that I just purchased.



Here is info on what a Mei Tai is and how it is used. I have never used a Mei Tai, but after much research I discovered that this type of carrier is really great at distributing the weight of a baby or toddler. I am really happy about that because right now I am using this. It is great and I have been using it for months but if I wear it for more than 30 minutes it KILLS my back. I am really looking forward to trying something that won't hurt my back and is usable on my front or back.

So wish me luck that this carrier is the best thing ever =)

It has Begun

Hello Dear Readers! Many things have started here at the Evilynmo house. We started night time cloth diapering about a week ago and it has been going really well. Evie has started going to bed at 930PM-10PM instead of midnight, thank god! I started budgeting myself hardcore so that we can get out of debt and buy/build our own house. I started getting paid by the art museum, whoo hoo, $45 toward our new house! I started weaning myself from the pump, it feels so freeing and really weird at the same time. I started the cancellation process for the LLL conference. Mom started packing our upstairs into boxes so we can more easily move to the farm in 2 weeks. I also started writing a letter to our landlords giving them notice of our moving out. I started looking for Evie's 1 year birthday present, it will be a toddler sling/carrier for me so that I don't break my back carrying this girl around. Evie started using her new walker to figure out how to move around, watch out microwave, she is gonna get ya! And tomorrow I am going to start trying to feed Evie solid foods, let the games begin =)

Watch out Microwave!


She is conferring with Pooh on poo...


Her bib says MY MOM ROCKS, darn tootin!