Polka dots

The other day we were out and about when Evie had a diaper blow out and required a clothes change. I had a spare onesie in her diaper bag, but much to my dismay, she's grown so much in the last two weeks that I could barely get her into it. Today I went through all her clothes to try and separate out all of the newborn items that she can no longer squeeze into. I found a few new things that she can now wear without being swallowed, and so, of course, we needed a photo session to show off her duds to someone besides Chokydar. Thanks, Julia, for the beautiful dress! This was the first grin I've caught a photo of as well.

Thank you, IKEA

Germany is a lovely country. I have certainly enjoyed our time here and I'm so grateful that we had the opportunity to be here. But I'm ready to go home. One of the things I miss most about home is America's glorious commercialism. I want a Super Target or a drive thru Starbucks, and I want them a year ago. There just aren't many stores in Germany that sell what I want to buy--or at least I haven't found them yet. About 100 miles away, there is an IKEA--oh how I love this IKEA--I never was such a huge fan of IKEA back home. My tastes tend to be a little less modern than most things they sell, but because IKEA is one of the few places within a hundred mile radius (and just barely at that) that sells the kind of household goods I'm often looking to buy, the percentage of things that we own that come from IKEA is starting to get a little humorous. When my mother was in town in July, she would comment on various things around the house.
"Oh, I like this blanket! Where did you get it?"
"IKEA."
"Ooh, and this bookshelf is nice. Where did you find this one?"
"IKEA."
"And this rug--this is neat."
"IKEA."
You get the idea. Basically I'd say at least 70% of Evie's nursery is from IKEA. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I didn't really do any shopping in the kid's section except for the crib and crib bedding, obviously. I don't so much go for all the cutesy baby stuff, but I still wanted it to be playful. It was a good project for me to work on in the final weeks leading to her birth. I hope she enjoys it as much as I do.

One of these things is not like the others...

Instead of having one on one pre-natal visits, Justin and I opted to meet as a group with other first time parents expecting babies in July. Our "centering" group met once a month throughout the pregnancy, and as early as June some of the babies started to arrive. By my due date on the 9th, there were only 4 of 8 women still waiting on their babies--including me. Since the group was so diminished in size, that was the last time we were to meet until all the babies had been born. Last week we had our final gathering, a get together to meet all the babies for the first time. Evelyn is the only girl out of the entire gang.

TMNT Dance

Evie's TMNT Dance from Michele on Vimeo

This is what happens when my sister and I get together and are left to our own devices with a camera and a baby. Denise noticed that at one point, Evelyn opens her eyes a crack and gives a look as if to say, "What do you think you're doing? You're just embarassing yourselves."