Everly's 23-Month Update

We almost have a 2-year old!! I honestly can't believe it. She is at just the funnest age. She loves her little sister, loves making "tents" with dad and being chased around the house. She still has more energy than I know what to do with, which means we are getting out of the house at least once a day for activities. She got a little clingy to me again after having Jason gone for 8 days and she still refuses to play with other kids at play times. She kind of ignores them or stares at them. When she's at home she's miss outgoing but when we're in public she becomes quiet and shy. Hoping she'll break out of her shell in public this summer! We've been hanging out with another wife on the team and her son Rio and Ev can't stop talking about him when we're not with them, but the second we're with him she gets super shy. It's so funny.

I'm currently planning her 2nd birthday party, but I am having a tough time because I don't know where we'll be! Jason is in playoffs so we are week-to-week now. I have tentative plans in my head for a birthday here and in Winnipeg so I'm ready for both locations. Good news is no matter where we are she'll be surrounded by people that love her - aaaand she won't remember a thing anyways. Birthdays at this age are honestly more for me than her. No shame in my game - I love planning parties! The decorating, the food, the games, it's all so fun. Maybe I'll be an event planner someday in the future.

Ev is a little sponge these days. I'm trying not to be that mom that's like, "my kid is so smart! I can't believe how quickly she learns things. She must be advanced for her age". I'm pretty sure every parent says the exact same thing. Watching kids' firsts are a lot of fun though and I love watching her learn! She can count to 6, knows all of her colors, forms very small sentences and has a better memory than me. Seriously, if I lose something I just ask her where it is and she goes and finds it (probably because she hid it there). She also loves saying "cheese" now for pictures, or really anytime I tell her to look at me she turns around and says cheese. It's hilarious.

We also went to downtown Cincinnati this month to do a little exploring and enjoy the waterfront. They have a carousel which Ev loves, and these outdoor swings and really pretty walking paths. We will be leaving this city soon and it makes me so sad because Ev has made some great friends here and we have found so many fun things for her to do. I'm already looking into things we can do in Winnipeg to keep her busy!

Toys & Activites

She's all about the bubbles right now. We got her some for Easter and now that it's warmer outside we can go on the balcony and play with them. She also still loves her kitchen and pretending to have a picnic. We have to basically pull out every piece of food she has and eat it. She also still loves the park and just being outside. I can't wait for summer! Oh and face paints. She first tried them at Totter Otterville (indoor play place) so I got her some for Easter as well and she just loves coloring on her face. I think it reminds her of me doing my makeup. Also anything to do with water will always keep her attention. Pouring it in cups, stirring it around, splashing in it, etc. Playdough has also become way more fun, she'll roll it out, stamp it, roll it into balls and smoosh it. I'm going to try sensory bins with her once we get back to Winnipeg because she liked the one at the library. Her favorite activity right now is making "tents" with Jason. They'll lay in our bed and they'll go under the blanket that he'll hold up with his foot. She takes his phone light like a flash light and they just laugh and talk. It's honestly the cutest. Whenever he gets home or she's always like TENT!

Food

She's taken a break from the yogurt this month and is very much into bread. I have tried to give her bread for months and she just never liked the texture. Now she wants toast (like her dad), with butter and honey. It's her favorite thing right now. She also loves strawberries, frozen cherries, Annie's bunnies, veggie straws, raisins and hamburgers. We went out for dinner the other night and the kids menu had pictures (so smart), so I showed her and asked her to pick what she wanted. She picked chicken fingers and broccoli as a side, and she actually ate it! I love that this girl eats her veggies. Don't get me wrong, sometimes all she wants is mac & cheese, but other times she'll eat a salad. She already knows its all about balance. We still are avoided refined sugar, so she hasn't had ice cream or cake or cookies, but she gets the healthy treats that I make and fruit which she loves! Her current favorite is my dairy and refined sugar-free fudge.

Day-to-Day

She wakes up anywhere between 7-9am. If she hears Rosie cry in the morning that'll usually wake her up. She still likes to be in her crib for at least 30 minutes once she's woken up to cuddle with her blankie and soother, because we take it from her once she's up. Lately it's been harder to take it though. She's getting a real attachment to it and I wonder if it's because she always sees Rosie with hers during the day? When did you take your kids soother away?? Anyways after she's up our mornings are pajamas, books, making breakfast, playing with Rosie and overall pretty chill. Then we usually have an outing around 10:00 to either moms group or library story time. I love this because she gets time with other kids. Then we'll come home around 12:30, have lunch then she'll go down for a nap between 1-2. She's still napping about 2 hours which is so nice. The afternoons we go to the park, the mall, run errands, have a play date or just play with her toys at home. Now that it's nice we're trying to be outside as much as we can either walking to the park, or playing by the water and throwing rocks (she loves this). Then the evenings she'll have dinner, a bath (usually with Rosie these days), a few books and bed around 7:30-8.

Giggles

I feel like I'm always saying the same thing here. She's still so ticklish, loves being chased, loves when we make funny noises or faces, doing 5 little monkey's jumping on the bed or when we dance around.

Grumpy

Sometimes in the car she'll just want to get out of her car seat and get mad when we don't get her out. Or she'll just have normal toddler meltdowns over nothing, like if I don't follow her into her room to play. For the most part she's good, but I can definitely see a little attitude in her.

Milestones/Firsts

She painted her first Easter eggs, went on her first Easter egg hunt, and has said so many new words. Like Jesus, groceries, goldfish, pizza, thank you, shoes, socks and so many more. Her comprehension has gotten so much better this month and we're so close to getting real sentences out of her! She can also count to 6 and knows most of her letters.

Events

Jason's parents, sister and her boyfriend Ben came to visit us this month. It was so nice having some guests over Easter! Especially because Jason got called up to Rochester for 8 days so me and the girls would have been all alone. Jason's parents got her a tickle-me-Elmo which she loves and Selena got her a little Unicorn called Uni that she can't sleep without now. It's so cute how she says Uni! We also took her to a buttferly exhibit at the conservatory, which was mediocre, but Ev has loved anything butterfly ever since.