falling behind

Again, I am behind on my blog posts! I swear, without fail, with winter around the corner I begin to go into hibernation mode like a bear. I am constantly thinking about sleep, sleep when I can, and sleep for long periods of time. Recently when Evie has been napping, I skip the housework and take a nap right along with her. Unfortunately, I prefer longer naps while she opts for short ones. And just like a bear, my appetite changes drastically in the winter. Unlike the rest of humanity who loves to load up on carbs during the colder months, I lose my appetite completely, sometimes eating one meal a day. It seems like my metabolism slows down, and I begin to use my reserves from warmer months. Ok, sorry for the TMI....All this to say I haven't been getting a lot done.

Anywho, Evie is officially walking!!!! This is great news as now she goes where she wants and sometimes entertains herself. It's very fun and exciting to see what interests her and what activities she chooses to engage in. You can typically find her walking around with her red bucket around her wrist or hiding in the curtains, her daddy's shirts, or the shower curtain. Evie is also waving "hi" and "bye" as well as saying, "HI!" Currently, her favorite toy is probably my phone that she pretends to talk on while holding up to her ear. She also makes a "woof" sound whenever we talk about dogs.

We also have more teeth!!! Her top two teeth have officially made an appearance. You can't miss them. They seem like they are going to be large and in charge just like mommy and daddy's. Poor girl! It also seems as though her incisors are erupting through her gums as she has had a few very slobbery days and been quite the crank monster.

In October we were very excited to have house guests! The Cleys visited Ann Arbor (technically Ypsilanti) and it was a blast! We visited a few pumpkin patches and took A LOT of pictures. Of course I became emotional when they left. This used to happen to me when I was pregnant, and I thought it had something to do with my pregnancy hormones, but apparently not. OR, maybe now I'm just conditioned to cry upon someone's departure.

<3 the cleys clan

We celebrated out first Halloween this year by trick or treating at a nursing home and downtown Ann Arbor. We even had two costumes. Evie was a pretty peacock as well as a zebra. The peacock costume is definitely my favorite but unfortunately not suitable for 50 degree weather. I had a great time, but I think Evie will enjoy next year's Halloween a bit more. She seemed to enjoy the attention at the nursing home but fell asleep in her stroller during our trick or treating stroll downtown.

fall trees at the arboretum 

the picture doesn't even capture the beauty of these trees

Evie and I have been staying busy with lots of playdates and walks. I am very thankful that I have so many mommy friends here in Ann Arbor! I basically make plans to get out of the house everyday otherwise we both go stir crazy (Evie and I can only play peek-a-boo in the curtains or dad's shirts before one of us gets bored or ends up in tears). We also made sure to enjoy the Indian Summer and fall colors before it became cold and the leaves fell of the trees. I still cannot believe it is November. I also have a birthday in a few days that I'm having some uneasiness about. Twenty-eight is starting to sound a bit old. I cannot believe I'm in my late twenties now. It's a bit of a slap in the face. Time really flies, especially when you have a kid! I remember my aunt telling me that once you turn 21, the years race by. At the time, I didn't believe her, but holy cow! I don't even remember years 22 through 26. I'm sure this has something to do with the 4 years I feel like I lost attending graduate school, but I had fun during those years, too! Didn't I? Why can't I seem to remember anything besides my wedding?

In other news, Dave has been working his typical long hours, which means we don't really see him. Sometimes Evie is asleep before he gets home. I feel bad for her and for Dave. Sometimes I feel bad for myself, too. First, I really like spending time with my husband. Second, this has lead Evie to become extremely attached to me. This is a problem when I need to separate from her for any reason. Today I put her in the nursery for my Side by Side group and she flipped. She cried for half an hour before they called me to the nursery. Then, I still couldn't calm her; every time I put her down, crying ensued. I'm not sure how to address this problem yet. Let me know if any of you have some suggestions.

We're looking forward to a visit from Abby Wassel starting tomorrow!!! I'm super excited to celebrate my birthday with her! Dave's parents are also coming in for a visit this weekend which should be really fun, too :) It should be an excellent birthday weekend!!!!

All this excitement has got me tired. My fatigue is beginning to get the best of me. Until next time (whenever that may be).

the arb trails during autumn are amazing!

pretty as a peacock

shoot

About two years ago, my husband gifted me the best Christmas present ever -- my camera. It was a big purchase, and I was not expecting it at all! I had been talking about wanting one, but knowing our financial situation, I had not set my hopes high. I figured I'd get one once he began residency and was earning a living. Being the awesome guy that he is, he had made the purchase knowing that it was something that I really wanted and that I would use a great deal. I think he has been happily surprised that I have been and continue to get so much use out of it.

Photography is something I enjoy immensely. I find joy in every aspect. If you look at my history, hobbies for me have been short lived. Unless, of course, you count school as a hobby. I'll pick something up for a short period of time, and soon enough, it goes on the back burner, only to be replaced by something else. Eventually the artifacts end up in some box in the back of my closet. This hasn't been the case so far. Since moving to Michigan and living on one income, I have tried to avoid situations where I will spend money (namely the mall). Photography has given Evie and I a good excuse to get out of the house and explore our surroundings (which are beautiful by the way, especially during Autumn). At night, when Evie has gone to bed and Dave is reading for tomorrow's cases or working on research, I boot up the trusty Mac (RIP Steve Jobs- thank you for changing my life) and spend the night editing. Sometimes post-processing keeps me up until the wee hours of the night but the finished product is soo worth it!

I have briefly considered turning my hobby photography into a work venture. Sometimes I think this is a great idea, but then I am quickly overwhelmed with the many reasons it would not work (lack of childcare, investment in lenses, lack of time, my perfectionism). I figure the best way to know whether or not this is something I truly want to invest in is to practice. So, in the meantime, if anyone desires a photo session (pro bono), please let me know. Taking pictures of someone other than Evie would be refreshing. Moreover, I think she may have developed an aversion to the camera and may need to spend some time away from it. 

falling back into our routine

We returned to Michigan and so did Autumn, our favorite season. Our little family enjoyed the remainder of our stay in Chicago (daddy joined us on the 17th), but it is so good to be back home! Unfortunately, it seems we couldn't leave Chicago without taking a souvenir along with us. Evie caught a virus which she so generously passed on to Dave and myself. We took our poor girl to the doctor who diagnosed her with croup. Our little peanut is doing much better now. We had our 9 month check up last week, and our little heavyweight is tipping the scale at around 18 pounds. She received the first round of a two part flu shot which will hopefully be beneficial in preventing future illnesses.

We happily jumped back into our routine and are enjoying our friends who we've missed while we have been away. We've been practicing walking and Evie can now walk with the help of her Sit to Stand Learning Walker (awesome invention, btw)! On most days Evie only takes one nap in the afternoon and typically goes to bed at 8 pm (hooray). Yesterday she started making her first consonant sounds!! It sounds like she's saying "PSH." I love it! She even spits a little when she says it :) Also, I noticed her little top tooth poking through! This little chick is growing up sooo fast.

We have been enjoying Autumn by visiting farms, cider mills, and orchards as much as we can. Dave had this past weekend off, so we headed to Dexter Cider Mill (twice) to enjoy cider and donuts. Evie and I also visited Three Cedars Farm on two occasions with friends. Both locations are extremely charming. I think I may have to take a break from these outings as it is possible that I have consumed a record breaking amount of sweets (in the form of sugar and cinnamon coated donuts) in the past 5 days. Nevertheless, we are really digging living in Michigan in the fall. The leaves have begun to change color, and I enjoy driving down the country roads admiring the massive trees and foliage. So much so that sometimes I accidentally swerve because I'm mesmerized by their beauty. I'm looking forward to enjoying as much time outside as I possibly can before the winter frost sets in and we're homebound. According to the forecast, we will be having at least a week of Indian Summer. We plan on taking full advantage of it.

we came across these trees when driving on the back roads by our home

long time no post

Evie and I have been back in Chicago since August 21st. A lot has happened since we've been here. In regard to milestones, Evie has been crawling up a storm!! Before we left Michigan, she had been kind of getting the hang of it. She was getting where she wanted to be, but her movements were rather clumsy and she was moving slowly. Now she is crunning (crawl-running). You really have to keep an eye on her because she takes off. Once we get back to Michigan, installing a gate in front of the stairs will be one of the first things we do.

Other great news- we have kind of gotten a handle on bedtime! One day when Evie was especially crabby, and I was desensitized to her crying, I let her cry it out in her crib. It was still one of the more difficult things I've had to do as a mommy. I sat right outside the bedroom and listened to her wail for 20 minutes (only consoling her once in that time), but it was one of the best things I have done. I now, on average, only have to put her in her crib for about 15 minutes each night and she clonks out. For the past week and a half she has been asleep by 8 pm! This has changed my life dramatically. I finally have a good chunk of time to myself.

The past few days have been a little rough. Evie appears to be teething again, and along with that, she has caught another cold. It has been relatively minor, and today she seems to be doing a lot better. Hopefully her top two teeth will soon erupt, and she will be back to her smiley self.

We've been missing daddy a ton. Evie and I try to video chat with him every chance we get. We're looking forward to getting back into our daily routine when we return to Michigan on September 21st.

my latest endeavor

Ever since I was informed that I was going to be having a baby girl, I have had my eye out for cute clothes and accessories. In the process of scoping out goods, I have fallen in love with hair accessories. Evie popped out and surprise- no hair! Nevertheless, my love for hair accessories turned into a desire to create my own. Since January, I have been working in the wee hours of the night, glue gun in hand, to make hair clips and headbands. I just wanted to post a few of my favorites.

My hope is to sell my accessories, but I have not yet decided if I will do this through Etsy, Facebook, or another website. You will notice that I do not have any headbands posted as I'm still working on perfecting my headband creations. More to come soon!

time is on my side

"Time is on my side" - Jerry Ragovoy aka Norman Meade

Is it? Lately I've been feeling as though that is the one thing in my life that I'm lacking. I've been working diligently to daily cross tasks off of my (seemingly never ending) to do list. When I (happily) quit graduate school and work to be a stay at home mom, I was so excited at the thought of having endless amounts of time and energy to devote to things that I have always wanted to do such as learning how to cook, photography, blogging, crafts, reading (I can go on and on). Perhaps the first year of a baby's life is just extra challenging for a mom, but I don't find myself with chunks of extra time to devote to my new found hobbies. I find myself counting down the hours and minutes until Evie takes her next nap or goes down for the night so that I can enjoy supergluing a flower to a headband or spilling flour all over my kitchen. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with Evie, but sometimes you need to accomplish some things scrawled on your to do list to feel like you have been productive. And why have I been so busy with the little one, you ask? Well....she's been quite busy.

Just yesterday Evie began to produce immeasureable amounts of mucus (i.e. she caught a cold). My little snot factory had a pretty miserable night. I slept in the twin bed next to her crib as she tossed, turned, and gasped for breath all night. She seems to be in good spirits throughout the day. She smiles, laughs, and bangs her toys together. Occasionally she will extend her hands out towards me so that I'll pick her up. I follow her cue as she lays her head on my shoulder. Apparently she's just checking in to see that I'm available for her because as soon as I struggle to get up off the floor, she immediately begins to push away from me. I can relate; when I'm sick, I'm pretty indecisive as well. I don't know what I want and nothing feels right. You just feel like garbage. Poor girl. Along with my wide feet, she seems to have inherited my weak immune system. I mean the girl has been sick 4 times now and she's not even 8 months old yet. Isn't this the primary reason I'm feeding her breast milk?

(please skip the next paragraph if the topic of breast feeding and breast milk make you feel ill) 

As of last week I had made the tough decision to slowly wean Evie off of breast milk. Bring on the guilt!! My goal was to pump for 6 months, and I told myself that pumping for any more than that was just bonus. Well, it's almost been 8 months, and I can't help but feel guilty at the thought of quitting. There were many reasons that I decided to toil and provide Evie breast milk as opposed to formula. The primary reason being to boost Evie's immune system. I'm not sure if I was successful or not, but the girl has been sick every other month. And I don't think I'm going to be stopping any time in the next week. Her recent malady has got me working overtime! Any mom who breastfeeds/pumps for a whole year deserves an award! It is HARD work, and I'm shocked that I've been able to do it this long. 

Let's move on to less serious subjects. I have a book recommendation for everyone out there! Read Tina Fey's Bossypants! I highly recommend it, and I haven't even finished it as of yet. If you like to laugh, this is the book for you. If you like more serious topics, I have recommendations for you as well! If you are feeling particularly serious give, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach a try. If politics is what you fancy, pick up John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's Game Change. Please note that I have not finished any of these novels and that this is the result of lack of time rather than evidence that I meet at least one of the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis. 

my funny girl

Speaking (or rather writing) of laughing, Evie has been cracking me up as of late. Today, as opposed to other days when she doesn't have cold germs covering her hands and face, she thought it would be hilarious to put her hand in my mouth (and then remove it, and then put it back in again). I too thought this was funny and I couldn't spoil the fun especially because I knew she was feeling crummy. Anything to make her laugh right now is worth it. I can already tell that I'm going to be a great disciplinarian. 

Attention!!! New milestone met!!! Evie can now stand up all by herself. It's been about 3 days and she can now do it with the greatest of ease. I'm thinking she'll be walking in no time. It seems as though she is in a rush to grow up as she seems to be wanting to skip the whole crawling phase. 

kate and christian

evie's first trip to the lake

This last weekend we had Grandma and Grandpa Ruta in town along with Aunt Beth and Uncle Matt and cousins Katelyn and Christian. We had the best time! Friday we visited the pool. On Saturday we spent the morning at Independence Lake and then had lunch at Dominick's. After spending some more time at the pool (these kids are fish :) grandma and grandpa treated us by babysitting the grandkids and Dave, Matt, Beth, and I visited The Jolly Pumpkin for a couple of hours and unwound. Sunday we took our visitors to Kerrytown followed by a visit to County Farm Park where the kids played together before everyone headed home. It was such a wonderful weekend, and we all enjoyed spending time with family.

cousins

I apologize for jumping topics so much in this post. As I read through this post I notice I covered a lot. I plan on posting more frequently so as to avoid this and focus more on one topic. It's on my list.

dog days of summer

Dog Days

  

Definition: the hottest, most sultry days of summer. Also defined as a time period or event that is very hot   or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress.

beach babe

It has been sweltering in this part of the country, but life has not been dull. Evie seems to be grasping new skills, all the while developing quite the personality. She spends her days upright as she either is sitting or standing (with assistance). She can actually stand while holding onto furniture for more than a minute (I stopped counting after 60 seconds) without assistance from me.  Lying down actually is met with resistance (which makes changing her diapers quite a challenge). She is not yet crawling, but some how she finds a way to scoot across the floor at a snails pace on her bottom. Sometimes I find her up on all fours, rocking back and forth. Somedays she has stranger anxiety and other days, she seems perfectly content when someone else is holding her. She loves children, dogs, elmo, swimming, and food. Her delight with the aforementioned is quite obvious as she screams, squeals, and squawks repeatedly. This seems to startle animals and other children, but it is so cute. Just recently, she has begun to hide her face in my chest and put her arms around my neck when she is shy or tired. It's so amazing to see her interact with her environment. Sometimes she just sits on my lap, puts her forehead against mine, and giggles. My heart just melts whenever she smiles.

Evie's sleep and mine, as a result, has greatly improved!!!! Last night Evie slept 12 hours, only waking up once to eat. I could not believe it. What a difference sleep makes! I feel like a different person, and she wakes up with a smile on her face. I'm still rocking her to sleep at night, but I don't mind. I'm enjoying this age and being able to cuddle with her while she will allow it. 

daddy's girl

Dave has been working like a dog. He has had the last two weekends off, but he has been working 80 hours Monday through Friday. While he is not physically at the hospital on the weekends, he has dictations (patient notes) to do and lots of reading to catch up on. This leaves a few hours Saturday and Sunday to hang out with his two girls. We've been enjoying spending time as a family at the farmer's market (in both Ann Arbor and Plymouth), at the the pool, and enjoying time with other residents and their families.

Evie and I are beating the heat by hanging out at the pool. This girl is quite the fish! She loves kicking, splashing, and actually cries if I leave the water with her prematurely. It's quite the blessing that it has been so hot this summer as I don't think she would be as comfortable in the water if it were ice cold. It's so nice to have something to do with her that is literally just outside our front door.

We have visitors coming! Uncle Matt, Aunt Beth, cousins Katelyn, Christian, and Grandma and Grandpa are all coming to Ann Arbor this coming weekend. Dave and I composed a list of activities and places to visit. We're all very excited to spend time with family and introduce them to summer in Ann Arbor. You'll be hearing about our weekend adventures soon!

there's no place like home

playing with grandpa

Evie and I are back to Ann Arbor after a month in Chicago. It was fantastic seeing friends and family for four weeks, but it feels great to be back home with Dave and back in our routine. I am super thankful to have gotten my thesis revisions done (I should be expecting that diploma in a few short weeks), and I'm thankful to my parents who watched Evie as I schlepped around Chicago turning in paperwork and stayed busy disputing statistical analyses with my thesis committee member. Ugh...I'm so glad it's over!

Great news! Evie has teeth! The bottom two teeth have broken through the gums (although I have no proof in the form of photographs). Apparently she does not like to show them off, but she definitely likes to use them as I have found that it is more difficult to feed her when she chomps down on the spoon with her teeth and won't let go. No more gummy smile, but it's so nice to see her growing up.

If any of you have seen us lately, you probably have noticed that Evie is wearing a dress. I have decided to dress my daughter in this manner because 1) I love dresses; 2) She owns a lot of them; and 3) almost everyone mistakes her for a boy. Even in dresses, people still insist on referring to her as a boy or a "he." Just today Evie was donning an ensemble that I thought was quite dainty (dress covered in flowers with matching bloomers), and this woman  repeatedly refers to my little girl as a he!   This past weekend was no different. My friend Lyndsey and I accompanied Evie to the pool. She wore her one piece bathing suit (when have you seen a boy wear one of those?) and a girl about 7 or 8 years old approaches us to ask if Evie "is a girl or a boy." When I answered that little Evie is in fact a little lady, the young girl responded, "Oh because my Opie thought she was a boy."
"Is Opie your little brother?" I asked.
"No, Opie is my grandma." she answered
 Opie, only a few feet away and in earshot of our conversation, waves to me and smiles. Seriously!?

In more positive news, sleep has improved for both myself and Evie as she has only been getting up once during the night. Well, it's unclear if she is waking up more than once because I have turned the baby monitor off, but I get up once per night to feed her which has definitely improved my functioning. Happy mommy = happy baby. I feel like I have a lot more energy now to attack the day with her. I have felt like a zombie for the past 6 months, and I have forgotten what it is like to be normal! The pediatrician informed me at our 6 month visit that Evie should be sleeping through the night. She recommended that I let her cry it out, and I was very apprehensive. I still cannot stomach her cries when she is falling asleep at night, so we typically do this song and dance: I rock her, she is inconsolable, I put her down in her crib and she wails, I walk away for a while to preserve my own sanity, and then the cycle begins again until she finally falls asleep. Some nights are very long, while others only require one cycle. I have found myself doing very exhaustive things like going to the pool (sometimes twice a day) so that I tire her out. Unfortunately, the only person I am tiring out is myself. 

enjoying her elmo dvd

Since we have been back to Ann Arbor, we have been busy with play dates, long walks, swimming, enjoying some time with daddy, and attending the Ann Arbor Art Fair. I have found myself really liking Ann Arbor since I have come back this past Thursday. It's hard to believe that this time last year I was sitting in our walk-in closet crying (so that Dave wouldn't see me) because I missed Chicago so much. Don't get me wrong, I still miss Chicago, but I'm so thankful to have met so many awesome friends here that it actually feels like home. When I was back in Chicago hanging out with my friends and visiting my old place, I got a little teary and was really missing living in the city and being near friends and family, but things are a bit different now that we have Evie. It's so convenient that it only takes about 15 minutes to drive just about anywhere. It's also so nice to know and be close with other moms. Most importantly, it is so nice to not have to work so that I can enjoy spending time with Evie. I make sure to thank Dave periodically that his job allows for this. I also feel pretty terrible that he works so hard and around 80+ hours/week. Ah, the life of an ortho resident (and wife).

In addition to entertaining Evie all day, I've also been staying busy organizing/decorating our place and playing on Pinterest. For those of you who are not familiar with Pinterest, I'm warning you now- this will eat your time. Let me know if you need an invite, as I can provide that for you. I have also been doing some shopping around Ann Arbor. I have found a lot of great deals at Found and Treasure Mart. If you like vintage items and antiques, you need to visit these shops. After all, it's important to support your local businesses.

reading at starbucks with the best of them

Attention all moms out there, I need to share information about a wonderful program called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.  I signed Evie up  a few months ago, and as a result, we are sent one book each month, for free! This is a wonderful program that promotes literacy. I know that the program is not available in all areas, but it is worth looking into.  I've already gotten a lot of use out of the three books we have received. Who knew books would be able to hold Evie's attention (well, most of the time)? There have been instances when taking a book away from her (because we had already read it 4+ times) brings her to tears. Whenever I bring the books out she kicks her feet with excitement! She cracks me up.

Ok, time for me to get back to my motherly duties.  Auf wiedersehen! 

killing time

Tomorrow will mark three weeks since I came to Chicago with Evie in order to turn in my thesis revisions. Needless to say, I am ready to turn this thing in and get on with my life. Right now I am patiently waiting for one of my committee members to read over the revisions she "suggested" so that I can turn in my final copy and finally get back home. It looks like the earliest this is going to happen is Monday. In the meantime, I'm trying to make the best of this visit.

happy 4th of july!

Evie has been enjoying her time in Chicago by visiting with friends, family, attending a parade, visiting the local swimming pool, and teething. I have been thinking that she has been teething for some time now, but I have continually been wrong. I am now finally able to feel and am also able to see her bottom two teeth about to erupt through her gums. Go Evie!!

In other news, sleep continues to be an issue as Evie is still waking about every 3-4 hours during the night to eat. Per the doctor's recommendations, I was told to let her "cry it out" but I think I'm going to have to wait to return to Michigan to try this out (when Dave can provide me with some emotional support). 

my silly girl

grrr! it's a jungle out there!

During the past week, both Evie and I caught something awful and were feeling pretty crummy. This has been the third time in her life that she has been sick. I thought breast milk fed babies aren't supposed to get sick! After two boxes of tissues and half a bottle of baby tylenol, both of us are feeling better. Thank God for modern medicine!

In my free time, I have been working on making children's hair clips and headbands. Shout out to my beautiful God-daughter who was an amazing product model! I have also been hitting up some garage sales and scoring some awesome baby goods. 

Dave has just begun his second year (out of five) as a resident. Apparently, being a second year ortho resident carries the reputation of being the most demanding. I'll be keeping you informed as to whether that proves true. 

beautiful abigail

Until next week!

better late than never

Inspired by my awesome cousin's blog, I have decided to begin one of my own. If you are reading this, you are aware that Dave and I are now parents to a beautiful little girl named Evangeline Vera (we call her Evie for short). She's growing like a weed, and along with that, I'm growing older and already forgetting all the delightful little things she did a few months ago. With our move to Ann Arbor, Michigan one year ago, a blog is also a great way for us to share current events in our lives with those who we don't speak to or see on a regular basis.

So with that introduction, I will begin by writing about Evie at 6 months of age because frankly, I can't remember much from previous months. What I do remember is a very anxiety provoking first month as a new mother, colic that lasted for approximately 3 months, and a lot of sleep deprivation. At 6 months Evie is truly delightful! She still prefers to wake about 3 times per night, but typically falls right back asleep after a bottle. Evie is a little chunker with beautiful thigh rolls, frists (Dave's term for the arm equivalent of a cankle; forearm plus wrist = frist), and a double chin (a place where she loves to hide food). She enjoys rolling from her back to her front (and vise versa), humming along to music when she is tired, jumping, playing peek a boo, being carried, swimming, and eating! Just yesterday, she learned to sit up on her own and now can stand (with help). She has a lot to say but has not yet fully grasped consonant sounds. She loves to travel and is typically better behaved when she is in a new place where she can observe others. At her 6 month appointment she weighed 16.5 lbs. She has been eating solids since 4.5 months. Her favorite food so far appears to be carrots!

Currently we are in Chicago while daddy is working a crazy schedule back in Ann Arbor and I work on my last revisions for my thesis. In addition to getting some very important work done so I can finally receive my diploma, I've been enjoying some time with family and friends.

Prior to coming to Chicago this month, we have been spending time getting to know Ann Arbor on a more intimate basis. Please keep in mind that I spend my entire day with a baby, so I'm not the best person to talk to when it comes to restaurant recommendations or nightlife. I do, however, know where the cool mommies hang out! Regular play dates with other mommies and their little ones allow us to discover places like My Urban Toddler, The Hands-On Children's Museum, and the very popular Gallup Park. We have also frequented The Nichols Arboretum, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, and (the always popular) local library. I purchased a Bob Stroller which takes me to places with Evie that I probably would not have previously ventured (like unpaved paths...very exciting, I know). There are a few more places that we would love to visit, and we are looking forward to exploring the town more when we return in July. We are also looking forward to having visitors that are willing to discover the city along with us. Ann Arbor and the surrounding towns have plenty of parks and other fun stuff to do. I am really looking forward to enjoying the area even more as Evie gets a little older and can enjoy places like petting zoos and pumpkin farms.

never afraid to express how she feels 

Evie and I are having a great time in Chicago, enjoying everything it has to offer during its summer months, but we are very excited to return home and see daddy. We also are looking forward to spending some time with the wonderful friends we have made in Michigan. Thankfully there are a great number of residents with awesome wives and wonderful kids. Their company has made such a difference in how Dave and I feel about living away from our friends and families. Also, since almost all of our new friends are medical residents or wives of residents, their lives are frighteningly similar. It's often times very nice to talk to others who know exactly what you are going through.

I look forward to keeping my blog readers in the loop. Check back to see what is going on in our lives, and of course, we would love to hear from you as well!