UPDATES: We are still alive and Joyful

Hi all,

We are still alive. No updates recently because we have been tired and have been begging for time. Now that we have energy and time, our computer is beginning to fail us, so this entry has no pictures, no video, etc.

So here is an abbreviated and pictureless version of the post I was going to put up. I would have called it "The Three Joys"--very Chinese-like and, some might think, very Chairman Mao sounding. No no, this is about Mr. Mao, just about Joy.

The First Joy: The Joy of Speech. So, about a month ago, Evie started saying "da da da da da". I would try to teach her "ma ma ma" but to no avail. The girl loved to say "da da da", which Tim also loved. I didn't mind because I know she has no idea what she is saying, it's just sounds for right now. Then she started with the "wa wa"s and the "ta ta"s and the "na na"s. One day two weeks ago, she said "a-ma ma ma", but it was mixed in with everything else. Now, her preferred sound is "ma ma ma", and I think it is lovely.

The Second Joy: The Joy of Mobility. I have these hilarious pictures of Evie trying to crawl. A few weeks ago, she would practice her skills by jamming her head into the ground but sticking her bottom way up in the air. And then she would reverse it, but putting her bottom down on the ground, and pushing her chest up as high as she could. She looked like a see-saw. Now, she is on her hands and knees rocking. A lot. Crawling is coming and we haven't babyproofed a durn thing. She is also sitting for long periods of time, and reaching for everything. Which brings me to the third joy...

The Third Joy: The Joy of Eating. Yes, Evie is eating now. I don't know why they call it solids, it's more like softs, because everything she is ingesting is pureed. We have video of her first taste of food--rice cereal, and it was hilarious. We also have countless pictures of her with food all over her face, hands and arms, and one of her with her fingers in mashed bananas. Her favorite foods are bananas, pears and peaches. She is okay with sweet potatoes, and happens to like green peas too. She has a preference for rice cereal over oatmeal but will eat it anyway. Also, she likes apple juice, but can only drink it if you hold the sippy cup for her, she hasn't figured out how to hold the cup in place yet. My favorite eating antics are when she starts to yell in short bursts because you aren't fast enough with the food, and when she sees the spoon coming, she will grab the spoon handle and guide the spoon into her mouth. And take the spoon from you. She has also tried to lower her mouth into the bowl to slurp the food up, but that wasn't so successful. Mealtimes are becoming my favorite times, followed by bathtimes when we can rinse the food out of her hair, her ears, around her eyes, in the folds of her neck, on her legs and from her little nostrils.

We hope to get our home computer back in working order soon. In the meantime, you can celebrate with us and our Three Joys!