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 Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:12 pm
Nighttime Reading "Evie.... it's not as though you understand it. Why must I read to you?!" Kari said with a heavy sigh, though it was more for show than anything else. Truth be told, she was delighted beyond all belief that her infant daughter wanted to be read to before bed. Most infants liked to be rocked, sung to, cuddled.... Evie wanted readings. And it wasn't just any readings. Oh, no... no baby books for Evie. Evie wanted to listen to Kari read more of 'Harry Potter.'
It had all started a few days before, when Kayce and Eowyn--the newest member of the household and Kayce's new best friend... if an apathetic, aloof creature could have a best friend-- had been sitting on the couch, looking at a book. Both young females were quite intelligent, though Eowyn's reading skills were still quite a bit behind Kayce's. She was much younger, after all, and Kayce had had much more practice. Therefore, Eowyn was reading Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone aloud to Kayce as practice, and Kayce was patiently listening.
Kari had been walking through the living room at the time, holding a restless and curious Evie who seemed to be displeased by the fact that she was being 'restrained'. Poor Kari had been trying to quiet Evie all morning, but the little infant was just too active, curious, and much too interested in what was going on around her. She wanted activity, and she wanted it now, damnit!
The second that Kari set foot in the living room, Evie stopped her squirming, both of her pointed ears twitching and her fire-orange eyes zeroing in on the two girls seated on the couch. She made no more sounds and simply was still in Kari's arms, apparently listening closely to the tale of Harry Potter.
Surprised at this, Kari had at first not known how to react and then had seen a possibility. Evie liked the story and wanted to hear more of it. Perhaps if Kari read to her, she would be more likely to fall asleep...
And so, the tradition had started. Kari began reading a chapter of the book to Evie before every sleep-time. And since the child slept through the night and took two three-hour naps during the day, that meant that she had to read three chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone every single day.
It could have been much worse. She could have been forced to read some dumb children's book to the infant. This, she could tolerate. It was actually an interesting book, though she was beginning to run out of chapters. She would need to get the second book from Kayce within a week or so.
Miffed that her mother's attention had wandered away from the here-and-now, Evie let out a loud squeal and gazed up at her mother from her crib, adopting an adorable pouting expression as her favorite book had not appeared on time. Her pout turned into an expression of utter joy as Kari chuckled and retrieved the book from atop the dresser. "Aeeeeeeeee ahhhhhhhherrrrrrrrrrr!"
Frozen with shock, Kari eyed her daughter. Had she just spoken? Had Evie just said her first words? She shook her head and went closer to the crib. No, that was just random baby sounds. Right? No?
Upon seeing her mother staring at her, Evie squealed out the words again and then lie still beneath her blanket, watching her mother with wide eyes and waiting for the reading to begin.
Well, it appeared she had spoken after all. Still in shock, Kari managed a slow grin and then sat herself down in the rocking chair, sneaking a three-fingered hand over the top of the crib to stroke Evie's wayward hair. "Yeah... Harry Potter. Now as long as you stay quiet, I'll read," she chuckled, watching her daughter gaze back with a very eager expression. Did Evie really understand? Who knew?! Kari had herself been a bit ahead of the game, as far as intellectual maturity. Maybe Evie had inherited that.
It was worth investigating at a later date. For now, Kari was content just to read to the girl and hope that if Evie was a bit on the bright side, she wasn't quite bright enough to get into mischief just yet...
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2006 9:27 pm
Toil and Trouble Normally when children got lost, they got lost at supermarkets. Or parks. Or places with high population densities. The last place they usually got lost in was their own home. That was normal children, anyway, but Evie was not a normal child.
Thus, Kari was frantically searching every cupboard and cabinet, beneath every piece of furniture, and in every imaginable (and unimaginable) crook and cranny of the basement. Thirty minutes of search had yielded no results. Every now and then, she would hear a faint giggle that told her the child knew she was being searched for. Evie knew her mother was looking, and Kari had a sneaking suspicion that the girl kept moving her hiding spot.
Even after enlisting Nieva's help, Evie was still in hiding and was nowhere to be found. The giggles were getting louder, more frequent, and quite teasing. The girl knew she couldn't be found, and that made her even more inclined to taunt her mother and aunt. If the child could speak, Kari guessed she'd be saying something akin to, "HAHAHA! YOU CAN'T FIND ME!"
"Kari, what's wrong? I've been hearing ruckus for over an hour now," Amyla's voice came from the apartment (or more accurately, the basement) doorway. The older woman stepped down into the living room, glancing about at Nieva and Kari, who were still dashing around and searching. "Kari?"
"Evie's hiding, and she's finding it quite funny," Kari replied, flattening herself on the floor to look under the couch. "I can't find her!"
Amyla stared at them for a few moments and then burst out laughing. "So why are you looking under everything?"
Kari froze. "Because she might have crawled under there.... right?" she said, not sure why this was so amusing.
"The girl has wings, Kari, and she knows how to climb!" Amyla chuckled. "If you had wings and were that small, where would you hide?!"
Acknowledging her mother's absolute brilliance and experience with winged children, Kari nodded slowly. Yes, yes... Evie must have climbed on something. But what?!
Another giggle echoed from somewhere off to her right, and she darted into the kitchen to find two fiery bright eyes staring down at her out of the darkness. Of course. She had been so focused on the ground that she'd failed to look up... atop the refrigerator, where Evie was now sitting and slowly gnawing on what looked like a giant carrot stick.
"Evie, you little brat. How in the name of all that is holy did you get up there?!" Kari sighed with exasperation. She extended a burst of power and levitated the girl up off the top of the refrigerator and then down into her arms. "No more refrigerator hide-outs for you."
The child's eyes gleamed. "Maaaaaaaah...." she purred, curling her free hand around Kari's upper arm. "Maaaaah..."
Kari sighed. Oh, this child was so much trouble.
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Posted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:13 pm
It's been over a month since I updated. I've been so tired lately; Evie runs me ragged. She is, thankfully, eating baby food now, and she likes gnawing on things. She is just as cuddly as ever, and her cheerfulness only increases by the day. While I'm delighted she is such a happy, mobile baby, she is causing no end of mischief. I'm always having to pull her down off of furniture and out from beneath chairs. She gets into everything, everywhere. But she is so cute that it's hard to stay mad at her for long.
Her vocabulary has increased to include 'Ma' (Mom), 'Teeyay' (Auntie Nieva), 'Aaaysss' (Kayce), and some inarticulate sounds that she uses to identify other members of the house, like my mum and dad. I'm starting to wonder if she's speaking another language. Who knows?!
Anyway, I've been working part-time out of the house, sending my sketches to the office. We received a new project that has everyone tearing their hair out. This guy wants to build a high-rise apartment building, and he wants it to be some sort of dark, spooky, Eastern-European style development. It is supposedly to cater to vampires, though most vampires I know would rather have their own property for the sake of privacy, for a variety of reasons.
That's it for news for now. Maybe I'll have Nieva jot down notes later when she's not busy.
~Kari
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Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:08 pm
Since Kari left the journal out, I'm stealing it for a bit to write. Evie is unbelievably cute! Well... she is cute in looks and even cuter in actions, the way she pulls little pranks and grins. She does tend to keep Kari and I up (I'm so happy to be an aunt and not a mom!), but she is so good-natured otherwise that it is hard to stay mad at her. She isn't a fussy baby and doesn't need to be held. She just likes getting into mischief, being read to, and eating. She does a lot of eating and crawling, sometimes both at once. That usually doesn't work too well, so we have to keep an eye on her. At least she knows what not to eat; that's a relief.
I'm kind of wondering if she'll inherit Kari's powers. We have found her in the oddest places, including some she should have been able to get to. How in the world did she manage to get atop the refrigerator?! Her wings can't hold her yet, and she certainly-- well, almost certainly-- couldn't have climbed. It's just odd. She is an odd child.
Oh, and my newest little sister, Yana, is adorable as well. She is a toddler now, and I think Mum and Dad are bringing her somewhere for a check-up. She seems to be really jumpy, the poor dear. I hope she feels all right. Maybe she is just a more nervous person.
Anyway, I'm going to get out some of those baby food carrots for Evie for a snack. She loves those things.
Nieva
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Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:50 pm
Colors "Ohhh, Kaaaaaaari! Oh dearest, darling little sister of mine! Wherefore art thou, Kari?"
Head bent over her sketches for work, Kari frowned, torn between annoyance and concern. Nieva had volunteered to take care of Evie for a few hours while Kari got caught up on her plans for the building her company was designing. It had only been thirty minutes, at most, and Nieva usually left her completely undisturbed for the full time unless an emergency arose. Evie loved Nieva, and Nieva doted on Evie, which meant that emergencies just didn't happen.
It made Kari nervous, then, that she was being summoned from her work like this.
Putting down her pencil, she pushed back her chair and hurried from her room into the living room of their basement apartment, surprised to find Evie and Nieva sitting there on the floor. Evie was grinning from ear to ear, and Nieva was beaming. It certainly didn't look like an emergency.
Before she could even ask, Nieva spoke. "Kari, dear, you're going to love this," the older sister chortled, laying a set of colored blocks out in front of Evie. "Evie, where is the blue one?"
The little infant giggled and immediately laid a green, three-fingered hand on the blue block.
"Good job!" Nieva congratulated her, while Kari attempted to process what was going on. "How about the red one?"
Evie instantly put her hand on the bright red block, giggling again in obvious entertainment at this new game.
"When did she learn her colors??" Kari asked, absolutely flabbergasted. She had never taught the little girl the different colors. Sure, she knew that Evie was smart and all, but babies couldn't learn things like that this early.
Could they?
"I didn't teach her. I was just setting out the blocks, and she put them in the order of the rainbow. Once I started asking her to point out the colors, I figured out she knew them. That's not all, either," Nieva said happily. "Watch this, sis. Evie, we need two blocks. Can you give me two?"
The infant nodded, still grinning from ear to ear, and picked up two blocks. She held them out to Nieva. "Oooo!"
Kari sat down-- hard-- next to Nieva on the floor. Since when had Evie learned this?! She read to the girl every night, sure, but usually it was 'Harry Potter'. She didn't remember ever getting her one of those "Baby Genius" books that were supposed to help your child master letters and numbers at an earlier age. She had never wanted to torture Evie with cramming that much knowledge in at once.
But somehow, the little girl had mastered that all on her own.
"Wow... uhhh. I think we need to work on this more," she said, nodding as she stared at her daughter. This was an entirely unexpected development and one she was not yet prepared to deal with. Oh dear. "I'll do my sketches later."
Still beaming, Nieva set down the blocks and fairly floated out of the room, chattering something about making cookies to celebrate the fact that she had a brilliant niece. Kari barely heard her, though. She was already asking Evie to count the blocks, and she was far too enraptured with the girl's performance to notice that Nieva had even left.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:54 pm
[Reserved for Baby Shopping with Gen]
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 2:13 pm
Kari and Evie meet Joirune at the clinic.Amyla Edana Despite the fact that the weather outside was decent and the nearby parks were beckoning, Kari somehow found herself striding past all of the outdoor displays of natural beauty. After realizing that Evie had not met many children her own age, the Ancient had decided to take it upon herself to find her another infant to play with for awhile. When she had discarded most of the options her own mother suggested, Kari found herself left with the possibility of taking Evie to the clinic in an attempt to run into another visiting parent with a child. It was a longshot, but it was the best idea so far. Evie was getting too used to just the family.
Evie, settled happily on Kari's hip, had no idea where they were going, and she didn't seem to care much, even as Kari opened the front door of the clinic and took her inside, away from the pretty plants outdoors. The infant, happily toying with a brightly colored cat plushie, was unbothered by being indoors and continued to play on, oblivious to the fact that her mother was glancing around the lobby in search of another person. Joirune Joirune had found herself with nothing to do that afternoon, so she'd taken it upon herself to start cleaning up around the clinic. At the moment, she was straightening up in the lobby. The priestess looked up when the little bell on the door rang. She smiled at the woman and the little child on her hip.
"Here for a checkup by any chance?" She straightened up and smoothed out her pants and made sure her scrub top was pulled down. Amyla Edana Kari, startled by the unfamiliar woman in scrubs, was silent for about half a second. Then she gave a rueful smile and tried to get a new grip on Evie, who had been overtaken by a sudden urge to get away. "I almost wish so. I was actually stopping by to see if there were any parents and kids about for Evie to meet," she replied, briefly flashing her fangs in a friendly smile.
Struggling in her mother's grip, Evie managed to wriggle around so she was dangling half-upside down in Kari's arms, chewing happily on her dog plushie's ear. She froze when she spied the unfamiliar person, even her chewing paused for the moment. She then righted herself and stared, flipping both of her tails around. "Ooooh?" Amyla Edana Kari, startled by the unfamiliar woman in scrubs, was silent for about half a second. Then she gave a rueful smile and tried to get a new grip on Evie, who had been overtaken by a sudden urge to get away. "I almost wish so. I was actually stopping by to see if there were any parents and kids about for Evie to meet," she replied, briefly flashing her fangs in a friendly smile.
Struggling in her mother's grip, Evie managed to wriggle around so she was dangling half-upside down in Kari's arms, chewing happily on her dog plushie's ear. She froze when she spied the unfamiliar person, even her chewing paused for the moment. She then righted herself and stared, flipping both of her tails around. "Ooooh?" Joirune "It's been a quiet day. Only a few people in. My name is Joirune, I'm a new nurse here." The priestess bowed politely, she still wasn't used to shaking hands or anything like that. She smiled again, hoping the other woman hadn't been too started by her. Amyla Edana "Well, it was a thought," Kari chuckled with a self-deprecating smile. Ahhh, she should've known better. Oh well. The trip hadn't been a total waste. "It's wonderful to meet you, Joirune. I'm sure I'll be seeing you here quite a bit. I'm Kari, and this is my daughter, Evie," the Ancient added, gesturing with her chin at the green-skinned child in her arms.
Evie stared at Joirune for quite awhile, her mouth hanging open slightly as she tried to process this new and unfamiliar face. After deeming this new woman 'safe', she gave a toothy grin and waved a chubby hand at the nurse, her other hand still closely clutching her well-loved dog plushie. "Hiiiiihihihi!" she chirruped happily. Joirune "It's very nice to meet you as well, Kari." She nodded to the woman. "..and Evie." She smiled at the little girl. "She's quite adorable, seems very energetic too." Amyla Edana A bit relieved now that Evie had ceased her struggling, Kari relaxed, curling her own tail a bit. Ahhh, a few moments of beloved peace and ease. "Thank you," she replied, her face flushing a slightly darker shade of green. "She's... ahhh... the resident escape artist at home. I'm always finding her hiding on top of the refrigerator or trying to get the 'front door' open. Can't turn my back on her for a second, or she's out and about. I'm dreading the day she learns how to walk." She tilted her horned head to one side, gazing curiously at Joirune for a moment. "Do you have children of your own?"
Evie giggled at Joirune and then commenced chewing on her plushie again, still closely watching this unfamiliar, though very interesting, woman. "Heeeehhurhurhur.." she chortled around her mouthful of plushie, eyes alight with joy and mischief. Joirune Joirune frowned a little. "No, unfortunately I don't, unless you count a newborn puppy." She couldn't have children, the natural way at least, if she wished to remain a priestess. Hearing about the clinic's procedures from Julian had intrigued her a bit, and she had started to wonder if she could have a child that way...but she wouldn't want a child alone. Amyla Edana A bit bemused by the other woman's frown, Kari couldn't resist a small chuckle. "Ahhh, puppies count as babies, especially when they're newborns. Same amount of work and just as much love." Then again, Kari was partial to canines. It was a natural preference. "The good thing about puppies, though, is that most of them don't grow to out-do you in size."
Evie, meanwhile, got bored of her chewing and resumed a full-on stare. After a moment, she held out one three-fingered hand toward Joirune, making a string of inquisitive noises. Joirune "I suppose your right." Joirune's expression brightened and her attention turned to Evie again, for the moment. "A curious little one, aren't you?" Amyla Edana "I've raised puppies, and now I've got her. She's cuter, but she's way bigger too," Kari said, grinning broadly. Really, there was no way to accurately compare her beautiful daughter to a puppy. She was just incomparable, but that was the biased parent in her speaking. She took a few steps closer to Joirune to satisfy Evie's curiosity, watching the girl watch the nurse.
Evie gave a squeaky giggle and twirled her tails about, staring at Joirune with large, curious fiery eyes. She let out another string of incomprehensible baby babble, still holding her hand out toward the nurse. Joirune Joirune waved to Evie. "There's a little toy bin in the corner, perhaps theres something in there that might interest her?" The priestess glanced up at Kari. Amyla Edana Kari gave the priestess an apologetic grin. "Ahhh, I wish. She likes her plushie most of all, but people tend to interest her more than toys," she explained, chuckling and leaning her head away from Evie as the infant began to pet her hair. "For some reason, toys just don't hold her fascination for long."
Giving the nurse a cheerful wave, Evie burbled some sort of greeting and then went back to stroking her mother's long hair. Occasionally she'd pull a hand away to itch at her own reddish horns before going back to the hair-petting, fascinated by the softness of it. Joirune "Oh, it's quite alright." Joirune made a silly face at Evie. "All little ones are different." She smiled softly. Amyla Edana After a moment of surprise, Evie returned the face, scrunching up her nose and baring her little teeth in what was supposed to look appropriately silly. In reality, she looked like a cross between a vampire and a rabid dog, but that just made Kari chuckle all the louder. Ah, children. "This is true. She isn't anything like any of my siblings, for which I am profoundly grateful on my counts," the Ancient said fervently. Joirune Joirune laughed at Evie, she was so cute. "Oh, where are my manners. Would you like to sit down?" Amyla Edana Sit down? The thought hadn't even occurred to Kari, but the second that Joirune mentioned it, it suddenly sounded wonderful. "Yes, that might be a good idea, especially if she starts to wriggle aga-"
Right on cue, Evie resumed her squirming, eager to be down and crawling about. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother; the world was just much more fascinating to explore. Joirune Joirune laughed and went to settle herself on the couch. Amyla Edana Kari sat herself down on the opposite side of the couch, chuckling as Evie suddenly stilled. The infant seemed to sense that she was about to gain her freedom, for she began to make a chuckling sound and flip her tails about in an excited fashion after that brief moment of peace. After comfortably seating herself, Kari leaned over and very gently placed Evie on the floor in a sitting position, relaxing back a bit as she watched the child. Evie couldn't get far in this place; there weren't enough hiding spots.
Evie, however, was totally disinterested in hiding, and she crawled over to Joirune, sitting down in front of the nurse's feet and babbling happily. She flared out her wings and wiggled back and forth, grinning unashamedly up at the woman. Joirune Joirune bent over to look at the little one and grinned. "Well hello again." She reached down and touched the girl's cheek. "You looking for someone to talk to, little one?" Amyla Edana Evie nodded vigorously, touching Joirune's hand with one of her own. "Yuhhhhh. Hihi!" she chirped, her tails waggling about in a demonstration of ecstasy. The child tilted her head to one side, her flame-colored eyes wide and curious. "I Eeefeeeee!"
Kari chuckled a bit. For all that she could be wary of strangers at first, Evie was remarkably good at making friends, it seems. Well, that was one worry out of the way. Joirune "Mind if I pick her up?" Joirune glanced over at Kari. Amyla Edana Kari smiled at Joirune. "No, I don't mind at all. She seems to like you," the Ancient said, grinning further at Evie's infectious cheerfulness. She knew she shouldn't be so proud of her lovely daughter, but who cared?! It was a parent's right, after all.
Evie glanced back and forth between her mother and Joirune, looking appropriately confused. After a moment, she simply flapped her wings once and then patted the nurse's hand. "Heeeeeeee!" she said, grinning broadly at whatever special meaning it held for her. Joirune Joirune reached down and picked up the infant carefully, setting her on her lap, sideways so she could see her mother as well look around at everything. Amyla Edana Uttering a long, drawn-out cooing noise as she was picked up, Evie sat very still for a moment on Joirune's lap, her fiery eyes wide as she processed this new situation. After a moment, her expression brightened, and she giggled, reaching up to pat the side of the nurse's face. "Hihihi!" she declared again, happily fluttering her wings.
"I take that back: she definitely likes you," Kari corrected herself with a smile, watching her daughter interact with the nurse. She managed to hide her giant sigh of relief, though she was no less elated that Evie was responding well to a stranger. Granted, she didn't want the toddler to run up to every unfamiliar person with the same joy, but the fact that Evie was taking the time to look at and evaluate the person before trusting was a very good sign. Joirune Joirune laughed and smiled. "If I was ever able to have a child, I would've been delighted if it was even half as sweet as Evie." She glanced at the clock. "Oh dear, I'm supposed to have an appointment coming in, in a few minutes." Amyla Edana Kari chuckled, a definite dry undertone to the sound. "Mmm... you'd better hope they'd be about half as mischevious too. She tends to escape from her crib and playpen and hide in various other places" she said, remembering the most recent episode. Dear gods above, it had given her a near heart attack. She nodded in understanding at the mention of an upcoming appointment. "I'd better not keep you, then. C'mere, Evie," she said, standing and walking to Joirune to lift the infant off the nurse's lap.
Evie looked momentarily put-out by this sudden change of situation, but she waved at Joirune nonetheless, clinging to her mother's shoulder. "Buhbyebuhbye..." she burbled, twitching her tails about enthusiastically. Joirune "Perhaps I'll see you all again. It was nice to meet you." Joirune stood once Evie was picked up, bowed politely then waved to Evie. Amyla Edana "It was wonderful to meet you too," Kari said cheerfully, hefting the infant on her hip. "Until next time." She headed for the door, aware of the fact Evie was staring at Joirune over her shoulder.
"Byyyyyyyyyyyyye," Evie cooed happily, waving a chubby three-fingered hand at the nurse as her mother carried her out.
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 8:04 pm
Evie is learning to speak, and it's scaring me. Granted, she definitely isn't a master orator, but her baby babble is becoming less babbly and more... comprehensible? She can say her name and say 'hi' to people, as well as make noises that I think stand for 'thank you'. She calls me 'mama' and Nieva 'Ahtay!'. Don't ask about how she got to calling her that; I have no idea!
My sketches for work have been keeping me busy, but I spend as much time as I can with Evie. We won't get this kind of time later in her life, and I want to spoil her as much as possible now. Well... I don't want to spoil her, but I do want her to feel loved and cherished. I think she does. She's quite the silly little thing. On a strange note, I caught her trying to climb a wall the other day. I wish I had a video of it. It was priceless.
Anyway, we're going to go back to figuring out whether or not Evie really knows her colors. She acts like she does, but I'm not sure if she's a lucky guesser or is that smart. I'm guessing it's an odd combination of both.
Kari
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 8:24 pm
Infant Check-up
Child’s Name: Evelia Circe Layden
Gender: Female
Parent(s): Karael Layden
Soul/Essence: Phoenix/Pearl
Skills/Aptitudes: She shows a surprising amount of imagination and a knack for getting out of anywhere. Both should be encouraged, within limits. We're not sure if her fascination with magic is due to her interest in it or her capacity with it. We will have to test her as she gets older to see if she does have magic in her blood.
Physical Strengths/Weaknesses: She seems to be fairly strong and mobile, though we worry her fine motor skills later in life may be hampered by her three-fingered hands. Please be sure to work with her on this.
Other Concerns: Evelia seems to be very... wild. Her imagination and curiosity may get her into trouble, so be sure to maintain steady discipline. She'll need it.
Overall Comments: Evelia appears healthy and energetic, a fine child. Her energy may spell trouble as she gets older, though, so do keep an eye on her to make sure she stays out of dangerous mischief!
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 7:20 pm
I got Evie a little 'magic wand' on a whim. It's just a wooden dowel attached to to a little plushie star, but she loves it. She has been waving it about and saying her little magic words, which are really just babbles. I can't decide whether to laugh or sigh at the whole issue. I'm hesitant to believe that she got my talent, so I wonder what will happen if she grows up without magic powers.
Somehow, I don't know if she'll care, though. She seems to be so happy, even without 'magic' things happening. I just hope she keeps that cheerfulness. I love to see her smile and hear her laugh. It's impossible to have a rotten day with her around. Granted, she drives me bonkers, that little brat, but I wouldn't have her any other way.
Nieva has been spoiling her too. She sewed Evie up a little red robe some gold trim on it, and it's a cute outfit. Evie has been sitting there and waving her wand, wearing it, and she looks so adorable. I snapped a picture for posterity, and the grin on her face is now immortal. I almost wish she could stay this little forever. It'd be nice, but then again... I don't know if I could tolerate her not ever learning to read Harry Potter on her own. My throat is going raw from all the reading to her!
~Kari
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 1:00 pm
Evie has grown! She isn't little any longer, and the fact that she is so incredibly mobile is frightening. She is learning to walk and is getting into everything! She is crawling into cabinets, climbing on counters, and just... being everywhere! I can't keep up with her. She just tumbles around, leaving chaos in her wake. She is incredibly adorable, but she is driving me nuts!
Oh, and did I mention she doesn't match her clothes? Bright colors, all of them, in no sense of order. Why?!
She still carries around her little magic wand, though it's starting to show serious signs of abuse. With the amount that she whacks things with it, I'm surprised it hasn't broken yet. I'm grateful, though; she'd be inconsolable if her 'wand' broke. She has been running (actually, mostly stumbling and falling, since she is still getting used to walking upright) around in her robe, and she looks rather cute, if still unmatched. She still lies in bed and patiently waits to be read to. It's a few pages of Harry Potter every night, or she won't sleep. I'm spoiling her; I know. I just can't help it!
~Kari
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:48 am
[Reserved for 'Playplaces and Milkshakes']
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:21 pm
This is the first chance I've had in awhile to update. Evie is still adjusting to being all grown up and is toddling all over the place. She definitely doesn't win an award for grace; I've seen tour buses with a smaller turning radius. She is undeniably cute, though, and whenever she breaks something, she gives the saddest face possible. I know she is sorry for what she does; she doesn't mean it. She just is too clumsy to help herself. I've moved most of the breakable stuff into secure locations, so she just gets into the things that can't break when she knocks them over. She is way, way too curious for her own good.
And far too intelligent as well. Her speech is improving at an alarming rate, and she started babbling on about magic and Harry Potter the other day. I still read to her every night. We're getting close to the end of The Prisoner of Azkaban, and I'm almost worried about reading the next one to her. I don't know if she's old enough to handle the concept of death. It might scare her. On the other hand, if we have a talk ahead of time, maybe I can get her to understand it. She understands colors, and we're working on counting. Letters are next on the list.
She still has that blasted 'magic wand' of hers. It's really showing a lot of wear, but she won't part with it. We'll have to get her a new one of some sort to keep her happy. Mum had some ideas; I'll ask her.
~Kari
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Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:00 pm
I finally managed to get Evie to get rid of that magic wand. It broke yesterday when she whacked it on the floor by accident. She was crying for a bit, but I managed to cheer her up a little afterward. We played with blocks for awhile, and she was happy to rattle off all of the colors she knew. Nieva taught her to count the other day, so she's been running around counting everything. As I'm writing this, I can hear her saying, "One... two... three beds! One... two.... three... four chairs!" She can only get to ten before getting confused, but that is progress at least. I'm going to sit her down and work on letters tomorrow. I think she might be bright enough that she can get some handle on it. It would keep her busy for awhile at the very least.
She still moves sort of like a rhino. At least, I think that's the proper way to say it. She is all speed and no direction or control. She blunders into things and knocks them over, if they're smaller than her. The bigger things either knock her over or just move a bit. Even if her gross coordination is terrible, her speech is getting a bit better. She is far more understandable now. I don't think she'll ever take after me and be an architect, though. Her concepts of depth and balance just aren't there, not to mention she has little to no interest in drawing. Oh well. Maybe she'll grow up to be some kind of witch after all. Who knows?
I think I need to take her to meet some kids her age. That would be fun for her. She'll have to go to school at some point, so it'd be nice to get her socialized now. Having the big family around has been good for her. She was begging me to hug Lex and Donnie (her two new aunts), but I decided against it. She hugs her stuffed animals to the point of strangulation. I don't think that letting her hug an infant is wise. She did get to hold their little hands, though, so that made her feel better.
I need to find her a new wand or something.
~Kari
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Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:56 pm
I made an attempt to teach Evie some letters today. She is old enough now that she could go to preschool. I'm not sure if I want her to, though. It would be good for her to get some interaction with the other kids. On the other hand, it could prove to be a disaster, especially if she demonstrates any of my less-human talents.
I strayed off-topic again. In any case, we worked on the alphabet and letters. It didn't take her long to memorize the alphabet song, though she didn't have a clue what it meant. At least she has something new to do besides count. The counting was getting really annoying. She isn't learning letters quite as much as she is learning the phonetic sounds that accompany them. She can understand the 'k' sound in 'cat' and 'kite' and the 's' sound in 'star.' I decided that that was enough for today. She is still pretty young.
She understands more, though. As I'm sitting here now, she is sitting on the floor a few feet away with Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone sitting, open, in her lap. She is concentrating hard on it, and I think she is beginning to understand that the words on the paper represent the sounds that come out of her mouth and my mouth. She knows that each symbol is a letter, and each group of symbols is a word, but how much she knows beyond that is anybody's guess. I can tell she wants to learn more, but I don't know how fast I want to take this. She has plenty of time to learn this! It's not like she'll grow to childhood overnight.
~Kari
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