Evalynn & Elizabeth's Journal

July - August 2004

Happy 1st Birthday!

Welcome to Evalynn and Elizabeth's journal!  We were born on August 31, 2003 at 34 weeks, 5 days gestation.  Our due date was October 7th, so we were a bit over 5 weeks early.  Select the links below to get quickly to the section of your choice.  Thanks for visiting. 

Wow, can you believe that Lynn and Liz' first birthday is less than two months away?  Time has gone so fast.  We're getting going on birthday preparations.

Many pictures are posted out here.  Prior to posting the pictures, I shrink them down to approximately 300 pixels to save space on the web server (we're only given so much space).  If you're wanting original sized pictures, please email us, letting us know which picture you'd like and we will email it to you.

History        Sherry's IVF Journal    Ultrasound Pictures    Belly Pictures

 Gift Wish-list Info    Skip to the Most Recent Journal Entry

Click here to see the list of gifts received

Birthday info....The girls' first birthday party will be on Saturday, August 28th.  Email invites (for those with email) will be coming shortly to allow plenty of time to plan.

June 30, 2004: 304 days old  (9 months, 30 days (43 weeks, 3 days)   The girls are 10 months old tomorrow... Wow! Double-digits!  We're two months away from their first birthday already!

Since we'll be heading to Michigan tomorrow, I decided to take their 10-month pictures this morning.  I'm so happy to have camera friendly babies!!!  Liz is a bit drooly today.  I think she's cutting her top teeth.

July 6, 2004: 310 days old  (10 months, 6 days (44 weeks, 2 days)   We had a great time in Michigan.  We decided to stay an extra night.  We made it back home around 4:30 yesterday afternoon.  Traffic was not as bad as we thought it would be.

The girls were great!  We kept them on their same sleep/eat schedule, so there were not many problems last night with the exception of the big crack of thunder that woke Evalynn around 11 PM.  That was the first time that anyone woke to a thunderstorm.

Evalynn's first tooth arrived yesterday!  We noticed it when we got home.

I took some pictures.  I'll try to get those posted soon...

July 8, 2004: 312 days old  (10 months, 8 days (44 weeks, 4 days)  This afternoon, we were visited by my friend Jenn and her three girls; Megan, who will be 5 in Aug, Heather, who will be 2 in Aug and Rachel, who is almost 2 months old.  Here's a picture of the five kids.

I went to put the girls down for a nap after Jenn left.  I left the room to get them some water and came back to see Liz standing in her crib!!!

July 16, 2004: 320 days old  (10 months, 16 days (45 weeks, 5 days)  Wow, what a bumpy week!  A F4 tornado hit outside of the town of Roanoke Tuesday afternoon and took out several homes and a manufacturing plant.  Luckily, there were no fatalities and very few injuries.  It did take out cable (internet and TV) to several small towns for a couple days.  Roanoke is still without power.   The girls handled our basement stay well.

The girls have only been taking one hour naps (still sleeping 12 hours at night) for the last few days.  I think it's time for a nap adjustment.  I waited yesterday to give them lunch until after their nap.  They slept 2.5 hours and ate great.  I think I now need to give them another nap before dinner since they get really grumpy about an hour and a half before bed.

Lynn and Liz have really been playing with each other the last couple days.  I need to make sure they don't play too rough.  Lynn grabbed Liz' face yesterday.  It looked painful to me, she didn't seem to mind.

We were able to get the new pavilion at the park reserved for the girls' birthday party.  I also started a couple birthday wish lists.  I'll get the info posted when they become active.

Mommy is going to try to get back to sleep...

July 18, 2004: 322 days old  (10 months, 18 days (46 weeks) We took the girls on their first trip to the zoo yesterday.  They liked watching the animals that moved.  We did some shopping afterwards and went to DQ for the girls' first ice cream cone (they even ate some of the cone).  Mommy got her hair cut above her shoulders.  Bangs are back and layers were cut.  It sure feels lighter!

Daddy woke Mommy up this morning to tell her that Lynn pulled herself up!  He even took pictures.  She even stood without holding on to anything for a few seconds.  She wasn't sure how to get down, so she ended up falling over.

Picture time...

In Michigan (pictures taken July 3rd)...

Relaxing on the Hammock

Showing off their personalities

Hey, where's the birthday cake???

Zoo Pictures on July 17th

Lynn standing this morning...

July 25, 2004: 329 days old  (10 months, 25 days (47 weeks)   Wow....nothing is safe anymore.  The girls can get into everything.  In the last week, they've gotten stuff off the dining room table, end tables, garbage cans, and bookshelves.  They're both teething something fierce.  We had a couple of grumps on our hands today!  The tooth Lynn cut a few weeks ago keep dipping back under the gums as the bottom gum swells more and more.  Liz is cutting some large top teeth.

We've been taking them outside a lot more, especially before bed.  They seem to fall asleep better when we do.  With the cooler, gorgeous weather we've had the last few days, there's been less bugs outside, which is good!

Lynn is getting a lot better getting down from a standing position.  It's cute how cautious she is when getting down.

I did a prototype of the girls' birthday cake, to see how it would look...not too shabby for a prototype.  This one was a zucchini cake...yummy!!!

Big Brother was taking pictures Thursday.  What hams we have!  They hear the camera turn on and they're both right there.

How much are those babies in the window?

Liz is making her funny face while pressing her head against the window.  I think Lynn was jabbering when the picture of her was taken.  Mommy really needs to wash the windows!

We'll be spending this week getting ready for our trip to Minnesota to see Grandpa Jerry.  Mitzi, Lynn, Liz and I will be going.  We leave this Saturday.  Daddy leaves on Sunday for New Jersey.  Dan will be staying at a friends house in town and coming home to take care of the animals.  Daddy will be back on Friday.  Us girls will be returning on Saturday.

I cannot believe the girls will be 11 months old next Sunday.  Five more weeks until their first birthday!

July 29, 2004: 333 days old  (10 months, 29 days (47 weeks, 4 days)  Mommy took our 11 month pictures this morning.  Here's how they turned out.

Mommy rearranged the dining room yesterday (with the help of Dan and his friend...you can get a lot of stuff done for a ride).   Now we don't have to drag high chairs across the dining room.  The only thing is that Mommy has to make a cover for the front of her computer.  Liz has figured out how to shut it off. 

We're starting to get ready for our trip.  This will probably be the last post until we get back.

August 8, 2004: 343 days old  (11 months, 8 days (49 weeks)   We returned from our trip late last night.  We had a great time and it was so nice to see Grandpa Jerry.  We went to the Aitkin County Fair on Wednesday to see the animals.  The girls really liked the horses and roosters.  We watched a horse competition where they had to ride horses and carry a spoon with an egg on it, while doing different strides with the horses.  That was really neat!  Mommy and Mitzi let us have a taste of their funnel cake!

We had a pre-birthday celebration for Grandpa, Evalynn and Elizabeth on Friday.  Mommy and Mitzi made cupcakes.  Grandma Jerry made pasta salad and sloppy joes.  Dinner was great!  Aunt Marlene, Uncle Lyle and Cousin Scott helped us celebrate.  The first picture was taken just before we left yesterday.  The second picture is of Grandma and Grandpa Jerry with the four youngest grandkids.  Karena (5 months old) is sitting next to Liz on Grandma's lap.  Breena (2 yrs old) is standing between Grandma and Grandpa.

On our way up on July 31st, we stopped in Baraboo to meet Tracy and her son Andrew.  Andrew is almost a month younger than the girls. 

On our way back yesterday, we met Heather and her son Noah.  Noah is 16 months old.

We dropped Mitzi back off to spend the next week with her Dad.  I also stopped at Grandma Wilson's on the way back.  Aunt Patty agreed to spend the week down with us.  The girls are having so much fun with her.

August 11, 2004: 346 days old  (11 months, 11 days (49 weeks, 3 days)   Mommy and Daddy's 4th anniversary is today.  Daddy took the day off work.  Aunt Patty is going to babysit while we go out to dinner. 

It's been great with Patty here.  We went to an outdoor mall in Peoria on Monday.  We went to Bloomington to meet Michael for lunch and to go around to look for something to attach to the highchairs and stroller so the girls won't throw their cups.  We couldn't find anything.  Apparently, they're only sold online.   So, I made them last night.  It worked well with Lynn this morning.

August 12, 2004: 347 days old  (11 months, 12 days (49 weeks, 4 days)   Liz has a virus called Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD).  Lynn may have it too, but only on the diaper area.  It's hard to tell though if it's a diaper rash or HFMD.  Don't worry, it's not as serious as the name sounds.  Apparently it's common this time of year.  Here's some info on it... http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm .  We just need to be sure to wash our hands after we handle one of the girls and their toys.  I can't tell if they have any blisters in their mouth.  They're not as eager to let us look.  It's even been hard to do checks for teeth.

The anniversary dinner went well last night.  We went to the steakhouse we had our wedding dinner at.  The girls were good for their Aunt Patty.  Lynn woke up though just as Mommy was going to sleep.  She was up until 1:00 this morning.

August 13, 2004: 348 days old  (11 months, 13 days (49 weeks, 5 days) 

Happy Birthday Grandpa Jerry!!!! 

So far the virus hasn't spread much.  My friend Tracy in Baraboo and I are under the assumption that the kids got HFMD from the high chairs at McDonalds.  Her son Andrew had it last week.  It doesn't seem to bother Liz.  She still crawls around with the blisters on her hands.  I think the emerging top tooth is bothering her more!

It seems that the weather is warming up a bit.  It's been pretty cold for August.  I bet the warm weather is waiting for the girls' birthday party!

August 15, 2004: 350 days old  (11 months, 15 days (50 weeks)  Liz's blisters are gone!  I think it was a very mild case.  Knock on wood!  I'm now thinking of making cart covers to help keep some of those germs away.  I found a pattern online which is a lot cheaper than buying two of them.  Just thinking of what has touched those shopping carts and restaurant highchairs makes me sick.

Yesterday we went to a hot air balloon rally in Pontiac.  The girls had so much fun and did a lot of dancing.

The girls are both growing so fast.  Liz can say Mama, Dada, hi, more, and nice.  She will stand for a few seconds without holding on.  Aunt Patty taught Lynn how to clap this last week.  She can also say Mama and Dada.  She can click her tongue.  They can both smack their lips.  It's their way of blowing kisses.  Lynn sticks her tongue out when she's concentrating on something.

They're in a growth spurt.  Yesterday, they each had one grilled cheese sandwich and they always seem hungry.  Their favorite treat is an ice cream cone.

Here's some pictures we took over the weekend...

Here are the girls with Aunt Patty. 

Liz and Lynn having fun at the Balloon Rally...

The balloons during the launch and glow.

August 16, 2004: 351 days old  (11 months, 16 days (50 weeks, 1 day) 

15 DAYS UNTIL OUR BABIES ARE 1!!!  We're still set for the party on the 28th.  I was up until the wee hours this morning painting a poster for the party.  It looks pretty good.  

Very few people have RSVP'd.  I extended the date to this Saturday, hoping we'll start getting some RSVP's.  I'm starting to plan for how much food we'll need.  So, we'll either have too much or will run out!

I'm going to attempt to make birthday hats.  We'll see how that goes.

Last night, Daddy gave the girls a chocolate cookie...What a mess!!!!

August 19, 2004: 354 days old  (11 months, 19 days (50 weeks, 4 days)   We went down to the airport this morning to see Grandpa Willis off.  He'll be working in Florida for the next few weeks to help get things back together after Hurricane Charley.

We bought party supplies, so it looks like we're all set.  I was going to make birthday hats until I fell in love with these pink baseball hats!  I'm going to make cake eating shirts instead.

Mitzi is all set for school to start.  I really need to go school supply shopping in June to miss the rush!

The girls are starting to walk behind their push toys...it won't be long!  Liz' top tooth is almost through.

I need to get things done around here while the girls are sleeping.

August 22, 2004: 357 days old  (11 months, 22 days (51 weeks)  We took the girls' birthday pictures a bit early (Mommy was working on a project, so needed birthday pics).

The girls received their first birthday presents from their friend Megan on Friday.  Megan and her family live in Tennessee.  They each received Noah's Ark Little People animals, stuffed hippos (in their pictures above), animal crackers and a card.  They also got The Story of Noah book and two disposable camera's.  Megan's Mommy (Cherrie) also put in two different types of animal print fabric and patterns for rompers and dresses.

Mommy thinks she has everything made for the birthday party decorations.  She's really trying not to go overboard.  Mommy made another poster (there's two now) yesterday.  Today, Mommy made birthday bibs.

We made our first trip to Stride Rite for shoes yesterday.  We're so glad we did, because the shoes we had for them were too big.  We also found out that the girls have really narrow feet.  Lynn is in a two and Liz is a two and a half.  The shoes are pricey, but well worth it and good for their feet.  I'd rather not skimp on keeping their feet covered, since they'll be walking on them forever.  Hopefully, we'll keep them from having problems with their feet when they are older.

We even bought bells for their shoes.  They are actually tie keepers with bells.  We can now tell when they wander off.

Speaking of wandering off...

August 24, 2004: 358 days old  (11 months, 24 days (51 weeks, 2 days)   One more week until our babies birthday! 

They are playing a lot.  Liz likes dumping toys out of containers and puts them back in.  We have some of their little people in an old wipe container, so that's been fun for her to play with.  For such little girls, they sure have quite a reach!  Lynn likes to place toys on tables (Mommy's desk, end tables and dining room table).

They're also primarily on table foods.  They would rather feed themselves (Odie likes that!)

Here's some cute pictures we've taken...

"Cool Liz"

"Chillin' in our rocking chair, watching Boohbah."

August 27, 2004: 361 days old  (11 months, 27 days (51 weeks, 5 days)  One day until the big party!!!  Mommy has been busy getting the house and plans together.  The cakes were baked and decorated yesterday.  We had to get the refrigerator in the garage cleaned out and plugged in as we've run out of room in the main fridge.   We have the main cake, which is close to a half sheet in size and is a double layer.  I didn't like how thin the main cake was, so I made the extra layer.  I baked mini cakes for the girls and had enough cake batter from the girls' cakes to make a dozen cupcakes.  The cakes were finally finished around 11 pm.

Aunt Marjorie, Uncle Ernie (who will be 40 tomorrow) and Aunt Patty (Mommy's Sisters) are coming down this afternoon.  Daddy will be picking Grandma Willis up at the airport around 9:00 tonight.

We'll probably be dodging raindrops tomorrow.  The pavilion is covered, so as long as it is not raining horizontally, we should be fine.  It's going to be plenty humid though.  It figures that it's been so cool all summer just to warm up now!

Better get back to cleaning....

August 29, 2004: 363 days old  (11 months, 29 days (52 weeks)   The party went great!!!  The girls were so good even with missing their afternoon nap.  The food and cake turned out so well.  The girls were not quite into opening the presents, but Mommy and Daddy had fun opening!  They received so many toys and adorable outfits. 

Here's a picture of the cake eating... Lynn ate her cake so delicately, while Lizzie dug right in!

 I'll post more pictures as I have more time.  I would like to offer a thank you to everyone that attended an extra special thank you to the following...

Aunt Marjorie, Uncle Ernie and Aunt Patty...For help decorating and making the taco dip.

Great Aunt Patti...For bringing the veggie tray

Aunt Elena...For bringing the calico beans (yummmmy!)

Aunt Beth...For taking video.

Bryan Lane...For taking pictures with our digital camera.

Grandma Willis and Mitzi for keeping the girls entertained while we got everything ready.

August 31, 2004: 365 days old  (12 months) 1 yr, 0 days  

Happy 1st Birthday Evalynn and Elizabeth!!! 

Mommy, Daddy Daniel and Mitzi are so glad you're here.  You are  both getting so big!  You have done so much through the last year.  From the first smiles, to saying your first words; From rolling over for the first time, to attempting your first steps.  Now that you are toddlers, you will both be exploring so much of our world in the next months and years to come.

Thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity to see you grow into the beautiful girls you are.  Life would not be the same without you!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy Daniel & Mitzi

Here's some more pictures from the party...

Cakes and cupcakes that Mommy made...

Two posters that Mommy made.  The first one has pictures of the girls over the last year.  The second one is a painted poster of an ark and animals.

The girls with their hats (it was fun trying to get a picture with the hats on).  Mommy also made their bibs.  The hats and bibs say 'It's fun to be 1', with their names and footprints.

Opening presents...

Liz is really wanting Uncle Ernie's birthday cake...  Mommy also made his cake!  Mommy also did the string of animals on the table behind the girls and Ernie.  All those art classes in high school really paid off!

Back to top of page

Number of visits to this page:

This page last updated - September 02, 2006 10:47:23 AM

Check out the rest of our website

Email Us