Good Times in Memphis

We went to Memphis for the weekend where Evie finally slept in the crib in the computer room all night without either of us having to go in a help calm her down or bring her to our bed.  Last time we were there, the first night I had to go in and sleep on a mattress on the floor with her, but this time we brought her sound machine with us and whether it was that or just that she's older, I'm glad that we all got to sleep through the night.

We got to see my friend Crystin who was in from NYC.  Crystin was one of my best college buddies and I hadn't seen her in about 2 years, so we enjoyed catching up.  She thought Evie was a doll, of course.  We also saw our friend Shelley, though we've seen Shelley much more often because she lives in Memphis and sometimes comes to Nashville to see us.

Here's Crystin with Evie

Other than seeing Crystin and Shelley and going to church on Sunday, we pretty much just hung around the house.  Kathy and Grandma Jeanne came over and we just enjoyed being together.  Evie had a very cute moment with Granna.  She (Evie) was so ready for bed on Sunday night that she got a little delirious.  They were playing together with some animal cut out pieces and Evie would throw one down and Granna would say, "BOOMF" and Evie would laugh hysterically.  It was so precious!

This week Evie has decided that she wants to learn how to feed herself with a spoon.  If I load up her spoon with something, she will take it from me and is now very good at getting it to her mouth without spilling it.  We tried a fork today and she did well with that too, though she's not able to load it for herself yet.

She has been standing a few times by herself, but still no walking.  And I'm fine with that.  She will be starting daycare on Monday, going into a classroom with 5 other kids who are all doing exactly what she does: pulling to stand, cruising, walking with assistance.  So, I'm okay with her taking a while to get to that next level since she'll have to switch classrooms once she starts walking.

Last night, as I was singing her to sleep, I noticed that it was six months since my Memmaw passed away.  I've sung "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" to her every single night since that night, except for the couple of times someone else has put her to bed.  I can't really describe the feelings I have every night when I'm putting her to sleep and singing that song.  I feel connected to faith and family on so many levels.  On Sunday, this was one of the hymns during the service, and I just lost it and cried during the whole hymn.  In part because Evie seemed to recognize the song and started cuddling up to my shoulder, but in part because I miss that preceding generation so much.  I think about the wonderful times I had with my grandparents, three of whom are now gone, and how much they would have loved Evie.  I'm fortunate that Memmaw got to meet her, and that Grandma Jeanne is still around to spend time with her and clearly loves her so much.  And I wish Pappaw and Grandaddy could have met her too, because how they would have enjoyed each other!  I'm glad that Evie has wonderful grandparents of her own to share in her childhood.

 

Here's Evie with Granna and Grandma Jeanne

 And here she is getting kisses from Grannadaddy