Author: evancparker

guestbook: sarah (& kurt)

November 28, 2009

ECPA20091128_0864, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

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week seven

November 28, 2009

photo of the week // week seven
first christmas tree

November 27, 2009

ECPA20091128_2885, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

turns out, we might have been a little too eager to get a christmas tree this year.

we started thinking through how we were going to fit one in the house back in October, and rearraged the furnature by mid-November. and then, come the first day after Thanksgiving, the lady spakler, baby sparklet and immediately jumped in the car and roared off in search of something tall, skinny and green.

finding a tree lot in DC is about like finding a gas station … they are around, everybody has their favorite, but you never can seem to find one when you are looking.

we started off looking in glover park, and the lot over there that we usually use still hadn’t opened for the season. we then drove out connecticut avenue to a stand i had last used in 2005 … only to find that the whole area had been plowed over and turned into a gas station.

by the time we crossed into maryland, we were feeling pretty good … because soon after we passed an SUV going in the opposite direction with a tree strapped to its roof like road kill.

and sure enough, after 15 minutes and trying two more “known” lot locations (from when i lived in bethesda, circa 1999) we finally found a lot that was open.

we bought the lot’s third tree of the season.

and, given how hard it was to find a christmas tree that was open, i’m guessing we bought the city’s third tree of the season as well. now we just have to dig out the hot chocolate maker, and we’re all set for the winter.

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Christmas Tree 2009
photos: thanksgiving 2009

November 26, 2009

ECPA20091127_2876, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

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photos: thanksgiving 2009, washington, dc
guestbook: poppa

November 25, 2009

ECPA20091127_2848, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

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guestbook: grant “poppa” roberts
firsts

November 22, 2009
photo of the week // week six
another string of small celebrations over the weekend:
- first “take your daughter to work day” — we stopped by the Conservancy on Friday afternoon (i had the day off) and made a quick round. i love the fact that i am the only boy in a department of 29 women for just this type of occasion.
- first television — i caught little miss kate actually *watching* television this weekend. sunday night, i put her down in front of the tv to get her a new bottle, and when i came back here eyes were transfixed on the screen. of course, it was the tottenham match, and they went on to win 9-1 (which is kind of a lot for a soccer match) so she’s now allowed to watch tottenham whenever she wants.
- first dress — baby momma has been just itching to get sparklet into a little dress she had picked out, and we had a couple good reasons (guests, work) to break out the nice stuff. monumental, because it’s the first time she’s broken out of the usual onesies/pants routine.
in other news, we had out latest pediatrician’s appointment on Friday. sparklet clocked in a a whopping 9 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces, which brings her up to about the 25th percentile for weight. if you couple that with 22 inches long (75th percentile) and 14 inches around (25th) she’s either going to be a bean pole, or a supermodel, or both.

and lastly … i’ve got to find a new time to blog. way back when, i used to blog on my two hour round-trip, public-transit commute, but with the baby i have started driving (i know, i know) which not only takes less time (18 minutes each way) but isn’t a very good environment for multitasking.

more recently, i’ve been blogging during the downtime between the 6:00 pm feeding and the 10:00 pm feeding. the lady sparkler is asleep, and sparklet *used* to be either (a) asleep or (b) blessedly docile. however, since the onset of the six hour rolling dinner feedings last week, there has been precious little time (or free hands) to write anything down.

maybe they make thought-to-screen, telepathy-based dictation software for the mac …
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sparklet’s first dress
guestbook: skye and cole

November 21, 2009

ECPA20091121_0796, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
“giraffe, it’s what’s for dinner…”

November 20, 2009

ECPA20091202_0880, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
more?

November 18, 2009

we used to have a problem getting sparklet up, awake and moving enough to eat. we also used to have a problem with her being so mello, that she never gave much of an indication if she was hungry.

looking back, those were the golden days.

sparklet has finally started becoming the little diva/drama queen we’ve been waiting for. she just never stops eating in the evenings — and is not afraid to flex those golden pipes if the feeding pauses for more than a second or two.

and, unfortunately, the super-amped/aggressive feeding phase is not the normal “witching hour” you hear tell of, because that implies it dies down after an hour or two. our 6:00 pm feeding now starts at 4:45 pm, and lasts until 11:15 pm. it’s like a labor day marathon of very special “witching hour” episodes.

but, baby momma keeps saying she’s excited, because this “attentive eating” shows that she is an energetic and engaged child. all i can say is never get between my baby and dinner.
meridian hill

November 15, 2009

ECPA20091115_0742, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

we’re officially one month past birth, which means baby sparklet is officially allowed (by the pediatrician, who was concerned about germs/fevers/black plague) to show her face out in public.

and no one had to tell us twice.

last night we went out to dinner (at the heights) for the first time in nearly six weeks, with the mighty baby boigs providing guidance, advice, and cover … which must have worked, because sparklet slept through the whole thing.

this afternoon, walked down to meridian hill park and played around in the last of the foliage. we keep forcing ourselves outside, thinking “this will be the last good day before spring” … but we’ve been saying that for a month now, and we don’t seem to be any closer to winter.

not that we are complaining — with a November due date, we honestly didn’t think sparklet would see the light of day until her aunt’s wedding in Austin next February — so, we’ll take whatever we can get.

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photos: meridian hill park, washington, dc