Siblings

When we decided to have another child I had these sweet visions of my children playing together in joyful giggles. Granted my children are still  young, but these joyful giggles do happen but not as much as "I want to be alone!" "No baby, that's mine" or "That's not for babies!" Only one of them talks...so oh poor me when they can both argue.

Despite this very fun sibling rivalry experience, there are some fun times too. I take photos of Charlotte on the 5th of every month and now Ella demands to be in them also, which is fun and a little frustrating as are most things with a toddler. I want to share some of these weird goofy moments of Ella demanding to be in the photos too because I think they show a glimpse into sibling life that is often forgotten in the hair pulling, door slamming, and oh so fun pushing over.

And two of my favorites that just happened:

I know that when I look back I will think that these were the best of times and wish I could go back. Right now I don't really feel that way since I'm exhausted, sore, and would kill for a hot cup of coffee rather than my luke warm random gulps. They are only little once...which is both a blessing and a curse.

The Magic of Sisters

When I found out I was having a girl both times I had several weeks of freaking out. You see, while I am a girl myself, I was scared of the bows, dolls, and later the make-up and dating and all of the other things that coming with girls! When I found out I was having TWO girls the fears only multiplied and I was worried that would hate each other, because let's be honest girls can be nasty! Now that I have been in the trenches for six months I can say that my fears were a little crazy. These two love each other! Like a love so deep that I kind of am sad I didn't have a sister! I know they are still little and the fights and hair pulling will come sooner than I know it, but there are these moments where I can see their little souls are so entangled with each other that they will have a bond that only they will understand.

I want to share this video that makes my heart melt. Charlotte was crying and Ella went and pushed her on the swing and sang her a song. Charlotte is so happy and content and Ella is deeply in love with her. When people ask me about whether they should have more than one child, I always tell them yes because of these moments. Moments where you see that there is a love that no one else can understand. A moment where you realize that they together are learning how to love and share and care for another person. There isn't anything else like sisters. There just isn't.

Potty Training

I feel like this is the phase I have been dreading the most - Potty Training. I purposefully didn't get a puppy when we were looking at a dog because I didn't want to potty train. Needless to say you can't really skip over from baby to fully potty trained child so I knew it was coming.

How did I know? Well Ella loved "pretending" to go potty on her potty chair (which is a huge improvement from her "pretending" to barf in it to copy pregnant mommy), and she also had been telling us when she needed a new diaper. Go figure, my 27 month old was ready when I had a two month old that was also very needy.

We used the 3 Day Potty Training method that comes in an ebook. It was intense and the lady was kind of scary with her "rules" that she demanded you do. She sounds like a wacko to be honest, but it totally works! Ella basically controlled the whole process and now goes mostly without accidents. I say mostly because sometimes playing is WAY more fun that running the potty. Also she refuses to go on a big potty or in public. Hooray. But at home and at day care we are diaper free! Such a big girl!

I'm mostly proud of how fast she got it. In one day she figured it out and also figured out how to get her reward multiple times by only going a little bit and then heading back in for round two a few minutes later. Her parents may be suckers...

I highly recommend this method if you have a child that can talk, expresses when they need or have gone in their diaper, and that are awesome like my child!

Tis' the Season!

This is Charlotte's first Christmas which means I have to go absolutely crazy buying "First Christmas" things like ornaments, dresses, pj's, and t-shirts. Assuming this is my last baby I just *HAVE* to have these things!

I also forced my adorable children to get photos taken at JC Penney when they very clearly would have much rather cried in the quiet and non-eye prying public. Oh well, a mother must do what a mother must do!

So I put them in their first of I'm sure many matching dresses and drove to our local mall and wheeled in a screaming one month old and fidgety toddler through the very breakable home crystal department and arrived red faced at the photo counter. I checked in and sat down to nurse my screaming child while the other one I convinced to run back and forth down the hallway "as fast as you can". People gave me looks of pity or annoyance depending on if they had/have children and I tried to keep it together. Yes there were tears in the bathroom when I changed the baby's diaper for the second time and my happy toddler declared extremely loud that she was going to "open all the doors".

Over an hour, two nursing sessions, and about one hundred "faster, faster, run faster"s we finally made it to the tiny little photo room. One child slept through the whole thing while the other decided it was best to stick her tongue out and smile with "all my teef".

Here is the "best" photo we got:

Yes, my baby has a Mohawk. Yes, Ella's hair is messy but hey they aren't screaming!

I declared it a very successful endeavor full of many memories so to reward my toddler (i.e. myself) we went to the Top Pot Donuts. Then we went home and both children passed out in the car and I sat and finished my coffee.

Tis' the season!

My First Day Out Numbered!

Yesterday was my first day alone with the girls as Brad went back to work. I was nervous and to be honest a little overwhelmed at the idea of not only being alone but being outnumbered!

Instead of giving a play by play I thought I would give a list of things that did and did not happen yesterday:

THINGS THAT DID HAPPEN
1. We woke up nice and early - okay early but nice, eh...
2. Breakfast was made and consumed by all
3. Tummy time
4. A shower
5. Kitchen and dishes were cleaned
6. A little too much Mickey Mouse was watched
7. Two Band-Aids we used
8. An icepack was also used
9. Four toddler tantrums
10. One time out
11. More diapers were changed than I would care to mention
12. Floor was swept, twice
13. Floor was mopped, by mommy and then also by Ella
14. Two waffles may have been consumed by one toddler for lunch
15. The phrase "gentle with baby!" became the phrase of the day

THINGS THAT DID NOT HAPPEN
1. Make up
2. Shower BEFORE noon
3. Dinner made
4. Laundry put away
5. Leaving the house during daylight hours
6. Tears from mommy - now the other two had plenty of tears for all three of us
7. Educational learning (ha!)
8. Toys picked up
9. Hair brushed and dried after late in the day shower
10. Lunch that did not include syrup
11. Christmas shopping started
12. Baby book started and photos ordered
13. Grocery shopping for Thanksgiving meal
14. Vacuuming or dusting
15. Mommy running out of the house because she went bonkers

So there you go. Some good things, some not so good things. The life of being a mom of two will take adjustment. So far it isn't too hard because one of us sleeps most of the day and can't move much. Thank goodness! The other one is a little crazy ball of energy that is having some mommy issues where she also wants to be rocked like baby and when baby cries she also feels the need to cry. Hooray!

I am on day #2 so we'll see how today goes...so far I did get a shower before noon so that is a win in my book!

And then there were four...

Welcome to the world, Charlotte Jean!

We became a family of four on November 5, 2013 at 12:21am when our sweet Charlotte Jean was born. She was 7lbs 10oz and 20 inches, also known as a big baby! We were told my whole pregnancy that she would be small but she proved them wrong! She is anything but small, she is a big and beautiful personality that has the lungs to let you know what she wants.

Here is Charlotte's birth story for those of you who like birth stories (because I love them!):

I had a doctor's appointment the morning of November 4th and the doctor had said I was only 4 cms and probably wouldn't go another week, but scheduled my induction for 11/12/2013 just "in case" which scared me because that meant a whole other week of being pregnant. I had been very uncomfortable and still was battling feeling nauseous and having major pain from a split pelvis. We came home and decided to call my mom to come over since she had several days off in a row and that way we would have someone here to watch Ella. My mom left work early and made the drive from Spokane.

I had a few pains and contractions, but nothing too exciting the rest of the day. Then my mom got here and things started to get more painful. After the contractions became closer together we decided to head in to the hospital. It was about 8pm and I was watching the Monday Night Football game of the Giants and Packers and was a little upset that I couldn't finish he game. Especially because Aaron Rogers got hurt so it was an interesting game!

We got the hospital and they admitted me. The contractions got stronger and I requested to sit in the bathtub the same as I did with Ella. I didn't want drugs and just wanted to go as natural as possible. It got harder and harder and I finally told Brad that I couldn't do it anymore. I felt like no one was listening to me as I was saying I couldn't do it...and then I started pushing without me even knowing it. The nurse semi-freaked out because I was still in the tub and they didn't want me to give birth in the tub so they pulled me out and I basically threw myself on the bed and started pushing. The doctor on call was Dr Fure. He is a very no-nonsense man and was taking his time. The nurses kept making me stop pushing because he wasn't ready. Finally after 15 minutes of pushing and stopping out came Charlotte perfectly red and screaming. She came out with her hand up by her head so it wasn't the most pleasant experience, but she was healthy and perfect! They have a new policy where the mom is the only one allowed to hold the baby for the first hour, so for an hour I sat holding my sweet baby as she cried and wiggled. I fed her and then they came in to give her a bath. She hated the bath. Poor thing!

We were then taken to the recovery room and it was very late/early in the morning I guess at this point! Not much sleep happened that first day. Brad went home about 5am and Charlotte and I were alone in the room. She didn't like to be put down so I held her all night. The nurses would come in and comment how perfect she was, that she was a great eater and had the most wonderful hair!

Finally the next day Ella came to meet her sister. She immediately knew it was her baby sister and wanted to hold her. Ella yelled at the nurse when she came in to take the baby's vitals and told her it was "my baby!". She held her and kissed her and then was ready to run around and get into everything in the room. Oh the life of a toddler!

We came home that Wednesday and had a nice quiet day with my mom here and Ella at daycare. When Ella got home she cuddled with me and her sister and wanted to touch and look at Charlotte. She shared her stuffed puppy and also shared her ability to cry like a baby too. Apparently when Charlotte cries Ella also needs to cry.

Well we are over a week as a family of four and it has been difficult but worth it. Charlotte is a sweet baby that is apparently a night owl who likes to make sure everyone else is awake too. Ella is having some jealousy issues but overall has been very good with her sister and with adjusting to not being an only child. So the new adventure begins!

Here are a few photos of our first week together:

Memory Lane: Reliving My Biggest Pregnancy Issue

I am quickly approaching the one year anniversary of becoming a mother! As it gets closer and closer I keep reliving all of the memories of pregnancy from the first positive test, four months of throwing up my insides, the first kicks, the waiting a week past her due date, and finally the fast and intense delivery. It was all wonderful. Well mostly wonderful, with the exception of what I like to call My Biggest Pregnancy Issue. It is the issue that shouldn't have been on my mind every time I went into the doctor to hear the heartbeat, receive the exciting handouts about what the baby was doing now, and to blissfully count down the days. It caused a deep depression, an obsession, and a black mark on my whole pregnancy. It was weight gain, and not that I alone obsessed about my growing butt or the clothes that got tighter, but that every. single. check up. I was told I was fat.

Yes I said it - fat. The midwife that I oh so delightfully had to have for months would look at my chart, cluck her tongue, shake her head and say "Honey, you are very overweight. Your baby will be a million pounds because you are fat." I think every woman out there, pregnant or not, just had their mouths drop to the floor. Yes I had gained a few too many pounds. In the end I had gained about five to six pounds over the "recommended" amount to gain, but according to this horrid excuse of a midwife I was a worthless blubber of a whale that was going to have to have my giant child ripped from my huge body.

Now after about five appointments where I would leave in tears and sit in the bathroom down the hall having myself a "fat" ugly cry, I finally told my sweet husband my issue. He didn't really understand because of course they would track my weight gain and be concerned if I was "over" the average, but at the same time he saw the "fat" ugly cry and suggested I complain. Here is the thing. When you are pregnant your whole body changes, and really it should be celebrated because you are creating a new life inside of you. Yes, I probably had one too many cookies, but give me a break. I threw up for four months straight and after that I should be allowed to eat an entire Girl Scout cookie factory. They ended up giving me a very sweet midwife who never once in the last few weeks of my pregnancy comment on my weight. She just delighted with me in the final days and praised me for my birth plan detail, my perseverance through the summer heat, and of course told me how I looked beautiful.

Here is the thing ladies, if anyone calls you fat while you are pregnant you need to punch them in the throat. Okay maybe not be so violent, but don't have yourself a "fat" ugly cry in the bathroom down the hall of the doctor office. Instead, thank them for their rude comment, tell your baby that you love them, and then have a donut. Yes, be healthy, but also enjoy yourself. It isn't worth letting some jerk make you feel like a whale. Plus, weight can come off and on. It is your body, not some freak of a midwife who needs some bedside manner classes.

Oh and guess what midwife from hades - I lost all of the weight plus five more and counting. You on the other hand will always be a horrible, horrible, ugly person.

Sleeping is for losers and other fun times...

Ella would like to say that sleeping is for losers. All cool kids know that waking up all the time is awesome. You should all try it sometime. It makes for a super grumpy mommy, squealy baby, and a frustrated daddy. Or you know...be a loser...and sleep. That's cool too.

So needless to say, sleeping is not really happening in our house and hasn't been since about February. Fun times. I've read a ton of books and blogs and asked for what other people have done and then I came to the conclusion that I have no idea what I'm doing so I'll just wait it out a little bit longer and try again. That's all I'm going to say about that, and I feel that helps to describe why I haven't been blogging lately.

Since Ella is now HALF A YEAR OLD I thought it would be fun to do a list of her top 10's. Here they are, Ella's top 10 things!

10. Bouncing up the stairs at night time.
9. Singing head and shoulders
8. Playing in the exersaucer
7. Jumping up and down on the bed
6. When daddy comes home
5. Bath time aka make a big wet splashy mess time
4. Daddy kisses on the tummy
3. Chewing on things - everything really
2. Rolling around the floor
1. Boobs

So yeah...boobs still win out. Here are her least favorite top 10 items

10. Getting in the carseat
9. Socks
8. When something inhibits rolling all over the floor
7. Those bumpy things on the cement in the doorway of Costco (the cart going over that is not cool)
6. Pickaboo that goes WAY too long
5. Putting on a onesie
4. Getting out of the bathtub
3. Whenever mommy leaves the room
2. Feeling hungry
1. Sleeping at night

So that is what is happening in baby land! Hooray for this kiddo!

Angel Baby Easton

Last night my online mom group was rocked by the loss of one of the babies - Easton. He died in day care during his nap. It is one of the hardest things being a mom knowing how much this mom's heart must be breaking. Before I was a mother the loss of a child was sad, but I was incapable of knowing the devastation. I haven't been able to stop crying or holding Ella tight. We just don't know how long any of us are here, or how long our loved ones will be in our lives. Please all of us give our sweet loves hugs today, Valentine's Day as today is not just about romantic love, but about appreciating those that have enriched, lightened, and touched our lives each and everyday. I know some are anti-Valentine's Day saying it is a made up holiday by the card companies, but to me especially this year, it is more about taking a small moment to thank heaven for those people who we have and who we have lost.

Sending my love and prayers to Bridget today.

Here is my sweet love - who I am holding on tight to today and always.

Playtime

Before I was a mom I would get really hurt when my friends would refer to their "mommy friends". What was I "childless friend" "married but not procreating friend" "selfish career working friend"? Why the categories? It wasn't until I was a stay at home mom, lonely, and in desperate need of someone who knew what I was going through to talk with. I tried with my other "childless friends" but it is hard. I think looking in you think that being a parent can't be that hard. Sure there is poop, crying, throw up...but the emotional toll it can take is something very different. I can't really describe it, but at the same time my "childless friends" are actually the people I like to spend more time with. It reminds me that I once was a normal person that did not have to worry about smelling like sour milk. Oh and also it is nice to NOT talk about babies for once...go figure. So even though I enjoy my time with my "childless friends" I know that I need to branch out if not just for my sanity but for Ella to meet other kids.

Well in my attempt to find "mommy friends" in the community known for their social freeze (Seattle is very well known for not being openly friendly...just trust me on this), I joined a mom group.

Yesterday Ella and I attended our first playgroup. It was at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. It was a zoo. Tons of kids of all ages and moms, dads, grandmas, pretty much everyone! I was going to be a part of a mom group in my area, but when I got there I had no idea where I was or who to talk to. I felt like the first day of school.

In 6th grade I moved to a new school and that first day was one of the most frightening things I've ever done. You don't know anyone, and at first it is okay because you have assigned seats and everyone introduces themselves, but then recess and lunch happens. I skipped the assigned seats at the mom group and went straight into recess but now I had a small child attached to me. I'm not saying people weren't nice, but if it weren't for the fact that my child has only been around two other children, each for only a few hours, I would have ran away.

I found a spot next to two moms of similar aged babies, but talking was impossible with the loud and busy children running around. I kept looking at Ella because the other babies were fussy or unhappy. What was my Ella doing? She was sitting there smiling. She apparently loves other children. This is a blessing and curse, because while mommy wants her to be social, mommy herself had a slight panic attack with the sticky and smelling toddlers that were rushing around her.

Story time and songs then started, which is always Ella's favorite things. I moved her hands with the songs and she smiled and laughed as little my little the other small babies left to go home. We were there the whole time and Ella was happy and excited. I have a little social butterfly I guess!

I met the organizer of our mom group, but when I introduced myself she had a blank look like she had no idea I would be there. The 6th grader in me wanted to run and hide, she wasn't even expecting me? Ugh. I think it must not have been the best first time mommy experience. I'm proud that I forced myself for Ella's sake, I just know that mommy herself needs to learn to let go of the scared 6th grader and learn to find friend at recess.

Needless to say...I think we have a lot more baby dates in the future.

A Day in the Life

So the mommy group I am apart of suggested everyone write a "Day in the Life" post of what you do. It was supposed to be last Wednesday, but since that was Brad's birthday and Ella's 4 month shots I decided to wait. I picked yesterday.

It was Monday, which is a pretty typical day for us, plus it is grocery day! Woot! So here is our day in pictures when I remembered...okay I'm super bad at remembering to take pictures!

6:50am
Ella wakes up with Brad's alarm. She tries to go back to sleep but just couldn't. I got up to feed her and just when she finished she passed back out so I put her back in her crib and also passed out. No photos because we are not morning people. Glad my baby is not a morning person....Ha!

9:00am
We wake up for the day. Yes I know, be jealous. Ella nurses and then it is mommy's turn for breakfast. Yesterday I made some killer blueberry muffins so I munched on those with my coffee while Ella played with her BFF the doggy her Great Grandma gave her for Christmas.

10:30am
Time to figure out what's for dinner. I get out some cookbooks that I haven't used yet and Ella helps mommy pick out what to make. Yes that is my coffee cup on the ground and my baby's perfect toes. That's how we roll people.

11:00am

Ella goes down for her nap. This sounds like she just happily rolled off to dreamland, but in reality falling asleep is a very rough, tear filled and kicking screaming affair. She then passes out in my arms after rocking and then I sneak her into her crib. I take a shower and peak in on her. She is awake so we get dressed and then start going through the paper and our coupons to see what deals we can get!

12:30 - 2:00pm
We get ready to go and take off to the store. I went to Safeway and then Walgreen's. There are no photos of this because I forgot, but we were very cute and Ella had a wonderful time talking to people in Safeway. Talking or yelling, in babyworld it is all the same. Some people smiled, some gave me dirty looks because they think she is crying. Eh - she is just a talker. She falls asleep in Walgreen's so we hurry home and she goes down for her nap.

2:00pm
I realize I forgot to eat lunch so I had my favorite - cereal! This Kashi stuff is delish!

I then make pizza dough for our BBQ Chicken Pizza.

I also vacuum, clean the downstairs bathroom, do the dishes, check on baby, do the laundry, check on baby. Now I'm weirded out because she is still asleep. I then watch some DVR shows and finally baby wakes up.

4:30pm
Prepping dinner with my little helper!

5:00pm
Ella has a little mini-meltdown, as you can probably see coming in her frowning helper photo. We then play on the floor, in the Exersaucer, singing, dancing.  Yeah. That is Once Upon a Time in the background which is why she is faced away (please don't write hatemail about how I'm letting my child watch TV so I'm an awful person.)

6:00pm
Daddy gets home and dinner is just about ready. I then make everything for dessert - Blueberry Gallette. One of the things that totally rocks about preparing before you go to the store is that you learn that blueberries are buy one get two free so you can make yummy things...I always have a frozen pie crust handy so this was a no brainer. The second photo is the pizza. For some reason the cheese looks like apples. It is cheese. I don't know...

7:30pm
Daddy and mommy watch jeopardy. Daddy rocks it while mommy just says she likes Bob the best. Bob loses. Boo.

8:00pm
We try to watch Todd Margaret (show by that guy from Arrested Development). It sucks so we turn it off.

8:45pm
Daddy has a show down on his football game with his best friend - he scouts out the opposition and tells me all of the secrets to him winning. I pretend to care...then my friend Becky calls me (hooray!). She talks about her mother in law who is very sick, her kiddos, and pretty much everything girls talk about. I haven't talked to her in four months so we had a lot of stuff to talk about together.

10:00pm
Daddy gets Ella ready for bed and tells me he lost his game. I say that I don't marry losers. He says it is too late. We laugh and then go to bed. Ella sleeps like a champ all night.

The end!

Oh dear...4MW

Ella has been having a rough time sleeping. That is an understatement. She apparently has decided that sleeping is under-rated and wants to wake up every hour from 3am until 7am. Fun, fun. Apparently there is a thing called Four Month Wakeful. They are so aware and awake throughout the day that night time is very difficult. Many think it is because they don't eat well in the day and make up for it at night, others that they need to be sleep trained to figure out how to put themselves back to sleep. Either way, it sucks and makes you want to cry. Okay it makes me want to cry.

Last night she slept a little better, but still up a few times, which for her is bad. At 5am I was up feeding her. My first response is to get super angry because I hate having to wake up. It was when I was feeling sorry for myself when she reached up and grabbed my finger with her hand and squeezed. It was such a small thing, but it was as if she was saying "Thanks for being here mommy." Anytime little one. Anytime.

Ella Updates!

So since I have been M.I.A. on my blog I am spending time today updating things. I haven't updated about Ella for the holidays and I want to make sure I do that. Since she is sleeping, what better time!

Christmas
We spent Christmas at home this year and it was so wonderful. While I love my family, traveling during the holidays sort of bums me out because I don't get to do my own traditions or wake up in my own bed. For traditions, I make my Grandma Rita's sticky buns for Christmas breakfast. They are somewhat hers, but since I could not find her real recipe in all of the mounds of cookbooks I got from her after she passed I sort of mish mashed this together.
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Here is what I make:

Ingredients
2 3/4 - 2 1/4 cups flour
1 package yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp softened butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp warm tap water

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Stir until blended then add butter and stir. Slowly add the tab water. I usually do this in my big mixer so it is stirring the whole time.

Beat with the mixer at medium speed for 2 minutes scraping the bowl as you go. add 1/2 cup more flour and mix on high for 1 minute.

Gradually stir in enough flower with wooden spoon to make soft dough which leaves side of bowl. In Seattle this usually takes more because we are wet here, but in Spokane which is dry it takes less...so just keep an eye on it!

Kneed for 5-10 minutes on lightly flour board or with a kneading hook (that's what I do because I'm lazy yo!)

Let rest for 20 minutes covered. Punch it down.

Roll dough out into 9x13 inch rectangle.

Filling
1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar packed
2 tbsp cinnamon

Spread the butter on the dough rectangle and then sprinkle the sugars and cinnamon on top. Add more if you want. I'm crazy so I add more...

Next take a pan - I use the smaller rectangle one and since I suck at measure I have no idea what the real size is. Whatever. Use the butter paper to grease or spray it with spray. Now here is where you can pick what you want. If you want frosting you can just put them in the pan. I do sticky buns like Grandma so I mix about 2 tbs brown sugar with two to four squirts of maple syrup in the pan. Swish it around and then add more or less if you want. This part is my make believe part because she didn't really tell us what was up with it...so yeah. Cut the buns 1 1/2 inch pieces and then squish them into the gooey pan. If you are frosting, you then put 2 tbsp of melted butter on the top. Don't do this for the sticky buns because that is a lot of butter.Just trust me...

Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and then into the fridge for 2 to 24 hours. I do this Christmas Eve and then they are big and risen in the morning for baking.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees and then when done let it rest for 20 minutes then here is the fun part - flip the pan on a platter and let the goo drizzle down. Yummers!
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So we ate these on Christmas while opening gifts. Ella was less than impressed with opening gifts but it was fun for us to actually have her with us! Last year we were telling everyone we were expecting and this year she is here! I feel so lucky to have her and a wonderful husband.

We then watched Christmas movies and took naps because you can do that when you don't have anywhere to go. It was heaven! I made a beef roast thingy and it was okay. I didn't keep the recipe because it was kind of hard and not really worth it. We ate, had apple pie, and just enjoyed being a family which sometimes is hard to remember to do when you are busy rushing around during the holidays. I can't wait until next year when Santa can make more of an appearance!

Here are some fun photos!

New Year
So for New Year we didn't really do anything! We are crazy people I know! A few days after New Year we had a wonderful treat - Ella rolled over! In one day she learned to roll over from tummy to back and from back to tummy. It was a little crazy and she now enjoys doing that all the time. She will roll and roll and rolls. Since we don't let her watch TV she has found she can roll until she can see it. Stinker! So now I have to watch her even more.

She has also found her voice. She hasn't yet found the volume button though. When we go shopping she likes to tell me about things. Loudly. People stare. I just smile at them and then talk to her back at a normal level. She will learn about inside voice, but right now I'm kind of enjoying her scaring people in the grocery store. We have some videos on YouTube but I can't find them right now. So yeah. Those will be coming!

For the New Year we also have had some very exciting new hobbies we are taking up. Brad bought an early birthday gift - a new bass guitar. I have no idea what kind it is, and he could probably go on and on about it. It is pretty - sort of brown with black at the edges. Whatever you call that in guitar speak. Ha! He also received a telescope for Christmas so he has been putting it together and learning about where we can go to see the stars. I am excited to be able to share this will Ella when she is older - even though she can't be an astronaut because apparently that profession doesn't exist anymore. Poor thing.

My hobby is sewing. I sewed a little in High School and am slowing picking it up again. I am taking an online sewing class and have successfully complete two projects and unsuccessfully bombed one. Who needs ric rac napkins anyway! It is fun and challenging, but keeps me busy! If anyone wants to give me tips please let me know!

So there you go...I think that is all we have been up to, plus or minus a few things. I feel like I just wrote a Christmas card letter for people. Sorry about that...now I'm back and track and can feel less guilty about it! To see some of Ella's monthly photos please visit that page - she is growing like a weed. Wait I hate that saying. She is growing like a beautiful and purposefully planted flower.

My Tummy Time Master!

So if you aren't a parent you may not understand Tummy Time. So since babies are told to sleep on their back, they now have this thing called tummy time which is time that a baby is supposed to be on their tummy to build up their neck muscles and also to help them crawl...eventually. It sucks. At least for Ella it sucks. She cries like a mad crazy baby and then mommy cries and then we fail and I flip her over on her back.

After this crying/screaming/sense of failure experience over and over again I decided I better figure out what the heck I am doing wrong. Plus, I don't want to go to our pediatrician (who happens to be a very nice Russian lady) and admit that she has no tummy time because mommy is a wimp. So after asking other moms and looking online I found that they make these pillows that are long and thin that babies can lean on so their heads are slightly elevated and it helps them not have to smash their pretty noses on the ground. I'm not about to buy a stupid pillow that is specially made for this. That sounds really wasteful and I don't feel like leaving the house right now because I am having some horrible reaction to something and my eyes are swollen and red. I look super awful...

Okay back on topic! So I came up with a better idea! I rolled up one of her fluffy blankets and set her on that. She held her head up at 90 degrees and looked at me like "FINALLY CRAZY MOM! I CAN DO THIS!" So hooray! Tummy Time Master on my hands. She loves it because she can see everything and when she gets tired she doesn't have to smash her cute nose...or rub her face on the ground...getting so upset that she throws up. Uh yeah...it was bad news bears for a while.

So here is my little champ, taking on the world:

This kid is amazing! Okay...that's all...just had to brag!

Happy Halloween!

It was Ella' first holiday, and one of my favorites! I had a hard time finding a costume that fit her since she is only fitting in 0-3 month clothes and most are 6 months and up. To be the "crafty" mother I made her costume. I have fond memories of making costumes with my mother - coming up with what we want and finding easy, inexpensive, and creative ways to make it look like what we wanted. Sometimes it works...sometimes not...but it is so much fun!

I wanted to make her a bumble bee to match our last name. She is my Baby Bee after all! I got a yellow onesie from a secondhand store, black pants, and a black stretchy headband. Then I went to the craft store and got taffeta ribbon material (found in the wedding aisle as I found out after an hour of searching), black fabric paint, and black pom poms. I also had to get stick on sparkles...because all little girls need sparkles.

To make the skirt just cut a piece of ribbon or elastic to the length you want. I measured on her waist and decided to use ribbon rather than elastic because it was easier to just tie than slide on her wiggly body. You then cut strips of taffeta double the length you want the skirt. Take the strips and taking both ends, tie a knot in the center along the elastic. You go all the way around doing that until it is as thick as you want. I used yellow and black to give it a little more fun. I then put press on sparkles on it randomly so it has a little glamour!

For the shirt I then used tape and a ruler scotch tape to measure out the stripes. I used the width of the ruler for each stripe to make it easier and ran the tape along the length. Then I painted it with the black and let it dry on both sides.

For the headband it is just black pom poms hot glued on. Super easy and much better for her than the long antennae because she likes to pull on things and I could see an eye getting poked out!

Done! There is my sweet bee, and no other baby had her costume which is fun!

Here is the end result:

Happy Halloween everyone! We had a great time, 7 trick or treaters, homemade pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread, and hot cider. Yum yum!

Monster Baby vs Monster Mom

Sometimes baby is the sweetest little soul on the planet. Other times she is Monster Baby - screaming, red faced, kicking, punching, and all out evil. I love her, but sometimes Monster Baby meets Monster Mom and BAM all the world falls apart. This has happened on several occasions. The crying baby causes mommy to cry and we both are helpless together. Seriously. Helpless.

 Happy Baby                                       Monster Baby

I did research constantly. Blogs, old wives tales, mom classes, popular books, you name it I was on there trying to combat Monster Baby with a much more calm Monster Mom. Well I found it! The Happiest Baby on the Block is by far the Monster Mom's toolkit to fend off Monster Baby. I love it and actually feel powerful when baby is melting down. Sure it doesn't work all the time. Monster Baby usually erupts in the evening and we have to dance the pasodoble around the bedroom - me loudly shooshing in her ear while lightly bouncing her and she screaming her head off only for Monster Mom to ultimately win when baby stops her fit and gently relaxes her body. It is empowering and exciting.

Image from Amazon.com

I love my Monster Baby so much, but as a mom it is hard to watch her so upset. When I'm going through my 5S's with her I only think that I wish I could swaddle her, side hold her, shoosh her, swing her, and give her a pacifier to suck when all of the world's troubles find her in her life. The first time another child hurts her feelings, her first heartbreak, the first time she fails at something...if only it were that simple. I know that my time being helpless is only beginning in terms of her life, and there won't always be a book to help me find out how to turn my Monster into an angel, or how to turn Monster Mom into Super Mom able to fix all problems in a matter of minutes. That scares me and worries me and sometimes when I'm holding my sleeping child in my arms I can't help but wish she would stay small and simple forever. Slowly she will grow and change and slowly the outside world will enter into her safely guarded world that right now is made up of me and daddy.

So for right now, Monster Baby vs Monster Mom is working out nicely. We are able to overcome what makes her cry and build on what makes her happy. We are a team now, and the more she grows I am hoping we can stay a team against whatever comes down the road.

Introducing Elizabeth (Ella) Rita

September 2, 2011 was a day that I will never forget. It was the day that I became a mother. At 12:24am my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Rita, came into our lives and things have never been the same. We feel so lucky and at the same time challenged like we never could have imagined. I want to share her birth story here so it is forever documented and so that I can share this great event with everyone!

Ella's Entrance Into Our Lives:

I had been waiting for a week for my daughter to come. I was doing everything to go into labor - spicy food, yoga, exercise ball, long walks. Nothing was working and I would sit in the baby room and cry thinking I would never have my little one to hold. I was exactly one week overdue and we had just finished dinner when I was cleaning up the kitchen and had a sudden pain. I stopped and it went away quickly. Probably nothing, so I sat down on the couch to watch the Mariners. Minutes later I had a contraction. I looked at Brad and said "Um...that was a contraction!" before I knew it another came, then another. Brad decided to go and pack his bag just in case. I asked him how many back to back we needed to have before calling the hospital. He couldn't remember and neither could I so I got out the paperwork from our class. That's when I freaked out because it said to call when you have 5-6 contractions in an hour. I had that many in 20 mins. He came down and I told him to call the hospital. The nurse told us to come on in and they would check me. We hurried to get the dog put in her kennel and get everything in the car. I also made sure to floss my teeth, since apparently that was very important at the time.

On the way to the hospital at about 8:30pm I started to feel sick. I asked Brad to pull over, but he couldn't in time so I rolled down the window and at 60 miles an hour his car needed to be washed. I asked him to still pull over and then threw up again on the side of the road.

We finally got to the hospital and went to check in. They waiting room was full of people and they all stared at me as I was in so much pain I was doubled over. The lady told us to have a seat. Not something a woman in labor wants to hear. They told us to wait by the vending machines. I was on my hands and knees in pain when the nurse came in and asked if I was okay. No. I was not okay. She took me into a shared room and asked me to take some tests and was asking all sorts of questions. I could barely answer and was not in the chatty mood.  She checked me and said I was at 7cms and we were staying. Thank god!

They then made me walk to the delivery room that was down the hall. I walked and crawled into the bed where they asked me a ton of questions and made me sign paperwork. I may have sold my kidney on those papers but I could have cared less. They tried to get an IV in for fluids, but had trouble. As I was sitting there Brad rushed to the car to get our things and call our parents. When he came back I asked if I could get in the whirlpool tub. They said yes, pulled off these stupid socks they had forced on to my feet and BAM I was in the tub. It felt wonderful and as Brad says my eyes glassed over and I looked in heaven.

They told me to let them know when I felt I needed to push, which I said I did right away so they made me get out to check me. I was at 9, but they told me I needed to wait a little before pushing. I immediately asked to get back in the tub, so I rushed back in. The midwife came and was an angel. She was so calm and caring, I just feel so blessed to have her!

What seemed like no time, she checked and I was ready to push. I got out and after an hour of pushing little Elizabeth Rita Beeman made her crying and perfect appearance. I had no drugs or interventions, and immediately felt amazing because my little one was on my chest and we could fall in love. She came out with all of the tests showing she was perfect and I was in no pain at that point.

She was 7lbs 12 oz, 20 inches long born at 12:24am on September 2, 2011. She has a full head of brown hair and her daddy's long toes. We love her!

We decided to name her after her two Great Grandmothers that are no longer with us - Great Grandma Betty and Great Grandma Rita. We are calling her Ella for short. We waited to tell everyone her name, and also to pick her name! We were still deciding a few days before she was born, but once we saw her we knew that she was a blessing and deserving of these two special names.

More to come as this new adventure is unfolding...