This week with the Solkos

Man I am tired.

I think the past two weeks of Graham waking up a few times a night (and then staying awake) are starting to take their toll. He slept for a 7 hour stretch last night, so I am hoping we are headed in the right direction.

He is too long for all the zip-up style swaddle wraps, and he can get out of the larger-sized velcro SwaddleMe wrap, so I have resorted to using a large thin blanket. Last night was the first night he wasn't able to get an arm (or two) out. I have that thing as tight as I can possibly get it.

Also, speaking of sleeping, we officially have Avery moved over to her big-girl bed. The bed itself hasn't been a problem at all. The fact that the girls are now sharing a room once again - that is the problem. Surprisingly enough Avery is the one behaving in this instance. They were up for two hours talking to each other the first night. We figured they had to figure it out for themselves and didn't push the issue. They were finally both asleep by 10 pm.

The next night, Avery was yelling multiple times. I went upstairs to see what was going on. Avery is laying in her bed, head on the pillow, with no covers. Bailey has taken the covers off the bed and is attempting to put them on her bed.
I go up again about 15 minutes later: Avery is laying in bed, head on the pillow (with covers this time), and Bailey is sitting on Avery's legs.
Later I go upstairs again to find Avery protesting very loudly because Bailey has stolen her baby and bunny.
Finally all is relatively quiet. I can hear Avery talking, but she seems happy. I go upstairs to take a shower and peek in their room. Avery is once again laying in bed, head on the pillow, talking around the thumb in her mouth. And Bailey is fast asleep with her arms wrapped around Avery.

Melts. my. heart.

It's times like these that I am so glad they have each other.

I hope that even though they fight like crazy now, they will become the best of friends some day like my sisters and me.

Meanwhile, Bailey is also taking a big-girl step: potty training.
And yes, I wrote about potty training last fall and at the time Bailey was doing a pretty good job. But a week or so later she started to completely refuse to use the potty.

So we took a break.

(It was a very long break.)

 

Two weeks or so ago we moved the potty downstairs to the living room where she would constantly see it. A couple days later - after one too many nasty #2's in her diaper - we got fed up and stripped her down completely. No pants, no diaper, no underwear. Bailey has too much pride to pee without a diaper on, so it seemed to work. (Candy bribes also helped.)

This has been the scene around our house lately:

And she doesn't just lay on the couch half-naked.

She also loves to do naked handstands against the wall or on the recliner. It's pretty hilarious when she catches you off-guard. It was so funny the first time I wanted to take a picture and send it to my mom and mother-in-law, but I figured that might be considered child pornography, so I didn't.

For the last few days we have been accident-free. Here's to hoping this time takes!

 

Our little guy has been about the same.

No big milestones. He doesn't seem interested in rolling over just yet, although he is a big talker.

He is growing though.

It makes me so sad to go through his clothes and start putting away outfits that are too small. He can still wear some of his 3-month stuff, but the pants look more like capris. He is already wearing mostly 6-month sleepers.

My little baby is growing up too fast!

 

Besides pooping about 8 times this morning, he has been content to eat and hang out on the floor near his sisters' tea party.

Thankfully right now he is chilling in his swing so I can do some laundry and dishes.

 

 

A big snow storm is supposed to be rolling into town any minute now.

I am thankful for our warm house, a stocked fridge, and the fact that I have nowhere to go for a few days.

 





Weekend Randoms

Bailey turns 3

Our little lady turns three years old today.

 

Happy Birthday Bailey Boo!

 

We celebrated Bailey's birthday this past Saturday at our home with family.

She was very excited.

Whenever another person pulled up in the driveway, she would look out the window and yell, "More presents! Look, Mom, more presents!"

Oh, the joy of being a 3 year-old.

 

Presents are fun. Avery was dying to get in on the action, and Bailey was nice enough to oblige. She actually was requesting Avery's help to open every present. 

(Such a good big sister! - at least that minute anyway.)

Bailey and her main man, Elmo.

 

 

 

Avery not only helped open the presents, but she volunteered to model Bailey's new shoes (from Aunt Fe of course) too.

And so stylish with the dress!

 

 

And then came the moment Bailey had been waiting for:

Cake Time.

More specifically, ELMO cake time.

 

Ever since we received the cake mold in the mail, Bailey has asked every day for some Elmo cake. That is three straight weeks of begging.

Apparently the cake did not disappoint.

 

 

 

 

Good to the last drop... of frosting.

 

{And yes, we eat birthday cake shirtless in our house.

Elmo's blood red color would have been quite hard on her new dress}

 

Her party was a definite success, right down to the classy decorating Jodie and I did with some crepe paper from Dollar General.  Fancy, huh?

 

Today - her actual birthday - is going to be more low key. We saved our presents for her to open today and we are planning some pizza for supper.

 

Happy 3rd Birthday, Bailey!

Graham's baptism

Graham Ellis Solko was baptized yesterday on February 17th at the United Methodist Church in Jolley, Iowa.

- the same church where I was baptized,

and my dad was baptized,

and my grandpa was baptized

and probably generations before him.

He tolerated it all the way you would expect a 3 month-old to; meaning he was sometimes happy, sometimes fussy, and very unsure of the entire prospect.

He didn't mind the water at all. Probably, as the minister remarked, because he couldn't feel it due to all that hair covering his little head.

Baptism seems to be a great time to get a few family photos,

specifically 4-generation ones.

{the Ellis side}

{the Weiss side}

 

After baptism we all went to my parents' house to celebrate - with food of course.

We spent the afternoon playing cards with my grandma Connie and chatting.

It was a nice end to a busy weekend.

the making of Elmo

Bailey really loves Elmo. Avery too.

So for her birthday this year we decided to try our hand at decorating a character cake for her.
It really was much easier than the finished product looks.

We got the cake tin mold for under 10 bucks off Amazon.
Directions come with it, giving you step by step instruction if needed.

We baked the cake a week ahead of time just to ensure that it came out of the mold alright, which it did, and then froze it.

We made our own frosting.

Store bought frosting is just not tolerated in this house. I am definitely a frosting snob.
{Except for the black. You usually can't get the frosting a dark enough shade on your own.}
And when I say "we," what I really mean is Jared. He made it at 4 AM that morning since he was unable to sleep anymore.

Black Elmo!

 

 

 

This was my first time decorating a large amount with the different tips.

Surprisingly it wasn't all that hard. Granted, my technique got a little sloppy here and there, but overall not bad for my first time.

And the finished product...

 

Bailey was very excited. {Pictures to come on her birthday post tomorrow.}

And I know we will do this again with different molds.
It was fun to be able to pick out a special cake and make it ourselves.

Cold Turkey

The milk factory is on strike.

After days of researching and trying every possible trick to get Graham to take a bottle, we decided to go cold turkey starting first thing this morning.

No more milk from mom.

(just for today.)

It is going surprisingly well.

He took very little the first go round.
But this second time he drained the bottle 3 different times. Granted there was only an ounce in each bottle - didn't want that hard-earned milk to go to waste!
Jared has been using cartoons to distract him while he eats and I have been keeping my distance.

Other than pumping, I have more than enough to do before going in to work at 3 PM; mainly getting the house cleaned up and ready for a birthday party tomorrow.

We are celebrating Bailey's 3rd birthday tomorrow with family.

I can't believe she is three already.

The time really does fly.

Also on the agenda for this weekend: Graham's baptism on Sunday.

The weekend is going to go quickly.


And randomly, a funny picture for today:

Syrup is the perfect hair gel substitute.

 

Jared's picture title: There's Something About Avery

Bottle Drama

I didn't realize how difficult this could really be.

Babies just take bottles, right?

Wrong!

We are having major bottle drama.

Mr. Man doesn't think it is necessary (or even humane) for him to have to learn how to take a bottle.

We have tried for weeks.

And we have tried quite a few options.

A few nights ago I even dug out Bailey's special cleft bottles to see if they would work. He wouldn't even take those!

It is so frustrating. 

 

And I know he is frustrated too; he doesn't understand why he can't just have the boob whenever he wants it.
A drive up window serving perfectly warm breast milk 24 hours a day.
He doesn't realize that him being constantly chained to my side is a wee bit annoying. And impractical. Mama would like a night away, and unfortunately the boobs have to come with me.

Today while trying for the umpteenth time with the same bottle, we had a small margin of success.
The girls were watching Sesame Street and Graham heard a song and turned away from me toward the TV. He was distracted so I thought it might be a good chance to try again. While in a TV coma, he absentmindedly let me put the nipple in his mouth and at one point seemed to actually suck on it. A step in the right direction!
{I am taking my victories where I can get them, people.}

The worst part of all this is that to make the transition easier, I am using pumped milk. So I have to pump and store it so that it is in the fridge when we need it. And after all that effort, it sucks to see it wasted when he won't eat any of it.

I definitely do not pump for the fun of it.

Not that it is painful or all that horrible, but it's 15 minutes each time and extra dishes: pump parts, bottles, nipples... All to wash it down the drain or watch it leak out of his mouth while he protests.

I am not sure what else to do - short of buying out the entire bottle aisle at Target.

So if you have been there, I appreciate any advice.

Through researching and talking to the pediatrician's office I feel like we have tried about everything, but ya never know. Some times other moms/caregivers have great tips that could really help out.

T.G.I.F.

Oh wait... Fridays don't mean jack to me. 
Unfortunately I don't get a weekend off from my job {aka my children}.
As much as I love them, they are driving me nuts.

My head is throbbing from all the screaming today. All three of them. It was an afternoon screaming group session. And they even had nice, long naps!
Right now I am clinging to what little sanity I have left.

Thankfully they are all now in bed.
They may not be sleeping, but hopefully that is coming.

Bailey
Sweet Jesus that girl is stubborn. She knows what she wants and she isn't going to back down. I am sure some day that will be a good character trait in certain ways, but right now, it makes me have to count to 10 and take a deep breath. And then repeat. And sometimes repeat a third time...

We are back on the potty training bandwagon. She holds it and can go on her potty on demand, so the only hold-up is her lack of desire to actually do it. We are trying to fuel that desire by any means possible; candy, ice cream, stickers, trips to the store with Daddy - you name it, we have probably offered it.

For the last two days we have refused to let her wear a diaper or any pants. She actually was begging for her diaper yesterday. It has forced her to actually sit down and get the deed done. She is still resisting, but we haven't budged. No potty, no ice cream. Like the rest of her family members: food wins out.

Avery
She has been the most well-behaved of the bunch, believe it or not. She likes to get a good bite of Bailey's shoulder every now and again, but she resisted the urge today. Apparently she just didn't want to feel left out, so she joined her little brother and big sister in their respective screaming sessions today - just for fun.

Tonight is her first night in her big-girl bed. Neither Jared or I thought it would be a big deal. She already goes and lays in that bed every night after her bath and snuggles up under the covers. But apparently shit got real when the baby gate went up and the light got turned out. It wasn't 30 seconds before the hysterics started in. Currently Jared is up lying beside her while she falls asleep. Bailey is lightly singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" from her bed in the same room; whether out of a desire to serenade them to sleep or to help herself avoid sleep at all costs, I don't know or care at this point.

Graham
Sweet little Graham. How much trouble can a 11 week-old baby be, right? Well truthfully, not much. He is cute and cuddly. Or at least he is when I am holding him. And he almost enjoys his swing these days, so I do get a little break sometimes.

He really struggles with the bottle. (and not in the AA way.) We have been working with all kinds of different bottles. He HATES them. Today it took 45 minutes for half an ounce, and I am pretty sure half of that dribbled out of his mouth onto the burp cloth. Wonderful! he is eating less than 10 ml if it doesn't come directly from the tap. I have some afternoon shifts scheduled starting next week, and he is already making it hard on himself and me! I don't know how I can actually return to full-day shifts when he won't eat at all. He is going to starve himself those first days.

Other than that, he is pretty good. Now if he would just follow in his sisters' footsteps and start sleeping a full 8-10 hours every night. Both of them already were by this point. I can't really complain though. He usually sleeps 6 or so hours straight. And I make good use of the 3 am wake-up call by catching up on all my guilty pleasure shows: Y&R, Fashion Police, The Soup, or any other show Jared rolls his eyes at. Plus the Y&R plot lines seem so much more believable when you are half-asleep.


This turned into a big vent. Apologies.
Parenting is hard. {Duh.}
And right now, wine is starting to sound like an absolute necessity.
Bed sure isn't an option since I can hear Avery's happy squeals all the way down here.
Go to bed, child! {because I really really want to.}

Holy Hobby Lobby!

We escaped our house the other night and left the girls behind with Aunt Justy to do their usual: hot dogs, (nasty) boxed mac n' cheese, and Disney movie watching.
 
Graham came along with us while we ran errands in Fort Dodge.
He still isn't taking a bottle well.
We have been trying for weeks. I think we have tried 4 different bottles and nipples - including ones made for breastfed babies that are refusing the bottle. The only way he actually drinks even an ounce from the bottle is if I end up doing it - defeating the whole purpose.

I liked when Jared and I used to be able to load up and spend a whole afternoon and actually go to every store we wanted.

Ahh...those were the days...

Now it is more pick-and-choose what is most important. And where we go to eat depends on whether or not the restaurant has a booth where I can {somewhat} comfortably nurse the baby.

One of our stops was Hobby Lobby.
It happens every time I enter the store.
I go in for one or two items and come out $100 poorer. But we always end up finding things for house projects and little decorations for the kids' rooms, which are still a work in progress.

We are working on decorating Graham's room. Avery still occupies the room, but we are going to start to move her into her big-girl bed in Bailey's room soon. So far, we haven't hung a single thing. We didn't decorate before because we wanted to do it gender-specific and we didn't plan to find out the sex (Whoopsies...) ahead of time. So it is a blank canvas.

We bought some large wood letters to spell out his name just like we did in the girls' room.

{A blog coming in the near-future to show the finished product.}

We also found some cute pictures to hang on the wall and items for the bookcase.

 

We bought a bunch of other things to work on, but we only completed two yesterday.

 

 

Large Hanging Initial

 

We bought a large wooden letter S {which was 50% off - just like half of Hobby Lobby always is}, two paint colors, one crackle paint, and some ribbon.

 

 

We painted down the dark brown color. It took a couple coats because the wood really soaked it up. Then painted on the crackle paint. After that we had to wait about half an hour for it be "tacky" enough to paint on the blue. After the blue was painted on, it had the crackle look.

We finished up by painting the side of the S the same blue color.

All that was left to do was attach the ribbon and hang it up.

 

It's currently hanging near the front door in our breezeway, which is a good spot for it because this space needs all the help it can get!

 



Kitchen Chalkboard

 

We have this really weird area of clear blocks in our kitchen. They overlook the stairway going to the basement and serve no purpose. I am not sure why the original owners put them in when they did the addition. They are just awkward.

I thought that hanging a chalkboard over it might be a nice solution.

 

Weird, right?

 

 

So we bought a large chalkboard for $12.99 at Hobby Lobby.

{Or it might have been half that. I can't remember.}

 

Jared taped around it and painted the edges white.

 

 

 

We mounted it on the wall and put some decorative ribbon on it, and we were good to go.

 

Much better, right?

 

We thought about buying some spray that makes the surface magnetic; then the girls would be able to use their magnetic letters and numbers on it, but we left it as is for now.

We still need to do some further decorating, but this is a pretty good start in my book.

 

 

Also while out and about, we stopped at Target and spent more money than we anticipated there, too. I found cute lamps for both kids' rooms AND a lamp for the sofa table in our living room. So three lamps... Random.

We also picked up other things (aka the things we were actually supposed to be shopping for) like gifts for our soon-to-be born niece, due to arrive in less than a week now. (Just to clarify: Jared's sister, not mine.)

 

So that is all the crafting/decorating I have for now. I will post more of our projects as we get them completed.

 



So God Made a Farmer...

Watching the Super Bowl last night, I thought this was hands-down

 the best commercial.

Immediately it grabbed my attention.
Jared stopped what he was doing and looked up from his Ipad.
We sat there in complete silence for the full two minutes, just watching and listening.

So God Made a Farmer

Paul Harvey

Dodge Ram commercial

 



I am probably a bit biased. I do have a few farmers in my life.
 

Love you Dad.  Thanks for all you do.