Things I love

     Desperately needed afternoon naps

     Supper waiting for me when I get home from work {chili - Yum!}

     Fetal hiccups

     60-degree days

     reruns of The Newlywed Game  - the oblivious people on that show crack me up


Things I hate 
         {because it all can't be roses, right?}

     Sick kids

     Feeling exhausted (see above)

     a constant birage of overly-rude opinions regarding the upcoming election on
     Facebook
     (Don't we get enough from the tv ads?!)

     Pregnancy-induced forgetfulness

House Progress {Part 2}

So it took a while, but we finally got around to decorating some of the light pink walls in the girls' room.  Avery doesn't sleep in there yet, but she will be in a few months, and her bed is ready and waiting for her.  But right now it is Bailey's space and hers alone. Just ask her, she'll tell you.

And I swear the walls are pink, but the pictures make them look a bit washed out. (I am definitely no photographer. As I have said before, Me + Auto button = Love.)

I finally nagged Jared into hanging some things in our bedroom this past week. It's definitely still a work in progress. The dresser needs some jazzing up for sure. But for now I am content to no longer have a box of random stuff sitting on it, awaiting its final placement.

 

 

The Dentist and this week in pictures

We have had a busy few days around here.

Thursday morning we loaded up at 7 AM when Jared got home from work (my poor husband is always losing sleep...) and headed to Omaha for Bailey's pediatric dentist appointment. Because I wasn't smart enough to have bananas or another easy-to-eat food for the road, the girls got donuts and cheese sticks.  Breakfast of champs for sure. Thanks to my lead foot and amazing traffic-free roads, we made good time.

This was Bailey's first time at this new dentist.  It was a great experience.  They have a brand-new office and only take pediatric patients.  It's nice to be able to plop down in a waiting room chair to fill out paperwork and not worry about what the girls could be destroying. Everyone there - receptionists, hygienists, the dentists - loves kids. You can just tell. No one is giving you an Ugh, control your kid  look.

I wasn't too sure how Bailey would do with the teeth cleaning or examination. As it turns out, she was pretty psyched to watch the large model train drive around the top of the room on a track, so it went well. After examining the tools and talking to the hygienist, she laid down on the dental chair and let the hygienist clean her teeth from start to finish without any protest. Afterward the dental hygienist told me that 90% of 2 year-olds won't even sit on the chair, let alone lay down and let someone clean their teeth. So Bailey did great!  Sadly, it's because she has had lots of practice with strange people poking around at her face and in her mouth since birth, but I was proud of her regardless.

The dentist, Dr. Matt Schieber, came and introduced himself. He was extremely patient and not rushed, which allowed Bailey to get used to him. She opened right up for him while he examined all her teeth and did pretty well seeing as he had sharp metal objects in her mouth. After he was finished examining her, Bailey was pretty wiggly. The hygienist turned to Bailey and said, "Let's get a sticker and go play" and off they went. (How awesome would that job be?) Meanwhile Dr. Matt and I chatted about Bailey's current status and all the things that would be coming down the road with her cleft and teeth.

Right now our main priority is to prevent cavities because any loss of bone is a big deal in cleft kids. So that means keeping a close eye on juice intake (4 oz or less) and making sure she only gets water at non-meal times, along with good brushing habits. Thankfully Bailey LOVES to brush her teeth and has for quite some time. Down the road there will be frequent x-rays to monitor when her permanent teeth are close to coming in and eventually an expander - a retainer-like device with a key that turns to expand her palate - around age 6 or 7. After that comes a bone graft to deposit bone into the gap in her gums where the cleft is, which allows her permanent teeth to come into good, healthy, solid bone.  All this is far off in the future, but it was good to be reminded again of the process just so I have it all in my head.

Overall, we liked the office and the people. Dr. Schieber was very knowledgeable and I liked him immediately. We truly have been blessed with great people to be a part of Bailey's health care team. People we trust. It is great to meet these health care professionals and feel like they have time to talk to you and answer all your questions. And that they want to do what is absolutely best for your child. So if any of you need a great cleft surgeon or a great pediatric dentist in the Omaha area, here are my recommendations. :)

Since we had to come to Omaha anyway, we stayed an extra day and spent time with Fe. We met for lunch after Bailey's dental appointment and then did some quick shopping. Later in the day while Jared took a nap, we went to a local park where the girls proceeded to have more fun playing with random sticks in the sand than any actual play equipment. We met Catrina for supper so that the girls could get their Aunt Beaner fix in too. Thankfully later that night the girls were exhausted from a busy day and sacked out right away. The next day was short  - breakfast and a "quick" trip to Costco and we were on the road again.

During the course of the morning, I snapped off this one picture before my camera died.

{Sorry I couldn't photoshop any make-up onto you, Fe!}

 

 

Later that night at the supper table, Bailey's nose promptly started leaking like a sieve. By bedtime she was so stuffed up and congested, we could hear her mouth-breathing in her sleep from downstairs. And like clockwork, Avery started the same thing yesterday. So it has been two nights of less-than-quality sleep. (Because sucking your thumb doesn't work so well when you can't breathe through your nose...) And despite a whine-filled day today, tonight both girls seemed much better. At least there was no crying when it came time for bed. Hopefully tonight is more restful for all of us.

 

And on a side note: potty training is still going well! Today we were accident free and every single time Bailey successfully went in her potty within one minute of sitting down. (The waiting 15 minute stuff was making Mommy a wee bit impatient.) So far so good!

 

And now for some other random pictures from the last week or so...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everybody had a wonderful weekend!

Fall is here

Or at least it feels like fall.

And I am pretty happy about it.  I love opening up the windows and letting the crisp air blow on in. It beats using the air conditioner any day. Add in a nice mulled cider candle and the mood is set. 

I like decorating for fall. I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and found all sorts of things I just couldn't live without. I managed to walk out with only about a fourth of those must-haves though. Seriously, that place is dangerous for our bank account.

Our bench seat in the dining room has proved to be a nice little area for some decorations.

 Now if only the girls would actually leave them there...

Fall hasn't ever been my favorite season in the past, but it is starting to grow on me. Jared has always loved fall - leaves, carving pumpkins, apple cider, all that autumn-y stuff.

I am starting to come around. I don't think any farm kids really would pick fall as their favorite season. Fall to me - even with my birthday in October - just spelled b-o-r-i-n-g. Lots of afternoons and nights in the house; another casserole for supper. Your parents are working hard in the field to get the crops in while the weather cooperates. There are no visits to apple orchards or pumpkin patches. I think we carved pumpkins once. And I know for a fact that I had the same Halloween costume for 3 years in a row.  (However, despite these slight disadvantages, there is no shortage of learning in the swear-word department. Just hang around and watch the Ellis men "discuss" broken-down equipment.) 

But seeing as neither one of us depends on farming for our livelihood, we get to actually enjoy this season. I am excited to take the girls to a local pumpkin patch this year. I plan on at least one game-day where we can sit around playing board games and drinking apple cider to our hearts' content. (Love me some apple cider.) I am sure that an apple pie will be baked. 

I am currently working on this season's Bucket List. We didn't do so hot with our summer list. With trips out of state and most of Jared's days off in July and August dedicated to moving our stuff into our new house, we just didn't get as much accomplished. I have confidence that we are going to do better this time around.

While at Hobby Lobby I scored some cute foam cut-out leaves to use instead of paper for our board.

Under a dollar. Can't beat that.

I still need another package and then our fall bucket list will be ready to go.

Tomorrow we are headed to Omaha for Bailey's first appointment with her new pediatric dentist.

And yes, we have to drive all the way to Omaha for her to have a 10 minute appointment. 

I quickly learned once we moved that our only choices for pediatric dentists are between Sioux City, Des Moines, and Omaha - the closest being 1 1/2 hours away. So since we use the Boy's Town Cleft Team out of Omaha, it makes sense to keep it all in the same town. Hopefully once March rolls around, we can sync up her 6 month dental appointment and her yearly Cleft Team appointment and just make one trip. And while seeing the pediatric specialist isn't a big deal at this stage in the game, it will be in a few short years. It will just be easier to find someone we love and stick with them for the long haul.

But we always have a good excuse to go to Omaha anyway. Bailey and Avery both love seeing their Aunt FeFe and Aunt Beaner and it will be good to go for a visit. Plus, Costco will be getting a nice chunk of change from us as usual. I hope to hit up some 2nd-hand kids' clothing stores and find a cheap Halloween costume or two. I am not sure if we can find one that beats last year's costume, but we can try.

I am looking forward to a day on the road tomorrow with Jared and the kids. Annnnnd some unhealthy food from restaurants I haven't seen in way too long.



28 weeks

 

Hello Third Trimester!

 

28 weeks... And I am going to go ahead and admit it:

exactly that many pounds as well.

 

Just how does a person gain 8 pounds in 4 weeks? Really?  *sigh*

 

Oh well. I gained 40 with both of my previous pregnancies and lost it all - thank you breastfeeding - so I am not stressing about it. It still hurts your pride a little though to watch the increasing numbers on the scale.

 

But on a positive note, no one called me "enormous" or "huge" today!

(Although I wouldn't put it past my OB judging from past behavior ...)

And while Baby better not show up for a while yet, all the clothes are washed and the tiny little baby booties are ready and waiting. Some other projects are still in the works - like repainting a dresser and acquiring some itty-bitty diapers. And the whole enjoying-my-sleep-while-I-still-can thing. I work hard on that every, single day.

 

Adventures in potty training

It's now that special time in the Solko household: potty training time.

Bailey has been a loyal supporter of Huggies for a good 2 1/2 years now... It's time.
And it's actually been going well. So far.

For any of you that know Bailey, you will agree that she is quite the independent child. Never wanting to be picked up or coddled, she has always insisted on doing her own thing. So for that reason (and some others, including my own sanity), we haven't pushed the issue. We bought a potty chair when she was around 18 months old. So for the past year, it has just been sitting in our bathroom collecting dust. She would occasionally ask to sit on it. She liked the novelty of it, but was not about to actually sit on it and use it. I have heard from other parents in the past and most of their advice was to not rush it. So we didn't.

Until Jared decided yesterday that it was time to start trying for reals.
So like any good parent would do, he used the logic he would use to potty train a dog...
-Yes, I am serious.- 
He literally filled Bailey full of juice and then kept an eye on her. Then every 15 minutes he would take her to the bathroom until finally she went.  Apparently after enough cheering and hoopla over the event, she decided that using the toilet was fun. So she did it again. And again. Not a single wet diaper the rest of the day. She stayed dry overnight and used her big-girl potty first thing in the morning.
Hallelujah! for progress.

Despite said progress, we did have a wet diaper today while in church.
(Which is another story in itself. Sorry for cutting out early, Jesus, but the other parishioners probably appreciated it. Toddlers + Church = No Bueno.)
The rest of the day was good though. Bailey even got herself out of the tub tonight during her bath to sit and use the potty. Which is a good thing because Avery keeps sneaking drinks of the bath water...

So for now we will keep our fingers crossed that the novelty of being a "big girl" doesn't wear off too quickly. It would be nice not to have three children in diapers at once... Yuck.
Thank God for Costco!


And on a totally unrelated note - the blog has a new header - Finally! Because I suck at all things photo editing and can't do the most basic computer tasks (like replacing the header so it doesn't have a picture of Avery at 5 months-old on it...), Jared made one for me. And it took him like two seconds.
Thanks love, for putting my blog header at the top of your honey-do list today.  :)

Laughs for the day

Doesn't everybody know the things you shouldn't say to a pregnant woman?

Phrases like

"Wow, you are huge!" and "Oh, I thought you were much further along than that."

 

And words like

     "enormous".

People know this, right?

Apparently not.
I texted that question rhetorically today:
"Why do people think it's appropriate to call a pregnant woman enormous and huge?"

Beaner's reply:
Because America is going down the shitter.

Umm...okay. Yeah, I will accept that.

Thank you, Beaner, as always, for a well-timed, bluntly-stated pessimistic remark. 
I laughed.
Oh, how I love you.


I can always count on her to send me a funny link or an article I should read.
 
The latest link was to an open-post letter by the starting punter Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings to Emmert C. Burns Jr, a representative in the Maryland House of Delegates. Burns wrote a letter basically advising the owner of the Baltimore Ravens to not tolerate a player speaking out publicly about marriage equality.

My favorite website (Dlisted.com) also helped me find this gem of an article. The blogger on Dlisted uses his warning phrase NSFW (Not Suitable For Work) to alert you to avoid clicking on a link while at work; for example, looking at those recently released photos of Prince Harry nude in Vegas. 

So I am going to rate the letter NSFP (Not Suitable For Prudes). So if you can't handle a few f-bombs and a couple funny male-anatomy references, feel free to pass.
You can read the full letter here.

I just love witty, outspoken people.
{Unless it's my husband putting an over-the-top rude customer service person in their place. Then I am usually embarrassed.} 
It's a serious topic injected with some humor. And I had a good laugh.
Seriously, come on - "hot dong action"??  
That was just funny.

Baby Love

Forget about that other baby that we are waiting on...

There is a new baby in town.

Avery's baby.

 

Grandma Cathy roamed store after store looking for the perfect baby, braving  aisles of creepy demon-looking babies with enlarged heads. She persevered and now Avery has her very own baby to drag around the house and cuddle at night.

And she is pretty happy about it.

Coincidentally, this baby also sucks its thumb.  A perfect match!

And while she has the hang of giving Baby loud, exaggerated kisses and plentiful hugs, she doesn't really have the whole feeding thing down just yet.

She is a little more concerned with her own needs right now...

Bailey, on the other hand, has become quite the little mommy.

One baby?
A piece of cake!
This girl has more than enough love for two.

 

 

Now we just have to hope she has as much love for her new brother or sister when he or she shows up in a few months. But I have a feeling it won't be a problem. With all this baby love going on, I might have too much "help."

-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -

Now we will end with a couple shots of Grandma love.

27 weeks

To #3 ~

The days and weeks are really starting to fly by now. Summer is all but gone and there is a promise of cooler weather this weekend. The thought of fall makes your impending arrival seem that much closer. Even still we should have a good 12 weeks left to prepare. But neither of the Solko sisters thought it fitting to follow that time frame, so maybe 10-11 weeks is a better guess.

I can't help but wonder whether you might be that elusive boy this branch of the Ellis family has been waiting for. If not, Papa Jeff might have to pin his hopes on someone else... I wonder only because you've been different. I had never had a food craving in all my life until you came along. {You know it's been a bad couple of weeks when the clerk at the gas station associates you with a certain candy bar.} I also have come to know those early feelings of discomfort. I have always thought that some women are just whiny. Those women who are moaning and groaning and are only half-way there. I am finally seeing their point-of-view a little bit. And while I try not to be that person, there are times when you seriously feel like a 10-lb baby jammed in there with your head all up in my ribs. {Seriously, how can your head already feel that huge?!}

But aside from the frequent bathroom trips and swollen feet, I am trying my best to enjoy you - just as you are right now. You might very well be the last little being to occupy my womb. Your little kicks and nudges and pokes and jabs might be the last ones I feel from the inside. And I love them. Even when they are uncomfortable, I absolutely love them. And even though I will be so excited to meet you on the outside, when you leave I will feel empty in a way. For a few days I will place my hand on my stomach out of habit and wait to feel your kicks. And then you will cry loudly and bring me back to reality...

I just want you to know that even though you are our third, we are still just as excited to meet you. It is cliché, but so very true: every new baby is a miracle. I am wondering if you will look like me or your dad. If your newborn cry will sound exactly like those of your sisters. If you will suck your thumb like Avery or try to fit your whole hand in your mouth like Bailey. If you will be dressed in pink or blue. (Chances are blue actually means a lot of green and yellow. Blue isn't exactly plentiful in our house right now.)

I pray frequently for you to grow healthy and strong. Each day I am thankful that you remain safe in my stomach to keep practicing those tiny breaths and packing on pounds. I don't worry much because I learned that lesson with Bailey. Worrying is pointless. Right now I am just focused on the future and all the wonderful things we have to look forward to.

I already love you so much. It's a love you will only know someday when you have children of your own. I've never even seen your sweet little face, but you already have my whole heart.
                                                                 ~ Your Mama

Fruity Pebbles

There are opportunities for learning everywhere, which Bailey reminds me of constantly.

Today was a lesson (a very long lesson) in colors.  Courtesy of Fruity Pebbles.

 

 

We buy Fruity Pebbles because I am essentially an 8 year-old when it comes to cereal tastes. While Jared is the grown-up that eats breakfast foods with words like "bran" in the title, I prefer some delicious Cookie Crisp or some Trix. {They aren't just for kids.} Thus, Bailey benefits and gets to eat Mommy's fun cereal.

 

 

Bailey's newest game is "What color?" Essentially everything she lays eyes on during the course of her day is fair play. Hand towels, photo frames, books, toys, sidewalk chalk that she used to draw "lipstick" on her sister ... all of it: "What color?" She asks it so often that Avery has even taken to answering for her - although with Avery the answer is always "blue!"

 

So it makes sense that we went through almost an entire bowl of cereal asking "What color?" to each and every flake. She amazes me everyday by how much she picks up. I don't know that I ever taught her the color brown, but she never gets that one wrong. She confuses green and red from time to time, but otherwise has got them all down. Especially pink.

 

Finally she had enough of the game and decided to finish up the rest of her breakfast meal (with many loud slurps along the way).

 

 

 

 

Avery, meanwhile, just sat back, doing what she does best: eating.

 

 

We will have a busy day today.
 
Jared's mom, Cathy, is coming to visit, so house cleaning has been underway.
It's not that our house is really all that dirty, but having visitors motivates me to do the things I should have been doing anyway but have had no motivation to - like filing away all the random papers that pile up on the desk and finding a spot for those couple of boxes that are still hanging out in the spare bedroom.

There is always laundry to do. And I even got motivated and threw in some gender-neutral baby clothes to wash up. I might wash up some of the girl onesies and sleepers too - we have a 50/50 shot of using them after all. (And if this active little baby constantly squashing my bladder is in fact a boy, no one has to know if he wears a few slightly pink outfits right?) 
I figure there is no time like the present to start getting organized. November will be here before we know it.