The Things My Daughter Says......

...that make me think I must go on a strict diet/exercise/beauty program:

"Mommy, your tummy is STILL big. Why is it still SO big?"

Ellie: "Mom, don't you have a comb or something"
Me: "Why"
Ellie: "Cause your hair is atrosious"

"Mommy, do you need some magic tea so you will be skinny"

Me: "This looks not good on me"
Ellie: "That's cause your still kinda chunky."

"Mommy sometimes when I sit on your lap, and Kailey isn't on your lap, I remember when she was still in your tummy, cause it still looks like she is"

And Finally:

Ellie- squashing and patting my tummy
Me: "What are you doing?"
Ellie: "I'm unfatting you"

The abuse I take from a four year old.

The New Monkey Highchair

I can smile!
Ellie painting the office.
I'm not sure about this....
It seems awful big for me...
And it makes a lot of noise.

The highchair was Ellie's makeover of her old high chair. We ordered a new pad and toy for it because she really, really wanted the rainforest highchair. This was our, much cheaper, compromise (after all, it is the same basic chair.) But instead of the pretty navy design, I get to now look at the tree frog and monkey. Ellie loves it, and she couldn't wait to show it to Kailey. Kailey seems a bit unsure of the whole thing. Anyways, we got it out to have Kailey sit in while we eat, so she can sit up with us. Maybe then we can actually eat.

Short Update

Well, she did fine on Tuesday and on Friday. She actually liked it as well. This is a much more structured preschool class. The curriculum is much more kindergarten prep. So we should learn much more about reading and writing and all that good stuff :)
There is currently an Extreme Makeover-office edition occuring at my house. I have grand ideas and I'll post pics when were done. But better start with the cleaning right now.

I'm a Bad Mommy!!!

That's your picture, big sister?
You were kinda cute! (check out that smile-she may actually like us!)
Kailey's new love-snuggled in her sling
Big sister though she'd give it a try, too.

So, Ellie hasn't gone to school for like 10 days. And she didn't go for a week before that one day. So on that one day, Grandma and Grandpa picked her up as a suprise. She went home with them and then there was no school Friday when she came back. So this morning rolls around, we're getting her stuff around, packing breakfast, folding her cot blankets. I get in her bag to put her doggie in there and realize there are still art paper in there. Take them out and in the middle of them is a letter. Ellie is moving up to the next class. Earlier than we expected. Today as a matter of fact. Normally they have transition days, but since we didn't go to school, we missed all those. So I said to Matt "Oh my gosh, she's moving to the Fox room today." And she immediately freaked out. She does not do well with transitions at all. And, poor thing, no warning, just "oh, by the way" with backpack on her back and shoes on her feet. We told her some other kids would be moving up too. We told her to be a big girl and we'd take her to a special dinner tonight. We told her her new teachers were super nice and that we could give her old teachers a hug when she got to school. That seemed to ease her fears. But daddy said she cried a little when she left. I am having daddy pick up the new Hannah Montana movie for her today as a special moving-to-the-big-kid-class suprise. (Lately she's decided that Hannah Montana is really cool. To my knowledge, she's never seen the show or heard the music, but you know, Kyndal likes Hannah Montana and Kyndal is 6 and really cool, so it must be the real deal.) So I guess we'll see how it went. I feel like the most rotten mommy this morning, so I'll do what all good mommies do..bribe her back to happiness :)

Kailey's Baptism

For some reason, I am unable to load pics, so later or tomorrow I'll try again. We had a busy weekend. My brother graduated with his doctrate in chiropractic on Friday, then we held a party for him here. And Kailey was baptized on Sunday, with of course, another party. I took her to the GI doctor today. He is going to continue her prevacid, which is making the world of difference for her. She is actually smiling at us this week. Maybe she does like us after all. Now maybe she will allow me to put her down once in awhile. I did buy myself a sling to carry her around in. She likes being "worn" around the house. I had a snugli-type carrier but she hates that. She is quite the opinionated little thing. Just like her big sister :)
I'm not sure what we are going to do about daycare for Kailey. Matt is still working from home, but we don't know how permenant that is going to be. He is currently looking for a different job since he has advanced about as much as he can with his current company. So really, I don't know how to even plan for it. She can't go to a center because the cost it astronomical for an infant. Honestly, I really don't want her to go anywhere. I am too scared to send her somewhere. She is the kind of baby that people can't tolerate. And thus, the kind that get shaken, beaten, or other terrible things that happen when people are stressed. Happy, calm, quiet babies aren't usually victims, its fussy, screaming babies. I can listen to her scream all day long, it really doesn't bother me much (I've been desensitized in my line of work :) But it might bother others. I just worry too much I guess. I'm sure I worried about Ellie too. But somewhere along the way, between broken bones, stitches and surgery, I've managed to forget.

The Beginning of the End

The girls with their Aunt Emily

Today my baby sister started her senior year of high school. It seems hardly real that this could be happening. She is 10 years younger than me. I remember her being born, and so excited I finally got my own sister. I remember her at Ellie's age-I was in high school by then. I remember she loved makeup and "cluck-cluck" shoes even then. She wore only dresses, and she played dollhouse. She loved brownies and barbies. Sound familiar? Ellie is so much like Emily that it is scary sometimes. I see many more of Emily's traits and mannerisms in Ellie than I see even of myself. She was 10 when I got married, and was my maid of honor. She was 12 when she became an Aunt. Perhaps this is why. Ellie gets a cool, fun aunt, who gives her everything she wants and then some. Much more fun than mommy.
So, one more year of officially being a kid. One more year of fun before the real world sets in. One more homecoming and prom. I know she is ready for this year. I know she is excited. I can't help feel sad, for in a way, she is my baby too. And I'm not ready for my baby to grow up. And in another way, I can't wait for her to be an adult, to talk about all the things adult sisters share. But still, I am sad. I didn't cry at my own graduation. But I bet I do at hers.

Good luck, little sister, and have a great year!

Frantic Cleanup

Ellie's "Margarita"
My Aunt Emily curled my hair
Great Grandpa Stallbaumer on his 81st birthday
Wow, this is, like, WAY too much fun..
I'm not sure I can stand it...

All right, so I'm taking her to the GI on Monday. My friend Annie talked me into it, and said that they probably wouldn't do mean things to my baby, just mess with her meds, which is what I think she needs. She has been so fussy in the evenings lately. Ellie sometimes had this "witching hour" thing, but NOTHING like Kailey. This girl can all out scream. I have discovered that she likes to take a bath. Not just any bath will do, only a whirlpool bath. She can sit in there and chill until the water gets cold. Of course, then I have to sit there too, lest she drown in the giant bathtub. Also, she's been sleeping for 6-7 hours at a stretch in her swing at night. I kinda have mixed feelings about sending my swings back. Yes, I think I would like nice, fancy, expensive swings that work, but I also like that my baby is finally comfortable enough to sleep. But, its gotta be done, so I'll just suck it up and hold her all night, I guess. She doesn't seem to like the bouncy seat as much for sleeping. Not as fluffy and cozy, probably. What can I say, apparently I breed particular princesses.

I have been recently introduced to facebook. That is, as my friend puts it, the ultimate time-waster. It is insane. I lived without this forever, and now I have to check it a hundred times a day to see if anybody is out there, and how many friends I have now. At one point the other night, I realized that the TV was on, but no one was watching. Matt was on his laptop, me on mine, and Emily on my computer, all on facebook! (the girls were asleep, I was not being a bad mother :) This is seriously abnormal.

Ellie went to my parents for a few days, and then is coming back for my brother's graduation and Kailey's baptism. We will have his party here, so I have to get my house in some kind of shape this week. And bake a cake. And buy food. And entertain guests. And keep the baby happy.

I don't think this no caffiene thing is gonna work out after all :)

Our Latest Dilemma

An old picture...I gotta find the camera back!

We are back from the lake and I will post some pictures if I can find my camera under this massive pile of stuff. I forgot how much stuff you have to take in order to travel with a baby. We were completely packed in and still had to buy more diapers :)

Kailey's reflux was steadly getting worse. She just arched and cried for hours, poor baby. I called my doctor back and they wanted her to see GI and get worked up. Well that got me worked up because I know what they want to do to my baby and I am not about to allow that. Especially because I know she's not bad enough to need surgery, so they would just switch her medicine. Well, doctor my mother works for called her in some prevacid for me. And that has helped a bunch. She is more content after she eats, more relaxed, and doesn't seem near as fussy. I still think she needs more, though. She sleeps upright, I cut caffiene out of my diet (which has nearly killed me, you must know) I give her simethecone as well. What else can I do? Any ideas out there? My poor baby still is miserable quite a bit.

Well, now here's my newest dilemma. I have a starlight papasen swing that I got right before Kailey was born. So, she comes home and we notice the mobile doesn't work. OK, so call Fisher Price, who sent us an new moter. New moter doesn't swing. Called again, got a new motor. New motor doesn't swing. Called AGAIN. Got new motor. Motor does not swing. Now have 4 motors for swing. 3 do not swing, one does not light. Well, silly me, found a great deal on a nature's touch papasan swing at target. Bought it for her to sleep in at night, since she has to be upright, and it was cheaper than another bouncy seat. Guess what? IT DOESN'T SWING!!!!!!

Called fisher price. Expressed great frustration. They are taking the starlight one back and either fixing it or sending me a voucher for a new swing. And the other one? She said to try cheapo batteries! Apparently the name brand are too powerful for the swing. If that doesn't work, I get another voucher for another swing. By the time I get this all straightened out, she'll be too big for swings! But Kudos to FP, they sure have worked with me on this.