Catching up!!

I've started posts a few different times now and never been able to finish. This may turn out to be a complete mess of a post, you know, a little of this and that.

Ayla is back at full strength. Her nose is still runny but I expect that it will be until she's 6 or so. She's also started requesting medicine...lovely I know! She'll say "Runny nose mama, need mines medicine" I may just have a little hypochondriac in the making, NO idea where she'd get that from *rolls eyes* As sad as it is, I've started giving her vitamin to her before nap. She thinks it's her medicine and that way she'll go to sleep and not carry on about how sick she is!

******Ayla's funnyisms******

Ayla's also been quite hilarious lately. The other day I was walking up from the basement with laundry and I could hear her scolding one of our dogs. She was saying "No, Boss" and "Time out, Boston" When I got up to the dining room there she was, holding Boston by the collar in HER timeout spot. I asked her what was going on and she explained that Boston was in time out. I asked why and she said that "Boss hit me." Seriously!? Wow, now even my dog hits when I'm not looking. Who needs more kids, right?

Two nights ago, I was in the kitchen making cupcakes. Ayla and Darren were playing and I didn't mention to either one what I was doing.....they BOTH would have been at my feet wanting to lick the spoon! When I turned the mixer on, Ayla heard it and came running in. She asked "What making now mommy?" I told her cupcakes. She gets this huge smile and says "Oh, good job mommy!!" Obviously we don't make these types of sweet treats very often.

Today I decided to put Ayla's Valentine's Day outfit on her to take some fun pictures to use for V-day cards. She has the cutest little dress from BabyGap - it has matching tights and shoes and we did red bows for her hair. It really is adorable. Anyway, I get her dressed, grab the camera and then thought 'Hmm, I wonder is she should go potty first?' She says no and then proceeds to squat right in front of me, start peeing and says "I pee my pants". God love her. So I handwash the tights, throw them in the dryer and 45 minutes later we're ready for take 2! We did get a few cute ones though. She wasn't exactly being cooperative until the end when I bribed her with a popsicle. Yes, I am THAT kind of mother.

Guilty feeling mamma!

I'm exhausted and drained tonight. Ayla is sick, yet again! Until September, she'd had a couple of colds and occasional teething issues but was never really all that sick. Well, she started Mother's Day Out in September - just one day a week. It now seems that every two weeks she has a fever and some random illness.

She had a runny nose for pretty much all of November(after having a couple of colds in October). When she developed a cough at the beginning of December, I knew it was croup, so I took her in. I felt like a crappy mommy that day because she had an ear infection(first ever), sinus infection and croup. I guess that's what I get for being a nurse...the old "Aw, she'll be fine!" They loaded her up with steroids and antibiotics. Ten days later, still sick. They called in a stronger antibiotic and she seemed to be better. A couple of days after stopping the antibiotics she spiked a temp again so we went to Pediatric Express b/c the peds office was closed for New Years. Dignosis...virus. Crap.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week. Darren and I had a dinner to attend so Ayla stayed with my parents. She spiked a temp over there and has had it ever since. She needed to go for a one month follow up for her ear, so I figured 'no time like the present'. Her ears are clear, pus pockets in the throat, runny nose. They ran a rapid strep on her and it came back negative. They are running the 24 hour culture too. Then he gave me a urinary collection kit. If she still has the fever tomorrow afternoon(will have been 24 hours which is normal virus fever length), I'll take in a sample to check for UTI.

I HATE this!!! I know it's from MDO. I feel badly because she doesn't HAVE to go. I'm not working/volunteering/doing community service etc....I am going to the gym, shopping and getting pedicures! All the while, my child is contracting every virus and bacterial infection known to man. Which leads me to another question...why do they have to call it Mother's Day Out?? Why can't they call it Kid's Day Out? That really just adds to the guilt, like I am dumping off my kid to go 'live it up' for awhile.

*****I do fully admit to the fact that I have come to love Tuesdays and my freedom for those 5 hours*****

I put her in MDO for a reason. I wanted her to be in a social environment, to be a "part" of a group that wasn't just us, to learn to be comfortable and happy even without me there, to share, to respect the authority of her teacher, to follow a schedule that wasn't the same as home. She's doing all of those things and loves it. It's one day a week and she has a great time, but is it worth all of this crap too?

Her ped told me today not to feel guilty, that it's good for her(which I know). He basically said that if I keep her 'sheltered' from these situations, it'll happen when she goes to kindergarten or whenever I eventually let her out of my house!

It still makes me sad. My heart breaks for her, today her temp was 104* and she was shivering with chills. I was holding her and cuddling her and she looked up at me with watery eyes(from being sick) and said "Love you mama". She's getting Tylenol and Motrin but her temp hasn't dropped lower than 102* since yesterday around noon.

Anyway, off to bed for me. I'm pretty sure I'm so tired now that I just keep rambling. Keep our kiddo in your thoughts....I really hope she's feeling better tomorrow.

Babies, babies, babies!

We have lots and lots of baby news to catch up on. We'll get the crappy news out of the way first...Darren and I had a miscarriage in November. It was a devastating loss that affected us(especially me) in a big way. I am just now feeling a lot more normal and like myself. We are doing fine and looking forward to trying again in the next few months or so. I figured it would be easier on me to make this news a little more public and I am at that point in my grieving process.

That said...there are babies popping up in our lives all over the place. Our great friends, Holly and Jeff welcomed baby Cadence or "Cady" on December 4th. She shares her birthday with Darren! We are absolutely loving her. Ayla is much more infatuated than I ever would have expected. She has named all of her dolls "baby Cadence" and any baby we see in a store is also baby Cadence.

She loves to softly pat or rub her head, she gives kisses on the head too. She's held her a few times and has even held her bottle a couple of times. She asks about her often and always wants her to come back and visit. She'll be an amazing big sister someday.

She'll also be an amazing cousin, and that'll be sooner rather than later. Darren sister, Lesley is due with her first in about a month. Sadly for us, they live in Boise. We are planning a trip out to meet the little Cuvala sometime this spring. The sex is a surprise...something I could NEVER do, but I am proud of them for having that much restraint. I'm sure they'll be updating with LOTS of pictures(Uh-hum, hint-hint).

Ayla will be a cousin again in July....Tommy and Sabrina are due with their first on the 29th of July. They're here in Omaha, so they'll have to beat us off with a stick to keep us away...and I'm only half kidding! Tommy is guessing boy, Sabrina is guessing girl....I'm guessing boy but am usually wrong so maybe it is a girl?!?! Ayla goes back and forth in her guessing. They should find out mid to late March, I believe.

Exciting, exciting. We are just loving all of the baby news and as I said before, are hoping to add to our own family again soon!

Double vision...well, not exactly!

In spite of my fabulous morning (see previous post), there was quite a bit of excitement around the Splonskowski household today. Pink baby made her big debut, delivered directly from eBay! She is a bit scuffed and worn, I don't think she was nurtured as she should have been, but she's here and we are all very happy. She ended up costing about 27 dollars. First I ordered the bouncy seat, no baby included. Then I ordered pink baby...had to pay shipping on both!

Funny enough, when I went to the mall this morning...guess what I found in the trunk of my van, underneath the stroller???? Our ORIGINAL PINK BABY!!!! WTH??? No idea how she managed to get there but we now have TWO pink babies.

And babies make 16!!!!

Two peas in a pod

Hmmm, maybe I should check out eBay for another pink crib....

Aaaaagghhhhhh!!!!!!!!

That was the best word that I could come up with this morning, to describe motherhood. Of course I love my daughter...I adore her really. It is amazing at what such a young little soul can teach an adult. She is inquisitive, brilliant, feisty, beautiful, funny, sensitive, loving, affectionate, independent, spirited, charming...a miracle really and an amazing gift from God. I love her for all of those things. That said.... please someone tell me that the terrible twos are as bad as it gets!! I ask that with a little chuckle because I know the answer, this is still the EASY part

Let's see, meltdown #1 - Ayla wanted to make her own oatmeal. I let her help but of course she couldn't pour milk from the gallon or touch anything hot. "I do it!, IIIIIIII do it!" Seriously. After her 10 minute meltdown and oatmeal, she wanted an apple. Well, she thought that SHE should be able to cut the apple herself. Ha! I cut the apple, all the while she's screaming "No, mines, I do it" I gave her a plastic knife from her play-doh set(yes, I washed it) so she could "cut" the pieces. She threw the knife and the apples, and then threw herself to the floor. Who is this kid anyway? Not mine, that's for sure. Of course I explained that it was very sad to see her waste good apples and into the trash they went. Ayla went to her room, where she is allowed to scream and cry to her little heart's content. She came out 10 or so minutes later when she was calm. Okay...time to get dressed, that's easy - or so I thought. There was another huge fit because even with a high of 5* today, she didn't want to wear pants. If I wasn't concerned about having to explain frostbite on her a$$ to the the ER docs at Children's Hospital, I may have let her go without them. Once again I repeated my new household slogan "Ayla, when we throw fits, we get nothing. When you can use your words and talk to mommy nicely, come and get me. I'll be in the other room" I won't torture you with all of the gory details but chore after chore, it was the same thing, over and over and over. She didn't want me to shower, didn't want her pink coat, doesn't want Dora...no wait, now she does(after I turn on Curious George). She doesn't want to play a game, doesn't want to color, doesn't want to play with toys, won't help mommy build a castle with blocks.

By 10 am I had called Holly and must have sounded desperate because she said "Do you need to get out and do something?" This is why I love her! She totally knows me. We went to the mall to let our kids play at the indoor playground area. They unleashed a little and so did I. I was feeling refreshed after lunch and the rest of the day was easier(of course, swimming the English Channel would have been too).

We really need spring to come very soon. I know that a lot of our meltdowns(hers AND mine) have to do with needing to get outside for some fresh air. We both have serious cabin fever going on. So help me God if that little rat of a groundhog doesn't see his shadow...or sees it...or whatever he's supposed to do for spring to come. I'll hunt him down myself!

Darren and Ayla went to the Creighton game this evening. I watched American Idol with no interruptions! They got home late so I gave Ayla a quick kitchen sink bath before bed. She is way too big for the kitchen sink but when I am in a hurry, I still toss her in there. She redeemed herself for this mornings happenings by looking so adorably cute.

Happy Birthday Papa!

My dad, aka "Papa", had a birthday yesterday. We went over for dinner to wish him a great day and Ayla was super excited. She loves birthday parties and is obsessed with cake, well...frosting anyway. On saturday when Ayla was there, she found Papa's cake on the dining room table and carried it into the kitchen for my mom! There was only minimal damage thank goodness, she was carrying it almost completely sideways.

When we finished dinner, we torched up the cake and Ayla helped Papa blow out his candles. She ate lots and lots of bright BLUE frosting.

Checking out her tongue in a mirror

See Mom, BlueYikes, I'll be brushing that mouth for hours!

Cady's night with us!

Cady spent the night with us on Saturday. Holly and Jeff haven't had alone time in a very long time and Holly is going back to work in a week. Caleb was staying at his aunt's house so we offered to keep Cady. We had so much fun with her and Ayla thought she was fun

for the most part too. She is just starting to really smile in response to people(rather than gas and reflexes) and it absolutley melts your heart. When she woke up Saturday morning, she was very happy - she was smiling, cooing and even let out a little giggle.

She slept in a Pack &Play in our bedroom and did great. She was swaddled and slept for 2, five hour stretches!!

Playdate!!

Today was quite the day for us. Our friend Lindsey had an appointment so Ayla and I went over to play with her kids for the couple of hours she needed. We decided to make it a big ol' playdate so Holly came too, with Caleb and Cady...we had LOTS of fun!! We had Happy Meals for lunch, played with Play-doh, colored in GIANT sized coloring books and played with lots and lots of toys. There was no fighting, no crying, it was perfect. It could have gone any which way since we had three, yes THREE, 2 year olds, a 4 year old and a newborn....AND we were overdue for naptime!

This is Ayla saying "Ta-daaa!" She loved building towers with Haylee

Bennett is sooo funny. I said "Bennett, look at me" and he made this face and said "Cheeeese"

Haylee making silly faces, she has the prettiest, brightest eyes.

Haylee and Bennett were jumping from the couch onto the bean bag

Is he just absolutely adorable or what???




Caleb taking Ayla for a ride


Taking Haylee for a ride too



Guitar Hero

Maybe he'll be in a band someday!?!?

Precious little Cadence Grace

I LOVE this picture.....Cady and her momma

I'm so lucky to have such amazing friends with such sweet kiddos.................

*****Oh, and if anyone is wondering about "pink baby", we've run into a bit more trouble. The new baby that I ordered from Ebay came, well sort of. Apparently what I ordered was actually the baby's little bouncy seat and NOT the baby. Why they put a picture of "pink baby" in the seat is beyond me. I guess I didn't read well enough, go figure! So I am currently bidding on an actual "pink baby" and not her boucy seat.

Update

Pink baby is still nowhere to be found. Our home has been torn apart a half dozen times, there is no sign of her. However, I have paid "ransom" of $12 plus shipping to ebay for a new pink baby. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers....The Splonskowski and Loving Family

ATTENTION!!!!!

*********************************DISCLAIMER***************************************

I am a neurotic mommy who must have ALL of the pieces that go to our toys at the end of every night. Before Ayla goes to bed we pick up and put things in their proper places....EVERY SINGLE PIECE. I know it's crazy, I know I should let it go but I cannot. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist....I have even been known to throw away toys that are missing pieces. The most recent victim was our "fridge farm" - we were missing the back half of our pig *gasp*

An Amber Alert is being issued tonight at the beautiful Victorian home of the Splonskowski's Loving Family Doll House. "Pink baby" went missing last night shortly after nine. The surrounding areas have been searched and searched again and "Pink baby" is nowhere to be found. Mrs Splonskowski feels that foul play may be involved, Dr Splonskowski feels that Mrs Splonskowski needs to be put on medication and Ayla Splonskowski's only comment was "Pink baby go?" This is the home of the Splonkowski's Loving Doll Family......................... Starting on the left and going clockwise the family is listed Grandpa, Brother, Mom, Dad, Grandma(also holding "Blue baby") and Sister. Their pets - Mommy dog, Daddy dog, Puppies and White cat are also shown.................................................................................

This is the Scene of the crime. "Pink baby" was last seen in her nursery on the third story on the morning of the abduction. The home has been dusted for fingerprints. Current suspects include Ayla and Boston Splonskowski.

This is the close-up of the bed from which "Pink baby" was stolen. It is heartbreaking to see this empty crib..................................................................................................................................



"Pink baby" looks identical to "Blue baby" other than her clothes. She was last seen in a pink footed jumper with short sleeves. She was also holding a bottle in her right hand. She is two inches tall with yellow plastic hair and poseable arms and legs. She is not jointed......................

If you have any information on this case please call the Splonskowski family immediately. Thank you for your concern , will update soon.