2010 Blog Book done!

I've discovered the secret to motivating myself to get blog books printed. Buy a Groupon for an online photo book website. A Groupon is a coupon that you purchase. For example, I paid $15 for $50 worth of photo books from Mixbook. (FYI - That buys half of a 51 page 12x12 hard cover photo album.) Not too bad, I think. The catch is that they expire. I procrastinate the project until a week before the Groupon expires and then force myself to finish it. I just finished the 2nd part of Our Young Shoot Chloe. The first book was her first five months - birth through the day she came home from the NICU. That was 1/18/10. This second book is the rest of 2010.

I really want these blogs to become cherished collections of memories for the girls. Plus, I think it'll be cool for them to read my thoughts years later when they're older. I'm recently interested in genealogy and can only dream of how cool it would be to have something like this from my grandmother or great-grandmother. Hopefully, they'll hang on to these and pass them on to their kids. I'm thrilled to have printed the first two books. I've already purchased two more Groupons that expire this year. I should get caught up on printing blog books before the year ends. Yay!

Mixbook - Create Beautiful Photo Books and Scrapbooks!"> | Learn About Mixbook Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Valentine's Day 2012

We were all about hearts for Valentine's Day this year.

The morning started with heart-shaped bacon, heart-shaped eggs, and a great big heart-shaped toast (quinoa bread). I couldn't figure out how to make the grapefruit heart-shaped so it just added pretty color. :-) Dave takes Solana to the Centerville Esther Price every year to pick out chocolates for me (and try samples from the store). He presented each of us special chocolates on Valentine's Day morning. I have a love/hate relationship with my annual Esther Price box of chocolates. I love eating them. I hate the guilt and pimples that inevitably follow.

Solana's hair was heart-shaped, too!

In the afternoon Chloe and I went to Solana's school. I offered to do the game for her Valentine's day party and it went ok. I was running on 4 hours of sleep so I probably wasn't very well prepared for wrangling Chloe while running a game for sugared up first graders. I think they got the best of me. I thought the game was fun but it got mixed reviews from the kids. The ones who would actually listen to me give instructions did really well and enjoyed it.

Cupid's Arrow. This game is super simple and prepared cheaply.

Tools: straws, Q-tips, heart-shaped bowls or tin foil pans.

Object: Load Q-tips into your straw and try to shoot them into your bowl. The team with the most Q-tips in their bowl at the end of a minute (or when their Q-tips run out) wins. Note: The Q-tips tended to get stuck if loaded at the same end from which you blow. Blow from one end and load into the other end. I found this idea on Pinterest.

For dinner we had Swiss Cheese Fondue with veggies and bread. The baguette was made from the Quinoa Bread in my HBI5 book. In addition to a great meal we also had an exciting eating moment when both girls declared they like cheese fondue and then Chloe proceeded to eat several bites of broccoli and cauliflower dipped in the ooey gooey stuff. (We still puree most veggies for her.) I guess we'll just need to have cheese fondue on hand at all times. Yes?

Still going strong with our healthy bread. I've been waiting to do this one for months. It's Red Beet bread that I shaped into a heart. You should have seen me shredding 3 cups of beets at midnight the night before. If Solana had walked in on me she would have been terrified at all the "blood." Beets. What a mess!

For dessert I made yellow cake with strawberry filling and cream cheese icing. Yum! And you can sort of tell that the strawberries on top are cut to look like hearts. :-)

Happy Valentines Day!!!

I Want To Shake Her

My friend, Melissa, is having a rough month. February's not a good time for her. A little bit like my August. Her post today touched me.

“Those were days of innocence. The person I was then, three years ago, wondered how she would be able to tell the twins apart, and worried about being bored in the hospital for four to six weeks. That person hoped the twins wouldn’t have to stay in the NICU more than a couple of weeks. I am angry at that person and her silly concerns, I want to shake her. Doesn’t she know that she was worried about all the wrong things?”

I wish I could go back and shake my old self, too. I was so different back then. If only I could erase some of the things I said and thought when I found out I was having twins, when I went on bed rest... And then sometimes I wish I could go back to being that old naive person who felt sorry for other people with sad stories. Sometimes I'm mad at all the happy go-lucky people who don't know...who have never lost...who underestimate what Chloe has overcome and what she overcomes every single day. It sucks to think those things and be in that place. I try not to be but sometimes it can't be helped. Melissa suspects that others expect her to be 'over it' but it's part of what made us who we are today.

I catch my breath and stop to be thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. Dave, Solana, Chloe, and angel Leila. I remember how well Chloe's doing despite all her obstacles and think of how it could be worse. Much worse. I'll be back to that place soon enough. For now, I'll send some love to my friend who needs it right now. Then I'll go spin Chloe in her bubble and marvel at how it helps her.

Solana's First Loose Tooth

Solana's really enjoying the excitement of her first loose tooth. She didn't break her first tooth until her first birthday and then it took forever to come in. She's a late tooth bloomer so it makes sense that she's one of the last kids in her class to lose a tooth. (She turns 7 in 2 months.) We're constantly hearing reports about who's lost a tooth this week in her class. One kid lost his tooth during snack time. Gross. Now that Solana has her first loose tooth she's constantly wiggling it and declares almost every day that she's pretty sure this is the day it will fall out. I don't remember loose teeth being such a big topic of conversation when I was losing them. But it's a BIG DEAL! Even I'm getting anxious for it to fall out!

100th Day of School

Solana's class celebrated the 100th day of school with a field trip to a nursing home to sing. It was a nice experience for her - the kids are experiencing the joy helping others. They took gifts and she presented hers to a woman who couldn't see so she got to help the lady open hers. She was pretty proud of that. Then she came home and sang all the songs for me.

We decided to have a little 100 celebration at home, too. Great after-school snack!

Fortunately for Solana and Chloe, I forgot that Dave was coming home with S'more supplies. He'd promised S'mores to Solana the day before so we got double treats on her 100th day!

It was 38 degrees outside so we bundled up before heading to our little fire pit. It's on our deck. Not much of a trek.

The s'mores were yummy. They always are.

Chloe got deconstructed s'mores minus the chocolate (since it was right before bed time).

A Few Notes on Addition

Mommy + Poopie Treats* = Chloe + Poopie Diaper

Chloe + Poopie Diaper = (Mommy - Poopie Treats) + (Chloe + Poopie Treats)

Warm Milk + Bottle = Guzzling Chloe

Warm Milk + Sippy Cup = Gagging Chloe

Cold Milk + Cinnamon + Sippy Cup = Guzzling Chloe

Solana + her first loose tooth = fingers constantly in mouth

Fingers constantly in mouth + cold/flu season = a really grossed out Mommy

Poopie Treats = Chocolate Chips

Pacifier

Solana and Chloe both took a pacifier to get to sleep. I kept a strict rule that the pacifier may only be used at bed time. But they really loved it at bed time. When Solana turned two I explained to her that she was a big girl and big girls don't use pacifiers. She agreed that she was a big girl! We then collected up all the pacifiers, marched downstairs, and threw them in the outside garbage can. (I wanted to make sure I wasn't tempted to sneak one out in case of emergency.) I was working full-time and woke her up at 6:30 every morning. We were out the door to daycare a few minutes before 7:00. I was filled with dread and just knew that the first few days/nights would be awful. Solana never asked for her pacifier again. Not one single time. It was the craziest thing!

Chloe went to the dentist last week and he talked about her narrow bite. It's partially because of her super-duper high arch. The shape of the roof of her mouth was actually affected by the breathing tube she had down her throat for 80 days. The tube went into her mouth and pressed up against the roof of her tiny soft still-forming mouth. Poor thing. But, he said, we need to get rid of the pacifier asap because it can exacerbate the problem. Like, immediately. I mentally put my fingers in my ears and started singing. I physically smiled and nodded appearing appropriately embarrassed.

I knew it was coming. I knew I should have taken it away long ago. I should be able to use the experience with Solana as encouragement but I find myself terrified again. Chloe is most certainly NOT Solana. The other day she wanted to get into the coat closet and I told her "no." She laid on her stomach on the floor and kicked her feet into the ground while crying. Seriously! She literally did that. Chloe has WAY more of a temper and, in my opinion, a lot more fight than Solana ever displayed. Solana was ridiculously obedient. True I don't have to go to work anymore so a few bad nights should be easier on both of us but I still find myself dreading the removal of the pacifier. She asks for it, you know. Every time I lay her down, "Pahupier?" How can I say "no" to that?

I told the dentist that we just took away her bottle. Maybe I'll give her another week or so before taking away her pacifier. Am I just stalling? Totally. Am I weak and a coward. Yes. But I suppose I can live with that...at least for another week or so. Then I'll find my courage. In a week or so. I'll do it. I will.do.it!