The Buggy-Schulze Family

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

2010-12-27T13:37:00.001-08:00

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house and with my parents, sister and grandma. Traditionally, we always do a more formal crab dinner, followed by the opening of all non-Santa presents on Christmas Eve, and then Christmas Day involves Santa, stockings and an informal brunch or, in this case, lunch. Unlike years past, when Christmas was held at my folks house, things were much more casual. Though we all appreciate the detailed effort my mom always put into decorations, meals and table settings, I have to admit that it was definitely more relaxing and, at least for me, more easily able to be enjoyed by doing things with the 'less is more' mantra in mind.

I think it's funny how totally dwarfed our tree looks with the massive pile of presents 'under' it. Yea, we're a spoiled bunch, and it makes me feel guilty to admit that.

My happy little guy and I. He turned 16 months on Christmas Day, and it blows my mind how much he's grown and changed in a year's time!

Hohoho!

Being cheesy.

Both sets of grandparents, and Ryan and I, went in together on a swing set or the kids. They both absolutely love it! We're waiting for a replacement screw to secure the second swing, and then we can get Cameron's baby swing up, too.

Checking out the fort.

Christmas Eve dinner included a beef tenderloin that Ryan cooked on the Big Green Egg, Alaskan King Crab, Aussie Potatoes, asparagus with red peppers and parmesan, and mandarin orange marshmallow jello salad.

Yum yum yum!

So, my mom doesn't drink because she can't tolerate alcohol. She can, for some mysterious reason, handle the occasional Tequila shot. Ryan was thoughtful enough to pick up some Jose Cuervo a little while back, so the two of them knocked one back together. Epic.

Checking out her new coloring book while the present opening got underway around us.

The guys.

Papa Steve, Nana Janet, Great Grandma Norma and Autie Lindsay opening gifts. We used to always go around in a circle one gift at a time, but since little ones have joined the family ranks again, we aren't quite so orderly... but we do still like to see and chat about what everyone receives.

Totally engrossed.
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Christmas Morning:

Checking out the new keyboard from Santa.

The shopping cart has been a big hit and has been the cause of quite a few fights over the past few days. Cameron makes his rounds about the house many, many times a day and gets super frustrated when he can't get it turned around and ends up stuck. I know I shouldn't, but I find his incredibly short temper pretty funny.... most of the time.

Unwrapping Rocky.

Unveiling the contents of her stocking.

Even though everyone else was kind enough to get fully dressed on Christmas Day, I took the liberty staying in my jammies all day and doing nothing more than brushing my teeth to 'get ready'. I told you we went casual this year! It's a beautiful thing!

After our ham lunch, everyone was pretty tired and called it a day fairly early.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone!
I hope you all had as wonderful a celebration as we did!

P.s. I didn't sent out holiday cards this season, so please don't think that you were the accidentally forgotten friend or family member that didn't get a card while everyone else did. I promise to do better next year. :-)

Here comes Santa Claus....

2010-12-16T20:14:00.000-08:00

The Lofys hired, I mean invited, Santa Claus to their home a couple of weekends ago and the kids all had a great time playing together, meeting Santa and enjoying their new toys.

Cameron went from unsure to totally freaked out pretty darn quick.
Is it wrong of me to love that sad little lip?

He recovered from the horror pretty quickly and had a blast zooming his new truck all over the 'forbidden' living room.

Ella wasn't particularly stoked about being so close to Mr. Clause, either, but at least she didn't cry.

Nana Janet partied with us, too.

Pretty sure I forgot to tell him what I want for Christmas....

And the lovely Lofy family

Eats on Feets

2010-11-24T07:40:00.001-08:00

Shell Walker, who is the midwife I chose for both of my pregnancies, has created a social network on Facebook, called "Eats on Feets", that allows people to connect for the purpose of providing donated human milk to human babies. In just a few weeks, the network has expanded to include 98 chapters in all 50 states and in 22 countries. More than 70 matches have been made. Eats on Feets has been featured in both Parents Magazine and Time magazine, and the links are below, should you wish to read more.

http://www.parents.com/blogs/goodyblog/2010/11/milk-sharing-moms-unite-via-facebook/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2032363,00.html

There is nothing more nutritious and beneficial to a baby than human milk, and I am so excited to see that Eats on Feets is encouraging parents everywhere to rise above the stigma that breastmilk is 'dirty' and that formula is 'the next best thing'! I understand that this movement is not for everyone, and that many people feel uncomfortable with human milk exchange, but once the seeds of change have been planted in our minds, the possibilities for growth and change become limitless. A big 'thank you' to Shell for planting those seeds and to all those who are helping her cultivate those seeds by running local chapters, voicing their opinions and, most importantly, donating and accepting breast milk!

Ahh, change is in the air....

Trick or Treat

2010-11-11T15:18:00.001-08:00

On Halloween night, we met our friends, Katherine and Jordan and their kids, Addison and Brody, in their neighborhood to do a little trick or treating. We spent about an hour and a half walking around, and the kids, namely Ella and Addison, had a blast perfecting the art of begging for treats. They were both enthusiastic with their "trick or treat" greeting and generally quite willing to say "thank you" before moving along. Ella tended to keep her bag raised and open while staring at the candy-givers after having been given her treats, which seemed to compel most to give her even more candy. I think perhaps next year we'll address social graces and greed before cruising around the block. :-)

My little lobster and his beloved pink car.

I couldn't resist sticking him in a stock pot.

She was giving him a 'ride' in the pot. I'm at the bottom trying to make sure she doesn't ride him right off the table.

Steamed chef anyone? It's the Lobster's specialty.

Partners in crime.

Trick or Treat!

Mama Katherine and Brody

It was past Cameron' bed time, so he spent the evening taking everything in from the comfort of his stroller.

Now this? Just plain weird.

It's even weirder that Captain Jack Sparrow seems to be manning the balloon-less balloon basket. Am I missing something?

Cameron and Ella have been regularly enjoying playing with the loot they scored combined with all of the leftover candy we don't know what to do with. Oh, and we now know that Cameron is partial to Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, while Ella is particularly fond of M&M's; daddy likes Snickers and mommy...well... mommy likes it all!

Hope everyone had a happy, safe Halloween!

Halloween Parties

2010-11-11T13:26:00.001-08:00

The Wednesday before Halloween, our playgroup had a party, hosted by Jessica and her daughter, Dani. We noshed on tasty sandwiches and weenies and enjoyed lots of sugary treats! The kids got to wear their costumes, do a ghost hunt (with lollipops), run around inside and out with all of their friends, and pretty much just trash the Cahill abode. What more could a kid want?! The moms enjoyed visiting and catching up with each other and watching the children have fun. Thanks, again, to Jessica for all of the time, resources and energy she spent putting together a great party!Addie as Tinkerbell, Piper as a Fairy, Dani and Jessie, Baby Ainsley as a ladybug, Brody as Thomas the Train, Cameron as a Lobster, Addison as Tinkerbell...

...and Miss Ella as herself because she absolutely refused to wear her chef costume (I even stooped to bribery with cookies). Stubborn kid... surely she doesn't get that from me. ;-)
Cameron wore his costume for most of the party and didn't seem to mind it at all. I was a bit surprised by that.
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On the eve of Halloween, Ryan and I left the kids at home with my mom and sister and headed to my dear friend Kelly's house for her annual Halloween bash. As usual, the house was decked out with all of the gory details and tons of delicious food. There were some pretty awesome costumes and, of course, some really awesome people to celebrate with!

eew

double eew

triple eew

Indiana Jones and his trusty....uh....firefighter?

Elisa as Lady Gaga, Katie as Goldie Locks, and Kelly and Erin as firefighters (no, we did not plan that).

Miss Baxter and myself. So glad you could be here to celebrate with us, Katie! xoxo

The beautiful, and temporarily blonde, hostess. Great job on the party, Kelly! Thank you so much for throwing such an awesome party!

Kelly's sister, and fellow firefighter co-host, Kristen, with Quail Man. So funny!

And the awesome zombie cake....

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

The kids and I, along with my mom and some of the Lofy family, went to a pumpkin patch the weekend prior to Halloween. We enjoyed the petting zoo, pony rides, a hay ride, pumpkins galore, and hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. The day was sunny and only slightly warm (a real treat by Arizona standards) and it was really fun to get into the spirit of Fall and Halloween with some of those we love!

Cameron was pretty tired but managed to keep it together for the entirety of of our excursion.

The goats.

The bunny.

The donkey.

Ella's first ride on a horse.

Miss Alana riding a horse alongside Ella.

The lovely Lofys: Raine, Beth, Alana and Aleia
For the life of me, I can not get by daughter to smile and pose for the camera. Despite nothing but serious expressions being captured on film, I can assure you she had a great time and smiled plenty.

No such luck with him either.

Nana Janet and Cameron enjoying the hayride.

Honeymoon Part Three: Hana

2010-11-07T20:15:00.001-08:00

The final three days were spent in Hana, which was, by far, the most beautiful of the three; it was also hands-down the most amazing location I have ever had the privilege of visiting. Even as I scroll through the hundreds of photos we took, trying to decide which ones to include in my post, I get a tingling feeling and a deep sense of nostalgia as I recall the breathtaking sights we viewed and the one-of-a-kind experiences we had. I really do think that if there is a Heaven, my version of it looks a whole lot like Hana. For whatever reasons, Hana spoke to me in a way that no place ever has, and I can not wait to revisit!

Even if you aren't planning to stay in Hana, taking the "Road to Hana" is definitely a worthy experience. There are endless scenic stops, beautiful waterfalls and bridges, hiking trails and roadside stands to enjoy. Those, who like I, have weak stomachs should expect a rather nauseating trip, but let me just say that it is all so worth it!

The "Four Falls" hike was one of Ryan's favorite, and I really enjoyed it, too, aside from slipping on the above pictured waterfall. Thank goodness I travel with my Chiropractor. :-)

A several hundred foot waterfall we stopped to see. Heights make me nervous, so I was happy to enjoy this one from afar, despite the fact that there was a steep and narrow trail leading down to it.

Isn't Hana lovely?

Stopping to check out one of the fifty-something bridges (and waterfalls) along the road to Hana.
The Lanai (patio) of our Condo. We spent almost no time indoors because this was just too perfect a spot to enjoy the sunsets, our breakfasts, the gorgeous ocean and beach and each other. Never have I been so eager to get outside than I was upon waking each morning in Hana.

We were so happy we went with the convertible.... it makes enjoying the all-encompassing scenery that much easier!

Hana is a rainforest, and is incredibly dense and lush.

A neat cave in Wainapanapa State Park.... there's a cool legend that goes along with this spot and even cooler waters. I was not about to swim in there, but Ryan seemed to enjoy the chilly dip.

We had a great time exploring Wainapanapa... it's a really diverse park with camping, beaches, beautiful sights and lots of history.

A month later and we're still sneaking out back to crack macadamia nuts on our patio. They're so good!

Terry making a hat out of a single palm frond.

Pictured: Hans, Myself, Ryan and Terry
Hans, and his wife Lori Lee, own a vegan restaurant (it's a bus, actually), that has some incredibly tasty food. I enjoyed some existential 'chit-chat' with Hans and Lori Lee, and Hans enjoyed a much-needed adjustment from Ryan. He was so very grateful, and it was nice to see him experience relief from his ailment. Terry made a custom hat for Ryan, and he even threw in a necktie and 'romantic' decoration for us honeymooners.

Maui has many red, black, green, etc. sand beaches. Here we are exploring a dark red sand beach.

Ryan enjoyed a little cliff jumping.

The seven sacred pools in Haleakala National Park.
There are more than seven, and they are not sacred, but they are absolutely gorgeous!!

The last of the seven sacred pools that spill into the ocean.

One of my favorite depictions of how green Hana really is.

The freakishly large and statuesque Banyan Tree we saw on our hike in Haleakala National Park.
Can you find the Buggy hiding in this picture?

On the hike, Ryan insisted on this photo op. It doesn't look like much from this photo, but the photo below shows what is only about a foot behind him.... a seriously steep drop into a beautiful valley.
Crossing one of several bridges and waterfalls to get to the 'prize' waterfall at the height of the hike.

We walked through tons and tons of Bamboo on this hike, as well as others.

This photo, like most we took, really doesn't do the reality of what we saw justice. This waterfall was at least 400 ft high and truly breathtaking.

More of beautiful Hana.

Aside form this freakish creature and the repeated mosquito attacks I experienced, I would happily move myself and my brood to Hana.

After leaving Hana, shopping in Paia, and watching windsurfers along the beach, we enjoyed one last delicious dinner at Mama's Fish House. We definitely want to revisit this restaurant on our next Hawaiian vacation.

Honemoon Part Two: Wailea

2010-11-07T19:38:00.001-08:00

The next three days were spend in Wailea, which is what I would consider to be the "Scottsdale of Maui". It's exceptionally well groomed, laden with beautiful homes and condos, home to many upscale shops, restaurants and luxury resorts, chalk-full of pristine golf courses and adorned with beautiful beach after beautiful beach. We enjoyed the fine dining, wonderfully diverse beaches and trails, gorgeous views and, of course, each others' company.

Our lovely condo.

We were definitely not 'crabby' on this vacation. :-)

We stopped at a road-side stand for a fresh coconut and some coconut candy. Both were much more delicious and addictive than we ever thought they could be!

'Big Beach'

Late one afternoon we visited a black sand beach that had tons of sea turtles swimming about not more than ten feet from where we were standing. It was so much fun spotting them under the water and through the waves and, though we didn't get any pictures of them, we really, really enjoyed watching them.

Ryan enjoyed playing with the new camera and catching some of the pretty sunsets.

We awoke at 3am one morning the drive, and then hike, to the top of Haleakala to see the amazing sunrise. Some have described the experience as "life changing" and, while I wouldn't go quite that far, I would agree with most that it truly is an unforgettable sight.

Compared to the rest of the Island, this spot was exceptionally cold, and we definitely needed all the layers we could pile on.

Good morning, sunshine.

Honeymoon Part One: Ka'anapali

2010-11-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, I'm finally getting around to updating my blog with pictures from our honeymoon. I've been putting this task off because we just took so many pictures and created so many memories that, to try to sum it all up in a handful of paragraphs, seems like an impossible, daunting task. Anyhow, here I go...

We spent the first three days of our honeymoon in Ka'anapali, which is located in west Maui. We stayed at a hotel along the beach, enjoyed many delicious meals in the heart of the town, went snorkling and disc golfing, savored the ability to relax (something that parents of small children are definitely not accustom to), and took in the gorgeous, breathtaking scenery.

Torch lighting/cliff-diving ceremony that is performed each night at sunset outside of the Sheraton Maui.

Hotel Pool Bar

There was a disc golf tournament at Poli Poli State Park on our second day, which Ryan was more than a little excited about playing. The course, which is situated at the top of the mountain, overlooked most of west Maui and, with the change in terrain and ever-changing weather, it was truly enjoyable and beautiful.

This is a disc golf basket... for those of you who have no idea what disc golf is.

I'd like to say that I at least played the part of caddy but, really, I was just the tag-along novice photographer.

An overcast view from the course.

This bright orange lichen was all over the trees up there and was quite neat in contrast to the brown and green hues that make up the majority of the mountain terrain
. Dinner at Lahaina Grill was delicious and truly a culinary experience.

Exploring the coast.

Visiting the blowhole. I, having had a blond moment, stood too close to the surf and, not only got myself drenched, but also drenched our camera rendering it completely useless. Thank goodness for Costo, which is where we had to purchase a new one.

The Olivine PoolsOne of the many pools, which has a greenish cast to it and is home to lots of little sea creatures. We had tons of fun exploring the various pools, taking dips in them, and soaking in the sight, sound and smell of the rather 'angry' ocean.

We took a guided snorkeling trip, which was really fun.

Ryan hanging loose. We saw tons of fish, beautiful coral and even a few eels. At the second spot we stopped to snorkel at I was able to see two giant sea turtles and even an octopus cruising along the ocean floor! Ryan was back at the boat and missed my sightings, but he did at least get to see a sleeping turtle nestled into some rocks.

The Gazebo: one of the best breakfast spots in Maui. I had Fried Rice and macadamia nut pancakes.... the rice was amazing! Ryan says his omelet was incredibly good.

Beautiful, clear waters and lush green landscapes.

Cameron's 1st Birthday Party

2010-09-19T13:35:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Cameron's first birthday with a party at our house on September 5th. We had a great turn out with our closest friends and family, and everyone had a nice time catching up, enjoying dinner and cake, watching the children play and helping us celebrate our baby's transition into toddlerhood.

The spread: sub sandwiches, pb&j sandwiches, various chips and dips, fruit salad, fruit plate with caramel sauce, water, soda and beer and, of course, cake for dessert.

The Roughley Family and Ryan

Dishing up and chatting

The kiddie table, but definitely not all of the kids.

Addie and Ariana

Jessica holding baby Ainsley and Danika having a drink

Addison, Calissa and Brody hanging out on Ella's bed

Mmm, triple chocolate cake!

The Roughleys and Taylors hangin' out

The Birthday Boy and Mama

Instead of picking up his piece of cake, he decided to dive into it.

Definitely enjoying himself

Bliss

Yea, that was good.

Getting stripped before a quick sink bath.

Some of the party-goers hanging out and kicking the wall.

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our celebration, and thank you to everyone who wasn't able to be there and wanted to be, but was in spirit!

Swimming in the rain, just swimming in the rain...

2010-08-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

...what a glorious feeeeling, I'm haaaappy again....

We had a short-lived rain storm in, so we took the liberty of letting Ella enjoy nature at it's best. Well, she decided that puddle splashing and standing outside with her mouth open wide weren't quite enough, and that she needed to swim, yes, swim in the rain.... floaty and all. My mom, sister, Ryan and I all had some great laughs watching her enjoy the simplest of things the way only a child can.

Happy Birthday, Cameron!

2010-08-26T14:13:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but Cameron turned one on the 25th! It really doesn't seem like a year has passed since we welcomed the little guy into the world. He has certainly given us some challenges throughout the year, but he has also given us more reasons to laugh and love than we ever thought possible. Since Ryan and I both had to work on his birthday, we got up early that morning to open presents and spend some time together. Big sister Ella was more than happy to show him the present opening ropes, and she was even happier to take his new toys and 'show' him how they worked.

The proud birthday boy.... who really had no idea that it was his birthday.

Everything is better with wheels.

I highly recommend this firetruck (available at a Costco near you :-))... both kids have been more than a little infatuated since first spotting the thing. Heck, even Ryan and I played with it for a few minutes after the kids went to bed!

His actual party isn't for a couple of weeks yet, so Nana Jan and Papa Steve joined us for dinner and Sprinkles Cupcakes. Cameron didn't enjoy our singing one bit, but he did enjoy are few large bites of cake.

He has recently started making the piggy face that both Ryan and Ella used to make a lot at this same age. So cute!

The Bob

2010-08-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Since I rarely put Ella's hair in braids, ponytails or pigtails, and considering the fact that the majority of pretty bows I snap into her hair end up getting yanked out, tossed and lost, I decided it was time to get her a cute new haircut that would keep the hair out of her face and didn't require any styling. We went with an angled bob that even has some layers. The pictures don't really do it justice, but everyone who's seen her with her new coif seems to think she looks pretty darn adorable, and stylish to boot!

Big C

2010-08-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Cameron is just two weeks shy of his first birthday and is definitely a very busy little boy! He is quite the fast crawler now and has been practicing pulling up to standing on just about everything. He is able to get back down most of the time but sometimes gets 'stuck'. I've caught him side-stepping a few times, but he hasn't officially figured out how to cruise around on the furniture just yet. Climbing is something he has started to figure out, and he seems to enjoy going over and through stuff much more than he likes going around it.I think he's talking, but until it's clear as day that a word has been spoken and it has happened multiple times, I always have a hard time making that declaration with confidence for fear of coming across as one of 'those' moms who thinks their kid is the next Einstein because (s)he did things on the early side of normal. Anyhow, the words he appears to be saying are "mama", which has been happening for over a month and definitely seems directed at me, "nah" when I say no to him, "mah" (more?) when in his highchair and eating and "num" after he finishes nursing. He also does a lot of babbling and is, in general, quite vocal compared to the way Ella was at the same age. Fortunately, he seems to have mellowed out a bit in the past month. He's still loud and generally demanding, but he isn't as loud and demanding as of late, which has been really nice. I'm guessing that his increased physical independence is keeping him happy because now he can just do what he wants to do instead of having to yell at me to do it for him. Yay for me. He is, as usual, full of smiles and spunk, is very social, seeks out the attention of others, and is very expressive in both positive and negative ways.
Like a true boy, he is completely and totally obsessed with anything that has wheels. The Lofy's boring grey vacuum, a baby doll stroller, and the ride-on train at our house are amongst his absolute favorite toys, but he's glad to push around, flip over, and fiddle with just about anything that has wheels and can be moved. Heck, it doesn't even have to have wheels, he just needs to be able to manipulate and push it around like it does have wheels (like a box or a flip flop being slid around on the tile floors). Doors, and their ability to open and close, are another thing he holds near and dear to his heart.These days, his favorite 'trouble' to get into is knocking the toilet paper roll off of the holder and shredding/eating it as well. He also enjoys hanging off of the door to the dishwasher and grabbing at sharp knives in the silverware caddy. He's still quite picky with his eating habits, but he's been pretty ravenous lately, so I'm hoping he's gearing up for a growth spurt. He would live on strawberries, grapes, blueberries and cantaloupe if I'd let him, but for being as small as he is, it's important that he diversify and eat more high-calorie and good-fat foods. He finally learned how to drink fluids from a sippy cup but is, so far, only proficient with the types that have a soft straw.
Overall, he has been such a joy to have around these days, and I can't believe that our little man is almost a year old!

Ella

2010-08-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a looong time since I last did milestone updates, and I feel bad for being such a slacker when it comes to keeping y'all in the loop on all the ways in which Ella and Cameron seem to be constantly changing....

Ella is now only a few months shy of her third birthday and is not only potty trained but is also sleeping in a big girl bed now instead of her beloved crib. I don't doubt she would have happily stayed in her crib until she literally could no longer fit into it but, since her crib was recalled and we needed to return it, it seemed to make the most sense to make the switch then, as opposed to buying her a new crib that she might only sleep in for a few more months anyway. So, we made the transition about two weeks ago and, as expected, she has been taking advantage of her new-found freedoms. Most, but not all, nights she comes bursting out of her room several times claiming that she has to go potty, and at first we'd let her try, and then try again, to go, but now we're pretty much ignoring her and just taking her back to bed. Sometimes she goes to sleep without a fight, and sometimes, well, she fights. Overall, though, she has done quite well with the process, and seems to like her 'big girl bed'.
It's been fun (for me, of course) rearranging, decorating and making comfortable her new room, and Ryan and I are especially enjoying the fact that we can cuddle up in her bed with her while reading stories at night. It feels great to rest and reconnect with her after a hectic day and to read together- which is something we all enjoy.
Ella, though generally pleasant and easy to be with, has certainly been having her share of emotional meltdowns lately. They're either her way of coping with the recent changes in her life (potty training and new sleeping arrangement), just are reflection of the typical 2.5 year old, or perhaps a combination of both. Either way, Ryan and I are both often frustrated and amused by her little outbursts, complete with wretched screams, lots of tears, flailing fists, feet kicking and all kinds of verbal protests. Though neither we, nor she, enjoy the tantrums, it's good to see that she's got some spunk and feels passionate about certain things. As much as I love her easy-going nature, I know it's healthy for her to be not-so-easy-going, too. As far as interests go, she definitely seems to gravitate toward the more typical girl activities. She loves dollhouses and Polly Pockets and she is starting to enjoy playing with baby dolls. Lately, she has begun to ask a lot of questions like "can we play babies?" "do you have to go potty, Daddy?" (that one cracks me up), "what are you doing, mommy?", "where did I put ___?","why did you do that?", "can I have a snack?", etc. It's pretty cute to see her inquisitiveness coming through in a verbal way, and I always get a little excited when she reaches a new level of understanding, expression, or capability. She is also showing more interest in playing with her friends, instead of simply by her friends. She's curious about what they're doing and often wants to join in on whatever fun they're having, whether it's playing with certain toys, exploring in a certain place, or simply laughing together when something is silly. The same holds true for time spent with her brother. They're spending more time laughing, crawling around together, and 'rough-housing'- if you can call it that since they're so gentle with each other. I suppose it's more rolling around, patting and climbing over each other, but whatever it is, it's cute. Ella's also been practicing taking care of others, which is really sweet to watch. Last weekend Ryan stepped on something and hurt the bottom of his foot. Ella was quick to help with applying the ice pack, and making sure he had 'lotion' (Neosporin) and a band-aid for his owie. She has taken to feeding Cameron small bits of food as well as frequently telling me what he needs. "Cameron needs his buzzer bee and his sucker", said when he's crying or getting ready for a nap, and "Cammie is sad/mad/happy", depending on the situation. She doesn't like to hear him, or any of he friends, cry and not only is concerned with the fact that they're upset but also seeks to understand and/or explain why they're upset. I really, really like to see that she is developing empathic qualities and cares about other people, as this will take her far in life when it comes to her relationships with others. Overall, she's been pretty awesome these days, despite her larger-than-average tantrums, which I keep reminding myself are healthy. She still hates sand, loves Dora and Diego, currently prefers Daddy over Mommy, is serious around those she isn't too sure about but is totally goofy with those she is very comfortable with, likes to go to the park, the mall and Imagination Avenue, doesn't like to transition from clothing to jammies, and vice-a-versa, is constantly curious, loves to read- especially about Clifford the Big Red Dog, and is, in general, just a really sweet, smart, and loving little kid!
Above: She refused to go in the sand but wanted to be amongst the action, so she cruised around the sandbox via the fence and cement ledge. Hey, whatever works, right?

San Diego

2010-07-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

We went to San Diego last weekend from Friday morning to Sunday night. Ryan was headed there to attend a conference and become certified in the Webster Technique, so we decided to tag along and make a family trip out of it. While Ryan was busy, the kids and I spent lots of time with my dear friend, Katie, who has lived in the San Diego/La Jolla area for the past four years, and it was so nice to catch up while soaking in tons of sunshine and beautiful weather. We had several tasty meals at various restaurants, enjoyed a day at Sea World, took Ella and Cameron to the beach for the very first time, stayed in a beautiful, old hotel, explored the Gaslamp District in downtown San Diego, got to see Katie's adorable little Bungalow and sweet puppy, escaped the Arizona heat and, most importantly, spent some quality time together as a family! It was rather difficult traveling with our little ones (particularly, Cameron) on this particular trip, but I am still very glad that we went!

Mr. Bright Eyes checking out the hotel room.
Also exploring the room.

Playing together. Ahh, how I love these moments.

All tuckered out after a long day.

From our hotel room, we had a great view of the Gaslamp District and breakfast was served on the rooftop, which I really enjoyed.

Sea world here we come....

Cameron and Katie

We all enjoyed the super-cute pet show!

totally zoning out

shark exhibit

Of all the things we saw at SeaWorld, Ella definitely enjoyed the sharks the most.

Shamu and... Shamu Two?
Ella was so tired after our day at SeaWorld that she nodded off while still sitting upright on our way to the car.

Ella was happy as a clam to be watching her portable dvd player during meals, but Cameron was another story. He was hard to manage in restaurants and on the long car rides, especially. Graham crackers were just one of the many tricks we tried to pull out in hopes of keeping him happy, or at least not completely unhappy in those situations. By the time we drove home, however, we were out of tricks and he was out of patience, which he let us know by literally screamed bloody murder for the last 3.5 hours of our 6 hour drive. Absolute torture for all parties involved.

Katie and her new boyfriend. Until now, I didn't know she had a thing for short guys. ;-)

our hotel

Beach Boys

That water looks inviting, but it was freezing!

Cameron had a great time crawling and exploring in the sand. Naturally, he had to eat a few handfuls of it, too, which he actually seemed to enjoy. Blech.

Soaking in the sunshine and perfect weather together.

By the time we hit the beach, which was our last stop before making the drive home, poor Ella was so exhausted and sleep deprived that all she wanted to do was take a nap on my chest. I think next time around, we'll try going to the beach first so that she can actually enjoy it.

Quick Photo Post

2010-07-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking on my blog updates recently, so I thought I should at least post a few photos while I've got a little time to kill.

Ella being silly while getting into her jammies...

Mommy has developed a love affair with S'mores, and occasionally Ella gets to have some, too. She calls marshmallows "freshmellows" which never fails to crack me up!

And Cameron loves avocados.... no S'mores for him just yet.

Naked Baby

Playing together

On the move...

2010-06-22T21:40:00.001-07:00

Though not officially crawling, Cameron is definitely mobile! He gets around by sliding on his belly, using his hands to pull himself and one foot to push forward. It guess you could call it slithering. He has also gotten the hang of getting into a seated position from his belly and vice a versa, as well as getting into a kneeling position. Naturally, he is now fascinated by electrical cords and most other non-toy items, and he is, like always, pretty crazy about his big sister. We're enjoying watching him gain more independence and have fun exploring!

Mommy, wow, I'm a big girl now!

2010-06-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am so proud to announce that Ella is officially potty trained! We started just less than two weeks ago and went straight from wearing diapers at all times to wearing undies whenever she was awake. Ella calls them her "Hello Kitties", but we have recently added "Dora's" to the mix, as well. She was a bit resistant at first, but some uncomfortable accidents, and TONS of praise combined with a few mini M&M's for those jobs that were well done, changed her attitude real quick. A few days into things, I noticed that she had started staying dry overnight and through her naps. She also began telling us voluntarily that she needed to go potty. Two nights ago, we decided to ditch the diapers completely and let her wear her Hello Kitties around the clock. So far, we've not had any accidents and she is very, very good about letting us know that she needs to go potty. We are incredibly proud of her, and we are quite grateful that potty training has gone so smoothly for her.

I set up our inflatable pool today, and Ella had a complete ball playing in it. The poor thing was absolutely freezing because the hose water hadn't had a chance to warm up yet, but that didn't stop her from having fun. Cameron even took a quick skinny dip after his nap, but he was less than thrilled with the chilly temp and much preferred to watch from the sidelines.

Who needs flashy or costly toys when you've got Costco-sized packages of paper towels to play with?

Daddy's Day

2010-06-22T20:43:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday, to celebrate Father's Day, we started the day off by allowing Ryan to sleep in. Once up and at 'em, he was able to see the special shirts each of the kids wore in honor of their wonderful daddy. After breakfast Ryan headed out to play a round of disc golf, which we might have joined him for if it weren't so blasted hot these days. We relaxed in the afternoon while the kids napped, and then my family came over for steaks, German potato salad and spinach salad. My mother had made an ice cream cake for my birthday, so we all enjoyed having that for dessert; and after our guests had gone home and our children had gone to sleep, we unwound with a funny movie.

Ella, Papa Steve and Cameron

Great-Grandma Norma and Cameron

I just have to say that I think Ella and Cameron are extremely lucky to have the father that they do. I often smile and count my blessings when I watch Ryan playing with them, or when I hear him having 'conversations' with them from the next room. He is a very plugged in father; one who cares about what his children have done that day, one who lights up when one of them does something hilarious or completely adorable, one who makes them laugh harder than any one else can and one who is flexible and playful while still managing to be structured and respected.

I am also extremely lucky to have a husband that is truly my partner on this parenting journey. Not only does Ryan work hard at his job every day in order to provide for us, but when he is home he still picks up fifty percent of the responsibility when it comes to taking care of the children and making sure their emotional and physical needs are met at all times. By being such a good father, he helps me to be a better mother and, even though I'd love him anyway, I can't help but love him just a little bit (ok, a whole lot) more when I watch him wearing his "Daddy Hat". :)

The guy's sporting matching bed-heads.

Quick Trip to Flagstaff

2010-06-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Since my birthday is this coming week, I decided it would be a good excuse to take an overnight trip to Flagstaff to get away from the heat and spend some quality time with the family. We left after lunch on Saturday and, since that is when both kids typically nap, they snoozed for at least half of the almost two hour trip. Ryan and I enjoyed some good tunes (Simon and Garfunkel followed by Tool) and good conversation. When we arrived, the weather was overcast, crisp and unusually cool. I was quite cold but welcomed the change anyway!
After getting settled into the hotel we strolled around downtown. Flagstaff has a lot of neat shops carrying local goods, crafts, clothing, sporting goods, artwork, and the like, so it's always fun to see what you can find. There was a local band playing in the courtyard, so we stopped to listen to the tunes for a bit and then headed to the Lumberyard to meet our friend Joey for dinner. Following dinner, we checked out a few more shops, stopped for a hot whiskey cider, and then headed back to the hotel to get the little ones ready for bed.I thought they'd have a lot of trouble going to sleep since we were all in one room together, but they both fell asleep quite well. As for staying asleep, well, that was another story. Just as Ryan and I nestled in, turned out the lights and prepared to drift off to dream land, Cameron woke up. He's on the verge of crawling and has been making some advances with his gross motor skills, so he has been waking up a lot recently to "practice" said skills during the night. He woke up several times over the course of the next hour before I finally dragged him into bed with me and prepared to get some much-needed sleep. Not a minute later Ella started crying; after a few jags, she ended up in the other queen bed with Ryan.... and that's how we stayed until morning.

After checking out of the hotel, we had a tasty breakfast at La Bellavia, and then we stopped at the local Farmer's Market. I've recently discovered the joys of the Roadrunner Farmer's Market in Phoenix, so I was excited to see what goodies were to be had at the one in Flagstaff. I picked up some delicious-looking pastas and plan to try at least one of them out this week. After the market, we headed to Thorpe Park so the kids could enjoy a bit more of the beautiful weather, burn off some energy before the drive home, and so that Ryan could squeeze a few holes of Disc Golf in.
(Ella's favorite park activity has always been to swing.)
(His first time on a swing. He loved it!)

(Yee-haw!)

The ride home was uneventful and relatively quiet. We all had a great time, and though Ryan and I are all for short little family trips such as these, we were reminded why we're in no rush to take any major vacations with our darlings in tow just yet. We are, however, looking forward to all of the fun trips we'll be able to take them on in just a few years!(He wasn't sure what to make of the grass.)

P.s. My camera batteries died just a few hours after we got to Flag, so there's a big chunk of the fun that I didn't catch. :-(

Cameron

2010-05-24T20:11:00.001-07:00

Cameron will be 9 months old tomorrow, the 25th, and it's a little hard to believe that we're already three quarters of the way through his first year of life. Time seems to be zipping by these days, and it makes me a little sad that our baby is fast-approaching toddler-hood, but I am also really looking forward to seeing him run after his big sister, start talking, have new experiences, and just become an even cooler little person than he already is.

In the past few days he's been making some small, but noticeable gains in terms of gross motor skills. Though not yet crawling, he's been 'lunging' forward to reach objects far in front of him. He gets his knees up under himself for a few moments (as if to crawl) and then falls to his tummy. He's also able to pull himself up into a kneeling position when on the floor and holding on to one of the ottoman toy boxes. He can, while on his tummy, pivot a full 360', and he tries here and there to inch forward by lifting his butt up and pushing with his knees or feet. It's neat to see him figure out that moving his body in different ways yields rewarding results, like fun toys and a new perspective.
He's a pretty intense kid, so there is a part of me that isn't anxious for him to become mobile, but there's also a pretty big part of me that can't wait to see him get moving! Cameron is, like I just mentioned, quite intense. He has the most unnerving and high-pitched scream when he gets upset or frustrated, and his temper is definitely short. He's been babbling a lot (yalalala, ababa, ahya- which sounds like Ella, broombroombroom, etc), and even when he's happy he's usually yelling. For all the quiet and calm Ella is, Cameron more than makes up for it with his energy and noise.

Many have pointed out that he is highly alert and very 'busy', which I'd have to agree with. He's always looking around, trying to engage someone with a smile or a yell, get his hands or mouth around a toy, and his little hands and feet seem to 'spin' constantly, as if he's got propellers and is trying to take flight. Apparently Ryan used to do the same thing with his hands as a baby.
The little guy has two teeth through on the bottom and, though not at all a drooler, I'm pretty sure he's teething more, as he's always got a finger, toy or pacifier in his mouth.In the past few weeks Cameron has been eating quite a lot of finger foods. Since we held off on fully introducing solids until about eight months, we pretty much totally bypassed the pureed or jarred baby food stage. Since he now has his pincer grasp, he is able to pick up small bits of food, and he happily opens his mouth for me to drop in anything he isn't able to grab. He likes most fruits, except for watermelon (and neither do Ella or Ryan. Too bad I love the stuff!), and he has enjoyed most of the vegetables he's tried. He goes nuts over a hunk of steak placed in a mesh feeder that he can gnaw and suck on, and tonight he really, really enjoyed bits of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. Since we don't have any history of food allergies, he generally just eats bits of everything that we eat, as long as it's quite soft and can be cut up really small. He seems to enjoy lots of flavor, and it would be wonderful if we could continue the trend!

Despite his tendencies toward screaming and yelling, he is really an extremely happy, smiley and social little guy! At this age, and though incredibly sweet, Ella was quite serious and a bit of a tough nut to crack, so it's been really fun for me to raise, and get to know, a totally different type of child. He's got a great laugh, a giant smile, expressive eyes, and he makes just about everyone feel like a comedian. So fun!

Below is a photo of Ella at about ten months, followed by one of Cameron at about nine months. While Ella definitely looks like Ryan, and Cameron definitely takes after me, I think it's pretty plain to see that they are brother and sister.

Some likes:
just about any toy for 30 seconds or less
being tickled
peekaboo and other interactive games
nursing
his sister, esp. when she fake-laughs for him
the theme song for Go, Diego, Go and Backyardigans
stroller rides while sitting upright (instead of in the car seat)

Some dislikes:
any activity for anything more than a very short period of time
just about everything the moment he's decided he is tired
tipping backward when in a seated position
sitting in the highchair but not yet having received any food (impatient!)

Ella

2010-05-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted an update on the kids! I have no excuse for that, really, other than that life always ends up being busier than I intend for it to be and certain things, like the blog, end up getting demoted to the bottom of the priority list. Here's to hoping I can change that!

Ella is 2 and a half and has been so much fun to be with as of late. She, of course, is only two and has a lot of ups and downs in the emotions department, but if I look past that rather frustrating trait, I can't help but just love who this little person is. She is affectionate, sweet, silly, polite, and really just a great little kid. She is is so her mother's daughter in that she has a serious love of chocolate. She doesn't get much of it, as we are encouraging her to eat mostly healthy foods, but if given a treat she goes nuts with excitement, and very clearly prefers chocolate anything to other types of sweets. More recently, she has experienced the joy of the ice cream truck on a couple of occasions and even went to the "ice cream store" (Cold Stone Creamery) to pick out none other than chocolate ice cream with chocolate M&M's. As she began to eat her treat more slowly, I let her know that she could stop eating if her tummy was full and that I would put it in the freezer for later. Her reply? "No, mommy, I gotta finish it" (in a dead serious tone). About three bites later and looking a little nauseated, she popped the lid on and told me to put it away. Too funny.

Miss Ella is all about daddy these days. Daddy plays rough with her, gets her out of bed in the mornings, reads her lots of stories and is all around insanely devoted to, and attentive with, her. It's not hard to see why she loves him so much!

Her language development over the past six months has been quite drastic, and she is quite clear and concise in what she wishes to say. She forms complete sentences much of the time "I do not like that chicken, Mommy" and can express the things she wants in multiple ways, so as to get her point across. I.e. in reference to my sister not wearing one of the rings she usually has on, Ella rattled off, "Lindsay's ring is missing. I do not see that ring anywhere. Where did it go? It is not here. I can't find it. "

She is completely and totally obsessed with Dora the Explorer (and Boots) and Diego. We let her watch an episode or two a day, and she always requests Diego first, followed by Dora. At least she's picked up a few Spanish words along the way!

She still loves, loves, loves books and being read to. We've been reading a lot of Dr. Seuss books lately, and I think we enjoy reading them to her as much as she likes having them read. "Go, Dog, Go!", ""The Foot Book" and "Dr. Seuss A, B, C's" are some of our current favorites.

We've had this wagon for Ella since she was about ten months old, but in the past couple of months she has really gotten into taking wagon rides around the neighborhood. Grandpa, Papa, Nana, Daddy and Auntie Lindsay have all had the honor of escorting the little darling around.
Ella now has a tricycle and, though getting the hang of the pedals quite well, she still has troubles with steering. She has the tendency to get frustrated with it pretty quickly and many a crying jag has been had as she learns the rather tricky process of pedaling and steering simultaneously.

She has been just awesome with Cameron lately (not that she ever really hasn't been) and is so good about sharing toys with him, giving him his sucker, being gentle and making him laugh. One of my favorite moments is when he's in the highchair and she's in her booster and, as she starts fake laughing at him over and over, he busts up laughing. It is so rewarding as a mom to see each of my children enjoying the other, and it makes me hopeful that they'll develop a strong, loving bond as they journey through life.... even if they sometimes fight and make me nuts.

Some other likes:
Polly Pockets
Baby Dolls
"reading" stories to me
pancakes
bananas
'swimming' in the bathtub (laying on her tummy while the water is draining)

Some other dislikes:
going down for naps (lots of protesting)
going to sleep at night (more protesting)
meat
trying to go on the potty

The Big Day!

2010-05-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

As most all of my readers know by now, Ryan and I were married on April 17th, 2010!! We had a beautiful wedding and a wonderful turnout with our closest friends and family, and we could not have dreamed up the entire weekend to have been any more perfect and special than it turned out to be. We feel so grateful to be surrounded, and loved, by so many amazing people, and we are incredibly excited to experience life as Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Schulze.

On Thursday night, my folks invited all of our out-of-towners and bridal party to their house for a cookout. We had quite the turnout, and it was so great to visit with so many of our guests!

Friday evening began with the rehearsal at Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club.

Once the rehearsal was over, our immediate families, grandparents and bridal party made our way to Rula Bula, an Irish restaurant and bar, in Tempe. Ryan and I had our first date here, and the food is excellent, which is why we chose this as our rehearsal dinner location. It was an informal, relaxed and fun affair, which is just what we had hoped it would be! Thank you, Dave and Donna, for hosting!!
Myself with three of my lovely bridesmaids- Elisa, Kelly and Katie.

Ryan and I

Getting ready at Gainey Suites Hotel the morning of the wedding. The girls brought the fixings for mimosas and bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, and they later picked up Pei Wei (thanks, Nikki!) for lunch. I hired Michael Valdez of Michael V Salon, in Old Town Scottsdale, to do everyone's hair and most people's makeup in our hotel suite (thanks, Kel and Katie!), and I am so glad we had someone come to us! Our morning and afternoon were unnaturally laid-back, stress-free, fun and even rather rejuvenating, which is just what we needed amongst all the festivities!

Getting all dolled up.

The dress!
The shoes!

The jewelry!

The finished product

My incredibly beautiful, helpful and altogether amazing bridesmaids!
Nikki, Kelly, Tess, Katie, Elisa

Waiting in a little room as guests take their seats prior to the ceremony. I definitely started to feel a little anxious around this time, as this is when it felt like it was all really happening. It was so exciting and slightly surreal!

Sweet Ella needed a little love from Mommy around this time.

Aww!

Alana, who is a little girl I nanny for, and Ella were our flower girls. At four years old, Alana understood and executed her duties perfectly, but I can't say the same for Ella. She was talking to the guests about seeing ants and then proceeded to pick up some of the flowers Alana had sprinkled and began handing them to guests. I didn't witness this, but later saw it on video, and it seems like our guests enjoyed this little performance.

My mom and dad walking me down the aisle together.

Officially giving me away.

Here we go!

Our first kiss as husband and wife!

the beautiful setting

Dining table

guests beginning to get seated for dinner

the head table

our entrance

We had our first dance to Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody".

Cake cutting. No smashing in each other's faces!

retrieving the garter

playing the Newlywed Game
It was really cute!
Myself with my mom and sister. I owe a big thanks to everyone for contributing to this wedding in one way or another, whether it was guests spending time and money to be present for our celebration, or our bridal party going to great lengths to take care of Ryan and I and make sure our day was special. But the biggest thanks definitely go to my mom and dad for spending way too much money, investing way too much time, and doing it all way to graciously, just to see their daughter and son-in-law happy on their wedding day!

We are so, so lucky!

May love and gratitude extend to everyone we know!

Much love,

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan Schulze and Family

P.S. Professional pictures are not available for viewing yet, but I will update my blog with a link as soon as they do become available.

Easter Eve and Easter Day

2010-04-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

The day before Easter, while Cameron took a nap, Ryan, Ella and I colored eggs for the first time. Ella excitedly exclaimed, "it's like a birthday party!" I guess that means she was having fun? Anyhow, she liked dropping them into the cups and using the crayon and stickers that came with the kit, but she was most interested in eating them. We now know she's fond of the whites but quite grossed out by the yolks. Yay for me, as that's my favorite part! Mmm, cholesterol.
The Easter Bunny brought the kids some baskets full of goodies. Cameron scored a touch and feel book and Ella received stamps and ink, sand toys for her sandbox, yogurt bites, fruit snacks and even a couple of little chocolate bunnies.
She was quite pleased with her discovery and quickly began (literally) stuffing her little face with sugary goodness.

I'm pretty sure he's gonna hate us for this one later....
My parents, grandma and sister came over for brunch on Easter. We had Strata (Elisa's yummy recipe), coffee cake and lots of fruit. Light and delicious.
Before my family came over, Ella had an egg hunt inside the house. After they arrived, we had another one in the backyard. Papa Steve helped Ella in her hunt.

Egg Hunt Playdate

2010-04-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Dana and her three little boys hosted an Egg Hunt Playdate the Thursday before Easter for our playgroup. Both the moms and kids had a great time visiting, eating lunch together, playing in their great backyard, hunting for eggs and eating the candies out of them! Ella was less than interested in finding the eggs and stashing them in her basket, as the swings were far more exciting at that particular time. She was, however, quite pleased upon later discovering that the eggs had yummy treats in them.

Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party

2010-04-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

So, simply stated, I have the best girlfriends a girl could ask for (and! Two weekends ago, Elisa, Kelly and Katie threw me a beautiful, fun Bridal Shower and, later that evening, we all reconvened for the Bachelorette Party. Both events were SO much fun, and I was very impressed by, and deeply grateful, for all of the thought, effort, and resources they put into every last detail. I have so many great memories to take away from that day and night, and great pictures, to boot!

Sprinkles cupcakes! My friend, Katherine, described them as "crack in cupcake form".
I am so an addict.

The beautiful and delicious spread.

Fondue. Yum!

I so love the filthy humor!

Nikki and I

My sister, Cameron and I

Elisa and I

Katie and I

Enjoying great lunch and conversation.

Elisa was in charge of games.

Everyone enjoyed dessert while I enjoyed....

...a freakishly large mouthful of sickeningly sweet bubble gum. Apparently I need to get to know my fiance a little better!

I failed. haha!

On to presents. I received so many beautiful things at my lingerie-themed shower. Lucky Ryan!

The attendees minus Kelly

The attendees minus Katie

Four of my five bridesmaids and I

Bridesmaids at the Bachelorette Party

Jessica, Myself and Katherine

Out on the town!

Scroll down to the next photo to see what it is we're cracking up over...

Yep, he willingly, and without encouragement, provided this entertainment.

Lots of drinks, lots of dancing, lots of laughs and lots of memories!!

Co-Op

2010-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

The playgroup we are a part of put together a co-op about a year ago, and it has been a wonderful source of help and support for all of us mothers with little ones. Essentially, how it works is that everyone starts out with ten laminated play dollars, and each of those dollars accounts for one hour of time. If someone keeps your child(ren), they are able to earn more dollars; if you keep someone's child(ren), you are able to earn back those dollars. It's an equitable and convenient way to cut back on childcare expenses, which tend not to be cheap in a large city, and it's also a great opportunity for our children to have playdates with their friends!

A big thank you goes to Megan for being the brains behind the idea!

Below are a few photos from when Katherine's little ones, Addison and Brody, came to play with us one afternoon.

Hammy Cammy

2010-03-02T20:42:00.000-08:00

Mister Cameron turned six months on February 25th, and it's a little hard to believe that he is already half a year old! It's always a little sad to see that young baby stage end but it's incredibly exciting to watch your baby take on the world and make new gains every day.

Our little guy is doing a little better with sitting up, but he still gets too excited, kicks his legs out straight and then topples backward quite frequently. He now 'lusts' after just about anything that enters his radar screen and gets super wiggly and fussy as he tries to get at whatever it is that he wants. He's not ready to crawl yet, but it's not much of a stretch to assume that once he's mobile, he's going to get into everything.

Our little goof has been affectionately nicknamed "hammy cammy". He's so going to hate that as he gets older, but for now it fits. He's got an awesome belly laugh, and I love that it's easy to get him cracking up (Ella was much more serious!). Tickles, peek-a-boo, silly noises, kisses, etc. all get him going!

It's great that he's quick to laugh, but unfortunately he's also quick to anger! The little bugger has quite the temper and an awful, piercing scream when he's ticked off. Lucky us. Is his hair hilarious or what? Someday it'll flatten, I'm sure, but for now we're embracing the faux-hawk.
We had some unused, thawed breastmilk out last weekend that I didn't feel like wasting (no, he still won't take a bottle) so we experimented with rice cereal a couple of times. He didn't like it, but he didn't hate it, either. Though not opposed to starting 'solids' at six months, I'm more than happy to delay them until he is either ready to start picking up finger foods and self-feeding or is acting as though he needs something more than breastmilk. I figure that there will never again be a time in his life where he gets a more perfect food, so I might as well take advantage of that as long as he remains satisfied. Ella refused to eat purees, so she didn't have much other than breastmilk until about 8 months old, when she was able to self-feed. Though frustrating at the time, it was actually convenient and made things a lot easier.

Ignore my pajama-clad self. Ryan apparently doesn't know where the zoom button is located. :-p He looks like such a big boy riding the choo-choo train! He's definitely going through his six month growth spurt. He's packed on some chub, though he's definitely not what I'd consider a chubby baby to be, is sleeping more frequently, eating even more frequently, is quite fussy and is able to wear less and less of what's hanging in his closet.

Elly Belly Biscuit

2010-03-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

Ella has been such fun to be with these days. She seems to have, at least for the moment, mellowed out when it comes to embracing the 'terrible twos', testing boundaries and perfecting the art of the tantrum. She's like a little sponge and has got quite the expansive vocabulary. We've really got to be careful with what we say around her, as she's now able to repeat just about anything she hears with a great deal of clarity. From time to time we'll hear the occasional no-so-choice word that we've let slip repeated back to us. Oops. Most of the time, though, we crack up at the cute little phrases and sentences she rattles off throughout the day, and we're often amazed at how much she actually understands and is able to articulate.

Most parents aren't particularly excited about the fact that their child fancies a little (or a lot of) quality time with the television, but I'm pleased to announce that my toddler will finally sit down, or at least stand three inches away from it, and watch a show for little bits at a time. I'm definitely not the type of mom to let the TV babysit my children, but it is SO helpful come time for me to make dinner. Making dinner is tough when you're home alone with two tired, cranky, and often hungry, children who both want to be held in the only arms that are capable of cooking said dinner.

Ella is very much into helping out and imitating everything she sees us doing, but what two year old isn't? I try to let her help out a little in the kitchen when possible, and last week we made brownies, which was super fun for her. I appreciate that she likes to help me carry laundry from the hampers to the washing machine, give Cameron toys or his sucker when he's fussing, fetch the phone or other items I'm unable to get for whatever reason, and actually comply with reasonable requests, such as "please put your shoes away".

Though I am a little lazy and only pick and choose my P90X workouts now, Ryan has done an awesome job of sticking to the program and working out six nights a week! Ella stayed up a little bit late tonight and "worked out" with daddy. Actually, she just did the warm-up stretches, but it was pretty cute to see her trying out all of the moves.

Ella has begun to understand the concept of making a trade. Here she was working on trading balls with Cameron.
These days, she's all about her dollhouse and frequently requests that "daddy/mommy play dollhouse with Ella". She also loves to tote around, line up, put to sleep, etc. all of her little people and animals. She enjoys playing playdough, but she's got a terrible desire to eat the stuff, so we only get to play with it as long as she can keep her urges in check. The poor girl still hasn't figured out how to jump, but she definitely gets an A for effort when it comes to trying to get those little feet off the ground. She's has peed and pooped on the potty a couple of times now, so we are entering the very beginning stages of potty training. We're in no rush, which is good, because neither is she, but we're heading in the right direction.
Her current favorite foods are rice cakes, 'white' yogurt with lots of cinnamon mixed in, pickles, playdough, cantaloupe, and chocolate (she is so her mother's daughter). Right now, she's refusing almost all meats and still won't touch peanut butter and jelly.

Another photo post....

2010-02-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

....because it was a super-busy week, I'm exhausted, and this is all I have the energy for today! I'm long overdue for an update, though, so I must post something! Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day to all those we love and to those who love us!

Ryan can't stand the matching Dalmation print jammies, but I couldn't resist!

We hosted a Pajama Party Playdate for our playgroup a couple of weeks ago and had lots of fun! We served coffee and juice, muffins, fruit, and yogurt with dried fruits and granola to mix in, and Nikki brought donuts. Yum!

Bella and Addy working hard in the kitchen.

Spunky Miss Bella

Madalyn and Leslie

Addison (who's usually much more sunny than she appeared to be in this picture)

Nikki and sweet baby Taelyn

Cameron getting used to the exersaucer. Ella loved this thing as a baby, but Cameron is pretty unenthusiastic about it. Ryan will be pulling the jumperoo out of the attic today, and I'd be willing to be he'll like that a lot more.

Who can resist a naked baby? He still topples over quite a bit, but he's getting better and better and sitting for short periods of time.

"Ella hold it" is what she says when she'd like to hold Cameron.

Having a picnic with her 'friends'.

Who knew mittens could be so much fun? "Stay back, it's hot" is what she usually says when she's got them on because this is what I tell her when I'm using hot pads to get food out of the oven.

She knows how to use the mouse and likes to scroll up and down on my blog to look at, and talk about, all of the pictures she sees.

Ooh la la.

Such a girl!

We're entering the dress up phase....

Just a quick photo update...

2010-01-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ella loooves her Mr. Potato Head set these days, and is even willing to let Cameron in on the fun.

Whenever Cameron has "tummy time", lays down, or "stands up", Ella feels the need to do the same. I had already picked up Cameron at this point, but Ella was still happily checking out the play mat from his view.

Cam is such a wiggly little guy that I've had to resort to putting him in sleep sacks at night (we call them "baby bags") because he either gets both legs stuck on one side of his jammies or busts one leg out completely and ends up uncomfortable and/or cold.

Just chillin' at Ella's crib.

Two nights ago we realized that Cameron is able to sit up unassisted! He needs the support of his arms and is sometimes more stable than others, but he has been able to stay upright for up to a couple of minutes at a time. Not bad for 4.5 months old!

I'm pretty sure he's quite proud of himself! He looks like a little gorilla with his arms positioned that way, and I love it.

Watching Ella put on her mismatched socks. I must admit that it's a bit weird to see both of my children sitting up and 'hanging out' together.

My little oddball has a real thing for bell peppers. Every time I cut up green peppers to cook with, she runs off to find a cup or bowl from her play kitchen and then proceeds to beg me repeatedly to fill, and refill, it with "mo peppos". Last night, she polished off 1/4 of a red and 1/4 of a green, only to return and swipe another quarter off of the counter when I had my back turned. I found she and the missing pepper hanging in the Bumbo watching the Wiggles. Needless to say, she didn't eat much dinner, but in this case it's a-okay.

Our Lil' Man at 4 Months

2010-01-02T20:23:00.001-08:00

Cameron turned four months on Christmas Day and has become so much more fun now that he's beginning to play, becoming more sociable, vocalizing a lot and exploring his ever-expanding world. It still amazes me how different he and Ella have been from the get-go, and it's been really neat (and sometimes frustrating!) getting to know his unique personality.

He definitely does not have low muscle tone like his big sister did. He is able to roll over, enjoys playing on his tummy, can pivot a bit while on his tummy, puts his butt in the air and tries to get his knees under himself, enjoys standing and is beginning to practice sitting up, though he still needs lots of help with it.

Not too long ago he discovered the joy of playing with toys. He loves trying to gnaw on the rubber apple Santa left in his stocking, and he's advanced from just batting the toys hanging from his play mat to holding and mouthing them.

He does, however, have a bit of a temper and gets upset when his uncoordinated limbs don't operate quite as he might like them to.

Our two year old probably couldn't care any less about watching television (a blessing in most respects, but ten minutes here or there would certainly come in handy from time to time!), but Cameron absolutely loves the thing. He just might watch it all day if I let him, but I'm not about to find out.

As far as sleeping habits are concerned, he is a wonderful napper compared to his sister, who rarely slept more than 30 minutes at a time during her first six months. However, his nighttime sleep is patchy at best, and this is where Ella always did great. Go figure. This must be Mother Nature's way of maintaining the general balance of things. Really, though, i'll take lest restful nights of sleep in exchange for the 'breaks' he allows me during the day. This way, at least I feel like I'm able to spend time alone with Ella, accomplish some tasks on that endless to-do list i keep, and even take the occasional break.

As of last night, I'm beginning the transition from bassinet to crib for nighttime sleep. He has been taking some naps in his bed, but last night was the first time he slept there during the night. He slept maybe four or five hours before waking to eat. Not great but not a total wash either. I've found that if I keep my expectations really low, then I can't be disappointed. :) Similarly, infants and children go through many, many phases, most of which are very short-lived in the grand scheme of things; reminding myself of this makes every stage, step, choice and outcome a lot less stressful.

Sorry it's sideways. I rotated the photo, but it still appeared like this when I uploaded it to the blog. He's a solid little guy, but he definitely doesn't have the rolls and chub that Ella had at this age, even though he probably weighs about as much as she did at the same age. He's a boy, of course, so it's not all that surprising, but he's got long feet, big hands, a "barrel chest" as Ryan calls it and is, overall, not built anything like his sister. It's probably useless to compare the two when you take into account the obvious sex difference, but I still find it fascinating that they are already so different!

Though a bit temperamental and particular, Cameron is really a wonderful baby. He's noisy and active, loves to 'talk' to us, smiles at everyone, really loves to cuddle, and is just plain fun to be with... and he's pretty darn adorable to boot! Without wishing his babyhood away, I can't help but be excited for all the new things he is going to grow up to be able to do.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

2009-12-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

Since we stayed in Arizona this year, we celebrated Christmas Eve at my folks house with our traditional crab dinner and presents over dessert and coffee/cocktails.

Auntie Lindsay helping Cameron to fall asleep.

Daddy and Ella enjoying hours d'ouvres. She seems to enjoy shrimp but definitely chose to pass on crab.

Auntie Lindsay, Cameron and Great Grandma Norma enjoying the Christmas music before dinner.

This freakishly large pull-toy was meant to be Cameron's, but Ella has claimed it as hers for the time being.
Dinner consisted of Alaskan king crab, burnt butter brussle sprouts, a wild rice-mushroom-sausage bake and a wedge salad. Tasty, tasty! Dessert consisted of cookies, cookies and more cookies!

If it's true that "you are what you eat", then Ella is definitely a cookie! I'm not sure exactly how many she had, and I think I'm thankful I don't know. :)

Cam enjoying the noise, action and laughter.

Miss Ella definitely enjoyed opening presents this year. "Open it" has probably been her most-used phrase in the past week. She emphatically says "ooooh" as soon as she can see underneath the wrapping paper, but if she's playing with one gift and is presented with another she'll quickly tell you "no want it".

Helping daddy to open cards.

Our first Christmas as a family of four. Aww.

Ah, what we won't do to make our child smile for the camera.

Christmas Morning..... after Santa visited, of course!

Having a ball on baby's first Christmas! He's also four months old today, and I can't believe how quickly these past four months have flown by!

Digging into her stocking....

My folks, sister and grandma came over Christmas Day around 11am. Papa Steve made delicious burritos with all of our leftovers from last night, Ella has played with all of her new toys, we watched Four Christmases, the kids (and Papa) took a nap, and we've enjoyed a turkey dinner that Ryan has been tending to for the better part of the day. It was very good!

Ella has enjoyed pushing her new baby around the house in the stroller Santa brought her. She's even got her purses!

I actually got Ella to hold Cameron for a few moments, so we can add this to a very short collection of photos that contain both kiddos.

Cameron is actually starting to play with toys now, which is pretty amusing to watch. He gets frustrated rather quickly, since he can't hold onto anything very well and has poor control of his hands, but he's definitely taking pleasure in his new discoveries, and so are we!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We hope everyone has had a wonderful celebration with their loved ones this year!

Here comes Santa Clause...

2009-12-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

The family I nanny for invited us and their friends over Monday evening to meet Santa Clause! Most of the kids were quite leery at first, but as soon as St. Nick started pulling presents out of his bag, they seemed to warm up real quick. Nana Jan wasn't feeling so hot, so she stayed home, but we got to enjoy the pleasure of Papa Steve's company. It was very cute and lots of fun!

Ella Sophia at Two Years Old

2009-12-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

LIKES

waffles with syrup
repeating just about anything we say
going outside to play("I da go outside" is a request we hear many times a day.)
Nana, Papa, Grandma and Grandpa
the song "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear"
going to see her buddy, Raine, on Wednesdays and Fridays
Cameron
Buckles
doll strollers and carseats
Goodnight Moon and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
just about any kind of bread with a little butter on it
Juice ("App Juice" is another frequent request.)
Alana's dollhouse and its contents (Good thing I talked Santa into bringing her her own smaller version for Christmas.)
Sitting in her booster chair
Trying to dress herself
Saying "no"

DISLIKES

Hearing "no"
PB&J sandwiches
transitioning from one activity to the next
sand
"Jam" between her toes.

I could easily go on and on with "likes" but am having a hard time coming up with "dislikes", which I am very grateful for! She is such a sweet-natured, affectionate, bright and happy child, and we are so lucky to have such an awesome little girl!

Now n' Then

2009-12-08T21:45:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how much change a year can bring when you see it through a small child!

Happy Birthday, Ella!

2009-12-08T15:04:00.001-08:00

It's a little hard to believe, but our baby girl is two years old today! Her birthday party was this past Sunday, and we had a wonderful turnout! Next year, we'll definitely have to celebrate at a park, since our house was busting at the seems with just 20 adults and 12 toddlers. It was, however, lots of fun, and I'm so glad all went off without a hitch!

Ryan grilled hotdogs for the kiddos and burgers for the adults, and I made veggie pasta salad and put out lots of snacks for everyone to nibble on. There was, of course, a ginormous cake to top off the festivities!

Papa Steve and Cameron watching football.

Great Grandma Norma enjoying her meal.

Nom nom nom.

The lovely Katherine and sweet baby Brody.

My favorite little buddies, Raine and Alana.

Miss Addison being silly.

The lovely Taylor Family.

Mama and Ella waiting to sing "Happy Birthday".

Miss Alana turned four the day we celebrated Ella's birthday, so we all sung "Happy Birthday" a second time just for her.

Blowing out the candle.

There was no hesitation when it came to trying cake this year. Thanks to Nana Janet's somewhat frequent Sprinkles Cupcakes deliveries, she's now well acquainted with cakes of all kinds.

Finger-lickin' good.

I can't hear you.

The aftermath.

The after party.

The morning after. She looks so grown up!

Thank you so much not only to everyone who celebrated with us but also to everyone who wanted to but couldn't be with us but sent their love and best wishes in other ways!

It's a special milestone for us, to see our baby turn into a little girl, and you all have made it that much more special!

Thanksgiving in KC, MO

2009-12-04T21:39:00.000-08:00

We spent the week of Thanksgiving in Kansas City/Independence, Missouri, and I have to say that it was an incredibly nice trip. As far as air travel goes, we could not have gotten luckier when it came to seating arrangements or the dispositions of Cameron and Ella. On the way there, the flight was only about half full, so we each had 3 seats to stretch out with our designated little one. Cameron slept the entire time (lucky me, I got to read a magazine from cover to cover! If you're a mom, you know that's a pretty big deal.) And while Ella didn't sleep a wink, she was happy to play with Ryan and explore her corner of the aircraft. On the way home, Cameron, again, slept much of the flight, and though Ella was a bit less agreeable, we had an empty seat for her, as well as floor space for her to move about, since we were in the first row. I am so thankful that all went smoothly.

We stayed with Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dave and were, as always, treated as if in a five-star hotel..... that even offers child care! Thanks, guys, you always make traveling and being out of our element so much easier and pleasant!

Cameron with Great Grandma Bratton and Great Aunt Cheryl.

Grandpa Dave and Cam.

Story time.

Thanksgiving was hosted by Dave and Donna. The entire KC Schulze Clan was there which, if I had to guess, is about 30 people. Donna handles the Turkey and stuffing, along with many of the other details that go into a Thanksgiving meal, and the guests brought dishes of food to share, as well. There was an insane amount of food, lots of laughter, tons of pictures, great memories, and even a cute little craft project. So nice, so, relaxing, so filling and so very much something to be thankful for!Great Grandpa Hans and Cameron.

Cameron meeting Great Grandma Aldine and Great Grandpa Hans for the first time.

While back in MO, Ryan was able to get in several rounds of Disc Golf, which is always a huge treat for him since the courses here are pretty crummy in comparison. He and I were also able to get together with some of his longtime (and my newer, but just as much liked!) friends, which was tons of fun and, for me, even a little therapeutic! I don't necessarily want to live in Missouri, but I sure do love the people there and very much wish we lived closer to them.(My new favorite picture. Love, love, love it.)

The kids didn't venture out too much, but they had tons of visitors, and certainly were not lacking in company or fun. Grandma Donna and Grandpa Dave were very eager to spend quality time with their only grand babies, but they did a nice job of sharing with the great grandparents, other relatives, and our friends! Cameron was happy as a clam being held from sunrise to sunset, and Ella was showered with new toys (for early birthday and christmas), fun experiences like cooking with Grandma and Grandpa, going for walks, playing with her four boy cousins, watching the dogs, going up and down stairs, and spending time with all of the company.Having a ball with the tunnel and tent Grandma picked up on Black Friday.

Washing pumpkin seeds with Grandma Donna.

"Cooking" with Grandpa Dave.

It was such a nice trip, and we were all sad to see it end. Fortunately, we've got us a little wedding coming up, so we'll get to see all of our family and friends again before we know it!Ella likes to join Cameron for 'tummy time' now.

Our little guy has begun to roll over more consistently in the past few days.

Chillin' in the bumbo chair for the first time. Ella called it a potty the entire time we were there. Thankfully, she's not yet 'trained', so we didn't have to worry about finding any surprises.

The Old Switcheroo

2009-11-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

While still a month shy of her second birthday, Ella has officially, and completely, embraced her 'terrible two's', complete with full-blown tantrums, yelling, screaming, screeching, testing us on just about everything, and just generally being difficult. I've seen many a toddler enter, and eventually exit, this stage, so I know that someday I'll have my little darling back, but that day can't come soon enough! There haven't been many opportune moments when it comes to taking pictures of her lately, so this update only includes photos of the little guy.

Fortunately, Cameron has become much more mellow and happy in the past month, and he's now smiling and interacting on a very frequent basis. It's so wonderful to see that he is happy, and it makes me melt every time i see that toothless grin and those big eyes twinkling!

Talking to Mama.

This is his tired, dough-eyed look. I love it.

Halloween

2009-11-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Halloween didn't turn out exactly like we had planned, but we managed to have some fun anyway. Originally, we were planning to have have our friends Katherine and Jordan and their little ones, Addison and Brody, over for dinner, trick or treating and passing out candy to all the little ghouls and gobblins. However, Katherine came down with the flu on Friday, and Ella woke up Halloween morning miserable and sick, too. So, with our plans canceled and a sick toddler, I stayed home with the little ones, and Ryan played the Disc Golf tournament he'd been looking forward to. That evening, Ella had perked up a bit, so Nana and Papa came over for pizza and a little trick or treating.

Ella was a bit timid with the candy-givers, but she did get the hang of the whole "i open my bag, you put fun stuff in it" thing pretty quickly. Many of the houses in our neighborhood were dark, but we were able to hit up about 10 on our little block, and that was just enough for everyone.

I'm looking forward to next year's Halloween when Ella will be a little older, Cameron will be able to participate a bit, we'll hopefully have health on our side, and we can get together with friends in a fun, kid-friendly neighborhood!

He wasn't particularly fond of his hooded getup.

Thanks for the farmer idea, Grandma Donna!

Aww!

Oink Oink goes the pig.

Gotta love socially acceptable begging :)

And the decorations some people go to great lengths to put up.

On our way home and feeling good about the loot she scored!

Pumpkin Fun

2009-10-18T21:32:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we went to Tolmachoff Farms to pick out pumpkins and visit the animals. It was quite hot, so we didn't stay for nearly as long as we would have liked to, but it was fun, nonetheless. Ella enjoyed seeing the live animals up close, and she was especially intrigued by the ostrich (there's one in her Curious George book, but that's the only time she's ever seen one). She picked out a nice little pumpkin, and tonight we had fun painting them.

Ryan's pumpkins include the Chief's logo (big surprise, right?), and the goofy face, which he claims is my likeness. Thanks, honey. I painted mine for Cameron, and you can all guess which one is Ella's. Next year, we'll introduce them to the joys of pumpkin carving!

Checking out the ducklings.

For some reason, there was a stray goat roaming the property.

Cameron really enjoyed himself. Can't you tell?

Pretty in pink.

Roasty toasty.

Everyone paints shirtless, right?

She kept saying 'all wet' and showing me her paint covered hand. Not long after this, she decided she'd had enough. Mommy's little neat freak. She most certainly does not get this from me. ;-)

Ta-da!

Little Miss Sunshine

2009-10-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ella is 22 months and SO much fun these days! Sure, she has her share of annoying toddler behavior (think moodiness, stubbornness, emotional outbursts), but most of the time she is such a happy little kid.
Her language has become increasingly clear and complex, and I'm pretty sure she's on the brink of another language explosion, since she's begun to talk in 'stings of words' but we're having a hard time understanding them. She gets a bit incoherent every time her language is about to take off again, almost as if her brain is there but her tongue hasn't quite caught up. She puts many two-word combinations together, like teddy bear and help you, and she's even able to say harder words like "cinnamon", quite well.
She knows all of her colors, and she recognizes and can say many of her numbers and some of the alphabet. She has a harder time saying her shapes, but she knows almost all of them. Yesterday, she was coloring in a circular motion and said 'circle', which I though was pretty good, considering I was minding my own business and had never taught her to do that. She's not really into coloring just yet, but she does dig play dough.

Occasionally, when a meal isn't very messy, I'll let her sit at the table to eat, and she really enjoys this. We're holding off on a booster seat until her 2nd birthday, since her highchair is perfectly functional and Cameron doesn't need it yet, but soon enough she'll be taking yet another step towards being a big girl.

I'm in no rush to potty train, but we've pulled out the potty chair to help her get acquainted with the idea. So far, Mona (her monkey) and all of Mona's "fends" really enjoy using the potty. Occasionally, Ella enjoys sitting on it, too, while mommy and daddy are, um, "demonstrating" proper potty protocol.

Mr. Sunshine

2009-10-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Cameron has been a bit more of handful than Ella ever was as a newborn. We now affectionately refer to him as "Mr. Sunshine", amongst other things. At almost 8 weeks, he appears to be mellowing out a bit, and it sure is nice to have a little peace and quiet and be able to enjoy him more.

LIKES
being worn in the Moby Wrap (hands down, his favorite place to be)
being swaddled
vibrating bouncy chair
mom's boobs
bath time IF mom is in the tub, too (minus the hair washing)
his sucker
the mobile above his crib

DISLIKES
the car seat (hands down, his least favorite place to be)
being put down
having to burp
the cradle hold
the dinner hour (always crabby then)

It's nice to see that the "likes" list is growing and the "dislikes" list is shrinking. A few weeks ago, I'm pretty sure everything but the moby wrap and swaddling would have fallen under "dislikes.

At this point, he's not really doing much, but he's definitely growing like a weed. He's pushing 11 pounds, if he hasn't already passed that mark, and he already seems so big compared to just a few weeks ago! He's got pretty good head control, and can push up a bit during tummy time. He's also much more aware of his surroundings and takes interest in things, like his busy big sister, the mobile, our faces, toys, etc.

We're back to work 2 days a week, and so far it has been pretty good with him in tow. I was a bit worried, as there's a lot to get accomplished, and he can be a handful, but as long as I wear him, he is generally happy as a clam to just look around or sleep the day away. It's tiring for me to be "11 months pregnant" all day long but, at this point, I'm just happy to have him happy.

Not so long from now, he's going to be a busy little boy that won't necessarily want to cuddle with mommy all day. Knowing this, I often stop to breath in his unique scent, caress and kiss his furry little head, rest my cheek against his to listen to his breath, and wrap my arms around him, taking note of how little he still is. Even if he's tough sometimes, and I feel like I'm going to lose my mind, i know that "this too shall pass", and that while he'll always be my baby, he'll never again be as little as he was today, so I need to soak him in and cement into my memory all that I wish to remember about this time.

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

When he first arrived, Ella was pretty much indifferent to Cameron. However, now that he's been here a while, she seems to have not only accepted him, but she's also become quite the 'little mommy'. She's the official sucker (pacifier) fetcher, and when he's fussing and I can't get to him right away, she'll jiggle his bouncy chair, rock the car seat, pop in his sucker, or rub his head and say 'arright' (it's alright). Sometimes I have to ask her to do these things, but much of the time she takes the initiate to make it better for him. It's awfully adorable and a testament to her inherently sweet nature.

She gives him lots of kisses.

Playtime, Bathtime and Chiefs Time

2009-09-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Playtime

All ready for bed. For now, this is how, and where, he sleeps.

Not exactly looking tired.

Cool as a cucumber after his first bath in the big tub and with big sister Ella.

Mmm. Nothing like the taste of luke-warm bath water.

Relaxing post-bath and studying the light fixture.

They're never too young to start showing a little team spirit.

Go Chiefs

The whole fam damily sporting their Chiefs gear. I'm not much of a sports fan but, hey, at least I look like one! :)

Ella at 21 months; Cameron at 3 weeks.

2009-09-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

Cameron turned 3 weeks old yesterday and, while it seems like eons ago that I gave birth to him, in reality, only a short period of time has passed. I've had a few moments of feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, but things have been pretty darn good overall. Mothers of two or more will often say that they feel 'complete' now that their family has expanded, and I totally get that. While we'll likely have at least one more child several years from now, at this time it really does feel like everything is just the way it should be. I love having a little girl and a little boy to love, and even though we have chaotic moments from time to time, it's been a lot of fun staying busy with the two of them. It's starting to feel like we're finding our 'new normal', and I'm comforted by that. Newborns are notoriously unpredictable, but my nature craves predictability, so the fact that we're starting to find our groove definitely brings me peace.He's becoming much more alert.

Ella has been quite good as of late. Her teeth don't seem to be giving her as much trouble right now, and her moodiness and mini-tantrums are very minimal. She's even starting to come around to her brother a little bit. She gets a concerned look, says "crying" over and over, and will fetch his pacifier when he cries, she occasionally rubs his furry little head, and she even kissed his head the other night. They're all small steps, but so long as they're in the right direction, we're happy. I know she will be an awesome big sister as they grow, get attached to each other and develop their own little relationship, and I so look forward to seeing that side of her evolve.Playing in the toy box.

Ella has been a total chatterbox lately and is starting to string two words together. Her pronunciation has also gotten clearer, which is neat to hear, and she seems to learn several new words every day. She's big into her stuffed animals and spends much of her day carrying them around, feeding them imaginary food, putting them to "peep"(sleep), trying to get them dressed and sitting them down in various places. It's awfully cute to see her imagination developing and her play becoming more complex. Reading books, building towers and doing puzzles are still at the top of her list, as well. She doesn't get too many TV-viewing opportunities but, when she does, The Wiggles is the only thing she actually watches. Her sense of humor is expanding, and she's learning how to tease us. So cute.

Vegging out to The Wiggles.

Eating ice cream with two spoons and being silly.

Cameron is growing like a weed, and is probably over 9 pounds by now. His cheeks and thighs are starting to fill out, and I just love seeing my baby getting big and strong and healthy. Thankfully, he sleeps quite a bit because, when he's awake, he's usually fussing. He has some quite, alert moments, but he craves the snug feeling of the womb, as well as constant motion and noise- which I can not constantly provide. To free up my hands, I've been wearing him in my Moby Wrap lately, and he passes out almost instantaneously, so that has been a godsend. He also likes to be swaddled in the oh-so-wonderful Miracle Blanket and placed in the bouncy seat during naps and night time. I so wish we could have him sleeping in the bassinet or moses basket, but he's quite refluxy (not a word, I know) and is miserable on his back so, for now, he sleeps upright in the bouncy seat. His nighttime sleep has been mediocre at best, with stretches ranging from 45 minutes to 3 hours, but typically about 1.5-2 hours in length. However, last night he had one 4 hour stretch, a very brief nursing session before passing back out, and another 3 hour stretch. I'm wondering how long he might have slept continuously, had I waited to see if he was really hungry or just stirring. I'm sure hoping his nighttime feedings start to space out!Zonked out in the Moby.

I had to snap this photo so those of you who don't know what a Moby Wrap is can see it.

Here he is being swaddled before bed. It's hard to imagine this being comfortable, but he calms down and goes to sleep almost immediately after being wrapped, so it must not be too bad. We love our little burrito.

Just a few photos...

2009-09-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Our first photo as a family of FOUR.

It looks like we're going to be purchasing a booster seat soon, as Ella's latest interest is sitting at the table in her own chair. Today, while my friend Elisa and her kids were over, Ella sat in a regular chair for lunch and did a great job staying seated and eating neatly. My little girl is growing up so fast!

Ella loves her pacifier, and I would really like Cameron to take one too, as it's been pretty handy from time to time. So far, though, I kind of have to force it on him, so we'll see if he eventually takes to it or not. When it's in, he's incredibly calm, but the hard part is actually getting it in!

I painted letters for Ella when I was pregnant with her, but I had to wait to make Cameron's until after his birth, since we hadn't chosen a name. I finally got them done and can't wait to hang them in his room. Pretty cute, if I do say so. :-)

So far, so good.

2009-09-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have to say that, so far, things have been going really great since Cameron arrived. I had my first moment of feeling truly overwhelmed last night around dinner time (not too bad considering we're eleven days in!). Cameron was fussy and crying, Ella was clawing her way up me and fussing all the while, dinner needed to be tended to, and Ryan was still at work. We all got through it, of course, but it was a bit chaotic and certainly frustrating. Aside from that little blip, though, we've had a pretty smooth ride these past eleven days, so I can hardly complain!

Ella's been adjusting really well to the changes, but yesterday and today she seems extra moody and needy for my attention (esp. when I'm nursing the baby), even though she's still getting plenty of it. Her canines are still coming through ever-so-slowly, so it's hard to tell if her troubles are caused by Cameron's arrival, pain from her new teeth, or a combination of both. Overall, though, she's been quite good and, fortunately, has not acted out toward him at all.
Cameron is doing very well. So far, his disposition is a little more challenging than Ella's. He's very squirmy and particular about how he likes to be held, is not all that easy to calm down, and really just seems more demanding and quick-tempered than I ever remember Ella being. Maybe my memory fails me, and he'll end up being just as easy going as she is, or maybe he'll be totally different. I'm excited to watch him grow and develop into his own little person!

Getting used to his Moby Wrap. He squirms and fusses at first but eventually settles in and doesn't seem to mind it too much.

Baby's first bath. Though the picture suggests otherwise, he actually enjoyed it for the most part.

Sleeping in a contorted, but apparently comfortable, position.

Getting to Know You

2009-09-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

So, even though I've carried this little guy around for 9 months inside of me, I really knew nothing about him before he made his appearance. Now that he's a week old, and we've been interacting on a near constant basis, I'm starting to figure him out a bit. So far, he is a fantastic nurser and is almost always eager to eat. He loves to be cradled and have his butt or back patted, but he really dislikes being held upright on our chests or over our shoulders. He doesn't cry hard very often, but he grunts like nobody's business, and is quick to let us know if he is displeased with something. Being burped ticks him off, but he's generally tolerant of diaper changes.
He has refused to sleep in the beautiful bassinet we have for him, just like his sister did, but is willing to tolerate the Moses Basket. What he really wants is to sleep next to mommy, and I've put up with it for a few nights just to save my sanity and get some sleep, but I would really rather have him in his own safe spot. I'm feeling victorious today because last night he actually spent the whole night sleeping in the basket and only came into our bed when it was time to nurse. We've swaddled him in a Miracle Blanket (thanks, Elisa!!) the past two nights, and that seems to really help him calm down and stay asleep. Along with the swaddling, I place him at the very top of the basket so that his little head is nestled, and he definitely likes that. Combine this with a few sucks of the pacifier or some gentle patting from mommy and he's out for about three hours at a time. Yay for me!
Everyone says boys are more active than girls, and even at a week old I'm starting to see that this may be true. He's a strong little guy and has been able to lift his head for short periods of time since right after birth. Also, Ryan was on the bed with him the other day and he rolled to his tummy. Now, they were laying on the bed together so Ryan's weight may have made an decline that allowed him to roll over more easily. However, today I was sunning him in his room and was not on the bed with him, and he managed to roll completely onto his tummy. He even scooted himself up a few inches the bed. Considering that Ella didn't officially roll until five or six months, this is a big change for us. It'll be so neat to see how similar and/or different they are.

Shameless Photo Overload

2009-08-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Always such a happy girl.... except when she's not. :-)

Defying gravity one block at a time.

Hanging with her 'friends' Mona, Tad and Elmo.

Making sure Cameron's Moses Basket is a-okay.

They both like the bouncy seat quite a bit.

Daddy and son.

You can thank a plugged tear duct for the squinty eye.

Kelly meeting Cameron. We've had a ton of visitors, but I haven't been good about capturing everyone on film.

Ella is pretty much indifferent toward Cameron, but she'll gladly name his body parts or alert us that he's sleeping or crying. She thought about giving him a kiss after this picture was taken, but decided against it and said "all done" instead. Baby steps...

On day 5, Mommy couldn't take it anymore, so she snuck out of the house with Cameron while Ella and Daddy were out having ice cream.

He loves to sleep with his hands over his face. So sweet.

He's got a little Jaundice, so we've taken to 'sunning' by the window several times a day to help break up the excess billirubin in his blood.

Awww.

Is he cute or what?

Cameron David Schulze has arrived!

2009-08-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I are proud to announce (for about the 100th time today) that our son, Cameron David, has arrived! After only 4.5 hours of labor, he made his two-week-early debut at 7:16am, weighing in at a healthy 7 pounds 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. He's got a full head of dark hair, that looks just like Ella's did when she was born, and is as cute as a button. He has had no troubles with latching on and nursing and is a very eager little guy, so he'll likely be packing on the pudge in no time. At 20 months, Ella is still too young to fully grasp what having a baby brother really means, but she has shown interest in him, is not displaying any jealousy (yet), and likes to tell us about the stars and moons on his jammies and his yellow hat. So far so good.

Having had such a quick labor, I am feeling quite good, minus being pretty tired from waking up at 2:45am to hard contractions. We feel exceptionally fortunate to have been granted another beautiful homebirth experience, and we could not have planned out, or asked for, a more ideal unfolding of events.

I'll be sure to update again soon with plenty more photos!

Lace and Baby Alice's Shower

2009-08-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Lace is expecting her second little girl, Alice, at the end of October and I wanted to help her celebrate this new life she's made. So, our mutual friend, Megan, and I got together and threw her a nice little diapers and wipes shower to get everyone excited for baby Alice's upcoming arrival. We served a light brunch of fruit salad, bagels and cream cheese, blueberry muffins (thanks Jessica!), and Strata (not shown, but sooo tasty). I also baked my first cake and made homemade frosting from a highly-coveted, secret family recipe. Mmmm. I'm still noshing on the leftovers, and feeling a little guilty with every bite I take! For party favors, I made pink rice krispie treat rattles.

Megan's adorable baby carriage fruit salad!

My first ever baked (not ice cream) cake, and my second ever diaper cake!

It turned out to be a really nice little celebration complete with good company, lots of laughs, some cute shower games (thanks Megan!) tons of diapers and wipes, and more carbohydrates than one should ever really consume at one given time! I'm so glad we got the chance to celebrate baby Alice before I was too pregnant or too wrapped up with a newborn to be a part of it, and I really hope that Lace has some nice memories to take away from the day.

I'm terrible at remembering to take photos once I get sucked into conversation and having fun with guests so, sadly, I didn't capture anything other than the food!

We made it!

2009-08-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we are planning to have another home birth and, in order to have one, we had to make it to 36 weeks gestation. Well, we did! In fact, I write this on the morning in which I start my 37th week, so that's even better. 37 weeks is officially considered full term, and babies born at this time have an incredibly high chance of being perfectly healthy. After three trips to Labor and Delivery, seemingly endless contractions, and lots of time spent living semi-tentatively, it is really, really nice to get to this point, and just breathe a sigh of relief that everything now qualifies as "normal".

I'm both ready and not ready to meet this little guy. One one hand, it's increasingly challenging to do just about anything these days due to this huge belly I'm sporting. But on the other hand, having a baby neatly (and quietly) contained within my belly is, in many ways, a lot less challenging than having one in my arms. I am ready to take a break from working but, then again, I like being busy and having things to 'do', and that weekly paycheck is oh so satisfying. I'm anxious to meet my son for the first time, but when I remember that I'll have to go through the whole birthing process to get to that point, I decide that a few more days of pregnancy might be nice. I want Ella to meet her brother and be able to enjoy him, but I also want to just enjoy her for this little bit of time we have left with her as a singleton. In the end, though, I know that he'll come when he's good and ready, and I'll have no say in the matter. Thank goodness for that.

For the past week, I've had what is sometimes called "pre-labor", which involves lots of contractions and definitely some discomfort. It's not the real deal yet, but it's a great sign that my body is preparing for what lies ahead, and it also means that labor probably isn't too far off. Often, these pre-labor contractions will dilate and efface the cervix (and I was already 3cm at 31 weeks), which could mean less work for me when true labor hits... hooray for that! Here's to hoping I have another relatively quick labor and birth.

Photo Update

2009-08-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Not much is new around here... I'm still pregnant, it's still hot, Ella turned 20 months (!) yesterday, Ryan's been working hard, and we're busy, busy with life in general! Fortunately, we're all healthy and happy, so all is well.

Ella really digs blocks these days and is all about building towers. If she happens to start one off in a 'structurally sound' configuration, she can actually get them to be pretty big!

Ella and Daddy.

Papa Steve and Ella.

Sharing her milk with the characters on the front cover of a book.

Sharing her milk with Fisher Price Little Person.

Imagination Avenue

2009-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

There's a little place over on 32nd and Bell called Imagination Avenue that I just love taking the kiddos to! Since the owners were moving, and no one was buying, we thought it would surely close, but at the last minute someone decided they had to have it, so the doors will remain open! When it's so hot outside, it's tough to find inexpensive entertainment for small children, so I am super excited to still have this as an option. Here's a photo overload of Ella, Alana and Raine enjoying good ol' Imagination Avenue....

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My, oh my, did July fly by!

2009-07-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

I can't believe another month is already coming to an end! It's been miserably hot lately (110' or above), so we're doing our best to stay cool both inside and while outside in the water. Opening the door to greet a typical Arizona summer afternoon feels very much like opening the door of your preheated oven and sticking your face in it. It's absolute torture for about 3 or 4 months, so in order to avoid going completely insane, I frequently remind myself that the remaining months of the year are quite beautiful and mild compared to the weather in much of the rest of the U.S. I guess it's all worth it!

Although we don't have a pool in our backyard, the family I nanny for, my folks, and lots of our friends have pools, so we've been able to enjoy the water quite a bit this summer. My mom picked up an itty bitty play pool that Ella has been having fun playing in, and we've also got a bigger inflatable pool from Grandma Donna that we can use if we all want to hop in. I try to give Ella lots of opportunities to get comfortable in the water (which she very much is, thankfully), but I admit that recently I'd rather just hole up inside my nice, cool, heavily airconditioned house! Being big and pregnant in the summertime (esp. in Arizona) is something I, hopefully, won't have to do again! Here's to better planning next time...

Ella's enjoys raiding the cabinets for crackers and other snacks to help herself to. She rarely eats crackers, regardless of what kind they are, but so long as she's found them herself, she'll happily gobble them up. Typical toddler.

Miss Ella has been busy, busy this month since picking up walking. I'm happy to report that she no longer crawls at all. It's a joy to see her making physical advances, and she is enjoying the freedom to walk around wherever she pleases. Now that she has her hands free, she's almost constantly carrying around something. Most of the time she chooses monkey, Tad (a plush frog that talks and plays music), or some other furry creature. Lately she's been engaging in a lot of pretend play with babies and stuffed animals and loves to cover them up with anything resembling a blanket (yesterday, she carried around a pair of pants for an hour covering and uncovering her animals). She makes this loving little "huum" sound right before she covers them up and then say's "night night". It's awfully cute.

Here she is getting ready to cover monkey up.

Here she's got him wrapped up in a piece of rubber that protects the seat of the car from the infant car seat base.

Here, monkey is going "night night".

She's also taken to pushing around her stuffed animals (usually monkey or Tad) in this little bin, taking them for a ride on her train, seating them on the chairs or in her highchair, and generally just "tending" to them. I'm glad to see that she's learning to be tender and affectionate with others (even if they're inanimate objects), and I'm hoping this will set a nice stage for when her baby brother arrives.

Baby Shower!

2009-07-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Baby Boy Schulze with a small shower hosted by my dear friend Elisa. She went above and beyond in terms of a delicious home-made meal, adorable and creative decorations and being a very gracious hostess! For lunch, we dined on curried chicken salad sandwiches, Greek risotto salad, caprese salad, a sausage and egg bake (I keep forgetting the name), cheese and crackers, and fruit salad with dip. For dessert we not only had a delicious 3-layer chocolate cake, but also chocolate chip cookies and a cobbler. I think Elisa must know I have a serious weakness for sweets! Everything was incredibly tasty, and I think we were all completely stuffed by the end of the meal.

Cookies are serious business, I tell you.

"Co-host" Isabella. Could she be any more scrumptious?

I regret having not taken more photos and making sure every attendant was captured, but the company and conversation was just so entertaining that I kept forgetting to take pictures. Thankfully I got some, but I sure wish I'd gotten some group photos to help preserve the great memories I'll have.

Since this was our second baby, I really only thought we'd be "sprinkled" (as opposed to "showered") with gifts but, apparently, I was dead wrong. I am feeling incredibly thankful for, and admittedly even a little unworthy of, such generosity from our friends and family. Thanks to them, we are completely prepared for this little guy's arrival!

I just want to say a huge "thank you" to Elisa for insisting on throwing me a shower and for doing such a fantastic job as hostess. I had an absolute ball with my friends and family, and I will cherish these memories for a very long time. I also want to say a big "thanks" to all of those who were able to make it, as well as to those who were far away and unable to attend, for making and taking the time to think of us, and for going out of your ways to help us prepare for our son's fast-approaching arrival. Gifts aside, I just feel very loved and very fortunate to have such wonderful souls in my life! Thanks again!!