circus of life

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Nyla got a tricycle for Christmas and has recently really gotten the hang of riding it. So I wanted to capture it on video to show the grandparents... Don't miss the lovely name she's come up with for a screwdriver (she says it some at the beginning and end of the video)... Let's just put it this way, we have a hoe (Tahoe) and Nyla likes to play with hookers. It makes sense to her because screwdrivers hook things together. ;)

Also, she can be quite the entertainer (like her Uncle Josh???), and after viewing this video, I have to ask myself, does she ever stop talking? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, not really.

Nyla has a history of not liking hamburger, steak, lunch meat, turkey, chicken or most other kinds of meat (she has always liked sausage for some reason). Over the last few weeks she has taken a major turn and will suddenly eat pretty much all of those things. Our proudest moment was when we caught the following on camera - something I thought we'd never hear!

lovin' from the oven

Also while at Grandpa Kenny and Grandma Debby's (the weekend before Valentine's Day), Nyla got to assist in making some giant heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies.

Potty chairs make great step stools. :)

When Grandma had to confiscate the cookie as it was time to go to church, and it was way too much to eat in one sitting anyway, Nyla launched into a pathetic chorus of "I want my Mommy!!"

edible snowman

Nyla made her first snowman at Grandpa Kenny and Grandma Debby's house a couple weekends ago.

 Whenever Nyla puts on a cowboy hat, it is always backwards.

 This snowman had a pickle nose, black olive eyes and green onion arms... and Grandpa's dirty cowboy hat. 

 Taking a break to eat the eyes...

After some really cold days and lots of snow, this was a beautiful day for snowman building with Grandma.

frosty baby bull

With the terribly cold weather there have been a few babies that have had to be rescued this calving season. One week ago today, when the wind chill was -20 degrees, one that had been born for about an hour was already frozen when my dad got to it. But one lucky little hypothermic baby, which had only been on the ground for about 30 minutes, could be saved.

I wish I had a picture of when he had icicles on his chin, but Mom was kinda busy at that point! So here he is laying on her kitchen floor not looking so good. She used the hair dryer on him first, but wasn't getting any temperature to register since it was still somewhere less than 90 degrees. The normal temp for a cow is about 101.

Then dad fed the calf warm colostrum from his mother. Mom started warming blankets in the dryer and bundling him up. Then she just kept rotating to freshly warmed blankets as his temp started to go up slowly. It was a good sign when he started shivering.

An hour or so later he was looking better with eyes open and head up. It took about 3 hours all together to warm him up. What a way to come into the world!

Less than an hour after being put back outside with his mama, he was looking great. He could have stayed in the barn, but chose to toddle outside already.

This is me at 15 months old with a newborn calf on the same kitchen floor, in the same spot. I also remember a time when I was using a hair dryer on 3 babies at the same time. And yes... Nyla must get her thumb sucking and blanky attachment from me... Obviously not the hair. ;)

Now the weather is amazing this week (it was 75 degrees in Western Kansas yesterday!) so bring on the babies! My parents have never had the heifers calve this early before and probably never will again! Normally they start late February (versus late January), which can still be cold, but typically ends up being a lot easier on everyone.

baby on board {sixteen weeks}

~ 16 weeks ~

I'm pleasantly surprised at how good I look in this picture! I really don't look sickly at all. :) This is the first picture we've taken of the baby bump this time around, and I'm glad that it's finally starting to look like a real one instead of just looking like I'm chunky around the middle.

People have been asking if I'm feeling any better... I guess I would say it's kind of like a roller coaster right now and I do have my good days. Yesterday (when we took this picture) was definitely one of them. Overall I would say my pregnancy symptoms have quite improved from what I described in this post. ;)

At 16 weeks, I

• am having round ligament pain. Not a big deal, just surprised it's already started. I just need to change position carefully and stand up slowly, which makes it seem to me like I should be bigger and farther along than I am.
• have gained about 6 pounds.
• don't have much morning sickness anymore, but can't quite rule it out yet (it's holding on a lot longer than when I was pregnant with Nyla).
• have been getting major heartburn that sometimes causes me to vomit (I don't have heartburn at all when I'm not pregnant).
• have a major, full-time, head-to-toe full body itch (this is from the Sjögren's flare up).
• have developed an overall feeling of being tired and unwell, or like I'm about to come down with something. This came on with the flare up.
• am back on Plaquenil!!! :) :) Three doctors agreed that I should get back on it now for the Sjögren's. Mostly they did not want me to take it during the first trimester. It may take 2-4 months for it to get back into my system enough to notice and stop the flare up, but at least I have begun to dig out!
• am feeling the baby move daily - much earlier than when I was pregnant with Nyla. I didn't write it down, but with her I think it may have been 22 weeks or so before I felt anything.

So it looks like the biggest thing that's getting me right now is the autoimmune disorder, which at least we are able to work on that now and it should start improving soon.

This weekend Tyler's mom went to visit his sister so she took Nyla with her and dropped her off at my parent's for the weekend. She'll pick Nyla up on the way back home. So I am getting some rest and am about to go take a long, relaxing anti-itch bath. :)

it's a girl thing

Useless Facts About Amanda and I - Our moms are the oldest siblings in their families, Amanda and I are the oldest in our families, and Macy and Nyla are the oldest in their families. Amanda and I, as well as our moms, definitely all act like oldest children. And I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Nyla and Macy will be following in those footsteps. ;)

I cannot believe I'm sharing this photo publicly, but my point is that Amanda and I are now doing to our own daugthers, what our mothers did to us. (Or maybe we did it to ourselves?!)

I admit I am guilty of instigating this. I got the girls their matching K-State tutus. They were made by Christin (a gal I was a cheerleader with in high school) of The Tutu Parlor. 

Macy Susanne Hands will be 1 year old this Valentine's Day, and her first cousin was just born last night to Amanda's sister, Lindsey.

For better or worse, both of these girls pretty much look like their fathers. ;) Although, once in a while I am finally starting to see some of myself in Nyla.

 If they were sisters, I'd call this "the Christmas card photo."

Tickle, tickle!

Sort of along the same subject, here Nyla is demonstrating her cheerleader moves (saying "Go K-State") and modeling a cute shirt that my mom got for her through a Freshman class fundraiser at White City High School. The students and their class sponsor custom made these shirts for whatever school and color you wanted. Nyla also has a Quinter Bulldogs one with red paint on it.

Her K-State shirt has her name on the back. 

And now we put the tutu and the shirt together, and our outfit is complete!

cabin fever

As is my usual routine, here is a hodge podge of photos from the current season. You'll notice not a single one of these is taken outside or in the snow! It has just been so cold. Or maybe it's because I haven't been feeling good and never leave the house! Even our 100% outside dog (I guess I can't say 100% anymore) is pictured inside the house.

Nyla had a lot of fun decorating the tree with me this year.

When Nyla was sick, I heard some thrashing and whining around the next morning and when I went in her room I saw she flopped out of bed and was sleeping on the floor. She stayed this way till 10:30 or 11am! I tried to cover her up but she got mad.

Uncle Mike

Watching TV with Dora after a bath

A face only a mother could love ;)

Actually I think it's cute, but I guess I'm kinda the mother. Cash is pretty good about not moving from this spot so I didn't mind letting him in when it was below 0 weather outside. And actually a few times he let himself in through AJ's rather small dog door! He is so much quieter coming in than AJ so I was always surprised when I'd walk in the kitchen and see him laying there. Also I took Cash to the vet lately for vaccinations and was surprised to find out he weighs 105 pounds! I knew he was big, but didn't think he was that big.

Fun with shaving cream

This is Teresa from Parents as Teachers. She comes to our house once a month, which Nyla and I both really look forward to.

Fun in the tub

"Only with winter-patience can we bring the deep-desired, long-awaited Spring."

~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

once upon a potty {part 2}

If you thought my Part 1 potty post seemed driven by hormones, I suppose that could be true. But know that I am strong willed and independent whether I’m pregnant or not. Just ask Tyler. ;) In any case, thank you so much for all the positive support and feedback regarding that post! It’s nice to know I’m not that crazy!

Also, I don’t at all mean to turn my nose up at people who have potty trained their kids sometime before they were 2. I’m just saying, I like to think you can do whatever works best for you and your child…

Now, on to Part 2…

Recently I have sought guidance and advice from 9 moms, with 24 children among them. Two of the moms have potty trained 1 child thus far, and the other 7 moms have trained 2-3 children thus far. Seven of the 9 moms work outside the home and they all use disposable diapers, which, good or bad, are obviously more convenient to stay in longer than cloth diapers.

Following are some key ideas I have gathered from these moms as well as other ladies who provided responses to my previous post via my blog, Facebook or email.

• All children physically develop at different rates which we cannot control.
• Every kid is different. Just because a strategy worked for your first kid, that doesn't mean it will work for your second kid… or someone else’s kid.
• Don't start potty training until your child wants to do it. It’s not worth battling or rushing them.
• Children will potty train when they are good and ready, and if they don't want to, they will act on the fact that this is one of the few things they can control in their life. 
• The more ready he or she is, the less amount of time it will take to do the training and the easier it will be.
• Multiple ladies told me how they pushed their first child into training earlier, only to find out it was “sooo much easier” when they waited with the second child until he/she was a little older and more obviously ready.
• Go straight from diapers to underwear. Skip the pull-ups.
• Figure out what motivates your child (e.g., a sweet treat, keeping their favorite underwear dry).
• Relax and enjoy every day with your toddler because children grow up fast enough as it is.
• Surround yourself with encouraging people, not those that make you feel incompetent as a mom.

So, here is my unsolicited advice. ;) If you are parenting, or are related to, any toddlers who aren’t currently potty trained, don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy them while they’re this little. That’s what Tyler and I want to do because we know that someday Nyla will become a teenager and potentially give us something for real to stress about. Or it will seem that in the amount of time it takes to blink my eyes once, she will have already grown up and moved out of the house!

once upon a potty {part 1}

Let me start by saying that this posting is not directed at anyone. More than likely, the people that would most need to read this won’t anyway… I just need to vent. :)

The next thing is, these are just my opinions and I don’t expect everyone to agree with them. I just figured if other people are entitled to provide their opinions about potty training, whether I ask for them or not, then I ought to be able to have opinions too – which I will try only to vent on my blog or give to others when they specifically ask for them.

So here goes…

For some reason, potty training, like walking, seems to be a lot of people’s measure of your child’s intelligence or social function... which is ridiculous because all kids physically develop and mature at different rates which we cannot control. I am frustrated with people's pushiness and opinions about potty training. And the funny thing is, the main people who provide these opinions haven't had small children for eons. Don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate help and advice… when I ask for it.

Also… Why do people assume that if you don't put your child on the toilet in public or at their house, that you haven't been trying to do it at home? We have tried many times at home, and we continue to keep trying as Nyla is willing. She has had success a few times, although always by accident because she just happened to be sitting on the toilet when it happened. At this time, when we go out in public I am not going to mess with anticipating Nyla's every potty or poop. It is much easier on all of us to put on the diaper for public and practice at home for now.

Then you have the group that believes there is no reason a child can’t be potty trained at 18 months or by age 2. In response to that, I think it’s fine if a mom wants to train herself to memorize her child's pee and poop schedule inside and out so that she can anticipate getting them on the pot at the right time every time... but most modern mothers do not have time for this. We’d rather wait till we can effectively and efficiently train the kid – not ourselves. If Nyla does not yet seem to have the control over when and where the potty is going, then why not save both of ourselves some stress and let her go in an absorbent and convenient diaper until she has physically developed a bit more? Maybe people think I should just push her harder, but I truly don’t believe it’s necessary or worth it at this moment. The more I push her to go in the toilet, the more she surprises herself by peeing on the floor out of nowhere, which breaks her sensitive little heart because she knows it isn't the right thing to do.

In a study of children who started training between 22 and 30 months of age, boys were fully trained at an average age of 38 months, while girls were trained slightly earlier, around 36 months. Nyla is now 30 months so we are not behind yet! According to one source, the physical maturity and readiness skills needed for successful training appear at the same time in girls and boys – between 18 and 30 months of age. Let’s say Nyla is physically a later bloomer (which it kind of seems like she is) – according to the above readiness range, we should just now be getting started. Sure, there are lots of kids already trained by Nyla’s current age, but there are also lots of kids who aren't. There are lots of kids that aren't even fully trained by 3 years old. And it's not automatically because their mother is lazy or dumb and didn't try, or because the kid is lazy, stubborn or spoiled. Yes, I know these things can happen, but it’s not always the case.

The bottom line is that when Nyla and I and Tyler are ready, we'll get the job done and move on with life (I’ve only recently felt well enough to even think about tackling it). I promise Nyla will not go to kindergarten in diapers. And if her training is completed a month or two later than her peers, I doubt any of us, including those that thought this should be done by now, will be any worse for the wear. There are more important things to fret about, and, if we as the parents aren't worried about Nyla's bathroom skills being mastered by a predetermined age, why should anyone else be?

Ok, I feel better. :) Stay tuned for Part 2 (yeah, sorry I have a tad bit more to say about it). ;)