This is How We Roll

Ella has been trying for a few days and has finally done it: she's rolled over! I was actually ready with camera in hand and caught her first official roll on film. Enjoy!

Operation: Ella, Take This Damn Bottle, Phase I

I knew the day would come. I just didn't know how insanely difficult it would be. Ella must take a bottle...

Pure disgust on that face: "I WILL NOT HAVE YOUR BOTTLE!"

Zach and I are traveling to Erie in a few weeks for a friend's wedding and we're staying the night. While the prospect of a night without kids is AWESOME, the fact that Zach's poor parents will be refereeing Ella's showdown with the "fake boob," her father's eloquent description not mine, makes me more than nervous. To date, we've tried five different brands of bottles/nipples, none of which have sated the child, and just as many different people to feed it to her. We've tried expressed milk, formula, room temperature, warmed, and a half a dozen positions to offer all of the aforementioned. NOTHING.

Today, armed with a Nuk bottle, Zach tried to give Ella a snack. She wasn't starving and she was happy so we figured what's the worst that can happen? We soon learned: her screaming so wildly and kicking so mightily that her dad almost dropped her. Then it was my turn. I sat her up in my lap and she was all smiles. I put the bottle in her mouth and she didn't freak out. Score! Instead of sucking, though, she chose to chew on it. That's progress in my book! I'm learning that if, while I offer the bottle, she's sitting in a way that's different from how she nurses (in the Bumbo, in Zach's lap, etc.), she's not nearly as hostile. We have a long ways to go, but we're going to keep on fighting the good fight because, for the love of baby Jesus, I need a night out!

I can only imagine what the neighbors think...

While we're on the topic of milk, Sir Brady has officially been given the green light to switch from whole to 2%. This is a normal transition for 2-year-olds, but our pediatrician never mentioned it at Brady's last well-baby check-up. When the kid started guzzling more milk than Zach and I combined, I thought it best to contact his doctor and suggest we downgrade. Much like all other changes Brady has faced, he's done is seamlessly. Maybe he can talk to his sister for me.

That's my boy :-)

Kiski students return to the classroom next Monday, but today and tomorrow, Zach was at school. The house was strangely quiet without him and I didn't like it one bit. I think it's futile to complain about him having to go back to work since he did just have the entire summer off with us, so I won't waste my time. Plus it's borderline pathetic that I missed him as much as I did. Guess I kinda like him at home with me and the kids. Okay, okay, no complaining...

She looks Asian.

So how 'bout that earthquake, huh? I was sitting on our deck reading All Quiet on the Western Front since I'm teaching it for the first time this year, when the whole thing started to shake. I thought it was the wind and when I realized the wind was barely blowing, I checked my chair to make sure it wasn't propped up on a rock or stuck in a crack or something. By the time I was done with my inspection, the shaking had stopped. I went about my business completely oblivious that a decent earthquake hit near Richmond, Virginia (where my Godfather and his family live) and we felt the tremors the whole way here in western PA. Those of you who know me have already anticipated my horrible joke: it wasn't so quiet on this western front!! Ahahahahahaha!!!!!!! What? No takers?

Telling off her brother

Ella's (belated) 3-Monthiversary...and some other stuff

I do realize I'm almost 2 weeks late in sharing poor Ella's third month post and for that, I apologize. Poor, poor second child. I also apologize for the ridiculous amount of information that I'm going to stuff into this post. Poor, poor you.

3-months and cuter every second!

Anyway, we had one fantastic week of Ella sleeping through the night. Like, the WHOLE night and then some. I'm talking 8-10 hours at a stretch! I got cocky, shared my good news with a few friends, and she changed things up on me immediately. The next week, she was awake every 3 hours during the night and her naps during the day didn't top more than 40 minutes. She was exceptionally fussy whenever she was awake and absolutely refused to be held by anyone but me. Having gone back to work, let me just say how difficult it is to take meetings with a screaming child in tow and type one-handed. I tried taking her to a friend's low-key party and it was a disaster of epic proportions. Ella literally screamed the entire time. The noise of chatter and laughter sent her into a tizzy. And made me want to drink heavily. It was a very, very challenging week.

Right before she screamed her face off

 Fortunately, when she woke up this Monday, she was back to her happy self. When she's a normal fussy baby as opposed to Satan's spawn, she's pretty similar to how her big brother was as an infant: food solves all problems; the initial buckle-in into the car seat results in the caliber of shrieks normally reserved for wild animals; driving around makes a sleepy baby; and she prefers her momma over everyone else. :-)

Necessary accessories for TV watching

Ella is quite different from Brady in a few ways, though. Namely, she has a bit of a temper. Brady was a pretty chill baby. Ella makes her presence known! She is constantly babbling, cooing, or yelling. She has a lot to say and she will make sure you hear every word. Can't imagine where she gets that from...

Talking to Elmo

We had quite an eventful time at church last weekend. We normally go to the 8 am mass because both kiddos are sluggish therefore better behaved, but because Ella hadn't been sleeping well, we opted to sleep in a bit. Never again. Ella was so angry that she wouldn't even nurse. In fact, she started kicking so hard that she kicked my nursing cover right off, exposing my boob to the congregation. I was so flustered I just up and left. I took the girl into the bathroom to regroup and suddenly realized my stomach was upset. Let me just say typing isn't the only thing that's hard to do one-handed. So, by the time we rejoined Zach and Brady at our pew, Brady had peed himself. It went through his pants to create a lovely little puddle. We used every last wipe to clean up the mess, but I fear we have officially stained God's house. Here's hoping He has a sense of humor and understands why we didn't show our faces there this week.

Going for a walk

 The circus came to town over the weekend. And by circus I mean a small family of Mexicans and by town I mean the sad little place we call Leechburg. The kids didn't know the difference and they really enjoyed it! Well, Ella slept through 90% of it, but when she was awake, she stared in awe. Brady absolutely loved it! He was dancing with the music, clapping along with the (creepy) clown, and went nuts when the horses came out. He's still talking about the one white horse and one brown horse. And he tells anyone who will listen that no, there were no "el-phants." I personally enjoyed the Michael Jackson impersonator. The kid danced and looked just like him. It was Billy Jean, greasy hair heaven.

Showing off his "I'm Building My Savings" sticker from the nice bank teller

Brady's frog potty endeavors have been going fairly well. He still can't/won't tell us that he has to go beforehand, but he is very bothered by a dirty diaper, so that's a step in the right direction. We'll throw him on the potty (that he calls a "fog toy-yet) and he'll normally pee and then we celebrate like we won the Powerball. So far, the praise and excitement is enough to get him geared up, but I'm sure the bribery will begin soon enough. I should stock up on M&Ms while I'm thinking about it.

Always giving kisses

The kid is super funny these days, too. I don't know if he means to be so hilarious, but the stuff that comes out of his mouth is priceless. This morning when I went into his room, he flared his nostrils at me and asked if I could see his boogers. Seriously? Boys are so gross. But he's also cute, so that helps. In fact, just today I was telling him how cute he is and he stopped me and said, "No, Mum. Brady handsome." Well then!

My gal

And finally, to conclude the Jankowski version of The Odyssey, we had family pictures taken at a local park with a former Valley High School student. I am beyond excited about the final shots and the price. For $80, we got to choose the location/s, almost 2-hours of shooting, we'll get one 8x10 print, one 5x7 print, and ALL of the pictures on two CDs, one color and one black and white. We will own the copyright to the pictures which is something that's almost unheard of today. Or at least our former photographer hadn't heard of that. She charges $100 just to sit down in her studio. She was fabulous; her prices were not. Enjoy some of the pictures from our big photo shoot!

Happy 5 Years, Zachary!

While I realize this post is a little late, I thought 5 years of marriage deserved some attention, so here goes...

Happy 5 Years!

On July 29, 2006, I changed my last name and my life as a single gal was officially over. Some joke about the "ole ball and chain," but Zach and I never really looked at marriage that way. We figured we were fortunate enough to find in each other what we hadn't found in anyone else: a person who was willing to spend their lives with us ;-)

Yes, those are braids in my hair.

A lot has changed in 5 years. We both bowed gracefully out of our 20s and into our 30s. My grandma passed away. Zach's gig as head baseball coach at Kiski was disgustingly short-lived but, in retrospect, it was for the best. Most of our good friends have gotten married, including Derek and Kim, AKA: my brother from another mother and sis from another miss. (No, that never gets old for me!) I've stepped out of the public school system to pursue a stay at home working mom gig. Zach has taken over as the Coaches Clinic co-owner. We have TWO beautiful, healthy, amazing children. Zach wakes at 4:45 am to exercise and do school work so he can relax with us when he gets home. My stomach is now flabby...

In Clarion celebrating our 2 year anniversary

Despite all of the differences the last 5 years have brought us, one thing has certainly remained the same: my hubby and I kinda like each other. We're a good match, his patience simmers me down; my organization saves his butt. We still laugh with (and at) one another. We still hold hands. We still kiss goodnight and goodbye. And I gotta say, there were many a'time that Zach was really the one to hold this thing we call marriage down. He's so even tempered and helpful and genuinely kind. I realize how lucky I am every day. Especially the days that I have raging PMS and he still kisses me goodbye, probably muttering "thank God" as he leaves, but whatever--I'll take it.

Just another day in paradise.

And did I mention our ridiculously adorable kids? Well, they're better off being in this world with Zach as their dad and that is something I got straight out of the Gospel. Okay, not really, but I do believe God sent Zach to me and gave us these precious kiddos because he knew we wouldn't screw them up...too badly.

At PNC Park

As a parent, I have to give credit where credit is due: Terri and Rick raised ONE HECK of a guy and I'm forever grateful and giddy that he's mine. He's pretty darn handsome, too; that doesn't hurt on the days where he forgets to flush the toilet. Ahhh marriage.

On vacation in Punta Cana

Here are some more pics of our last 5 years together. I can't believe I'm typing that...5 YEARS! WHOA!

Picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Bethany Beach, 2011

In an effort to condense our vacation into a more "readable" post, I've labeled each day and summarized the events. You're welcome :-)

Saturday, 2 am: We began our journey to the First State with Zach behind the wheel, my dad hopped up on caffeine chattering endlessly (a sign that he's excited), Brady and I blurry-eyed but awake, and my mom and Ella sleeping soundly. Brady resembled a zombie for the better part of the drive; I guess he was so excited he couldn't snooze. Regardless, both he and Ella were so incredible on the way down--they make traveling a real pleasure!

Saturday, 1 pm: We got to Bethany Beach and opted to do the grocery shopping right away. We stocked up on essentials (snacks to keep Brady quiet, pineapple juice to go in the gin), got to the house and unpacked everything. Since most of us had been up since 1 am, we were in dire need of a nap. Unfortunately (or maybe not?), Brady slept for 4 1/2 hours so we didn't make it to the beach until after dinner! When we did get there, Brady was very timid about the water. My mom and dad held his hands so he could put his toes in and by the end of it, he was laughing and talking to the water: "Hi, ocean! Bye, ocean!" Pretty cute. So are the pictures:

Sunday: We hit the beach first thing in morning. All was well until flies began feasting on my dad. He waged war, swatting and swearing, appalled at the insects' persistence. We laughed, amused by his dramatic display. He left and then the flies turned on us. We no longer laughed. At the end of day 1, we were all bitten and disgusted. Conveniently enough, it stormed later in the afternoon and the rain washed the flies away. A downside of the storm is that the winds ripped our sun shelter out of the sand and sent it hurtling into another family's, ripping theirs. Oops. Fortunately for everyone involved, the shelters were usable for the rest of the vacation. We collected our beach belongings and headed to the house for dinner. We ate dinner in again because we were all gun shy of taking a toddler and a newborn to a public place where manners and inside voices are required. Also, I personally was feeling a bit overwhelmed with the whole "two kids and a vacation" thing. Between all the crap we had to drag to the beach and my constant worry that it was too hot for Ella or the UV rays would scorch Brady's skin, I felt like the vacation was more responsibility than every day life. Turns out those worries were easily curable and the anecdote was a room temperature Chianti.

Monday: When we got to the beach, we quickly noticed that there were no more flies! The flyless days lasted through the rest of our trip, too! Whoo hoo! The humidity was sticky, though, so we became obsessed with keeping the kids hydrated. Brady drank more water and ate more fruit that day than ever before. His diapers were the proof. Anyway, we intended to go to the boardwalk for dinner, but the sky was threatening more rain, so we crossed our fingers and headed to The Grotto. After our first Grotto experience, we can confidently say we are huge fans! Great food, kid-friendly, there's an arcade, and most importantly, The Grotto offers gelato. After we ate, Brady played basketball and rode a Mickey ride in the arcade and I nursed Ella among my largest audience yet whilst spooning chocolate gelato into my fat face. Success. I made a mental note to thank the makers of the "Udder Cover" and the Italians for relaxing public breastfeeding and yumminess, respectively.

Tuesday: Tuesday was Brady's second birthday! To make the day extra special, we arranged for dolphins to swim back and forth right in front of us all day. They put on quite a show. (Disclaimer: the dolphins are protected by their Union and none were harmed in the celebratory display for the boy's big day). Because of the previous storms, the waves were perfect for boogie boarding, so my dad and I went out for a while. When I say the waves were perfect, they were also rough and I realized all too quickly that the swimsuit I chose because of easy access for nursing was NOT the best choice for boogie boarding. The patrons of Bethany Beach got a free flashing courtesy of a huge wave that threw me to the ocean floor. Good times. Later on that night, we heard about a shark attack a few beaches up in Rehobeth. We began rethinking future boogie boarding. After naps, the weather cooperated and we finally made it to the boardwalk for dinner and shopping. Custard, fudge, cinnamon glazed almonds OH MY! I carried Ella in her sling and Zach pushed the boy in the umbrella stroller and life was good. Life got even better when I finally found my Tina Fey book! Every PA bookstore was sold out when I looked for it before vacation, so between the sugary goodness and Ms. Fey, I felt like I hit the lottery.

Wednesday: At this point in the trip, we felt it only right to give praise to the warm, humid ocean air for knocking out the kids. They both slept so incredibly well...until I put it in writing. Ella, who had her first real run at sleeping through the night, wanted to make me look like a fool and instead of maintaining her 9:30 - 6 am repertoire, opted to wake every two hours for the rest of the vacation. Otherwise, GOD BLESS THE BEACH! And bless the gangs of dolphins that hung around all day. The experts say where there are dolphins, there are no sharks. I didn't take any chances, though; the boogie board was used strictly for photo shoots:

Thursday: We headed to the beach very early today and met up with Derek, Katie, little Isaac and the rest of their family. Derek and I worked together at Valley and his wife and I became fast friends. While the boys played in the sand, Zach and Derek waxed philosophical about education and Katie and I discussed the sad state of our post-baby bodies. As proof, I actually had to dig out two "boob holes" in the sand so I could lie on my stomach. Anyway, Zach and I celebrated our FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY with a dinner at Mango's on the boardwalk. Mango's is advertised as the "only restaurant in Bethany Beach to boast a view of the ocean and sunset." I learned of at least one other, so I was tempted to ring them up on false advertising charges. But instead, I enjoyed my crab cakes with my wonderful husband in blissful, kidless silence. A special thanks goes out to my parents for babysitting...even though they both looked frazzled when we returned 2.5 hours later!

Friday: We spent the better part of our last day just like we spent the others: on the beach! The weather was so perfect; it was warm, the humidity was low, and the ocean was calm. It did not help our water fears that a mere 50 feet up the beach, fishermen were catching sharks instead of grouper, but whatever. When we decided it was finally time to bid the sand and surf a final adieu, we headed back to Mango's since it is so loud that should Ella scream or Brady freak, no one would even notice. When we got there, I made the monumental mistake of informing the hostess that Zach was parking the car. That meant our party was "incomplete" and they don't seat incomplete parties. In the short amount of time it took Zach to park and meet us, a loooong waiting list had begun. My dad, who is short on patience as is, was not happy, nor was he calm, about this development. I kept my distance from his loud rants, hoping no one would realize we were related. So, about 40 minutes later and 100+ times of listening to Brady's "I'm so hungry" sob story, we were seated. As we had been waiting outside in the warm air, Ella was asleep and she remained that way during the entire dinner courtesy of a good swaddling in one of Mango's finest linen napkins. (We are classy.) The food was scrumptious, Brady was well-behaved, and all in all, it was a good ending to a great vacation. An even better ending? More fudge! All hail the Candy Kitchen and its King Tut variety.

We arrived back home around 1 pm on Saturday after another successful car ride with the kiddos. The portable DVD player and Mickey Mouse DVDs were a Godsend for Brady (best birthday present EVER!), and stopping to feed Ella before she screeched much like that of a howler monkey also made for delightful driving. The beach was wonderful, the house was perfect, and the location was right up our alley: not crowded and no loud, drunken teenagers vomiting on our doorstep like in Ocean City. We were so happy with it all that we're renting the same house next year. Summer 2012: Bethany Beach or bust!

Our view from the balcony!

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